Centra: A Healthy Spine Prevents Back Pain

Health & Wellness Newsletter by Centra Rehabilitation

DANCE YOUR BACK PAIN AWAY! NEWSLETTER Health & Wellness Newsletter Live Life Pain-free

INSIDE: • Start Spring Cleaning Without Back Pain • Exercise Essentials • Patient Success Spotlight • Healthy Recipe • 6 Steps To A Healthy Spine • Do What’s Good For The Heart

Live Life Pain-free

Health & Wellness Newsletter

NEWSLETTER

START SPRING CLEANINGWITHOUT BACK PAIN!

Whether you have experienced an injury or have been suffering for a long time, seeing a physical therapist at Centra Rehabilitation can help you return to a more active and pain-free life. Give us a call today:

Do you find your back aching and nagging you when you first get up in the morning or after sitting in a chair? You may even notice your back start to bother you with standing for more than 10 minutes or having to walk distances. Back pain can come in different sensations from dull aches, to sharp stabbing pains or even radiating pain into the legs. The bottom line is with a healthy spine, back pain can be prevented and even reversed. Is your spine healthy? Compare yourself with the ideal healthy spine below to see if your spine has the following: • Good posture and spinal curves • Strong abdominal and core muscles • Strong spinal and gluteus muscles • Good flexibility and balance with side-bending and rotation • Good nutrition and rested well at night How can you improve your spinal health? You think about eating right, exercising and having a healthy

heart, but what about your back? Your spine is what gives you the ability to move around, protects your spinal cord and allows you to breathe properly. In fact, almost every function in your body is directly connected to the health of your spine. Therefore, it stands to reason that you should care for your back like you do your heart. Anybody with back pain can tell you that it interferes with your life, but with the right help, back pain can be a thing of the past.

Look inside for tips on how to improve your spinal health…

If you suffer from back pain, or would just like to move better than you used to, call Centra Rehabilitation today to learn more about how physical therapy can help you LIVE LIFE PAIN FREE!

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6 STEPS TO A HEALTHY SPINE

1. Eat Right. Nutrition is critical to having a healthy body. The same goes for your spine. Protein rebuilds spinal muscle tissue, ligaments and tendons. Healthy fruits and vegetables contain the vitamins and antioxidants to make the spine function. They rebuild bone, muscle and connective tissues that are constantly being used throughout the day. 2. Rest. Throughout the day your spine is compressed with standing, sitting and bending. You can actually lose about ½ an inch over the course of a day. Adequate rest in a good position while sleeping, helps you maintain a healthy spine. It is ideal to start off lying in bed for the first 10 minutes on your side with your knees curled up. This allows the discs to rehydrate. Then continue sleeping on your side with a pillow between your legs or roll onto your back with a pillow under your knees. Avoid sleeping on your stomach. 3. Stop Smoking. Many studies show that nicotine in cigarettes directly accelerates the breakdown of the discs in the spine and destroys connective tissues that keep the joints moving properly. In addition, nicotine increases the inflammatory response in the body, disrupting the body’s natural ability to repair itself. 4. Improve Your Flexibility and Strength. Keep your spine flexible by stretching for 10 minutes every day. It is best to get up and move around when possible at work. Stretch your spine out by reaching overhead and leaning over to one side, then the other. Also, work on gently twisting at the waist and don’t forget to stretch your hamstring muscles frequently. Spend 3-4 days a week working on your core strength with abdominal muscle exercises, squats and other exercises to keep your spine and core muscles

strong. This supports your spine and allows you to move without stressing the discs or nerves in your back. 5. Improve Your Posture and Balance. Make sure that you sit properly with a straight-backed chair and your feet flat on the floor. Avoid sitting on very soft couches for prolonged periods as this keeps your spine in a flexed position. Make sure that you keep your spine straight when lifting, using your legs and avoiding twisting. Keep your balance tip-top to activate the small muscles of the spine and use your nervous system. Enhance your balance by standing on one leg at a time for 10 seconds 3-4 times a week. 6. Have a Spine Check-up. Have a physical therapist spine specialist check your spine alignment and function every 6 months to ensure your back is moving how it should. Our physical therapists are the medical experts in helping your back operate as it should. If you are suffering with backaches and pains, come in for a check-up sooner rather than later. Long term aches and pains can mean permanent damage is being done to your spine. Catching back pain early, leads to a healthy spine for life.

Call us today to schedule an appointment!

HEALTHY RECIPE: SPICED PEAR TEA

INGREDIENTS • 1 orange • 3 cups water • 2 (11.3 to 12 oz) cans pear nectar • 1 tbsp honey (optional)

• 4 inches stick cinnamon • 1 tsp whole cloves • 6 tea bags • Small orange slices, halved (optional) • Stick cinnamon (optional)

DIRECTIONS Using a vegetable peeler, remove three wide strips of peel from the orange; set peel aside. Juice the orange into a large saucepan. Add the water, pear nectar and honey (if using) to orange juice in saucepan. For spice bag: Place the 4 inches of stick cinnamon, the cloves and the orange peel strips in the center of a 6-inch square of double-thickness, 100%-cotton cheesecloth. Bring corners together and tie with 100%-cotton kitchen string. Add spice bag to pear nectar mixture. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add tea bags; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and spice bag; discard. Serve in warm mugs. If desired, float orange slices on top of individual servings and serve with additional stick cinnamon.

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Patient Success Spotlight

WHO DO YOU KNOW THAT NEEDS OUR HELP?

Do You Have Friends or Family Unable to Do The Following? 9 Move without pain 9 Bend and move freely 9 Balance confidently and securely 9 Sit for long periods comfortably 9 Walk for long distances 9 Live an active and healthy lifestyle

Refer a friend! Have them call a clinic nearest them today!

“They are experts in their craft!” “Therapy in Gretna has been great! This is my third time being treated there for different conditions. They are experts at their craft and have been extremely helpful and beneficial. I would recommend them to anyone needing therapy.” -James M., Chatham

FREE 15 MINUTE CONSULTATION

CALL TO SCHEDULE TODAY!

Limited to the first 25 callers. Expires 02-28-19

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Do What’s Good For THE HEART

1. Aim for lucky number seven. Young and middle-age adults who slept 7 hours a night have less calcium in their arteries (an early sign of heart disease) than those who sleep 5 hours or less or those who sleep 9 hours or more. 2. Keep the pressure off. Get your blood pressure checked every 3-5 years if you’re 18-39. If you’re 40 or older, or if you have high blood pressure, check it every year. 3. Move more. To keep it simple, you can aim for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week of moderate exercise. Even if you exercise for 30 minutes a day, being sedentary for the other 23 1/2 hours is really bad for your heart. 4. Slash saturated fats. To help your heart’s arteries, cut down on saturated fats, which are mainly found in meat and full-fat dairy products. Choose leaner cuts and reduced-fat options. 5. Find out if you have diabetes. Millions of people don’t know that they have this condition. That’s risky because over time, high blood sugar damages arteries and makes heart disease more likely. Physical therapy is the unique medical treatment that works with a physician’s plan to improve your ability to move, be functional and improve systemic health. By improving joint mobility, strength and cardiovascular endurance, you can better manage your disease, leading a more active and healthy lifestyle. For more information on our successful treatment programs, call us today.

Relieve Aches & Pain In Minutes Without Pain Medication! Try these movements if you are experiencing pain. Think about moving joint by joint

SIDELYING Lie on your side. Place a pillow between your knees for support. Relax.

CHILD’S POSE Kneel on the floor, buttocks over heels. Stretch arms for- ward far as you can. Let head and trunk sag to the floor and hang heavy. Keep buttocks over heels. Relax.

Exercisescopyrightof

en your knees for support.

www.simpleset.net

Stretches Back Muscles

Stretches Spine

Lie on side. Use pillows for support.

Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing. Buttocks over heels, stretch arms

Discover How To Live Pain-free

At Centra Rehabilitation, you will receive hands-on therapy treatments by our friendly, caring health experts during focused and individualized sessions. It’s time to get Centra Rehabilitation if: • You’re tired of living in pain • You want to feel better and move better • You have been in an auto accident or injured on the job • You want to prevent injury

Call Today 434.200.2102 1. Call and talk to your therapist 2. Discover why your pain has come back 3. Get your custom recovery program

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