Life With My Pet Back

If you have back pain ideally you will have someone else to make your bed for you. However I know that is not always possible or practical for many people. Here are a few tips that may make it just that bit easier for you.  Do of course check with your doctor if you wonder if you should be doing this at all.  If you are currently experiencing moderate to severe back or sciatic pain, or have recently had surgery or are advised by your healthcare professional NOT to do this activity then do get someone else to do it for you. Likewise if you have even mild pain and find this aggravates it  get help to make your bed. It is not worth aggravating any pain.  If someone can only help you once every couple of weeks ask them to put on two bottom sheets. that way after one week you can remove one of the bottom sheets and the one underneath is still clean for you.  Equally they can put a top sheet on for you and a quilt cover then you can just remove the top sheet an...

If you have back pain and you have a dog you may need to tackle this issue. Dogs need a walk everyday and unless you can get someone else to walk your dog you need to consider what you will do. I was in this position and learned a few things through trial and error. First thing is to check with your healthcare provider if it is OK for you to try walking your dog with your condition. The most important thing for you is to be safe and not to damage your back.  If they say no then you must find someone else to walk your dog. This may be a family member, a friend, a neighbour, someone you trust, or you could think about hiring a licensed dog walker. It is important your dog is walked every day and it is important you are safe and look after your back.. This may be the most viable option for you if you re in a lot of pain or cannot walk very far or feel unsteady. I was in this position for a while until my back pain started to improve.  If you get the Ok from your physi...

What is " Lose The Back Pain System " and is it a scam? If you are reading this page and now experiencing sciatic and back pain, you may well be asking those questions. I have used Lose The Back Pain system and I have talked many times with Steve Hefferon and Jesse Cannone to satisfy all my questions. Steve also provided me with excellent support as I used  Lose The Back Pain exercises, DVDs and information. You have maybe tried lots of back pain treatments? Have some given temporary relief ? Have some given no relief at all? Are you Looking for a non invasive, non surgical approach?  I hate to think of people out there who are suffering in daily pain when there may be a solution for them worth trying. " Lose The Back Pain" was one of the best things to relieve my sciatica and back pain - maybe it could work for you too? Here are some customers experiences of Lose The Back Pain Lose The Back Pain System Lose the Back Pain, is a system of sel...

What Are Systemic ProteolyticEnzymes and How Can YouBenefit from Them? By Steven Hefferon, CMT, PTA, CPRS Proteolytic enzymes, also referred to as "proteases," are enzymes that break down proteins into their smallest elements. If this breakdown of proteins happens in your gut, we call the enzymes "digestive," because they help us digest our food. Systemic proteolytic enzymes, however, have a completely different purpose, so please don't confuse the two. When taken on an empty stomach, proteolytic enzymes will pass through the stomach or intestine lining and enter the circulatory system. This is why they are called "systemic" - once they enter the circulatory system, they circulate throughout the body. Click here For Your Heal And Soothe Why are systemic proteolytic enzymes important? The most important thing that systemic proteolytic enzymes do is to break down excess fibrin in your circulatory system and in other c...

To all the people who are experiencing snow and freezing temperatures  right now do be careful of your back! Snow and Ice can be pretty and can be fun! -but also can be dangerous especially if you already have back issues.  1. If you need to go out do wear layers, hat and gloves and even a heat pack on your back to keep your muscles as warm as possible. 2. Wear a good solid pair of boots with excellent grips. If they do not have grips purchase a pair of pull on grips to give you extra traction. If you have back issues, It is very important you do not slip or fall  as you could injure yourself badly or at best jar your back increasing your pain. 3. Before you go out warm up in the house. Do some of your back pain exercises, walk around the rooms. Anything to get your blood circulating and your body warmed up a bit before you go out. 4. Shovelling snow- If you have back issues Ideally don't do it! Get a friend or neighbour to help you or leave it. If...

Recently I have been taking advantage of the slightly better weather to get some gardening done. Although I do exercise throughout the winter to keep my back in as good a shape as I can there is no denying that I do less overall exercise. So when it comes to Spring and I want to do more outside it can come as a bit of a shock to my back! Gardening is one of the things that people said I would never be able to do again with my back condition, but well I proved them to be wrong as I still enjoy my gardening. Yes I am careful with my back and I do step up the back pain exercises and water therapy and Yes I take my time but I still do it :) So for anyone who is in a similar position you may like to take a look at my  tips for watering your garden to do what you love more safely, with a healthier back. Also I hope you enjoy this picture of my very first snowdrops in the garden, so beautiful! Lose The Back Pain System Lose the Back Pain, is a system of self assessments to det...

Degenerative Disc Disease!! When I was told I had that I felt sick to my stomach. I knew I had Sciatica and back pain , I did not know I had an Actual disease!! Well after I did some of my own research turns out that Degenerative Disc Disease is in fact not a disease at all. Degenerative Disc Disease, often known as DDD , is a natural part of getting older. It happens. It is not contagious or of risk to anyone else. With time everyone experiences some changes in their discs. Some people will get symptoms associated with that process, others will not. It showed up on my MRI scan quite clearly that I had DDD in my L4/5 and L5/S1 discs which showed up black on the scan results and a narrower space than the other discs. DDD is where the gel type substance in the discs dries out. The discs over time, lose their shock absortion role and become more stiff. In addition the ligaments around the disc tend to become brittle which leaves them at risk of tears. Degenerative disc disease is ...

Don't you just love high heels!  They are stylish and look sleek and beautiful.  However much as I love my shoes, they are no longer my regular shoe of choice and if you have back pain they maybe should not be yours. Why? Well look at yourself in a full length mirror in your underwear while wearing them. First stand with no shoes on and see how your spine curves-there should be a gentle "S" bend but nothing too exaggerated. Then put on your heels(we are talking 2" plus here.) Do you see how they throw your spine out of its normal alignment? Does your spine curve more? Is the lower spine now an exaggerated curve? Take them off and stand and you will see the difference. If your spine is held in that posture throwing the hips forwards and downwards for too long, too often, you are likely to develop muscle imbalances and pain. If you already have back pain and have particularly a forward titled pelvis like I had, then you are doing yourself no favours. With ...

Article courtesy of Steve Hefferon, CMT, PTA and co-founder of "Lose The Back Pain" If done correctly, massage therapy can work wonders for people with back pain. It may not always be the best choice, and it may not work for everyone. But most people will get great results if the massage therapist has a good understanding of the human body, muscle imbalances, and how to work with them. A word of caution: Massage therapy should never be considered a substitute for proper medical attention. As a massage therapist for the past 10 years, I have watched massage therapy grow in popularity and credibility to the point where the practice is now commonplace for those who suffer from back pain. There is no denying the positive effects massage can have on the body. Most massage therapists use a variety of techniques during a session, such as energy techniques and stretching, along with traditional massage. The Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami has coordinated...

Hi there, What are you doing this weekend? Well I'm planning this weekend on tackling our garden. Due to the flooding in the summer there was little chance of getting into the garden and well nature has kinds taken over! So we really need to do some trimming before the spring. In the Springtime our shrubs and hedges are completely taken over by nesting birds and it is wonderful :) Our garden is filled with the sound of birdsong and the little cheep cheep of the chicks which we adore....it is so beautiful. However it does mean we don't like to touch the shrubbery during that time so as not to disturb them. So its a case of getting out there in the cold this weekend! Now although I do not get back pain and sciatica anymore like I used to, I know due to my conditions that I still need to be sensible and careful. My job is sedentary so I am not used to hard physical work on a regular basis, so I have a plan that will hopefully keep me pain free for this level of p...

I came across this interesting writing in the BMJ about studies discussing spinal fusion versus intensive rehab for chronic low back pain. If you are interested please click on the link. http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/330/7502/1220 If you have chronic back pain and are considering which methods to choose , you may want to read this. Let me know if you have any views.... If you are considering or have been advised to have back surgery, you may like to consider asking some of these questions as well. What is the exact diagnosis? What assessments will you do and what will the assessments tell you about my condition? Is it essential/urgent I have back surgery now? If yes why? If it is not urgent/essential I have surgery now can I try other treatments first then come back? What is the specific surgery you are proposing? How will this help me? What is the prognosis if i do not have surgery? Do I need any other tests? If so which ones? What will they tell you? Is th...

I have been under a lot of stress lately, especially at work and was very much looking forward to my holiday. Due to working very long hours, sitting and driving a lot, doing no exercise at all and being tense-essentially clearly overdoing it- I noticed for the first time in over a year, some back pain and sciatica symptoms creeping up on me...my back was warning me it was working too hard as well and needed some TLC, but I totally ignored it - no excuses, my responsibility. So while on holiday I decided to get the matter under control and not let it get any worse. The advantage I find of having knowledge of the lose the back pain system is that I can now apply the pain reduction techniques and exercises as soon as I need to. I understand better how my body works and I just did the simple self assessments again and applied what I needed to. I also spent about an hour or more a day in the pool. For me water therapy was suggested by my neurosurgeon and by Steve Hefferon of the H...

Introducing Heal-n-Soothe If you are suffering from sciatica and having to take medications, or if you can't take medications due to side effects you may want to consider investigating Heal-n-Soothe Unfortunately, sometimes you end up on a treadmill of prescription after prescription for drugs that sometimes have side effects which are worse than the thing they are supposed to help. The good news is, nature has it’s own solutions to all of the ailments most of us suffer from… and sciatic pain is no different. After years of research and testing, The Healthy Back Institute created the most powerful natural alternative prescription and over-the-counter pain medications. This formula is called Heal-n-Soothe   and it includes what they believe is the best combination of enzymes and herbs that have been proven to fight off inflammation and reduce pain. I am honest with you and I have only recently used this for my wisdo...

Diagnosed With a Herniated Disc? By: Dr. Robert Duvall, DPT, ATC, MGFI You've probably heard people say they have a "slipped" or "ruptured" disc in the back. Sometimes they complain that their back “went out”. What they're most likely describing is a herniated disc. This condition is a common source of back and leg pain. Discs are soft cushions found between the vertebrae that make up the spinal column (your backbone). In the middle of the spinal column is the spinal canal, a hollow space that contains the spinal cord. The nerves that supply the arms, leg, and torso come from the spinal cord. The nerves from the neck supply the arms and hands, and the nerves from the low back supply the butt and legs. The discs between the vertebrae allow the back to move freely and act like shock absorbers. The disc is made up of two main sections. The outer part (the annul...

Back Pain Hints and Tips on Choosing a Car if you have Back Issues or Sciatica Symptoms. Eight essential checks. If you have back pain or sciatica symptoms or one of the many back pain conditions you may want to think about a few extra points when the time comes to be choosing your next car. As sitting in a car and driving was the worst thing for me when I got back pain and sciatica and always aggravated my pain significantly this is a subject close to my heart…and my back! Wouldn’t it be nice if all we had to concern ourselves with was the colour, sleekness, safety features, performance and all the great gadgets? You will have your own priorities for any vehicle you want to purchase such as space, petrol/gas consumption, eco friendliness, child safety features, room for dogs etc. You know what your needs and wishes are on all those points. So now whether it is a brand new car or new to you what additional points do we need to take into acc...