Sciatica Treatment, Back Care and Back Pain News
Filed Under Back Pain Relief, Sciatica Treatments | Leave a Comment
In the Feb. 13 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, it mentioned that medical expenditure for back and neck problems grew 65% over eight years. (The spending increases for spine care are about the same as those faced by the medical system as a whole).
The total annual expenditure for the US is now almost $86 billion nationally. Of this prescription drugs are the fastest-growing component, according to the study quoted.
But the expenditure doesn’t appear to be helping people much (personally I’m not surprised because I find it hard to see how prescription drugs can help a problem that is largely related to lifestyle and mechanical functioning of the spine, but then again I’m not selling drugs . . .).
Pharmaceuticals made up 23% of total expenditures. Incredibly spending on drugs to combat back and neck pain grew 171% between 1997 and 2005, with narcotic painkillers ballooning an astounding 423%.
Question: Ask yourself how filling yourself with toxic chemicals can heal a largely mechanical body function?
If you want a natural sciatica treatment system that uses exercise and diet try the Better Back System
Note: Pharmaceutical companies’ direct-to-consumer advertising likely plays a role in the higher spending on drugs. Surprised?
The study examined data from 23,000 people in an annual federal survey and of these over 3,100 reported spine problems.
Back pain comes from a variety of sources, including:
- natural aging processes, injury,
- excessive or not enough physical activity
- obesity / carrying too much body weight.
Approx. 53% of the patients surveyed in 2005 had so-called “nonspecific back disorders” which includes
- spinal stenosis
- back ache and sciatica.
The next largest category was disk disorders with 16%.
A back injury can be financially devastating to people, Bean said. “There are some cases where you want to be justified in not doing something just as you want to be justified in doing something. It’s not always clear-cut. It’s not just an X-ray or scan. It’s a person with an individual life and personality that either tolerates discomfort or not. You have to take everything into account.”
Doctors suggest that patients with back pain do the following:
- - stay active
- - be careful but don’t be afraid to exesrcise and use trainers, classes, coaches etc
- - manage their weight,
- - stay fit to better handle age-related changes,
- - continue walking around if possible when they’re in pain,
- - undertake physical conditioning - yoga, Pilates, bicycling and swimming can all be helpful.
To this list add:
- try physical therapies before drugs and surgery,
- review your habitual postures and movements and eliminate bad habits e.g. don’t slouch or slump, take regular stretch breaks, lift things properly, dont lift and twist.
Some people get a sore back if they sit on their walllet. Some find sleepin gwith a pillow between their knees is really helpful.
See a doctor if it doesn’t get better.
Learn more about your back and how to keep it healthy by registering up for our free back health and exercise course.
Clinical Somatics for Sciatica Treatment
Filed Under Clinical Somatics, Sciatica Treatments | Leave a Comment
Treatments that help you perceive, understand and manage your body’s underlying muscle and movement patterns are always interesting to me - mainly because they often get excellent results in reducing back pain and alleviatin sciatica..
Whilst researching recently, I came across the Clinical Somatics technique, which is a practice that appears to bridge a number of other techniques such as Yoga, Pilates and meditation.
What caught my attention was their concept that your body and muscles become unwittingly fixed in their movements, which is an idea I subscibe to. These movements become habitual and place stress on related areas leading to pain and stiffness.
Certainly when this pain and stiffness affects the muscles in or around the back it forms a viscious circle of stiffness and restricted movement which places further stress on the back.
The exercises recommended in the Better Back System are designed to break this cycle.
The Origins of Clinical Somatics
Clinical Somatic Education is derived from the work of Dr. Thomas Hanna who was a professor of philosophy, a theologian, a writer, and a creative thinker.
His work in all of these areas hinged around the concept of freedom. During his travels, he noticed that people in industrialized nations had significantly more postural distortion than other countries, with more restriction of movement and more complaints of chronic pain or limited range of motion.
Tom found it even more astounding that people believed that as they aged, their bodies would inevitably become more stiff and less capable over time.
Following research in Medical school classes on the neurophysiology of development and control, Tom went on to develop what would eventually become Clinical Somatic Education.
Clinical Somatics clients (patients) learn slow, conscious movements assisted by specific feedback and guidance from the practitioner to create lasting, rapid improvement in flexibility and pain reduction.
The mark of effectiveness of the technique is evidenced by the number of clients who succeed in reaching their own goals of health without constant sessions with a Clinical Somatic Educator. Most clients need less than ten sessions before they have attained a higher level of functioning than ever before.
How is Clinical Somatics different from other treatment systems?
What they say is that the Somatics client is included as an active participant in the process of healing at every step. The technique also recognizes the client as someone capable of infinite growth and learning. Sessions and the movements are designed to impart as much information as possible, while allowing for each person to have their own process, learn and experience.
How does Clinical Somatics work?
They say:
“By using Clinical Somatic techniques, you will learn how to find the muscles you are keeping tight, and, in the words of Dr. Hanna, “If you can sense it, you can feel it. And if you can feel it, you can change it.†Clinical Somatic uses the muscles as a gateway into the Central Nervous System-the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.
By combining a practitioner’s feedback with slow movements to increase your own awareness and control, Clinical Somatics lets you take back control of your body and your life.”
New ideas for sciatica exercises are posted regularly at sciaticacenter.com.