Health blog Category: Back and Neck Pain
Handle Neck Pain the Right Way
We all know a time when we have fallen asleep in an awkward position and had the unexpected pleasure of waking up to a “crick in our neck.” Having an aching neck makes it very difficult to turn our head to check our blind spots when driving, bend our neck forward to check our cell phone, or enjoy knitting or crocheting without discomfort or pain.
When not handled appropriately and immediately, this small “crick” in our neck can lead to tension headaches, facet joint (the junction between two neck vertebrae) dysfunction, and ultimately limits our ability to perform daily tasks safely.
Common Causes of This “Crick in your neck”
- Sleeping in a compromised position.
Back Pain and Back Strains
Low back pain is one of the most common issues seen in an outpatient physical therapy clinic and the vast majority of people will experience some form of back pain at least once throughout their life. There are many different causes of low back pain, but one common cause of back pain is due to muscle strain.
Defining a Strain
Muscle strains can occur to any muscle throughout the body.
Read full blogThe Low Back Pain Epidemic
Generalized back pain continues to be rampant in many parts of the US and world-wide and does not seem to be decreasing despite many calculated efforts to do so. This particular diagnosis, sadly, has many attributes that makes it very difficult to pinpoint an exact cause. There is a substantial amount of literature on treatments, effects, causes, specific diagnosis and ramifications that is available to anyone that suffers from this ailment. We all know this, but in the 21st century ‘sitting’ is the new ‘smoking.’ Generalized back pain is one of many negative effects from consistent sitting, but it is no mystery that these are strongly correlated.
Read full blogHandle Low Back Pain
Low back pain can affect our lives in many ways. It can prevent us from exercising, sleeping, working, and spending time with our families. Those four activities alone make up pretty much the entire day for a lot of us. So the question becomes, why aren’t we taking action to handle our pain?
Signs and Symptoms of Low Back Pain
Every individual experiences different signs and symptoms, however these are the most common:
- muscle tightness or spasms
- sharp or dull pain
- limited range of motion,
- stinging or burning pain that travels to the buttocks or thigh
- numbness and tingling
- difficulty sitting, standing, walking, or going up stairs
- pain that increases with prolonged activity
Common Causes
Lower back injuries can occur from something as simple as twisting to grab something off of a shelf to a more serious scenario like falling off of a ladder.
- Soft Tissue Injuries:
- Soft tissue injuries such as, sprains and strains, are the most common cause of lower back pain.
Eliminating Back Discomfort
Being plagued by discomfort, the inability to sleep, experiencing stiffness, or having difficulty with activities that we love, are often indicators of back injuries. Often back pain is a signal of issues up and down the chain. Your spine connects your upper body and your lower body so it is important that we seek out the proper care as soon as possible to prevent other issues and to improve our quality of life.
Common Causes of Back Pain or Discomfort:
- Poor Posture
- Weak Core Muscles
- Poor Mechanics
- Weak Gluteal Muscles
- Degeneration
The ‘Trickle-Down’ Effect
Like many conditions, when we have pain or discomfort in one area of the body, if we don’t handle it, it can start impacting another area of the body.
Read full blogStretches to Alleviate Neck Pain and Improve Posture
Neck pain is a common ailment that is experienced by a large number of individuals. There are many causes of neck pain.
Possible causes of neck pain include:
- Tight muscles
- Whiplash injuries that can be caused by car accidents
- Sports related accidents and injuries.
- Poor posture which is a result of everyday activities that most individuals engage in such as using a computer, sitting for long periods of time, driving, texting.
Avoid Back Pain When Shoveling this Winter
With winter here and the chance of snow right around the corner, it is important to know the proper way to shovel, in order to prevent back and shoulder injuries – ones we see frequently after a big snow. The good news though is that lower back and shoulder pain can be easily prevented by using correct body mechanics.
Try these tips to keep your back pain-free:
- Choose the Right Shovel
- An ergonomic snow shovel will help take the stress off your back and make your snow shoveling a much easier task.
Posture and Neck Pain
Our posture when sitting at a desk and/or using mobile technology for day to day communications, often has room for improvement. It’s so easy for us to slip into a poor posture when we’re mindlessly reading emails or sending texts. The problem is, that this poor posture is leading to more complaints of neck discomfort.
Neck pain is no longer an ‘adult issue. A lot of younger people are now complaining of neck discomfort, headaches, trouble standing up and other painful issues in these upper body areas.
Get Rid of That Creeping Back Pain
Back pain can creep up on us after simply sitting too frequently and for long periods of time, after a bad night’s sleep, after strenuous activity such as repeated lifting, or after participating in leisurely sports. This could even prevent us from standing straight, and bending over to tie our shoes or do the laundry.
Signs and symptoms:
- Muscle ache
- Shooting or stabbing pain
- Pain that radiates down your leg
- Pain that worsens with bending, lifting, standing or walking
- Pain that improves with reclining
Some common causes:
- Muscle or Ligament Strain/Sprain
- Bulging or Ruptured Disc- (compression of the intervertebral discs resulting in bulge outward (herniation) or rupture
- Radiculopathy- compression, inflammation and/or injury to a spinal nerve root
- Arthritis
- Skeletal Injuries/Deformities
Why You Should Address Back Pain Right Away:
It is important to address the cause of your back pain when it starts.
Read full blogEnd the Vicious Cycle of Back Pain
Back discomfort can be debilitating for anyone experiencing it. Living with back pain often means being plagued by the inability to sleep, stiffness, and difficulty doing activities we love. This discomfort and pain impacts our ability to run, rock climb or hike, garden, walk the dog or play with our grandchildren. Back pain is something that can affects everyone from, young athletes, to active parents or older adults.
