How Do I Know When My Mattress Is Going Bad?

There are a few ways to know if your mattress is going bad.

First, if it is more than ten years old, stick a fork in it, its done.  Its shot, its gone.  I don’t care what its was made out of, it won’t last ten years.

Second, if its between five and ten years old, it is suspect.  It might still be good, but you need to evaluate it a little closer.  Does it look like its sagging ?  Are there pits in it ?  Do you feel pain in the morning ?  If so, something is wrong with the mattress.

Sometimes you can flip it, sometimes you can put a board between the mattress and box-spring, you can even try switching sides with your partner.  But, these are stopgap measures that will get you by until you can get a better mattress.

What kind of mattress should you get ?

The firmer the better.  As firm as you can. This flies in the face of every mattress salesman in the country, but my clinical experience, the clinical experience of other doctors and the research shows that a firm surface is best.

Most of the stuff on the market today is way too soft.  The exotic foams they use make it like sleeping on a bag of marshmallows.  Not good for the spine.

For more information on pillows, mattresses and spinal health log on to my web-site www.painfree-greatposture.com.

For more information on back pain, log on to www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com.

Spondylolisthesis – What Is That?

Anna was competing in a gymnastics tournament last year and during one of her floor routines, noticed a sharp pain in her low back after performing a series of back hand springs. She said she landed crooked on the last of four back hand springs which resulted in immediate pain in the middle of the low back at the beltline.  She has had pain in the low back before and initially, didn’t think this was any different from past episodes but when the pain didn’t improve after a week, she asked her parents if she could see their chiropractor for an adjustment.  Her chiropractor took her history and was alerted by the mechanism of injury – the rapid onset of pain after bending backwards and landing crooked during her routine.  The low back was carefully examined and during the range of motion testing, Anna’s backward bending test was very painful and limited in motion.  When bending backwards at an angle with pressure applied in the low back, sharp pain stopped the test immediately.  Her neurological tests were normal and she could bend over and touch her toes – in fact, that felt good.  Her chiropractor had a strong suspicion of what had happened and ordered an x-ray to see if the preliminary diagnosis was accurate.  The x-rays looked normal but with the history of extreme backward bending and immediate pain onset, a bone scan was ordered which was positive for a stress fracture in the back part of the vertebra.  Unfortunately, this meant no gymnastics for 3 months and the use of a low back brace was recommended.  The good news is that the back pain was gone within a month and follow-up x-rays 3 months later did not reveal a visible fracture line in the vertebra.  Anna was able to resume gymnastics and competed with success and no low back pain.

So, what is spondylolisthesis? As depicted in the side view low back x-ray (left), it is the sliding forward of one vertebra over another (see arrow). It occurs in about 7% of the population and up to 30-50% in cultures that carry their young on their back (like a back pack).  It is reported that most people who develop a spondylolisthesis acquire this between ages 6 and 16 due to a developmental weakness in that part of the spine, though more research is showing that the cause is due to trauma.  It can also gradually occur over time (called “degenerative”), usually not found before age 50-60, where no single event can be recalled by the patient. There is also a type called a pending spondylolisthesis where a fracture occurs without slippage.

The good news is that “spondylos” are mostly stable and do not require surgery.  In the more severe case, the nerves and/or spinal cord can get pinched, in which case surgery is necessary.  The symptoms would then include leg pain, weakness, and/or numbness with or without significant low back pain. Most cases however, can be successfully managed without surgery and do not compromise the nerves or cord.

Chiropractic has been found to be very successful in managing patients with spondylolisthesis as the pain generator is often above or below the slipped vertebra.  In fact, in one report, chiropractic was found to be more beneficial than medical care for this condition (Mierau D, et.al., J Manip Physiol Therap 1987;10:49-55).   For more information on back pain log onto, www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com

IF YOU HAVE A SPONDYLOLISTHESIS YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE ! FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 262-251-8306

Can Dizziness Be Caused by Your Pillow?

Dizziness or vertigo, can be caused by a number of different things.  Infections of the ear, tumors in the head, dehydration, diseases of the inner ear and reactions to medications.  Under normal circumstances, these conditions are found by medical doctors and can be treated.

However, one cause of dizziness is having pinched or stretched nerves in the upper part of the neck.  You see, you have nerves in the upper part of the neck that circle back up into the head.  These nerves transmit messages that control things like blood flow and positional sense to the brain. When a nerve in the upper neck gets irritated, it can send signals to the brain that tell it your body is doing something that it is not.  You then start feeling light-headed and dizzy.

I have been treating people with dizziness more frequently over the past few years.  The type of chiropractic adjustments I do, can really help people with dizziness.  And, I would encourage anyone who continues to suffer from “benign positional vertigo” to get help from a chiropractor experienced in treating it.  The drugs for dizziness are pretty nasty.

As I’ve been treating more and more people, I’ve been seeing a significant percentage of people that have one thing in common.  They sleep on memory foam pillows and mattresses.

The memory foam is not supporting the spine correctly and it causes the upper cervical nerves and spinal cord to become stretched.  After a while of sleeping on the pillow, people wake up dizzy.  This is especially true if they are sleeping on their back.

What’s the answer ?  Well, its simple.  Throw out the pillow and see if it helps.  Try sleeping flat on your back with little or no pillow.  If you sleep on your side, make sure the pillow is high enough to prop up your head slightly.  Play around with different pillow heights until you are comfortable.

If you are still having the dizziness, chiropractic care may be a good option for you.  For more information on dizziness log on to: www.stopvertigonow.com.