This will be the last review of P90X2. Over 6 days of the program, it’s just very underwhelming. I’m going back to the original P90X program.
My recommendation: do P90X2 if your balance is so bad you spend most of your day crawling around on your hands and knees. If you can stand on two legs, however, pick another program. There are far too many upper body exercises that attempt to challenge balance, but the trade-off for doing an exercise on one leg is having to use far less weight than if you just stood on two legs.
Training balance is also fairly easy to do. Standing on one leg with your eyes closed is much more difficult than any of the movements in P90X2. If they just included that exercise once every few days, and used the other exercises to build strength, the program would be more effective. Doing a row-press on one leg is not challenging, because I already have good balance and would need to stand on two legs to lift a weight that would adequately challenge the upper body muscle groups.
Yes, I know I am completely dismissing the program in an extremely unprofessional manner. But the original P90X program was so much better for developing real strength, at least in terms of your body weight, and the follow-up isn’t worth the effort except for the least fit of individuals.
Alternatively, you may enjoy P90X2 if you do not value the health of your lower back and actively want to encourage disc herniation. I can’t even keep count of the number of exercises I skipped (substituting my own movements in place of the originals) because they required a rounded lower back and excess stress on the low back. There are almost no exercises that should be done with a rounded lower back, as Stuart McGill explained years ago in his book.
I don’t know what the other 9 DVDs have in store for you if you want to keep going with the program. But the first 6 days seem to be one long balance test with artificially light weight. There are already enough functional movement assessment tools out there that will tell you if your balance needs work. I can not imagine what motivated the designers of the P90X2 program to focus so much on balance, but if you have decent balance already, it seems like the entire program is worth avoiding.
I don’t know what it is about yoga, but it’s never been for me. After about 15-20 minutes of doing it, I just get frustrated and end up with higher anxiety and greater stress than if I had simply stayed away. So with that said, it should be no surprise that I did not like the P90X2 Yoga routine.
Before you read any further, though, you should know that I consider myself completely unqualified to make any deep analytical arguments for or against the P90X2 routine. I’ve tried doing some yoga in the past and own a couple of books and a DVD program, but after about 20 minutes, I just get bored and frustrated with the whole experience.
This is not to say that I do not find yoga valuable. Even now, I typically include some yoga poses in my pre- or post-workout routines. But the yoga portion of these workouts last for 5 or 10 minutes at the most. Then I move on to other movements that work for me. Doing a 65-minute P90X2 yoga workout was a personal slice of hell, I felt.
Order now from Amazon! Or just do the P90X2 routine.
The yoga program that I used regularly in the past was Rodney Yee’s Yoga Conditioning for Athletes DVD. In fact, I rather enjoyed the mini-routines that are included on the DVD and recommend them to other athletes. He has a number of sports-specific 5-10 minute long routines that involve just a small number of poses. It feels more natural to me to get in, do the poses, relax, and get out before I start to forget to breathe and get frustrated by whole experience.
In all honesty, I am sure this will be my weakest review in the P90X2 series. I would really like to say that this DVD changed my entire outlook on yoga, but no luck. I respect people who can do yoga for long periods of time, even envy them. And who knows? Maybe at some point in the future, I’ll give it another try and find that I am able to follow along for an entire hour and five minutes without feeling more, rather than less, anxious.
All I can recommend about the P90X2 Yoga routine is that you try it yourself. Feel free to ignore my thoughts on this one, as I am far from any type of expert on yoga. And if I ever find a yoga program that I enjoy and that holds my attention, I’ll be sure to update this post in the future.
Until then, however, I think I might go through another round of the Day 3 Recovery and Mobility program rather than do the Yoga workout.
The Total Body and Ab Ripper workout in P90X2 is almost exactly what you would expect from a workout in the original P90X if an upper body-focused day was combined into one cohesive workout with the abdominal mini-routine at the end of each DVD. There is a lot of balancing exercises, from one-arm dumbbell presses on a stability ball to single-leg triceps kickbacks.
By combining a total body workout along with some core stabilization, this P90X2 workout provides a decent challenge, but left me feeling a bit unfulfilled by the end. There was just so much that it seemed as if the workout never really gained a focus. In designing my own workouts, a total body day would include core exercises as well, but it would focus mostly on the largest muscle groups: the legs, chest-shoulders, upper back.
In a one hour workout that focuses on the entire body, there just is not that much room for isolating the triceps or biceps, even if I am standing on one leg. Instead of a single-leg biceps curl, I would probably do a single-leg dumbbell row, which would include the biceps work and the core stabilization challenge, but would also include the upper back muscles.
I know, in some of my criticisms of the original P90X, I mentioned doing too many pushups and pullups. It seems as if the creators of the program heard those complaints from others and tried to compensate by doing a number of other exercises focusing on the upper body instead. But they probably went a little too far in that there is just too much going on in the total body workout to give the larger muscle groups a sufficient stimulus.
It is not a terrible workout by any means, though. Some of the individual exercises are very good, and doing them on one leg provides a good challenge to the lower body and the hips, lower back, and abdominal muscles. However, a lot of these same exercises seem more like assistance exercises after focusing on the “big” movements. For instance, doing a single-arm dumbbell press on a stability ball is good, but it would fit in better near the end of a workout after doing regular pushups earlier in the routine. Crunchy-lever pushups (see the wacky names again) would be a good late-workout challenge after a few sets of regular pullups or chinups.
Someone should also point out that doing an overhead press with dumbbells while simultaneously doing a lunge actually takes some of the load off the legs. If one of your legs is driving into the ground to lift you up as you are lowering your arms and dumbbells, the legs do not have to lift that portion of the weight. Lesson: divide the weighted lunge and the overhead press into two different movements.
I suppose my main complaint with this workout was that it just was not challenging enough. At least once, I wanted to be challenged to pound out a ton of pushups or pullups; and the leg exercises in this workout pale in comparison to the extreme difficulty of the legs workout in the original P90X. I would almost go back to the original series for the weightlifting components of the program at this point, although I am still interested to see what kinds of strength training is included in the rest of the P90X2 DVDs.
This will be a relatively short review as the focus in this P90X2 DVD was pretty limited. However, that is not to say that you should avoid this workout or underestimate its importance. In fact, it may be one of the most important changes to the P90X original program.
I really liked the Recovery and Mobility routine, as it focused on two areas that most athletes — myself included — tend to neglect. Spending nearly half an hour working with the foam roller was a great, relaxing routine. After only 2 days, however, I was not really terribly sore. But once I get back around to this workout after going through the rest of P90X2′s DVDs, the recovery-focused day should feel like a nice change of pace.
Being a big proponent of foam rolling, spending half a workout using it to relax some of my tight, chronically injured muscles and connective tissues felt great. I can see why they probably included this routine on Day 3, however. Day 1 was core-focused, although it utilized a lot of upper and lower body strength. Day 2 was low-weight, but high-intensity with a lot of jumping and plyometrics.
Then, after Day 3, the real workout begins. Day 4 is a total body workout with some core focus thrown in. Knowing Tony and the P90X original program, this will probably use a lot of dumbbells, body weight exercises, and movements that challenge my balance. Thus, Day 3′s recovery focus and its mobility movements are designed to allow the body to recover from the plyometrics but take care of the tissues so that they are ready to lift heavier weights on Day 4.
I do not really have any complaints about the Recovery and Mobility routine. They are fairly standard exercises and, although I would change or add a number of mobility movements, the ones that are included in the DVD worked just fine for me. Leg swings, overhead squats, twist lunges — they are all included in my normal warmup-mobility routine already, so doing them in the midst of a P90X2 workout seemed appropriate.
I could hardly find any complaints about the terminology used in this workout. With 20 minutes of just foam rolling, Tony has far fewer opportunities to call lunge jumps “Mary Katherines” or weighted lunge jumps “Killer Katherines.” If I had one nit to pick, it would be that 20 minutes of foam rolling is just long enough to really start enjoying it and releasing some of the tension and tissue adhesions. I could have kept rolling for 30 or 40 minutes easily.
Tony’s fascination with his Rumble Roller is kind of comical. I would only suggest that, instead of having a 100% foam tool and a Rumble Roller, most athletes could get one of the foam rollers with a PVC pipe in the middle of it. If you ever get to the point where the foam is not getting deep enough, then just roll on the PVC pipe. A word of warning, though: rolling directly on a PVC pipe is for advanced foam rollers only! It can be extremely uncomfortable in the best of circumstances, so getting used to a softer tool is essential first.
Buy it! Use it!
I’ve ordered several of these Foam Roller Plus products in the past for myself and injured athletes I’ve coached. All of them have loved the tool and a few were able to deal with the rolling on just the PVC pipe for certain parts of their body. It is highly recommended.
And if you are looking for a more robust mobility warmup, I can think of nothing better than Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson‘s Magnificent Mobility. I try to read everything written by these two amazingly well-informed trainers, and have several of their products/books, which are all paradigm-shiftingly educational and practical. (Is paradigm-shiftingly a word? It is now.)
I’m doing these reviews the day after I do the workout, so that I can tell if the workout makes me sore by the next day or if I feel anything different. And let me tell you, the P90X2 Plyocide workout has left my calves feeling pretty sore. On a scale of 1-10, they are definitely at least a 7, if not a 7.5.
And that illustrates one of the main differences between the plyometrics workout of P90X2 and the original P90X. In the original version, there was only one calf-focused jumping exercise and it was reserved to the end of the workout. In the latest version, there are a couple more calf-focused movements involved, and they do make a difference.
Plyometric workouts are usually some of my favorite types of workouts. The different types of jumps, the different looks each takeoff and landing gives my body — it all makes for a more interesting workout than pounding out hundreds of pushups. I was relatively easily able to keep up with the Plyocide workout, but simply increasing the intensity over time as I get back into shape will make this particular DVD more valuable as I do it throughout the P90X2 cycle.
All in all, this was a pretty good workout.
As for criticisms, some of my main ones from the Day 1 review carry over. I still feel that the warmup would have been better structured if it focused on foam rolling, followed by static stretching, then a general movement/mobility warmup. As it is now, the structure of the Day 1 and Day 2 warmups seem to attempt to warm up the body with different movements, then immediately relax it through foam rolling and stretching, then goes straight into the higher intensity workout.
Here is the warmup sequence as it is in the DVDs:
Medium intensity warmup exercises
Low intensity foam rolling and stretches
High intensity main workout
This progression is simply illogical, and going from low to medium to higher intensity would make much more sense.
Tony and the P90X crew still use somewhat unorthodox names for exercises. I have an entire bookshelf full of different workout books, sports science manuals, and related material. I’ve heard exercises called a number of things, but I’m always thrown for a loop when watching P90X videos.
Of special mention is the neuro-integrated stretching that is used at the end of the Plyocide DVD. In essence, it is a much-watered down version of the isometric stretching that Thomas Kurz describes in his book Stretching Scientifically. While the neuro-integrated stretching of P90X2 may be useful for beginner athletes, those who are more advanced and wish to work on their “stretching strengh,” for lack of a better term, should pick up Kurz’s book.
Pick up Kurz's book for real isometric stretching.
My only other gripe about the Plyocide workout was the occasional exercise where Tony would be barking commands to switch positions, or the sprint-set-jump-type of movement. It would be a good idea to watch these exercises at least once before attempting the workout so that you are not as confused as I was when they came up. This is admittedly a minor complaint, but it is hard to follow along with a plyometric workout when you are not 100% familiar in advance with what the verbal commands to change are.
Overall, though, the new plyometric video is pretty good. The plyometric workout was one of my favorites of the original P90X, and I see no reason why the Plyocide workout won’t be one of my favorites of P90X2. Don’t be afraid of these types of workouts, as they’re some of the most effective for raising metabolism and generating energy. However, watch your calves the next day if this is your first time doing a lot of jumping in a while.
After doing the original P90X routine for a few months, I got a copy of P90X2, hoping for some improvement to the overall workout structure. Some of the criticisms I have of P90X included an excessive amount of some types of exercises, such as pushups and pullups. While these exercises are great for developing upper body conditioning, after a while I felt I was just getting good at the movements, rather than building anymore strength. And after completing some of these works numerous times, I just began to dread doing hundreds of pullups several times per week.
Another criticism I had of P90X was that the Ab Ripper sections were tacked on at the end of the main workouts, which made them feel essentially secondary and skippable. Sometimes, I was just hoping for a few ab exercises to break up the monotony of the pushup-pullup-pushup-pullup routine, but the structure of the workout programs did not give participants this type of integration.
So I was a big surprised to see such a dramatic shift in the P90X2 program. At least for the first few days, there is no real upper body-focused workout, and no real lower body strength-building workout. The first day was going to be all core.
I felt that the original P90X featured a grab-bag of fitness trends that were popular at the time it was released, but was fundamentally pretty sound, besides a few exercises I never agreed with (especially the Superman exercises and some lower back flexing ab routines). In fact, I loved doing pushups and pullups in general, although they became overkill eventually.
So doing P90X2′s X2 Core program was definitely a big change. It seems to throw away the warmup routines of the original program in favor of the latest fitness industry fads. Marching in place is out, neck stretches are gone; in their place we have stability balls, medicine balls, and foam rollers.
But you know what? I really like my foam roller. I don’t even own a stability ball or medicine ball — I wasn’t aware I needed them until I started the DVD, but I made do with the modified exercises. I’m glad to see that foam rolling is included in P90X2, and it is probably the best change I’ve seen so far.
My only real argument with the program is that is still, for some reason, wants me to warm up my body first. Mike Boyle has written that the proper order is most likely foam rolling first, followed by static stretching, then mobility drills and general warmup. In order for plasticity changes in the muscles and tendons to occur, the tissues should be treated with the foam roller first, then stretched while they are still cold (obviously not to the point of straining muscles). When the body is already warmed up, rolling or stretching will only quiet the muscles down, rather than develop flexibility.
On to the workout itself, I felt that X2 Core was very good. The warmups take up the first 15-20 minutes, then goes into a number of ab exercises and variations. It is almost a good idea to watch the DVD first to get a good idea of how to do certain movements, though, as the names of many of them are as unfamiliar as the exercises in P90X. (This is nitpicking, but until P90X, I had never heard of a plank referred to as a “sphinx,” and was always thrown off by that.)
But the workout is not all abs and planks. There are a number of balance movements and transition-type exercises which challenge the core to remain stable through some very difficult movements. And even after doing regular side planks for months, I was not even remotely able to keep up on the Half Angel exercise. There is even one type of med-ball pushup exercise, although the vast majority of the workout focuses on the abs, lower back, hips, and legs.
In terms of the aftermath of the workout, my legs were shaky for a few hours, but not sore later on and I was not sore the next day. I am interested to see how I do on this workout the next time through.
Completely subjective pros:
- Workout was challenging enough
- Few exercises I simply disagreed with for health reasons
- A lot of variation in movements
- Focus on total body
- No “secondary” type of workout appended at the end of the DVD
Completely subjective cons:
- Program still insists on using wacky names for movements
- Illogical progression of warmup
- Very little explanation of exercises before everyone starts doing them so it can be hard to keep up
When people experience chronic back pain, they often turn to doctors and manual therapists to help them recover and gain back as much of their normal lives as possible. Too often, though, people seem to trust their doctors to take care of everything while the patients themselves act passively, expecting the professionals to take care of their problems. This approach to treatment downplays the important role that patients themselves play in evaluating and fixing their back pain on their own. This is why all back pain sufferers need to answer these four questions about their treatment programs to ensure the best results possible.
[Roseville chiropractor]
The first question is what is wrong with the patient. Many people can point to a place on their back, hips, legs, neck, or shoulders where they feel pain and discomfort much of the time. An acute injury may have turned into a lasting pain, or a tightness or twinge in the shoulder may get progressively worse over many years. These may be symptoms of tissue damage, central nervous system sensitization, or a combination of these factors. And it is important to learn as much about the pain as is reasonable for patients, as understanding how pain is evaluated and created can help when undergoing treatments to reduce or manage it.
[Back pain doctor in South Bay]
The second question is how long it will take to get better. No one wants to take an extended time off from work or physical activity, and anyone with back pain usually wants to be able to move freely again and perform all of the activities of normal life. But pain does not go away overnight, in most cases. Developing and following a program to reduce and manage back pain can involve many stages, from addressing the quality of the tissues, to improving the stability of the muscles of the back, to eliminating psychological and social stresses that may be contributing to the pain. It may be possible to address some of these issues more quickly than others.
Bird Dog - A great exercise for back stability.
[Santa Cruz sciatica treatments]
Third, patients need to ask what they can do about the pain themselves. They may be able to educate themselves about the nature of the joints and tissues that are causing them pain, as well as how pain itself is constructed and created in the mind and nerves. They may find exercises or stretches that help reduce the pain that do not put the tissues in further danger. The more active patients are the ones who are usually able to address their pain more effectively than ones who passively turn over their health and lives to the doctors. Healing and reducing back pain require active participation by patients.
[El Cajon chiropractic clinic]
Finally, patients need to ask what their doctors can do for them in addressing the pain. While clinicians and physical therapists may be able to provide much assistance and education, there are limits to their knowledge about a particular issue and a particular patient. Doctors and other health professionals should be used to help treat severe cases of back pain, but their limitations should always be kept in mind. People suffering from pain have to keep these limitations in mind, while also allowing the doctors the freedom to do their best work.
[Albany spinal decompression]
When patients have the answers to these questions firmly in mind, their chances of addressing their back pain can rise dramatically. The patients that do not understand how their bodies work and do nothing on their own to help themselves may find their pain lasting far longer than it would if they took a more active role in their treatments. This is why these questions are so important, as they give patients the ability to trust in professionals, but also be active participants in the reduction and management of their painful conditions.
Because lower back pain is so poorly understood by the general public as well as clinical professionals, there have been a lot of myths about it that have been floating around for years, if not decades. Unfortunately, evidence of the effectiveness of most treatment options and exercises that are prescribed to address low back back is sorely lacking. In fact, many of the movements, stretches, and exercises that are given to people to do to cure or help alleviate their discomfort may actually be causing even more pain.
[Roseville chiropractor]
One of the myths of treating back pain is that there is one best sitting position. We all know that sitting for long periods of time can make the back sore. Think of sitting through a long movie or in a car for several hours. After a while, the hips and spine just get tired of being forced into a few different positions. And at work, many people are recommended to sit up straight to spare their lower backs.
[Spinal decompression in South Bay]
In reality, though, there are no perfect sitting positions. Even positions that have been referred to as poor sitting postures may be therapeutic for a low back. The main point is that posture when sitting down for long periods of time must be changed numerous times. The straight backed posture can take some of the pressure off of tissues that are strained when slouched, but should not be held for too long, either. The key is variation.
[Santa Cruz back pain doctor]
Morning stretching of the back is also a potentially dangerous myth that many people have given into when attempting to address lower back pain. In these cases, they may be told to stretch or exercise their back right when they wake up. Supposedly, this is to get the back moving, improve circulation, and reduce some of the pain that could last all day if the stretches were not done.
[El Cajon chiropractor]
But stretching too early in the morning can lead to an increase in pain during the rest of the day, as well as damaging ligaments, muscles, and discs in the spine. This is because the viscosity of the fluid in the discs changes during the night as we sleep. Upon waking, it can take an hour or two for the spinal discs to return to their normal fluid viscosity. Stretching when the discs are stiff in the morning can cause further pain.
[Sciatica treatments in Albany]
This is why the recommendation to begin the day by performing a stretch in bed where a person hugs his knees while lying on his back is potentially so dangerous. Flexing the back when it is at its most stiff is a recipe for disaster and it is no wonder that people who perform back exercises as soon as they wake up never get rid of their back pain. They just make the problems worse.
[Boulder back pain help]
Unfortunately, many people have been given these misguided recommendations by well meaning friends and family, doctors who do not know any better, or internet sites and magazine articles that are providing the same out-dated misinformation that has been circulating for decades. When attempting to find solutions to back pain, people need to look for evidence that the recommendations have helped people, rather than helping a few, hurting more, and leaving most people in just as much pain as before.
For many people, lower back pain and soreness become a way of life. While they are usually able to work and live and engage in most daily activities, they really never again have the full range of motion and ease of movement that they had before developing chronic pain. And while it seems that every website and doctor has their own magic bullet that has cured and prevented all sorts of different issues, when most people try these solutions, they are met with nothing but mediocre improvement, at best.
[Boulder chiropractor]
Chronic back pain can be very difficult to deal with because, often, the signs of tissue damage or injury have little or nothing to do with the feelings of discomfort. While one person may have pain and a bulging spinal disc, other people have absolutely no pain caused by a slipped or herniated disc or even worse damage. Some people, though, develop pain while others do not even know that they have any tissue damage at all.
[Spine doctor in Buffalo, NY]
Once back pain develops, it can also be difficult for the patient and doctor to tell where the problem is actually located. Too often, the feelings of discomfort are felt in a general area but do not relate well to any particular anatomical feature. A sore lower back is a real feeling for many people, but the muscles, ligaments, discs, and vertebrae of the lower back may not show any signs of damage or inflammation. But the pain persists.
[Detroit back doctor]
And pain, as it becomes longer lasting over time, can spread from one area of the body to another. Again, lower back pain may be felt right in the middle of the back just above the hips to start. But over weeks, it may begin to be felt only on one side, or spread down through the hips and one leg. Over time, the pain may recur in one area but also spread further at different times.
[Chiropractor in Royal Palm, FL]
With this phenomenon of the pain spreading through various tissues, searching for a damaged muscle or ligament becomes even more difficult. In fact, these types of pains with no discernible injury or site of inflammation may be a symptom of the central nervous system — the brain and spinal cord — becoming more highly sensitized, rather than a symptom of the painful tissues actually being damaged in some way.
[Tampa, FL back pain doctor]
Another sign of this central nervous system type of chronic pain is that people with pain on one side of their back can also feel pain on the other side. While the pain may not be as bad on the other side, it can often be experienced quite clearly at times. This makes it even more difficult to find a problem with the tissues that could explain such a mirroring of pain.
[Milwaukee spinal decompression]
Once pain starts to become more chronic, it seems to take on a life of its own. Patients may have a continual nagging ache accompanied by occasional flashes of severe pain. And the feelings can travel around the body, causing problems elsewhere in the spine, neck, shoulders, hips, legs, and even further. Unfortunately, dealing with such centrally-caused back pain can be very difficult, and may require various treatment plans including tissue work and retraining the nerves to move with less pain.
When people begin to feel painful or comfortable somewhere in their bodies, their first instinct is usually to move around or change posture. Fixing a strained back after sitting down for too long can be as easy as standing up for a couple of minutes to allow the tissues to readjust and the discomfort level to decrease dramatically. But what if the same pains keep coming back over months and years, and steadily get worse? In these cases, the nervous system may be becoming overly sensitive and chronic pain conditions may begin to develop, so it is important for everyone to know the signs of chronic pain states.
[Roseville chiropractor]
The occurrence of discomfort or pain from prolonged or strange posture while working or performing other activities is one of the main signs that the feeling may be becoming chronic. As the tissues of the back are overloaded over time through sitting down, if the person does not stand up or change posture, it can cause the muscles and other tissues to reach failure and begin to feel painful more quickly and for longer periods of time. Hip mobility and strength can also be compromised from sitting for too long.
[Chiropractor in South Bay]
If the pain decreases or goes away after changing posture, it is likely to be more long-term pain than an acute tissue injury. Acute injuries typically feel painful no matter what posture the person takes, as in a sprained ankle or or cut. While applying additional pressure or harmful conditions to the injury will result in more pain, there is almost always a level of pain that does not go away while the injury is healing. But if a rounded back that is painful feels better if it is extended, then it is more likely the feeling of discomfort is more chronic than acute.
[Santa Cruz back pain doctor]
If pain is felt at certain times of the day — for instance, in the morning or at night — there is a stronger chance of it being chronic. A sprained ankle will usually hurt all day, while arthritis may be worst at night and a lower back may feel most stiff in the morning. Feelings of pain after prolonged activity may also be a sign of chronic pain developing. Even if no injury or damage occurs during physical activity, some people often just feel sore and stiff in certain joints after exercising. This may be due to increased nervous system sensitization, rather than actual injury.
[Sciatica help in El Cajon, CA]
Chronic conditions often feel uncomfortable or as painful as if the tissues were actually injured. Clinical tests like X-rays or MRIs, however, may not show any sign of injury or damage. This can be especially difficult for the patient, as it may seem like the pain is “all in your head.” After all, if the tissues seem to be healthy, then why are they so painful all the time? Again, this may be due to the increased sensitivity of the peripheral or central nervous system, and looking for damaged joints or soft tissues may not yield results.
[Albany spinal decompression]
Unfortunately, chronic pain does not usually respond well to anti-inflammatory medications, such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Although changing postures, getting more exercise, and undergoing treatments such as massage or acupuncture may provide short-term relief, the pain usually comes back. However, simply knowing that the problem may be increased sensitivity in the nervous system and not either a mysterious injury that doctors can not find or simply being crazy means that patients can take more control over their lives and how they deal with chronic pain.
When a pain goes from being short-term to chronic, it can become difficult for the person experiencing the feeling to know the difference. After all, certain tissues can take days, weeks or months to heal fully, especially tendons and ligaments that do not receive a lot of circulation to begin with. So knowing the characteristics of acute pain is helpful for anyone who has sustained an injury and is worried that the pain may be lasting for far too long and developing into a chronic syndrome.
[Chiropractor in Buffalo, NY]
With an acute injury, there are often the signs of damage to the tissues. These include swelling as more nutrients and inflammatory chemicals are delivered to the injured site, redness as blood vessels open more fully to increase circulation, and a feeling of heat in the injured spot, also due to the increased delivery of hot blood. These are the body’s main responses to tissue damage, and they are used to isolate the injury and begin healing it as quickly as possible.
[Detroit back pain doctor]
The most important factor to keep in mind with acute pain and inflammation is that they are associated with actual tissue damage. People typically experience all of these symptoms of swelling, redness, and heat at the site of an injury when there is actual damage to the tissues in that area. And pressing on the inflamed body part or rubbing the site of the damage can cause flare ups in the level of pain. This all would indicate an acute injury, rather than chronic pain.
[Royal Palm sciatica help]
With acute pain, there is also usually a pattern with the feelings of pain and stiffness in the affected body part. The stiffness is often at its worst at night before bed and in the morning after rising. This happens because the circulation of fluids and nutrients throughout the night can cause the viscosity of certain tissues to increase, making them harder. Increased pain and stiffness in the morning is one main factor of lower back pain due to the increased fluid in the discs.
[Chiropractor in Tampa, FL]
A final sign of acute injury is that anti-inflammatory medications and over-the-counter drugs help to reduce the pain and swelling. These substances decrease the involvement of certain pro-inflammatory compounds that circulate to the injured area with acute tissue damage. Taking the anti-inflammation drugs helps by reducing these pain-producing compounds and, for most people, the pain is more bearable in the short term. Chronic pain, on the other hand, frequently does not respond to medications such as these.
[Milwaukee spinal decompression]
Tissues can take a varying amount of time to repair fully, and they never really regenerate. The tissues will always be slightly different from what they were before the injury occurred. But most tissue damage is acute, and the pain will go away on its own over a few days, weeks, or months, depending on what has been injured and how badly. If an injury is still painful after the normal time that the tissues should have healed, then the risk of developing a chronic pain syndrome begin to rise.
Back pain is one of the most common problems that people experience, accounting for more than 60% of the population having to take at least a week off from their jobs at some point. This means that an aching back is not only a serious problem for the individual, it is also a national disaster from the standpoint of the economy and lost productivity. Thankfully, back pain usually heals within a few days or a couple of weeks, but this still does not account for the causes of so many sore backs.
[Chiropractor in South Bay, CA]
Nearly 80% of the population will, at some point in their lives, experience back pain. Usually the problem comes on unexpectedly as a result of local tissue failure in the muscles and ligaments that support the spine. And the pain can last for a few hours, a few days, several weeks, or it may become chronic. But because so many people suffer from back pain at least once in their lives, the number that never fully recover from even a single instance is very large. This has given doctors a large amount of people with which to study the phenomenon.
[Santa Cruz back pain help]
A common occurrence with back pain is that people who suffer from it can often place a finger or point to where the problem is felt the worst. While this may point to where, in general, the tissues and nerves are excited more than usual, it is common that no actual tissue damage is found. So are the nerves just overly excited or is there something that back doctors are missing when examining problems in the back? Pain from a sore back can radiate far from the apparent source of the problem, even all the way down the legs.
[Back doctor in El Cajon]
The most common cause of back pain, it is believed, is a slipped disc in the spine. These discs are found between each of the vertebrae in the back and maintain the space between each bone so that vertebrae are not rubbing against each other. A slipped disc occurs when one of these discs begins to protrude out of its normal space. The problem, doctors have surmised, is that the disc begins to put pressure on the spinal nerve and nerve roots that carry sensory messages to and from the brain. The result is pain in the back.
[Sciatica help in Albany, NY]
However, simply having a slipped disc is not enough to cause pain. Between 1 and 3 percent of the population shows evidence of slipped discs, but this does not automatically lead to pain. In fact, there is just as many people with a slipped disc who do not have back pain as there are people who do suffer from pain. This begs the question, is having a slipped disc in the spine necessary at all for back pain, or is something else at work? And various treatment options may or may not have any effect on the feeling of discomfort.
[Boulder, CO chiropractor]
Even back surgery, the most drastic therapeutic option currently available, can remove the slipped disc, but can not predict whether the operation will remove the cause of pain or not. Large numbers of people throughout the world (back pain is nearly universal on the planet) have undergone surgery for a slipped or herniated disc or other spine issue, but have not felt any better after the operation. Thankfully, these kinds of procedures are becoming more uncommon as a result of the poor track record of operating on the back.
One of the most irritating aspects of any injury is the accompanying inflammation and swelling that occurs. From a sprained and swollen ankle to a painful bump on the arm after an insect bite, inflamed tissue is one of the most common occurrences in any injury. Although everyone experiences inflammation at one point or another, few people really understand what is going on with their body when a certain part is swollen and tender, and why the pain can be so bad after such an injury.
[Detroit back pain specialist]
In fact, the pain that comes along with an injury can be more agonizing than the injury itself. A simple twist or too much rounding of the back can cause the muscles to feel painful for days or weeks. The inflammation itself is a response to the tissue damage, whether it is from trauma related to pressure, temperature, or chemical reactions in the body. But one of the reactions that occur along with inflammation is an increased sensitization of the nerves and neurons in the area of the injury. The pain sensors also become more highly activated with tissue damage.
[Royal Palm chiropractor]
In the short term, though, inflammation is good for the body after tissue damage has occurred. The swelling and tenderness are signs of increased circulation and blood flow to the injured area. Without this increase in circulation, it could take much longer to heal from an injury, if full healing would be possible at all. Thus, the body’s inflammatory response right after tissue damage that lasts for days or weeks is an attempt to protect the body part that has sustained the damage.
[Sciatica treatments in Tampa, FL]
All of the tissues of the body can become inflamed and swell up due to increased circulation. And all of the tissues of the body can heal. We all know that cuts and scrapes on the skin will heal after a period of bleeding and scabbing. Torn muscles and sprained tendons heal in a matter of weeks or months after the initial swelling. Even ligaments can heal, even though they may take much longer — months or even years in some instances. And everyone knows someone who has had a broken bone that has been splinted, set, and healed after being immobilized for some time.
[Chiropractors in Milwaukee, WI]
Changes to the nervous system after an injury, however, may be longer lasting, even permanent. In some cases, the body may become more highly sensitive after sustaining damage, as the brain and nerves scan the injured area for more signs of danger, even long after the injury has healed. In some unfortunately circumstances, these changes to the nerves and brain may lead to chronic pain syndromes. This indicates that the nervous system is sending pain messages to certain tissues in an attempt to protect against future damage, regardless of whether or not the tissues are actually in danger.
[Roseville, CA back pain doctor]
Thus, inflammation is a natural response to injury and tissue damage, and without it, we would have a very difficult time recovering from hurting ourselves. Additional changes to the area that has been hurt include increased sensitization of the nerves in the area, as the brain tries to protect us against further harm. But when these changes become permanent and the nerves keep sending pain messages to already healed tissue, chronic pain can develop as a result of the increasingly sensitized nervous system.
Pain is the brain’s way of telling the body to get out of the way of a dangerous condition, or to make sure that a body part is protected while the healing process takes care of an already existing problem. In this manner, it works relatively effectively in protecting injured body parts. Over time, as the damaged tissues heal, the pain usually goes away on its own because the brain no longer senses the body part to be in danger of further injury.
[South Bay back pain help]
Unfortunately, sometimes the pain does not go away. Instead, it becomes chronic. How is it that a sprained ankle can hurt for weeks but then the pain just goes away as the swelling goes down and the muscles and tendons regain their ability to move with a full range of motion? And how is it that, in other circumstances, the body feels like it never heals and the pain lasts far longer than the original injury is expected to last?
[Chiropractor in Santa Cruz]
First of all, when the brain senses that particular tissues are in danger, it creates a large number of reactions that are designed to protect the body part in question. The brain will scan the endangered area more carefully, looking for further signs of potential harm. It will also use other systems — such as the inflammatory response and the immune system — to help in protection and healing.
[El Cajon, CA chiropractor]
Another reaction that will happen when the brain senses danger to a body part is to make that part of the body move differently. People with back pain will often walk with a more rounded back than usual, in an attempt to limit the pain that is felt by the muscles holding up their spines. Also, the brain will lay down more nerves and receptors that react to certain types of stimuli, so that in the future the body part is more sensitive to the type of injury it has endured.
[Albany, NY spinal decompression therapy]
All of these are natural occurrences when the brain feels that a body part is in danger. But if these reactions persist over time, they can lead to chronic pain in a joint or over multiple joints or the entire body, as in some chronic conditions. Thus, the pain response of the body to perceived threats is unsustainable over time. The tissues are given a period of time in which to heal, and preventing further injury is the goal of the pain sensation.
[Boulder, CO back pain doctor]
But if the pain response persists for longer than expected or longer than normal, it can lead to numerous problems. The first is an overreaction on the part of the nerves to stimuli. False alarms are one consequence of the now overly sensitized nervous system, and the brain may create the pain feeling with little or no stimulus. This can overwhelm other systems of the body, which go into action whenever the brain sends the pain message.
[Chiropractor in Buffalo, NY]
An original injury or damage to a body part can lead to chronic pain in almost any case. As one response to the damaged body part, the brain creates new pathways in the nervous system to scan for the same type of injury that was experienced. But this natural response to damage, if it persists, can lead to an increased sensitization of the nerves and false alarms, creating chronic pain throughout the body.
As I have written about in previous articles, pain is a bit of a mysterious phenomenon. While most people would assume that pain means that there is damage to a body part, the brain does not evaluate situations in that manner. The brain only sends a pain message when it senses that part of the body is in danger and protective actions need to be taken. But this does not mean that the tissues themselves are damaged in any way, only that the brain has determined that some danger is present and it would be a good idea to move away from the source of it.
[Detroit chiropractors]
Thus, the brain sends a pain message to the part of the body where it has determined danger to exist. This may or may not have any correspondence with the reality of the situation. When damage actually happens to a tissue, such as a pulled muscle or tendon, the body repairs the damage in a set amount of time. Skin is repaired, the tendon swells up and then inflammation reduces, range of motion is regained in a previously injured joint, and so on. Pain is the brain’s way of telling us to keep a part of us out of danger.
[Back help in Royal Palm, FL]
But what about when an injury heals and pain lasts long after the injury and healing process have ended? These feelings of discomfort can become chronic. Are the tissues still damaged? Probably not, unless something went wrong in the healing process. So it must be the brain that is continuing to send the pain message long after an injury has healed.
[Chiropractor in Tampa, FL]
And what about phantom limbs and phantom limb pain? People who have had a leg amputated can often feel the limb even though it has been missing for yours. Even children who are born without an arm or leg can feel the missing limb — even though it never existed in reality at all. And these missing limbs can often feel painful and uncomfortable. So how is the brain still sending a pain message to a limb that does not exist?
[Back pain doctor in Milwaukee]
Phantom limb pain indicates that the brain keeps its own separate but connected map of the body, and can send pain messages even in the absence of the limb it has determined is in danger. Talk about overly sensitized nerves! But this also shows that the brain constructs the pain experience and then projects it onto its map of the body, also referred to as the virtual body. But the feelings that we can have based on the brain’s messages to the virtual body may have little or nothing to do with what is actually going on in the tissues themselves.
[Rosville, CA sciatica help]
This can be both a frightening and positive discovery for people suffering from chronic pain syndromes. All of the massage, acupuncture, and supplements in the world may have little benefit for chronic pain, as the tissues may no longer be damaged, but the painful feelings are still projected onto the brain’s map of the body by the pain centers in the brain itself. While this does not mean that all chronic pain is “all in your head,” it does give people more control over the treatment of their conditions, as future articles will discuss.
Pain can sometimes be a bit of a mystery. The brain evaluates a whole series of sensory inputs from the tissues and other systems and then decides whether to make a particular body part feel pain or not. While many people think of pain as a negative, it is quite often more protective than harmful. When the brain senses that the body is in danger of becoming damaged in some way, it uses pain as a method to get the body out of the way of the harm.
[Santa Cruz chiropractor]
Don't do it! Your brain will decide your tissues are in danger!
This motivational factor of pain is one of its most important functions. If you are touching a hot stove, the resulting painful burning sensation gets you to move your hand further away from the source of harmful heat. And if you have sprained your ankle, the resulting swelling and inflammation is your body’s method of getting increased nutrients and blood to the area in order to promote healing, while the pain of walking on that sprained ankle is the brain’s way of telling you not to overuse the injured area until it has healed some.
[Sciatica help in El Cajon, CA]
Pain, then, does not reflect what is actually going on in the tissues, per se. What the brain does is, when it perceives that the tissues may be in danger, it creates a pain message to motivate us to take steps to protect ourselves from those conditions which may cause damage. A feeling of pain indicates perceived danger; it does not always indicate damaged tissues. This is an important distinction to understand when dealing with pain, especially chronic painful conditions.
[Albany, NY back pain doctor]
Just as important is the brain’s ability to turn off a pain message. Once you move your hand away from the hot stove, within a few minutes the pain may be all gone. If you have sustained a serious burn, it may take hours or days for the pain to subside, even though it may take weeks for the actual burned tissues to heal all the way. This goes back to the protective quality of pain — once the brain perceives that the danger has decreased, the pain message is no longer necessary to motivate protective behaviors.
Swelling? Check. Inflammation? Check. Pain? Check.
[Boulder neck and back pain help]
However, pain is not the only thing going on with the tissues and brain when danger is sensed. As mentioned above, if you sprain your ankle, there is swelling and inflammation, which promotes faster healing and isolation of the damaged tissues. But these processes may not be enough to promote healing, if you keep walking or running on the injured ankle. The brain also sends the pain message through the nervous system to the foot to make sure that you tread very carefully on it for a few weeks until the healing process has progressed enough so that there is not imminent danger to the tissues anymore. The whole body works together to heal and prevent further injury.
[Buffalo chiropractic]
The pain system is really a very useful set of processes that the body and brain have acquired to help protect us from danger and further injury. For the most part, they work extremely well together to keep us from seriously harming ourselves. Think of how difficult life would be if there was no pain from touching a hot stove, but tissue damage would result anyway. We would need to use our even more conscious senses to constantly monitor whether we are in danger of damaging ourselves or not. While no one thinks they want pain, it is often the most effective method to get us to change our behaviors so that we do not injure or kill ourselves inadvertently.
Everyone has experienced pain in one form or another in one part of their body or another over the course of their lives. Sometimes the pain lasts for just a few seconds, sometimes a few minutes, sometimes hours or days, and once in a while, pain becomes chronic, continuing for months or years. What is it about pain that can make uncomfortable feelings last for just a few seconds with a weird misfiring in the nervous system, or last for decades with chronic syndromes such as fibromyalgia, a serious condition that causes widespread pain over many regions of the body?
[Chiropractor in Milwaukee, WI]
Whenever a person has a painful feeling, it is best not to ignore it. The brain evaluates various inputs from the skin, muscles, and other tissues when determining whether the body is in danger or not. Sometimes the pain message is immediate and clear, such as putting a finger in boiling water. But other times, the condition of the tissues may not clearly indicate pain one way or another, so it is the brain that decides whether the tissues are in danger and whether to send a message to the body to get the endangered finger or limb out of the way. Ignoring such messages when they first occur can lead to the pain continuing for longer periods of time or causing more tissue damage.
[Back pain help in Roseville, CA]
The brain constructs its pain feelings and messages through various inputs. Many times, the feeling comes straight from the tissues themselves, such as when a person gets a paper cut and has an immediate sensation of burning and discomfort. But other times, the brain does not sense that the tissues are in danger, such as when a person is playing sports and sustains a cut or scrape but does not feel it until he or she notices that the injury has caused bleeding. Seeing the injury can help the brain construct the pain feeling from the visual input. So pain can be considered a conscious experience that is constructed through unconscious processes whereby the brain decides — based on various sensory inputs — whether or not to construct the pain feelings.
[South Bay spinal decompression]
In terms of pain that lasts for long periods of time, the brain keeps constructing these pain messages regardless of the quality of the tissues. The brain perceives a part of the body to be in danger, so it creates pain. In fact, messages between the nerves and the brain can travel in both directions. A paper cut may cause a message to go from the site of injury to the brain that something is wrong, and then the brain sends back the pain feeling based on the inputs. But the brain can also send a pain feeling to the tissues without the tissues originally sending a clear indication of the condition of the tissues. In fact, the brain and nerves can become more sensitized with chronic pain and send the messages more efficiently and more often.
[Tampa chiropractor]
Everyone suffers from injury and tissue damage at one time or another during their lives. But whether or not that damage is sufficient to cause painful feelings is evaluated by the brain, which examines whether or not particular damage puts the body in danger. And it is not just the injury itself that the brain uses to evaluate this level of danger, as it takes into account various sensory inputs, including the visual system, in order to create the pain experience. This is both why elite athletes continue playing important games with fractures, and why chronic pain may continue long after an injury has healed.
The pain alert system in the body is one of the most useful aspects of the nervous system, at least from a survival and danger-avoidance standpoint. But when the system becomes overly sensitized, either due to tissue damage or long-term inflammation, it can cause all sorts of problems for people, the main one being chronic pain lasting months or years. But much of the pain that is felt years after an injury may be due to the nervous system and brain not communicating effectively with each other anymore.
[Boulder, CO chiropractor]
There are pain sensors spread throughout the body; they are located near the skin, in muscles, and on bones. When these nerves receive enough of an input, they open up and allow a flood of positively-charged ions in, which sends a pain message to the spinal cord and brain. The pain receptors can be activated through a number of different mechanisms, from a hammer hitting someone’s thumb, to a dangerous chemical being dropped on a hand or leg, to hot coffee being spilled. All of these can result in pain due to mechanical, chemical, or temperature changes that affect the nerves.
[Buffalo, NY back pain help]
However, the pain messages must reach a critical level in order to send a real pain message to the brain. Lightly touching a hammer to your thumb will not usually send you screaming and sucking it to reduce the pain (unless the nerves are already highly sensitized). The pain receptors may open and allow some positive ions in, but they are not judged to be enough to create pain. The brain, along with the spinal cord, evaluates the messages received from the pain receptors and decides whether or not there is a danger. If danger is perceived, then pain is the result, but if the inputs are not sufficient to cause pain, the brain does not send the message to protect the body part.
[Sciatica help in Detroit]
This processing by the brain is one of the most important aspects of pain for people to understand. Elite athletes may be able to run the last 6 miles of a marathon with a stress fracture, while other people have to take the day off of work if they have a mild paper cut. Why is this? In essence, it is due to the sensory messages that the brain receives from the tissues and the messages it sends after receiving those inputs from the nerves. The actual condition of the tissues is one of the aspects the brain evaluates, but it is not the only one. It may be more important to keep running and finish the race than to send a danger message full of pain.
[Help heal back pain in Royal Palm]
But when the brain believes that a person is in danger, it will send the pain message. At that point, the brain is almost completely in control and other various systems can take over. There is nothing like being hit with an object to test the reflexes to see how fast a person can get out of the way. The inflammatory system may turn on as the body then sends blood and nutrients to the site of the injury to cause swelling in order to protect the tissues. And pain from an acute injury can last as long as the brain determines that there is still a danger.
When people have pain or think of uncomfortable feelings in their body, they often want to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Especially in chronic cases where pain can last for months, years, or decades, it may seem like the pain is impossible to escape. But there is a lot of new research coming out of clinics in various parts of the world looking at pain and how it might actually help the body survive and adapt to certain situations.
[Roseville chiropractor and back pain doctor]
The first thing to remember is that pain is the body’s natural response under various conditions. When the brain believes it has encountered a threat to the tissues, it creates a feeling of pain in order to get the person to stop that activity. For instance, if there was no pain when touching a fire or hot surface, this would not mean that the tissues are not being damaged. In fact, the damage would continue, but without pain, the person may just allow the damage to completely destroy the skin and other tissues. Pain gets us moving away from what the brain perceives as dangers to our health and well-being.
[Sciatica help in South Bay, CA]
What message is your pain sending you?
But pain is also funny in that the amount of pain a person experiences does not indicate the amount of tissue damage they have suffered. Almost all of us have had an experience where we suffered an injury while playing a sport or working with construction equipment but have not even noticed it until there was blood all over the place. The tissues suffered significant damage, but the brain did not start ringing the pain alarm until there was more input from the sight of the blood. On the other hand, we have all also had the experience of a small paper cut causing a lot of pain and discomfort. So a pain message may not indicate the true level of tissue damage.
[Back pain chiropractor in Santa Cruz]
The example above of the injury that does not hurt until the person sees that they are bleeding profusely serves as an illustration of the next principle of pain. The brain, when determining whether or not to send a pain message to indicate danger, uses a variety of sensory inputs to construct its message. There are a lot of different sensors in the body to detect tissue damage, but it is the brain that puts together all of the cues from the nerves in order to construct the feeling of pain. If the cues are not judged to be sufficient enough, the brain can ignore them and not cause the painful feelings.
[El Cajon back doctor]
Finally, people with chronic pain should keep in mind that the brain has two bodies that it monitors for pain: the actual body and a virtual body that exists only in the brain. This is why people who have missing legs and arms can “feel” their missing body parts — the brain is accessing them through its virtual body. So long after actual tissue damage has been repaired, the brain may still be constructing pain messages based on its virtual representation of that part of the body, which may not reflect what is actually happening in the tissues.
[Spinal decompression in Albany, NY]
All of these new discoveries and paradigms for looking at the phenomenon of pain can help people suffering from chronic diseases and syndromes. Since we know that pain is caused by a myriad of sensory inputs, and that the actual condition of the tissues may have healed years ago while the pain still persists, it may be a problem mainly in the nervous system. Or maybe the nerves have become overly sensitized to painful feelings and are using any sensory inputs to cue an overly sensitized brain to keep hitting the pain alarm. But this still may have little to no relation to what is actually going on in the body’s tissues themselves.
One cause of back pain that actually does not involve a degeneration or injury to the tissues of the spine is referred to as piriformis syndrome. This disorder actually affects the sciatic nerve as it travels deep through the hips. The piriformis muscle crosses over the sciatic nerve as the nerve travels down from the lower back through the hips and then down the length of the leg to the foot. When the muscle puts excess pressure on the nerve, chronic feelings of pain and numbness can result from the compressive forces.
[Buffalo, NY chiropractor]
This syndrome is common in runners, people who bicycle often, and can be found in the general public as well. The piriformis muscle compresses the sciatic nerve near the site of the rotator muscles of the hip, resulting in pain and a loss of feeling. The first sign of the syndrome is a chronic ache in the hips or numbness that that be felt deep in the hips and progress down the leg or even all the way down to the foot. Typically, only one side of the body is affected, as the sciatic nerve branches out from the lower back to either leg.
[Back pain help in Detroit]
With piriformis syndrome, the pain can be chronic and be felt when moving, running, walking, or even sitting down. Sitting is one activity where the sciatic nerve is directly compressed by the piriformis muscle. We have all had the experience of sitting in one position or another for too long and our entire leg falls asleep. That is the sciatic nerve “turning off” due to pressure being placed on it at the hip. Thankfully, for the vast majority of us, this is a temporary numbness and only an annoyance, but for some people it is a painful chronic condition.
[Royal Palm back pain doctor]
Pain and discomfort can also extend upwards into the lower back and people may feel as if their lower back is the site of the injury instead of the hips. This can make diagnosing piriformis syndrome difficult for doctors, as they have to take into account the possibility that the problem is caused by a herniated disc or otherwise compressed spinal disc that may cause numbness down the length of the sciatic nerve. This is why doctors may have x-rays or an MRI done on a patient with piriformis syndrome — to rule out the possibility of a more serious back injury.
[Tampa chiropractor]
Treatment for the disorder typically involves reducing physical activities that place pressure on the sciatic nerve. This may mean standing up more if sitting causes discomfort, as well as taking a few days or weeks off of running or biking. Anti-inflammatory medications may help to reduce swelling if there is any injury or trauma to the piriformis muscle. Stretching and strengthening exercises may be recommended for some people who can move with little discomfort, in order to strengthen and improve the tissue quality of the muscle. And the good news is that surgery is extremely rare for this disorder.
[Back pain help in Milwaukee]
For many people suffering from piriformis syndrome, the chronic feeling of numbness traveling down the leg to the foot may be extremely uncomfortable. Thankfully, that cause of the problem is well known and often responds to treatment and rest. The muscle can be relaxed, stretched, and strengthened so that it does not cause excess pressure anymore, and the nerve can heal quickly so that normal feeling returns once the muscle has relaxed. So while the pain may be chronic once the muscle clenches and applies pressure to the nerve, it does not have to be a permanent source of discomfort for many people.
A few days ago, I decided I need to join a gym again. After a long, busy season of volunteer coaching for a local high school, the season was over and I realized it was time to get back in shape myself. So yesterday, Monday, 8 November 2010, I drove around the area and toured four different gyms and health clubs before deciding on one. I had a number of considerations before I joined any one of them, some of which every person thinking of starting a fitness plan should think about before becoming a new member of a club.
[Rosville chiropractor]
First, I wanted the gym to be close enough that I would not get easily unmotivated when weather or traffic conditions are bad. Living in an area with numerous train tracks — both commuter and freight trains are common — can turn a 20 minute drive into an hour long trek around the region trying to get around the train or simply waiting for it as it stops on the tracks for minutes at a time. And I wanted to make sure I found a gym that was not so far away that each time we got a little bit of snow it would be too dangerous to attempt driving there.
[Back pain help in South Bay]
Second, in each of the gyms I toured, I was looking at how busy it was. One popular commercial gym was ruled out because I went in the middle of the day (not right after normal work hours) and it was completely packed. If I became a member, I would probably be waiting in line for minutes to use equipment. Another gym I toured was so completely empty that I was worried it might be doing so little business that it could close down and file for bankruptcy any day now. There seemed to be less than ten people in the club total, including three workers, and it was a large facility.
[Sciatica help in Santa Cruz, CA]
Next, I wanted to make sure the gyms had all of the equipment that I needed. Some gyms have replaced a lot of the free weights, squat racks, and open ares in which to power clean and deadlift with more machines, benches, cables, and other assistance equipment. I wanted to make sure that I could do some basic lifts like squats, deadlifts, chin-ups, and dips. Machines may be a nice option to have, but it is like having XM radio in a car that is missing the engine — it may be a nice feature, but it will not get the job done. Also, I wanted enough of an open space to warm up, stretch, or perform body weight exercises like pushups without being in someone’s way.
[El Cajon spinal decompression treatments]
Fourth, I wanted the gym to be clean. It does not have to be a super nice, brand new facility, but it had to be clean, no dust blowing around on the floor or on the weight stacks, and no weird smells coming from any of the areas. None of the gyms had a problem with the cleanliness.
[Back pain doctor in Albany]
Finally, the friendliness and professionalism of the staff that I talked with was important. While the large commercial health club seemed to be filled with out of shape “sales agents” and personal trainers, a smaller bodybuilding gym was run and owned by one guy at the front desk who seemed more interested in the quality of the people he had coming in than in what equipment the gym had. And the empty fitness club just let me wander around on my own to check out the equipment, which was very much appreciated and I got to look around for as long as I liked.
[Boulder chiropractic adjustments]
In the end, I decided to go with a gym that was run by fitness professionals, was close by, had adequate parking and adequate space inside the gym to work out, and was not either too busy or too empty. It also had all of the equipment that I needed, and was set up in a way that made sense for the weight machines, cardio training, and the free weights. It was clean and recently remodeled, but had been in the area for over a decade. But I took all of the considerations into account before deciding on this one, and did not settle on the first gym in the area or the most trendy one.
One of the latest rages in the natural health industry is enzymes. Enzymes are used in almost every chemical process of the body, from digestion to turning off the body’s inflammation response. In fact, digestive enzymes are one of the supplements that are recommended to almost everyone to help in the breakdown of food and ensure the health of the stomach and intestines. But systemic enzymes are also important for the proper functioning of the body, and one of the most effective of these supplements is Wobenzym N.
[Back pain care in Buffalo, NY]
Without enzymes, the body can not perform many of its basic chemical reactions. Their main function is breaking down all of the various substances that are used in maintaining health and functioning, such as vitamins, minerals, hormones, and inflammatory biochemicals. Even food is broken down into smaller units, as carbohydrates can be broken down into glucose molecules, and protein is broken down into much smaller amino acids. With age or a bad diet, however, our natural supply of enzymes can decrease dramatically, leading to all sorts of health problems.
[Detroit chiropractor]
Wobenzym N comes from pineapple...
Many people are already using digestive enzymes when they eat to assist in the breakdown of food. Fewer people, though, are well aware of systemic enzymes, which are taken in between meals on an empty stomach. These enzymes target compounds called circulating immune complexes, which can lead to various types of pain and inflammation. In fact, these circulating immune complexes can be a direct cause of joint and muscle pain. Systemic enzymes help to target these compounds and make it easier to eliminate them from the body.
[Chiropractor in Royal Palm, FL]
Wobenzym N is a complex of systemic enzymes that was first produced in Germany, and it has proven to be very respected and effective in treatment of joint pain and arthritic symptoms. The enzymes in Wobenzym N are derived from various plant flavanoids, such as pineapple and papaya. In appropriate doses, the supplement can effectively reduce pain and inflammation, decrease joint discomfort caused by arthritis, help in the recovery of a sports injury, and may even prevent loss of cartilage — one of the main causes of joint pain and osteoarthritis.
[Back pain help in Tampa]
In fact, Wobenzym N and other systemic enzymes are so effective that they can produce the same benefits of aspirin or ibuprofen without the unhealthy side effects (such as indigestion or long term damage of the intestinal walls). Systemic enzymes go after the causes of pain — the circulating immune complexes — and break them down so they no longer cause pain, rather than just suppressing the feeling of pain that is the goal of ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory over-the-counter drugs.
...and papaya, among other natural sources.
[Milwaukee back doctors]
The future of healing and addressing chronic pain may be in natural remedies and promoting the healing responses of the body itself, rather than using drugs to suppress pain without addressing causes. Inflammation and joint pain can become a chronic condition as people age due to the circulating immune complexes and depletion of systemic enzymes, but supplementing with Wobenzym N and digestive enzymes may help prevent these chronic conditions from developing or prevent further joint destruction and reduce discomfort.
Along with back pain, inflammation of a tendon causing joint soreness may be one of the most common ailments affecting the human body. Almost everyone has experienced pain in a joint after physical activity or serious illness, such as bicep discomfort, Achilles tendon inflammation, or shoulder pain. All of these conditions may be a result of tendinitis, a potentially very painful swelling of a tendon leading to a restricted range of motion in a muscle or joint.
[Chiropractor in Roseville, CA]
If tendinitis lasts for too long, the tendon can actually begin to change its shape. This leads to a chronic condition called tendinosis, where the soft tissues begin to alter their shape and functioning in response to the demands placed on the body. Long term inflammation can also lead to scars forming on the soft tissue. In either case of tendinosis or scar tissue formation, the person’s range of motion at the joint can be seriously compromised and reduced, along with painful movements throughout the natural range of motion.
The rotator cuff is made up of numerous small muscles
[Sciatica help in South Bay]
Some of the most common places that people experience tendon swelling is at the shoulder, wrists or hands, biceps, and Achilles tendons. In the case of the shoulder, the smaller muscles making up the rotator cuff may become painful during movement. Furthermore, rotator cuff pain is the number one cause of shoulder pain. And many runners have experienced the enormous pain of attempting to continue running with Achilles tendon pain — it is almost impossible to keep placing one foot in front of the other when the ankles and calves are in such pain.
[Santa Cruz, CA chiropractors]
Most causes of tendinitis go unsolved. As people age, the vascularity of their tendons decreases, which may put them at greater risk of developing inflammation if something else goes wrong. Trauma of a joint due to ta fall or sprain can easily cause the body to react by isolating the injured tendon through the use of the body’s inflammation response. Microtrauma due to overuse of a muscle may also cause swelling and pain. And a final cause of tendinitis can be systemic conditions like diabetes, arthritis, or gout.
[El Cajon back pain doctor]
Achilles Tendon
Wherever tendinitis occurs, the treatments are usually the same. In the case of local swelling and mild discomfort, rest and immobilization of the area may be best. Ice can be used to reduce inflammation during the early stages of healing, but should not be used on a long term basis. Application of heat is a better treatment for chronic tendon and joint pain which may be caused by tendinosis. Oral or topical pain relievers may also help reduce the pain and swelling.
[Chiropractor in Albany, NY]
Once the inflammation is lowered, it is also important to start reeducating the joint and building up the strength and stability of the muscles. Various exercises to test and increase the range of motion and re-pattern the nervous system to function without the pain can help prevent future injury. In some extreme cases, it may be necessary to undergo surgery to remove scar tissue or repair a tendon, but these may only be for very severe cases that are not helped by anything else.
[Treat sciatica in Boulder]
The good news is that most cases of joint inflammation can be overcome with enough rest and natural therapies that surgery or prescription painkillers may never be needed. However, it is important for people to watch out for the signs of chronic inflammation that may lead to a change in the shape of their soft tissues, as happens with tendinosis. And any case of painful movement about a joint should be treated so that the person can return to pain-free activity as soon as possible.
Spinal cord compression may now sound like a very serious problem, but for the people who suffer from this disorder of the nervous system, life can be very difficult. There are a number of types of compression of the spinal cord, and, although it is not as common as some other causes of back pain, it needs to be treated very quickly upon onset in order to minimize the risk of permanent damage to the nervous system and loss of functioning leading to partial or complete paralysis.
[Chiropractor in Milwaukee]
There are numerous causes of compression to the spinal nerve. Lesions are often the culprit, although lesions that occur outside the spinal cord are more common than ones occurring within it. Trauma can also cause compressive forces which lead to injury. Tumors and abscesses are another cause which may lead to pain developing over several days or weeks. A ruptured disc can also cause compression, as can protrusions of bone or cartilage into the spinal canal.
[Tampa, FL back doctor]
The medical community currently recognizes three different types of spinal cord compression. The first is acute compression, which may develop within hours, usually after a traumatic incident involving the spine, such as a fracture of the spinal bones. Subacute disorders may develop over days or weeks as a result of a tumor, abscess, or ruptured disc. And finally, chronic compression can develop gradually over months or years as bone or cartilage protrudes and places pressure on the spinal cord. Tumor growth may also cause chronic pressure on the spine.
[Royal Palm, FL chiropractor]
The first sign of these kinds of neurological disorders is pain, often in the back, but which may also radiate down the pathway of a particular nerve. Nerves branch out of the spinal column at various levels into different parts of the body. Radiated pain down the arm, for example, may indicate compression at a specific level of the upper spine, where pain felt down the outside of the leg would indicate a different source of the problem. Where people feel the pain can often help doctors determine the source of the problem.
[Boulder, CO back pain treatment]
Cord compression can progress to a more serious point where motor skills begin to deteriorate, or where feeling and sensation begin to be lost at various part of the body. When this happens, the compression may be progressing to where it is irreversible. If the loss of feeling or movement has been recent, doctors may be able to reverse the damage, but the longer treatment is delayed, the more likely the loss of nervous system functioning will be permanent.
[Chiropractors in Buffalo, NY]
Treatment for spinal column compression is focused on reducing the pressure on the spinal nerve. This can be done numerous ways, depending on what is causing the disorder in the first place. Spinal decompression treatments from a chiropractor may help, as may adjustments to treat subluxations of the vertebrae. Drugs and medications may be used for tumors or abscesses, and back surgery may be helpful for some extreme cases. But it is always important to begin treatment as soon as possible after symptoms arise in order to have the best chance at avoiding permanent damage.
[Spinal decompression in Detroit]
Even though the vast majority of people living in the United States will experience some sort of back pain at some time or another throughout their lives, spinal cord compression is more rare but also much more serious. Tumors, abscesses, and bony protrusions are all serious enough to begin with, but when any of these begin to put pressure on the spinal nerve, there is a chance paralysis will be the final result. Anyone who is losing feeling or movement abilities in a part of their body and also experiencing back pain should have the possibility of spinal cord compression checked out by a competent doctor as soon as possible.
In a previous article, we looked at different types of back injuries due to trauma. Spinal cord injuries can occur at any level of the back or neck, and may be due to flexion, rotation, extension, compression, or cauda equina problems. And the result can be damage to the tissues including ligament strain, subluxation (misalignment of the vertebrae), nerve damage, and fracture or dislocation of the bones of the spine. This article will discuss the results of such trauma in terms of changes to the proper functioning of the spinal column and potential paralysis below the site of injury.
[South Bay back treatments]
Paraplegia
No one wants to think about being paralyzed from the neck down or the from the waist down as a result of a fall or motor vehicle accident. But people can be very seriously injured and lose the functioning of their bodies as a result of spinal cord trauma. In a fall or violent encounter affecting the back, though, one of the first signs of a cord injury is a loss of nerve function below where the injury occurs. It may be a total loss of sensation and control, or just a partial impairment with some loss of feeling. But if it is clear that some feeling has been lost, then spinal cord injury may be the problem.
[Chiropractor in Santa Cruz, CA]
A complete cutting of the nerve can result in immediate, total loss of functioning below the transection level. All sensation and reflex activity is paralyzed, the person loses control of the limbs, and the automatic processes of the body below that level are completely shut off. If the cord is cut high in the neck region, functions such as breathing may be impaired as the muscles that control the respiratory response are no longer able to function. In fact, pneumonia is a common cause of death in such patients who need help in breathing after complete paralysis.
[Back pain doctor in El Cajon, CA]
Quadriplegia
While the prospect of recovering from the spinal cord being cut is very low, complete paralysis below the site of injury may not be permanent in all cases. Sometimes, trauma causes a concussion or contusion leads to a temporary paralysis due to the swelling at that part of the spine. In time, as the inflammation is reduced, proper nerve functioning is restored. This phenomenon is referred to as spinal shock, and the related swelling usually diminishes over a few days after a rapid buildup right after the injury occurs. The good news is that the paralysis is only temporary.
[Albany, NY chiropractor]
Nerves that have been completely cut or degenerated, though, do not recover in time or with treatment. The damage to the nervous system functioning is most often permanent and irreversible. If there is a return of feeling and muscle control within the first week of an injury, there is a much better chance of recovery. Compression injuries that compress the nerves in the spine can also recover with time. Injuries that cause a lack of sensation and movement for months, however, often lead to a permanent loss of functioning.
Although most types of back pain are caused by repeated lifts of light or medium heavy loads or by prolonged postures which overload the failure threshold of spinal tissues, a number of injuries are caused by traumatic falls or collisions. There are more than 10,000 spinal cord injuries in the country every year, with a large number of these occurring in automobile accidents. A significant number are also a result of violent encounters, falls, sports injuries, or incidents that happen at work.
[Chiropractor in Detroit]
Thus, a huge number of people are at risk of injuring their back, either through sub-failure loads placed on the connective tissues of the spine or by a traumatic injury. Fortunately, the large trauma injuries are the least common, but they can also be the most serious, leading to total or complete paralysis and related dysfunctions. A single fall or penetration wound impacting the spinal cord can cause numerous problems to the bones, ligaments, nerves, and discs that make up the back and neck.
[Royal Palm, FL back pain]
Bone injuries are often related to dislocations of the spinal vertebrae or outright fractures. A subluxation may occur if the ligaments in one part of the spine become twisted, strained, or overly stretched, causing a misalignment in the bones. (Subluxations are the disorder that chiropractors treat through their chiropractic adjustments, which are meant to restore the proper alignment of the vertebrae.) If a dislocation or fracture affects vertebrae in the neck region, a person may experience symptoms similar to a stroke if arteries are damaged.
Likely to cause some trauma damage
[Tampa, FL chiropractors]
There are four main types of traumatic injuries affecting the spinal cord. Each one can have a different effect on the nerves, bones, and ligaments. The first is flexion injuries, which may cause fractures, dislocations, or subluxations. Second, rotational injuries can lead to dislocation. The third type, extension injuries, may cause fractures. And the fourth type of back trauma, called compression injuries, may fracture the vertebrae. A final related trauma, called cauda equina injury, involves the lower end of the spinal cord where the vertebrae meet the pelvis, but is not typically characterized as a spinal cord injury.
[Back pain treatments in Milwaukee]
Depending on what has happened to the bone or connective tissues, doctors may be able to better understand the event that caused the injury to begin with. For example, if a person has a fall but can not remember what happened upon impact, different types of fractures or dislocations may point to a flexion injury or spinal compression. The type of damage that is manifested in the body may point to how the injury occurred, and each type may have different recovery paths available to the patient.
[Roseville, CA chiropractor]
The good news is that a relatively small number of people will suffer from traumatic back damage every year. More people die in automobile accidents than suffer from spinal cord injuries on a yearly basis. But for people who do experience a fall, violent accident, or sports collision, injury to the spine and related tissues can be extremely debilitating and take a long time to recover from. A future article will discuss various symptoms that result from spinal cord damage.
Be aware of fibromyalgia
Everyone has experienced some sort of joint or muscle pain before. From a sprained ankle, to muscle soreness after a long run, to falling down and having a sore hip and back, aches and pains can be annoying, but they eventually go away. But for people suffering from fibromaylgia, joint and muscle pain can be chronic and continual, resulting in a vast decrease in their quality of life.
[Roseville, CA chiropractor]
And worst of all, there is no cure for this disorder. It can cause achy pain in the joints and soft tissues of the body, tenderness to the touch, and feelings of general soreness in the muscles and tendons. Basically, any soft tissues of the body — muscles, tendons, ligaments — attaching into any of the joints can be affected. Pain can be felt in a few specific areas, but is most likely spread throughout the body.
[Chiropractor in South Bay]
Doctors do not know why some people get fibromyalgia, and they are unsure of how to help people reduce the pain and live with the disease. Current thinking in the medical community is that a disruption in Stage 4 sleep may cause fibromyalgia, and a host of emotional distresses may contribute to it. Lack of sleep and emotional stress, anxiety, or depression can lead to debilitating, chronic, full-body pain.
[Sciatica help in Santa Cruz]
Certain traits of people suffering from this disorder seem to be common. People with fibromyalgia are often high strung, tend to have a lot of stress, are fatigued, often anxious, and may be depressed. All of these factors can cause or be worsened by a lack of deep sleep, and it is no wonder the body can suffer as a result. Tension headaches and irritable bowel disorders are also common.
[Back pain doctors in El Cajon]
While there is no outright cure for the disorder, doctors recommend a number of different treatments to reduce pain and help people live normal lives again. The main focus of these treatments is reducing stress and improving the quality of a person’s sleep. If stress can be reduced or better handled and deep sleep improved, it may be possible to reduce many of the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
[Albany, NY back pain help]
One recommendation is to stretch every day. Especially the muscles that are painful should be stretched daily for at least 30 seconds. Five sets of 30 second stretches should be performed for each affected muscle and joint. Muscles have a stretch-relax reaction built into them through the tendons and nervous system that may help the joints to learn how to relax and stay relaxed without feelings of pain.
[Boulder sciatica doctor]
Exercise is also recommended by doctors in treating pain and muscle discomfort caused by fibromyalgia. Generally, aerobic exercise such as walking quickly, swimming, or riding a stationary bike can be engaged in by patients. Physical therapies such as massage and applications of heat to the affected muscles may also be used to relax muscles and improve circulation.
[Buffalo, NY chiropractor]
Finally, it is very important that sleep quality be addressed in order to reduce pain. People who do not get enough sleep can feel stressed and fatigued — two contributing factors of fibromyalgia. Certain sleep aids can be used, but it is also important not to use any kinds of drugs for the muscle pain that may cause insomnia. It may be that improving the quality of sleep will more effective reduce the joint pains.
Joints commonly affected by osteoarthritis
Nearly everyone, over the course of their lives, will experience some sort of joint pain. Chronic pain in the form of osteoarthritis is the mot common disorder affecting the joints and is nearly universal in people over the age of 80. For this reason, it is important that people know the symptoms of this degenerative disease, as well as some of the methods that doctors use to reduce pain and keep the joints healthy.
[Back pain doctor in Albany]
While osteoarthritis is common in people over age 80, it begins to manifest itself in people who are in their 40s and 50s. Below the age of 40, it is mostly men who have the degenerative joint disease and it is usually related to some sort of traumatic experience. From ages 40 to 70, though, it is mostly women who have osteoarthritis. By the time people hit their 80s, however, the distribution is even between men and women.
[Boulder, CO chiropractic]
Osteoarthritis is referred to as a degenerative joint disease due to the loss of cartilage protecting the bones in the joints and the changes this loss of cartilage leads to. Pain in the joints, stiffness when using the affected joints, and occasional swelling are some of the symptoms indicating a potential loss of cartilage. It can begin with trauma, inflammation, or defects in the way the body makes and breaks down cartilage.
[Buffalo chiropractor and back pain treatments]
The end result of any of the causes of osteoarthritis, though, is that the protective cartilage breaks down and the bones become exposed and are able to rub up against each other when a joint is moved through a range of motion. Osteophytes, also known as bone spurs, can develop on the affected bones in an effort to maintain the stability of the joint. Ligaments and tendons can also become irritated and inflamed, and the muscles can get weaker, leading to further instability.
[Back pain and spinal decompression in Detroit]
For older people, osteoarthritis of the spinal column can be a major problem. While the risk of herniating a disc lessens as people age, the risk of arthritis causing serious back pain increases. Osteoarthritis of the vertebrae can increase the chances of damaging the ligaments. Ligament damage in the back can be debilitating and can take months or years to heal fully.
[Royal Palm, FL chiropractor]
A back doctor should evaluate anyone who has potential osteoarthritis of the spine, and x-rays can confirm the degeneration of the cartilage in any of the joints most affected. If the disease is suspected or confirmed by x-rays, it then becomes important to maintain joint function, range of motion, and the health of the cartilage protecting against bone rubbing on bone. Stretching and flexibility exercises can be used to mitigate the loss of mobility.
[Chiropractor in Tampa, FL]
Various treatments can be used for reducing pain from osteoarthritis, including massage, acupuncture, and topical ointments to reduce pain and swelling. In extreme cases, surgery and total joint replacement may be used if all else has failed. Supplements such as MSM and glucosamine and chondroitin, if given enough time to work, may help reduce the rate of cartilage breakdown in some individuals.
[Doctor of back pain in Milwaukee]
Although osteoarthritis and degeneration of the joints affects everyone as they get older, there are a number of ways to lessen the pain and keep the joints mobile and flexible. Knowing the symptoms of developing osteoarthritis and taking precautionary measures to reduce loss of cartilage earlier in life can help to keep people in good physical health and moving freely with the least amount of pain possible even into their 80s and 90s.
Back pain can be a tricky phenomenon to diagnose or treat effectively. On the one hand, nearly four out of every five people will have an episode of back discomfort sometime throughout their lives, either an acute flareup or a chronic condition. But on the other hand, some people with disc herniation, subluxations, and other disorders may never feel pain caused by those conditions. This indicates that a person’s pain perception systems may have as much to do with back pain as an actual injury.
[Detroit back doctor]
In fact, doctors have understood for years that it is not just the disc disease, injury, or arthritis in the joints of the spine that leads to pain. Much more likely is that accompanying muscle spasms cause feelings of discomfort or soreness at or near the site of an injury. But some people who have had a herniated disc for years may never feel any severe pain. Thus, it seems that it is not until the spinal muscles reflexively react to a disorder that pain results in many people.
[Royal Palm spinal decompression]
Furthermore, neck and back pain is most often caused by an acute feeling of discomfort that may go away after a few days or a week of rest. Neck pain responds much the same to such rest. In these cases, it is the muscles that develop a sprain or spasm and lead to the soreness in the first place. With some time off to rest, the muscles are able to relax and stop the spasms, repair the strain or tear, and the pain is eliminated.
[Sciatica treatments in Tampa, FL]
Pain and numb sensations caused by nerve damage or compression, however, may lead to a much more severe and chronic condition. Sciatica or spinal stenosis can be caused by compressed nerve roots, and extremely painful sensations may be felt from the lower back all the way down through the hips to the knees and feet, depending on the site of the nerve pressure.
[Milwaukee back pain therapy]
Healing for nerve damage and compression may take longer and be much more involved, as well. First, compression of the discs may have to be reduced, either through spinal decompression treatments, surgery, or other therapies. Then, the nerve pathways much be reeducated through spinal flossing and by practicing proper movement habits to prevent future injury.
[Roseville, CA chiropractic clinic]
Even after this is done, though, muscle damage and spasms may still be present. And if nothing else, there may be severe muscle weakness and lack of endurance in the spinal and abdominal muscles that support the spine. All of these issues must be addressed once the cause of the nerve pain is eliminated and once the back pain sufferer learns to move properly with minimal discomfort.
[El Cajon back doctor]
The good news is that the vast majority of causes of back and neck pain is an acute problem that lasts only for a few days or weeks. Muscles can relax and begin healing fairly quickly once the reason for the disorder is eliminated or reduced. And even for people suffering from chronic nerve conditions, much can be done to reduce discomfort, learn pain-free movements again, and build up muscle endurance to prevent future injury.
Although many people will suffer from back or neck pain at some point in their lives, it can be quite difficult to diagnose these acute, short-term problems. Often, a muscle strain may be the culprit, which can heal in a manner of days or weeks. But for chronic pain in the neck and back, doctors have named a variety of disorders that people commonly experience. From sciatica to spinal stenosis, being aware of a few of these common painful conditions may help people suffering from back injuries understand why they are in pain and what treatment paths to take when they are recovering.
[Back pain doctor in El Cajon, CA]
Spasmodic Torticollis
If a person has shortening of muscle fibers or periodic spasms in the neck, spasmodic torticollis may be the problem. The neck muscles may contract so much that the neck is forced to turn from a neutral position to a deranged one. Unfortunately, though, doctors do not know what actually causes this condition. A reaction to drugs or medication is the most common reason people suffer from spasmodic torticollis, but the actual reason that some people develop this painful neck disorder it is uncertain. Treatments for the condition involve such modalities as physical therapy, injections of botulinum toxin into the neck muscles, drugs to control the pain, or even surgery in some cases.
[Albany chiropractor]
Sciatica is a condition in which the nerve roots are compressed. The most common cause is a vertebral disc begins to protrude out of the spinal column and additional pressure is put on the spinal cord. Osteoarthritis, bony irregularities, tumors, and abscesses may also cause sciatica. People who have this condition often describe the pain as burning or stabbing, and pain or numbness may be felt all the way from the lower back to the feet, with discomfort in the hips or knees also present. Rest, rehabilitative exercises, spinal flossing, medication, and surgery have all be used to treat sciatica, with varying degrees of success in different patients.
[Chiropractor in Boulder, CO]
Another disorder that can cause harmful pressure on the spinal cord and sciatic nerve roots is called lumbar spinal stenosis. This results from a narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back or upper back regions. In fact, it may even be one of the causes of sciatica. Degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis or disc degeneration may lead to spinal stenosis. Pain is most commonly experienced in the hips, thighs, and even down to the calves, and may be felt when standing, walking, and running. The treatments for spinal stenosis are similar to treatments for sciatica and aim to reduce spinal compression causing pain.
[Buffalo, NY back pain doctor]
Though there are a number of other conditions that can cause pain in the back and neck, these ones detailed here are some of the most common but most debilitating for those suffering from them. Pain in the lower back and neck can be very uncomfortable, even when it lasts only for a day or a week at the most. But chronic conditions such as sciatica or disc disease can cause pain for a great portion of person’s life. This makes it even more important to find ways to deal with the problem by reducing the pain and then relearning how to move without severe back or neck pain.
