Archive for back pain
Santa Barbara Chiropractor Reveals Another Study on Failed Back Surgeries
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As your Santa Barbara chiropractor I feel that it is my obligation to pass along the results of a recent study regarding failed back surgeries: Did you know that complicated spine surgeries that involve fusing two or more vertebrae are actually on the rise? You may find it surprising, or even shocking, to discover that experts estimate that nearly 600,000 Americans opt for back operations each year, and according to a study published in Spine several months ago, in just 15 years, there has been an eight-fold jump in vertebrae fusion operations. That statistic has most chiropractors, many public health experts, and even some surgeons concerned. In fact, Dr. Charles Burton, medical director for The Center for Restorative Spine Surgery in St. Paul, MN, said that spine surgery and fusion has gotten way beyond what is reasonable or necessary, and that there are some areas of the country where the rate of spine surgery is three or four times the national average. What’s worse, according to the study, in many cases surgery can even backfire, leaving patients in more pain!
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!
1809 Cliff Dr. Santa Barbara, CA, 93109 USA
mesachiropractor@gmail.com • 805-963-2069
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!
As a Santa Barbara Chiropractor and healthcare provider, I would be remiss if I didn’t address the vital issue of excess weight and how it negatively affects every part of the human body. I explain the health challenges to my overweight patients and hammer away on the subject in my blogs because in addition to the cardio-vascular diseases caused by obesity, much of the back pain, hip pain, and knee pain that people experience is influenced by the undue stress excess weight puts on the joints of the body. And, though it may not surprise you, an expert panel in a report out just today said that people in this country must slash their calories and increase physical activity because the obesity epidemic is “the single greatest threat to public health in this century.”
We all know that dieting isn’t easy, but the advisory committee for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans gave this clear-cut advice: “People in this country need to cut the calories they consume from added sugars and solid fats (butter, marbled meats) and start eating a more nutrient-rich, plant-based diet.”
The report called for many changes in the food environment. To read more, go to: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2010-06-15-
Chiropractic Santa Barbara Advises: If You'd Like to Avoid Golf Injuries, Get Ready!
Posted by: | CommentsChiropractic Santa Barbara treats hundreds of individuals, adults and children alike, who have sustained sports injuries. With any kind of sport, injuries are commonplace. You can often avoid getting injured in a particular sport by discovering what injury is likely to occur, and then do as much as you can to avoid it. The Truth is, however, that sports injuries can’t always be avoided. Consequently, it’s important to be in good physical shape to make injury less probable, or less traumatic. Prior to starting a sport, such as golf, the most valuable thing you can do is to be sure that you have an appropriate fitness level. By cultivating a healthy lifestyle, making sure your joints are mobile and your muscles are limber, warming and stretching your body before activity, using proper form and good postures while actively playing, and giving yourself an appropriate amount of cool down and relaxation time, you will probably keep your body safe from injury.
Golf injuries don’t just happen to amateurs. It has been conjectured that almost a third of pro golfers playing concurrently are playing with injuries. Fortunately, general good health and fitness can reduce the number of injuries that you may experience and may actually preclude them completely.
Good body strength in the muscle regions most used when golfing is very important. However, before you try to build muscle strength, it’s important to make certain your spine is aligned and has good mobility. A successful golf swing is contingent upon your spine’s facility to adequately move in a rotational fashion. Back injuries are the most common sort of injuries sustained by golfers. Your chiropractor will insure that your spine is in healthy alignment and that there is efficient movement of the vertebrae. Chiropractic treatment can make a big difference in helping you to avoid back injury.
Once you’re “straightened” it’s time to strengthen. Being prepared for your golf game is paramount to a safe, injury-free day on the green. Golf stretching and flexibility practices will warm up your muscles and make straining them less likely. Full body range of motion (ROM) exercises will increase flexibility, fairly speedily, in all regions of the body. Furthermore, elastic band conditioning offers targeted golf range of motion improvements and can build needed power in the shoulders, hips and deep muscles of the core. Sports professionals, like your chiropractor, are adding elastic band training to their golf conditioning programs because the bands provide dynamic resistance that regular weight lifting does not supply.
Along with back injuries, a large number of golfers have painful “Golfer’s Elbow.” There is a minor difference between golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow though they are almost the same. Whereas the outside of the upper arm is affected in tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow impinges the inner arm. Golfer’s elbow, like tennis elbow, can be the consequence of a single intense action, such as (in golf) striking the mat at the driving range or hitting a hard fairway surface. Repetitive stress from smaller shocks, however, is generally the reason. Moreover, it can come upon those who all of a sudden begin to play too much golf. As a case in point, if those that generally play golf once or twice a month decide to play in a tournament, they are likely at risk for contracting the injury.
Golf makes exclusive requests of our body. The game is usually longer than most other sports and that can cause fatigue. Unhealthy posture and lack of coordination are normally the signs of a fatigued body. This combination can cause an assortment of injuries. In addition, because of the continuous swinging of the golf clubs, the shoulder muscles are subject to injury. Just as it is crucial for you to stretch and warm up before you start your golf game, be sure to rest your body suitable between games.
An unexpected injury occasionally associated with golf is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. But, because it a condition that comes about due to repetitive stress, many games of golf played over several months continuously may cause this injury. carpal tunnel Syndrome can be a severe injury producing disability and occasionally needing surgery. However, if a health professional, such as your chiropractor, discovers it at an early stage, chiropractic management and, frequently, the use of a brace will alleviate the problem.
Injuries are assumed to be unavoidable part of life for most golfers. But, a healthy, mobile spine, good preparation, proper exercise and muscle conditioning, attaining and maintaining a an appropriate fitness level, and sensible rest and recuperation after your game is over, can help to make injuries a good deal less a part of your golfing experience.
Your Santa Barbara Chiropractor Can Help Your Low Back Pain
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re feeling low back pain, you’re not the only one, and your Santa Barbara Chiropractic can help. Low back pain bothers many people, an amazing 80% in fact, making it second only to the common cold in its prevalence. However, unlike the common cold, waiting for your back pain to “run its course,” and taking prescription or over-the-counter remedies while you wait, is not the cure. Usually most back pain won’t go away by itself. Frequently, if your pain lessens, it is routinely because your body has compensated for the problem, thus producing new conditions. Low back pain is nothing to sneeze at! If you’d like to defeat your back pain for good (and who wouldn’t?), you need to seek the advice of a back pain expert, like your chiropractor.
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.
Santa Barbara Chiropractor Offers Alternative Care for Arthritis Pain
Posted by: | CommentsYour Santa Barbara chiropractor treats hundreds of arthritis sufferers. There are a number of treatment options from which you can choose when it comes to your back pain and pain in other parts of your body because of arthritic changes. Quite a few men and women who are experiencing painful arthritis and back pain think that they should go to a medical doctor as the best way to find a cure for their problem. But, it may surprise you to know that only a small number medical doctors are able to help individuals prevail over the problem of back pain due to arthritis. Rather than being disciplined in finding and treating the reason for the pain you are undergoing, medical doctors generally treat only your symptoms, and more often than not, through medication. And, while some medications may ease the symptoms of arthritis, there is much more that you can do not simply for pain relief, but to genuinely slow down arthritic changes in your body.
Visiting a chiropractor is truly one of the smartest things that you can do to gain relief from your arthritis and back pain. Chiropractors are doctors who practice entirely in therapies relating to the muscular and skeletal system, and arthritis is a joint affliction. chiropractic care has helped many people to slow the process of arthritis by helping their joints to move. Movement is crucial for joint health. A good chiropractor is extraordinarily competent in treating back pain, even when it is caused by arthritis
If you have never gone to a chiropractor before, you might be a little bit concerned about what is going to go on once you are in the office. Here’s a a moment about what you can expect. You will will be given the opportunity to discuss your medical history, which will probably include a family history of arthritis. The chiropractor will want to know about your current lifestyle and may offer distinct alterations that will be very helpful in the reduction of inflammation due to arthritis. And, finally, you will receive a thorough examination. After the examination is finished, the chiropractor will let you know if chiropractic management can help your back pain, as well as relieve your painful arthritic symptoms. At the end of your visit!Then you will be told about the exact treatment you will require.
A chiropractic adjustment relieves pain gently and naturally, and it is a painless process. And, the paramount aspect of going to a chiropractor for your back pain and arthritis is that you can feel assured that the reason for your pain is being addressed, and that the relief you experience is not masking the symptom of pain, but actually taking care of the origin of your condition.
