You have back pain and just deal with it. You think it is something you have to live with.You’re able to get temporary relief with anti-inflammatories, essential oils, different kinds of manual therapy(chiropractic, massage, osteopathic manual medicine or physical therapy based hands-on treatments),but nothing lasts, right? What if I told you that you could stand or sit more comfortably and sleep longer without tossing and turning because of your back? You could pick things up without worrying if you’re going to throw your back out? Well you can.
The difference between “core strengthening” and “core retraining.”
If core strengthening were the answer, all the strong people wouldn’t have back pain, right? Ha! The majority of the scientific studies that are done on back pain just include general strengthening orstretching and don’t include specific, individualized advice about how the person is moving so they can be retrained. That makes it look like physical therapy for back pain isn’t the wonderful thing that it really can be with the right guidance. So when you’re ready to make an appointment to get the right guidance on how to move for YOUR back and how to retrain YOUR core (complemented by the very effective manual therapy mentioned above!!), call us!
If you’re not ready to call, here are a few tips to continue to improve your discomfort:
1. Cardiovascular exercise: motion is lotion- get moving! Your brain is capable of producing better pain-relieving chemicals than any drug company, and one of the best ways to get that medicine cabinet in your cranium to start making the good stuff, is getting your heart rate up. Now, sometimes your exercise routine is the driver of your back pain if you’re movement system isn’t ideal, so you might have to find alternative exercise for awhile. If you’re a runner or walker, try swimming or biking instead. Or vice versa.
2. Get enough sleep. Crucial. This is your priority. You MUST have at least 7 hours of sleep. Here’s a good article about improving sleep if you need some hints http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/02/secrets-to- a-good- night-sleep.aspx
3. Find good sitting posture.
a. Sit on the edge of your chair with your feet flat on the ground (both of them). Rest your feet on a stool or blocks if necessary
b. Make sure your knees slightly lower than your hips, so raise your chair if you need to
c. Sit ON your perineum/vagina, in front of your sit bones. Stick your butt out. That’s right. It feels pretty awkward at first, but you’ll get used to it. If it hurts to sit like that, sit as close to that as possible and eventually you may be able to get closer.
4. Improve your lifting posture. Keep your back straight and bend first at your hips. Then after you bend at your hips you can bend your knees. Get your butt down and your knees behind your toes
5. Finally-don’t be afraid of the pain. Even if you have a herniated disc, or arthritis, it doesn’t have to hurt. They’ve studied this stuff and lots of people have these findings on MRI but DON’T HAVE PAIN. The more you fear it and worry about it, the more it hurts. If you have a hard time believing me on this one, watch this video to get started on your road to changing your brain about pain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KrUL8tOaQs
When you’re ready to learn how to change your movement patterns and stop the endless cycle of depending on someone else to help you feel better, we’ll be waiting.
But as always, what is the the very first step to feel better? Of course. Breathe. Visit www.breathedsm.com for more details. Breathe. Physical Therapy & Wellness is located at 2614 Beaver Ave in Des Moines, Iowa.