Posts Tagged ‘pain’
Monday, July 12th, 2010
Martha Stewart Whole Living Post….
Here is a link to my most recent post to Whole Living Daily- please check it out. This is an abridged version of the post I did on helping to avoid medical insurance claims nightmares. I had such a nice response to the original post, and the information was so important, I thought it was useful to repost a version of it.
iPad sneak peak…
I continue to work feverishly to get the Back Together iPad application out the door. In my effort to provide you as much of the Back Together experience as possible, the program has expanded in ways I had not even considered when I started to develop it. Here are two screen shots from the program just to give you a small taste of what’s coming:
Needless to say, I am getting really excited about this!
Fitness Challenge update…
A few weeks ago, I promised you a fitness challenge update- and I totally lunched on it. Sorry for the delay! SInce beginning, I have lost a total of 19 pounds. Unfortunately, I have been plateaued for a few weeks, which has been pretty frustrating. MORE frustrating is the fact that I made the decision to integrate bike riding into my regular fitness routine (appropriate as I will now be contributing to the Lance Armstrong Livestrong website.) The frustrating part is that I made this decision just as Philadelphia was entering into nearly a week of 100 degree weather. I was a regular mountain biker up until my residency, and it took just a few rides to remind me of just how much I love riding. I will keep you updated on how this changes things. In the mean time, please continue to send me your updates.
All my best, and thanks for stopping by!
-Andy
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, fitness, fitness challenge, iPad, kirschner, Low Back Pain, martha, Martha Stewart, Neck Pain, pain, whole living
Posted in Announcements | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
With your hectic schedule, it can be tempting to jump right into exercise rather than taking a few minutes to warm up and stretch before working out. Beginning a workout cold puts you at greater risk for injury- particularly if you are someone who exercises in the morning- the time of day you are most likely to sprain or strain your back.
Prehydrate before exercise, and continue to hydrate throughout your workout. Before you start, take a brief, brisk walk (10-15 minutes) then take a moment to stretch each of your large muscle groups. This will significantly reduce the likelihood of injuring your back or neck.
Be well,
Andy
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, exercise, kirschner, Neck Pain, pain, stretch, stretching
Posted in Fitness & Exercise, Tip o' the Day/ B.T.T.o.D. | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
Here is the link to my most recent Martha post. This one builds on the notion that ‘Success leaves clues’- meaning that by paying attention to the activities in your life which may be making you feel better or worse, you have a real opportunity to feel relief.
Enjoy!
-Andy
The Rosetta Stone at the British Museum
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, kirschner, Low Back Pain, martha, Martha Stewart, Neck Pain, pain
Posted in Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, Tips | No Comments »
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010
I had an interesting conversation with two patients this past week, and it brought up once more the discussion regarding the role of faith in healing.
The husband of the couple I was talking to started:
“I know this back pain is never going to go away.”
“If you know it will never go away, then you are right- it won’t.” she replied.
“How can you even say something like that?” he said.
“When I had my car accident seven years ago, I had faith that my pain was going to get better- and it did.”
This led into a long discussion about faith- in the universe, in God, even in one’s self. How much of a role does faith play in recovery from pain? I posted about the role of prayer in pain relief last year, and the discussion caused some of the most interesting letters I had ever received. Some of them were so glad I brought up the topic- others were downright angry that I would include this in a blog devoted to practical solutions for back & neck pain- they felt there was nothing practical about it.
If you’ve followed my blog this past year, you know my family has gone through a lot of difficulty. For myself, faith (or Faith) helped me to cope. I’ve been asked why I think it did, and the best answer I can give is this: For me, the belief that there is an order to things, helps me to reconcile some of the bad things that may be happening right now- maybe I can’t see it, but I personally believe there is an underlying force to the universe and it generally leans towards good.
I always get flack whenever I talk crunchy like this, but this is the only way I have found to even partially explain the role of faith in my life. Everybody seems to have a different take on it though- and frankly, I don’t think it matters if everyone agrees- or even if everyone has faith.
In the end of the day, one thing becomes clear, and you will hear me harp on this point again and again: Psychology has as much to do with how you feel as your physiology, and if prayer or faith gives you more psychological tools to deal with your pain- then faith matters.
Have a great weekend!
This past week, we had a visit from our good friend, and Buddhist Monk, Thay Jiac Dung.
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, faith, kirschner, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, pain, prayer
Posted in Spirituality | No Comments »
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
Well, we are fast approaching the end of the school year, and with that comes finals season. Normally, during the rest of the year I don’t see a whole lot of teenagers with back pain, but this time of year I almost always see more high school and college age students who are hurting. As you will hear me say again and again- we simply weren’t designed to sit on our butts all day long. Watch my video tip of the day, then proceed to some other simple tips you can do to help protect yourself (or your kids!) from back pain while studying for finals.
studenttip
To prevent yourself from experiencing back pain when studying for hours & hours & hours….
1) As I said in the video, get up periodically (optimally every 45 minutes or so.)
2) Keep yourself hydrated. Avoid the temptation to use energy drinks, as they will actually leave you dehydrated. Water will help you prevent stiffness, and ultimately if you are drinking enough, it will force you to adhere to (1) above.
3) If you are seated at a computer for studying, make sure your monitor is propped up to eye level (old phone books make a great monitor stand,) and your keyboard is at a height which allows you to have a neutral wrist position (with your wrists flat.) If you are using a laptop, and external keyboard can help you to optimize your position, and they are no longer an expensive proposition.
4) Use a book stand rather than holding onto a heavy textbook which will force you into an anatomically compromised position.
5) If your chair does not have one built in, roll up a small towel or t-shirt to use as a lumbar support. Place it into the small of your back.
These few suggestions may go far in preventing you from having to take finals in pain. I hope they help. If you have any other thoughts or suggestions, please share them with us on the blog.
Best,
-Andy
Photo from in the studio during appearance on Martha Stewart Radio Tuesday.
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, college, kirschner, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, pain, Sciatica, student, students, study habits, teenagers, teens
Posted in Ergonomics, Tip o' the Day/ B.T.T.o.D., Tips, Videos | No Comments »
Friday, April 16th, 2010
Sciatica is one of the most nagging types of pain you can have- it is like a toothache in your leg! Here’s a simple self-stretch you can do to help alleviate it, but before I share it, you should probably understand a little about sciatica…
Sciatica is a blanket term for pain associated with the sciatic nerve- the nerve which exits your spine between L5 and S1, and innervates part of your leg. Irritation of the sciatic nerve can cause pain which radiates down the back of the leg. If pain radiates down the front or side of the leg, you are talking about a different nerve.
Now, there are a few things which can irritate this nerve, most predominantly a bulging or herniated disc, or compression of the nerve by the piriformis muscle. It is this piriformis spasm or piriformis syndrome which is the focus of this stretch. Lets talk about the anatomy for a moment.
The sciatic nerve goes down the back of your leg, through your buttocks, where it passes beneath the short, thick piriformis muscle. The space through which this nerve traverses is kind of small, so when the piriformis is in spasm, or contracts- it reduces the size of the space through which the nerve travels- and compresses or irritates it, causing sciatic pain.
For this stretch, find a comfortable chair without too much padding, and which allows you to sit evenly with good lower back support. Take the painful leg, and cross it over the other, with the ankle resting on the knee of the non-painful leg.
Slowly lean forward with your upper body, resting your arms on your legs, until you feel the beginning of the stretch and then go just a little further. Hold this position for a few seconds, then return to a neutral position.
Repeat this a few times each session for 2-3 sessions a day. Give it a shot- you may surprise yourself how much this simple stretch can help. This stretch should not exacerbate your discomfort. If it does, it is possible that your pain is coming from a different source. If your pain lasts more than a couple of days, and you haven’t had it accurately diagnosed- you should definitely see your physician.
Be well, and have a fantastic weekend!
-Andy
I am on a serious Alphonse Mucha kick- I think I may start Summer painting early this year.
Tags: anatomy, andrew kirschner andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, kirschner, Low Back Pain, pain, piriformis, Sciatica, Tips
Posted in Low Back Pain, Sciatica, Tips, stretching | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Your body mechanics are such that you place yourself at higher risk for back injury when pulling a heavy object rather than pushing. If you must pull, try to utilize the most stable base you can- utilizing your legs rather than your back.
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, kirschner, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, pain, Sciatica, tip of the day, Tips
Posted in Ergonomics, Low Back Pain, Tip o' the Day/ B.T.T.o.D. | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
A study out of the University of Warwick, published in the Lancet suggests that cognitive therapy may be a useful tool for combatting back pain.
For those unfamiliar with cognitive therapy, here is a description from the Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders:
Cognitive therapy is a psychosocial (both psychological and social) therapy that assumes that faulty thought patterns (called cognitive patterns) cause maladaptive behavior and emotional responses. The treatment focuses on changing thoughts in order to solve psychological and personality problems.
In this study, focused around 701 patients pulled from family practices, people with ongoing back pain were given cognitive therapy in the form of ‘Back Skills Training,’ Those who had the therapy were then compared to those who had not, utilizing a subjective measure of pain pain known as the Roland Morris scale.
Those patients who participated in the cognitive therapy group had significantly less pain than those who did not. The bigger issue, as with any lifestyle modification, is compliance. The study found that only 63 percent of those patients inserted into the therapy group were compliant with the therapy.
Again, I can’t stress strongly enough, the link between mind and body. How you perceive and experience pain is every bit as important as the physiological issues which caused it in the first place. If you are someone who has been dealing with back or neck pain for a long time, you already know the psychological burden it can be. Perhaps this additional modality could be a benefit to you.
If you have had cognitive therapy for your back pain, or another psychological modality, please share your experience here on BackWords. I look forwards to hearing from you.
Be well!
-Andy
Bringing a partner into the healing cycle can have significant benefit to a person in pain.
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, cognitive, cognitive therapy, lancet, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, pain, study, therapy
Posted in Studies & Research | No Comments »
Monday, April 12th, 2010
Dr. Oz on Back Pain:
I am always happy when I see mainstream press talking about back pain in useful ways. All too often I see news stories about over-hyped miracle cures, or human interest pieces about some insanely rare back disorder. So, when I see a practical piece, I feel compelled to share it with you.
Dr. Mehmet Oz did a great piece on back pain. In it, he tells you some basic info about back pain, when to seek medical attention, and some simple things you can do to help.
A funny video I had forwarded on youtube:
Thank you to Steve for sending me this YouTube video. It doesn’t have much to do with back pain, but it did make me laugh. Take a look here.
Thank You!
I haven’t cancelled patients or any other work due to illness in a very long time. Last Tuesday, I was minding my own business seeing patients when, over the course of an hour, I developed what I am pretty sure was a flu. Fever, chills, body aches, nausea- the works. About an hour later, my dad, who shares an office with me, got pretty much the same symptoms.
Well, needless to say, we both bailed, and cancelled 2 days worth of patients.
I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who phoned, emailed, and PM’d me ‘get well’ messages. I really do appreciate them, and thankfully, I feel about 80% better.
Check out BackWords tomorrow for an announcement concerning the iPad!
Best, and be well!
-Andy
The Marketplace at Covent Garden
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Oz, GMA, kirschner, Mehmet, Neck Pain, Oz, pain
Posted in Announcements | No Comments »
Monday, April 12th, 2010
I am pleased to be able to announce the launch of a new Back Together service- Back Together On-Site.
Back pain is one of the leading sources of worker’s compensation claims, costing companies hundreds of millions of dollars per year- not just in medical costs, but in lost productivity due to absenteeism as well as presenteeism (when an employee continues to work, with reduced productivity due to an underlying condition.) Kevin Marth and I have spent several years studying this problem, and have developed a comprehensive service to help.
Back Together On-Site is a service designed to help employers reduce the cost of back & neck pain to their companies through;
-A comprehensive on-site evaluation of their workplace ergonomics, resulting in a detailed report including highest ‘at-risk’ situations, and recommendations for ways to correct.
-In-service programs for employees designed to increase risk awareness.
-A custom web portal designed to provide employees opportunity to raise questions about back pain, get suggestions about preventive measures, and provide an educational resource BEFORE they develop back pain.
-And much more.
Companies will see reduced injury rates, reduced claims, and a happier population of employees.
For more information, please send an email to info@backtogether.org, with ‘On-Site’ in the subject line.
Best,
Andy
Donna receiving a vibration healing session via didgeridoo, administered by Didgeri-Joe.
Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, Ergonomics, injuries, injury, kirschner, Neck Pain, on site, pain, worker's compensation, workers comp, workplace
Posted in Announcements | No Comments »
