Archive for September, 2007
Low Back pain| Shoe effects
September 30, 2007 8:45 pmSunday, September 30, 2007
Wearing high heels can increase pressure in the knee joint by at least 26% causing knee pain. The entire spine can be thrown out of alignment causing neck pain and lower back pain.
The pressure on the forefoot increases as the height of the heels increases. You are walking on your toes when wearing high heels and if done chronically, the calf muscles tighten and shorten. This will increase the chance of developing lower back pain or aggravate the underlying low back pain.
Also, pain and numbness can occur in the toes due to pressure on the digital nerves. Occasionally, the digital nerve between the third and fourth toes can develop a neuroma called Morton's neuroma.
Deformities of the joints of the toes can also occur because of tight and ill fitting shoes. This can result in the formation of bunions and hammertoes which will produce pain in the toes and foot by constant irritation.
Foot pain and resultant limping will put a stress on the spine further perpetuating the irritation of the spinal nerve roots.
© 2007 copyright all rights reserved www.stopmusclepain.com Low back pain| shoe effects
Low back pain | Driving
September 22, 2007 11:08 pmSaturday, September 22, 2007
Driving a car is a risk factor for low back pain. Our society is dependent on automobiles for both work and leisure. This leads to a corresponding increase in time spent seated in the car with a greater risk of low back pain and absence from work.
Occupational driving especially those whose driving time is >4 h/day has often been associated with a high prevalence of back pain. The factors that contribute to cause the pain are diverse and might include:
- prolonged sitting
- poor driving postures
- exposure to whole-body vibration
- frequent bending/twisting activities while driving
- self-perceived job stress
- job dissatisfaction
- cumulative effects of the duration of daily professional driving
- other non-driving factors such as heavy lifting, poor diet or other psychosocial factors.
It has been found that the chances for lower back pain increases with the number of miles driven and number of working hours.
The prevalence of low-back pain was noted to be higher in those not using lumbar support. As for backrest inclination, those who choose 105 degrees as opposed to those who chose 120 degrees tend to have a greater incidence of low back pain.
Studies have shown the beneficial effects of lumbar massage systems in increasing muscle blood flow and oxygenation in thoracic and lumbar erector spinae musculature during a 1 h simulated driving task. Using massage systems while driving can thus be beneficial.
The shortening of working hours and taking of rest breaks while working should be considered to reduce the incidence of low back pain in those who must drive long hours professionally.
© 2007 copyright all rights reserved www.stopmusclepain.com Low back pain| Driving
Neck pain| Low back pain|Massage
September 14, 2007 4:41 pmSeptember 14, 2007
There are many people with neck and or lower back pain. Many patients may not have any pain but they have stiffness that develops gradually with gradual loss of range of motion.
Since arthritis commonly irritates the nerves supplying the muscles of the spine, shoulder and pelvic girdle, these muscles become stiff and tight. Patients with neck stiffness will find it difficult to look up or look sideways. This will create problems when driving a car, in changing lanes or to back the car. When there is associated weakness or pain in the neck muscles, the patient will have difficulty looking up and will find it more comfortable to have the head hang down.
Lower back stiffness and or pain creates difficulty with walking on level surfaces, up and down inclines or steps and there is significant loss of balance. This predisposes the patients to fall especially when their legs buckle while walking or even standing. Many patients have sustained fractures due to these sudden falls.
Thus, neck and lower back pain and or stiffness will limit the patient's ability to perform the routine activities of daily living.Patients will feel less frustrated when they can do something for themselves that is within their control.
Massage is a very useful adjunct for helping patients with neck and lower back pain. Although it is easier for someone else to massage you, patients must learn how to massage themselves. This is the most practical and realistic way for patients who have chronic pain who will need effects of massage on a long-term basis.
The effects of massage last longer when it can be done multiple times every day. Since massage means manipulation of the tissues causing them to be moved, you should be massaging your self daily since it is a passive exercise. When your muscles become less tight, you will become more mobile allowing you to be able to do things through active exercise movements.
To mssasge, you can pound, pat, tap, squeeze or rub the muscles with your fist. For the back muscles, you can use your knuckles or massage knobs or a J-cane. You can lean against a one pound bar bell placed between you and a high backed chair. You can use the corner of walls or doors to lean against to stretch your back muscles.
The important muscles to massage for the upper spine problems is to massage the neck, between the shoulder blades and the upper limb muscles. For the arm and forearm muscles, you can twist the muscles across the bone shaft as if you are wringing a piece of cloth. Also try to massage your hands especially in the first webspace.
For lower spine problems, it is important to massage the muscles of the middle back, lower back, buttocks, hips, thighs and calves. In the thighs, it is essential to massage them circumferentially. Many people also like to massage their feet and find it to be very relaxing.
If you find an area in the muscle that is too painful, do not do deep massage in those areas since you will aggravate your pain. You must find pleasurable and relaxing points for these are the trigger points that when massaged can help the muscle to come out of spasm.
In my treatments of patients with chronic pain using Electrical Twitch Obtaining Intramuscular Stimulation (eToims), such trigger points are systematically sought serially in each muscle treated and many muscles are treated in one session. This is to stimulate the trigger points to create twitch contractions.
The twitch contraction is the ultimate scientific massage since it can stretch the muscle from within the depths of the muscle. Thus, the twitch contraction relieves the muscle from spasm ending pain. The twitches which are muscle contractions, have an exercise effect that allows blood flow to the tight and stiff muscle tissues helping to heal muscles and nerves.
The effects of the eToims treatments can be helped by using massage on a daily basis regularly. Manual massage is certainly a powerful tool to help relax muscles since it can weakly create twitches within the muscle especially if you spend time to find those relaxing trigger points.
© 2007 copyright all rights reserved www.stopmusclepain.com Neck pain| Low back pain| Massage
Lower back pain|Work Days
September 7, 2007 10:53 pmThe major cost associated with chronic low back pain is the patient's inability to work that may culminate in chronic permanent disability.
Therefore, reducing sick days is essential. Research must therefore show whether patients exposed to functional rehabilitation does better in keeping patients at work compared to those patients who receive pain centered rehabilitation.
Functional rehabilitation emphasizes activity despite pain by work simulation, strength, endurance and cardiovascular training. Work hardening and slowly progressive activity programs encourage patients to continue the activities even if pain increases.
Pain centered rehabilitation emphasizes pain reduction using passive and active mobilization, stretching, strengthening and back school with education and exercise. Such programs may use exercises of moderate intensity together with supportive treatment such as hot packs, electrical stimulation therapy or massage. Activities and exercises that increase pain are avoided.
A recent study with long term follow-up of one year showed that patients with chronic lower back pain who were exposed to functional rehabilitation did better by having more work days than patients who underwent pain centered training.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil 88: 1089-1094, 2007
