Having worked hard all your life you should be pleased to reach your retirement. More than ever today's early retired enjoy very good health and retirement marks an opportunity for many adventures. Sadly our bodies are not infallible though and degenerative low back pain is the focus of the fourth part in this series.
Degenerative Changes in the Low Back
Our lower backs are load bearing structures. Some wear and tear is common but X-ray changes bear no significant relationship to how much bother you get from your back.
What is important is how well the back works as a system and that’s about muscles, and joints, and movement control. Things can get tight and stiff and tissues become irritated; or sometimes the opposite, everything gets a bit looser and needs a bit more muscle support.
Simple things such as getting fitter or stronger, general exercise such as circuit training classes have been shown to make a real difference to lots of everyday back pain. There are some great exercise classes available - my wife, Deb, a former physiotherapist who specialised in the elderly, runs some great ones in Victoria Park, Bristol. Visit www.debsfitness.com for more info.
If exercising doesn’t work or you’re not sure this is right for you, a detailed and tailored physiotherapy program to match the type of back pain you are getting, can be the difference in keeping you active, happy, socially engaged and enjoying life more than ever.
Please do contact me to discuss further if you have any questions you'd like to ask.
Degenerative Changes in the Low Back
Our lower backs are load bearing structures. Some wear and tear is common but X-ray changes bear no significant relationship to how much bother you get from your back.
What is important is how well the back works as a system and that’s about muscles, and joints, and movement control. Things can get tight and stiff and tissues become irritated; or sometimes the opposite, everything gets a bit looser and needs a bit more muscle support.
Simple things such as getting fitter or stronger, general exercise such as circuit training classes have been shown to make a real difference to lots of everyday back pain. There are some great exercise classes available - my wife, Deb, a former physiotherapist who specialised in the elderly, runs some great ones in Victoria Park, Bristol. Visit www.debsfitness.com for more info.
If exercising doesn’t work or you’re not sure this is right for you, a detailed and tailored physiotherapy program to match the type of back pain you are getting, can be the difference in keeping you active, happy, socially engaged and enjoying life more than ever.
Please do contact me to discuss further if you have any questions you'd like to ask.