Filed under: Lower Extremity, Movement Dysfunction, Musicians, Spine, Sports, Upper Extremity | Tags: core, exercise, movement, Movement Dysfunction, redcord, strengthening
Do you think you have a strong core? The latest trending exercise for core enthusiasts is at Motion Stability! Redcord is gaining popularity in the world of wellness and with elite athletes as a strengthening appartaus which emphasizes perfect form and maximizes muscle specificity! The advantages of redcord as an exercise also play a key role in the world of rehabilitation for the correction of movement dysfunctions found in musculoskeletal pain and chronic pain.
Redcord was featured in a recent edition of Marie Claire magazine! Check out the article here: http://www.neuracpt.com/pdfs/Marie%20Claire%20Cover%20March%202012.pdf
Filed under: Movement Dysfunction, Pain Sciences, Spine | Tags: Low Back Pain, Post-partum, Women's Health
Recently we have seen a growing number of women presenting to our clinic with low back pain and who incidentally have had a baby within the last couple of years. Unfortunately many of these women have been told 1 of 2 things by their medical practitioners: it is an unfortunate side-effect of being post-partum and that it should go away in due time or go try some physical therapy and see if it helps. The problem is that the women is caught between her ObGyn saying it is a post-partum issue and her orthopedist diagnosing her with non-specific back pain, but not attributing it to the fact that she has just had a baby. Oftentimes, the problem goes undiagnosed and women who are even 10yrs post-partum can have dysfunction and pain directly related to the pregnancy numerous years ago.
As physical therapist’s, we have the responsibility of linking these events together and explaining to the women how pregnancy alters the stability and mechanics of her back, abdominal, and pelvic regions. We have the unique ability to catch these women as they fall through the cracks of traditional medicine and significantly alter how the woman is able to go about her day caring for her newborn pain-free. A knowledgeable clinician will be able to create an individualized treatment program structured around the effects that a pregnancy and delivery can have on the woman.
At our clinic, the therapists are able to use ultrasound (similar to ones at the Ob’s office) to evaluate the muscle integrity of the abdomen and pelvic floor (areas most often affected by pregnancy.) It has become a useful tool to integrate into the treatment programs for these patients. The ultrasound allows the therapist and patient to visualize exactly how the muscles are being used and in what manner. Please check out this article for more information on the use of ultrasound imaging in the PT clinic: http://www.motionstability.com/assets/docs/articles/a_2010_09_ultrasound.
Hides JA, Stanton W, McMahon S, et al. Effect of stabilization training on multifidus muscle cross-sectional area among young elite cricketers with low back pain. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2008;38(3):101-108. This study reinforces previous studies on low back pain, and the need to perform specific stabilization techniques to improve pain and function rated scores. In this study, cross sectional area (CSA) of lumbar multifidus was found to be assyemtrical in size at the L5 level in young elite crickters with low back pain. With specific retraining of the transversus abdominis, pelvic floor, and lumbar multifidus, athletes with low back pain had improvements in CSA and reports in decrease pain. General exercise strategies for core stabilization need to be specified, especially with patients with low back pain.
Filed under: Spine
Martin BI, Deyo RA, Mirza SK, et al. Expenditures and health status among adults with back and neck problems. JAMA 2008;299(6):656-664.
In this article, this study examined national expenditures for back and neck problems or related trends from 1997 to 2005. In 1997, the mean medical expenditures with spine problems was $4695 compared with $2731 among those without spine problems. In 2005, the mean medical expenditures with spine problems was $6096, compared with $3516 among those without spine problems. And total estimated expenditures among those with spine problems increased 65% in this time, without significant reports in improvements in health status measures. Although expenditures for outpatient visits accounted for the largest proportion of total cost, the greatest relative increase among expenditure categories was due to increased medication use. This article demonstrates that traditional management of low back pain, which includes imaging, injections, medication intake and other conservative management interventions are not providing proper solutions, and causing an inflated rate in expenditures. A more broad, but defined perspective of what pain is, and what it can do to alter the neuro-musculoskeletal system needs to be explored to fully understand how to treat it. We will continue to explore this in the blog site.
Filed under: Spine
Jull GA, Trott P, Potter, H, et al. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Exercise and Manipulative Therapy for Cervicogenic Headache. Spine 2002;27(17):1835-1843.
This randomized controlled trial is a great resource for the treatment of cervicogenic headaches. This study demonstrated that patients with cervicogenic headaches had signicificantly reduced headaches after 12 month follow-ups with the use of manual therapy and specific exercises when compared to a control group that resumed normal activity. Specific exercise consisted mainly of activating the longus colli or deep neck flexors. 10% more patients gained relief with combined manual therapies and exercise regimens than compared to isolated treatment techniques. In further blog entries, we will explore the role of the longus colli and other cervico-scapular muscles for proper stabilization of the neck and upper quarter, as well as understanding the differential diagnosis between major headache types such as Cervicogenic, migraines, and tension headaches.
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