Massage at home for Back Pain
via drgranny.com
Dr. Granny shares five great techniques for relieving back pain that you can do at home.
Massage therapy is considered to be very helpful in reducing back pain. It is also a common alternative remedy popular among millions of people for back pain and other diseases related to the spine. Massage relaxes your mind, improves blood circulation, increases the supply of oxygen and removes waste products. It relieves muscle tension, inflammation, aches, stiffness and pain.
Q & A: Sciatica
Question:
I mostly only ride 13-14 miles per day commuting to work, however on occasion I like to do 20-25 miles just to keep my fitness up and would like to ride further but after about 10 miles my lower back starts to hurt and more often than not leaves me with sciatica. I ride a road bike and have tried altering the handlebar to different heights and altering the seat angle. But none of this seems to help. Any suggestions would be gratefully accepted.
Seth Hart, via email
Answer:
Dear Seth,
First off I would suggest a trip to a good physiotherapist is in order, as you certainly shouldn’t be getting sciatic pains after a short ride. This could be due to a number of factors but is well worth getting checked out professionally. They should take a much more holistic view than just your bike. It is probably contributed to from other mechanical stresses such as poor seating posture, core stability or flexibility issues.
In the meantime you could return to the bike set up and ensure you aren’t reaching too far to the bars, overstretching your back. A good quick test is with the tip of your elbow in contact with the nose of the saddle you should be a couple of finger widths from the centre point of the bars. Also try to spend more time on the tops as your back is in a more upright position. Unfortunately though it is unlikely there is a quick fix though without a thorough assessment of the underlying cause.
Q & A: Cycling Accident
Question:
Floored me
I’m looking for a bit of advise on how to get back into training– basically how much and how often after a five-month lay-off after I was hit from behind by a truck traveling at 30mph while on a training ride. Most injuries were to my back, neck, SI joints and an abductor strain but nothing broke. The physio’ now says I should try getting back onto the bike again. I tried once and had a complete relapse, but he knows nothing about cycling. So he’s unable to advise me on how to go about this. Before the accident I was training eight to 10 hours a week, the longest ride being three to four hours, the rest being intervals, tempo rides etc.
Frank Smith, via email
Answer:
Dear Frank,
Sorry to hear that. I guess I’d advice much the same as with any lengthy lay off with a back injury.
Initially start back on the turbo trainer, gentle gears, moderate cadence and starting with only 30 minutes. Would be advisable spending the first few sessions sitting up rather than leaning forward to the tops. Progress to the tops, then hoods and finally drops, spending longer and longer on each.
Make sure the bike is measured well for you, particularly the reach. Over-stretching a previously injured back and pelvis will quickly re-aggravate it.
Once you have a couple of weeks on the turbo under your belt progress to the road. A mountain bike may be more appropriate with an upright posture. Keep that back warm with a good base layer and alter position whilst you ride in the early days.
A good general rule of progression is never increase more than 10% in distance or time between sessions. Only progress if the previous session was pain free. Throughout all this do keep up with your core exercises and tt would be a good time to use the gym for leg strengthening work (check out www.grangephysio.com for some ideas)
Considering you have had 5 months out from a serious injury, I would spend at least 5 months tapering back to full training and competition. So just in time for the summer! Sounds like you would be ready to get back on the bike.
Physical activity associated with lower risk of work-related Repetitive Strain Injury
from Medical News Today
A new study in Canada shows the potential of physical activity to minimise the risks of Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI).
Health benefits associated with physical activity during leisure time are widely recognized, but it is not known if leisure-time physical activity decreases the risk of work-related repetitive strain injury (RSI). A new study published in the April 2007 issue of Arthritis Care & Research (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/arthritiscare) estimated the prevalence of work-related RSI and found that being physically active during leisure time is associated with a decreased risk of this type of injury.
Q & A: Tendonitis
Question
How can I recover from Tendonitis in my foot faster, and what should I be doing to keep fit whilst recovering?
Happy runningMatthew Howell
Answer
Hi Matt,
It’s a difficult question to answer as I would need to know specifics of what tendon was involved.
I would always advice seeing a sports physiotherapist specialising in running injuries. They would be able to find the root cause of this tendon pain. Its one thing to allow the pain to settle but it’s very likely the pain would return unless the faults were addressed. Frequently there are issues with the way someone is running or muscle imbalances that would need to be corrected to allow full resolution. This will take time and patience from your behalf as often you need to return to basics, strengthening the foundations before building back up again.
Looking more locally, tendons are unfortunately slow healers as their blood supply is quite limited so rest is important to avoid further aggrivation. Hopefully you won’t get too bored though as this is a good time to start the exercises the physio would have shown you. To keep fit cycling should be ok and possibly rowing but it all depends on the site of the tendon injury. As a rule as long as your ankle remains relatively still during the movement it shouldn’t become too irritated.
Good Luck
