Are you so defeated and frustrated by your struggle with back pain that you’re beginning to think that surgery might be the only answer? If you’re worn out from months or years of back pain, a surgical option might be looking pretty good right now — except for the fact that your doctor may have told you that you’re “not a surgical candidate”.

So now you’re angry with your doctor because you’ve been told you there’s nothing more he/she can do for you.

Maybe you’ve contemplated finding another doctor who’ll consider doing surgery…but this may not be your best course of action. Here’s why:

Medical research is one resource that most spinal orthopedic and neurosurgeons consider heavily when making a decision about whether to perform surgery. And over the last 10 years, the research has pointed away from using surgery as a good solution for back pain.

Unfortunately, much of the research is conducted retrospectively — after the surgeries have been being performed for several years and the results are tabulated from patient experiences. This means that you are the guinea-pig!

Another study was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showing that complex back surgeries for problems like arthritis (and if you’re over 35, you’ve probably got at least some arthritis), have increased dramatically over the last few years — and so have the risks.

You can read a summary of the study here.

Here’s what you need to know: the number of complex surgeries for back pain has gone up, and so has the rate of life threatening complications such as heart attack, stroke and pneumonia. AND - these surgeries are not getting results, despite the risks.

Why would a surgeon perform a high risk procedure for back pain, when there’s no research to indicate that it improves outcomes and there is research to show that there’s an increase in complications?

Well…there’s a big financial incentive to perform complex surgeries. And patients are often desperate enough to agree to any new procedure hoping that it’s the latest “magic bullet”.

But there is no magic bullet — it doesn’t exist. To recover from back pain, you need to embrace a holistic approach, and your path to healing will be unique.

So what are you supposed to do? First, get informed. Conditions like arthritis, which is very common by the way, respond best to non-invasive treatments such as an appropriate combination of gentle exercise, nutritional support, stress reduction and postural adjustments in everyday activities.

After 30+ years of treating people with back pain, I’ve found that the combination of Pilates and Franklin Method is by far the most effective way to relieve and heal back pain. You may have heard of Pilates, which has been around for almost a century, and emphasizes core strength, flexibility, balance and posture, but The Franklin Method is a relatively new addition to the mind-body scene.

In the next post, I’ll be sharing some videos with you that give you a sneak peek into this powerful combination for back pain relief. In the meantime, have a look at these videos that I made for my Pilates students — they’ll give you a little taste of how Pilates + Franklin Method = A Happier, Healthier YOU.

To Healing Your Back Pain,

Lindy

Filed under: Back Pain studies, Pilates, The Franklin Method, back pain, healing back pain by lindyroyer
No Comments »

You’ve probably tried just about everything for your back pain…

…there are too many options, too many choices. Including remedies your relatives and friends tell you about. Some of these remedies might actually be helpful, like taking a bath in mineral salts, or avoiding night-shade vegetables to decrease inflammation.

And some are just plain woo-woo.

How are you supposed to sort through the huge amount of treatment and therapy options that are available, when there’s so much conflicting information?

You certainly don’t have the time or the money to try absolutely everything. And trying everything will probably make your back worse in the long run anyway.

So what are you supposed to do?

Well first, realize that you’re a unique individual — there’s not another like you. There never has been, and there never will be again. You are the sum total of your unique genetics, experiences, beliefs, thought patterns, education, family history etc. etc., and your healing journey is unique to you, and you alone.

There’s no one “back pain cure” recipe out there that’s specific for YOU.  Because YOU are unique.

There are, however, basic principles of healing that can guide your journey. Things like your nutrition, exercise and attitude have a direct affect on your health. If you’re putting crappy food into your body, your chances of healing your back pain are poor (just like putting bad gas in your car and expecting it to perform optimally); if you smoke, your back pain probably won’t resolve completely; if you think you can’t heal…you won’t.

Another principle is that your body responds to the movement and postural patterns that you’ve had for your lifetime. These patterns are often the cause of your back pain.

Any physical back pain program you do should incorporate your entire body — from feet to head, right to left, inside to outside.

If you’re working with a Physical Therapist, chiropractor, doctor, personal trainer, movement therapist, exercise physiologist, or any other practitioner who’s working with your physical structure, they should be working with your entire body — not just the parts that hurt.

In fact, the parts that hurt are just the symptoms…the real cause of your pain usually lies in your posture and movement patterns.

Here’s where Pilates can be very helpful, because Pilates addresses your whole body.

A P.T. friend of mine, Lise Stolze, is currently doing a research study on Pilates and low back pain. Her study was recently featured on the Denver local news >>> Pilates for low back pain study.

If watching this piece gets you fired up to try Pilates, you should know that there’s “Pilates”… and then there’s “Pilates for Rehabilitation”. Finding a highly trained Pilates practitioner can sometimes be like finding a needle in a haystack, especially if you live in a small community.

A good Pilates practitioner should have a comprehensive certification, and a minimum of 400 hours of education in Pilates specifically. They should also be educated in working with back pathologies and other diagnoses. Ideally, find a center where P.T.s and Pilates practitioners are working together.

And if your P.T. or instructor spends all their time focused on your back, without looking at the rest of you…run the other way!!

Leave me a comment about your experience with Pilates, or any other form of exercise — what are your frustrations about exercise and back pain? What tips or techniques do you want to know about?

I’m in the process of making a series of FREE videos, and I want to make sure you get the back pain information you need — so leave me a comment and I’ll get going on these right away. I’m here to help and support you.

To healing your back pain,

Lindy

Filed under: Back Pain studies, Pilates, back pain, healing back pain by lindyroyer
2 Comments »