Some recommendations to prevent back pain. Eat right. “If you maintain good eating habits, you not only will maintain a healthy weight, but you also will not put unnecessary stress on your body,” Lustig says. A steady diet of excessively spicy or fast food can strain your nervous system, which is going to create back problems, she adds. Conversely, a healthy diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, dairy products, and whole grains will keep your digestive tract on track. “If your intestines are working and functioning properly, that will maintain your spine because your inside and your outside relate to one another,” Lustig says. “I have found that many people who come in complaining of low back pain also have irritated bowels.”
Put out that cigarette: We all know smoking is a serious health risk, and smokers are also more likely to experience back pain than nonsmokers. One reason for this is that nicotine restricts blood flow to the disks in the spine. This can cause them to dry out, crack, or rupture. Smoking also reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood, which causes a reduction in nourishment to the muscles and tendons in the back. An unhealthy, weak back is more vulnerable to accidental strains and pulls that cause back pain.
Sciatica is the irritation or compression of the nerve roots or nerve fibres that make up the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body about the diameter of a finger. Up to 40% of people will have some form of sciatica in their lifetime. Pain can be felt anywhere along the nerve. Sciatic pain can be felt in the lower back, buttocks, leg, calf, or foot. The most common cause is a herniated spinal disc. The spinal disc can be injured or weakened over time. The disc can compress the nerve roots making up the sciatic nerve and cause pain. Another cause is the spinal bones can shift out of place compressing nerve fibres also causing pain. Sciatica doesn’t need to be a pain in the butt? Harvard Medical notes that sciatica often goes away by itself within a few hours or days. If the pain persists for long period of time it’s a good idea to see your doctor and or make an appointment to our clinic to see Dr. Josh Davis. See more info on Sciatica specialist.
Your back has many connected parts, including bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, nerves and tendons. Your spine supports your back. It’s made up of 24 separate bones called vertebrae stacked on top of one another. Below these are the bones in your sacrum and coccyx, which are at the bottom of your spine. Between the vertebrae are discs that act as shock absorbers and allow your spine to bend. Your spinal cord threads through the vertebrae. It carries nerve signals between your brain and the rest of your body. The spinal cord ends in your lower back, and continues as a bunch of nerves. This is called the cauda equina, Latin for ‘horse’s tail’, which it’s thought to resemble. It’s usually difficult for doctors to say exactly what’s causing back pain. This is because there are so many different parts to your back and tissues that surround it. Even tests such as X-rays and MRI scans don’t help for most people. See our causes section below for more information.
First, lay flat on the floor or mat, one leg extended and the next bent. Loop the band or towel around the ball of the extended foot. Holding each side of the band or towel, gently pull towards the chest. Feel the stretch in the calf muscle? Now hold for 30 seconds on each leg for 3 sets. With arthritis, the hips, knees and even hamstrings are problematic. A kneeling lunge loosens up the hamstring and opens the hips. Use proper form to avoid injury. This is especially helpfull in loosening up the lower back. To start, kneel on a comfortable mat on the floor. Step the right foot forward with the knee bent, similar to performing a lunge. Make sure the knee is at a 90-degree angle. Press both hands into the right thigh, shifting the upper body forward. The stretch stimulates the hips and hamstring. Hold the position for 30 seconds and then change legs. Three times per leg is enough to get the hips, knees, and hamstring ready to go.
The method of chiropractic treatment commonly consists of manual therapy which includes manipulation, mobilizations and soft tissue therapy. A manipulation which is also known as an adjustment is a swift small shove to the spine or other parts of the body with the intention of giving instant pain relief and mobility. A less rapid, more lethargic movements or stretches that aids with stiff joint relief is known as mobilization. Soft tissue therapy simply refers to the various methods based on relieving distress without causing movement. Source: https://allenhealthchiropractor.com/.