4 Simple Exercises To Help Relieve Minor Back Pain

Brought to you by: Mendez Chiropractic Center
Go on our site for videos demonstrating these exercises.(www.687-pain.com)

While the idea of rest is a great one for the first 24 hours after injuring your back, prolonged inactivity can actually stiffen those injured muscles and make healing more difficult. Exercise on the other hand helps to strengthen the surrounding muscles and helps increase major blood flow to the injured area which promotes healing and often relieves the back pain making it more bearable. Exercising your back does not mean lifting weights or running a marathon. It means gentle exercise that helps stretch and strengthen your muscles. That being said here are 4 simple exercises that you can do at home that will help to relieve that back pain and strengthen your muscles to aid in healing and help prevent further injury.

The Reach

Stand with both feet together or slightly apart in front of a door. Slowly extend your arms over your head and reach as far as possible over the door jam while keeping your feet flat. Hold that position to the count of 10. You should feel the muscles in your back begin to stretch which is the entire purpose of this exercise. By stretching the muscles slowly, you can alleviate lower back pain and strengthen your muscles in the bargain.

Heal Raises (Also Called Tip Toes)

Once again stand straight up with your feet flat on the floor, shoulders back and head up. Slowly raise your heels up and down about 10 times. This exercise will provide a gentle pull and strengthening of the muscles in your thighs, buttocks and lower back region. Helping to reduce pain and aid healing.

Heel Slides

Lie flat on your back on the floor, slowly bend and straighten your knees one knee at a time alternating the legs. Bring your heel as close to your body as possible with each slide. Repeat 10 times. This exercise can be gradually increase to 20 times as the muscles become stronger and the pain lessens.

Straight Leg Raises

Once again lie flat on your back with one knee bent and the other leg straight. Tighten your abdominal muscles and slowly lift the straight leg about 6 to 8 inches off the floor. Hold it to the count of 6 and slowly lower it. Repeat changing legs. When starting out don't overdo this exercise start at about 5 repetitions or less and gradually increase to 10 repetitions.

Helpful Hints

Using a heating pad for 20 minutes followed by an ice pack for the same length of time both before and after doing these strengthening exercisers may help you to get through them easier. If any of these exercises causes the pain to drastically worsen stop immediately and call your chiropractor. However, keep in mind that there will be some discomfort initially which will fade as your muscles heal and gain more strength. Continuing these exercises after your back heals as part of a regular routine may help prevent re injury to your back muscles.

Other Useful Exercises:

Neck Pain – Can Chiropractic Really Help?

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Neck pain is a very common problem affecting up to 70% of the adult population at some point in life.  Though there are specific causes of neck pain such as arising from a sports injury, a car accident or “sleeping crooked,” the vast majority of the time, no direct cause can be identified and thus the term nonspecific is applied. There are many symptoms associated with patients complaining of neck pain and many of these symptoms can be confused with other conditions.  Wouldn’t it be nice to know what neck related symptoms are most likely to respond to chiropractic manipulation before the treatment has started?  This issue has been investigated with very favorable results!

The ability to predict a favorable response to treatment has been termed, “clinical prediction rules” which in general, are usually made up of combinations of things the patient says and findings from exams. In a large study, data from about 20,000 patients receiving about 29,000 treatments, was collected and analyzed to find out what complaints responded well to chiropractic treatment.  The results showed that the presence of any 4 of these 7 presenting complaints predicted an immediate improvement in 70-95% of the patients: 1. Neck pain; 2. Shoulder, arm pain; 3. Reduced neck, shoulder, arm movement; 4. Stiffness; 5. Headache; 6. Upper, mid back pain, and 7. None or one presenting symptom.  Items not associated with a favorable immediate response included “numbness, tingling upper limbs,” and “fainting, dizziness and light-headedness in 4-12% of the patients.  The “take-home” message here is that was far more common to see a favorable response (70-95%) of the patients compared to an unfavorable response (4-12%), supporting the observation that most patients with neck complaints will respond favorably to chiropractic treatment.

So, what do we do as chiropractors when a patient presents with neck pain?  First, after gathering preliminary information such as name, address and insurance information, a history of the presenting complaint is taken. This consists of information including what started the neck complaint (if you know), when it started, what makes it worse, what makes it better, the quality of pain (aches, stiff, numb, etc.), the location and if there is radiating complaints, the severity (0-10 pain scale), timing (such as worse in the morning, evening, etc.), and if there have been prior episodes. Various questionnaires are included that are scored so improvement down the road can be tracked and a past history that includes a medication list, past injuries or illnesses, family history and a systems review are standard.  The exam includes vital signs (BP, pulse, height, weight, temperature and respiration), palpation, range of motion, orthopedic and neurological examination.  X-ray and/or other “special tests” may also be included, when needed. A review of all the findings are discussed and after permission to treat is granted, a chiropractic adjustment may then be rendered.  A list treatment options may include:

1. Adjustments;
2. Soft tissue therapy (trigger point stimulation, myofascial release);
3. Physical therapy modalities;
4. Posture correction exercises and other exercises/home self-administered therapies;
5. Education about job modifications;
6. Co-management with other health care providers if/when needed.

How much water should I drink?

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How to Stay Hydrated:
It is extremely important to keep your body hydrated at all times to avoid dehydration and its resulting health consequences.
A good rule for drinking the right amount of water is to drink one glass with each meal, one glass between each meal, and extra glasses following exercise.
You should also take care to drink a glass of sparkling water or other beverage during social gatherings to supplement your daily intake. While most foods and all beverages contain some water, drinking pure water is generally the best for your body.

                                               Symptoms of Dehydration:
Water is essential for your body to function properly. It flushes toxins out of your organs, carries nutrients throughout the body, and provides a moist environment for sensitive tissues and organs. When your body is not properly hydrated, it will begin to send signals to your brain and produce the following symptoms:
Headache
Thirst
Dry mouth
Muscle weakness
Fatigue or Lethargy
Dizziness
Lightheadedness

Pregnancy:
Aim for eight 8-ounce glasses per day (64 fluid ounces) of fluid, plus one 8-ounce cup for each hour of light activity. Milk, juice, decaffeinated drinks, and caffeinated drinks all contain plenty of water and "count" toward your fluid intake.  Keep in mind that juice and sweetened drinks also provide a lot of extra calories, so don't rely on them too much.  It's best to limit caffeine, too – including caffeinated teas and colas – to 200 mg (about one 12-ounce cup) per day. More than that raises the risk of miscarriage, according to a 2008 study.  (It's a myth that caffeinated drinks dehydrate you. Yes, caffeine makes you pee more. But the amount of fluid you actually lose because of this diuretic effect is so small that it's insignificant.)
Don't hesitate to drink water and other fluids because you're afraid of retaining water, either. Oddly enough, the more fluids you drink during pregnancy, the less your body retains. So if your feet and ankles are swollen, drinking more water actually helps.
Water carries nutrients through your blood to your baby, and drinking plenty of fluids helps prevent dehydration, too. This is especially important in the last trimester, when dehydration can cause contractions that can trigger preterm labor.
Water also helps prevent some common pregnancy problems such as constipation, hemorrhoids, and bladder infections (drinking water helps dilute your urine, which reduces your risk of infection).

If you need to drink more fluids, you don't want extra calories, and you don't like the taste of water, try adding a wedge of lemon or lime to your water, or a little juice, for additional flavor. If you're not sure how much water you drink each day, fill a container with your target amount and try to finish it by the end of the day.






Dangers:
However, there is a different story emerging, especially amongst people who exercise. According to researchers almost as many exercisers are putting their health at risk by over-consuming water as drinking too little.
Drinking water at every opportunity can cause serious problems, such as hyponatraemia or water intoxication. As the water content of the blood increases, the salt content is diluted. Consequently the amount of salt available to body tissues decreases, which can lead to problems with brain, heart and muscle function.

ADHD

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According to a recent study from the CDC, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder now occurs in 1 out of every 10 children. I was shocked to read this! One in 10 children have ADHD?

Are you kidding me? Does this blow your mind? It should.

I have found that in most cases, children with ADHD will be helped with improved diet and chiropractic adjustments.

When the nerves in the cervical spine are aggravated, this can cause your body to react in several different ways. For our purposes today, the most important is a tightening of the muscles in the neck and upper back. This tightening in adults can cause increased tension, headaches, and insomnia. The muscle tightening in children will make it nearly impossible for them to relax, pay attention, get adequate sleep, or concentrate.

Your next question should be, is chiropractic care safe for children? The answer is a resounding YES. Over the last 20 years we have treated children of all ages, the youngest was a boy 3 weeks old, (shoulder dislocation).

I suggest talking to your chiropractor about his knowledge and comfort level with adjusting children.

Ear Infections and Children

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Chiropractic care has a long history and excellent results in the treatment of childhood diseases. One that is significantly troublesome in young children are ear infections. Along with chiropractic care, the following are home remedies that can be used by the parent to alleviate and sometimes prevent this condition.

Many children suffer with recurrent infections of the middle ear. Antibiotics are frequently used, but according to some research are not affective. Likewise, inserting tubes surgically into the ear - another common conventional treatment - have not consistently provided any long-term benefits.

Dietary changes that may be helpful.
The incident of allergies among children with recurrent ear infections is much higher than among the general public. In one study, more than half of all children with current ear infections were found to be allergic to certain foods. Removing those foods lead to significant improvement in 86% of the allergic children tested.

Although sugar intake has not been studied in relation to recurrent ear infections, eating sugar is known to impair immune function.  Therefore, many nutritionally oriented doctors recommend that children with recurrent ear infections reduce or eliminate sugar from their diets.

Lifestyle changes that may be helpful.
When parents smoke, the children are more likely to have recurrent ear infections. It is important that children not the exposed to passive smoke.

Nutrients that may be helpful.
Vitamin C stimulates immune function in most studies. Vitamin C has not been studied in regard to ear infections specifically; nevertheless, nutritionist have recommended between 500 mg and 1000 mg of vitamin C per day for ear infections.

Zinc supplements increase immune functions, although the studies showing this have not focused on ear infections. Some recommend zinc supplements for anyone with recurrent infections suggesting 25 mg per day for adults and lower amounts for children for example a 30 pound child could be given 5 mg of zinc. People taking zinc for more than a few weeks should take copper as well. Taking too much zinc (several hundred milligrams per day for adults) actually depressed immune function and must be avoided.

Vitamin A is needed by the immune system. Vitamin A supplements have helped vitamin-A deficient children with measles or infectious diarrhea in many studies. Vitamin A supplements have not been studied as a treatment for ear infections in children who are not vitamin A deficient. Nevertheless, some nutritionist give children with ear infections 5000 to 10,000 IU of five and eight per day.  Women who could become pregnant should not take more than 10,000 IU of vitamin A per day.

Herbs that may be helpful. 
Some children with recurrent ear infections benefit from Echinacea, which helps support healthy immune function. Echinacea lowers the risk of colds and upper respiratory tract infections, which are common in children experiencing the current ear infections. Many people use 40 drops of the tincture 2 to 3 times per day for 6 to 8 weeks. Children can be given half the adult dose.
Ear drops with Mullein, St John's wort, and garlic in an oil base our traditional remedies used to alleviate the pressure in the middle ear during acute ear infections.
Because of its antimicrobial activity, Goldenseal has a long history of use for infections, including current ear infection.

As with any of these suggestions/recommendations it is always very important to incorporate your doctor/pediatrician in the treatment of any childhood diseases.