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Posts Tagged ‘Back Pain’
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
 Fixing a bulging or herniated disc means different things to different people. Usually it either means a) help me stop my back pain, or b) help me fix the herniated disc. The end result may be the same but the perspective is critical.
If you simply want to mask the back pain you could take one of the many non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, get repeated cortisone shots, or beg your doctor for another pharmaceutical drug alternative. While you might reach the perceived goal of ending back pain, you of course have not addressed the real problem.
On the other hand, if you choose to fix a herniated disc by actually treating the underlying cause as well as the symptoms you’ll have a greater likelihood of both ending the pain and preventing its recurrence. That’s where this article will focus.
First, understand that outside of cases of trauma a herniated disc does not occur overnight. It may seem like you “threw your back out” all at once, yet it was a process of weakening over time that allowed your disc to suddenly become noticeably problematic. What you may find surprising is many have a herniated disc without pain. It’s when the disc or inner material from a herniated disc press against a nerve that pain results.
What causes a herniated disc ?
Simply put, herniated discs are primarily caused by uneven pressure. Think of driving a car that’s out of alignment. The tires wear unevenly due to more pressure being present on one edge. Keep driving without fixing the problem and sooner or later you’ll experience a blowout on the worn side.
The effect on spinal discs is similar. Uneven pressure caused by muscle imbalances cause the less-pressured side of the disc to bulge or rupture, squirting the jellylike interior through the fibrous disc membrane into the spinal column. Picture stomping one end of a jelly donut – the jelly would be pushed out the other side.
There are of course other contributing factors like hydration, nutritional imbalances and excess stress and negative beliefs to name a few.
How to fix a herniated disc
Clearly the first step to fixing a herniated disc is to remove this uneven pressure. One highly effective method of removing spinal pressure you can do right at home is called spinal decompression.
By using an exercise ball or other device, negative pressure is used to pull the vertebrae towards the head instead of towards the feet. One of the most effective tools for achieving this effect is with an inversion table, which uses gravity to gently relieve disc pressure. This negative pressure has been known to allow a herniated disc to return to its normal position by itself.
Once you have relieved the initial pressure you will still need to address the underlying root cause of compression: muscle imbalances. Using a muscle balance therapy self assessment or consulting with a provider versed in this course of treatment you will identify specific muscle imbalances leading to uneven spinal pressure. Then you will use exercises targeted to strengthen weak muscles and stretches for overused and tight muscles to reverse these imbalances.
By relieving the pressure on the herniated disc and correcting the underlying muscle imbalances you will have either fixed the herniated disc or gone a long way towards improving the condition.
And don’t forget, you can’t ignore the other causes mentioned earlier. In order to get true lasting relief you have to find the combination of treatments that address all of your underlying causes.
Tags: Back Pain, Herniated Disc, Inversion Table, Muscle Balance Therapy, muscle imbalances, nsaids, spinal decompression
Posted in Back Pain, Back Pain Exercises, Herniated Disc, Muscle Balance Therapy, Uncategorized | 9 Comments »
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
 TENS is back in the news again. TENS therapy is widely used to treat chronic lower back pain by sending electric currents to nerves from a pocket sized battery pack through electrodes attached to the skin (TENS stands for transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation).
The big news is the National Academy of Neurology no longer endorses the treatment. In their December 30th issue of Neurology discontinues their recommendation for TENS as treatment for chronic lower back pain. In fact, the study’s lead author, Dr. Dubinsky, is now on the record as saying “TENS was found to be of no benefit for people with chronic lower back pain.”
Naturally, mainstream media went wild with the story ever since with over 60 major news outlet stories written on it since. After all, we’re talking about four decades of wasted time and money for a lower back pain treatment that simply doesn’t work. Sorry boys, but you’re a little late to the party.
You see, the new study was simply a review of existing literature. We’ve known for years that TENS was no more effective at treating lower back pain than placebo. The real story ought to be how it took nearly a decade just to come out and say it doesn’t work. But we’ll save that rant for another day because if you or someone you love is suffering from chronic lower back pain you’re more interested in what DOES work.
Number one recommendation for treating chronic lower back pain is exercise. It is proven effective, free of side effects like pharmaceutical drugs, and doesn’t have to cost you a dime. The key to getting lower back pain relief from exercise is doing the right exercises. Most lower back pain is the result of muscle imbalances which can be effectively treated through stretching overly tight muscles and strengthening weak muscles through muscle balance therapy.
To get you started, here’s a quick stretch you can use right now for immediate lower back pain relief:
Tags: Back Pain, chronic lower back pain, lower back pain relief, Muscle Balance Therapy, TENS therapy, transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation
Posted in Back Pain, Back Pain Exercises, Lower Back Pain, Muscle Balance Therapy, back pain at work | 1 Comment »
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
 Walk into the office of virtually any doctor, chiropractor, or physical therapist with a back pain complaint and chances are you’ll return home with the same sheet of paper they give to every patient who walks through their door. On it you’ll find various back pain exercises and stretches illustrated.
At first glance one might think following the exercises on the paper would be helpful. After all, exercise and stretching are important for recovering from issues causing back pain, right? Yes and no.
The truth is targeted corrective exercise and stretching is critical for addressing many underlying causes of back pain. But if you get the same set of generic exercises to perform as everyone else, with no direction as to which ones address your specific condition, how do you know which exercises are helpful and which are harmful?
Let’s say for sake of example you have severe lower back pain caused by a muscle imbalance between one side of your body and the other. Unless you first, know you have a muscle imbalance, and second, have identified what that imbalance is, you will be unable to effectively correct it. Following the sheet of generic exercises will have you stretching muscles which are already weak and overstretched. Then you’ll begin strengthening muscles which are already overworked and tight. End result: you will likely make your existing problem worse.
Here’s the take home lesson for today. Before you ever perform any stretching or strengthening exercise given to you for treating back pain, neck pain or sciatica, make absolutely certain it is targeting you specific condition. That means either you or your healthcare provider must first accurately identify the muscle imbalances and postural dysfunctions the exercises are intended to correct by performing a physical assessment.
If your healthcare provider cannot or will not tell you what postural dysfunctions and muscle imbalances are contributing to your back pain, do NOT perform any exercises given by them. Instead, consider conducting a Muscle Balance Therapy self assessment or find a different, more knowledgeable provider.
Tags: Back Pain, Back Pain Exercises, hurt back, Lower Back Pain, muscle imbalance, Neck Pain, Sciatica
Posted in Back Pain, Back Pain Exercises | 2 Comments »
Saturday, January 2nd, 2010
 As we move into the second decade of the 21st century, technology continues to move forward at blinding speed. Yet even I was surprised (actually, I laughed out loud) the first time I heard about a robot designed to treat back pain. But I soon found out this was no joke.
It works so well that athletes from every major sports league swear by it. In fact, several teams have purchased their own robots for use right in the locker room to keep their players in top form. Yet therapy sessions with the robot are affordable for almost anyone and are even covered by some insurance plans.
How the Therbo Robotic Arm works
Now before you get the wrong idea, this isn’t some self-controlled machine running on artificial intelligence. Rather it’s a highly specialized tool called a Therbo Robotic Arm guided by a human physical therapist.
Part of why this robotic therapy, sometimes called Meilus Robotic Therapy after the robot’s inventor Al Meilus, is so effective is because it follows the same principles as Muscle Balance Therapy. Al’s background as a GE automation engineer prior to entering the field of physical therapy helped him recognize that muscle imbalances are the root cause of a significant percentage of back pain, sciatica and other pain complaints.
By using the robot to apply highly specific and consistent pressure, the Therbo causes overly tight muscles to relax and actually lengthen on the spot. By relieving pressure from the taut muscle many patients report immediate relief from back pain, sciatica, migraines, shoulder pain, and many other types of pain. It has proven to be a very effective complementary pain treatment for many types of pain.
Tags: Back Pain, Back Pain Treatment Machine, complementary pain treatment, Muscle Balance Therapy, muscle imbalance, Therbo Robotic Arm
Posted in Back Pain, Herniated Disc, back pain at work | No Comments »
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