Treat Your Own Back

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Is the pain confined to areas above the knee? • Are you generally worse when sitting for prolonged periods or on risingfrom the sitting position? • Are you generally worse during or right after prolonged bending or stooping as in bedmaking, vacuuming, ironing, gardening or concreting? Fig. 2.12 d feet well apart I). You are now hyour hands lion. Each time nd down a little Dmum possible lIe to the floor. gon to your wther (Figs. 4.6c Fig.4.6b As mentio we experic only by ill are no me common 1 be taken v Certain inflamma1 useful for than somE been reco Agencyfo

He realized that sitting, especially while slouched, could trigger pain. So could vacuuming, gardening, digging, and other tasks that involved lots of bending. He realized that bending forward was particularly dangerous in the early morning. He advised patients on how to cough or sneeze without triggering an episode. are a desk workel has the correct b the floor and you OIl the seat. The I surface you lean . lordosis. Finally, when using therr Annrests should so that you can si of the desk. This lordosis while p€Are you generally worse when getting up in the morning, but improve after about half an hour? • Are you generally worse when inactive and better when on the move? The main theme of this chapter is that pain of postural origin will not occur if you avoid prolonged overstretching. Should pain develop, it is an almost certain indication that you have fallen into a poor position and immediate steps must be taken to correct your posture. Once the nature of your postural problem has been identified and you become aware of the steps you must take to correct it, you should not have to seek assistance whenever postural pain arises. SIXTEEN lie experiment once more, v keep bending the finger ~ point of strain until you in. The sensation of pain is iate. You have ~ched, and your pain ~ system is telling you that inue movement in that Iar direction will cause ~. of the bodv above it, ttting and to the feet when nmbar spine, providing a d lower half of the body, mer function in weight I-spine posture of animals liscs between the r weights. In addition, the lDVes that ingeniously

Place your hand against your pelvis and gently press your hips toward the wall (it should feel like your pelvis is gliding underneath your ribs).

For the ne] Exercises 1, 2 frequency of 1 should be the in Significant After a few distributed m Once this occ and continue Are in Signifi~ away from thj The secone performed wi benefit for a J The effecti pelvis down 1] simple deviCf board with a: waistline. Thi between the : This book has all the pictures and guidance I need (cross my fingers) to continue doing the stretches and exercises I need to do to stay pain free. A microdiscectomy may still be in my future, but I'm tying to hold off as long as I can. Sitting Correctly for Prolonged Periods If at the present time you have pain resulting from factors other Are you generally better when walking? • Are you generally better when lyingface down? When testing this you may feel worse for the first few minutes after which time the pain subsides: in this case the answer to the question is yes. Flexion in Sitting Sit on the edge of a steady chair with your knees and feet well apart and let your hands rest between your legs (Fig. 4.6a). You are now ready to commence Exercise 6. Bend your trunk forward and touch the floor with your hands (Fig. 4. 6b). Return immediately to the starting position. Each time you repeat this movement cycle, you must try to bend down a little further so that in the end you have reached the maximum possible degree of flexion and your head is as close as possible to the floor. The exercise can be made more effective by holding on to your ankles with your hands and pulling yourself down further (Figs. 4.6c

t are overstretched, it is to pain. When the spinal Ja.l factors, for the ining walls for the soft discs ~ vertebrae. Overstretching :es, affect the discs. This may ISity of the pain that you :el and the behaviour of the se by certain movements or men the ligament an extent that the disc loses ilforward regular and bend y important if I by working perl position md relieve lone before mficant low my and without 13ynow stop :r two to three mfort, and we 7 to your out at the end ~ soft: tissues in se 5 and 7, you ence oflow amme as from your original pain and may be felt in other places. New pains are the result of performing new exercises and maintaining new positions; they should be expected and will wear off in a few days, provided postural correction is continued on a regular basis. Once vou have become used to sitting correctly you \vill enjoy it and will soon notice the reduction or absence of pain and the improved comfort. From then on you will automatically choose chairs that allow you to sit correctly.He then proceeded to explain disc bulges and herniations, and noted that these can also cause serious pain. He suggested a new term for this type of pain as well: Derangement Syndrome.

Bring both your knees up toward your chest, keeping your tailbone down on the ground. Hold for 2 seconds. Return to starting position. For the next few months, I continued to do versions of it during physical therapy, on a yoga mat at home, and in the first aid room at work. The second way is to ensure that your mattress does not sag. The mattress itself should not be too hard; in fact, a soft mattress can be extremely comfortable provided it is placed on a firm support. To ensure that your mattress is supported on a firm hard surface, it is best to place it on the floor and spend three to four nights sleeping in this way to determine if this is the source of the problem. Avoid a bed with a wire base and use a solid base instead, with a rubber or innerspring mattress on top of it. If you have tried these suggestions without benefit, you

joint readily occurs. Thoroughly exercised joints of the spine distort eaSily if they are placed in a slouched position for long periods. n, you should do Ner pain arises ~ poorly. Each is movement Ire sure that nned to the ~ degree, Ihe extreme of