Physical Therapy can be Effective for Lower Back Pain

According to United State study, starting physical therapy for lower right back pain might be very effective to control it in long run. It is advisable to start going for therapy as soon as pain starts otherwise it might get bad and take a harmful turn in future.

Earlier the doctors used to ask their patients to take normal rest and see if pain settles down on their own. They would not just physical therapy at the early stages. They would recommend therapy at later stage only.

A study has tracked 200 patients with recent lower back pain for one year. Some of them were asked to take therapy while others were suggested rest. The group taking up physical therapy has showed improvement after approximate 3 months as compared to the group with no treatment. But the improvement was not very significant. The lead author of the study Julie Fritz (associate dean for research at Health College) clarified that it is normal to have low improvement differences between two groups as there is no particular “magic bullets” to fix Back pain.

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Spinal Manipulation Relieves Back Pain … for Some

By Sara G. Miller

At LiveScience.com

Manipulating the spine can help people with lower back pain — but it doesn't work for everyone, according to a new study. Spinal manipulation, or applying force to the joints of the spine, is a technique commonly used by chiropractors and physical therapists, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. However, there is conflicting evidence about whether the treatment actually helps people, the researchers wrote in their study.
In the new study, the researchers found that spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) provided relief for some patients with lower back pain , but not for others.


"The big finding is that both sides have been right all along," said Greg Kawchuk, a professor of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Alberta and co-author of the study. It's not a matter of whether the treatment works or doesn't work, but rather, figuring out the best way to care for each patient, he said.

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Diet and Exercises – The best and cheapest lower right back pain remedy

Lower right back pain can simply be defined as a workingman’s disease. If you are suffering from it now, don’t worry your not alone. Thousands of people who live in every corner of the world suffer from it. The good news is that you have the ability to reduce lower back pain through a combination of diet and exercises. This fact has been proven by scientific studies conducted by the American College of Cardiology. So, what should you eat and what type of exercises do you need to follow in order to get rid of lower back pain?

Diet for lower back pain:

– If you want to get rid of lower back pain, you need to strengthen your bones. Consuming right nutrients such as calcium is extremely important to maintain the ideal health of your bones. Natural food sources such as leafy green vegetables, milk and yogurt contain a very high amount of calcium. If you find difficult to consume these food, you can think of trying calcium rich supplement which is not as good as directly from foods but a decent alternative.

– You should also stay away from pre-processed fat food items like traditional fast food, chips and French fries. These foods contain a high amount of saturated fat, which can give life to a wide range of health issues in the long run, including lower back pain.

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Our Back Problems Mostly Come From Bad Posture

Acknowledgment of the sources Esther Gokhale used in developing her theories on back pain, chronic back pain, and lower right back pain can be found throughout this article. One of those sources include the Feldenkrais Method and the Alexander Technique which are part of the physiotherapy methods. Another one of Esther's sources is the work of Noelle Perez-Christiaens, an anthropologist.

A high percentage of Americans are going to experience back issues that include chronic back pain at some point in their lifetime. Out of those there will be a handful that will never find help in relieving their back pain, with it only getting worse as time goes on. Esther Gokhale, is an acupuncturist in Palo Alto, California, she traveled the world studying back pain in different cultures.

Esther researched how different cultures stood up, sit, walked and in general what their posture was like. Esther observed this in a tribe in Central India that had never had back issues at all. There were no signs of degeneration of the discs in their back as they aged, or there was very little.

Esther Gokhale began to have issues with her own back around twenty years ago after giving birth to her first born. Through sleepless nights and excruciating pain ultimately discovering it was a herniated disc. She had surgery to correct the problem only for it to come back the following year. She refused to have another back surgery and decided to find a way to fix it permanently.

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5 Stretches to Combat Lower Right Back Pain

Below are a list of basic low back and leg stretches to help relieve muscle tension and improve flexibility of the lower right back. You may find that certain exercises are more beneficial. We designed this menu to provide a quick well rounded stretch routine. If you are new to stretching, go slow and don't do more that one or  two reps of each exercise. As you become more adapt to the stretched you can increase your stretch time and number of reps (as you feel appropriate). Remember that form is priority number one.  Bad form and overstretching can lead to injury and are not recommended. Doing these stretches will help your chances or suffering from lower right back pain. Check out youTube.com for videos if you need further instruction on any of these stretches.

 
 Knees To Chest

 

While lying on your back, pull one leg to your chest while keeping the other leg flat on the floor. Then raise your knees and pull both toward your chest at the same time. Hold each leg for at least 20 second stretch.

 

Trunk Rotation
 

Lie on your back with arms out to your sides. Pull your knees up toward your chest and slowly roll your legs to the side (choose one). Focus on keeping your upper body flat on the floor. Hold the stretch for 15-20 seconds then switch sides. Remember it is important to breathe and relax your muscles as you stretch.


Hip Flexor Stretch

Kneel on one knee, with toes  down (use a pad if needed), and place your other foot flat on the floor in front of you, bend your knee till it is over that front ankle. Keep your head up and back straight. Press your hips forward until you feel tension in your back hip flexor and upper thigh. You can rest hands on thigh or on the side of your hips. Move your pelvis further forward to increase the stretch (you may also need to more your front foot further out). Hold for at least 15 seconds

– Imagine trying to pull (or drag your bottom knee across the floor. This should accentuate the stretch and isolate the hip flexor.

– For a more intense stretch reach your arms overhead then then to the side (away from the leg being stretched.

 

Hamstring Stretch
 

Lie on your back keep one leg straight while grabbing behind the knee of your other leg. Slowly straighten your leg and pull it toward your upper body. Ideally you will be able to bring your leg to at least 90 degrees (or straight up in the air) while keeping your other leg parallel on the ground. Hold this stretch for 15-20 seconds then repeat on the other side.

 

Quadriceps Stretch
 

(First be sure to find a wall or railing to keep your balance) Reach back and grab your same side hand. Use your arm to pull your foot up toward your buttock. You will feel this stretch right away in your thigh. Keep your knee pointing down and parallel with your other knee and try not to twist your body. Hold for 15-20 seconds and repeat with the opposite leg. To accentuate the stretch try to flex or straighten your leg against your hand.

Low Back Health thru Stretching and Strengthening

By stretching and strengthen your low back muscles not only heals back issues but can help prevent them from happening in the first place. It is also important to exercise the back's supporting/adjacent muscles of the legs, hips and abs.

Muscles are a major factor in back anatomy and the health of this structural unit. The bones of the spine are designed hold a person upright. These bones are stacked on top of each other like a stack of cookies. This stack is held in position by muscles and tendons. If the muscles and tendons are weak the cookies slip out of place. If the muscles are too rigid activity will

If these muscles are weak, the vertebrae can move and can cause pain. Muscles and ligaments can get strained and nerves around these structures can become pinched.

Pain is sometimes caused by muscles and stretching them will provide relief. As we age our muscles become less flexible and more prone to injury. The old saying “use it or lose it” rings clear. It is best to keep use muscles regularly and keep them flexible.

Although most people think the back muscles are to blame on low back pain, however, other muscles are often the culprit. Having tight hamstring or weak abdominals can allow the back to move into bad posture and lead to problems and pain. Similarly, prolonged sitting can lead to tight hip flexors which also set the stage for low back problems. The goal is to keep the body active and flexible to avoid injury and pain.

Aim to get some sort of exercise every day. If all else fails take a 20 minute walk around the block followed by some light stretching. Now who doesn’t have time for that?

When stretching your muscles go about it gently and don’t force or bounce. Hold each position for a minimum of 15 seconds and gradually build up to 30 – 40 seconds (for your major muscles). As you become more flexible you can flex your muscle while in the stretched position for a deeper stretch.

Desk Jobs and Bad Posture are Dangerous

Lower back pain is probably the most common problem from bad posture and prolonged sitting. However there are other dangerous health risks including heart attack, diabetes, and strokes.

Most of us know that being sedentary and having bad posture is unhealthy. However, we are now learning that prolonged sitting is not necessarily offset with a limited amount of exercise. If you are sitting most of the day you need to get up and move around regularly. A recent Flikli video recommends getting up to move round and stretch every 30 minutes (and for those of you that have a desk job realize, that’s pretty often).


Low back pain is wreaking havoc on us all. A study recently showed us that 50% of workers in the UK have suffered from back pain at some point. As a society, the more we rely on technology and innovation the less active we become. So maintain a good posture get up off the chair and move – keep a timer running on your computer or use an hour glass to remind yourself.

 

Back pain can be a sign of serious illness – Infections, bladder problems, and even cancer:(

Did you know that back pain is the main reason people are missing work, and is the second highest reason for doctor visits. The lower back is the most common area for pain. Typically back pain is caused directly from the spine or the muscles in the back. On rare occasions it is an indicator of bigger problems. An article in Dailymail.co suggested that we pay closer to attention to the lower back pain.

One example referred to a woman who has been suffering from back pain for a long period and was continually get negative findings on her scans. After seeing a specialist that performed a cystoscopy (where a tiny camera is inserted into the bladder) they discovered she had been suffering from interstitial cystitis, which deteriorated the lining of her bladder.

Dr Almallah, a urologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham explained why back pain is often mistaken for other conditions.  "Sometimes the organs can send pain signals to other parts of the body – notably the back – by a process called 'referred pain'."

Lower back pain is known in the medical community to signal kidney and cancer issues. Although we don’t want people to over react to pain in the lower right back, you should be aware that there is a chance of a more serious underlying condition. So a visit to a specialist is recommended if you have continued back pain. 

Read more about the lower back pain study.


 

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