Tennis ball massages are easy to perform and can help relieve tension and improve flexibility in your muscle and nervous tissues. Here are 3 ways to use tennis balls to alleviate lower back pain and sciatica.

References

• 1.Cheatham SW, Stull KR. ROLLER MASSAGE: A COMMENTARY ON CLINICAL STANDARDS AND SURVEY OF PHYSICAL THERAPY PROFESSIONALS- PART 1. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2018;13(4):763–772. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6088127/
• 2.Park DJ, Hwang YI. A pilot study of balance performance benefit of myofascial release, with a tennis ball, in chronic stroke patients. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2016;20(1):98-103. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2015.06.009
• 3.Grieve R, Goodwin F, Alfaki M, Bourton AJ, Jeffries C, Scott H. The immediate effect of bilateral self myofascial release on the plantar surface of the feet on hamstring and lumbar spine flexibility: A pilot randomised controlled trial. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2015;19(3):544-52. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2014.12.004
• 4.Aboodarda SJ, Spence AJ, Button DC. Pain pressure threshold of a muscle tender spot increases following local and non-local rolling massage. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2015;16:265. Published 2015 Sep 28. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4587678/

If you love gardening, keep up your hobby by following these simple tips and adaptations to minimize back pain during long periods of planting.

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Lumbar radiculopathy, commonly called sciatica, is a term that describes symptoms of pain, numbness, and/or weakness that originate in the lower back and radiate along the sciatic nerve into the buttock, thigh, and leg, sometimes including the foot. Sciatica is uncommon in pregnancy and usually does not occur as a result of the growing fetus or bodily changes that take place at the time. However, the symptoms may be experienced due to other underlying medical conditions.

References

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• 4.Hendrick P, Te Wake AM, Tikkisetty AS, Wulff L, Yap C, Milosavljevic S. The effectiveness of walking as an intervention for low back pain: a systematic review. Eur Spine J. 2010;19(10):1613–1620. doi:10.1007/s00586-010-1412-z
• 5.Cooper DB, Yang L. Pregnancy And Exercise. [Updated 2020 Jan 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430821/

Learn about general and condition-specific treatments that you can try at home to relieve your sciatica symptoms.

References

• 1.Davis D, Maini K, Vasudevan A. Sciatica. [Updated 2020 Jan 25]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507908/
• 2.Malanga GA, Yan N, Stark J. Mechanisms and efficacy of heat and cold therapies for musculoskeletal injury. Postgraduate Medicine. 2014;127(1):57-65. doi:10.1080/00325481.2015.992719
• 3.Kim EJ, Choi YD, Lim CY, Kim KH, Lee SD. Effect of heating and cooling combination therapy on patients with chronic low back pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2015;16:285. Published 2015 Jun 26. doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0800-4
• 4.McAllister R.K., Burnett C.J. (2015) Topical Analgesic Medications. In: Sackheim K. (eds) Pain Management and Palliative Care. Springer, New York, NY doi: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4939-2462-2_15
• 5.Cheatham SW, Stull KR. ROLLER MASSAGE: A COMMENTARY ON CLINICAL STANDARDS AND SURVEY OF PHYSICAL THERAPY PROFESSIONALS- PART 1. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2018;13(4):763–772. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6088127/
• 6.Park DJ, Hwang YI. A pilot study of balance performance benefit of myofascial release, with a tennis ball, in chronic stroke patients. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2016;20(1):98-103. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2015.06.009
• 7.Grieve R, Goodwin F, Alfaki M, Bourton AJ, Jeffries C, Scott H. The immediate effect of bilateral self myofascial release on the plantar surface of the feet on hamstring and lumbar spine flexibility: A pilot randomised controlled trial. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2015;19(3):544-52. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2014.12.004
• 8.Xiang A, Xu M, Liang Y, Wei J, Liu S. Immediate relief of herniated lumbar disc-related sciatica by ankle acupuncture: A study protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial. Medicine (Baltimore). 2017;96(51):e9191. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5758163/
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Learn about 14 natural, easy, inexpensive, and effective methods that have the potential for reducing chronic pain.

References

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Learn what the development and adoption of new spine surgery technologies techniques means for you as a patient.

References

• 1.Vaishnav AS, Othman YA, Virk SS, Gang CH, Qureshi SA. Current state of minimally invasive spine surgery. J Spine Surg. 2019;5(Suppl 1):S2–S10. doi:10.21037/jss.2019.05.02
• 2.Snyder LA, O'Toole J, Eichholz KM, Perez-Cruet MJ, Fessler R. The technological development of minimally invasive spine surgery. Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:293582. doi:10.1155/2014/293582
• 3.Menger RP, Savardekar AR, Farokhi F, Sin A. A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Integration of Robotic Spine Technology in Spine Surgery. Neurospine. 2018;15(3):216–224. doi:10.14245/ns.1836082.041
• 4.Zhu Y, Fang J, Xu G, Ye X, Zhang Y. A hybrid technique for treating multilevel cervical myelopathy: Cervical artificial disc replacement combined with fusion. Oncol Lett. 2019;17(1):360–364. doi:10.3892/ol.2018.9573
• 5.Davis RJ, Nunley PD, Kim KD, et al. Two-level total disc replacement with Mobi-C cervical artificial disc versus anterior discectomy and fusion: a prospective, randomized, controlled multicenter clinical trial with 4-year follow-up results. Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. 2015;22(1):15-25. doi:10.3171/2014.7.spine13953

Chiropractors help many people deal with their back and neck pain. These 21 tips will help ensure you are choosing the right doctor for you.

References

• 1.Concalves G, Le Scanff C, Leboeuf-Yde C. Effect of chiropractic treatment on primary or early secondary prevention: a systematic review with a pedagogic approach. Chiropr Man Therap. 2018 Apr 5;26:10. doi: 10.1186/s12998-018-0179-x
• 2.Salehi A, Hashemi N, Imanieh MH, Saber M. Chiropractic: Is it efficient in treatment of diseases? Review of systematic reviews. Int J Community Based Nurs Midwifery. 2014; 3(4):244-54.
• 3.Bronfort G, Haas M, Evans R, Leininger B, Triano J. Effectiveness of manual therapies: the UK evidence report. Chiropr Osteopat. 2010;18:3. doi:10.1186/1746-1340-18-3
• 4.Clar C, Tsertsvadze A, Court R, Hundt GL, Clarke A, Sutcliffe P. Clinical effectiveness of manual therapy for the management of musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal conditions: systematic review and update of UK evidence report. Chiropr Man Ther. 2014; 22:12. doi: 10.1186/2045-709X-22-12
• 5.Driehuis F, Hoogeboom TJ, Nijhuis-van der Sanden MWG, de Bie RA, Staal JB. Spinal manual therapy in infants, children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis on treatment indication, technique and outcomes. PLoS One. 2019;14(6):e0218940. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0218940

Learn about the common challenges in diagnosing back pain and how they may be avoided.

References

• 1.Allegri M, Montella S, Salici F, et al. Mechanisms of low back pain: a guide for diagnosis and therapy. F1000Res. 2016;5:F1000 Faculty Rev-1530. Published 2016 Jun 28. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4926733/
• 2.Beynon R, Elwenspoek MMC, Sheppard A, et al. The utility of diagnostic selective nerve root blocks in the management of patients with lumbar radiculopathy: a systematic review. BMJ Open. 2019;9(4):e025790. Published 2019 Apr 20. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025790 Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6500311/
• 3.Wettstein M, Eich W, Bieber C, Tesarz J. Profiles of Subjective Well-being in Patients with Chronic Back Pain: Contrasting Subjective and Objective Correlates. Pain Medicine. 2018;20(4):668-680. doi:10.1093/pm/pny162
• 4.Hanna F, Daas RN, El-Shareif TJ, Al-Marridi HH, Al-Rojoub ZM, Adegboye OA. The Relationship Between Sedentary Behavior, Back Pain, and Psychosocial Correlates Among University Employees. Front Public Health. 2019;7:80. Published 2019 Apr 9. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2019.00080 Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6465323/
• 5.Shiri R, Karppinen J, Leino-Arjas P, Solovieva S, Viikari-Juntura E. The Association between Smoking and Low Back Pain: A Meta-analysis. The American Journal of Medicine. 2010;123(1):87.e7-87.e35. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2009.05.028 Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20102998
• 6.Sribastav SS, Peiheng H, Jun L, et al. Interplay among pain intensity, sleep disturbance and emotion in patients with non-specific low back pain. PeerJ. 2017;5:e3282. Published 2017 May 16. doi:10.7717/peerj.3282 Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5436560/

An adjustable bed can be expensive, but if it helps relieve your back pain it may be worth the cost.