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Chiropractic
Get In Shape to Tackle Your Yard Posted on November 04th, 2011
Before you rev up the lawnmower or reach for your rake, consider the possible consequences: back strain, neck strain and pain in the shoulders.
Just as playing football or golf can injure your body, the twisting, turning, bending, and reaching of mowing and raking can also cause injury if your body is not prepared. Like an athlete, if you leap into something without warming up, the chances of injury are greater
Tips to Avoid Injury The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and your local doctor of chiropractic offer the following tips to help prevent the needless pain yard work may cause.
• Do stretching exercises, without bouncing, for 10 to 15 minutes during the course of your work. Do knee-to-chest pulls, trunk rotations, and side bends with hands above your head and fingers locked. Take a short walk to stimulate circulation. When finished, repeat the stretching exercises.
• Stand as straight as possible, and keep your head up as you rake or mow.
• When it’s still warm outside, avoid the heat. If you’re a morning person, get the work done before 10 a.m. Otherwise, do your chores after 6 p.m.
• When raking, use a ‘scissors’ stance: right foot forward and left foot back, reverse after a few minutes, putting your left foot forward and right foot back.
• Bend at the knees, not the waist, as you pick up piles of leaves or grass from the grass catcher. Make the piles small to decrease the possibility of back strain.
• When mowing, use your whole bodyweight to push the mower, rather than just your arms and back.
• If your mower has a pull cord, don’t twist at the waist or yank the cord. Instead, bend at the knees and pull in one smooth motion.
• Drink lots of water, and wear protective gear, such as a hat, long pants and gloves. If your equipment is loud, wear hearing protection. If you have asthma or allergies, wear a mask.
• Try ergonomic tools. They’re engineered to protect you when used properly. If you do feel soreness or stiffness in your back, use ice to soothe the discomfort. If there’s no improvement in two or three days, see your doctor of chiropractic
Filed under: Chiropractic
Supervised exercise, spinal manipulation, and home exercise for chronic low back pain: a randomized Posted on September 07th, 2011
Gert Bronfort, DC, PhD AFFILIATIONS Wolfe Harris Center for Clinical Studies, Northwestern Health Sciences University, 2501 W. 84th St, Bloomington, MN 55431, USA Corresponding author. Northwestern Health Sciences University, 2501 W. 84th St, Bloomington, MN 55337, USA. Tel.: (952) 885-5413; fax: (952) 888-1957. , Michele J. Maiers, DC, MPH, Roni L. Evans, DC, MS, Craig A. Schulz, DC, MS, Yiscah Bracha, MS, Kenneth H. Svendsen, MS, Richard H. Grimm Jr., MD, MPH, PhD, Edward F. Owens Jr., MS, DC, Timothy A. Garvey, MD, Ensor E. Transfeldt, MD
Abstract
Background context Several conservative therapies have been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of chronic low back pain (CLBP), including different forms of exercise and spinal manipulative therapy (SMT). The efficacy of less time-consuming and less costly self-care interventions, for example, home exercise, remains inconclusive in CLBP populations.
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to assess the relative efficacy of supervised exercise, spinal manipulation, and home exercise for the treatment of CLBP.
Study design/setting
An observer-blinded and mixed-method randomized clinical trial conducted in a university research clinic in Bloomington, MN, USA.
Patient sample
Individuals, 18 to 65 years of age, who had a primary complaint of mechanical LBP of at least 6-week duration with or without radiating pain to the lower extremity were included in this trial.
Outcome measures
Patient-rated outcomes were pain, disability, general health status, medication use, global improvement, and satisfaction. Trunk muscle endurance and strength were assessed by blinded examiners, and qualitative interviews were performed at the end of the 12-week treatment phase.
Methods
This prospective randomized clinical trial examined the short- (12 weeks) and long-term (52 weeks) relative efficacy of high-dose, supervised low-tech trunk exercise, chiropractic SMT, and a short course of home exercise and self-care advice for the treatment of LBP of at least 6-week duration. The study was approved by local institutional review boards.
Results
A total of 301 individuals were included in this trial. For all three treatment groups, outcomes improved during the 12 weeks of treatment. Those who received supervised trunk exercise were most satisfied with care and experienced the greatest gains in trunk muscle endurance and strength, but they did not significantly differ from those receiving chiropractic spinal manipulation or home exercise in terms of pain and other patient-rated individual outcomes, in both the short- and long-term. Conclusions For CLBP, supervised exercise was significantly better than chiropractic spinal manipulation and home exercise in terms of satisfaction with treatment and trunk muscle endurance and strength. Although the short- and long-term differences between groups in patient-rated pain, disability, improvement, general health status, and medication use consistently favored the supervised exercise group, the differences were relatively small and not statistically significant for these individual outcomes
Filed under: Chiropractic
Low Back Pain and CAM Posted on August 08th, 2011
Low-Back Pain and CAM: What the Science Says Spinal Manipulation
• Overall, studies have shown that spinal manipulation can provide mild-to-moderate relief from low-back pain and appears to be as effective as conventional medical treatments. In 2007 guidelines [494KB PDF], the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society include spinal manipulation as one of several treatment options for practitioners to consider using when back pain does not improve with self-care.
• Research is under way to determine whether the effects of spinal manipulation depend on the duration and frequency of treatment. Recent studies have found that spinal manipulation provides relief from low-back pain at least over the short term (i.e., up to 3 months), and that pain-relieving effects may continue for up to 1 year.
• In one study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) that examines long-term effects in more than 600 people with low-back pain, results suggest that chiropractic care involving spinal manipulation is at least as effective as conventional medical care for up to 18 months. However, less than 20 percent of participants in this study were pain free at 18 months, regardless of the type of treatment used. Acupuncture
• According to clinical practice guidelines issued by the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society in 2007, acupuncture is one of several CAM therapies physicians should consider when patients with chronic low-back pain do not respond to conventional treatment.
• In early, small studies, combining actual acupuncture with conventional treatment was more effective than conventional treatment alone for relieving chronic low-back pain. However actual acupuncture was not more effective than simulated acupuncture or conventional treatment.
• A large, rigorously designed clinical trial reported in May 2009 found that actual acupuncture and simulated acupuncture were equally effective—and both were more effective than conventional treatment—for relieving chronic low-back pain.
• There is insufficient evidence to draw definite conclusions about the effectiveness of acupuncture for acute low-back pain.
Massage
• Results of an NCCAM-funded study showed that massage therapy may have short term benefits for people with chronic low-back pain. Massage therapy helped reduce pain and improve function more rapidly than usual medical care at 10 weeks; however, at 1 year the benefits of massage over usual care were not significant.
• A 2008 review of 13 clinical trials found evidence that massage might be useful for chronic low-back pain.
• Clinical practice guidelines issued in 2007 by the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society recommend that physicians consider using certain CAM therapies, including massage (as well as acupuncture, chiropractic, progressive relaxation, and yoga), when patients with chronic low-back pain do not respond to conventional treatment.
Other CAM Approaches
• Reviews of research on other CAM therapies that people sometimes use for chronic low-back pain, such as various herbal remedies and prolotherapy injections, generally have found limited or no evidence to support their use for this purpose, or the evidence is mixed.
NCCAM Clinical Digest is a service of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NIH, DHHS.
Filed under: Chiropractic
Forward Head Posture Caused by Texting Posted on July 07th, 2010
What is forward head posture?
FHP is when persons ears are forward from their shoulders, which typically leads to the forward rounding of the shoulders and a tucking in of the chest. If you want to know what FHP really looks like take a look at your neighbor in their cubicle at work or at your child when they are on the computer. This posture is the leading cause for stress related neck and shoulder tension/pain in my office. These days children and adults are constantly plugged into their held held devices such as cellular phones, Nintendos, e-readers, and iphone applications. A survey done by Kaiserfound that young people from the ages of 8-18 spend 7.5 hours a day using some form of mobile media. In fact a survey done by Nokia's global messaging service suggested that texting is reportedly addictive. Furthermore, this survey was confirmed in 2004 by the Catholic University in Belgium. In fact a University in Australia said texting is as addictive as cigarette smoking! Because the typical demographic for texting is people with the ages of 13-27 (in this area older due to the governments support of the blackberry) I have seen an exponential increase of these FHP patients in my office.
Heres the facts:
• Long Term forward head posture leads to "long term muscle strain, disc herniations and pinched nerves" (Mayo Clinic March 2000)
• In a recent study respiratory dysfunction "demonstrated a strong association between an increased forward head posture and decreased respiratory muscle strength in neck patients" (Cephalgia February 2009)
• "For every inch of forward head posture, it can increase the weight of the head on the spine an additional 10 pounds" (Kapandji, Physiology of the Joints, Volume 3)
• "Loss of cervical curve stretches the spinal cord 5-7cm and causes disease" (Dr. Alf Breig, neurosurgeon and Nobel Prize winner)
• FHP has been shown to flatten normal neck curve, resulting in disc compression, damage and early arthritis. (Spine 1986)
If you are experiencing neck pain make an appointment with Dr. Shara so she can give you a free consultation for your FHP. Call us today 703-683-7771.
Filed under: Chiropractic
The Perils of the Holidays Posted on December 22nd, 2009
During the holiday season we are bombarded with cookies, cakes, alcohol, and various other mouth watering comfort foods. Parties and gathering can lead to expanding waist lines and before you know it you'll be un-buttoning that top button of your pants for comfort! Moreover, the snow can also lead to boredom eating, so be very careful. When you're stuck at home and that cookies is staring you in the eye of course you want to eat it. Here are a couple of tips to control your weight during the season of jolly!
1.) NEVER GO TO A PARTY STARVING
Often we think that if we are going to eat at a party we should "save" all of our calories for that meal and the outcome won't be as bad. The truth is, statistically we end up eating more calories and generally make ourselves sick from overeating.
2.) MAKE TIME FOR EXERCISE
Even when you feel that there is no time for exercise keep in mind that walking around the mall, deep cleaning our houses,dragging things up and down from the attic are all form of great "holiday exercise". So try to stay active while being back safe!
3.) CHEW YOUR FOOD!
Inhaling your food is not only bad for your digestion, it does not allow your brain to register in time when enough is enough!
4.) USE A SMALLER PLATE
Choose your food wisely. Only eat the things you really enjoy. Don't just eat things because they are there. It is very important to remember to "budget" your food just like you budget your spending. Think of calories like spending dollars.
5.) RESTRICT OR AVOID ALCOHOL
This is the most important tip. By all accounts alcohol is the triple threat not only is it caloric but it also slows your metabolism, and stimulates your appetite. For more interesting insights check out our partner, Dr Robert Posner's blog at http://www.spdiet.blogspot.com/.
Filed under: Chiropractic
The Benefits of Chiropractic Posted on December 10th, 2009
So we know that chiropractic is a drug free, holistic way to help alleviate all of our back aches and pains. However, few people know that chiropractic can be helpful for more than just a sore lower back. Chiropractic can also be used for a variety of other body parts too! For example, headache or neck pain, tennis elbow, golfers elbow, knee pain, ankle pain, the list goes on... In fact, some people even use chiropractic to facilitate better range of motion, increased sense of wellness, and to improve performance and energy. There was a great Swedish study published in a peer reviewed journal call the Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics 199; 32.559-64. Patients of 87 Swedish chiropractors were interviewed and interestingly enough several of them reports improvements in "non-musculoskeletal" problems. As a matter of fact 1/4 patients reports it was easier to breathe and they had better digestion. Moreover, some of those patients reported better vision and cardiac function!
Filed under: Chiropractic
