April 2022 Healthy News from OrthoIllinois Chiropractic Words Describing Back Pain and Exercises to Strengthen the Multifidi Are Important
“Why do you ask me so many questions, doc?”
Our McHenry chiropractic patients are central to our practice. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic wants to understand each you and your pain experience well, treat you well, and be sure you are satisfied with your care and outcome. That’s why we have you to describe your pain to us, sometimes a few times and in a variety of different ways! Words mean different things to different people: “discomfort” to one may mean “pain” to another while “stiffness” is “pain” or “discomfort” to a another. It is true! Researchers studied just what these different words mean to patients. An example with regards to the description of “feeling”: pain was sharp/shooting, discomfort signified dull/tingling, stiffness was tight/restricted. (1) It is important for OrthoIllinois Chiropractic to know our patient’s experience with pain to better meet expectations and enhance satisfaction with care. Patients who visited an integrated hospital for care of their musculoskeletal pain and depressive symptoms rated their pain as 5/10 (10 being greatest pain) and reported multiple pain locations (9 of 17 participants), low back pain (13 of 17), and neck pain (8 of 17). Those are quite common of rationales patients pursue chiropractic care! In this setting, patients were satisfied with the collaboration among the various healthcare team members due to the trust they had in their physician. Patients valued consistency in care from a single caregiving chiropractor. (2) OrthoIllinois Chiropractic knows our patients value - and can expect - these same things from us: consistency, care, collaboration, and results!
McHenry CHIROPRACTIC TIP OF THE MONTH: Standing Exercise for Multifidus Muscle Strengthening Works
Back pain. It’s a simple description that may stem from a multitude of factors including the muscles of the spine, those seen and unseen. The multifidus muscles are such unseen muscles, smaller, deep muscles that run beside the spine from the cervical spine to the sacrum. These muscles aid movements like lateral (side) flexion and rotation of the spine when contracted. (3) Lately, researchers suggested that the multifidi may be a possible source of back pain since they are found to be stiffer in low back pain sufferers. Low back pain is linked to lumbodorsal musculature (which incorporates the multifidus muscle) fatigue. Standing back extension exercise fatigued the multifidus sufficiently which may avert low back pain caused by muscle fatigue. (4) “Superman” (on-the-floor) exercises are well known. Standing back extension and “superman” exercises are newly reported as equally beneficial to strengthen these multifidus muscles. (5) That is great news! McHenry back pain sufferers can do simple, standing exercises like this anywhere! The multifidus muscles benefit!
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Paula Hugulet on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she details the benefit of improving muscle strength and function as part of back pain treatment via the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
CONTACT OrthoIllinois Chiropractic
Schedule your next McHenry chiropractic appointment today. Your words will be heard. Your multifidus muscles will be directed in proper exercise to lessen and potentially avert back pain. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic will ask you questions, and you are welcome to ask OrthoIllinois Chiropractic questions, too!