October 2018
NEWSLETTER
INSIDE: The Benefits of Stretching
Understand Your Pain Is It Back Pain or Sciatica?
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 theUnitedStatesstrugglewith 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,particularlyaround thestomach area. Too many people consider back pain a normal experience of their lives and don’t immediately seek support that couldmakethepainan issueofthepast. Working with a physical therapist is, handsdown, thebest thing thatyoucan 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, musclebuilding,and targetedstretching techniques. Using these strategies in combination with anti-inflammatory medication, as recommended by your physician, isoftenconsidered themost- efficientapproach tohandlingbackpain and is recommended by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. 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 willbeginbystrengtheningcoremuscle groups, which includes the abdominal wall, and will provide you with targeted massage and stretching techniques to alleviate pain. If you are suffering from back pain or sciatica, our therapists can design a treatment plan topromote improved function, wellness and minimize pain.
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