Friday, February 16, 2007
Physical Therapy for the Lower Back: How to Prevent and Treat Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is one of the most common causes of job-related disability and why some people miss work. It is also the second most common neurological ailment in the United States, second only to headache. In fact, approximately 80% of adults in Western countries have, at some point, experienced lower back pain.
For some fortunate people, pain in the lower back may be resolved by itself or with the aid of medication within two to four weeks. However, there are some cases of lower back pain that may last for more than a few weeks, during which case the condition is termed as “chronic” and “progressive,” meaning it can only grow worse over time.
Moreover, 60-80% of those patients who suffer their first episode of lower back pain may experience recurring pain within one year.
According to current research, there are certain muscles in the back that work to stabilize the spine. When the spine or the back suffers an injury, these muscles are reflexively inhibited or shutdown. Worse still, these muscles do not spontaneously recover, and this is true even if patients do not feel pain and are able to return to normal activity levels.
As a result of the inhibition of these muscles, called lumbar multifidi and the transversus abdominus, lower back pain occurs. However, there are steps you can take to prevent the same thing from happening to you.
Lower Back Pain and Physical Therapy
One way to prevent the inhibition of the lumbar multifidi and transversus abdominus is through a series of physical therapy exercises.
Designed to strengthen the muscles of the lower back and keep the spine healthy, these physical therapy exercises may range from back stabilization exercises to muscle strength development and several wide variety of techniques.
In addition, a physical therapist may also recommend such methods as heat therapy, ultrasound, massage, mobilization, and education about posture and body mechanics in order to prevent lower back pain from recurring.
Some of these methods will be discussed later on. You will also find some practical self-help tips provided by experts to help you avoid lower back pain or prevent the condition from worsening.
However, before we head on to learning how lower back pain is treated through physical therapy, it is important that we first understand what causes lower back pain.
Lower Back Pain: CAUSES
There are actually many types of back pain, but the most common is pain in the lower back. Why? You might ask. The reason is simple: you carry most of your weight in the lower back. Thus, it is highly likely that a person would suffer pain in that area.
There is no definitive cause of lower back pain. Sometimes, the causes of the condition are so complex that it is difficult to pinpoint just a single one.
However, physical therapists and other healthcare professionals have observed that lower back pain is often a result of strained back muscles and ligaments due to any of the following activities:
• Improper posture
• Heavy lifting
• Sudden awkward movement
• Muscle spasm
• Stress
We could all be guilty of the above activities. We may not suffer any back pains now, but it is likely that as we get older and the degree of inhibition of the back muscles as a result of these activities increases, back pain becomes a very distinct possibility.
In addition to these common activities, lower back pain may also result from specific conditions, such as:
• Herniated disk (when the disk material presses on a nerve)
• Sciatica (when a herniated disk presses on the sciatic nerve. The condition causes sharp, shooting pain through the buttocks and the back of the leg.)
• Spinal stenosis (when the space around the spinal cord and nerve roots becomes narrow. This is caused by arthritis and bone overgrowth, the pain resulting from when a nerve gets pinched in the narrow space.)
• Spondylosis (a type of arthritis affecting the spine due to degenerative changes brought on by aging)
• Spondylolisthesis (when one vertebra in the spinal column slips forward over another)
Lower Back Pain: TREATMENT
The treatment of lower back pain depends on several factors, including the specific type of lower back pain (whether it is chronic or acute) and the purported cause.
For instance, acute lower back pain is commonly treated with pain relieving drugs, such as analgesics, or some forms of exercises that can help relax the muscles.
On the other hand, chronic back pain – or one that lasts for more than two weeks and is progressive – may be caused by some underlying condition, during which case the treatment plan may consist of resolving the underlying condition to treat the back pain.
Lower Back Pain and Physical Therapy Exercise
Physical therapy exercise is one of the most common methods of treating lower back pain. In fact, many home remedies for lower back pain consist of exercise, because the general theory is that if you remain active, you remain healthy. This is true in most cases.
However, for purposes of this article, the exercises featured here will be those that are practiced by physical therapists to treat patients with lower back pain.
Generally, in physical therapy exercises, the exercise program for back pain should encompass a set of stretching exercises, strengthening exercises, and low impact aerobics. Read below for more on these exercises:
-Stretching
The back of a person is composed of the spinal column and contiguous muscles, ligaments and tendons. All these are designed to move in consonance with each other so that any limitation in the range of motion in any of these components of the back result in back pain.
Stretching for lower back pain specifically targets soft tissues, such as muscles, ligaments and tendons, found in the back and around the spine. By stretching, the spine and soft tissues are mobilized, increasing motion and thus, relieving pain.
There are many kinds of stretching exercises employed by physical therapists. One is the Hamstring Stretching Exercise which works to relax tight hamstrings, a common symptom of lower back pain. This exercise is said to help decrease the intensity of lower back pain among sufferers.
-Strengthening
Physical therapists generally use two forms of strengthening and back pain relief exercises, usually depending on the specific condition of the patient. These are the McKenzie exercises and dynamic lumbar stabilization exercises. However, the two forms of strengthening exercises may also be combined should the therapist find it appropriate to do so.
-McKenzie Exercises
Named after a physical therapist in New Zealand, McKenzie exercises are primarily extension exercises that could help reduce pain generated from the disc space and also may help reduce the symptoms of herniated disc by reducing pressure on a nerve root.
For acute pain, the McKenzie exercises should be done frequently, at least once every two hours. In addition, patients are advised to avoid flexing their spine when exercising.
-Dynamic Lumbar Stabilization Exercises
Using this back exercise technique, the first thing that a physical therapist does is to look for the patient’s “neutral” spine. This refers to the position that allows the patient to feel the most comfortable.
Afterwards, when the patient is in that position, the back muscles are then exercised in order to “teach” the spine how to stay in this position.
Performing these exercises on a regular basis can help strengthen the back muscles and keep the spine well-positioned.
Low Impact Aerobic Exercises
The purpose of low impact aerobic exercise is to recondition the back. Patients who undergo reconditioning of the back through low impact aerobic exercise will have fewer episodes of lower back pain.
In addition, whenever an episode of lower back pain does occur, the pain is less intense and lasts only for a short period.
Another benefit of low impact aerobic exercise is that patients tend to stay functional – that is, they can continue with their regular work and carry on with recreational activities. In contrast, patients who do not undergo low impact aerobic exercises typically experience the gradual loss of their functional abilities.
For low impact aerobic exercises to achieve their desired results, they should be continuous. This will increase the heart rate and keep it elevated as well as increase the production of endorphins, which are pain fighting hormones released by the body.
Here are some examples of low impact aerobic exercises that you may want to try in order to lessen or reduce lower back pain:
-Walking
One of the simplest forms of aerobic exercises, walking is generally considered as very gentle on the back. To get the maximum benefit from walking as a form of low impact aerobic exercise, walk two to three miles three times per week.
-Stationary Bicycling
This form of aerobic exercise is less painful on the back since there is lower impact produced. This is beneficial for patients with lower back pain who may find walking too painful.
-Water Therapy
Sometimes referred to as aquatherapy, water therapy is simply doing exercise in the water. The buoyancy works to provide effective conditioning at the same time stress on the back is reduced.
Summary:
Lower back pain is one of the most common causes of job-related disability and why some people miss work. In this article you will find some practical self-help tips provided by experts to help you avoid lower back pain or prevent the condition from worsening.
Nishanth Reddy is an author and publisher of many health related websites. Visit his website for more information about lower back pain relief and treatment methods. Learn different treatment methods used for back pain relief.
http://www.back-pain-relief-guide.info
Understanding Back Pain Treatments
To understand your back pain is the best method of its treatment. If you commence taking over the counter medications, the pain may instantly stop, only to re-emerge with double vigor. Any medicine does two things, either it delivers the goods. Or it damages the goods. Either positive effects or negative side effects! Back pain treatments have to be understood in this context.
Taking unrecorded painkillers have done enough damage to back pain sufferers. It is therefore better for you to visit a pain management clinic that understands the root cause of the pain, and then commences a treatment that is suitable in your case. It is reported that over 60 % of the people who opted for the treatment at pain management clinics, regularly for a period of one year, have experienced substantial decrease in the level of suffering.
The main advantage of taking treatment in the pain management clinic is that a group of specialists take care of your problem. These health care providers normally include, apart from your family physician, psychologist, physical medicine specialist, neurologist, anesthesiologist and most importantly the physical therapist.
Pain clinics also offer non-drug therapies like physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, breathing exercises, TENS (Transcutaneoius Electrical Nerve Stimulation), self-hypnosis, biofeedback, hot and cold therapy.
Pain medications that directly and instantly relieve you of back pain include steroids to reduce inflammation, muscle relaxants and tension reducing medications. But before deciding about the clinic, examine its creditability. That is, whether it has the Certification by the American Academy of Pain Management.
By way of additional verification, please see whether the clinic holds the certification by the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Board of Pain Medicine.
Along with the medication, physical exercises and stretches go a long way in permanently getting you rid of the pain problem. The recurring back pain problem may adversely affect your day to day activities. It has a direct bearing on your working efficiency, with pain anywhere in the body, you can not concentrate.
If you take treatment on the lines indicated above, most probably you will be relieved of your back pain problem permanently. If these treatments, including physical exercises do not work, surgery is the only alternative. Surgery is again, a risky proposition. But why surgery is necessary depends upon the consensus arrived at by your personal physician in consultation with other specialists.
About the author
http://www.backpaindetails.com/pain/ & Back Pain Treatment provides detailed information on back pain, back pain treatment, back pain cure and more.
Taking unrecorded painkillers have done enough damage to back pain sufferers. It is therefore better for you to visit a pain management clinic that understands the root cause of the pain, and then commences a treatment that is suitable in your case. It is reported that over 60 % of the people who opted for the treatment at pain management clinics, regularly for a period of one year, have experienced substantial decrease in the level of suffering.
The main advantage of taking treatment in the pain management clinic is that a group of specialists take care of your problem. These health care providers normally include, apart from your family physician, psychologist, physical medicine specialist, neurologist, anesthesiologist and most importantly the physical therapist.
Pain clinics also offer non-drug therapies like physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, breathing exercises, TENS (Transcutaneoius Electrical Nerve Stimulation), self-hypnosis, biofeedback, hot and cold therapy.
Pain medications that directly and instantly relieve you of back pain include steroids to reduce inflammation, muscle relaxants and tension reducing medications. But before deciding about the clinic, examine its creditability. That is, whether it has the Certification by the American Academy of Pain Management.
By way of additional verification, please see whether the clinic holds the certification by the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Board of Pain Medicine.
Along with the medication, physical exercises and stretches go a long way in permanently getting you rid of the pain problem. The recurring back pain problem may adversely affect your day to day activities. It has a direct bearing on your working efficiency, with pain anywhere in the body, you can not concentrate.
If you take treatment on the lines indicated above, most probably you will be relieved of your back pain problem permanently. If these treatments, including physical exercises do not work, surgery is the only alternative. Surgery is again, a risky proposition. But why surgery is necessary depends upon the consensus arrived at by your personal physician in consultation with other specialists.
About the author
http://www.backpaindetails.com/pain/ & Back Pain Treatment provides detailed information on back pain, back pain treatment, back pain cure and more.
Massage Therapy For Back Pain
People who get chronic back pain will tell you that it is a life-altering ailment. It has serious implications on the ease of carrying out daily activities and function. Back pain sufferers can feel completely disabled by their condition and therefore, prone to depression.
Back pain is one of the most common ailments in adults and sub adult today, it can be caused by something simple as a poor lifting habit or even poor sleeping habits. This can become a very large problem, as this type of pain really has no boundaries and can last from hours to months. This is a very long time for someone to suffer this type of pain, as sometimes it can be very excruciating.
In terms of treatment, there are several. These include pills, and therapy, and braces, and acupuncture. However, one method stands out as being effective in helping people with their back pain: massage therapy.
Massage therapy for back pain is a low risk, and non-invasive method of treatment. Not only will this method help in the pain aspect, it also aids in the release of natural chemicals the body produces known as Endorphins. This is great for people who suffer from acute pains.
Historically, the use of massage therapy was not readily accepted by conventional medicine as a treatment of back pain or any other pains for that matter. However, the medical society now accepts this method as a valid complementary treatment, recognising the many therapeutic benefits that it brings.
The aim of massage therapy is quite simple; it increases circulation and blood flow that the affected area with the muscles needs. This stimulates the rejuvenation of the tissues and muscles surrounding the affected area, promoting a relaxed and stress-less flow of blood. Many times people that have back problems; they are not quite sure why they have them. Some feel they have not had an injury to any muscles in the back area so they should not be suffering.
The fact is that there are many reasons that the back can be hurting you. If there is an injury to the bone structure in the back then the muscles surrounding the injury will then become very tense in order to protect the affected bone injury. This will only make the back tired and weak, once it is at that point it will pain the person with a great deal of trouble relieving the said pain.
Back pain can easily stop you from doing what comes natural for you such as sitting or walking. This will easily become a major problem if it happens when you are in need to work, and have no other means of income. It is also known that back problems are not the hardest thing for doctors to detect or diagnose. Hence your employers and insurance companies will not be too happy either at your reason of not being able to function well.
Out of all, clearly the worst would have to be lower chronic back pain. This is the area just above the tailbone and it can be an ongoing nightmare for some. In this situations, massage therapy can bring much relief. If you are able to ease the pain, you will find that just being able to do the little things in life is a cause for celebration!
About the author
Caroline Colby writes on massage therapy, shiatsu massage, massage techniques, massage chairs, massage equipment and massage spas around the world. She also has step-by-step recipes for massage oils that you can easily prepare. Please visit her site at http://www.massage-therapy-central.com.
Back pain is one of the most common ailments in adults and sub adult today, it can be caused by something simple as a poor lifting habit or even poor sleeping habits. This can become a very large problem, as this type of pain really has no boundaries and can last from hours to months. This is a very long time for someone to suffer this type of pain, as sometimes it can be very excruciating.
In terms of treatment, there are several. These include pills, and therapy, and braces, and acupuncture. However, one method stands out as being effective in helping people with their back pain: massage therapy.
Massage therapy for back pain is a low risk, and non-invasive method of treatment. Not only will this method help in the pain aspect, it also aids in the release of natural chemicals the body produces known as Endorphins. This is great for people who suffer from acute pains.
Historically, the use of massage therapy was not readily accepted by conventional medicine as a treatment of back pain or any other pains for that matter. However, the medical society now accepts this method as a valid complementary treatment, recognising the many therapeutic benefits that it brings.
The aim of massage therapy is quite simple; it increases circulation and blood flow that the affected area with the muscles needs. This stimulates the rejuvenation of the tissues and muscles surrounding the affected area, promoting a relaxed and stress-less flow of blood. Many times people that have back problems; they are not quite sure why they have them. Some feel they have not had an injury to any muscles in the back area so they should not be suffering.
The fact is that there are many reasons that the back can be hurting you. If there is an injury to the bone structure in the back then the muscles surrounding the injury will then become very tense in order to protect the affected bone injury. This will only make the back tired and weak, once it is at that point it will pain the person with a great deal of trouble relieving the said pain.
Back pain can easily stop you from doing what comes natural for you such as sitting or walking. This will easily become a major problem if it happens when you are in need to work, and have no other means of income. It is also known that back problems are not the hardest thing for doctors to detect or diagnose. Hence your employers and insurance companies will not be too happy either at your reason of not being able to function well.
Out of all, clearly the worst would have to be lower chronic back pain. This is the area just above the tailbone and it can be an ongoing nightmare for some. In this situations, massage therapy can bring much relief. If you are able to ease the pain, you will find that just being able to do the little things in life is a cause for celebration!
About the author
Caroline Colby writes on massage therapy, shiatsu massage, massage techniques, massage chairs, massage equipment and massage spas around the world. She also has step-by-step recipes for massage oils that you can easily prepare. Please visit her site at http://www.massage-therapy-central.com.
A Closer Look at Lower Back Pain Relief
As many as 8 out of 10 adults will experience back pain in their lifetime, and most of them will feel it in their lower back. When we consider that our lower back bears the brunt of our body weight, and that our back is made up of many vertebrae, a few discs to absorb shock, several major nerves and joints that allow for movement of the spine, stacked on top of each other, this statistic begins to make more sense.
Back pain is either acute, appearing quickly and intensely after an accident or injury and lasting only a short while, or chronic, recurrent pain that can come seemingly out of nowhere. The direct causes of chronic back pain are rarely obvious – simple movements, arthritis, bad posture, obesity, and internal disorders can all cause our backs to ache.
It is important to try to pinpoint the cause so you can get the most appropriate type of treatment for your low back pain. Doctors often recommend medications for lower back pain relief. Both over-the-counter and prescription medicines can ease lower back pain, and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), which include aspirin and ibuprofen, can significantly reduce inflammation as well as back pain. Acetaminophen, available in many over-the-counter medicines, acts as an analgesic and is often used to treat acute pain. Occasionally doctors prescribe opioids or muscle relaxants for severe pain, although these can be habit-forming. Once common, doctors prescribe back surgery less often nowadays, which usually involves implanting one of several medical devices to stabilize and fuse the spine.
The medical community is now questioning the efficacy of bed rest, once thought to be essential for healing and lower back pain relief. Medical studies seem to prove just the opposite – that exercise is the real healer. Specific exercises strengthen back muscles, increase flexibility and tone, and pump fluid into back discs, alleviating soreness caused by disc dehydration. Getting up and moving or performing physical therapy can relieve back pain.
Many sufferers say they have experienced lower back pain relief through acupuncture, an ancient Chinese treatment in which needles are placed in specific points on the body. Chiropractic, whose practitioners realign the vertebrae of the spine to correct imbalances in the musculoskeletal system, provides relief for others. Whichever type of treatment one chooses, it is important to remember that there are many causes of lower back pain, and no one treatment will work for everyone. Pain Relief provides detailed information on arthritis, back, joint, lower back, natural, chronic, neck, sciatica, knee, fibromyalgia, and muscle pain relief. Pain Relief is the sister site of Acid Reflux Web.
Back pain is either acute, appearing quickly and intensely after an accident or injury and lasting only a short while, or chronic, recurrent pain that can come seemingly out of nowhere. The direct causes of chronic back pain are rarely obvious – simple movements, arthritis, bad posture, obesity, and internal disorders can all cause our backs to ache.
It is important to try to pinpoint the cause so you can get the most appropriate type of treatment for your low back pain. Doctors often recommend medications for lower back pain relief. Both over-the-counter and prescription medicines can ease lower back pain, and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), which include aspirin and ibuprofen, can significantly reduce inflammation as well as back pain. Acetaminophen, available in many over-the-counter medicines, acts as an analgesic and is often used to treat acute pain. Occasionally doctors prescribe opioids or muscle relaxants for severe pain, although these can be habit-forming. Once common, doctors prescribe back surgery less often nowadays, which usually involves implanting one of several medical devices to stabilize and fuse the spine.
The medical community is now questioning the efficacy of bed rest, once thought to be essential for healing and lower back pain relief. Medical studies seem to prove just the opposite – that exercise is the real healer. Specific exercises strengthen back muscles, increase flexibility and tone, and pump fluid into back discs, alleviating soreness caused by disc dehydration. Getting up and moving or performing physical therapy can relieve back pain.
Many sufferers say they have experienced lower back pain relief through acupuncture, an ancient Chinese treatment in which needles are placed in specific points on the body. Chiropractic, whose practitioners realign the vertebrae of the spine to correct imbalances in the musculoskeletal system, provides relief for others. Whichever type of treatment one chooses, it is important to remember that there are many causes of lower back pain, and no one treatment will work for everyone. Pain Relief provides detailed information on arthritis, back, joint, lower back, natural, chronic, neck, sciatica, knee, fibromyalgia, and muscle pain relief. Pain Relief is the sister site of Acid Reflux Web.
Chiropractor For Back Pain
Back pain is something most of us know all too well, lower back, upper back neck and head pain is a wide spread condition in almost every country and across all maturity ages. When people are faced with continuous back pain that doctors tell them can not be helped through the use of ordinary medicine, they start looking for a chiropractor to ease their pain.
A chiropractor is not some miracle worker, nor are the chiropractors a part of the alternative medicine scene, far from it, these are highly trained professionals that know everything starts with the spine, and any type of back injury is somehow connected to the spine. Chiropractors use their extensive knowledge of the spine and back to find the source of the problem that is causing the patient back pain.
The understanding of how the back muscles and spine makes the chiropractor the most experienced professionals in this area, particularly when it seems that all hope is gone a chiropractor can reason out what is going on in your back, the muscle effort and the stress that is places on each part of the back can be analyzed and understood, and most importantly – you back pain cause can be solved, and the pain gone.
Chiropractors minimize the back pain and get your spine in balance, and once they have your spine in balance, the main work is to keep you at a controlled state in which you do not suffer from this pain any longer. This maintenance work can be performed by the implication of different and various methods.
In some cases patients are extremely stressed, causing their body to be highly tense and in a condition that is very difficult to treat, although these are definitely not the majority of the back pain population patients, it has been known that some rare cases encounter sever problems.
In these kind of cases it may be better to look for a chiropractor doctor to have them treat the condition. Sometimes the diet we eat can contribute to cramps in the muscles or problems with the joints, the body has a way of understanding that it should avoid using these muscles and compensate for their use. This muscle compensation may result in more back pain, and sometimes this can be solved by a visit to a chiropractor doctor.
This kind of doctor uses a more alternative approach to physical problems, learning from the Chinese and acupuncture techniques, they will use their hands gently to perform the best task to fix the ailment. The Chinese techniques have been used for centuries, and still are very popular today in many different parts of the world, and the Chinese are closely related in their acupuncture and acupressure techniques.
Some chiropractor doctors combine more than one technique or method to solve back pain and back problems, this is very important for the patient that does not have to go to a few different experts to treat the same problem, and knowing that you are in the hands of a chiropractor doctor is reassuring enough for you to let them do the work and solve your back pain.
About the author
John Furnem is a dot com veteran, specializing in human resources and work psychology he has written articles about relief and stress management. John currently writes Stress Relief and Chiropractor articles for http://chiropractor.zupatips.com/ http://ZupaTips.com
A chiropractor is not some miracle worker, nor are the chiropractors a part of the alternative medicine scene, far from it, these are highly trained professionals that know everything starts with the spine, and any type of back injury is somehow connected to the spine. Chiropractors use their extensive knowledge of the spine and back to find the source of the problem that is causing the patient back pain.
The understanding of how the back muscles and spine makes the chiropractor the most experienced professionals in this area, particularly when it seems that all hope is gone a chiropractor can reason out what is going on in your back, the muscle effort and the stress that is places on each part of the back can be analyzed and understood, and most importantly – you back pain cause can be solved, and the pain gone.
Chiropractors minimize the back pain and get your spine in balance, and once they have your spine in balance, the main work is to keep you at a controlled state in which you do not suffer from this pain any longer. This maintenance work can be performed by the implication of different and various methods.
In some cases patients are extremely stressed, causing their body to be highly tense and in a condition that is very difficult to treat, although these are definitely not the majority of the back pain population patients, it has been known that some rare cases encounter sever problems.
In these kind of cases it may be better to look for a chiropractor doctor to have them treat the condition. Sometimes the diet we eat can contribute to cramps in the muscles or problems with the joints, the body has a way of understanding that it should avoid using these muscles and compensate for their use. This muscle compensation may result in more back pain, and sometimes this can be solved by a visit to a chiropractor doctor.
This kind of doctor uses a more alternative approach to physical problems, learning from the Chinese and acupuncture techniques, they will use their hands gently to perform the best task to fix the ailment. The Chinese techniques have been used for centuries, and still are very popular today in many different parts of the world, and the Chinese are closely related in their acupuncture and acupressure techniques.
Some chiropractor doctors combine more than one technique or method to solve back pain and back problems, this is very important for the patient that does not have to go to a few different experts to treat the same problem, and knowing that you are in the hands of a chiropractor doctor is reassuring enough for you to let them do the work and solve your back pain.
About the author
John Furnem is a dot com veteran, specializing in human resources and work psychology he has written articles about relief and stress management. John currently writes Stress Relief and Chiropractor articles for http://chiropractor.zupatips.com/ http://ZupaTips.com
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