Are you 1 in 6 Aussies complaining of this condition?
It is estimated that 1 in 6 Aussies will experience back pain each year – making it quite a common condition to see in practice! With experience I’ve gained in practice, I have prepared some of my top tips to help with managing back pain should it arise.
Pain in the... back?
Talk stats -
It is estimated that 70–90% of people will suffer from lower back pain in some form at some point in their lives, and 1 in 6 Aussies will experience back pain each year
This makes it quite a common condition to see in practice!
It is important to understand that pain is the body’s protective mechanism, and that we can still move without fear of causing tissue damage. With experience I’ve gained in practice, I have prepared some of my top tips to help with managing back pain should it arise:
Keep your body moving!
It can be all too easy to slump on the couch in an attempt to “rest” and ease your back pain, however according to research, movement is one of the most effective ways to minimise your pain! So try and get yourself upright and walking around! Your Osteopath can help prescribe exercise that is both safe and beneficial for you, to help keep your joints moving and muscles relaxed.
Early treatment intervention
In other words, get yourself checked out by your Osteopath sooner rather than later! We can assist in decreasing your recovery time, getting you back to moving pain free and doing what you love – sooner! Interventions can include gentle mobilisation, soft tissue work, muscle energy techniques and devising strategies and modifications to allow you continue doing your daily activities with comfort.
Prevention is better the cure
Work with your Osteopath to address your weak areas that are impacting your back pain. Tackling these areas with an appropriate treatment, management and exercise plan will assist in preventing future bouts of back pain.
Avoid heavy lifting
It goes without saying that heavy lifting (often coupled with poor lifting technique) is an aggravating factor for back pain as it creates extra stress and inflammation to already unhappy tissues. Your Osteopath will take you through proper lifting techniques to avoid re-aggravation.
Heat packs!
For more chronic back injuries, heat packs are great to use over the lower back to help relax sore and achy muscles.
Read this interesting article put by the ABC here…
If you have any questions about how we can help you, give us a call! 0439 379 847
7 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Skip Your Warm Up!
Ever wondered if it was really necessary to warm up before you exercise? Undertaking a proper warm-up and cool-down has many benefits that can assist in decreasing your risk of injury and maximising the effectiveness of your workout.
Just How Important is Warming Up?
Get the most out of your work out and assist in preventing injuries!
Do you regularly incorporate a warm-up in your exercise regime? Or are you the type to jump headfirst into your work out?
The purpose of a warm-up is to prepare the body for exercise. Your warm up will be determined by the type of exercise you are going to be doing. It should be done immediately prior to exercise, and produce some mild sweating without fatigue.
Clinical studies have shown that a structured warm-up program can reduce the risk of injury by at least 50%. If that isn’t a good enough reason to spare the time to warm up before you start, then I don’t know what is! Because in the mind of any exercise enthusiast, the last thing we want OR need is to fall victim to injuries.
Here are some of the many benefits of a proper warm-up prior to exercise…
- Increases your body temperature – as more blood pumps around your body, the muscles become warm, and they have more elasticity and reduces the likelihood of strains
- Increases muscle temperature – a warm muscle contracts and relaxes quicker, works more efficiently and decreases the risk of injury
- Blood vessels dilate – allows more blood to reach your muscles and decrease resistance to blood flow and less stress on your heart to pump the blood
- Increased range of motion of joints as they and the surrounding muscles become warm
- Dynamic exercises decrease muscle stiffness
- Allows heart rate to get to a workable rate for the start of your session
- Mental preparation and increasing focus on the task ahead
What type of warm up should I be doing?
Your warm up should be determined by the type of exercise you are about to undertake. For example, if you are about to go for a run, you should include a slow jog for 5-10 minutes, specific running drills, and dynamic stretching to get your heart rate slowly up and blood pumping around your body and get those lower limbs muscles firing.
If you are doing a weights session, 5-10 minutes of brisk walking on the treadmill/riding on the bike followed by some easy mobility work using the muscles and joints you are using in your session to ensure the joints/muscles are primed and ready to be used. You also can include a set of non-weighted reps to allow the body to prepare for the heavier load and make sure those muscles are switched on.
Don’t forget about the COOL-DOWN!
A very important aspect to ones work-out that is often neglected or forgotten! All too often I’ve seen people finish their work-out and then rush off, rarely sparing the time or thought to adequately cool-down (I, myself are guilty of this far too many times).
It doesn’t have to be time-consuming affair, just 10- 15 minutes at the conclusion of the session. Active recovery is important because it flushes the lactic acid from the circulation. A simple way to do this is 5 minutes of brisk walking or riding the bike.
Other components of a cool-down can include some stretching and using a foam roller over the muscles that have been used in that work-out. Static stretching is best suited for post-exercise (stretch slowly and gently, hold for 30-60 seconds, stretch to the point of tension but never pain, repeat 2-3 times as needed).