When can rehab exercises help pain?

 

Rehabilitation exercise

 

Our most recent clinical nutrition intern made a keen observation. She noted that the patients who complied with the recommended rehabilitation exercises did better overall, had shorter treatment durations and saw faster improvements in their activities of daily living. I know, I know, this is anecdotal evidence, but this is what we see in practice every day. The good news is that studies show that rehabilitation exercises coupled with other of our “tools,” is very effective in treating back pain.

The challenge when talking about the benefits of rehabilitation exercises is to choose just one example of how well it works. That’s because we see it in action every day. In spite of the difficulty choosing, three examples stand out in my mind. Deciding which one to include is tricky so let’s chat briefly about them all.

I had a patient once who was in a reasonably serious traffic accident. We all dread that moment when someone, completely unknown to us slams into our car and changes our lives forever. Well this case was no exception, well…except that my poor patient had his two daughters in the car with him! As a parent, I can tell you truly, when he sat in my office with his two beautiful girls and told me everything that had happened, I genuinely empathized. Thank goodness, everyone had been wearing their seatbelts, but everyone was banged around pretty badly. They had gone to the emergency room where the ER doc had suggested that the dad see his regular doctor. After consulting his attorney about the accident, he and the chicas were sent to us. Dad did very well in a short time with the usual 3 step treatment system that we employ in practice. His main concern for the girls was that they were in severe pain that was not well managed by Tylenol, but he was uncomfortable giving them the more advanced analgesics that had been prescribed and he was looking for a drug free option. Children are great patients. They approached the rehabilitation exercises with greater enthusiasm than I have ever seen in my adult patients. Within 2 weeks of modalities, joint and soft tissue manipulation and rehabilitation exercises, the girls were pain free and back to participating in their pee wee sports teams as if nothing had happened.

Another group of patients that embrace the rehabilitation exercises are our athletes. I could fill in perhaps hundreds of stories here but this one stands out because maybe this particular athlete will be famous someday soon and then I can say I knew and treated her way back when! Anita’s parents had both been patients of ours over the years. They never brought their children in, perhaps mistakenly thinking that children wouldn’t benefit from seeing a chiropractor, or maybe there was just no need, until the fateful day when Anita was accidentally hit by an opposing player and was carried off the field in agony having hurt her low back. Her parents brought her in but were skeptical as to whether or not we could help. Once we were able to reduce the inflammation and begin rehabilitation exercises, Anita’s progress was astronomical. One thing about athletes is that they want to get back into the game, and so when you prescribe rehab exercises for them to do at home, consider them done. Anita was back to peak performance in a very short time and occasionally I see her featured in the news for her outstanding skills.

If we can only include one more example of how well exercise works for reducing back pain, here’s a brief story about one of our favorite patients Marisol. She started coming in to see us when she was pregnant and suffering from low back pain. For many pregnant patients this time poses a serious challenge as most do not wish to risk taking even over the counter medication for their pain. For Marisol, we were able to use just exercise to significantly reduce her pregnancy induced low back pain. We encouraged her to walk 15 min to half hour every day. That had tremendous benefits. We also put her on a regimen of   stretching and strengthening exercises, including using an exercise ball. The outcome was wonderful. She has since moved to the west coast but not before giving birth to a beautiful pair of twins. She delivered naturally; the twins came close to their due date, and are extremely healthy.

In many cases of back pain, keeping patients moving reaps great rewards. A study from the American Chiropractic Association confirms that adding exercises in as part of the treatment regimen helps patients tremendously. The patients that comply with their rehabilitation exercises…those patients do seem to get the best results. 

Do you want to know more? Download the #BePainFree eBook, it is FREE!

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 #BePainFree - The Five Causes Of Back Pain And The Seven Keys To Lasting Relief

Regards in health,

Dr. Davia H. Shepherd

Saporito Chiropractic

 *Disclaimer: Please remember that it's impossible for me to diagnose you and treat you just by you reading one of my articles. I'm superwoman it's true, but even that is beyond my capabilities. So before you engage in any health and wellness activities, do consult your health care provider. Please know that we are happy to address your personal concerns, just call us in office to schedule your personal consultation; and thanks ever so much for reading. We appreciate you.