​If you have lower back pain, especially lower back pain that is chronic or seems to come and go, mid-back stiffness could be causing your lower back pain.

When your thoracic spine (or mid-back) doesn’t move well it puts extra stress on your lower back.  It can put stress on your neck and shoulders too. 
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Watch this video for 3 stretches to improve the mobility of your mid-back and help ease any lower back pain and stiffness.  

​Doing a few simple stretches like these on a regular basis can make a HUGE difference in whether or not you have back pain.  

​Do your back muscles always seem to be tight no matter what you do? 
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If you’re like most people with back muscles that are always tight, you’ve probably tried things like heat, massage and stretching, but nothing seems to work, at least not for very long.  

​So, why are your back muscles always so tight? 

Lower back pain and stiffness is a problem that affects almost everyone at some point in their life…and usually more than once.

If you’re reading this right now, there is a good chance you are suffering with some back pain or know someone who is.  Or maybe you’ve had back pain in the past and want to prevent it from coming back. 

​So today, I’m going to share 3 of my favorite lower back stretches that can be done on the floor, on a mat, or even on your bed.

These stretches are pretty simple for most people and can be easily modified regardless of where you're starting. ​

If you are struggling to get a good night's sleep because of back pain, find it difficult to get comfortable so you can fall asleep, or find it painful to change positions in bed then this blog is for you.  

And you're not alone.  A lot of our patients with back pain struggle with this.
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Dealing with back pain is already frustrating enough, but when you are left with no energy, have difficulty focusing during the day, and are a little cranky from lack of sleep, it makes everything worse.  

Getting enough good quality sleep is important for a lot of reasons, including helping your body recover from back pain.  So, today we’re going to share some easy, natural, drug-free solutions to help you stop back pain at night and finally get some sleep.  

In our last blog we covered our first 4 tips to help you avoid getting hurt at work, including proper body mechanics, knowing your unique physical limitations and to avoid rushing, especially when you are more fatigued.

We also talked about the importance of employers offering some kind of injury prevention education and training to their employees.  Most people have very limited knowledge and understanding of basic injury prevention strategies.  They just don’t know what they don’t know…and can always learn more.
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Staying safe and injury free at work doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does take awareness, proper education and training…and practice, practice, practice!

Nobody likes to get hurt…period!  But getting hurt at work often adds another layer of stress to an already stressful situation. 

Being in pain is already bad enough, but not being able to do your regular work, perform the tasks you need to do at home, and not being able to take part in your favorite recreational activities can be frustrating. 
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Not to mention the financial impact of being off work or on light duty for an extended time and the added stress of navigating a worker’s compensation claim, only to get a portion of your regular wages covered.

​Heat or Ice…Which Is Better?  This is a common question I get from many of my patients regardless of where their pain or problem is.  So often that I wrote a blog about it several months back…you can read the full blog here.

Don’t worry I’ll do a quick review on the basics I covered in that blog, but today I’ll be going even deeper into this topic.  Why?  Because once you know if heat or ice is best for your situation, there are a few more questions that most people need answered to get the most benefit out of it, especially for those with something like Sciatica Pain. 

​Most people also ask things like how often should I use heat or ice?  When is the best time?  Where should I put it and for how long?

​If you have Sciatica Pain chances are the pain is keeping you awake at night.  Many people with Sciatic Pain find their normal or preferred sleep position aggravates their symptoms making it difficult to get ANY rest.  

“I just can’t get comfortable no matter what I try.”  Sound familiar?  

​The most common complaint I hear from my patients with Sciatica Pain is that they “cannot find a comfortable position”, especially when sitting.  Standing, walking and sleeping are often difficult for most people with sciatica too, but increased Sciatica Pain with sitting definitely tops the list.    

​Why does sitting make Sciatica worse? 

​As one year ends and a new year begins, we tend to reflect on the time that has passed and look forward to a “fresh start” as we move into a new year.  This is also a time when many of us set goals, including things like improving different aspects of our health.  For some it’s weight loss, decreasing stress or sleeping better.  For others it might be improving diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol.  

​This is also a time many people decide it’s time to FINALLY do something about that nagging lingering pain they’ve been dealing with for months or years.  If you’ve been in pain for any length of time you know how much it can affect your life and impact your health.  Pain can affect your sleep and your ability to move and stay active, which leads to weight gain and many other health problems.