ips-aiims

24Oct/11Off

Back Problems From Backpacks



You can get some nasty back problems from backpacks if you don't know what you're doing with them, or if you are careless.

One common problem is wearing a badly-adjusted backpack. That will give you some painful back problems from backpacks, I can tell you.

It takes a fair amount of camping equipment to keep you warm, dry and comfortable on a camp. And adds up to a whole lot of weight when carrying all your camping gear on your back.

It's okay for the car campers. They just throw it all in the back of the automobile and drive to where they're going.

It's the hikers foot-slogging away who'll feel the discomfort after the first hour.

You need to have a backpack which adjusts properly, so it can fit you well and distribute the weight in the right places.

There are two schools of thought here. The old fashioned European frame rucksack usually had a steel frame, with leather padding, which placed the weight on your hips and lower back.

Then US-designed, tall framed backpacks came along later and put the center of gravity much higher up. That way, you could stand up much more erect when walking. You didn't have to stoop.

There are also backpacks with internal frames, and packs with no frame at all. I don't recommend frameless backpacks if you're going to be toting a heavy load - more than 20 pounds - but they're fine for carrying some sandwiches and a bottle of water or soda. Nothing more.

As long as they are adjusted well, with the weight in the right places, you won't expect to get any back problems from whatever kind of backpack you own. But if your back pack is badly adjusted, you'll get quite strained after walking a few long miles.

It's worse if there's something hard or pointy digging into your back. That will make every step of your nature walk into plain torture... So make sure the side of the pack towards your back is well-padded with soft things like clothing, a towel or your sleeping bag.

It's better to pack everything carefully in the first place, that to have to call a halt in the middle of a group hike. Do that, and you'll have all your walking companions waiting around impatiently while you fix what you should have gotten right in the first place!

The most important thing to keep in mind when hiking with a rucksack or backpack is to keep your load as light as possible. That's the best way to avoid any back problems from backpacks.

Some people take this wisdom to a whole new level, byt lightweight camping is another subject - for another article!

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18Oct/11Off

Important Things to Know About Back Pain

Back discomfort is known as the second most widespread neurological problems these days. However, the back discomfort problems can occur in different types. There are lower back pains that disappear within few days and chronic back pains that will disturb throughout your life. However, it does not matter what type of back discomfort you are suffering with, finding the right medication or treatment can be a daunting task. Most of the individuals who are suffering from back pain even today do not know the exact cause of the problem. This is one of the main reasons, why most of them are not able to get any type of relief from the pain.

Using anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen could be used for the treatment. Using ice with these medicines will provide you amazing results by eliminating the pain for next five to seven days. According to the studies, most of the high school as well as middle school teenagers are also experiencing back pain problems these days. However, it does not matter what is your age, the treatment for the back discomfort is usually the same in most of the case.

As our back is a structure of many bones, ligaments, neurological components, back discomfort will be hard to diagnose. Even though, there are many technological advancements happening, experts are still finding it hard to diagnose the problem easily. However, there are few simple programs as well as practices that will help you to get relief from the back pain problems. You should also ensure that you are practicing a healthy diet and exercise routine. This will not only help you to get rid of your back pain problems, but also strengthen your bones as well as muscles. Therefore, what are you waiting for? Consult your family physician today and get rid of all your pains and strains.

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29Aug/11Off

Back Problems? There is Help



If you are someone who has a chronic aching back and find your self being uncomfortable after a long ride in the car or as in my case sitting for a long time in a lounge chair. I have used magnetic insoles and a magnetic mattress pad for many years and these help tremendously. I also have purchased a back support that I can put in my lounge chair or even in the car if I desire.

The back support is called obusforme and I purchased it after searching the internet for a back support solution. I have used it for about ten months and it is very comfortable and has solved the aching back problem after sitting for an extended period of time. I no longer have to do back stretching exercises every morning before I take my walk with my dogs.

If you had a serious back injury or pain in your legs causing numbness, then you should probably see a physician to make sure you do not have a problem requiring medical attention. Once you are sure there is no problem that could cause permanent damage, you can consider these aids that I have purchased.

I no longer have a stiff back and the relief is very gratifying. So if your complaints sound like mine there are some very good sources to help you. I highly recommend you look further into these various methods of relief. I have included some information on my website, if you are interested in looking into this further.

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2Aug/11Off

Stretch to Prevent Back Problems, Falls or Pulled Muscles



Three-time Olympian and coach Pat Connolly gave me these tips for building flexibility to help you prevent falls, pulled muscles and back problems. Head-to-toe strength and flexibility help you achieve and maintain good balance.

A muscle should be strong through its whole range of motion. Learning to relax that muscle helps it stretch and increase its range. When ever you stretch one muscle its opposing muscle contracts. For example, when you make a fist and curl your hand up to your shoulder, your bicep ( in front of your upper arm) is contracting and your tricep (in the back of your upper arm) is stretching. So when you stretch a muscle, be sure to loosen or shake it gently after each stretch. Start with these stretches.

Head and Neck

1. Sit tall in the chair, hands rest relaxed on your lap. Take a deep breath and slowly exhale letting your shoulders drop and completely relax. Repeat 3 times.

2. While holding your head up straight, place the palm of either hand on your forehead, then as you curl your chin down to your chest give gentle resistance with your hand against your forehead so the front muscles in your neck have to work a little harder to get your chin down. Repeat 10 times.

3.Place your hand on the back of your head while your head is hanging forward, chin close to your chest. Then resist your head with gentle pressure from your hand as you roll your head back as far as it will comfortably go. Repeat 10 times.

4. Shrug your shoulders, then relax. Hold your arms out on each side at shoulder level and then make slow backward circles squeezing your shoulder blades together each time your shoulders go back. Repeat 10 times.
These exercises can be done anytime you feel tense or have a headache. You'll be surprised at the relief after just a few minutes.

Arms

1. Let your arms dangle by your side while standing with your feet about a foot apart. Shake your hands for 5-10 seconds, then swing your arms up over your head and down keeping them relaxed, not stiff. Repeat 10 times on each arm.

2. Lift your right arm with your elbow pointing up and your hand hanging behind your head. With your left hand grab your elbow and gently push back, stretching the back of your upper arm. Hold for about 10 seconds, then reverse arms.

Torso

1. Sitting in the chair, spread your legs apart, fold your arms in front, bend over as far as you can between your legs and gently bounce to the left, middle and right. Repeat 5 times.

2. Place your left foot on your right knee. With your right hand gently press your left knee toward the floor until you feel the stretch in your hip and buttocks. Repeat 5 times, then reverse legs.

3. Lie on your back on the floor. Bend both knees and sit up or curl up as far as you can, and hold for a few seconds. Repeat as many times as you can up to 20. After you do this, lie flat with your knees slightly bent and gently shake your stomach muscles with your hands.

Buttocks and Legs

1. Stand up and shake each leg gently, slightly in front, and let each foot dangle for about 5-10 seconds. This helps to get the blood flowing. Test the flexibility of the backs of your legs: Bend over while keeping your knees straight (locked) and see how close to the floor you can reach with your hands. Make a mental note or use a ruler or marker. Then, after shaking each leg to get it relaxed, squat down, as if sitting on a low chair. Place both hands on your legs just above your knees, palm down with your fingers on the inside of your thighs. Now push your hands down on your legs as hard as you can and count to ten, slowly. Then stand up, shake your legs, and then re-test to see if you can get closer to the floor. You should see an improvement.

2. Leg swings: Hold on to the back of the chair with both hands and gently swing your left leg back and forth across the front of you 10 times, then repeat with your right leg. Keep your swinging leg relaxed and your support leg straight. Then hold on with just your right hand, swing your left leg front and back 10 times. Repeat with opposite leg.

3. Calf stretches: Hold the back of the chair with both hands. Put your right foot forward and slightly bend your right knee while your left leg is straight back, then try to stretch your heel down to the floor. Hold the stretch for a count of 15 and then, most importantly, gently tap your left toes back on the floor so that you loosen the calf muscle you just stretched. Repeat with the other leg.

4. Butt firmers: With both hands on the chair back, point your right leg back keeping your knee straight and raise your right foot about 6 inches off the floor by squeezing your right butt. Repeat 10 times, then do your left side.

Feet

1. Using chair for balance, stand on one foot and come up on your toes and down 20 times. Repeat with other foot. Shake out after each set.

2. Sit on the chair and make big circles with your left foot, first pointing and then flexing. Repeat with the other foot.

3. Hold your legs out straight in front of you, point your toes as hard as you can and count to 5, then pull them back as far as you can and count to 5. Repeat 10 times.

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13Jul/11Off

Back Problems



Simple backaches are one of the many unpleasant feelings associated with disorders, which can often be eliminated with a bit of care and thought. However, backaches relating to back problems may not be easily treated because of the difficulty in diagnosing the proper cause. The serious back pains that one may feel such as lumbago and sciatica may very well be just symptoms of internal diseases. Among the many possible causes of serious back problems are slipped and herniatied disks, spondylolisthesis, osteoarthritis changes, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and tuberculosis.

Generally, back pains are caused by straining the muscles or ligaments of the spine because of poor posture, sitting in one position for a long time and in the wrong chair, sleeping in a mattress that may be too soft for the back, and more commonly, by carelessness in carrying or lifting heavy packages.

Among the difficulty with back problems is that they happen without warning. They take people and usually older people by surprise and often are debilitating especially when it is a symptom of a degenerative disease. The frequency of the occurrence of the back pain may also add to the difficulty with back problems because they vary from people to people although the pain is real no matter how old or young they are. The degree of prevention cannot be drawn for each person when it comes to back problems because they are sometimes caused by injuries to the muscles or joints.

There are a lot of reasons why a person suffers from back pain and this is also the difficulty with back problems. Without proper diagnosis, treatment in any form could be harmful especially when it is done for the sake of immediate relief. Allergic reactions and the possibility of worsening the situation lurk at every chance of treatment if the cause is not carefully identified. Massage for example as an alternative treatment for back pains is not advisable for those who suffer inflammation such as rheumatoid arthritis and in cases of osteoporosis. The uncertainty of the proper treatment is the difficulty with back problems that can be resolved by proper tests.

Also, the difficulty with back problems is that one cannot be sure if it is just a minor muscle strain because chances are they are indicators of more serious internal diseases of the kidney and pancreas, peptic ulcer and spinal arthritis. These diseases should be considered when identifying the cause of back pains that are continuous over a significantly long period of times.

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13Jul/11Off

Fight Back Against Snoring Problems



I wanted to take the time to show you how you can fight back against snoring problems. It doesn't require much to fix this problem. I think the reason most people don't even make an attempt at fixing this problem is that they assume they're going to have to do something drastic. I know a lot of people out there think that they have to go through something like surgery to get this fixed and that simply isn't true. Sure, surgery is an option in the most extreme cases, but for the average person there are relatively easy solutions you can take advantage of. I'm going to show you how to fight your snoring problems.

This isn't that difficult to understand. You produce these sounds because the tissue in your throat starts to vibrate as you breath. This vibration doesn't occur while you're awake, so that should tell you something specific. Something happens when you go to sleep and it is due to your muscles relaxing. As your muscles relax, the jaw falls down onto your throat and puts pressure. It is this pressure the ends up creating all the extra vibration and you get the problem.

When it comes to beating your snoring problems, all you have to use is a chin strap. This is a really simple device that is going to hold up your jaw the entire night you sleep. It is very comfortable and takes about 5 seconds of your time to put on before you go to bed. This is the simple and easy way to beat snoring.

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