Pain Management and Pain Relief Information

Archive for the ‘Back Pain’ Category

The psoas muscle (which is sometimes referred to as the Iliopsoas) is a large muscle that connects the upper back and the inner thigh. Though it might be difficult to imagine how a muscle could make this connection, the psoas is an extremely important muscle. It help to stabilize and torso as well as rotate the hips.
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This muscle helps you sit up from lying down, stand up from sitting down, and it helps you walk. The psoas is very important in our day-to-day life. But sometimes lack of activity and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to a contracted or tense psoas muscle. This may cause lower back pain and stiffness or lack of mobility in the lower back or hip area.

Over time you may hold your body in an unnatural way either due to poor posture, injury, or just having a job that requires you sitting all day. This causes the psoas to develop a “memory” to hold itself in a contracted or stiff state.

You may have a contracted psoas muscle as well if your back is generally out of alignment. Misalignment of the psoas muscle can cause your back to lean more to one side of the other. This can result in bulging discs, sciatica, or other types of back pain.

Since your psoas controls so many different movements from sitting up, standing up, and walking, it is likely that you may have difficulties or pain with these movements as well.

Understand that the pain you’re feeling is the direct result of a muscle imbalance in your psoas. Specifically, the psoas is contracted and throwing other parts of your back and hips out of alignment.

There are really two things you can do to relieve the pain. The first is to correct any lifestyle problems that may be causing the stiffness in your psoas muscle. Maybe you need to stand up ever now and then during the day instead of sitting for hours on end, or maybe you need to practice improving your posture. Secondly, to loosen up the psoas muscle you will need to develop the daily habit of stretching out the psoas muscle. If you do this consistently, you can start to relax and loosen the muscle tension.

Stretching exercises that target your psoas muscle will help you open and release the tension in this muscle. Stretching your psoas may be difficult at first if you are not particularly flexible. Don’t feel bad, if your psoas is contracted and stiff, many other muscles in your body are probably stiff as well.

One muscle in particular that you may need to stretch in addition to the psoas is the piriformis muscle, which helps to rotate your legs. Often times a tense psoas and a tense piriformis muscle will come hand in hand.

Keep stretching daily and over time, your psoas and other muscles in your body will gain flexibility and the pain you are experiencing will slowly go away as your psoas opens up.

Dealing with a bulging disc can be difficult. Of course it probably hurts since there’s a good chance it is pushing up against a nerve, but it can also be a little bit scary as well. I mean, it’s kind of frightening to think that there is something going wrong with your body and if you don’t take care of it, you might end up with a herniated disc and need to go in for an operation.

I previously wrote about 3 ways to treat a bulging disc. Here are 4 more common treatments for bulging discs:

Doing McKenzie Method Exercises on Bulging Disc

This is another effective treatment for back problems such as a bulging disc. You use the concept of trying to centralize the pain into one specific location. This kind of treatment deals with the spine abnormalities that are from injuries caused by excessive amounts of stress in your body. What this treatment does is that it makes use of some extension exercises where your lower back can be hyper-extended and is allowed to decompress. This starts to move the pain to one central location in the body.

Think of it like this, if you have shooting pain down your lower back to your thigh, you might do one of these exercises to slowly focus that pain in one location, say your hip. From there you can easily treat the hip pain rather than spreading your efforts over your entire body.

Using the Williams Technique on Your Bulging Disc

This kind of technique is the opposite of McKenzie technique when treating bulging disc. Contrary to the McKenzie method, the Williams method involves flexing exercises to take pressure off of the spine and joints. This allow the back to relax without the pressure and stress that daily life puts on it.

Williams said once that man began having back problems as soon as he stood up. This technique is based on the idea that the standing posture is unnatural and can actually result in many of the back problems that you are suffering from.

Injecting Epidural Steroid for Pain Relief

In this treatment, you are being injected with cortisone in your spinal canal but on the outside of the spinal sac. This has benefits in your pain reduction and inflammation that can irritate your nerves. This is done by a professional such as anesthesiologist. This is an outpatient operation that takes less than an hour to complete. Not much of a hassle at all!

Using Surgery for Bulging Disc

This kind of treatment is used for the most severe cases of bulging discs. You need to consider other forms of treatment before you resort to surgery because this kind of treatment, if it is done improperly, can lead to major and permanent damage to you. Most medical doctors even do not recommend this to bulging disk patients.

If you really need to have this procedure done to you, it can be effective if it was done properly. Consider getting a laser surgery. Laser surgery can leave fewer scars and its chances of destroying the healthy cells can be very minimal. It also takes less time than other types of surgery out there.

However, be aware, that quite a few people have gotten spinal surgery to help relive sciatica or other back pain problems, only to report that the pain comes back again. Many times, it is much worse than before. Only consider surgery if you have exhausted all other options.

So, if you are suffering from a bulging disc, one of these 4 methods might be a way to find relief and get back on your feet without the pain of a bulging disc.

One of the most common conditions you’ll experience when it comes to back pain is a herniated disc, which is pretty much the same as a bulging disc but with a slight difference. And because it is so common, there are many different kinds of treatments that you can choose from for this condition.

This type of condition most commonly affects one of the discs in the lumbar area and can give you pain. But, take note that you don’t necessarily need surgery for all disc problems. Only the ones that are serious and complicated will require an operation. If you want to know some treatments that can help the problem, here are a few things that you can try.

Using Physical Therapy on Bulging Discs

This is the type of treatment that is the most common. When you do this treatment it can involve ultrasound, hot packs or simply therapeutic massage. This type of therapy is easy because it only requires you to stretch, relax, or otherwise apply something directly to the area.

Chiropractors even use spinal manipulation and traction when they are treating herniated discs. If your chiropractor used this kind of treatment properly, it can give you good result because this kind of treatment can relieve pressure to decrease pain.

Using Medication on Bulging Disc

You can use medication for bulging discs too such as pain killers, relaxants and some anti-inflammatory medicines. These can help in relieving pain and at the same time can help relax your muscles.

Another effective medication is Cortisone injections that are injected to the spinal canal. This can give you fast active relief of the pain and inflammation but can lead to irritation of your nerves.

The negative side about this treatment is that it can make you dependent on drugs and can make recurrence of the pain require a higher dosage. Plus, long-term use of many pain killers can cause health problems.

Using Spinal Decompression on Bulging Disc

This kind of method is very different from the above method because you use no drugs at all but the results are very effective. When you use this method, it can relieve the pain when you treat the disc problem. What happens with this method is that it uses computer controlled pumps that can enable spine re-hydration to the disc which can reposition the spine tissues back to their original location. This can give you more relief the natural way.

An alternative way of doing this is to get an inversion table and hang upside down or at angle in your home. This helps to take pressure off your spine and allows you to build and strengthen core muscles to help keep your back strong.

No matter what kind of treatment that you are going to take, make sure that you are physically and mentally ready to take it. These treatments are different from each other and some of them are longer to see results and more painful to do. You need to be patient though and never try another treatment without completing the first one. And lastly, be sure to talk to a doctor before starting any treatment plan to make sure it is safe for you.

Do you currently suffer from degeneration problems in your back?

Is this causing you pain on a regular basis and now you are looking for answers?

1.) Introduction

Braces for degenerative back issues can help people. They do not cure you, but they can add needed support to your back and this can help to control pain problems for patients. If a person is going to have surgery, or has had surgery, braces for the back can serve a dual purpose. Not only can they help to reduce pain, but they can also restrict motion that will facilitate the healing process for the individual. Choosing the best brace depends on the condition the patient is in. We will discuss different braces in this article so you are more aware of the best options available to you.

2.) Best Back Braces For Degenerative Issues

If you suffer from back problems that are associated to degenerative issues in your spine, then this section of the article can help you. There are different kinds of braces that range from less restrictive to more restrictive. Remember, just because you get a rigid brace that is more restrictive, does not mean that you are getting a bad support. It all depends on the amount of brace you will need at the time it is issued.

A.) Corsets: These are back supports that are less restrictive in nature. This is a very common medically prescribed brace that can help reduce pain and limit motion. They are considered to be more of a reminder for people not to make the wrong movement and are not considered to be very restrictive. Usually, people receive what is called a lumbosacral corset, which supports the lower back. Although the lumbosacral corset is common, dorsal lumbar corsets exist that are for the entire back. Dorsal lumbar corsets usually have shoulder straps that help to limit flexion of the spine.

B.) Traditional LSOs and TLSOs: These braces are typically made to be more restrictive. They usually use more plastic that provides rigidity in the orthopedic bracing industry. If your spine is less stable, or you just had a serious surgical procedure done, then an LSO or TLSO may be prescribed by your doctor. They usually restrict more motion than a corset does and this is not necessarily bad for patients.

Note: This is health information. Although it is good information, it is best to get medical advice about bracing from your local, licensed orthotist.

I recently saw a patient who was involved in a rear end automobile accident. She suffered from what we call an acceleration-deceleration or hyper extension-flexion injury, frequently referred to as whiplash.

With our dependence on the automobile as a mode of transportation, these types of injuries are relatively common.

The mechanism of injury is fairly straightforward. The victim is stopped at a stop sign or traffic light. Another vehicle hits them from the rear.

What occurs is that the head slams backwards, and then is whipped forward, and then back again. Why whiplash occurs can be easily understood if one looks at how the neck is constructed.

The foundation of the neck is the cervical spine. This consists of seven bones, referred to as vertebra, each of which is separated from the other by a robbery cushion, called the disk. The vertebra and the discs are stacked on top of each other. The discs do not extend all the way to the rear of the vertebra.

Each vertebra has a large hole at the rear so that when the vertebra are stacked, there is a central canal which permits the passage of the spinal cord from the brain down. At each level between the vertebra are two openings to allow nerve roots to exit from the spinal cord.

The cervical spine is held together with a complex arrangement of ligaments and also supported by a girdle of muscles.

During a whiplash injury, the ligaments supporting the cervical spine may be stretched or torn. In addition, the muscles are also traumatized.

A typical whiplash victim usually does not have much discomfort at the time of the injury. However, within 24 hours, the patient may begin to experience severe stiffness and pain. The discomfort is so severe that the patient cannot bend nor turn their head. In addition to the pain, patients may also experience headache, dizziness, or nausea.

The pain can be intense radiating to the top of the head and downwards into the upper back between the shoulder blades.

When the patient presents to the doctor, the examination will show reduced range of motion in the neck along with muscle spasm. Usually, the neurologic examination is normal.

X-rays will show evidence of muscle spasm and loss of the normal gentle curve in the neck because of the muscle spasm.

The initial treatment consists of the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, and a soft cervical collar. The collar should not be worn for more than a few days. Physical therapy is also recommended. Fortunately, most patients improve within 4 to 6 weeks.

Unfortunately, there are some people who will be left with chronic pain. This is a very difficult situation and patients may require other types of treatment including trigger point injections using either dry needling, lidocaine, botulinum toxin (Botox), and prolotherapy.

It is a proven fact that a gravity table can reduce and even eliminate back pain totally. From here on we will use the medical term for gravity table which is “inversion table”. An inversion table actually turns you upside down, with your feet overhead. If you are asking, what are the benefits of being upside down; I have outlined 7 benefits that you will receive.

• Re-aligns the spine. If you workout regularly, or do any type of exercise that might constantly put pressure on your spine, then this type of therapy can actually realign your spine. It has been proven that activities such as golf or tennis, which are often called one-sided sports because of the fact that you use mainly one side of your body to deliver the ball, are could candidates for “inversion therapy”.
  

• Your height can be maintained. Over your lifetime, your body naturally shrinks, which is caused by the force of gravity. Hanging upside down can help equalize the force of gravity and prevent you from losing your height.
• Improves blood flow. One of the inversion table benefits that helps relieve back pain is the increase the flow of blood circulation to your muscles. This helps to ease the pains of your swollen or stiff muscles.
• Helps your posture. You will have more ease of movement do to the fact that reversing gravity helps your range of movement. You will be able to move, sit, and stand with more flexibility.
• Stress relief benefit. You could compare inversion therapy to a full body massage. You know how having a massage helps relax and relieve stress; this will give you the same relaxing benefit. Some people claim they even sleep better after treatment.
• Keeps you mentally sharp. When you are inverted, gravity causes more blood flow and oxygen to your brain. Many experts believe that this promotes mental sharpness.
• Relieves your back pain. When you use inversion therapy you are doing all of the above which helps relieve your back pain. After several treatments you will start to even feel young again. The additional benefits mentioned above are a plus if you are using this therapy for your back.

To get started with this type of therapy it may take about 2 weeks at a table angle of 30 degrees for one or two minutes per session. You can slowly increase your time as you become more comfortable using the table. If you are starting to relax while using the gravity table, then you are starting to get use to it.

Recently one of my closest friends asked me how to cure a stiff neck. She confided that she suffers from chronic stiff neck and is in pain most of the week. If you’ve ever had a stiff neck you know it can radiate excruciating pain. Your whole life is more difficult to live. Every movement, every sneeze, every turn can mean pain. It slows down your quality of life and takes the wind out of your sail.

Whether you slept bad, was in a car accident, stumbled and was forced to tense up your body or suffering from ongoing stress, your stiff neck is a sign of muscle pain. Often stretching from your neck and shoulder down to your back, you can feel the tightened muscle that is causing the pain. Without proper care and attention a stiff neck can last for days and even weeks. Depending on the cause of your particular pain, there are steps you can take to relieve the discomfort. If you choose not to take any action and the injury was caused from sleeping in an awkward position, it will correct itself within a few days.

If you want to address this right away, here are the three main remedies suggested for pain of this magnitude:

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1. Massaging the muscle will help to relax the area, release the tension and bring relief. It is suggested that you use your fingers to rub the area gentle in a circular motion. Begin from your neck all the way down to where the pain stops in your back. Be careful not rub to hard or too aggressively, this could worsen the problem and extend the discomfort. It would be best if you can have someone else provide the massage. You will be in a more relaxed state and another person will be able to massage the affected area without you having to use other muscles during the process.
2. A hot shower has been known to relieve muscle pain and stiff necks. When you shower, try to make the water as hot as you can bear. Stand still and allow the water to beat on the affected area. If possible rub this area gentle as the water hits your body. This can be done each time you shower and should produce results in a matter of days.
3. For immediate relief there are two products that I highly recommend for stiff necks.

• The first is ThermaCare heat packs. No, I am not commissioned by them to sing their praises. When I’ve used something that works, I spread the word. Far too many complain when a product doesn’t meet their expectations, but too few acknowledge their satisfaction for something that does. Plainly put, ThermaCare heat packs work. I’ve used them for stiff neck pain and they provided relief within an hour. Once you remove the adhesive from the heat pack, apply it to your neck and allow air to reach the package it quickly starts getting warmer and warmer.
• The second product I suggest for serious instant relief is IcyHot. This cream is amazing. If you want immediate, instant relief, take a hot shower and then apply IcyHot. Beware however, that this will intensify the experience. Within a couple minutes you will feel a burning sensation (do not apply after a hot shower if you cannot take too much heat). Shortly after the burning sensation subsides, you will then start to feel relief. This is an extreme method for relief and should be used with caution and care. It is not suggested for children or those with sensitive skin.

A stiff neck and can be a real pain, but it doesn’t have to last long. As with any injury, your treatment should depend on the cause. Once you’ve determined the reason for your pain take the right steps to get rid of your stiff neck.

Massage is a technique that can free your body and mind from nagging emotional stressors that weigh on your body. Unfortunately, the benefits of the treatments are not employed as often as people need them. It is very important to incorporate any service that you deem specifically beneficial to the performance of your body. Having a routine will not only help you better manage your life; it will also help you keep things into perspective. More people are finding stabilized living by allowing them to access services that dissolve stress and muscle tension.

In some countries this powerful service has been incorporated into their lifestyle as a means of staying grounded. Fortunately for those who understand the benefits of keeping their muscles clean and flexible; living a well balanced life is a revolving reality. This can be accomplished by everyone who is in search of feeling and performing at their best.

It can become quite frustrating to have the desire to do more throughout the day and have your body deny you its performance. This could be a very good time to search yourself for a new plan of approach to getting things done. If you are experiencing exhaustion you might want to have a physical examination. Just remember to ask your physician about the benefits of massage for your body type.

Muscle tension is a great and common concern for most people. If your daily routine does not include an exercise regimen your oxygen level and blood flow might be imbalanced. Bike riding, running and swimming are all great strategies for exercise. Consulting with your doctor is the smartest approach before committing yourself; and while your at it ask them about your appropriate level of water consumption.

When the body is not getting enough exercise, rest and fluids this creates an environment for contaminants. Toxins have more than likely stores themselves in your muscles and need to be out. Deep body rubs are a great way to evict those toxins out of the body and can be flushed out with water. Water consumption should be established between you and your doctor.

Some people might find that there are certain areas of their body that is sensitive to the touch. Provided that you have already been cleared by you primary physician; you might benefit from a light rubdown. This is generally referenced as a Swedish technique and is highly sought after by those who are more sensitive.

When you want to spice things up a bit, there are services that use natural resources like stones. The stones are heat and applied to a variety of tension areas of the body. The natural weight of the stone plays a huge part in the success of this treatment. The natural pressure of the stones, the heat and the flow of trained hands is delightful. Online pharmacy viagra

Massage is one of the best services to help people live a stress free lifestyle. It is available to everyone through a variation of techniques. It is important to explore your body and respond to its needs. Your body is your vehicle that enables you to get everything done – make sure you reward it.

Whether you are experiencing pain because of an accident or illness or aging has your back misaligned, the services of a chiropractor can help you. Your chiropractor should have the proper training and work in a professional environment that is clean and relaxing, as well. The first thing that your treatment specialist will do is talk to you about the problems that you have been experiencing. You may want to discuss treatment options with your chiropractor, as well.

Neck pain, arthritis and disc pain can all be relieved with the assistance of a chiropractor. Reno, NV chiropractors can also relieve pain associated with pinched nerves, chronic headaches, and pain from carpal tunnel syndrome. If you have any type of chronic pain that doesn’t seem to respond to traditional treatments then it is time to see a chiropractor. Most patients who visit this specialist will experience a sense of satisfaction that simply can’t be fond with traditional medicine, and may even have long term results that aren’t available with prescription medications.

Your chiropractor will work with you to first perform an initial exam to identify the cause of your problems. After the initial exam you may be referred to a lab for more diagnostic testing or you may need some follow up care at the office. The chiropractor will treat your condition as needed, so you may require the services of another office or physician if you are suffering from any physical ailments that can be treated with another options in addition to chiropractic care. These options all ensure you are as healthy and pain-free as you can possibly be.

Your chiropractor has a code of ethics that he or she follows the same as all physicians. The treatment that you receive can help you become pain free by relieving stress on joints, but they may also provide you with information that can help you reduce pain without the use of medications. For instance, you may learn how to deal with mental stress that is often linked to pain using relaxation techniques recommended by the chiropractor.

A local chiropractor is a must have when you experience back, neck or shoulder pain on a daily basis. Even leg and hip pain can be treated by a chiropractor, and many people even rely on this type of doctor to help heal common ailments. Your chiropractor can do more than simply relive pain associated with illness or injury. Your chiropractor will even take several kinds of insurance, so you pay less out of pocket when relieving your back pain. You don’t have to suffer needlessly with a chiropractor who can provide instant relief for most types of pain.

For those suffering from chronic back pain as a result of spinal compressions, injuries, DDD or disc degenerative diseases, herniated disc and other spine diseases, spinal decompression therapy is an alternative treatment to invasive and surgical procedures. This therapy is guaranteed effective and highly recommended by physicians, chiropractors and health professionals. While spinal decompression treatment would not require you to take medications or any invasive procedure, this method utilizes a spinal decompression machine for best results.

When you have saved yourself from medical expenses, you will then have to prepare a budget for the machine that you will be using for the decompression. Spine decompression machines are state – of – the – art – technology which are computerized and capable of determining the amount of decompression that your body needs tom achieve the best cure. There are few spinal decompression machines that you can choose from if you are considering of purchasing one.

• There is the Vax – D or Vertebral Axial Decompression which is popularly known to be the most effective and safest decompression machine. It works to increase the spaces between inter – vertebral disc to relieve pain. It is also effective in the treatment of herniated disc, sciatica, DDD and the results can be more accurate and permanent. Treatment with Vax – D takes about 15 to 30 sessions on a daily basis.
• Another decompression machine used for spine and disc diseases is the DRX9000. DRX9000 is FDA – approved to treat chronic back pain, herniated disc, sciatica as well as degenerative disc diseases of DDD. This machine is computer – controlled that should be used accurately to prevent further injuries. This must only be used by health professionals who knew exactly the proper procedures of using the machine. Treatment with DRX9000 can last up to 50 sessions depending on the back problem. However, results vary from one patient to another.

If you are looking to purchase one from these two types of decompression machine, then you will need thousands of dollars for one machine. Yes, the machine are very expensive and so is each sessions of the therapy. If you think you can’t afford this, then inversion therapy is a good alternative. With a $200 or $300 inversion table, you can actually decompress your spine and get relief for your back pain plus more benefits brought about by the therapy through inversion