Tools to Prevent and Treat Back Pain

Tools to Prevent and Treat Back Pain

I strongly recommend considering the least invasive avenues before resorting to pain medication or surgery. For starters, many people fail to realize that many times back pain actually originates from tension and imbalance at a completely different place than where the pain is felt.

For example, the very act of sitting for long periods of time ends up shortening the Iliacus, Psoas and Quadratus Lumborum muscles that connect from your lumbar region to the top of your femur and pelvis. When these muscles are chronically short, it can cause severe pain when you stand up as they will effectively pull your lower back (lumbar) forward. The reality is that the imbalance among the anterior and posterior chains of muscles leads to many of the physical pains you may experience daily. By bringing these muscles to a better balance, you will consistently remedy many of these pains and discomforts.

Many people end up going through drastic medical procedures to "fix" this type of pain, or end up taking pain killers for extended periods of time. Seeing a qualified chiropractor is certainly a wise choice if you suffer from back pain.

Foundation Training—an innovative method developed by Dr. Eric Goodman Foundation Training exercises work to gradually pull your body out of the movement patterns that are hurting you. The focus is on strengthening your complete core, which includes anything that directly connects to your pelvis, whether above or below it. Foundation Training teaches all those muscles to work together through integrated chains of movement, which is how your body is structurally designed to move. Every muscle that directly connects to your pelvis should be considered a piece of your core and this includes your glutes, adductors (inner thigh muscles), deep lower back muscles, hip flexors, hamstrings and all of your abdominal muscles.

Having strong, balanced core muscles is like having a built-in corset that not only holds your gut in, but also stabilizes your spine, vertebrae, discs, and most importantly your pelvis. Teaching your body to naturally support itself at the deepest level is going to be far more effective than strapping on an external back brace, which over time can lead to even weaker musculature.

Even More Tips to Beat Back Pain

Preventing back pain is surely easier than treating it. In addition to chiropractic adjustments and foundation training, below are several more tips for beating back pain. With this many alternatives available, there are few good reasons to turn to pharmaceutical or surgical band-aids that do nothing to treat the underlying causes of your pain, and might cause additional harm in the process:

1.   Exercise and physical activity will help strengthen the muscles of your spine. Make your exercise time count by including high-intensity sessions. Always do some stretching and warm-ups before engaging in strenuous physical activity, and make sure you focus on strong, balanced posture.

2.   If you spend many hours every day in a chair like I do pay careful attention to consciously sucking in your belly and rotating your pelvis slightly up. At the same time make sure your head is back with your ears over your shoulders and your shoulder blades pinched. This will help keep your spine in proper alignment. You can hold these muscles tight for several minutes and do this every hour you are sitting.

3.   Get regular massage therapy. Massage releases endorphins, which help induce relaxation and relieve pain.

4.   Keep your weight spread evenly on your feet when standing. Don’t slouch when standing or sitting to avoid putting stress on your back muscles.

5.   Always support your back, and avoid bending over awkwardly. Protect your back while lifting – this activity, along with carrying, puts the most stress on your back.

6.   Sleep in a firm bed. Sleeping on your side to reduce curving of your spine and stretching before getting out of bed is also helpful.

7.   Use chairs or car seats that offer good lumbar support. Switch positions often while sitting, walk around a bit and do some light stretching to relieve tension.

8.   Wear comfortable shoes. For the ladies, it would be good to not wear heels most of the time.

9.   Drink plenty of water to enhance the height of your intervertebral disks. And because your body is composed mostly of water, keeping yourself hydrated will keep you fluid and reduce stiffness.

10.Quit smoking as it reduces blood flow to your lower spine and      your spinal disks to degenerate.

Runner's Knee

Runner’s Knee

Runner's knee happens when the kneecap (patella) tracks incorrectly over a groove in the thighbone (femur) known as the femoral groove when you bend and straighten your knee. In healthy knees, the patella rests in the femoral groove and slides easily up and down when you use your knee. But when the patella is out of place, it can irritate the femoral groove and wear away the cartilage beneath the patella, leading to knee pain.

What Are the Symptoms of Runner's Knee?

•        Direct trauma to the knee.
•    Excessive training or overuse. 
• Misalignment of the patella. 
•  Tight or weak leg muscles. 
•  Foot problems.

How Can I Prevent Runner's Knee?

If you're going to be doing an activity that puts a lot of stress on your knees, follow these tips:

       Warm up and stretch before running or doing any other knee-intensive activity, and be sure to stretch again after you're done.

       Keep yourself in good shape.

       Use proper running gear.

       Try to run on soft, flat surfaces. Increase the intensity of your workouts slowly.

How Should I Treat Runner's Knee?

Treatment for runner's knee depends on the specific problem that is causing the pain. Fortunately, runner's knee rarely requires surgery, and most cases heal in time. Regardless of the cause of your particular case of runner's knee, here are some things you should do at the first sign of pain:

       Stop doing activities that hurt your knee. This means no running, cycling, or skiing until the pain goes away and you can resume your activities without pain.

       Use the RICE formula as soon as you can:

o    Rest. Try to avoid putting weight on your knee as much as you can.

o    Ice. Use a bag of ice or cold compress to help reduce swelling.

o    Compress. Wear an elastic bandage or snug-fitting knee sleeve with the kneecap cut out.

o    Elevate. Lie down and keep your knee raised higher than your heart.

       Do stretching and strengthening exercises. Once the pain and swelling subside, talk with your chiropractor about an exercise program to improve your knee's strength and flexibility.

       Get arch supports for your shoes.

       Trigger Point Massage Therapy

Do you have Runners Knee? Book an appointment today with Guy Lacoursiere RMT TPT at 403-347-3261. Family First Chiropractic, Red Deer. www.family1stchiro.ca

Back Pain Continued

Back Pain is a Primary Reason Why we have so Many Prescription Drug Addicts

Unfortunately, many simply end up taking pain killers and retiring to bed instead of increasing their activity once the back pain starts. Back pain is actually one of the primary reasons why so many adults get addicted to pain killers. Addiction is a terrible side effect of these drugs, considering they do not actively change the issue causing the pain in the first place.

Pharmaceutical drug overdoses now rank second only to motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of accidental death in the US. The number of overdose deaths from opioid painkillers alone more than tripled from 1999 to 2006, to 13,800 deaths that year. This despite the fact that the FDA increased the restrictions for consumer drug ads in 2005, especially for COX-2 painkillers like Celebrex and Bextra.

In the past, most overdoses were due to illegal narcotics, such as heroin. But prescription painkillers have now surpassed both heroin and cocaine as the leading cause of fatal overdoses. In addition, more than 700,000 people visit US emergency rooms each year as a result of adverse drug reactions to all drugs, not just the opioids.

Adverse drug reactions from drugs that are properly prescribed and properly administered also kill about 106,000 people per year, making prescription drugs the fourth-leading cause of death in the US.

Pharmaceutical drugs kill more than twice as many Americans as HIV/AIDS or suicide, yet they’re still allowed to be advertised on TV, radio and in magazines. This is particularly ironic when you consider that the death toll from illegal drugs – which is about 10,000 per year – is dwarfed by the death toll (106,000 or more) from properly administered pharmaceuticals!

The first step toward meaningful change is realizing that prescription drugs are JUST as addictive and dangerous as illegal street drugs. In many cases, they are identical. The only difference is their legal status. For example, hydrocodone, a prescription opiate, is synthetic heroin – indistinguishable from any other heroine as far as your brain and body are concerned. So, if you’re hooked on hydrocodone, your body is responding as if you’re a heroin addict...

Perhaps even more ironic, prescription drug addiction is now also being advertised as a “medical condition” for which there is treatment... Back in the day, this was simply called Drug Rehab, but now they’re trying to remove the stigma associated with drug addiction, since the vast majority are hooked on legal meds. Just because the drugs are legal, does not mean the addiction is any less severe or damaging.

CranioSacral Therapy and Women

CranioSacral Therapy and Women

 One of the greatest benefits of CranioSacral therapy is its effectiveness in dealing with the many natural cycles, conditions and related complications that we women go through as we journey through life.

Conditions such as:

·         Puberty.

·         Attempting to get pregnant.

·         Pregnancy.

·         Pregnancy and birth complications.

·         Infant and toddler care and nurturing.

·         Menopause.

·         Conditions attached to later in life.

It is also in the area of Women's Healththat conventional medicine and complementary health approaches are often found working side-by-side.

It is interesting to note that I notice the following:

• The majority of people who make health decisions in the households tend to be the women (booking children, husbands for treatments).
• While women are very happy to put enormous time and energy into looking after others (their unborn children when pregnant, baby infants, toddlers, children, Husbands/partners) - they seem to put themselves last in line when it comes to good old preventative and early treatment of many ailments!

I feel it is important for women to learn to take better care of themselves.

Working with CranioSacral Therapy myself over the last number of years has helped me to get more in touch with my own natural health rhythm - and I have found that while many of my female clients may have come for a specific ailment - over time they start to listen more to their own body and learn just what it needs to get back to health and stay there for the long term.  

To learn more information on CranioSacral therapy or to book an appointment with Jeannette. Call us at 403-347-3261. Family First Chiropractic, Red Deer. www.family1stchiro.ca
 

 

How to check posture on your toddler and older children

 How to check posture on your toddler and older children

During the first months and years of your child's life, he or she grows from a helpless infant into a fearless adventurer. A child's natural curiosity about the world is accompanied by significant physical growth, weight gain, and emotional development. Your toddler's spine is the housing and protection for their nervous system and, by age 2, has doubled in size. The brain, spinal cord and nerves are the master controller of all their body's systems. Your toddler has learned how to roll over, sit, crawl, stand and fall in the past year which may have caused stress to a growing spine and nervous system. Don't wait for your child to manifest symptoms, but periodically check your child's posture.

·         Having your child stand against the wall you can check the bottom of their ear lobes. Are they level?

·         Place your hands on top of their shoulders and later on their hips, if your hands are not level this could be your first sign as a parent that you child's spine is not growing straight.

·         Have them face away from you and look at their spine- is it straight or does it curve to the side?

·         Have them bend forward and touch their toes, does the spine move easily, does it curve to the side or stay straight?

·         Does your child drag their feet or just drags one foot

·         Does your child toe in or out when they walk?

·         Does your child complain about leg, or knee pain? Or ‘growing pains’

If you answer yes to any of these observations your child’s spine should be assessed. Dr. Joelle Johnson and Dr. Stephen Kelly are located at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer. Call 403-304-7980 to make an appointment or visit our website at www.family1stchiro.ca