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

 

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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

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

Six new technologies for health and aging in place -- June 2017

Recent announcements, interesting offerings are worth a look. AARP recently completed the judging process for its Innovation Champion Awards; and upcoming, the Boomer Venture Summit in Berkeley in July, will select business plan startup winners – see last year’s winner.  Here are six technology-enabled offerings (some in market, some in process of getting to market) that can be helpful to older adults and those who care for them and about them (listed in alphabetical order): 

• Freeus Belle+.  "Freeus, LLC announced their new 3G emergency alert pendant with fall detection, GPS and WiFi: Belle+TM. Belle+ offers users the ability to get help anywhere in the US along with the added peace of mind of fall detection and location technologies. At home or away, if the unit detects a fall or if users press the button, Belle+ connects with specialists at a UL-Listed, CSAA-Certified Five Diamond central station. Specialists can speak with the user via powerful two-way voice built into the unit, locate the user and view user-provided information, and specialists can send emergency personnel or loved ones to assist the user, depending on what is needed." Available now. Learn more at Freeus.

• Harvey. "Founded by Kyle Hill, previous founder of now-defunct tech-enabled home care company, Home Hero. “Harvey is the leading telehealth provider of integrative medicine. We offer virtual consultations with functional and naturopathic doctors, in-home lab testing and natural therapies to help optimize your health and wellness.” Available now. Learn more at GoHarvey.

• HomeEXCEPT. "Grand Prize Winner of the AARP Innovation Champion Award, Smart Sensors for EXCEPTional Peace of Mind, a platform that allows family members to monitor loved ones by using thermal sensors and artificial intelligence to track movement." Pre-Order. Learn more at HomeEXCEPT.

• MedHab.  "MedHab has developed a new, patented technology in the medical device field affording medical care prescribers (Orthopedic Surgeon and/or physical therapist) the ability to customize the rehabilitation protocol to meet each patient’s needs. StepRite® is a wearable device that has the capability to measure body weight, pressure, gait, flexibility and thermal sensing of lower extremities using pressure sensing and accelerometer technology." Available as prescribed.  Learn more at MedHab.

• NeoFECT. "The company's flagship device, Rapael Smart Glove system includes an exo-glove with built-in sensors and artificial intelligence software to help patients with neurological and musculoskeletal injuries regain their hand mobility. The Rapael software creates game-based training tasks. The learning schedule algorithm automatically adjusts the difficulty level based on the patient's range of motion and goals. This ensures the patient continues to stay challenged, at the same time, creating a positive, encouraging environment." Prescribed. Learn more at NeoFECT.

• Spry Health.  The firm received $5.5M Series A funding, led by Grove Ventures, in June to commercialize its disease management platform. “We are excited about the prospects of transforming healthcare using novel streams of clinical-grade data generated from patients in the home setting" says Guy Resheff, Partner at Gover Ventures: "The Loop is Healthcare's Holy Grail, enabling continuous vital sign monitoring of high-risk patients in a non-invasive way.  PJ, Elad, and their team of experts in optics, signal processing, and machine learning are extracting and refining the most important data of all--health data." Prescibed. Learn more at Spry Health.

category tags: 

mHealth-Digital Health-Telehealth, digital health, Mobile PERS, IoT and home monitoring

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from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/six-new-technologies-health-and-aging-place-june-2017

Say it ain’t so -- will boomers age into a technology divide?

Boomers and technology – it’s a given.  Yesterday yet another baby boomer reporter asserted what is believed by many to be the obvious.  Baby boomers will not be tech-phobic (presumably like their parents) – but will be willing and able to use the newest technology in their later years.  What’s the proof?  They are use it now – for example, 83% are using the Internet, look at Facebook pages for health information, form social connections, research online, etc.  And baby boomers, many of whom are now ‘seniors’, expect technology to help them remain independent as they age. This is such a significant possibility that tech designers are actually encouraged to consider them when designing a new product.

In contrast, the eldest today are apparently not in love with ‘new’.   The assault of new features on devices, smartphone apps, and social media websites can be mystifying, even discouraging usage altogether – for example, according to Pew, 73% of the 65+ population needs help dealing with a new device – and as for older adults in rural areas, no solution is in sight to help connect them. But if you are an urban boomer, well-acquainted with technology, able to afford to buy new gear as it rolls out, or even every other version, you are good to go for new technology when YOU are really old, right?

It’s not going to be that way, unfortunately – first there is the money problem.  At age 75, the median net worth of today’s older adult has climbed, but not crossed, inclusive of home equity, $198K, which is almost enough to afford a few years of assisted living, assuming the house is sold.  The average social security payment is $1340 per month. Only 15% of baby boomers have saved $500K, enough to generate monthly income that accommodates their standard of living.  By the time baby boomers are in their 70’s, they will not be buying the latest and greatest of everything. Why? Because they won’t be able to afford it, ncluding high speed Internet in the home. (Note the older adults at Starbucks, Panera, etc. checking their email.)

For those that can afford to continuously buy new technology, they won’t.  Their home ecosystems will have become ever more daunting.  The much-reported scam of the day, identity theft, time-to-fully train, places to train, not to mention setup and integrate time will be ever more daunting.  No technology drops into the home ready to run, even the voice first technologies, each of which requires an app, a connection, a setup and more. Think back five years ago.  The TV as the center of gravity in the tech universe?  Really? And that’s without even stretching the mind to imagine the technologies yet to be invented as boomers age.  Five years ago, did you imagine the smart watch, the Amazon Echo, Siri, virtual reality, Google Glass?  Which of those will be obsolete when boomers are 75?  All of them, actually.  Only determination, training, and willpower will enable today’s tech-wise baby boomer to keep up.  Some will.  Most will be like today’s population of seniors.  They won’t bother.

category tags: 

baby boomers, mHealth-Digital Health-Telehealth, computers, internet and social networking

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from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/say-it-ain-t-so-will-boomers-age-technology-divide

Why older people are less connected -- location and money matter

Dial-up lives on -- and not necessarily out of preference. You may have read this last week: Rural America is stranded in the dial-up age.  That was disturbing on multiple levels, starting with the obvious.  Even people who could afford better access can’t get it – they drive to a gas station parking lot to obtain Internet speeds fast enough to do online business. Study the map in the article and ponder the status of elderly who live in these low-bandwidth locations. The article notes 23 million people (39% living in rural areas) who lack access to any type of broadband. Older adults make up a larger percentage of rural Americans, 16% than in the US as a whole and “people aged 75+ are more likely to have chronic diseases and disabilities."

What speed is fast enough to be online?  The term 'fast' has been defined by the "FCC as 25Mbps, a speed that can support email, web surfing, video streaming and graphics for more than one device at once." Let’s assume that two people live in a home, and that each has one device. Without at least that access speed, forget online learning, social networking, and no online shopping either. And older adults are not going to be learning how to use a device at a Apple stores, which are clustered in urban and maybe college locations.  As one professor quoted in the WSJ article noted: "Having access to broadband is simply keeping up. Not having it means sinking." 

What else keeps the oldest from going online besides access?  Well, money, for one thing, lack of it or worry about its ability to last long enough into old age. Concern about money has become a major contributor to caution and financial insecurity for the elderly – preventing them from moving into assisted living, purchasing more expensive devices and Internet service plans, let alone obtain appropriate training. Consider the median net worth of the population aged 75+ -- which was reported a few years ago to be $156K, inclusive of home equity.  The latest US Census number boosted that number to $198K ($47K without home equity).  So the improvement in net worth -- that’s pretty good, right? 

Oldest adults cannot afford to participate in a connected society. Well, no, $198K does not work -- since selling the home may not be feasible. And the costs of goods and services, including electronics (like pricey smartphones) and Internet access, may have risen right along with the value in seniors’ homes.  According to a 2016 UMass research report on the economic insecurity of older adults: “National averages indicate that among older adults living alone, 46% of those age 65 to 74 have annual incomes below the Elder Index. The risk of economic insecurity rises to 57% among adults age 75 to 84, and reaches 59% among those who are aged 85 or older.” That could be one reason you see the elderly with inexpensive flip phones -- or perhaps no phones at all.

category tags: 

computers, internet and social networking, cell phones, smartphones

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from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/why-older-people-are-less-connected-location-and-money-matter

Home technology ecosystem chaos – there’s no app for that

Technology gadgets – ecosystem incompatibility.  Look around a very digital home filled with parallel and incompatible ecosystems – and sigh.  So many parts, so little integration – it seems vendors compete to death to NOT work together. Consider iMessage – like insider trading, it works well for iPhone execs and phone owners. Consider Bluetooth – it must be turned on so a device can pair with that cool in-room speaker, but turned off to save energy.  Really. A smartphone isn't witty  enough to know that it is in the room with a Bluetooth-compatible speaker or fitness band and perhaps should be enabled? And not smart enough to turn bluetooth off when the phone departs the room? But the device is now smart enough to suggest a WiFi network to pick -- in fact every time your car passes a location with WiFi enabled.

You might want this gaggle of gear to do something – not just be configured or upgraded. Consider the Roku Smart TV (no box) or Roku box, Amazon Echo and Echo Show, Google Home, the Apple HomePod,  the new very touchy, er, edgy, Galaxy phone, or one of the RLIs -- really large iPhones. Then mix into the hardware salad bowl, uh, 'ecosystem', those now-aging iPad 2s, old and slow Macs, Windows tablets, or even (!) a virus-laden PC.  Pick up a few impenetrable remote control devices, add a handful of wired and wireless chargers, and last, but not least, add a router. You could have been breathlessly keeping up with the latest technology change, dutifully patching PCs on Tuesdays.  So what have you got?  A mess. 

Why boomers will be technology laggards in their later years.  One of the comments repeated often is a sigh of relief from someone in the aged 45-70 age range:  “Fortunately, when boomers are older seniors, they will bring their technology smarts with them and it won’t be the same painful process, like learning a second language, so daunting for today’s older/oldest adults.”  As my mother would say, ‘Rubbish’.  The in-home technology situation will be far worse.  Many of the 12 previous device classes noted above will be made obsolete by the manufacturer – even for tech support – and can’t be sold  to anyone on eBay or even Craigslist. There will be a new pile of gear, newer even than today's IoT sensors, wearable bands (some now discontinued!), smart watches, VR headsets, or others soon-to-be crapgadgets.

We want to stay in touch with the young.  No, that is not so we can iMessage them. It is not to watch them run races on YouTube. It is not to spy on them with Facebook.   It’s so that they can help the oldest among us deal with our gadgets for as long as we need. Like the Senior Move Manager helping with the downsizing of homes, the Personal Photo Organizer helps cull through photos, we will need a PGO – the Personal Gadget Organizer who will sort through our gear, do the needed upgrades, and finally, unplug the devices for recycling or re-use.

category tags: 

computers, internet and social networking, cell phones, smartphones

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from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/home-technology-ecosystem-chaos-there-s-no-app

The content of our lives – who cares enough to save it?

Imagine all the non-digital photos and memorabilia. Forget Airbnb and driving for Uber. Boomers with creativity, organizational skill and some technology can follow multiple small business paths that have large emotional implications for the customer. Consider the large and small albums of photos, cassette tapes, home movies – not just from the boomers aged 51-71, but from their parents, and even some from their parents’ parents. Will anyone want it? Cynics contend that not only will the old content be lost due to disinterest, but that current content (selfies, group photos, Facebook and Instagram shots of that great dinner) will also be lost, some say, to collective disinterest – the photo only mattering in the moment.

The memory media movers – a multi-tier industry.  But some care enough to act while they still can. As older adults study the albums in their studies, some hire a service that can help them organize and cull the photos. Not unlike the profession of Senior Move Managers helping to clear out and downsize the house, there is an Association of Personal Photo Organizers (APPO), complete with certifications, who help family cull and cut through the duplicates and clutter.

Making material digital – maybe to be forgotten in another source format.  The Photo Organizer helps the client decide what to scan. Then the scanning firm pulls pictures from plastic to be scanned, converted and saved on digital media.  Then once it is digitized, the customer can record a narrative track describing the content. For example, hidden away in the The Velvet Mill in Groton Connecticut, is a shop called Charter Oak Scanning.  Scanning everything – buying old projectors and cameras to get the job done.  Paper photographs, 35mm slides and negatives, 8mm and 16mm film, VHS, BetaMax, audio cassettes, and reel-to-reel.

  The memory mill – a multi-tier market – now nationwide players. The demand for this has grown, naturally, given the ever-taller stack of media types and the blooming of.  So now the web searches turn up more players. Consider Newton, MA EverPresent.  And more reviews. Then there’s top-rated Minneapolis Memories Renewed, with its 3+ month backlog, ScanCafe in Indianapolis, even outsourcing detail work to India for lower price/higher volume (naturally). And so the cycle of media movement continues, compounded and confounded by the easy smartphone camera shot – the websites for sharing/storage like SmugMug, Flickr (to be part of Yahoo/Verizon), and Shutterfly (now a public company).

Consider the memory – yours, theirs, and future.  After the wedding, families expect an album. The coffee table demands it, and there it is – before it is too late -- the beginning of a cycle many years later to rescan the album because the photographer and his-her files are gone. Who matters most in the distribution cycle of memories (besides the original creators)?  The Personal Photo Organizer – unlike Uber and Lyft or Airbnb – the level of risk is low, and the customer emotional satisfaction is high.  Yet, of course, there’s a problem. Would anyone really throw away the originals?  And so the original problem begets a new, now-sharable, storage format and keeps the old, to be stuffed away in ever-smaller closets.  

category tags: 

computers, internet and social networking, Seniors, baby boomers

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from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/content-our-lives-who-cares-enough-save-it