Archive for back pain
Poor Posture Can Lead to Poor Health
Posted by: | CommentsSource: T. Moses Public Relations and Consulting, http://tmosespublicrelations.com
Your San Jose Chiropractor: You Don’t Need to Suffer With the Pain of Sciatica
Posted by: | CommentsYour San Jose Chiropractor knows that sciatica is an intensely painful affliction. If you suffer from sciatic pain, you are, sadly, all too acquainted with the deep pain that shadows your waking hours and interferes with your daily activities.
The path of sciatic pain is normally from your low back, through the buttock(s), and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of your leg(s). Many times, the pain can even radiate into your knee. Sitting, as well as motion, can be painful. Occasionally lying down will lessen, or perhaps briefly eliminate, the pain. However, sciatica will not go away permanently without suitable care.
“Radiculopathy,” the medical term for the clinical diagnosis of sciatica, means simply that a disc has bulged from its normal position in the vertebral column and is causing pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve. Such pressure is especially painful.
Increased pressure on the intervertebral discs, as well as imbalances in the muscles encircling the spine, can occur during and after prolonged sitting, specifically in a poor position. For the most part, an explicit event or particular injury doesn’t produce sciatica, but rather it tends to manifest over time as a consequence of commonplace wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. Over time the lower spine loses its capacity to function in a healthy way during everyday requirements.
The final result is that, the intervertebral disc develops small fissures, or cracks, which then lets the soft nucleus protrude the disc outward. If the disc presses on sensitive tissues, it generates the pain that is often referred to as a ruptured disc. If the disc puts pressure on the spinal nerve, an individual can develop sciatica.
Most disc challenges, including sciatica, can be eliminated with chiropractic adjustments and management that commonly includes postural exercises. If you are suffering from sciatic pain, it is essential for you to seek chiropractic attention.
Your San Jose Chiropractor Offers Results of A New Consumer Reports Survey on Back Pain
Posted by: | CommentsYour San Jose Chiropractor wants you to know that your choosing chiropractic care for your back pain is a wise choice: I just read about a recent Consumer Reports survey of its readers that I, as your chiropractor, found “highly satisfying.” The survey, which included 14,000 Consumer Reports subscribers, found that “hands-on” therapies, led by chiropractic care, were the top-rated treatments for people suffering from back pain. In fact, chiropractors were given the highest “satisfaction with care” ratings, well above those given to medical doctors who administered various forms of care to back pain sufferers
The survey, reported in the publication’s May 2009 issue, found that more than half of the respondents had “pain (that) severely limited their daily routine for a week or longer, and 88 percent said it recurred throughout the year.” The report stated that while many go to a primary care physician first for diagnosis and treatment, the majority were disappointed with the results.
On the other hand, 59 percent reported that they were “highly satisfied” with the care they received from chiropractors. The next highest rated practitioners were physical therapists (55 percent) and acupuncturists (53 percent), followed by “specialized” physicians (44 percent) and primary care physicians (34 percent).
Respondents were also asked to rate the types of treatments they received. Again, chiropractic/spinal manipulation got top honors, with 58 percent rating it as “helping a lot.” Spinal injections were next highest, rated at 51 percent, followed by massage (48 percent) and physical therapy (46 percent). Other highly rated treatments included prescription medications (45 percent), yoga (44 percent), movement therapy and acupuncture (both 41 percent).
According to a Dynamic Chiropractic article on that report, “Chiropractic ranked first out of 11 treatments, including massage, acupuncture, and exercise, in its ability to treat back pain. More readers said that chiropractic ‘helped me feel much better’ than any of the other therapies.” Prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs ranked eighth and 10th, respectively.
So, if you’ve been “highly satisfied” with your chiropractic care, you’re not alone! In fact, more and more people are turning to chiropractic treatment not only for back pain relief, but for a wide variety of painful conditions from sports and repetitive stress injuries to arthritis.
A public version of the report can be found on the Consumer Reports Web site
Your San Jose Chiropractor Can Help Your Scoliosis
Posted by: | CommentsYour San Jose Chiropractor wants you to know as much as you can about your scoliosis and how you can get the pain relief you need:
Scoliosis: An Introduction
A normal spine looks straight, without much deviation from one side to the other, when the body is viewed from behind.Scoliosis is an affliction that is often associated with a lateral, or side-to-side, curvature of the spine.This condition often gives the appearance of the patient leaning to one side but it should not be confused with poor posture. Scoliosis is a complicated deformity that is defined by both lateral curvature and rotation of the vertebra frequently causing a characteristic “rib hump” in the mid or thoracic spine. This is caused by the vertebrae in the region of the major curve rotating toward the concavity and pushing their connected ribs posterior thus creating the symptomatic rib hump seen in thoracic scoliosis. The pulmonary and cardiac functions can be interfered with if the thoracic curve and rib rotation is more than 70 degrees. Frequently later in life in untreated severe idiopathic infantile and juvenile scoliosis patients, this amount of curve and subsequent cardiac and pulmonary changes can be life threatening.
Anatomy
The spine reveals four normal curves: the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral, all of which are observable from a side view of the trunk. In the lower spine there is a normal “C-shaped” curve called swayback or lordosis, while the thoracic curve in the chest vicinity has a “reverse C” called a kyphosis. Hyperlordosis is the term used to describe increased swayback, while increased kyphosis in the thoracic spine is called hyperkyphosis. Scoliosis changes regularly accompany diversions from normal on a side view. Postural exercises can eliminate some round back deformities that are simply due to unhealthy posture. A small number of individuals with kyphosis have more rigid deformities than the postural type, which are associated with vertebral deformity. This class of deformity, called Scheuermann’s kyphosis, is much harder to treat than postural kyphosis, and it’s cause is unknown.
Even a nonprofessional can help to identify a child or grownup with scoliosis just by observing the person in a standing position, preferably with no shirt and in briefs, and observing the following:
- One shoulder may be more elevated than the other.
- One scapula (shoulder blade) may be more elevated or more prominent than the other.
- With the arms hanging loosely at the sides, there may be more room between the arm and the body on one side.
- One hip may appear to be raised or more pronounced than the other.
- The head is not in plumb with the pelvis.
- One side of the back appears more elevated than the other when the individual is analyzed from the rear and asked to flex forward until the the spine is horizontal.
Once scoliosis is suspected, the child or adult should be sent to a healthcare professional, such as a chiropractor, for further assessment. your chiropractor would be happy to help.
The most prevailing class of scoliosis is, by far, Idiopathic, and even though there are many different roots and many types, Idiopathic Scoliosis accounts for about 85% of all cases. “Idiopathic” means “no known cause” and is witnessed with equal prevalence in boys and girls in the mild or low curve magnitudes. This disorder can be sub-classified into infantile, juvenile and adolescent types, based upon the age of onset. Idiopathic Scoliosis may be due to genetic or hereditary influences as it commonly runs in families. For reasons yet to be found, girls are five to eight times more likely than boys to have their curves increase in size and require treatment. As the term “Idiopathic Scoliosis” infers, this class of scoliosis more often than not happens when children are finishing their last major growth spurt. It is a good idea to have this age group viewed by a professional on a regular basis because young people are hesitant to let their body to be viewed by parents or other adults.
It is vital that if a scoliotic curve is found in a growing adolescent, the curves be monitored for any advancement by a periodic examination and on occasion standing x-rays. In ninety percent of instances, the scoliosis is mild and does not require active treatment, but increases in spinal deformity require evaluation to decide if a brace or other therapy is needed. In a small number of individuals, surgical treatment may be necessary.~Surgery may be necessary for a small number of individuals.
Brace therapy (orthosis) is recommended for newly-diagnosed conditions of moderate scoliosis or abnormal kyphosis, as well as when an increase in scoliosis or kyphosis is observed in both juvenile and adolescent children. There are many styles of braces, all created to prevent curves from increasing through acting as a buttress for the spine during active skeletal growth. Braces will not usually make the spine entirely straight, and cannot always keep a curve from increasing. Nevertheless, bracing is effectual in preventing curve progression in a very large percentage of skeletally-immature adolescents.
There is no simple resolution for scoliosis. Nearly all cases, even though frequently monitored, are not actively treated. Severe conditions are sometimes treated surgically, but the standard medical treatment for moderate conditions is a brace. You may want to see your local chiropractor first.
Besides bracing, many other methods have been used successfully such as specialized exercise, electric stimulation of spinal muscles, nutritional programs, and chiropractic treatments. It seems like the most beneficial results have been maintained with a multi-faceted approach to the treatment of this abnormality.
There are chiropractors, that have years of experience managing scoliosis cases.
San Jose Chiropractor: Fat Stomach is a Pain in the Back
Posted by: | CommentsYour San Jose Chiropractor is a back pain expert and, along with offering back pain treatment, offers the following suggestions on what you can personally do to help ease your back pain: There is a large number of men and women today struggling with weight loss on a regular basis, especially too much weight around the middle. However, the necessity to lose weight is, more often than not, more than a simple cosmetic issue. The fact of the matter is, if people are carrying around additional weight in the front of their body, their back is going to be adversely affected as a consequence.
The majority of people who are overweight experience moderate to severe back pain. This is because the spine was not made to carry anything that is more substantial in weight than the body is at its generally healthy weight. As a person puts on extra weight, the spine starts to distort and to compress, creating a lot of pain and discomfort. The pelvis can conjointly be affected and become tilted forward forcing it to pinch the sciatic nerve. This is a primary reason why individuals who are overweight tend to have problems with their lower back. The affliction is due to either sciatica or the distorting of the spinal column.
If this condition sounds painfully familiar, and you want to get out pain, certainly the thing to do is to get rid of some of the extra weight that you are carrying around, and your spine will start to respond and return to its regular position. Unfortunately, losing those pounds isn’t easy and it can take time, even with the best of intentions. However, on a positive note you don’t have to live with back pain as you lose the weight. A chiropractor can assist you in getting the pain relief you’ll need as you shed the extra pounds.
But, you will still need to lose the additional poundage, and being free of back pain will undoubted assist you in doing it. Two things that are simple (but not necessarily easy), but will be unquestionably beneficial to you in losing the extra weight naturally are doing some sort of exercise, even if it’s simply a little bit per day, and adapting the food you eat so that you are taking in less calories than you use throughout the day. Sure, you’ve heard about these two things before. But, now that you’ve found out that your back is depending on you, it’s the perfect time to get truly inspired.
Start exercising slowly, especially if you’re having difficulties with back pain. And, most importantly, be sure to see a chiropractor so that you don’t make the blunder that many people do, which is to exercise into the pain. That will definitely make your condition worse. Exercise, though sometimes uncomfortable, should never be painful or cause pain. That’s why it’s crucial to see a chiropractor if you’re having difficulties with back pain.
Do simple stretching exercises and also concentrate on your core abdominal body muscles. Strong stomach muscles aid in relieving back pain. Your chiropractor will be able to provide exercises that are best for you, individually. After a very short period of dedication to losing the weight that is causing your back pain and conceivably other health problems as well, you should begin to notice an enormous difference in the way that you feel.
Your San Jose Chiropractor Offers Back Pain Relief
Posted by: | CommentsYour San Jose Chiropractor has treated thousands of back pain suffers. In fact, low back pain is a common health problem that often affects more than 80% of people, making it second in prevalence only to the common cold. However, unlike the common cold, back pain is often puzzling to most of its sufferers. Your San Jose Chiropractor is an expert at solving the puzzle.
Anatomy
Knowledge of the anatomy of the spine is very useful in understanding back pain. The spinal bones or vertebrae of the lower back consist of posterior joints called facets that connect vertebrae to one another and serve to guide the movement of the spine. The inter-vertebral discs join the bodies of the vertebrae and are made of a form of dense cartilage that encases a soft material in the center, called the nucleus. The main function of the disc is as a shock absorber and spacer between the vertebrae. Ligaments and muscles also connect the vertebrae. The wedge-shaped bone at the bottom of the spine is the sacrum and is joined to the two pelvic bones at the sacroiliac joint. In a canal located between the body and the facets of the vertebrae is the spinal cord. The spinal nerves go out from the spine between the vertebrae.
Causes of back pain
Most often, back pain comes about without a trauma, an accident, or a major injury prior to the onset. The cause of most back pain is the cumulative effects of improper sitting posture, poor work habits, incorrect lifting, lack of regular exercise and other poor lifestyle-related factors. These cumulative factors create stresses and imbalances on the spine and, therefore, some may injure their back merely by bending over to pick up a piece of paper. The instability of the spine makes it vulnerable to even the most simple movements, such as bending. When this comes about, the surrounding back muscles go into spasm to protect the stressed or injured tissues of the back. Chiropractors are back pain specialists. Your San Jose Chiropractor can help you to get out of pain quickly.
Disc Problems & Sciatica
Prolonged sitting, especially in a slouched position causes increased pressure on the intervertebral discs and imbalances in the muscles surrounding the spine. Eventually the lower spine loses its customary function and no longer can make room for the normal day-to-day stresses in ones life. In the end, the intervertebral disc develops small fissures, or cracks, permitting the soft nucleus to bulge the disc outward. If the disc pushes on sensitive tissues, it creates the pain that is often referred to as a slipped disc. If the disc presses on the spinal nerve, a person can develop sciatica, which is defined as pain, tingling, numbness, and sometimes weakness in the lower extremities. On occasion if the disc protrusion or herniation is large and the condition is not managed correctly, surgery is required to remove the herniated disc material. But, with the correct chiropractic adjustments and management, as well as postural exercises, most of these cases can healthfully heal. If you are experiencing any of the conditions defined above, it is essential for you to seek chiropractic treatment.
Spondylosis
Increased wearing away and weight-bearing stress on the spine occurs when there is repetitive assault to the discs, facet joints, and surrounding ligaments. Bone spurs are produced when the cartilage around the joints is adversely affected by stress that engenders calcium to deposit in the tissues around the vertebrae. These spurs can restrict adjacent nerves, blood vessels and soft tissue resulting in symptoms ranging from minor pain and numbness to gross sensory loss and muscular atrophy. This condition – known as Spondylosis – is a form of arthritis that is likely to affect almost everyone at some point in life, as it is a common part of the aging process of the spine as well. But|However, determinants such as previous trauma, unhealthy lifestyle, and repetitive stress injury influence the time of onset in life. Regular chiropractic treatment and overall chiropractic management is very effective in slowing the aging process of the spine, as well as helping Spondylosis sufferers in managing their condition. Your San Jose Chiropractor has helped many Spondylosis sufferers.
Sacroiliac Problems
Another common area of dysfunction or injury in the low back is in the sacroiliac joints. These weight-bearing joints attach the upper part of the body to the lower pelvic portion and are usually very strong and stable. However with disturbances such as falls, sports injuries, or lifting heavy objects, the joints can become unstable and relocate to an abnormal position. This condition is called a sacroiliac subluxation. Women may get this condition during or after their pregnancy. The imbalances in the lower extremities caused by sacroiliac subluxation can create a functional long and short leg. Pain is felt particularly with prolonged standing and walking, or during and after physical activity, and the individual may experience a lack of energy and feeling tired easily. Other symptoms such as neck and shoulder pain, as well as headaches, can move further up the spine. Chiropractic adjustments establish the proper alignment of the joints and are extremely affective in ameliorating sacroiliac problems. Ask your San Jose chiropractor how you can receive effective pain relief.
Spinal Subluxation
A prevalent disorder of the lower back, as well as the entire spine, is subluxated or misaligned facet joints. Subluxations can exist on their own or in conjunction with disc problems and Spondylosis. They not only produce pain, but they can also imparel the spinal nerves as they exit the foramen or spaces between the vertebrae, and produce nerve compression, known as paraethesia. Paraesthesia is a change of sensation described as a tingling, burning or “funny feeling.” Paraesthesia in the upper extremities oftenoriginates from nerve problems in the neck, while paraesthesia in the lower extremities is commonly associated with nerve dysfunctionin the lumbar region (lower back). Visceral problems such as asthma and gastric conditions can also becorrelated with, or complicated by, spinal subluxations and nerve compression. Subluxations are best eliminated by chiropractic adjustments.
Trauma
Injury such as a fall, car accident, or sports injury can cause damage to the spine and lower back. Often these traumas create over-stretching or tearing of the tissues of the spine. When this happens a person can experience considerable pain and immobility. In order to prevent long term disability or the development of any of the conditions listed above, chiropractic adjustments and treatment at the onset of symptoms is vital. If you experience a trauma, call your chiropractor as soon as possible.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is often associated with low back pain. chiropractic care offers exceptional pain relief.
When it comes to the spine, chiropractors have more education and training than medical doctors. I can provides state of the art diagnosis and expert treatment for any of the above-mentioned dysfunctions of the spine and lower back.
