The moral of the story is this: Different pharmacies can have different relationships with manufacturers and distributors, so it pays to comparison shop. Money is tight for most of us these days, so it is clearly worth the work.

Best,

Andy

It pays to comparison shop.

Are you making any of these mistakes? Do you know someone who has?

Tomorrow: Viewer Question and iPad app update.

Thanks for stopping by,

Andy

Now it isn’t that I’m so smart- her problem was pretty straight forward. The other doctors should have seen what was wrong with her, but it boils down to the fact that people know what they know, and they do what they do. This is true for physicians and patients.

I am working on my second book, which is largely about the lifestyle factors which can either cause or relieve back pain, and in researching what has worked and what hasn’t worked for patients it has become really clear that for all of this rhetoric about ‘thinking outside the box’, no one really does. We learn things throughout all of our lives which cause us to behave and respond in certain ways- and those are the things we stick with. They become part of our identiy.

The woman I told you about only needed a pretty simple stretch to fix her problem. In medical school, we talked about stretching for about 15 minutes- so it clearly wasn’t a priority. Stretching wasn’t to become part of what we as physicians know. I probably wouldn’t have understood how straight forward this patient’s pain was had I not been open to understanding the role of stretching in helping to relieve back pain. This only came about because a friend of mine, Jorden Gold, is a stretching coach- really rammed it down my throat. Now, stretching is a regular part of my treatment plans. I increased my knowledge base, and expanded what I know, and what I do- and I am a better physician as a result.

I truly believe that most back pain is the cumulative effect of a ton of lifestyle factors- many of which are based upon things we know- and behaviors we may have been doing for a really long time. As you take your journey through recovery- try to be ok with the fact that you know what you know, and sometimes what you know may be wrong, or simply not enough. Be open to new ideas methods- who knows what you might learn?

Tomorrow- the three mistakes most back pain sufferers make.

Thanks for stopping by,

Andy

Spring is coming soon!

Check back later this week for great tips for breastfeeding mothers, as well as a review of a wonderful sexual aid for folks with back pain.

Thanks for stopping by!

Andy

I did not identify any significant mechanical problems with her neck- so I sat her down in front of my computer and had her browse the internet for a few minutes (checking out some of her favorite posts here on BackWords!) Almost immediately, I was able to see what the problem was- she was squinting at the screen, and craning her neck forward to see it better. I quickly asked her when her last eye exam was, and she told me ‘more than 4 years ago.’

She had an eye exam, got her prescription changed, and her neck pain went away.

Get regular eye exams!

-Andy

.

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

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

I love getting questions and comments from viewers like you, as this helps me to direct the blog in ways that will be the most useful. If you have or have had back or neck pain, share your experiences with me. What worked for you? What didn’t? Are you considering some sort of treatment or alternative approach to your pain? Share it here with me, and with other readers who may benefit from your experience, or offer you thoughts on their own experiences.

There are many ways for you to access the information here on Back Together:

-Visit my main website, www.backtogether.org- here you will find videos of TV appearances, links to articles about Back Together from various publications, and links to places to purchase Back Together books & DVD programs.

-Please become a fan on Facebook. On the Back Together fan page, you will find links to articles posted here on BackWords, as well as my posts on Martha Stewart’s Whole Living Daily and Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong blogs. Also, you will get additional tips and announcements.

-If you are on a device which does not support Flash, you can go directly to the BackTogetherTV page on YouTube to watch the most recent video blog posts, as well as archives of previous posts.

-Lastly, get your Back Together Tip ‘o the Day (B.T.T.o.D.) via twitter by following BackTips.

Thank you so much or visiting, and for your questions and comments. It is your contributions which help to make the site interesting.

Be Well!

-Andy

-If you need to wear heels for work, or an occasion- try to keep them no higher than 1 to 1.5 inches in height. Higher than this, and you will alter your pelvic tilt, and compromise your body mechanics.

-If you must wear heels higher than that, try to stick with ones that have a wider, more supportive heel (mules for example.) These will provide lateral support and put you at less risk than stiletto types.

-There are no dress shoes (for women or men) that are particularly supportive, so really try to wear them only when you need to. Good shock absorption and arch support can to a lot to protect your back from harm. I love when I see folks walking to work in a suit wearing sneakers, and changing into their shoes when they get where they are going.

As a guy who wears cowboy boots most of the time, I take my footwear seriously!

Just a few thoughts. Be Well!

-Andy

Honestly- these shoes are HEINOUS!