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Lower back pain can be debilitating in any form. It can knock you down making it difficult to walk, sit, or even tie your shoes. There are many causes of lower back pain. One part of our lower back anatomy that is often overlooked is our SI joint.
The SI (sacroiliac) joint is often a forgotten joint as we tend to focus on the discs of the lumbar spine as the reason for all of our lower back pain. One reason it is often overlooked is because it behaves very differently from our other joints. Many of the joints that we think of are synovial joints which are more freely movable such as the shoulder and hip joints. The SI joint is different as it is partially a synovial joint as in the anterior part it is synovial and in the posterior portion it is syndesmosis or held together by ligaments. Because of this there is not a lot of movement in the SI joint, however, there is still movement and it is important that we have movement in our SI joints in order to perform daily activities such as walking. There are many reasons to get pain in the SI joint. One common reason is due to a sprain of the SI ligaments. This could be due to lifting something heavy that causes too much stress on the SI ligaments or even a sudden hit from a car accident. Another common reason for SI joint pain is due to degenerative arthritis. When you get arthritis in your SI joint this can make it difficult to move due to narrowing of the joint space between the sacrum and ilium bones. A less common reason for of SI joint is arthritis due to an inflammatory disease such as ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, or enteropathic arthritis. These can cause pain in the SI joint due to narrowing of the joint space and they may take getting additional treatments from a specialist in order to get proper treatment. When we experience an injury to the SI joint or the ligaments around the joint, we will have less movement due to tight ligaments and muscles around the joint. When this happens the SI joint won’t properly function which can cause pain when walking, sitting, or any movement that relies on SI joint movement. When the SI joint is the culprit of your lower back pain it can manifest in your lower back and can even go into your legs mimicking sciatica pain. Luckily there are things that you can do. Chiropractic adjustment or manipulation have been shown to be effective in decreasing SI joint pain. They have also been shown to be effective in treating SI joint pain caused by arthritis due to helping to improve joint range of motion. Exercises that focus on core stability have also been shown to help with SI joint pain. In our office we use therapeutic modalities such as therapeutic ultrasound and electric muscle stimulation to decrease pain. Acupuncture, massage, and physical therapy are also other great additional treatment options to help with SI joint pain. For more information regarding chiropractic care and arthritis check out the link below https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/treatment/complementary-therapies/physical-therapies/chiropractic-care-for-arthritis
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McGill Big 3 exercises are 3 exercises to help get rid of your lower back pain. They do this by helping to increase core strength and stability. Today we are going over the first exercise which is the modified curl up.
The modified curl up is not like a normal curl up or sit up. A normal sit up or abdominal work up focuses on flexing the spine to contract the abdominal muscles. To get the best understanding on how to do this work out it is best to watch the video above to see how to perform it. If you would rather here are instructions on how to perform it. 1. Lay on your back with one leg bent with the foot on the ground and the other leg is straight. If you are having leg pain or other symptoms (numbness, tingling, or weakness) bend the leg with the symptoms. If you are only having lower back pain alternate the bent leg per set. 2. Put your hands under your lower back (lumbar spine). It is important to maintain lordosis (natural curve of the lower back) while doing this exercise we don't want to flatten out your lower back as that can cause unwanted stress on the back. When putting the hands under your lumbar spine make sure you aren't arching your back too much but that you are in a good position that is comfortable for you and your back. 3. In this position you are ready to start the exercise. Keeping your hands under your lower back bring your elbows off the ground. Now to do the exercise bring your neck and shoulders off the ground slightly. You are going to hold this position for 8-10 seconds. The goal is to make sure you don't flex the lower back but keep it stable while doing the exercise. After 8-10 seconds you can go back to the ground and start the next repetition. Some common mistakes is bringing too much of your lower back off the ground flexing the spine. It is critical to make sure your spine is not flexing forward when doing this exercise. This will help you get the most benefit out of this exercise along with avoiding pain. 4. When doing the modified curl up exercise it is a good idea to do them in sets. Dr McGill suggests starting with 5 repetitions with each repetition being holding for 8-10 seconds and going back down. Once you have done the first set rest for 20 seconds. For the next set do 3 repetitions and then rest for 20 seconds. The last set do 1 repetition and then rest. Now assess how you are doing after this. If you were able to do it without pain but it was challenging continue with the same number of repetitions. If it was done easy raise each repetition per set by 1. Instead of 5, 3, 1 do 6, 4, 2. Now if it was painful doing it you need to check your form. Try resting for a while and doing it again later. This is a great exercise to use when you are suffering from any type of lower back pain whether it debilitating or just an annoyance it will help you. If you have a sprain or a strain, disc bulge, sciatica pain, arthritis, spinal stenosis, or muscle pain in the lower back this exercise will help you. This exercise along with the other McGill Big 3 exercises have the best evidence of helping people get rid of their lower back pain and getting back to normal activity. For more questions about what to do for lower back pain whatever the cause is ask one of our chiropractors or acupuncturist. They have years of experience in treating lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, or any other type of pain you are experiencing. They will help you feel better. Work injuries are very common. Depending on what industry you are working in it is possible that you will get injured at work. Work injuries are very complicated with a lot of paperwork, trips to HR, doctor visits, and so much more.
While there are different types of injuries you can get at work it is important to know what to do when you get injured so you can know what you need to do. 1. Make sure to get away from whatever caused the injury. Stop doing the activity that is causing you pain. Get emergency first aid and necessary medical treatment as soon as possible. 2. Report the injury to your supervisor as soon as possible. Whether the injury comes on suddenly or developed over time you must report the injury to your supervisor and manager. Report it as soon as possible that way you can get the necessary help as soon as possible. It is also beneficial to report as quickly as possible since some of your work duties may aggravate your injury. If this is the case it may be necessary to modify your work injuries. 3. File a claim-Filing a claim starts the worker’s compensation process and protects your rights. Usually your employer will give you a claim form to fill out and will have someone to help you through the process. If you don’t know where to find this form you can click on this link for a claim form. https://www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/FileAClaim.htm 4. Get treated-your work has a medical provider network with doctors and other specialists that can help you get out of pain and get you back to working full duty again. They will help you get the treatment that is needed. In most circumstances if you feel like you aren’t getting the best treatment you may get treatment from a different doctor or medical provider. 5. Keep documents-it is important to keep documents received during your treatments. Keep anything given by your work, primary treating doctor, or paperwork received from other treating doctors or medical providers. It may be important in the future. 6. Work as much as you can-in most cases continuing to work is the best option to help you recover quicker. Your doctor will try to find modifications so you can work without experiencing too much pain. By continuing to work you are staying active which has been shown to improve recovery time. In some cases that will cause more harm than benefit to continue working 7. Get an attorney-in some cases if you feel like you aren't getting the help you need you to get better it may may be a good idea to hire an attorney. They know how to help by their expert knowledge of workers compensation laws that can benefit you. At Accident and Sports Injury Clinic we want to help you get out of pain and back to working as soon as possible. Our Chiropractors and Acupuncturist have over 30 years of experience and are experts in helping with work related injuries. Our Massage therapists also have lots of experience helping to relax muscles that have been hurt at work. Along with chiropractic care you may also need additional therapies including acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, injections, or surgery. We will make sure to that you are taken care of whatever your need is. If you have any questions about a work related injury or how chiropractic, acupuncture, or massage therapy can be beneficial to you please feel free to give us a call. We want to help you get relief from your injury. Like many of you we have been watching the last dance documentary the last couple of weeks. For those that don’t this documentary talks about Michael Jordan and his career. The basketball highlights draw us in and bring awe at Michael’s skills on the court. We also get to see a lot of the behind the scenes of the team practicing and how Michael acted and felt during different times in his life. It is exciting to watch each new episode and as we get to work on Monday we discuss the inspiring thing that Michael did, said, or reacted to a particular situation.
One big reason I love watching this documentary is to see the attitude of Michael and what he does to win championships. It is also inspiring to see his work ethic as one of the best basketball players of all time. He has a never quit mentality and he would push himself and his teammates as far as he could to bring out the best in himself and those around. One such story came from last nights episode. The Bulls lost to the up and coming Orlando Magic. This lost really stung Michael as he lost to his former teammate, Horace Grant, who he had won 3 championships with before. With the start of the off-season it would have been easy for Michael to justify taking some time off to relax before preparing for the next season. He didn't do that. The next day he was working out and practicing to get ready for the next season. Along with that he had a busy summer filming the movie Space Jam. However, even with a busy filming schedule he spent his lunches working out for 2 hours. He also spent his nights playing against the best NBA players for almost 3 hours. He worked tirelessly that summer to get into shape and be prepared to win the next season. His hard work payed off because the next season they did win the championship. Watching Michael Jordan really shows what it means to not just work hard but work tirelessly to achieve your goals. It has made me think about my goals of what I want to achieve. I definitely don't put as much effort as Michael does. I want you to think about your goals. What resolutions did you make in the New Year that were pushed to way side? It is not too late to work for your goals. Maybe it is working out or building a business. Maybe it is spending more time with the family or cleaning out the house. Maybe it is getting through school or trying to get that promotion. Or maybe it is to get out of pain or back to doing your hobby. Whatever your goal is work each day for it. Don't just work hard, work tirelessly for your goals. The chiropractors, acupuncturist, and massage therapists at Accident and Sports Injury Clinic are here to help you with any goals you have. We can help with ideas so you can experience a healthy life. If you need help with ideas on how to exercise or eat healthy we can help with that. If you need help to get out of pain and increase mobility to your spine and other joints we can help with that. We are here to help you have a more fulfilled life. Proper lifting mechanics is so important in order to avoid injury. You need to make sure that you lift with your legs rather than with your back. Many people put too much unnecessary strain on their back while lifting objects at work or at home. This can then cause a muscle strain or a disc injury causing a lot of pain. In order to lift properly Dr. Zak Owens shows how to properly lift using your legs.
He does this through a method called hip hinging. First you need to make sure you are squared up to the object. The object needs to be directly in front of you. Then you will be doing a squat. Keep your back straight while you bend at your knees and hip. One way to make sure you are doing this correctly is to have a wooden dowel or stick behind your back to make sure it is straight. Once you get down far enough grab the object. Then push with your legs up keeping the back straight and straightening at the hips and knees. This is also equally important to do when you are putting an object down. Bending at the back when putting an object down can equally hurt you as if you were picking it up. Make sure when you are putting it down that you are keeping your back straight bending at the hips and knees. If you have any questions feel free to send a message. Your Roseville Chiropractor is always here to help. The coronavirus is still keeping a lot more people at home and for good reason. However, being at home doesn't mean you can't stay active and get your exercises in. Here are some more exercises from your Roseville Chiropractor, Dr. Zak Owens, so you can stay active. These exercises are designed for seniors (65 and up) as they are easy to do and can be modified so everyone can do them. You don't have to be over 65 to do these exercises as you can modify these exercises to make them more difficult.
1. Step up exercises-The step up exercises is a great exercise that can be modified for everyone of all ages. Start with just doing these exercise on a low surface like a stair step or a step bench. Start slow and make sure you have an open area to do this that way you don't accidentally trip and fall. Once you feel comfortable with this exercise 2. Glute bridge exercise-the glute bridge exercise is a great way to strengthen your butt muscles. It is also great because by doing this exercise you can get help decrease your low back pain. Push up with your legs while lying on your back and squeeze your glutes together. The simplest way to do this is to hold this position for a couple seconds go back down and repeat. You can also hold the final position for 30 seconds. If you feel this is too easy you can start by hold the final position with one leg on the ground and the other extended. You can do dips with either one or both legs making sure to not rest on the ground. 3. Pull apart theraband exercise-the pull apart theraband exercise is a great way to strengthen the muscles between your shoulder blades and it is easy to do. This is a great exercise for those have been sitting a lot or if you have neck and back pain between the shoulder blades. This exercise is simple to do as all you need to do is pull apart the theraband. You can do it exactly horizontal or you can do it diagonally to help strengthen your muscles. 4. Resisted external rotation shoulder exercise- I’ve shown this exercise a couple times in the past as it is a great shoulder exercise to help strengthen the typically weak infraspinatus and teres minor rotator cuff muscles. I also really like this exercise since it can be easily completed with a theraband. Make sure to keep your elbow tucked in close to your side. 5. Exercise ball stability exercises-Exercise ball exercises are really great for any person of any age. While I wasn't able to show this exercise very well on the video doing stability exercises is great for seniors to do. All you need to do is sit on the exercise ball with two legs on the ground. You can then move your body in a circular movement around the ball which will make you off center from the ball. While doing keep your core stable by flexing your abs slightly, breathing through your diaphragm, and keeping your pelvis in a neutral position. Doing this will help increase your core stability. If this is too easy try spreading your legs out farther. If you want more of a challenge straighten one of your legs off the ground and only have one leg contacting the ground. Keep your foot on the ground closer to you for help or put it further away for more of a challenge. This exercise is also great for those who are having low back pain. I know these exercises can be done by seniors and help keep you active during these difficult times. If you have any questions feel free to reach out. Your Roseville Chiropractors at Accident and Sports Injury want to help you be active, be pain free, and be able to do the things you love to do. We want to help keep mobility in the spine. Medicare covers chiropractic care which will help you be pain free and be able to move better. We hope to see and help you soon. Right now we are living in a world of uncertainty. The pandemic of the coronavirus has uprooted many of us from our normal lives and routines. Many of us have lost jobs, some of us are required to work very close to the virus, and some of us are going stir crazy from being at home. With so much negativity around us it is hard to keep a positive attitude. The coronavirus is all that is being talked about. The news makes it seems like that things will just keep getting worse. However, I want to talk about some ways that you can change your perspective and how you can be positive and have hope during this time.
1. Keep yourself physically healthy- I'm sure this has been hammered time and time again but this is key for happier life. Make sure you are eating good foods like nutritious fruits and vegetable and other nutrient rich foods. Avoid eating foods with empty calories liked fried foods, fast foods, sweets, etc. Also with so much time at home avoid eating just to eat like snacking on chips. Try instead having nutritious snacks such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc. It is also important to keep yourself active. Do something to work out and keep active each day. Some great ideas are going for a walk (make sure to maintain social distancing), work in your yard, participate in a dance party with your family, find some home workouts you can do with family or by yourself. There is a lot you can do to keep yourself healthy. 2. Find time to explore hobbies- I know it is easy to find a new show to binge watch on TV especially if you are tired but with more time at home it is a good idea to explore a new hobby. There are a lot of great fun things to do that could occupy your mind. Maybe it is picking up an instrument to play. You could start knitting or gardening. It could be as simple as picking up a book, writing a story, or learning about your ancestors. Finding something new to learn will help keep your mind occupied and help you foster continual learning in your life. 3. Be grateful what you have- It is very easy to find something wrong or to say I wish I had this. Instead of doing that think about all the great things you do have. It could be as simple as a place to live or health. It could be a family or a job. It could also be that we have improvement in technologies and knowledge to better combat the virus. Taking to time to think about all the things you do have will help you focus on that rather than on the things you don't have. 4. Remain hopeful and take action- Even if it seems that everything is going wrong you can always have hope. Try to focus and think that things will get better. Be optimistic of things to come. I think the biggest way to keep hope is to take action. If you are hopeful for things to get better do everything you can to make it happen. If you fail that's okay just try again. We all fail but the important thing is getting up after you fail. 5. Don't get overwhelmed- It may seem like there is a million things to do. It is important to not get overwhelmed with everything that is going on. Focus on one task at a time. Once you get one task done go to the next one. If you think of everything you need to do it can bog you down and make it difficult to start. Focusing on one task at a time will help you get everything done. I hope this can help you through these difficult times. If you do these things I know it can help you to be more positive. If you are feeling depressed or have trouble with persistent negative thoughts make sure to talk to a mental health specialist. Recently the California Governor has asked for senior citizens to stay at home because of the coronavirus. During this time it is important to maintain wellness. Here Dr. Zak Owens of Accident and Sports Injury Clinic in Roseville, CA is going to show some easy exercises that can be done by seniors while staying at home.
1. Sit to stand squats-Sitting to standing squats are a great exercise to do. It has the benefits of doing squats but allows for the opportunity to take needed rests. While doing these exercises the goal is to not use either hands to push up on your legs. This will allow you to strengthen the muscles of your legs. If you need to you can use one arm to help with balance or make sure to use the wall to help. Another helpful tip is that if you are having difficulty doing these squats you can try doing them from a higher chair. These sitting to standing squats are a great exercise for senior citizens. 2. Single leg drop-This is an eccentric exercise for the abdominal muscles. It is the opposite of doing single leg raises. For this exercise lay on your back, bring your knee towards your chest, straighten your leg up as high as you can, and then slowly lower the leg to the ground. The slower you go the more it will help strengthen your abs. 3. Tricep dips-triceps dips are a great body exercise to help strengthen the triceps. The nice thing about dips is that there are different ways to modify it so seniors can strengthen their triceps. If you want to make this exercise easier keep your feet close to where your arms are at and use a higher surface like a kitchen counter. Doing this will allow you to use your legs more to help your triceps work. If you want to make it more difficult you can use a lower surface like a couch and put your legs as far away as possible. That will allow for more weight to be put on the triceps. 4. Cat Camel stretch and Quadruped tract-These are a great stretch and exercise that I think should be used together. The cat camel stretch does a great job at allowing mobility in the lower back by stretching the lower back in extension and flexion. The quadruped tract is a great core exercise. It can be done with just lifting up a single arm or a single leg. If you would like to make it a little harder you can do opposite arm and leg at the same time. This is a great exercise to be done when having lower back pain. 5. Aerobic exercises at home-Aerobic exercise is so important to help keep your heart strong and healthy. Some great aerobic exercises for seniors are walking and riding a bike. A recumbent exercise bike is a great investment. It allows for comfort while exercising and can put in a place where you can watch TV or even read a book. You can also just get just the exercise bike pedals only or pedal exerciser which are very affordable and don't take up a lot of space. Another great option is going for walks. Even if you are stuck at home you can still walk around the house. You can also walk around the yard which will help you do aerobic exercises. Walking is a great exercise for anyone especially seniors. There are a lot of exercises that you can do. If you have questions make sure to comment and we will answer them. We hope to see you soon as chiropractic care is beneficial for seniors. Sciatica pain is severe pain starting in the low back that shoots sharp pain down one or both legs. There are many causes of sciatica pain. One of the most common reasons for sciatica pain is a bulging or herniated disc. Other common causes may be osteoarthritis causing nerve impingement or narrowing of the space where nerve roots leave the spinal canal also know as stenosis. Our chiropractors and acupuncturist can help you get rid of your back and leg pain. Studies have shown that receiving chiropractic adjustments or acupuncture can help decrease your leg pain and get you back to doing what you love. This is done by helping to relax the muscles surrounding the injured area and increasing restricted joint movement of the injured area. This will help to promote proper healing of the damaged tissues in the surrounding area.
Along with Chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture care we can help you by instructing in exercises and stretches to help the injured area. These will help to promote movement in the damaged area and help to strengthen weak muscles. By strengthening the muscles we can help stabilize the area to help decrease leg pain and help to strengthen the core which will help to prevent further injuries in the future. If you are experiencing any sciatica pain make sure to make an appointment with your Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, or other Doctor. They can help determine the cause of the sciatica pain and make sure you are getting the best treatment possible. The Study below shows the effectiveness of spinal manipulation (adjustment) in helping with sciatica pain specifically caused by a disc injury. The Effect of Spinal Mobilization With Leg Movement in Patients With Lumbar Radiculopathy-A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30521781 The shoulder is a very interesting part of our body. It has the by far the most movement of any other joint in our body. It is made up of several joints including the glenohumeral, acromioclavicular, and scapulothoracic joint. There are so many muscles that surround the joint, help with movement, and help stabilize the joint like the rotator cuff muscles. Due to these factors shoulder pain is one the most common pains to experience. With so much movement ligaments and muscles are bound to get pulled and tighten which then limit movement. It is also a common area for tendons to calcify. To help with your shoulder pain or lack of shoulder mobility here are a couple exercises that may help. If you are in severe pain make sure to contact your Roseville Chiropractor to help you get out of pain.
1. Codman arm swing- This is a great first exercise for anyone who is having shoulder pain or limited shoulder mobility. This exercise involves using the momentum of your body to help swing your arm. This is a great form of passive range of motion exercise that is great in acute phase of shoulder pain or when you have a hard time lifting your arm. Simply move your body and let your arm hang. The movement of your body will help move your shoulder letting it swing back and forth like a pendulum. 2. Wand/Broom exercise- This is another great exercise during the early phase of an injury especially with lots of pain or limited shoulder mobility. For this passive range of motion exercise you are going to grab the top of a stick or a broom with the hand of your hurt shoulder. With the opposite arm you are going to push up to go through the range of motion of the shoulder. Don't use the top arm to help. Just allow it to relax and go along for the ride. 3. Resisted external rotation with a theraband- This exercise is designed to help strengthen the infraspinatus and teres minor muscles which are rotator cuff muscles. These muscles are responsible for stabilizing the shoulder and help with external rotation. These muscles are typically weak on a lot of people and can cause a lot of shoulder pain. To do this exercise you are going to pull to resistance with the non hurt side arm. On the hurt shoulder side you are going to pull the band away from your body while keeping your elbow tucked close to your torso. For this one you should watch the video to get a better understanding. 4. Resisted internal rotation with a theraband- This exercise is designed to help strengthen the subscapularis muscle which is a rotator cuff muscle. This muscle is responsible for stabilizing the shoulder and helps with internal rotation. This exercise is going to look like the exact opposite of the resisted external rotation exercise. With the opposite side of the theraband tied to a door handle or another heavy object you are going to have your arm curled to 90 degrees facing straight ahead. Now you will bring your hand close to your body while keeping the elbow tucked close to your torso. This another exercise that it would be best to watch the video for. 5. Resisted arm raises- Arm raises can be good to strengthen a lot of muscles for the shoulder. For this one I want to focus on the supraspinatus muscle because it is a rotator cuff muscle and is an important muscle for shoulder stabilization. To do this exercise step on the opposite end of the theraband with your foot. Grab the other end with your hand with your thumb pointed down. Lift up the band diagonal rather than directly in front of you or to the side. If you can you want to lift it up in the scaption plane which slight in front of horizontal and where your shoulder normally lines up. 6. External rotation with weight- The last exercise is the same as number 3 but with a weight. This exercise is shown laying on your side instead of sitting to allow for the weight and gravity to be the resistance. If you have questions about this watch the video. Please note these exercises are meant to be a first step and to help give an idea of what exercises can be helpful. If you want more specific ideas of what you can do for your shoulder pain make sure to see the Roseville Chiropractors you can trust here at Accident and Sports Injury Clinic. |
