Category: Chiropractic

Can Exercises Ease Lower Back Pain?

Low back pain is a common cause to lead to disability. Chronic low back pain results in a great burden on the medical system and a huge amount of medical costs. At the same time, lower productivity from low back pain workers causes billion of economic losses. Disabled workers face financial issues due to their incapacity to work.

People who suffer from sub-acute, recurrent, chronic low back pain are willing to do something themselves to ease the pain. Exercises that they can do at home can improve low back pain or not.

How Does A General Exercise Programme Improve Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain?

An exercise programme is divided into three parts: muscle strengthening, flexibility and aerobic exercise. People with non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP) may be beneficial from doing this general exercise programme. However, increasing physical activity is not effective to improve acute low back pain. Exercise may even worsen acute low back pain.

Core Muscle Strength

The improvement of core strength is vital to alleviate NSCLBP. Lumbar instability can result from weak core muscular strength. Lumbar instability also reduces lumbar flexibility. In order to reduce pain, low back pain patients always try to limit upper body movement.

However, this will further worsen both lumbar flexibility and instability and form a vicious cycle. The engaged deep core muscles can stabilise the lumbar spine to reduce low back pain. The hydrostatic pressure exists in the thorax and abdomen to hold the spine straight.

Strong abdominal muscles are important to regulate the hydrostatic pressure. Sufficient hydrostatic pressure is the key to avoiding spinal injuries when all lifting and bending movements.

Flexibility And Aerobic Exercise

Exercises increase the flexibility of tendons and ligaments in the back muscles. It directly improves low back pain patients’ range of motion. General aerobic exercise can increase the blood flow that brings nutrients and oxygen to the damage tissues. At the same time, it initials the healing process and reduces the back stiffness.

Stretching And Strengthening Exercises For Lower Back Pain

Bird Dog

Find yourself enough space to stretch your arms and legs. Put a yoga mat on the floor.

1. Put hands and knees on the floor. Hands and knees are about shoulder and hip width apart. Hold tight the abdominals.
2. Raise one arm in front of you and extend the opposite leg behind you. Your stretch arm, back and leg should be in a straight line.
3. Hold this position for a few seconds and return to the starting position.
4. Repeat the same movement to the other side.
5. Tighten your abdominal muscles at all times
6. When you feel and you are stable enough. You don’t need any extra movements of the hips during the weight shift.
7. On step 3, you can take your elbow into the knee to get more challenge.
8. Target at least 5 reps on each side, 10 reps for both.

Pelvic Tilt Exercise

Pelvic tilt is a simple exercise can relax the tight back muscles and make back muscles more flexible.

1. Lie flat on the ground and keep knees bent and feet flat.
2. Pelvic rock anterior and push the tummy out. You should feel a gentle stretch.
3. Hold this position for 5 seconds.
4. Flatten the low back to reduce the gap between your back and the floor. Press your back muscles into the floor.
5. Hold this position for 5 seconds.
6. Aim for at least 10 reps daily.

Shoulder Blade Squeeze

Shoulder blade squeeze is for strengthening the middle back muscles including rhomboids and middle trapezius. It can stretch the chest muscles while improving your posture.

1. Stand shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold an elastic band with your palms down in front of you.
3. Adjust the tension of the band and start with slight tension.
4. Pull the band out to the sides and squeeze your shoulder blades toward the spine. You will gently pull off your chest muscles.
5. Keep your arm and upper body straight. Engage your core muscles throughout the whole exercise.
6. Slowly release the band and return to the starting position.
7. Repeat 10 times.

The Hurdler Hamstring Stretch

The hurdler hamstring stretch can improve the lower limb and low back flexibility and get pain relief for the low back.

1. Sit on the floor with legs straight and toes facing up.
2. Bend the other leg and that foot against the opposite thigh.
3. Extend both arms to reach the toes with the straight leg by bending the lower back as far as possible. The comfortable stretch is felt.
4. Hold the stretch for 5-10 seconds and relax.
5. Switch to the other side.

This pain exercise guide can be used to improve patients with NSCLBP. Regularly stretching and doing exercises can also prevent recurrent low back pain. People with acute low back pain or other types of low back pain should seek for professional medical advice. Our chiropractors and massage therapists at Kings Park Chiropractic Clinic can help you with any unresolved chronic pain.

All you need to know about Chiropractors

Many passionate people want to be healthcare professionals to help others. Studying Chiropractic is one of the popular options. A majority of Chiropractors are manual adjusters that use non-invasive and bloodless approach to reduce pain from muscle, bone, joint and nerve-related conditions.

How to become a Chiropractor in Australia?

To be Australian Chiropractors, it is required to study a three-year bachelor of Chiropractic degree followed by a two-year Master of Chiropractic degree. There are four accredited universities offering Chiropractic courses. They are RMIT University, Macquarie University, Murdoch University and Central Queensland University located in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. The course can be studied full-time or part-time. Neurology, orthopaedic, clinical skills, Chiropractic practical ethics, diagnosis and manual adjusting skills are taught throughout the whole course. The Chiropractic students are encouraged to work as Chiropractic assistants to get Chiropractic clinical experience and enhance communication skills. In the final year of the master degree, Chiropractic students are assigned to Student Chiropractic Clinics to provide Chiropractic care to patients. To ensure patients’ safety and the learning progress, all the process of clinical diagnosis and treatment methods such as soft tissue work and manual adjustments are under supervision. Students also work at the front desk to arrange and confirm patients’ appointments. In order to meet the requirements of graduate, Chiropractic students need to take particular numbers of cases and sharpen clinical skills as manual adjusters.

Job opportunities

Healthcare professionals such as Physiotherapists and Occupational therapists can work at hospitals while Australian Chiropractors work at private practices or some nursing homes. Private practices always welcome and provide Job opportunities for Chiropractic fresh graduates. Chiropractic job positions are posted on the websites and social media of the Australian Chiropractic Association and Chiropractic Classifieds. Available Chiropractic jobs are listed for those ideal candidates. Part-time job positions are suitable for those who are looking for flexible working hours. Chiropractic locum jobs allow qualified Chiropractors temporarily work in the clinics to cover other absent full-time Chiropractors.

Funds from varied sources

There are five main types of fund sources that people to pay for or cover some of Chiropractic service fees.
Patients can get a rebate from their private health insurance to cover parts of the treatment cost. Private insurance heath funds include hospital and extras health insurance. Extras benefits from health insurance companies normally cover the cost of seeing allied health professionals. Different health professionals are categorised in different benefit categories. The covered items and a certain amount of funds for each category of health professionals depend on the level of premium. Extras benefits will reset on the first day of the calendar year(1st January)or financial year(1st July). Unused extra health benefits will not accumulate to the following year.

National Disability Insurance Scheme(NDIS) is a fund that the Australian government uses to support permanent disabled Australians. Chiropractors can register as NDIS providers to support the disabled. Chiropractic care and exercise advice are given to support the daily activities of people with significant disabilities. Payments can be made by self-management or NDIS plans.

Injured persons in motor vehicle accidents or people with work-relevant injuries can get Chiropractic care in order to recover and perform the pre-injured level of activities. The costs of treatment will be compensated with CTP or employers with workers compensation. The injuries are assessed and graded by your treating doctors to determine whether it is minor or serious injuries. The number of treatment sessions varies according to the grade of injuries. The first eight sessions are normally available for injured patients no matter what grade of the injuries is.

Veterans’ gold or white cardholders can receive chiropractic care when conditions relevant to the spine or musculoskeletal system. General Practitioners’ approval of these conditions and referrals are needed. Referrals are valid for 1 year and/or up-to 12 sessions of Chiropractic services. The reassessment of the conditions is required for treating General Practitioners to approve if further Chiropractic care is needed.

A chronic disease management plan also is known as an Enhanced Primary Care(EPC) plan is given by General Practitioners. Funding is from the Medicare system to cover the cost of allied health professionals’ consultations and treatments. People who have chronic diseases more than half a year are eligible to apply the EPC plan. Up to five sessions of Chiropractic care per calendar year are available. The gap of treatment fees is not charged at the bulk billing chiropractic clinic.

Further information

If you want to find the Best Chiropractor near you, you can find more information on “How do you find the Best Chiropractor – Chiropractic or Chiropractor Near Me”.