Easley Back Pain Benefits from Good Sleep
Exercise tip of the month: sleep. Weird? Not at all! Sleep is just as crucial as exercise for pain management as well as back pain management. Young Chiropractic helps many Easley pain sufferers manage their spine, neck, and back pain with chiropractic spinal manipulation, nutrition advice, and exercise direction. Sleep – adequate sleep – is included in that list for a good reason!
CONTROLLING BACK PAIN
Since low back pain many times is a condition for life that is intermittent, a condition that is handled rather than cured, it’s a positive thing that researchers are studying just how a back pain sufferer can control the Easley back pain and how often it ‘rears its head.' Ask any back pain sufferer and you’ll know that keeping the pain away is an objective. But how? Researchers are studying sleep, fatigue, emotion, and more to figure that out. Young Chiropractic introduces the term “flare” as it has to do with a back pain episode.
BACK PAIN FLARE
A Easley low back pain flare is one that incorporates increased pain, paresthesia, or muscle tension, longer duration of symptoms, reduced functional (social, cognitive, physical), and negative emotions. Researchers found that back pain sufferers don’t describe their back pain to be a flare just because of heightened pain, therefore healthcare professionals need to look past the pain to visualize what else is influencing the pain event, what psychosocial factors are involved. (1,2) The mind-body connection can’t always be overlooked! Nor can the time of day that pain is felt.
PAIN: MORNING NOON AND NIGHT
Patients suffering with low back pain for more than 3 months were studied to see what might precipitate a new episode of their pain. Researchers found that poor sleep quality and morning pain were risks for such flare-ups. Increased pain risk grew with days of more afternoon and evening pain, fatigue, and fear of activity. Sleep is recommended to reduce the intensity, frequency, and risk of back pain flares. (3) Sleep quality also plays a part in how Easley back pain is felt.
SLEEP QUALITY
A study of sleep quality in older adults in six middle-income countries found that women experienced more sleep problems. Further, age, depression, low back pain, and poor self-rated health were also significantly linked to sleep problems. (4) Sleep, perceived stress, and anxiety play a role in chronic low back pain. Luckily, sleep quality is capable of mediating anxiety, making sleep a reasonable recommendation in the treatment plan. (5)
CONTACT Young Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Ted Siciliano on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses his use of Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction to ease arm pain and numbness that was keeping him from sleeping.
Schedule your Easley chiropractic appointment today. Let us talk sleep next time you are in for a visit!
