Optimum: Is Back Pain Slowing You Down?

N E W S L E T T E R

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I S YOUR BACK PA IN SLOWING YOU DOWN?

It’s the end of the day, your back is aching and you’re not sure why. Was it the work you were doing? Was it the way you were sitting? Your spine is an intricate structure with hundreds of muscles and nerves. The joints up and down your spine provide movement, while the discs in between...

I N S I D E IS YOUR BACK PAIN SLOWING YOU DOWN? HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR BACK 6TH ANNIVERSARY

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N E W S L E T T E R

IS YOUR BACK PAIN SLOWING YOU DOWN?

INSIDE:

• How To Take Care Of Your Back • Exercise Essentials

• 6th Anniversary • Healthy Recipe

What Causes Back Pain? The forward head position puts a strain on the neck muscles, resulting in general muscle tension in the head. A few things cause back pain. The American Physical therapy Association covers each of these, but the following are leading causes:

(Continued from outside) ...the bones give support and shock absorption. In today’s world of sitting for long periods at work, being on your computer and at home watching TV, your neck muscles, joints and nerves can become strained.

• Spinal & core muscle weaknesses

• Improper lifting form

OVER 80 PERCENT OF THE NORTH AMERICAN POPULATION WILL SUFFER FROM IT AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIFETIME.

• Limited hip, spine, & thigh muscle flexibility • Bad abdominal, pelvic, & back muscle coordination

• Bad posture

• Spinal muscle & tissue damage

Back pain can hinder your day-to-day activities. Left untreated, it can even lead to long-term joint, spine and nerve damage. As one of the most common physical complaints, over 80 percent of the North American population will suffer from it at some point in their lifetime. The pain itself can hinder your ability to reach, lean, kneel, lift or bend. It can also hinder your time spent with friends and family. Direct pain aside, minor aches and cramps associated with a back pain problem can make you irritable—ruining your good time.

Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t seek treatment when back pain arises. Before they know it, they have a big problem. They might assume nothing—except for medication—can solve their back pain problem. Medication might mask the pain, but it won’t cure the problem’s root cause.

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You’re in luck: Back pain can be cured! The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke covers a number of back pain remedies. These include the use of strength exercise, physical therapy and medication. Where medication is considered, anti- inflammatory drugs, analgesic medications and counter-irritants are the most popular. Before you can treat your back pain, however, you need to know why it started. Whether you’ve tweaked a muscle or have a deeper injury, a spine specialist can help. Back Pain Prevention A little prevention goes a long way. If you want to avoid future back pain, you can make sure you’re being good to your back. 1. Lift Properly You pick things up constantly. Even if you’re lifting something light, make sure you’re facing the object. Squat, keeping your HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR BACK

spine straight. Lift with your leg muscles, as this will reduce the pressure placed on your spine. 2. Use Good Posture When you’re standing, imagine a string is attached to the top of your head—lifting you up. This will keep your hips, spine, shoulders and neck aligned. If you’re sitting, don’t slouch. 3. Use Strength Training Your body has hundreds of muscles. These muscles protect and control your spine. By lifting weights, running and swimming, you can keep them strong. Train your core muscles. In doing so, you’ll easily control quick, lifting movements.

Sources http://www.apta.org/

https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/Health-Wellness-Information/Back-Pain-Facts-and-Statistics https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Low-Back-Pain-Fact-Sheet

COUPON CORNER

Lieonyourbackwithkneesbentand feethipdistanceapart.Place your feet close enough so they can be touched by your finger tips. Inhale and lift the hips, place a block under the sacrum. Keep the chest open. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 10 times. SUPPORTED BRIDGE TRY THIS EXERCISE FOR BACK PAIN RELIEF EXERCISE ESSENT IALS

CUT OUT THIS COUPON FOR A FREE SCREEN!

FRE E SCRE EN

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Come for a FREE SCREEN and receive a free copy of Get your life back, Heal your Back Pain & Sciatica by our very own Dr. Mark A De Anda PT, DPT!

6 TH ANNIVERSARY

5 points location was more accessible to everyone in the city, which allowed us to help a diversity of people. However, in just two short years we outgrew our space once again. In 2015, we moved to the North downtown area off San Pedro Ave. Again, we feel being central in the city allows us to be more accessible to everyone in San Antonio and the surrounding rural towns. We also enjoy the downtown community, culture, food, art and music. It has enriched our clinic experience in helping others with all it has to offer. Along our journey we have made many new friends, while still keeping our past friendships close to us. We still treat and help many of our very first patients from our first location in 2006. Why, we think that is? Well, no doubt the quality of care is held at a high standard at our clinic, but we also believe it’s our sense of community, unity, and public service that sets us apart from any other Physical Therapy clinic in San Antonio.

In 2006, Dr De Anda and his wife started a Physical Therapy outpatient clinic in the Northwestern quarter of SA. Even in our early days of our clinic’s existence we have always valued our autonomy and independence, to help others at the standard we believe they must be treated. The clinic has always been owned, directed and operated by our Doctor of Physical Therapy Dr Mark De Anda. For 3 years, we enjoyed helping the community of NW SA, however, we simply outgrew that location. So we looked towards downtown. We found our next location in the historical zone in the 5 points district of San Antonio; more centrally located to help everyone in the city. The

DRY NEEDL I NG

Dry needling involves insertion and repetitive manipulation of a “dry”, solid filament needle in a trigger point in order to produce an involuntary spinal cord reflex, also known as a local twitch response (LTR). This results in lasting muscle relaxation due to the release of shortened bands of muscle fibers for overactive (tight) muscles or the activation of under-active (weak) muscles. Deactivation of the trigger points can bring immediate relief of symptoms, so the therapist can immediately train the muscles to work with the newly gained pain free range of motion (ROM). Our mission at Optimum Physio is to bring an excellent clinical experience through new therapies, community awareness and education. An excellent clinical experience through new techniques, tools, and innovative approaches to facilitate the natural healing of the body. Education to our patients and community through local events, educational workshops, publications of articles and books so to empower the people to make better health choices. ABOUT US

“When I first became a patient here at Optimum Physio, I was suffering with sciatica pain in my left leg due from a severe, near paralyzing spinal injury from a head on car accident in the early 90s. I have PAT I E NT SUC C E SS SPOT L I GHT

received great healing and improvements from my first time ever experience in Physical Therapy. Dr. De Anda and his staff has displayed five star medical and customer utmost professionalism and total concern and care to me as a patient at Optimum Physio. The clinic has a very down home and authentic relationship to its patients. I highly recommend and compliment the whole staff here for such great service to those in need.” - J.M.

HEALTHY RECIPE

• 1 banana • ½-1 cup Greek yogurt, coconut cream, coconut yogurt, or cottage cheese • ¼ cup healthy granola or trail mix

• ~1 cup mixed berries • 1 Tbsp peanut butter, or nut butter of choice • drizzle of honey or maple syrup • cherry on top

Slice banana in half lengthwise and lay in shallow bowl. Add some berries in between the banana halves to create a cavity. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop yogurt into the middle of the banana boat. Distribute fruit and sprinkle with granola, or whichever toppings you like! Melt peanut butter and drizzle on top with honey. Serve topped with a cherry (or a few) if desired! Yields 1 banana split breakfast parfait. Notes: *Nutrition calculated with ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt and 2 tsp honey. Serving Size: 1 banana split breakfast parfait Calories: 431 Sugar: 27 Fat: 11 Carbohydrates: 69 Fiber: 13 Protein: 22

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