Back story: Experts offer solutions, gizmos for a healthier back

Kimberley McGee

Monday, Jan. 21, 2002 | 8:17 a.m.

The following is a list of techniques to ensure good back health from author Robin McKenzie's book "Treat Your Own Back," (Spinal Publications, $14.95, 2001):

"I felt achy and it was affecting my typing," Gleeck said.

The 34-year-old writer of how-to books sought solace for his sore back at area back stores, to find a product that would offer some relief.

Ergonomically correct chairs were expensive, ranging from $100-$1,800, but the change in his attitude when he sat down in one of the chairs was priceless, he said.

"I felt the change immediately," Gleeck said. "It's odd at first, you're sitting up straighter and it feels different. But eventually you feel the difference when you get up and you don't have to stretch. You feel great."

Back pain is a growing business in the valley and across the nation, said B. Eliot Cole, a Las Vegas neurologist and director of continuing medical education for the American Association of Pain Management in Sonora, Calif.

"People are looking at ways to prevent back pain when they get older," Cole said.

And it's not that complicated.

After all of the doctor's surveys, the medical research and studies about back pain, Grandma's sage advice was true stand up straight!

"Scientifically we are proving that Grandma was right all along," Cole said. "Stand up straight, don't drink too much (alcohol), don't smoke and take care of your back and you'll have good health at an old age."

Cole, who specializes in back pain, said that more than 80 percent of Americans will experience back pain at some point due to bad posture.

"People don't use good body mechanics and it causes back pain," Cole said. "They have to relearn the natural curve of the spine and how to stand and sit."

Beyond a ramrod-straight posture lies a bevy of products that Cole said are becoming more accepted as the public becomes educated about back health.

"It's important for people to understand how to take care of their backs," Cole said. "People are becoming aware of the fact that their backs don't have to hurt and there are things out there to help them."

Back pain can be grouped into two stages acute and chronic.

Acute back pain is mild pain that lasts for no longer than six weeks. Most lower back pain will fade within that time without intervention, meaning the back may have been tweaked by lifting something incorrectly or sleeping in an uncomfortable position.

During this phase, it's best to take it easy and let the back heal itself, however slowly and painfully, Cole said.

In the past doctors followed the adage that the best medicine for an aching back was bed rest, Cole said.

Not anymore.

"We made a mistake by telling people to give in to the pain," Cole said. "Now we say, 'Don't stay in bed.' After two days of limited activity, you should get back to your life."

If the pain persists beyond six weeks, it's deemed chronic. The muscles have reshaped to accommodate the pain and a doctor should be consulted, but it's probably not a serious condition, Cole said.

"Most back pain is muscular in nature and can be healed," Cole said. "The probability of a blown disc is 100-to-1."

For those who suffer from acute back pain, practices such as massage, acupuncture and chiropractic exercises can offer some relief, Cole said, but ultimately the body must heal itself.

To stave off future aches and pains, Cole recommends at least 20 minutes of regular exercise each day to keep the muscles strong and sit-ups to strengthen the abdominal muscles. Weak abdominal muscles allow the stomach to sag, forcing the lower back to hold up the mass in front, he said.

Problems persist

After all that work, a good back can still go bad after hours hunched over at a desk or lifting heavy objects.

Good chairs that mold to the natural curve of the spine and specially molded neck and back pillows will ensure that the back remembers its natural curve throughout the day, Cole said.

"You don't have to go out and buy a lot of expensive equipment, but you should know how to care for your back," Cole said. "It's simple techniques, really."

For jobs that require hours of standing, such as waitresses, cashiers and casino workers, resting a foot 3-4 inches above the ground will relieve pressure along the back.

"If you're at the kitchen sink, open the cupboard and rest your foot there," Cole said. "It helps you maintain an upright posture and keep your back from aching from holding you up."

Those who work sitting down all day have much more to think about, Cole said.

For those who use a computer, the keyboard should rest at elbow level. The computer screen should be adjusted so that the neck isn't craned forward or downward to view the screen.

The height of the chair from the ground should be adjusted so that the feet are flat on the floor, the knees are level with the seat and the back of the chair should curve into the small of the lower back.

A kitchen towel rolled into a tube and placed behind the back can be used with a straight-backed chair, Cole said.

"Chairs were built as if we are all 5-foot-8," Cole said. "Obviously we are all different and we have to adjust for that."

The back doesn't always rest in sleep, either, Cole said. A good mattress and a thick pillow under the knees to keep them at a natural bend will ensure that the precious pressure points along the spine get some relief.

"People are learning how to properly care for their backs and a good chair or mattress can make a big difference," Cole said.

Local clients who visit chiropractor Ian Yamane's offices at at Chiropractic Relief Group, 7660 W. Cheyenne Ave., complain about lower back pain caused from bending incorrectly at the waist instead of the knees, or pushing an already painful back beyond its limits, he said.

Many people mask the pain with over-the-counter drugs until the pain can no longer be ignored, Yamane said.

"Eventually the medicine's effects will wear off and people come see (a chiropractor)," Yamane said. "Bottom line, most pain comes from the spine and radiates outward."

Yamane said stretching every day and focusing on a good posture at work, at play and while sleeping can keep a back pain-free.

"You've got to keep that natural curve in the back all day," Yamane said, "and especially at night."

Pain paraphernalia

Locally senior citizens, golfers, traveling executives and truck drivers are snapping up lumbar supports, ergonomic chairs and other back products, said Lorenzo De Vera, owner of the Back Care Store at 4750 W. Sahara Ave.

"People are using these more and more around the house and at work," De Vera said. "It's becoming more accepted."

The back-care industry is burgeoning, De Vera said, with consumers depending on products to comfortably get them through the day.

"It's especially increased for athletic types, like golfers," De Vera said. "They want to play without the pain."

Beyond pillows and back braces, zero-gravity chairs that rotate a body into a relaxed position and specially made mattresses are increasing in popularity, De Vera said.

Dan Jones, president of area Relax the Back stores, agrees. The $800 zero-gravity chairs and mattresses that range from $1,000-$2,000 can relieve pressure points on the body that can become sore from the pressures of walking, standing and sitting.

"Little by little, year by year, you are squeezing those discs (in your back) with bad posture, slouching," Jones said. "These (products) give some help."

Local graphic artist Doree Schneider said that she relies heavily on ergonomic furniture to get her through a workday and carries her back pillows with her wherever she goes.

Back pain has plagued Schneider for more than two decades, she said. She had ignored the dull ache in her lower back until one day in August when the 56-year-old could feel the pain radiate down her legs.

"It was horrible pain," Schneider said. "I couldn't walk, I couldn't work."

A doctor diagnosed her with spinal stenosis. The degenerative disease causes the bones to produce too much calcium, which causes the nerves to be pinched by the growing vertebrae.

After back surgery in September to remove some of the calcium deposits, Schneider felt some relief -- but not enough.

Her chiropractor suggested an ergonomic chair to ease her pain at work.

"I was very leery of back stores and their gimmicks," Schneider said.

She went to a Relax the Back store in September with a skeptical outlook and walked out with a $1,300 chair and orders for a mattress and lower-back support pillows.

"I sat in that chair and immediately felt better," Schneider said.

She bought a chair to use at her desk in the graphic arts department of the Las Vegas Valley Water District, as well as a pillow that fits snugly behind her to support her back when she drives or sits in a movie theater. She recently took the firm, curved pillow to a pottery class.

The pillows and supportive back equipment such as the chairs allow her to live, play and work nearly pain free, she said.

"I believe these are temporary fixes, but if I didn't use them I'd go crazy from the constant pain," Schneider said. "I didn't understand the need for them before, but I can't imagine not using my back pillows every day."

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