Doc Ro Ho's Back Pain Handout

There is a great deal of connective tissue and musculature that is usually

the main cause of back pain. Most back pain is related to spasms of the

back muscles. A muscle that is tightened will spasm very painfully with

little to no provocation, such as sneezing. And if the muscle happens to lie over the sciatic nerve, as in piriformis syndrome, it will cause pain to

shoot down that nerve.

Thus, anything that causes muscle tension will contribute to back pain,

including mental stressors, conscious or unconscious, lack of quality sleep, poor posture/ergonomics, etc. This is one reason that self-awareness, biofeedback and progressive relaxation training can be very helpful adjuncts in relieving back pain. I occasionally will do some training (time permitting) in relaxation techniques with patients. (Stay tuned for upcoming presentations on this channel!). In my current clinic there are several clinicians who are part of the health care team who usually perform these teachings on our behalf. Just ask one of our staff for details!

Also, nerve feedback loops get formed in the fascia layers, that cause

muscles to stay tight and to spasm. Those can sometimes be broken up with foam rolling, massage, and sometimes dry needling to known pressure points or acupuncture. Occasionally, our local D.O. clinic can help with some of these techniques. Our pain clinic sometimes refers folks for acupuncture, and another local wellness center teaches foam rolling.

Poor posture also frequently plays a major role in back pain. Try this

posture exercise that I recorded. If having a lot of pain at this time, or

if the position worsens the pain, then only approximate the exercise.

https://www.facebook.com/docroho/videos/1876075289288158/

An anti-inflammatory diet may go a very long way in relieving the back pain.

http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=inflammation

I highly recommend taking 1/4 tsp of turmeric daily (bright yellow spice

that can be mixed into almost anything - just watch out not to get it on

clothes as it stains!)

Fresh or frozen dark red cherries can be particularly helpful in reducing

pain as well, as they block the same enzyme that motrin/other NSAIDs do, without the same risk of GI bleeding or kidney damage. Try 1/4 to 1/2 cup (or more) daily. More on this here: https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cherries/

Additional information you might find

interesting on foods that help reduce muscle pain, such as berries and

watermelon can be found here: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=muscle

This book is still only a penny on Amazon, and is an excellent

multidisciplinary approach for relieving back pain:

http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Back-Pain.../dp/0743424646

Dr. Barnard also has written an excellent book, entitled "Foods that Fight

Pain." Other things you can do through food to prevent wear/tear in the

spine are covered here: http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=sciatica

(Basically - the discs in the back do not have a good, direct blood supply

of their own. They depend on having very healthy blood vessels nearby so that oxygen can slowly diffuse over to them. If there is anything gumming up those arteries, such as plaques or atherosclerosis, the discs are much more vulnerable to wear & tear and degeneration. This is one of the reasons why tobacco and vape cessation is critical to preserving the health of the spine, along with the health of the rest of the body.)

Another resource for back pain exercises, is here:

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00666

A brand-new resource, which includes tips on healing chronic pain from the leading edge of neuroplasticity, is this book, "The Brain's Way of Healing" by Dr. Norman Doidge. It includes tips for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and many other conditions in addition to reducing/healing chronic pain:

https://www.amazon.com/Brains-Way-Healing.../dp/014

312837X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467316302&sr=1-1&keywords=neuroplast

icity

An excellent free app, which makes it easy to keep track of 12 things that

can be done to improve overall health, is here:

http://nutritionfacts.org/.../free-app-for-android-and...

-10-videos-of-2015/

The above resources are the best of what I currently know for long-term

healing of the back. Usually the benefits of some of these lifestyle changes

extend far beyond the back. For example a whole food plant based diet as taught by Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Ornish, Dr. Greger and others is almost universally effective at preventing and reversing, or at least improving almost all of the chronic conditions

that I see in clinic. If curious, please consider trying the PCRM's 21-day kickstart here: nutritionmd.org

You may also enjoy some of Dr. Ornish's resources, another of my favorite

docs:

Dr. Ornish's TED talk on health, reversing chronic conditions:

http://www.ted.com/talks/dean_ornish_on_healing

More of Dr. Ornish's books/resources here: http://deanornish.com/books/

Finally, car seats are usually awful for backs. Many people have to have a

lumbar support cushion to help prevent back pains. Also, plan to get out of the car and stretch or walk about once per hour.

Hope the above information is helpful! Enjoy!

❤️

Sincerely,

Doc Ro Ho