Exercise tip of the month: sleep. Weird? Not at all! Sleep is just as important
as exercise for pain management as well as management for back
pain. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office helps many Groton
pain sufferers cope with their spine, neck, and back pain with chiropractic spinal manipulation, nutrition advice, and exercise direction. Sleep – adequate
sleep – is added to that list for a good purpose!
CONTROLLING BACK PAIN
Since low back pain often is a condition
for life that is sporadic, a condition
that is handled rather than cured, it is a positive
thing that researchers are looking into just how a back pain
sufferer can take charge of the Groton back pain and how
often it ‘rears its head.' Question any back
pain sufferer and you’ll know that warding off a pain episode is a goal. But how? Researchers are studying sleep, fatigue, emotion, and more to figure that out. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
shares the term “flare” as it relates to
a back pain episode.
BACK PAIN FLARE
A Groton low back pain flare is one that includes increased pain,
paresthesia, or muscle tension, longer duration of symptoms, reduced
functional (social, cognitive, physical), and negative emotions. Researchers
found that back pain sufferers don’t consider their
back pain to be a flare just because of heightened pain, therefore
healthcare professionals need to look past the pain to see
what else is going on around the pain event, what
psychosocial factors are involved. (1,2) The mind-body connection
can’t always be ignored! Nor can the time of day
that pain is experienced.
PAIN: MORNING NOON AND NIGHT
Patients dealing with low back pain for more
than 3 months were studied to see what might precipitate a flare up of their pain. Researchers found
that poor sleep quality and morning pain were threats for such
flare-ups. Increased pain risk rose with days of more afternoon and
evening pain, fatigue, and fear of activity. Sleep is recommended
to reduce the intensity, frequency, and risk of back pain flares.
(3) Sleep quality
also plays a part in how Groton back pain is experienced.
SLEEP QUALITY
An analysis of sleep quality in older
adults in six middle-income countries uncovered that women experienced
more sleep problems. Further, age, depression, low back pain,
and poor self-rated health were also significantly linked to
sleep problems. (4) Sleep, perceived stress, and anxiety contribute to chronic low back pain. Luckily, sleep quality is able to mediate anxiety, making sleep a reasonable
recommendation in the treatment plan. (5)
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Ted Siciliano on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses
his use of Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction to ease arm pain and numbness that was preventing
him from sleeping.
Make your Groton
chiropractic appointment today. Let us talk sleep
next time you’re in for a visit!