N E W S L E T T E R
FrankKavaDPTand KristieKavaDscPT
“Will I Ever Walk and Move Again Without Aching Back Pain?” FINDING THE SOURCE & PAIN RELIEF FROM YOUR BACK PAIN
Is back pain causing you to move a little slower and more cautiously? If left untreated, chronic back pain can lead to long-term spinal joint and possibly nerve damage. Back pain is one of the most common physical complaints that people suffer from and more than 80% of the US population will experience back pain at some point in their lifetime. Back pain can interfere with your ability to bend, kneel, lift, reach, do work and enjoy time with your family. Not to mention, it can make you down right irritable and affect others around you. Why do I have Back Pain? Back pain occurs for a number of reasons, but has a few simple root causes: • Weakness in the spinal and core muscles of the trunk • Poor posture and strain on the spine with slouched sitting • Repetitive injury to muscles and tissues around the spine with poor lifting • Limited flexibility of the spine, hips and muscles of the thighs • Poor coordination of the abdominal, pelvic and back muscles Most people don’t seek treatment soon enough and continue to suffer with a nagging ache or pain in their back. They may even feel symptoms travel to the buttocks and legs. Many people feel that not much can be done for back pain and use medication to numb the pain to get through the day. However, medication mostly masks the pain and does nothing to address the root cause of the problem. Solutions to Back Pain Treating back pain starts with determining the true cause. A thorough evaluation of your movement, strength, posture and joint mobility can tell a lot about the true origins of your pain. Only then, can the proper plan be formulated to get you out of pain quickly and back to the activities you love. Whether you just tweaked your back or have been suffering for a long time, seeing one of our spine specialists can help you return to a more active and pain-free life.
Rotator Cuff Tears are very common and can cause a great deal of pain and disability. People with rotator cuff tears often resort to surgery. What people may not realize is that a course of Physical Therapy can be just as effective as surgery when treating non traumatic rotator cuff tears. A recent study showed that physical therapy alone can result in outcomes equal to surgical repair. According to the study “conservative treatment with physical therapy should be considered as the primary treatment for this condition.” This study compared patients who had surgery and physical therapy to those who had physical therapy alone and found that after six months, one year and two years both groups of patients were all improved to similar levels. The pain and inflammation of the rotator cuff tear is perpetuated by faulty movement patterns due to stiffness in the joints and weakness in the muscles. Normal pain free movement of the arm is dependent on the position, flexibility and strength of the shoulder blade and spine. The therapists at Oakland Physical Therapy have found that a comprehensive global approach for the treatment of shoulder pain is more effective in quickly rehabilitating the patient back to normal motion, strength, and function with less pain. • Evaluating and treating spinal postural deviations with mobilizationand therapeuticexerciseconsistingofstrengthening, endurance and flexibility exercises, and movement training. • Movement training isan importantpartofaneffective treatment plan. This includes education on ways to move their spine and shoulder differently in order to lessen the strain in the shoulder on the rotator cuff. • Joint mobilization is a “hands on” approach by the physical therapist to progressively loosen each joint in order to improve both flexibility and pain free range of motion. • Muscle stretching is also performed by the physical therapist and thepatient is instructed inperformingeffectiveselfstretching exercises for the tight muscles. • Therapeutic exercise for muscle strengthening and endurance. These exercises are performed in our well equipped facility and the patient is encouraged and instructed in performing similar exercises at home. Physical Therapy As Effective As Surgery for Rotator Cuff Tears
www.oaklandphysicaltherapy.com
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