Saturday, March 7, 2015
When is the right time to visit my Chiropractor?
Most people only think about visiting their chiropractic doctor after an accident or injury. But the fact remains that preventative chiropractic care is just as important as pain relief care, especially if you are looking for long-term results. Through preventative chiropractic treatments, we are able to improve your overall quality of life and help you strive for optimum wellness. Preventative treatment incorporates recurrent chiropractic adjustments and counseling that can assist those who want to promote wellness and improve their quality of life.
Benefits of Preventative Care:
It is not unusual to have degenerative changes in the spine that will cause chronic or recurring back pain over time. Research shows that more regular chiropractic treatment can prevent degenerative changes from developing. Other benefits of preventative chiropractic care include:
Better sleep quality – after adjustments, patients often report longer, more sound sleep Improved digestive health – many patients report less indigestion, heartburn and bowel irregularity after an adjustment
Immunity boost – research has shown that chiropractic care improves your central nervous system, thus improving your immune system
Less anxiety – adjustments quite down the body’s “fight or flight” response to stress.
Do I really need preventative care?
We use preventative care in order to prevent future pain or health problems, prevent a relapse and improve overall health. Spinal adjustments and physical therapy helps your body stay at its best and enable your body to draw on its own natural healing abilities.
Your spine is a very important, delicate structure and unlike teeth, it isn’t replaceable. Statistics have shown that only about 1/3 of all spinal surgeries can be deemed successful upon completion. A little preventative chiropractic care early in life can go a long way in maintaining your spinal health for years to come.
Tips to Prevent Back Pain:
While preventative care is one of the best ways to assure continued spinal health, there are some steps you can take at home in conjunction with regular care:
Maintain a healthy diet and weight
Avoid prolonged inactivity or bed rest
Warm up or stretch before exercising or other physical activities
Maintain proper posture
Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes
Whether you want to make smarter lifestyle decisions, improve techniques regarding your exercise routine, want to discuss the mechanics and importance of spinal health or you just need stress reduction through lifestyle modification and personal habits, preventative chiropractic care may be the solution you are looking for.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Did You Know This About Low Back Pain? Some General Facts to Begin With...
If you have low back pain (LBP), you are certainly not alone. Almost everyone at some point has back pain that interferes with work, daily activities, and/or recreation. Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on LBP. It is the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to lost work time. Back pain is second to headaches as the most common neurological condition in the United States. Fortunately, most occurrences of LBP go away within a few days. Others take much longer to resolve or lead to more serious conditions (1).
There are two types of low back pain – acute and chronic. Most episodes of acute LBP last from a few days to weeks, are not neurological and usually do not carry a high level of surgical risk. The cause of LBP can be difficult to isolate because often, while the cause is cumulative where multiple events over time, the last activity the patient recalls is “bending over for a pencil.” This, by itself is not likely to cause an acute onset of LBP.
Low back pain can be caused by trauma such as sports injuries, work around the house such as garden work, car accidents, and others. Chronic low back pain, by definition, is LBP that lasts more than 3 months and the cause can be more difficult to identify and is often cumulative and superimposed on a prior condition such as degenerative disk or joint disease. A real problem is the rate of recurrence or, chronic, recurrent low back pain where pain may subside but returns at various rates of frequency and duration. This category affects a high percentage of the population and represents the true challenge in spine care management (1, 2).
As people age, their bone strength and muscle stretch, strength and tone usually decreases due to lack of activity. When the disks begin to lose fluid and flexibility, their ability to cushion the vertebrae and function as “shock absorbers” also decreases. Disks can tear, bulge, and/or herniate which results in localized LBP and/or radiating pain that follows the course one or more of the 31 pairs of nerve roots (i.e. “sciatica” down the back of the leg). Soft tissues such as joint capsules and ligaments lose their capacity to stretch and can tear more easily, resulting in a sprain or strain (muscle/tendon injury). Other conditions that either cause or contribute to LBP include arthritis, obesity, smoking, pregnancy, stress, poor posture and/or physical health, and can lead to unsatisfied patients if these co-contributors are not properly identified and discussed. Less commonly, LBP can be caused by a more serious condition such as cancer, fracture, infection, spinal cord compression, and various internal conditions (3). Emergency care may be indicated in these circumstances.
There are two types of low back pain – acute and chronic. Most episodes of acute LBP last from a few days to weeks, are not neurological and usually do not carry a high level of surgical risk. The cause of LBP can be difficult to isolate because often, while the cause is cumulative where multiple events over time, the last activity the patient recalls is “bending over for a pencil.” This, by itself is not likely to cause an acute onset of LBP.
Low back pain can be caused by trauma such as sports injuries, work around the house such as garden work, car accidents, and others. Chronic low back pain, by definition, is LBP that lasts more than 3 months and the cause can be more difficult to identify and is often cumulative and superimposed on a prior condition such as degenerative disk or joint disease. A real problem is the rate of recurrence or, chronic, recurrent low back pain where pain may subside but returns at various rates of frequency and duration. This category affects a high percentage of the population and represents the true challenge in spine care management (1, 2).
As people age, their bone strength and muscle stretch, strength and tone usually decreases due to lack of activity. When the disks begin to lose fluid and flexibility, their ability to cushion the vertebrae and function as “shock absorbers” also decreases. Disks can tear, bulge, and/or herniate which results in localized LBP and/or radiating pain that follows the course one or more of the 31 pairs of nerve roots (i.e. “sciatica” down the back of the leg). Soft tissues such as joint capsules and ligaments lose their capacity to stretch and can tear more easily, resulting in a sprain or strain (muscle/tendon injury). Other conditions that either cause or contribute to LBP include arthritis, obesity, smoking, pregnancy, stress, poor posture and/or physical health, and can lead to unsatisfied patients if these co-contributors are not properly identified and discussed. Less commonly, LBP can be caused by a more serious condition such as cancer, fracture, infection, spinal cord compression, and various internal conditions (3). Emergency care may be indicated in these circumstances.
Your doctor should perform a complete examination, consider other contributing causes, and treat the problem(s) causing the LBP condition(not just the symptoms!). If needed, working with other allied health care providers shall be arranged.
Spinal manipulation, functional rehabilitation, dietary recommendations, ergonomic, work modifications, and home exercise should be considered to help eliminate or control of your LBP. Methods of self-managing the LBP will be emphasized.
1. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/backpain/detail_backpain.htm
- http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/lower-back-pain/lower-back-pain-symptoms-and-treatment-options
- Bigos S, Bowyer O, Braen G, et al. Acute Low Back Problems in Adults. Clinical Practice Guideline. Rockville, Md: US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; 1994.
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