Prevention

Mike Rhodes brings
patients back to
normal life.

show patients the kinds of
things they can do to deal
with their back pain.
"The participants are refer-
red to the program by their
physician," explains Michael
Rhodes, a certified thera-
peutic recreation specialist. "I
can't cure their pain but I can
show the patients how to
manage their pain through
exercise and staying in shape
to retain flexibility by using
the facilities in a recreational
setting. We selected the
Center because it has the
state of the art in recreational
equipment, the kind you
wouldn't see at a hospital."
Dr. Joseph Honet, chairman
of the Department of
Rehabilitative Medicine at
Sinai Hospital, says there are
many different reasons for
serious or minor back pain —
joint, bone, ligament and disk
problems, muscle spasms,
pinched nerves, accidents and
athletic injuries.
"Age is also a factor because
there is wear and tear on the
back with time," says Dr.
Honet. "What happens as we
get older is that the space bet-
ween the vertebrae tends to
get smaller, and the minor in-
juries that occur as we go

1.091\100"414.0.4%.014%.0"116.0Now

Ouch!

I

f your back starts
hurting:
Stop your activity and
lie down as soon as possi-
ble. Appy an ice pack to the
area of pain (putting
something between your
skin and the ice) for 20
minutes.
Remove ice and apply
heat.
Call the doctor if you
have any of the following
symptoms: radiating pain,
numbness, tingling in arm
or leg; back pain that con-
tinues even when you lie
down; back pain that
doesn't improve after two
days of bed rest.
The
majority
of
backaches are less serious
and usually do not require
a doctor's attention. ❑

through life start showing
where the damage has taken
place.
"If I were to X-ray 100 peo-
ple in their 60s, almost all
would have some narrowing
between their vertebrae
which means they are more
vulnerable to potential back
problems from bending the
wrong way or getting into ac-
cidents."
Muscle and ligament in-
juries are the most common
first-time back problems. Ab-
dominal and lower back
muscles help balance the
spine. When they don't have
support, they can be stretch-
ed and then contract involun-
tarily in spasms. Recovery
from this kind of injury takes
a few days.
One way in which we can
help prevent chronic back pro-
blems, says Dr. Honet, is not
do things which might cause
injury such as shoveling snow
the wrong way (bending from
the waist rather than ben-
ding at the knees) or not be-
ing careful on ice. Another
way to prevent back aches is
to be in good physical condi-
tion so that the abdominal
and back muscles are in solid
working order. A final way to
prevent back pain is to main-
tain good posture so that flex-
ibility remains in the lighter
muscles.
Most back problems res-
pond well to conservative
treatment and management
which may include bed rest,
or hot and cold packs.
Sometimes muscle relaxants
or anti-inflammatory
prescription drugs are
necessary. In most cases, pain
usually subsides in two to
three days.
"Back surgery usually
takes place only when a per-
son has severe disk pro-
blems," explains Dr. Honet.
"My best advice to people is
to use common sense so that
a slight back pain doesn't
develop into something worse.
"For instance, if you've done
something and your back
hurts slightly, stop what

you're doing and listen to
your body. Don't try to finish
the job or play the tennis set
out in pain. And if your back
does hurt, then maybe it's
telling you to stop jogging,
lose some weight, and get in
better physical condition."
Merrill Fishman of
Franklin was injured while
playing football for Wayne
State University 25-30 years
ago. Until two years ago, Mr.
Fishman awoke every morn-
ing for 10 years feeling very
stiff and with an aching back.
"I have a slipped disk and
it seemed to flare up frequent-
ly until I started exercising a
couple of years ago and lost 40
pounds," explains Mr.
Fishman. "I know I'm never
going to be 100 percent, but
now when I feel my back is a
bit sore, I get on our Nor-
diTrack and work it out.
"Now I can play 18 holes of
golf without being tired and
without having a sore back. If
my back starts hurting I put
on a brace and stop playing
golf. It's that simple and a lot
easier to live with and it
doesn't happen very often
anymore."
David Hennes of Farm-
ington Hills had back surgery
at Mayo Clinic 19 years ago
just to keep walking.
"One of my vertebrae was
out of line and was pinching
a nerve," explains Mr. Hen-
nes, "so they performed
spinal fusion on me and I lost
2 1/2 inches in height. They
took a piece of bone off of my
shin and placed it as a splint
around that area of the spinal
column where the vertebrae
was out, and eventually the
bond points became part of
the spinal column holding
everything in place. I was in
a full body cast for 4 1/2
months. But I'm playing golf
and tennis again."
Mr. Hennes must drive on
business and uses a special
cushion for his back. He is
also careful to go through
stretching exercises on a dai-
ly basis to maintain
flexibility.
"I can do just about
everything," Mr Hennes says.
"Sometimes it hurts a little,
sometimes a lot. You get us-
ed to the pain after a while
and just learn to live with
it." ❑

A

lthough the statistics
say most of us will ex-
perience debilitating
back pain sometime in our
lives, the odds are getting bet-
ter that we can skip this
agony if we learn the right
moves.
Don't stand in one spot
too long. Shift your weight,
one position to another, to
take off any stress on your
back.
Sit with your back firm.
The sedentary life is hard on
a back. Slumping in a chair
leaves the lower back unsup-
ported. Hunching over a desk
makes muscles tense in the
upper back and neck. In ad-
dition, keep your shoulders
back, and your feet flat on the
floor.
Sleep. Don't lie on your
stomach because that makes
the stomach sag and in-
creases swayback. Lie on your
side with knees bent.
Exercise regularly to

stretch the neck, lower back
and abdomen.
Keep your weight down.
Less weight equals less strain
on back muscles.
Poor posture. A sagging
stomach, swayback and
slouched shoulders almost
guarantee backache. Correct
posture keeps head and chest
high, neck straight and pelvis
forward.
When lifting, bend at the
knees, not at the waist, mak-
ing your legs do most of the
work. To pick up something
heavy, squat with legs apart,
tighten your stomach
muscles, keep your back
straight and hold the object
close to your body. Better yet,
push a heavy object. You're
more likely to injure yourself
pulling something. When car-
rying something heavy, don't
arch your back or twist your
body. Let your arms and ab-
dominal muscles bear the
weight.

❑

xercise

E

xercising maintains sup-
ple muscles in the ab-
domen and lower back.
Begin an exercise routine
before you feel any back pain.
Sports that involve lifting,
twisting, excessive arching of
the spine, jumping, sudden
starts and stops and collisions
with other players (golf, rac-
quet sports, bowling, weight
lifting) are high-risk
activities.
Calisthenics and stretches,
walking, cycling and swimm-
ing are perfect activities.
No exercise should cause
pain or numbness. Consult a
doctor first before going on
with the exercise.
Back stretch: Lie on your
back with arms overhead.
Stretch the right arm up and
left leg down as far as possi-
ble. Hold five seconds. Repeat
with left arm and right leg.
Repeat 10 times for each arm-
leg combination.
Pelvic tilt: Lie on your
back, arms relaxed at your
side, knees bent and feet flat
on the floor. Pinch your but-
tocks together by tightening
muscles of the buttocks, pull
in your stomach, and flatten
the small of your back against
the floor without putting
down your legs. Hold three
seconds, relax. Repeat 10
times.
Sit-ups: Don't do sit-ups
with your feet hooked under
a piece of furniture or a bar;
this lets the legs and hips do
most of the work.
The crunch: Lie on the
floor with your knees bent
and feet flat on the floor. Con-

tract the abdominal muscles
while pressing your lower
back into the floor, which will
cause your upper body to lift
slowly. Come up to no more
than a 30-45 degree angle. If
you're just starting to do sit-
ups, keep your arms straight
at your side as you sit up. To
increase the difficulty, cross
your arms over your chest, or
place your hands behind your
head or near your ears. Slow-

Sports that involve
lifting, twisting,
excessive arching
of the spine,
jumping, sudden
starts and stops
are high-risk
activities.

ly lower your back to the
ground. To prevent arching,
always keep your lower back
pressed into the floor. Stop if
you feel any discomfort in
your lower back.
Variation: Lie on the floor,
place your feet on a bench or
low hassock and do a crunch.
Or place your feet flat against
a wall with your legs bent at
a right angle.
Variation: Try reverse
curls in which you move your
legs, not your torso. Keep your
lower back pressed into the
floor, your knees bent, and
your feet off the floor. Slowly
bring your knees as close to
your chest as possible. ❑

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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