The leaves are turning. There’s a chill in the air. The end of the year is quickly approaching. In all the holiday frenzy make time to take care of yourself. Now is the time to make sure you’re getting the maximum benefit from your health insurance plan.

If you’ve been putting off a procedure – especially if you’ve met your annual deductible or you’re close to it or if you have funds remaining in your Flexible Spending Account – now is the time.

The fact that your procedure may be of little or no cost to you could be just the motivation you need to take care of those nagging aches and pains.

DEDUCTIBLES AND MAXIMUM OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES

Most health insurance policies calculate deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket expenses based on a calendar year. All copays, deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses are reset on the first of January. Any medical expenses you acquire during that calendar year will be applied towards your deductible and must be paid out-of-pocket until your deductible is met. At this point, insurance begins to pay for services, which may be covered at 100 percent or may require you to pay coinsurance (a percentage of your claim expense).

If you have already met your annual deductible, this is the perfect time to take care of that back pain procedure you have been putting off such as kyphoplasty, epidural steroid injections (ESIs), selective nerve root block (SNRB), medical brand (facet joint) denervations or sacroiliac (SI) joint injections.

Coverage of procedures will vary by insurance company, but this is still a good time to take action.

FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS

Another factor to consider is your flexible-spending account (FSA). These pre-tax contributions can be used to pay for eligible medical expenses, but they expire at the end of your benefit period and must be forfeited.

Taking care of any necessary medical procedures before the end of the calendar year can help you apply your unused FSA funds before they expire. Medical facilities typically experience a heavy demand for procedures towards the end of the year as patients try to maximize their benefits, so the sooner you schedule your appointment, the better. Waiting until the last minute could cause you to miss the opportunity to see your doctor before the year ends.

Schedule your appointment today, and let your insurance policy work for you.

Back pain can affect anyone. From little aches that hopefully fade away with rest and medicine to deep, debilitating discomfort that makes every facet of life difficult, back pain can be tough to shake. Most back pain will go away on its own, but sometimes the source of the struggle is hard to detect. The causes of back pain are myriad – being overweight, muscle strain, bad posture, as the result of an accident, and, most commonly, age.

As you get older, the most frequent cause of long-term back pain is arthritis. The intricate web of bones, muscles, discs, and tendons that make up your back are all intertwined. Over time, they get worn down or even shrink, adding pressure to the nerves along your spine.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an especially worrisome disease. Rheumatoid arthritis leads to the destruction of joints. Though it commonly affects people’s hands and feet, it can also have an impact on the spine, primarily the neck and around the base of your skull. The pain can then travel down into your arms and legs. If untreated, RA can be debilitating.

While many pharmaceutical companies are working on treatments for RA, there are several other steps you can take to improve your health.

Pay attention to your posture – People have a tendency to slump their shoulders or not sit up straight. Make the effort push back your shoulders and keep your spine straight. You might consider purchasing special cushions for your desk chairs or for the seat or your car.
Exercise – The more active you are, the less stress you’ll feel around your back. Your activity will loosen up the joints, get blood flowing through your muscles, and generally make you feel better. How you choose to exercise is up to you, but make sure you stretch beforehand. Even a simple walk every day is helpful. Focus, too, on strengthening your core. Strengthening your abdominal muscles will reduce the amount of strain you put on your back.
Watch Your Diet – A balanced diet, couple with exercise, will help you avoid struggling with extra weight or obesity. When you carry more weight, your back has to do more work.
Get Therapy – Sometimes referred to as physical medicine, therapy includes rest or limited physical activity, chiropractic therapy, passive therapy (ice, heat, massage, electrical stimulation), active therapy (aerobics and weight lifting), stress relief (meditation, yoga, or other Easter disciplines), and braces you can wrap around your back.
Sleep Right – Sleeping in the wrong position can also lead to long-term damage. Try not to sleep on your stomach. Doing so causes your neck and back to twist and bend in poor directions. If you sleep on your side, place pillows between your knees and behind your back. If you prefer to sleep on your back, put a pillow under your knees.

Arthritis can be crippling if untreated. You can do your part to ensure back pain doesn’t limit your ability to enjoy life by following the steps listed above. To learn more, contact us today.

At some point, most of us will suffer from back pain. For many it’s a mild but irritating ache that comes and goes; for others it’s a chronic, incapacitating pain that can make it difficult to stand, sit, and sleep. Back pain has several causes, including poor posture, ill-advised or awkward lifting, being overweight, or as the result of an accident. The most common cause of back pain, however, is simply age.

Whether we like it or not, there’s no escaping father time. Your back is an intricate system of bones, joints, muscles, and tendons. Your vertebrae – the bones in your spine – are lined up one on top of the other. Small joints between each vertebra enable your spine to move. Also crammed between the bones are disks. The centers of these disks have a softer consistency than bones. As a result, they buffer the impact on the bones while keeping them from bumping into each other.

The chances of pain increase as we get older. Over time, the disks between your vertebrae are worn down or shrink. When that happens, you experience stiffness and pain because your bones are now closer to rubbing against each other. Add in the fact that another element of aging is the narrowing of the space around your spinal cord – otherwise known as spinal stenosis – and you have additional pressure on the nerves in your back.

Treating Back Pain as You Age

You have three basic options for treating back pain: medicine, therapy, and surgery.

1. Medicine – The least invasive of the three and the recommended first step for dealing with back pain. The types of medication available include aspirin or acetaminophen (Tylenol), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen, oral or injectable steroids, or more complex narcotics such as codeine and morphine.
2. Therapy – Also called physical medicine, therapy includes rest or limited physical activity, chiropractic therapy, active therapy (aerobics, stretching, weight lifting), passive therapy (massage, ice, heat, electrical stimulation), stress relief (yoga, meditation, Pilates), and braces that you can wrap around your back or stomach.
3. Surgery – The final option when you’ve exhausted less invasive methods. Types of surgery include disk replacement and spinal fusion, which removes the movement between the bones in your spine.

Back Pain Prevention

Some estimates indicate that four out of five American adults will miss work during their careers because of chronic back pain. For most, the pain is neither permanent nor serious – more than 90 percent of back-related issues resolve themselves within six weeks.

To avoid back pain, following a simple plan may be all the difference. Steps include the following:

• Maintain good posture, standing and sitting
• Exercise to keep your core flexible and strong, and to reduce stress
• Follow a healthy diet and pay attention to your weight

The recommendations above won’t eliminate your chances of experience back pain, but they will minimize the likelihood as you get older. If you still experience back pain and discomfort despite a healthy lifestyle, take the time to speak with your physician.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important, and a key component of a solid health plan is frequent exercise. You have countless options for choosing the types of exercise in which you want to partake. Whether you opt for individual sports like running and swimming, or group events like basketball, soccer, or softball, you’re going to place a certain amount of strain on your back. That’s why it’s critical you understand the types of back injuries that can occur, and how you can avoid them.

Back Injuries

As many as one in five sports-related injuries affect the back or neck. Even injuries that don’t specifically cause trauma to the back can affect it, especially if you try to compensate for discomfort by altering your posture. You can suffer from one of three types of back injury:

1. Neck Injuries – Your neck is more exposed in sports that have a heightened level of physical contact. Football, in particular, is a sport in which your neck is especially susceptible because of the frequent impacts your body takes.
2. Lower Back Injuries – Trauma to your lower back is more common in range-of-motion exercises such as weightlifting or sports where there is substantial repetitive impact, like running. Basketball players also struggle with lower back pain because of the constant jumping. Golfers have also been known to suffer lower back strain due to the constant rotation and twisting needed to play the game.
3. Upper Back Injuries – The least frequent types of sports-related injuries occur in the upper back. This portion of your back is less mobile, so there is less movement. The added support provided by your rib cage adds to its strength. You can still suffer from cracked ribs or muscle strains – the latter occur more often in sports like swimming and weightlifting.

Avoiding Injury

Before beginning any sport, it’s recommended you complete a thorough warm-up routine. Doing so will prepare your muscles while helping your back get ready for the added stress it’s about to endure. While warm-ups differ based on the type of sports you play, there are certain basic rules you can follow for all athletic pursuits.

• Stretch – Take time to loosen the muscles you’ll be using during your exercise. Besides stretching common muscles like your triceps, calf muscles, and hamstrings, make sure you twist and rotate the muscles along your back and waist to increase your range of motion.
• Increase Circulation – When you begin your stretching exercises, start gradually with simple movements to increase the flow of blood throughout your body. You can then increase the intensity of your regimen, which will help loosen the muscles in your back.
• Model Your Efforts – If you’re going to throw a baseball, throw a few phantom pitches before you grab the ball. The same philosophy applies to swinging a golf club.

Are you suffering from sports-related back pain? If you have numbness, tingling, or severe pain that doesn’t improve with medication and rest, see a doctor. Back pain can sometimes signal more serious problems. To learn more about the effects of back pain, contact us today.

Back pain is an all-too-familiar problem. From a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain that leaves you incapacitated, back pain can come on suddenly and linger endlessly. It can occur from an accident, a fall, or by lifting something heavy. It can also develop slowly, a result of age-related changes to the spine. Regardless of how back pain begins, you know it when you have it.

Although anyone can have back pain, a number of factors increase your risk. Below are the top 8 risk factors for back pain:

Age – The first attack of low back pain typically occurs between ages 30 and 40. The older you get, the more likely you’ll begin to notice some discomfort.

Fitness Level – Back pain is more common among people who are not physically fit. Weak back and abdominal muscles may not properly support the spine. In addition, consistent activity is critical. People who exercise heavily after being inactive all week are more likely to suffer painful back injuries than those who make moderate daily activity a habit.

Weight – When you carry extra weight, you’re putting added stress on the back.

Occupational Risk Factors – Some jobs just aren’t great for the back. If you have a job that requires heavy lifting, pushing, or pulling – particularly when it involves twisting or vibrating the spine – you run the risk of injury and back pain. An inactive job or a desk job may also lead to or contribute to pain, especially if you have poor posture or sit all day in an uncomfortable chair.

Heredity – It’s hard to escape hereditary issues. Some causes of back pain, such as ankylosing spondylitis, which is a form of arthritis that affects the spine – are tied in to genetics.

Race – Like heredity, race can factor in to your likelihood of developing back problems. African-American women, for example, are twice as likely as white women to develop spondylolisthesis, a condition in which a vertebra of the lower spine—also called the lumbar spine—slips out of place.

Other Diseases – Many diseases can cause or contribute to back pain, including various forms of arthritis such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Cancer can also affect the spine if it spreads from other parts of the body.

Cigarettes – Smoking may not directly cause back pain, but it increases your risk of developing low back pain and low back pain with sciatica (back pain that radiates to the hip and/or leg due to pressure on a nerve). Smoking also slows healing and prolongs pain for people who have had back injuries, back surgery, or broken bones.