How To Prevent Back Pain At Your Desk Job

Working a desk job can be hazardous to your health. It’s not dangerous in the same way that construction or factory jobs might be, but many injuries can happen at people’s desks, especially to the back, neck, and shoulders.

Some Pain Facts

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, over 80% of adults experience back pain at some point. Back pain is also a leading cause of absences from work.

The human body was not designed to sit at a computer all day every day. The body is a sort of perpetual motion machine that we often treat more like a paperweight. This can lead to some of the back issues that many adults experience today.

So what can be done about it?

Stand Up for Your Health

Many adults have worked or will work in an office for decades, and very few employees or employers stop to consider the overall health of their workplace. It may seem like an out of place discussion to bring up, but for those who spend the majority of their week in the office, it’s an important discussion to have.

You should always consider your health a priority for yourself. It is also an important asset to your company. Poor physical working conditions can cause individuals to miss work, and can even lead to disability claims. This can be avoided if you stop to consider improving your workplace health.

Things You Can Improve at Your Desk

A great place to start is talking to your HR department. Most HR staff are familiar with the need to give people an ergonomic place to work if they ask for it. Examples of things HR can do include:

• Bring in an ergonomic specialist to assess your work environment. An ergonomic specialist can help you learn to adjust your posture so your head doesn’t move too far forward, your back is supported, and you don’t strain as you type and reach for the mouse.
  
• Choose the right chair. An ergonomic specialist can help you choose the right chair for back support, and also show you the right posture to avoid pain and stress.
  
• Recommend a standing desk. Standing desks are much more common now than in the past. People generally feel more energized, have less body pain, and get more done with a standing desk, particularly one that also converts to a sitting position when you are feeling tired.
  
• Show you exercises to do to avoid pain. Taking a break is one thing, but actually doing mild stretching for even two minutes for every 30 minutes you are at a computer may be the secret to saying goodbye to your aches and pains in your back.
  
• Recommend a yoga or posture brace. These flexible nylon braces are pure posture correctors. Wearing one while working can help relief back stress.

The bottom line is that if you must work in an office sitting down all day, to protect your health, you need to do everything within your power to be sure your posture is natural, and your back in particular is supported.

Looking for solutions to chronic back pain or other aches caused by injury or desk work? Contact Limitless Physical Therapy and Wellness, a San Marcos physical therapy clinic, to learn more or to schedule an appointment.

https://limitless-physical-therapy.com/prevent-back-pain-at-desk/

How Physical Therapy Can Help Back Pain

Physical therapy can be a solution to a wide range of problems like injury, stroke, avoiding surgery, recovering from surgery, improving mobility, and more. While physical therapy is most commonly associated with some sort of injury recovery, it is much more than that. Regardless of the cause, physical therapy might be a good solution for something as common and troublesome as back pain in order to decrease that pain, improve function, and also learn proper exercise techniques to maintain optimal health. 

Causes of Back Pain

While back pain is a very common symptom for adults and athletes, there are a wide range of causes for it. One of the most common reasons is due to ligament strain or over use. This can result from lifting heavy objects improperly, going overboard during a workout, and sometimes even moving in an awkward or unfamiliar way. Worn or ruptured disks are another common cause of back pain that might land you in need of physical therapy as well. Beyond these causes, arthritis, osteoporosis, and other abnormalities could result in a referral from your doctor for physical therapy. 

Forms of Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is catered to each specific individual and their specific injury or pain. Depending on the cause of the pain or injury, you might benefit from passive or active therapy or a combination of the two. Passive physical therapy is a process of treatment happening to you like applying heat or ice or manual therapy as opposed to active therapy which involves strategic movement and exercises. 

Passive Physical Therapy

The need for passive therapy can arise when an individual is experiencing issues like muscle swelling or stiffness. Alternating hot and cold can help increase blood flow, which can help with swelling, and stiffness can often be relieved by massage therapy which is also considered “passive therapy”. Another form of passive therapy that is typically focused on either back or neck pain or stiffness is electrotherapy. 

Active Physical Therapy

Active physical therapy can alleviate a wide range of soreness or pain as well as increase flexibility and strength. Stretching is often a huge aspect of active physical therapy especially when it comes to back pain. Along with stretching, core muscle strength building like ab, glute, and hip muscle exercises are key in healing back pain. Your physical therapist will likely focus on these muscle groups that are closest to the spine, which also happen to be the muscle groups that do not get the most use in everyday life. Another common form of active physical therapy is low impact aerobics like biking, walking, swimming, and water aerobics. These help increase mobility without the stress of higher impact exercises. 

Physical Therapy and Surgery

Unfortunately, surgery can sometimes mean a long road to full recovery. For back patients in particular, physical therapy plays a significant role in that recovery as it can greatly speed up the healing time. Because surgery can result in limited mobility, swelling, reduced strength, and some pain, physical therapy is often the best way to heal while strategically building strength and flexibility along the way.

Experiencing back pain or have more questions about how physical therapy may be able to help you? Contact Limitless Physical Therapy and Wellness, a San Marcos physical therapist, for more information or to schedule an appointment.

https://limitless-physical-therapy.com/physical-therapy-helps-back-pain/

Types of Joint Pain and Getting Treatment

If you’ve ever broken an arm or leg or maybe you’ve had a knee replacement, then you’ve probably had to undergo physical therapy.

What is Physical Therapy?

Physical therapy is a range of motion that involves various methods. Physical Therapists are trained in massages, heat treatment, and other exercises. These methods allow the patient to heal their muscles at a faster rate other than resorting to pain killers. Physical therapy may even be a better option than going through a long recovery after surgery.

Joint Pain

A joint is a part of the body that connects one bone to another. As your body ages, these joints can swell up and may cause severe pain. You may feel a burning sensation or soreness which could be a sign of arthritis, notify your doctor if you feel a dull ache in your hands, wrist, hips, knees, or elbows.

Listed below are various conditions related to joint pain.

Lupus is known as an autoimmune condition that breakdown the cells in your body. It can harm your brain, blood, heart, lungs, and kidneys.

Gout affects the feet usually the big toes. The feet will feel hot to touch and severe pain will follow. Gout is common in people who have high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid disease, sleep apnea, and kidney disease.

Fibromyalgia is difficult to comprehend by most doctors. The symptoms include fatigue but can’t sleep. For example, you could sleep for eight hours and still feel tired. Pain in the muscles and bones may occur with fibromyalgia while other areas may just be tender.

Osteoporosis attacks the bones. Most people aren’t aware that they have it. There aren’t any significant warning signs or symptoms. You should understand that thee are certain areas that osteoporosis can trigger.

• Brittle Nails
• Weak Grip
• Back/Neck pain

Should you notice any of these signs contact your doctor immediately.

Rheumatoid Arthritis affects both sides of the body. If one side has it the other is sure to follow. You’ll feel a warm sensation in the affected area, usually, an arm or leg, although various types of arthritis can affect any joint including elbows, knees, and hips.

Treating Joint Pain

Physical Therapists are highly skilled in their field of expertise. Joint Mobilization has become well-known for physical therapy. It involves a device similar to a brace worn on your hand that will allow a direct technique in which the therapist will provide a hands-on approach while adding force behind it. Joint mobilization acts as a counterpart to your body’s activity for instance if your joints aren’t ready for the impact it provides it will slow down.

It’s important to not allow joint pain to linger. When you experience for the first time contact your doctor immediately. He or she can run the appropriate tests to find out what’s causing your discomfort. It could be nothing serious, but it’s better to know for sure.

https://limitless-physical-therapy.com/types-of-joint-pain-and-getting-treatment/

How Can Physical Therapy Help Me?

If you or a family member have recently been referred to a physical therapist, you may have some questions. How will physical therapy be helpful, and what should you expect during your treatment? We’re here to answer some of those initial questions and help put your worries to rest.

How Does Physical Therapy Help? 

Physical therapy is a practice in which professional physical therapists treat abnormal physical function. There are a variety of situations that might lead to the need for physical therapy. Certain injuries, conditions, and even diseases can be treated successfully using physical therapy. The goal of most physical therapy treatments is to restore function and relieve pain from activity. Sometimes these goals can be even more significant, such as helping patients avoid surgery for conditions that can be treated by a physical therapist instead. 

What are the Benefits of Physical Therapy?

There are many benefits that can come from various treatments, depending on your diagnosis. If your movement or activity is being limited, physical therapy may be able to restore the physical function being affected. If you are experiencing significant pain or discomfort due to an injury or condition, some treatments can help relieve these symptoms. Successful physical therapy can even help you avoid the need for certain surgeries.

What Conditions Does Physical Therapy Treat?

As mentioned in a previous article, “What Is Physical Therapy?” physical therapists mainly work with bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. These parts of your body can be affected by a number of injuries and conditions. From injuries like runner’s knee, tennis elbow, and shin splints to conditions such as cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis, your physical therapist can work with you to develop a treatment plan that will help relieve associated pain and physical limitations.

What Should I Expect at a Physical Therapy Appointment?

The first visit to your physical therapist will likely be to assess your physical therapy needs. Doing so will help you and your physical therapist work out a treatment plan that’s right for you. Physical therapy treatments are centered on the patient and their needs, so communicating your pain, symptoms, and expected goals are important in your first appointment and during ongoing treatment.

After your initial visit, additional appointments with your physical therapist will be scheduled to work toward pain relief, if that is the issue, and improvement of physical function. Treatment will follow the plan you and your physical therapist decided on, so you won’t run into surprises.

How Do I Find a Physical Therapist in San Marcos, TX?

Finding the right physical therapist for you is an important part of beginning your journey toward recovery. Professional physical therapists must be trained and licensed. In addition, you should find a physical therapist that you feel comfortable communicating with, as clear discussion of your treatment is an important part of recovery.

Ready to learn more about physical therapy and how it could help improve your life? Contact Limitless Physical Therapy and Wellness, a physical therapy clinic in San Marcos, TX, to request information or make an appointment. 

https://limitless-physical-therapy.com/how-can-physical-therapy-help-me/

What is Physical Therapy?

Perhaps you’ve heard of people going to physical therapy after a car accident? Or maybe your own doctor has recommended physical therapy for yourself? Let’s take a quick walk-through of the field of physical therapy so that you can better understand what we do and what to expect when you come to our office.

Physical therapy is an allied health practice that uses mechanical force and movements, manual therapy, exercise therapy, and electrotherapy to remediate impairments and promote mobility and function. Our ultimate goal is to help patients reduce pain and regain day-to-day mobility and strength without invasive surgeries or the long-term use of prescription medications.

What Can Be Treated with Physical Therapy?

Our specialty is working with the bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. Therefore, we are commonly involved in the treatment of:
• Neck pain and whiplash
• Shoulder impingements
• Rotator cuff problems
• Joint pain
• Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
• Low back pain
• Runners knee
• Plantar fasciitis
• Bursitis
• Joint replacement rehabilitation
• Arthritis
• Sciatica
• Piriformis Syndrome
• Shin splints
• TMJ
• Fibromyalgia
• Scoliosis
• Lou Gehrig’s
• Cerebral Palsy
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Guillan-Barre Syndrome

What Happens During Physical Therapy?

Your first appointment will be largely an assessment of your needs and creating a treatment plan. The Physical Therapist will ask you questions about your pain, your ability to perform everyday tasks, how well you sleep, and your medical background. Next, you will be given some basic movement tests that measure how well you can move around, reach, bend, or grasp; how well you can ambulate on flat surfaces and stairs; and your posture and balance. Finally, your physical therapist will work with you to create a treatment program. Together, you will set goals related to functionality and pain relief and define the exercises or other treatments necessary to attain those goals.
Subsequent physical therapy treatments might include any of the following, depending on your needs:
• Exercises
• Stretches
• Massage
• Heat therapy
• Cold therapy
• Ultrasound
• Dry needling
• IASTM
• Cryotherapy
• Rehab to help you learn to use an artificial limb
• Practice with medical equipment to help you ambulate, such as a walker or cane

Physical therapy is a very patient-centered practice. Your goals, treatment plan, exercises, duration of treatments all depend upon you and your needs. If you think physical therapy might improve your quality of life, we’d love to explore that with you!