Oakland PT. Is It Back Pain Or Sciatica?

N E W S L E T T E R

FrankKavaDPTandKristieKavaDScPT

Is It Back Pain Or Is It Sciatica?

Does lifeever feel likeone largepain in theback?Backpain is difficult to deal with on a daily basis, yet for so many people, this isa total reality.Bycertainestimates,asmany as 85 percent of adults in the United States struggle with back pain at some point in their lives. The most common typeofbackpainexperienced is in the lowerback,and itcan 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.Butsometimes thecauseofyourbackpain isn’tasstraightforward.Backpaincanalsodevelop forany 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 evengainingweight,particularlyaround thestomacharea. Too many people consider back pain a normal experience of their livesanddon’t immediatelyseeksupport thatcould make thepainan issueof thepast.Workingwithaphysical therapist is,handsdown,thebestthingthatyoucandowhen youare looking toovercomebackpain.Aphysical therapist can identify thecauseof thebackpainandpresentyouwith helpfulstrategies thatcanstrengthenyourbackand reduce the severity of your pain. Physical therapy for back pain often includesacombinationof targetedmassage,flexibility and rangeofmotion training,musclebuilding,and targeted

stretchingtechniques.Usingthesestrategies incombination withanti-inflammatorymedication,asrecommendedbyyour physician, is often considered the most-efficient approach tohandlingbackpainand isrecommendedby theAmerican Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Understanding Back Pain Beingeducatedaboutyourbackpaincanhelpyoumake 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 isbackpain thatdevelopsasa resultofstrainor sprain, there isalsosomethingcalled lowbackdegenerative 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 tocollapseandbecomeunstableandwillcauseback pain to develop. When you work with a physical therapist to overcome back pain as a result of degenerative disc disease,yourphysical therapistwillbeginbystrengthening core muscle groups, which includes the abdominal wall, and will provide you with targeted massage and stretching techniques to alleviate pain. (Continued Inside)

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