Stretching To Prevent Back Pain

 

There are many people with lower back pain that don’t realize that their mid and upper back are probably suffering also. But if you think about it, if you’re getting back pain from sitting too much, you’re probably getting a rounded upper back and your head protrudes a little forward.
This is natural for anyone who is behind a desk or a steering wheel all day. There are some exercises that you can do. Some are discreet and you can do them at your desk. Then others you may need a little more room for.

“They can be especially useful for those aching back pains that come on from sitting for long periods, although they can be useful for sciatica – that is, leg pain, tingling or numbness that originates from the nerves in the back. It is best to be seen by your physiotherapist or physician before commencing [with these exercises] to ensure that they are the best thing for you.”

As with pretty much all exercise, if you experience pain when doing the stretches, stop and get checked out by a physio to ensuring you’re not compounding any major issues.

See more…

Here Are 9 Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk

With the advent of the standing desk, posture pro tips, and even a new study that suggests sitting is the new smoking, there’s a plethora of information that confirms spending hours upon hours in a chair is a big no-no for health reasons (we even touched on a few points ourselves in a Be Well post of yore). But if you’re reading this from behind your desk, you know the dilemma. As a full-time working professional, sitting is quite literally part of the job.

So, what do you do to make sure your desk isn’t negatively affecting your health? To start, we suggest trying the nine exercises below, which can all 100 percent be done at—or around—your desk. Together, they will work the muscles that suffer most during your 8-hour work day.

Make sure you read the whole article as I couldn’t include all the exercises here.

 

See original post here: Stretching To Prevent Back Pain

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/stretching-prevent-back-pain/

Healthy Lifestyle Tips for Adults

If you’ve been dealing with aches and pain for any time, you may need to look at your overall lifestyle and how you’re eating. Everyday habits of living have a huge impact on how we feel day to day and your health in general.

We’ve all heard it before but, for many, attention is not paid to the little things in life. These are probably some of the same things you hear in the back of your mind (in your mother’s voice no doubt) about how to stay healthy and happy.

Have a look at the following stories and don’t skip the video at the end. Start with one or two things you read or hear and try to work them into your daily routine. It may take a week or so, but, you’ll feel better that you started.

 

Tips To Stay Healthy Throughout Your Life

 

George Jedenoff can’t believe he’s 100 years old and if you watch his birthday party, you’ll agree. He marked the big day this month by skiing in the summer snow.

“I couldn’t find a better present on my 100th birthday,” Jedenoff, who has been whooshing down mountains for 57 years, told a crowd of fans gathered on the slopes of the Snowbird ski resort in Utah.

Born in Russia on July 5, 1917, Jedenoff came to the U.S. in 1923 after his family fled the Russian Revolution and settled on the West Coast. He graduated from Stanford University, where he met his wife, “the most important thing in my life,” he said. They married in 1943.

What keeps him going? Here are his four rules for a good, long, healthy life:

Jedenoff and his wife have been married for 74 years. “She is the best thing that ever happened to me in my whole life,” he said.

For the last 30 years, Jedenoff has made it a priority to exercise every single morning.

He uses some “junky equipment” in his home to work out, but it’s not important what kind of equipment you have — the main goal is to work your muscles with resistance training, he said. Jedenoff does exercises for his legs, arms, abs and back. He also gets his heart pumping with the help of a few cardio machines or by jogging on his patio. His daily routine takes about 45 minutes.

Make sure to balance your life and include meaning as well as pleasure, Jedenoff advised.

Read more…

 

A Few Very Simple Steps Can Lead To A Healthier Lifestyle

More than ever people are choosing healthier lifestyles, and why wouldn’t they when it’s something we should all be aiming for in order to look, feel and be as good as we can.

And it’s not too difficult to do.

Incorporating simple health-supporting habits into your daily routine will assist you with prevention, so Skin Online pointed out five routines to get you started:

– Put sugar on hold “forever”

Simply put, sugar is as toxic as poison to the body, it undermines all the bodies natural processes and raises the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. Sugar is the number one cause of inflammation in the body and as such should be avoided at all costs. The challenge is finding foods that exclude sugar, mainly because it’s a key ingredient in just about every processed food imaginable.

Healthy lifestyles include whole foods, as in that which grows in the ground, goes bad if not refrigerated, or has a limited shelf life—so, yes, not those foods which are so man-made that they do not perish. Instead of worrying about food labels and all the unpronounceable ingredients on them, rather choose fresh and organic produce. Make your own soups and sauces, so that you can control the ingredients and avoid any packaged foods.

Modern life and office jobs make for a sedentary lifestyle, making exercise a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. If you’re a beginner, why not hit the gym, or even better hit the great outdoors and start by walking at lunchtime or after dinner? At the office, commit to moving five minutes out of every hour, be it a lap around the office, a bathroom break or even fetching your favourite drink of choice.

– Sleep a little longer

Sleep is not overrated. In fact, studies now show that proper sleep is more important than ever before. It’s time to relearn and re-implement what was once the norm – in other words, a minimum of eight hours sleep per day.

Via 2oceansvibe.com

 

Healthy Eating Tips For Adults

 

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from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/healthy-lifestyle-tips-adults/

Prolonged Sitting Can Ruin All Your Gains In The Gym

We all know the harmful effects of sitting for long and is not good for our health. People with desk jobs often suffer from upper back issues. But a new research now shows that sitting for long at one place is harmful even if you exercise regularly.

Regular exercise, particularly higher levels of physical activity, appears to blunt these harmful effects somewhat but may not eliminate them entirely. An analysis of more than a dozen studies concluded that we need at least 60 minutes a day of moderately intense exercise (such as brisk walking, doubles tennis or ballroom dancing) to counter the increased risk of premature death due to prolonged sitting.

But another study found that the same amount of exercise which is more than most physically active people get doesn’t undo the negative effects of sitting on insulin levels and blood fats. The damage from prolonged sitting is thought to be due to reduced muscle activity, especially in the large muscles of the legs and back, which can decrease the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar and remove harmful blood fats.

see more: Prolonged Sitting Can Ruin All Your Gains In The Gym

How You Can Prevent Lower Back Pain This Year

…
2. Take breaks from sitting.

Between long car trips and watching the kids at the pool, summer can be a season of prolonged sitting. According to a 2015 study, there is a significant relationship between total sitting time and low back pain. The researchers included sitting for recreational and leisure purposes in their study.
…
4. Stretching
Stretching has been shown to be an effective method to prevent low back pain. Regular stretching works by increasing flexibility and thereby decreasing pressure on the back, especially uneven pressure resulting from poor flexibility. Developing the right stretching program will help you to build strong and flexible muscles that will help to prevent injury.

See More: https://www.healthcentral.com/article/ways-to-prevent-low-back-pain

See original post here: Prolonged Sitting Can Ruin All Your Gains In The Gym

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/prolonged-sitting-can-ruin-gains-gym/

Quick Video Outlining Several Back Pain Causes

If you’ve read any of my other blog posts, you probably have read that I believe that most cases of back pain are caused by muscles strains from static postures, weak muscles, or over used muscles that are a result of having to sit all day at a desk or at a computer.

People don’t realize how many problems prolonged sitting can cause. This is because the body is not meant to stay in one position for extended periods of time. As humans, we were made to move frequently and throughout all our waking hours.

Being chained to an office or desk is actually contrary to our human nature, but, hey, what are you going to do? You have to earn a living right?

Well, one of the first things you can do begin to treat your back is to understand what is causing your pain.

This short video will briefly go over some of the primary causes of back pain and it points out the actual structures and how they can be affected.

 

You’ll notice that the first on the list in the video is muscular strain that comes from overuse. We we talk about overuse, it doesn’t have to be traumatic or strenuous. In fact, you really can’t get an overuse injury from doing something challenging or aggressive.

Overuse injury come from over doing small and simple movements over a period of time or days. Carpal tunnel syndrome is one overuse injury that most people have heard of. Typing or working on a computer is what most people think of when ask what the cause of carpal tunnel is. It’s the small muscles in the hands and forearms that get overused when a person is stuck typing all day or doing something similar.

But an overuse injury can come from working any muscle over and over again in small and simple movements. So, theoretically, you could have an overuse injury in most any muscle or group of muscles in the body. And this is what this particular video is pointing out.

For more information on over use injuries see this

 

See original post here: Quick Video Outlining Several Back Pain Causes

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/video-outlining-several-causes-back-pain/

A Non-Surgical Approach To Treat Back Pain

This is an excellent video that explains what a “slipped disc” is and how it can happen. The graphics are good and will give you a visual explanation of why a slipped disc is so painful.

Usually, if you have a real slipped or ruptured intervertebral disc, it’s usually pretty severe and treated by a surgical technique that’s called a “micro-discectomy”. This is a relatively minimally invasive technique where the small piece of disc that’s causing all the problem is is snipped off.

It’s not as serious as some of the other spinal surgeries like a laminectomy or fusion and the recovery is generally pretty fast.

The video also introduces you to a chiropractic technique called “spinal decompression”. The doctors of chiropractic advertise that this technique will relieve pressure on the disc and allow it to heal over time.

I can’t really speak to this claim as I have not read much literature on the subject. But I am fairly skeptical of the claims made as the practice would be used in hospitals and also regular doctor’s offices if it was as successful as the chiropractors claim.

 

My recommendation would be to try to avoid getting a herniated disc in the first place. Some of the risk factors of low back injury are poor posture, generally weak lower back and legs, environmental damage like increased vibration into the lower back, and others.

One good practice that you could adopt is a regular stretching program for your lower back. This would alleviate many of the potential risks that you may have while doing your job, playing sports, or doing all those weekend chores.

A low back stretching program doesn’t have to be onerous or a headache to work into a daily routine. If done consistently on a daily basis your fitness and function iwill improve as you improve the fitness of your lower back and spine.

To find out more about an easier way to treat or prevent back pain, start here.

Remember, there are several different ways to approach back pain. Most cases of low back pain are not serious although that’s how they feel. In most cases, people’s pain is due to tight and sore muscles. These don’t show up on X-Ray reports or lab tests.

Sore tight muscles are best helped by gently stretching them. And these stretches need to become part of your lifestyle. This is because in most cases, it’s the job people do on a day to day basis that has caused the problem over time.

But, you don’t have to quit your job, you just need to start on a regular stretching program that will bring balance back to your low back muscles and joints.

Find out more here

The post A Non-Surgical Approach To Treat Back Pain appeared first on Back Pain Relief.

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/non-surgical-approach-treat-back-pain/

The Single Best Exercise For Lower Back Pain

If you have back pain and your doctor has told you its from tight or sore muscles, then the single best exercise for you to do for your low back pain is probably going to be the Psoas, or hip flexor stretch.

The Psoas (So-az with a long ‘o’) muscle lies deep in your abdominal cavity and attaches to the front of your back bone. It helps to stabilize your body when you’re walking or upright. And it also helps to raise your knee as when you’re going up steps or kicking a ball.

It’s one of the essential “core” muscles everyone has heard about and is a workhorse when it comes to keeping you from falling over when you’re walking, running, carrying a heavy load, etc. In short, it’s a really important muscle.

The Problem With Sitting

The problem is this: They get neglected in this high tech 21st century. And because they get neglected, they get weak and tight. This happens because of all the sitting people do nowadays. People are sitting in their cars, on trains, on buses, at desks, at dinner tables and so on.

Since these muscles attach to the lower portion of your spine, when they get short and tight from prolonged sitting, they tend to pull on your lower spine when you’re in any position other than sitting.

You may feel that it’s hard to straighten up when you first get up out of a chair. Or, you may have a lot of back pain when you’re walking for longer periods of time. Both of these issues with back pain are probably coming from the fact that your hip flexor muscles have become shortened and tight.

In order to be healthy and not cause any back pain, they need exercise. They get worked out and stay healthy and strong with a lot of physical activity. Like when you’re using your legs to hold you up against gravity like when you’re walking, running, dancing, playing sports and so on.

You hear a lot about how you should stay active for good heart health and lose weight. But, it’s essential to stay active if you want a healthy back also.

Hip Flexor Stretch Is Best Exercise For Back Pain

Now when I say that the one best exercise for back pain is the stretching the psoas, that is not to say that others should be avoided. Not at all.

However, for someone that has back pain, doing a simple stretch may be more convenient an exercise than trying to do something else. Plus it may not hurt as much if you find a good way for you do do it.

There are several ways to stretch your hip flexor muscle group. You can do it in standing, kneeling, sitting, and even lying  on the bed on your back.

Hip Flexor Stretch In Standing

Doing this stretch in standing is easier for those of you who may not be in as much pain or may be able to move better. You basically  just place one foot on an elevated surface like a step or chair. Then you simply move your belly button forward stretching the front of the thigh of the rear leg.

 

 

Hip Flexor Stretch In Sitting

You can do this stretch in sitting also. Simply move your rear end to the front of the chair and turn your body slightly so that one leg falls off the chair. This is the leg that will be stretched. You need to really stretch your foot behind your body to feel this stretch.

 

 

Hip Flexor Stretch in Kneeling

If you have bad knees you may need a pillow to do this one. I like to call it the “proposal” stretch. You simply rest on one knee, place the opposite foot a short distance ahead of it’s knee and lunge forward. This will stretch the psoas on the rear leg. Remember to keep your body straight with your head and shoulders above your hips.

 

 

Hip Flexor Stretch Lying Down

This technique is for folks who have a lot of back pain or are stiff in other areas of their bodies. It keeps your back straight and supported through the whole stretch. Drop the leg you want to stretch off the bed or bench. Then pull the opposite knee towards your chest. You only have to pull until you feel a stretch in the opposite leg. Don’t try to tie yourself in knots.

 

 

 

Each method will stretch the Psoas to one degree or another and should relieve some of the pain that may be caused by tension in your hip flexor muscles. But it’s important to remember that for any exercise program to work, it needs to be done on a consistent basis and over the course of several weeks.

Get On A Stretching Program

So, while I believe this particular stretch to be the single best exercise for you to do if you want to start getting a handle on your back pain, it’s not a quick fix.

Keep in mind that if your back pain is caused by sitting all day at work, in front of a computer, or in a car, doing one or two exercises a couple of times a week isn’t going to reverse something you do day in and day out. You need an exercise plan thats simple and easy to do and will fit in with your life’s schedule.

 

 

 

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/single-best-exercise-for-lower-back-pain/

What Exercises To Do For Lower Back Pain?

9 Things To Keep In Mind To Treat Your Back Pain

If you’re anything like me, you try to solve your own problems with little fanfare or inconvenience to others around you. And, as a last resort, you may break down and go to see your doctor.

In the case of back pain, there are a few things to keep in mind if you have the misfortune of having to deal with it.

In most cases the pain isn’t caused by anything serious and will usually get better over time – it could be caused by a pulled muscle or as a result of having slept in a more unusual position.

1. Most people worldwide will experience back pain during their lifetime

In these cases – 98 per cent, according to research – people recover reasonably quickly, and many do so without treatment. Some people experience repeat episodes, which can be distressing, but again these are rarely dangerous.

2. You rarely need a scan and it can do more harm than good

3. Avoid bedrest, stay in work and gradually resume normal activities

4. You should not fear bending or lifting

5. Exercise and activity reduce and prevent back pain

6. Painkillers will not speed up your recovery

7. Surgery is rarely needed

8. Get good quality sleep

See more…

The original article goes into a lot more detail in each of these points. So head over there and have a read.

9. Don’t panic if you’re not able to get relief fast enough. In many cases, stress can actually make you feel even worse. In most cases, back pain is usually the result of a strain of an already weak muscle.

If you’re sedentary and pretty inactive, it doesn’t take much to feel a twinge here or there.

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/9-things-to-keep-in-mind-to-treat-your-back-pain/

Back Pain Treatments: Stretches are Important

 

So, you have back pain. You’ve been to your doctor and they say that you have a muscle strain and nothing serious is wrong. This is good. But, what do you do next?

Besides just taking a lot of pills, figuring out how to fix your back pain at home, can be trial and error for a while. But, treatment has to start somewhere. And, it’ll probably start with a few basic steps.

We already know that there isn’t a serious diagnosis, so you shouldn’t have to worry about “breaking” anything. If your x-ray/MRI came back negative, and there is nothing alarming about your lab work. Chances are you’re dealing with a simple (but excruciating) muscle strain.

This throws a lot of people off at first and they think their doctor has missed something or isn’t telling them the truth for one reason or another. But this probably isn’t the case at all. The fact is this: strained muscles don’t show up on any test. So, they’re easy to miss but they make you feel like you’re dying.

So, what do you do for them?

For back pain of the more common type you may start your home remedy search with one or more the following routines:

• Rest

People often get the wrong idea about what is meant by “rest”. It’s simply means to “take it easy” and realize that you’re injured. Don’t try to do a lot of work or activity.

Resting for an injured back is a combination of walking, sitting, and lying down. Each are important. And, you should “listen” to your back pain to know when enough is enough.

You don’t want to be a vegetable. Sure, get up and get around. But, don’t lift or do housework. Walking is probably the most strenuous activity you should be doing.

You’re going to want to avoid irritating any affected parts of your spine and the muscles that surround this area.

• Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Your doctor is probably going to tell you to take some Motrin (advil) or Naproxen (Aleve) in order to manage the pain. For most people, these medications work wonders when you have a back strain or back pain.

• Cold/Hot Packs

Some people will want to put heat on their sore muscles because it feels good. But, you may want to save this for the very last resort. This is because if you have swelling or inflammation in the area, putting heat on it will just make it work.

Heat is good for tired muscles but for injured muscles, ice works better. Applying the ice to the tenderest point with a thin layer of fabric between the skin and the ice will be better than a hot pack.

• Exercise

You may not realize this but stretching exercise is probably the most important element in a good lower back pain treatment plan. Stretches for lower back pain not only increases your overall flexibility, but it can also relieve the muscular tension that may be causing the pain in the first place.

Experts also know that stretching the legs and hips is very effective in reducing or eliminating back pain altogether in people with low back strains. This is because the muscles in the lower back are helped by the muscles in the hips and legs. And if one is doing good, the other is doing good also.

• Narcotic Pain Medications

If your pain is severe, anti-inflammatory medications may not be enough to make you comfortable. This is when your doctor may prescribe narcotics. Medications like Norco and Vicodin are common. But, some people don’t like them because narcotics may affect your brain and make you feel “foggy”.

• Muscle Relaxers

Muscle relaxers are another type of medication that your doctor may recommend. But, like narcotics, they may have side effects like drowsiness and also give you that “foggy” feeling. But, if your pain is keeping you awake, a muscle relaxer like Flexeril, Valium, or Soma may be prescribed.

You may have success with one or more of these approaches in combination. But, the thing to keep in mind is the need to keep moving. An important thing to keep in mind is that doing leg and hip range of motion exercises are good back pain stretches.

 

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/back-pain-treatments-stretches-are-important/

Amgen, UCB present romosozumab Phase 2 results at ENDO 2017

Amgen and UCB today announced results from the fourth year of a Phase 2 study showing the efficacy and safety of a second course of treatment with EVENITY™* (romosozumab), an investigational…
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from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/amgen-ucb-present-romosozumab-phase-2-results-at-endo-2017/

Study uncovers trigger for recurrent UTI infections

About half of all women will experience urinary tract infections in their lifetimes, and despite treatment, about a quarter will develop recurrent infections within six months of initial infection.
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from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/study-uncovers-trigger-for-recurrent-uti-infections/

Common neurological diseases pose serious annual financial burden for the U.S.

The most common neurological diseases cost the United States $789 billion in 2014, and this figure is projected to grow as the elderly population doubles between 2011 and 2050, according to a new…
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from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/common-neurological-diseases-pose-serious-annual-financial-burden-for-the-u-s/

Music therapy decreases pain in patients recovering from spine surgery

Music therapy has been found to decrease pain in patients recovering from spine surgery, compared to a control group of patients who received standard postoperative care alone.
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from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/music-therapy-decreases-pain-in-patients-recovering-from-spine-surgery/

FDA approves new maintenance therapy for recurrent cancers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Zejula (niraparib) for the maintenance treatment (intended to delay cancer growth) of adult patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian,…
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from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/fda-approves-new-maintenance-therapy-for-recurrent-cancers-2/

FDA approves new maintenance therapy for recurrent cancers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Zejula (niraparib) for the maintenance treatment (intended to delay cancer growth) of adult patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian,…
[Read More …]

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/fda-approves-new-maintenance-therapy-for-recurrent-cancers/

Steroid Shots Offer No Long-Term Relief for Low-Back Pain

Pain reduction aimed at reducing disc inflammation doesn’t last, study finds

Source: HealthDay
[Read More …]

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/steroid-shots-offer-no-long-term-relief-for-low-back-pain-2/

Steroid Shots Offer No Long-Term Relief for Low-Back Pain

Pain reduction aimed at reducing disc inflammation doesn’t last, study finds

Source: HealthDay
[Read More …]

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/steroid-shots-offer-no-long-term-relief-for-low-back-pain/

New tool under development could identify poor posture of surgeons in operating room

The psychological stress that surgeons face is well-documented. Less understood is the physical stress they endure from spending hours in awkward positions in the operating room.
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from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/new-tool-under-development-could-identify-poor-posture-of-surgeons-in-operating-room-2/

New tool under development could identify poor posture of surgeons in operating room

The psychological stress that surgeons face is well-documented. Less understood is the physical stress they endure from spending hours in awkward positions in the operating room.
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from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/new-tool-under-development-could-identify-poor-posture-of-surgeons-in-operating-room/

Researchers discover new way to curb chronic pain

For millions of sufferers, there is nothing more debilitating than chronic back or joint pain. It can feel like a lifetime of misery.
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from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/researchers-discover-new-way-to-curb-chronic-pain-2/