Blue Hills Sports & Spine's Monthly Newsletter. Our regular assortment of handy and informative tips, tricks and trends to help answer your questions about rehabilitation and fitness.

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Blue Hills Sports & Spine's Monthly Newsletter
June 2017                                                                                      Issue # 76
Choose PT first for help with  Low Back Pain
A recent study showed that only 10% of physician visits for low back pain actually resulted in physical therapy referrals from 1997-2010. During this same period of time, opioid prescriptions increased. At Blue Hills Sports & Spine we are a bit biased on whether or not Physical Therapy should be the first choice for people with back pain...especially before trying opioid medications! The CDC recently reported that on 28% of U.S. adults had reported some type of low back pain over the last three months. If you are in the age group between 55-75 the ratio increases to 33%. That is one third of the population reporting low back pain. Before you let yourself (or loved ones) start using opioids, make sure that you are discussing Physical Therapy first with your doctor...it helps! At Blue Hills Sports & Spine we are well known for our approach to the treatment of neck and low back pain. Come see us and change your life for the better.
Ulnar Neuropathy On The Rise?

Do you find that when you are working at your desk, texting on your phone or reading in bed at night that you get some numbness and tingling down your forearm and along the pinkie side of your hand? Does it go away if you take pressure off your elbows, or straighten them out? If this is you, then you are having some symptoms of ulnar neuropathy. The good news is that in most cases, changing how you work at your desk, or changing your arm position when reading or texting is all it will take to stop the symptoms from happening at all. However, ignoring the signs could lead to more consistent symptoms. Click here to learn more about ulnar neuropathy (cubital tunnel syndrome) and here are a few nerve glide techniques for you to try on your own if you are someone that has been having some symptoms. The pictures may look a little funny, but give them a try! If you are having symptoms that won't go away, come see us.
Running not for you? How about "Interval Walking"?

Now that the weather has finally improved around here, people are moving outside to run and walk again. Many studies have shown that running may be better for weight loss, but if you dread and avoid it, it's not going to do you much good. Ultimately, exercise that helps you manage and lose weight and helps to improve your cardiovascular endurance should be something you can keep up for the long term. For many, "power walking" may be a better choice, especially if you have some orthopedic conditions that prevent you from running in the first place. A fairly recent study took a look at "interval walking" as a form of exercise to help improve fitness and the results were pretty impressive. Click here for more info and also for how to incorporate "interval walking" into your program. Now get out there and get walking!

 


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