April 2022 Healthy News from Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office Words Describing Back Pain and Exercises to Strengthen the Multifidi Are Important
“Why are you asking me all these questions, doctor?”
Our Groton chiropractic patients are the center of our practice. We want to understand each of our patients and your pain experience well, treat you well, and be sure you are satisfied with your care and outcome. That’s why we have you to describe your pain to us, sometimes a few times and in a variety of different ways! Words mean different things to different people: “discomfort” to one may signify “pain” to another while “stiffness” is “pain” or “discomfort” to a another. It is true! Researchers studied just what these different words mean to patients. An example of this is the description of “feeling”: pain signified sharp/shooting, discomfort was dull/tingling, stiffness signified tight/restricted. (1) It is important for us to know our patient’s experience with pain to better meet expectations and boost satisfaction with care. Patients who went to an integrated hospital for care of their musculoskeletal pain and depressive symptoms assessed their pain as 5/10 (10 being greatest pain) as well as reported multiple pain locations (9 of 17 participants), low back pain (13 of 17), and neck pain (8 of 17). Those are quite common of reasons patients pursue chiropractic care! In this setting, patients were satisfied with the collaboration among the various healthcare team members due to the trust they had in their physician. Patients appreciated consistency in care from one caregiving chiropractor. (2) Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office knows our patients value - and can expect - these same things from us: consistency, care, collaboration, and results!
Groton CHIROPRACTIC TIP OF THE MONTH: Standing Exercise for Multifidus Muscle Strengthening Works
Back pain. It is a simple description that may stem from many factors including the muscles of the spine, those seen and unseen. The multifidus muscles are such unseen muscles, deep, smaller muscles that run alongside the spine from the cervical spine to the sacrum. These muscles aid movements like lateral (side) flexion and rotation of the spine when contracted. (3) Recently, researchers suggested that the multifidi may be a potential source of back pain since they are found to be stiffer in low back pain sufferers. Low back pain is linked to lumbodorsal musculature (which incorporates the multifidus muscle) fatigue. Standing back extension exercise fatigued the multifidus well enough which may avert low back pain produced by muscle fatigue. (4) “Superman” (on-the-floor) exercises are well known. Standing back extension and “superman” exercises are newly documented to be equally beneficial to strengthen these multifidus muscles. (5) That is great news! Groton back pain sufferers can do simple, standing exercises like this anywhere! The multifidus muscles benefit!
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Paula Hugulet on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she details the value of increasing muscle strength and function as part of back pain care following the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
Schedule your next Groton chiropractic appointment today. Your words will be heard. Your multifidus muscles will be directed in proper exercise to lessen and potentially avert back pain. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office will ask you questions, and you are encouraged to ask Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office questions, also!