Does going for a walk sound like a big pain in the back? For those who struggle with chronic back pain, even the basic task of going for a walk can be overwhelming and painful. Back pain can strike at any time. Whether in the upper back, surrounding the neck and shoulders, or in the lower back at the lumbar or sciatica, back pain is something that no one likes to deal with for too long.
HEALTH & WELLNESS The Newsletter About Your Health and Caring for Your Body
WALK IT OUT! WALKING AWAY FROM YOUR NAGGING BACK PAIN
HEALTH & WELLNESS The Newsletter About Your Health and Caring for Your Body INSIDE: • FIX YOUR STRIDE • EXERCISES OF THE MONTH • OUR SERVICES • GET READY FOR YOUR SPORT... NO MATTER WHEN IT RESTARTS
WALK IT OUT! WALKING AWAY FROM YOUR NAGGING BACK PAIN
Does going for a walk sound like a big pain in the back? For those who struggle with chronic back pain, even the basic task of going for a walk can be overwhelming and painful. Back pain can strike at any time. Whether in the upper back, surrounding the neck and shoulders, or in the lower back at the lumbar or sciatica, back pain is something that no one likes to deal with for too long. Relying on painmedications to help you overcome back painwill leave you disappointed. While pain medications are frequently helpful at alleviating the discomfort of your back pain for a short period of time, they are not capable of resolving the issue that is causing your pain to develop in the first place. The only thing that can actually fix your back pain is addressing the issue that is causing your pain head on. Physical therapy is a great resource for addressing your back pain and can be a helpful tool in getting you back on your feet. So, whether it is following a sudden injury or a chronic issue that has developed over time, physical therapy could be the answer to helping you enjoy life free of back pain. And the secret to success is learning to approach recovery one step at a time.
WALKING YOUR WAY PAIN FREE Walking is a great formof exercise, but more than that, it is a necessity of life. When you can’t walk, even basic tasks become complicated. Getting out of bed in the morning, getting to and from work, moving your way around the office, and even spending time with family on the weekends all rely heavily on your ability to walk. When your back pain begins to interfere with your ability to move around freely, then you know it is time to start doing something about it. Conveniently, walking ismore than a goal when it comes to back pain, it could be part of the solution. Working with a physical therapist to develop improved strategies and techniques with your walking could help you to get back on your feet even sooner than you thought possible. What’smore, for those who are able to walk, getting on your feet more oftenwith targeted exercises could help you find relief from back pain even sooner than expected.
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION TODAY TO GET RID OF YOUR BACK PAIN!
FIXING YOUR STRIDE
When you are experiencing regular back pain—especially if you are experiencing back pain while walking—you should consider ways that you can reduce back pain by taking small steps to support your back. There are several things that you can do at home to improve your stride, which can make a significant difference when it comes to managing back pain day-to-day. Here are several ways that you can start taking care of your back with each step you take: 1. Make sure that you are wearing the right types of shoes. While the golden rule for walking is to wear sneakers, not all sneakers are created equally. You need to wear a sneaker that is going to provide you with the arch support that meets your individual needs. This may mean upgrading from your minimal support sneaker to something more athletically designed. 2. Try a custom insert in your shoe. Of course, you can’t wear sneakers all the time. When you are at the office, professional footwearmatters. You may find it helpful to have custom orthotics made for your work shoes so that you can have more arch support around the clock.
3. Work on improving your posture. If you are slouching when you walk, then that may be impacting the way that your back feels. Take a few minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon to stretch your back, and then make a point of keeping your shoulders square and your back straight as you walk. Simply standing tall may alleviate some of your back pain. Another way that walking can help alleviate back pain is by encouraging weight loss. Being overweight puts added pressure on your back, and this can contribute to increased back pain. Working with a physical therapist to improve your walking technique can help you to overcome back pain one step at a time.
If you are suffering from back pain, relief is possible! Contact Trademark Performance today to start your journey towards a pain- free life! Call us at 219.319.0110 or visit us online at www.trademarkpc.com.
These movements help to keep your lower body pain free. U S E T H I S E X E R C I S E T O R E L I E V E L E G & H I P PA I N EXERCISES OF THE MONTH
PRONE ON ELBOWS While lying face down on your stomach, slowly raise your upper body up and prop yourself onto your elbows. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
STRAIGHT LEG RAISE While lying or sitting, slowly raise your leg, keeping your knee straight and your toes pointed outward. Hold for 2 seconds, then slowly lower your leg to the starting position. Repeat 6-10 times with each leg.
Exercises copyright of
Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.
YOU CAN BE FREE OF YOUR PAIN! CALL TODAY OR VISIT US AT WWW.TRADEMARKPC.COM
It’s well established that about eight in 10 people in the U.S. will experience back pain at some point in their lives. And while the causes of such pain often vary, in a world that accommodates a more sedentary lifestyle, the blame for low-back pain can often be traced to an area a little lower in the kinetic chain: THE HIPS We often think that hip problems come as the result of overuse, but that’s often not the case. Oftentimes, hip problems can actually be traced to underuse. Mobility and exercise (e.g., walking, running, stretching, etc.) work to more evenly distribute the forces of impact and weight through this ball-and-socket joint. As people age or find themselves living a more sedentary lifestyle from, say, sitting a lot at work, the wear and tear of the hip joint is less distributed, taking place in a smaller area within the socket. This results in the loss of flexibility in and around the joint, which affects the hip’s backward bend – the ability of it to properly bend and twist throughout one’s normal walking or running gait. Your ability to run and walk has everything to do with your ability to backward bend in the foot, ankle, calf, hamstring and hips. When you lose that bend andmotion in the hips, that natural rotation around the pelvis gets transferred to the spine. Hence, tightness and inflexibility in the hips can manifest as lower back pain. Underuse is sometimes difficult to avoid with long-term sitting at work or issues related to aging. However, the walking regularly whether in your neighborhood, around the block at work, or in a local park will do wonders to keep both your hips and spine loose and moving. Other stretches that are useful for preventing tight hips and related back pain include: LOWER BACK PAIN? CHECK THE HIPS!
HAVE YOU MET YOUR INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE? Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late! If you’ve already met your insurance deductible for 2020, then your cost of physical therapy could be minimal or completely covered by your insurance plan. Do you have a family insurance plan? Have you had surgery this year? Have you used your insurance more than usual? If you answered yes, you are more likely to have a $0 balance remaining on your out-of-pocket expenses. This means the cost could be minimal or completely covered by your insurance plan. Let us help you get a head start going into 2021, before your deductible renews again!
GET READY FOR YOUR SPORT. . . NO MATTER WHEN IT RESTARTS.
No matter where you look, research will inform you of the inherent risks of sports injury and death. No amount of research will be able to prepare you for the increased risk of injury following return to sport after this pandemic. Now is the time to work hard to train your body to move again. Get ready for your sport... no matter when it restarts.
KNEE TO CHEST: Lying on your back, cross your right ankle over top of your left knee. Then reach around under your left hamstring and pull your knee toward your chest, stretching out your right hip. Hold for several seconds, then switch.
LUNGES: Take a few minutes every day to lunge forward with one leg while letting your other knee drop to the floor. Keep your back straight, shoulders high, and hold. Switch to the other side.
For more information about pain and inflexibility in the back and hips, or if you have difficulty or painwhenwalking or jogging, contact the teamat Trademark Performance for amovement assessment and gait analysis.
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