Health blog Category: back
Using Proper Body Mechanics While Raking Leaves
Using Proper Body Mechanics While Raking Leaves
Using proper body mechanics while raking leaves can greatly reduce your risk of sustaining a back injury such as a herniated disc or a spinal muscle strain. The following tips will help you safely use your arms and legs to do all the work, placing less stress and strain on your lower back.
- Stretch before your begin raking leaves to warm up and prepare your muscles for yard work.
Watch Our “Back” – We don’t Want to Slip a Disc
Chances are you or someone you know will experience some degree of back pain in your lifetime. There are many factors that can cause individuals to experience back pain. When we experience back problems it can bring our weekend plans to a complete stop. Depending upon the severity of the injury, it could possibly prevent us from even walking or standing. It can also make it very difficult to sit for prolonged periods of time at our desk at work. It is always best to watch your back so you don’t slip a disc.
Read full blogCommon Reasons for Back Discomfort
How is your posture? Irritation to the nerves that emerge off the lumbar spine can cause burning and shooting pain down the legs and into the feet. Could poor posture be to blame for your chronic back discomfort and pain? Chronic back pain and discomfort can also cause poor posture, making it difficult to walk, sit, drive, and perform routine activities such as laundry, and dishes; to name a few. Chronic back pain and discomfort is a debilitating condition that will affect the majority of Americans at some point during their life. In fact, chronic back pain is one of the leading reasons people go to the doctor and employees miss work.
Read full blogYou Do Not Have to Live with Back Problems
People living with back problems and pain are often plagued by the inability to sleep, with difficulty tying their shoes, bathing, sitting at work, or standing while waiting in line at the grocery store. They are restricted from their extracurricular sports activities and enjoying their favorite zumba exercise classes.
Like many conditions, when we have pain or discomfort in one area of the body, if you don’t handle it, it can start impacting another area of the body and restrict you from enjoying your night at the movies, throwing the football with your son or participating with your hiking club’s adventures. Back problems can make it difficult for you to complete your daily routine activities around the house.
Strong Core means Healthy Back
Poor posture from core weakness contributes to neck, back, shoulder or hip pain which can then contribute to issues and pain further down the upper or lower extremities. This can make everyday things difficult, such as:
- bending over to tie your shoes.
- sitting while working or driving.
- simply getting dressed in the morning.
A strong core means a healthy back.
When most people think of the core, they think of the abdominals and doing sit-ups and generally know that one needs to have good core strength.
Addressing Back Problems Starts With Assessing the Core
Why are we focusing on your core if you’re here for a back problem? This is a question we often hear in physical therapy and with good reason. Wouldn’t you wonder why you were being instructed to strengthen a part of your body that isn’t necessarily where you’re feeling pain or discomfort? When it comes to patients who are here for back pain, part of their treatment plan involves strengthening their core. But why? Let’s talk spinal anatomy, muscular imbalances and posture.
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