Pain in the lower back can occur due to multiple
reasons such as standing, sitting, lifting even
sleeping or exercising. Pain can even be worse
when we try to sleep.
OMPT Specialists, Inc. will explain some of
the different reasons for back pain and how to
manage or reduce the pain for each of those
causes.
Maybe you've read or heard about exercise
equipment or treatment methods that are guar-
anteed to get rid of your low back pain. Have you
ever wondered how it is that one technique or
method is able to make a complex problem like
low back pain better for everyone? Maybe even
some of these approaches may have worked with
your friend or neighbor but didn't help you at all.
In some cases you may have even had more low
back following one of these "guaranteed" treat-
ment approaches. Ask yourself, why a particular
treatment works for everyone when so little in life
would seem to work that way. Think about it, one
type or style of shoe might work for someone and
another for someone else. One mattress style or
type might work for you, but not for your neigh-
bor. We could go on with other examples, but the
point is do you want a treatment that is applied to
everyone in the same way regardless of the under-
lying problem, or do you want a treatment that is
customized to your needs?
First let us look at how to manage acute low back
pain that has just started or has just gotten worse.
At OMPT Specialists, Inc. we believe physical
therapy should be customized to your personal
needs. Our therapists have advanced training in
physical therapy examination and treatment for
the entire body. Using state of the art exercise
equipment, advanced and specialized manual
therapy examination and treatment tools, and
the latest research evidence regarding treatment
outcomes we will provide you with a customized
physical therapy experience. For more about our
therapists and clinic please refer to our website
www.omptspecialists.com .
Through a series of newsletters,
1.Try to identify what makes or made
you worse...
These include less obvious reasons for low
back pain including prolonged sitting and
standing. In addition bending and twist-
ing activities that you may have considered
non-stressful but you performed repeatedly
may have contributed to your pain. If you can
identify what made or makes you worse you
should also be able to identify what makes
you feel better.
2.Try to identify what makes you feel better.
Do you need to lie down, sit with support, or
wear a back brace to reduce you pain? Do you
need to avoid certain positions such as bend-
ing forward or backward to reduce your pain?
Do you need to adjust the seat of your car to
reduce your pain?
If you can identify what makes your pain better
or worse, write them down as you may need to
mention them to your physician and your thera-
pist as it may help us in narrowing the circle
of what caused your pain. Also you should be
able to avoid making your back pain worse and
take steps that will allow your back to improve.
Common Adjustments That Help Reduce/Manage
Acute Low Back Pain:
I. Avoid prolonged positions... try changing your
positions often (avoiding positions you know are
particularly painful) .
2. Avoid too much movement in your spine. Initial-
ly the pain we feel is often associated with inflam-
mation which is a natural by-product of the heal-
ing process. If we move too much through injured
tissues that are undergoing healing we may cause
them to be re-injured. This will prolong our heal-
ing process and extend the amount of time we feel
pain. To avoid inadvertent damage to the healing
tissues we should limit the amount of motion we
use in our back. This includes the amount of for-
ward, backward and side bending. How long you
avoid these movements depends upon how much
damage you have done to your back and how much
pain you are experiencing. If this is the first time
you have experienced back pain then it may take
up to a week to start feeling better. Usually within
three weeks your pain will mostly be gone. If you
have experienced low back pain before then think
about how long it took to feel better the last time
you had low back pain. This will typically represent
the amount of time it takes for you to feel better as-
suming your condition has not been significantly
worsened.
One method of limiting the amount of motion you
are using in your low back is to move your entire
body to face the direction you are working or the
person you are talking to, rather than turning your
trunk only Another method is to use an external
support such as a back brace commonly available
at your local drug store. The brace should feel like
it takes some of the pain and pressure offyour low
back and can be thought of as a band-aid for your
back. If you use a brace you should wear it more
consistently in the beginning and as you feel bet-
ter, you can wear it less and less until you don't use
it at all as your pain resolves.
If your acute back pain worsens to the point where it is
difficult to walk, get out of bed, stand up from the toilet,
or ride in the car it may be necessary for you to contact
your family doctor who can prescribe medication
that may help with the management of the inflam-
mation and pain.
If you have further questions or wish to receive a FREE CONSULTATION, please contact us at:
OMPT SPECIALISTS, INC.
29255 NORTHWESTERN HWY., SUITE 300, SOUTHFIELD, MI
248-353-1234
or on the web: www.omptspecialists.com and fill out the contact form
Watch for our next newsletter that will address the possible other reasons of back pain, how to identify each of them and how to manage each of them.