Get in the Car... Right!

Did you know that there is a proper way to get in and out of your car? Well, believe it or not, there is, and it is especially important that seniors and those who have arthritis practice these simple maneuvers to enter and exit a car safely.

• Swivel in and out – Enter the car backwards and then swing your legs into the car in front of your seat. Reverse this order to get out of the car.

 • Use the handles on the inside of the car – Generally located over the door or on the side of the door, holding on to these handles as you enter or exit the car helps you maintain your balance and gives you some leverage with which to raise and lower your body into or out of the seat.

• Use running boards – Most SUVs and trucks come with side running boards that you can step up on to get into the car. If your car is high, and you have difficulty “climbing” into your seat, think about installing them if your vehicle did not come with them.

• Use a plastic bag to cover the seat – This is an easy and rather inexpensive way to “slide” in and out of the car if you usually have difficulty. The bag slides with you!

It is important that you give yourself enough time to get to your car if you have a condition that is aggravated by getting in and out of your car. When you are in a rush, you tend to compromise your safety, which may lead to further aggravating an already painful condition.

Keep in mind too that chiropractic care keeps your nervous system running the way it is intended to and that regular adjustments often relieve the pain associated with arthritic conditions, making a ride in the car a real joyride!

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IS MY PAIN SERIOUS?

How do you know whether your pain needs to be evaluated by your chiropractor? This is the age-old question. The answer needs to be specific to your particular problem, rather than a one-size-fits all solution. But there are good guidelines that everyone can follow.

First, is your pain deep and boring (that is, does the pain feel like it's boring into you)? Deep and boring pain usually means something is seriously wrong. If you're woken up at night by this type of pain, a visit to your chiropractor or family physician is in order. Kidney stones and inflamed gallbladders are common causes for deep, boring pain that causes a person to awaken from sleep. Severe heartburn is in this category, too, and should be evaluated by your doctor.

But these types of problems are easy to categorize. You'll probably know, instinctively, that something is wrong. Musculoskeletal pain is rather more difficult to analyze. For example, you lean over in a twisting motion to grab the glass of water on your nightstand and you feel a sharp pain in your lower back. Next morning you have great difficulty getting out of bed. Your lower back is stiff and sore. What should you do?^1,2

Your best course of action will be based on a self-assessment. If you're experiencing pain that radiates down your leg, or numbness or tingling sensations traveling down your leg, you should call your chiropractor's office and ask to be seen right away. Or, if you don't have any radiating pain, but sneezing or coughing does provoke a radiating sensation, take the same action. Similarly, the amount of pain you're having will determine what you do. If the pain is severe, see your chiropractor.

If none of these criteria are present, decision-making gets a bit murky. How you handle your problem will depend on your tolerance for pain. If you have low tolerance, make an appointment to see your chiropractor and get some expert treatment. If you have a higher pain threshold, you might still call for an appointment just to make sure that nothing is seriously wrong. Certainly, if you haven't improved at all after 48 hours, you need to see your chiropractor.

There is another important scenario. If you have a medical condition such as cancer, an endocrine disorder, or a systemic infection, a sudden occurrence of back pain needs immediate attention, regardless of how or why you think the pain occurred.³ This is not to be an alarmist, but rather the recommendation is based on precaution. If there is an existing problem, then new issues need to be looked at closely, just to be sure.

These guidelines provide a sound basis for decision-making, but please remember they are just that - guidelines. Each person needs to be comfortable with their own process. And, of course, it's always much better to be safe than sorry. Your chiropractor is always available to help you sort out these kinds of problems.

 

 In the field of medicine, the term pain management is code for drugs and intraspinal steroid injections. Pain management drugs are almost always opioids such as Vicodin, OxyContin, and morphine. Intraspinal steroid injections are at best a temporary fix, are often based on best guesses, and can have devastating side effects if done incorrectly.

On the other hand, chiropractic pain management always uses conservative methods of care. Chiropractic care does not introduce foreign substances or instruments into the body. The power of chiropractic care lies in its ability to facilitate the body's own healing mechanisms. In essence, based on a systematic analysis of the person's biomechanics and physiology, chiropractic care removes roadblocks to normal functioning of the nerve system. When the nerve systems pathways are free and clear, the body can begin to heal itself from the inside-out.

Your body is very smart. For many problems involving pain, all your body needs to heal itself is a freely functioning nerve system. The goal of chiropractic care is to enable such normal functioning.

¹Smart KM, et al: The discriminative validity of "nociceptive," "peripheral neuropathic," and "central sensitization" as mechanisms-based classifications of musculoskeletal pain. Clin J Pain 27(8):655-653, 2011

²Arendt-Nielsen L, Graven-Nielsen T: Translational musculoskeletal pain research. Clin Rheumatol 25(2):209-226, 2011

³Casazza BA: Diagnosis and treatment of acute low back pain. Am Fam Physician 85(4):343-350, 2012

Texting Can Be a Pain in the Neck - Literally‏!

As we all know, texting has become a very popular form of communication, especially for kids and young adults.

Frequent texting is causing a dramatic increase in headaches, neck pain and shoulder pain. The term used to describe these health conditions is Text Neck.

Below is a link to a short video from The Doctors TV Show about text neck and provides ways to prevent it. We even show you where you can go to get an App for your smartphone specifically for Text Neck. 

 

 

Please take a few minutes and visit this page and watch the video from The Doctors by clicking on the following link:

Text Neck

 

If you or your child is experiencing headaches, neck pain or shoulder pain from texting, computer or iPad use, please give us a call at (386) 492-4881 to schedule an appointment. We can help!

Smart Tips for a Healthy Back

We are honored to know that our patients consider us their first stop for treatment of their back pain.  Though we receive great satisfaction from helping our patients get back on their feet after an accident or injury, chiropractic treatments are just a portion of the service we provide.  We hate to see our patients suffer strains or pulled muscles while doing things they love, like gardening, tennis, or just tossing a ball with the kids in the backyard.  To help you enjoy life without back pain ruining your fun, we always take time to help you understand ways to protect your back from injury.  By following a few rules and developing some healthy habits, protecting your back is easy!

Healthy Back Tip #1: Warm up before you shape up!

One of the most common mistakes people make is neglecting to take time to warm up their muscles before strenuous activities.  When back muscles are not prepared for lifting, throwing or bending, it’s very easy to cause strain or injury that puts you on the sidelines and leaves you wincing.  Before sports or activities, like moving furniture or organizing the garage, take 5 minutes to warm up your back.  To make your exercises effective, consider the types of movement you might require of your back muscles and practice those movements gently to engage the muscles.  Will you be twisting and lifting?  Try side bends to warm up the muscles that support your spine.  Carrying heavy boxes?  Trunk rotations can limber up the lower back.  There are a variety of yoga exercises that can be performed while standing or lying down that help stretch and strengthen the back.  Learn more about yoga by trying a beginner’s class, researching yoga poses online or renting a yoga DVD.

Healthy Back Tip #2:  Practice Smart Lifting

Proper lifting technique isn’t just for weightlifters!  If you buy dog food in 40 pound bags at the warehouse store or lug baskets of laundry around the house, you, too, need to know to lift heavy loads correctly:

• Bend your knees—This move protects the lower back and distributes weight to your leg muscles, which can handle a heavier load than your back can.
• Keep heavy loads centered—Carrying laundry baskets on your hip might seem like the right thing to do, but that heavy load on one side of your body can cause spinal alignment issues.
• Brace yourself—If you anticipate a day of heavy lifting, investing in a lightweight lower back support brace will help protect your lower back from overexertion. 
• Cart it—Hand-truck carts and wheeled baskets can be your back’s best friend.  Keeping a small, collapsible cart in your car is great for transporting packages into the post office or getting that stack of sports drinks and snacks out to the ball field on game day.  Before you resort to carrying heavy loads, put safety first and load up a cart!  Check your local office supply store for a selection of inexpensive, sturdy carts or hand-trucks. 

Healthy Back Tip #3:  Stop if it hurts

Our bodies are constantly sending us messages about what they need.  Sudden back pain is a powerful message to stop what you are doing right away.  If you reach or bend and feel a twinge or pull, your body is telling you something just isn’t right.  Take a moment to consider why it hurts.  Should you have warmed up first?  Is the load too heavy for you?  Are you lifting properly?  Is there an easier, back-healthy way to accomplish the task?  Listen to your body and pay attention to its messages.  It will reward you with less sprains and strains!
Protecting your back from injury is an important part of a healthy life, and it is easy to do if you remember to warm up and practice safe movements that do not place unnecessary strain on your back muscles.  Keep your back strong with exercise and good posture.  Support your spine by strengthening your abdominal muscles and keeping your core strong.  Visit us for regular chiropractic adjustments, even when you are pain-free, to help keep your back healthy and ready for all the fun and adventure life has to offer!

What's Wrong With My Back?

Not all back problems are created equal. One person may have been working on a home improvement project and injured her back while simultaneously bending and twisting. Another person may have developed back pain as a result of a vehicular collision. Another person may be experiencing back pain as a result of osteoporosis. Yet another person may have a serious illness which causes back pain as a related problem.

Back pain is a problem common to many types of injuries and illnesses. How can you tell the difference - in other words, how can you tell when back pain requires you to take action, such as seeing your chiropractor? A reasonable approach is to use a 48-hour guideline. Your body usually has a powerful ability to heal itself. If your back pain hasn't gone away on its own within 48 hours, then seeking professional assistance is a very good plan.

However, some situations require immediate attention. For example, if you've had an accident, seeing your chiropractor right away is probably the right thing to do. In another scenario, if you begin to experience severe pain without an obvious cause, then seeing your chiropractor right away makes a great deal of sense. Like many things in life, having physical pain requires us to use good judgment. The 48-hour rule-of-thumb applies to most situations, but if you've had an accident or are having an unusual problem, see your chiropractor as soon as possible, today if necessary.

When a person has back pain, it's very important to make sure there are no related problems. Most of the time there aren't, but no one wants to be the exception and it's always better to be safe than sorry. Making your own diagnosis is never a good idea. "Oh, that's been bothering me for months," some people will say. "It's just back pain." Of course, such an approach to one's health violates the 48-hour rule. If the problem really wasn't anything much, it would have gone away within a few days. Something else is going on, and usually the longer a physical problem is left untreated the more difficult it is to deal with. The old expression, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is as true today as it was 100 years ago.

Your chiropractor is an expert in back pain. They know that physical pain happens for a reason.^1,2 Their job is to discover that reason, using the tools of history taking, physical examination, biomechanical analysis, and special tests, if necessary, such as x-rays and other imaging methods. Most of the time, the underlying problem is mechanical in nature, involving the spinal joints and associated soft tissues, including the ligaments, muscles, and tendons. Such mechanical problems cause the vast majority of cases of back pain, and are directly addressed by chiropractic care.³ In unusual circumstances, your chiropractor will refer you to another specialist. The important approach in all situations is to seek appropriate care. Your chiropractor's office is the right place to start.

 
Most people now know the importance of exercise in daily life. The benefits of exercise range from improved strength, balance, and agility to deeper, more restful sleep, improved outlook on life, and heightened levels of creativity. Of course, there's also an additional direct benefit for persons with back pain.
Most cases of back pain are biomechanical in nature. In these circumstances, spinal joints have lost some mobility and spinal muscles have become tight. The long-term result is back pain, which may be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the biomechanical dysfunction. Chiropractic care is the specific treatment for problems involving the spinal joints and muscles. Exercise is an important addition to chiropractic care. When you perform challenging activities throughout a full range of motion, as you do when you exercise, you're retraining the joints and muscles of your back. By engaging in such activities on a regular basis, you're helping to restore spinal strength and mobility, enhancing the benefits you're receiving from chiropractic care.

Your chiropractor is an expert in rehabilitative exercise and will be glad to design an exercise program that will work for you.

¹Bakker EW, et al: Spinal mechanical load as a risk factor for low back pain: a systematic review of prospective cohort studies. Spine 34(8):E281-E293, 2009

²Shambrook J, et al: Clinical presentation of low back pain and association with risk factors according to findings on magnetic resonance imaging. Pain 157(7):1659-1665, 2011

³Wilder DG, et al: Effect of spinal manipulation on sensorimotor functions in back pain patients: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials 12:161, 2011

Decompression

Did you know that your spinal column's spongy intervertebral discs (IVDs) comprise 25% of this segmented structure's entire length? Did you know that an adult's spinal column is approximately 24-28 inches in length? A little quick math shows that the total height of your spinal discs is approximately between 6 and 7 inches. But most of us don't get to enjoy the maximum height, springiness, or shock-absorbing capabilities of our spinal IVDs.

Why is that? Another fact known to anatomy students is that IVDs begin losing their total water content at the early age of 2. If you're a young adult, that water-losing process has been going on for 20 years. If you're older, tack on a couple of decades. But this is a natural process. Whether we like it or not, our body parts are not built to last forever. They are designed to keep us healthy and fit for about 150 years (another little known fact). What's not natural is the sedentary lifestyle associated with living in an economy driven largely by the service sector.

Until very recently (75 years ago or so), most adults worked at jobs which required physical labor. Employment in agriculture and industry required actual work using one's body. Those jobs had a built-in exercise component, all day, every day. In contrast, 21st century jobs require a lot of sitting. For many jobs, workers are sitting all day, every day. When you're sitting or standing in an unchanging position, the relentless force of gravity bears down on your spine at a steady, never-changing rate of 32 ft/s². The long-term result on one's spinal column is compression. Natural water-losing forces are unopposed and your spinal discs just keep getting thinner.

We need to reverse these trends. We need to find ways to pump our discs back up. We want to regain the health of our spinal discs, regain lost stature, and be able to stand up tall, achieving our full physiological height.  We need to identify and engage in decompressive activities, activities that will restore fluids to our IVDs.

Fortunately, a highly decompressive set of activities is readily available and has been in use for thousands of years. Yoga is a system of exercises that provides a broad range of health benefits including spinal decompression.^1,2,3 In fact, done correctly, all yoga exercises (known as postures, poses, and asanas) result in spinal lengthening. The key is to make the yoga posture active, constantly engaging, working, and lengthening your core muscles while you're doing the pose.

Regular yoga classes (even once a week may be sufficient) will lead to noticeable benefits, including a sense of being taller. The spinal decompression obtained through regular yoga practice will help increase your flexibility, balance, and coordination. Yoga can be done at home. The only equipment needed is a rubber mat. The long-term payoff is big, in more ways than one.

¹Jeng CM, et al: Yoga and disc degenerative disease in cervical and lumbar spine: an MR imaging-based case control study. Eur J Spine 20(3):408-413, 2011

²Williams K, et al: Evaluation of the effectiveness and efficacy of Iyengar yoga therapy on chronic low back pain. Spine 34(19):2066-2076, 2009

³Goncalves LC, et al: Flexibility, functional autonomy and quality of life (QoL) in elderly yoga practitioners. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 53(2):158-162, 2011

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