Although we are halfway through summer, many people are still planning to go away on vacation. Traveling presents special concerns to those with back pain, neck pain, or other chronic conditions.
Since the price of airline tickets has been rising at an alarming rate, many have decided to travel by car. This can be fun, but it also can wreak havoc on your lower back and neck.
Here are some action steps you can take to help avoid and manage neck and back pain when driving.
If you are the driver, sit as close to the steering wheel as comfortable. Position yourself so that your knees are slightly higher than your hips. Keep your elbows slightly bent with hand positions at the lower part of the steering wheel (think clock positions 7 & 5 rather than 10 & 2).
Consider using a back support. The back support should have a base for your buttock region and a low back support for your lumbar spine (lower back).
It’s important to exercise your legs while driving. Contract your thigh muscles, tighten and relax your calf muscles, and squeeze your gluteal muscles periodically. Performing abdominal contractions alternating with sucking in your gut (abdominal hollowing) will help with lower back discomfort.
In addition to exercising your legs, you should stretch your neck muscles by performing neck range of motion maneuvers. Let your head fall to your chest; look up to the sky; tilt and rotate your head in each direction. Obviously, these exercises should be performed while at a complete stop if you are the driver!
To improve the circulation in your hands, loosen and tighten your grip. Change hand positions as often as possible.
Whether you are the driver or a passenger, I recommend taking ice packs for your travels. Just keep them in a cooler and you can use the ice packs for your neck, shoulder, or lower back.
The most important advice I can give you is to take breaks. It will take you a bit longer to arrive at your destination, but the extra time will be well worth it. There is nothing as crucial to enjoying your vacation as beginning it without pain!
That’s it for now and if you are heading for vacation, I wish you a pain-free, relaxing and enjoyable time.
To Your Health, Wealth & Happiness!
Dr. Michael J. Kaye
Knowledge, Action, Results
http://www.drmichaelkaye.com/
http://www.boomersguidetochronicpain.com/
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Bubble Wrap
Today I want to discuss bubble wrap. That’s right the packing material.
You might be thinking, “Oh, this guy has gone over the edge.”
Well, I haven’t, at least not completely over the edge, maybe teetering.
How can bubble wrap help you?
One of my patients’s been trying to quit smoking and was gaining weight because he was sitting in front of the television eating instead of smoking. Weight gain is very common for those who are refraining from smoking.
The answer to his problem was to occupy his hands. I told him to get bubble paper. As you can imagine he thought that was a very strange idea.
Maybe it was but it worked. The act of popping the little plastic bubbles kept his hands busy (plus it is fun) while he was watching television. Obviously, his craving for nicotine was not any less but the bubble paper acted as a distraction.
Using this same thought process I recommend bubble wrap to many patients who are on a diet as sitting in front of the television is often associated with eating snacks. So the answer was to keep the hands busy by popping the bubble wrap.
So that’s how bubble wrap helps my patients. Try it!
Since we are talking about TV watching I want to share how you can use TV watching to your advantage.
In these two case scenarios sitting and watching the television was detrimental. I often request my patients to keep physically busy while they are watching television.
While TV viewing you can perform exercises such as marching in place during commercials, stretching the muscles of the lower back and the hamstrings (back of legs), alternate between stretches for the upper and lower body, perform abdominal conditioning with proper technique and do pushups. You can even grab some dumbbells for arm and shoulder work.
How much TV do we watch? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), kids in the United States watch about 4 hours of TV a day. Some studies indicate that American adults watch 3-4 hours of TV per night.
To summarize, if you are dieting or trying to quit smoking (or if you are not on a diet or trying to quit smoking) and you find that sitting in front of the TV is your worst enemy try bubble wrap. In addition to keeping your hands busy consider exercising when watching television. If you watch a minimum of two hours of TV per night and you devote 30 minutes (in 5-10 increments) you will have exercised for 3.5 hours for the week.
That’s it for now. Stay Well! Stay Healthy!
Dr. Michael J. Kaye
Knowledge, Action, Results
P.S. To learn more on how to create a life of health, wealth
and happiness log onto http://tinyurl.com/2hqf44
You might be thinking, “Oh, this guy has gone over the edge.”
Well, I haven’t, at least not completely over the edge, maybe teetering.
How can bubble wrap help you?
One of my patients’s been trying to quit smoking and was gaining weight because he was sitting in front of the television eating instead of smoking. Weight gain is very common for those who are refraining from smoking.
The answer to his problem was to occupy his hands. I told him to get bubble paper. As you can imagine he thought that was a very strange idea.
Maybe it was but it worked. The act of popping the little plastic bubbles kept his hands busy (plus it is fun) while he was watching television. Obviously, his craving for nicotine was not any less but the bubble paper acted as a distraction.
Using this same thought process I recommend bubble wrap to many patients who are on a diet as sitting in front of the television is often associated with eating snacks. So the answer was to keep the hands busy by popping the bubble wrap.
So that’s how bubble wrap helps my patients. Try it!
Since we are talking about TV watching I want to share how you can use TV watching to your advantage.
In these two case scenarios sitting and watching the television was detrimental. I often request my patients to keep physically busy while they are watching television.
While TV viewing you can perform exercises such as marching in place during commercials, stretching the muscles of the lower back and the hamstrings (back of legs), alternate between stretches for the upper and lower body, perform abdominal conditioning with proper technique and do pushups. You can even grab some dumbbells for arm and shoulder work.
How much TV do we watch? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), kids in the United States watch about 4 hours of TV a day. Some studies indicate that American adults watch 3-4 hours of TV per night.
To summarize, if you are dieting or trying to quit smoking (or if you are not on a diet or trying to quit smoking) and you find that sitting in front of the TV is your worst enemy try bubble wrap. In addition to keeping your hands busy consider exercising when watching television. If you watch a minimum of two hours of TV per night and you devote 30 minutes (in 5-10 increments) you will have exercised for 3.5 hours for the week.
That’s it for now. Stay Well! Stay Healthy!
Dr. Michael J. Kaye
Knowledge, Action, Results
P.S. To learn more on how to create a life of health, wealth
and happiness log onto http://tinyurl.com/2hqf44
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