Pro-Active PT: Is It Back Pain or Is It Sciatica?

Health & Wellness Newsletter by Pro-Active Physical Therapy

Health & Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

BENTON Physical Therapy

MALVERN Physical Therapy

PRO-ACTIVE Physical Therapy BRYANT PR - IVE Physical Therapy BRYANT

BENTON Physical Therapy

MALVERN Physical Therapy

IS IT BACK PAIN OR IS IT SCIATICA?

INSIDE: • Is It Back Pain Or Is It Sciatica? • Understanding Your Back Pain

• Practice News! • Staff Spotlight

www.proactivephysicaltherapy.health

Health & Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

BENTON Physical Therapy MALVERN Physical Therapy PRO-ACTIVE Physical Therapy BRYANT IS IT BACK PAIN OR IS IT SCIATICA? PRO-ACTIVE Physical Therapy BRYANT BENTON Physical Therapy MALVERN Physical Therapy

INSIDE: • Understanding Your Back Pain • Healthy Recipe

• Practice News! • Exercise Essentials

Does life ever feel like one large pain in the back? Back pain is difficult to deal with on a daily basis, yet for so many people, this is a total reality. By certain estimates, as many as 85 percent of adults in the United States struggle with back pain at some point in their lives. 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 can do when you are looking to overcome 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, muscle building, and targeted stretching 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. Call us today to learn more about a fast recovery with sciatica and back pain rehabilitation program!

www.proactivephysicaltherapy.health

UNDERSTANDING YOUR 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 leads many people to deal 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 other situations in which the pain may be 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. How can you tell the difference between back pain and sciatica pain? The answer is that sciatica pain is characterized by the following factors: • Constant pain is only present in one side of the buttocks or leg • The pain becomes worse when you are sitting

• The leg pain develops more as a burning, 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 the upper legs. What’s more, sciatica pain doesn’t always develop like pain in the traditional sense. Sciatica pain instead causes a buildup of tingling, numbness and weakness in the lower back and upper 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 therapist can cut your time struggling with back pain literally in half. For more information about overcoming back pain, contact us.

www.proactivephysicaltherapy.health

Exercise Essentials Try this movement if you are experiencing sciatica pain.

EASY CROCK POT COBBLER

INGREDIENTS • 2-Cans of your favorite pie filling (apple, peach, cherry) • 1-Box yellow cake mix (spice cake mix works well with apple or peach)

Relieves Sciatica Pain

www.simpleset.net

FOUR POINT TRUNK FLEXION & EXTENSION Start on hands and knees. Arch your back up to the ceiling as high as you comfortably can, and hold. Then, arch your back the opposite direction as low as you comfortably can, and hold. Repeat 6 times.

• 1 stick of butter

INSTRUCTIONS Pour pie filling in the bottom of your crock pot. Cover with cake mix, do not stir. Cut butter into pieces and place on top of cake mix. Place the lid on the crock pot and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours. Serve with ice cream and enjoy!

CALL TODAY!

Practice News: Opening Soon!

Staff Spotlight

Sarah Phillips Physical Therapist

Sarah and her husband Jordan are current residents of Sheridan, AR. They share their home with their 3 dogs Charlie, Layla and Dani. In her spare time Sarah likes spending time with family, playing with her dogs and Flea Market shopping. One day she

would love to visit every continent (except Antarctica)! She is involved in Awanas and life groups at her church and she also stays involved in school activities with her husband who teaches and coaches at Sheridan High School. Sarah graduated from UCA in 2017 and joined our team in May, 2018 and since has completed her certification in Dry Needling. Sarah is also very excited to announce she will be returning to her town of Sheridan as the Physical Therapist at our newest location Pro-Active Physical Therapy Sheridan! Sarah says she loves the atmosphere here and the genuine passion she and her fellow employees have for helping make patients better. When asked what her favorite part of the job is she says: “Seeing patients succeed and meet their goals. Some of the transformations we see make doing this job so much fun!” - Sarah Phillips

After providing Physical Therapy services for over 10 years, we are proud to announce... WE ARE OPENING OUR 4TH LOCATION IN SHERIDAN!

Fun & Games PRO-ACTIVE Physical Therapy sheridan

www.proactivephysicaltherapy.health

Coupon Corner

FREE 15 MINUTE CONSULTATION

CALL TO SCHEDULE TODAY! Benton Malvern (501) 778-4960 (501) 467-8275 Bryant (501) 847-3320

Offer valid for the first 20 people to schedule. Expires 8-31-19

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

www.proactivephysicaltherapy.health

Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs