Austin Chiropractor | Performance Health Austin Sports Chiropractic » low back pain

Relieving Back Pain

ross — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:21:21 +0000

Spinal Stability: Preventing Low Back Pain

ross — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:02:23 +0000

Soon after initiating treatment for low back pain, I try to stabilize my patients core by strengthening their abs and back. Early onset of rehabilitation helps to decrease the likelihood of a relapse. Stabilizing and strengthening the spine can also be used to help prevent back pain. Stabilization of the spine can be very simple. The primary goal is to build a barrel of endurance strength around the midsection. Research shows that endurance strength, the ability to hold a contraction for a prolonged time, reduces the likelihood of low back pain. The first goal of a back strengthening program is to stabilize the spine then progress to more dynamic exercises that strengthen the spine in more complex positions. Here is my very basic but effective program – back extensions (2 -3 sets of 20-30 performed slowly), side plank on elbow (90 seconds hold each side), prone plank (90 second hold). This is a simple yet effective program that increases the stability of the spine and is a great starting point for more dynamic exercises.

Back extensions

2-3 sets of 20-30 repetitions performed slowly

3 seconds per repetition

Starting position

Ending position

Side plank (hold for 90 seconds)

Prone plank (hold for 90 seconds)

Active Release Technique

ross — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:14:06 +0000

I recently re-certified in Active Release Technique – Lower Extremity. I hate to sound overconfident but after 10 years of practicing massage therapy I didn’t think I would learn a tremendous amount from a seminar. I must say that the Active Release instructors were very impressive and helped me greatly improve my treatment effectiveness. They worked with me to improve my ability to sense dysfunctional tissue and ease the pain that sometimes is associated with this type of treatment. I’m excited to further my education and offer such a high quality treatment technique.

What is Active Release Technique or ART®?

Active Release Technique (ART)® is a patented, state of the art, soft tissue, movement-based massage technique that has been proven to effectively treat overuse problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.

Active Release Technique® has been successfully used to treat headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, tennis elbow as well as numerous other conditions. Most conditions are resolved quickly and permanently with the use of Active Release Technique®.

Active Release Technique® is most effective with conditions that are the result of overused muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.

How do overuse injuries occur?

Soft tissues in the body (muscle, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves) change in three important ways:

Acute conditions – pulls, tears, collisions, etc.
Micro-trauma – an accumulation of small tears to the soft tissue
Hypoxia – when the soft tissues do not get enough oxygen

These types of changes (acute, micro-trauma, hypoxia) can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. The scar tissue then binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely for optimum health and pain free living. As the scar tissue builds your muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on the tendons can cause tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This in turn can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.

I Didn’t Know You Treated That!

admin — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:11:00 +0000

I hear this statement often, “I didn’t know you treated that. I thought you only worked on backs.”

I have to take some responsibility for this by not explaining myself throughly when speaking to people. I understand that some chiropractors only treat the spine but because of my comprehensive chiropractic school training (see links below), specialized sports training, and my health and fitness background has expanded my knowledge base to treat a wide range of musculoskeletal problems.

I have included a list below.

Headache
Rotator cuff and shoulder pain/tendonitis
Medial and lateral epicondylitis (golfer’s and tennis elbow)
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Rib pain
Sports hernia and abdominal wall pain
Hip bursitis and pain
Muscle strains
Iliotibial band syndrome
Patellofemoral disorders (knee pain)
Ankle sprains
Osteoarthritis
Achilles/foot tendinitis
Plantar fasciitis
Localized muscle strains
Low back pain (disc herniation, “slipped disc”)
Neck pain
Degenerative disk disease
Rehabilitation of surgical and non-surgical ligament sprains, tendon ruptures and fractures
And many more

This is not an exhaustive list but it does include most of what we treat on a regular basis. As you can see, there is a wide range of conditions that we treat.

We would love to help you feel better.

Chiropractic School

http://www.wschiro.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=42

Certifited Chiropractic Sports Practitioner

http://www.acbsp.com/CCSP.htm

My unique background

http://www.phaustin.com/unique-sports-background.htm