Healthy Back Program-SRPMIC

Healthy Back Program coming soon!

Ready? Then get set. Go!

Each week, for 8-weeks, there are one or two activities, a quiz or two, an optional lunch and learn session + you will build your own, personalized back exercise plan to build and maintain a healthy back. Soon you may click on each week’s “tile” below for more information about the activities for each week.

Click to download detailed information about week one’s activities.

Click to download detailed information about week two’s activities.

Click to download detailed information about week three’s activities.

Click to download detailed information about week four’s activities.

Updated calendar coming soon – Healthy Back Program will start in June, 2019

Each week complete the prescribed activity (most weeks two activities, some weeks one) Over the 8-weeks you will build a short, individualized exercise plan to build and maintain a healthy back. The HBC Calendar will outline each week’s activities.

You will also receive an e-mail each week outlining the week’s activities. You can also find out more by clicking the tile for each week (found above).

Third: Attend the weekly educational class

Fourth: Complete the HBP quiz. That’s right. Participants will receive links to weekly quizzes.

Quizzes are fun and will let you test your knowledge related to back health. You can find the links for each quiz in the quiz section of this web page (below). The link for each quiz will become live at the appropriate time.

Quizzes are ​so easy. So fun. So fast.

Fifth: During the 8-weeks of the HBP you will slowly build your exercise plan. By the end of the challenge you should have a habit started. We will be providing you with a menu of exercises, other resources and information along the way.

Sixth: The HBP is reported for you once you completed each week’s activities. HBP is worth 100 WellPath points. Completing the pre-test, post-test and the evaluation is the simple evidence for the Healthy Back Program. You don’t have to report participation through your MyWellPath account.

HBP Weekly Educational Sessions: coming in June

In June Click button to download a flyer of all the HBP Educational Sessions including registration links.

Introduction, Assessment & Plan for the HBC

Online only:
June @ 11AM
June @ 12 PM
Online or in-person

This week’s session will explain the HBP in detail, answer all your questions. All the assessments available during the HBP will be reviewed and resources for back health will be shared.

Ergonomics and Ergo Assessments

June @ TBD
Click Here for Online Registration
Click Here to attend in-person
​(link will open e-mail to Wellness @srpmic-nsn.gov)

Ergonomics is the science of designing and arranging things people use so that the people and the things interact most efficiently and safely. Our work chairs, our cars, etc. can be amazingly complex so that we can adjust them to fit us personally and make us more comfortable, safe and efficient. The smallest forces such as typing or repetitive simple tasks can accumulate stress that can cause pain and injury. Learn about the HBC ergonomic self-assessments for your computer desk space and car.

JointStrong: Prevention vs. Treatment with IMC

IMC is a physical therapy group who has contracted with SRP-MIC to help treat joint pain. Find out more on the IMC page of wellpath.info.
June @ TBD
Click Here to register to attend online
Click Here to attend in-person in Two Waters A109
​(link will open e-mail to Wellness @srpmic-nsn.gov)

Join Integrated Musculoskeletal Care for a discussion about the use of their JointStrong™ mobile App to assess your back health and determine if you should practice prevention or you need treatment for back pain.

Having a Healthy Back is Just One of Your Benefits

June @ TBD
Click here to register to attend online
Click Here to attend in-person in Two Waters B106
​(link will open e-mail to Wellness @srpmic-nsn.gov)

The health of our backs is so important. If you have ever had a back injury you know the degree which it can disrupt your life. It can make it difficult to sit, stand, carry, work, moving is hard but so can be staying in one position for any length of time. Because back health is so important and, poor back health is so common, there is a plethora of resources and information available to keep our backs healthy. Many of your SRP-MIC sponsored benefits can be used to keep your back healthy and to get you “back” on track if you are having back pain.

Lifting, pulling & levers

June @ TBD
Click here to register to attend online
Click Here to attend in-person in Two Waters B106
(link will open e-mail to Wellness @srpmic-nsn.gov)

Your back is at higher risk for injury when your spine is moving while carrying a load. Often lifting or moving objects can place our body in inefficient postures. Our posture and lifting technique can protect our back or put it an increased risk. For example, varying the lifting technique of a 20 lb. box can change the compressive force on our lower spine by more than 200%.

The Straw That Broke the Camel’s Back

July @ TBD
Click here to register to attend online
Click Here to attend in-person in Two Waters B106
(link will open e-mail to Wellness @srpmic-nsn.gov)

Our body composition and the area which we carry body’s weight can place stress on our back, change our posture and make certain movements more difficult and dangerous. There are several methods available to assess our body composition and to determine if our body composition is putting our health at risk.

Posture, the hip flexion world and pelvic tilt

July, 2019 @ TBD
Click here to register to attend online
Click Here to attend in-person in Two Waters A109
(link will open e-mail to Wellness @srpmic-nsn.gov)

Obviously posture is important, but our posture while standing, sitting, and even lying down can impact the health of our back. Conversely the health of our back and supportive muscles can negatively influence our posture creating pain and worsening back issues. We spend most of our day bending forward (flexion) and less of our day extending backwards. This can cause a phenomena called “pelvic tilt” which places increased pressure on our lower backs.

Your Healthy Back Plan

July @ TBD
Click here to register to attend online
Click Here to attend in-person in Two Waters B106
(link will open e-mail to Wellness @srpmic-nsn.gov)

The HBC is coming to an end and you have learned a lot, assessed your health and risk for back injuries, gathered a lot of resources and developed an individualized exercise program to keep your back healthy. Now it’s time to make a formal plan because people who plan, and set goals, achieve more than those people who do not. “A plan without action is only a dream. Action without a plan is a nightmare.”

HBC Assessments: These assessment tools will help you establish a baseline for back health. You will develop and individualized exercise plan based on the results from the assessments. The assessments can be used later to evaluate the effectiveness of your exercise plan.

Week 1: Back Health

The Healthy Back Questionnaire will incorporate the results from the Healthy Back Tests and the HBC Posture Assessment to complete the Healthy Back Assessment.

Week 2: IMC’s JointStrong App & Assessment

Two Waters B106 from 11am – 1pm on August, 21st and Two Waters B102 from 11am – 1pm on Wednesday, August 22nd. Drop-in. First Come- First Served

Week 3: Lifting Techniques

This is a self-assessment, easily done with a partner almost anywhere any time. If you would like assistance or have questions, vist Two Waters A109, Wednesday, August 29th from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. Drop-in, first come-first served.

​No assessment on Tuesday, August 28th

Week 5: Ergonomic assessment of work station and car

It is very possible to do the ergonomic self-assessments with a partner. If you are actively having symptoms of back, neck or wrist pain or, would like to have someone assist you with an ergonomic assessment, a limited number of appointments are available. You can schedule by clicking the button below.

WellPath’s HBC Weekly E-mail:

WellPath’s HBC: Quizzes

Relax! The quizzes are fun and quick, and based on the topic for each week. When the quizzes become available participants will be sent the links and the links will appear below:

Week Four Quiz:
Ergonomics

Quiz for week one is open now.

Week Five Quiz:
Self-management

Quiz for week five is open now.

Week Eight Quiz:
Planning, Goal-setting & Chronic Low Back Pain

Reporting participation in the WellPath Healthy Back Program (HBP) is not a pain in the back. All you have to do is complete the pre-test, and then at the end of the challenge, the post-test and evaluation. The hard part is you HAVE to complete the pre-test before you start the challenge (hence the term “pre-“test) and complete the post-test AFTER you complete the challenge (hence the term “post-“test).

50 WellPath points for those who completed the pre-test, post-test and evaluation online.

The pre-test is closed. Participants will receive links for the post-test and evaluation at the end of the HBC. The simple evidence for successful completion of the HBC is the pre-test, post-test and evaluation. There is no reporting necessary to earn 50 WellPath Points.

WellPath’s Healthy Back Challenge: Additional Resources

Imaging for low back pain.

From the Choosing Wisely web site (great resource).

Building a Better Back

Reading this Article is the second activity for week two of the HBC

Choose an exercise from the links below to complete the specific baselines.

JointStrong App Download

Activity for Week 6: Self-limiting Condition Slide Show:

Exercises for your Healthy Back Program

Flexibility:

JointStrong exercise routine is available and can be taught best using the JointStrong Application from your smartphone. Click below for the flyer of exercises and for more information about the JointStrong App.

Consider this exercise if you had difficulty with the Ober Test (test #6) of the Healthy Back Tests of the assessment from week one.

Consider this exercise if you had difficulty with the Thomas Test (test #4) of the Healthy Back Test of the assessment from week one.

Consider this exercise if you had difficulty with the Elys Test (test #7) of the Healthy Back Test of the assessment from week one.

Back flexibility and strength exercise routing with flexibility, strengthening and progression over 3-weeks.

Commonly prescribed stability ball exercises for back pain. Click on the button below for information about stability balls and their use for exercise, especially for a healthy back and to treat pain.

Strength/Muscular Endurance:

Here is a video from Physical Therapy Video on YouTube. So you may have to view this on your personal device. This is a combination of stretches and exercises, many of which we cover individually through JointStrong App and our handouts, lunch and learn sessions and assessments.

Lower back exercise library from SparkPeople.

This is a very nice library of exercises with descriptions, pictures and video. Click on the picture below to visit the site and link out to each exercise for which you have interest. Library has search and filter utilities.

Stability Ball exercises (5) from SparkPeople click on picture to visit. Filter and search utility on this web site.

Library of exercises from ACE Fitness with descriptions, pictures and video. Click on picture to visit web page. Searchable and with filters.