Newsletter Video, February 2019

Click Below - Add Your Own Comment

Here’s What You Need to Know About Back Pain and Physical Therapy

Here’s Why You Should See a Physical Therapist First if You Experience Lower Back Pain

1. When referral for physical therapy is warranted for patients with acute LBP, immediate referral and initiation (within 3 days) may lead to lower health care utilization and LBP-related costs. (Reference)
2. Patients with LBP who consulted primary care were referred for additional management, advanced imaging, and were associated with higher healthcare utilization and charges than physical therapy. (Reference)
3. There was a lower risk of subsequent medical service usage among patients who received PT early after an episode of acute low back pain. (Reference)
4. Early physical therapy following a new primary care consultation was associated with reduced risk of subsequent health care compared with delayed physical therapy. (Reference)

Physical Therapists Treat Most Back Pain Conditions

Read our article that goes into more detail about how we help. Click here.

If You Experience Back Pain, Here’s What You Can Do Immediately

Read our article with more details about what you can do right away if you have lower back pain. Click here.

Some Thoughts on Preventing Lower Back Pain

Read our article with more details about what you can do to decrease your odds of experiencing lower back pain. Click here.

Here are Some Tips to Maintain a Healthy Blood Pressure

• Keep a healthy weight. Ask your doctor if you need to lose weight.
• Be physically active. Get moving for at least 30 minutes most days of the week.
• Eat a healthy diet. Choose an eating plan rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low-fat dairy and low in saturated fat and added sugars.
• Cut down on salt. Many Americans eat more sodium (found in salt) than they need. Most of the salt comes from processed food (such as soup and baked goods).
• Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. Men should have no more than 2 drinks a day; women no more than 1 drink a day.
• Don’t smoke. Smoking raises your risk for heart disease, stroke, and other health problems.
• Get a good night’s sleep. Tell your doctor if you’ve been told you snore or sound like you stop breathing briefly when you sleep—a possible sign of sleep apnea. Treating sleep apnea and getting a good night’s sleep can help reduce blood pressure.
• Take prescribed drugs as directed. If you need drugs to help lower your blood pressure, you still should follow the lifestyle changes described above.

Exercise of the Month - This One can Help Keep the Lower Back Relaxed

• Lie on back with knees bent and arms to side
• Keep knees together
• Slowly rotate legs to one side, keeping shoulder blades pressed to surface
• Return to midline
• Repeat 5x on each side
• The exercise should be pain-free
• Make sure you consult with your physical therapist or doctor before you perform this or any other exercise

Newsletter Video Archive

Disclaimer

The information in this video is intended for informational and educational purposes only and in no way should be taken to be the provision or practice of physical therapy, medical, or professional healthcare advice or services. The information should not be considered complete or exhaustive and should not be used for diagnostic or treatment purposes without first consulting with your physical therapist, occupational therapist, physician or other healthcare provider. The owners of this website accept no responsibility for the misuse of information contained within this website.