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You were told to stretch before you exercise weren’t you? Well, they’ve had it wrong the whole time. Check out the quick video and see what to do before and after exercise so you can “unlock your potential!”
Discover Graston Technique. This video provides a brief introduction and explanation on how Graston is applied and works on the body.
Reduce your pain by avoiding a common foam rolling mistake. Trust me, the 2 min. video will save your body in the long run.
Take a look at the most recent guidelines and how they relate to low back pain.
Learn how to improve extension so that you can reduce neck pain, back pain, and shoulder pain.
MRI and other modern advancements in imaging have long been used in the diagnosis and assessment for low back pain, but does it even provide any value?
Short answer: Most of the time, NO!
Long answer: The 2016 ACOEM guidelines recommend that patients suffering from low back pain only have an MRI if they have specific nerve damage AND do not respond to treatment or if surgery is an option. There are some “red flags” that doctors may have to rule out, but generally speaking, patients should first complete 6 weeks of care before even being considered for this procedure.
Why Avoid the MRI?
According to the research, patients who have an early MRI have increased medical costs and do not have improved benefits. As a result, there are worse outcomes that are likely.
How is it Possible to be Worse After an MRI?
After getting the results of the imaging, it is more than likely you will have something come up positive! As a result of the aging process, it is more likely to find some degenerative changes. Many degenerative findings are likely part of normal aging and are not associated with pain. Due to this, doctors can actually be rambling off false positive findings that are not causing you pain. This can contribute to fear and anxiety of the patient.
Patients who believe or even entertain the idea that they have a problem within there low back often are subjects to what I call “fear based diagnosis.” This means they actually fall into the trap of believing everything that was diagnosed.
You should not believe everything you are told! Not even if it is coming from you doctor or radiologist! Believe it or not, most MRIs that were taken cannot be validated correctly. A study had noted that the interpretation of the MRI had been vastly different and that there were interpretation errors. This finding suggests that the diagnosis and the outcome of the patient can be very different.
In Summary
After following a low back pain incident, the guidelines recommend that you should seek at least 6 weeks of conservative prior to an MRI. If you do get an MRI, know that you will likely have some positive findings. Finally, don’t fall into the fear based diagnosis and believe all the results you hear because the interpretation is likely erroneous.
At this point in time we know foam rolling has some major benefits but with anything, there are some drawbacks. Listed below are some common mistakes you may be making that may not allow you to get the full benefit.
Following Pain – When there is pain, it is common to want to stretch, pull, compress it, or roll it. That being said, following the pain pattern or rolling the area of pain is not always beneficial because it does not always indicate that the area of dysfunction. Additionally, if you are rolling out an area that is tender, in pain, or inflamed, rolling or compressing the structure further may cause further damage and irritation.
Instead of rolling the painful area, try to roll or compress the structures around the area of pain. This can ensure that you are not further injuring or inflaming the painful area while at the same time you are loosening the connective tissue around the area of pain.
Bone Rolling – Muscles, tendons, and fascia have connection to bone, but compressing the muscle into the bone will be very uncomfortable. Try not to compress the muscles into the bone too much. A common area where this occurs is the outside (lateral) thigh. If you are compressing or rolling the muscle into the bone, trust me, you will feel it.
Instead try to roll out the dense connective tissue first. If it’s not possible to compress the muscle, then modify how much pressure you use on that muscle so that you do not compress it too hard.
Roller Density – Not all foam rollers are created equal. Did you know that there are different densities and types? The white foam roller is typically a little softer and has more give than the black one. There are also foam rollers with knobs, etc.
Knowing how to properly foam roll, the sensitivity of your muscles and how to take weight off the roller or muscle can help determine what type of foam roller density you may need. Know your fitness level and be honest with yourself prior to choosing a foam roller density.
Too much pressure/time – If you are foam rolling, there is no doubt you will experience some discomfort but if some is good, then more is better right? No!
Don’t over do it! You are supposed to release the tension by holding the compression for 5 – 30 seconds. If it is very painful then take more pressure off the area or decrease the amount of time you have on the area.
Rolling the low back – Rolling the low back may be disadvantageous. While you may think it’s helping for low back pain, the muscles around the area may have to contract to protect itself. Additionally, if there is a spinal condition, then direct pressure may be too much to handle.
Try to roll out the sides of the back if at all. Better yet, roll the hip flexors, glut muscles, piriformis muscles and other areas that attach to the pelvis and lower back.
Hopefully this allows you to recovery faster and improves your health. Please contact us if you have any questions.