Category: Back Pain

5 Actions You Must Stop At Once To Prevent Sciatica

Five Actions You Need To Stop To Prevent Sciatica

Sciatic nerve pain is not a rare problem anymore and so is its remedy. With more and more people are dealing with this problem today, sciatic nerve remedy is now available in different forms.

Sciatic nerve remedy is only effective when a person knows as to what has caused the pain in the first place. It is imperative to find the root cause of the problem before finalizing sciatic nerve remedy. Back Solutions Clinic is providing great relief to people from sciatica Melbourne, so if you could visit this clinic, then your problem can be fixed as early as possible.

When you find out that you are suffering from sciatic nerve pain, then it is pointless to engage in the activities that further aggravate the problem. You should not indulge in those activities, which make your sciatic nerve more vulnerable because then, you will have to continue the remedy for a long-long time. What people usually do is that they keep on taking the remedies and carry on with activities, which they are not supposed to do. This is not helping the cause at all.

If you succeed in stopping the cause, then you can make the effect non-existent. So, now the question comes as to how you can stop the cause?

Well, this can be done by stopping the actions that you do in your day-to-day life. Remedies are only effective if you perform the right activities. You can’t put pressure on your lower back as it will nullify the effect of remedies.

In this article, we will discuss five actions that you should stop immediately to prevent sciatic nerve pain.

1. If you work for long durations on the furniture that is not designed ergonomically or have lumber support, then you are susceptible to sciatica. You at least need to have an ergonomic furniture where you can sit comfortably without putting pressure on your back.
2. Maintain the right posture when you are sitting, standing, lying down or walking. You need to be in the right posture, and by that, I don’t mean that you need to be in a military position, but at least straight enough to exert minimum pressure on your spine.
3. Don’t eat junk food because it is not adding anything to your body nutrition-wise, but only fat and cholesterol, which act as a time bomb that will explode one day in the form of heart attack or high diabetes. So, stop eating junk food for the sake of your life. Moreover, your sciatic nerve pain issue will also be prevented, so make a habit of eating healthy food that fulfills the deficiency of nutrients in your body.
4. Don’t lift weights that are too much for you. The main thing is to keep the pressure off the back, and lifting weights will do the opposite. So, don’t lift the weight until your back gets normal.
5. While sleeping, make sure the surface is firm and not a fluffy feather mattress because the latter will make your back further vulnerable to injuries.

For the best treatment regarding sciatica nerve Melbourne, you need to contact Back Solutions Clinic. They will tell you what to do and what not to do.

Should I tell my employer that I have back pain?

Let’s look at some different scenarios and which category you best fit into:

1. You hurt your back at work

If you have hurt your back at work then in most countries employers are obligated to have insurance to cover your medical, rehabilitation expenses and cover your income in the absence of work. Lower back injuries are extremely common, many heal naturally over time. Insurance and the law is in place to protect you so in this case we do recommend that you tell your employer that you have hurt your back at work.

2. You have long suffered from intermittent back pain in before you started with your current employer

Obviously the type of work you do will depend on your course of action. If you work in an office, the concern for you having a less than perfect back will be much less than if your job requires manual labour. If you are in an office we do recommend that you tell your employer, so you can work together on a plan to best assist or manage your back pain. Combining a standing and seated desk is one such solution, however simple things like taking regular breaks from your desk to get up and walk around can help limit the buildup of accumulated lower back tension.

If your work involves manual labour, then the decision to tell your employer will be more to your discretion. If you have a solid relationship with your direct report and managers and you are comfortable that you can stay on top of and manage your back pain then telling your employer will do no harm.

3. You are fearful that if you tell your employer that you have back pain, then you will lose your job.

In most countries there are laws to protect against unfair dismissal. Having said that even in first world countries such as Australia, large corporations can put a lot of pressure on individuals in an environment where productivity and profits rein. Everyone’s circumstances are different, some workers can leave, many cannot or feel they cannot due to the pressures of a mortgage and providing for their family. For people who do fall into this category we hope that you read the relevant articles on this site on a permanent solution to your back pain. One of the great fears for people who have no choice but to put up with the pain is that they are doing further damage to their spine/ back and the fear that it will be permanent. We want to reassure you that your body has a brilliant way of protecting itself from irreversible damage and responds extremely well to the right form of rehabilitation no matter how many days, months, years you have been suffering.

So for people stuck in this predicament, fearful that they will lose their jobs due to back pain, by all means explore other employment opportunities that will be easier on your back/ body. More importantly learn about why you have your back pain, and more importantly what you can do to strengthen your body so the pain never returns. We hope our website helps you in this quest.

Having back pain due to your age? You can help your back pain no matter what your age is!

Do all old people have back pain? Are all young people free of back pain?

Quite straight forward answers spring to mind when posing these questions.

So why are most older people who present with chronic back pain that won’t go away told by their GP and or health care practitioner that it is just wear and tear from old age and they will have to just live with it?

Up to 70% of older people have lumbar disc degeneration however the vast majority do not suffer from any back pain.   

Muscles and fascia cause back pain and they are almost always overlooked in diagnosis, scans and treatment. Regardless of your age, your muscles and fascia can change and you can change them to fix your back pain, no matter how many months, years or decades you have been suffering.

One thing that does make us more predisposed to back pain as we age is that we do not tend to move as often or dynamically as we once did. We retire from jobs, the kids or more accurately for most the grandkids grow up meaning the repetitious movements carried out on a daily basis are no longer a part of the daily routine.  

If you don’t use it, you lose it is the best catchphrase, but more accurately when you do lose it (muscle mass) you stiffened up.

In the absence of adequate muscular conditioning in the muscles integral to supporting and stabilising the weight of your own body, fascia or better known as connective tissue solidifies to make the body more rigid. The presence of solidified connective tissue in the lower back and hips of older people who have greatly reduced their daily activity is the most common source of their lower back pain.

We need to get you moving!

Despite the countless treatments, massage and drugs you have been prescribed over the years it all comes back to basics:

1. Eradicate the solidified connective tissue
2. Restore functional movement that will overcome the very imbalances that caused the muscular weakness and in turn the solidified connective tissue.
3. Continue to carry out full compound functional exercises with resistance to ensure your posture remains sound, your muscles strong and symmetrical and your back free of pain.  

Pilates and back pain.

Pilates is a fantastic and relatively passive way to strengthen your core and improve posture.

Many physiotherapists and other health care practitioners swear by pilates as the cure to chronic back pain. In this articles we will address. 1. Why pilates is a common referral pathway for back pain sufferers and 2. Whether pilates is indeed the best exercise based pathway for chronic back pain sufferers.

1. Why pilates is a common referral pathway for back pain sufferers

The most common cause for chronic back pain is muscular weakness and imbalances. The vast majority of sufferers who seek seek treatment only receive limited, short term relief from their pain. Treatment typically focuses on the tight/ restricted joints and muscles of the lower back. However the restriction soon returns after treatment due to the lower back pain sufferer not having the postural strength to support the weight of his/ her body. This results in the lower back carrying much of the load, which quickly compromises the muscles and joints, which in turn creates painful tension.    

Pilates is dedicated to improving core strength and postural symmetry, which is one of the reasons why the vast majority of allied practitioners refer their chronic back patients to a pilates instructor. Another reason is due to the passive/ gentle nature of pilates. Most chronic back pain sufferers lack the stability and confidence to carry out exercises that incorporate resistance. Pilates caters well for these patients, due to initially focusing on holding one’s own body weight, then making it more challenging as gains/ improvements are experienced.

2. Is Pilates the best exercise based pathway for chronic back pain.

Our answer is mixed: Some chronic back pain sufferers respond well to pilates, however many do not.

• If you are responding well to pilates then that’s great, stick at it.

However:

• If you are not responding at all (after 3-6 months)
• If you responded well initially, however you improvements have plateaued out.  

Then we recommend looking to other exercise based rehabilitation programs dedicated to strengthening your back and the muscles that support it.

Some people do not respond well to passive resistance. Some back pain sufferers, are extremely weak in the major postural muscles that support the back, which results in them distributing weight forward of their midline. In order to address this, the major focus of the exercise program needs to correct the postural/ muscular imbalances.

Exercises that stretch/ elongate the tight dominate muscles of the body whilst simultaneously shorten and strengthen the weakened postural muscles of the body will in time restore neuromuscular symmetry. The focus is to take the excessive load of the back, and get the major postural muscles assisting everyday function and movement.

Functional compound movements are the best at achieving this, however it is absolutely imperative that you commence this rehabilitation approach with a back specialist who can:

• Teach you the correct technique
• Advise when it is safe to increase resistance
• Monitor your form each time the resistance is increased.

Pilates is initially quite difficult to pick up technique wise. Functional compound movements likewise are difficult to pick up, however if you are not responding to pilates, then we strongly recommend that you make this your next approach.

For more information of how to fix your chronic back pain through functional compound movement patterns, please contact us for more information.

Why do most practitioners treat the symptoms of back pain and not the underlying cause?

It is what we are taught at university. Regardless of whether you are a physio, chiro, osteo, myo, massage therapist you are trained to accurately diagnose the source of lower back pain, then trained in a unique (to your modality) set of techniques to alleviate the lower back symptoms.

There are two sides to chronic lower back pain:

1. Tight and restricted tissues that cause pain (symptoms)
2. Weakened postural muscles that comprise the structures of the lower back (underlying cause)

The problem with being solely trained as a practitioner is that years of conditioning and focus on the symptoms makes you blindsighted to the true underlying cause of back pain.

Think about it:

• A massage therapist or myotherapist massages soft tissues
• A chiropractor and osteopath manipulate joints.

It is their job! When back pain sufferers come along, they execute their years of training and clinical experience, focusing on freeing the pain and restriction present in the lower back.

This works fine for the acute back pain sufferers (less than 3 months), however for the chronic back pain sufferer (more than 3 months) all this results in, is short term temporary relief from their pain. The pattern continues – treatment – patient feels better for hours/ days after treatment – pain returns – repeat process.

The problem for the practitioner and more importantly the chronic lower back pain patient is that practitioners are not taught how to address patients who do not respond to their modalities techniques.

From experience the best health care practitioners are the ones who have had a particular condition themselves, exhausted all efforts within their modalities philosophy to fix themselves only to turn to alternative solutions. This leads to the practitioner striving to create a solution to their condition and forces them to think/ explore outside the box.

There are many terrific stories of health care practitioners who have gone on such journeys, healed their bodies then shifted their focus to helping chronic patients do the same. Back pain is no different, there are great books that go into such stories and more importantly they provide a how to – process to fix chronic back pain. Not surprisingly all such books mention that more needs to be done that just standard physio, chiro, massage, with the attention focused around restoring strength and symmetry to the body.

If you are suffering from chronic lower back pain and have tried many different modalities and practitioners without a long term solution to your pain, don’t be alarmed, you are not alone. Search for books and success stories from practitioners who have fixed their own back pain and follow their guidance. Please search through our website to find articles from such authors.

8 in every 10 Australians will suffer from back pain throughout their life

80% of Australians will suffer Lower Back Pain – Find out why

As a society we fail to move. From a young age, we are spending vast hours of the day bent over an iphone, ipad or parked at a desk focusing in on the screen of our PC.

Gone are the days where we spent every light hour of the day, on push bikes or in the courtyard playing ball sports. Video and computer games are par for the course nowadays.

With a bit of luck we mature into young adolescents and shift some of our focus away from video games and onto our studies. The demands and pressure placed on young kids is growing by the year, with hours and hours per week spent fixed to a desk studying away in the pursuit of making competitive grades.

As we mature into young adults, more of the same awaits us with university demands continuing to ensure a sedentary life. For most this only worsens as we enter the workforce, spending long hours in fixed positions as we make our impression on our new employers.

In attempt to zone out and unwind from work we head straight home to sit in from of the TV tuning into one of the many netflix series that entertain and distract us from the daily pressures.

When do we move?

Simply put, for most Australians we do not!!  We sit all day at work, we sit all evening at home, then we lay all night as we sleep.     

Muscles support our postural structure. Muscles support our back.  

Ironically the muscle group the plays the most significant role in supporting our back is the the group we spent the most time resting on – Our backsides (gluteal muscle group)

So if we are never using this muscle group because we are always sitting on it – would it not be natural for this muscle group to become weak, to noticeably atrophy away.

Back pain is a billion dollar industry, with money pouring into doctors surgeries and physiotherapy clinic all of the country each year. Not to mention the mega dollars spent on pain relief, all heading to the big pharma companies.

Millions of pointless dollars pour into research on why so many people suffer from ongoing back pain. However, there is no mystery as to why 8 in every 10 Australians will suffer from back pain. We become weak in the very areas integral to supporting our backs due to the lack of time and focus on activities that use our bodies functionally.  

If a mere fraction of the money and effort was spent on the research and promotion of simple non time consuming exercises that counteract our modern day inactivity then the percentage of australians who suffer from back pain will instantly plummet.

For more information on exercises and movement patterns to prevent and avoid back pain please refer to one of the useful links on our site.

Think Postural strength and symmetry NOT core strength to fix chronic back pain.

Find out the correct strengthening techniques to fix chronic lower back pain

Far too great an emphasis is placed on ‘core’ strengthening programs to address chronic back pain. The core is an ambiguous term referring to deep trunk muscles, with the majority of practitioners and personal trainers holding differing views on the specific muscles that fall in the core group.

Let’s look at the most common muscles believe to make up the ‘core’:

• Pelvic floor muscles
• Transverse abdominis
• Multifidus

In comparison to the major muscles that support the pelvis and back, the above ‘core’ muscles pale in significance.  

Yes they are muscles that provide stability to the pelvis, the trunk and the spine – however no amount of strength to these muscles will override and counteract weak non functional postural muscles.

Lets now look at just one of the major muscles of the body that support our posture:

• Gluteus maximus

The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the human body. It is large and powerful because it plays the role of keeping the trunk of the body in an erect posture. It is the chief antigravity muscle that aids in walking up a flight of stairs.

In essence if the back pain sufferer has a non functional and weak gluteus maximus muscles, no amount of ‘core strength’ will compensate for the lack of foundation and stability this creates.

It is like asking someone to stand on one leg, then try and push someone over who is standing on two legs. Or like placing a solid beam on top of a loose pile of bricks, and wondering why the beam is unstable.

As stupid as these examples sound, this is the exact approach that so many therapists and trainers recommend to their patients suffering from back pain. People dedicate hours upon hours focusing on core stability exercises, whilst completely ignoring the major muscles such as the gluteus maximus.  

Whilst the muscles we outlined earlier in this article, defined as core muscles hold their importance, it is imperative to understand that effective functional compound exercises that target the major postural muscles of the body, also strengthen these core muscles.

In fact they do so in a functional manner, they replicate everyday human movement.

Lower Back Pain Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

The vast majority of doctors and practitioners alike focus on purely the symptoms of lower back pain. They base both their diagnosis and treatment plan purely on what the symptoms are telling them whilst completely overlooking the underlying cause.

This is the main reason why the majority of people who present to their doctor or practitioner with acute back pain, do not respond to treatment and medication and end up going on to be chronic back pain sufferers (defined as having back pain for greater than 3 months).

This is also the main reason why up to 40% of back pain patients who go undergo back surgery recover from surgery feeling no better if not worse than before they went under the knife.

In order to address both the symptoms and the cause of back pain, providing initial pain relief then lasting relief it is important that we look at what needs to be covered in both the diagnosis and the treatment plan.  

The symptoms of lower back pain that result in direct pain:

1. Pain derived from compromised, restricted joints such as SIJ (sacroiliac joint) and facet joints.
2. Pain derived from compromised, tight muscles of the lower back such as; the intrinsic muscles that support and stabilise the spine and the quadratus lumborum muscles
3. Pain derived from nerve impingement. Either through direct contact by a herniated disc, or from inflammatory pressure.
4. Pain derived from inflammation present in and around the structures of the lower back
5. Pain derived from solidified connective tissue (fascia) that is either present to protect the back or has been built up over a period of time.

The symptoms of lower back pain that may or may not result in direct pain:

1. Intervertebral disc issues; such as herniations (bulge) and ruptures.
2. Degenerative changes to the vertebral structures (wear and tear)
3. Foraminal stenosis (narrowing of bone pathways.)

 It is important to diagnose which of the above symptoms is causing back pain, however it is imperative that a more holistic view is taken in the diagnosis of what caused the symptoms in the first place.

Typical underlying causes that bring on lower back symptoms.

1. Postural weaknesses that place excessive load on the structures of the lower back
2. Postural alignment issues that create an excessive lordotic curve to the lumbar spine which comprises the way the muscles, joints and intervertebral discs function.
3. Protective, compensatory patterns that tighten and fatigue the lower back muscles.

Therefore the lower back pain diagnosis must cover

1. The exact symptoms of the lower back producing pain and restricting function.
2. The exact cause of what has brought on the symptoms

In turn the treatment plan must address both the cause and the symptoms of back pain.

1. Treatment techniques need to be engaged to reduce pain, inflammation and restricted movement.
2. The rehabilitation plan must look to lengthen the tight and shortened muscles creating excess tension on the lower back
3. The rehabilitation plan must focus on strengthening the weak and lengthen postural muscles integral to supporting the lower back and pelvis.

By focusing in on both the symptoms and cause of lower back pain, can eliminate repetitive lower back flare ups and give back pain sufferers the confidence to carry out daily actions without the fear of putting their lower back out.

Why is lower back pain considered one of the hardest conditions to address?   

Many practitioners dread the complexity of a chronic lower back sufferer attending their clinic. If time hasn’t healed the patient’s condition, if many other practitioners have attempted, yet failed to provide lasting relief then how are they going to be able to help?

Some practitioners work to a formula, if they cannot help after 4 sessions or after a certain amount of  weeks then they will tell the back pain sufferer that their treatment approach is most likely not going to help them. The majority of practitioners who have difficulty treating lower back pain, try different approaches trying to find a solution to their patients pain, with the process often taking many months if not years until the patient seeks treatment elsewhere.

The lower back is a complex part of the human anatomy. There are many different structures that make up and support the lower back and any number of these structures can be the source of pain for the back pain patient. Identifying the source of the pain, and how best to treat it is one of  the most difficult tasks for practitioner treating chronic back pain sufferers.

We need our lower back in order to carry out most daily activities, in fact the only time our lower back gets to rest is often times when we are lying down in bed. This makes resting an injured back, or a recently treated lower back very challenging, which is another factor in the complexity of addressing a lower back complaint.  

The most common complaint amongst chronic back pain sufferers about treatment received from practitioners is that it only provides temporary relief from their pain. They feel much better in the hours/ days post treatment, with a greater range of movement and reduced pain only for the pain and restriction to return soon after their appointment.

The frustration for both the patient and practitioner is why the pain continues to return, why the pain areas shift around and why the MRI scans do not show a significant cause for the ongoing condition.

From experience in both seeing many practitioners as a back pain sufferer, then as a practitioner who has mentored other practitioners who want to specialise in chronic back pain, my observation has been that the vast majority of practitioners focus on the symptoms of back pain and completely overlook the underlying cause.  

Practitioners treat the symptoms that cause pain,  which makes the back pain patient feel better temporarily, only for the pain to return. This pattern continues with both the back pain sufferer and the practitioner aware of why it occurs.

If the body is not strong enough to support its own weight – then there will be significant biomechanical changes to compensate for this weakness. The most common underlying cause of back pain is muscular imbalances that compromise the structures of the lower back. The symptoms are the pain or damage that occurs to the structures of the lower back, and if you keep treating the symptoms and overlook the muscular imbalances then you will continue the same pattern of short term symptomatic relief.

Granted, lower back injuries are complicated in comparison to other regions of the human body. However correct postural analysis will clearly outline that the structures of the lower back are compromised resulting in pain and dysfunction.

Addressing the postural imbalances in conjunction with treating the symptoms will provide chronic lower back pain sufferers both temporary relief and a lasting solution to their pain.

Why do most practitioners treat the symptoms of back pain and not the underlying cause?

It is what we are taught at university. Regardless of whether you are a physio, chiro, osteo, myo, massage therapist you are trained to accurately diagnose the source of lower back pain, then trained in a unique (to your modality) set of techniques to alleviate the lower back symptoms.

There are two sides to chronic lower back pain

1. Tight and restricted tissues that cause pain (symptoms)
2. Weakened postural muscles that comprise the structures of the lower back (underlying cause)

The problem with being solely trained as a practitioner is that years of conditioning and focus on the symptoms makes you blindsighted to the true underlying cause of back pain

Think about it:

• A massage therapist or myotherapist massages soft tissues
• A chiropractor and osteopath manipulate joints.

It is their job! When back pain sufferers come along, they execute their years of training and clinical experience, focusing on freeing the pain and restriction present in the lower back.

This works fine for the acute back pain sufferers (less than 3 months), however for the chronic back pain sufferer (more than 3 months) all this results in, is short term temporary relief from their pain. The pattern continues – treatment – patient feels better for hours/ days after treatment – pain returns – repeat process.

The problem for the practitioner and more importantly the chronic lower back pain patient is that practitioners are not taught how to address patients who do not respond to their modalities techniques.

From experience the best health care practitioners are the ones who have had a particular condition themselves, exhausted all efforts within their modalities philosophy to fix themselves only to turn to alternative solutions. This leads to the practitioner striving to create a solution to their condition and forces them to think/ explore outside the box.

There are many terrific stories of health care practitioners who have gone on such journeys, healed their bodies then shifted their focus to helping chronic patients do the same. Back pain is no different, there are great books that go into such stories and more importantly they provide a how to – process to fix chronic back pain. Not surprisingly all such books mention that more needs to be done that just standard physio, chiro, massage, with the attention focused around restoring strength and symmetry to the body.

If you are suffering from chronic lower back pain and have tried many different modalities and practitioners without a long term solution to your pain, don’t be alarmed, you are not alone. Search for books and success stories from practitioners who have fixed their own back pain and follow their guidance. Please search through our website to find articles from such authors.