April 2022 Healthy News from Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers Words Describing Back Pain and Exercises to Strengthen the Multifidi Are Important
“Why do you ask me so many questions, doc?”
Our Baton Rouge chiropractic patients are central to our practice. Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers wants to understand each of our patients and your pain experience well, treat you well, and ensure that you are satisfied with your care and outcome. That is why we have you to explain your pain to us, sometimes several times and in several different ways! Words mean different things to different people: “discomfort” to one may denote “pain” to another while “stiffness” is “pain” or “discomfort” to a another. It is true! Researchers studied just what these different words mean to patients. An example of this is the description of “feeling”: pain was sharp/shooting, discomfort was dull/tingling, stiffness was tight/restricted. (1) It's important for us to know our patient’s experience with pain to better meet expectations and boost satisfaction with care. Patients who visited an integrated hospital for care of their musculoskeletal pain and depressive symptoms assessed their pain as 5/10 (10 being greatest pain) as well as indicated multiple pain locations (9 of 17 participants), low back pain (13 of 17), and neck pain (8 of 17). Those are quite common of rationales patients seek chiropractic care! In this setting, patients were satisfied with the collaboration amongst the various healthcare team members due to the trust they had in their physician. Patients valued consistency in care from one caregiving chiropractor. (2) Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers knows our patients value - and can expect - these same things from us: consistency, care, collaboration, and results!
Baton Rouge CHIROPRACTIC TIP OF THE MONTH: Strengthen Multifidus Muscles While Standing
Back pain. It is a simple description that may stem from many factors including the muscles of the spine, those seen and unseen. The multifidus muscles are such unseen muscles, deep, smaller muscles that run alongside the spine from the cervical spine to the sacrum. These muscles aid movements like lateral (side) flexion and rotation of the spine when contracted. (3) Recently, researchers suggested that the multifidi may be a possible source of back pain since they are described as being stiffer in low back pain sufferers. Low back pain is associated with lumbodorsal musculature (which includes the multifidus muscle) fatigue. Standing back extension exercise fatigued the multifidus sufficiently which may avert low back pain caused by muscle fatigue. (4) “Superman” (on-the-floor) exercises are well known. Standing back extension and “superman” exercises are newly documented to be equally helpful in strengthening these multifidus muscles. (5) That’s great news! Baton Rouge back pain sufferers can do simple, standing exercises like this anywhere! The multifidi benefit!
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Paula Hugulet on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she details the value of increasing muscle strength and function as part of back pain treatment via the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
CONTACT Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers
Schedule your next Baton Rouge chiropractic appointment today. Your words will be heard. Your multifidus muscles will be directed in proper exercise to lessen and potentially avert back pain. Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers will ask you questions, and you are urged to ask Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers questions, too!