Back Spasms and Problems 101

 

“Most back spasms are from either not stretching and warming up or from sitting all day. You really can’t escape back spasms. Even if you’re physically active, they’re impossible to avoid. Even for us.” – Rob and Devon Dionne

 

Do you find simple tasks like picking up something off of the floor or twisting to reach something behind you painful and straining? When we think of back pain, we usually imagine someone suddenly throwing out their back. But back pain can happen day to day and even the simplest of movements can cause it to happen.

Recently, Devon experienced a horrible back muscle spasm the day after a dance class and we had the idea to talk about back spasms on the show.

On today’s episode of Open Sky Fitness, Devon and I go into depth about:

• The different parts of the back
• How back spasms can happen and what they feel like
• The difference between a strain and a sprain
• The difference between a bulging disc, a herniated disc, and a ruptured disc.
• What degernative disc disease is and what it feels like
• Sciatica
• Piriformis Syndrome
• The importance of stretching and being pro-active with building a strong body
• Why good sleep and nutrition are so important for your back’s health

 

“We need to know how we got our back problems before we can treat them.” – Devon Dionne

 

How to Treat and Prevent Back Spasms & Pain

 

“Be mindful if you always sit the same way. If you don’t switch up how you sit every once in awhile, those movements can cause problems in the future. Mix things up and keep your balance steady.” – Rob Dionne

 

To relieve your back pain, we suggest the following treatments:

• Ice or heat the area, but icing is better.
• Visit a chiropractor or a massage masseuse
• Take pain medication for major pain
• Use a spinal decompression machine

To prevent future back spasms and pain in the future, you want to be pro-active and focus on building your core strength. We suggest the following activities:

• Gyrotonics
• Sitting on a yoga ball
• Planking
• Any form of daily exercise and even just a walk
• Marching in place on a trampoline
• Anything that helps to release endorphins such as meditation

 

“Stretching is not just about warming up your body. It’s also about realigning it so that you can avoid injury during your workout.” -Devon Dionne

 

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What You’ll Hear on This Episode

00:00 Open Sky Fitness Introduction

1:15  Opening comments with Rob and Devon

3:00  The topic of the day: back spasms

4:00  Why do our backs hurt? What is back pain and what is the problem?

4:30  The different parts of the back and spine explained.

4:50  Signs that your lower back/lumbar area of your back is hurting.

5:30  Signs that your thoracic spine is in pain.

6:40  Signs cervical neck pain

8:00  All about muscle spasms and how they happen.

12:20 The difference between a muscle strain and a sprain.

13:50  The bones in the back and what problems can occur there (bulging or herniated discs).

19:30  Why some people get bulging discs and either have pain or don’t have pain.

20:00  The difference between a bulging disc, a herniated disc, and a ruptured disc.

21:00  The degenerative disc disease:  how it can happen and what it feels like.

23:00  Sciatica explained

25:00  Piriformis syndrome explained and how to heal it with yoga or a massage.

27:50  Find out how you hurt your back before you begin to treat it.

29:10  Why it’s important to not just stretch and warm up before a workout, but also realign your body to help avoid back spasms and other injuries.

33:00  How to avoid a future back injury or spasm.

35:00  How to treat back pain and spasms.

42:00  How to be proactive about potential back pain in the future: Core strength building

44:00 Your back’s posture

49:50  The connection between your back’s health with sleep, stress, and anxiety.

51:30  Pay attention to where you hold the stress in your body

52:00  How you can get a good night’s sleep to help your chronic back pain, anxiety, and stress.

52:30  The power of actively stretching out and strengthening your hamstrings daily.

55:50  Increase your intake of ant-inflammatory foods

57:00  Closing comments with Rob and Devon

1:24:30  Open Sky Fitness Closing

RESOURCES MENTIONED DURING THE SHOW:

• Leave us an iTunes review
• Join the The Open Sky Fitness Podcast Group on Facebook
• Learn more about our guest for next week: Dr. Bill Sears
• Listen to last week’s episode with Dr. Trevor Cates: OSF 143: Skincare Hacks – How Nutrition Affects Your Skin
• Check out OSF with Esther Gokhale of the Gokhlae Method to learn more about good posture and back pain – OSF 122 Achieving a Primal Posture

 

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Thanks for listening/reading Episode 139: 16 Fitness Hacks to Kickstart Your Health! We hope you have gained more knowledge on how to be a healthier you!