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Did you know that your health care providers don't heal your injury or illness. Your body does! For example when you cut yourself badly you go to the doctor for help. There are three parts to the healing process:
Why do we think back , neck or wrist pain is any different? Maybe it's because we have all heard these "words of wisdom" too many times: (for those with neck or wrist pain substitute wrist or neck for the word back and for wrist pain/RSI substitute carpal tunnel for arthritis as in with RSI carpal tunnel may be a factor but it is only part of the problem) PAIN IS PART OF GETTING OLDER - I PROBABLY HAVE "ARTHRITIS" ONCE YOU HURT YOUR BACK YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE PAIN Where do I start? EVERYONE HAS BACK PAINMost people will have back pain at some time in their life. I bet all of you have cut yourself at one time or another. Did you ever say "everyone cuts their skin therefore I don't need to bother to treat it by washing it and putting on a band aid. I will just stand here and bleed. Of course not. When you hurt your back treat it with first aide just like the cut. First aide for the back is rest -ice - stretches (see www.backandbodycare.com for more details). PAIN IS PART OF GETTING OLDERI PROBABLY HAVE "ARTHRITIS" Your don't have to be in pain just because you are a little older. You may have to take a little better care of yourself. It is worth the investment. A good example of this principle is learning to walk. Babies fall all the time in the course of learning to walk. They may cry a bit but they rarely really hurt themselves. If we trip when we are walking, as an adult, we are much more likely to hurt our back, knee, ankle or break a bone. Because of the risks of falling as adults, we take better care of ourselves by learning how to avoid falls. Did you fall today? See what I mean. "Arthritis". Don't get me started on this. (Remember this does not apply to RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS.) Many people get a mild form of "arthritis" known as OA, osteoarthritis or DJD, degenerative joint disease. This is caused by the wear and tear involved in using your body over the a few decades. RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS or RA is completely different. RA is a systemic, total body, disease which can be very disabling. Did you know most of us have mild DJD. Studies show 80% of people between the ages of 20 and 40 show signs of DJD on x-ray. The interesting part is, this study was done on a group of people who said they DID NOT have any pain. What does this mean? If you go to the doctor with back or neck pain. He or she may say, the pain is from "arthritis". They may even take an x- ray to prove it. Then you are told, we can't cure "arthritis". Take some pills or live with the pain. This is half right. No one has been able to cure "arthritis". Then why do people with "arthritis" of the back or neck feel better if they stretch, exercise, use good posture and get hands on PT. They may have "arthritis" but the pain is probably caused by stiff muscles and bad posture, not the "arthritis" This book seems to have changed the MD's mind
about "vitamins." Most MD will suggest you try a
combination of glucosimine
and chondriotin for osteo-arthritis. " The Arthritis
Cure,." the book that popularized this treatment, is available
at Amazon BOOKMARK BEFORE YOU LEAVE THIS PAGE Dr. Jon has become famous for his practical home remedies. He sponsors a non profit web pharmacy. I have purchased supplements there myself and the prices are great. Sing on to his news letter at: ARTHRITIS TIPS, by Dr. Jon "By far the best remedy I have found is a combination of glucosimine, chondriotin and bromelain. There are many on the market selling for 10-90 dollars. The best value I have found is here ." NO PAIN, NO GAINI hate this. If your are having pain your body is telling you to stop. This doesn't mean you can't put yourself through a hard physical work out. Just find out how to do that without causing pain. If you think about it yourself, or get help from a physical therapists you can probably figure out how to do most activities, including sports, without causing pain.. That's why athletes have trainers. Once you hurt your back you will always have pain.If you have injured your back or if you have a genetic disposition, every one in your family has had back surgery, you may need to be more careful than your co-worker who is 20 years old and sits hunched over the desk all day. Don't worry this will catch up to him or her sooner or later. Seriously, if you have had a major injury you may have to be very aware of the position of your back and the level of tension in your muscles. Does this mean you can't work, play with your kids, participate in some sports (jogging, volley ball and some of the harder sports on your back may be out - you can usually, walk, swim, work out at the gym, etc) and have a healthy sex life? No. It just means you need to know your limits, know some basic first aide that works for your particular situation and educate your self about you condition. A good physical therapist should be able to help you with all of these things. (you need to find your own partner for the sex part) There are other professions that can help you as well. Just be sure they address all these issues.
The three steps for healing the back involve the same three players, your healthcare provider, you and your body. YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER'S PART( the physical therapist and the M.D. should work together as a team) should provide hands on treatments, and medication for brief periods if needed, to help relieve the current pain. Next they need to teach you how to care for yourself. This may take a few sessions. Your input is very important. If you are still having pain, explain to your healthcare provider what causes the pain, when you have pain and/or why their suggestion didn't work for you. You need to help us. Together we can draw up a plans to allow you enjoy your lifestyle without producing pain. You may need to accept a few basic guidelines. YOUR PARTis to educate yourself about your condition, your own personal set of do's and don'ts, and your own first aide plan for when you over do it. ( Yes, physical therapists are human, we over do it sometimes too. We need to follow the same plan: 1. First aide to relieve the symptoms. 2. If pain persists seek help from a health care professional. ( I admit it is a little easier if you work in a PT department). 3. Support our body while it attempts to heal by use of gentle exercise and proper posture.
As a customer of your healthcare insurance company you may need to ask (demand) access to the appropriate health care professional. Read your policy. Know your rights.If you are paying less each month for a cheaper health care plan you may have limited coverage. Save some of the money you are saving each month for a rainy day. If the care you need is really not covered you have two choices: 1. Pay out of pocket for the relatively few visits you will need it your treat the problem before it gets really bad. Use these visits to educate yourself about self treatment options. 2. Wait several months. Suffer the pain. Pay more for more visits to treat the more serious problem that you have allowed to develop. 3. Wait until it is bad enough to be covered by your insurance. Take the risk of allowing the problem to become untreatable. ( some insurance's only pay for hospitalizations or for quick temporary fixes that don't help in the long run ) Just because it isn't covered doesn't mean it isn't really necessary. The rest is up to YOUR BODY'S PART.If we as healthcare professionals do our part and you as the owner of your body do your part, your body will do the rest. Questions or comments.
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