Sit up straight: While having good posture is good for you, sitting up straight for extended periods of times is not. When you sit for extended periods of time with a stiff, straight back, it can add strain. You want to lean a bit back in your chair with your feet flat on the ground while maintain the natural “S” curve in your back.

Don’t Life Heavy Objects: It’s not how much you lift, it’s how you lift it, form is everything. You want to life from your legs, not your back. Never lift anything that is too heavy for your body of course. When you are lifting something remember to squat close to the item, keep your back straight and head up.

Back Pain is Caused by an Injury: Not all back pain is created equal. While some back pain may be cause by injury, some are not. Disc degeneration and other inherited conditions can cause back pain.

Exercise is Bad for Back Pain: This could not be any further from the truth! Regular exercise actually prevents back pain. For people suffering from acute injury resulting in lower back pain, a doctor will most likely recommend a gentile exercise program.

If you are one of the many people suffering from back pain, don’t be fooled by the myths. Always speak with your pain med consultant if you are suffering from back pain. Remember, life is full of pain, suffering is optional. 

Pace on the Phone

Invest in a portable phone, or headset, or even a long cord, this way you can stand up and pace on the phone. Even if you aren’t walking in circles, simply standing will make a difference.

After Lunch Walk

After you eat a meal, take a quick stroll. Whether it’s just around the parking lot or the office or all the way around the block, just get moving!  Not only will you feel better, but walking after you eat will speed up your metabolism.

Grab the Bar Seats

When you go into a restaurant opt for the bar seats instead of a table. Try to position yourself with you feet a little more then hip width apart and tilt your hips slightly forward. This will allow your back to maintain the natural “S” curve in your spine.

Forget the Beach Chairs

If you’re going to the beach, or a lawn concert, or what have you, leave the chairs at home! If you don’t have one you’ll most likely spend more time walking around or just standing.

Walk to Their Desk

If  you have to communicate with a co-worker, don’t pick up the phone, don’t email them, simply walk over to their desk and tell them!

Easy enough, right? These are five simple steps you can rotate into your daily life to help you get up and move more. It also would be a good idea to have designated “stretch” or “walk” times in addition to these suggestions. Do your back a favor, and get up!  Life is full of pain, suffering is optional.

1. The Office Chair- Even if you invest in the most expensive, “supportive” chair, it is still not enough to avoid lower back pain. Sitting reduces the flow of blood to your supportive discs and can add 30% more pressure to your back as opposed to standing. So get up, move around, stretch out! Do this at least once an hour. Also, while your sitting, make sure your posture is correct. Head straight, shoulders back and keep your feet firmly planted on the floor.
2. Change Your Shoes- Stilettos are not ideal, they can put stress on your knees, hips and back. Trying wearing heals that are less then 3 inches high.  Also, avoid backless shoes, with your heal flopping around you are losing support. Your shoe should hold your foot firmly in place!
3. Weight Loss- Shedding some excess pounds will help lighten the load. When you carry extra weight in your mid section it propels your pelvic forward, throwing off the alignment of your spine.  If  weight is your problem, consider making a healthy lifestyle change, like exercising and eating right.
4. Bras- If you are a women with larger breasts make sure you are wearing a supportive bra! The weight in your breasts can cause you to hunch forward putting strain on your shoulders and neck.  Get fitted by a professional, it will make all the difference!
5. Technology- We know you love your iPhone or tablet or that fancy new laptop, but they have not been so kind to us in return- or at least not on our backs. The head down position strains our necks and our backs. Try looking at your smart phones or laptops  head on instead.
6. Your Hectic Life- Stress can be a large contributor to back pain. Muscles start to tense up when you are stressed.  So relax! Lighter aerobic exercises like walking can help reduce your back pain and relieve stress, or try yoga!

Take a minute to examine your everyday life. These are quick fixes most people can stand to make. If you are seriously suffering from back pain and these simple changes don’t help, contact your pain med consultant. Life is Full of Pain, Suffering is Optional!

It is a minimally invasive procedure. You are first given a local anesthetic. Then your pain med consultant will insert a needle into your spine. The needle is placed right in the center of the bulging disc.  What your doctor is doing is removing the intradiscal material or nucleus pulposus, from your spine. The pressure on your disc and nerves will almost instantly be relieved.

Another perk of this non-surgical procedure is the recovery time, or lack there of. The recovery time is relatively quick, very similar to that of an epidural steroid injection.  Also, there is no back brace needed! You will be up and about with no problem.

If you are suffer from a bulging or herniated disc, consider a Disc Decompression surgery.  Make sure you talk to your pain med consultant about your treatment options before you decide. Life is full of pain, suffering is optional!

Walking

Walking for a short period of time can help loosen and stretch out your legs. Be sure to start in small incriminates and work your way up.

Stretching

This is probably the most important exercise you can do to relieve your sciatica pain. One great stretch is to lay flat on your back and pull your knee into your chest, one leg at a time. Hold this stretch for at least 30 seconds at a time. Afterwords, bring both legs together and pull into your chest and hold. This stretch will help relieve the tension in your lower back.  Another great stretch that will relieve pain in your quadriceps is to start by laying flat on your stomach. Then, bring both of your legs up to your buttocks and grab on to your feet with your hands. Try holding for 10-20 seconds or until you start to feel pain. Child’s pose is also a  great stretch to help loosen and relieve your lower back pain.

It is important to keep you back flat when doing any of these stretches.

Core Strength

Crunches are a great way to help build up your core to help support your lower back. You need to be careful when doing crunches. If you feel any pain at all, stop.

Trying these light exercises and stretches will help reduce your pain and get you on the right track to recovery. Remember to start out slow when exercising with sciatica and always consult your pain med specialist.

• Walking: Walking is a great place to start! It is a low impact activity that you can do virtually anywhere. No matter where you live or what the weather conditions are- walking is always a possibility.
• Swimming: Swimming is great for those who suffer with osteoarthritis or joint and impact issues.  This is also a low impact exercise, that’s easy on the joints.
• Yoga: Stretching is great for chronic pain, but just as important are the breathing exercises.  You want to make sure you keep to what you are comfortable with because some yoga poses tend to be a bit extreme and tougher on your joints.
• Tai Chi: Like yoga, it incorporates breathing and movement. Tai chi has more fluid movements and can be done by people of all ages. No one is too old to start tai chi.  A New England Journal of Medicine study found that if you do tai chi at least twice a week it reduces pain, stiffness and fatigue in fibromyalgia patients.
• Pilates: Pilates helps build up your core strength. People with back pain can benefit the most from Pilates.
• Stretching: Stretching can be done anywhere at any time – whether you’re in your office, your car or waiting in line. It’s important to get your body parts in a full range of motion for at least 15 minutes a day.
• Weight and Strength Training: Weight training is important for those suffering with arthritis. It helps build muscle and helps take stress off of joints that may be giving you problems. When working with weights it is important to pace yourself and start out light.

Like we said, we know exercise is last thing you want to do when you’re in pain, but the benefits are worth the effort.  There is something for everyone, no matter what your fitness level.

Ready for those options?  Here are three to start:

Option 1. Get up and walk around for about 10 minutes every hour. This helps to get the blood flowing and keep the muscles warm to prevent the pain.

Option 2. Sitting in an upright position (no slouching or leaning back), take your right arm and reach behind your right hip. If you need a deeper stretch, reach over to your right with your left hand. Do not bounce or twist back and forth. Hold the stretch for up to 30 seconds and then switch sides.

Option 3. Put your hands together straight out in front of you with your fingers interlocked, turn your hands so that your palms are facing away from you with your fingers still interlocked.  Then place your head down.  Push your palms forward while you arch your upper back. You’ll feel the stretch in your upper back. Hold this stretch for up to 30 seconds.

Try to repeat these stretching exercises at least twice a day and you’ll feel a lot better by the time you head home from the office. If you are experiencing chronic pain, make sure to make an appointment with us at Pain Med Consultants for results you can count on. You don’t have to live in pain; call us at (877) 388-PAIN or visit us online!

 Toe Touches:

Once thought of as a great back stretch, toe touches can actually cause a lot of harm and major problems to your already aching back. “Standing toe touches… put greater stress on the disks and ligaments in your spine.  They can also overstretch lower back muscles and hamstrings.”

 Sit-ups:

“Although you might think sit-ups can strengthen your core or abdominal muscles, most people tend to use muscles in the hips when doing sit-ups.”  That kind of pressure can put a lot of pressure on the discs in your spine.

Leg Lifts:

“Leg lifts are sometimes suggested as an exercise to “strengthen your core” or abdominal muscles.  Exercising to restore strength to your lower back can be very helpful in relieving pain yet lifting both legs together while lying on your back can make back pain worse.”  Simple adjustments to these classic stretches can turn that harmful stretch into a quality stretch relieving back pain.  Rather than lifting both legs at the same time, WebMD suggests that you “…try lying on your back with one leg straight and the other leg bent at the knee.  Slowly lift the straight leg up about 6 inches and hold briefly.  Lower leg slowly.  Repeat 10 times, and then switch legs.”  This puts less stress on your spine and discs.

If you feel any mild discomfort at the start of suitable exercises, don’t worry. This discomfort should disappear as you strengthen your muscles.  WebMD recommends, if pain is more than mild and lasts more than 15 minutes during exercise, you should stop exercising and contact a doctor.  You don’t have to live in pain; call Pain Medicine Consultants at (877) 388-PAIN or visit us online!

1. Make sure you are going to the right type of doctor. If you are suffering from chronic pain, you should be seeing a pain specialist. While your everyday doctor does have the basic knowledge about how to treat pain, a pain specialist has focused their area of study within chronic pain and would be able to relate and resolve your issue somewhat faster and more efficiently.
2. Show up to your appointment prepared. Write down any questions or concerns that you want to address at your visit so it doesn’t slip your mind.  Also, try keeping a pain diary (when the pain is better or and when it is worse).  This will help discover and possible causes for the pain.
3. Don’t be candid. Although sometimes you may feel embarrassed, it is important to be completely open and honest with your doctor so they can really understand how to help.
4. Become an active participant.  Educate yourself on the ins-and-outs of chronic pain and the different treatment options available. Stay connected with those who also suffer from chronic pain (message boards, blogs etc.,) so you can talk to people who truly know what you are going through.
5. Keep track of your treatments. Create your own medical file at home for your records so you know what you’ve taken that worked and didn’t work.

Sometimes you may leave the doctors office feeling uneasy, like your message was not heard. Keep these in mind next time you go to see your doctor and see if any of these tips help!