Home Care for Disc Related Low Back Pain

1)      If your back was injured less than 3 days ago, use ice packs on low back for 15 minutes every hour. Remember to have a towel or cloth between skin and ice pack. Do not use blue ice cooler blocks.

2)      If you have had your back problem for some time and you are in the habit of using a heating pad, do not use heat for more than 15 minutes at any one time. Rather, repeat treatment every hour.

3)      Keep the weight off your back. Lie down and get up to walk around the house every couple of hours.

4)      Try lying with your back on the floor with lower legs on couch or foot stool for relief

5)      In bed lie on back with pillow(s) under knees, or lie on side with pillow between knees.

6)      Avoid sitting –it puts pressure on the disc. If you have to sit – to eat or work from home – limit sitting to 15 minute intervals.

7)      As your back pain subsides, it is easy to do too much too soon. As you feel better, remember how bad you felt just days ago. Don’t overdo it. The movement that is the hardest on the low back is bending then twisting – such as when looking into the clothes dryer.

Sacroiliac Belt Home Care for Pelvic Instability

1)      Wear belt as instructed 24 hours a day for the first couple of days.

2)      After several days, feel free to wear the belt only during waking hours.

3)      If you have increased discomfort after sleeping without the belt, go back to wearing it at night – maybe give yourself a few hours with the belt off while off your feet before bed.

4)      The belt needs to be worn for about 6 weeks. If your sacroiliac joint gets re-sprained (this can happen when patients go without the belt too soon) you will have to wear the belt for 6 weeks from the time of re-aggravation.

5)      Don’t cross legs while seated.

6)      Don’t stand with your weight on one leg.

7)      Avoid stairs.

8)      Use care and your arms when taking a big step up.

9)      If you think the belt feels too tight – it is – loosen it! It should be snug, not tight.

10)   When your six weeks are over, keep your belt close for activities such as yard work, house work, or lifting and climbing at work.

11)   Keep your SI belt in a good place. You may need it in the future.

Neck Exercises

LOOKING UP AND DOWN

• Begin by sitting upright in a chair with your head and back straight

• Slowly tip your head forward so that you are looking down towards the floor

• Hold this pose for 3-4 breaths

• Slowly return to the starting position and then rest for a count of 5

• Next, tip your head backwards so that you are looking upwards to the ceiling

• Hold this pose for 3-4 deep breaths

• Slowly return to the starting positions and then rest for a count of 5

• Perform 5-10 repetitions of this exercise daily

LOOKING LEFT AND RIGHT

• Begin by sitting upright in a chair with your head and back straight

• Slowly turn your head to the left and hold for 3-4 deep breaths

• Slowly return to the starting position then rest for a count of 5

• Next, turn your head to the right and hole for 3-4 deep breaths

• Slowly return to the starting position then rest for a count of 5

• Perform 5-10 repetitions of this exercise daily

TIPPING LEFT AND RIGHT

• Begin by sitting upright in a chair with your head and back straight

• Slowly try to touch your left ear to your left shoulder by tipping your head. Don't raise your shoulder to your ear. Hold this pose for 3-4 deep breaths

• Slowly return to the starting position then rest for a count of 5

• Next, try to touch your left ear to your right shoulder by tipping your head. Don't raise your shoulder to your ear. Hold this pose for 3-4 deep breaths

• Slowly return to the starting position then rest for a count of 5

• Perform 5-10 repetitions of this exercise daily

SHOULDER ROLLS

• Begin by sitting upright in a chair with your head and back straight

• Slowly raise your shoulders and roll them in a backwards circle. It should feel like you are trying to bring your shoulder blades together in your back

• Perform 5-10 backwards shoulder rolls on a daily basis

 

If you become dizzy or experience any weird feelings while performing these exercises, discontinue the exercise. You may perform these exercises twice per day.

Low Back Home Care

In the case of low back pain, the following link provides drescriptions and pictures of a number of stretches that can help on pages 1 and 2. If any one of the stretched produces a sharp pain or pain down the arms, stop doing that one, but feel free to continue the others. Also, to prevent recurrance of pain, try some of the exercises on the later pages as well once out of pain. If pain returns during any exercise, ask your chiropractor if there's any particular ones to do instead or if there's a way to modify the one causing pain.

Low Back Pain Exercises

Home Instructions for ARPwave Neurotherapy Patients

Eat a meal with 35-50 grams of protein prior to your ARP. Since an ARP treatment is a type of workout your body needs protein for neurological and muscular development. Protein 60-90 minutes prior to treatment is ideal.

Some examples of 35-50 grams of protein:

                3 eggs with bacon or sausage

                8oz steak

                8oz burger

                8oz pork chop

                8oz beef jerky

                Whole chicken breast

                6oz can tuna

                1.5 cups cottage cheese

                10 tablespoons peanut butter

When choosing your protein source, meat from hooved animals is the best

 

Don’t be alarmed if you feel exhausted after an ARP treatment, especially your first one or first in a long while. That’s a sign some weak muscles were woken up and worked harder than they are used to.

Some patients notice some workout stiffness after the first or second ARP session. This is a good sign – muscles working that are not used to being worked

Heavy alcohol consumption and ARP therapy DON’T MIX

Drink plenty of water after your ARP therapy and again, have a protein rich meal following your ARP session in addition to the protein had before.

Ideally a patient’s pain or discomfort should be reduced by 25% with each ARP treatment. It is important to be consistent with your ARP treatments – initially visits need to be at least every couple of days for best response. Sometimes with a complicated case it takes a treatment or two to find the exact problem spots to work on – kind of like peeling back the layers of an onion.

The routine course of ARP treatment consists of 4 treatments to reduce inflammation and 6 treatments to regain strength. Patients with high inflammation or stress or patients with aggravating factors at work may take longer.

Sometimes the ARPwave needs to be used on the nervous system itself rather than the problem area. Your ARP tech will know when you need a neurological treatment.

ARPwave can give quick relief to headaches, sinus pressure, and neck kinks. When working with an injury or a chronic problem however, it is important to follow through with your treatment schedule. This ensures the injured area is fully rehabilitated and not likely to be reinjured in the future.