Back Clinic Back Pain Chiropractic Treatment Team. At the El Paso Back Clinic, we take back pain very seriously.
After diagnosing the root cause of your discomfort/pain, we’ll do everything within our power to cure the area and relieve your symptoms.
Common causes of back pain:
There is an infinite number of forms of back pain, and a variety of injuries and diseases may cause discomfort in this area of the body. One of the most Frequent ones we see one of our patients in East Side El Paso and surrounding areas comprise:
Disc Herniation
Inside the backbone are flexible discs that cushion your bones and absorb shock. Whenever these discs are broken, they may compress a nerve leading to lower extremity numbness. StressWhen a muscle at the trunk is overexerted or hurt, causing stiffness and pain, this type of injury is generally classified as a back strain. This can be the consequence of attempting to lift an item that can result in excruciating pain and impairment and is too heavy. Diagnosing the underlying cause of your pain.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is characterized by the slow wearing down of protective cartilage. When the back is affected by this condition, it causes damage to the bones that results in chronic pain, stiffness, and limited mobility. SprainIf ligaments in your spine and back are stretched or torn, it’s called a spine sprain. Typically, this injury causes pain in the region. Spasms cause back muscles to overwork they may start to contract, and can even stay contracted– also called a muscle spasm. Muscle spasms can present with pain and stiffness until the strain resolves.
We want to accomplish the diagnosis straight away, integrating a background and exam along with state-of-the-art imaging, so we can provide you with the most efficient therapy choices. To begin, we will speak with you regarding your symptoms, which will provide us with critical information regarding your underlying condition. We’ll then perform a physical exam, during which we’ll check for posture issues, evaluate your spine and assess your backbone. If we guess injuries, like a disk or neurological injury, we’ll probably order imaging tests to obtain an analysis.
Regenerative remedies to your back pain. At the El Paso Back Clinic, you may be certain that you’re in the best possible hands with our Doctor of Chiropractic and Massage Therapist. Our purpose during your pain treatment isn’t only to relieve your symptoms — but also to avoid a recurrence and to treat your pain.
Can individuals experiencing back pain from various factors incorporate MET (muscle energy techniques) to restore mobility?
Factors That Causes Back Pain
More often than not, many individuals have experienced back pain in various parts of their lives. As one of the leading pains that people have dealt with worldwide, many factors can contribute to the development of back pain, and it can affect different musculoskeletal locations in the upper and lower body quadrants. Back pain has often been associated with the workplace or environmental factors. For back pain, the problem can range from all back sections, affecting the muscles, ligaments, tissues, intervertebral joints, or the bone itself. (Wiberg, 1949) People are constantly in motion, and the muscles can be overstretched and tight over time. When that happens, many people seek treatment to reduce back pain’s overlapping risk profiles and restore mobility. Today’s article focuses on the factors associated with back pain and how non-surgical treatments like MET (muscle energy technique) can help reduce back pain and restore mobility. We discuss with certified medical providers who inform our patients how various environmental factors are correlated with back pain and how it can affect the body. While asking informed questions to our associated medical providers, we advise patients to include various non-surgical treatments like MET to be incorporated to reduce overlapping risk profiles associated with back pain. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., encompasses this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.
How often do you experience pain in different locations in your back after doing some strenuous activities? Do you feel like you are taking many breaks due to feeling tightness or sharp sensations in your back? Or have you felt that your posture is more hunched than normal? Many of these environmental factors scenarios are correlated with back pain, and it can become an issue over time. Back pain can be in two categories: specific and non-specific, and it can impact a person’s quality of life. Non-specific back pain can be associated with mobility impairment in the different back sections, referred to as radiating pain in the lower extremities or musculoskeletal disorders. (Delitto et al., 2012) This causes issues like repetitive loading to the spine and various pain-like symptoms to the back, causing a disbalance to the individual. (Zemková & Zapletalová, 2021) When it comes to environmental factors correlating with back pain, there are numerous ways for it to be developed and, over time, cause discomfort for the individual, as back pain symptoms vary for everyone.
Sleep
When it comes to the connection between sleep and back pain, these two issues can cause a vicious cycle of disturbed sleep and issues like insomnia. (Van Looveren et al., 2021) Now, when it comes to sleep disturbances and back pain, many individuals may be sleeping with the wrong mattress, causing their bodies to can cause pressure on their joints and spinal discs. This causes in-bed sleep behaviors like movements and postures could lead to health complications like pressure sores, apnea, and painful muscle spasms in the back and lower extremities. (Elnaggar et al., 2023) Luckily, there are various ways to reduce back pain, improve sleep quality, and restore body motion.
Understanding Academic Low Back Pain-Video
What Is MET?
When people come in for back pain treatment, non-surgical therapies can help stretch the overworked and tired back muscles and restore mobility to the body’s upper and lower extremities. One of the non-surgical treatments that pain specialists like chiropractors and massage therapists use is MET therapy or muscle energy technique therapy. MET comprises soft tissue manipulation that uses controlled isometric and isotonic contractions. (Sarkar et al., 2021) This helps the body not only improve the physiological function of the muscles but also decrease pain. MET can also be combined with other therapies to help lengthen short muscles, improve the range of motion from the joints, and increase fluid drainage from the body’s peripheral regions. (Batool et al., 2024)
MET Reducing Back Pain
Regarding MET, reducing back pain is possible as MET can be integrated with physical therapy to improve the disability and functionality of the person with back pain. (Wahyuddin et al., 2020) When people start to incorporate MET and non-surgical treatments as part of their routine for their health and well-being, they will begin to notice that the pain they have been experiencing in their back is diminishing over time. This allows them to be more mindful of their backs and bodies while making small changes to their routine. Sleeping better with a correct mattress, exercising more to stretch and strengthen muscles, eating healthier foods, and relaxing more allow people to be pain-free in their health and wellness journey.
References
Batool, K., Mehmood, M., Jafar, M., & Gull, M. (2024). Comparative efficacy of muscle energy technique and Bowen technique on hamstrings muscle tightness in chronic low back pain patients. Pak J Med Sci, 40(9), 2080-2084. doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.9.8517
Delitto, A., George, S. Z., Van Dillen, L., Whitman, J. M., Sowa, G., Shekelle, P., Denninger, T. R., & Godges, J. J. (2012). Low Back Pain. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 42(4), A1-A57. doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2012.42.4.a1
Elnaggar, O., Arelhi, R., Coenen, F., Hopkinson, A., Mason, L., & Paoletti, P. (2023). An interpretable framework for sleep posture change detection and postural inactivity segmentation using wrist kinematics. Sci Rep, 13(1), 18027. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-44567-9
Sarkar, M., Goyal, M., & Samuel, A. J. (2021). Comparing the Effectiveness of the Muscle Energy Technique and Kinesiotaping in Mechanical Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction: A Non-blinded, Two-Group, Pretest-Posttest Randomized Clinical Trial Protocol. Asian Spine Journal, 15(1), 54-63. doi.org/10.31616/asj.2019.0300
Van Looveren, E., Bilterys, T., Munneke, W., Cagnie, B., Ickmans, K., Mairesse, O., Malfliet, A., De Baets, L., Nijs, J., Goubert, D., Danneels, L., Moens, M., & Meeus, M. (2021). The Association between Sleep and Chronic Spinal Pain: A Systematic Review from the Last Decade. J Clin Med, 10(17). doi.org/10.3390/jcm10173836
Wahyuddin, W., Vongsirinavarat, M., Mekhora, K., Bovonsunthonchai, S., & Adisaipoapun, R. (2020). Immediate effects of muscle energy technique and stabilization exercise in patients with chronic low back pain with suspected facet joint origin: A pilot study. Hong Kong Physiother J, 40(2), 109-119. doi.org/10.1142/S1013702520500109
Wiberg, G. (1949). Back pain in relation to the nerve supply of the intervertebral disc. Acta Orthop Scand, 19(2), 211-221, illust. doi.org/10.3109/17453674908991094
Zemková, E., & Zapletalová, L. (2021). Back Problems: Pros and Cons of Core Strengthening Exercises as a Part of Athlete Training. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(10), 5400. doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105400
Can individuals relieve back pain by incorporating core strength training to reduce pain and discomfort in their lower backs?
Introduction
Many individuals worldwide have dealt with back issues that make it difficult to complete any task that they are doing. Many often feel pain and discomfort radiating from the three sections of the back and can radiate from the neck, shoulders, and hips. When these areas of the musculoskeletal system are being affected, it can lead to a life of pain and chronic conditions that cause overlapping risk profiles. At the same time, some causes of back pain often correlate with environmental factors and weak core muscles. When a person is dealing with weak core muscles, they will experience instability and pain when they are mobile, leading to back pain. In today’s article, we look at what the core muscles are, how they are connected to back pain, and how strengthening them can reduce the effects of back pain. We discuss with certified medical providers who inform our patients how strengthening the core muscles can reduce back pain. While asking informed questions to our associated medical providers, we advise patients to incorporate various core strengthening exercises to prevent overlapping risk profiles correlated with back pain. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., encompasses this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.
What Are The Core Muscles?
Do you feel a constant ache or pain in your back after lifting or carrying objects in a hunched position? Do you experience muscle weakness in your torso that you can’t stay in a plank position for a few seconds? Or do you experience radiating pain from your lower back to your leg? The core muscles are a group of muscles wrapped around the torso like a support belt that helps with stability, balance, and protecting the lumbar from injuries. The core muscles are found in the lower body’s front, back, and sides. At the same time, the core muscles can help generate intrabdominal pressure while moving the vertebral column. (Flynn & Vickerton, 2024) In the core muscles, the transverse abdominis muscle or the seatbelt muscle. This muscle works with the inspiratory muscles through elastic loading to evoke transversus expiratory activity when breathing and functioning in motion. (De Troyer et al., 1990)
Core Muscles & Back Pain
The core muscles, especially the transverse abdominis muscles, are often overlooked as many individuals frequently deal with numerous factors that cause low back pain. Common core muscles are associated with back pain because environmental factors can neglect the transverse abdominis muscles. Fatigue in the core muscles can cause repetitive asymmetric loading on the spine, which enhances susceptibility to back pain and other injuries. (Zemkova & Zapletalova, 2021) Since back pain is a multifactorial condition that is one of the leading causes of hospital visits and socio-economic issues, many individuals start to neglect the core muscles over time, causing them to be weak. Some symptoms correlated with weak core muscles include:
When this happens, many people start looking for treatment to reduce their back pain and help strengthen their core muscles.
Discover The Benefits Of Chiropractic Care- Video
Strengthening Core Muscles
Before people reduce their back pain and return to their daily routine, they would have to be assessed by a pain specialist like a chiropractor to assess fully what environmental factors are causing the back pain. After the assessment, a chiropractor can work with a physical therapist to reduce back pain and strengthen the core muscles to prevent back pain from returning. When it comes to core strengthening exercises, they focus on either the deep or superficial muscles of the torso, which might produce different effects on lumbar motion. (Puntumetakul et al., 2021) Additionally, core stability exercises can reduce pain in the back and disability reduction and improve a person’s quality of life. (Kanwal et al., 2021) Engaging the muscles through core strengthening exercises can help achieve optimal strength with twisting and side-bending movements to reduce back pain.
Pay Attention To Engaged Core Muscles
However, individuals need to pay attention to engaging their core muscles while maintaining a neutral spine position for stability and preventing back pain. (Cigdem Karacay et al., 2022) This allows individuals to be consistent with strengthening their core and to commit to short workouts incorporated as part of not only their routine but also as part of their customized treatment plan. When it comes to reducing back pain, it is important to ensure that the core muscles are engaged to help build strength and stability, decrease back pain, and improve functionality. When people start strengthening their core muscles, they will be able to be more mindful about how to present themselves and live healthier lives.
References
Cigdem Karacay, B., Sahbaz, T., Gurtekin, B., Yildiz, S., & Ozcan, E. (2022). Effectiveness of whole-body vibration exercise and core stabilization exercise in chronic non-specific low back pain: A randomized-controlled study. Turk J Phys Med Rehabil, 68(2), 184-194. doi.org/10.5606/tftrd.2022.7060
De Troyer, A., Estenne, M., Ninane, V., Van Gansbeke, D., & Gorini, M. (1990). Transversus abdominis muscle function in humans. J Appl Physiol (1985), 68(3), 1010-1016. doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1990.68.3.1010
Kanwal, S., Yaqoob, I., Shakil-Ur-Rehman, S., Ghous, M., Ghazal, J., & Namroz, N. (2021). Effects of core muscle stability on low back pain and quality of life in post-menopausal women: A comparative study. J Pak Med Assoc, 71(1(A)), 37-40. doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.151
Puntumetakul, R., Saiklang, P., Tapanya, W., Chatprem, T., Kanpittaya, J., Arayawichanon, P., & Boucaut, R. (2021). The Effects of Core Stabilization Exercise with the Abdominal Drawing-in Maneuver Technique versus General Strengthening Exercise on Lumbar Segmental Motion in Patients with Clinical Lumbar Instability: A Randomized Controlled Trial with 12-Month Follow-Up. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 18(15). doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18157811
Wattananon, P., Sinsurin, K., & Somprasong, S. (2020). Association between lumbopelvic motion and muscle activation in patients with non-specific low back pain during forward bending task: A cross-sectional study. Hong Kong Physiother J, 40(1), 29-37. doi.org/10.1142/S1013702520500043
Zemkova, E., & Zapletalova, L. (2021). Back Problems: Pros and Cons of Core Strengthening Exercises as a Part of Athlete Training. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 18(10). doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105400
Can individuals utilize chiropractic care to reduce sciatica pain and help restore mobility to their lower back and legs?
Introduction
Many individuals are always on the move and utilize the lower half of the body to go from one location to another. From the lower back to the feet, many individuals do repetitive movement that causes the lower back muscles to be constantly stretched. This, in turn, can lead to overlapping risk profiles that can affect the lower back and a long nerve connected to the lower back, known as the sciatic nerve. When numerous issues affect the sciatic nerve, many individuals experience pain and discomfort over time, which can develop into something chronic without treatment. Luckily, when individuals begin to think about their health and wellness, it reduces the chances of pain and discomfort from returning. Today’s article looks at the causes of sciatica and how non-surgical treatments like chiropractic care can help relieve sciatica pain and restore mobility to the lower back and legs. We discuss with certified medical providers who inform our patients how sciatica pain correlates with the lower back. While asking informed questions to our associated medical providers, we advise patients to incorporate non-surgical treatments like chiropractic care to reduce sciatica pain and help realign the body. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., encompasses this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.
What Causes Sciatica?
Do you feel numbness or tingling sensations in your legs, making walking unbearable? Do you experience pain or discomfort in your lower back after lifting a heavy object? Or how long have you stretched your body after sitting down or standing excessively at work? Many of these scenarios are often correlated with low back pain. However, low back pain is always connected with sciatica and can impact the body. While the sciatic nerve plays a huge role in direct motor function to the hamstrings and lower extremities, sciatica is when environmental factors impact or compress the sciatic nerve, causing pain-like symptoms to the lower extremities. (Davis et al., 2024) Since the sciatic nerve is large and travels down to the feet, it allows mobility to the lower extremities. When many individuals experience low back pain, they will also experience sciatica.
Sciatica also means that pain will always be transmitted along the sciatic nerve root, leading to various impairments and socioeconomic consequences and affecting a person’s quality of life. (Siddiq et al., 2020) Many of the causes of sciatica pain can vary as they are all correlated with low back pain. Some of the various environmental factors that can cause sciatica include:
Physical inactivity
Excessive sitting or standing
Poor posture
Musculoskeletal conditions
Another environmental factor that leads to the development of sciatica is disc degeneration. This can cause the nerves to be irritated due to herniation and cause asymptomatic overlapping risk profiles (Zhou et al., 2021). When people are dealing with the overlapping risk profiles of sciatica, many often seek treatment to reduce the pain and restore mobility to the lower extremities.
Sciatica: Causes, Symptoms, & Tips- Video
How Chiropractic Care Reduces Sciatica
Since sciatica is commonly experienced as a frequent symptom cause of low back and leg pain, the symptoms can range from a mild tingling sensation to a burning sensation, and treatment is needed. Many individuals will seek out non-surgical treatments to reduce the pain caused by sciatica. Non-surgical treatments are non-invasive, affordable, and customizable to the individual. One of the non-surgical treatments is chiropractic care, which can help many individuals dealing with sciatica. A chiropractor can diagnose a person’s sciatica and assess the root cause of the symptoms to provide the most appropriate form of treatment. The main goal for chiropractic care is to restore the natural mobility of the spine and provide progressive relief from pain and stiffness in the lower extremities while improving a person’s daily living. (Kruse et al., 2019)
Chiropractic Care Restores Lower Back & Leg Mobility
Chiropractors utilize manual and mechanical spinal manipulation to increase lumbar spinal mobility and flexibility and improve the legs biomechanically. (Siciliano et al., 2024) Chiropractic treatments can also use various methods like neural mobilization intervention to decrease the pain and restore nerve function in the lower extremities and lower back. (Peacock et al., 2023) This allows individuals to have a reduced disability from sciatica associated with low back pain, and it is possible to prevent sciatica from occurring in the future. As many people begin to become more mindful of what is causing their sciatica, they can find effective ways to improve their spine’s well-being and prevent sciatica symptoms from affecting the lower extremities.
Kruse, R. A., White, B. A., & Gudavalli, S. (2019). Management of Lumbar Radiculopathy Associated With an Extruded L4-L5 Spondylolytic Spondylolisthesis Using Flexion-Distraction Manipulation: A Case Study. J Chiropr Med, 18(4), 311-316. doi.org/10.1016/j.jcm.2019.02.001
Peacock, M., Douglas, S., & Nair, P. (2023). Neural mobilization in low back and radicular pain: a systematic review. J Man Manip Ther, 31(1), 4-12. doi.org/10.1080/10669817.2022.2065599
Siciliano, T. B., Gudavalli, M. R., & Kruse, R. (2024). Spinal manipulation and mobilization forces delivered treating sciatica: a case report. Front Integr Neurosci, 18, 1356564. doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2024.1356564
Siddiq, M. A. B., Clegg, D., Hasan, S. A., & Rasker, J. J. (2020). Extra-spinal sciatica and sciatica mimics: a scoping review. Korean J Pain, 33(4), 305-317. doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2020.33.4.305
Zhou, J., Mi, J., Peng, Y., Han, H., & Liu, Z. (2021). Causal Associations of Obesity With the Intervertebral Degeneration, Low Back Pain, and Sciatica: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne), 12, 740200. doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2021.740200
Can individuals with nerve injuries incorporate non-surgical treatments to reduce pain sensations and restore motor function to their bodies?
Introduction
The human body is a complex machine of nerves, bones, organs, tissues, and muscles that help the individual be mobile, flexible, and stable during various activities without pain and discomfort. However, when numerous factors start to hurt the body, it can lead to multiple overlapping risk profiles that can affect the body’s extremities and nerve injuries. Dealing with nerve injuries can lead to referred pain in the musculoskeletal system, and many people think it is muscle pain instead of nerve injury. When that happens, many individuals will begin to seek treatment to reduce not only the symptoms of nerve injuries but also reduce the pain associated with the nerves. In today’s article, we will look at what causes nerve injuries and how non-surgical treatments like chiropractic care and acupuncture can help with reducing the overlapping symptoms of nerve injuries and provide relief to the body. We discuss with certified medical providers who inform our patients about how nerve injuries can impact the musculoskeletal system. While asking informed questions to our associated medical providers, we advise patients to incorporate non-surgical treatments like chiropractic care and acupuncture to restore motor function to the body. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., encompasses this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.
What Causes Nerve Injuries?
Do you constantly feel tingling or numbness in your legs, arms, feet, and hands? Do your muscles feel so weak that holding objects seems difficult? Or do you feel pain in your extremities, making it difficult to do everyday tasks? The body has trillions of nerves that branch out from the central nervous system and are intertwined with the muscles, tissues, and organs for motor-sensory function. Traumatic injuries, accidents, and normal environmental factors impact the nerves and cause overlapping risk profiles. More often than not, many individuals deal with non-mechanical and mechanical nerve injuries that can occur to the body. With nerve injuries, many individuals can feel various symptoms depending on the severity. Neuropraxia, a moderate form of nerve injury, causes nerve compression in the upper and lower extremities that causes motor dysfunction. (Carballo Cuello & De Jesus, 2024)
Additionally, neuropraxia can lead to functional impairment to the motor-sensory dysfunction that disrupts the peripheral nervous system, signaling this blocks nerve conduction and transient weakness or paresthesia. (Biso & Munakomi, 2024) When this happens, many individuals dealing with peripheral nerve injury that is associated with neuropraxia can experience structural and functional impairment to the sensory-motor skills in the extremities, which leads to physical disability and neuropathic pain, thus affecting a person’s quality of life. (Lopes et al., 2022) Many individuals dealing with nerve injuries can have various recovery periods depending on the severity. Many people often think they are dealing with musculoskeletal pain in their neck, shoulders, back, and extremities, but it is associated with nerve injury. When this happens, many individuals can seek out treatment to reduce the pain-like symptoms from nerve injuries.
Is Motion The Key To Healing?- Video
Non-Surgical Treatments For Nerve Injuries
When it comes to treating nerve injuries, it depends on the severity of the symptoms they cause. Surgical options are recommended to restore motor-sensory function if severe mechanical factors cause nerve injury. However, many individuals will opt out of surgical treatments due to their high cost and will often take over-the-counter medication to ease the pain. However, if the nerve injury is non-mechanical, many individuals can seek non-surgical treatments to reduce the nerve injury affecting the musculoskeletal system. Many non-surgical treatments are preferable to many people because they are cost-effective and can ultimately enhance a person’s care and improve their recovery outcome. (El Melhat et al., 2024) Non-surgical treatments can come in many forms, from chiropractic care to acupuncture, to help reduce the effects of non-mechanical nerve injuries and help restore the sensory-motor function of the musculoskeletal system.
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care is one of the many non-surgical therapies that use mechanical and manual manipulation of the spine to realign the body and help restore the sensory-motor function to the extremities. With nerve injuries, chiropractic care can help with neural mobilization to release trapped nerves in the affected muscle areas, thus reducing pain-like symptoms of tingling sensations. (Jefferson-Falardeau & Houle, 2019) Additionally, chiropractic care can help increase ROM (range of motion) in the extremities and reduce numbing and tingling sensations.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is another non-surgical treatment that can also help reduce non-mechanical nerve injuries to the body. When a professional acupuncturist uses small, thin needles at different pressure points to rewire the neuron signaling and restore the body’s energy flow, acupuncture can help improve the clinical efficacy of nerve pain intensity and help enhance the person’s quality of life. (Li et al., 2023) Additionally, acupuncture can help improve nerve injury’s emotional and cognitive function and can be combined with other non-surgical treatments. (Jang et al., 2021) When it comes to reducing pain-like symptoms correlated with nerve injury, non-surgical treatments can provide the relief many individuals seek and lead to a happier, healthier life.
El Melhat, A. M., Youssef, A. S. A., Zebdawi, M. R., Hafez, M. A., Khalil, L. H., & Harrison, D. E. (2024). Non-Surgical Approaches to the Management of Lumbar Disc Herniation Associated with Radiculopathy: A Narrative Review. J Clin Med, 13(4). doi.org/10.3390/jcm13040974
Jang, J. H., Song, E. M., Do, Y. H., Ahn, S., Oh, J. Y., Hwang, T. Y., Ryu, Y., Jeon, S., Song, M. Y., & Park, H. J. (2021). Acupuncture alleviates chronic pain and comorbid conditions in a mouse model of neuropathic pain: the involvement of DNA methylation in the prefrontal cortex. Pain, 162(2), 514-530. doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002031
Jefferson-Falardeau, J., & Houle, S. (2019). Chiropractic Management of a Patient With Radial Nerve Entrapment Symptoms: A Case Study. J Chiropr Med, 18(4), 327-334. doi.org/10.1016/j.jcm.2019.07.003
Li, X., Liu, Y., Jing, Z., Fan, B., Pan, W., Mao, S., & Han, Y. (2023). Effects of acupuncture therapy in diabetic neuropathic pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Complement Ther Med, 78, 102992. doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2023.102992
Lopes, B., Sousa, P., Alvites, R., Branquinho, M., Sousa, A. C., Mendonca, C., Atayde, L. M., Luis, A. L., Varejao, A. S. P., & Mauricio, A. C. (2022). Peripheral Nerve Injury Treatments and Advances: One Health Perspective. Int J Mol Sci, 23(2). doi.org/10.3390/ijms23020918
Can individuals with body pain incorporate Pilates to reduce general aches and pains while strengthening muscles in the body?
Introduction
Environmental factors like poor posture, improper steps, mechanical overload, physical inactivity, and poor dieting can affect a person’s health and wellness, leading to body pains in the neck, shoulders, and back. When this happens, the surrounding muscles become weak and overstretched over time, causing pain and discomfort in different body areas. However, many individuals thinking about their health and wellness can seek various treatment options to reduce the pain and discomfort in their bodies and help improve their muscle strength. Today’s article looks at how body pain can affect posture, what Pilates is, how this exercise regime can be incorporated for body pain, and its benefits. We talk with certified associated medical providers who inform our patients about how incorporating Pilates can reduce body pain. While asking associated medical providers intricate questions, we advise patients to incorporate Pilates as part of their routine and how it can improve their muscle strength. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., includes this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.
How Body Pain Can Affect Posture
Do you experience stiffness or general aches and pains in different muscle areas? Do you often feel constantly tired throughout the entire day? Or do you notice your posture worsening after looking at a computer or phone screen? Many of these environmental factors can lead to pain and discomfort in the body, which then can cause issues that many individuals will tend to ignore until it becomes too much. For instance, environmental factors like obesity are commonly associated with musculoskeletal problems and incorrect body posture, which can be represented as a causal factor for impairment to the body. (Calcaterra et al., 2022) This is because many individuals don’t realize that improper posture can be associated with body pain and, if not corrected, can lead to overlapping risk factors in the musculoskeletal system. Hence, many individuals start seeking treatments to improve postural alignment, but it can also be used to prevent and treat musculoskeletal pain. (Matsutani et al., 2023)
The Non-Surgical Approach To Wellness- Video
What Is Pilates?
While many people seek treatment for their body pain and improve muscle strength, many have started exercising to reduce the stress and discomfort caused by body pains associated with the musculoskeletal system. Since everyone knows that exercising is excellent for health and wellness, it can also help make the body healthier. Many individuals looking for an exercise routine have various options, including Pilates.
Developed in the early 20th century, Joseph Pilates created a system of exercises primarily focused on controlled muscle movement, stretching, and breathing known as Pilates. It has become popular later in the years not only as a physical fitness routine but also as a rehabilitation program. (Byrnes et al., 2018) Pilates uses a combination of repetitive exercises to create muscular exertion and is designed to increase muscle strength and endurance, enhance flexibility, and improve posture and balance. (Kloubec, 2011)
How Is It Incorporated For Body Pain?
While many people are dealing with body pain, some may wonder how Pilates is incorporated into a health and wellness treatment plan. Well, when environmental factors like poor posture and body pain associated with the musculoskeletal system start to cause pain and discomfort to the body. At the same time, that pain and discomfort, if not treated, will also affect the spine’s alignment, causing more musculoskeletal problems. (Shadi et al., 2024) Additionally, Pilates can be combined with non-surgical treatments like chiropractic care to help improve musculoskeletal pain and restore a person’s strength, flexibility, and mobility. This, in turn, promotes mindfulness and a faster recovery. Many individuals will begin to notice that combining a therapeutic exercise method like Pilates and non-surgical treatments can allow the individual to be pain-free and experience additional benefits. This will enable people to understand the impact of stretching exercises caused by Pilates on the components of musculoskeletal fitness aimed at rehabilitation or physical conditioning. (Dos Reis et al., 2024)
The Benefits Of Pilates
Many people will notice how Pilates can help their bodies through these benefits. This includes:
Adapting Pilates to your fitness level and needs: Anyone can start Pilates at any fitness level and go at their own pace.
Core strength increases: Pilates can help strengthen the core muscles, which correlates to improved posture and a strong body.
Strengthening muscles: Pilates can help strengthen and elongate muscles to help individuals look toned.
Natural energy booster: Like many exercise routines, Pilates can give people an energy boost through focus breathing. This increases circulation, stimulating the muscles and spine.
Utilizing Pilates for rehabilitation combined with non-surgical treatment can allow individuals to be more mindful of their bodies and to make tiny changes in their routines. This allows the chances of pain and discomfort from returning, allowing individuals to have a healthier lifestyle.
References
Byrnes, K., Wu, P. J., & Whillier, S. (2018). Is Pilates an effective rehabilitation tool? A systematic review. J Bodyw Mov Ther, 22(1), 192-202. doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2017.04.008
Calcaterra, V., Marin, L., Vandoni, M., Rossi, V., Pirazzi, A., Grazi, R., Patane, P., Silvestro, G. S., Carnevale Pellino, V., Albanese, I., Fabiano, V., Febbi, M., Silvestri, D., & Zuccotti, G. (2022). Childhood Obesity and Incorrect Body Posture: Impact on Physical Activity and the Therapeutic Role of Exercise. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 19(24). doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416728
Dos Reis, A. L., de Oliveira, L. C., & de Oliveira, R. G. (2024). Effects of stretching in a pilates program on musculoskeletal fitness: a randomized clinical trial. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil, 16(1), 11. doi.org/10.1186/s13102-024-00808-6
Matsutani, L. A., Sousa do Espirito Santo, A., Ciscato, M., Yuan, S. L. K., & Marques, A. P. (2023). Global posture reeducation compared with segmental muscle stretching exercises in the treatment of fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 24(1), 384. doi.org/10.1186/s13063-023-07422-w
Shadi, N., Khalaghi, K., & Seyedahmadi, M. (2024). Comparing the effects of Pilates, corrective exercises, and Alexander’s technique on upper cross syndrome among adolescent girls student (ages 13-16): a six-week study. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil, 16(1), 143. doi.org/10.1186/s13102-024-00933-2
Can incorporating these 7 exercises help individuals dealing with back pain help promote a healthy spine and functionality?
Introduction
Many individuals have dealt with back pain in their body’s upper, middle, and lower portions, which can correlate with other issues in the upper and lower body extremities. This is due to how many environmental factors affect a person’s daily routine. From stressful days that impact a person’s day to physical inactivity or even spinal issues that have developed over time can cause back pain. When individuals decide to make changes in their health and wellness journey to not only reduce back pain but also improve how they present themselves. Many individuals can start with exercises to reduce back pain and help their spinal health by making sure that they are doing it correctly to prevent injuries. Today’s article looks at how spinal issues correlate with back pain and how these seven simple exercises and stretches can help reduce lower back pain and help you have a healthy spine. We talk with certified associated medical providers who provide our patients’ information to assess back pain correlated with their spine. We also inform patients while asking their associated medical provider intricate questions to formulate customized treatment plans to reduce back pain by integrating exercises to help reduce the pain and promote wellness. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., includes this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.
Spinal Issues Correlating To Back Pain
Do you feel stiffness or muscle aches in your back’s upper, middle, or lower areas? Have you noticed that your posture is hunched more than normal when looking at the phone or being on the computer for an extended period? Or does your back ache from lifting a heavy object or sleeping incorrectly? More often than not, these pain-related scenarios are associated with back pain combined with spinal issues. As one of the leading causes of disability, loss of productivity, and more visits to a health clinic, back pain can impact the body and cause individuals to be miserable. (Bang et al., 2021) Back pain can be specific or non-specific and can cause a person’s spine to degenerate through the spinal disc. The spinal disc provides stability, flexibility, and mobility to the spine, which then helps keep the host upright. However, as the body ages, so does the spine, as lower back pain is multifactorial. When the spinal disc degenerates, the spine has a reduced capacity for intrinsic self-repair within the tissues. (Mohd Isa et al., 2022)
At the same time, when many individuals are dealing with low back pain, depending on the severity of the issue, theywill often change their gait mechanics by adapting different strategies to mitigate the loading on the primary muscles associated with the locomotion that protects the pain-producing tissues. (Smith et al., 2022) When that happens, the pain from the lower back muscles can aggravate the spine further and lead to more chronic issues; however, there are ways to reduce the effects of lower back pain and to help keep the spine healthy.
Can Core Exercises Help with Back Pain?-Video
The 7 Exercises To Incorporate For Back Pain
When it comes to making sure that lower back pain can be reduced and to help with keeping a healthy spine, many people often seek out physical therapy to reduce the pain. Since low back pain is costly in a clinical approach, physical therapy is cost-effective, non-invasive, and can help individuals get a kick start in their health journey. Physical therapy involves whole-body movement that emphasizes breathing coordination, reducing pain from the lower back, and helping stabilize the lumbar spine to improve physical function. (Li et al., 2023) By going through a treatment plan that incorporates physical therapy, many individuals will begin to notice their pain is improving and their quality of life is getting better. (Fischer et al., 2021) Additionally, stretching and core stability exercises can activate the deep and superficial spinal muscles by strengthening them and help stretch out sore muscles affected by low back pain to help many individuals recover. (Calatayud et al., 2019) Below are seven exercises that can help reduce back pain and, when done correctly and consecutively, can help many individuals have a healthier spine while being more mindful of their bodies.
Knee-To-Chest Exercise
This knee-to-chest exercise can help stretch the lower back muscles and can be done in the morning or evening.
Lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat for stability.
Pull one knee up with both hands and press it towards your chest.
Keep the stomach muscles tight while pressing your spine to the floor, holding for at least 30 seconds before returning to position.
Repeat with the other knee and do each stretch 2-3 times.
Lower Back Rotational Stretch (On the Floor)
This lower back rotational stretch can help stretch tight muscles in the lower back.
Laying on the mat, ensure you are on your back with knees bent and feet flat.
Make sure the shoulders are firmly on the floor, and slowly roll the knees to one side until 45 degrees.
Hold that position for 30 seconds before slowly rotating the knees back to the starting position.
Repeat on the other side and do each stretch 2-3 times.
Lower Back Flexibility Exercise
This lower back flexibility will help stretch and strengthen the lower back and core muscles.
Lay flat on the mat. For stability, make sure that the knees are bent with feet are flat on the floor.
Tighten the stomach muscles so the lower back can be pulled away from the floor.
Hold the position for 5 seconds and relax, slowly lowering to the floor.
Flatten the back as your belly button starts to go towards the floor, and hold the position for 5 seconds before relaxing.
Do five repetitions a day to slowly work up to 30 reps.
Bridge Exercise
The bridge exercise can help with core stability and help strengthen core muscles.
Laying flat on your back on the floor, with knees bent and feet flat. Make sure that your shoulders and head are relaxed.
Tighten the core and glute muscles while slowly raising from the hips to form a straight line from the knees to the shoulders.
Stay in that position for 30 seconds while taking deep breaths.
Slowly go down to the floor and relax.
Do five repetitions a day to slowly work up to 30 reps.
Cat-To-Cow Stretch
The cat-to-cow stretch helps with shoulders, upper back, and lower back muscles.
On your hands and knees, hip-width apart on the mat, be in a neutral spine position.
Slowly arch your back by pulling your belly towards the ceiling and your head down for 30 seconds.
Then, slowly let the back and belly sag towards the floor as the head rises for 30 seconds.
Return to the neutral spine position and repeat about 3-5 times twice daily.
Lower Back Rotational Stretch (Seated)
This lower back rotational stretch is seated if the floor is uncomfortable for individuals with severe back pain.
Sitting in an armless chair or stool in a seated upright position, cross one leg over the other.
Then, place the left elbow against the outside of the right knee and twist and stretch the side.
Hold the postion for 10 seconds before slowly returning to a seated position.
Repeat the stretch on the opposite side.
Do this stretch 3-5 times on each side to stretch tight back muscles about twice daily.
Shoulder Blade Squeeze
This shoulder blade squeeze helps individuals properly posture while stretching and strengthening tight upper back and shoulder muscles.
Start in a seated upright position on an armless chair or stool.
Slowly pull the shoulder blades together in the upright position and hold for 5-30 seconds.
Relax, return to the upright position, and repeat 3-5 times twice daily.
References
Bang, A. A., Bhojraj, S. Y., & Bang, A. T. (2021). Back pain and musculoskeletal pain as public health problems: Rural communities await solution. J Glob Health, 11, 01007. doi.org/10.7189/jogh.11.01007
Calatayud, J., Escriche-Escuder, A., Cruz-Montecinos, C., Andersen, L. L., Perez-Alenda, S., Aiguade, R., & Casana, J. (2019). Tolerability and Muscle Activity of Core Muscle Exercises in Chronic Low-back Pain. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 16(19). doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16193509
Fischer, S. C., Calley, D. Q., & Hollman, J. H. (2021). Effect of an Exercise Program That Includes Deadlifts on Low Back Pain. J Sport Rehabil, 30(4), 672-675. doi.org/10.1123/jsr.2020-0324
Li, Y., Yan, L., Hou, L., Zhang, X., Zhao, H., Yan, C., Li, X., Li, Y., Chen, X., & Ding, X. (2023). Exercise intervention for patients with chronic low back pain: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Front Public Health, 11, 1155225. doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1155225
Mohd Isa, I. L., Teoh, S. L., Mohd Nor, N. H., & Mokhtar, S. A. (2022). Discogenic Low Back Pain: Anatomy, Pathophysiology and Treatments of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration. Int J Mol Sci, 24(1). doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010208
Smith, J. A., Stabbert, H., Bagwell, J. J., Teng, H. L., Wade, V., & Lee, S. P. (2022). Do people with low back pain walk differently? A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci, 11(4), 450-465. doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2022.02.001
Can individuals dealing with back pain find treatment to reduce gut pain associated with SIBO to improve body health?
Introduction
Many individuals have noticed that when it comes to improving their health and well-being, many will incorporate small changes into their daily routines. From exercising for at least 30 minutes to incorporating healthy nutritional foods into their diet, many people don’t realize that the best way to have a healthy style starts with the gut. The gut system helps the body digest food and nutrients to be transported to the body, helps regulate growth and metabolism, and provides immune support to all the organ systems. However, when harmful pathogens and environmental factors start to impact the gut, it can cause the development of harmful pathogens inside the gut system and, over time, cause overlapping risk profiles in the body. This leads to gut dysfunction and musculoskeletal issues in the individual and can cause pain and discomfort if not treated right away. Luckily, numerous ways exist to improve gut health and reduce musculoskeletal issues. Today’s article focuses on a gut issue known as SIBO, how SIBO is correlated with back pain, and what treatments can help reduce SIBO. We talk with certified associated medical providers who provide our patients’ information to assess and identify how SIBO is correlated with back pain. We also inform patients while asking their associated medical provider intricate questions to formulate customized treatment plans to reduce the effects of SIBO and help restore gut health. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., includes this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.
What is SIBO?
How often do you feel general aches or pain in your gut or around your lower back? Do you constantly feel tired throughout the day, even after a full night’s rest? Or have you been constantly feeling constipated or bloated after eating a meal? Many of these scenarios are associated with a gut issue known as SIBO or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Before diving into what SIBO is, it is important to see the gut’s main function to the body. Known as the second brain of the body, the gut system is home to trillions of good bacteria that help with food digestion and protect the body from bad bacteria. When environmental factors like poor dieting, physical inactivity, or inflammatory effects affect the body, the gut’s delicate ecosystem is also affected. This can cause gut dysfunction to the body and, over time, when it is not being treated, lead to SIBO.
SIBO is the presence of excess bad bacteria in the small intestines, which causes protective barriers that help the small intestines weaken. (Sorathia et al., 2024) Additionally, SIBO can correlate with conditions as it can accompany other gut issues by stimulating the immune system. (Banaszak et al., 2023) When the immune system becomes hyperactively stimulated by SIBO, it can cause the inflammatory cytokines to mass produce and cause a ripple effect on the entire body. Since inflammation is the body’s natural response to remove harmful pathogens that cause issues, mass production of inflammatory cytokines in the gut can cause toxins and bad bacteria to enter the bloodstream and travel to different body areas to cause pain. At the same time, SIBO can disrupt the gut-brain axis, which leads to intestinal motility changes and secretion, thus causing overlapping risk profiles like back pain to affect the body. (Carter et al., 2023)
Eating Right to Feel Better- Video
How Does Back Pain Correlate With SIBO?
Now, many people are wondering how back pain is correlated with SIBO. Since SIBO causes the immune system to be hyperactive and mass-produce inflammatory cytokines to reduce the integrity and function of the gastrointestinal barrier, it can cause chronic inflammation and induce pain, which includes musculoskeletal conditions like back pain. (Hui et al., 2023) Additionally, the gut-brain axis being over-runed by SIBO and chronic inflammation being an overlapping risk factor can cause negative influences on the gut microbiome composition, and how the individual reacts to the changes can lead to abnormal bone growth and reabsorption due to the excess bacteria. (Geng et al., 2023) The excess bacteria produced by SIBO can affect intervertebral disc homeostasis and, when combined with environmental factors, can further enhance the inflammatory damage to the back muscles. (Yao et al., 2023) However, there are ways to not only reduce the back pain but also treat SIBO from causing more issues in the gut.
Treatments To Reduce SIBO
When it comes to treating SIBO, it depends on what treatment a person will be combined. The main goals for creating a treatment plan for SIBO are:
Reducing the bad bacteria
Bio-transform the gut
Preventing a relapse
Additionally, many individuals can make small changes in their routine by making dietary changes that can modify the intestinal microbiota. (Souza et al., 2022) This, in turn, helps promote gut health and replenish the nutrients while restoring the good bacteria to the gut. Regarding back pain associated with SIBO, chiropractic care can help individuals decrease or alleviate musculoskeletal symptoms by realigning the spine while massaging the muscles. This can help increase circulation while soothing the inflammatory effects caused by SIBO. Chiropractic care can be implemented as part of a person’s customizable treatment plan through a whole body approach by incorporating lifestyle changes and restoring gut health. By making these small changes with the right treatments to manage the overlapping symptoms caused by SIBO, many individuals can make these small changes to their routine to prevent SIBO from reappearing and causing issues in the body.
References
Banaszak, M., Gorna, I., Wozniak, D., Przyslawski, J., & Drzymala-Czyz, S. (2023). Association between Gut Dysbiosis and the Occurrence of SIBO, LIBO, SIFO and IMO. Microorganisms, 11(3). doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11030573
Carter, J., Bettag, J., Morfin, S., Manithody, C., Nagarapu, A., Jain, A., Nazzal, H., Prem, S., Unes, M., McHale, M., Lin, C. J., Hutchinson, C., Trello, G., Jain, A., Portz, E., Verma, A., Swiderska-Syn, M., Goldenberg, D., & Kurashima, K. (2023). Gut Microbiota Modulation of Short Bowel Syndrome and the Gut-Brain Axis. Nutrients, 15(11). doi.org/10.3390/nu15112581
Geng, Z., Wang, J., Chen, G., Liu, J., Lan, J., Zhang, Z., & Miao, J. (2023). Gut microbiota and intervertebral disc degeneration: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study. J Orthop Surg Res, 18(1), 601. doi.org/10.1186/s13018-023-04081-0
Hui, J., Chen, Y., Li, C., Gou, Y., Liu, Y., Zhou, R., Kang, M., Liu, C., Wang, B., Shi, P., Cheng, S., Yang, X., Pan, C., Jia, Y., Cheng, B., Liu, H., Wen, Y., & Zhang, F. (2023). Insight into the Causal Relationship between Gut Microbiota and Back Pain: A Two Sample Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study. Adv Genet (Hoboken), 4(4), 2300192. doi.org/10.1002/ggn2.202300192
Souza, C., Rocha, R., & Cotrim, H. P. (2022). Diet and intestinal bacterial overgrowth: Is there evidence? World J Clin Cases, 10(15), 4713-4716. doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v10.i15.4713
Yao, B., Cai, Y., Wang, W., Deng, J., Zhao, L., Han, Z., & Wan, L. (2023). The Effect of Gut Microbiota on the Progression of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration. Orthopaedic Surgery, 15(3), 858-867. doi.org/10.1111/os.13626
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