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Lower Back Pain and Core Strength

With over 31 million Americans suffering from lower back pain, this persistent ailment is one of the most common health problems plaguing adults in the United States. While some severe cases are the result of a deeper issue, temporary  back pain is quite normal and can be reduced or eliminated through proper exercise and postural techniques. One way I recommend to reduce minor low back pain is through strengthening your core.  The core encompasses all of the muscles from your hamstrings up to your neck, from your abdominals to your back muscles.  Since all of these muscles work together to support your spine, keeping the core engaged and strong can eliminate minor back , improve posture,  and reduce the risk of greater injury down the road.   Yoga and pilates, two very popular forms of exercise, focus on engaging and strengthening core muscles. Yoga works the core muscles methodically through balance, flexibility, and relaxation. The core components of pilates are control, concentration, and centering the body. These are all achieved through engaging core muscles and, over time, building strength that can help reduce minor pain. Swimming is also a great way to engage your deep core muscles and hit different

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How Yoga and Pilates Help Body Alignment

Exclusive Guest Blog Post, “How Yoga and Pilates Help Body Alignment,” By Kristin McGee     I discovered yoga and Pilates when I first moved to New York City in the early 1990s. I was always an active child growing up in Idaho, playing tennis, skiing, hiking, and dancing, but it wasn’t until I started practicing yoga and Pilates that I connected to my body in an entirely new way. Whether we are active or sedentary, chances are we aren’t fully aware of how we are using our body. From office workers to pro athletes, I’ve had all sorts of clients come to me with aches and pains due to misalignment. Yoga and Pilates are made up of mind-body movements, which means that every part of us is fully involved in the practice. It’s impossible to perform either activity without being fully aware and focused. In other aspects of our lives, we are often doing things without being 100 percent present. A professional skier may be aware of the race he’s competing in, but he may not be thinking about how he’s squatting, or whether he’s using both sides of his body evenly while whizzing through the gates. An office worker

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Sarah Cohn: “Practice Yoga While You Play Golf”

Nearly six months ago, I performed a revision surgery on patient Sarah Cohn for an Anterior-Posterior Revision Lumbar Fusion for Spondylolisthesis, after she received a failed minimally invasive spine decompression surgery at another practice. Following the revision surgery, Sarah, an avid golfer and yoga enthusiast, recovered quickly and was able to return to her athletic passions. Sarah can play golf again and stretches during rounds with simple yoga. I was touched to not only receive a copy of her book Practice Yoga While You Play Golf but also to be nominated by her for the Mount Sinai Medical Center “Honor Your Doctor” award. Most importantly, I was fascinated by Sarah’s unique fusion of golf and yoga and wanted to share with my readers and patients. You can visit her website at SarahCohnYoga.com and purchase her book here. Read below to see what Sarah had to say about her experience!   Q: How did you discover Dr. McCance, and how would you describe your experience with him? A: I was referred to Dr. McCance by a pain management doctor who really wasn’t able to help me. I needed a spinal fusion and Dr. McCance made the process seem less terrifying, plus he spent

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