The secret to a pain free life is...

Do you feel like you are on a tightrope and one misstep will trigger your pain? This month we are diving deeper into the pain management continuum, to the origin of why most people experience pain.

The secret to a pain free life is balance. Each person’s life has many demands that pull or knock us, in many directions. These include responsibilities of family caregiving, career demands, recreation, and fitness pursuits, so it’s easy to see how our health became a low priority. The usual story is that a person feels “mostly fine”, begins to notice something “different” when moving or doing an activity, and then “something’s terribly wrong!” A part of our body starts to jab or scream at us to let us know, “Hey, this is a problem, do something about this!”

This is when people feel they are walking on a tight rope and don’t know where they are headed. It’s extremely difficult to maintain your balance when you can’t look at where the path is leading.  The purpose of this continuum is to show your options and empower you to make the right decision for you to get back to balanced and pain free.

To achieve freedom from pain in a balanced way you have to get to the right provider. They must explain what the physical and mechanical factors are that are causing your problem. This concept of what you ask your body to do vs. what your body can handle is fundamental. This applies to your whole body but also each individual joint and muscle. Click here for a brief video on this topic.

On the “ask our body to do” side we have your daily activities, habits, work position, repetitive motions or sports. On the “ability” side we have ability to function, including movement, and strength. When we are out of balance the “ask our body to do” side will be overloaded. This overload leads to muscle adhesion and functional restriction with movement. Eventually this overloaded area becomes a problem, gradually worsening until it hurts, “Hey, this is a problem, do something about this!” To solve the problem, first we need to restore the health and function to the overused muscles and joints. Only then can we add specific and simple exercises to balance strength. After restoring function, all that is left is to understand how to maintain the balance given the demands on our body and any limitations in structure or function. For you to be healthy, you need to have a surplus “ability” of what your body can handle when compared to what you are “asking it to do”.  Our job at Rochester Spine + Sports Chiropractic is to be the best we can be at providing exactly what you need to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible. If that is the destination you have in mind as you walk your tightrope of life, I am the expert you seek, call now 678-1362, for your consultation.

Video Case of the Week: Carpal Tunnel

Check out our Video Case of the Week: Carpal Tunnel

If you would like us to show our innovative approach to other common pain problems, or your diagnosis.... please comment and stay tuned!

Get Up, Stand Up... at your desk

Let's address the need for a sit-stand desk. This topic has become increasing popular for good reason. Many people have back pain! I frequently recommend a sit-stand desk for patients who present with impaired function, pain and degeneration of the low back. Today we discuss if you are a candidate for this type of load management strategy.

Why a Sit-Stand Desk? A sit-stand desk is important. Sitting increases the load on discs in your low back. The sit-stand desk is a workstation that allows you to do both, sit or stand at your work station reducing load on your low back. People who sit for four or more hours in a day have a 9x increase in low back pain, compared with people who sit for one hour(1). There are only 168 hours in a week. The average person spends 64 hours a week sitting(2). How much of your life do you spend sitting down?  Low back disc problem How does a sit-stand desk help me? This setup reduces the load on your lumbar spine. With my experience treating thousands of low back pain patients, reducing pain needs a specific plan. This plan requires a combination of restoring muscle function, improving movement, balancing strength and managing the loads on the low back.  I recommend that you sit for 30-45 minutes and stand for 15-20 minutes. It's time to switch to standing if you are uncomfortable and find yourself shifting around to avoid pain. In fact, I recommend that you subtract 20% off the time it takes to hurt and switch before your back begins to be irritated. Sit-Stand setup Do I need a Sit-Stand Desk? There are multiple factors that must be considered for you to be a candidate. First do you have impaired function, pain or a known diagnosis regarding your low back? Any request must be a reasonable accommodation request. Do you have a legitimate request backed by a note from a doctor? Would the request cause your employer undue hardship? Managing the load on the lumbar spine with a sit-stand desk is vital to maintaining health, slowing degeneration and minimizing both pain and missed time from work. If you suffer from low back degeneration, give us a call at 678-1362 to schedule a consultation. Occupational Evolution References: (1) Tucker, J. "Give your patients the ergonomic advantage." Dynamic Chiropractic, April 2017. (2) Yeager, S. "Sitting is the new smoking- even for runners." Runner's World, July 20, 2013.

Stairway to Hamstring Strength

Many people who come into our office complain about their hamstrings. The hamstrings consist of three distinct muscle tissues located in the back of the thigh. The average person spends the majority of their day sitting: at the office, eating, driving or riding in a vehicle, and watching TV. This frequent sitting creates limitations of the hamstrings. Hamstring limitations can lead to over activation of the muscles in the front of the leg, knee pain, poor balance, as well as calf and foot complaints.

Hamstring muscles

In most cases, this limitation is a combination of muscle adhesion and weak muscle issues. The muscle adhesion needs to be resolved with Manual Adhesion Release. The weak muscle tissues can be strengthened with targeted exercise and incorporating mindful staircase climbing into your daily routine. When climbing stairs, skip a step to have your whole foot in contact with the stair. Now drive through your heels with each step. This activates and strengthens the hamstring muscles.

Stairway to Hamstring Strength

Making the choice to take the stairs mindfully, versus using the elevator or escalator, allows you to work towards strengthening your muscles, as well as improving your balance and health. It is a choice of doing what is right for your body, instead of what is easy. 😤