Tag: Poor Posture

The Alexander Technique of Physiotherapy

The Alexander Technique was invented by a man named F.M. Alexander. He lived from 1869-1955. He was an actor, touring Tasmania and Australia with a Shakespearean troupe. He began to have problems with his voice, and the rest is history.

When Alexander’s throat became extremely hoarse, he made the rounds of all the doctors where he was at any given time. None of them could help him. They could not find any physical reason for the problem. The Alexander Technique came about because the man would not take no for an answer.

Since there was no one to come to his aid, Alexander began watching his every move. He spent much time looking into mirrors, trying to determine what he might be doing wrong. Over a period of nine years, he came up with a solution: the Alexander Technique.

The system Alexander designed did the trick of restoring his voice. This was nothing short of a miracle for him. His voice was of utmost importance to him as an actor. He did not name the system the Alexander Technique, though. He named it primary control.

The hypothesis of the Alexander Technique is that the head, neck, and torso are the primary factors in determining function, movement, and posture. In other words, these body parts control these features of the human anatomy.

Through his observations, he learned that by compressing these body parts, the body did not work in accordance with its design. In his case, this led to poor posture, which resulted in the hoarseness of his voice. For others, he saw that there were other problems that the Alexander Technique, or primary control, could help.

Primary control, as Alexander used it was the correct positioning of the head, neck, and torso so that the body worked normally. Now, the Alexander Technique is being used in clinics around the country. It is taught to people who are young and people who are old. It is taught to anyone comes to be taught.

Alexander Technique practitioners usually work with people on an individual basis. Groups can sometimes be taught the Alexander Technique, but this is not standard practice. The key is for the practitioner to employ physiotherapy techniques and education to help the person to use their body better and function better overall.

The idea of the Alexander Technique is to provide a physiotherapy that will allow muscles to become relaxed. This is said to give people back the posture they should have had all along. The body is worked with the human form as a whole, and so doing the Alexander Technique is said to have effects for all parts of the body.

The Alexander Technique is a highly specialized area of physiotherapy. This technique addresses issues that are related to posture only, albeit there are many problems that are. It is generally not used for people with major disabilities or illnesses. Other forms of physiotherapy are better for those patients. However, for people with minor problems, the Alexander Technique has been known to work wonders.

Proper Causes of Back Pain

Back pain may strike anyone. It can affect younger people but is more prevalent during adulthood especially those aged between 45 and 59 years old.

The spine is comprised of small bones known as vertebrae. These are normally good structures, which are separated by discs that allow free mobility. Muscles and ligaments further support these vertebrae.

Close to one hundred percent of all complaints with regards to back pain is directly linked to improper coordination and workings of these components. The cause of back pain may be sudden rather than what is usually perceived as the result of overworking for a single period of time. However, during tests abnormal conditions on the back may not be identified using x-rays and typically, nothing in the back is mildly or severely damaged.

The majority of cases of back pain documented occur to people aged 55 and above and nearly all of them show signs of being with good health. So this means that the cause of back pain is not or may be minimally affected by the health of the sufferer. This pain is often felt in the lower section of the spine and cases of upper and middle back pain is rare. Additionally, some people may also experience coexisting pains such those felt at the thighs and the legs. These are separated cases that may be triggered by several sets of complex sets symptoms.

Simple back pain may be caused by the following:

poor posture

lack of exercise

long periods of bending and standing

sitting on a chair that lacks supports for the back, especially for the lumbar area

sleeping on a mattress that lacks support for the back

lifting, pushing or pulling loads, carrying objects that are typically heavy or doing tasks the wrong way

a trip or fall

There are other causes that may be associated with back pain but cases like these appear on minimal basis. Around 5% of all sufferers experience back pain due to nerve root problems. The compression of the nerve root, which is triggered by the bulging, or displacement of the vertebral disc normally brings about the pain. This irregularity of the vertebral disc is called a slipped disc.

It must be noted that the back bone structure is especially adopted to carrying loads and carrying the whole body weight if need be. But there are certain conditions that may affect its performance. These generally cause back pain and the intensity of the pain produced depends on the rigidity of the activity.

How can Upper Back Pain be Helped

Upper back pain may not be as common as lower back pain but it may also induce severe pain and extreme discomfort. It is frequently caused by myofascial pain or muscular irritation and dysfunction on the joint. Degeneration on the upper back discs may occur but this condition is too rarely observed among upper back pain sufferers.

Both the myofascial pain and the joint dysfunction can best be helped with treatments in the forms of:

Active and passive physical therapy and daily exercise

Osteopathic or chiropractic manipulation

Massage therapy or deep massage

Acupuncture

Massage therapy

Injections with a local anesthetic on trigger points

Over the counter medications

Prescription drugs

The back bone is divided into several categories and each are at risk to different factors. As much as lower back pain is a condition that affects the lower portion of the spinal bones (lumbar), the upper back pain is mainly due to irregularities or impairments on the thoracic spine. While the lower spine and the neck are intended to allow us for greater mobility, the thoracic spine is designed to protect the internal organs that the section covers and to help the framework of the body to hold itself in its respective postures.

Because this section of the spinal chord are created for limited movement and more stability, it’s susceptibility to injuries and degeneration is much too less when compared with what the lower back is facing. Additionally, upper back may develop lesser disorders and like herniated spinal disks, degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis.

Upper back pain may be the resultant of poor posture or extreme trauma. Interestingly enough, the most recent cases documented for upper back pain typically came from people who work continuously in front of computers. Upper back pain often occurs with neck and shoulder pain.

Rarely, thoracic disk disease is the cause for upper back bone. Though this often is the case with lower back pain, the case is the opposite with thoracic back pain since lesser mobility is created with this spinal bone part.

Another less occurring condition responsible for upper back pain is the trauma that may cause the fracture or extreme injuries on the thoracic vertebrae. In this case, there is no room for neglecting the condition. This needs immediate medical assistance via early diagnosis to measure the damage incurred and to formulate the ideal treatment plan.

Tips About The Causes Of Lower Back Pain

There can be a wide variety of causes for lower back pain. For instance, repetitive injuries at work, improper lifting techniques, and poor posture are but a few of the more common ones. There are also other things that can be causes of lower back pain such as various illnesses and diseases.
Kidney infections are one of the prime causes of lower back pain that often go undiagnosed, ultimately resulting in disastrous consequences. An undiagnosed kidney infection can cause severe damage to a persons kidneys. Once a kidney is scarred or otherwise damaged, its impossible to heal. If too much damage is done, it can cause a kidney to stop functioning entirely. If a kidney stops functioning, a person will be on dialysis for the rest of their life or will need a kidney transplant. Anytime you have lower back pain thats accompanied by a fever, you must see a doctor immediately in order to rule out a kidney infection as the culprit.
Pinched nerves are also one of the causes of lower back pain. When discussing nerves, its important to note that nerve pain and muscle pain feel different. Nerve pain is typically a sharp, stabbing, or shooting pain. Muscle pains are more aching, throbbing, or tearing pains. Knowing the differences in the two kinds of pains should help you determine exactly what is causing the pain to begin with. If its a pinched nerve, you will need to seek treatment at a doctors office. Various tests can be done to determine which nerve is pinched and what is causing it to become pinched. From there, a treatment plan can be discussed. A pinched nerve can become permanently damaged so its important to get treatment for it right away to prevent that from happening.
Perhaps the most obvious causes of lower back pain are muscle related injuries. They can happen in a wide variety of ways. Muscle strains and sprains are perhaps the most common. Active sports, using improper techniques when lifting or exercising, pretty much anything you do that requires use of a muscle in the your back can cause lower back injuries and pain. Its important to be aware at all times of what youre doing and how youre doing it if you wish to avoid injuring your back. If you have any questions about a particular exercise or lifting technique or need any help whatsoever with lifting an item or exercising, dont hesitate to ask. It just may mean the difference between a healthy back and a serious injury.
While there are certainly many different causes of lower back pain, they can be easily treated with the proper mix of rest, exercise, and occasionally medication. If at all possible, its best to avoid an injury to your lower back entirely to begin with, however thats not always possible. At the very least, now that you know more about the causes of lower back pain, you know how to handle it better.