Here is some support for the ideas put forward in www.backpainloss.com
4 ways you can prevent back pain at work
By Shari Rudavsky
Posted: February 12, 2009Post a CommentRecommend E-mail Print Share Del.icio.us Digg Reddit Yahoo Google A A At some point in their lives, eight out of 10 Americans experience back pain. This includes people whose jobs entail lifting heavy loads as well as those who do nothing more strenuous at work than carry a cup of coffee to their desk.
So it might seem like there's not much one can do to prevent the inevitable.
Think again, says Amy Rice, a physical therapist and administrator at the Center for Pain Management. Most complaints result from cumulative insults rather than a sudden injury, even if the onset of pain is immediate.
"Most back pain is really the result of years of wear and tear to the spine," she says.
Here are a few tips to help you overcome bad work habits that could be leading to back pain:
1. Make sure you're in a good seated position: Much of that has to do with the height of your work surfaces, Rice says. Elevate your chair so your elbows are at the level of your work.
Your feet should be flat on the floor. If your feet can't reach, get a foot rest that will fully support them, Rice says.
"Your feet shouldn't be dangling," she says.
2. Check for back support on your chair: "Not every chair fits every person," Rice says.
Your chair should have an adjustable back, so you can position it in a way that provides you good support.
3. Pay attention to where your work is: Position your monitor about eye level, so you're not craning your neck to see.
"A lot of people sit where the keyboard is in front of them but their monitor is off in a corner of their desk. That's really not good," she says.
Place the work you are doing right in front of you.
4. Make healthy choices: Smoking may seem to have no connection, but smokers are twice as likely to develop back pain as those who don't smoke, Rice says. Staying hydrated, exercise and getting enough sleep can also help ward off back pain.
Hope you enjoyed.
Paul
Friday 13 February 2009
Pregnancy and Exercise
Here is an article from the Food Magazine
Pregnant women have to face several health related problems and discomforts during their pregnancy time. The most common and maybe the most annoying of all is the backache. Most of pregnant women suffer from backaches, which can range from being severe to being mild, but still nagging.
The causes
When a woman gets pregnant and as she advances ahead in her pregnancy term, the baby inside her is developing and growing bigger in size as well as weight. Carrying this constant load everyday and all through the day and night can make the back muscles weak. This results in back pain.
Other factors, like changing body posture and poor mechanism of the body, also cause back pain in pregnant women.
The exercise solution
While there are other factors that can also cause pain in the back of a pregnant woman, weakening of the back muscles is the most common cause for this pain. Hence, the solution lies in strengthening these weakened back muscles.
You can go for exercises like walking, swimming or bicycling to make your back strong. You can ease back pain a little bit by maintaining the right posture.
There are some exercises that you can do to help you make your back strong and help you endure the weight of the baby.
Keep a straight back while sitting and keep your arms on the arm rests relaxed. Bend forward gradually while your arms fall freely. Hold it for some time before you are back to your initial position. Do not bend your back through the exercise. Repeat it about 5 times.
The back press will help you make your upper back stronger and your body posture will also improve. Stand with your back against a wall. Allow your feet to be 10-12 inches from it. Use your lower back to press against that wall. Hold it for some time and relax. Do it 8-10 times.
Distribute your weight between your knees, hands and back by going on all fours. Now, do a rocking motion back and forth. Do this while you count to five. Bring yourself back to initial position. Now, try to bend your back, bend it as far as possible. Repeat it 5-10 times.
This is quite interesting and contains some good points.
Please take a look at www.backpainloss.com for some more information.
Paul
Pregnant women have to face several health related problems and discomforts during their pregnancy time. The most common and maybe the most annoying of all is the backache. Most of pregnant women suffer from backaches, which can range from being severe to being mild, but still nagging.
The causes
When a woman gets pregnant and as she advances ahead in her pregnancy term, the baby inside her is developing and growing bigger in size as well as weight. Carrying this constant load everyday and all through the day and night can make the back muscles weak. This results in back pain.
Other factors, like changing body posture and poor mechanism of the body, also cause back pain in pregnant women.
The exercise solution
While there are other factors that can also cause pain in the back of a pregnant woman, weakening of the back muscles is the most common cause for this pain. Hence, the solution lies in strengthening these weakened back muscles.
You can go for exercises like walking, swimming or bicycling to make your back strong. You can ease back pain a little bit by maintaining the right posture.
There are some exercises that you can do to help you make your back strong and help you endure the weight of the baby.
Keep a straight back while sitting and keep your arms on the arm rests relaxed. Bend forward gradually while your arms fall freely. Hold it for some time before you are back to your initial position. Do not bend your back through the exercise. Repeat it about 5 times.
The back press will help you make your upper back stronger and your body posture will also improve. Stand with your back against a wall. Allow your feet to be 10-12 inches from it. Use your lower back to press against that wall. Hold it for some time and relax. Do it 8-10 times.
Distribute your weight between your knees, hands and back by going on all fours. Now, do a rocking motion back and forth. Do this while you count to five. Bring yourself back to initial position. Now, try to bend your back, bend it as far as possible. Repeat it 5-10 times.
This is quite interesting and contains some good points.
Please take a look at www.backpainloss.com for some more information.
Paul
Saturday 7 February 2009
Hi again
From the Los Angeles Times, bet they don't have snow problems.
Exercises for a strong back
Don't overlook this important body part or pain and stiffness might crop up. Three Los Angeles-area trainers offer their favorite moves.
By Jeannine Stein
February 2, 2009
The back often gets short shrift when it comes to strength and conditioning because people tend to focus on muscles more prone to easy definition, such as those in the arms, abs and chest. But neglecting this body part can lead to trouble: aches, stiffness, chronic pain.
A healthy back is flexible, allowing you to bend, turn and reach without even a twinge. It should also be strong, since it helps stabilize the rest of the body. But because many of us sit all day with shoulders rounded forward, our backs have become weak and stiff.
Booster Shots: The Times' health blogAds by Google
"How I Lost My Back Pain"
True Story: When Drs Couldn't Help, I Did This & Was Pain Free In Days!
RealBackPainStories.com
Don't Live With Back Pain
Simple Exercises Rid Pain in 2 Days Get a Free Pain Relief Guide Now
www.LoseTheBackPain.com
#1 Rated Workout Program
Burn Off Fat Fast Gain 10lbs of Muscle In 2 weeks $77
www.7weekworkout.com
"Having a strong back is huge," says Torri Shack, a trainer at Sky Sport & Spa in Beverly Hills. "The stronger your back, the more weight-bearing exercise you can do. People think your abdominals are just your abdominals, but the stronger your back, the stronger your stomach is going to be. A strong back also allows you to do more and different types of ab exercises without feeling pain."
To help restore backs to their proper shape, we asked three trainers for their favorite back exercises. Repetitions and set numbers are given only as a suggestion, so adjust numbers up or down according to your fitness level.
Torri Shack
Trainer, Sky Sport & Spa, Beverly Hills
For the back, I like doing a combination of body resistance and weight-bearing exercises.
* My favorite overall back exercise is the front plank. I tell my clients to do it in the morning and before they go to bed. It's really simple, and you can do it anywhere. Facing the floor, support your body up on your lower arms and your toes, and try to hold it for a minute, eventually progressing to a minute 15 seconds, a minute and a half, etc. To create more instability, raise the right leg, then the left leg, holding for 10 seconds. That move strengthens the overall core. The plank helps people begin to increase the weight they lift because they have a stronger back.
* The other exercise I like is the Superman, where you lie on your stomach, with hands and legs outstretched. Lift the arms and legs at the same time, hold for 10 seconds, come back down and do it again. Work up to doing sets of those 10-second intervals for a minute. To add more resistance, do this while holding water bottles or cans of soup. This especially targets the lower back.
* A more advanced exercise is dumbbell pullovers on a stability ball. Rest the upper shoulders and head on the ball and place feet on the floor. Hold one dumbbell with both hands, arms extended overhead, directly over the chest. Squeezing the lats and keeping elbows straight, lower the weight over the head, then bring the weight back up.
* Another favorite is the reverse fly, which is great for people who have shoulders that roll forward. Sitting on a bench, bend over so your chest is between your knees. Start with dumbbells down by your feet, and then raise them up to the side, giving the back muscles a little squeeze. Keep arms parallel to the ground, or just a little bit higher. For weight-bearing exercises, do one to three sets of 12 to 16 repetitions, using light weights.
Rob Sham
Fitness manager at Bally Total Fitness in Culver City
The back is part of the posterior chain, which is all the muscles that make up the backside of the body, including the upper and lower back, the glutes, hamstrings and calves. Also included are your rear deltoids, or shoulder muscles. The whole shoulder girdle stabilization is key, since it's one of the major areas that gets injured.
Most people sit hunched over, and when the shoulders slump forward, that stretches out the muscles in the upper back. Sitting in that position for a prolonged period of time shortens the muscles in front. Also, people often complain of upper back and neck tension, which can be addressed with flexibility training. They often scrunch their shoulders up.
* For an upper trapezius stretch, sit in a chair facing forward while maintaining good posture. Holding onto the chair with the left arm, gently pull the head toward the right shoulder with the right hand. You should feel a mild stretch, but it shouldn't hurt. Repeat on the other side.
* If your shoulders are rounded forward, you need to strengthen those muscles that will pull your shoulders back again. One good exercise is the T-bar row, or a high row. On a machine meant for this exercise (where the weight is on a fulcrum), grab the weight and start pulling it toward your chest with your elbows out to the side.
* Dead lifts target the hamstrings and glutes and incorporate the lower back. It may sound intimidating, but it's a very functional movement. Start with legs bent, making sure the spine is in alignment. The only movement is bending forward at the waist to raise and lower the weight from the ground. If you don't have full range of motion, you don't have to lower the weight all the way to the ground. Always start with light weights, and do about 12 to 15 repetitions.
Gregg Miele
Beverly Hills-based trainer and owner of Selfdiscipline.com
Some good information, stay well and forget: www.backpainloss.com
From the Los Angeles Times, bet they don't have snow problems.
Exercises for a strong back
Don't overlook this important body part or pain and stiffness might crop up. Three Los Angeles-area trainers offer their favorite moves.
By Jeannine Stein
February 2, 2009
The back often gets short shrift when it comes to strength and conditioning because people tend to focus on muscles more prone to easy definition, such as those in the arms, abs and chest. But neglecting this body part can lead to trouble: aches, stiffness, chronic pain.
A healthy back is flexible, allowing you to bend, turn and reach without even a twinge. It should also be strong, since it helps stabilize the rest of the body. But because many of us sit all day with shoulders rounded forward, our backs have become weak and stiff.
Booster Shots: The Times' health blogAds by Google
"How I Lost My Back Pain"
True Story: When Drs Couldn't Help, I Did This & Was Pain Free In Days!
RealBackPainStories.com
Don't Live With Back Pain
Simple Exercises Rid Pain in 2 Days Get a Free Pain Relief Guide Now
www.LoseTheBackPain.com
#1 Rated Workout Program
Burn Off Fat Fast Gain 10lbs of Muscle In 2 weeks $77
www.7weekworkout.com
"Having a strong back is huge," says Torri Shack, a trainer at Sky Sport & Spa in Beverly Hills. "The stronger your back, the more weight-bearing exercise you can do. People think your abdominals are just your abdominals, but the stronger your back, the stronger your stomach is going to be. A strong back also allows you to do more and different types of ab exercises without feeling pain."
To help restore backs to their proper shape, we asked three trainers for their favorite back exercises. Repetitions and set numbers are given only as a suggestion, so adjust numbers up or down according to your fitness level.
Torri Shack
Trainer, Sky Sport & Spa, Beverly Hills
For the back, I like doing a combination of body resistance and weight-bearing exercises.
* My favorite overall back exercise is the front plank. I tell my clients to do it in the morning and before they go to bed. It's really simple, and you can do it anywhere. Facing the floor, support your body up on your lower arms and your toes, and try to hold it for a minute, eventually progressing to a minute 15 seconds, a minute and a half, etc. To create more instability, raise the right leg, then the left leg, holding for 10 seconds. That move strengthens the overall core. The plank helps people begin to increase the weight they lift because they have a stronger back.
* The other exercise I like is the Superman, where you lie on your stomach, with hands and legs outstretched. Lift the arms and legs at the same time, hold for 10 seconds, come back down and do it again. Work up to doing sets of those 10-second intervals for a minute. To add more resistance, do this while holding water bottles or cans of soup. This especially targets the lower back.
* A more advanced exercise is dumbbell pullovers on a stability ball. Rest the upper shoulders and head on the ball and place feet on the floor. Hold one dumbbell with both hands, arms extended overhead, directly over the chest. Squeezing the lats and keeping elbows straight, lower the weight over the head, then bring the weight back up.
* Another favorite is the reverse fly, which is great for people who have shoulders that roll forward. Sitting on a bench, bend over so your chest is between your knees. Start with dumbbells down by your feet, and then raise them up to the side, giving the back muscles a little squeeze. Keep arms parallel to the ground, or just a little bit higher. For weight-bearing exercises, do one to three sets of 12 to 16 repetitions, using light weights.
Rob Sham
Fitness manager at Bally Total Fitness in Culver City
The back is part of the posterior chain, which is all the muscles that make up the backside of the body, including the upper and lower back, the glutes, hamstrings and calves. Also included are your rear deltoids, or shoulder muscles. The whole shoulder girdle stabilization is key, since it's one of the major areas that gets injured.
Most people sit hunched over, and when the shoulders slump forward, that stretches out the muscles in the upper back. Sitting in that position for a prolonged period of time shortens the muscles in front. Also, people often complain of upper back and neck tension, which can be addressed with flexibility training. They often scrunch their shoulders up.
* For an upper trapezius stretch, sit in a chair facing forward while maintaining good posture. Holding onto the chair with the left arm, gently pull the head toward the right shoulder with the right hand. You should feel a mild stretch, but it shouldn't hurt. Repeat on the other side.
* If your shoulders are rounded forward, you need to strengthen those muscles that will pull your shoulders back again. One good exercise is the T-bar row, or a high row. On a machine meant for this exercise (where the weight is on a fulcrum), grab the weight and start pulling it toward your chest with your elbows out to the side.
* Dead lifts target the hamstrings and glutes and incorporate the lower back. It may sound intimidating, but it's a very functional movement. Start with legs bent, making sure the spine is in alignment. The only movement is bending forward at the waist to raise and lower the weight from the ground. If you don't have full range of motion, you don't have to lower the weight all the way to the ground. Always start with light weights, and do about 12 to 15 repetitions.
Gregg Miele
Beverly Hills-based trainer and owner of Selfdiscipline.com
Some good information, stay well and forget: www.backpainloss.com
Back to back pain
Hi,
The weather has been on my mind, so I did a trawl round the net and will show some of the good stuff before I get back to my own thoughts. Some thing from Med page today
enjoy
Medical News: Back Pain
Exercise Is Neglected Therapy for Chronic Low Back and Neck Pain
By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today
Published: January 30, 2009
Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco Earn CME/CE credit
for reading medical news
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Jan. 30 -- Less than half of patients with chronic low back or neck pain are prescribed exercise, one of the few moderately effective interventions, researchers here said. Action Points
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explain to interested patients that exercise has been shown to be moderately beneficial for chronic low back pain, but less is known about how often such an intervention is used.
Note that this study found that less than half of the patients who could benefit from exercise are getting a prescription for it.
In a survey of nearly 700 patients with chronic low back or neck pain, only 14.4% were prescribed exercise by their physicians, Janet Freburger, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues reported in the February issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
Physical therapists, on the other hand, were more likely to prescribe exercise to such patients as were chiropractors.
Although studies over the past 10 years have shown that exercise is beneficial for chronic low back and neck pain, Dr. Freburger and colleagues said, "less is known about exercise prescription in routine clinical practice. Who is prescribing it? Who is getting it? What is being prescribed?"
So they conducted a telephone survey, part of a larger study of the prevalence of chronic back and neck pain in North Carolina, the researchers said.
For this analysis, the researchers studied patients with chronic back or neck pain who completed the exercise section of the survey and who in the previous year had consulted a physician, chiropractor, or physical therapist.
All told, the sample included 684 patients, including 574 with chronic back pain and 110 with neck pain.
But only 48% of the patients were prescribed exercise, the researchers found, and -- although most saw a physician -- only about one in every seven said the physician suggested exercise.
In contrast, 63.8% of those who saw a physical therapist and 33.1% of those who saw a chiropractor were prescribed exercise.
In a multivariable analysis, physical therapists and chiropractors were significantly more likely than physicians (P<0.001 for both comparisons) to prescribe exercise.
Other significant predictors of an exercise prescription, the researchers found, were female sex, having greater than a high school education, and being on workers' compensation, at P=0.004, P=0.007, and P=0.01, respectively.
To be sure, many physicians who did not prescribe exercise referred the patients to physical therapists who did. Of those respondents who saw a physician and did not receive exercise instruction, 26.3% saw a therapist and 9.7% saw a chiropractor who did prescribe exercise, the researchers found.
Among the subset of patients who were prescribed exercise, the researchers found, physicians played a larger role. The investigators said 28.6% of respondents reported they got the suggestion from their physician, compared with 46% from a physical therapist and 20.9% from a chiropractor. Another 4.6% said they got the suggestion from more than one provider or did not specify a source.
Among the study limitations, the researchers said, is that they relied on patient self-report of exercise prescription, type, frequency, and duration.
The study was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the National Institute of Nursing Research. The authors did not report any conflicts.
Hope this is of interset. More to follow soon
Paul.
Dont forget, always got stuff at www.backpainloss.com
The weather has been on my mind, so I did a trawl round the net and will show some of the good stuff before I get back to my own thoughts. Some thing from Med page today
enjoy
Medical News: Back Pain
Exercise Is Neglected Therapy for Chronic Low Back and Neck Pain
By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today
Published: January 30, 2009
Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco Earn CME/CE credit
for reading medical news
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Jan. 30 -- Less than half of patients with chronic low back or neck pain are prescribed exercise, one of the few moderately effective interventions, researchers here said. Action Points
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explain to interested patients that exercise has been shown to be moderately beneficial for chronic low back pain, but less is known about how often such an intervention is used.
Note that this study found that less than half of the patients who could benefit from exercise are getting a prescription for it.
In a survey of nearly 700 patients with chronic low back or neck pain, only 14.4% were prescribed exercise by their physicians, Janet Freburger, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues reported in the February issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
Physical therapists, on the other hand, were more likely to prescribe exercise to such patients as were chiropractors.
Although studies over the past 10 years have shown that exercise is beneficial for chronic low back and neck pain, Dr. Freburger and colleagues said, "less is known about exercise prescription in routine clinical practice. Who is prescribing it? Who is getting it? What is being prescribed?"
So they conducted a telephone survey, part of a larger study of the prevalence of chronic back and neck pain in North Carolina, the researchers said.
For this analysis, the researchers studied patients with chronic back or neck pain who completed the exercise section of the survey and who in the previous year had consulted a physician, chiropractor, or physical therapist.
All told, the sample included 684 patients, including 574 with chronic back pain and 110 with neck pain.
But only 48% of the patients were prescribed exercise, the researchers found, and -- although most saw a physician -- only about one in every seven said the physician suggested exercise.
In contrast, 63.8% of those who saw a physical therapist and 33.1% of those who saw a chiropractor were prescribed exercise.
In a multivariable analysis, physical therapists and chiropractors were significantly more likely than physicians (P<0.001 for both comparisons) to prescribe exercise.
Other significant predictors of an exercise prescription, the researchers found, were female sex, having greater than a high school education, and being on workers' compensation, at P=0.004, P=0.007, and P=0.01, respectively.
To be sure, many physicians who did not prescribe exercise referred the patients to physical therapists who did. Of those respondents who saw a physician and did not receive exercise instruction, 26.3% saw a therapist and 9.7% saw a chiropractor who did prescribe exercise, the researchers found.
Among the subset of patients who were prescribed exercise, the researchers found, physicians played a larger role. The investigators said 28.6% of respondents reported they got the suggestion from their physician, compared with 46% from a physical therapist and 20.9% from a chiropractor. Another 4.6% said they got the suggestion from more than one provider or did not specify a source.
Among the study limitations, the researchers said, is that they relied on patient self-report of exercise prescription, type, frequency, and duration.
The study was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the National Institute of Nursing Research. The authors did not report any conflicts.
Hope this is of interset. More to follow soon
Paul.
Dont forget, always got stuff at www.backpainloss.com
Wednesday 4 February 2009
Only in England
Hello people
Nothing about backs today. I feel like a whinge today.
Last Sunday we had a bit of snow, 20 centimeters some places. I had a twenty mile drive in what, for us, are Arctic conditions, the snow was, after all from Russia. At least that's what the radio said.
It also said, as I was driving at speeds from 20 to 40 mph, that unless your journey was urgent, stay at home. Then the guy said London was closed. All buses cancelled the underground closed and the overground shut mostly as well. Except for East Anglia, where they get the worst weather in the south of England.
My destination normally has a workforce of 2000, it peaked on Monday at 400. By lunchtime people were drifting off home.
The national news was all about finger pointing, and laying blame. This weather had been predicted for 3 days, so why, so to speak, were caught with our pants down again? There is a prediction of snow again tonight, worse than before, and I have a journey up a Motorway again. No special tyres, no shovel in the car, just drive slow and hope there is some traffic on the roads to clear it.
The other choice will be stay home and make a snowman.
I also started a diet and exercise plan Monday, looking to get thin and lithe again.
Take care
Paul
Nothing about backs today. I feel like a whinge today.
Last Sunday we had a bit of snow, 20 centimeters some places. I had a twenty mile drive in what, for us, are Arctic conditions, the snow was, after all from Russia. At least that's what the radio said.
It also said, as I was driving at speeds from 20 to 40 mph, that unless your journey was urgent, stay at home. Then the guy said London was closed. All buses cancelled the underground closed and the overground shut mostly as well. Except for East Anglia, where they get the worst weather in the south of England.
My destination normally has a workforce of 2000, it peaked on Monday at 400. By lunchtime people were drifting off home.
The national news was all about finger pointing, and laying blame. This weather had been predicted for 3 days, so why, so to speak, were caught with our pants down again? There is a prediction of snow again tonight, worse than before, and I have a journey up a Motorway again. No special tyres, no shovel in the car, just drive slow and hope there is some traffic on the roads to clear it.
The other choice will be stay home and make a snowman.
I also started a diet and exercise plan Monday, looking to get thin and lithe again.
Take care
Paul
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
