Bulging
You got an MRI. The report says "bulging disc" or "herniated disc," possibly with additional language like "protrusion," "nerve root impingement," or "mild to moderate stenosis." And now you are trying to figure out whether those words mean surgery is in your future....
Low Back Pain vs. Sciatica: How to Tell the Difference and Why It Matters
People use the word "sciatica" to mean a lot of things. Some use it correctly, to describe radiating leg pain originating from nerve root irritation in the lumbar spine. Others use it interchangeably with low back pain. Others have been told by a provider, a family...
Load vs. Capacity: The Framework That Changes How You Think About Pain
Most people think about pain as something that just happens to them. The back goes out lifting a laundry hamper. The knee swells up after a long hike. The shoulder starts aching during a workout that seemed routine. The event gets the blame. "I threw my back out...
Exercise Therapy for Back Pain: The Evidence-Based Plan That Actually Works
He had been wearing Icy Hot pads to work for so long it had become routine. He was an arborist and tree climber, physically demanding work. He had been managing chronic low back pain since a motorcycle crash at fifteen. Over the years, he had learned to adapt his job...
Shockwave Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis: When the Basics Have Stopped Working
She pointed to her neighbor across the street, a woman in her nineties, up on a ladder trimming trees. "I wanna be her," she said. "That's my goal." She was in her early seventies, still working out with a personal trainer twice a week, significantly stronger than...
What Is Dry Needling? The Honest Explanation
Every week someone comes into COSJ and says some version of the same thing: "My friend mentioned dry needling, but I have no idea what it is. Is it the same as acupuncture? Does it hurt? Will it actually help what I have going on?" Those are reasonable questions, and...