Concepts from physiotherapy

Various treatment methods can be used to treat back pain. One treatment concept is the Maitland Concept. The Maitland Concept is an area of manual therapy.

The big difference to purely manual therapy is the priority consideration of the clinical side. A very precise anamnesis is taken in order to reproduce the symptoms as accurately as possible. In the foreground of the treatment is the movement disorder and is tried to be triggered by gentle movement impulses on the spine.

The symptoms are remedied using gentle manual therapeutic techniques such as traction, mobilization, stretching or similar. The anatomy of the affected structures plays a secondary role in the therapy. It is much more important to find the complaints exactly and to treat them exactly and gently.

The McKenzie concept should be kept as far away as possible from manual techniques. Active exercises are used for diagnosis and treatment. The development of the complaints is important for the diagnosis.

If he or she develops a radiance during movement, the symptoms improve, disappear, are all factors that are important for the therapist. The concept is based on the principle that it is the intervertebral disc that causes the problem. The intervertebral disc pushes out of one side of the vertebral bodies and can either bend or stretch the spine to make the symptoms worse.

If the complaints become better over the 10 times repeated flexion, it can be assumed that the disc material is pushed back over the flexion. If the problems become more severe, it can be assumed that flexion pushes the disc material further out and thus aggravates complaints. If this is the case, the same test should be performed with a stretching to compare the result.

In addition, the result can be strengthened by lateral inclination to differentiate the problem exactly. The homework program is designed accordingly. If the complaints become better with a pure flexion, the flexion should be repeated 3 times a day 10 times.

If the complaints become better by a flexion and a lateral inclination, a lateral inclination is accomplished to the flexion, likewise 3 times on the day and 10 repetitions. The good thing about the therapy is that the patient can help himself and the tissue is left alone. The Brügger concept, like the McKenzie concept, aims to improve the symptoms with hands-off methods.

As an example of the spinal column, the patient is completely examined and static deviations are analyzed. The patient actively learns to change the statics and to hold them so that he automatically trains the muscles. In addition to posture school, the training of eccentricity in the musculature is a major part of Bruges therapy.

Theraband, ADL, stretching and support complete the therapy. Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is a popular therapy method in the field of back pain. As in any other therapy method, the diagnosis is that the malpositions are analyzed and a therapy plan is developed.

With PNF, the structures to be treated are always starting from the shoulder blade and pelvis. First, the point closest to the center of the body is treated. The concept means that the structure is first passively guided, then actively with guiding resistance, actively alone and finally actively with resistance.The idea is to support the movement of the shoulder blade or the pelvis, which does not work well, to achieve physiological movement.

Often, due to poor posture and restricted movement, a different muscle tone in the back area is produced, which can lead to pain. Via the shoulder blade and the pelvis, the rhythm of movement is brought into harmony. If the scapula/pelvis patterns are already successful, they can be strengthened with the entire leg and arm.

In PNF one always works with 3 dimensional patterns that are fixed. By adjusting to these patterns, muscle tension in the back can continue to be achieved when working isometrically on the final adjustment patterns. Vojta therapy refers to the movements stored in the central nervous system, which can be recalled without any problems in healthy people.

For people with disabilities the recall is only possible to a limited extent. Vojta Therapy aims to trigger the “reflex locomotion”, which means that the same reaction is always produced under a stimulus that is always the same. In Vojta Therapy there are 3 special basic positions which must be taken very precisely in order to achieve the most accurate reaction.

In addition, there are several pressure points that lead to a certain activation. In order to achieve an effect, at least 2 pressure points must be held with the respective assigned pressure directions. The reaction to this happens involuntarily and cannot be stopped by the patient.

The therapy achieves a new initiation or release of the disturbed nerve fibers. Unfortunately, the improvement does not last forever, but can be alleviated by regular therapy. In a person with a central disorder, a reaction occurs very quickly and usually the patient is able to walk better after the treatment or the problems he has in everyday life become easier for a certain time.

Vojta therapy is rarely used in orthopedic patients, but even in these patients it can cause a reorientation of the fibers by activating the nervous system and achieve an improvement in posture. The Bobath concept is a concept that has been specially developed for people with brain damage. Infants, children and adults tend to disregard the affected side, due to paralysis, spasticity or lack of perception, and to go about their daily lives with only the healthy side.

The Bobath Therapy therefore refers to the affected side and many exercises in the therapy try to make the patient integrate the side in everyday life. In the area of the central nervous system a reorientation is achieved so that the perception of the affected side becomes better and better during the course of the therapy. The concept is very much based on everyday life and all everyday activities are imitated.

Turning around in bed, getting up from the chair, transfers to the floor and standing, as well as holding a pen and reaching for the shelf are activities that are a constant part of the therapy. In addition, the patient is instructed to carry out at home what he learns in therapy in the best possible way. The success of the therapy increases through repetition of the individual weak points.

This therapy can be carried out from infancy onwards, but is primarily aimed at neurological diseases. Progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobsen is about the relaxation of the entire body. Often enough people with back pain have a holistic tension in the entire body, which often enough causes the pain.

Through stress the tension usually becomes much more. In Jacobsen’s progressive muscle relaxation, the patient lies on the floor in a quiet environment and tenses all the muscles of the body, keeping the tension short and relaxed again. Usually the tension is started in the middle of the body, i.e. the shoulder blades or buttocks are pulled together and pinched.

The patient can then move in the sense of the descending chain. It is important that no movement should be visible, but that the patient thinks into the area of the musculature and tenses, holds and relaxes it arbitrarily. By tensing and holding, the blood circulation in the muscle area increases and by releasing the tension, a feeling of relaxation is achieved.

The patient should learn about progressive muscle relaxation in general for everyday life, how he can pay attention to more relaxation.The more often the patient performs progressive muscle relaxation, the better it affects the tone. Back pain also decreases as the tone improves. You can find more information in the article Progressive muscle relaxation according to JacobsenThe Kinesiotape can be used by athletes for back pain.

The Kinesiotape can irritate certain receptors in the skin. The blood circulation can be increased, fascia and connective tissue can be loosened and loosened. In addition, the Kinesiotape can be used to correct posture, improve lymph drainage and relax tense muscles.

If you sit a lot at your desk in your everyday life, you can prevent back pain with just a few simple tricks. For example, place the telephone or your water glass on a shelf a few meters away from your desk. This way you are forced to stand up again and again and automatically take up other positions.

Straighten up again and again, move your shoulders, neck and arms and sit on a big Pezzi ball for a while. Your back will thank you for it. The article “Back-friendly lifting and carrying” might also interest you in this respectMovement is essential for a healthy back and for a life without back pain.

Find a balance for your everyday life, a sport that you enjoy. In general, exercises in the water (water gymnastics) are a good idea, since the weight loss allows you to move without harming your joints. Backstroke, back training courses or sometimes an hour of yoga provide mobility and strength building.

Less suitable are sports with one-sided strain such as tennis or golf. Even competitive gymnasts or any kind of jumping sports expose their backs to high stress levels. Basically, however, it is important to find out which movement and which sport is fun, so that it is not a torture to do something good for your back, but a nice change.