Posts Tagged ‘back brace’
Friday, September 3rd, 2010
According to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), 60 percent of children toting heavy backpacks to school had suffered from back pain; studies conducted in France have shown that the longer a child wears a backpack, the longer it takes for the spine to correct itself from a curvature or deformity; and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, concluded that the heavier the bags, the more there was compression of the discs in the spine and increased curvature of the lower spine in kids.
Kids’ schoolbags should not weigh more than 10 to 15 percent of their own weight (i.e. if a child weights 65 pounds, their backpack should weigh no more than 13 pounds). Concerned parents only need to see their children leaning in one direction, breathing heavily while lugging their backpacks, or holding their straps to ease achy shoulders to realize they are carrying too much weight. Here are some tips to get your kids’ minds off their backs and back into their studies:
Be Picky About Your Pack
Children naturally migrate toward backpacks that display their favorite television characters. Examine these carefully. The right carryall for their school supplies can be fun and safe. An appropriate-sized backpack will end just a few inches above the waist. Also look for a backpack that has soft, padded straps to maximize comfort and different compartments that help distribute the weight. Packs with waist straps are an added bonus.
Proper Pack Packing
Have your child sort through their backpack and leave any books home that aren’t needed. Place the heaviest items in first so they are closer to your child’s back and put less strain on those muscles. Encourage your child to stop at his or her locker frequently to drop off books that aren’t needed the rest of the day. If the choice is available, advise your child to select a paperback textbook over the heavier hardcovers
Read more: http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/back-to-school-backpacking/#ixzz0yVHwRTtI
Tags: back brace, back injuries, back pack, back pain, back to school, discs, herniated disc, Lower Back Pain, spinal decompression
Posted in Reposted from another source | 2 Comments »
Monday, August 30th, 2010
Give your back a break! Treat it with respect and it will support you your entire life. Ignore it; neglect it or even abuse it and you will become one of the 80 percent of Americans who suffer from severe to moderate chronic back pain.
Here are seven sins that can spell pain and suffering to back health if not avoided.
Sin 1-Lifting with your back
The muscles in your legs work synergistically to be the most powerful group in your body. Your back muscles on the other hand are spread out and work more independently responding to which way you need to twist or bend. Therefore, when it comes to lifting heavy objects, you are much more likely to isolate, strain and pull a back muscle than you are a leg muscle. Plus, your spine consists of many individual bones (vertebrae) that house and protect nerves that are connected by many delicate micro tendons, tissues and muscle. Your legs on the other hand have three main, large bones supported by large muscles. Logically thinking, the legs are where it’s at when you need to lift.
Sin 2-Poor Posture
Slouching: Yes, it is a sin. Your mom knew what she was talking about all those years. Over time it and other poor posture positions wear the ligaments down, squish the discs into degenerative oblivion and can even cause the vertebrae to rub, grow spurs and fall out of alignment.
Sin 3-Wreckless Abandon
While we are young many of us feel indestructible and we engage in risky activities that can lead to back injury. For example, my brother once got a little too big for his britches while jumping his dirt bike at our local sand dunes. Too much speed led to too much height which led to landing too hard which led to a broken back. Luckily no damage occurred to his spinal column, but now that he is older the location of his breaks are turning into sources of pain, and the prognosis is for it to worsen. Moral of the story: We all get old and injuries incurred when we were young though careless actions can come back with a haunting vengeance.
Sin 4-Poor Health
We’ve all seen the guy with a belly so large he has to lean way back to maintain a center of balance. The strain such a posture puts on the spine is one thing, the wearing effects of the excess weight is another. Additionally such a person is likely not in the habit of keeping his core muscles in shape. They are your abdominal muscles and all the back muscles surrounding your spine. If kept strong they minimize the deteriorating effects gravity can have on your discs and vertebrae. When weak you run a significant risk of degenerative disc disease and a drove of other malicious ailments. Add the burden of excess weight or obesity and you are sure to be hurting as early as your mid 30s, depending on factors such as genetics and the previously-mentioned sins.
Sin 5-Genetics
It may not be fair to call genetics a sin…but just as inheriting a predisposition for cancer or heart problems, genetics can dictate your back’s susceptibility to such things as arthritis and other diseases. Sin or not, genetics can play a very significant role.
Sin 6-Injury
Accidents happen. Whether you slip on some ice; lose your footing on your stairs; get in an automobile accident or land wrong when skydiving; one accident can cause a lifetime of pain. It doesn’t matter if you are the cause of the accident or a victim, the sentence is the same…damage to key locations of your back.
Sin 7-Disregard
Should you have the misfortune of sustaining a back injury or if you are hurting as a result of one of sins 1-5 you are likely going to end up talking with a doctor, a chiropractor, a physical therapist or some other practitioner as you seek relief from the pain. And you are likely to hear all sorts of advice. The worst thing you can do is permanently ignore what you hear. However, some of the advice may be conflicting so it is important that you do your own research…and of course opt for the less evasive therapies before agreeing to back surgery. And if your doctor asks you to take it easy, wear a back brace or do some specific core-strengthening exercises, follow his suggestions! For to disregard them would be…a sin.
Tags: back brace, back injuries, back pain, back surgery, Lower Back Pain, spine, sr 500
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | 4 Comments »
Thursday, August 19th, 2010
Steve Fontana, our fearless leader, boss and CEO here at Spinal Rehab Solutions, Inc., spent this lovely morning at the offices of Freedom Medical doing a training. He just returned and reports that everything went well and is excited about Freedom’s enthusiasm to start proactively representing the SR 500 Brace here in the Las Vegas metro area. Welcome to the SRS family Freedom!!
Tags: back brace, DME, DMEPOS, Durable Medical Equipment, spinal brace, spinal decompression, sr 500
Posted in SRS Insight | No Comments »
Monday, August 16th, 2010
If you have prolonged moderate to severe back pain, chances are at some point a doctor is going to suggest back surgery. Most likely this suggestion will come after pain med prescriptions and epidural blocks have lost their efficiency and you are at your rope’s end.
There are many things you can do to help your back heal and avoid going under the knife. Of course everyone is different and each cause of back pain is unique, so unfortunately a “one cure fits all” remedy is simply not available.
Let’s get going. First and foremost is diet and exercise. Yeah yeah I am sure you are as sick as the rest of us of hearing you’ve got to work out and eat right. But maybe you are hearing it so much because it is actually important? Just a thought.
The preventative effects exercise alone can have on your back and its overall health are significant. Ever heard of exercises that strengthen your core? They are not referring to your spirit or soul. They are referring to that group of muscles located in and around your midsection (your waist and lower back). They are called obliques, abdominals, flexors, extensors and glutes. Keep these babies toned and loose and you will not only avoid a plethora of potential back problems later in life, but you will find your posture is one even 18th century Aristocrats would be proud of.
Keeping these muscles strong keeps weight bearing forces off the spine…which can prevent such nasties as bulging or herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and facet joint deterioration. All of which equal pain with a capital “P.” Regarding diet, answer this question: What is most likely to wear down your spine—80 or more lbs of beer belly fat (men) or no extra weight at all? Does the answer really need to be stated?
What does need stating is the effect smoking can have on the back. As if you needed one more reason to not smoke, the arteries which carry precious nutrient-rich blood to your back—including to all the delicate tissue around your spin and the discs and muscles that cushion and support it—tend to harden and restrict with age. Smoking speeds up this process possibly making it so you have an 80-year old back when you are only 60 or 65. Lack of nutrients to your back is an open door invitation for degenerative diseases such as arthritis to take hold.
But let’s say you’ve already spent most your life neglecting your core muscles coupled with a wicked mixture of bad eating habits. Now you have constant moderate to severe back pain. Is it too late? Is your back destined to be sliced and diced? No, not necessarily.
Again, this has to be said with caution because sometimes surgery may indeed be necessary. But we’ll assume you are one of the many lucky ones who can find relief without a surgical knife. How do you know if you are one of the lucky ones? One of the following tactics will work.
To begin with, start exercising your core muscles! Trouble is by now you may be in so much pain that you can’t actually exercise. Now what?
Work with a physical therapist. Start slow, with stretches and mild moves. Believe it or not, little by little your muscles will strengthen. However, that might not be enough. You may have damage that needs repaired in addition to strengthening your core. Fortunately the body is its own best healer! A chiropractor, especially one that specializes in spinal decompression, may be exactly what you need. Today’s decompression tables are guided by super smart computers that control the force and angle of the pull on the spine thus tricking the body’s natural tendency to resist. The result is extra room between the vertebrae into which bulging or herniated discs can distract and heal.
Lastly, use a decompression spinal brace for your toughest times. Such a brace can give your back the break (no pun intended) it needs just long enough to get you to your next round of core-strengthening exercises.
Tags: back brace, back pain, back surgery, Lower Back Pain, pain, spinal brace, spinal decompression, sr 500
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | 5 Comments »
Monday, August 2nd, 2010
As we reported here in the blog last Wednesday, company CEO Steven Fontana packed his bags and headed to Kansas City, MO for a hands on training of the Knit-Rite staff. Steven reports the training went well. “There were about 22 people in the training,” reports Fontana. “It was quite interactive. There were lots of comments and questions, and I could see that collectively they internalized the advantages of the SR 500 over constriction braces that dominate the market. And that understanding will lead to enthusiasm as they begin to sell it.”
A couple of the trainees are back pain sufferers themselves and Fontana left them with a test brace. By noon today Fontana had already heard back from one of them.
“I have used the SR 500 every day! I LOVE this brace…I have been very impressed with the amount of traction that it provides, without being uncomfortably tight. This is very important to me…due to the fact that I wear an insulin pump. The infusion of the insulin along with the inserted blood glucose sensor have to have a very good amount of circulation through the area of interstitial fluid below the surface of the skin. What I have found with other ‘constriction’ braces, is that they tend to inhibit the circulation of the interstitial fluid in and around my infusion sites, which would cause problems with the overall blood glucose control. I have to be VERY careful about controlling my blood glucose levels, and this brace allows me to function comfortably at work, keeping my glucose under good control, while also providing much needed relief and allowing healing to take place in my back.” ~~Jim Gillespie
Tags: back brace, back pain, Knit-Rite, pain, relief, spinal decompression
Posted in SRS Insight | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
Spinal Rehab Solutions owner Steve Fontana flies from Las Vegas to Kansas City, MO today armed with props and propaganda for the entire Knit-Rite sales team. Knit-Rite recently signed on as a reseller of the SR 500 Lumber Spinal-Air LSO Brace and is gathering its troops tomorrow for Fontana’s signature training. We are glad to have Knit-Rite on board and wish them much success with our brace!
Tags: back brace, sr 500, training
Posted in SRS Insight | 2 Comments »
Thursday, June 24th, 2010
Sprained ankles are common, but what about a sprained back? Is it possible? Yes it is. Use this quick question and answer article below to learn what a sprained back is and how it can be healed.
Q: What is a sprain anyway?
A: A sprain is a microscopic tear of ligaments, tendons or muscles.
Q: How do I know if I have a sprained back muscle?
A: You will feel pain. But making sure the pain you feel is from a sprain and not a damaged disc or other problem is critical. Generally you will have stiffness, pain that may radiate into the buttocks but does not go into the legs, pain that persists more than two weeks and muscle spasms.
Q: Will my sprained back heal?
A: Yes. Statistics show that well over 90 percent of all sprained back sufferers experience a full recovery.
Q: How long will it take my sprained back to heal?
A: This depends on severity of the sprain, your age and health, and on how well you are able to put yourself into healing-conducive situations. But a sprain can take up to a year to heal. Don’t worry though; it is most likely that you will be able to lead a normal active life after the initial healing period.
Q: Initial healing period? What’s that?
A: There are four stages of healing after a sprain.
Stage 1 is referred to the Active Swelling stage and occurs during the initial 12-72 hours after the injury.
Stage 2 is called the Passive Congestion stage and begins by day 2 or 3. This is the stage where most of the swelling occurs.
Stage 3 is the Tissue Repair stage. It begins by day 4 or 5. During this stage the body infiltrates the damaged area with scar tissue which is laid down in criss-cross matrix of fibers and is not conducive to normal function.
Stage 4 is the remodeling stage. It starts about six weeks after the Tissue Repair stage begins. In this stage, scar tissue fibers are realigned to a parallel orientation. It generally lasts 3-6 months but can last up to a year. It is during this stage that you can return to an increasingly normal routine.
Q: Is there anything I can do to speed my recovery?
A: Yes there is. During stage 1 stay down and keep movement to an extreme minimum. During stage 2, as pain levels allow, start to become somewhat mobile. But don’t push it. During stage 3 increase movement and functionality. You should be able to begin to cautiously return to some normal function albeit slower, and guarded. Avoid lifting or any sudden movement. Then, during stage 4, under your doctor’s or physical therapist’s guidance, you can engage in stretches and exercise to aid the body in realigning the scar tissue.
In the initial stages anti inflammatory drugs will greatly aid in the reduction of swelling which will allow for quicker healing. Electro therapy devices are also highly recommended. There is a great article I wrote on the various devices called TENS, EMS, IF, HVPC! Oh My! The DME Providers’ Ultimate Guide. http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=2965593 It was written for those who sell this equipment, but any reader will find it quite informative.
Q: Should I wear a back brace? If so, when and for how long?
A: A back brace, (a.k.a. a spinal brace) can be very helpful in immobilizing your sprained muscles while allowing you to remain active. In the initial stages, a restrictive or “cinch-tight” brace is ideal. However, especially as you enter the remodeling stage, a flexible brace such as Spinal Rehab Solutions’ SR 500 brace is a better choice. I mention the product by name because while restrictive braces are common and can be found almost everywhere, the newness of the flexible brace makes them harder to locate.
In general, braces should be worn no more than 4 hours a day to avoid muscle atrophy, and they can be worn at your most challenging times whether that be while lying, sitting or standing.
Tags: back brace, back injuries, back sprain, Lower Back Pain, spinal brace
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
So what is spinal decompression and what does it mean to you as a durable medical equipment supplier?
That’s an excellent question. Wikipedia defines spinal decompression as “the relief of pressure on one or many pinched nerves (neural impingement) of the spinal column.”
There are two ways to treat neural impingement, surgically and non-surgically. Surgically there are two common procedures called microdidectomy and laminctomy (also known as open decompression). During microdisectomy the herniated portion of a disc is removed by surgical knife or laser under the guide of a microscope. Laminctomy is more invasive and involves the removal of a small portion of the arch of the vertebrae.
For most back pain sufferers, a non surgical approach is by all means the preferred treatment choice.
One of the most effective non surgical solutions to evolve in the last decade is computerized mechanical decompression, usually found at a chiropractor’s office. Computerized mechanical decompression is similar to more traditional decompression tables, only the decompression is applied through an on-board computer that controls the force and angle of disc distraction, which reduces the body’s natural propensity to resist external force and/or generate muscle spasm.
As a compliment to this treatment, or even in lieu of the treatment, a chiropractor or physician may prescribe the use of a unique spinal brace designed to mimic and/or continue the decompression effect achieved during spinal decompression therapy. This type of brace is called a spinal decompression brace, and selling these braces is where profits for durable medical equipment providers can really come in.
If you have been in the durable medical equipment industry for a while you undoubtedly know about the hundreds of back or spinal braces on the market. But which of those braces provide spinal decompression?
The answer is tricky because, as an unintended but positive side affect, almost all braces may provide some decompression. But when it comes to traditional spinal bracing, decompression is not a primary intention. Traditional braces work by cinching tight in order to prevent movement in the affected area. Their main purpose is immobilization. However, as the intestinal cavity is compressed and the internal organs are forced upward thereby pushing on the upper torso, some minimal lumbar decompression may result. According to proponents of traditional bracing, this “compression” of the intestinal cavity provides sufficient decompression of spine.
There is another option however. A new brace on the market designed specifically to create decompression is rapidly gaining acceptance and popularity. It works by expanding vertically after it is on the patient. It has internal vertical air cell chambers that the user inflates via a hand air pump. As it inflates the brace grows vertically as opposed to constricting inward. It lodges up under the rib cage pushing upwards and down against the pelvic girdle pushing downwards. The resulting “stretch” provides spinal decompression and creates an environment where herniated or bulging discs can distract into the inter-vertebra cavity.
The centers of the discs consist of a jelly-like substance encased in a tough, fibrous outer skin shell. A herniated disc is one where the jelly like substance has erupted through the fibrous skin due to trauma or degenerative disc disease. In most cases this eruption can push on or pinch a nerve in the spinal column and cause severe pain. When proper spinal decompression is achieved and the weight bearing forces are removed from the lumbar area a distractive force is created and the jelly like material of the disc retracts back into its natural shape and position within the vertebrae, reabsorbs the disc fluid it lost when it was compressed, and with time it has the ability to completely heal itself.
A proper understanding of spinal decompression and the remedies available, particularly how spinal bracing comes into play, can mean big profits to you as a durable medical equipment provider.
Tags: back brace, DME, Durable Medical Equipment, herniated disc, HME, Lower Back Pain, spinal decompression, spine
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | 23 Comments »
Monday, May 17th, 2010
We all know what it is like to have something get on our nerves. But what if something was literally on our nerves…pressing on them, causing more than just irritation?
If you are one of the millions of Americans suffering from an injury-born herniated disc in your spine, you already know the resulting pain can be much more real than when your co-worker steals your red stapler. Take hope; the pain-relieving tactics outlined below may be the best read of your life.
1. See Your Doc
It is critical after sustaining the injury to get into a qualified doctor who can determine the severity of the injury. For the purposes of this article we will assume the injury is indeed a herniated disc and not a fractured vertebrae or torn muscle.
2. Take Your Meds
Your doctor will likely prescribe you a steroid-based, anti-inflammatory such as Prednisone or Medrol. Take them as directed. By definition a herniated disc is one that has “swollen” beyond its normal shape. These powerful drugs will immediately help reduce the swelling associated with the injury and may just be what you need to endure while the disc heals. Unless the pain is unbearable and nothing else is working, try to avoid narcotic-based drugs. They can be addictive.
3. Stay Down…but not for long
Let your spine heal by giving it a break. Your body heals faster with rest (and hydration) so get lots of it in the first day or two after injury, and try different positions to find the ones that give you the most relief. But don’t stay down too long allowing your muscles to weaken which could lead to more injuries.
4. Ice Then Heat, Then Repeat
To further help with healing, alternate the use of ice and a heating pad or warm shower every 3 hours or so. The heat will help the surrounding muscles relax, the ice will help prevent or diminish swelling. If you find one irritates your pain discontinue but stick with the other.
5. Rehabilitate
Follow your doctor or physical therapist’s recommended stretches and exercises. Within a day or so of the injury your body will begin to heal itself. You can help it heal with the careful use of proper movement and strengthening activities.
6. Brace Yourself
A proper spinal decompression brace such as the SR 500 can do wonders. It utilizes vertical air cells within the brace that, once you put the brace on, can be inflated via a hand operated air pump. As the cells fill with air the brace expands vertically lodging up under your rib cage and down against your pelvic girdle. The result is a mild stretching of your lumbar spine which allows for decompression to occur giving your disc more room to return to its original shape and strength.
7. Be Careful
After full rehabilitation using a spinal brace combined with physical therapy you should be pain free. You are healed! But like any previously injured body part, your disc will be more susceptible to re-injury especially in the following months to year. So take it easy. No attempts at landing an ollie on your son’s skate board.
Tags: back brace, Heal, herniated disc, Lower Back Pain
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | 30 Comments »
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