Tag Archives: Physician

Exercises for lower back pain

Posted on by
Reply
Collage of several of Gray's muscle pictures, ...

Image via Wikipedia

Conquering the Pain Beast with Exercises for Lower Back Pain

When you have lower back pain it can feel as if you’re carrying around a beast that won’t let go. Sitting, twisting, bending and even walking can be difficult and as a result, it’s tempting to reduce the level of activity. Unfortunately that’s the worst thing you can do. The less you do the more it’s going to hurt. Think of it this way. When you aren’t doing anything to improve the pain, why would you expect it to improve? In other words, if you don’t to exercises for lower back pain, how are the muscles going to get stronger?

 

Lower back pain is the result of both emotional and physical factors. They are intertwined and can’t be separated. Exercises for lower back pain don’t just deal with muscles. They also deal with your mental state that makes you believe lack of exercise is the cure for back pain. Exercise can help you adjust your attitude, get some feel-good endorphins flowing and strengthen your back.

Of course, some lower back pain will need surgical correction if the result of degenerative disease for example. But even in that situation, exercise serves the same purpose. It can reduce the amount of back pain you are experiencing while waiting for surgery by strengthening the muscles. Getting your lower back muscles into good shape will also help you recover faster from the surgery. Exercise is just plain good for you whether you have back pain or not.

Exercises for lower back pain include a variety of exercises that include even aerobic conditioning. The lower back muscles and bones are just a subset of your overall muscular skeletal structure. Whatever you do for the lower back benefits the entire system, and it works the other way around too. The better shape your body is in overall, the better for your lower back. If you are out of shape or overweight, both conditions can contribute to lower back pain.

Following is a list of some exercises for lower back pain. You can do these exercises at home, but if you’re under the care of a doctor it’s important to show the physician the plan. The important thing is to do them regularly. You can’t do them for a few days and then quit and expect to see results. It may hurt at first, but if you stick with the program you’ll be amazed at how the pain beast begins to let go.

• Abdominal contractions
• Wall slides or squats
• Straight leg raises
• Alternating knee to chest
• Treadmill
• Stationary bike
• Balance ball arm and leg raises (lie on stomach)

There are others you can do too. You should start with 3 ten minute sessions a day and add time as your muscles get stronger. Exercises for lower back pain can scare the pain beast away so you can restore your lively step to your daily activities.

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta

Non-surgical Treatment for Chronic Back Pain Is Often the Best

Posted on by
Reply

Chronic back pain affects thousands of people every year. Whether it’s from the result of an accident, stress on the back, pulled muscle or some unknown reason, the pain is still the same. There are many different types of treatment offered for this painful problem. Most people prefer non-surgical treatment for chronic back pain. It isn’t only the patients that prefer non-surgical treatment for chronic back pain. Most doctors don’t like to do surgery unless they absolutely have no other choice.

There are some painful back conditions where surgery may be preferred such as degenerative spondylolisthesis and severe sciatica. Even in these two cases, non-surgical treatment has helped, but the surgery provided a much faster pain relief. Surgery is also performed in certain cases where it’s necessary and the only way for the patient to be able to function normally. In the majority of cases with back problems, non-surgical treatment for chronic back pain is the recommended and preferred course by patients and their doctors.

Patients seeing their doctor for the first time for chronic back pain will be treated conservatively. The first thing they will want to do is rule out cancer, infection or an emergency problem. The first non-surgical treatment for chronic back pain most doctors recommend is to apply heat and get rest. They may give you a prescription for muscle relaxants and request you take over the counter pain relievers. In some cases, the pain relievers will lessen the pain, while the rest and heat may help the pain go away. For the pain to be labeled as chronic back pain, the patient has had it for a few months, in which case, the pain requires more than heat, rest and pain relievers. The doctors want to try everything first, however.

If you have to return to see the doctor, the next non-surgical treatment for chronic back pain is physical therapy. More doctors are recommending physical therapy for all kinds of injuries of the body. A physical therapist is trained to work with the body and know how it should and should respond to certain conditions.

The Physical therapist will apply heat and/or ice to the injured area along with massaging the back. Although, this may hurt when it’s being performed, it often makes your back feel much better later. You will be scheduled to see the therapist anywhere from once a week to a few times a week. The therapist will also give you exercises for your back for you to do at home. In many cases, physical therapy will take care of the chronic back pain after a few weeks.

If the physical therapy doesn’t work completely, another non-surgical treatment for chronic back pain is injections or pain relievers or steroids. These are often very helpful along with the therapy. These are also referred to as non-invasive treatment as opposed to surgery, which is invasive.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]