Daily Back Pain Relief With a Hawaiian Massage Chair Recliner

Daily Back Pain Relief With a Hawaiian Massage Chair Recliner

Do you suffer from back pain? Is it more in the shoulder or neck, maybe it's the lower back? Are you seeking any treatments to help alleviate the pain and heal the affected area? Massage chairs have stepped up to offer a variety of treatments and offer Hawaiian massage. Hawaiian massage uses long, flowing strokes, some deep tissue and in some cases stretching. The Hawaiian massage can be a great treatment for back pain in the lower back, shoulders and neck.

Hawaiian Lomi massage means "Loving Hands" to represent working gently, yet deeply to relieve those problem areas. The Lomi Lomi massage is a holistic massage used throughout the entire body, but it is particularly effective up and down the spine. The Lomi Lomi massage originated with the ancient Polynesians and then was further developed by the master healers of Hawaii.

These ancient practitioners saw the total energy flow through the body. They say that energy flow was sometimes hindered in certain regions, yet flowed in others. In time a holistic approach to healing and well being was developed. But specifically what they found was areas of energy blockage could be manipulated. With the development of different massage techniques, the energy flow of the body could be restored. This restoration brought back balance to the body.

Hawaiian massage uses flowing, rhythmic motions that help to loosen and elongate muscles. These rhythmic motions feel like waves moving about the body. These full body strokes help to release blockages to the energy flow in the body, releasing tension and soothing aches and pains. The swaying motions are also coupled with more pressure to work deeper into the muscles. The Hawaiian massage helps to bring back flexibility to sore and aching muscles and tendons.

The premier massage chair brands like Panasonic and Omega have Hawaiian massage therapies. Panasonic has a full Hawaiian massage program in some of their recliners. Omega has Hawaiian massage therapy with gentle swaying motions. The gentle swaying motions help to loosen the muscles around the shoulder and neck. This releases stiffness and built up stress. The gentle swaying motion is effective for loosening the compression on the lower back. These flowing strokes of this massage help to lessen the pressure on the discs elongate the muscles and release built up tensions.

Massage chairs have come a long way over the years. The technology that is integrated into these mechanical masseuses is nothing short of impressive. Most massage chairs have the capability to perform an array of massage therapies. Hawaiian massage has certain advantages for relieving stress, tension and aches in the back, neck and shoulders. Let the "Loving Hands" of these robotic masseuses show their fondness for relieving your aches and pains.


Back Neck Pain - Daily Back Pain Relief With a Hawaiian Massage Chair Recliner

Back Pain Cause - The Radiologist's Report

Back Pain Cause - The Radiologist's Report

This is a story about what happened to a mate of mine who showed me the radiologist's report from the X-Ray of his back.

There is a central disc protrusion with a focul annular tear... facet joint arthropathy and ligamentum flavum hypertrophy... there is a dics bulge which is paracentral to the left side and extended in to the foramen and far laterally... there is mild crowing of the cauda equine... there is no evidence of spinal canal stenosis... blah, blah, blah.'

So what is an ordinary person to make of this gobbledegook?

Well, it's extremely difficult to make anything of it. You can Google 'ligamentum flavum' and discover that it is 'a strong ligament that connects the laminae of the vertebrae.'

Then you need to Google 'laminae of the vertebrae' and find that the laminae are 'two flattened plates of bone extending medially from the pedicles to form the posterior wall of the vertebral foramen. The Pars Interarticularis is a special region of the lamina between the superior and inferior articular processes. A fracture or congenital anomaly of the pars may result in a spondylolisthesis.'

Then you'd need to Google 'pedicles', 'vertebral foramen', 'Pars Interarticularis', 'lamina' and 'spondololisthesis'... and on and on it goes. You need a PhD in Latin, surgery and probably rocket science to work all this out. Certainly it will take you a long time to get full bottle on it.

Is all this asking too much of an ordinary bloke with a crook back? You betcha.

Anyway, as part of my research I went looking for images and found a diagram on which the Ligamentum Flavum waqs highlighted.

At least I now know where the Ligamentum Flavum is, though I can't tell from the radiologist's letter what has caused the hypertrophy - which for those who don't know what 'hypertrophy' means, it means 'it's got bigger'.

Why has the Ligamentum Flavum got bigger? That is the burning question.

It is a pity that the radiologist does not address this issue. Radiologists must see these things all the time. You'd think that sooner or later they'd want to know what the cause of the hypertrophy was, just out of interest.

But what is the cause of it getting bigger and inflamed? I've searched high and low and can't find the answer to that.

But what all this points to is that the radiologist's report is certainly beyond the limits of an ordinary explanation for an ordinary bloke to understand. It's pretentious. It's medical grandstanding. It's useless to the consumer who wants to know in straight forward terms

1. What's wrong?

2. What caused what's wrong to go wrong?

3. What he or she can do to restore poor function to good?

The radiologist has not answered any of these questions, just looked at an X-ray and stated a few facts.

The information to the consumer is useless.

But, and I beg the question again, what does the average bloke do with this information.

Well, of course the information is not for him is it? It's for his doctor.

Now I understand that the doctor is meant to read the report from the radiologist and ascertain the cause.

Most can't do that.

In the case of my mate, the doctor certainly didn't do that. All that happened was that he was told that it was probably not necessary to have an operation to cut off the disc protrusions, and to go home, lie on his bed and bring his knees up to his chest. He was also sent over to the chemist for a packet of anti-inflammatory pills and some Panadeine Forte.

End of story. Case closed; at least until it gets worse and it is time for the scalpel.

SEARCH FOR THE CAUSE So what is the cause of the problem?

Well somewhere along the line there's a good chance that muscles attached to the pelvis have become weak and/or tight causing the pelvis to tilt and twist. (Coupled with this, the muscles of the front, back and core of the trunk have become weak and can't support the vertebrae in their correct alignment.)

You can work out which muscles are tilting and twisting the pelvis by taking note of your ability to sit up straight against a wall.

If you can't sit up straight in this position, with your bottom close to the wall, your hamstring and calf muscles are too tight - usually hamstrings. Try it and see. If your bottom is well away from the wall, as in the second diagram, it means your tight hamstring and calf muscles have tilted your pelvis backwards. If that has happened the 'S' shaped curve of the spine will have become a 'C' shape. The bones are out of alignment. You feel the pain. The pain is telling you to get back into alignment by loosening off calves and hamstrings.

If you can't sit up straight in this position your buttock muscles are too tight. One buttock will usually be tighter than the other. Not only is your pelvis tilted backwards, but it is probably twisted around as well. The bones above it move out of alignment to compensate. Ligaments, tendons and muscles are stretched beyond their pain threshold. Discs start to bulge. You feel pain. The pain is telling you to get your body back into alignment by loosening off your buttock muscles.

You can also work out the likely cause of the problem if you have someone poke you in the buttock muscles while you are in the hip crossover and reverse frog positions

In hip crossover and reverse frog positions, people with back and neck pain will usually have tight buttock muscles. When poked in the buttock museles (with some vigour), people with low back pain may find the pain quite intense. One side will usually be tighter than the other, symptomatic of a pelvis that's twisted. The pain is usually a symptom of muscles that have been stretched beyond the pain threshold by bones that have been pulled out of alignment by muscles somewhere that are too tight.

Sounds a bit convoluted doesn't it? Well it is, but the search for the ultimate cause of back pain may indeed be a convoluted process that ends up with the cause of the pain being well away from the place in the back where it's painful. In fact you can count on that.

Of course, like most things, it's probably a bit more complicated than that.

THE MUSCULO-SKELETAL ECOSYSTEM

On a global level the body is an ecosystem, in this case a musculo-skeletal ecosystem and it stands to reason that a weakness or tightness in one part of the system may well lead to a problem in another part or the system; which is all the more reason to keep the musculo-skeletal ecosystem, strong and flexible.

WHERE DO YOU GO TO FROM HERE? Well, you need a set of set of strength and flexibility exercises designed to treat the cause of the problem - get the pelvis square and strengthen the muscles of your trunk, front, back and core. In the mean time stay tuned, highly tuned and remember, the cause of the pain is rarely at the site of the pain.


Back Neck Pain - Back Pain Cause - The Radiologist's Report

How to Treat Your Own Back and Neck Pain

How to Treat Your Own Back and Neck Pain

Many patients see me after ruining their chances for quick recovery from back and neck pain. They try to fix themselves at home using the wrong kind of care to help their spinal problems. They use heat, when they should use ice. They rest when they should move. Worst of all, they delay necessary care hoping their problems will magically disappear.

It's important to use ice early on in most cases of back or neck pain. Using ice from 5-20 minutes while protecting the skin with a soft cotton towel can provide quick relief. This is especially true if the injury is new or intense in nature. We see this care given to professional athletes everyday on TV. A football player will get ice immediately after an injury. Why not do the same for ourselves?

Later on, hot tubs or hot showers can be excellent for achy, old injuries and provide relief and increased mobility.

The old electric heating pad places potentially dangerous electrical currents near delicate injured tissues. Many scientists feel this interferes with the body's inborn healing potential. Heating pads temporarily mask pain, while prolonging the problem by disrupting the bodies bioelectrical repair systems at the cellular level.

Another old fallacy that prevents quick recovery is the idea that we must rest in bed when we have back pain. This myth is so entrenched, that even physicians who should know better, recommend bed rest. While this may feel good initially, it can lead to rapid loss of strength of the muscles around the spine that help keep it erect. Rapid de-conditioning leads to longer periods of intense pain and stalls the recovery process. Science has shown, that people who stay active with back pain, do better than those forced to rest in bed.

Of course the best way to mess your spine up and perhaps your entire life is to do nothing. Worry. Imagine the absolute worst as you let your spine deteriorate. Don't even consider calling a chiropractor that specializes in these injuries. Take ibuprofen and other medicines that undermine the integrity of the natural self-healing systems necessary for full recovery. Delude yourself into thinking "if one pill is good, many pills are better." Of course, this is a prescription for disaster.

It's shocking how often people don't use ice, remain active and avoid needless pain by calling a qualified doctor of chiropractic. Suffering prolonged back or neck pain due to the wrong kind of self-care is a tragedy that no one should endure.


Back Neck Pain - How to Treat Your Own Back and Neck Pain

How to Stop Back Pain and Sciatica Without Surgery - The Bad Back Guy

How to Stop Back Pain and Sciatica Without Surgery - The Bad Back Guy

Back pain and sciatica are treatable! Back pain and sciatica sufferers are not doomed to the surgeon's blade. A bad back can be dealt with effectively, without surgical intervention, if proper bad back strategies are implemented early and followed consistently.

Have you ever gotten out of bed and felt that nagging feeling in your back, a kind of stiffness that doesn't seem to want to go away with normal movement? Have you ever started to bend over and felt that twinge in the lower back, perhaps radiating down the leg? Have you ever bent over to pick up a child, a pet, even a package and felt a blast of pain? Has your back pain and sciatica ever gotten so bad you had to stop what you were doing and rest?

If you have answered yes to any of the questions above, you are in good company. Unfortunately, back pain and sciatica are a pain complex suffered my literally millions of Americans every year. In fact, almost half a million people are operated on every year for what most people refer to as a bad back. Severe and chronic pain may be caused by many things but is often the result of the stress, strain, and trauma we impose on our muscles, connective tissue (tendons and ligaments), discs, and even the vertebrae themselves. While it is true that many back injuries are the result of significant trauma and disease, the majority of back pain and sciatica results from normal, day-to-day activities. The activities resulting in back strain and injury may be as mundane as working around the garden, sweeping the driveway or raking leaves, shoveling snow (always a good one), lifting laundry or grocery bags, household chores, and picking up children or grandchildren.

Often, simple adjustments to movement and behavior, properly and consistently implemented, go a long way towards preventing or at least minimizing back strain and its consequences. A few bad back strategies in particular are quite effective in minimizing the consequences of back stress and strain: first and foremost, be aware of body position while engaged in activities that may impact the back, particularly the lower back; next, maintain good posture through exercise, conscious thought, and eventually, habit; third, make sure to stretch often, usually as part of a total exercise program; along with the third bad back strategy, integrate a consistent, individualized, and professionally supervised exercise program into your life; next, make sure to always know your limits; and, always listen to that still, small voice in your head, if it says you're pushing it, you probably are; finally, lose weight. Significantly, added weight may have more of a negative impact on back health that any single factor. If you are carrying extra weight, you are placing incredible stress and strain on you back. The combination or all of these strategies, tied to an intelligent weight loss and exercise program, will do wonders, often alleviating, then eliminating, back pain and sciatica

Ultimately, a medical consultation may be the wisest strategy, particularly if your back pain and sciatica continue for more than a few days. Do not wait for it to worsen! If you have engaged in an exercise program and are losing weight, you should begin to experience relief quickly. You will be amazed at how soon after beginning an intelligent, focused, and individualized exercise program you start feeling real relief. If you do not, see your physician and he or she will recommend a good orthopedic surgeon or neurologist. Don't wait until you are disabled to get help, it is not necessary and the damage may be irreversible without surgery.

Bad back strategies are easy to implement and, from personal experience, are easily made habits, allowing you to significantly minimize, and ultimate eliminate, your pain. After years of pain and surgeries, weight loss and exercise, along with the other strategies mentioned above, allowed me to re-enter life as a participant and not just as a spectator, miserable, depressed, and disabled. It is not easy and it takes conscious effort but it is doable and the results are amazing! So remember, posture, positioning, lifting, exercise, and weight loss. If you follow these five bad back strategies you will alleviate, and eventually eliminate your back pain and sciatica.


Back Neck Pain - How to Stop Back Pain and Sciatica Without Surgery - The Bad Back Guy

Prevent Back Pain, Keep Your Spine Healthy

Prevent Back Pain, Keep Your Spine Healthy

Yoga exercises are helpful in strengthening your connection with gravity, extending your spine, and improving the capacity of your lungs. Practicing yoga can train you to use gravity to achieve functional movements and improve your alignment and posture for greater ease in movements and less tension in the muscles. Yoga also opens your breathing mechanism as well as provides your adrenal glands and nervous system a break and access to the parasympathetic nervous system. This will lead to better digestion and immune defenses in the body. Problems in the adrenal glands and nervous system cause stress and the so-called fight or flight response.

Back pain can be caused by constant exposure to vibration of the entire body over prolonged periods. The more intense and the longer you are exposed to this vibration, the higher the risk of getting a back injury. And when you start suffering from back pain, constant whole-body vibration can aggravate the pain.

Intervertebral discs absorb impact of vibration by acting as a cushion to the spine. Basically, a herniated disc is a disc with a hole in it. In a herniated disc, the tough external membrane of the disc (which is called the annulus fibrosis) is broken and the soft internal membrane (which is called the nucleus pulposis) extrudes. When the extrusion touches a nerve, pain takes place.

Generally, yoga is beneficial for the health of the spines. Research done with modern imaging techniques has shown a new model of spinal health: curved, flexible, and plastic (not stiff or straight). Aside from that, modern lifestyles that are sedentary in nature such as using computer and driving for long periods can result in poor posture, which in turn causes discomfort and pain in the lower back.


Back Neck Pain - Prevent Back Pain, Keep Your Spine Healthy

Arthritis Neck Pain - Causes & Treatments

Arthritis Neck Pain - Causes & Treatments

No one likes to suffer any sort of injury to the neck. When the neck suffers from pain and tension, the rest of the body will fall in line with the suffering as pain will shoot through the rest of the nerve endings in the body. Now, does that mean the prognosis for anyone suffering from arthritis neck pain is bleak? No, that is not the answer at all. There may very well be several alternatives available to those looking for a solution to their arthritic neck pain problems. The key first step is to identify the presence of such a problem and then seek out the proper treatment for the condition.

Why does arthritic neck pain develop? The anatomical structure of the neck can be considered rather complex. There are 7 bones found in the neck and they are dubbed the cervical vertebrae. Since it would definitely not be appealing to experience bone on bone "scraping" whenever we move, our bodies evolved in such a way that cartilage exists between the bones. Nerve endings are connected through the vertebrae so that a sense of cohesive communication exists between the vertebrae and the rest of the body. While all these many components that make up the neck's strength and structure are durable, they are not indestructible. That is why they can be prone to wear and tear and the unfortunate development of arthritis.

Do not, however, assume that this makes treatment for arthritis neck pain impossible. Also, do not assume that invasive options such as neck surgery are the only way to deal with the issue. Physical rehab, for example, could be employed as could a whole host of non-invasive treatments.

But, why does this condition occur in the first place? There can be several reasons why such problems are so. Mainly, a significant amount of wear and tear on the joints will lead to significant problems. They will suffer a breakdown of cartilage or experience microtears and abrasions. In some instances, severe and traumatic injury is what leads to the eventual development of arthritis neck pain. Once the development of such arthritis manifests, a great deal of the quality of one's life can suffer as a result. After all, it is pretty difficult to go through the day without moving one's head and when you have arthritis, moving your head can lead to a very painful response. Then again, you need not even have to move your head to suffer from such problems. The onset of a stiff neck for no apparent reason could also be indicative of the development of arthritic neck pain.

Does this mean "all is lost" and the quality of the afflicted person's life will never improve? No, this is not the case at all. Treatments for dealing with problems associated with arthritis neck pain are available. You simply need to explore the appropriate course of action to take with your physician or therapist.

At the most basic of levels, there are over the counter anti-inflammatory products that can aid in reducing the pain of such a condition. For those that may not experience the best response to such OTC treatments, prescription anti-inflammatory medications may be prescribed. And, of course, there are physical therapy treatments that can be performed to alleviate if not outright cure the problem. So, if you do suffer from arthritis neck pain, you can feel confident that there are effective methods to deal with the condition.


Back Neck Pain - Arthritis Neck Pain - Causes & Treatments

Neck and Back Pain Part 4

Neck and Back Pain Part 4

Classes

Yoga is increasingly being used as a form of Breast Cancer Therapy, and there are a growing number of instructors and yoga classes specifically dedicated to breast cancer survivors.

Nutrition

By increasing flow of nutrition to the disc due to the exercises, we can change its chemistry. The idea is to develop muscles that will serve as a support, and to stop the disc degradation by restoring the nutrition flow. We can only restore the flow of nutrition it is receiving (by massage and exercises) and to stabilize the process. Same thing happens if those muscles are weak, undeveloped, and are not moving enough (moving the tissues is another way to bring nutrition to the disk, that's why massage is so useful in some cases of back problems). By restoring the flow of nutrition, we might be able to increase the hydration of the disk.

Conclusion

Almost everyone has suffered from neck or back pain. Neck or back pain affects between 60 and 85% of people. Probably you are one of those people. In one study, researchers reported that 21 % of patients experienced back pain in the fourteen days preceding the study. Another study reported that at least 5% of all patient visits to the doctor or health professional are due to back pain.

With the help of yoga one can quickly improve their back, neck or shoulder pain. With a little effort over time results can be quite quick and effective. Be gentle with yourself and avoid the temptation to 'overwork'. This can cause more stress and tension.


Back Neck Pain - Neck and Back Pain Part 4
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How to Relieve Neck Pain Naturally and Retrain Weary Muscles With These 3 Muscle Activation Secrets

How to Relieve Neck Pain Naturally and Retrain Weary Muscles With These 3 Muscle Activation Secrets

If you have sore, stiff neck muscles, you probably have tried to stretch them. You might have received natural therapies like massage or acupuncture.

The missing secret in pain treatment.
Natural treatments, such as massage and acupuncture, are effective for offering immediate relief from neck pain symptoms. Conservative western healthcare, such as medications or surgery, provide emergency treatment of neck problems. But few therapies provide:

* immediate relief of symptoms
* assessment and treatment of the cause, and
* correction of the cause of pain symptoms.

Muscle pain is a sign of imbalance. If one muscle group is overworked, then an opposing group is underworked. Usually, one set of muscles is strong or tight, while the opposite is taut or weak.

Muscle activation is a natural treatment that can provide both immediate and long-term relief, with a corrective focus.

How does muscle activation work?
Muscle activation is rooted in ancient therapies that redirect energy. Reflexology and acupressure are two older examples.

Energy is drawn away from areas that are overstimulated, and energy is directed toward areas that are understimulated. Therefore, with muscle activation methods, energy is drawn to weak muscles to make them stronger.

More recently, Applied Kinesiology (AK) has progressed muscle activation techniques toward a modern scientific formula. AK was developed mainly by chiropractors, but its application is widespread. Fitness professionals and sports medicine practitioners greatly enhance their practices by adding AK to their toolbox.

Relieve your neck pain with muscle activation self-care.
When neck muscles are overworked or fatigued, other muscles are weak and understimulated. Use muscle activation to restore balance.

You will benefit the most if you first get guidance from a health practitioner with special training in muscle activation methods like AK. You will need to learn how to contract, or flex, individual muscles.

Relieve neck tension by activating these three muscles:

1) Lower trapezius- the lower part of this muscle draws your shoulders back and down, relieving stress put on the neck by upper traps;
2) Rhomboids- centered between the shoulder blades, activating your rhomboids will improve posture and prevent slouching; and
3) Triceps- An often-overlooked piece of the postural puzzle. Tight biceps pull the shoulders forward, straining the neck. Think of arm-muscle balance and work your triceps.

By learning muscle activation methods for these three muscles, you can:

*Relieve pain in the neck,
*Improve posture,
*Prevent slouching,
*Ease neck muscle spasms, and
*Reduce tension in the upper body.


Back Neck Pain - How to Relieve Neck Pain Naturally and Retrain Weary Muscles With These 3 Muscle Activation Secrets

How Pilates Can Help To Fix Neck and Shoulder Pain

How Pilates Can Help To Fix Neck and Shoulder Pain

It's normal for most people to ignore pain in the shoulder and neck because they are used to pain, thinking that it will go away after a while. There are cases however when the pain returns quickly and eventually becomes chronic. By then it's very clear that something has to be done.

Pilates is a total body workout, suitable for people of all ages and health levels. It is also quickly becoming the exercise of choice for people who want to achieve more than just a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle. Pilates is about body mind connection. The mind is very involved when the body is being put through Pilates training. By combining "Stretch and Strength" factor in the exercise regime, Pilates aims to strengthen the body in a flexible manner. This is important in the treatment of various orthopaedic conditions, especially pain in the neck and shoulder.

What is Pilates?

Pilates is founded nearly a century ago by Joseph Pilates, a German. Since he was frail and weak as a child, he suffered from various childhood conditions. He wanted to be strong and needed to find a way to develop his body. As it was his duty as a nurse during the war to look after the injured soldiers in his camp, he used his pain relief exercises for the rehabilitation of these patients who were bedridden. His patients achieved very good recovery under his care.

Dancers, athletes, and gymnasts discovered Pilates helped them to do their sports longer without injury. It has been used for decades as a body conditioning routines. Hollywood actors and actresses used Pilates to build up their flexibility and endurance without introducing unwanted muscle bulk in the body.

Reasons for Doing Pilates

Neck and shoulder pain issues are among the most common types of pain for many people. Because Pilates exercises offer the very important component of "stretch" in its discipline, it is very effective in the treatment of pain. It is therefore, highly recommended by chiropractors, physiotherapists and most sports doctors for post rehabilitation treatment.

Understanding the Origin of Pain

Understanding how the neck and shoulders pain come about in the best way to start. It can be either an accident or a poor posture. Most neck and shoulder problems come from bad habits, like long hours of sitting still. These long hours of sitting, makes the muscles tired and weak. The muscles, ligaments, and tendons as well as a number of other supporting structures, become strained. Over time, pain can be felt up the neck and shoulder. For some, there may be radiating pain down the arms as well. The neck and shoulders are very closely related anatomically. Pain can run randomly back and forth or pain can be felt at both areas at the same time.

Pilates pain relief exercises needs to be specific to the muscle group - the neck and the shoulder area! Relieving tightness in this area will lead to release of pain as circulation improves due to movement. Mobility in terms of gentle stretches to improve tired fascia and poor muscle tone.

Pilates Exercises for Neck and Shoulder Pain

Pilates fundamental exercises like "Nose Nods" improves articulation of the neck vertebrae, something you will not be doing if you are staring at your computer all day, engrossed in your work. This exercise releases tight tendons and ligaments of the first and second neck spine. You will breathe better and the head feels clearer and the neck feels much lighter.

"Angel Arms" moves the shoulder joints and re- energized the shoulder blades. Moving the shoulder joint in a circular motion is specific to your shoulder's range of motion. It is functional and helps to release tension and stress.

In doing Pilates, you will also learn how to hold the right posture and form during work and play so that the neck and shoulder pain will not be aggravated. Always trained with an experienced Pilates professional so that your exercise program is properly supervised. And as you get better, your program can be changed accordingly.


Back Neck Pain - How Pilates Can Help To Fix Neck and Shoulder Pain

Minimizing Back and Neck Pain at Your Desk

Minimizing Back and Neck Pain at Your Desk

Back pain and neck pain have definitely earned their reputation as the hallmark pain associated with having a desk job. The reason for the common problem is that it simply is not natural for humans to sit in the same position for prolonged periods of time, let alone having to look at a computer monitor and typing on a keyboard all day.

Think about it, our ancestors didn't do this, they were out and about all day, scavenging for food, and actively on foot much of the day instead of sitting in chairs of variable quality, with their hands out in front of them. That brings us to our first point about maintaining back and neck comfort throughout the long days at your desk job.

Your chair is of vital importance to your back and neck health since it provides the foundation for body support that will carry you throughout the day, and it also is responsible for the position of your neck and head when looking at your computer screen, or reading printouts, since many times they have arms where your elbows rest, which help to support (or throw off) your neck.

Most big corporations will have an ergonomics person that can visit with you and help to ensure your chair and computer monitor are set up at ideal angles and levels so that you can mitigate the strain and stress on your neck muscles, eyes, and back.

Also, most companies now will offer special ergonomic chairs for people with special needs who may have a history of back and neck problems. Usually they may require proof of need, or at least a written request for this special equipment, as they usually are not cheap for companies to purchase.

Other special equipment available to help mimimize back and neck pain and strain on the job can be obtained as well by contacting your health services or ergonomics contact on the job.

One such helpful and commonly used piece is the small foot rest which can help to elevate the legs, so that the body is at more of a perfect ninety degree angle, which can help to relieve back pain and prevent it from starting.

I've actually found this piece to be quite helpful if the shoes I'm wearing that day do not have heels on them, and I find that I need something to put my feet on to "balance out" my posture.

Also of vital importance, not so much to your back, but to your neck, is the position of your computer monitor. I've recently found that my computer monitor was pushed up to close to the edge of my desk by my keyboard. This caused me to "look up" more than I needed to, which caused severe neck tension by the end of the day.

The solution? I simply pushed my monitor back as far as I could without having to squint to read it, and my neck pain was virtually eliminated. It's actually better to have to angle your eyes slightly downward than upward, since it is a strain to your neck to constantly be in a pinched position all day looking upward, no matter how undetectable the incline is.

Get up and walk around periodically throughout the day. Many people do not realize just how important this small thing is to their back and neck comfort, and they will sit for hours without getting up. Getting up helps to readjust your body, and gives a break to the constancy of sitting in the same rigid position all day long.

You can also go into the bathroom and do small stretches for your back. This can be a great way to rejuvenate your back, oxygenate your muscles, and release stiffness. Neck rolls and neck stretches thankfully can be done right at your desk, and these also help to periodically iron out the muscle tension.


Back Neck Pain - Minimizing Back and Neck Pain at Your Desk

Lower Back Pain Relief - Secrets

Lower Back Pain Relief - Secrets

Lower back pain or back pain in general is a very common problem. There are millions of people everyday that do not sleep or wake up with back pain. A very big problem because it can slowly hurt your overall health.
I was like most people, I just tried to ignore it, thought it would go away. It really never does on its own. It is normally because we have, twisted or turned wrong and injured our back slightly. The problem starts there, but then we favor the hurt part and set in motion a whole group of other problems.

1.Muscle strain- this is the most common cause. We sometimes do not treat our backs very well. We over reach, stretch to far, or lift to much weight wrong, and we have a small problem. As we change our posture to accommodate this minor injury we can cause other problems elsewhere. Poor posture is a main cause of most back problems.

2.Sciatica pain- when the muscles tighten around these nerves in your lower back the pain can be overwhelming. If you have every suffered from this you know what I am talking about. Most common is when you sit in a chair it can cause great pain down the back of you leg. Usually stops at the knee, but can go to your foot sometimes. It can feel as if your knee cap is on "fire". There are some very good exercises for this problem, which will give you relief in a very short time.

3.Bulging Disc- can be another problem that can cause you problems in your back area. When we have lifted to much weight, or had some type of trauma, compression of the spine, we have set ourselves up for more long range problems. You must know how to decompress your spine to help this problem heal.

Now some good news about, lower back pain, sciatica nerve pain, and bulging disc problems. A fix for all of these problems was discovered by NASA several years ago.

They had noticed, several things happened while in outer space. The Astronauts grew almost 3 inches during the mission. They did not actually grow, but there spines decompressed. This information lead to more discoveries. How important this was to overall health. They came up with a whole program on how to help keep your back in a healthy state. It involved proper nutrition, stretches, and exercises that relieved pain.

It is so successful the US military uses it to help keep our soldiers backs in good shape. They carry heavy loads in the field everyday and need to know how to keep there backs in great shape. If you want back pain relief, this is it. If you have a neck pain, it will tell you how to solve it. Sciatic nerve pain relief will be a thing of the past, herniated disc relief is on the way.

I found a source for all of this information in one place. It covers everything to do with your back, its problems and more importantly its cures. I found a web site with the best information on the subject, bought it, used it, and cured myself. It will give you all of the information you need to have a healthy back in general. So take it from this former back pain sufferer, get the best information you can, to keep your back and body healthy.

Thank you Keith Greene


Back Neck Pain - Lower Back Pain Relief - Secrets

Top Tips To Treat Neck Pain

Top Tips To Treat Neck Pain

The neck bones are a continuation of the spine. The top seven vertebrae are called cervical or neck vertebrae. The seventh one makes the prominent bump that you can feel where your back joins your neck. The upper-most vertebrae, the Atlas, holds up the skull. The second vertebrae, the Axis, has a vertical peg around which the head turns. The entire neck is more flexible than the back. It bears less weight but also is less well protected by thick muscles. The disc spaces in the neck can get narrow, bony spurs can form, and nerves can get caught and compressed, just as in the low back. Arthritis such as spondylitis or rheumatoid arthritis can affect the neck, and rheumatoid arthritis is particularly likely to affect the top two vertebrae, allowing the head to slip forward and backward.

Excess tension in the neck muscles can cause neck pain as well, and is probably the most common cause of neck pain. Here the pull on the ends of the ligaments causes pain in the back of the head where the neck attaches to the skull, and this pain can often shoot forward and be interpreted as a headache.

Usually, as in the low back, a neck problem is minor and will be self-limited; however, injuries do take some time to heal. Healing depends on natural healing processes. Excessive neck movement tends to slow the healing and has the possibility of causing re-injury.

Rest the neck and listen for what the pain message tells you not to do. You can fold a bath towel lengthwise so that it is a four-inch-wide strip, and wrap the neck with it, securing it comfortably with a safety pin or tape. Now you have a soft neck brace to wear at night, and this will clear up nearly half of all neck pain problems. If pain persists, use the soft collar during the day as well or buy a commercial soft collar to wear. You want some support from the collar, but more than that you want a little reminder not to turn your head too far or too fast.

Common sense says to watch out for things that aggravate the pain and to avoid them. Watching a tennis match is obviously not a good idea because of the repeated head turning required. You probably engage in other activities that require head turning and are just as damaging. For example, some people get help by wearing their glasses while reading because this enables them to be farther away from the book. Try to sit back farther from your work. Don't reach or look over your head to get objects; use a stool.

Keep painkillers and muscle relaxants to a minimum or avoid them altogether. Aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen is all right but probably won't make you feel better.

Sleep on a good firm mattress. Don't sleep on your stomach, and if you sleep on your side, place a pillow so that your neck is in a neutral position, not propped up or hanging down. When sleeping on your back, use a small pillow, and place it beneath your neck as well as your head.

The time for exercise begins as the pain subsides, usually after five to seven days. Don't rush. There are two types of exercises, stretching and strengthening, and you should do some of each. They are designed to help prevent recurrence. Start stretching exercises with gentle stretches and increase the stretches slowly, day by day. There are three maneuvers: chin toward chest, ear toward shoulder, and looking to the side. The last two should, of course, be done in each direction. Do them twice daily, each maneuver three times gently.

Strengthening exercises can begin at the same time and should start with three repetitions, twice daily. Slowly work up to ten repetitions. If you have been having recurrent neck problems, these exercises are a worth-while lifetime habit. Here are three:

1. (Shoulder shrug) Raise both shoulders towards ears, hold for two seconds, relax, repeat.

2. Take a deep, deep breath, hold for five seconds, release, repeat. The neck muscles are "accessory muscles of respiration" and breathing exercises involve the neck muscles.

3. While standing with both hands behind your back, grab one thumb with your other hand. Flex your head way back. Press down with your hands. Take a deep breath, relax, repeat. This exercise can be done lying on your stomach as well, after you get good at it standing up.


Back Neck Pain - Top Tips To Treat Neck Pain

How Neck, Upper Back and Shoulder Pain Are Related

How Neck, Upper Back and Shoulder Pain Are Related

If you have been suffering from neck, upper back and shoulder pain, this is the article for you. Your pain could have started with just the neck, but has now progressed into the upper back and maybe into the shoulder. Or it could have started with shoulder pain and has now progressed to the neck and upper back.

These three areas have common muscle groups that cross and interact at all three areas. When movement does not happen at one area, the areas above and below try to compensate for what motion is not happening.

Neck pain can be related to the way you sleep, the position you hold your head in standing or in sitting, the posture you assume at work, tightness in your chest muscles and many other things. When you are experiencing neck pain and having difficulty turning the neck, your body will try to compensate with your upper back to create more range of motion.

Once you do that, then those muscles of your upper back and shoulders start to get fatigued and will tighten up. When those muscles become tight and are unable to do their normal function, which will lead to irritation and eventually shoulder pain.

When your shoulder is not moving the way that it should because of an injury, surgery or other trauma, your body will compensate with the upper back and neck muscles to help move the shoulder. When this type of compensation continues over time, the neck muscles and upper back muscles will become fatigued and tighten up and they will not perform their normal activities well. This leads to pain at all three levels. Since there are common muscles in neck, upper back and shoulder, once compensatory movements occur, pain is sure to follow.

Learning proper sleeping positions, sitting positions, lifting mechanics, stretches and strengthening exercises is vital in keeping these three areas happy and in their normal state. The correct sleeping position can ensure that you wake up daily without feeling pain or tightness in the neck, upper back and shoulder areas.

Learning the correct sitting position or office setup can ensure that you can perform your work duties without being restricted because of pain and stiffness. Understanding the correct lifting mechanics can help you learn how to lift something without putting your neck, upper back or shoulder in jeopardy of being hurt.

Stretching your pecs, biceps and neck muscles can really help keep muscles in their neutral state because most of our everyday activities require the pecs and biceps to be used for long periods of time.

Maintaining good muscle length and strength is vital in keeping these three areas healthy and performing well for long periods of time.


Back Neck Pain - How Neck, Upper Back and Shoulder Pain Are Related

Exercise For Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica

Exercise For Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica

A Mayo Clinic study noted that, "Back pain ranks second only to headaches as the most frequent pain location. More than 65 million Americans experience low back pain every year. Four out of five adults will experience at least one bout of back pain at some time in their life." There can be little doubt that the associated condition, sciatica, follows right behind, equally in frequency and just as debilitating.

Low back pain and sciatica require exercise to reduce pain.

Fatigue, muscle strain, stress, injury and overuse are some of the principle causes of sciatica and lower back pain in adults. Continuous back pain and sciatica may be painful and, in some cases, cause temporary or even permanent disability. However, back pain and sciatica do not always signal a severe, unalterable injury or disease. In fact, in most instances, the pain, and it's underlying condition, are very treatable. In most instances, treatment for back pain and sciatica, in the form of exercise and intelligent follow up, can return the back pain and sciatica sufferer to a healthy and active life in short order. Contrary to popular opinion, maintaining an active lifestyle, exercising often, and avoiding certain positions and situations is "just what the doctor ordered." When it comes to avoiding and, when necessary, treating back pain and sciatica, activity, usually in the form of an intelligently designed exercise program along with an active lifestyle, will ward off and/or hasten the recovery of an individual suffering from most back injuries. Situations in which back injuries may manifest themselves, with the associated pain and disability, are much more prevalent in individuals living a more sedentary lifestyle.

The active lifestyle and not "rest and relaxation" will effectively combat most situations in which injuries associated with back pain and sciatica occur. A sedentary individual will more often succumb to fatigue and stress, compared to the more active individual, and as noted above, fatigue and stress are two of the primary factors in back injury with its associated array of symptoms. Additionally, once injured, the active individual may return to normal activity much sooner than the inactive individual. The fact is, most back pain, with its associated symptoms, including sciatica, will usually improve if the individual stays involved and active. As noted in a previous article, if the back pain and sciatica sufferer uses ice, to include the compression-ice brace when necessary, and avoids certain positions, sleeping on one's side, with knees tucked and separated, significant relief is possible. Common sense strategies, such as avoiding activities that cause undue pain, at least until the pain has subsided, and prudent use of anti-inflammatory medications such as naproxen-sodium and ibuprofen may help when absolutely necessary. Never, and I mean never, take narcotics for back pain, it is a short-term fix and the consequences are always disastrous! Taken over a long enough period of time, narcotics will lead to eventual loss of effectiveness and even dependence...addiction. I am not a physician and can only speak from personal experience but addictive medications are a lose-lose strategy...short term and long term.Once acute pain subsides, the back pain and sciatica sufferer should begin a supervised exercise program, one that includes stretches and other personalized exercises designed for the individual and not simply copied from the nearest copying machine at the hospital or doctor's office! Over a period of time, the exercise program should be enhanced and the level of difficulty increased in order to develop the supporting musculature of the spine, abdominal region and core, and the legs.

The proper exercise program will ensure a more rapid and complete recovery, one that reduces the chance of re-injury and offsets the possibility of extending a temporary disability into a prolonged one. An individualized exercise program will ultimately return the individual to a normal, healthy, and pain free life sooner, and with fewer consequences, than the do-nothing approach so many seem predisposed to due to incorrect information, often the result of an incomplete and improper education as it relates to back pain and sciatica.An exercise program focusing on back pain and sciatica does not have to be complicated or difficult and, once set up by a qualified professional, can be followed in the comfort of the individual's own home. Significantly, pain itself sets up a sort of negative feedback loop in that, pain leads to fear of pain which leads to inactivity which leads to more pain, and so on! The back pain and sciatica sufferer must make every attempt to become active as soon as possible after the onset of pain. Like the pain negative feedback loop, a negative reaction, meaning an approach to pain leading to inactivity, leading to a loss of strength, muscle tone, flexibility, and overall conditioning, leading to more pain is inevitable. The loss of muscle tone and function may lead to further stress, strain, and injury. The whole process then feeds upon itself, again.

A safe and sane exercise program is indeed the only answer for an individual suffering from back pain and sciatica.


Back Neck Pain - Exercise For Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica

Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica - Understanding Scoliosis and Other Abnormal Spinal Curvatures

Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica - Understanding Scoliosis and Other Abnormal Spinal Curvatures

Curvatures of the spine are generally primary, as in the case of the thoracic and sacral regions, or secondary, as in the cervical and lumbar regions. The primary and secondary curvatures are important, critically so, to our ability to stand upright, hold our heads up, and even walk on two legs. When the spine curves in other ways, in ways that are counter to proper biomechanics, then we have a problem. We will discuss some of the pathological expressions of these curvatures in this article. We will be primarily interested in two, scoliosis and what is referred to as a list, a minor form or scoliosis caused by a breakdown in structure or function. Both scoliosis and list will cause varying degrees of pain, ranging from mild to severe and affecting the neck, back, and legs. Neck pain, back pain, and sciatic nerve pain or sciatica may be alleviated or even eliminated, depending on the severity of the curvature and the measures used to offset it. We will discuss treatment through exercise as an offset strategy below.

Scoliosis is a lateral curvature of the spine, often causing severe neck pain, back pain, and even sciatica in adults and adolescents. In most cases, scoliosis is idiopathic in nature, meaning it has an unknown cause or a cause that is not readily apparent. Interestingly, recent estimates maintain that more than one million individuals in the United States alone have the disorder, eight times as many women as men. Scoliosis is classified in one of two ways, structural or functional. Within the classifications, scoliosis may take on either a primary or compensatory role depending on the level, the severity, and other abnormalities present. In any case, and in all of its various manifestations, scoliosis can be a debilitating, even disabling condition with considerable neck pain, back pain, and sciatica associated with it. However, the affects of scoliosis, even in its most severe manifestations, may be alleviated by engaging in an intelligent, individualized, and medically supervised exercise program.

Scoliosis is most prevalent and generally appears most frequently in adolescence and, at this stage, is called adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. While many causes have been suggested, there is no consensus within the medical community, hence the idiopathic designation. As with classification and manifestations, scoliosis may present itself in one way if an individual has cerebral palsy or spina bifida and quite another way if these conditions are not present. The variable nature of the condition is part of the reason why there is no real consensus concerning etiology or cause. Scoliosis often worsens during the adolescent growth phase and, once again, depending on the manifestation and classification, neck pain, back pain, and sciatica are often present in varying degrees.

The curvatures of the spine associated with scoliosis are classified according to their location on the spine and consist of a primary, fixed curvature with compensatory curvatures above and below the primary location. Generally, the deformity will present slowly, growing increasingly severe with the adolescent growth phase or growth spurt. As scoliosis progresses, the hips will become unequal and the iliac crest, the blades of the pelvis on each side of the lower back, will be elevated, higher on one side than the other. Coincidentally, the shoulder blades will become more obvious, protruding on one side or the other, and upon bending over, the curvature itself will appear to be much worse, even exaggerated, compared to what is viewed when the individual is standing erect. In most cases, the earlier the manifestation in childhood and the higher up on the spine the primary, fixed curvature is found, the worst the potential outcome or prognosis may be. This is not to say that there is no hope, there certainly is. It's just that in such cases, without surgical intervention, the outlook may not be very good. In worst cases, scoliosis will even affect the heart and lungs due to the restrictions placed on them for space in the thoracic cavity. Once again, this can and should be surgically corrected if at all possible.

Once again, the most common type of scoliosis curvature entails a primary, fixed curvature with a secondary compensatory curvature. In other words, the spine attempts to re-establish a center of balance, if you will, by curving in the opposite direction from the first or primary curvature. The body will attempt to correct itself and the results, particularly if the fixed, primary curvature is dramatic, may be drastic. The combination of curvatures may impact the vertebrae, the core musculature, and even the internal organs. Scoliosis may be structural, as in the case above and, if that is the case, the vertebrae may rotate on each other and the rib cage may become deformed. If the scoliosis is functional, as in the case of a curvature compensating for one leg being shorter than the other, the condition can and should be corrected as soon as it presents itself. Neck pain, back pain, and sciatica may be considerable in both types, structural and functional, particularly if the curvature is allowed to worsen over time.

While there are many presentations and manifestations of abnormal spinal curvatures, we will describe only a couple of additional examples, one is what is referred to as a list. A list is a lateral tilt beginning at T-1, the first thoracic vertebra. The first thoracic vertebra is situated high on the back or spine just below the prominent "bump" you may feel at the base of your neck called the vertebral prominens, the seventh thoracic vertebra's spinous process (C-7). If you were to drop a plumb line, a string with a weight at the end of it, from T-1 it will fall to one side of the spine or the other at what is called the gluteal cleft. A list may be caused by a herniated disc or it may be due to severe muscle spasms, particularly those affecting the para-vertebral muscles. A list is generally the least severe and easiest to correct manifestation of a kind of scoliosis, one in which no compensatory curvature is present. In other words, the spine doesn't attempt to offset the curvature with another in the opposite direction. A list is also the type of curvature most amenable to correction through exercise, although it may still be extremely painful, causing neck, back, and sciatic nerve pain (sciatica), it is not as structurally devastating as the more severe manifestations of spinal curvature may be. However, even the most severe categories individuals can and do benefit from an individually designed, medically supervised exercise program. Neck pain, back pain, and sciatica may be alleviated or eliminated entirely if the right procedures are followed properly and consistently.

Another condition worth noting is what is referred to as a "razor back." The "razor back" is evident when a rotary deformity of scoliosis causes a hump, particularly apparent when the individual bends over. The last manifestation of an abnormal curvature we will discuss is the flattening of the lumbar spine or lumbar curve. The flattening out of the secondary curvature of the lumbar spine, one vitally important in weight bearing, is suggestive of either a herniated disc or ankylosing spondylitis. Both of these may cause considerable pain and, while medical supervision is absolutely crucial, an exercise program to strengthen the para-vertebral muscles and the rest of the core muscles should be pursued vigorously. The results should be immediately apparent with a significant reduction in neck pain, back pain, and sciatica.

The curvatures of the spine have developed over millions of years and they are crucial to our ability to hold our heads upright and to walk on two legs. However, once in a while nature goes a little off kilter and the results can be catastrophic. Abnormal curvatures of the spine, particularly scoliosis and what is referred to as a list, or the list, are only two of many. Whenever an abnormal curvature is present or begins to present itself, medical assistance should be sought out immediately. Once a diagnosis has been established, or even while you are waiting for a diagnosis, an exercise program should be considered. Once you are cleared medically, an intelligent, individualized, and supervised program of stretching and exercise should be integrated into your daily routine. Not only will you feel better, you may in fact offset some of the structural damage and significantly reduce the neck pain, back pain, and sciatica you are undoubtedly experiencing, as well.


Back Neck Pain - Neck Pain, Back Pain, and Sciatica - Understanding Scoliosis and Other Abnormal Spinal Curvatures