Back Pain

Poor Posture:

Sitting: The stress placed onto the structures of your low back are doubled when you are sitting. When you stand, the forces of gravity can be absorbed by the shock absorbing cartilage in your ankles, knees, and hips. Sitting places twice the amount of pressure through your low back as standing. While you are sitting, be sure to sit up as straight as possible to help distribute the weight of your upper body equally across your lower back.

Weak Muscles:

Research definitively proves that strengthening your lumbar spinal musculature helps reduce the chance of aggravating your spine pain. At Spine & Sport we help you achieve the results you are looking for by using the patented and scientifically proven way to strengthen your spine. This system is called Med X. It works by isolating your lumbar spinal muscles so that you cannot compensate. The result is an isolated strengthening of the spinal muscles which provide your spinal core with its structure and function. All exercises are not created equal and the Med X system, with its validated scientific research, proves this fact.

Spinal Manipulation/Mobilization:

Often times, due to a pinched nerve, irritated disc or joint, your spine may need to be manipulated. At Spine & Sport, your Physical Therapist is highly skilled at providing research proven spinal manipulation techniques. Research supports that the quicker your spine returns to moving normally after it has become irritated, the more rapid your recovery will be.

Spinal Pain Reducing Techniques:

Prone Pressup Lower
Standing Lumbar Extension

A group of exercises termed "Directional Preference", which is previously known by the Physical Therapist who discovered and researched the effectiveness of the techniques (McKenzie), are known to greatly assist in reducing pain. The scientific validation behind the exact source of why these techniques are so successful continues to be investigated. The good news for us today is that these specific techniques have been shown to be extremely successful, when applied correctly, to immediately reduce pain and improve the motion in your spine. In general, Directional Preference means that when you move your spine in a particular direction your pain becomes worse and when you move your spine into another direction your pain reduces. At the heart of these techniques for LBP are spinal extension (pictured below). If performing this technique reduces your pain, which is furthest from the actual area producing your pain, then continue to perform this specific technique. If this technique increases your pain, these techniques may absolutely still be able to help, but you need to have the techniques fine tuned to your exact case. Recent research proved that 74% of patients entering a Physical Therapy Clinic for LBP have a directional preference that can be helped with these techniques.

Exercise:
General exercise is highly effective in the short and long term management of your back pain. These are some example of good general exercises.

Prone Piriformis Stretch Above 90
Quadruped Lumbar Flexion
Seated Posterior Pelvic Tilt
Supine Bridging
Supine Piriformis Stretch Below 90
Supine Hamstring Stretch