Improving sleep may help back pain. It's a vicious cycle: pain interferes with sleep, and not sleeping makes pain worse. Fortunately, it's possible to break the cycle without pills by making a few simple lifestyle changes.
To improve sleep, follow a consistent bedtime routine. Strive to go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning.
Music as a Relaxation Technique
Music can have a powerful pull on our mood, energy, and stress level. As you read through the list of emotions below, you can probably bring to mind a song or a genre that evokes that feeling for you. Try it…
Patriotic | Spiritual | Nostalgic | Love | Hate or Violence | Energetic | Happy
Sad | Excited | Irritated | Peaceful and Calm
It’s no wonder then that music can have a tremendous relaxing effect on our bodies and our minds, lowering blood pressure, slowing heart rate, and decreasing stress hormones. Research indicates that it can reduce both the sensation and distress of chronic pain.
To incorporate more music into your life, try music in different situations to see if it helps you to relax; in place of TV, waiting at the doctor’s office, shopping, in the car, taking the dog for a walk, as part of a relaxing bedtime routine, doing housework, gardening, while you shower, or during meals.
One of the nicest advancements in technology is digital music. You can listen to exactly what you want when you want it. Digital music players and a good set of headphones make a great gift—give someone a hint or treat yourself.
Heilman Center for Pain and Spine Care updated their phone number.
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Donna R. suffered from lower back pain for thirty years
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Relaxation helps reduce stress which can help reduce pain. Positive self-talk can help keep you relaxed.
Pain makes it easy to focus on everything that is wrong. Negative thinking can be a vicious cycle. Thoughts affect feelings and can lead to more negative thoughts. Focusing on the good and positive in life can break the negative thinking cycle and restore a hopeful, positive outlook. To get started, make a list of things you wouldn’t change in your life. Focus on these positives in your life. Post positive notes where you’ll see them during the day.
The Heilman Center specializes in treating complex pain conditions using minor, outpatient procedures. Nerve Blocks and Injections are examples of the dozens of available treatments.
"After my first injection I was pain-free. It was unbelievable! I felt like I was given a whole new life!" – Christie O.
Nerve blocks and injections are a highly targeted way to block pain signals at specific points in the body. Injections of local anesthetic and steroid directly to the source of pain can improve function and quality of life by relieving pain for an extended period of time.
There are different kinds of nerve blocks used for various purposes. They may help people avoid surgery; allow them take an active role in physical therapy to regain strength and function or confirm the location of pain for a more advanced treatment option.
Every pain condition has multiple treatment options. Call 734-388-0642 to set up a consultation and get a custom treatment plan so you can get your life back!
Reduce mild back pain with simple steps that can make a big difference.
Massage Therapy
Recovering from a flare-up of back pain can take time. To speed recovery, consider massage therapy in addition to other strategies like staying as active as possible and relaxation techniques.
Massage therapy can provide several important health benefits to reduce pain:
• Improves blood circulation, aiding in the recovery of muscle soreness from physical activity.
• Relaxes muscles for an improved range of motion.
• Improves sleep.
• Increases endorphins--feel good hormones.
A licensed massage therapist can guide the selection of the type of massage most likely to have the greatest benefits. Swedish massage, the most common type, is mostly relaxation massage. Other forms of massage include deep-tissue, pressure-point and neuromuscular massage.
Relaxing helps reduce stress which can help reduce pain. Simple breathing exercises help many people relax.
A great way to start is to sit in a quiet place for 5 minutes. After practicing, it becomes easier to do these exercises in other environments with distractions.
Pay attention to your breath. Don’t try to change it, just observe your breath as it enters your nose, moves into your lungs and is released. Do this for several breaths. Notice the depth and speed of your breath.
Jennifer's pain is controlled & she's enjoying her family again
“Now that my pain is under control, everything is different!”
Since her pain treatment at the Heilman Center, Jennifer has a new healthy baby girl and fulfilled her older daughter’s dream of taking a family trip to Disney World. Jennifer lost her quality of life to pain from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. It limited everything: playing with her daughter, sleeping, working, walking, and even the ability to safely have another baby. Jennifer visited twelve different specialists before she found pain relief at the Heilman Center. These days, you’ll find her playing with both of her daughters, teaching students in her elementary school class, working out, and living life to the fullest.
Read the rest of Jennifer’s story: https://www.heilmancenter.com/jennifers-story/
Reduce mild back pain with simple steps that can make a big difference.
Start with a Firm Foundation
Focus on footwear to prevent back pain. Shoes impact the way the foot moves when a step is taken and that movement directs how the rest of the body will follow.
High heels that shift weight forward onto the ball of the foot and misalign the knees, hips, pelvis, and spine are obvious back pain culprits. So, flats it is? Not so fast, completely flat shoes don’t provide adequate support, put pressure on the heel and can cause the foot to roll inward--pushing the knees and hips out of alignment. Flip flops are not a good choice as they cause added pressure to the outer edge of the foot making the leg rotate slightly which throws off the angle of the pelvis. Also avoid shoes with pointed toes that squish feet into an awkward position.
Better Choices: running shoes which generally provide good cushion, support, and stability; shoes with low heals; and specially designed inserts for extra cushion and support.
