November 5, 2021

Low back pain, regardless of its cause, affects your mobility. Therefore, many times, during a low back pain crisis, bed rest is the first method used to relieve pain.

But experts believe that lying in bed does nothing but aggravate low back pain. On the other hand, however, exercise and exercise are the ones that can relieve back pain. Sport should not be neglected, despite the reduced mobility, if we want to get rid of back pain quickly.

It is true that acute pain can be temporarily relieved by resting in a comfortable posture, when standing or walking causes severe pain. But we should not overdo it in terms of rest, because, in the long run, this rest does nothing but deepen the problem.

Due to prolonged rest, the back muscles are weakened, which means that the muscles will lose their ability to support the spine, which is not desirable in the case of low back pain. At the same time, due to the state in bed, there will be stiffness in the skeletal system, as well as the muscular one.

Another disadvantage of bed rest is the state of weakness that sets in with a lack of physical activity.

Therefore, after resting in bed, the painful episode is prolonged and it becomes more difficult to return to normal physical activities.

CONTENT:

1. When bed rest is recommended in case of low back pain
2. What exercise to do during a painful episode
3. What else can you do to relieve low back pain

When bed rest is recommended in case of low back pain

Rest is recommended in fewer situations than you think, when it comes to low back pain. Specifically, only patients who suffer from spinal fractures and who require surgery should avoid movement of any kind and rest before surgery.

Otherwise, all other patients with low back pain have more to gain from physical activity than from rest.

According to studies in the field, back pain will disappear faster if the patient does not choose the option of bed rest to relieve pain. On the other hand, if the patient feels that he has to stay in bed in order to bear the back pain, the rest should not be longer than 1-2 days, as otherwise the risk of prolonging the pain crisis increases.

What exercise to do during a painful episode

Over 80% of patients suffering from low back pain do not need a specific, personalized physical training. The patient can therefore practice the sports activities that he usually practices. If the pain does not allow this, activities such as swimming, yoga, pilates or aerobics are recommended.

In more severe cases, the recovery specialist will recommend a set of beneficial exercises, depending on the problem causing the low back pain, as well as the severity of the pain.

Physical therapy is recommended for people who have back pain, whether it is caused by a muscle strain or if it is based on more serious conditions, such as a herniated disc.

What else can you do to relieve low back pain

A painful crisis can be combated with remedies at hand such as:

Hot or cold compresses – use a towel on the painful area that you press beforehand, so that it is warm, or a bag of frozen peas, wrapped in a towel. Ideally, you should use cold compresses for the first 2 days after the onset of back pain, and then warm compresses.

Ice will soothe pain and fight inflammation, while warm compresses will relax the back muscles, relaxing the area.

Lumbar massage is also effective in relieving low back pain. You can use an anti-inflammatory ointment to increase the effectiveness of this massage. The massage can be done by a close person – husband, wife, brother, but also by a specialist. A masseur technician knows exactly which areas to massage and what movements to use, so that the pain is relieved.

Thermal baths, in combination with physiotherapy, massage and other procedures, can significantly relieve back pain, but also joint or muscle pain.

No wonder that we face such problems, especially in the current context, when we spend more time at home, at the computer. One in five Romanians suffers from inflammatory back pain. Over 3% of the adult population is affected by this type of pain, and the most prone are men.

Back pain differs from person to person. It may have a slow onset or may occur suddenly. The pain may be intermittent or constant. In most cases, back pain resolves on its own within a few weeks.

Thermal and sulfur baths will complete your well-being. They reduce depression and pessimism and give you a state of peace and comfort. The body will feel lighter and more relaxed, and any trace of tension is removed.

CONTENT:

1. Thermal baths – what are the recovery treatments?
2. The benefits of thermal waters
3. What diseases can be improved by thermal baths

Thermal baths – what are the recovery treatments?

Recovery treatments are, of course, also based on the mineral waters in the area, which can be used in external treatment, aerosols or internal treatment.

Thermal mineral waters (38-60 degrees Celsius) can be used externally, in the form of a bath or to do aquatic gymnastics, or in the form of sulfurous baths, in bathtubs.

The benefits of thermal waters

These are countless! In addition to combating stress, thermal baths can treat both the chronically ill and those with acute spinal disorders.

Chronic conditions such as rheumatism, degenerative diseases of the spine, spondylosis, discopathies, herniated discs and cervical diseases can be alleviated here.

What diseases can be improved by thermal baths

Here are some diseases of the musculoskeletal system that can be alleviated:

• Inflammatory rheumatism – arthralgias after acute rheumatoid arthritis, infectious secondary rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis;
• Degenerative diseases of the spine – spondylosis and cervical discopathy, spondylosis and dorsal discopathy, spondylosis and lumbar discopathy;
• Degenerative rheumatism;
• Inflammatory or degenerative abarticular rheumatic diseases – abarticular suffering of the lower limbs: tenosynovitis of the foot, bursitis, plantar aponeurosis, talalgia, painful deformities of the foot, flat foot, hollow foot, hammer toes, hallux valgus, metatarsalgia; joint suffering of the upper limbs: scapulohumeral periarthritis, painful shoulder, acute hyperalgesic painful shoulder, mixed shoulder, blocked shoulder, pseudoparalyzed shoulder, tendinitis, abarticular suffering of the spine (cervico-brachial neuralgia, intercostal neuralgia, sciatica).
• Post-traumatic conditions – post-traumatic joint stiffness or after immobilization, operated hip, post-traumatic agglodistrophy, post-traumatic osteoarthritis of the hip or shoulder, post-traumatic peripheral nerve injuries, suffering after tendon injuries, circulatory and trophic disorders after healed fractures, post-traumatic vertebral sequelae without spinal cord injuries, vertebral pain of various causes (capsulo ligamentary, radicular, osteoligamentary, muscular discopathy), limited mobility, vertebral insufficiency due to deficit or muscle imbalance.

For prophylactic purposes you can do aquatic gymnastics in pools with sulfurous thermal waters. How does it help you? You can prevent and correct:

• poor adaptation to thermal factors (cold hands and feet);
• constitutional deficiencies in the musculoskeletal system (scoliosis, kyphosis, hyperlaxity, capsulo-ligament instability);
• sedentary lifestyle;
• wrong body position.

One of the ways you can prevent these pains or alleviate and reduce these pains is to practice back exercises that help you strengthen your back muscles. Avoid going to a specialist and start training today! In the following, we present the list of the most effective back exercises that represent a combination of muscle strengthening and stretching exercises.

Today, both the younger and older generations have back pain. The causes can be the following:

• Shortened muscles
• Weak muscles in the central part of the body
• Stiff back due to sedentary work
• The sciatic nerve
• Back pain due to wearing heavy things, bags, bags, on one shoulder
• Osteoporosis
• Obesity
• Weight gain during pregnancy

CONTENT:

1. Bird dog pose
2. Basin exercises
3. Bringing the knee to the chest
4. Plank
5. Lateral plank
6. Bending in the back
7. Swimmer
8. Reverse Plank
9. Sphinx
10. Rotating the lower body

Bird dog pose

• Sit on your knees, place your palms on the floor
• Stretch your right arm forward and at the same time stretch your left leg
• Keep your back straight and your hips parallel to the ground
• Stay in this position for 30 seconds and then return to the starting position
• Repeat the exercise, but this time with your left arm and right leg outstretched

An alternative to this exercise is to raise your right arm and leg at the same time.

Basin exercises

• Sit on the floor in a supine position with your hands outstretched next to your body
• Bend your knees and keep your feet on the floor
• Tighten your buttocks and abdominal muscles and lift your pelvis approx. 15 cm above the ground
• Your body will form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees
• Wait for a few seconds, then slowly let the pelvis down on the mattress

Repeat 30 times.

Bringing the knee to the chest

• Sit on the floor in a supine position with your hands outstretched next to your body and bend your knees
• Raise your right leg and grasp the pulp of your foot with both hands
• Pull your knee toward your chest and your right foot toward your torso
• Tighten your buttocks and lift your pelvis up
• Stay in this position for a few seconds and return to the starting position

Repeat the exercise 20 times with each leg.

Plank

• Sit in the plank position
• Transfer the weight of the body to the tips of the legs and forearms / Keep your elbows under your shoulders and keep your head straight in the extension of the spine
• The body should be in a perfectly straight line from the shoulders to the heels
• Tighten your torso muscles and maintain this tension
• Hold this position for about 30 seconds, but at the same time focus on the correct technique.

Lateral plank

• Place your left hand with your left foot on the floor
• Stretch your legs, bring your feet together so that your body is in a perfectly straight line
• Tighten your torso muscles and try to stand up
• During this time, transfer the weight of the body to the left palm and the sole of the left foot
• Keep your right arm outstretched and your head facing up. Your body will look like the letter T

Hold this position for 30 seconds and change position.

Bending in the back

• Stand up and move the legs at the shoulders level
• Place your palms at your hips or at the nape of your neck
• Lift your left leg and take a step back
• Bend your knees 90 degrees and simulate the movement as you would like to kneel, but keep your left knee above the mattress. The right knee is positioned above the ankle.

During this exercise you should work your torso muscles, gluteal muscles, but also your legs. Change your legs. Repeat the exercise 20 times.

Swimmer

• Lie on your stomach
• Keep your arms and legs close to your body
• Raise your legs and arms simultaneously so that your body looks like a bow, then start simulating swimming and alternately raise your right hand with your left foot and your left hand with your right foot.

Repeat the exercise for 30 seconds.

Reverse Plank 

• Sit on a mattress yoga mat
• Place your palms on your back and your feet on the mattress
• Lean on your hands, tense your muscles and lift your body. Your body will be in a straight line from head to toe

Stay in this position for 30 seconds.

Sphinx

• Sit on your stomach with your legs outstretched next to your body
• Keep your elbows bent in front of your body
• Keep your head up and your neck straight
• Tighten your back muscles and lift your upper body on your elbows

Stay in this position for 5-10 seconds, then slowly return to the starting position. Do 8-10 repetitions.

Rotating the lower body

• Lie on your back and put a folded towel under your head
• Stretch your hands to the side and with your knees bent over the mattress
• Keep your knees close and start moving your feet to the right

Be careful that your back and arms are always glued to the mattress. Do 8-10 repetitions on each side.

Child Scoliosis is a three-dimensional deficiency that curves the spine, especially in the lumbar region, in the frontal plane, the column taking either the shape of the letter “C” or the shape of the letter “S”. Cases of scoliosis have increased in recent years, being an increasingly common condition among children.

In most cases, scoliosis does not limit movement and does not cause consistent back pain until it becomes severe, when it can lead to difficulty breathing, weakness, numbness or pain in the lower extremities.

There are two main types of scoliosis in children:

• structural, also involves a change in the structure of the elements of the spine – axis rotation of the thoracic vertebrae;
• functional, it is determined by the inadequate posture, by a sudden / exaggerated increase in height, but it can also appear as a result of a pain (muscle spasm), inflammatory process, limb inequality, etc. It does not involve changes in the structure of the spine.

Did you notice a strange posture in the little one? Do you think your shoulders are uneven? Does it have curves of the body to the left or to the right? Here are the possible causes and effects of scoliosis in children. Still in the fast-growing phase, preschoolers and first graders are prone to changing the shape of the spine with long-term repercussions.

Excluding rare diseases that occur at birth, such as congenital or neuromuscular scoliosis, idiopathic scoliosis is common in the population. Deviation of the spine, either in the thoracic or lumbar, occurs at an early age, from the first years of life until adolescence. They can occur, much less often, in the case of people over 16-20 years old.

Therefore, although the triggers of scoliosis are not fully recognized and scientifically proven, we can assume that certain conditions in the lifestyle of children close to school age are the key by which we can understand, recognize and remedy this condition.

CONTENT:

1. Causes of Child Scoliosis
2. Symptoms of Child Scoliosis

Causes of Child Scoliosis

Until we reach the serious cases, which require surgery or wearing a corrective corset, we need to understand that the dangerous deformation of the verticality of the spine starts, in fact, from a deficient posture. And what are the positions and circumstances that do not benefit the children’s column?

Well, those in which we can see, from the outside, that they involve an unnatural curvature and that extend unhealthily, for tens of minutes in a row.

A. Using the phone or tablet
If there is an abuse of access to technology, it means that the little one is static for a long time and prone to scoliosis. When we look at a screen, we usually do it with our heads down and our backs hunched over, and for children, this position is more dangerous than for adults, because the former are still growing.

B. Any sedentary lifestyle
When children do not spend time daily using their muscles and bones in motion, or playing a sport several times a week, the spine is not properly supported.

C. The student’s position in the bench
The school schedule involves many hours spent sitting, and if the child does not keep both feet on the floor and his back supported by the backrest or on both elbows, on the desk, it is possible that in time there will be a deviation of the column to the left or to the right. depending on the incorrect position he adopts for several consecutive hours. Observe how your child sits and teach him to correct his own posture.

Symptoms of Child Scoliosis

Some common aspects visible to the naked eye that may indicate the presence of scoliosis are:

• difference between shoulder height;
• the head is not centered with the rest of the body;
•  difference in hip height or position (uneven hips);
•  the spine has a twisted position;
• difference in the height or position of the shoulder blades (a shoulder blade is more prominent);
•  the ribs are more prominent on one side of the body;
•  when the child is standing, there is a difference between the way his arms hang next to his body (arms have different lengths);
•  when leaning forward, the sides of the back appear different in height;
•  there are problems with breathing due to the small area of ​​the chest for the lungs to swell;
•  back pain when scoliosis is in an aggravated form;
•  last but not least, fatigue that occurs after long periods in a sitting or standing position, can be a symptom – the muscles in the back must work more intensely to maintain the balance of the body;

Scoliosis can be combated with the help of physical therapy, through exercises of balancing, toning and postural correction, to restore the correct position of the spine.