Physical Therapy Clinic Spokane Blog
Inversion Tables! Do they work for Back Pain & Sciatica? And how do I use one? (2 videos)
One of the most common questions I get from our clients with chronic lower back pain, as well as those experiencing sciatica, is whether or not using an inversion table will help ease their pain.
The answer to that question depends largely on one key factor: the Root Cause of their back pain (and/or their sciatic nerve pain).
For example, clients with degenerative types of back pain, such as degenerative disc disease (DDD), degenerative joint disease (DJD) and stenosis tend to do really well with using an inversion table.
That’s because the underlying cause of the pain has to do with too much compression of the spine.
And, when you decompress the spine by using an inversion table, the lower back pain often improves.
Other types of back pain (and nerve root compression) may not respond as positively to inversion.
So how do you know if you should try an inversion table for your back pain (and/or for your sciatic nerve pain)?
Piriformis Syndrome – What Is It? Plus 3 Simple Piriformis Stretches
“Piriformis Syndrome” refers to irritation of your piriformis muscle, which is located deep in your buttocks, beneath larger muscles like your gluteus maximus.
I affectionately refer to this issue as a “pain in the butt”… and for good reason!
That’s because most people with an irritated piriformis muscle explain it as pain localized in one of their buttocks.
However, in addition to localized pain in the buttocks, people with piriformis syndrome can also experience “sciatica” or sciatic nerve pain, which causes pain shooting down the back of the leg.
Today’s blog post features 2 videos about piriformis syndrome…
In the first video, I’ll explain what the piriformis muscle is, how it gets irritated, and how it can cause sciatic nerve pain (aka “sciatica”).
Eccentric Strengthening for “Rotator Cuff Tendinosis” (Shoulder Pain)
If you’ve seen any of my videos about “tendinosis” in general, you’ve probably heard me say how doing “eccentric strengthening” is an important part of the healing process.
Tendinosis in the rotator cuff muscles is a very common cause of shoulder pain.
On an MRI report, it will be described as things like “supraspinatus tendinosis” or “infraspinatus tendinosis”.
If you’re looking for a simple and effective way to perform eccentric strengthening for “Rotator Cuff Tendinosis”, I’ll show you the best way to do so at home.
4 Videos on Shoulder Pain & the Rotator Cuff
Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from clients at the clinic and people online about some common conditions related to shoulder pain and the rotator cuff.
This includes questions about certain key terms, including the following:
– Supraspinatus
– Infraspinatus
– Tendinosis
– Impingement
Those first 3 terms are very common on MRI reports. For example, if you’ve had an MRI for your shoulder pain, the report may have found that you have “moderate tendinosis” of the “supraspinatus” muscle… or maybe you have “mild tendinosis” of the “infraspinatus” muscle.
Since these terms are so common, and they aren’t exactly self-explanatory, I just made a new round of videos to explain these terms. Check them out!
How to set up your Home Office during COVID (5 simple steps)
More people than ever are now working from home, and what many are finding is that their home office setup is far from ideal.
This leads to increased issues with neck pain, shoulder pain and headaches, as well as aggravation of existing issues with lower back pain and sciatica.
If this sounds like you, I want to share some simple tips to help you improve your home office setup, which will allow you to reduce the likelihood of experiencing things like neck pain, shoulder pain and headaches (as well as lower back pain and/or sciatica pain).
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