As a physio, there are two professions that seem to grace my treatment room more than any others; nurses and teachers. (Teachers, this is not about you, your turn is coming!)
To all those nurses out there, I want to ask this question; How is your lower back going? That good, huh? Hmm.
A nurse with a sore back is something we see all the time here at LifeForce health solutions, and it isn’t all that fun to live with, or at least that’s what I hear from the partners of the nurses that I see – I’m kidding, I’m kidding! I have a very healthy respect for nurses after spending some time in hospitals as part of my physio training – you guys are very underappreciated! (And a little bit scary from the point of view of a young student!).
THE NURSE’S BACK
All jokes aside, it is not fun having to work with constant lower back pain, especially as that pain is likely caused by caring for those less physically able than yourself! The physical duties that nurses perform day in and day out include bending, lifting, pushing, pulling, maneuvering, slippery sam/sally-ing, writing notes on whatever surface is available, and many other things. Being on your feet all day, while doing all these things can lead to lower back pain that might seem inescapable.
There might be some rather simple solutions, however, including hands on therapies such as massage and dry needling, as well as stretching and strengthening exercises at home or the gym, or a class like yoga or Pilates. The evidence shows that strength is King (or Queen), and that building endurance and power in your muscles can help with significantly improving lower back pain (and basically everything else!)
Call 8289 2800 to make a physiotherapy appointment at LifeForce health solutions at Golden Grove, to see what one of our experienced and friendly physiotherapists can do to help with your work-related condition. Alternatively, send us a message or comment on Facebook or via our website, and we’ll be in touch!
REFERENCES
Brämberg, E., Bergström, G., Jensen, I., Hagberg, J. and Kwak, L. (2017). Effects of yoga, strength training and advice on back pain: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 18(1).
Furlan, A., Giraldo, M., Baskwill, A., Irvin, E. and Imamura, M. (2015). Massage for low-back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Liu, L., Huang, Q., Liu, Q., Thitham, N., Li, L., Ma, Y. and Zhao, J. (2017). Evidence for Dry Needling in the Management of Myofascial Trigger Points Associated with Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Searle, A., Spink, M., Ho, A. and Chuter, V. (2015). Exercise interventions for the treatment of chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Clinical Rehabilitation, 29(12), pp.1155-1167.
