Is All Back Pain Preventable?

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Tens of millions of Americans report some type of back pain, whether it’s acute or chronic. This ever-present complaint may lead people to believe that back pain is far more inevitable than it is preventable. However, the story isn’t as straightforward as that, and it’s important to understand what you can do to avoid this common condition.

Acute Vs. Chronic

Acute back pain refers to back pain that comes and goes, while chronic back pain can start to feel like it will last indefinitely. If you’ve been experiencing back pain for longer than three months, you’ve officially entered the chronic stage of this condition. Back pain can be categorized as short, stabbing pains or dull aches.

No matter what kind you experience, it’s important to be aware of how the pain comes on and when it starts to abate. If you’re not seeing any improvements or it’s getting worse, you may want to talk to a physical therapist in Flagstaff, AZ.

Is Back Pain Preventable?

You cannot prevent every type of back pain in Flagstaff, AZ. For example, if you get into a car crash that injures your back, you can experience acute back pain until the injury heals. However, there are ways that you can strengthen your back, which can potentially ward off chronic pain and make your back more resilient to physical trauma:

  • Exercise: The more active you are, the stronger the muscles around your spine become.
  • Posture: Standing and sitting straight reduces the weight and strain on your back muscles.
  • Lifting: Lifting with your legs protects your back from awkward bending.

Visit a Physical Therapist in Flagstaff

At Base Camp Physical Therapy and Performance, our patients don’t always visit us if they have chronic back pain. Sometimes, they schedule appointments because they feel great and want to continue feeling great. Whether you’re an athlete or just getting older, we work with patients from all backgrounds.

We can tell you more about how to target certain muscles in the back, so they’re more resilient, which can help you ward off far more debilitating problems down the line. If you’re interested in learning more about how to prevent back pain, contact us to start taking action.

Physical Therapist vs. Dentist: How to Handle Your TMJ

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Many people experience TMJ on an everyday basis. Moreover, there’s not always a straightforward answer, particularly if you’re trying to avoid surgical solutions. If you were diagnosed with the disorder by a dentist but you find that their treatments aren’t resulting in relief, we’ll look at why a physical therapist in Flagstaff, AZ, may be a better professional to call.

When to Call a Physical Therapist
If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, a physical therapist may be able to help you reduce the pain and improve your range of motion:

Pain: This includes the stereotypical jaw pain, but it can also refer to facial pain, neck pain, or headaches.
Sounds: If you’re experiencing clicking or popping every time you open and close your jaw, a physical therapist can recommend manual exercises at home to improve functionality.
Earaches: The jaw impacts the ear, nose, and throat. You may find that your ears hurt regularly without realizing that the problem stems from damaged cartilage in the temporomandibular joint.
When you visit a physical therapist for TMJ in Flagstaff, AZ, they’ll focus on how to make your jaw stronger. It’s a conservative route that can help you avoid more drastic treatments (either now or in the future).

What Causes TMJ?
TMJ can refer to both cartilage damage or joint damage in the jaw. The temporomandibular is the connection between your body and the jaw, and it has to move constantly as you go about your daily routine. The causes are sometimes difficult to ascertain, though if you have a genetic history with it or you’ve sustained a jaw injury, this could be the culprit. Some people get TMJ if they clench or grind their teeth at night. No matter what the root cause of the problem is, though, it is important to address TMJ. The sooner you get help, the more you protect your teeth, gums, and bite.

Physical Therapy in Flagstaff, AZ
If you’ve been dealing with jaw pain regularly, call Base Camp Physical Therapy and Performance to learn more about how the right exercises can help your TMJ.

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Game-Changing Recovery: How Physical Therapy Restores Athletes

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When you spend a lot of time playing sports or participating in your favorite athletic endeavors, a sports injury in Flagstaff, AZ, can feel like such a disheartening setback. However, working closely with a physical therapist during your recovery can help ensure you get back to your beloved activities as quickly and as well-healed as possible. Take a look at the role physical therapy plays in restoring athletes after they have sustained an injury.

Tailored Care for the Specific Type of Injury

From joint dislocations and bone fractures to tendinitis and bursitis, an athlete can sustain so many different injuries. While these injuries are often considered all the same, they can be diverse depending on the nature of the injury and the individual’s physical health. Therefore, you must see a physical therapist when you have sustained an injury. Physical therapists take a tailored, personalized approach to creating an appropriate recovery plan to support healing in the most individualized way possible.

Innovative Approaches to Sports Injury Rehabilitation

From ultrasonic pain management to transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS), physical therapists take a robust approach to sports injuries. Your recovery plan may include a collection of different proven methodologies to keep you comfortable and healing well during rehabilitation. The best physical therapists take advantage of the latest technologies to offer the best level of care.

Strengthening Programs for Injury Prevention and Recovery

Not only is it important that your injury heals but it is also important that your risks of injury are lowered going forward. Therefore, physical therapists often incorporate strengthening programs into the recovery plan to help build strength in and around the damaged area. This reduces the likelihood that you will have repeated injuries to the same part of your body going forward.

Discuss a Recovery Plan with a Physical Therapist in Flagstaff, AZ

As an athlete, a physical therapy center in Flagstaff, AZ, could be one of the most important components of your recovery plan. In fact, good physical therapy can mean a difference in whether you can get back to the sport you love at full capacity. Reach out to find out how to schedule a visit to Basecamp Physical Therapy and Performance.

3 Surprising Facts About Whiplash

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Whiplash is commonly associated with car accidents at high speeds. What these narratives sometimes fail to mention is that whiplash can occur anywhere, sometimes under surprising circumstances. We’ll look at three facts that you may not realize about this condition and how a physical therapist in Flagstaff, AZ, may be able to help.

1. Whiplash Is More Common Than You Think
Whiplash can happen in a car that’s traveling at just a few miles an hour. It can happen when you fall or when you’re participating in sports like boxing or skiing. As you get older, the odds of whiplash only go up. Not only do conditions like arthritis affect your odds of whiplash, but everyone will lose some degree of flexibility and motion range as they get older. The less leeway, the more likely you are to have to deal with the aftermath. If you’ve noticed that your neck hasn’t quite been feeling up to par lately, it might be because you sustained whiplash without realizing it.

2. Many People Ignore Whiplash
Whiplash is caused by an external force that causes the neck to move back and forth quickly, and, as a result, it often has delayed symptoms. This means that the original feelings afterward may not feel like much of anything at all. This makes it easy to discount the feelings, assuming that little more than a good night’s sleep will do the trick. While it’s true that whiplash isn’t considered a critical condition and that many people will get better on their own, other times, you’ll find that the pain and discomfort only get worse over time.

3. A Physical Therapist Can Work Wonders
Whiplash in Flagstaff, AZ, is a common complaint for people who visit a physical therapist. These professionals aren’t there to prescribe medication, they’re there to work with the body’s alignment and help it get back to a state of harmony. If you’re looking for a staff that understands how whiplash can affect not only your neck but the rest of your bones and muscles, contact Base Camp Physical Therapy and Performance. Our team has the expertise to tell you about the mechanisms behind the pain and what kinds of restorative exercises and techniques will help.

What Is Vestibular Rehabilitation and How Can It Help a Concussion?

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A physical therapist will offer vestibular rehab whenever the vestibular system has sustained damage. This important set of signals is what regulates our balance and spatial orientation, and, as you can imagine, a concussion can have a major impact on how that system functions. We’ll look at how physical therapy works to retrain the senses after head trauma.

The Exercises of Vestibular Rehab
A physical therapist in Flagstaff, AZ is ultimately hoping to give patients back as much mobility as they can. Their approach may start with stabilizing the gaze, allowing patients to keep their focus while moving so they’re more likely to get back on their feet. They’ll also try to habituate the patient, which can help temper the reaction to stimuli. So if the lights turn on or the person makes a sharp turn of the head, they’re not left seeing stars.

Rehab exercises will also help a person get back on their feet, improving the balance and endurance of the patient so they build back their coordination one day at a time. Concussions can range widely in severity, but a physical therapist is also trained to work with a wide range of symptoms. Whether the patient is experiencing dizziness, fatigue, or light sensitivity, a physical therapist can make a real difference in the quality of life for a concussed patient.

If you’re wondering how long it takes for vestibular rehab to work for a concussion, you should know that some patients experience some degree of relief after just a session or two. However, most rehab programs will typically take more than a month to feel the full effects.

Concussion Therapy in Flagstaff, AZ
Head trauma can mess more than just general sense of balance. If you’re struggling with ongoing discomfort, it’s important to work with a staff that knows what you’re going through. If you’re looking for experts in concussion management in Flagstaff, AZ, whether it’s for you or someone you love, the staff at Base Camp Physical Therapy and Performance can tell you more about these programs. The good news is that you’ll find a staff that’s as caring as they are qualified to help stay on top of the symptoms.