Oregon Exercise Therapy - Oregon Exercise Therapy Blog | Egoscue Blog

Chronic Pain Doesn't Have To Scare You

9/22/2026

Chronic pain can be scary. Just the names alone are frightening - degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, fibromyalgia, ankylosing spondylitis, osteoarthritis, thoracic outlet syndrome, and spondylolisthesis among many others. The prognosis can be even more scary - most chronic pain diagnoses are considered "progressive", meaning they will only get worse over time - it's like a never ending horror film!

Statistics on chronic pain will send chills down your spine:

100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain
Annual cost of healthcare due to pain in USA ranges from $560-635 billion
Back pain is the leading cause of disability in Americans under 45 years old
Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide
Regions with the highest occurrence of low back pain are Central and Eastern Europe and Australasia
During the next 25 years the largest number of new back pain sufferers will be in Africa and Asia
Over half of chronic pain sufferers feel they have little or no control over their pain
Prescription painkiller overdoses killed nearly 15,000 people in the US in 2008 (3 times more than the 4,000 killed in 1999)
Spinal fusion surgery has seen a 20-fold increase in the last 30 years and is reportedly more closely tied to money rather than outcomes (surgeons can make 40 times as much $$$ from fusion compared to discectomy and spinal fusions have one of the highest profit margins for hospitals)

Even with all these ghoulish facts, I do not believe chronic pain has to scare you. Halloween is about tricks and treats, so let's look at the sweeter side of chronic pain:

Running helps improve intervertebral disc health

6/10/2026

Studies over the last 10 years have shown that running not only strengthens and improves the health of our hearts, lunges, leg muscles, and bones, but also our backs.

It has long been known that running improves cardiovascular fitness and health. Running:

increases stroke volume - a measure of heart health
reduces arterial stiffness - improving arterial health and lowering blood pressure
improves cholesterol profile - lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides and raising HDL (good) cholesterol
lowers resting heart rate - a sign of heart health
increases VO2 max and good predictor of longevity
improves insulin sensitivity - reducing diabetes risk

Studies have also shown that running improves musculoskeletal health by:

increasing bone mineral density
increasing muscle strength
improving muscle endurance
improving tendon health
improving joint health

Running also helps improve:

body composition
respiratory health
memory
mood
energy levels
emotional health
sleep quality
immune function
balance
longevity

New studies have now shown that running also improves spinal disc health.

A 2020 study by Mitchell et al. showed in middle-aged menu that long term endurance running reduced age-related decline in lumbar intervertebral disc health. The study also showed that those who had been running for more years and running more miles per week had healthier discs than those running less.

An earlier study in 2017 by Belavy et al. showed that runners had more hydrated lumbar discs and higher glycosaminoglycan levels, both signs of healthier spines, than more sedentary people.

In 2024, Shu et al. did a comprehensive qualitative review of 2019 studies in existing literature to look at how running affects intervertebral discs because many believe running has negative impacts on spinal health. They concluded that running causes short-term temporary compression of the discs, squeezing water out of the discs, but long-term running has an overall positive effect on spinal disc health.

What effect would running have on people who already have some degenerative in their lumbar discs? Would running be harmful them? Or would running still be beneficial to their discs?

That is the question Samanna et al. looked at in a new study published in March 2026. This study had people (50% woman - yay!) complete a 12 week run/walk program and did MRIs on their lumbar spines before and after the 12 week intervention. Some of the findings were:

run/walk program was found to positively impact disc health
the people who started with more degenerative saw the most positive improvements

It also seemed that the people who saw the most benefit ran moderate distances and at moderate speeds and running on soft surfaces seemed to be positive.

All of these studies show what most runners feel - running makes us feel better in many ways including our backs. So whether you already have back problems, or want to prevent them, running can a be a great way to do that. Starting with a run/walk program, especially on grass or dirt can be a great way to start.

If you'd like help getting started on a run/walk or running program, reach out to me at my run coaching business: Ultra Run Coaching.

Finding Joy In Movement

6/4/2026

Our bodies are designed to move is a simple fact, but it's easy to forget this concept and go days without moving much. Lack of movement, not age, is the major determinant of health throughout life. As young kids we naturally move (play) all the time - it comes naturally to us. As we grow older and especially in adulthood, life (school, work, kids, household chores, errands, social events) gets in the way of movement and we often forget what play is. Reintroducing play and joy in your daily life will have immensely beneficial positive impacts on your health.

Play brings smiles to kids faces and involves spontaneous and varied movement.

Exercise doesn't have to be something we dread.

As adults we too often think the only way to get movement is to exercise and exercise to many is thought of as a chore. Forcing ourselves to suffer through 30-60 minutes of exercise a couple days a week is not that good for us, and definitely not something fun or playful.

When we can find ways to play through movement and make it fun (think smiling, laughing, playing with others) it fills in the missing piece to our life and becomes something we want to do and want to do often.

What are some ways to bring playful and fun movement into our life on a regular basis?

Dancing - whether a dance class, dancing at a wedding, dancing at a concert, or dancing at home. Dancing especially unstructured and spontaneous movement is so good for us. Dance parties at home with my kids was a weekly highlight for me.

Playing with kids - playing with your kids, grandkids, or friends kids is a guaranteed way to get a variety of movement in your life while smiling the entire time. Running around playing tag, playing on the jungle gym, crawling around on the floor with a baby, or playing sports with kids are all great ideas. When my kids were young I would always join them in the jungle gym, or kicking a soccer ball, or shooting hoops, or riding bikes, scooters, or skateboards around - so fun and such a good workout!

Playing with your dog. My dog loves to play and engaging with him is so fun. Playing fetch, playing chase around the house or yard, playing tug, or wrestling - he loves it all and gives me so much joy and movement.

Playing sports - pickleball, tennis, basketball, soccer, volleyball, table tennis, whatever sounds fun. The more variety of sports we play the better. And try to laugh and have fun rather than take it seriously all the time. The goal is find joy in movement.

Get outside and just have fun. Interact with nature - run barefoot through the wet grass, climb a tree, dig in your garden, skip rocks across the river, swim in a lake, scramble up the rocks. Again pretend you are 8 years old and do what your younger self would do.

The goal with each of these is to find something that causes you to smile, laugh, lose track of time, and move in new and varied ways outside normal exercise. What are your favorite ways to play and bring joy to movement?

Spinal Stenosis and Posture

7/10/2025

Spinal stenosis is a condition in which the spinal cord or spinal nerve roots are compressed by abnormal bone growth, disc herniation, fat deposits, and hypertrophy of the ligaments that support the spine. Spinal stenosis most commonly occurs in the lumbar or cervical spine. Spinal stenosis can occur in three different locations inside the vertebrae of the spine and compress different structures.

Before we discuss those different areas where stenosis can occur, let's look at the structure of the spine.

Lumbar vertebrae with anatomical labels.

Studies Show Meniscus Surgery No Better Than Placebo

2/24/2025

When you have knee pain and go to your doctor or physical therapist for evaluation, getting told you have a meniscus tear after a thorough evaluation or MRI is very common. You might be told you need surgery to fix the meniscus tear and then you'll be pain free, but is this true?

The most common surgery for a meniscus tear is an arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (which also happens to be the most common orthopedic surgery performed in the United States). The procedure uses small scopes to remove torn meniscal fragments and trimming the meniscus back to a stable rim. This is supposed to allow your meniscus to return to doing its stabilizing and shock absorbing job without causing you pain or limitation. But does the surgery really work?

New Research on Posture using Advanced Computer Modeling

1/29/2025

New research was published recently that uses Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS) to investigate what muscles are involved in upright posture and imbalances like forward head posture (FHP) or dropped head syndrome (DHS).

Forward Head Posture

Visual of the thoracic and cervical spine with forward head posture

What is THUMS?

THUMS, developed by Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc, is an advanced computerized model of the human body that has been used for crash testing along side regular physical crash test dummies. THUMS can simulate many different human aspects of human form from skin to bone to muscle to internal organs, allowing researchers to understand the extend of injuries people might suffer from any type of accident.

Why this research was done

The researchers wanted to figure out a way to measure what muscles are responsible for maintaining good upright posture and what muscles are not working correcting that cause certain posture imbalances. In the introduction to the study they discuss the challenge of this:

Although muscle activity can be measured using electromyography (EMG), this method is limited to a small number of muscles on the body surface. Muscles involved in spinal movements, such as the flexion and extension of the head and neck are located deep within the body, making it challenging to measure their activity and placing a significant burden on study participants during experiments.

They go on to say:

Conversely, predicting muscle activity through simulation using a human body model is useful for understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of DHS and the effects of rehabilitation. Recent advances in the construction of human body models using computer simulations and finite element (FE) analysis have enabled a detailed analysis of the complex dynamics of the musculoskeletal system. This study aimed to determine the effect of individual muscle activities on the maintenance of an upright posture using a human body FE model to elucidate the mechanism underlying the onset of symptoms related to spinal asymmetry.

How Does Playing on a Sports Team Benefit You?

1/16/2025

Playing on a sports team has many benefits for your body and mind and this is regardless of your age (yes adults can benefit greatly as well as kids).

Some benefits of playing sports on a team include:

improved muscle tone and bone density
improved self esteem and confidence
learning to work as a team for a greater goal
learning to help and accept help from others
decreased depression and anxiety
and many more!

Learn more:

Walking and it's amazing health benefits

1/16/2025

Walking has so many health benefits and no you don't need to walk 10,000 steps a day to see these benefits. Even modest increases in the number of steps you take a day can lead to many wonderful benefits. Learn how and why walking is so powerful and how neighborhoods and cities can be designed to help people get more steps.

Learn more:

Exercise may be the most potent medical intervention ever known

1/16/2025

Exercise causes a mirror image reversal of disease.
The moderate stress exercise causes prepares our bodies to deal with the stress of everyday life.
Exercise reduces the risk of heart disease by 50%, the risk of most cancers by 50%, reduces the risk of back pain, and helps people sleep better.
Exercise causes the heat shock response that causes improvements in the heart, lungs, and muscles, but also in the kidneys, adrenal gland, brain, and intestines.

Key takeaway: 1 minute of exercises buys you 5 minutes of extra life!

Learn more:

The Profound Benefits of Heavy Weightlifting on Bone Health with Dr. Peter Attia

1/16/2025

Related to my last couple blog posts about bone density and how to build and maintain bone density with jumping and heavy weightlifting, below is a video where Dr. Peter Attia interviews the head researcher of the LiftMOR study Belinda Beck, Ph.D. about the study and how to apply the principles to your life.

Some key topics they discuss are:

How strength training can lead to improvement in posture and height
How strength training can reduce fall risk and fracture risk, especially in older people
How strength training not only leads to improved bone density and quality, but also improved grip strength, balance, back extensor strength, and quality of life overall

Learn more:

WHAT OUR CLIENTS HAVE TO SAY

I really just wanted to express my gratitude for what you do and your great help. And, great help it was!! When one is in constant great pain for as long as I was and so desperate for help...words cannot express what I want to say....how can I thank you enough? You helped change my life.
– Carrie

I feel soooo limber and free in my hip movements and relaxed in my low back. Outstanding and I'm very impressed with the pdf's and the videos, great support to the client. Wonderful job, keep up the great job. – Mike

It is amazing! I've been in pain for 5 years and worked with other therapists and no one has been able to help me. Working with you I am 95% pain free! It feels so good to not have any pain and be able to walk and do things I haven't been able to do for years. Thank you so much! - Joni

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