Causes of Hip and Back Pain

April 9th, 2012 AmeeL

Back pain that presents with hip pain can indicate a number of potential causes. Pain in the back and hips is often tied to the same source, given that spinal nerves supply the hips and a number of muscles are shared by the two structures. The following are common causes of back and hip pain.

Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

The sacroiliac (SI) joints form where the large hip bones meet the sacrum at the base of the spine on each side. These joints allow for very little motion; if too much or too little motion is allowed, inflammation occurs and SI joint dysfunction is present.

SI joint dysfunction can be caused by an injury, ligament strain or muscle imbalance in the hips. The localized pain over the joint may radiate into the hips, lower back and buttocks. Chiropractic care, myofascial release and physical therapy may all help resolve SI joint dysfunction depending on the cause.

Piriformis Syndrome

If you have pain in the lower back, hips and buttocks, you may be experiencing piriformis syndrome. The piriformis muscle extends horizontally from the sacrum to the thigh bone deep within the buttocks. The muscle takes part in nearly every movement of the hips and legs, and can become tight and short if another muscle nearby isn’t doing its job.

One major cause of piriformis syndrome is weak gluteal muscles. Glutes are largely responsible for hip rotation, and if they’re too weak to do that job, the piriformis will take over. Overuse due to compensation causes the muscle to shorten and tighten. This pulls on the sacrum, creating spinal pressure. The muscle may also impinge the sciatic nerve, whose path runs nearby. Hip pain may result from sciatica, muscle tension or change in pelvic alignment. Myofascial release and physical therapy can correct piriformis syndrome.

Psoas

The psoas muscle stretches form the top of the thigh bone to three vertebrae in the lumbar spine. It is one of the main connectors of the upper and lower body. This muscle is in a location that is both hard to stretch and easy to tighten. Prolonged sitting, particularly with poor posture, can cause psoas tightness.

As with the piriformis, tightening of the psoas exerts a pull on the spine. A tight psoas can cause localized pain in the hip, or pain that radiates. Lower back pain will also likely be present. Myofascial release and physical therapy can restore elasticity to the psoas.

Pelvic Tilt

Pelvic tilt can occur with tightening of the piriformis and psoas muscles, or with other forms of muscle imbalance. If the quads and lower back muscles are shortened and tight while the abdominal and hamstring muscles are weak, there will be an uneven tug-of-war on the pelvis causing it to tilt down in front. This changes the tensions of muscles in the hips and lower back as well as increasing pressure on spine discs by causing the lumbar arch to increase.

Pelvic tilt can also go the other way; tight hamstrings and abdominal muscles can cause it to tilt down in back, flattening out the lumbar arch.

Myofascial release is generally needed to restore flexibility and length to chronically tense muscles. After that, targeted exercise can be conducted to build up a strong, balanced core.

Spinal

The hips receive nerve supply from spinal nerves that exit the lumbar vertebrae. An impingement of nerves from the first lumbar vertebra (L1) to the fourth (L4) can lead to pain in the hips.

Nerves may become impinged in a number of ways including a herniated disc, bone spur, subluxation or muscular inflammation. Treatment largely depends on the cause, but generally includes either physical therapy, decompression treatments, chiropractic care or massage therapy.

The best ways to prevent hip pain are to practice proper body mechanics, stay active, keep a strong, balanced core and stretch your hips regularly. Check out the hip stretches at www.healthyexerciseworld.com.

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Baseball and Softball Overuse Injuries in Children: Prevention and Recovery

April 7th, 2012 AmeeL

For many children and teens, spring means the return of baseball and softball season. Amidst the rush of tryouts and practices, it is important for parents, coaches and players to be conscious of the risks of overuse injuries associated with baseball and softball.

According to Safe Kids USA, nearly half of the 3.5 million sports injuries incurred each year by children under 14 are overuse injuries. This type of injury occurs when a ligament, muscle group or tendon is taxed repetitively without adequate rest time to facilitate healing. If not promptly recognized and treated, overuse injuries can lead to chronic pain conditions that affect a person throughout his or her lifetime.

Overuse Injuries in Baseball and Softball

Among the most common overuse injuries incurred by those who play these sports are:

Ulnar collateral ligament damage: damage to the ligament that stabilizes the elbow. This injury is common among pitchers.

Torn rotator cuff: damage to the set of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder, giving it stability and allowing up-and-down and rotational movement of the arm. Occurs due to throwing the ball repeatedly with the same arm.

Lower back strain: The repeated rotation of the lower back while swinging a bat can lead to back strain. Most instances of muscle strain are minor and heal within days, but sports players who fail to rest their sore muscles may end up with cumulative muscle tears that form a more serious injury.

Recovering From Overuse Injuries

Young baseball and softball players need to understand the importance of pain. Coaches and parents should teach young players that pain is the sign of a problem that needs addressing. The first step is being able to distinguish between normal soreness and softball or basebeall injuries caused by repetitive use.

After the first few practices, you can expect some soreness, especially if the player hasn’t kept up his or her physical condition between seasons. However, proper training doesn’t start out intense. Players’ bodies should be eased into the demands of the sport rather than forced to quickly outdo themselves.

If your player has pain that doesn’t go away within a few days, he or she is not receiving adequate rest time and an overuse injury is just around the corner. Those with overuse injuries require rest and ice to reduce the inflammation that comes with injury. After a couple days, heat can be used to loosen the area and restore blood flow.

Severe overuse injuries such as ligament or tendon tears may require bracing and physical therapy. Help your child understand that missing a few games now is better than not being able to play during the years to come.

Preventing Overuse Injuries

Overuse injuries are largely preventable. Proper training should prepare the body for the demands of a sport, not force it beyond its limits. Conditioning the body to have both strength and flexibility can prevent strains common to sports players.

Warming up and cooling down should be part of every practice and every game. This allows the body to transition into and out of activity mode smoothly, taking in energy to work and lubricating joints before and expelling the waste products of work after.

Adequate rest time is imperative to preventing overuse injury. Allowing small muscle tears and joint inflammation to subside quickly ensures that trauma doesn’t accumulate into a larger problem. The current culture of youth sports is to work the kids hard nearly every day of the week. Until this trend changes, overuse injuries will remain prevalent.

According to the Loyola University School of Medicine, playing more than one sport decreases a child’s likelihood of acquiring a sports-related overuse injury by half. Using different muscle groups helps to prevent muscle imbalances.

Back pain is no longer the sole plight of adults; back pain in children is on the rise, partly due to sports injuries. Keep your young baseball or softball player in the game for years to come by being educated about overuse injuries.

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Back Pain From Riding A Motorcycle

April 6th, 2012 AmeeL

Riding a motorcycle is a thrilling and freeing experience for many people; it can also be a cause of back, neck and shoulder pain. Learning how to prevent riding back pain will help keep your rides enjoyable.

Riding Posture and Bike Ergonomics

Posture is important, whether sitting on a chair or a bike. Even if you’re aware of your posture and make an effort to keep your spine straight, you may find your back giving out during a long ride.

The part of a bike most relevant to the rider’s posture is the handlebar/foot peg relationship. A variety of bikes with different configurations are available on the market. The most common styles for street riders are the cruiser and the standard.

The standard bike style puts the rider in a fully upright position with a straight spine and the feet, hips and shoulders aligned. Handlebars should be high enough to prevent the rider from having to overreach or bend forward to use them. If you have shoulder or upper back pain riding a standard bike, you may need to raise your handlebars. Another area of concern is foot peg placement. If the pegs are set too far back, your upper body will pitch forward and your hips will have to work hard to keep your legs in place. Lower back and hip pain may indicate improper foot peg placement.

The cruiser bike facilitates a more relaxed riding position. On a cruiser, the rider is slightly reclined with his or her feet positioned ahead of the knees. The handlebars on cruisers are generally higher than on a standard. There are both advantages and disadvantages to cruiser posture. The reclined position opens up the hips and helps to prevent lower back and hip pain caused by tight hip flexor muscles. Yet reclining on a bike causes problems if you’re going above a low or moderate speed, such as on a highway; in order to combat the air pressure pushing you back, you need to lean forward by pulling on the handlebars. This can cause shoulder, neck and upper back strain.

Another concern with cruisers is handlebar height. Some riders like to have their handlebars up high enough for their hands to be at head level with their elbows hanging down. High handlebars can cause shoulder fatigue, which can lead to strains and spasms. The distance of the handlebars from the rider should also be considered; if they are too far away, the rider will have to lean forward, causing lower back strain.

Foot pegs should be close enough to the rider to properly support the leg. If they are too far away, the leg and hip muscles will need to work to keep the leg from falling. This unnecessary muscle use can cause strain in the hips, legs and lower back.

Tension

One main cause of back, neck and shoulder pain among riders is tension. Muscles are connected; if you’re tensing one, you’re likely tensing many. Two signs that you’re tensing up on your ride are a tight grip on the handlebars and raised shoulders.

When muscles are tense, they are contracted. Keeping muscles in a contracted state without relaxing them disrupts the intake of blood and the excretion of waste, a process which ensures muscles have what they need to work and stay healthy. As waste products build up in muscles, they become rigid. The lack of nutrients and oxygen can cause spasm.

You can prevent back, neck and shoulder pain when riding by reminding yourself to loosen your grip and keep your shoulders relaxed.

Learning the causes of motorcycle back pain will help you prevent it. Pay attention to the ergonomics of your bike and remind yourself not to tense up.

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There Are Many Things A Chiropractor Can Do To Treat Back Pain

April 4th, 2012 AmeeL

When we think of a chiropractor, we likely imagine the loud cracking of a patient’s back. While spinal manipulation is a big part of the chiropractor’s job, it’s not the beginning and end of it. Learning the many things chiropractic care embodies may open up a new back pain treatment option to you.

Manipulation

The most well-known component of chiropractic care is manipulation. This is performed when the chiropractor detects that you have a joint, such as one between vertebrae or in the pelvis, out of alignment. Misalignment can cause nerve impingement, bone friction and muscular pain. The chiropractor administered thrusts of specific intensities to the area with the goal of realigning the joint and freeing up surrounding nerves.

Mobilization

Unlike manipulation, this technique keeps the joint within its range of motion. It is a gentler way of restoring motion to an area and is often used prior to manipulation.

Decompression

Some chiropractors have sought to expand their ability to treat back pain by purchasing equipment designed to relieve herniated discs. Spinal decompression treatments gently separate vertebrae to increase disc space and allow the injured disc to reabsorb fluids. Some chiropractors have spinal decompression machines in their offices. While insurance companies generally cover medically necessary chiropractor visits, they don’t cover decompression treatments. You can discuss the cost of decompression for herniated disc treatment with a chiropractor. Also, consider cheaper alternatives like inversion therapy and decompression belts.

Prenatal Care

All chiropractors are trained to administer care to pregnant women, and some seek further specialization in the field of prenatal care. Specialized chiropractors will have a CACCP designation, signifying that they are certified with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) or a DACCP, signifying that they have a diploma from the ICPA. Chiropractors who are Webster Certified have been trained to foster pelvic balance in pregnant women, which has been proven to assist in a smooth delivery of the baby.

Advice

The chiropractor’s job shouldn’t end when your adjustment does. A thorough practitioner will give his or her patient advice concerning eating habits, sleeping, moving, exercises and stress management to provide a more well-rounded treatment. Fixing a back problem involves more than ending the pain; you need to identify what caused it in order to prevent it in the future.

Collaborations

Some chiropractors have incorporated the healing powers of other treatment methods into their practices. Massage goes particularly well with chiropractic care, addressing the muscular causes and symptoms of pain associated with misalignment. Some chiropractors obtain a massage license and practice both professions, while others may hire in. A New Canaan, Connecticut chiropractic team recently hired an acupuncturist to operate out of their office. Many chiropractors are knowledgeable about other forms of treatment options and can help you receive them.

Chiropractors are more than back-crackers; they undergo similar length and intensity of training as medical doctors and have many techniques at their disposal for treating pain. Be aware of all the benefits chiropractic care can offer.

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