Many aches and pains in the neck and back stem from tight muscles. Stretching the tight muscles along the back of your neck, strengthening the muscles in the front of your neck and improving body posture in general, can help to release neck pain. Our physical therapists can help you achieve all of this.

Improving your body posture can start by simply strengthening your abdominal muscles. These help to reduce a forward-head body posture and slumping shoulders that increase back pain and stress on the spine.

In addition to strengthening the abdominal region, strengthening of the pelvic muscles and lower back muscles bring stability to your spine. Furthermore, stretching the muscles of your chest and strengthening the muscles of the middle back can also help to quickly relieve neck pain by improving your posture.

Neck pain can sometimes be caused by tightness along one side of the neck, caused by holding a phone up to your ear or with looking at a screen off to one side. When the shoulder is elevated and the head is tilted, the result is a short upper trapezius (the muscle that extends from your shoulder to your neck) The upper trapezius lifts your shoulders to your ears. Special hands on physical therapy helps to gently stretch out the muscles, improving your motion and reducing your pain.

So before you start taking any medicine for chronic neck or back pain, you might want to analyze your body posture first and talk to your doctor about to physical therapy. Finding tension in your neck or limited range of motion in your spine might be the cause. By correcting it through proper physical therapy we provide you with a simple solution for your neck and back pain.

Try this stretch…

• In a comfortable sitting position on the floor in a chair, sit tall
• Gently lean your head to one side, until you feel a gentle stretch
• Gently stretch your hand towards the floor
• You should feel the stretch comfortably on the side of your neck
• Hold the stretch for 15 seconds and repeat 3 times on each side multiple times a day

If you have any questions on performing this stretch correctly, please contact us, or your physician first. If you find yourself in pain, aching, injured or unable to move like you want to, simply give us a call. Our expert physical therapists provide a comprehensive evaluation to find the root cause of your problem, then put together a complete plan that works to get you moving, pain-free again. Contact Washington Physical Therapy Rehab today to learn more!

Core strength has become a popular topic because it affects the function of the entire body. A strong core means better stability, fewer injuries and less physical stress.

Weak core muscles can lead to chronic back and neck pain. Signs of weak core muscles include slumping in your chair, poor posture at your desk or lack of balance.

Why Do Core Muscles Matter?

The word “core” means central and that is exactly the function of your core muscles. They are central to nearly every movement you make and the stronger they are, the easier it is to go about your work and recreation comfortably.

What are Core Muscles?

If you think core muscles are just abs, you’re partially right. Abs get the majority of attention, but the system extends beyond that and includes the lower back and glutes, too. That’s why an exercise like sit-ups, which focuses exclusively on developing the abdominal muscles, is not adequate if your goal is to build a stronger core.

Core Assessment

How can you tell if your core is weak? If you have low back pain or balance issues there’s a good chance your core muscles are weak. One simple test is the plank test.

• Lie on the floor, propped up by your elbows.
• Raise your torso up so that your toes and elbows are the only two parts of your body touching the floor.
• Hold this as long as you can, then see how your strength measures up.

If you could last two minutes or more, your core muscles are strong. Between one and two minutes is normal, 30 seconds to a minute is moderate and less than 30 seconds is weak. If your arms or legs shook while trying to hold this pose, you have poor motor control over your core muscles.

The Good News

The good news is that you don’t have to settle for a weak core and the related problems it causes. Our medical experts are able to assess your current status and create an individualized plan of easy-to-do exercises to build up those muscles. Our physical therapists will design a program for you that will safely increase your strength, resulting is less pain and more flexibility.

After doing the self-assessment, you might be anxious to get started doing exercises to build these weak muscles, but if you do the wrong ones or push too hard, you might cause injury. There’s a way to go about it that will achieve long-lasting, positive results. Our physical therapists are trained to identify the practices for each of our patients that will work best for them.

We do this by conducting a complete analysis of your body posture, the way you move and your current level of strength so we can determine the cause of your pain. Based on that information, we put together a treatment plan tailored to your situation.

It’s all up to you. You can have the lifestyle you crave, enjoy activities you love and experience a pain-free life with the professional support and recommendations we provide.

Make an appointment today and we’ll show you how improving your core muscles can change your life for the better.

Back and neck pain can stop you in your tracks, affecting your work and interfering with your recreational activities. It takes the fun right out of your day.

How to Reduce Neck and Back Pain

Your pain might be from a previous injury, arthritis, bad posture or another cause. However, there are things that you can do to lessen the pain or, in some cases, eliminate it completely. Here are five things that will improve your physical comfort.

1. Avoid Injury – This one is obvious, but it is a common cause of neck pain and back pain. Often people get in a hurry and fail to follow the common-sense rules to protect themselves from injury. If you don’t know how to lift properly, for example, you run the risk of straining your back and neck. Our experts are trained to show you how you can do your work without compromising your health.
2. Improve Your Posture – Growing up, most kids have heard the words “stand up straight” more than once. It’s not just cosmetic. Correct posture can help position your body so it functions better throughout the day. Rather than stiffly throwing your shoulders back to achieve this, our team will show you how to align naturally for best results. For example, one practice would be to imagine a string at the top of your head pulling you gently upward, towards the sky. If you have a desk job, be sure to take a break every half hour and stand. Stretch those muscles or take a short walk throughout the day. Incorporate variety into your work posture by using a standing desk or changing positions.
3. Rest and Exercise – Non-stop work can wear you down. It’s crucial to get adequate sleep every night to let your mind and body recover and rejuvenate so you’re ready for the next day. If you don’t get enough sleep it can affect your pain tolerance, making a bad situation worse. Sleep deprivation sets you up for increased stress and weakens your immune system. Daily exercise, such as walking for 30 minutes, will improve your strength, heart health and flexibility.
4. Eat Healthy – What you consume fuels your day and if you are eating fried or processed foods, you are increasing inflammation in your body. This causes pain and dehydration, but the cure is not complicated. Make sure you eat fruits, vegetables and lean protein every day and drink plenty of water. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink that water, keep a glass with you as you work and take a bottle of water with you when you are active. Being hydrated eases many symptoms and helps your body function efficiently.
5. Get Professional Input – While these tips are good general advice, everyone is unique. It is wise to consult with a professional who knows how to spot problem areas and can give you personal solutions for your specific issues. The goal is to restore your health, improve your movement, strengthen your muscles and give you the guidelines to maintain a higher level of pain-free function. Our physical therapists are educated medical experts who can provide the knowledge and advice you need to achieve your goals.

What to Expect From Us

Our physical therapists will meet with you, do a thorough analysis of your posture, movement and strength, discuss your routine and determine what is causing your pain. Then, using their knowledge of muscles and skeletal systems, they’ll determine the correct treatment plan to achieve the fastest results.  

By seeing our physical therapists at least once a year many painful outcomes can be avoided before they begin, due to our individualized assessments, recommendations and proper therapy.

Why live with pain for one more minute? Call and make an appointment today and get started eliminating your pain and improving your well-being.

Are you suffering with back pain? If you are, you are among the majority. That’s right, around 80% of the population deals with back pain at some point in their life. If you fall into this category, you know the annoyance that is caused by frequent back pain. As you know, back pain can interfere with every facet of life. It can make bending over difficult and cause you to become irritable, making it hard for you to participate as you once did in social activities. In essence, it takes away the life you once had and leaves you with one void of the joy you once experienced. The solution to this problem is to understand what causes back pain in the first place. Do you know the culprit could be your thighs and/or hips?

How Does Your Thigh or Hip Strength Correlate With Back Pain?

It might come as a surprise to you, but poor thigh and hip strength often leads to back pain. As you age, your thigh and hip muscles—more specifically the external hip rotators, gluteus muscles and the quadriceps– naturally weaken. This is caused by various factors, such as sitting for long periods of time, along with age. As a result of this weakness, the support your spine once enjoyed is lessened. This in turn makes it harder for you to do simple tasks, like bending over and picking something up. Put simply, it means you don’t have the correct amount of strength in the right places. Consequently, when you bend down repetitively on a daily basis in your weakened state, this will lead to more stress on your back, which causes your pain to worsen.

How to Know If Your Strength is Located in the Right Places:

First of all, do the following:

• Face a mirror.
• Make sure your head is facing forward and your spine remains straight.
• Squat down, by sticking your buttocks outward.

When completing these actions, notice the following:

• Are you able to squat as you stick out your buttocks?
• Do you feel discomfort or pressure in your knees?
• Does one or both of your knees turn inwards?

If you answered yes to the questions listed above, you likely have problems with the strength and mobility of your pelvis, hips and thighs. These issues could be the culprit behind not only your back pain, but any knee pain you might have as well.

How to Strengthen Your Hip and Thigh Muscles:

The simple solution to the problem of back pain would seem to be for you to strengthen your hip and thigh muscles. Of course, that’s easier said than done. That’s where our expertise comes in handy. When you choose us for your treatment, we begin by thoroughly analyzing the way you bend and walk. We also make note of how strong your thighs and smaller hip muscles are at the present time. After this assessment, we can pinpoint the areas of your body that need work. The next step will be creating a treatment plan that is specifically designed to help you quickly build strength, and as a result, improve your spinal stability, muscle coordination and eliminate or reduce your back pain.

For more information on the programs we offer to relieve back pain, call us today. We are happy to create a treatment plan that will have you pain free as quickly as possible. Don’t despair; there is hope for an existence free of back pain. We can help. Contact Washington Physical Therapy today.

When it comes to going about your day, few things will disrupt your normal, daily routine like a sudden jolt of back pain. Often, this pain can seemingly appear out of nowhere, rendering once easy tasks like tying your shoes nearly impossible without intense pain in the neck or back. While the localized pain may make it relatively simple to know just where it hurts, determining whether or not it’s a herniated disc is a somewhat more difficult process.

Situated medially within the body, the vertebral column is one of the most important skeletal formations in humans. Known more commonly as the “spine,” the column is made up of 33 individual bones of various sizes, each of a different size and shape. Beginning with the cervical region and ending with the coccyx, the curved spine is what allows you to stand upright, twist and bend, all while protecting the spinal cord. In order to provide maximum support and prevent the vertebra from rubbing against each other, each piece of bone is separated from the others by a thin disc. These discs provide shock support, and are vital to proper spinal function.

Unfortunately, like any other part of the body, portions of the vertebral column can become damaged over time or through certain activities. When one of the discs located between the vertebra becomes damaged, a portion of it may “bulge” out between the spinal column and into a nearby bundle of nerves. This, in turn, causes immense pain and discomfort.

Although a herniated disc can sometimes feel like typical back pain, there are several important symptoms to watch out for. Knowing what differentiates a herniated disc from a similar injury will enable you to seek out the proper treatment and minimize your discomfort.

Due to the location of discs throughout the spinal column, the location of pain and the type of symptoms can vary based on the nerves effected. For example, if pain is accompanied by tingling, weakness in the back or neck, or numbness, it may be indicative of a herniated disc. For herniated discs in the lower lumbar region, this feeling of numbness and weakness can extend far beyond the back or neck, and it is not uncommon for these symptoms to appear in the buttocks, leg or even the foot. Injuries in the upper region of the lumbar spine are often characterized by pain in the groin or front of the thigh.

Herniated discs within the neck can cause pain in the shoulders, arms and even hands. Like the lower back, it’s not unusual to experience a tingling or numb sensation to go along with the pain. Often, an injury of this type is due to poor posture while standing or seated.

Having a herniated disc can put an immediate stop to many of your favorite activities or important tasks. If you think you may be suffering from the symptoms of a herniated disc, please contact Washington Physical Therapy for a consultation and set yourself on the path for relief.

https://www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-AnatSpine.htm

https://www.spine-health.com/conditions/herniated-disc/whats-a-herniated-disc-pinched-nerve-bulging-disc

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/herniated-disk/expert-answers/bulging-disk/faq-20058428