Tag Archive for: lower back pain

Back Pain: A Potential Solution

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Back pain is a leading cause of work-loss days according to the Georgetown University Heath Policy Institute; that’s true in just about every high-income country. Finding a solution to reduce back pain occurrence not only reduces lost wages but also improves the quality of life of the individual.

Researchers in Australia wanted to find out whether a walking and educational program would reduce the recurrence of lower back pain resulting in medical treatment. They selected only patients who had lower back pain of undetermined origin; 701 patients were randomly assigned to the control group and experimental group. Both groups received the educational program. The experimental groups also received coaching on a walking program that they were to perform on their own. The goal was to walk 30 minutes per day, five days per week, but the program was adjusted to accommodate individual needs depending on initial fitness levels.

The results were interesting but not unexpected, in my opinion: those subjects in the walking group were 28% less likely to have a reoccurrence. Even better, the time to the next lower back pain event was about twice as long in the walking group, a median of 208 days versus 112 days in the control group. The researchers also found that the quality-of-life index they used was better in the walkers and that the walking program was cost effective compared to conventional treatment.

Lower back pain is something most of us experience at some point in time; wouldn’t it be great to go more than 200 days until your next episode? While some can be issues with nerves and vertebrae, at least some have no real cause other than weakness and tightness in muscles. With some basic core exercises and walking most days of the week, the solution just might be found on the sidewalk or pavement right outside your front door. Just make sure you get professional guidance before you start.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. https://hpi.georgetown.edu/backpain/
2. https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(24)00755-4.pdf

Core Flexibility and Lower Back Pain

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On any given day, lower back pain afflicts 25% of the population; 80% of all adults will experience it as some point in their life, and it’s still a major cause of lost work days and workman compensation claims. Face it, as long as we walk upright, we’re going to have lower back pain of some sort.

Some lower back is due to various kinds of injuries. They must be handled within the parameters set forth by your doctor and orthopedist. Most lower back pain, however, is caused by a group of muscles called our core.

In general, lower back pain is the result of two contradictory conditions: abdominal muscles that are too loose; and lower back muscles, hamstrings, and quadriceps that are too tight. The solution is to stretch the tight and strengthen the weak. As I said Tuesday, there are many online sources to find those stretching and strengthening exercises. The most important point is to do them regularly; if I miss my routine more than two days in a row, I can feel it. If you stop when you start to feel better, you’ll soon feel worse again.

Your core also contributes to the final physical approach to living every day you’re alive. I’ll cover that on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: http://bit.ly/33zjJfh

Common-Sense Health: Where Is Your Wallet?

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Keeping things balanced is important, and I try to do that in the Memos I write. Usually I tackle issues that are serious with significant health implications, but life is to be enjoyed so this week, we’ll lighten up before a holiday by talking about a guy’s wallet. And this is also about balance.

When Paula and I had dinner with friends this weekend, the husband talked about the physical therapy for back pain he’s been doing. The exercises have worked, but he chided me: “You didn’t tell me my wallet could affect my back.” Oops. He’s correct.

If you have a wallet in your back pocket and you sit most of the day, the force of the chair on the wallet can compress the sciatic nerve, and voila, you may have pain shooting down your lower back and the back of your leg. A recent paper talked about three men with lower back pain that was due to their wallet.

The simplest solution is to reduce the size of your wallet or just carry what you actually need on a clip in your front pocket or in your jacket: a picture ID, a credit card, your Costco card, and some cash. What more do you need? Membership cards? I have an app on my phone that shows my gym membership so I don’t need to carry that card.

If you have lower back pain, I would recommend you get a referral to a physical therapist to find out how you should deal with it; there may be different muscle groups involved depending on your specific anatomy. But if you’re sitting on a fat wallet that throws off your balance, changing that could make a difference.

How could your pillow affect your hip? I’ll let you know on Thursday.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: Curr Rheumatol Rev. 2017 Mar 9. doi: 10.2174/1573397113666170310100851.