Make Pain a Thing of the Past – Health and Wellness – Physician Partners of America

Five Easy Tips for Safer Sitting

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According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average American worker spends more than three hours of the workday sitting. Specific jobs, including accountancy and auditing, involve sitting for more than 90% of the workday. Yet even those who sit the most can be unaware of the risks of unsafe sitting.

Unhealthy sitting can cause conditions including back and neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and muscle weakness. Over time, it can damage spinal disks, cause varicose veins, and reduce circulation. As desk jobs have increased, so have injuries and ailments stemming from improper sitting.

The good news is that by making simple changes in your sitting practices, you can alleviate those symptoms. Here are five ways to practice safe sitting:

1. Check Your Angles

For the sake of your neck and eyes, position the top of your monitor level with your eye line. This simple adjustment will position your head naturally and avoid putting undue stress on the neck. Likewise, the height of your keyboard should allow your arms to fall naturally, with forearms parallel to the floor. The more comfortable your arms, the less strain you put on the muscles as you type, but it’s not just about comfort; repetitive stress can cause carpal tunnel syndrome.

2. Pick the Right Chair

Your chair should adjust to you, not you to your chair. Adjusting a chair’s height, tilt, and armrests is key to maintaining a comfortable and safe position. Also, make sure the chair provides enough lower back support, allowing you to sit up without tensing your back, and that it’s just high enough so your feet can rest flat on the floor.

3. Look Around

Whether a screen or a book, staring at something close to your face for extended periods will tire your eyes. To avoid eye strain, consider practicing the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Your eyes are controlled by muscles, which can stiffen just like any other body part.

4. Stand Up

Part of the danger of sitting cannot be mitigated by posture or equipment. Being sedentary lowers your heart rate and can hamper the free circulation of blood. While well-adjusted chairs can help promote circulation, the only real antidote is getting up and walking around periodically – ideally every 30 minutes. Poor circulation can cause varicose veins and muscle fatigue, which is why many with desk jobs go home tired despite not having exerted themselves at work.

 5. Listen to Your Body

If you’re experiencing aching joints, tired eyes, and fatigue, pay attention. The workplace shouldn’t be a source of injury, so don’t let it be one. Adjust your environment to get more comfortable, and you’ll be happier and healthier.

For more information on avoiding chronic pain, connect with us on social media or call your local PPOA clinic.

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Managing Pain During Coronavirus

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During this unsettling time where the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a major global issue, fear and uncertainty can take over. For people who are already suffering from chronic pain, contracting the virus, or even seasonal allergies, can be the cause of more pain.

Many of PPOA’s patients have chronic pain in relation to their back and neck. Due to this, if the patient has a sore throat, excessive coughing- which is a symptom of the Coronavirus, may worsen their pain. This is because of the strain the coughing is putting on the back, making it contract more than usual. Although the virus has to run its course, reduction of the cough will help the patient find some relief. Along with a cough, the Coronavirus can bring its own aches and discomforts, adding to the patient’s already chronic pain.

For those who haven’t suffered from chronic back pain until contracting the virus, there is a possibility the amount of coughing has put strain on the patients back. Excessive coughing can cause conditions such as:

To help prevent these conditions or to not cause a flare up in previous conditions or chronic pain, follow these steps when coughing.

  • Keep a natural form in your back instead of hunching forward when coughing.
  • Keep shoulders down and away from your ears.
  • If available, put your hands down on a surface when you cough to help to prevent the back from compressing.

If you are experiencing symptoms of the Coronavirus, please call your primary care doctor. If you are experiencing chronic pain, we can help you find relief. Contact us today.

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These 5 foods can be the source of your back pain

We’ve always heard “you are what you eat,” but did you know your pain level is related to what you eat? Studies show what you ingest can either help or hurt your pain. If you are already experiencing back pain, it is suggested that you stay away from certain foods.

Why is that? Some foods cause more inflammation than others, causing your already painful areas to flare up and become even more irritating. The good news is that not all foods are pro-inflammatory. Foods high in trans fats, saturated fats, sugars and white flour are examples of some that can trigger inflammation through a complex series of biochemical and hormonal processes. Below are some foods to stay away from while managing your back pain.

  1. Red meat: Red meat not only promotes inflammation through a substance called neu5gcor N-Glycolylneuraminic acid; it has also been linked to conditions such as heart disease, digestive issues and kidney problems.
  2. Processed foods: Because many of the ingredients found in processed foods are not natural, they can cause inflammation and irritation. Our bodies do not want to accept it into our systems. Some examples of processed foods are sodas, hot dogs, artificial sweeteners, some cheeses and frozen meals.
  3. Caffeine: Although there is no direct link between caffeine and back pain, it is a fact that caffeine increases the amount of stress hormones within the body, therefore causing inflammation. Don’t forget, caffeine is not just present in coffee; it is also in teas, cereals, some fruits and even some pain relievers.
  4. Enriched white flour: Commonly found in bread, pastries, crackers, and pasta, there is a good chance that foods featuring white flour is processed.
  5. Hydrogenated oils: Examples of where these dangerous oils can be found include margarine, vegetable shortening, and fried foods. Companies often use this ingredient to save money and increase shelf life.

Being more aware of what you are consuming can help reduce the pain you are experiencing. If your pain persists, please contact us to see a specialist.

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How your diet may be causing back pain

Are you experiencing back pain and are not sure what the culprit is? Your pain could be stemming from what you are eating.

Your diet itself will not be the answer to your chronic back pain; however, if you know and understand what foods to avoid, your back pain can be better managed.

One of the biggest causes of inflammation comes from eating red meat; it has been a controversial health topic for a while now. While consuming red meat can be beneficial in fulfilling nutritional needs, such as protein, it is also linked to conditions such as heart disease, digestive issues and kidney problems. One other condition red meat is linked to that most people do not know about is back pain.

If you are suffering from back pain, red meat is a food that is important to avoid. Red meat has a substance in it called neu5gc or N-Glycolylneuraminic acid. This agent promotes inflammation along with other foods and drinks such as:

  • Refined carbohydrates
  • Sugar
  • Alcohol
  • Processed foods
  • Caffeine

To read more on the inflammation diet and getting back on track to a healthy life style.

Now that we understand better what not to eat, what should we be eating? Reducing foods, such as red meat, that cause inflammation will not only benefit your back pain; it will improve your health as a whole. The best foods to counter inflammation are those which contain high levels of antioxidants, lean protein and unsaturated fats. Below are some options to keep your health balanced:

  • Omega-3-rich fish such as tuna or salmon
  • Beans, grains, seeds and nuts
  • Poultry and eggs (try to limit meat intake)
  • Good news: one glass of red wine a day provides a healthy antioxidant boost

Being aware of the everyday food and drinks that are consumed can help reduce inflammation, therefore helping alleviate back pain. If you still experience chronic back pain after changing your diet, please contact one of our many clinics here at Physician Partners of America. Our highly-trained and experienced physicians will be happy to assist in your pain relief.

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Tips to keep up with your New Year’s resolutions

Already finding yourself slipping away from that resolution you made at the beginning of the year? Don’t worry; you’re not alone. By the time February rolls around, only about 60 percent of people are still working toward their New Year’s resolution.

Why are people ditching their resolutions so early on? There is a good chance their goals were not realistic or maintainable. Setting manageable goals is important when making and, more importantly, maintaining a New Year’s resolution because you do not want to set yourself up for disappointment.

Whether you are still going strong or falling off of the resolution path, here are a few tips to help you maintain your resolutions.

 

  1. Be realistic. If you set attainable goals from the beginning, you are more likely to maintain and achieve them. Saying you are never going to have caffeine again is unrealistic. Start smaller and set the goal of only having coffee once a week. If you realize now that your goals might be unobtainable, it is never too late to adjust!

 

  1. Track your progress. Instead of looking at how far you still have to go, take a minute and realize how far you have come. Reward yourself for short-term accomplishments. If your ultimate goal is to lose 25 lbs., reward yourself for every 5 lbs. you have lost. This will keep you on track and motivated long-term.

 

  1. Don’t get down on yourself. Achieving goals usually does not happen overnight. It takes time and beating yourself up will not do any good. It takes about 21 days for a new activity to become a habit and six months for it to become part of your personality. Goals come with time and accepting that will put you at peace and keep you on track with your goal.

 

  1. Accountability. Talking about your resolution with family and friends will give you a support system that is extremely beneficial for bettering yourself.

 

With all of this being said, it is up to you to keep on track with your resolution! Remember why you started and keep up with those New Year’s goals.

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Top 7 Health Resolutions for 2020

A new year brings new goals, a new outlook and the opportunity for a fresh start. There are many resolutions to strive for, and we understand that. With health being a main priority for many people, if you are struggling with mild to severe pain, finding pain relief should be at the top of your list this year.

Below are 7 New Year’s resolutions to help you get closer to pain relief in 2020.

1. Set attainable goals

Setting manageable goals is important when making a New Year’s resolution because you do not want to set yourself up for disappointment. How do you know when a goal is realistic? One way is to use the S.M.A.R.T. method.

  • Specific – Be as detailed as possible. Instead of “drink more water,” your goal should look more like “drink 2 liters of water each day.”
  • Measurable – Come up with a way to measure your success. “Exercise more,” is not measurable; “exercise 30 minutes per day” is.
  • Attainable – Make sure you are setting yourself up for success and you can reach the goals you set.
  • Realistic – Your goal should provide a challenge for you, but still be achievable. “Never smoke a cigarette again” may be less realistic than “stop smoking cigarettes by April 2020.”
  • Timely – Set a clear timeframe in which you want to reach your goal. Deadlines provide motivation and will help you reach your goal in a timely manner.

 

2. Stop Smoking

Did you know smoking contributes to back pain? Nicotine, an addictive substance found in all tobacco products, is a vasoconstrictor, meaning it narrows blood vessels. Therefore, if any blood vessels are exposed to nicotine, they narrow and carry less oxygen. Optimal blood flow is necessary when trying to heal pain or discomfort.

 

3. Minimize alcohol intake

Excessive amounts of alcohol can lead to kidney and other organ issues. Kidneys, located in both sides of the lower back, filter toxins out of alcohol; but they can get overwhelmed. If they can’t do their job properly due to an overabundance of alcohol, you may feel pain in this part of the back.

 

4. Exercise regularly

Exercising for just 30 minutes a day can provide many benefits. It can improve your sleep and your mood, provide weight control, reduce your risk of heart disease, strengthen your bones and muscles, and even increase your chances of living longer. If you have a hard time finding the motivation, grab a buddy and bring them along. Make your workouts fun.

 

5. Improve posture

Over time, bad posture puts stress on your spine and causes back problems in your muscles, discs, and joints. To help maintain good posture, try sitting with proper support, use correct posture when working out or lifting, and walk tall.

 

6. Be proactive with your health

Between kids, jobs, friends and family, we understand it is hard to find time for yourself. However, your health is not something that should be compromised. Make 2020 the year you get those nagging pains in check. Physician Partners of America offers same-day appointments, making it easy and convenient to fit evaluation and treatment into your schedule.

 

7. Maintain a well-balanced diet

Nutrition is important when setting goals. Most health-based goals require a well-balanced diet as a necessary foundation because most things stem from what you are putting into your body. Did you know there are actually foods you can eat to help reduce back and joint pain?

 

Twenty-twenty is the year for your health. Get your most enjoyable life back with Physician Partners of America. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

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5 Tips to Keep your Stomach Healthy and Happy This Holiday Season

Healthy holiday meals start with planning and smart choices –

Getting ready for the holidays but nervous about blowing your diet? Whatever your goals may be, keeping your weight down or avoiding aggravating inflammation, we have some good news: you certainly can enjoy the bounty of the season in a healthy way. Here are five tips for striking the right balance.

1. Limit portions

Good nutrition is always about two things: what we eat and how much.  Let’s start with Thanksgiving.  There’s overwhelming evidence that a Mediterranean-style diet is the healthiest, which means eating mostly vegetables and fruits and whole grains; but there’s nothing wrong with eating some turkey, or mashed potatoes or even pecan pie.

2. Choose wisely

The key is to not make traditional holiday foods the base of the eating pyramid.  In other words, the majority of your food choices and calories should come from green salads and low-fat vegetable dishes, with small servings of meat, refined carbohydrates and sweet desserts. Think of meats and starches as the side dishes or garnish to a plant-based meal.

3. Make smart substitutions

If you’re hosting dinner, get creative without sacrificing traditional favorites. It’s easy to switch out whole-grain breads for the white dinner rolls, healthy vegetable dishes instead of the high-fat, creamy bean casseroles, and make a healthy sweet potato casserole instead of the heavily sugared, high-calorie version. Do a search for some healthier versions of your family’s favorites; they’re easy to find.

4. Get some exercise

Almost as traditional as turkey and pumpkin pie is fighting for couch space after dinner. It’s a myth that turkey makes you sleepy. While the meat is rich in the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan, research shows it’s the combination of carbs, overeating and alcohol that makes us feel tired. Instead, gather the family and take a walk after the meal.

5. Avoid late-night cravings

Although that turkey and stuffing might be calling your name late at night, a “midnight snack” is not the best choice. Your metabolism slows when you’re asleep. When you allow enough time for digestion before bed, you reduce your chance of digestive upset, and studies suggest that you’ll minimize your risk for weight gain, too.

Food will always be the centerpiece of the winter holidays, but it only takes a few changes to start a new tradition and create healthy holiday meals that are just as memorable and satisfying. While making smart choices is important, don’t forget to enjoy the holiday season!

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Pain Awareness Month- Staggering Statistics

In light of Pain Awareness Month (September), we recognize and sympathize for those living with debilitating and chronic pain. Let’s look at some statistics surrounding the chronic pain community and some ways Physician Partners of America can help.

During Pain Awareness Month, we are reminded of the eye-opening statistics related to chronic pain:

  • It is the number one cause of adult disability in the U.S.
  • Nearly 100 million Americans experience chronic pain —more than those who have diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined.
  • It affects 50 million Americans
  • It costs $100 billion per year in lost workdays, medical expenses and other benefit costs.
  • It is a social issue. As you will see from the stories we will present to you each day on social media, unmanaged chronic pain is isolating. It causes people to withdraw from friends, family and communities.
  • An estimated 294,000 children are affected by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and other rheumatological conditions.

Interventional and Integrative Pain Management Approaches

Physician Partners of America practices interventional pain management. That means getting to the root cause of the pain and treating it as its source. This is so important not only for the patients health, but also for a treatment that will last. Some types of pain can be relieved to a degree and others can be eliminated. Our doctors will provide a tailored treatment to each patient, because we understand everyone’s pain is unique.

What about Opioids for Pain Treatment?

As Pain Awareness Month illustrates, the debate over opioids for pain continues to heat up. Nearly 2 million Americans have a disorder related to prescription painkillers, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

It’s important to remember that the opioid crisis stems from treatment of acute pain, the type that lasts less than three weeks. Historically, opioid medications were prescribed for short-term pain because they are effective.

“Opioids are very seductive drugs, but they work. You give opioids to somebody in pain and believe me, the pain goes away, but it only works for so long,” PPOA Chief Medical Officer Abraham Rivera, M.D., told a televised opioid town hall. “In the acute setting, they are phenomenal drugs. After that, the patient gets hooked on them. They’re extremely addictive.”

Strict prescription limits are now in place in many states as a result.

How can we provide relief?

Physician Partners of America has long recognized the dangers of opioid addiction and uses effective options to treat the root cause of the pain versus masking it. They include:

  • Interventional pain management as a preferred treatment
  • Opioid antidotes prescribed along with every opioid-based prescription.
  • Medication management
  • Intraoperative neuromonitoring to avoid accidental nerve damage during surgery
  • Drug-genes testing to determine the right medication for each patient

If you are living with chronic pain, now is the time to get your life back. Contact us today to schedule a consult at one of our many locations.

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Your Cell Phone Could be the Cause of your Neck and Back Pain

If you own a phone- which is more than likely the case considering 96% of Americans do, you might be at risk for a condition informally called “Text Neck.”

 

Text neck refers to the result of angling your head down or hunching over for a period of time. Although this condition is more prevalent now, it is not necessarily a new thing. The term Text Neck is due to the amount of mobile devices within our culture that heavily contribute to the condition. However, sewing, drawing, and many more activities can contribute to this as well.

How does our head movement have an impact on our neck and back health you might ask? A human head weighs about 10 pounds. When your head is in a neutral position, there is not much pressure on your spine. However, the more your neck is bent forward, the more strain and pressure is put your cervical spine.

“The mechanics of the cervical and lumbar spine are not conducive to the way people hold cell phones,” says Dr. James St Louis with Physician Partners of America’s Tampa- Habana location, “they can eventually cause mechanical problems since people spend so much time on their phones.”

This pressure on your spine can not only lead to an achy back and neck, but has also been linked to headaches, neurological issues, depression, and heart disease. In more serious cases, Text Neck can lead to herniated disks, pinched nerves, and eventually improper curvature of the spine.

The most common symptom of Text Neck is neck soreness. However, looking down at your phone could potentially also lead to the following:

  • Shoulder pain and tightness
  • Pinched cervical nerve eventually leading to cervical radiculopathy.
  • Upper back pain including muscle spasms, sharp pain, and chronic pain.
  • Early onset arthritis of the neck

So what can you do to minimize the future pain your cell phone might be causing you?

  • Move your muscles! Reset your upper back and neck muscles but rolling your shoulders and tilting your head. It will provide your muscles and spine a much needed break. Click here for some at-home stretches.
  • Hold your device at eye level. Holding your device higher helps your neck to not bend as much, therefore, reducing strain on your cervical spine.

If you are experiencing neck or back pain, contact Physician Partners of America today and schedule a same day appointment.

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Top 5 Back Surgery Alternatives

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About 8 out of 10 people have or will struggle with back pain at some point in their lives. Whether it’s lower back spasms, a sore neck, or pain shooting up and down your limbs, back pain can take you away from daily work and activities that you would otherwise be able to accomplish.

With back pain being the leading cause of disability worldwide, many patients receive unnecessary and often excessive treatment that includes a great deal of downtime, surgery, and opioid prescriptions. Fortunately, there are other options for back pain that do not include surgery.

Here are the top 5 back surgery alternatives:

 

1. Diet, Exercise, and Lifestyle

The saying “you are what you eat” is not completely wrong. Chronic pain has been linked to poor diet and lifestyle habits. With regards to diet, if you are eating foods that contribute to inflammation specifically, this can lead to not only chronic pain in muscles, tissues, and joints, but also to diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s.

To avoid this, try balancing a good diet along with steady exercise and stretching, and a healthy lifestyle. These are the basic fundamentals when taking care of your self and eventually hopefully avoiding chronic pain and surgery.

 

2. Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is a great way to not only find pain relief, but it can also provide benefits such as relaxing muscles, tendons, and joints, relieving stress and anxiety, and stimulating the nerve fibers that send pain messages to the brain. There is also a release of serotonin during massages as well as providing the patient with the high probability of a deeper sleep, therefore, leading to less pain.

 

3. Acupuncture

Founded in China more than 2,500 years ago, acupuncture has remained a staple in pain relief. Acupuncture involves inserting small needles into different and strategic points on the body. This stimulates the “Qi”- flow of energy, therefore, relieving pain and improving health.

 

4. Pain Management

While pain management is a broad topic with regards to neck and back pain, epidural injections are a good place to start when seeking pain relief. An epidural steroid Injection helps to reduce the inflammation and pain that come comes along with nerve compression. These compressed nerves can lead to pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness along the nerve.

In the words of Dr. Thomas Heil from Physician Partners of America’s Fort Worth, TX location:

There are a number of ways that epidural steroid injections help with pain relief.

The steroid (or cortisone) is a powerful pain-reliever all by itself, but in addition to simple analgesia, it actually helps to get to the root of what is causing the pain.  In medical lingo we refer to this as “targeting the Pain Generator”. For disk herniations, the steroid washes out some of the pain-generating chemicals that are contained in the disk material and simply rinses the materials out from the spinal canal where they are causing pain.

In addition Steroids are strong anti-inflammatory agents that help shrink swelling of irritated tissues and nerves within the spinal canal that are the source of many of the painful symptoms.

 

5. Regenerative Medicine

Stem cell therapy is a great alternative to surgery when it comes to back or neck pain. Stem cells are naturally grown in the body and widely used in medicine as a natural healing solution. Some of the benefits include improved pain-relief and decreased inflammation, increased functionality and range of motion in affected area, shorter recovery time compared to traditional treatment options, and a more natural, longer-term treatment solution.

 

When it comes to treating back pain, surgery should be reserved for patients with severe conditions or when one or more natural treatments do not work. For the majority of patients, lifestyle changes and alternative therapies can help keep back and neck pain at a minimum over the long term. Please contact us at Physician Partners of America today to fine out what is the best treatment option for you.

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