Archive for the ‘Videos’ Category
Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
viewerq
Thanks so much for your question Penny!
Inversion therapy is one of those modalities that becomes more popular from time to time, and for some people it definitely provides some relief.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with inversion, it is basically a procedure where the recipient lays on a table which tilts into an upside down position, causing gravity to provide essentially the same benefits as traction would in a physical therapy office. Take a look at the photo below.
For the right patient, it can provide some relief by stretching the muscles, and enlarging the space in between vertebrae- allowing more room for nerves which may otherwise be being compressed.
For the wrong patient, it can be problematic. First of all, patients with any blood pressure issues, family history of stroke, or other brain issues should avoid inversion therapy altogether, as the increased pressure can increase the likelihood of stroke or even death. People with damaged discs can actually worsen their condition with inversion therapy. Even if you have no known issues such as these, absolutely consult your own physician before trying this or any other new modality.
Again, thank you for your question. Please feel free to submit your questions regarding back and neck pain here to the backwords blog- text or video are welcome.
Best,
Andy
Tags: andrew kirschener, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, disc, inversion, inversion therapy, kirschner, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, pain, physical therapy, traction
Posted in Videos, Viewer Question | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 5th, 2010
adamvitollo
Today, Adam Vitolo from the Iyengar Institute presents his One Thing- on posture.
I spend several hours every week discussing posture with my patients, who are quick to blame pretty much everything else for their back pain. I love it when something as simple as some attention to posture can relieve an individual of their back & neck pain.
Thanks for stopping by,
Andy
Tags: adam vitolo, Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, ayengar, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, kirschner, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, pain, vitolo, yogo
Posted in The One Thing, Videos | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
rosaquestion
Thank you so much for your question Rosa.
Sciatic injury is sort of an open ended definition. To best answer your question, I should first give you two definitions. First, the sciatic nerve is a thick nerve which runs down the back of your leg, and exits the spine between your 5th lumbar vertebra and your sacrum. Sciatic pain, or sciatica is a global term which relates to any pain associated with that nerve. Some people mistakenly call any pain radiating into the leg sciatica- it is really only pain going down the back of the thigh (The front and sides of your thigh are actually a different nerve.)
There are lots of ways in which a nerve can be injured, but sciatic pain is less often the result of nerve injury than it is due to irritation of the nerve by one of its adjacent structures. There are three common causes of sciatic pain. One is L5S1 disc herniation, where the disc has extended beyond its’ normal location, and encroached upon the space where the nerve travels. The second is stenosis, where arthritis, disc degeneration, or other anomaly has caused the hole through which the nerve travels to become reduced in diameter. The third, and in my practice the most common is when a short thick triangular muscle called the piriformis goes into spasm, causing it to thicken in its center and compress the pathway through which the nerve travels through the buttocks.
An actual injury to the nerve can be caused by a trauma, and prolonged compression from any one of the three sources above can cause damage as well resulting in pain, altered sensation, and in really bad cases loss of muscle strength associated with that nerve.
I hope that answers your question. There are some great posts here on how to reduce sciatic pain including this one which describes an effective piriformis stretch. Check back periodically for new tips & suggestions.
Again, thanks for your question.
-Andy
Stay tuned for a new "One Thing" tomorrow featuring an expert from the Ayengar Institute.
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, injury, kirschner, Low Back Pain, nerve, piriformis, radiculopathy, sciatic, Sciatica
Posted in Sciatica, Tips, Videos | No Comments »
Monday, September 20th, 2010
NicoleSmith
Thursday I was a guest at the Martha Stewart Health Expo for MSLO employees, and had the good fortune to meet
Nicole Smith, a practitioner of Nuad Boran, Thai Yoga. I have had a real interest in this modality for a long time, as it combines many components of movement and massage therapy into one series of techniques. I regret not having shot video of an actual treatment session, but
here is a brief sample of some techniques I found on YouTube. Ms. Smith’s approach had more of a flow to it. I will try to get some video of her approach in the near future.
As a big advocate of stretching, I really enjoyed watching her approach to fitness.
Look for some more updates from Martha Headquarters in New York this week. Thanks for joining me.
Be well!
-Andy
Mosaic wall, Old City, Jerusalem
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, Low Back Pain, martha, Martha Stewart, nicole smith, nuad boran, Thai Massage, whole living
Posted in Fitness & Exercise, Spirituality, stretching, Videos | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
soursop
I love when I can learn about local remedies and treatments for back & neck pain. The chef at the hotel made it a point of telling me that this unusual looking fruit- the soursop- was good for treating low back pain. I looked it up on line, and apparently it can also be useful for headaches, skin disorders, blood pressure problems, as well as sexual dysfunction.
Do you have any experience with foods which have helped you with any health issues? How about back pain? Please share them here.
Thanks for visiting,
-Andy
Tags: andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, food nutrition, fruit, Jamaica, kirschner, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, soursop
Posted in Nutrition, Tips, Videos | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
megsonething
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In my ‘One Thing’ series, experts in back pain from various fields share their one best piece of advice for preventing or eliminating back and neck pain. Today, physical therapist Meghan B. Tierney, PT, MPT, OCS shares her one thing. Meghan is the founder and proprietor of One Physical Therapy and Wellness in Bryn Mawr PA.
Back Together DVD program now available from Amazon. Click here to order!
Thanks for visiting,
-Andy
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, kirschner, Low Back Pain, meghan tierney, physical therapy, tip, Tips
Posted in The One Thing, Videos | No Comments »
Monday, July 26th, 2010
rfaetc
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Beth Rifkin was kind enough to submit a response to the yoga post last week. I am amazed by the variety of thoughts and opinions about yoga and how it can effect a variety of health conditions.
The other portion of the video is a response to a question from Trisha in Arkansas about a procedure called radio frequency ablation, or RFA. RFA can be used to treat several painful conditions- but it is not for everyone. Typically, it seems to be most useful for radicular conditions (radiating pain along the length of a nerve)- although many of the physicians doing it will tell you it is useful beyond that relatively small group of pain sufferers. In any case, it seems to be a far less invasive alternative to all out back surgery. I will be posting an interview with a physician who does dozens of these procedures each week in the not too distant future.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Andy
View of the Roman Encampment from the top of Mt. Masada, Negev Desert, Israel.
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, kirschner, Neck Pain, nerve pain, radicular, radiculopathy, radio frequency, radio frequency ablation, RFA, sciatic, Sciatica
Posted in Videos, Viewer Question | No Comments »
Saturday, July 17th, 2010
A few times each week, I post a brief tip or suggestion about avoiding or relieving back pain on my Facebook fan page. These posts are usually independent of anything I post here on the blog, and are just meant to provide folks with bite-size tips, and are rarely controversial. Last week I posted the suggestion that one never bend and twist at the same time (meaning, that if you need to pick something up off the floor, or reach down for some other reason, turn your body to face what you are grasping rather than twisting to one side or another while bending.) Well, this resulted in a whole bunch of mail and posts- particularly about how this suggestion would effect folks’ participation in yoga. Yoga does involve some bending and twisting- and in theory should ultimately help one to avoid back and neck pain rather than cause it. Here is a video post offering a few quick suggestions on ways to avoid back and neck injury while doing yoga. The tips are reposted in text version at the bottom of the post if you want to forward them to any of your friends or fellow yoga participants. I would enjoy hearing your thoughts and experiences regarding regarding back pain and yoga- whether it provided you relief or made you feel worse.
Enjoy!
yoga
(In the first take of this video, the woman behind me was waving into the camera. I asked her to please stop- but by golly she made sure her arm was featured in the video anyway. Congratulations lady- you now have a famous arm!)
Here are your tips to avoid yoga related back and neck injuries:
-As always, hydrate before, during, and after yoga. Even slight dehydration will increase the likelihood of straining or even tearing a muscle, and the enhanced fatigue that comes with dehydration will increase your chances of using poor body mechanics.
-Before a class, take a brisk 10-15 minute walk. This will warm up your muscle groups and prepare them for the challenge ahead. This helps even when getting read for a ‘hot yoga’ class.
-If you are new to yoga, work up to doing multiple classes per week. Your enthusiasm may push you to try and do 5 classes per week, but slow down. An NFL team I worked with brought in a well known yoga instructor to help with flexibility, and I cannot tell you how many low back sprains, neck strains, and groin pulls I wound up treating as a result of pushing too much, too fast.
-Listen to your body. If a new posture is painful- back off that posture. If you feel your discomfort is simply due to it being ‘new’, build up to it slowly. If pain continues, be sure you are approaching the posture with correct body mechanics (your instructor should be able to guide you.) If the pain persists, it may signal that something is wrong- see your doctor.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Andy
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, fitness, hot yoga, injuries, kirschner, Neck Pain, Tips, yoga, yoga injuries, yoga injury
Posted in Tips, Uncategorized, Videos | 1 Comment »
Monday, June 28th, 2010
nyt
So, here is the link to an article in the New York Times this AM. Actually, this article was about the new show ‘Huge’ – a socially interesting concept for a show about the efforts of overweight teenagers to find dignity in their efforts towards transformation. However, the article also references the ‘gainer blog’ phenomenon (blogs devoted to finding ways to more efficiently gain weight. These blogs are not typically geared towards people who are ‘too thin’ trying to gain weight, but more towards overweight individuals celebrating and augmenting their obesity.) This was enough to get me doing some research. I have seen some of the people who proclaim that they are healthy in spite of being morbidly obese on some of the talk shows, and while they may be able to demonstrate good blood work- you simply cannot change the laws of physics. Your musculoskeletal system was just not designed to support tremendous amounts of weight, and even if one were to not exhibit any of the cardiovascular and endocrine issues associated with obesity, their feet, knees, hips, and yes- their spine- all are subject to greater wear and tear, potentially leading to pain, and surgical intervention. There are numerous studies out there which support this assertion.
The line in the article that caught me off guard was this notion that there is a conspiracy, and that this gainer phenomenon is ‘an outcry against the manipulations of a diet-industrial complex.’ If anything, the food industry is doing exactly the opposite thing- producing food products which promote obesity, and the media which provides advertising for these products puts all of them in our faces ALL THE TIME. This topic is poignant to me as I continue on my own fitness challenge, and try to get myself into the shape I know I should be. There are definitely social forces compelling many of us to get thin- particularly teenage girls- who are bombarded with images from all sides, so I don’t want to discount this notion completely- but I feel the greater force emerges from the food industry which continues to churn out numerous processed, fat laden, inexpensive, and apparently enticing foods. My suspicion here is born out by the disproportionate rates of obesity here in the U.S. relative to much of the world.
I don’t want to come across as against overweight people, but more in favor of a balanced healthy lifestyle. As someone who has battled with weight issues for much of my life, I can definitely feel empathy for those embroiled in the struggle to get fit.
Check back tomorrow for the Fitness Challenge update, and a book review of a really fantastic book for kids with pain syndromes.
Thanks for checking in!
-Andy
Be sure to check out the blog regularly for tips on how to prevent and relieve back pain. Back Together book and DVD programs available from Amazon.com. ORDER TODAY!
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, diet, dieting, gainer, Huge, kirschner, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, obesity
Posted in General Health Information, Nutrition, Videos | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
[name of clip]
Many physicians do not believe that the sacroiliac joint moves in any consequential way. As an Osteopathic physician, I believe that it does.
Here is a brief response to a viewer question who was referred to me for his sacroiliac or SI pain. His general practitioner told him that they do not move, and that his pain had to be from his hip, in spite of several negative radiological studies of his hip, and continuing pain even after ‘treatment’ for his hip pain.
The SI joint is at the intersection of the sacrum and the pelvic bone (see picture below), and while it does not move much- it does indeed move. With each step it rotates anteriorly with the push off of your leg, and posteriorly with extension of the opposite leg. Occasionally with stress or poor body mechanics, this joint can become ‘stuck,’ sometimes causing significant pain from what are known as anterior or posterior inominate dysfunctions.
Drawing of sacroiliac joint.
In a later post, I will provide you with some simple exercises you can do to help mobilize your SI joints, and I have asked Jorden Gold of the Stretch Zone to provide some stretches as well.
Later this week, look for my ergonomic review of the iPhone 4, and specifically how it compares functionally to the iPad.
Thanks for joining me!
-Andy
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, iPad, iPhone, iPhone 4, kirschner, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, sacroiliac, sacroiliac pain
Posted in sacroiliac, Videos | No Comments »
