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    • Larry L. Teuber, M.D.
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Home Therapy

When you go to the dentist for a cavity, the dentist will remind you to floss and brush your teeth daily to prevent future cavities and gum problems.

Similarly, The Spine Center strongly encourages back pain sufferers to continue with a back or neck exercise program on a daily basis to prevent a recurrence of a back strain. That's because once a person has a back pain attack, he or she is four times as likely to have a recurrence. Being a past victim of back pain, the individual needs to work extra hard to prevent future recurrences.

The way to prevent future back or neck pain is with customized exercises that make the back stronger, more flexible and injury proof.

A home exercise program can usually be customized for the specific back problem. These exercises can often be done on the living room rug while watching TV. Other stretching exercises can be done throughout the day to increase flexibility. Just as a person with a heart problem needs to watch cholesterol, diet and exercise, a person with a back problem needs to keep the back flexible and strong. When encountering a lifting task, this same person needs to use proper body mechanics, or get assistance if the object is too heavy and poses excessive risk of re-injury.

Studies maintain exercise is more effective at treating simple back pain than bed-rest and drugs. That's ironic, because when a person's back hurts, just the thought of exercise sounds painful. In truth, drugs only mask pain symptoms. Exercise, on the other hand, is like oil for the joints in the spine. In addition to improving blood flow to discs, joints and muscles, exercise makes muscles more flexible, stronger and resistant to future strain.

The home remedies presented in the Exercise Library are only intended as a guide. Those who self-diagnose and self-treat themselves with home exercises do so at their own risk. Before beginning any exercises, learn how simple movements can alleviate back pain by visiting the anatomy library pages of this web site.

Ideally, to best identify what may be causing your back pain, and to come up with a customized set of exercises that relate to your back problem, we recommend a visit with one of our spine specialists.