Back To Action: Keeping Spinal Stenosis At Bay

Back To Action: Keeping Spinal Stenosis At Bay

Health & Fitness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

“Enjoy Long Walks Without Fear Of Pain!” KEEPING SPINAL STENOSIS OF THE LOW BACK AT BAY

What is Spinal Stenosis? Most commonly occurring in the neck and the lower back, spinal stenosis is the official term for when the openings between the spine’s vertebrae become too narrow. For patients with lumbar (lower back) stenosis, the resulting pressure on the spinal cord or the related nerves results in pain and limited

range of motion. (continued inside)

Inside: • Keeping Spinal Stenosis Of The Low Back At Bay

• Patient Success Spotlights

• Practice News

• Why Does Physical Therapy Work For Spinal Stenosis?

Health & Fitness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

WHY DOES PHYSICAL THERAPY WORK FOR SPINAL STENOSIS? | RELIEVE BACK PAIN IN 60 SECONDS | PRACTICE NEWS

“Move As If You Never Suffered From Discomfort!” KEEPING SPINAL STENOSIS OF THE LOW BACK AT BAY

In addition, lumbar spinal stenosis sufferers can experience some form of tingling and weakness in their legs, and lower back. Often, walking for more than a short distance, or standing for extended periods, becomes almost impossible. Depending on where the pressure points occur, bowel and bladder problems may even become an issue. What Causes Lower Back Spinal Stenosis? Basic aging is a common, underlying factor for people who develop the narrowing of the openings between their vertebrae. Discs can wear away and flatten with age, leading to a smaller gap through which nerves can pass. In addition, bone spurs that form as a result of osteoarthritis may cause narrowing of the spine. In either case, these age-related disorders put pressure on the spinal nerve. It is possible for younger adults to also experience spinal stenosis. Poor posture, or certain injuries can lead to the narrowing of the vertebrae, as can disorders affecting joints above or below stenosis areas. How Physical Therapy Can Help Spinal Stenosis. Unless you have an extremely advanced formofspinalstenosis,yourdoctorwill likely recommendamoreconservative approach. Physical therapy is the physician preferred treatment for spinal stenosis. It improves your ability to walk and perform other daily movements -- and, most importantly, to eliminate the pain you feel when undertaking those movements. Call us today to speak with your physical therapist, or come on in for a free consultation.

PATIENT SUCCESS SPOTLIGHTS They make exercising fun! “I want to thank Back to Action Physical Therapy for all of their help in getting me back to work. I sustained a fall at work and injured the left side of my flank and low back. I operate heavy equipment and could not climb into the tractor or perform any lifting because it caused increased pain. I was told there was nothing wrong with me when I went to the hospital, but luckily my doctor sent me to therapy because he saw how much pain I was in. In just twelve treatments, I was back to normal. Within two weeks, I started to see an improvement and started to feel better.The staff is very friendly and professional. They make exercising fun and provide a great atmosphere. I’m very pleased with my treatment and results and recommend Back to Action to anyone needing therapy.” - Jaime R. I am no longer on pain medications!

Look inside to learn more about our programs to say goodbye to aches and pains and return to a pain-free, active lifestyle! www.back-to-action.com “Back to Action Physical Therapy has been extremely helpful. I came in and could barely walk due to excruciating back pain. I also had trouble sleeping and sitting for long periods of time. I learned that you do not get results on the first visit but, with time and patience, you eventually see positive results. The staff is excellent and very helpful. I highly recommend BTA to anyone needing pain relief. I am no longer on pain medications and have resumed my normal activities. Thanks BTA!” - Crystal R.

WHY DOES PHYSICAL THERAPY WORK FOR SPINAL STENOSIS?

PT is effective because it provides a multi-dimensional approach to spinal stenosis, addressing both the causes and the effects of the disorder. Flexibility, postural support, and strength-building measures are built into the physical therapy treatment plan for this disorder. PT uses both joint mobilization and stretching to increase mobility in all of your spinal joints. These flexibility-enhancers allow all of your joints to work at full capacity, taking the pressure off affected areas. In addition, you’ll find it less painful to stand, walk and bend after building up strength in your hips, as well as stabilizing pelvic support, which supports the base of your spine. Strengthening your abs and other muscles in your core will provide better spinal support and stabilization. Avoiding Surgery Studies show that in many cases, physical therapy for spinal stenosis can prevent the need for surgery altogether. If used as a first-choice option, it is effective as a pain management tool and helps identify activities to avoid that may be making the symptoms worse. A 2015 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine followed two groups of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis -- one group which had opted for surgery, and one which had gone to physical therapy as the main course of treatment -- and found that both groups had similar success rates. If you’re coping with spinal stenosis and concerned about which course of treatment to undertake, call us today to arrange a consultation. We’ll work with your doctors to ensure that your treatment is the right fit for you. We can help treat your spinal stenosis whether you’re undertaking physical

therapy as a first-course option, or as a way to ease the recovery process following spinal stenosis surgery. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/symptomsconditionsdetail.aspx?cid=5e4daaa0-cb21-4eee- 8484-e728617397aa http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/News/2015/4/7/StenosisPTvsSurgery/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25844995

Physical Therapists Are The Mechanics Of Your Body!

Relieve Back Pain In 60 Seconds Try this movement if you are experiencing pain.

Strengthens Lower Back

PRONE HIP EXTENSION While lying face down with your knee straight, slowly raise up your leg off the ground. Alternate legs and repeat 8 times.

www.simpleset.net

Minor aches and pains are warning signals from your body to let you know something is not working properly. Don’t put off the pain until it’s too late. Come in today for a “Tune-Up.”

CALL TODAY!

Harlingen 956-428-8951

Del Rio 830-775-9118

Brownsville 956-621-0397

Eagle Pass 830-757-2497

PRACTICE NEWS: Keeping Our Community InMind!

Brownsville. Octoberwassuchaproductiveand fruitfulmonth forBTABrownsville.Westartedoffwith helping Faulk Middle School during their career day on the first of the month. We supported the Rotary Club Of Historic Brownsville’s projects and rode the “33 Mile Ride For Rotary” on the 14th. All proceeds raised by the event went to support the Rotary’s local projects, which include providing freeeyeexamsandeyeglasses tochildren,hostingRotary’sAnnualHeartGallery(anadoption awareness event), funding scholarships for local children, providing Christmas gifts to nursing home residents and children, and funding for other Rotary International humanitarian projects. BTA Brownsville joined the Brownsville community at the “Vive Tu Vide 2018” event at the Dean Porter Park on the 20th of October. We connected with hundreds of people of all ages and provided them with information about the services we provide and how physical therapy can help people with pain and disabilities. We gave away lots of prizes with our Spin-A-Wheel game and had such a fun filled day. And finally, BTA was proud to be a sponsor of the “TOTFO 5K Zombie Run & Monster Mile” on the 27th of October. BTA helps and supports TOTFO (Tip Of Texas Family Outreach) with it’s worthy causes and projects of promoting a healthy lifestyle and concurrently promoting awareness and prevention of child abuse in the community of Brownsville. EaglePass. OctoberwasNationalPhysicalTherapyMonth!Weparticipated inseveralcommunityevents last month to help strengthen our community interaction. Back to Action was a proud participant at thisyear’sEaglePassBusinessExpo.Thereweremany localbusinessesandvendorspresent reaching out to our community with services and products. We were also proud sponsors of the annual Candles for Life Walkathon. Candles for Life is a local non-profit organization, that provides Maverick county residents financial assistance during their battle of cancer. Congratulations to the event coordinators on a very successful event and thank you to all that participated and donated. Ourstaffalsodida teambuildingeventandhada little fun thismonthaswe traveled toHondo,Texas to conquer thecornmazeatGraff7ARanch,homeof theSouthTexasMaize.We typicallyhaveasummer gathering, but this year time just slipped our hands and we opted for a Fall fest. We have an AMAZING staff and like to treat them for all of their hard work and dedication. We all had a lot of fun! Our therapist also celebrated a birthday this month. Happy Birthday, Doreen! Harlingen. Back to Action Physical Therapy volunteered at St. Helen’s Catholic Church in Rio Hondo during their annual Fall Festival on October 6th and 7th. We sold Spiro Pappas (spiraled potatoes). We had a lot of fun and met a lot of friendly people. Themoney raised from the festivalwillbeused throughout theyear forsuppliesand repairs,etc. for the church. We hope to volunteer again next year as well. On October 21st, we served hot dogs, chips and soda to motocross racers and fans at the Grove Motocross racetrack inHarlingen.Theweather initiallywasnot thegreatestbut it turnedout tobeanice day. We met a lot of nice fans and racers. We had a good time and hope to do this again in the future. On October 26th, we volunteered at St. Anthony’s School to help their student council raise money.The event was called Trunk or Treat, where numerous SUVs and trucks parked side-by-side and decorated theirvehicles.Weplayedgames,hadmoon jumpsandhandedoutcandy tohundredsofchildrendressed up in their Halloween costumes. They also had Chalupa for the adults where they had chances to win door prizes. The event was a huge success and we were pleased to help out. Del Rio. October was National Physical Therapy Month! If you are having pain, feel weakness, or are havingdifficultywalkingandperformingyourdailyactivities,make itapoint todiscussphysical therapy services with your doctor! Physical therapy can help restore muscle strength and endurance, prevent falls by improving balance and walking ability, and manage help to relieve pain without medication! Del Rio clinic tied for the win in our annual Halloween costume contest. Employees dressed up like different fruits and reminded our patients to make healthy choices this year! However, we didn’t leave out the candy entirely and staff volunteered at the annual “Trunk or Treat” organized by the Del Rio Leadershipgroup from theChamberofCommerce forchildren in thecommunity.Wedecorateda trunk and gave out candy to hundreds of kids decked out in costume!

www.back-to-action.com