Your body can only handle about 20-30 minutes in the same position. We’ve recommended the use of computer programs that can remind you to take regular breaks, but recently we came across a creative video that encourages office workers to join the upraising for standing up.

The product is called the WorkFit-S Sit-Stand computer station from Ergotron. In the video below they show just how easy it is to transition from sitting at your desk to a more healthy standing position.

For those office workers that spend hours each day sitting at a desk, this could be a new way of life and an easy way to work in a healthier way. We don’t sell these desks, but we thought the video was well done and we also want to educate people about the risk of poor desk ergonomics.

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The topics discussed in the article are:

• Too much rest can worsen your pain.
• Aerobic conditioning as well as stretching and strengthening exercises are important.
• Individualized exercise programs, which specifically sites different exercises for your specific diagnosis.

Exercise is Essential for Back Pain Relief via Spine-Health.com

BONUS: Here are a few other related blogs that discuss the importance of exercise.

Water Therapy for Back Pain — Active Sitting for a Stronger Back — Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans — 3 Back Stretches and Exercises

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Traditional disc herniation surgery requires stripping away back muscles in order to expose the spine, which can cause extreme scarring and bleeding. At the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute, we are able to treat the herniation with just a laser and without stripping muscle at all. Because we do not use expandable retractors, like many others who claim to do minimally invasive surgery, we avoid cutting muscle altogether. And instead, we insert a tiny camera through a 3 or 7 mm incision, treating the disc with only a laser, so you can heal and get back to life as quickly as possible.

Definition:
A herniated disc is sometimes referred to as a slipped disc or a ruptured disc. It is often the result of an injury or trauma to the spine.

Your spinal column is made up of bones (vertebrae) that are cushioned by small discs consisting of a tough outer layer (annulus) and a soft, jelly-like inner layer (nucleus). These discs act as shock absorbers, protecting the spine and nerves from the stress of everyday tasks – as well as strenuous work such as heavy lifting.

When a disc “herniates,” a tear or weakness in the annulus allows the jelly-like nucleus to push out into the spinal canal. If it puts pressure on a spinal nerve, the herniated disc can cause pain, numbness or weakness in the back, legs or arms – depending on where the disc is located. Herniated discs are most common in the lower spine, but about 10% occur in the neck.

You can have a herniated disc without knowing it – herniated or bulging discs sometimes show up on spinal images of people who have no symptoms of a disc problem. But some herniated discs can be painful.

Symptoms:

• Sciatica – a radiating, aching pain, sometimes with tingling and numbness, that starts in the buttock and extends down the back of one leg.
• Pain, numbness or weakness in the lower back and one leg, or in the neck, shoulder, chest or arm.
• Lower back pain that worsens when you sit, cough or sneeze.

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Many things can cause a pinched nerve. Whether it’s facet disease and bone spurs, disc bulges or herniations, or thickened ligaments due to arthritis, the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute can treat the source minimally invasively with a tiny laser through a 7 or 15 mm incision to free the nerve and rid you of your pain. And because we do not use expandable retractors, like many others who claim to do minimally invasive surgery, we avoid cutting muscle altogether, so you can get back to life as quickly as possible.

Definition:
A pinched nerve occurs when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues such as bone spurs, disc herniation and ligaments. This pressure (compression) disrupts the nerve’s function – causing pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in the affected area, and in many cases causing permanent damage.

A pinched nerve can occur anywhere in your body. For example, a herniated disc in your spine (neck, thoracic or lumbar) may put pressure on a nerve root, causing pain that radiates down the back of your leg (sciatica), or down your arms or hands. Another common type of pinched nerve is the median nerve in the carpal tunnel in your wrist; compression of that nerve can lead to pain and numbness in your hand and fingers (carpal tunnel syndrome). These are just two common examples of pinched nerves; many other nerves can be pinched including those in your neck, shoulder, elbow and other areas.

With rest and other conservative treatments, most people recover from a pinched nerve within a few days or weeks. In some cases, however, surgery is necessary.

Symptoms:

• Numbness or decreased sensation in the area supplied by the nerve.
• Sharp or burning pain, which may radiate outward. When the pinched nerve comes from the spinal cord, coughing or sneezing may aggravate the pain.
• Tingling, “pins and needles” sensations (paresthesia).
• Muscle weakness or twitching in the affected area.
• Frequent feeling that a foot or hand has “fallen asleep.”

ZeroSpinePain.com

1. Exercise is the only intervention that consistently worked well as a preventive strategy. If you’ve been a subscriber to this blog for any time at all, then you know that a large majority of our blog posts point to exercise as the least invasive method to prevent back pain and promote overall health.
2. Education does not work. No matter how much someone reads or understands the causes and risks of back pain, it’s not a true preventative measure to stop back pain. The best example is to point out that doctors, who are very well educated about back pain, suffer from back pain just as frequently as patients.
3. Lumbar supports (or back braces) do not work. Back injuries account for 20% of all injuries and illnesses in the workplace and cost the nation an estimated 20 to 50 billion dollars a year. Unfortunately many companies rely on back braces or lumbar supports to replace an ergonomic program for their employees. Please read our blog on the use of back braces to prevent injury.
4. There are few studies that have shown ergonomic intervention to be a significant source of low back pain prevention. Setting up your desk or work area in a more ergonomically correct manner is a great thing to do, in fact we’ve discussed it many times before, but overall it is not proven to provide conclusive back pain prevention.

The take home message here is to take all the advise you hear from commercials, blogs, and friends with an understanding that the best way to truly prevent back pain is to regularly partake in exercise. Your physical health contributes to so much more than the way you look. It will change the way you live.

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Standing up straight is not just something you do when you’re with company at the dinner table, it’s something that you must think about during your daily tasks of the day. The Ladies Home Journal from September 2010 lists six bad posture daily habits that you may not realize are contributing to your bad posture.

Working At Your Computer

Laptops are wonderfully convenient, but because the screen is close to your face and below eye level it often causes users to project their heads forward. Every inch your head projects forward adds 10 pounds of pressure on your neck which can trigger headaches and lower-back pain.

Keep your arms close to your body and make sure your wrists are in a neutral position on the keyboard. Every 30-45 minutes, get up to stretch and walk around. Holding one position for a long period of time makes it more difficult to maintain good posture.

Talking On The Phone

Minutes and texts are getting cheaper, but your neck isn’t getting any younger. Cradling the phone between your neck and shoulder compresses the nerves and blood vessels in the shoulders and elbows, which can lead to headaches, arm pain, and tingling.

Carrying a Bag

Heavy purses and bags are killing your back! The American Chiropractic Association recommends that you carry no more than 10 percent of your body weight in a bag. If you weigh 140 pounds, then that 20 pound bag is too heavy! Get a wheeled bag to tote around that laptop and books.

Sleeping

A long night’s rest in an awkward position can be a major cause of head, neck, and back pain. Sleeping on your side or back is the easiest position on your spine. If you’re a stomach snoozer simply place a thin pillow under your abdomen, which will take the pressure off your top vertebrae.

Working In The Kitchen

Highly repetitive activities are most likely to lead to muscular and skeletal problems. Take a break every three to four minutes from vigorously scrubbing those pots or chopping veggies. Hunching over a low sink can really wear you out faster, so straighten up every minute or two to relieve any tension in your neck.

Driving

The ol’ 10 and 2 driving position isn’t recommended for most women because it requires longer arms, like for guys. Place your hands at 3 and 9 or 4 and 8, as these positions don’t require you to extend your arms as far, so you won’t slouch forward.

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Back pain of any type can be debilitating and lead to a variety of additional health complications when not resolved quickly. If you are suffering from any type of pain in your core region, it is important to become familiar with the dynamics of middle back pain as this may be the underlying culprit.

Middle back pain symptoms are often difficult to recognize. Typically, when someone has middle back pain symptoms, the complications will first develop as pain in the chest or a belief that there is a complication with breathing. The initial diagnosis often comes as shoulder, arm, or even lung complications.

When not diagnosed and treated properly, middle back pain symptoms will typically spread to other areas in and around the chest. It is only when lung complications and other health issues are ruled out that the symptoms are truly identified as middle back complications. While surgery is not typically required, aggressive therapy is necessary as this is often a challenging condition to treat.

Treating a middle back pain complication typically requires therapy and medications but, even more importantly, your doctor may recommend warm compresses and a change in your bed mattress. Limiting your movements and lifting will also be important as it is necessary to not strain the muscles in and around the arms.

If you are suffering with pain that is in your chest region, and if that pain is not associated with lungs or other complications of infection, then ask your doctor to investigate the condition related to middle back pain symptoms. Often, with the right therapy and rest, you can overcome this compilation without further need for advanced treatment and typically surgery will not be recommended as this is one of the strongest regions of the back.

Read the full article from associated content.

ZeroSpinePain.com

Definition:
A pinched nerve occurs when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues such as bone spurs, disc herniation and ligaments. This pressure (compression) disrupts the nerve’s function – causing pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in the affected area, and in many cases causing permanent damage.

A pinched nerve can occur anywhere in your body. For example, a herniated disc in your spine (neck, thoracic or lumbar) may put pressure on a nerve root, causing pain that radiates down the back of your leg (sciatica), or down your arms or hands. Another common type of pinched nerve is the median nerve in the carpal tunnel in your wrist; compression of that nerve can lead to pain and numbness in your hand and fingers (carpal tunnel syndrome). These are just two common examples of pinched nerves; many other nerves can be pinched including those in your neck, shoulder, elbow and other areas.

With rest and other conservative treatments, most people recover from a pinched nerve within a few days or weeks. In some cases, however, surgery is necessary.

Symptoms:

• Numbness or decreased sensation in the area supplied by the nerve.
• Sharp or burning pain, which may radiate outward. When the pinched nerve comes from the spinal cord, coughing or sneezing may aggravate the pain.
• Tingling, “pins and needles” sensations (paresthesia).
• Muscle weakness or twitching in the affected area.
• Frequent feeling that a foot or hand has “fallen asleep.”

ZeroSpinePain.com

Toning shoes represent the fastest-growing segment of the shoe industry. In the Skechers store in downtown Boston, a manager says the shoes are flying out of his store.

The latest two studies come from the American Council on Exercise (ACE). The nonprofit group compared the benefits of toning shoes from Skechers, Reebok and MBT with ordinary running shoes.

“Both studies found that there was no significant difference between any of the toning shoes and the standard running shoe,” says ACE’s Todd Galati. Bottom line, says Galati, is that claims that toning shoes help people burn extra calories, improve muscle tone and build strength are bunk.

“These shoes are not a magic pill. It is the walking that will make a difference in your life. Not the shoe,” he says.

But that’s not the way Skechers sees it.

“Well, first of all, I would say that the study that they conducted is deeply flawed,” says Leonard Armato, president of Skechers Fitness Group. He says the ACE studies are too limited. He says they’re contradicted by what he calls “more than a dozen larger and more rigorous studies” — and by customer response.

“Skechers has received 12,000 unsolicited positive reviews of Shape-ups,” Armato says. “And many of these people insist that the benefits they have received have literally transformed their lives for the better.”

But ACE stands by its studies, pointing out that they were conducted by independent researchers at the University of Wisconsin.

Galati of ACE does concede that while toning shoes aren’t magic, they might motivate people to walk and exercise more — and that can only be a good thing.

via npr.org

For our fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter, you guys probably already know this, but we don’t recommend wearing flip-flops on the regular basis. In moderation, it’s fine, but during these hot days of summer the overuse of flip-flops is bad for you in more ways than one. Today CNN published an article in their health section discussing why flip-flops are not always easy on the feet. Below is a summary of some of the topics they discussed, as well as a video.

“If you wear them all the time, they aren’t good for you,” says Dr. Kathya Zinszer, associate professor of podiatric medicine and director of community outreach at Temple’s School of Podiatric Medicine. “They are terrible for the arches. They give you no support and they don’t protect your feet.”

Podiatrists say people who have flat feet or other foot issues should wear a more structured shoe. That’s because walking in flip-flops can be tough on the structure of the foot. According to a 2008 study from Auburn University, researchers found that wearing thong-style flip-flops resulted in pain in the ankles, legs and feet. The investigators found that flip-flop wearers took shorter steps and that their heels hit the ground with less vertical force than when the same walkers wore athletic shoes.

When wearing flip-flops, the study participants did not bring their toes up as much during the leg’s swing phase, resulting in a larger ankle angle and shorter stride length, possibly because they tended to grip the flip-flops with their toes. This repeated motion seemed to result in problems from the foot up into the hips

via CNN

How often do you wear flip-flops? Is it seasonal or something you do because it’s comfortable? Let us know about it in the comments.

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