Choice PT: Tired of Nagging Lower Back Pain?!?!

Choice PT: Tired of Nagging Lower Back Pain?!?!

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We’ve talked about this before. Lower Back Pain is a thing. It’s a thing that affects a lot of people. In fact, 80% of the population will experience back pain at one point or another in their lives. Furthermore, the best indicator for future injury is having a past injury. Therefore, once you’ve injured your back, you’re at increased risk for future back injury. (continued inside) TIRED OF NAGGING LOWER BACK PAIN?!?!

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INSIDE: • How To Know If You Are Moving Correctly • In The Community • Choice Physical Therapy News • Patient Success Story T IRED OF NAGGING LOWER BACK PAIN?!?!

(continued from outside) Most of us have heard the age old saying: NO PAIN, NO GAIN! Here at Choice we prefer: Know pain, know gain! That’s right, if you have an understanding of what’s going on and know what type of pain is ok and what type of pain isn’t, you have a much better chance of making positive gains! Your lower back (or lumbar region) can be very complicated as it’s surrounded by many bones, joints, discs, ligaments, and muscles. Like other areas of the body, we’ve learned that pain in the lower back needs a two part assessment: 1. We need to figure out which tissue is injured and is causing the pain • Usually this is a muscle strain, related to arthritis of the spine, or could be related to irritation of the disc or nerves in your back 2. We need to figure out what surrounding areas aren’t doing their job and therefore putting increased stress on the lower back region Luckily, as humans we tend to compensate in similar ways making it easier for people who study back injuries to uncover common themes. We’ve learned that incorporating a basic “set of rules” can significantly help in reducing lower back injuries.

Most people with sore backs feel like they always need to “stretch it out”. The lumbar spine itself should be mostly stable (it’s supposed to move but most of the time it’s moving excessively which causes injury... the muscles surrounding it go into a protective spasm which gives you the sense that you always need to stretch them out. It’s a short term band aid and not addressing the underlying issue, most of the time) Your mid back (aka. Thoracic spine) should be fairly flexible however due to our common tendency to sit most of the day we stiffen up in the mid back. Increased stiffness in the mid back forces us to ask for a bit of extra motion from the lower back. A bit of extra motion, day after day, week after week, month after month...you see where I’m going with this. Lastly, our hips are ball and socket joints. They are meant to handle a HUGE amount of motion compared to other joints in our bodies. Just like our mid back, our hips also tend to tighten up due to sitting, footwear, etc. If you can keep your mid back and hips flexible while maintaining muscle memory & strength through your core muscles you should be much more resilient to that nagging lower back pain. Don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our Doctor’s of Physical Therapy and we can help you figure out the right mix of exercises and hands on work to get your back feeling like you’re 21 again! Have a great month! Joe

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HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE MOVING CORRECTLY

If you are suffering from knee or hip pain, it is important to make sure you contact a physical therapist as soon as possible. However, there are also some tests you can do on your own before your consultation – these simple tests can help you determine if your knees and hips are as flexible and strong as they should be. Practice caution when performing these tests with a painful knee or hip, and do not continue them if they cause your pain to worsen: • When you are standing, can you touch your toes? This indicates hip and low back flexibility. • When sitting down, can you comfortably cross your legs so your ankle is resting on the opposite knee? Does one knee go further down than the other? This indicates hip flexibility. If one hip is tighter than the other, it can impact the way you walk and can cause knee pain. • Keeping your feet flat on the floor while holding onto something solid, how far can you squat down? You should be able to squat all the way down so your buttocks almost touch your heels. Don’t let your heels pop up! If you favor movement to one side, you probably have hip weakness on that side or limited motion in the hip joint. • Standing near a countertop, put one foot in front of the other so you are touching heel-to-toe. Without putting your hands down, see if you can balance for 10 seconds. If you cannot, this may mean you have trouble with the coordination of your balance from the nerve endings in your hips, knees, ankles, and feet.

Contact us today! As noted, physical therapy is an effective mode of treatment for patients suffering from knee and/or hip pain. At Choice Physical Therapy, we help provide treatment for patients through movement and physical manipulation. If you are suffering from knee and/or hip pain, don’t hesitate to contact Choice Physical Therapy to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you kick your knee and hip pains to the curb, so you can live a happy, active, and pain-free life!

www.choiceptny.com

PAT IENT SUCCESS STORY

WELCOME TO THE FAMI LY!

CAPRI KELLY NAPOLEONE BORN JANUARY 27, 2021!!

CPT TEAM NEWS

FREE CONSULT WEEK

SHOULDER PAIN MAR 1 ST - 5 TH , 2021

CHOICE PHYSICAL THERAPY TEAM MEMBERS OF THE MONTH!

Have you or a family member been complaining of ROTATOR CUFF OR SHOULDER PAIN? If so, call the clinic that is most convenient for you to reserve a spot with one of our PT’s!

Dr. Sarah Cipperly, PT, DPT & Dr. Joe Napoleone, PT, DPT, OCS

It’s no mistake our Team Members of the Month are two of our Leaders, Sarah & Joe!! Throughout the year they were faced with new challenges and uncertainties and their ability to maintain smiles, composure, and support for the team as a whole is truly admirable! Thank you Sarah and Joe for all that you do!

506 Campbell Avenue Troy, New York 12180 TEL: (518) 203-6761

290 Speigletown Rd Troy, NY 12182 TEL: (518) 279-2740

IN THE COMMUNI TY

This January we were grateful to collaborate with Nora Matthew from Her Strength Studio in Latham, NY. Er in and Nora (both 36 weeks pregnant) created a video series d i s c u s s i n g c ommo n i s s u e s pregnant women face throughout thei r pregnancy , demonst rat ing assessment techniques and tips to reduce strain on the changing body, and movement patterns to promote a strong and healthy pregnancy. Check out our YouTube channel “Choice Physical Therapy” to watch the Video Series “Physical Therapy and Strength Training Throughout Your Pregnancy” to learn more!