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According to the Mayo Clinic, back pain is ranked second only to headaches as the most frequent cause of pain. Four out of five adults will experience a bout of back pain at some time in their lives.   Like oil and water, driving and human backs are not an ideal mixture.  Not only can chronic back pain make life miserable for drivers, particularly if driving is one’s occupation, but the very act of sitting in one position for hours on end can aggravate and even be a leading cause of back pain.  Lower back pain of vehicle drivers are mainly caused by long hours of driving in a restricted posture, car vibration or shocks from roads, and mental stress associated with driving.  Drivers with 15 years’ service or more had over three times the risk than drivers with up to 5 years’ service, and drivers with 6–15 years’ service had almost twice the risk, according to a large study conducted in Japan.

“Any discomfort or pain you feel may be telling you quite a bit about the state of your back and the relationship to your car and how you sit and how long you drive – and you should listen to your back” says Sheraz Syed, owner and Director at Triumph Physical Therapy.  “Long hours behind the wheel can seriously damage your health, particularly if you don’t take the right precautions with correct seating and correct physical health maintenance.”

Poor ergonomic design is only part of the problem, particularly for occupational drivers, who may spend many hours a day at the wheel of a taxi, truck, bus, or industrial and construction machinery.  Vibration is another important factor that can lead to injury and disablement.  Regular exposure to whole-body vibration over many months or years can lead to damage and back pain. The longer a driver is exposed and the higher the level of whole-body vibration, the greater the chances of suffering a back injury.  Once one begins to suffer back pain, continued exposure to vibration is likely to make the pain worse.

Other factors which can cause or increase back pain include: poor driving posture; poor design of controls making them difficult to operate; poor driver visibility making it necessary to twist and stretch; and personal factors such as level of general fitness, being overweight, and choice of leisure pursuits.

If you drive a lot and suffer from chronic back pain, or even if you wish to forestall the onset of back pain, the application of a little common sense can help. For instance, try to avoid driving for more than two hours without taking a break to stretch your legs. This will help to prevent fatigue, and relax your back. Secondly, try to change your driving position by adjusting the seat from time to time-providing you can still handle the controls safely. Various seat cushions and back supports can be purchased from independent suppliers and one of these may help. Short drivers can purchase pedal extensions from some car manufacturers. On the highways, cruise control can be a useful option.

Physical health plays a major role in alleviating problems in the first place. It’s important to avoid being overweight, which places additional strain on the back. And there are all sorts of exercises to strengthen the muscles and increase back flexibility.

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What does patient access to physical therapists’ services without referral mean and why is it needed?

Patient access to physical therapists’ services without referral means the removal of the physician referral mandated by state law to access physical therapists’ services. Thirty-eight (38) states, including New York, have granted consumers the freedom to seek physical therapy treatment without a referral. The old referral mandate caused delays in the provision of physical therapists’ services to individuals who would benefit from treatment by a physical therapist. Delays in care result in higher cost, decreased functional outcomes and frustration to patients seeking physical therapy treatment. Eliminating the referral mandate results in timely, and thus more effective, physical therapists’ services.

Are physical therapists qualified to deliver physical therapists’ services independent of referral?

Absolutely. Physical therapists are educated at the post-baccalaureate level and receive extensive education and clinical training in the examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, and intervention of patient/clients with functional limitations, impairments and disabilities. Beginning January 1, 2002 all physical therapy programs were required to be accredited at the masters level. Physical therapists are qualified to recognize when a patient presents with signs and symptoms inconsistent or outside the scope and expertise of the physical therapist and when the patient should be referred to a physician. APTA’s Guide of Professional Conduct advocates that physical therapists should assist patients in receiving appropriate medical care when the physical therapists’ examination and evaluation reveals signs and symptoms inconsistent with a condition that can be appropriately treated with physical therapy or needs a physician’s care and expertise.

Take advantage of getting professional treatment for any physical limitation and/or impairment you may be feeling.

If you have an injury, pain or physical discomfort that you believe is musculoskeletal in nature, don’t hesitate to go visit a physical therapist. Often getting on top of an injury or impairment quickly is the key to full long-term recovery and sustained quality of life. You now have Direct Access, take advantage of it!

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One of these crucial nutrients is protein.  The body uses this nutrient as its building block for many types of tissues of the body.  There is evidence that shows whey protein is the best type of protein to enhance the body’s ability to generate antioxidants to protect and rejuvenate cellular tissue.  It also helps facilitate the absorption of nutrients into the cells which assists in tissue healing as well.

Another important nutrient in the body’s healing process is leucine.  Leucine helps to stimulate the synthesis of skeletal muscle. In other words, muscles will repair properly on their own after injury, like a torn muscle.  Any tissue trauma that is incurred by surgery will heal better and faster when the patient has leucine as part of their daily supplementation.

Trauma and injury can lower the levels of a compound called glutamine in the body.  Skeletal muscle is comprised of over 60% of glutamine so when there is a deficiency, healing will be impeded.  Nitrogen is necessary for the healing of the body’s tissues and much of it comes from glutamine.

These amino acids as well as other key minerals and vitamins are critical for the healing process.  One of the better supplements we have come across that provides targeted nutrition for injury is called MEND (www.mendinjury.com).  Another is called Juven (www.juven.com), however it lacks the vitamins, minerals and anti-inflammatories in MEND, does not contain any Whey and is slightly more expensive.

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