Revealed: How, For Over 12 Years, More Than 80 People Per Week In The Lacey Area Have Ended Their Crippling Back Pain WITHOUT Needing Referral From A Doctor (Or Paying For Chiropractic)…   Do you or a loved one suffer from chronic back pain – so bad that it can even stop you from walking? Then reading this report may be the most important thing you do this year. It may unlock the agonizing mystery of your pain. It may even show you a way to get back to the life you deserve… A life where you can sleep at night without tossing and turning, hoping to find one position where the pain stops. One where you can wake up in the morning and not take 20 minutes to get out of bed. Then another 20 minutes to put on your socks and shoes, always restricted by a back so stiff and tight.  A life where you can pick up and play with your kids without worrying when your back is going to “go out” and leave you crippled on the floor. And a life where you can do and enjoy all the things you see so many others doing and enjoying but your pain has kept you watching from the side-lines. …Basically a life without the curse of back pain. Finally, one of the nation’s leading back pain experts, Jennifer Penrose, has written a tips report. She’s a specialist from Lacy who has already helped 100’s of people over the last decade with… Read More

A lady emailed the clinic a few days ago and asked: “I get back pain when I’m doing sit-ups/ crunches. Am I doing something wrong, or should I avoid them?” Great question! I’m glad she asked me this this time of year. People begin to get more active for summer vacations so we see a big rise in the number of people with back pain. Crunches are one of the most common go-to exercises to get your “abs summer ready”. But are they effective? And more importantly, can this exercise cause back pain? Ever tried to do an ab workout and realized halfway that your back is feeling things it shouldn’t? You’re not alone. For me (and most of our patients) it’s any ab exercise that asks me to sit up on my tailbone. Or move my legs that causes a slight twinge in my back. Which is frustrating when you want to keep active but can’t because your back is in pain! To understand why this happens, you have to remember the abs and lower back are part of your core. While we often think of our core as being our abs – the abs are only one part of the equation. Your core is made up of a group of muscles that work together to support the body. It wraps around the entire body, and includes muscles that are in your lower back too. What’s actually happening When you do any exercises for the core, you’re impacting… Read More

I wanted to answer a common question I get asked all the time at Penrose Physical Therapy all about stiffness: “Jennifer, do you have any advice for someone like me who isn’t in a lot of pain? I’m just incredibly stiff when I wake up on a morning, and I feel it throughout the day, which means I can’t do things as easily as I’d like. Any advice?” I’ve got plenty of tips and advice to help reduce stiffness. But first I want to clear up ‘why’ we feel stiff in the first place. A lot of people we see think that stiffness is something we feel are we get older – and while there’s some truth in that, stiffness isn’t always directly related to how old you are. Yes, as you get older your joints and muscles might get stiff if you don’t exercise regularly. And it’s true that your joints become less flexible as the lubricating fluid inside them decreases, and the cartilage becomes thinner as you age… But there’s some other points to factor in too. Where to start Not drinking enough fluids and dehydration can also lead to stiff muscles. Muscles are active tissues, which means they’re the kind of tissue that requires the most water in the body. Inactivity is another culprit – leaving your muscles in one place for a prolonged period (sleep, sitting in a chair, driving for hours etc.) can cause them to stiffen. Another cause can be related to stress – when we’re… Read More

A question I get asked a lot by clients and people who suffer with back pain is a really simple one: “When do I use ice and when do I use heat?” Rightly or wrongly, 9 out of 10 of my clients tend to favor heat – a nice hot water bottle, a soak in the bath, or one of those lavender scented wheat bags to try and ease their back pain. (I think a lot of people don’t like the idea of putting cold ice on their back, unless it’s really hot outside!) As you can appreciate every health concern and injury is different. Sometimes it’s ice to cool it down, or heat to help relax it…it can be very confusing! When To Use Ice  There’s one time in particular we say to use ice and that’s when something just happened and it’s very painful, likely hot and maybe swollen. This is an ‘acute’ injury. Acute meaning it just happened. For example, an ankle sprain or pulled muscle. When it comes to your back pain, the time to use ice is if your back has suddenly ‘gone’ and you’re in a lot of pain, or you’ve overdone it and your back becomes very painful towards the end of the day. You see, your body is actually very clever. Let’s use an ankle sprain as an example… When you sprain your ankle your body will immediately try and protect itself. This is why you get swelling and it becomes very… Read More

Quick question: How many of you have Googled ‘preventing back pain’? I thought so. We’ve all heard and read about what can cause back pain; incorrect lifting, bad posture, sports injury…but did you know that you may be making a common mistake in your daily routine, that might be encouraging back pain? What I’m about to tell you might sound surprising, but hear me out and I’ll explain why it can cause your back pain to worsen, as well as give you some tips on how to change it. Right, here we go… Bad Diet I don’t mean like Weight Watchers! That’s a way to manage your weight. However, I am more concerned about the reason you may go to slimming clubs. Being overweight can have a great impact on your health AND your back pain. If you are overweight then you are putting extra pressure on your back. An example of this can be shown where we store sugar. When we eat sugar, any energy that we don’t use from it, is stored on our back. Another place that it can be stored, along with caffeine, is at your lower back, a.k.a your love handles! If you now think of all that excess weight being carried on your back from sugar and caffeine, is it surprising that a bad diet can lead to back pain? To overcome this issue, try cutting down on the sugar, caffeine and processed foods and choose more natural foods. This could be chicken breasts, potatoes… Read More

Do you work in an office based job? Or find yourself struggling with neck, shoulder or back pain after sitting for long periods of time? Do you wish there was something you could do it reduce the pain? Well there is a solution to create a more safe, healthy and comfortable working environment for you. You don’t have to put up with annoying aches and pains. Let’s start at the bottom with your ankles… Research suggests your ankles should be supported via a foot rest. Keeping the ankle joints at just over a 90 degree angle is best. The same rule applies to your knees, keep them slightly at over 90 degree angles. Do this with at least 80- 90% of your thighs supported on your seat parallel to the floor. Basically, when your feet are planted firmly on the floor, you’re not sitting in a twisted position. I know it can be easy to do after sitting for hours without regular breaks! Low Back Positioning Moving on to those troublesome lower backs… A lot of us are guilty of having poor sitting posture. Slouching in our chairs at work and creating extra unnecessary stresses through our spine and the soft tissues. These muscles, tendons and ligaments support our spine and body! To avoid this extra stress, it’s important to ensure that your butt is touching the back of the chair. So get your wiggle on and shuffle right to the back of your chair. Don’t be worried if your feet come off the floor,… Read More

Quick question: How much water have you drank today? For most people, the answer would be “not enough”. From everything we drink and swim in, to the ice that reduces swelling, it is all around us (and even in us). As a matter of fact – it basically is us! Water makes up around two thirds of who we are, and influences every single process in our body. This probably explains why we feel a lot better when we drink enough of it. Now, you might be aware of the many ‘tips and tricks’ that are out there on “how to avoid a bad back”, and “how to relieve pain” – but have you ever heard of drinking more water? My guess is you haven’t! I get that it might sound ‘too simple’ to make a difference, but dehydration really can be one of the culprits of back pain, and one of the reasons why it stays around for longer than it needs to. Let me explain… I know you already know that water affects every organ and cell in your body, but it also plays an enormous role in the health of your back and spine. In between each section of the spine (the vertebrae) lies a disc – these are mainly made up of water. During the day when we’re standing up, they slowly become dehydrated, then at night when we’re laying down, they rehydrate themselves again (so long as there is ENOUGH water in the body!). Here’s Where Water Comes Into Play… Read More

Has this ever happened to you? You’re going about your day doing your usual day-to-day jobs like taking the trash out or changing the sheets. All of a sudden you feel a sharp pain in your back and you can hardly move… Sound familiar? Just a few weeks ago this happened to one of our patients, Ann, 57 from South Bay. She was making the most of a quiet weekend, and before relaxing, she decided to do get the housework done. Anne was fine to start, but as she went to turn over her mattress she put her back out completely. At first the pain wasn’t so bad, but then a few hours later her back began to stiffen up. Like most people we see, at first she thought It’s just a stiff back. “I’ve probably got a bit carried away with the cleaning, it’s happened before.” But the next day the pain was still there, and it felt even worse! Anne’s back started to ache when she sat down. She struggled to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in. She couldn’t even bring herself to stand without being in agony AND she had a weekend away planned. How was she going to get away with a back so painful? You might be thinking this won’t happen to you, not with something as basic as everyday chores. Most of us do some form of jobs around the house – that’s a lot of backs that could potentially become sore! And not just that, most… Read More

If you’re driving fairly long distances to and from work every day, it’s likely you’ve experienced back pain. Around 30-60% of drivers report having back pain at some point in their life. We see lots of people in the clinic in pain as a result of 30 minutes+ on the road, almost daily! But why does something as simple as driving trigger off back pain when it’s not exactly strenuous? Driving for long periods of time exposes the body to many different forces. These include acceleration, sudden stops, and most notably vibrations from the road. These forces especially affects those who drive larger vehicles. Driving also involves the use of your feet to control the cars pedals. This means they are not used to help stabilize and support your lower body as they normally would when sitting. It’s no wonder why a combination of these factors, along with inadequate design can cause problems for many of us. Back pain can make driving unpleasant (in some cases, unbearable). So, I put together a list of tips to help make your next journey as pain-free as possible. Here are 7 tips to help you: 1. Get Comfortable Before You Set Off – A small irritation can quickly grow into an unbearable pain. If you’ve got a long journey ahead, or in the car for 20 minutes, this can affect your day. So, before you set off, take a few moments to settle into a comfortable position. Check… Read More

Have you or a loved one have fallen recently? Do you feel unsteady on your feet or lacking the confidence to move around independently? Or are you worried to even leave the house without someone there to help support you just in case you fall? Then I’d like to invite you to attend this new, fun and educational workshop. It may be the most important thing you do this year. Or it may help you find out if you have problems with your balance that you weren’t even aware of. It will show you exactly what to do if you, or a loved one have recently fallen. Additionally, it will show you a way to get back on your feet and the life you deserve before balance issues struck… A life where you can walk around the store without relying upon the shopping cart, or a loved ones arm to keep you steady… Where you can move around the house independently and not take 20 minutes to move from the couch, without feeling lightheaded and dizzy… A life where you can pick up and play with your kids/grandkids without worrying when a ‘dizzy spell’ is going to come on and leave you feeling worried… Or a life where you can do and enjoy all the things you see so many others doing and enjoying, but a fear of falling has kept you from going out and crippled your confidence…Basically, a life without the fear of falling and feeling unsteady on your feet. If… Read More

Last week I spoke to you all about the downward spiral of having another fall. I also gave a quick recap of everything we’ve covered in this series so far. With any luck, you’ve had time to digest all of this information and that it’s been helpful. It’s applied to those of you who may be dealing with balance issues, or even osteoporosis or osteopenia. I even told you about my free report that was all about osteoporosis and osteopenia. Those of you who wanted more information on the subject can download from last week’s email. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to digest that information and that it’s helped you. To wrap up the osteoporosis topic, we will be offering yoga for osteoporosis, specially designed to improve balance and posture. If you’re interested, just email info@penrosept.com to register your interest. I hope the information on balance and fall prevention has been helpful to you. Maybe you’ve even been able to start trying some of the tips I’ve given you over the last few weeks. Or maybe you’ve been able to share this information with a friend or loved one. If this sounds like you or a loved one, and you’d like even more information about how to avoid another fall, regain confidence and maintain independence, I have even more valuable information that I want to share with you today.  Over the last 10 years, I’ve worked with hundreds of clients who’ve experienced one or several falls, and I’ve had the opportunity to… Read More

We’re coming to the end of our series on balance, falls and osteoporosis . We’ve covered a lot so far in this series. I want to do a quick recap of what we’ve covered so far. First we looked at what things could cause bad balance and what to do about it. We then looked at why it’s not normal to shrink. After that, the most common signs to look for when it comes to wobbly balance and increased risk of falls. Next we looked at the sensation of spinning and vertigo. We then switched gears back to osteoporosis and how yoga can help to avoid people bending at the spine. Following that we looked at how we were able to help one of our clients improve her balance and mobility. Then last week we again looked at how yoga can help with osteoporosis, but in more detail. Next we looked at the sensation of spinning and vertigo. We then switched gears back to osteoporosis and how yoga can help to avoid people bending at the spine. Following that we looked at how we were able to help one of our clients improve her balance and mobility. Last week we again looked at how yoga can help with osteoporosis, but in more detail. That’s a lot to cover in 7 weeks! This week we’ll be switching back over to balance and falls as we approach the end of this series. I talk a lot about balance and fall prevention at workshops and… Read More