Low Back Pain From Sitting At Work?

Did you know that the number one illness/condition in the world currently is lower back pain?

This condition I see on a daily basis, and mostly from individuals that sit for an extended period of time during work, or just a have a sedentary lifestyle. The reason why it has become so widespread is the lack of true understanding from all doctors of why this occurs while we sit for an extended period of time. If you look back at ancient times we as people were hunters and gatherers, and by no means sit down for 6-10 hours a day with minimal breaks in between.

The human body is meant to move
So you ask how does the back pain occur? Well, here lies the answer that millions of doctors and individuals miss – Scar tissue in the muscles. The scar tissue is generated in and on muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and joints. It is easily formed in the tissues I mentioned from 3 ways, and they are overuse, trauma, or surgery. As anyone of these factors occur there is a lack of blood flow and oxygen due to the tightness, trauma, or tension in the tissues. This leads to the formation of scar tissue and reflects that sitting increases tightness in the specific muscles and tissues.

Hip Flexors
The key tissues that are the cause of most lower back pain I see in my practice are the hip flexors (brings your leg up into a sitting position), Multifidus (lie right along your spine in the back), and the Interspinous Ligament (is between the tips of the spine). When you are sitting for any length of time, the hip flexor is in a shortened state (like your arm holding an object). This creates the Multifidus and Interspinous Ligament to be under high tension with a pulling force on them. Overtime the hip flexor becomes so tight that scar tissue forms and with time the muscle cannot return to its full length. This then pulls your spine forward and increases the arch in your lower back, and puts more strain on the Multifidus and Interspinous Ligament. As this happens for days, months, and years, degeneration from excessive force or load starts to set in, and you end up with disc pathology or arthritis in your spine.

Eliminating lower back pain
To solve or reduce lower back pain, we eliminate the scar tissue in the tissues with gentle effective techniques. This treatment eliminates the abnormal load or pressure being applied to the affected disc(s) and other joints, thus reducing or slowing way down the degeneration that can set in. After treatment is successful with elimination of the scar tissue, the muscles will return to a more normal state, and with some changes in time spent at work or your lifestyle you can become pain free!!!

If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at (972) 312-9310

Dr. Jeff Eidsvig, DC,ART,TPI-CGFI Board Certified Chiropractor
Active Release Technique Provider
Titleist Certified Golf Fitness Instructor
Willow Bend Sports & Spine Center
is located in Plano, Texas | Get Directions
wbsports-spine.com

The Truth About Treadmills and Injury...

Everyday thousands if not millions of people run on treadmills to get a good cardio workout. Sadly, more than 75% of people that use them run with a zero incline, and put themselves up for serious musculoskeletal injury. When we run on treadmills, we are actually airborne in midstride and neither foot makes contact with the belt. The backward motion of the treadmill grabs the heel and more quickly than road running draws the foot forefoot onto the belt. This accelerated motion actually mimics running slightly downhill. This motion makes our bodies use more shin muscle strength, thus causing very common shin splint injuries I see in my practice. While running on treadmills the hip flexors are commonly affected. This is do the treadmill pulling on the hip flexors at the predetermined speed and through a "stretch reflex", the hip flexors are activated. This causes inhibition or reduces the hip extensors or glutes from working properly. Now a muscle imbalance has formed and forces the pelvis forward due to the tightness of the hip flexors, causing an  increase in the arch of your lower back putting you at risk for lower back pain. So, to avoid this repetitive overuse trauma, I recommend to all my athletes/patients in my practice to increase the incline a few degrees. Next time you are at your local gym use treadmills with awareness, and find a speed and incline where you feel as though you are slightly pushing the belt backward instead of the belt pulling you backward. This may be enough to stay healthy and injury-free for years to come.