No amount of talent, notoriety, or smarts will stop back pain from rearing it’s ugly head. Here are a few famous victims of the infamous condition…

Bono

Bono was afflicted with a herniated disc and severe compression of the sciatic nerve while training for the U.S. leg of U2’s 360 degrees tour. That’s what you get for putting your album on my phone, buddy!

George Clooney

America’s top DILF suffered from a back injury on the set of Syria that was so bad that spinal fluid was leaking out of his nose.

Elizabeth Taylor

Born with scoliosis, Elizabeth’s pain got so bad she developed dependency on alcohol, painkillers, and sleeping pills.
RIP Elizabeth, thanks for the years of entertainment.

Tobey Maguire

While on the set of Seabiscuit, Tobey Maguire developed a back injury from horseback riding. The pain was so bad he almost lost his role as Spiderman for the sequel. (His replacement would have been Jake Gyllenhall.)

Jerry Lewis

Grandma’s favorite comedian has a well-documented history of struggling with back pain.

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Core Twists

Begin by taking a resistance band or a small dumb weight and stand with your arms at shoulder length feet apart. If using a resistance band your foot should be firmly planted on the band to keep it from slipping into you.

Next, take your body and twist it in the opposite direction from where you’re standing on the band. You should feel your core engaging. Continue this for 10 to 15 reps, and then switch sides!

This exercise works by using the muscles in your core, which help support your power back. When your core is strong, your lower back is more supported and the weight of your child is balanced out.

Deadlift to Curl

Your feet should begin stride length apart from each other, one side in front of the other. You’ll want to have a low-weight dumbbell in each hand.

Lean forward and engage your core, with the dumbbells at your side. From here, you’ll want to slowly lift your upper body up while turning the dumbbells into your body. Continue this for five to ten reps then switch sides.

Triangle Pose

This position uses the techniques of yoga to help you stretch your body. Begin by takin your feet and putting them a strides length away from each other. Reach out with your arms in each direction.

Next cross your left arm over your right side and stretch. Keep your head level and looking up toward the ceiling, and make sure your arms are a straight as possible.

Come back up and cross in the opposite direction. Do this five or six times holding in each position for a while. This will help elongate your body and keep your back relieved of tension.

Let us know how these exercises help, and send us some hints and tips from your own exercise routine! We’d love to hear about them. In the meantime, check out our store for pregnancy support belts that help manually alleviate pain and support your belly when carrying.

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The post Exercises for Back Ache in Pregnant Mothers appeared first on AT Surgical.

Diagnostic Uncertainty is the belief that your condition is misdiagnosed based on a number of factors. This can include doctors not being able to find the actual diagnosis related to the condition. As well as severity of the condition not matching the diagnosis, even if patients agree with the condition. One other prevalent concern is patients feeling as though the diagnosis given by their doctor is incorrect but not feeling confident enough to speak up about it – among other concerns. With so much uncertainty, patients can have a feeling of general uncertainty, anxiety, and guilt about their condition.

Guilt around a patient’s condition can be chronic and unexplained, especially when undiagnosed or the diagnosis is uncertain. This extends into relationships and work environments. People experiencing LBP will feel that they’re making up the condition or something they’re doing is contributing.

This will increase guilt when a decrease in social time with family and friends decreases or work gets difficult as a result. Isolating based on these feelings will only make the situation worse.

As medicine becomes more and more advanced, doctors are noticing the complex conditions that each of us have in life. Looking at the complete person in a diagnosis and condition, including mental and emotional health will allow physical health to improve. Diet, emotional/mental health, interpersonal relationships, and general wellness all play just as important roles in the overall health of a person as chronic illness does. As we explore our health, the most important practice is to support each other – even if science cannot explain what we’re feeling.

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Perhaps the most obvious use of a portable heating pad is the portable aspect. You don’t have to worry about plugging them into the wall, standing in weird positions to get it to the right spot in relation to the cord, and no scary electrical fires to worry about. Which means the uses are as infinite as your ability to carry it. Keep them in cars during the winter in case you break down, in first aid-kits, sleep with them (wrap it in something in case you fall asleep on it – a sock?), the list goes on and on.

 Staying warm in the cold seasons

During the cold seasons your hands miss out on the warmth of your jacket and double layer of socks on your feet. You can combat this by sticking two of our smaller sized hand warmer Hotshotz into your jacket pockets. Keep them in cars in case of emergencies, just remove them out during the warm months to prevent against any accidental bursts.

Dilating the Blood Vessels

When you’re injured, blood cells flood your vessels and kind of sit around the area. In order to increase blood-flow you can apply heat to the area. The cells and vessels in the area will start moving faster creating more space and allowing more flow. This brings additional oxygen, nutrients, and materials to the affected area which helps pain, inflammation, healing, and happiness.

 Stimulating Skin Sensation

When an injury occurs your pain receptors start firing messages to your brain – essentially screaming about how there’s something wrong. One way to help decrease this is to apply heat to the affected area, this causes the receptors to calm down by increasing blood flow and sending parallel messages to the brain – kind of like distracting your noggin. This works great on your back, check out our large heating pad for help.

Increasing Flexibility

Focus on the flexibility of the soft tissue around the affected area – including muscles and connective tissue, this will help with pain. One way to achieve this is to to apply heat to the area, with portable heating pads. Stiffness occurs when blood-flow to  tissue increases, which decreases flexibility and causes pain. By heating up the area you’re able to promote circulation and move that blood away from the area – increasing flexibility and reducing pain.

When you’re done with the pad, don’t throw it out! Just boil it until it goes clear again and you’re all set to use it again! Check out our video below about the HotShotz portable heating pads.

Get your Portable Heating Pads while supplies last!

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The post Portable Heating Pad: Our Top 5 Uses appeared first on AT Surgical.

Are you a working parent? Perhaps a single parent that needs to keep the money for bills coming in even during pregnancy? Wearing a pregnancy support belt during your pregnancy will help you redistribute and support the weight of your child while being on your feet for many hours.

• Supports any extra weight gained during pregnancy and reduces strain from polyhydramnios (excess amniotic fluid)

Pregnancy isn’t the same for everyone, nor should it be. Some of us gain more weight than usual or hold excess amniotic fluid. This makes pregnancy a little harder, but let a pregnancy belt will help hold the weight and support your stress.

• Carrying more than one child

The miracle of childbirth is a blessing to us all, when you get more blessings than you bargained for – any help can go a long way.

• Relieves lower back pack

When you become pregnant, your whole body shifts its center of gravity – like..whoa. Imagine what that’s doing to your back? The extra strain on your bones and muscles should be supported.

• Provide relief for the symptoms of Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) or Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP), common issues during pregnancy

Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction is a condition of the pelvis where the bones become loose early in pregnancy instead of before the typical pregnancy. Pelvic Girdle Pain is a blanket term for any kind of pelvic/pubic pain experienced by people who are pregnant. These conditions can range from mild to severe, but using a pregnancy support belt may be helpful.

• Hip and pelvic pain caused by the release of the hormone relaxin which prepares your body for labor

You’re getting ready to enter the final weeks of pregnancy, and bam! Your hips and pelvis feel like something is coming with a vengeance. If relaxin is supposed to help so much, why does it feel like it’s beating you up? This is a great time to slip on a pregnancy support belt to shift weight away from the areas and aid in the process.

• Relief for sciatica – a common nerve pain which can spread down the back or leg

Pre-existing conditions or conditions arising from pregnancy can make it that much harder to carry on.

• Relief for round ligament pain

Round Ligament Pain is a common type of pain experienced in the lower belly and groin on one side of your stomach or both.

• Support for women who suffer from hernias in pregnancy

Hernias during pregnancy can happen, check out our other article Different Types of Hernias for more information.

• They can be used to help your muscles strengthen and be supported postpartum

Okay, you have given birth. You now have a screaming child and aches all over, wasn’t this supposed to be a blessing? Strap on a pregnancy support belt to help your body acclimate to not carrying a child. As for the screaming baby… it’s your partner’s turn.

Check out our selection of pregnancy belts here!

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Sarah

I fell on hard ice 5 years ago, after that I had pricking pain in lower back for about 2 months or so. I wasn’t able to find the exact place of my pain, I could only sense its in my lower back. Then it faded away by itself, but when I’m feeling sick or tired the pain starts again. Now I’m 7 weeks pregnant, and my back aches a lot. No matter what I do the pain doesn’t go away! Especially when I am to bed at night, I find I’m not able to move at all. I have tried laying down on a flat surface and it seems ok for a while, but it worsens after a few minutes.

Rosa

I’m currently 8 months pregnant, and have managed to gain only 21 pounds so far. You really need to watch how much you’re actually taking in on a daily basis, and, if you can, take walks. That way whatever you’re taking in, you’re only keeping what you need and getting rid of what you don’t need. Experiencing back pain that soon is actually normal, cause your body just isn’t use to your growing uterus. When you get to be about 8 months is when the back pain really starts. Just a heads up. Oh and Tylenol won’t relieve much of it at all. Just do different stretches they help ease it a lot.

Tori

I have been having head aches as well and think that is has to do with my back pain. The doctor says my back pain is caused by a pinched Sciatic Nerve. Sitting too long causes it and standing too long causes it to hurt worse. I also noticed when I am extremely busy moving about at the end of the day it catches up to me causing me more pain. I try to snack frequently to not get headaches and I take Tylenol the only thing we can take right now. physical therapy and stretches are suppose to help with the back but in my case do not.

Aidan

I have a disc bulge and am 10 weeks pregnant and the pain is getting substantially worse. I was going to a heated pool doing aqua aerobics, this was great for my back. I initially started walking in water, then running and then I started the classes. The pain went away completely – until I stopped going. Now that I am pregnant I’ll be starting up again as well as dong Pilates. Swimming is just as good, but best to work yourself up to it after walking a few days a week for a few weeks, then running a few days a week for a few weeks and then the swimming or aqua aerobics.

Hope

I cannot advocate Pilates enough for avoiding back pain! Before pregnancy I had a herniated disc with the whole sciatic thing… surgery was highly recommended. My GYN kindly warned that I would be in a lot of discomfort if I ever became pregnant. I opted out of surgery and started individualized Pilates for a year before pregnancy which helped my back. When I became pregnant (or beginning in my 2nd trimester) my Pilates instructor altered my routine a bit, and I did my own condensed version at home EVERY day of pregnancy, including the day I gave birth, and I was healthier than I’d ever been! Of course it was after giving birth that I had no time (not even 25 minutes) to spare for exercising or going to Pilates class and that’s when the back pain started again. However, once my son became more independent I resumed my condensed routine and haven’t had issues with back or sciatic pain in a few years.

Check out our other articles about maternity, or surf our products for expecting mothers.

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The post Mothers Speak About Back Pain from Pregnancy appeared first on AT Surgical.