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The following articles were authored by Relax The Back

Get in Shape for the New Year!

By Relax The Back on January 4, 2012
This entry is filed under Prevention, Products and tagged exercise.

When it comes to losing a few pounds in the New Year, sports are a great way to have fun and stay fit. But don’t let your New Year’s resolutions land you in the doctor’s office. To protect your joints and muscles, follow the below guidelines before exercising or heading out to the ball field.

Stretch – Give yourself a good 10-15 minutes of proper stretching before getting in the game. For the back, try extension stretches with a Fitness Ball or Lumbar Extender to loosen up your muscles. Time on a Mastercare Inversion Table is also an excellent way to stretch your upper and lower back while increasing blood flow to your spinal discs. For the lower body, stretch your quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, and piriformis (hips) to help prevent injury.
Hydrate- Your body, like any other machine, needs fuel. Try water, sports drinks, or various flavored and fortified waters to maintain a proper fluid intake. One word of caution – the sweeter the drink, the more it should be consumed in moderation. But whatever your preference, staying adequately hydrated before, during, and after exercising will help stave off soreness and/or injury.
Wear protective gear- Helmets, mouthpieces, goggles, face guards – use the appropriate protective gear for your sport or activity. Although equipment like this does not guarantee freedom from injury, it can go a long way to protect your life and limbs.

The next time you exercise or enjoy some healthy competition, take care to follow the above guidelines. They can help keep you on the field and out of the infirmary.

3 Keys To a Good Night’s Sleep: Finding the Best Mattress, Pillow and Sleep Position for You

By Relax The Back on December 21, 2011
This entry is filed under Uncategorized.

If you ever wake up with back pain, joint stiffness, muscle tension or just generally feeling unrested, you could open up a new world of deep and restful sleep with the 3 keys of MPP: Mattress, Pillow, Position.

Here’s a handy guide that can help. Click to learn more about different types of mattresses and pillows, as well as how to best accomodate your sleeping position and any health conditions.

Don’t Shop Till You Drop: 4 Quick Tips for a Pain-Free Shopping Season

By Relax The Back on December 16, 2011
This entry is filed under Back Pain, Neck Pain, Prevention.

The holidays are here, and so is the shopping frenzy. Although strolling through stores can be fun, lugging heavy shopping bags or hunching over to wrap gifts can strain your back or neck. Before you head to the mall, follow these quick tips to avoid soreness in your joints or muscles.

Make an organized list – Don’t wander aimlessly around the store until your feet and back hurts. Create an itemized list and go after them. Also, don’t hesitate to ask staff where to find a particular item. It will save you time, energy, and wear and tear on your joints and muscles.

Wear comfortable shoes – Walking around the mall for hours in high heels or crumbling running shoes is not good for your feet or your back. Wear comfortable clothes or walking shoes in good condition. When you’re crossing the parking lot loaded with retail bounty, you’ll appreciate a pair of quality footwear.

Take advantage of free wrapping – If free wrapping is offered with your purchases, take it. It will save you time and help you avoid hunching over to wrap your gifts later.

Gift wrapping tips – If you do decide to wrap gifts yourself, create a “wrapping station.” Keep wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, scissors, tape, cards, pens, and anything else you need within an arm’s length. That way you can comfortably wrap gifts without having to reach, which can strain your back or neck. For best results, wrap your gifts while standing at the kitchen table. Standing promotes movement and good posture.

If you’re still experiencing pain or just want extra comfort during the holiday season, please stop by one of our stores or visit us online at www.relaxtheback.com. Because even Santa’s helpers can use a little help!

Happy Holidays!

Aaaaahhh… A Visit to Relax The Back

By Relax The Back on October 5, 2011
This entry is filed under Uncategorized.

Have you ever been to one of our stores?

Great Day St. Louis recently came by our Chesterfield, MO location, and we wanted to share their experience. As one of the hosts said,

It’s like an adult amusement park spending the day in that store.”

During their visit, they got the full Relax The Back experience, trying out everything from office chairs to mattresses. A camera man with a slipped disk even tried an inversion table and announced that he felt better instantly!

They also took advantage of a lesser-known secret that anyone visiting our stores can enjoy: an 8-minute custom massage in one of our heavenly massage chairs!

They featured a number of products in-studio, including going head over heels on our Mastercare Back-A-Traction® Inversion Table and having a full, zero gravity recline in a Human Touch® Silhouette Perfect Chair®.

Have a look at the video here, and stop by one of our stores anytime for your own back-relaxing amusement park experience!

4 Weeks to Better Back Health: WEEK 4 (Strength Conditioning)

By Relax The Back on September 8, 2011
This entry is filed under Back Pain, Conditions, Prevention.

Congratulations!

You have now successfully reached the final stage of your whole body conditioning process. Strength conditioning benefits the muscles, ligaments, discs and bone. It also benefits the mind by diminishing fear of activity and promoting the ability to do more in your daily life.

To be most effective, strength training must be incorporated a minimum of three times per week, and should be performed after aerobic and flexibility exercises. If time is limited, a minimum of five minutes of aerobic activity should precede strength conditioning.

General Considerations Regarding the Different Exercise Methods Recommended:

FLOOR: Floor exercises employ the body’s own weight as resistance against gravity. Wrist or ankle weights may be used to increase resistance even further.

ELASTIC BANDS: Bands are convenient for travel and home use. Bands are available in various forms. Bands that offer greater resistance are employed as your strength increases.

WEIGHT MACHINES: Weight machines permit greater resistance with limited freedom of movement. Machines safely guide and limit movement to the exercise intended.

FREE WEIGHTS: Free weights best simulate real world movements. However, the risk is greatest as there is potential for movement in any place.

But don’t forget to limit your risk factors to ensure that the conditioning is effective….

In general, the following has a negative effect on musculoskeletal health:

An inordinate number of health complaints of multiple systems.
Smoking, which diminishes circulation to tissue.
Substance abuse.
Lacking a significant other
Job dissatisfaction.
The belief that your health and well being depends on powerful others or powerful medicine.
The belief that one cannot influence his/her health and well-being by one’s own actions.

Avoid these common detriments during the 4 weeks of musculoskeletal health building and you will soon see and experience positive results.

Happy conditioning!

4 Weeks to Better Back Health: WEEK 3 (Flexibility Conditioning)

By Relax The Back on August 31, 2011
This entry is filed under Back Pain, Conditions, Prevention.

After previously working the muscles vigorously through aerobic exercise, we cannot forget this crucial stage. Flexibility refers to the property of being able to bend without breaking.

Flexibility conditioning promotes pain-free motion and prepares the joints to “bend” within and beyond the usual range they are accustomed to. Loss of flexibility results from adaptive shortening of tissues that have not be subject to periodic stretch.

Lack of flexibility in one area of the body can place greater stress on that and other areas of the body. Screening for flexibility conditioning is accomplished by strategically exploring the ability of body parts to move through their full range without discomfort. Normal flexibility is accompanied by a “stretch” discomfort at the end of full range that does not indicate a problem. Bend your finger back to experience what a normal stretch feels like.

Remodeling inflexible tissue into flexible tissue requires frequent repetition of stretching during the day. Stretching should be performed daily, at least four times a day to affect a change. Stretching should be taken to the point of slight discomfort and held for 5 seconds. DO NOT BOUNCE!! Changes in joint flexibility may take as long as six weeks to appear.

For more on stretching, visit our friends at Spine Universe or find an article about it here.

4 Weeks to Better Back Health: WEEK 2 (Aerobic Conditioning)

By Relax The Back on August 24, 2011
This entry is filed under Back Pain, Prevention.

Last week, we began to address posture. The next stage in the conditioning pyramid is aerobic conditioning. Although this stage can be more demanding than focusing on posture alone, it is a powerful part of the conditioning process.

During the exertion of aerobic conditioning, heart and respiration rates increase, promoting the exchange of oxygen and other blood nutrients to the tissues of your body. Aerobic exercise results in a more efficient heart, in lower resting blood pressure and heart rate, and a positive mental attitude. When you are aerobically conditioned, the heart returns to its resting rate much quicker.

It is estimated that for every hour you perform aerobic exercise, you get that hour back, plus one extra hour of life. All this can start with as little as 15 minutes per day, 3 times a week.

Although aerobic exercise can sometimes be a challenge for those with back pain and injuries, there are ways to work around it. This and other articles from our friends at Spine Universe may be able to help: Aerobic Exercise for a Healthy Back.

Full-Body Conditioning Series: 4 Weeks to Better Back (and Overall) Health – WEEK 1

By Relax The Back on August 17, 2011
This entry is filed under Ask The Experts, Back Pain, Prevention.

Conditioning is the adaptation to physical or mental exertion, and practicing it can significantly reduce pain and improve your overall health and wellbeing in a way that is natural and long-lasting.

For this reason, we are bringing you a four week Full-Body Conditioning Series. This program occurs in stages that represent a logical progression and will build upon one another for real results.

Postural Conditioning is addressed first so that body parts are in proper relation to one another other and the other forms of conditioning can move forward smoothly. Aerobic Conditioning comes next, which increases the circulation of blood nutrients to the tissues of the body. Maintaining proper posture maximizes the efficiency of aerobic conditioning and all other forms of conditioning. Flexibility Conditioning follows to promote flexibility and full range of motion. When joints can move through their full range of motion, Strength Conditioning is optimized and you have a great foundation for long-term health.

We will cover all of these types of conditioning in one-week increments. For the best results, practice each for a week and carry them through so that you’re building towards a natural mastery of all four.

Week 1: Improve Postural Conditioning

The Base of the Pyramid

Posture is the relationship of body parts to one another. Postural awareness is the building block upon which safe and efficient aerobic, flexibility, and strength conditioning is built. Proper posture minimizes the stress of maintaining positions or performing activities. Postural deconditioning leads to undue stress upon joint structures.

In modern life, the most common postural stress results from activities that cause the neck or back to be bent forward. Activities that commonly result in a flexed or “bent” spine include sitting, sleeping, reading and bending from the neck or waist.

The view from the side – Whether you are standing, sitting, or lying, a straight line should run from the center of the ear, through the shoulder, and hip. When standing, this line should continue through the ankle.

The view from the front – When standing, the body’s weight is distributed to both legs equally. A straight line should run from the nose through the navel, terminating midway between the ankles.

First and foremost, postural conditioning involves increasing your awareness. In general, the goal is to assume neutral postures that minimize the forward bending of the neck and back when maintaining positions or performing activities.

Focus on your posture this week, and next week we will begin to explore Aerobic conditioning.

Travel Products and Tips Your Back Will Love

By Relax The Back on August 11, 2011
This entry is filed under Product Reviews, Travel.

During this season of heavy travel, many of us worry about the potential for back pain flair-ups and injuries. Extended periods sitting in airplanes, cars, trains, sleeping in strange beds, or hauling around luggage are a few of the hazards that can ruin a vacation. Add to these risk factors the distance between where you are going and a trusted health care provider, and it can seem daunting.

Relax The Back travel products add a level of comfort and support that is virtually absent in cars, planes and other forms of public transportation. They are also a great addition wherever your journey takes you, from hotels to the homes of friends or relatives (who are sure to want to give them a try).

If you are wondering where to start, you may want to take a look at some of our most popular products :

The Self Inflating Backrest, the flagship of our travel line, is affordable, magnificently portable and works great in the car, on a plane or in any restaurant or home seating.
The Sacro-Ease is a durable seat support that can be customized the unique curve of your spine for maximum support.
Our U-shaped and other Travel pillows decrease the likelihood of cervical problems and travel insomnia.
The Theracane is a portable pressure point massager and one of our most popular products overall.

These and other travel products can be found on our website’s Travel section. In addition to any items you may bring along for comfort, remember these key travel tips:

Take frequent breaks from any sustained position. Stop the car or get up from the airplane seat every hour or two to walk around.
Stand up for at least one minute before attempting any lift after prolonged sitting, even if it is just to bend over for a bag under the seat. This will actually cut the probability of injury to 1/10 of what it would be when lifting just after sitting.
Have porters or others do the heavy work if you have a history of back problems.

If you always think prevention, you can worry less and just relax (your back).

Epulse Neck & Shoulder Massager

By Relax The Back on July 26, 2011
This entry is filed under Neck Pain, Product Reviews, Products and tagged massage product, neck, shoulder. | 1 Comment

If you have tired muscles, back pain, or pain from injuries, then the Epulse Neck & Shoulder Massager may be right for you. It provides a wealth of benefits, with a body-hugging design that allows for a comfortable massage.

After a hard day at work, or an intense workout, the flexible design of the Epulse can relieve aches in your neck, shoulders, thighs or almost anywhere you need relief with up to 20 pre-programmed rhythmic massages. This kind of massage can help improve blood circulation and provide a deep, penetrating muscle massage. Part of what makes the Epulse so unique is its drum-massage technology, which can provide a deeper, more-targeted massage than traditional handheld massagers.

The Epulse also offers tapping massage and shoulder massage with a heating function to increase its effectiveness. And, for those of you who come away from massages sometimes a little too sore, don’t worry. The Epulse comes with a built-in eight-minute timer, so you can get a healthy massage without overdoing it.

One of its chief benefits, though, is its convenience. Unlike many massagers, the Epulse is a breeze to use. It features a one-touch control panel so you can program the exact kind of massage you need. Whether you need to unwind, rejuvenate, or recover from an injury, the Epulse can be programmed to meet your needs.

Some of the many other benefits of massage include:

Reduce neck & lower back pain
Increased flexibility
Reduce spasms and cramping
Stimulation of the immune system
Relieve migraine pain

The Epulse provides benefits like these that can have you feeling your best in no time. In fact, many proponents of the Epulse have reported a greater sense of calm, stress-reduction, and overall well being. If you need a good neck and shoulder massage, then be sure to give the Epulse Neck & Shoulder Massager a try.

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