The exercise topic of
the month is…sleep?! Weird? Not at all! Sleep is just as vital
as exercise for pain management including back pain management. Spine & Sports Rehab Center helps many Baton Rouge
pain sufferers manage their spine, neck, and back pain with chiropractic spinal manipulation, nutrition advice, and exercise direction. Sleep – good
sleep – is included in that list for a good purpose!
CONTROLLING BACK PAIN
Since low back pain often is a condition
for life that comes and goes, a condition
that is managed rather than cured, it’s a positive
thing that researchers are looking into just how a back pain
sufferer can control the Baton Rouge back pain and the frequency that it ‘rears its head.' Question any back
pain sufferer and you will know that keeping
the pain away is an objective. But how? Researchers are studying sleep, fatigue, emotion, and more to find out. Spine & Sports Rehab Center
introduces the term “flare” as it has to do with
a back pain episode.
BACK PAIN FLARE
A Baton Rouge low back pain flare is one that includes increased pain,
paresthesia, or muscle tension, increased duration of symptoms, reduced
functional (social, cognitive, physical), and negative emotions. Researchers
found that back pain sufferers don’t consider their
back pain to be a flare just because of increased pain, so
healthcare professionals need to look past the pain to know
what else is happening around the pain event, what
psychosocial factors are at play. (1,2) The mind-body connection
cannot always be overlooked! Nor can the time of day
that pain is experienced.
PAIN: MORNING NOON AND NIGHT
Patients suffering with low back pain for more
than 3 months were studied to see what might trigger a new episode of their pain. Researchers found
that poor sleep quality and morning pain were threats for such
flare-ups. Increased pain risk grew with days of more afternoon and
evening pain, fatigue, and fear of activity. Sleep is suggested
to reduce the intensity, frequency, and risk of back pain flares.
(3) Sleep quality
also plays a part in how Baton Rouge back pain is experienced.
SLEEP QUALITY
An analysis of sleep quality in mature
adults in six middle-income countries uncovered that women had
more sleep problems. Additionally, age, depression, low back pain,
and poor self-rated health were also significantly associated with
sleep problems. (4) Sleep, perceived stress, and anxiety contribute to chronic low back pain. Luckily, sleep quality is capable
of mediating anxiety, making sleep a reasonable
recommendation in the treatment plan. (5)
CONTACT Spine & Sports Rehab Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Ted Siciliano on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses
his use of Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction to deliver
relieving treatment for his arm pain and numbness that was preventing
him from getting sleep.
Make your Baton Rouge
chiropractic appointment soon. Let us talk sleep
next time you are in for a visit!