Give Chronic Low Back Pain the Boot

Give Chronic Low Back Pain the Boot

By Editorial Staff

Can’t seem to get rid of that low back pain? Your chiropractor can help in multiple ways. In fact, a new study suggests custom orthotics (shoe inserts) are an effective treatment option, alone or in combination with chiropractic care, for relieving pain and improving function in patients with chronic low back pain.

Researchers randomized 225 adult subjects with symptomatic LBP for three months or more into three groups for comparison.

Pain and disability were assessed at baseline and re-assessed after six weeks. The shoe orthotic group received custom-made orthotics; the “plus” group received custom orthotics plus chiropractic care (spinal manipulation, hot or cold packs and manual soft-tissue massage); and the “waitlist” group received no intervention until week six of the study, at which time they also received custom orthotics.

After six weeks, shoe orthotic and “plus” patients had experienced significant improvements in pain and function compared to patients receiving no intervention until week six (waitlist group). Comparing the orthotics-only and “plus” groups, the latter achieved greater improvements in function, but similar pain relief as the orthotics-only group.

Perhaps most notably, decreased pain and functional improvement remained significant for up to 12 months in all three groups (even the waitlist group, which received orthotics only at week six), suggesting orthotic intervention, alone or in combination with chiropractic care, can have a lasting impact on chronic LBP. As the authors stated:

“It is noteworthy that for most time points after week 6, the MCID [minimal clinically important difference] data remained relatively stable, with no large decreases in the proportion of subjects who had at least 30% improvement in pain or disability compared with baseline, potentially demonstrating a lasting effect of care with the orthotic treatment.”

Talk to your chiropractor to learn more about how a comprehensive chiropractic care plan including spinal manipulation and custom orthotics can help relieve your low back pain and help minimize the chances it will return.

Source: Cambron JA, et al. Shoe orthotics for the treatment of chronic low back pain: randomized clinical trial. Arch Phys Med Rehab, 2017 (in press).

Take the Sting Out of Sciatica

Take the Sting Out of Sciatica

By Editorial Staff

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, beginning in the lower back and extending through the buttocks and down the entire leg. When the nerve is inflamed or compressed, you’ve got sciatica, characterized by mild to severe pain, burning, tingling, numbness and/or weakness.

Your chiropractor knows a great deal about sciatica, particularly because the nerve originates in the lower back, and herniated spinal discs account for the majority of sciatica cases. In fact, sciatica is a common reason for visiting a chiropractor. If you’re suffering from sciatica, your DC may perform chiropractic adjustments and related techniques to help resolve your pain.

In terms of future prevention once the pain is gone, exercise – specifically two low-level activities, walking and biking – may be suggested. Why? According to recent research, regular walking and/or biking reduces the risk of being hospitalized for sciatica by 33 percent, the same percentage risk increase attributable to obesity. While sciatica uncommonly leads to a hospital stay, it can persist if not treated properly and cause significant pain / disability.

The study did not find an association with other types of leisure-time physical activities, leading the researchers to speculate that walking / biking are specifically beneficial because they are low-level physical activities that don’t strain the low back.

Talk to your chiropractor about sciatica prevention and conservative chiropractic treatment – before you are someone you know is faced with chronic pain or even hospitalization.

Your Bones Deserve Better

Your Bones Deserve Better

By Editorial Staff

Think your bones will always be strong and supportive? Think again. While the human body reaches peak bone mass by the late 20s (and up to 90 percent by age 18-20), that doesn’t mean things will stay that way, particularly if you don’t eat right, exercise and pursue other bone-friendly health behaviors.

What’s more, our bones naturally start to lose bone mass / density with age, even if you’re living a healthy lifestyle. The consequences can be staggering, starting with osteoporosis and leading to bone fractures, which can be debilitating, particularly if you’re older.

With all that said, why would you ever do anything that puts your bone health in jeopardy? You wouldn’t. But unfortunately, too many people are doing just that, and one of the culprits is insulin resistance.

When we eat, your blood sugar levels naturally rise. The pancreas responds by releasing insulin into the bloodstream, which helps deliver the sugar into the cells, where it can be used to meet the body’s energy demands. If your body doesn’t need all that sugar, insulin helps store it in your liver and then releases it to the body when it’s needed.

The problem is when we consistently have too much sugar in our blood. At a certain point, the body can become ineffective at using insulin to reduce blood sugar levels, which can lead to type 2 diabetes and related complications. This ineffectiveness is known as insulin resistance or poor sensitivity.

Now, back to our story. Research suggests insulin resistance can do more than contribute to diabetes; it can also reduce bone density. A large study of men and women ages 25-35 revealed that participants with the highest levels of insulin resistance had lower bone density than participants with healthy / normal insulin function. The key here is that study participants were only 25-35 – an age range at which bone density / mass should be fairly optimal and not yet influenced by age, hormones (e.g., menopause) and related factors.

Your bones deserve better. Support them and they’ll literally support you. Talk to your doctor about bone health; how you can help your bones with proper diet, weight-bearing exercise and other considerations; and why insulin resistance can be a big problem not only for your bones, but your health in general.

Beating Back Pain: Get Moving

Beating Back Pain: Get Moving

By Editorial Staff

Back pain is bothersome enough when it only lasts a short time; when it keeps coming back or doesn’t ever really go away, it can change your life. Of course, that’s where spinal adjustments provided by your chiropractor can help, both to deal with the initial pain and help prevent its recurrence.

But your chiropractor’s probably told you other things can help as well, particularly in conjunction with adjustments and to lower your risk of suffering repeated episodes of pain. Exercise is one of them, and research continues to prove it.

New research suggests people who participate in regular physical activity, whether low-intensity activity such as walking or more intense pursuits such as athletics, are less likely to suffer chronic low back pain compared to less-active people. In fact, according to the research, which reviewed 36 studies involving more than 150,000 people (none of whom had back pain at the start of their respective study), the risk of experiencing chronic LBP was 14 percent lower for moderately active people and 16 percent lower for highly active people, compared to the least active.

Talk to your chiropractor to learn more about how staying active can not only help prevent back pain from becoming chronic, but also may help prevent it from happening in the first place.

Why You Should Be Making Periodic Visits to Your Chiropractor

Why You Should Be Making Periodic Visits to Your Chiropractor

By Editorial Staff

When you experience back pain, chiropractic care can help relieve the pain and identify the underlying cause. But your care shouldn’t stop once the pain stops (or comes back, which can frequently happen).

A new study suggests maintenance chiropractic care (defined by the researchers as “treatment at regular intervals regardless of symptoms”) is more effective than symptomatic treatment (receiving chiropractic treatment only when you’re experiencing pain).

In the study, patients with recurrent / persistent low back pain who received maintenance care (scheduled every 1-3 months) after their initial treatment reported an average of 19.3 days of “bothersome” low back pain over a 12-month period compared to patients who received only symptomatic chiropractic care. Overall, during the 12-month period, maintenance care patients made seven visits, on average, to their chiropractor, versus five visits, on average, for symptomatic patients.

So, if you’re suffering low back pain and your chiropractor suggests you come in periodically for treatment, you may want to heed his/her advice. It’s a research-supported suggestion that could dramatically reduce the amount of time you spend in pain.

Chronic Pain Damages Your Brain

To Your Health
June, 2017 (Vol. 11, Issue 06)

Chronic Pain Damages Your Brain

By Editorial Staff

Chronic pain is front and center these days now that the opioid crisis – the wrong way to manage pain – has been exposed and opportunities to prevent and treat pain instead of medication (a key example: chiropractic) jump into the spotlight.
The reason for this increased emphasis isn’t just because opioids have been proven often unnecessary and frequently dangerous, if not deadly, for treating pain – it’s also because pain, particularly chronic pain, can be just as dangerous / deadly if not addressed. In fact, recent research suggests chronic pain may be so damaging as to cause brain changes that lead to cognitive decline and dementia.

In a study involving more than 10,000 elderly adults, researchers reviewed more than a decade of surveys that tracked pain levels and cognitive abilities. While cognitive function (memory, attention, etc.) tends to decline with age, those declines occurred significantly more rapidly in people who reported ongoing moderate to severe pain compared to people with little to no pain. What’s more, the risk of suffering dementia (Alzheimer’s is the most common cause) was also slightly higher in people with chronic pain.

This is a great example of how pain can impact areas of your body and life that aren’t directly tied in to the source of the pain. And that’s where chiropractic care can be so important, because chiropractors look for the cause of the pain and then work to resolve it, rather than just treating the symptom with a dangerous opioid or other medication. If you’re suffering from chronic pain, talk to your chiropractor; your body and mind will thank you for it.

Your Heart Hates These Medications

Your Heart Hates These Medications

By Editorial Staff

If you haven’t figured it out yet, your heart is a big deal – a very big deal, and we’re just talking about the health side of things. So let’s keep figuring out ways to keep it as healthy as possible for as long as possible.

Avoiding use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for even a few days is one way, suggests research.

This finding is big because NSAIDs are so readily available and commonly used for everything from headaches to back pain. Think Advil, Motrin and similar over-the-counter medications. In this large study (nearly 500,000 participants ages 40-79), NSAID use for one to seven days increased the risk of suffering a heart attack by 24-53 percent: 24 percent for celecoxib (Celebrex), 48 percent for ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), 50 percent for diclofenac (Voltaren) and 53 percent for naproxen (Aleve). Heart attack risk increased with higher doses and higher duration of use.

Does this mean if you take NSAIDs, you’ll suffer a heart attack? It depends on your cardiovascular risk, general health and other factors. But you certainly don’t want to take the chance, particularly if there are safer options available to deal with your pain. That’s where chiropractic and other drug-free therapies can make a big difference.

By the way, this isn’t the first time (and won’t be the last) that over-the-counter medications have been linked to dangerous health outcomes. While the pharmaceutical industry, mainstream advertising and even your medical doctor have made NSAIDs seem like the first choice for managing pain, increasing research suggests they should be one of the last. Fortunately, major health organizations are starting to get it. Click here to learn more.

What Your Spine Says About Your Health

What Your Spine Says About Your Health

By Perry Nickelston, DC, FMS, SFMA

You may have heard the saying, “the eyes are the window to the soul.” There is another saying in the world of chiropractic, “your spine is the window to your health.” How can the condition of your spine divulge so much information about overall health? Your spine is the central support column of your body and its primary role is to protect your spinal cord.

Think of it like the foundational frame of a house holding everything together. If the frame becomes dysfunctional many problems will begin to manifest themselves. The house begins to develop cracks, shifts, and structural problems. When your spinal foundation becomes dysfunctional you develop aches, pains, injuries, and other health related issues. The good news is you can do a simple spinal health checklist to determine if you may benefit from the expert intervention of a chiropractor or other healthcare professional. Becoming familiar with simple spinal anatomy, structure and function will help empower you to take control of your health.

Your spine is composed of 24 bones (vertebrae); 7 in the neck (cervical spine), 12 in the middle back (thoracic spine), 5 in the lower back (lumbar spine) and the base tailbone (sacrum). Your soft spinal cord is encased inside these 24 moveable hard vertebrae to protect it from injury. Your spinal column has three natural curvatures making it much stronger and more resilient than a straight design. There are cervical, thoracic, and lumbar curves designed with precise angles for optimum function. However, these curves are different than the abnormal curves associated with scoliosis and postural distortions. You may remember getting screened in school or your doctor for scoliosis when they had you bend over and touch your toes. This was an early checklist for spinal abnormalities. Through life’s stresses, genetics, trauma, injuries, and neglect the spine can develop dysfunctions in these curvatures and the body must compensate by changing posture as a protective mechanism.

What are some of the compensations your body develops and what can they tell you about spinal health?

Rounded Shoulders: This is a very common postural distortion resulting from more sedentary lifestyles. Hunching over in front of a computer screen hours on end simply feeds this dysfunction. This poor posture pattern adds increased stress to the upper back and neck because the head is improperly positioned relative to the shoulders. Common effects are headaches, shoulder, pain, neck pain and even tingling and numbness in the arms because of nerve compression by tight muscles.

Uneven shoulders: One shoulder higher than the other is indicative of a muscular imbalance or spinal curvature. You probably see this one on most people where one shoulder is migrating up towards the ear. Stand in front of a mirror and you can easily see if this asymmetry is present. You may also notice that one sleeve is longer than the other when you wear a shirt. This asymmetry is a common precursor for shoulder injuries, headaches, neck pain, elbow injuries and even carpal tunnel syndrome (tingling in the hands).

Uneven hips: Hips that are not level are like the foundation of a house that is not level. You begin to develop compensations further up the body so you remain balanced when walking. You develop altered spinal curvatures, shoulder positions, and head tilts. Your body has one primary purpose of maintaining symmetry and balance and it will do it whatever way is necessary. Signs of unbalanced hips may manifest in abnormal shoe wear typically on the outside edges and pants will fit unevenly in the leg length.

When you visit a chiropractor for a spinal evaluation some of the things they will search for during your evaluation are underlying signs of spinal damage that you can’t see. Spinal x-rays are a safe and effective way to get look at your spine for damage or potential problems. Just like a dentist takes an x-ray of your teeth to see if you have cavities or problems with the bones below gum line. If problems are detected, corrective or preventive measures can be implemented to help your body function at optimum.

Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD): This is not a real disease in the terms of how we think of them. DDD is term used to describe degeneration and excessive wear on the soft tissue disc structures between the spinal bones. It may come with age or from biomechanical asymmetries in movement causing excessive wear from overuse. Sort of like uneven treads on a car with imbalanced tires, one may be worse than the other. Although the degeneration cannot be reversed, once discovered there are strategies your chiropractor can implement rebalancing exercises and therapies to help prevent further damage.

Osteoarthritis: The breakdown of the tissue (cartilage) that protects and cushions joints. Arthritis often leads to painful swelling and inflammation from joints rubbing together. The increase in friction causes a protective pain response and excessive swelling where the body attempt to add artificial cushioning via swelling.

Herniated disc: A herniated disc is an abnormal bulge or breaking open of a protective spinal disc or cushioning between spinal bones. Patient’s may or may not experience symptoms with a herniated disc. Disc diagnosis is conformed via a special imaging study called an MRI (\Magnetic Resonance Imaging) which observes soft and hard tissue structures. You cannot see or confirm a suspected disc herniation via normal spinal x-rays.

Spinal stenosis: The narrowing of the spinal canal the open space in the spine that holds the spinal cord. Stenosis is a more severe form of arthritis that typically causes radiating (referred pain down the arms or legs) from an irritated or compressed spinal nerve.

If you experience spinal pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, muscles spasms or swelling near your spine or arms and legs consult a healthcare professional. These are all warning signal signs from your body that something is wrong and needs your attention. Pain is how your body communicates its function with you. A car has dashboard warning lights that tell you when the car has a problem. If you chose to ignore the signals bad things are going to happen. Your body has its own warning light system. Start checking for the warning lights. Ignore them at your own risk. See your chiropractor for a proper assessment and any concerns.

Perry Nickelston, DC, is clinical director of the Pain Laser Center in Ramsey, N.J., where he focuses on performance enhancement, corrective exercise and metabolic fitness nutrition To learn more about Dr. Nickelston, visit www.painlasercenter.com/Our_Practice.html.

Non Surgical Treatment

Why surgery is not always the answer to your sports injury

Sports are fun, and can be a great way to build camaraderie, self-esteem, and physical fitness, but they can also often be the arena where injuries occur, both acute and chronic. Acute injuries are those which occur suddenly during activity. Signs include sudden, severe pain, swelling, inability to place weight on a lower limb, extreme tenderness in an upper limb, inability to move a joint through its full range of motion, extreme limb weakness, and visible dislocation or break of a bone. Chronic injuries usually result from overuse of an area while playing a sport or exercising over a long period of time. Signs include pain when performing an activity, a dull ache when at rest, loss of range of motion, and/or swelling.

Common Types of Sports Injuries include:

• Muscle sprains and strains
• Tears of the ligaments that hold joints together
• Knee injuries
• Tears of the tendons that support joints and allow them to move
• Shin splints
• Dislocated joints
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Concussions
• Fractured bones, including vertebrae
• Dislocations

Whether acute or chronic, never try to “work through” the pain of an injury; do not subscribe to the “no pain, no gain” mindset! Pain is your body’s 911 call to STOP doing the activity or movement that is bringing you pain before it causes further harm. Pain is never an indicator that you should continue with any activity. While some injuries require prompt medical attention, some will require physical therapy, and still others may require corrective surgery.

Although severe injuries may need emergency treatment that includes surgery, most musculoskeletal sports injuries can be assessed and, in many cases, treated by your primary health care provider or professional chiropractor.

Depending on the severity of your injury or the likelihood that you could experience ongoing, long-term problems, your doctor may refer you to a physical therapist or orthopedic surgeon. However, surgery is a solution that often requires extensive recovery and healing time, and can sometimes come with unwanted side effects, not to mention the drain on your budget! If your insurance does not cover certain costs, you could be in for a big surprise in the way of an unwanted financial burden after surgery.

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), you should seek the advice and treatment of a health professional if your injury causes severe pain, swelling, or numbness, you can’t tolerate any weight on the area, or the pain or dull ache of an old injury is accompanied by increased swelling, joint abnormality, or instability.

The NIH recommends using the RICE method to relieve pain and inflammation and speed healing immediately after injury, and to continue this treatment for at least 48 hours:

1. Reduce regular exercise or activities of daily living as needed. If you cannot put weight on an ankle or knee, crutches may help. If you use a cane or one crutch for an ankle injury, use it on the uninjured side to help you lean away and relieve weight on the injured ankle.
2. Apply an ice pack to the injured area for 20 minutes at a time, four to eight times a day. A cold pack, ice bag, or plastic bag filled with crushed ice and wrapped in a towel can be used. To avoid cold injury and frostbite, do not apply the ice for more than 20 minutes. (Note: Do not use heat immediately after an injury. This tends to increase internal bleeding or swelling. Heat can be used later on to relieve muscle tension and promote relaxation.)
3. Compression of the injured area may help reduce swelling. Compression can be achieved with elastic wraps, special boots, air casts, and splints. Ask your health care provider for advice on which one to use.
4. If possible, keep the injured ankle, knee, elbow, or wrist elevated on a pillow, above the level of the heart, to help decrease swelling.

Chiropractic care offers several methods of pain relief for sports-related injuries. These include muscle stimulation, ultrasound therapy, dry needling, laser therapy, kinesio tape, acupuncture, massage, and manipulation. All of these methodologies are available to help your body heal from injury, and we at Springs Chiropractic will tailor your pain management treatment to fit your unique condition and situation, and we will do our best to help you avoid surgery whenever possible.

If pain or other symptoms worsen, it is always best to check with your health care provider. If you want to benefit from sports injury doctors who offer various techniques to treat sports-related injuries, call the experts at Springs Chiropractic today for an appointment.

Got Back Pain? Chiropractic Works

Got Back Pain? Chiropractic Works

By Editorial Staff

Whether you’re a current chiropractic patient or just considering becoming one, low back pain may be the reason why. Nearly 80 percent of adults experience at least one episode of low back pain during their lifetime, and for many, the pain can recur and/or become chronic.

Fortunately, the research continues to suggest spinal manipulation (chiropractic adjustments) is a primary treatment option to get rid of the pain.

Case in point: a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, no less, that reviewed 15 studies and found spinal manipulation reduced pain and improved function after six weeks of treatment. The benefits were similar to those achieved with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), common over-the-counter pain relievers that come with a long list of potential side effects, particularly if used for more than a short time.

These findings are particularly important because as we’ve discussed several times in recent issues, managing pain with drugs – particularly opioids – has become a dangerous epidemic, and health care providers of all types are increasingly appreciating the value of nondrug care for back pain. In fact, the American College of Physicians’ new guidelines on low back pain recommend spinal manipulation among the nonpharmaceutical options that should be tried first, before resorting to medication. Talk to your doctor for more information.