The spine supports your body weight through every movement and posture throughout the day. Weakened muscles in the back lead to postural imbalances and structural weakness, increasing the risk of compressed intervertebral discs and back problems. Exercises that strengthen both the large active muscles and small stabilizer muscles improve balance and overall fitness.
When it comes to back pain, gravity can be your greatest enemy. As you age, compression along the discs of your spine can lead to tension and pain. Inversion therapy utilizes a table that effectively flips your body upside-down...
Practitioners of shiatsu therapy emphasize the healing aspect of the treatment, which is said to address the whole person --- body, soul and spirit. Shiatsu back therapy may be helpful for releasing deep muscle tension resultin...
A progression from range-of-motion exercises to strength- and power-building exercises is often a prudent course of action. Check with your doctor to determine the role exercise should play in a comprehensive treatment plan for...
Age, injury, inactivity or overuse are all common causes of back pain. The good news is, surgery is rarely required for the treatment of back problems. Your doctor may refer you to a physical therapist, who will devise a progra...
Back pain can occur at any time and can be perpetuated for a variety of reasons. Heavy lifting, sports injuries, slips and falls, bad posture or over exercising are some of the most common culprits of back pain. Pulled or strai...
If you suffer from constant back pain without a discernible cause, your chiropractor or physical therapist may suggest that you use inversion therapy to help relieve your pain. Inversion therapy uses a table with straps that ba...
Lifting heavy objects, sleeping awkwardly or muscle overuse during sports all can increase your risk of developing back pain. To ease pain, stiffness or discomfort, you'll need to take a multifaceted approach to your therapy.
Back pain can result from a mild muscle strain that can heal over several days or weeks, or could be a more serious condition such as a herniated disc, spinal stenosis or degenerative disc disease. Inversion table therapy has b...
But unlike many other forms of massage, this muscle-release technique doesn't focus on just the area of the body experiencing pain. Instead of applying pressure to the affected site alone, therapists usually work with the entir...
as a way of applying traction to a person's spine, according to SportsInjuryClinic.com. Advocates of inversion therapy claim that a few minutes of it can do wonders for back pain and other ailments. However, evidence supporting...
Exercise may be the last thing you want to do when your back is bothering you, but it may be just what the doctor ordered. In fact, a therapeutic back exercise program may even help you correct the muscles imbalances and faulty...
Proponents of wearing a magnetic ring may have health benefits, including increasing circulation, alleviating pain and aiding injury recovery. More studies are necessary to determine the therapeutic effects of magnetic rings. S...
When the annulus cracks or is damaged, it allows a portion of the nucleus to push out of its normal confines and put pressure on nearby structures, causing a variety of painful symptoms. The L4-L5 disc is a very common location...
Spine-Worx, an at-home chiropractic treatment, works by realigning the spine to alleviate mid and lower back pain and increase mobility. U.S. Therapy Inc., the makers of the device, tout that Spine-Worx is like having a "chirop...
Vertebrae are the small bones that sit atop one another to form the spinal cord. Typically, hemangiomas that form on the vertebrae are asymptomatic and do not require treatment. Patients who experience symptoms of back pain, le...
They work as generalists rather then specialists. During a typical day, they may recommend therapy for your back pain, treat your child's cold or review the care your spouse received from his cardiologist. When it comes to your...
Years of standing, walking and sitting causes gravity to work against you and your back. Gravitational pressure can cause or worsen compression symptoms in the back and spinal discs. Inversion therapy, or hanging upside down, u...
There are a multitude of effective and evidence-based conventional treatments available including surgery, medications and physical therapy. Healthcare practitioners may sometimes recommend alternative treatments such as acupu...
Back pain can be alleviated with the use of ice therapy. The University of Iowa Health Care explains that ice therapy decreases tissue damage and helps healing. A number of methods are effective including commercial ice packs, ...
If you're plagued by back pain, you're not alone. Most people in the United States will experience low back pain at least once in their lives, according to MayoClinic.com. Inversion therapy is thought to have been used to treat...
While Pilates was developed in early 20th-century Germany, it did not become an international exercise sensation until the 1990s. Most fitness centers now offer some kind of Pilates training, and private Pilates studios are sca...
Therapeutic massage can help in the relief of back pain. There are different techniques that may be used, depending on the specific problem and area of pain. The effects of massage can include increased blood flow, decreased mu...
An additional 25 million suffer from acute pain from surgery or accident. Medications alone are not always enough to provide adequate relief. Heat therapy can supplement conventional medical treatments to give patients a reprie...
In fact, a study published in the May 2002 issue of "Spine" found that continual heat therapy was better at reducing pain and inflammation than ibuprofen or acetaminophen. According to Blue Cross Blue Shield, a heat pack can in...
Traditional care for most causes of back pain includes pain killers, muscle relaxers and physical therapy. Alternative therapies are gaining popularity as well as scientific respect as evidence of their effectiveness mounts.
Back pain is a very common symptom that over 80 percent of Americans will experience in their lifetime. Decompression therapy is a relatively new therapy that many have turned to in an effort to treat the pain. The therapy is d...
A healthy spinal column naturally resembles the letter "C" when viewed from the side. When the spine is curved abnormally, it takes on the shape of an "S." This condition is often referred to as scoliosis. While many are born w...
Most typically, the rupture occurs at the knee where the tendons attach at the back of the knee. Surgical intervention and physical therapy, or a combination of both, can heal the rupture.
Inversion therapy, chiropractic therapy, acupuncture and massage therapy are acceptable pain therapies that may offer relief for those with pain related conditions.
