Oxford Back Pain Benefits from Good Sleep
The exercise topic of the month is…sleep?! Weird? Not at all! Sleep is just as crucial as exercise for pain management including management for back pain. Satterwhite Chiropractic helps many Oxford pain sufferers cope with their spine, neck, and back pain with chiropractic spinal manipulation, nutrition advice, and exercise direction. Sleep – good sleep – is added to that list for a good purpose!
CONTROLLING BACK PAIN
Since low back pain often is a condition for life that comes and goes, a condition that is managed rather than cured, it is a positive thing that researchers are looking into just how a back pain sufferer can take charge of the Oxford back pain and the frequency that it ‘rears its head.' Ask any back pain sufferer and you will know that keeping the pain away is a goal. But how? Researchers are looking at sleep, fatigue, emotion, and more to find out. Satterwhite Chiropractic shares the term “flare” as it has to do with a back pain episode.
BACK PAIN FLARE
A Oxford low back pain flare is one that consists of heightened pain, paresthesia, or muscle tension, longer duration of symptoms, reduced functional (social, cognitive, physical), and negative emotions. Researchers found that back pain sufferers don’t describe their back pain to be a flare just because of increased pain, therefore healthcare professionals need to look past the pain to see what else is going on around the pain episode, what psychosocial factors are at play. (1,2) The mind-body connection cannot always be ignored! Nor can the time of day that pain is felt.
PAIN: MORNING NOON AND NIGHT
Patients dealing with low back pain for more than 3 months were studied to see what might bring on a new episode of their pain. Researchers discovered that poor sleep quality and morning pain were risks for such flare-ups. Increased pain risk grew with days of more afternoon and evening pain, fatigue, and fear of activity. Sleep is recommended to reduce the intensity, frequency, and risk of back pain flares. (3) The quality of sleep also plays a part in how Oxford back pain is experienced.
SLEEP QUALITY
A study of sleep quality in mature adults in six middle-income countries found that women experienced more sleep problems. Further, age, depression, low back pain, and poor self-rated health were also significantly associated with sleep problems. (4) Sleep, perceived stress, and anxiety contribute to chronic low back pain. Luckily, sleep quality is capable of mediating anxiety, making sleep a reasonable recommendation in the treatment plan. (5)
CONTACT Satterwhite Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Ted Siciliano on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes his use of Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction to ease arm pain and numbness that was preventing him from getting sleep.
Make your Oxford chiropractic appointment now. Let us talk sleep next time you’re in for a visit!
