Researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine reviewed records from 1,450 patients in the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation database who had diagnoses of disc degeneration, disc herniation or radiculopathy, a nerve condition that causes tingling and weakness of the limbs. Half of the patients had surgery to fuse two or more vertebrae in hopes of curing low back pain. The other half had no surgery, even though they had comparable diagnoses. After two years, just 26 percent of those who had surgery returned to work. That’s compared to 67 percent of patients who didn’t have surgery. In what might be the most troubling study finding, researchers determined that there was a 41 percent increase in the use of painkillers, specifically opiates, in those who had surgery.

Researchers reviewed records from 1,450 patients in the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation database who had diagnoses of disc degeneration, disc herniation or radiculopathy, a nerve condition that causes tingling and weakness of the limbs. Half of the patients had surgery to fuse two or more vertebrae in hopes of curing low back pain. The other half had no surgery, even though they had comparable diagnoses.

After two years, just 26 percent of those who had surgery returned to work. That’s compared to 67 percent of patients who didn’t have surgery. In what might be the most troubling study finding, researchers determined that there was a 41 percent increase in the use of painkillers, specifically opiates, in those who had surgery. The study’s lead author, Dr. Trang Nguyen, said that the study provides clear evidence that for many patients, fusion surgeries designed to alleviate pain from degenerating discs don’t work.

I have said it before (many times before), but it bears repeating: Before choosing surgery to get rid of your back pain, call your chiropractor for conservative chiropractic treatment first. Your chiropractor is a spine expert who is committed to helping back pain sufferers get out of pain through natural, non-invasive procedures. Call today. You have nothing to lose but your back pain!

Technorati Tags: back pain, back surgery, chiropractic, chiropractor, Where:Santa-Barbara-CA

As a Santa Barbara Chiropractor I know the debilitating effects of back pain. Though some people try to “ignore” their back pain in the hopes that it will go away on its own, the majority of individuals know that back pain is difficult, if not impossible, to ignore. Back pain is a constant. It interferes with a person’s ability to work and to enjoy daily life, and it makes it impossible to get a good night’s sleep. In addition, many people know that untreated back pain can cause further musculoskeletal problems. But it will, no doubt, come as a surprise to almost everyone that unaddressed back pain that lingers six months or more has been linked with a loss of brain volume that’s equivalent to 10 to 20 years of normal aging. That’s right!  According to new research at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, back pain can significantly age the brain!  A. Vania Apkarian, Ph.D. and co-author of the study, said that the decline has to do with how the brain adapts to pain, and such decline can damage a person’s ability to assess emotional cues and control emotion.

If you are someone who needed one more reason to make an appointment with your chiropractor to get the treatment you need for your back pain, the possibility of significant brain decline might just be the “inspiration” you needed! Be smart (and stay smart) by calling your chiropractor today!

Technorati Tags: back pain, chiropractor, Where:Santa-Barbara-CA

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. If you live in the Santa Barbara area, feel free to call our office at 805-882-1956. Thanks for reading!

A public version of the report can be found on the Consumer Reports Web site

Technorati Tags: back pain relief, chiropractic, chiropractor, Consumer Report

In many instances back pain is a mystery to most people who are afflicted by it, and chiropractors are proficient at solving the puzzle. They want to know why it is that they have not experienced any trauma, accidents, or major injuries before the onset of their condition? The answer is that the cumulative effects of unsuitable sitting posture, bad work habits, incorrect lifting, lack of routine exercise, and other unhealthy lifestyle-related influences generate most back pain. These factors add up over time and produce stresses and imbalances on the spine producing subluxations that can turn into serious back conditions. The process is similar to the front end of your car being out of alignment. When you persist in driving anyway, there is unbalanced wear and tear on your tires. If you ignore the problem, the situation would, no doubt, get worse until you “blew” a tire. The stability of the spine is jeopardized when your spine is misaligned. It’s not only a problem waiting to happen, so to speak, it’s a problem waiting to get worse. And then, something as easy as bending over to pick up a piece of paper can be the “final factor” that causes back injury. The surrounding back muscles go into spasm when thisoccurs to stabilize the stressed or injured tissues of the back.

Chiropractors have more education, training, and experience than medical doctors when it comes to problems of the spine. They offer highly qualified diagnosis and experienced treatment for all muscular-skeletal problems. They not only provide welcomed relief to individuals suffering from back pain, but they are aware of what will assist you in avoiding further back pain. Your chiropractor not only will provide you with effectual adjustments and other productive chiropractic therapies but, in addition, will offer a personal exercise strategy and recommend other beneficial lifestyle changes that will help to keep you well-adjust and pain-free in the future.

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The majority of men and women who are overweight encounter moderate to severe back pain. The reason for this is because the spine was not made to carry anything that weighs more than the body is at its generally healthy weight.  As a human being puts on added weight, the spine starts to negatively change and to compress, creating a lot of pain and discomfort.  In addition, it can have an impact on the pelvis, tilting it forward and perhaps compelling it to pinch the sciatic nerve. That is one of the main reasons why people who are overweight tend to have challenges with their lower back. The affliction is due to either sciatica or the distorting of the spinal column.

If you are suffering from this problem, certainly the thing to do is to take off the extra weight that you are carrying around, and your spine will immediately respond and return to its regular position.  Regrettably, losing weight is difficult and it can take time, even with the best of intentions. But, luckily you don’t have to endure back pain as you lose the weight. A chiropractor can help you to get the pain relief you’ll require to help you as you shed the extra pounds.

However, you will still need to lose the extra pounds, and not having back pain will undoubted help you do it. Two things that are simple (but not necessarily easy), but will be highly beneficial to you in losing the extra weight naturally are doing some sort of exercise, even if it’s merely a little bit per day, and adapting the food you eat so that you are taking in less calories than you are using 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 motivated.

Start exercising slowly, especially if you’re having challenges with back pain. And, most importantly, be sure to see a chiropractor so that you don’t go wrong the way many people do, which is to exercise into the pain. That will definitely make matters worse. Exercise, though occasionally uncomfortable, should never be painful or cause pain. That’s why it’s important to see a chiropractor if you’re suffering from back pain.

Do basic 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, personally. After a very short period of dedication to losing the weight that is producing your back pain and conceivably other health difficulties as well, you ought to begin to notice a significant difference in the way that you feel.

Technorati Tags: back pain, fat, overweight, Santa Barbara Chiropractor