Life With My Pet Back

HAPPY HOLIDAYS MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! ( to all who celebrate) Just to wish you the best time over the holiday period. I hope it is a time to relax and take care of yourself. Enjoy the festivities and have a wonderful time :) Don't put too much pressure on yourself to do everything or take part in everything. Just do what you CAN DO and dont worry about the rest. Still do all the things you have been doing to take care of your back and try to relax and enjoy this time. I know it is not always an easy time for many people... If you are in pain holiday periods can be extra stressful especially if you try to do a lot of running around. It is important you take care of YOU too. Know what helps you to r-e-l-a-x and build that in to the schedule. If you are on medication or taking any regular herbal tablets make sure you have enough in stock to last you over the holidays. Keep any medical phone no's you think you may need in a safe place. If travelling to a new area to...

My work is with kids with physical and learning disabilities, so every day I know these young people are coping with things that I never had to endure. Finding myself in a reflective mood today I was thinking when I was struggling with my own back pain and my own limitations and I have to say getting very down, frustrated and angry with it all, I used to sometimes look to them for hope and inspiration to guide me through it. I do believe at that time they helped me far more than I helped them... I once worked with a young man who had muscular dystrophy and knew he was going to die. We talked through what he wanted from a charity who gives kids the last gift. He was very matter of fact about it weighing up if he wanted something to keep like a TV or if he wanted something he could experience with his family to have the memories of it until he died, and for his family to have good memories of that too even after he died. He chose the latter.... I can tell you I left that meeting...

The Easy Guide to Shopping with Back Pain and Sciatica symptoms: Ten Hints and Tips. If you have back pain and sciatica symptoms shopping can be a real pain. Here are ten top shopping tips I have utilized to help make your weekly grocery shop and other shopping trips a more bearable or pleasant experience for you and your back. · Go shopping at quieter times when it is not so busy especially if you are concerned about busy shopping malls, congested public transport, people or trolleys bumping into your back or people who may inadvertently push you. Plan ahead so that you are not rushing around putting yourself under stress. · If you find it difficult to reach products high up or low down on the shelves ask a store assistant for some help to get those items. If it is very difficult for you ask for an assistant to go round the shop with you. Depending on the store you may need to ask them in advance, check with the store you use....

Scoliosis-What Is It? Article Courtesy of The Healthy Back Institute. Scoliosis is a lateral, or sideways, curvature of the spine, which in its normal state should be a straight vertical line when viewed from the front or back. Viewed from the side, a normal spine curves slightly backward to produce a mild degree of roundness in the upper back area and slightly inward curve in the lower back. When a person with scoliosis is viewed from the front or back, the spine appears to be curved to either side of its normal vertical line. What causes it? There are numerous causes and types of scoliosis. Neuromuscular scoliosis is caused by abnormal muscles or nerves. This is often seen in people with spina bifida or cerebral palsy, or in those with a number of conditions that include or lead to paralysis. Congenital scoliosis occurs as a result of a bone abnormality that is present at birth. Degenerative scoliosis is bone collapse due to an injury or illness, previous major back sur...

If you have back pain and/or sciatica symptoms and are suffering from inflammation there are several things you can consider doing to help yourself. In addition to not doing too much exercise, just moderate, balance your body so there is no undue strain on bones, joints and ligaments Consider taking and anti inflammatory like proteolytic systemic enzymes . Heal and Soothe. You should also consider your diet. Sugar along with junk food, many processed foods and high fat meats increase inflammation. Some of this is the chemical like nitrates that may be used some is the fats like Trans fats and saturated fats.It is better to go for low fat milk, cheese and if you eat meat it should be lean. Diets high in sugar are also associated with obesity, diabetes and inflammation so it’s best to cut down a lot or eliminate any sugars you can from your food. I know from personal experince this is easier said than done, as you will need to read all labels and most processed foo...

With back pain and sciatica and lack of sleep, constant pain and worry about what was going to happen to me came fear, anxiety and hopelessness.  I went into a spiral of fear and worry and negative imaginings that mentally paralysed me. I don't know if any of you have experienced the same... It took me a long time to find to do this, but one of the things I found helped me to break this spiral was to think(and write down) all that I was grateful for on a daily basis. Who I was grateful for, what I was grateful for and it helped a lot. I did this list every day. I set myself a goal of writing 5 things each day. Who are you grateful for? What are you grateful for? Thank you to all of you who took the time to complete the recent poll we ran about how long people had back pain. The results are; 16% of you have had back pain for over 5 years 12% over 2 years 29% 1-2 years 37% 6 months to a year 4% 3-6 months. I was thinking and wondering, How do you cope? What helps y...

Bed making-such a simple task but one that seemed daunting to me when I suffered severe back pain and sciatica. With prolapsed discs I was worried about all the bending and lifting making a bed can entail. I don't get pain anymore but I still feel I want to be careful with tasks like these. So this is my solution for bed making, it may or may not be yours. You should always check with your healthcare provider over anything you should not be doing. It may sound a little strange but warm up a bit before you do anything physical like bed making, if your body is warm there is less likelihood of strain. If you have the Lose the Back Pain system you may like to warm up then do some of the stretches before and afterwards. If you do not have the Lose the back pain system you may want to consider it to help you help yourself(with support) to get rid of the back pain. Click here if you would like to learn more about  Lose the Back Pain. Wherever possible try to get someone to help y...