Many recent studies have shown the prevalence of lower back pain, crediting it the number one cause of disability worldwide and one of the main reasons that people miss work. It’s so prevalent that it’s also the second most-common reason that patients go to the doctor. Lower back pain is certainly a frequent complaint that brings patients into Encore Physical Therapy too. If you are one of the nearly 50% of the population who suffers from occasional or chronic back pain, consider the products you use daily that could exacerbate your condition.

Office Chair 

If you work at a desk, your chair can be a major contributing factor to the health of your posture, spine, and lower back. Generally an office chair with strong lower lumbar support will encourage better posture than a straight back or curved-out chair. Make sure your chair is adjustable so that your feet can touch the ground without raising your knees too high. Also consider replacing your chair with a yoga ball. With a little bit of practice the yoga ball will promote core strength while reducing compression on your lower spine.

Standing Station

Another option is to ditch the office chair all together. Standing stations allow you to remain in a standing position while you type, answer the phone, and look up data on the computer. This reduces the amount of compression and also provides an opportunity for more movement than while in a seated position. For a combination of sitting and standing, look for desktop computer risers or entire desks that raise and lower with the press of a button.

Anti-fatigue Mats

If you decide to replace your office chair with a standing station, be sure to include an anti-fatigue mat to stand on. You might also invest in anti-fatigue mats in front of the kitchen sink, stove, or anywhere else you spend large quantities of time standing.

Back/S.I. Braces

If your lower back issue is caused by weak muscles or injury, temporarily using a brace to stabilize the area can be helpful. Wearing a back or sacroiliac brace takes some of the pressure off of your lower back muscles. This can allow them to rest if needed. It can also allow them to strengthen via your recommended physical therapy techniques while reducing the risk of further back injury in the process.

Mattresses and Sleep Position

Make sure to find the best mattress for your sleep style. If you’re not in the market for a new mattress, at least consider altering your sleep position. Most physical health experts agree the the most supportive sleep position for the lower back is on your side with a pillow between your knees. This helps keep your spine in alignment during the one-third of the day that you are not upright. Also consider pulling your knees into a fetal position. This offers a stretch to your spine and helps expand spacing between the vertebrates. If you’re not comfortable as a side-sleeper though, we recommend you lay on your back. Stomach sleeping is not recommended for back health, but if that’s your natural position, try placing a small pillow under your hips to lift the pelvis and avoid sagging the spine.

Pillow

If you deal with back pain, you know that a seemingly unrelated area of the body can often contribute to the pain. Upper back and neck issues can radiate pain to your lower back, so choosing the right pillow based on your preferred sleeping position is worth the investment.

There are thousands of products on the market to help with lower back pain and many of them can alleviate symptoms. However, you may be able to minimize the need to treat back pain if you can keep it from occurring in the first place. This can be done through a combination of physical therapy strategies and products targeted towards supporting your needs. When deciding on the best products for your work, home, and physical situation, be sure to enlist the advice of your professional physical therapist.

Activity is a great way to stay in shape. As you know, it’s the number one recommendation by medical professionals for everything from depression to fatigue to heart disease. It’s great that you dig in for daily walks or are part of a local soccer league, but sometimes that level of activity can take a toll on a body. Sprains, strains, and other injuries often drive people to seek out physical therapy options so they can get back into the game. But what most athletes and gym rats don’t realize is that in addition to injury recovery, physical therapy can also improve performance in just about any activity or workout. Here are a few ways physical therapy can improve your sports performance.

1. Flexibility

By watching the way a patient moves, a qualified physical therapist can identify locations where mobility may be limited. With targeted exercises, you will be able to open up your range of motion and increase your flexibility, allowing you to better protect against injury while simultaneously landing your back handspring.

2. Power

Whether your main event is the long jump or your basketball stride could use some lengthening, a few sessions with a professional therapist can help identify which muscles might be restricting your motion and teach those muscles how to provide more power to the length and height of your jumps. After all, it requires the coordination of many muscles, joints, and bones to propel you into the air and safely land again.

3. Endurance

While we might not be able to directly improve your cardiovascular endurance, we can help figure out why certain muscles cramp or become fatigued. By strengthening and improving the functionality of your muscles, we can help enhance muscular endurance so that you can finish the marathon or maintain pace on the elliptical machine for the entire length of your favorite podcast.

4. Strength

A task as simple as rolling over during a nap requires the use of muscles. In contrast, imagine the amount of use those muscles get during a wrestling match or baseball game. With this focus in mind, strengthening is the best way to get the most out of those muscles so that you can perform at your peak. Physical therapy aims to target those areas that you rely on most so you can bring your “A” game.

5. Improved Gait

Without even being aware of it, you can probably identify your spouse, child, or running partner headed down the street at a glance. This is because we each have our own style of movement, called a gait pattern. That gait is a result of all of our body movements working together. By improving the efficiency of your gait you can train your body to offer you better support and ease of movement, improving your sports performance.

6. Balance

Balance is a culmination of multiple bodily functions, ranging from strength, vision, and even the inner ear canals. By performing exercises that target these areas, your balance and stability will improve, which is important in avoiding falls and earning a perfect 10 on your beam routine.

7. Range of Motion

Similar to flexibility of the muscles, joint range of motion is a key factor in functional mobility. Consider a golfer that cannot fully rotate on their back swing. Physical therapists can help you identify the obstacles that are limiting your range of motion so you can get that power behind your long drive and improve your game.

8. Recovery From Injury

While injuries are never ideal, those that keep you from doing the sport you love can be life-changing. When you suffer an injury, sometimes your body struggles to get back to where it was prior. Physical therapists can help in this process by identifying where the glitches are in order to get you back on track.

9. Injury Prevention

Next to helping people recover after an injury, the number one goal in physical therapy is to help people prevent injuries in the first place. Athletes often overlook preventative treatment as part of their exercise regime, yet it can be as important as having the right gear or stretching before a big game.

10. Reduce Pain

Sometimes the only thing we can do about chronic pain is to minimize the impact it has on daily life. For the active person, this means targeting ways to mitigate that pain so you can continue doing the things that you love. Physical therapy can help discover movements that you should avoid and offer alternative techniques that allow you to play with less pain. Physical therapy is a useful tool for athletes of all levels. From those hoping to begin a new exercise regime to those who have participated in amature or professional sports, Encore Physical Therapy is here to assess your needs and create a plan that keeps you in the game.

Thank you so much to everyone for taking the time to come out and visit us at our booth this year at the garden festival on Sunday, May 6th 2018. We had a wonderful time getting to meet each and every one of you. Please call us at 541-758-2235 if you have any questions regarding any musculoskeletal problems or if you would like to make an appointment to be seen either by Frank, Chris or Curt.