Disorders and dysfunctions

DISORDERS

FATIGUE

Myback® is ideal for use in a wind-down exercise regime at the end of any training session. Inadequate recovery between one session and the next can lead to a build-up of toxins and ‘congestion’ of the muscles, and this is why the wind-down exercises at the end of a training session do not imitate the technical movement which led to the vertebral overload but rather consist in stretching exercises that permit recovering from disc compression by taking the pressure off the vertebrae and ‘loosening up’ the lumbar muscles. Myback® can be used independently and in perfect safety.

TIREDNESS

When the vertebral column is ‘tired’, exercises with Myback® are fundamental for relaxing tense muscles and recovering from compression of the lumbar vertebrae.

The main functions of the intervertebral discs are to attenuate the stresses and impacts that act on the vertebral column and to maintain its flexibility; it is therefore very important that the discs remain correctly distanced. During our daily activities the discs are compressed due to various factors – both intense physical activity and non-activity in fixed postures (as when we study, watch television, drive or ride in a car). In either case, the effect is to ‘crush’ the vertebrae and ‘pack’ them closer together. On the other hand, when the back is in a ‘no-load’ condition, the pressure is relieved and the discs receive nutrients and recover their normal dimensions.

But often, our ‘remedial measures’ are not sufficient to completely offset the effects of compression and the nutritional turnover is progressively compromised, resulting in thinning of the discs due to dehydration and thus the onset of the first symptoms of backache. Performing lumbar stretching exercises with Myback® can accelerate the disc recovery process and hence their correct nutrition.

With the pelvis suspended in the flexed-leg position, performing breathing and relaxation exercises can immediately impart a feeling of increased wellness.

STRESS

Frenetic rhythms, disorderly eating habits, work-related stress, and excessive physical strain all result in increases of postural alterations that can generate back pain. Performing stretching exercises with Myback® relaxes the lumbar musculature and relieves vertebral tension accumulated due to excessive or incorrectly-distributed loads on the back.

DYSFUNCTIONS

BACKACHE

Backache All of us, at one time or another, have felt more or less acute back pain – because it can be caused by a multitude of factors.

Our back is subjected to stress and strain on a daily basis, above all when our postures are in corrector inappropriate to the task we are performing or when we accumulate tension.

The causes of ‘backache’ are many in number: frenetic rhythms, disorderly eating habits, work-related stress, and excessive physical strain are all factors which can lead to an increase in neurodegenerative conditions and postural alterations such as to generate pain and dysfunction of the back and the pelvic region.

Pain may arise suddenly after excessive effort (moving a piece of furniture, for example, or engaging in any physical activity) and in this case it may clear up in a few weeks at most. If, instead, the pain persists for a long period of time, specific therapies and specialist consults will be required.

Physiokinesitherapy in conjunction with targeted physiotherapy interventions is recommended in cases of many disorders/dysfunctions that cause more or less acute or chronic low back pain.

Among the most highly recommended treatments are those in which the patient assumes passive antalgic postures capable of decompressing the intervertebral discs in the lumbar region.

Myback® is a patented antalgic lumbar positioning device that permits patients to independently assume a posture suitable for stretching and relaxing the spine and thus passively decompressing the intervertebral discs.

LOW BACK PAIN

Low back pain, also called ‘sciatica’, is pain radiating from the sciatic nerve. It begins in the lumbar region and extends to the buttocks and the lower limbs, often causing a sensation of numbness or weakness.

It is estimated that, in Italy alone, at least 12 of every 100 people of working age suffer one episode of low back pain (lumbosciatica) each year. The social cost is quite significant.

In the majority of cases the pain manifests progressively: the patient initially feels pain in the lower back; with time, it progresses along the leg and to the sole and the instep of the foot.

In the case, instead, of sudden-onset low back pain (a violent spasm, or ‘putting your back out’),the patient can remain bent over, unable to move from a forward-flexed position even for days.

The pain can increase if a single position or posture is held for a long period of time (standing, sitting while watching television, driving, working at a PC) or with sneezing, coughing or defecating.

Our back is put to the test all day, every day!

Myback® permits patients to independently assume a ‘no-load’ position, with the legs resting on two anatomical supports in a flexed position.

In the acute phase, before using Myback® consult your physician, who will advise you on the basis of his knowledge of your overall health. Myback® allows you to adjust the position of your legs to a minimum height with the legs simply flexed, and then gradually increase the height to obtain decompression of the discs in the lumbar region: use the remote control to raise the support to attain the most beneficial antalgic position.

HERNIATED DISC

Herniation of the L4-L5 or L5-S1 intervertebral disc is a disorder afflicting the vertebral column and consisting in rupture or lateral slippage of the annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc and consequent dislocation of the nucleus pulposus which causes irritation or compression of the roots of the sciatic nerve.

The intervertebral discs act as ‘shock absorbers’ between adjacent vertebrae and permit flexion-extension and lateral movements of the spine.

We may define the intervertebral disc as an outer fibrous capsule (annulus fibrosus) encasing a gel-like centre, the nucleus pulposus, made up of water for 90% ca.

Rupture of the outer annulus fibrosus, associated with physiological dehydration of the nucleus pulposus, can cause the nucleus to bulge outward and cause lumbar pain or sciatic pain.

The pain is associated with anomalous sensations in the leg such as tingling or sensory deficits and diminished strength and reflexes.

Diminished strength refers mainly to the movements of the foot; the so-called ‘foot test’, conducted by raising the heels and the toes, is an indicator of the degenerative status of the hernia.

Normally, patients see their doctors as soon as pain presents. Following a neurological examination, the physician will recommend appropriate therapies such as use of anti-inflammatory drugs, special physical therapy and kinesiological treatments (ionophoresis, diadynamic current therapy, massage therapy) or may order examinations by a specialist and further diagnostic tests such as a CAT (Computerised Axial Tomography) or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan of the vertebral column.

Once a herniated disc has been diagnosed, it is important to follow the specialist’s recommendations. Myback® is not a medical device capable of resolving such a complex problem, but assuming the ‘no-load’ position with Myback® can achieve not only relaxation of the musculature but also vertebral decompression.

Myback® is an antalgic lumbar (postural) positioning aid that can relax the lumbar region and help alleviate backache.

In the case of a diagnosis of a herniated disc, use Myback® only if so recommended by the attending physician.

DISCOPATHY

The term ‘discopathy’ (or ‘intervertebral disc disorder’) stands for a condition that involves the intervertebral discs and arises when the discs appear to be slightly flattened or thinned.

Excessive strain as well as static postures held for long periods of time can lead to repeated compressions of the vertebral column and cause a reduction in the water content of the annulus fibrosus and consequent reduction in disc thickness.

There is generally no cause for alarm unless diagnostic examination reveals a form of disc herniation or a significant reduction in thickness.

During sleep, the nuclei pulposi rehydrate and return to their original thickness. If, however, strain on the back is excessive and repeated, the discs undergo rapid ageing and degeneration and discopathies can arise.

In this case, systematically performing postural exercises can help to prevent and treat discopathy.

The Myback® antalgic lumbar positioning device permits independently performing back stretching and relaxation exercises that can favour decompression of the discs in the lumbar region. The Myback® position favours an acceleration of the flow of fluids into the intervertebral discs of the lumbar region of the spine.

LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS

The term ‘lumbar spinal stenosis’ refers to a narrowing of the spinal canal and consequent compression of the roots of the nerves which from the spinal cord branch out toward the lower limbs.

In spinal stenosis, the fluid content of the discs is reduced and, consequently, their function of absorbing the impacts generated by movements of the body is compromised.

It is known that, in cases of stenosis of the lumbar disc canal, assuming a flexed antalgic posture can passively reduce compression of the intervertebral discs and reduce lumbar lordosis.

Myback® is patented postural exercise aid, more specifically denominated an antalgic positioning device, designed to help users independently and safely attain this flexed position to help relax the back and stretch the spine.