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Spinal discs play a crucial role as shock absorbers between your spinal vertebrae. If a disc herniates or leaks some of its inner material, it can cause localized pain or even referred pain down your arms and/or legs. This can sound like a scary diagnosis and leave you feeling uncertain. The great news- just because you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc, does not mean you have to have pain! In fact, a majority of people who have been diagnosed with a lumbar herniated disc will have no pain 6 weeks later with proper management. 3 STEPS TO HELP RESOLVE PAIN IN YOUR SPINE
• McKenzie Method • Myofascial Release • Personal Training • Therapeutic Exercise • Vestibular Therapy • Wellness Program • Ergonomics
• ACL Injury Prevention Program • Advanced Functional Science • Athletic Training • Electrical Stimulation • Graston Technique • Kinesio Taping • Laser Therapy • Manual Therapy
SO WHAT CAN I DO NOW? STEP #1 POSTURE
Correct sitting and standing postures are themost important activitieswe can do to reduce pain or prevent worsening of a herniated disc. Postural stressors on our spinemake up amajority of our day, especially for those whose jobs require prolonged sitting positions. If you are a sedentary worker, youmay experience pain in the lowbackwhile sitting for prolonged periods or on attempting to rise from sitting. In this case the pain is cause by slight overstretching of soft tissues taking a few seconds for the tissues to recover. Eventually you may reach a stage where you experience severe pain on standing having difficulty straightening up. In this case there is a major distortion in the affected joint, which cannot regain its normal shape quickly enough to allow pain-free movement. Whenever a movement is attempted, the disc herniation increases the strain on the already overstretched surrounding tissue.
GET READY FOR YOUR SPORT. . . NO MATTER WHEN IT RESTARTS.
• Use a lumbar roll in the natural curve of the spine that is just above the belt line. • What does correct standing posture look like? • You must reduce the amount of curve in the low back. • Stand as tall as you can, lifting the chest up, pull in your stomach muscles and tighten your buttocks.
• What does correct sitting posture look like? • Choose a supportive chair with a firm back. • There should not be any space between your backside and the backrest of the chair. • Your knees should be slightly below the level of your hips with your feet firm on the ground.
CLINIC NEWS REMOTE PERSONAL TRAINING I S NOW L I V E ! 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.
This position requires a lot of muscular effort and is hard to maintain, but with practice you will be able to hold the position for longer periods of time without discomfort.
STEP #2 MOVE Sustained positions, awkward positions, prolonged sitting and frequent bending are the most strenuous activities on the spine. Studies that measured the amount of pressure on our lumbar discs report an 80% increase in disc pressure with full lumbar flexion. On top of that, the average person does some form of bending forward about 5,000 times per day. From getting dressed, leaning over the sink to brush our teeth to crawling into bed a night we are bendingmost of our day. We don’t often stretch in the opposite direction and one way we can achieve that is to get up and WALK! It is that easy. Walking is a mid-range lumbar extension activity. This is important because lumbar extension reduces disc pressure by 35%. Consistently and frequently changing your positions is important to promote flow of fluid i.e. nutrition to the disc to maintain disc health. How often shoulder we move? Set a timer for every 30 minutes to prevent being in these prolonged positions. STEP #3 IF PAIN PERSISTS FOR MORE THAN 3-5 DAYS, GET A PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSESSMENT. Spinal pain is often recurring so if your pain is not improving, worsening or you are getting pain down your leg; it is time to see your Physical Therapist for a mechanical assessment.
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