Back Pain: Symptoms, Causes, Practical Solutions The TotalSelf Considered
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- Mental Health
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Most of us, 9 out of 10 people, have experienced back pain at least once in our lives. But why? Is it just an unavoidable fact of life?
In this episode of the TotalSelf Considered, Jeff Fine interviews Erika Muraski, physical therapist extra-ordinaire. Erika was a competitive ice-skater until she had a career ending injury. She had always wanted to be a physical therapist and the experience of getting hurt and having to give up the sport she loved has made her highly attuned and compassionate to the needs of her patients.
Jeff and Erika discuss back pain and treatment approaches from multiple perspectives: first, Erika explains the physical structure of the spine and surrounding soft tissue, and the related “mechanical” issues or imbalances that can lead to back pain. After going over the symptoms of various types of back pain, and when one should seek medical attention, Jeff and Erika delve into the impact of lifestyle factors, particularly the role that our sedentary lifestyles and stress have for so many of us experiencing back pain.
There’s an overwhelming amount of recommendations out there to reduce back pain – core strengthening, zero drop shoes, standing desks, stretching, ice, heat, doing more, doing less, laser therapy – but which of these actually help?
Listen to this episode of the TotalSelf Considered podcast to find out.
Summary of Episode
How Erika used her experiences she gained from her accident to help other people work through their injury
Listening to the patient key to understanding the injury
Visit time with physicians have been droppping – current average is 6 minutes!
What exactly is meant by “back pain” – what areas of the body are affected
Symptoms and causes of back pain – muscle spams, irritations, sprains…
Referred pain – numbness, tingling, weakness
Functional issues – can’t stand or can’t move properly
Causes: 95% are mechanical reasons – linked to the movement of the back or mechanics of the spine
Structure of the spine: discs, ligaments, muscles, vertebrae, facet
When is it advised to see a medical doctor or a physical therapist, red flags for medical intervention
Direct access in NY state: people can see a PT without a referral from a physician
How long it takes to get back to normal functioning when working with a PT
Getting ahead of injuries: tackle them before it starts to fester
Compensation issues – adjustments to avoid pain become problematic
Chronic pain vs acute pain – what causes pain to become chronic
Unhealthy lifestyle factors: sitting too long, technology, spending too much time in bed
Sleep hygiene: the right type of mattress is individualized for body type – soft vs firm mattress, number of pillows…
Relationship between sedentary lifestyle – increased back pain
Exercising too hard and pushing until overly fatigued has negative affect
Education and awareness can make a big difference: understand your body and cues, make adjustments in daily life
Standing desks
Dangers of sitting: compression forces are exponentially higher when sitting – deweighting your spine makes a big difference
Key is variation throughout the day – change positions often
When back is injured, people’s inclination is usually to do less, which isn’t always helpful
Ice vs heat?
Zero drop shoes
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Most of us, 9 out of 10 people, have experienced back pain at least once in our lives. But why? Is it just an unavoidable fact of life?
In this episode of the TotalSelf Considered, Jeff Fine interviews Erika Muraski, physical therapist extra-ordinaire. Erika was a competitive ice-skater until she had a career ending injury. She had always wanted to be a physical therapist and the experience of getting hurt and having to give up the sport she loved has made her highly attuned and compassionate to the needs of her patients.
Jeff and Erika discuss back pain and treatment approaches from multiple perspectives: first, Erika explains the physical structure of the spine and surrounding soft tissue, and the related “mechanical” issues or imbalances that can lead to back pain. After going over the symptoms of various types of back pain, and when one should seek medical attention, Jeff and Erika delve into the impact of lifestyle factors, particularly the role that our sedentary lifestyles and stress have for so many of us experiencing back pain.
There’s an overwhelming amount of recommendations out there to reduce back pain – core strengthening, zero drop shoes, standing desks, stretching, ice, heat, doing more, doing less, laser therapy – but which of these actually help?
Listen to this episode of the TotalSelf Considered podcast to find out.
Summary of Episode
How Erika used her experiences she gained from her accident to help other people work through their injury
Listening to the patient key to understanding the injury
Visit time with physicians have been droppping – current average is 6 minutes!
What exactly is meant by “back pain” – what areas of the body are affected
Symptoms and causes of back pain – muscle spams, irritations, sprains…
Referred pain – numbness, tingling, weakness
Functional issues – can’t stand or can’t move properly
Causes: 95% are mechanical reasons – linked to the movement of the back or mechanics of the spine
Structure of the spine: discs, ligaments, muscles, vertebrae, facet
When is it advised to see a medical doctor or a physical therapist, red flags for medical intervention
Direct access in NY state: people can see a PT without a referral from a physician
How long it takes to get back to normal functioning when working with a PT
Getting ahead of injuries: tackle them before it starts to fester
Compensation issues – adjustments to avoid pain become problematic
Chronic pain vs acute pain – what causes pain to become chronic
Unhealthy lifestyle factors: sitting too long, technology, spending too much time in bed
Sleep hygiene: the right type of mattress is individualized for body type – soft vs firm mattress, number of pillows…
Relationship between sedentary lifestyle – increased back pain
Exercising too hard and pushing until overly fatigued has negative affect
Education and awareness can make a big difference: understand your body and cues, make adjustments in daily life
Standing desks
Dangers of sitting: compression forces are exponentially higher when sitting – deweighting your spine makes a big difference
Key is variation throughout the day – change positions often
When back is injured, people’s inclination is usually to do less, which isn’t always helpful
Ice vs heat?
Zero drop shoes