Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
Mandy Chagger asked:
is one of the more common pain sensations that we may feel in our lifetime. The stress resulting in back pain can come from many causes such as when one carries heavy weight, performs a strenuous exercise, or when one assumes an improper posture or bed position. The most dreaded back pain is lower back pain, which could be a symptom of various complications in the abdomen area. Pain experienced in the lower back makes it difficult for people to stand upright, walk, and perform other more physical activities.
Back pain, common as it is, can render an individual unavailable to work. In fact, it is second only to the common cold as the biggest reason why people skip work. For highly physical tasks like construction or any other fieldwork, having lower back pain will cause you to under perform in your tasks. That is why lower back pain should be attended to properly.
Back pain is also one of the most common reasons why people go to the hospital or to the doctor’s office. If the back pain turns for the worse and becomes a chronic back pain, the doctor can recommend several treatments to curb the symptom. However, acute or intermittent back pain can be treated in your home.
The first thing that you can do for back pain treatments is to assume an appropriate bed position when sleeping. Most of the problems in our back can occur because of the strain experienced when we lie down. When your back assumes a strenuous position for long hours, which is the case when we sleep, we will feel the pain the first thing in the morning. You can correct this by sleeping with a pillow between your knees and lie sideways. This will increase the comfort of your back since it avoids unnecessary strain. Check with your doctor for the right kind of mattress that you should lie on according to your body type. While it may seem drastic to change beds, it will actually help your back in the long run.
Exercise is also another way to alleviate back pain. While there is no one exercise that can solve all back problems, any form of exercise is useful to loosen up your back muscles, bones, and joints. If you have chronic back pain, exercise is the best way for you to return to normal activities at work. Some chronic back pains can go away even without treatment, but regular exercise will speed up the recovery process.
Non-prescription medications can also provide relief from back pain. You can take these medicines for temporary pain alleviation. Some of these medicines include ibuprofen like Advil, Motrin, and Nuprin. These medicines are excellent pain relievers and are readily available over the counter. If you have chronic back pain, it is not advised to take these medicines regularly, because they may increase the risk for ulcers and gastrointestinal complication. Seek the assistance of your doctor, so he can give you the right combination of medicines that you can sustain for long-term intake. Your doctor can suggest other drugs like acetaminophen, which is an effective substitute for ibuprofen.
A non-traditional way to treat back pain is acupuncture. Acupuncture therapy is a Chinese medical practice that involves sticking needles on key points of the body. Scientific studies have shown that acupuncture is more effective than conventional methods in treating back pains.
Massage during bed rest is also an effective way to treat back pains. Massage with topical medicines and ointments essentially heats up the back and relaxes the muscles to make them loose. With regular application, you can treat chronic back pains in a fair amount of time. A back massage is also one of the highly recommended treatments because it brings immediate relief.
There are some wide misconceptions regarding back pain treatments that you should avoid if you want to heal permanently. First, stretching does not help. Stretching places additional strain on a patient’s back that can worsen the situation, especially if the stretching is not done right. Secondly, prolonged bed rest is not a back pain treatment. In fact, doctors encourage their patients to exercise as much as possible to loosen their backs. While bed rest immediately relieves back pain, it can flare up as easily when you get up. At the same time, being at rest for a long period of time can lead to depression and other complications.
Back pains have common treatments just as it is a very common occurrence. If the symptoms persist, it is best to consult your doctor, so he can consider other possibilities for your back pain. Perhaps there is a more serious underlying condition such as structural bone damage, arthritis, or osteoporosis. It is important to know more about your condition, so you can treat it promptly.
Whittier Chiropractor
is one of the more common pain sensations that we may feel in our lifetime. The stress resulting in back pain can come from many causes such as when one carries heavy weight, performs a strenuous exercise, or when one assumes an improper posture or bed position. The most dreaded back pain is lower back pain, which could be a symptom of various complications in the abdomen area. Pain experienced in the lower back makes it difficult for people to stand upright, walk, and perform other more physical activities.
Back pain, common as it is, can render an individual unavailable to work. In fact, it is second only to the common cold as the biggest reason why people skip work. For highly physical tasks like construction or any other fieldwork, having lower back pain will cause you to under perform in your tasks. That is why lower back pain should be attended to properly.
Back pain is also one of the most common reasons why people go to the hospital or to the doctor’s office. If the back pain turns for the worse and becomes a chronic back pain, the doctor can recommend several treatments to curb the symptom. However, acute or intermittent back pain can be treated in your home.
The first thing that you can do for back pain treatments is to assume an appropriate bed position when sleeping. Most of the problems in our back can occur because of the strain experienced when we lie down. When your back assumes a strenuous position for long hours, which is the case when we sleep, we will feel the pain the first thing in the morning. You can correct this by sleeping with a pillow between your knees and lie sideways. This will increase the comfort of your back since it avoids unnecessary strain. Check with your doctor for the right kind of mattress that you should lie on according to your body type. While it may seem drastic to change beds, it will actually help your back in the long run.
Exercise is also another way to alleviate back pain. While there is no one exercise that can solve all back problems, any form of exercise is useful to loosen up your back muscles, bones, and joints. If you have chronic back pain, exercise is the best way for you to return to normal activities at work. Some chronic back pains can go away even without treatment, but regular exercise will speed up the recovery process.
Non-prescription medications can also provide relief from back pain. You can take these medicines for temporary pain alleviation. Some of these medicines include ibuprofen like Advil, Motrin, and Nuprin. These medicines are excellent pain relievers and are readily available over the counter. If you have chronic back pain, it is not advised to take these medicines regularly, because they may increase the risk for ulcers and gastrointestinal complication. Seek the assistance of your doctor, so he can give you the right combination of medicines that you can sustain for long-term intake. Your doctor can suggest other drugs like acetaminophen, which is an effective substitute for ibuprofen.
A non-traditional way to treat back pain is acupuncture. Acupuncture therapy is a Chinese medical practice that involves sticking needles on key points of the body. Scientific studies have shown that acupuncture is more effective than conventional methods in treating back pains.
Massage during bed rest is also an effective way to treat back pains. Massage with topical medicines and ointments essentially heats up the back and relaxes the muscles to make them loose. With regular application, you can treat chronic back pains in a fair amount of time. A back massage is also one of the highly recommended treatments because it brings immediate relief.
There are some wide misconceptions regarding back pain treatments that you should avoid if you want to heal permanently. First, stretching does not help. Stretching places additional strain on a patient’s back that can worsen the situation, especially if the stretching is not done right. Secondly, prolonged bed rest is not a back pain treatment. In fact, doctors encourage their patients to exercise as much as possible to loosen their backs. While bed rest immediately relieves back pain, it can flare up as easily when you get up. At the same time, being at rest for a long period of time can lead to depression and other complications.
Back pains have common treatments just as it is a very common occurrence. If the symptoms persist, it is best to consult your doctor, so he can consider other possibilities for your back pain. Perhaps there is a more serious underlying condition such as structural bone damage, arthritis, or osteoporosis. It is important to know more about your condition, so you can treat it promptly.
Whittier Chiropractor
Anna Hart asked:
Your back is a vital body part. It plays an essential role in every part of daily life. Since the back is so important, you want to keep up-to-date on information about back pain and its treatment.
Begin with this basic information.
Information on Back Pain #1 – What Is Your Back?
Back pain can best be understood when you understand the structure of your back, so let’s build a spine. Your back consists of 30 small bones called vertebrae. These bones are stacked on top of each other, and connected by ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Your stack of connected vertebrae is divided into four regions. From the base of your skull down to your pelvis, these four regions are:
1. Cervical or neck vertebrae – the top 7
2. Thoracic or upper back vertebrae – the next 12
3. Lumbar or lower back vertebrae – 5 more
4. Sacrum and coccyx – 6 fused bones at the spine’s base
Between your vertebrae are round, spongy cartilage pads called disks. Disks act as shock absorbers for your spine. A column-like spinal cord runs through your stack of vertebrae. It, too, is divided into segments similar to nearby vertebrae. Your spinal cord contains nerve roots and nerve rootlets that spread out, sending messages of pain from your back to your brain.
Information on Back Pain #2 – Back Pain’s Causes
Back pain is among the most common complaints. It is also one of the most painful. Since it can be difficult to treat, it is important that you have good information on back pain. Most good information on back pain will agree that when you lift something too heavy, you may cause a sprain, pull, strain, or spasm in one of the muscles or ligaments in your back. That will cause back pain.
Let’s look at more specific information on back pain.
1. Your cervical spine, or upper back, begins at the base of your skull. It is composed of seven vertebrae with eight pairs of cervical nerves. This part of your spine is designed to support your head and give you mobility.
Injury or mild trauma to the cervical spine can cause one of a number of serious, even life-threatening medical emergencies. You might have a spinal cord injury (SCI) or a fracture. Such injury could cause pain, numbness, weakness, and tingling.
2. Your thoracic spine is just below your cervical spine. Your ribs are connected to this part of the spine. Think of it as the back of your chest. Your thoracic spine is designed to be strong and stable, permitting you to stand upright and protecting your vital internal chest organs. Although thoracic, or middle back pain is rather uncommon, it causes significant pain when it does occur.
The most common causes of middle back pain are muscular irritation and joint dysfunction. You may injure a disk, and cause middle back pain, but such injuries are very rare.
3. Your lumbar spine, or lower back region, is most likely to experience pain. This is because your lumbar region supports the weight of your upper body. It takes the most abuse.
Many things can cause injury and pain to your lower back. As with all parts of the spine, muscle strain or spasm may occur when you lift or carry things that are too heavy. Sprains of ligaments occur in similar manner. You may experience joint problems or a “slipped disk.”
The most common cause of lumbar or lower back pain, though, is simply using your back muscles for actions you usually do not do. Perhaps you sit at a desk most days, but one weekend, you help friends move furniture. Or you normally teach school, but during the summer, you decide to create a large vegetable garden in your back yard.
A so-called “slipped disk” (herniated disk) occurs when a disk, one of those spongy cartilage pads between your spines vertebrae bulges out and presses on nerves. This often occurs when you twisting while lifting something. You may not know what caused your slipped disk, if it happens. You will know the lower back pain that comes as a result.
Information on Back Pain #3 – Back Pain and Your Physician
Not every back pain will require a visit to your physician. Many back pains can be treated effectively at home with heating pads and ice packs. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications can also give the relief needed. However, there are times when you will want your physician to give information on back pain, and prescribe treatment.
Seek a qualified physician if any of the following is true:
• Your pain is so bad you can’t move around
• Your pain is not less after two weeks
• Your pain was caused by an injury
• You have a fever
• You feel nauseous or are vomiting
• You have a stomachache
• You are weak or sweating
• Your pain goes down the leg below your knee
• You lose control over going to the bathroom
• Your foot, leg, rectal, or groin area is numb
Information on Back Pain #4 – Back Pain Prevention
Your health care provider, whether physician, chiropractor or other, will encourage you to maintain an active, healthy lifestyle as part of back pain prevention. The best information on back pain they can provide you is to avoid injury in the first place. Develop healthy back habits. The following five bad habits can cause back pain. Avoid them.
• Twisting when lifting
• Bad posture
• Lack of exercise and too much weight
• Smoking tobacco
• Ignoring back pain
The more information on back pain you have, the better prepared you will be to deal with it.
Whittier Chiropractor
Your back is a vital body part. It plays an essential role in every part of daily life. Since the back is so important, you want to keep up-to-date on information about back pain and its treatment.
Begin with this basic information.
Information on Back Pain #1 – What Is Your Back?
Back pain can best be understood when you understand the structure of your back, so let’s build a spine. Your back consists of 30 small bones called vertebrae. These bones are stacked on top of each other, and connected by ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Your stack of connected vertebrae is divided into four regions. From the base of your skull down to your pelvis, these four regions are:
1. Cervical or neck vertebrae – the top 7
2. Thoracic or upper back vertebrae – the next 12
3. Lumbar or lower back vertebrae – 5 more
4. Sacrum and coccyx – 6 fused bones at the spine’s base
Between your vertebrae are round, spongy cartilage pads called disks. Disks act as shock absorbers for your spine. A column-like spinal cord runs through your stack of vertebrae. It, too, is divided into segments similar to nearby vertebrae. Your spinal cord contains nerve roots and nerve rootlets that spread out, sending messages of pain from your back to your brain.
Information on Back Pain #2 – Back Pain’s Causes
Back pain is among the most common complaints. It is also one of the most painful. Since it can be difficult to treat, it is important that you have good information on back pain. Most good information on back pain will agree that when you lift something too heavy, you may cause a sprain, pull, strain, or spasm in one of the muscles or ligaments in your back. That will cause back pain.
Let’s look at more specific information on back pain.
1. Your cervical spine, or upper back, begins at the base of your skull. It is composed of seven vertebrae with eight pairs of cervical nerves. This part of your spine is designed to support your head and give you mobility.
Injury or mild trauma to the cervical spine can cause one of a number of serious, even life-threatening medical emergencies. You might have a spinal cord injury (SCI) or a fracture. Such injury could cause pain, numbness, weakness, and tingling.
2. Your thoracic spine is just below your cervical spine. Your ribs are connected to this part of the spine. Think of it as the back of your chest. Your thoracic spine is designed to be strong and stable, permitting you to stand upright and protecting your vital internal chest organs. Although thoracic, or middle back pain is rather uncommon, it causes significant pain when it does occur.
The most common causes of middle back pain are muscular irritation and joint dysfunction. You may injure a disk, and cause middle back pain, but such injuries are very rare.
3. Your lumbar spine, or lower back region, is most likely to experience pain. This is because your lumbar region supports the weight of your upper body. It takes the most abuse.
Many things can cause injury and pain to your lower back. As with all parts of the spine, muscle strain or spasm may occur when you lift or carry things that are too heavy. Sprains of ligaments occur in similar manner. You may experience joint problems or a “slipped disk.”
The most common cause of lumbar or lower back pain, though, is simply using your back muscles for actions you usually do not do. Perhaps you sit at a desk most days, but one weekend, you help friends move furniture. Or you normally teach school, but during the summer, you decide to create a large vegetable garden in your back yard.
A so-called “slipped disk” (herniated disk) occurs when a disk, one of those spongy cartilage pads between your spines vertebrae bulges out and presses on nerves. This often occurs when you twisting while lifting something. You may not know what caused your slipped disk, if it happens. You will know the lower back pain that comes as a result.
Information on Back Pain #3 – Back Pain and Your Physician
Not every back pain will require a visit to your physician. Many back pains can be treated effectively at home with heating pads and ice packs. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications can also give the relief needed. However, there are times when you will want your physician to give information on back pain, and prescribe treatment.
Seek a qualified physician if any of the following is true:
• Your pain is so bad you can’t move around
• Your pain is not less after two weeks
• Your pain was caused by an injury
• You have a fever
• You feel nauseous or are vomiting
• You have a stomachache
• You are weak or sweating
• Your pain goes down the leg below your knee
• You lose control over going to the bathroom
• Your foot, leg, rectal, or groin area is numb
Information on Back Pain #4 – Back Pain Prevention
Your health care provider, whether physician, chiropractor or other, will encourage you to maintain an active, healthy lifestyle as part of back pain prevention. The best information on back pain they can provide you is to avoid injury in the first place. Develop healthy back habits. The following five bad habits can cause back pain. Avoid them.
• Twisting when lifting
• Bad posture
• Lack of exercise and too much weight
• Smoking tobacco
• Ignoring back pain
The more information on back pain you have, the better prepared you will be to deal with it.
Whittier Chiropractor
Obinna Heche asked:
Truely, back pain also known dorsalgia, is pain felt in the back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine. Back pain is one of humanitys most frequent complaints. It can be a sign of a serious medical problem, although this is not most frequently the underlying cause. Typical warning signs of a potentially life threatening problem are bowel or bladder incontinence or progressive weakness in the legs. The back pain that occurs after a trauma, such as a car accident or fall may indicate a bone fracture or other injury. It can range from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain. Back pain is called chronic if it lasts for more than three months.
Pain
However, pain may have a sudden onset or can be a chronic pain, it can be constant or intermittent, stay in one place or radiate to other areas. The pain may be felt in the neck and might radiate into the arm and hand, in the upper back, or in the low back and might radiate into the leg or foot and may include symptoms other than pain, such as weakness, numbness or tingling. Nevertheless, a few observational studies suggest that two conditions to which back pain is often attributed, lumbar disc herniation and degenerative disc disease may not be more prevalent among those in pain than among the general population and that the mechanisms by which these conditions might cause pain are not known.
Spine
Meanwhile, the spine is a complex interconnecting network of nerves, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments and all are capable of producing pain. Large nerves that originate in the spine and go to the legs and arms can make pain radiate to the extremities. The relationship between the magnetic resonance imaging appearance of the lumbar spine and low back pain, age and occupation in males. Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine in people without back pain. However, arthritis can affect any joint in the body, including the small joints of the spine. Arthritis of the spine can cause back pain with movement. If the spine becomes unstable enough, back pain can become a problem.
Treatment
However, treatment of acute back pain is short term and usually successful. Treatment is then based on avoiding postures or movements that aggravate symptoms, as well as performing or adhering to postures to assist in symptom reduction. Once you have a diagnosis for your back pain or radiating leg pain, you should carefully review your treatment options. Not all treatments work for all conditions or for all individuals with the same condition and many find that they need to try several treatment options to determine what works best for them. The present stage of the condition acute or chronic is also a determining factor in the choice of treatment.
Generally, some form of consistent stretching and exercise is believed to be an essential component of most back treatment programs. The treatments with uncertain or doubtful benefit Injections, such as epidural steroid injections and facet joint injections may be effective when the cause of the pain is accurately localized to particular sites. The treatment of acute low back pain is bed rest, exercises, or ordinary activity. This is important to know because different treatments work better for each type of pain. With physical therapy, follow up treatment and prevention practices, these patients typically return to full functionality in a few weeks. Though, they may occassionally reinjure themselves and have to return for a short course of treatment.
Acupressure is closely related to acupuncture but without the needles. The idea of acupressure is to put pressure on specific points in the body, using only hands and fingers to restore balance and thus relieve pain. Herbs have been used to relieve pain for thousands of years. Todays pain relieving medications are mostly synthetic reproductions of these long used and natural herbs. The main difference is that the synthetic reproductions often produce a lot of side effects but the natural herbs they are based upon do not. Chiropractors have been manipulating spines for many years. Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases. Chiropractic medicine as we recognize it today was not actually established until 1895. The AMA was established in 1847, so they do have a jump on chiropractors as such.
Back pain is one of the most common medical problems, affecting 9 out of 12 people at some point during their lives. No conclusions can be drawn about the use of cold for lowback pain. Bed rest is rarely recommended as it can exacerbate symptoms and when necessary is usually limited to one or two days. Chronic back pain tends to last a long time and is not relieved by standard types of medical management. However, acute back pain is commonly described as a very sharp pain or a dull ache, usually felt deep in the lowerpart of the back and can be more severe in one area, such as the right side, left side, center, or the lower part of the back.
[Whittier Chiropractor]
Truely, back pain also known dorsalgia, is pain felt in the back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine. Back pain is one of humanitys most frequent complaints. It can be a sign of a serious medical problem, although this is not most frequently the underlying cause. Typical warning signs of a potentially life threatening problem are bowel or bladder incontinence or progressive weakness in the legs. The back pain that occurs after a trauma, such as a car accident or fall may indicate a bone fracture or other injury. It can range from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain. Back pain is called chronic if it lasts for more than three months.
Pain
However, pain may have a sudden onset or can be a chronic pain, it can be constant or intermittent, stay in one place or radiate to other areas. The pain may be felt in the neck and might radiate into the arm and hand, in the upper back, or in the low back and might radiate into the leg or foot and may include symptoms other than pain, such as weakness, numbness or tingling. Nevertheless, a few observational studies suggest that two conditions to which back pain is often attributed, lumbar disc herniation and degenerative disc disease may not be more prevalent among those in pain than among the general population and that the mechanisms by which these conditions might cause pain are not known.
Spine
Meanwhile, the spine is a complex interconnecting network of nerves, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments and all are capable of producing pain. Large nerves that originate in the spine and go to the legs and arms can make pain radiate to the extremities. The relationship between the magnetic resonance imaging appearance of the lumbar spine and low back pain, age and occupation in males. Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine in people without back pain. However, arthritis can affect any joint in the body, including the small joints of the spine. Arthritis of the spine can cause back pain with movement. If the spine becomes unstable enough, back pain can become a problem.
Treatment
However, treatment of acute back pain is short term and usually successful. Treatment is then based on avoiding postures or movements that aggravate symptoms, as well as performing or adhering to postures to assist in symptom reduction. Once you have a diagnosis for your back pain or radiating leg pain, you should carefully review your treatment options. Not all treatments work for all conditions or for all individuals with the same condition and many find that they need to try several treatment options to determine what works best for them. The present stage of the condition acute or chronic is also a determining factor in the choice of treatment.
Generally, some form of consistent stretching and exercise is believed to be an essential component of most back treatment programs. The treatments with uncertain or doubtful benefit Injections, such as epidural steroid injections and facet joint injections may be effective when the cause of the pain is accurately localized to particular sites. The treatment of acute low back pain is bed rest, exercises, or ordinary activity. This is important to know because different treatments work better for each type of pain. With physical therapy, follow up treatment and prevention practices, these patients typically return to full functionality in a few weeks. Though, they may occassionally reinjure themselves and have to return for a short course of treatment.
Acupressure is closely related to acupuncture but without the needles. The idea of acupressure is to put pressure on specific points in the body, using only hands and fingers to restore balance and thus relieve pain. Herbs have been used to relieve pain for thousands of years. Todays pain relieving medications are mostly synthetic reproductions of these long used and natural herbs. The main difference is that the synthetic reproductions often produce a lot of side effects but the natural herbs they are based upon do not. Chiropractors have been manipulating spines for many years. Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases. Chiropractic medicine as we recognize it today was not actually established until 1895. The AMA was established in 1847, so they do have a jump on chiropractors as such.
Back pain is one of the most common medical problems, affecting 9 out of 12 people at some point during their lives. No conclusions can be drawn about the use of cold for lowback pain. Bed rest is rarely recommended as it can exacerbate symptoms and when necessary is usually limited to one or two days. Chronic back pain tends to last a long time and is not relieved by standard types of medical management. However, acute back pain is commonly described as a very sharp pain or a dull ache, usually felt deep in the lowerpart of the back and can be more severe in one area, such as the right side, left side, center, or the lower part of the back.
[Whittier Chiropractor]
Stephen Lau asked:
Copyright (c) 2008 Stephen Lau
Pain is not localized because it is the outcome of a series of reactions in the body and the mind. Pain is felt and experienced only when the injured area sends signals through your nervous system to your brain, which receives and interprets these signals.
Pain is always connected with inflammation. When the injured area becomes inflamed, the inflammatory response intensifies, and so does your perception of pain.
What should you do when dealing with pain? Most people’s first reaction in dealing with pain is to stop the pain with a painkiller – it is understandable. However, this may not be the best option for dealing with pain, because it only temporarily relieves the pain but does not prevent the pain from happening again.
If you have chest pain, which may portend an imminent heart attack; your priority is to avoid the heart attack rather than the pain itself. In fact, sometimes pain may be a positive sign of warning of the imminence of a disease. Therefore, in dealing with pain, it is important to prevent a health crisis rather than just suppressing the pain.
Take another example: if you are prone to migraine attacks, your priority in life is to prevent a migraine episode from happening, rather than dealing with the pain that results from the crisis. Migraines are not caused by trauma, but by chemicals in your body that control pain and inflammation. Accordingly, to deal with migraines is to anticipate and control the inflammation, rather than the resultant migraine pain. Like the common cold, once it has started, taking vitamin C or a cold tablet will not stop the cold – you just have to let it run its course. Any cold medication may only further weaken your immunity down the road, just as a painkiller may make your body more toxic, and thus more susceptible to pain in future.
Therefore, dealing with pain is not to influence your perception of pain, but to stop the damage from causing the pain in the first place.
Using diet is the most effective way in dealing with pain (see my previous article), not only by preventing the occurrence of pain but also by combating the pain itself. For example, hot chili peppers contain a chemical called capsaicin, which is effective in blocking your nerves from transmitting pain messages to your brain. Capsaicin is one of the most important active ingredients in ointments used for arthritis, shingles, and post-mastectomy pain.
Apart form diet, exercise also helps you boost your pain resistance. Your body makes natural painkillers – enkephalins and endorphins. Exercise may activate these chemicals in your body. This is best explained by pain tolerance in competitive athletes. In vigorous competitive sports, the body releases endorphins to block out pain perception. The kind of exercise that stimulates endorphin release is aerobic – bicycling, running, and walking – exercise that pumps your heart and works out your lungs, as opposed to weight lifting that targets only your muscles.
Acupuncture is another way to deal with pain.
For thousands of years, acupuncture has been used by the Chinese to decrease pain by increasing the release of endorphins. Many acu-points are located near nerves. When stimulated, these nerves cause a dull ache or feeling of fullness in the muscle. The stimulated muscle then sends a message to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), causing the release of endorphins. The theory is based on the belief that there is “qi” (vital life energy) coursing through your body, and that diseases are caused by lack of balance between the positive and negative energies in an individual. Acupuncture not only generates its analgesic effects through sensory stimulation, but also removes the problem that causes the pain.
Whittier Chiropractor
Copyright (c) 2008 Stephen Lau
Pain is not localized because it is the outcome of a series of reactions in the body and the mind. Pain is felt and experienced only when the injured area sends signals through your nervous system to your brain, which receives and interprets these signals.
Pain is always connected with inflammation. When the injured area becomes inflamed, the inflammatory response intensifies, and so does your perception of pain.
What should you do when dealing with pain? Most people’s first reaction in dealing with pain is to stop the pain with a painkiller – it is understandable. However, this may not be the best option for dealing with pain, because it only temporarily relieves the pain but does not prevent the pain from happening again.
If you have chest pain, which may portend an imminent heart attack; your priority is to avoid the heart attack rather than the pain itself. In fact, sometimes pain may be a positive sign of warning of the imminence of a disease. Therefore, in dealing with pain, it is important to prevent a health crisis rather than just suppressing the pain.
Take another example: if you are prone to migraine attacks, your priority in life is to prevent a migraine episode from happening, rather than dealing with the pain that results from the crisis. Migraines are not caused by trauma, but by chemicals in your body that control pain and inflammation. Accordingly, to deal with migraines is to anticipate and control the inflammation, rather than the resultant migraine pain. Like the common cold, once it has started, taking vitamin C or a cold tablet will not stop the cold – you just have to let it run its course. Any cold medication may only further weaken your immunity down the road, just as a painkiller may make your body more toxic, and thus more susceptible to pain in future.
Therefore, dealing with pain is not to influence your perception of pain, but to stop the damage from causing the pain in the first place.
Using diet is the most effective way in dealing with pain (see my previous article), not only by preventing the occurrence of pain but also by combating the pain itself. For example, hot chili peppers contain a chemical called capsaicin, which is effective in blocking your nerves from transmitting pain messages to your brain. Capsaicin is one of the most important active ingredients in ointments used for arthritis, shingles, and post-mastectomy pain.
Apart form diet, exercise also helps you boost your pain resistance. Your body makes natural painkillers – enkephalins and endorphins. Exercise may activate these chemicals in your body. This is best explained by pain tolerance in competitive athletes. In vigorous competitive sports, the body releases endorphins to block out pain perception. The kind of exercise that stimulates endorphin release is aerobic – bicycling, running, and walking – exercise that pumps your heart and works out your lungs, as opposed to weight lifting that targets only your muscles.
Acupuncture is another way to deal with pain.
For thousands of years, acupuncture has been used by the Chinese to decrease pain by increasing the release of endorphins. Many acu-points are located near nerves. When stimulated, these nerves cause a dull ache or feeling of fullness in the muscle. The stimulated muscle then sends a message to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), causing the release of endorphins. The theory is based on the belief that there is “qi” (vital life energy) coursing through your body, and that diseases are caused by lack of balance between the positive and negative energies in an individual. Acupuncture not only generates its analgesic effects through sensory stimulation, but also removes the problem that causes the pain.
Whittier Chiropractor
Anna Hart asked:
Your back hurts. It hurts a lot. You ask, “What are the exercises to stop the back pain now?” or you plead, “Give me information on back pain exercise!”
Surprisingly, too much rest during an encounter of back pain will often make the condition worse. A day or two of rest should be followed by specific back pain exercise for complete recovery.
How Can Exercise Stop Back Pain?
Careful, thoughtful back pain exercise will help distribute nutrients up and down your spinal column, feeding your muscles, ligaments, nerves, and joints. Specific back pain exercise will stretch you back, making it supple. Other back pain exercise will strengthen your back, and make it strong. Weakness and stiffness, increased by rest, can be overcome by back pain exercise.
Exercises to stop the back pain now will also prevent future back pain, since you will be increasing your back’s ability to handle extra stress or injury.
CHOOSE EXERCISE, NOT REST, TO STOP BACK PAIN NOW
Before you begin back pain exercise, check with your health care provider. Not every back pain exercise will be right for you. If your injury is severe, a spine care specialist will recommend specific exercise techniques to meet your need. Your back pain exercise program should work the entire body, even though your primary target is the back.
What Are the Exercises to Stop Back Pain Now?
Once you decide that back pain exercise is essential, you will want to choose appropriate exercises. We recommend a doctor’s advice, and suggest that you show your doctor these possibilities.
1. Back Pain Exercises – Stretching
Stretching muscles, ligaments and tendons is essential for back health. Whether or not you are currently experiencing back pain, regular stretching of the back will give strength to overcome or prevent injury and trauma to the back. If yours is chronic back pain, plan on regular, daily stretching for as much as six months to give your back the flexibility and strength it needs. You may want to schedule more than one stretching session per day, but work carefully. Eventually, you will find that back pain exercise keeps back pain from recurring.
Set goals (expectations with due dates) for each muscle group. Decide a date by which you want each of these muscle groups to be strong. Write down each date, and determine to meet it.
Warm Up First for Safe, Efficient Back Pain Exercise!!
If there is any pain, stop or take it more slowly.
Cool down after your back pain exercise.
* Gluteus muscles. The muscles in your buttocks support flexibility in your hips as well as your pelvis. Back pain exercise should include these muscles daily.
The gluteus stretch. Sit in a straight back or folding chair. Move your bottom only forward several inches from the chair back. In that position, lightly press your feet against the floor. Now squeeze your gluteus muscles together, and hold for 5 minutes. This stretch allows you to get back pain exercise while watching TV.
* Hamstrings. Located in the back of each leg, your hamstrings help give you correct posture.
The hamstring stretch. Place one foot on a chair, keeping the other leg straight. Bend over until your chest touches the knee of the foot on the chair. Keep your chest on the elevated leg as you slowly back the other leg away from the chair. Hold your stretch for 20 to 30 seconds. This stretch gives good back pain exercise without equipment.
* Piriformis. The piriformis syndrome is caused by the piriformis muscle irritating the sciatic nerve. You feel pain in the buttocks, and referred pain from the back of your thigh to the base of the spine. Many people call this lower back pain “sciatica”.
The piriformis stretch. Lie on your back, right hip and knee flexed. Grasp your right knee with your left hand, and pull the knee towards your left shoulder. In this position, grasp just above the right ankle with the right hand, and rotate the ankle outwards. Repeat with your left side. You might want to do this back pain exercise with gentle music.
* Psoas Major. Lower back mobility can be greatly limited by a tight Psoas Major. This muscle often causes back pain that makes it difficult to kneel on both knees, or to stand for extended periods.
The Psoas Major stretch. Kneel on your right knee, left foot flat on the floor, left knee bent. Rotate the right leg outward. Place your hand on the right gluteus muscle and tighten the muscle. Lean forward through your hip, careful not to bend the lower spine. You should feel the stretch in the front of your right hip. Hold for about 30 seconds. Repeat with your left leg. If you have young children, include them in your back pain exercise.
2. Back Pain Exercises – Strengthening
Back pain can be stopped now, and greatly avoided in the future, by decreasing lower back stress. These exercises develop critical muscles in the abdomen, lower back, and gluteus. Both of these back pain exercises are learned better when working with a trained physical therapist, but if you are careful, you can learn them alone. Although you may do daily stretching back pain exercises, it is important to take a few days off each week from strengthening back pain exercises.
Lower Back strengthening. Begin by lying flat on your back on the floor. Do not push your back down on the floor. Bend both knees. Pull your navel (belly button) in toward your back while keeping your back relaxed. As you breathe out, stretch your arms upward as though you are reaching for an overhead chandelier. Gradually raise head and shoulders from the floor until your shoulder blades are barely touching the floor. Hold the position one to two seconds. Repeat 8 to 12 times. If you feel pain with this back pain exercise, stop or try to do it more gently and slowly.
3. Back and Leg strengthening. This is one of the McKenzie Exercises, named after a New Zealand physical therapist. Lie on your stomach, and push up off the floor with both hands, raising only your chest. Keep your pelvis flat on the floor. Raise your back to a comfortable stretch and hold for 8 to 10 seconds. Repeat 8 to 12 times. You should feel no pain with this back pain exercise, only a pulling up of the spine.
It is strongly suggested that any back pain exercise be done only after seeking professional medical advice.
Whittier Chiropractor
Your back hurts. It hurts a lot. You ask, “What are the exercises to stop the back pain now?” or you plead, “Give me information on back pain exercise!”
Surprisingly, too much rest during an encounter of back pain will often make the condition worse. A day or two of rest should be followed by specific back pain exercise for complete recovery.
How Can Exercise Stop Back Pain?
Careful, thoughtful back pain exercise will help distribute nutrients up and down your spinal column, feeding your muscles, ligaments, nerves, and joints. Specific back pain exercise will stretch you back, making it supple. Other back pain exercise will strengthen your back, and make it strong. Weakness and stiffness, increased by rest, can be overcome by back pain exercise.
Exercises to stop the back pain now will also prevent future back pain, since you will be increasing your back’s ability to handle extra stress or injury.
CHOOSE EXERCISE, NOT REST, TO STOP BACK PAIN NOW
Before you begin back pain exercise, check with your health care provider. Not every back pain exercise will be right for you. If your injury is severe, a spine care specialist will recommend specific exercise techniques to meet your need. Your back pain exercise program should work the entire body, even though your primary target is the back.
What Are the Exercises to Stop Back Pain Now?
Once you decide that back pain exercise is essential, you will want to choose appropriate exercises. We recommend a doctor’s advice, and suggest that you show your doctor these possibilities.
1. Back Pain Exercises – Stretching
Stretching muscles, ligaments and tendons is essential for back health. Whether or not you are currently experiencing back pain, regular stretching of the back will give strength to overcome or prevent injury and trauma to the back. If yours is chronic back pain, plan on regular, daily stretching for as much as six months to give your back the flexibility and strength it needs. You may want to schedule more than one stretching session per day, but work carefully. Eventually, you will find that back pain exercise keeps back pain from recurring.
Set goals (expectations with due dates) for each muscle group. Decide a date by which you want each of these muscle groups to be strong. Write down each date, and determine to meet it.
Warm Up First for Safe, Efficient Back Pain Exercise!!
If there is any pain, stop or take it more slowly.
Cool down after your back pain exercise.
* Gluteus muscles. The muscles in your buttocks support flexibility in your hips as well as your pelvis. Back pain exercise should include these muscles daily.
The gluteus stretch. Sit in a straight back or folding chair. Move your bottom only forward several inches from the chair back. In that position, lightly press your feet against the floor. Now squeeze your gluteus muscles together, and hold for 5 minutes. This stretch allows you to get back pain exercise while watching TV.
* Hamstrings. Located in the back of each leg, your hamstrings help give you correct posture.
The hamstring stretch. Place one foot on a chair, keeping the other leg straight. Bend over until your chest touches the knee of the foot on the chair. Keep your chest on the elevated leg as you slowly back the other leg away from the chair. Hold your stretch for 20 to 30 seconds. This stretch gives good back pain exercise without equipment.
* Piriformis. The piriformis syndrome is caused by the piriformis muscle irritating the sciatic nerve. You feel pain in the buttocks, and referred pain from the back of your thigh to the base of the spine. Many people call this lower back pain “sciatica”.
The piriformis stretch. Lie on your back, right hip and knee flexed. Grasp your right knee with your left hand, and pull the knee towards your left shoulder. In this position, grasp just above the right ankle with the right hand, and rotate the ankle outwards. Repeat with your left side. You might want to do this back pain exercise with gentle music.
* Psoas Major. Lower back mobility can be greatly limited by a tight Psoas Major. This muscle often causes back pain that makes it difficult to kneel on both knees, or to stand for extended periods.
The Psoas Major stretch. Kneel on your right knee, left foot flat on the floor, left knee bent. Rotate the right leg outward. Place your hand on the right gluteus muscle and tighten the muscle. Lean forward through your hip, careful not to bend the lower spine. You should feel the stretch in the front of your right hip. Hold for about 30 seconds. Repeat with your left leg. If you have young children, include them in your back pain exercise.
2. Back Pain Exercises – Strengthening
Back pain can be stopped now, and greatly avoided in the future, by decreasing lower back stress. These exercises develop critical muscles in the abdomen, lower back, and gluteus. Both of these back pain exercises are learned better when working with a trained physical therapist, but if you are careful, you can learn them alone. Although you may do daily stretching back pain exercises, it is important to take a few days off each week from strengthening back pain exercises.
Lower Back strengthening. Begin by lying flat on your back on the floor. Do not push your back down on the floor. Bend both knees. Pull your navel (belly button) in toward your back while keeping your back relaxed. As you breathe out, stretch your arms upward as though you are reaching for an overhead chandelier. Gradually raise head and shoulders from the floor until your shoulder blades are barely touching the floor. Hold the position one to two seconds. Repeat 8 to 12 times. If you feel pain with this back pain exercise, stop or try to do it more gently and slowly.
3. Back and Leg strengthening. This is one of the McKenzie Exercises, named after a New Zealand physical therapist. Lie on your stomach, and push up off the floor with both hands, raising only your chest. Keep your pelvis flat on the floor. Raise your back to a comfortable stretch and hold for 8 to 10 seconds. Repeat 8 to 12 times. You should feel no pain with this back pain exercise, only a pulling up of the spine.
It is strongly suggested that any back pain exercise be done only after seeking professional medical advice.
Whittier Chiropractor
Michael Douglas asked:
Doctors differ in how they deal with pain. Older ones – of the family doctor variety who have a lot of experience in treating a variety of non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses – often dismiss pain with a hearty, “You’ll feel better soon.” Younger specialists, who have to fight much harder to earn their livelihoods and are also more materialistic, are much more solicitous of their patients’ comfort and prescribe painkillers as easily as they would offer a child sweets.
But on the whole doctors tend to under-treat pain. There is a feeling that pain is just a fact of life. It accompanies all illnesses and it has to be borne. There is also the fear – both among doctors and among patients – that if painkillers are taken too often, they could become a habit.
But, as doctors are realising, pain can take a heavy toll on a patient’s health and spirits. Compared to this, the risk of becoming addicted to painkillers is small. OTC (or over the counters) drugs are medicines that can be bought without a prescription and can relieve pain quite miraculously if they are used before the pain becomes really bad. And if one medicine does not work, a stronger one can be tried.
But does this mean that OTC medicines can be popped as nonchalantly as we pop chocolates into our mouths? Many people think that they can, but they are wrong. In fact, there are many misconceptions about pain. Here are the myths and the true facts about them.
Misconception 1. If pain goes away with OTC medication, it cannot be anything serious.
This is not true. Your response to OTC medicines has nothing to do with the seriousness of your medical problem. A sprained ankle is definitely not life-threatening, but the pain can be excruciating and may not respond to OTC medicine at all. On the other hand, serious illnesses like cancer or strokes may cause so little pain (at times) that OTC medicines work fine for patients.
So when do you take pain seriously? A rule of thumb is that minor ailments, even if the pain is agonising at first, normally heal or get much better in a week. They also don’t come on very suddenly. You should see a doctor if the condition does not improve, if the attacks of pain are sudden and strong and if OTC medicines do not work at all.
Misconception 2. Women deal with pain better than men do.
Actually, research has proved that neither sex is better in dealing with pain per se. There are different kinds of pain and men and women deal with them differently. Women are able to deal better with chronic pain than men are, but men can deal better with sudden, acute pain – like when you hit your thumb with a hammer or touch something very hot.
Women, however, recover from pain quicker than men do. So in the case of, say a tooth extraction, women suffer more initially, but are less bothered by the lingering discomfort over the next few days.
Research on people suffering from osteoarthritis has given a reason for this ability of women to deal with chronic pain. They cope because they complain to friends, seek support, pray and ask their doctors for help. So they get emotional support and this helps them. Men, on the other hand, try to grin and bear it, to keep up their macho image and, as a result, they do not cope as well.
Misconception 3. Breast cancer does not cause pain.
It is true that breast cancer doesn’t cause pain in the initial stages, but this does not mean that if something is causing you pain in your breast, it cannot be breast cancer. Certain uncommon types of breast cancer can cause pain – for example, cancer that affects the skin and lymph glands in the breast.
But generally, tenderness in the breast is nothing to worry about. This can be caused by the peaking of the hormone progesterone just before one’s periods and also by hormones that older women take after menopause.
Harmless cysts, too heavy a workout and even a bra that doesn’t fit properly can cause pain in the breasts and this is nothing to worry about. But one should visit the doctor if one notices a lump in the breast, if there is a change in the appearance of a breast or nipple, if there is a swelling, redness, a persistent nagging pain in either breast or if one experiences unusual sensations in a breast, whether painful or not.
Misconception 4. Everyone responds to pain in the same way.
Not only do men and women respond to pain in different ways, but different individuals have different thresholds of pain. Some bear the pain of a broken arm without a murmur while others weep and moan over a small bruise. Again the same individual may react differently to pain when she is upset, is under stress, is with a friend, is calm and when she knows that she has to cope by herself. Hormone levels can affect response to pain too. Women are generally more sensitive to pain just before their periods.
Misconception 5. One should always take medicine for a headache.
No, one should not take medicine for a headache because, though the pill makes you feel better immediately, headache medicine actually makes the brain more susceptible to pain and so popping pills can, in the longer time period, cause “rebound” headaches.
So analgesics should be reserved for really bad headaches and for times when you have to function at your best. At other times, a short nap in a quiet, preferably dark, room is a good way to get rid of a headache. So is meditation or the application of a cold pack to the area in front of the ear on the side one has the headache.
Misconception 6. A pain that is strong in the morning and then decreases as the day progresses can be ignored.
This often happens with joint pains. Muscles, joints and tendons tend to be stiff in the mornings and hence cause pain. But, as the day progresses and you move around, these loosen up and the pain subsides. Such pains can be ignored when you know that they are caused by minor injuries which will get cured.
But if the pain is not caused by an injury, it is not going to get cured by itself and something has to be done about it. If this kind of pain (which is worse in the morning and gets better as the day advances) persists, becomes worse and becomes chronic, it could be something like osteoarthritis and you should see your doctor.
Misconception 7. No pain, no gain.
This is what all trainers and fitness experts say when they start you off on a new exercise regimen or fitness programme. Yes, sore and painful muscles are a part of all these programmes when you start, but if your workout leaves you in real pain even after a while, it could mean that you are overdoing it, that you are developing an overuse injury or that you are exercising incorrectly.
So you should ease into a new exercise regimen slowly and work different muscle groups on alternate days. Jog and cycle one day and swim the next. Of course, walking is the best. It rarely results in injury and it can be done every day.
Misconception 8. OTC pain relievers are safe and can be taken in any quantity.
Most people feel that the medicines a doctor prescribes are strong and that one has to be careful about using them. They also feel that OTC medicines that one can get without prescriptions are safe and that one can take any amount of them. But this is not true. Overuse of OTC medicines can increase the risk of ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding or damage to the liver. So watch out as you blithely pop those analgesics and cold medications.
Misconception 9. Doctors prescribe anti-depressants when they should be giving you pain relievers.
This is the complaint when a patient who is ill and is suffering from pain is given antidepressants. But it is just not true that the doctor is messing up. Constant pain causes people to be depressed and this worsens the physical symptoms of their illness. Depression can also trigger certain types of pain. Antidepressants on the other hand, help by increasing levels of chemicals that control our moods and the way we perceive pain. So they are good for the treatment of pain.
Misconception 10. All pain can be banished for good by a good doctor.
Unfortunately, this is not so. There are some chronic pains – like backache – that just cannot be cured. But people can learn to manage these pains so that they can function better. Today, doctors are less afraid that patients will become addicted to painkillers and so prescribe them for even chronic pains – to be taken when the pain gets worse, when the patient is under stress or when he or she has to function particularly well.
Today, many doctors operate on the principle that people have the right to be free of pain. They weigh the dangers of becoming addicted to painkillers against the relief that they bring and then take a decision.
Even young patients are given painkillers when the doctor knows that recovery is going to be quick enough for addiction not to be a risk. And at, say, the terminal stage of cancer, they decide to let the patient leave the world free of pain, even if “addicted”.
Doctors also prescribe relaxation exercises and suggest behaviour modification that will help avoid pain. For example, people suffering from back problems should learn not to make sudden movements, to always carry a small pillow for the small of the back when they know they have to sit for a long time and to learn to pick up weights without straining the back.
Physiotherapy can also strengthen the surrounding muscles and having a pain-reliever while this takes place does no harm.
Pain management also includes biofeedback. Many doctors allow post-surgery patients to use a pump that allows them to decide when they need intravenous narcotic painkillers. And doctors have discovered that this way, patients take small and more frequent doses that reduce the total amount of medication they take to be comfortable.
Pain may be a part of life, but we need not suffer from it too much.
Whittier Chiropractor
Doctors differ in how they deal with pain. Older ones – of the family doctor variety who have a lot of experience in treating a variety of non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses – often dismiss pain with a hearty, “You’ll feel better soon.” Younger specialists, who have to fight much harder to earn their livelihoods and are also more materialistic, are much more solicitous of their patients’ comfort and prescribe painkillers as easily as they would offer a child sweets.
But on the whole doctors tend to under-treat pain. There is a feeling that pain is just a fact of life. It accompanies all illnesses and it has to be borne. There is also the fear – both among doctors and among patients – that if painkillers are taken too often, they could become a habit.
But, as doctors are realising, pain can take a heavy toll on a patient’s health and spirits. Compared to this, the risk of becoming addicted to painkillers is small. OTC (or over the counters) drugs are medicines that can be bought without a prescription and can relieve pain quite miraculously if they are used before the pain becomes really bad. And if one medicine does not work, a stronger one can be tried.
But does this mean that OTC medicines can be popped as nonchalantly as we pop chocolates into our mouths? Many people think that they can, but they are wrong. In fact, there are many misconceptions about pain. Here are the myths and the true facts about them.
Misconception 1. If pain goes away with OTC medication, it cannot be anything serious.
This is not true. Your response to OTC medicines has nothing to do with the seriousness of your medical problem. A sprained ankle is definitely not life-threatening, but the pain can be excruciating and may not respond to OTC medicine at all. On the other hand, serious illnesses like cancer or strokes may cause so little pain (at times) that OTC medicines work fine for patients.
So when do you take pain seriously? A rule of thumb is that minor ailments, even if the pain is agonising at first, normally heal or get much better in a week. They also don’t come on very suddenly. You should see a doctor if the condition does not improve, if the attacks of pain are sudden and strong and if OTC medicines do not work at all.
Misconception 2. Women deal with pain better than men do.
Actually, research has proved that neither sex is better in dealing with pain per se. There are different kinds of pain and men and women deal with them differently. Women are able to deal better with chronic pain than men are, but men can deal better with sudden, acute pain – like when you hit your thumb with a hammer or touch something very hot.
Women, however, recover from pain quicker than men do. So in the case of, say a tooth extraction, women suffer more initially, but are less bothered by the lingering discomfort over the next few days.
Research on people suffering from osteoarthritis has given a reason for this ability of women to deal with chronic pain. They cope because they complain to friends, seek support, pray and ask their doctors for help. So they get emotional support and this helps them. Men, on the other hand, try to grin and bear it, to keep up their macho image and, as a result, they do not cope as well.
Misconception 3. Breast cancer does not cause pain.
It is true that breast cancer doesn’t cause pain in the initial stages, but this does not mean that if something is causing you pain in your breast, it cannot be breast cancer. Certain uncommon types of breast cancer can cause pain – for example, cancer that affects the skin and lymph glands in the breast.
But generally, tenderness in the breast is nothing to worry about. This can be caused by the peaking of the hormone progesterone just before one’s periods and also by hormones that older women take after menopause.
Harmless cysts, too heavy a workout and even a bra that doesn’t fit properly can cause pain in the breasts and this is nothing to worry about. But one should visit the doctor if one notices a lump in the breast, if there is a change in the appearance of a breast or nipple, if there is a swelling, redness, a persistent nagging pain in either breast or if one experiences unusual sensations in a breast, whether painful or not.
Misconception 4. Everyone responds to pain in the same way.
Not only do men and women respond to pain in different ways, but different individuals have different thresholds of pain. Some bear the pain of a broken arm without a murmur while others weep and moan over a small bruise. Again the same individual may react differently to pain when she is upset, is under stress, is with a friend, is calm and when she knows that she has to cope by herself. Hormone levels can affect response to pain too. Women are generally more sensitive to pain just before their periods.
Misconception 5. One should always take medicine for a headache.
No, one should not take medicine for a headache because, though the pill makes you feel better immediately, headache medicine actually makes the brain more susceptible to pain and so popping pills can, in the longer time period, cause “rebound” headaches.
So analgesics should be reserved for really bad headaches and for times when you have to function at your best. At other times, a short nap in a quiet, preferably dark, room is a good way to get rid of a headache. So is meditation or the application of a cold pack to the area in front of the ear on the side one has the headache.
Misconception 6. A pain that is strong in the morning and then decreases as the day progresses can be ignored.
This often happens with joint pains. Muscles, joints and tendons tend to be stiff in the mornings and hence cause pain. But, as the day progresses and you move around, these loosen up and the pain subsides. Such pains can be ignored when you know that they are caused by minor injuries which will get cured.
But if the pain is not caused by an injury, it is not going to get cured by itself and something has to be done about it. If this kind of pain (which is worse in the morning and gets better as the day advances) persists, becomes worse and becomes chronic, it could be something like osteoarthritis and you should see your doctor.
Misconception 7. No pain, no gain.
This is what all trainers and fitness experts say when they start you off on a new exercise regimen or fitness programme. Yes, sore and painful muscles are a part of all these programmes when you start, but if your workout leaves you in real pain even after a while, it could mean that you are overdoing it, that you are developing an overuse injury or that you are exercising incorrectly.
So you should ease into a new exercise regimen slowly and work different muscle groups on alternate days. Jog and cycle one day and swim the next. Of course, walking is the best. It rarely results in injury and it can be done every day.
Misconception 8. OTC pain relievers are safe and can be taken in any quantity.
Most people feel that the medicines a doctor prescribes are strong and that one has to be careful about using them. They also feel that OTC medicines that one can get without prescriptions are safe and that one can take any amount of them. But this is not true. Overuse of OTC medicines can increase the risk of ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding or damage to the liver. So watch out as you blithely pop those analgesics and cold medications.
Misconception 9. Doctors prescribe anti-depressants when they should be giving you pain relievers.
This is the complaint when a patient who is ill and is suffering from pain is given antidepressants. But it is just not true that the doctor is messing up. Constant pain causes people to be depressed and this worsens the physical symptoms of their illness. Depression can also trigger certain types of pain. Antidepressants on the other hand, help by increasing levels of chemicals that control our moods and the way we perceive pain. So they are good for the treatment of pain.
Misconception 10. All pain can be banished for good by a good doctor.
Unfortunately, this is not so. There are some chronic pains – like backache – that just cannot be cured. But people can learn to manage these pains so that they can function better. Today, doctors are less afraid that patients will become addicted to painkillers and so prescribe them for even chronic pains – to be taken when the pain gets worse, when the patient is under stress or when he or she has to function particularly well.
Today, many doctors operate on the principle that people have the right to be free of pain. They weigh the dangers of becoming addicted to painkillers against the relief that they bring and then take a decision.
Even young patients are given painkillers when the doctor knows that recovery is going to be quick enough for addiction not to be a risk. And at, say, the terminal stage of cancer, they decide to let the patient leave the world free of pain, even if “addicted”.
Doctors also prescribe relaxation exercises and suggest behaviour modification that will help avoid pain. For example, people suffering from back problems should learn not to make sudden movements, to always carry a small pillow for the small of the back when they know they have to sit for a long time and to learn to pick up weights without straining the back.
Physiotherapy can also strengthen the surrounding muscles and having a pain-reliever while this takes place does no harm.
Pain management also includes biofeedback. Many doctors allow post-surgery patients to use a pump that allows them to decide when they need intravenous narcotic painkillers. And doctors have discovered that this way, patients take small and more frequent doses that reduce the total amount of medication they take to be comfortable.
Pain may be a part of life, but we need not suffer from it too much.
Whittier Chiropractor
bharatbook asked:
One in five people suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain, and one in three is unable or less able to maintain an independent lifestyle due to their pain. Between 50 and 60 percent of people with chronic pain are less able or unable to exercise, sleep normally, perform household chores, attend social activities, drive a car, or walk.
The value of the pharmaceutical market for pain relief in 2008 reflects this seeming worldwide epidemic of pain. The Global Pain Therapeutics Market assesses key pain management therapeutics – such as opioids, triptans, anticonvulsants, Cox-II inhibitors and traditional NSAIDs and are discussed in terms of their past, present and future value and the role they are playing in the effective management of pain. This report discusses the key products within each of these areas and outlines the drivers of these markets as well as the restraints on them.
The Global Pain Therapeutics Market also identifies and discusses trends and issues that will have a significant impact on the pain management market and profiles the leading companies in the field. The report provides the reader with valuable information and analysis regarding key products on the market and in clinical development.
This 438-page report includes 96 profiles of companies engaged in the development and/or commercialization of pain therapeutics and over 150 tables and graphs illustrating sales trends, past and present, as well as pipelines and demographic and market trends in the area of pain management.
Key features and highlights of this report:
Extensive review of key products indicated for pain conditions and their market value and impact
Discussion of the key drivers of and restraints on the global pain therapeutics market
Qualitative analysis of key pain markets and products driving growth (opioids, NSAIDs, triptans, neuropathic pain therapies (anticonvulsants) and Cox-II inhibitors)
Profiles and reviews of key pipeline products in development for fibromyalgia, cancer pain, post-operative pain, migraine pain, neuropathic pain and opioid therapies
Profiles of nearly 100 companies engaged in the development and/or commercialization of pain therapeutics worldwide
Overviews of treatment options for post-operative pain, migraine pain, cancer pain, fibromyalgia, arthritic pain, back pain, neuropathic pain, and the demographic impact of these conditions.
Chapter devoted to the role of drug delivery technologies in the current and future treatment of pain
Discussion of promising areas of research in a variety of pain areas and companies engaged in cutting edge research and development
Key questions answered in this report:
What is the current state of the global pain therapeutics market?
How has the Cox-II debacle effected the market for and treatment of pain conditions?
What pain therapies, old and new, are today proving their market and clinical value?
What new classes of pain therapeutics are in clinical development and which classes and therapies are demonstrating superior efficacy?
Which diseases and conditions have the most room for growth in terms of unmet need and market demand?
For more information please visit: http://www.bharatbook.com/Market-Research-Reports/The-Global-Pain-Therapeutics-Market-3rd-Edition.html
Or
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Website : www.bharatbook.com
Whittier Chiropractor
One in five people suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain, and one in three is unable or less able to maintain an independent lifestyle due to their pain. Between 50 and 60 percent of people with chronic pain are less able or unable to exercise, sleep normally, perform household chores, attend social activities, drive a car, or walk.
The value of the pharmaceutical market for pain relief in 2008 reflects this seeming worldwide epidemic of pain. The Global Pain Therapeutics Market assesses key pain management therapeutics – such as opioids, triptans, anticonvulsants, Cox-II inhibitors and traditional NSAIDs and are discussed in terms of their past, present and future value and the role they are playing in the effective management of pain. This report discusses the key products within each of these areas and outlines the drivers of these markets as well as the restraints on them.
The Global Pain Therapeutics Market also identifies and discusses trends and issues that will have a significant impact on the pain management market and profiles the leading companies in the field. The report provides the reader with valuable information and analysis regarding key products on the market and in clinical development.
This 438-page report includes 96 profiles of companies engaged in the development and/or commercialization of pain therapeutics and over 150 tables and graphs illustrating sales trends, past and present, as well as pipelines and demographic and market trends in the area of pain management.
Key features and highlights of this report:
Extensive review of key products indicated for pain conditions and their market value and impact
Discussion of the key drivers of and restraints on the global pain therapeutics market
Qualitative analysis of key pain markets and products driving growth (opioids, NSAIDs, triptans, neuropathic pain therapies (anticonvulsants) and Cox-II inhibitors)
Profiles and reviews of key pipeline products in development for fibromyalgia, cancer pain, post-operative pain, migraine pain, neuropathic pain and opioid therapies
Profiles of nearly 100 companies engaged in the development and/or commercialization of pain therapeutics worldwide
Overviews of treatment options for post-operative pain, migraine pain, cancer pain, fibromyalgia, arthritic pain, back pain, neuropathic pain, and the demographic impact of these conditions.
Chapter devoted to the role of drug delivery technologies in the current and future treatment of pain
Discussion of promising areas of research in a variety of pain areas and companies engaged in cutting edge research and development
Key questions answered in this report:
What is the current state of the global pain therapeutics market?
How has the Cox-II debacle effected the market for and treatment of pain conditions?
What pain therapies, old and new, are today proving their market and clinical value?
What new classes of pain therapeutics are in clinical development and which classes and therapies are demonstrating superior efficacy?
Which diseases and conditions have the most room for growth in terms of unmet need and market demand?
For more information please visit: http://www.bharatbook.com/Market-Research-Reports/The-Global-Pain-Therapeutics-Market-3rd-Edition.html
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Whittier Chiropractor
Peter James Field asked:
At one point or another each of us has experienced pain.
Though few people actually welcome it, few would deny that it has an essential role to play in our survival. After all, without pain, we simply wouldn’t be aware that tissue damage is taking place somewhere in our body and that we need to do something – fast.
In any approach to pain, of course, we need to first check with a qualified doctor or other medical practitioner. It is essential that we get a proper medical evaluation of our situation and the correct treatment for any disease or injury that we may have suffered.
But what if we have already done this? But what if we have already received and understood the message pain brings, done all we – and the doctor – can do and yet still the pain exists?
This is the predicament faced by millions of us on a daily basis. And living with this kind of pain seriously affects the quality of life for anyone forced to experience and endure it.
Generally speaking, pain may be divided into two distinct types: Acute pain and chronic pain.
Acute pain is useful and indeed, essential. It informs us of what needs attention and this is the reason for its existence. It’s a signal relayed from the wounded area to the brain alerting us to take action.
But chronic pain is altogether different. With pain of this kind, we have already received the message and still it persists. It is ongoing and relentless. It’s as if we seem to be just stuck with it.
Indeed, the chronic pain generated by conditions such as rheumatism, back and shoulder pain, arthritis, migraine headaches, post surgical pain, cancer (and sometimes its treatment), fybromyalgia etc serves no useful purpose. It is unneeded for our survival.
Put simply, chronic pain is useless pain.
When pain outlives its usefulness it needs to be muted or silenced.
Perhaps the most surprising thing is that we almost always look to ourselves last in any attempt to control our chronic pain. Yet it is within our self and our own mind that real pain relief and truly effective pain control can be found.
Because we are so accustomed to looking outside of ourselves for help with pain, we seem to have a learned mind-set of helplessness when it comes to chronic pain. We have been conditioned to accept that something or someone external to ourselves is responsible for making pain go away.
Understanding that we have it within our self to control pain is a major step forward in releasing its truly debilitating grip on our life.
And this is the wonderful power of using hypnosis and self-hypnosis for pain relief.
With properly applied hypnosis we are empowered to instruct our own mind to dramatically reduce – and in many cases totally eliminate – any pain we may be experiencing.
No drugs, no apparatus, no TEMS machines are needed. Indeed, hypnosis is so powerful that it can be, and sometimes is, used instead of local or general anaesthetic in order to completely eliminate pain even in major surgery.
All that’s required is your mind’s own innate capacities and abilities.
If you or someone you care about suffers from chronic pain, there really is something you can do about it.
By working with an experienced and fully qualified transformational hypnotherapist, you can learn how to control even long-standing chronic pain.
Using the power of your own mind you can indeed learn to control pain – and regain control of your life.
Whittier Chiropractor
At one point or another each of us has experienced pain.
Though few people actually welcome it, few would deny that it has an essential role to play in our survival. After all, without pain, we simply wouldn’t be aware that tissue damage is taking place somewhere in our body and that we need to do something – fast.
In any approach to pain, of course, we need to first check with a qualified doctor or other medical practitioner. It is essential that we get a proper medical evaluation of our situation and the correct treatment for any disease or injury that we may have suffered.
But what if we have already done this? But what if we have already received and understood the message pain brings, done all we – and the doctor – can do and yet still the pain exists?
This is the predicament faced by millions of us on a daily basis. And living with this kind of pain seriously affects the quality of life for anyone forced to experience and endure it.
Generally speaking, pain may be divided into two distinct types: Acute pain and chronic pain.
Acute pain is useful and indeed, essential. It informs us of what needs attention and this is the reason for its existence. It’s a signal relayed from the wounded area to the brain alerting us to take action.
But chronic pain is altogether different. With pain of this kind, we have already received the message and still it persists. It is ongoing and relentless. It’s as if we seem to be just stuck with it.
Indeed, the chronic pain generated by conditions such as rheumatism, back and shoulder pain, arthritis, migraine headaches, post surgical pain, cancer (and sometimes its treatment), fybromyalgia etc serves no useful purpose. It is unneeded for our survival.
Put simply, chronic pain is useless pain.
When pain outlives its usefulness it needs to be muted or silenced.
Perhaps the most surprising thing is that we almost always look to ourselves last in any attempt to control our chronic pain. Yet it is within our self and our own mind that real pain relief and truly effective pain control can be found.
Because we are so accustomed to looking outside of ourselves for help with pain, we seem to have a learned mind-set of helplessness when it comes to chronic pain. We have been conditioned to accept that something or someone external to ourselves is responsible for making pain go away.
Understanding that we have it within our self to control pain is a major step forward in releasing its truly debilitating grip on our life.
And this is the wonderful power of using hypnosis and self-hypnosis for pain relief.
With properly applied hypnosis we are empowered to instruct our own mind to dramatically reduce – and in many cases totally eliminate – any pain we may be experiencing.
No drugs, no apparatus, no TEMS machines are needed. Indeed, hypnosis is so powerful that it can be, and sometimes is, used instead of local or general anaesthetic in order to completely eliminate pain even in major surgery.
All that’s required is your mind’s own innate capacities and abilities.
If you or someone you care about suffers from chronic pain, there really is something you can do about it.
By working with an experienced and fully qualified transformational hypnotherapist, you can learn how to control even long-standing chronic pain.
Using the power of your own mind you can indeed learn to control pain – and regain control of your life.
Whittier Chiropractor
Antonio LeMaire asked:
Back pain is reported to be the most common cause of missed work, right after flu and colds. In fact, back pain is so common that many people consider it inevitable, especially with increasing age.
But it may be possible to avoid some types of back pain by better understanding its causes and avoiding or preventing them in the first place.
And while over-the-counter pain relief medications can help lessen back pain once it occurs, exercise, improved posture, and good furniture can strengthen and heal your back and even prevent back pain from occurring in the first place.
This article will guide you in both ways: how to avoid back pain and how to find back relief.
Back Pain Causes
The back is a powerful structure comprising bone, muscle, and elastic discs. This marvel of efficiency allows you to bend, twist, and carry weight. However, its flexibility makes it susceptible to injury and pain. Not surprisingly, back pain often results from neglect or other lifestyle factors such as:
* Bad posture – A normal adult spine resembles a double ‘S’. When you slouch, the pelvis and the stomach thrust forward, the knees bend, and the back muscles are strained. This strain can easily lead to back pain.
* Sedentary lifestyle and stress – Lack of exercise tends to weaken the muscles in the body. At the same time, stress can lead to muscle tension, causing the unprepared muscles to spasm.
* Weak abdominal muscles – Back pain is often related to weak stomach muscles, which can place added stress on the back.
* Obesity – Overweight people may find it difficult to maintain proper posture, and the burden of additional weight puts pressure on the back.
* High heels – They push the body’s center of gravity forward. To offset this, people tend to bend their knees and move their torsos forward. This can exaggerate the spine’s inward curve, leading to back pain.
People can also experience back pain as a result of specific health conditions:
* Spondylosis – Arthritis of the spine occurs due to degenerative spinal changes, and is often characterized by back pain.
* Spondylolisthesis – This occurs when one spinal vertebra slips forward on top of another one, causing back pain.
* Spinal stenosis – When the space around the spinal column and nerve roots is reduced, nerves are pinched or pressed, resulting in back pain. Arthritis and bone overgrowth trigger this condition.
* Herniated disc – One of the most common causes of back pain, this condition occurs when a spinal disc presses on a nerve. It’s also referred to as slipped disc.
* Sciatica – Sharp, shooting pain that radiates through the lower back or buttocks to the back of the leg when a herniated disc presses the sciatic nerve.
* Spinal infection – When this occurs, back pain is often accompanied by fever and tenderness.
Back Pain Relief Options
Not every type of back pain is a condition you have to put up with. In addition to medication and home therapies, there are a variety of complementary and alternative therapies that can provide back pain relief.
Bed rest may help relieve acute, temporary back pain. But this may not work for chronic back pain, which may require long-term treatment.
Here are just some of the methods you can try to get back pain relief:
* Heat and ice treatment – For lower back pain relief, use an ice pack first to sooth the sore muscles. You can use a cold compress several times a day for up to 20 minutes per treatment. A warm compress or a heating pad loosens the muscles and increases blood flow, which can provide some back pain relief.
* Chiropractic care – Some research on pain relief has shown that chiropractic manipulation may be as effective as pain relief medication for certain patients.
* Acupuncture – In this alternative medicine procedure, the practitioner inserts sterilized stainless steel needles at specific points on the body. This may stimulate the brain to release natural endorphins, which can provide some level of back pain relief.
* Electrical stimulation – Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) often works for acute back pain. In this procedure, weak electrical pulses sent to nerve pathways through specific points prevent pain signals from reaching the brain. This back pain relief procedure may be appropriate for those who prefer to avoid medication.
* Over-the-counter medication – Drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen can help reduce inflammation and relieve back pain, while acetaminophen controls pain without addressing inflammation.
* Prescription medication – When over-the-counter drugs fail to provide pain relief, doctors may prescribe a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (other than aspirin or ibuprofen), a muscle relaxant, or other medication.
* Epidural injections – When other measures fail to relieve back pain, doctors may prescribe epidural injections of anti-inflammatory medication such as cortisone to provide pain relief.
Back Pain Don’ts
* Do not exercise while suffering from severe back pain.
* Do not sit for long periods when suffering from back pain. Sitting exerts more pressure on your nerves than standing or lying down. This can exacerbate back pain.
* Do not slouch or overarch your back, as this increases pressure on the lower back and may cause back pain to become more intense.
How To Avoid Back Pain
Many people who suffer from chronic back pain have found that a few lifestyle changes and healthy work habits can help them avoid recurrences of back pain:
* Exercise – Exercise not only helps to maintain proper weight, but also helps build and maintain strong muscles. However, if you already suffer from back pain, consult your doctor before starting an exercise routine.
* Good posture – A balanced posture allows the body to relax while maintaining an erect position. If you stand for long hours, avoid back pain by placing one foot on a stool or a box to avoid stressing the pelvis. While sitting, make sure that your lower back is supported and that your feet stay flat on the floor.
* Bend and lift properly – Improper bending is a common cause of back pain. When bending down, bend your knees, separate your feet about shoulder width apart, and keep your back straight. When lifting things, let your legs bear your weight, keep objects close to your body, and ask for help if the load is too heavy.
* Sleeping position – Sleep on your side, with your knees bent towards the chest. Place a pillow between the knees to reduce pressure on the back.
* Heel inserts – To reduce the risk of back pain, some doctors recommend heel inserts to alleviate stress on the lower back and provide shock absorption.
* Medium-firm mattresses – Sleep on a mattress that is firm enough to support your body but does not distort the body’s natural curves.
* Car seating position – Tilt your car seat back slightly, so that your knees are higher than your hips. Place the seat close enough to the wheel to let your arms bend.
Treating your back with respect is one key to avoiding back pain. However, if you already do have back pain, a variety of pain relief medications and treatments are available.
Whittier Chiropractor
Back pain is reported to be the most common cause of missed work, right after flu and colds. In fact, back pain is so common that many people consider it inevitable, especially with increasing age.
But it may be possible to avoid some types of back pain by better understanding its causes and avoiding or preventing them in the first place.
And while over-the-counter pain relief medications can help lessen back pain once it occurs, exercise, improved posture, and good furniture can strengthen and heal your back and even prevent back pain from occurring in the first place.
This article will guide you in both ways: how to avoid back pain and how to find back relief.
Back Pain Causes
The back is a powerful structure comprising bone, muscle, and elastic discs. This marvel of efficiency allows you to bend, twist, and carry weight. However, its flexibility makes it susceptible to injury and pain. Not surprisingly, back pain often results from neglect or other lifestyle factors such as:
* Bad posture – A normal adult spine resembles a double ‘S’. When you slouch, the pelvis and the stomach thrust forward, the knees bend, and the back muscles are strained. This strain can easily lead to back pain.
* Sedentary lifestyle and stress – Lack of exercise tends to weaken the muscles in the body. At the same time, stress can lead to muscle tension, causing the unprepared muscles to spasm.
* Weak abdominal muscles – Back pain is often related to weak stomach muscles, which can place added stress on the back.
* Obesity – Overweight people may find it difficult to maintain proper posture, and the burden of additional weight puts pressure on the back.
* High heels – They push the body’s center of gravity forward. To offset this, people tend to bend their knees and move their torsos forward. This can exaggerate the spine’s inward curve, leading to back pain.
People can also experience back pain as a result of specific health conditions:
* Spondylosis – Arthritis of the spine occurs due to degenerative spinal changes, and is often characterized by back pain.
* Spondylolisthesis – This occurs when one spinal vertebra slips forward on top of another one, causing back pain.
* Spinal stenosis – When the space around the spinal column and nerve roots is reduced, nerves are pinched or pressed, resulting in back pain. Arthritis and bone overgrowth trigger this condition.
* Herniated disc – One of the most common causes of back pain, this condition occurs when a spinal disc presses on a nerve. It’s also referred to as slipped disc.
* Sciatica – Sharp, shooting pain that radiates through the lower back or buttocks to the back of the leg when a herniated disc presses the sciatic nerve.
* Spinal infection – When this occurs, back pain is often accompanied by fever and tenderness.
Back Pain Relief Options
Not every type of back pain is a condition you have to put up with. In addition to medication and home therapies, there are a variety of complementary and alternative therapies that can provide back pain relief.
Bed rest may help relieve acute, temporary back pain. But this may not work for chronic back pain, which may require long-term treatment.
Here are just some of the methods you can try to get back pain relief:
* Heat and ice treatment – For lower back pain relief, use an ice pack first to sooth the sore muscles. You can use a cold compress several times a day for up to 20 minutes per treatment. A warm compress or a heating pad loosens the muscles and increases blood flow, which can provide some back pain relief.
* Chiropractic care – Some research on pain relief has shown that chiropractic manipulation may be as effective as pain relief medication for certain patients.
* Acupuncture – In this alternative medicine procedure, the practitioner inserts sterilized stainless steel needles at specific points on the body. This may stimulate the brain to release natural endorphins, which can provide some level of back pain relief.
* Electrical stimulation – Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) often works for acute back pain. In this procedure, weak electrical pulses sent to nerve pathways through specific points prevent pain signals from reaching the brain. This back pain relief procedure may be appropriate for those who prefer to avoid medication.
* Over-the-counter medication – Drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen can help reduce inflammation and relieve back pain, while acetaminophen controls pain without addressing inflammation.
* Prescription medication – When over-the-counter drugs fail to provide pain relief, doctors may prescribe a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (other than aspirin or ibuprofen), a muscle relaxant, or other medication.
* Epidural injections – When other measures fail to relieve back pain, doctors may prescribe epidural injections of anti-inflammatory medication such as cortisone to provide pain relief.
Back Pain Don’ts
* Do not exercise while suffering from severe back pain.
* Do not sit for long periods when suffering from back pain. Sitting exerts more pressure on your nerves than standing or lying down. This can exacerbate back pain.
* Do not slouch or overarch your back, as this increases pressure on the lower back and may cause back pain to become more intense.
How To Avoid Back Pain
Many people who suffer from chronic back pain have found that a few lifestyle changes and healthy work habits can help them avoid recurrences of back pain:
* Exercise – Exercise not only helps to maintain proper weight, but also helps build and maintain strong muscles. However, if you already suffer from back pain, consult your doctor before starting an exercise routine.
* Good posture – A balanced posture allows the body to relax while maintaining an erect position. If you stand for long hours, avoid back pain by placing one foot on a stool or a box to avoid stressing the pelvis. While sitting, make sure that your lower back is supported and that your feet stay flat on the floor.
* Bend and lift properly – Improper bending is a common cause of back pain. When bending down, bend your knees, separate your feet about shoulder width apart, and keep your back straight. When lifting things, let your legs bear your weight, keep objects close to your body, and ask for help if the load is too heavy.
* Sleeping position – Sleep on your side, with your knees bent towards the chest. Place a pillow between the knees to reduce pressure on the back.
* Heel inserts – To reduce the risk of back pain, some doctors recommend heel inserts to alleviate stress on the lower back and provide shock absorption.
* Medium-firm mattresses – Sleep on a mattress that is firm enough to support your body but does not distort the body’s natural curves.
* Car seating position – Tilt your car seat back slightly, so that your knees are higher than your hips. Place the seat close enough to the wheel to let your arms bend.
Treating your back with respect is one key to avoiding back pain. However, if you already do have back pain, a variety of pain relief medications and treatments are available.
Whittier Chiropractor
David Dunlap asked:
An estimated eight out of ten people in the United States will injure their back at some point during their lives. Few of these problems will require extended treatment, but persistent back problems and back pain can still be very uncomfortable and stressful for many of us.
Managing and relieving back pain is not a simple process. The experience of back pain is subjective; so it’s often difficult to easily measure the level of treatment necessary. In fact, many health providers who treat back pain find it challenging to obtain the measurable signs in order diagnose a patient’s symptoms. Additionally, everyone’s experience of back pain is different.
Back pain descriptions range from the slight — such as; dull, sharp, and throbbing, to the extreme such as; pulsating, stabbing and shock-like — just to name a few. People experience and describe back pain so differently partly due to its varied and complex origins. In fact, pain originates from numerous places in the body, such as muscles, bones, nerves, organs or blood vessels. It is for these reasons that it often is difficult to target the exact origin of someone’s back pain.
Back pain can also be described as acute or chronic. The word “acute” derives from the Latin word for needles and is usually described as a severe, sharp sensation. The initial stage of an injury is called the acute phase. The word “chronic”, on the other hand, originated from the Greek word for time. Chronic back pain is pain that persists after a length of time, often months to years. Many back injuries tend to become chronic, especially when not treated properly during the acute phase. Chronic back pain is often experienced as a dull ache or constant nagging irritant.
Acute and chronic back pain sensations also travel different nervous system pathways inside the body. When you injure muscles or ligaments in your back, nerve endings called pain receptors pick up the pain impulses and transmit them to the spinal cord. From here, the pain message ascends to the brain. This process takes place at varying rates of speed depending on the size of the nerve fiber involved. Acute back pain tends to travel on faster, larger diameter fibers, while chronic back pain prefers smaller, slower pain fibers. Experts suggest that chronic back pain affects the brain’s limbic system, which is associated with emotional states. Anyone who has ever had a long-term painful back injury or regular back pain knows that negative or distressing emotions may accompany or perpetuate the initial injury.
The best way to treat chronic back pain is to prevent it. Although proficient early treatment does not always prevent an acute back pain injury from turning into a chronic problem, it is a good insurance policy. Early treatment is especially important with back pain injuries to the soft tissues (muscles, tendons and ligaments) to prevent them from becoming weaker, less elastic and more pain-sensitive. One of the best ways to treat both acute and chronic soft tissue injuries is a hands-on approach that works to repair the injured tissues. Some examples are joint and soft tissue manipulation and mobilization, typically performed by a chiropractor or osteopath.
A good chiropractor can make a big difference for most individuals experiencing either chronic or acute back pain. A chiropractor may suggest stretching exercises and make regular adjustments to a patient’s back in order to relieve back pain. Other good options for back pain are massage and physical therapy. A formal rehabilitation program at a health club or therapy clinic may also help to strengthen weakened and damaged muscles, especially the core stabilizers of the back which often are the cause of chronic back pain. The healing power of the hands-on approach is a positive experience that many people enjoy through therapeutic massage or body work.
The effects of a good massage go much deeper than the skin’s surface. Massage and chiropractic therapy can:
1) Help improve circulation of the blood and lower blood pressure while alleviating back pain. 2) Act as a detoxification system by propelling toxic waste products through the lymphatic system. 3) Help to improve muscle tone and prevent muscular atrophy resulting from inactivity or illness. 4) Reduce emotional stress and promote a sense of well-being.
How can something as simple as this hands-on therapy have so many positive benefits? A tense or painful muscle is one which is often chronically contracted. In an acute situation such as recent injury, the muscle can be in actual spasm. This contraction or spasm decreases the flow of blood to the muscle, which leads to a decrease in the nutrient and oxygen supply to the cells of the muscle and related nerves. A chronically contracted muscle will build up lactic acid, a sign of fatigue. This oxygen shortage and lactic acid buildup irritates the nerve cells, which perpetuates the contracted muscles – often resulting in discomfort and back pain. Massage and chiropractic therapy can help remove the lactic acid and other metabolic waste products from the cells and reverse this process, interrupting the vicious cycle of pain-spasm-pain. This can do wonders for most sufferers of back pain and have a lasting impact for many patients.
There are a multitude of massage styles which are beneficial to helping back pain. These options depend upon the individual’s needs and preferences. They include:
Swedish Massage: this is the basic “relaxation” style of body work, which uses long strokes, squeezing and kneading. The Swedish practitioner helps to improve circulation and back pain by working to loosen or relax the superficial layers of muscle. This type of massage is particularly useful for muscles and back pain which are the result of stress or a tough workout, as it is often more gentle than other styles.
Sports Massage: this form of massage therapy works on a deeper level of musculature or connective tissue. This style fits more with the “no pain, no gain” philosophy. The therapist uses slow, hard strokes and deep, sustained finger pressure to work deeply into the contracted muscles, fascia and tendons to help alleviate back pain. This technique increases flexibility, encourages muscles to work at their fullest capacity, and speeds up the healing process by reducing swelling following an injury. It is especially indicated for athletes and “week-end warriors” who suffer from tight or sore muscles and can be another successful solution for back pain.
Shiatsu and Acupressure: rather than being simply relaxing, this form of body work tends to be invigorating. Fingers, thumbs, fists and elbows are used to apply pressure to points along acupuncture meridians, which are believed to be the energy pathways of the body and which can help alleviate a patient’s back pain. The focus of this type of therapy is on relieving blocks in the pathways and re balancing the flow of energy.
Reflexology and Zone Therapy: reflexology works on the assumption that parts of the feet (as well as parts of the ears and hands) correspond to other parts of the body’s anatomy. In other words, stress or illness in a certain part of the body may show up as a painful or sensitive area on a specific area of the foot. Reflexologists apply pressure to the side, top or bottom of the feet to help reduce dysfunction in other parts of the body which can be helpful for those suffering through chronic back pain.
Not all techniques work for everyone, so make sure to inquire about the philosophy and style of the massage therapist you call. If your massage isn’t as satisfying as you had hoped or your back pain doesn’t go away, don’t give up, try another therapist!
Massage therapy schools are a cost-effective way to test out different styles of massage; senior students generally work for lower fees while they complete their internship. There are a few conditions in which massage would not be a good option for the treatment of back pain, such as inflammation, fever, significant swelling or very severe back pain. But for the garden variety aches and back pains that most of us experience, as well as for the general stresses of life, massage is an outstanding way to treat ourselves to a positive, revitalizing experience.
Whittier Chiropractor
An estimated eight out of ten people in the United States will injure their back at some point during their lives. Few of these problems will require extended treatment, but persistent back problems and back pain can still be very uncomfortable and stressful for many of us.
Managing and relieving back pain is not a simple process. The experience of back pain is subjective; so it’s often difficult to easily measure the level of treatment necessary. In fact, many health providers who treat back pain find it challenging to obtain the measurable signs in order diagnose a patient’s symptoms. Additionally, everyone’s experience of back pain is different.
Back pain descriptions range from the slight — such as; dull, sharp, and throbbing, to the extreme such as; pulsating, stabbing and shock-like — just to name a few. People experience and describe back pain so differently partly due to its varied and complex origins. In fact, pain originates from numerous places in the body, such as muscles, bones, nerves, organs or blood vessels. It is for these reasons that it often is difficult to target the exact origin of someone’s back pain.
Back pain can also be described as acute or chronic. The word “acute” derives from the Latin word for needles and is usually described as a severe, sharp sensation. The initial stage of an injury is called the acute phase. The word “chronic”, on the other hand, originated from the Greek word for time. Chronic back pain is pain that persists after a length of time, often months to years. Many back injuries tend to become chronic, especially when not treated properly during the acute phase. Chronic back pain is often experienced as a dull ache or constant nagging irritant.
Acute and chronic back pain sensations also travel different nervous system pathways inside the body. When you injure muscles or ligaments in your back, nerve endings called pain receptors pick up the pain impulses and transmit them to the spinal cord. From here, the pain message ascends to the brain. This process takes place at varying rates of speed depending on the size of the nerve fiber involved. Acute back pain tends to travel on faster, larger diameter fibers, while chronic back pain prefers smaller, slower pain fibers. Experts suggest that chronic back pain affects the brain’s limbic system, which is associated with emotional states. Anyone who has ever had a long-term painful back injury or regular back pain knows that negative or distressing emotions may accompany or perpetuate the initial injury.
The best way to treat chronic back pain is to prevent it. Although proficient early treatment does not always prevent an acute back pain injury from turning into a chronic problem, it is a good insurance policy. Early treatment is especially important with back pain injuries to the soft tissues (muscles, tendons and ligaments) to prevent them from becoming weaker, less elastic and more pain-sensitive. One of the best ways to treat both acute and chronic soft tissue injuries is a hands-on approach that works to repair the injured tissues. Some examples are joint and soft tissue manipulation and mobilization, typically performed by a chiropractor or osteopath.
A good chiropractor can make a big difference for most individuals experiencing either chronic or acute back pain. A chiropractor may suggest stretching exercises and make regular adjustments to a patient’s back in order to relieve back pain. Other good options for back pain are massage and physical therapy. A formal rehabilitation program at a health club or therapy clinic may also help to strengthen weakened and damaged muscles, especially the core stabilizers of the back which often are the cause of chronic back pain. The healing power of the hands-on approach is a positive experience that many people enjoy through therapeutic massage or body work.
The effects of a good massage go much deeper than the skin’s surface. Massage and chiropractic therapy can:
1) Help improve circulation of the blood and lower blood pressure while alleviating back pain. 2) Act as a detoxification system by propelling toxic waste products through the lymphatic system. 3) Help to improve muscle tone and prevent muscular atrophy resulting from inactivity or illness. 4) Reduce emotional stress and promote a sense of well-being.
How can something as simple as this hands-on therapy have so many positive benefits? A tense or painful muscle is one which is often chronically contracted. In an acute situation such as recent injury, the muscle can be in actual spasm. This contraction or spasm decreases the flow of blood to the muscle, which leads to a decrease in the nutrient and oxygen supply to the cells of the muscle and related nerves. A chronically contracted muscle will build up lactic acid, a sign of fatigue. This oxygen shortage and lactic acid buildup irritates the nerve cells, which perpetuates the contracted muscles – often resulting in discomfort and back pain. Massage and chiropractic therapy can help remove the lactic acid and other metabolic waste products from the cells and reverse this process, interrupting the vicious cycle of pain-spasm-pain. This can do wonders for most sufferers of back pain and have a lasting impact for many patients.
There are a multitude of massage styles which are beneficial to helping back pain. These options depend upon the individual’s needs and preferences. They include:
Swedish Massage: this is the basic “relaxation” style of body work, which uses long strokes, squeezing and kneading. The Swedish practitioner helps to improve circulation and back pain by working to loosen or relax the superficial layers of muscle. This type of massage is particularly useful for muscles and back pain which are the result of stress or a tough workout, as it is often more gentle than other styles.
Sports Massage: this form of massage therapy works on a deeper level of musculature or connective tissue. This style fits more with the “no pain, no gain” philosophy. The therapist uses slow, hard strokes and deep, sustained finger pressure to work deeply into the contracted muscles, fascia and tendons to help alleviate back pain. This technique increases flexibility, encourages muscles to work at their fullest capacity, and speeds up the healing process by reducing swelling following an injury. It is especially indicated for athletes and “week-end warriors” who suffer from tight or sore muscles and can be another successful solution for back pain.
Shiatsu and Acupressure: rather than being simply relaxing, this form of body work tends to be invigorating. Fingers, thumbs, fists and elbows are used to apply pressure to points along acupuncture meridians, which are believed to be the energy pathways of the body and which can help alleviate a patient’s back pain. The focus of this type of therapy is on relieving blocks in the pathways and re balancing the flow of energy.
Reflexology and Zone Therapy: reflexology works on the assumption that parts of the feet (as well as parts of the ears and hands) correspond to other parts of the body’s anatomy. In other words, stress or illness in a certain part of the body may show up as a painful or sensitive area on a specific area of the foot. Reflexologists apply pressure to the side, top or bottom of the feet to help reduce dysfunction in other parts of the body which can be helpful for those suffering through chronic back pain.
Not all techniques work for everyone, so make sure to inquire about the philosophy and style of the massage therapist you call. If your massage isn’t as satisfying as you had hoped or your back pain doesn’t go away, don’t give up, try another therapist!
Massage therapy schools are a cost-effective way to test out different styles of massage; senior students generally work for lower fees while they complete their internship. There are a few conditions in which massage would not be a good option for the treatment of back pain, such as inflammation, fever, significant swelling or very severe back pain. But for the garden variety aches and back pains that most of us experience, as well as for the general stresses of life, massage is an outstanding way to treat ourselves to a positive, revitalizing experience.
Whittier Chiropractor