Physical Rehab Therapy
Rehab therapy is an important part of a treatment plan for most pain sufferers. The rehab therapist is trained to help you learn to stretch, strengthen, and exercise your painful body part in a safe and effective way. It is important that rehab therapy is coupled with education, so that patients can be empowered to take charge of their own recovery.
Rehab therapists are trained to give instruction on posture, educate patients about basic anatomy and physiology, and instruct patients in body mechanics, stretching, strengthening and conditioning exercises. The rehab therapist also works with the doctor to determine if other types of treatments including, heat, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), electrical stimulation, hydrotherapy, massage or spinal manipulation may be needed. Heat therapy and massage, as well as electrical stimulation may be used to ease pain. Our rehab therapists also treat patients with movement, exercise, strengthening and conditioning, encouraging gradual increase in activity.
Therapy may include:
- Modalities, such as massage or electrical stimulation
- Exercise programs for spine strengthening and flexibility
- Spine stabilization programs with the therapist
In addition to emphasizing rehab therapy, we also encourage an educational program to better understand the mechanics of the spine. This may include back school, videos, or informational Newsletters.
Massage Therapy
Designed to aid in the treatment of pain or injuries, massage offers a conceptual approach to the management of soft tissue spasm and dysfunctions. The Neuromuscular (Trigger Point Therapy) massage is geared toward the trigger points of the body, which are highly sensitive areas in the muscle that cause localized pain and/or refer pain to other areas of the body. The therapist applies concentrated finger pressure to these points to break the cycles of spasm and pain. Numerous research studies conducted in the United States, Europe, and Asia have documented that far beyond simply “feeling good”, massage therapy has an impressive range of physical, mental, and emotional benefits.
Benefits of Massage
- Stimulates the release of endorphins – the bodys natural painkiller
- Calms the nervous system
- Improves sleep Strengthens the immune system
- Aids in the removal of toxins from the body
- Reduces muscular tension Improves circulation of blood & lymph
- Increases the flow of oxygen and nutrients to cells and tissues
- Calms the nervous system
- Improves posture
- Increases flexibility & improves joint range of motion
- Enhances overall performance
- Relieves mental & physical stress
- Overall feeling of well-being
Exercise Rehabilitation
Regular exercise is an essential part of having a healthy back. In the treatment of back pain, almost every healthcare provider agrees that exercise plays an important role in recovery. Every day we make demands on our bodies that can stress our backs. It’s a well-known fact that the more fit you are, and the stronger your back is, the more easily your body can deal with the stress and strain of every day activity.
Unfortunately, when most people start to experience back pain, they become less active. As a result, the muscles that support the spinal column become weaker and have less endurance. If your back loses enough muscle tone, the muscles can shrink, contract, and tighten. Your back may feel tight much of the time, tire easily, and start to feel uncomfortable even when you are sitting in a chair. The feelings associated with chronic back pain and spinal fatigue make most people feel drained, tired and depressed. It becomes harder and harder to break the cycle of pain causing inactivity, which causes more pain, which then causes more inactivity. Eventually, this scenario can lead to other health problems that are the direct result of inactivity, such as heart attacks, strokes and obesity.
Therefore, exercise is an important part of the “use it or lose it” theory of overall spine health. Patients with chronic low back pain are particularly susceptible to suffering from the ill effects of too little exercise. If it hurts when you move your back, and is less uncomfortable when you don’t, then you have the perfect incentive to become less active with time. Although this may seem like a logical reaction to pain, it is almost certain that avoiding physical activity will make the pain become even worse over time. This knowledge comes from the unhappy experience that doctors have had in the past with prescribing prolonged bed rest and inactivity for back pain, which over time, only aggravated the situation and made it more difficult to treat in the long run. We now know that if you want to relieve the physical pain of many types of back pain while also making yourself stronger both mentally and physically, you need to get moving.
A commitment to a physical conditioning program that is approved by your physician is important to everyone, but it is especially important to those with chronic back pain. Exercise has many benefits and has even been called a healthy “non-chemical tranquilizer,” because the process of stretching and strengthening the muscles of the back produces a feeling of relaxation and wellbeing similar to that produced by many muscle relaxants and pain relievers. Low back pain is often described as a “psychobiological” problem, meaning that it includes both physical and psychological components. Exercise can help treat both parts of this problem, by providing you with a healthy means of relieving some of the frustration and sense of helplessness associated with low back pain, in addition to treating the problem at its very heart.
Exercise can be the key to your recovery, as well as a good prevention against future pain. Our physicians have developed an exercise routine with easy explanations and diagrams to help you follow them properly. The purpose of these exercises is to promote flexibility and strengthen the spinal musculature
Stress in the Workplace: Chiropractic Treatment and Massage for Women
It’s no secret that the modern workplace has a stress problem. The need to separate stress in the workplace from the rest of life is attested to in the term “work-life balance.” According to The American Institute of Stress, workplace stress costs U.S. industry about $300 billion a year because of accidents, missed work, worker turnover, low productivity, medical and legal costs, and workers’ compensation awards. At a more granular level, the cost of stress affects the very physiology of workers, with an estimated 30 percent of workers suffering from back pain attributing the pain to stress.
As caregivers and professionals, women often feel the effects of workplace stress even more acutely than men. Women have their responsibilities at work, but they must also take care of their children—for example, women are often in charge of taking their children to the doctor when they are sick. Many times, women have difficulty separating work from their home lives because they have demanding responsibilities in both. Stress from one part of their lives often spills over into the other, which can have consequences for not only their professional and domestic roles but for their health, too.
Stress is a major problem, but it is surmountable with the right help.
The Benefits of Massage
Stress takes its toll on the body and the mind. It can lead to anxiety and depression as well as chronic pain and musculoskeletal problems. Massage therapy seeks to address the effects that take place in both
High-level professional women, like their male counterparts, must find a way to cope with the stress of their work while balancing their family life, as well. But they must also deal with some gender-specific issues, such as menstrual cycle issues and pregnancy.
Undergoing regular massage therapy sessions gives your mind a space to leave the stresses of the workplace, and the stresses of life in general, behind. The atmosphere of the massage space—often dimly lit with soft music playing in the background—and the techniques employed by the massage therapist allow your thoughts to stray from the everyday stresses that you experience. Even that small respite can help you to approach your work with renewed vigor so that you can take on the challenges you face with confidence and energy.
Chronic stress causes your muscles to tense, the long-term effects of which include headaches, joint pain, back pain, and neck pain. When you are in pain, it’s easy for the stress to snowball and wear you down. Massage therapy helps your muscles return from a tense state to a relaxed one. That return to relaxation can lead to better concentration and performance at work, not to mention better moods and more energy at home, so that you can actually enjoy your time off from work with your family and friends.
How Chiropractic Treatment Helps
Much like massage therapy, chiropractic care can help your body return to a balanced state. As mentioned above, stress causes muscle tension. When the muscles are constantly tight, the body has to shift to accommodate the shape that the muscles want to make.
Think of how a stressed person sits at a desk—back hunched, jaw clenched, taking few breaks to get up and stretch. People’s bodies react to stress differently, a fact that is evident in which muscles become tense. However, the effect is often the same: the tense muscles force the body into a shape that causes misalignment in the spine and joints. Over time, this shape can cause problems like slipped discs and wear and tear on certain joints. These problems cause pain, which is not great for focus and productivity in the workplace.
In addition to the stress of work, women also have to contend with things like menstrual cycle issues, which can be so painful that they are literally debilitating. If they are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant, that’s another added stress. Chiropractic care can help with these issues, too.
Through regular adjustments, a chiropractor addresses the causes of these problems, providing relief from the pain caused by stress. Chiropractic care affects not only the musculoskeletal system but the neuro-musculoskeletal system by influencing the nervous system and viscera as well as bones, joints, and muscles. The positive outcomes demonstrate why it is the best path toward the non-drug treatment of menstrual and fertility problems as well as neurological ones like headaches and anxiety.
Get the Relief from Workplace Stress That You Need – Call Today 305-666-1402