Facet joint syndrome affects the spine, causing arthritis-type effects such as cartilage degeneration. These effects often trigger pain signals. Pain management experts recommend various techniques like adjustments and exercises to help ease the discomfort. The ideal exercises for facet joint syndrome avoid putting pressure on your spinal column. This helps improve everyday function.
Water exercise is an excellent way to improve symptoms associated with spinal arthritis. Exercise in a swimming pool provides buoyancy that supports your body weight and reduces stress on the spine and joints. This type of exercise often improves your range of motion and reduces the discomfort in your back.
While swimming can be helpful for facet joint syndrome, care needs to be taken when performing the exercise. If performed incorrectly, some swimming strokes can worsen the condition of neck and lower back pain. St Louis Pain Consultants offer expert advice for utilizing swimming to help improve facet joint syndrome.
Begin With Water Therapy
The team at St Louis Pain Consultants often recommend starting with water therapy exercises before transitioning to swimming.
Water therapy exercises are activities that are performed in a pool to ease pressure on the spine. Such exercises help build resistance and increase range of motion. Water therapy can help relax tight muscles which reduces discomfort over time.
Our experts start with gentle exercises that engage the whole body, such as water walking. This is a great preparation technique for more advanced exercises.
Utilize Swimming Equipment to Reduce Movement
Swimming involves a combination of movements that can have conflicting effects on your spine. While buoyancy reduces pressure on your spine, lifting your head to get air can affect your posture. Wrong posture when swimming re-introduces the stress on your spine, affecting the range of motion.
St Louis Pain Consultants recommend using swimming equipment to reduce such movements. Floatation devices like wet vests, boards, or noodles can help you maintain a proper form while swimming. A snorkel will eliminate your need to lift your head for breaths.
Stick To Effortless and Spine-Friendly Strokes
Using shear force when swimming continues cartilage breakdown in your lower back. This can increase the pain and worsen the damage to your spinal facet joints, limiting your range of motion further. Our coaches can guide you in maintaining the correct posture when swimming. Proper posture and the right movements make swimming effortless and do not worsen your condition.
Pain management experts at St Louis Pain Consultants recommend spine-friendly strokes to alleviate discomfort. The freestyle and backstroke keep the body straight and prevent arching. Maintaining proper techniques when swimming will help avoid these potential risks. Correct movement and proper posture during your swimming exercise program help strengthen your back and eliminate discomfort.
Work With the Best Pain Management Experts
Swimming can be good for facet joint syndrome, but care needs to be taken when performing the exercise. St Louis Pain Consultants is your trusted pain management facility in St. Louis, Missouri. We help treat chronic pain and rehabilitate patients suffering from conditions involving the spine and joints. Contact us today to request an appointment.
If you are living with chronic pain, seek help from St. Louis Pain Consultants.
We want to help remind you what life without pain feels like.
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