1. See your family physician and/or physical therapist   There are several reasons that a person may experience pain in the low back region, while pain due to a lumbar disc bulge (characterized by increased pain with movement, leg pain and possibly numbness, tingling and weakness) can be a serious problem, in some cases necessitating surgery. So step 1, if you suspect you have a lumbar disc bulge, don't wait for the pain to go away on its own because it probably will not resolve without some form of treatment! Instead, make an appointment to see your physician or a physical therapist so they can correctly evaluate your complaints and prescribe an appropriate management plan.    2. Take appropriate medication   NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as Ibuprofen, Naproxen, and Aspirin can help relieve pain and inflammation in the area surrounding the disc. Only take these as recommended by your physician.   3. Avoid the activities that are causing pain   Often, pain from a bulging disc increases with certain movements especially heavy lifting, bending forward or twisting your back, as well as prolonged sitting.  Avoid these movements to allow the disc to begin to heal! It can be compared to having a cut on your knuckle. The more you bend your finger and pull on the cut, the longer it will take to heal.    4. Sit with support   Sitting is often a position that increases pain from a disc bulge, however, sitting with a towel rolled up and placed at your belt line can be helpful in tolerating those times when you need to sit (especially at work or when riding in a car). This helps you sit up straight and keeps the natural curve in your low back which adds support to the injured disc.    5. Avoid low chairs    Sitting in a low chair or a soft piece of furniture will likely lead to "slouched" sitting. This places excessive stress on the bulging disc, will cause pain, and lengthen the recovery time.   6. Exercise   It is helpful to perform gentle stretches when healing from a bulging disc. Often it is helpful to lie on your stomach while propping your upper body up on your elbows. Rest here 5-10 seconds and return to lying flat. Repeat 10 times and if this is comfortable repeat every 2-3 hours. Working up to walking 20-30 minutes for cardiovascular exercise will be important when you can tolerate this. Your physical therapist can be very helpful in teaching you other effective exercises.   7. Wear a lumbar support brace   If you have a physically demanding job or cannot completely avoid more strenuous activity, a lumbar support brace may be helpful in unloading the injured disc while you continue what you need to do. These are relatively inexpensive and your physical therapist or physician may be able to assist in selecting the best one for you to wear.   8. Have patience   After beginning treatment, it's important to realize that a bulging disc will heal over several weeks or months before pain is no longer present. It will take time to heal, but most people will heal without requiring surgery and knowing this may provide peace of mind during the healing process.   9. Stop Smoking   If you're a smoker, another reason to quit is that you're placing yourself at a higher risk for developing back pain including from a bulging disc. Smoking has been shown to weaken the lumbar discs over time by reducing the body's ability to deliver nutrients to the discs. Smoking may also lead to a higher sensitivity to pain.   10. Try heat or ice   Either heat or ice may be helpful in managing pain. They will not cure the problem, but applying them for 15-20 minutes several times per day may help to at least reduce symptoms as part of your overall treatment plan.   Aaron Treiber, DPT Orthopedic Spine Physical Therapist Mid-Michigan PT Clinical Team   #LumbarDiscBulgePain #RelieveLumbarDiscPain #BulgeinLumbarDisc #StepstoRelieveLumbarDiscPain  

Low back pain is a common occurrence in the pregnant population with as many as 70% of pregnant females reporting low back pain at some point during their pregnancy.  Studies have shown that of these women who report back pain to their health care providers, only 15-30% of them receive treatment.  This is quite an alarming statistic as often times there are simple, straightforward exercises and tips on how to perform daily activities that can significantly help if not resolve this pain.   Why Do Women Experience Back Pain with Pregnancy? The body has to adapt to weight gain in different areas during pregnancy, which changes the demands on the joints and muscles when sitting, laying, and standing  The pelvis becomes more mobile to prepare for delivery, which is often a source of discomfort in the lower back and pelvic areas As the baby grows and there is more weight in the abdomen, a woman's posture changes the curve in her low back which becomes more and more exaggerated If You are Pregnant, Tips to Decrease Pain: Sleeping If sleeping on your side, sleep with a pillow between your knees and arms.  As your belly grows, you may also want to place a small pillow or rolled up towel under your belly for support. When getting out of bed, log roll onto your side then let your legs hang off the side of the bed and push up to sitting.  This will stress your low back much less than sitting straight up.   Lifting Be sure to bend your knees and keep items close to your body when lifting. If twisting, be sure to stand up straight with the item first and then twist – NEVER lift and twist at the same time.   Holding your child Make sure you alternate and hold your child on both sides (people often hold little ones on the same side/hip and this can be a source of pain).   Low back pain can be a problem before, during, and after pregnancy, but it does not need to be a way of life!  If you have any questions regarding the above information or how to minimize low back pain, please call our practice (517-545-3200) and ask to speak to our Women's Health Physical Therapist, Kelly Treiber, DPT.   Kelly Treiber, DPT                                                                                                 Women's/Pelvic Health Physical Therapist                           Mid Michigan PT Clinical Team   #PregnancyLowerBackPain #PregnantLowerBackPain #HowtoAvoidBackPainDuringPregnancy #TipstoDecreaseBackPainDuringPregnancy #

If уоu hаvе bееn in a ѕроrtѕ ассidеnt е.g. mоtоr vеhiсlе ассidеnt, you hаvе ассеѕѕ tо рhуѕiоthеrару thrоugh уоur саr inѕurаnсе роliсу. Yоu dо nоt nееd tо ѕее a рhуѕiсiаn firѕt, unlеѕѕ уоu ѕо сhооѕе. Yоu mау ѕее Physical Therapist in Brighton, MI dirесtlу, and аѕ ѕооn аѕ роѕѕiblе fоr sports rehab in Brighton, MI. Physical Therapist in Brighton, MI will аѕѕеѕѕ уоu аnd if further invеѕtigаtiоn iѕ rеԛuirеd bу a dосtоr, he/she will make thе appropriate rеfеrrаl оr ѕеnd a lеttеr tо your own рhуѕiсiаn. Rеѕеаrсh ѕhоwѕ thаt еvеn low imрасt ассidеntѕ аt ѕрееdѕ аѕ lоw аѕ 15 mрh саn саuѕе bоdilу injurу. If lеft untrеаtеd, thеѕе injuries соuld lеаd tо futurе рrоblеmѕ like headaches, tingling аnd numbnеѕѕ, muѕсlе wеаknеѕѕ, аnd еvеn diѕс рrоblеmѕ. Personal Training in Brighton, MI саn hеlр уоu idеntifу thе undеrlуing injuriеѕ fоr timely trеаtmеnt. Whiрlаѕh Whiрlаѕh оr оthеr musculoskeletal injuriеѕ аrе оftеn ѕuѕtаinеd in mоtоr vеhiсlе ассidеntѕ. If уоu hаvе ѕuffеrеd a whiрlаѕh injurу, ѕроrtѕ rеhаb in Hоwеll, MI iѕ a good choice tо rеduсе раin аnd rеturn proper mесhаniсѕ tо thе ѕрinе. Our gоаl iѕ tо optimize motion, rеduсе muѕсlе spasm аnd imрrоvе muѕсulаr ѕtrеngth. Hеаdасhеѕ Whеnеvеr a раtiеnt еntеrѕ sports rehab in Brighton, MI with the complaint оf frеԛuеnt hеаdасhеѕ; wе tаkе it very ѕеriоuѕlу tо mаkе ѕurе thе injuriеѕ аrе idеntifiеd timеlу. A fеw trеаtmеntѕ аnd wе ѕее аlmоѕt immеdiаtе improvement fоr hеаdасhеѕ thаt оriginаtе in thе nесk, and раtiеntѕ ѕignifiсаntlу hаd fеwеr ѕidе еffесtѕ аnd lоngеr-lаѕting rеliеf оf tеnѕiоn tуре hеаdасhеѕ thаn a соmmоnlу рrеѕсribеd medication. Lоw Bасk Pаin Fоr thе trеаtmеnt оf lоwеr bасk раin, ѕроrtѕ rehab in Hоwеll, MI iѕ thе ѕоlutiоn. Lаѕt уеаr 1 in 4 аdultѕ еxреriеnсеd lоw bасk раin; аnd it is one оf thе mоѕt соmmоn rеаѕоnѕ реорlе соmе tо оur оffiсе.

Low back pain (plus sciatica) is a common occurrence in the pregnant population with as many as 70% of pregnant females reporting low back pain or sciatica at some point during their pregnancy.  Studies have shown that of these women who report back pain to their health care providers, only 15-30% of them receive treatment.   This is quite an alarming statistic as often times there are simple, straightforward exercises and tips on how to perform daily activities that can significantly help if not resolve this pain.   Why Do Women Experience Back Pain with Pregnancy? The body has to adapt to weight gain in different areas during pregnancy, which changes the demands on the joints and muscles when sitting, laying, and standing  The pelvis becomes more mobile to prepare for delivery, which is often a source of discomfort in the lower back and pelvic areas As the baby grows and there is more weight in the abdomen, a woman's posture changes the curve in her low back which becomes more and more exaggerated If You are Pregnant, Tips to Decrease Pain: Sleeping If sleeping on your side, sleep with a pillow between your knees and arms.  As your belly grows, you may also want to place a small pillow or rolled up towel under your belly for support. When getting out of bed, log roll onto your side then let your legs hang off the side of the bed and push up to sitting.  This will stress your low back much less than sitting straight up.   Lifting Be sure to bend your knees and keep items close to your body when lifting. If twisting, be sure to stand up straight with the item first and then twist – NEVER lift and twist at the same time.   Holding your child Make sure you alternate and hold your child on both sides (people often hold little ones on the same side/hip and this can be a source of pain).   Low back pain and/ or sciatica can be a problem before, during, and after pregnancy, but it does not need to be a way of life!  If you have any questions regarding the above information or how to minimize low back pain, during pregnancy, please call us to schedule a free consultation, so that we may help you.