January 30, 2009

Back Pain Re-visited!

The next time you’re at the doctor’s office, start a conversation with some of the people that are there. What you’ll most likely find is that except for those who are bothered by colds, flu, and infections, almost everyone else is there for back pain. Back pain is the second most common reason why people visit their family physician.

In many cases back pain and discomfort are the result of a simple strain and or sprain of the muscles, which usually heal on their own within a few days to a week. But if that back pain continues and is not treated, there’s a chance that it may get worse. In many cases, the back pain is gone temporarily, only to return later.

In a recent study, researchers found that more than one third of the test subjects still had pain for over 30 days! That’s an entire month where each person had difficulty sleeping, showering, doing daily chores, driving and even dressing.

Researchers went back to the people in the study five years later to find out how they were doing with their back pain. And Interestingly, 81% of those who had the low back pain for over 30 days still had back pain!

There are some symptoms that can indicate a trip to your family doctor for back pain is the right thing to do. These symptoms include the loss of bowel control or urinary control, when the pain is caused by an injury (there may be internal bleeding), if you have fever, sweating, vomiting and/or weakness along with the back pain, and if your leg, foot, rectum or groin feels numb. In these cases, your chiropractor would no doubt refer you to a family physician.

It's important that when your back starts aching to find out the real reason why you have back pain. The best place to go for that is to a health practitioner who spent hundreds of hours studying the biomechanics of the back, how all the nerves and blood vessels feed the different muscles and joints of the back, and how to effectively treat the back. That practitioner is not your family physician, who spent very little time on this topic in medical school and may not know how to calculate the degree of curvature of a spinal curvature because his training didn’t include this. However, your Somerville Chiropractor has spent years learning thousands of facts about every related topic and your back. He’s the one who is your greatest resource when it comes to back pain.

Common causes of back pain can result from an injury, overuse, poor posture, spinal curvatures, arthritis. Each one of these causes is treated differently. The answers to specific questions you are asked help determine the diagnosis and why you have your back pain.

After questions in the initial history, an exam is completed. At that time, your chiropractor may take x-rays for more information and to confirm what he suspects. Next, he will determine what stretches, exercises, and additional natural therapies such as cold or hot packs, ultrasound, cold laser treatment or nutritional supplements you need that can relieve your back pain in the shortest period of time.

In one study, people with long-lasting back pain felt improvement shortly after starting chiropractic treatment. In another study, it was noted that the relief felt after a month of treatment was often greater than the relief felt from prescription medications or other treatments offered by a family physician. If you're suffering, isn't it time you did something about it.

Seeing your local Somerville Chiropractor for treatment of your back pain may just be the best way to take care of your back pain.

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January 28, 2009

Why office chairs are so important

You might not think that the furniture you use at work is important, it’s probably not something that weighs on your mind and a lot of people are quite used to putting up with using wobbly desks and uncomfortable chairs all day. You might think this doesn't matter and accept it as part of office life, but it's possible that your desk and chair could cause all sort of health problems in the future.

Most people know that sitting in an uncomfortable chair all day can cause back pain but many choose to ignore this. What many people don't realise is that when you're sitting in the same chair all day every day, this can lead to long term health problems in the future.

Bad posture due to sitting in the wrong chair for prolonged periods of time can cause serious long-term back problems and if your workstation is badly designed and not compatible with you, then you could be at risk of other injuries such as RSI which is very painful and takes a long time to recover from. Even a soft chair that feels comfortable at first could cause problems if it's not right for you, so how can you tell which ones you should be using?

Good quality office chairs are ergonomically designed to give the right amount of support, and are adjustable so they fit with both you and your work area. Of course everyone is different but these chairs come in all shapes and sizes, and it is important to choose the right one for your size and stature.

Investing in the right chair will reduce discomfort, bad posture and back pain, and it's proven that workers who are happy, healthy and comfortable in their work environment are more productive too. Online shops like highandmightyseating.com offer a range of office seating for workers of all sizes - an investment that will increase productivity in the workplace as well as looking out for workers’ health and contentment.

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January 27, 2009

Keeping Your Mind And Back Straight: Information On Back Suffering

To start with information on back pain, you should know what causes it. Your back consists of smaller bones, (vertebrae) which connect together to make up the spine. In between the vertebrae are disks that cushion the vertebrae. Running along the spine are nerves, and back muscles, named tendons or ligaments, attach to the back as well.

Back pain can be caused by a number of factors; and is important information on back pain that you should know. If you injure a muscle in your back, it is commonly “pulled” and may need easy painkillers and mild movement. If you injure a disk in your spine, it can be more serious and require operation and a recover period. Whatever the reason, back pain may be acute or chronic depending upon the extent of the injury and the damage caused and how well your body can heal.

If you need to make a trip to the doctor, make certain that you choose a reputable physician who can properly diagnose and treat your pain, as well as provide information on back pain that will keep you healthy in the long run. If the injury is extensive, a physician will usually run a CT scan, or take x-rays to visually see the extent of the damage. They may prescribe strong painkillers, or say that you will need surgery to repair torn ligaments, or slipped disks. Make certain that you have medical insurance to cover any doctor visits, prescriptions or surgical procedures.

Most physicians, chiropractors, or any other health provider will encourage a healthy, active lifestyle as part of prevention of back injuries. The best information on back pain they can provide to you is to keep it from happening. Practice safety when you are at work, at the gym or even making a simple move. Learn the ergonomics of back movement, and be careful not to cause yourself unnecessary pain.

The author of this article is a Bathroom and web design expert. His latest ecommerce site is about  Kitchen Cabinet Maker and Bluetooth GPS.

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