Is It Back Pain or Sciatica? The most common type of back pain experienced is in the lower back, and it can happen for any variety of reasons. Being in a car accident can cause you to experience lingering back pain for years after the accident. Accidents at work can lead to similar consequences. But sometimes the cause of your back pain isn’t as straightforward. Back pain can also develop for any number of common reasons — things that you do every day without thinking twice. An old desk chair that doesn’t provide much lumbar support can take its toll over time, as can wearing shoes that don’t have much support, or even gaining weight, particularly around the stomach area.
JANUARY 2020 NEWSLETTER Start 2020Pain-Free! IT’S A NEW YEAR FOR A NEW YOU!
ALSO INSIDE: • Back Pain & Sciatica Pain • Exercise Essentials • Yummy Green Smoothies • What Our Patients Say
PTPROVIDENCE.COM
NEWSLETTER
JANUARY 2020
Is It Back Pain or Sciatica? The most common type of back pain experienced is in the lower back, and it can happen for any variety of reasons. Being in a car accident can cause you to experience lingering back pain for years after the accident. Accidents at work can lead to similar consequences. But sometimes the cause of your back pain isn’t as straightforward. Back pain can also develop for any number of common reasons — things that you do every day without thinking twice. An old desk chair that doesn’t provide much lumbar support can take its toll over time, as can wearing shoes that don’t have much support, or even gaining weight, particularly around the stomach area. Too many people consider back pain a normal experience of their lives and don’t immediately seek support that could make the pain an issue of the past. Working with a physical therapist is, hands down, the best thing that you candowhenyouare looking toovercome back pain. A physical therapist can identify the cause of the back pain and present you with helpful strategies that can strengthen your back and reduce the severity of your pain. Physical therapy for back pain often includes a combination of targeted massage, flexibility and range of motion training, musclebuilding,and targetedstretching techniques. Using these strategies in combination with anti-inflammatory medication, as recommended by your physician, is often considered the most- efficient approach to handling back pain and is recommended by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.
Understanding Back Pain: Being educated about your back pain can help you make the right choices to overcome it as quickly as possible. One of the biggest problems with back pain is that it lingers.This leadsmanypeople todeal with back pain for years on end without seemingly any end in sight. While there is back pain that develops as a result of strain or sprain, there is also something called low back degenerative disc disease, which happens when the discs in your spine weaken. This frequently develops as a result of repetitive back injury and can also develop as a result of age. With degenerative disc disease, the space between the discs begins to collapse and become unstable and will cause back pain to develop. When you work with a physical therapist to overcome back pain as a result of degenerative disc disease, your physical therapist will begin by strengthening core muscle groups, which includes the abdominal wall, and will provide you with targeted massage and stretching techniques to alleviate pain. While some back pain is easy to identify as pain, such as is the case with degenerative disc disease, there are othersituations inwhich thepainmaybe a bit more complicated to understand. One of the most common back issues experienced in the United States is sciatica pain, and this sort of pain is often a lot more difficult to identify — especially by those who aren’t familiar with the problem.
Start 2020 Pain-Free! IT’S A NEW YEAR FOR A NEW YOU!
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Back Pain & Sciatica Pain? CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
How can you tell the difference between back pain and sciatica pain? The answer is that sciatica pain is characterized by the following factors: •Constantpain isonlypresent inoneside of the buttocks or leg • The pain becomes worse when you are sitting •The legpaindevelopsmoreasaburning, tingling or searing sensation, and not as a plain ache • There is a sharp pain that occurs at times, making it sometimes difficult to stand or walk • The pain is radiating, shooting down the leg and sometimes even into the feet and toes
Sciatica pain develops in the nerves that connect the lower back to the legs, and so while the pain itself is generated from the back, a lot of time, the experience of the pain is more largely associated with theupper legs.What’smore,sciaticapain doesn’t always develop like pain in the traditional sense. Sciatica pain instead causes a buildup of tingling, numbness andweakness inthe lowerbackandupper legs, and the pain isn’t consistent either. The sensation will typically run through the leg in waves, causing discomfort at seemingly unpredictable times. If you are experiencing back pain and you haven’t talked to a medical professional about the concern, then now is the time to take action. Working with a physical therapistcancutyourtimestrugglingwith back pain literally in half.
Take charge of your sciatica pain by calling us 303-799-6336 or by visiting our website at ptprovidence.com. We can help get your life back.
YUMMY GREEN SMOOTHIES FromOur Kitchen to Yours
Laura’s Corner
Making it into a new year, and a new decade feels good! Many of my friendsandpatientshavebeen talkingabout theirNewYear’s resolutions–and the list iswhatyouwouldexpect:eatbetter, lose weight,savemoremoney. Itseemsweallstrugglewith thesame things and somehow, we lose that New Year’s traction on goal attainment – somewhere in February – right around Valentine’s Day. Well, this year we can all try something different. Studies show thatperformance-basedgoalsaremuchmoremotivating.
When we attach a value to our goals they are more personal and meaningful, which can help push us over the barriers that we will undoubtedly face. For example, if you want to eat better because you know it is good for you, think about why you want to eat better. Is itbecauseyouwant to loweryourA1Corcholesterol?Whydoyouwant tomake those changes? Is it because you want to take fewer medications or perhaps you would like to spend less money on medications? What if that extra money could be used on a vacation, to help fund your hobby, or to make a purchase that has been on your bucket- list for years? Suddenly, eating a plate half-full of vegetables is about adding more of the things you value to your life and feels less like a punishment. If your goal is to lose weight, maybe you could instead think of how you want to improve your agility, balance, strength and endurance so you can play with your kids/grandkids, enjoy the outdoors, or travel. I promise, by working out more with performance goals in mind, you will improve in those areas and lose weight too! Personally, I associate most of my eating and exercise choices with my kids. I want to be a mom who is vibrant, physically active, and full of energy. So even though I really want to eat the entire pan of chocolate cake, I thinkof themandcan limitmyselfabit. Itevenallowsme todoa fewextrapush-upsand gulpdowngreensmoothiesona fairlyregularbasis.Sowhatmattersmost toyou?Link thosedeeperdrives toyourresolutionsandyouwill literally transformyour life in2020. You’ve got this!
Directions Keep it simple and increase greens over time for your picky eaters. Try to not let the green color scare anyone off. These are sweet and delicious! Best in a high-speed blender (Vitamix,Ninjaorsimilar).Greattostartofyourday, for a snack, or meal replacement when you’re on the go. Ingredients • 2 Cups of Liquid Base - Water, Coconut Water, Coconut Milk, Almond Milk • 2 Cups of Leafy Greens - Spinach (most neutral flavor), Kale, Romaine, or a blend • 2CupsofFreshorFrozenFruit- Banana,Mango,Berries, Orange, Apple, Pineapple, Avocado
Our Specialties
• Women’s Health • Men’s Health • Pre/Post Natal • Manual Therapy • Dry Needling
What Patients Are Saying DANCER WITH SCIATICA SYMPTOMS:
Has Your Pain Come Back?
This fall I was really struggling with significant low back, buttock and leg pain down one side. I stopped doing things that I loved, like picking up my kids, dancing and yoga. I got to a PT right away but it didn’t seem to be helping that much, nor did massage therapy. The constant pain was draining my energy and I was feeling nearly hopeless. I just knew in my gut that something else was wrong and we had not gotten to the bottom of things, so I reached out to Providence PT (even though I live far from the clinic), because I knew I would be in excellent hands there. My PT figured out that I might have a lumbar disc bulge compressing my nerve, and she knew it at that first visit. Because of her guidance I immediately sawmy doctor and got on the right treatment path. Shortly after, an MRI confirmed that it was in fact a disk compressing the nerve. Although it’s never easy to hear a diagnosis like that, I already knew in my heart that something was wrong and it was such a relief to finally figure out what it was so that we could treat it properly. It was her expertise that identified the source of my symptoms and directed me to the appropriate additional care that was needed. She restored my hope. I feel like she is giving me my life back. I have already shown significant improvement with the right treatment plan, and with her continued expert physical therapy as part of that plan I’m looking forward to a full and strong recovery! Thank you so much Providence Physical Therapy!!
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Keep up with your physical therapy exercises to relieve pain and prevent further injuries. If your pain doesn’t subside, consult with your therapist about what other things might be causing pain. Call Providence Physical Therapy for injury consultation. We will guide you so you can get back to the activities you love.
Is it Sciatic Pain or Pudendal Neuralgia? Sciatic nerve pain typically radiates from your low back into your hip or buttock and sometimes down the back of your thigh. The source of pain in a similar area is the pudendal nerve. Pudendal neuralgia is a condition that can cause pain or numbness in your pelvis, just inside your sit bones, or in the genitals. It can make it difficult to urinate, defecate, have sex, or sit down. The pain can be constant or can come and go. Different things can cause pudendal neuralgia – like prolonged sitting, injury in surgery or when giving birth, or certain types of exercise like bicycling. If you wonder if your symptoms are from pudendalneuralgia,contactus.Ourphysical therapists work with a team of specialized physicians who can provide diagnosis and effective treatments for the condition.
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