Blog: Concierge Pain Relief - Home Physical Therapy

5 Tips to Avoid Back Surgery, Naturally

2/27/2022

"What Can I Do To Avoid Back Surgery?..."

"Is It Possible To Put Off or Prevent Back Back Surgery?..."

If you have back pain and if you met with a spine surgeon (who mentioned that you may need back surgery), you may have asked yourself one or more of these questions.

So, if you are dealing with annoying, nagging, chronic Back Pain, you may be willing to do just about anything to find comfort... or to get your pain under control. And, that means that you probably just want to be able to return to your normal way of life, and possibly even if it means agreeing to undergo risky back surgery.

As you know, back pain is no joke, but neither is back surgery.

We all know that back pain is very frustrating and uncomfortable to live with. And, that's because it can get in the way of your sleep, work, daily activities, and simply living your life. However, that does not mean that you should quickly agree to a major spine surgery such as spinal fusion (screws, plates, and big hardware that locks up your spine) or discectomy surgery (removing some or all of your flexible and soft cushion-like spine discs)!

These invasive back surgeries may or may not relieve your pain. In fact, a bad back surgery or "failed" back surgery can leave you in even more pain symptoms and agony than before the procedure.

Therefore, it makes the most logical sense to start with and try less invasive treatments and non-surgical options first.

Below, are 5 effective tips to you can try to address your back pain naturally, safely, and non-surgically... in order to start finding and feeling the relief that you have been searching for - once and for all.

1.) Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS): Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, or TENS, is a state-of-the-art method for easing back pain. Sticky electrodes attached to the back and spine area send out electrical signals that stimulate the nerves. The impulses affect neural “pain gates” and/or trigger the production of endorphins.

2.) Myofascial Release and Soft Tissue Work: These hands-on soft tissue techniques and treatment options can benefit your back in several ways. A skilled healthcare provider, such as a doctor of physical therapy performs manipulation of soft tissue (muscles and tendons) near the skin surface will help improve blood flow circulation in exhausted muscles, sore muscles, or in tight muscles and tendons.

The doctor of PT may use a combination of their hands directly and/or a comfortable hand-held tool to help ease, relax, and lengthen these muscles. This increased blood flow and fluid drainage will clear out and quickly reduce inflammation, and help heal and recover damaged tissues. At the same time, this hands-on treatment technique decreases painful muscle spasms in the muscles.

A firmer or stronger treatment is named deep tissue massage and goes even further. Manipulation of deeper muscle groups can break up adhesions, masses of scar tissue that sometimes form over an injury site. Once the muscles have been freed from the scar tissue, they can function without pain and stiffness.

Now, unfortunately, most traditional massage therapists nearby are not trained in healing back injuries, nor helping folks prevent back surgery. Which is why a licensed doctor of PT uses these specific techniques that target and break up the adhesions. In turn, this will loosen and unbind your muscles. Myofascial release and soft tissue work is a very important part of your physical therapy program because being adhesion-free is important for relieving pain and restoring a proper range of motion.

3.) Targeted Stretches and Assisted Stretch: Tight, rigid muscles can directly cause back pain or make existing back pain feel even worse. Stretching muscles will cause them to limber up, alleviate your pain and improve your movement. Loose muscles in the back are less likely to get new injuries as well. Typical physical therapy exercises for the back could include knee-to-chest stretches, kneeling lunges, back flexion stretches, stretching your piriformis muscle, prone press ups, and back bends.

4.) Strength-Building Exercises and Stability Drills: Back pain may be caused by structural changes such as herniated discs, spinal stenosis, or spondylolisthesis. The stronger you can make your back muscles, the more effectively those muscles can compensate for these changes. With a stronger back, you can maintain a straighter posture with less pain. Common exercises to strengthen the back include bridges, lying lateral leg raises, and partial curls.

5.) Heat and Cold Therapy: Heat and cold have their own distinct healing and pain-relieving properties. Our doctor of physical therapy may administer either technique or both techniques together (in sessions of 15 to 20 minutes each). Heat boosts the circulation, helping inflammatory substances to exit the tissues and relaxing painful muscles. Cold therapy can prove especially useful as an immediate treatment for acute back injuries or when dealing with severe muscle strain. The cold reduces inflammation and swelling while also numbing the nerves. There is a full blog post on Heat vs Ice/Cold Therapy, if you click right here.

What Successful Treatment Looks LIke

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How Can I Relieve Neck Pain in the Morning? (Home Physical Therapy)

2/24/2022

"How Can I Relieve Neck Pain in the Morning?..."

We get this question a lot from our clients who receive home physical therapy in Manhattan, Brooklyn, inside and outside of NYC.

Here's some simple, proven, and effective tips to ease Neck Pain first thing in the morning...

Step 1: Check Your Mattress - How old is your mattress?  A proper mattress should be firm and not too soft. A firm mattress is helpful in supporting your entire spine (from your neck all the way down to your lower back).

Step 2: Check Your Pillow - How old is your pillow? A proper pillow should be able to keep the curvature of your neck... in other words, it should "fill in" and support the curve of your neck, regardless if you are sleeping on your left side, sleeping on your right side, or if you are sleeping flat on your back. Your pillow should not be so soft that it flattens out overnight while you are trying to sleep.

Step 3: Try a Warm or Hot Shower - A warm or hot shower will loosen up a stiff neck and ease neck pain. The warmth is soothing which can relax tight or tense neck muscles. Also, a warm shower can increase blood flow circulation to your neck area. And, you will have noticed this in the past if you've had gotten out of a hot shower, looked in the mirror, and saw that your shoulders, arms, or neck area was a little red. That kind of redness is proof that those areas experienced an increase in blood flow, because the redness is additional circulation coming to the surface of your skin. While in the warm shower, and if you are able, try to gently move your head in circles, both left and right movements.

Step 4: Avoid Ice/Cold Therapy for Neck Pain - The neck (cervical spine) is a sensitive area. Most people better and experience more relief and get back more flexibility and range of motion in their neck after using a hot pad or heat therapy, compared to using an ice pack or cold therapy on their neck. If you click this link here, you can read more about when to use ice versus when to use heat.

Next, if these tips do not work or do not provide you with any neck pain relief, then it might be time to seek a Doctor of Physical Therapy who is a Neck Specialist.

Now, if you didn't know, an expert Doctor of Physical Therapy can provide you with a proper diagnosis and hands-on manual therapy treatment at the very first visit. This is what we offer to busy New Yorkers who might be dealing with annoying neck pain that could be disturbing their sleep, getting in the way of working, or preventing them from doing the things they love... such as time with children or grandchildren, exercising, or even just reading.

Furthermore, what we have found to be effective is working with a Movement Expert who can:

1.) Find the Root-Cause of Your Neck Pain, and then...
2.) Fix the Root-Cause So That it Does Not Return.

If your Doctor of Physical Therapy does not identify where your neck pain is coming from, then they may be "chasing symptoms" or they may be treating the incorrect area.

When we are able to identify and find the root-cause of someone's neck pain during their first home visit, they should expect to feel at least 10-15% pain relief, if not more. This is much more possible if you have had neck pain for 3 weeks or 3 months. However, if you have been dealing with neck pain for 3 years, then may take 2-3 home visits to start feeling positive progress and neck pain relief, because having pain longer than 3 months is considered "chronic pain." And, it may a few follow up visits to feel some relief that you deserve.

If any of this sounds like you or sounds like what you are dealing with, then feel free to speak with our 24/7 receptionist by calling (646)-781-8884.

Our receptionist will collect some of your information, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy will personally call you back (typically the very same day, including weekends).

We wish you nothing but the best in getting neck pain relief and investing in your health and wellness.

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MEDICAL DISCLAIMER:
All information on this website is intended for informational purposes only. The authors are not responsible for any harm or injury that may result. Significant injury risk is possible if you do not follow due diligence and seek suitable professional advice about your injury. No guarantees of specific results are expressly made or implied on this website.