UNDERSTANDING YOUR PAIN
CORE STRENGTH & BACK PAIN You may be surprised how frequently issues with the neck and back actually stem from issues with core strength. Your core refers to the muscles that make up your torso, includingyourabdomen.Thesemusclesarecalled thecorebecause theyare at thecenterofyourbody,and theyarenecessary in justabouteveryaction thatyou engage in.Everything fromwalkingand runningandswimming tosittinganddriving require you to engage your core. There are a lot of reasons to improve core strength outside of any existing neck or back pain. When you improve your core, you are likely to also improve your posture andtherebyreduceyourriskofdevelopingfurtherbackpain inthefuture.Furthermore, theexercise thathelps to improvecorestrength isoftenhelpful inpromotingweight loss, and for those who are overweight, this could also help reduce pain in the neck and the back. Sometimes,whenyourcore isweak, itcancauseyou toexperienceaddedpressure onareas likeyourneckandback.Therearea lotofwaysthatworkingwithaphysical therapist can help you improve your core strength. You may be encouraged to practice core exercises, for example, which may include abdominal crunches or leg lifts.Lightweight-trainingactivitiesarealso frequentlyhelpful,asarebalance-based activities like yoga. If you haven’t spent much time building core strength in the past, then working with a physical therapist is a great place to start. Your physical therapist will guide you through proper postures and movements to reduce further risk of injury. For more information about how to start improving your core, contact us.
BACK PAIN 101 Severe back pain impacts more than half of the population, and many of those with pain in the back as a result of injury end up dealing with that pain long term. One of the biggest problems with back pain is that once it develops, it is difficult to work around it, and many people begin modifying their movements as a result, causing their back to compensate for the injury by putting pressure on other muscles that eventually just leads to more back pain. For this reason, back pain can frequently become a Catch-22 — avoiding the things that hurt your back could actually lead you to develop more pain in the future. Working with a physical therapist is the best way to cut your back pain issues in half. Physical therapy can address back pain by helping to improve your range of motion, strengthen the muscles in your back and surrounding areas, and by using targeted massage to reduce tension. In many situations,workingwithaphysicaltherapistto improvecorestrengthcansignificantly reduce the severity of your back pain.
H E A LT H Y S E A S O N A L R E C I P E Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
PAT I E N T S U C C E S S S P O T L I G H T
INGREDIENTS
• cooking spray, butter or coconut oil • 1 cup steel-cut oats • 2½ cups water • 1½ cups unsweetened almond milk • 1 cup pumpkin • 3 tbsp maple syrup • 1 tsp vanilla • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice • 1/2 tsp cinnamon • ¼ tsp salt
“My experience was wonderful! The staff’s personalities are magnificent. They greetyouwithasmileandarealways friendly.My therapyhasgreatly increased my ability to move. They knew exactly what I needed. They questioned what I couldandcouldnotdo tohelpdetermine thecourseof therapy.Theyencouraged me in my workouts and assisted me to the point where I was able to complete my exercises successfully. I would strongly recommend that if you need any therapy to come to Sports & Ortho PT!” - Sylvia D. “Therapy has greatly increased my ability to move!”
DIRECTIONS Coat your slow cooker with cooking spray, butter or coconut oil. Add all the ingredients into slow cooker and mix well. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you have a programmable slow cooker, set it to cook on low for 7 hours and then switch to warm. In themorning,give theoatsagoodstiras theoatswillsettle to thebottom. Portion into a bowl to serve and top with pecans, maple syrup and almond milk. Source: https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/slow-cooker-pumpkin-pie-oatmeal
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