Back School 101… 3 Ways To Prevent Making Your Back Pain Worse

Chiropractic care for patients with low back pain (LBP) not only includes spinal manipulation or adjustments but also patient education in regards to heat/ice, performing daily activities and exercise.

Heat vs. Ice: This topic is controversial, as often, patients will be told by their friends and family to use the opposite of what we may recommend to our patients. In general, when pain is present, there is inflammation… so use ice to reduce swelling and pain. When heat is inappropriately utilized during this inflammatory phase of healing, vasodilation or, an increase in blood supply to the already swollen injured area often results in an increase in pain. The use of heat may be safely applied later in the healing process during the reparative phase of healing, but as long as pain is present, using ice is safer and more effective.

Daily Activities: Improper methods of performing sitting, bending, pulling, pushing, and lifting can perpetuate the inflammatory phase, slow down the healing process, and interfere/prevent people from returning to their desired activities of daily living, especially work. Improperly performing these routine activities is similar to picking at scab since you’re delaying the healing process and you can even make things worse for yourself.

Exercise: There are many exercises available for patients with low back pain. When deciding on the type of exercise, the position the patient feels best or, the least irritating is usually the direction to emphasize.

When bending backwards results in pain reduction (referred to as “extension-biased”), standing and bending backwards, performing a sagging type of pushup (“prone press-up”), laying backwards on large pillows or on a gym-ball are good exercises. The dosage or duration exercises must be determined individually and it is typically safer to start with 1 or 2 exercises and gradually increase the number as well as repetition and/or hold-times. If sharp/”bad” pain is noted, the patient is warned to discontinue that exercise and report this for further discussion with their chiropractor. It is normal and often a good sign when stretching/”good” pain is obtained at the end range of the exercise.

We recognized the importance of patient education in our approach to managing low back pain cases, and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.

YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR LOW BACK PAIN!  FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 262-251-8306

How to Improve Posture

Unlike what you may have been told, posture is the way your body appears when you are relaxed.  It is not how it appears when you are working like heck to hold yourself upright.  Posture cannot be controlled by muscles, exercise, tractioning your body or any other thing except getting the skeletal structure corrected.   In the past, Chiropractors, osteopaths, physical therapists and others have not been able to consistently correct posture problems.   Advanced Biostructural Correction is an innovative technique that can correct posture without bracing or exercise.  You stand the way you are supposed to, without effort.  Take a look at these pre and post treatment photos.

To make an appointment for a Free No Obligation Consultation to see how we might be able to help your posture problem, call Jennifer at 262-251-8306.

Why I Wear Vibram Five Fingers

A few months ago I started wearing Vibram Five Finger shoes after reading the book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall.

I’ve been an advocate of barefoot training for almost 8 years now and I have been working out in stocking feet or barefoot most of that time.  I started doing it in order to overcome metatarsal fractures to my right foot.

All of the experts told me I needed arch supports, but when I wore them, my feet hurt worse.  In fact, I broke the fifth metatarsal again while in my arch supported shoes.

Then I started working out barefoot and it was the only time my feet didn’t hurt.  In my office, I would wear a dress shoe that I had custom tailored to have no arch support.  It worked better than “off the rack” shoes, but I still had some pain in my feet and in my back after a long day of treating people.

In treating my patients, I and several doctors from around the country, have noticed that people who wear arch supports have bad posture.  This is contrary to what the experts tell you when you buy them.  We have suggested that our patients wear flat shoes with no arches and the results have been excellent.

A few months ago, I bought the Vibram Five Fingers and to break them in, I wore them to the office.  They looked funny with my white coat and tie, but my patients got a kick out of them.  At the end of the day, I was less tired and much less sore.  So I decided to make them a part of my daily wardrobe.  I love them.

It is not a totally easy transition.  I did notice that if I have to maintain good posture or my feet will start to hurt when I walk.  If I stand tall…no problems.

I ran two miles in them the other day and I feel really good.  I’m looking forward to doing some outdoor running this summer when the weather is nicer.

To find out more about how I treat patients with foot problems, log on to www.stopyourfootpain.com

What Kind of Shoes Should I Wear?

To answer this question properly, I’ll start by telling you what you shouldn’t wear.  The answer is probably going to knock you over.  Are you ready ?!

You should not wear shoes with arch supports. I’ll say it again, you should not wear shoes with arch supports.

I’ve been studying this issue for the last seven years.  I can tell you without a doubt that people who wear arch supports have the worst spines.  I’ve seen it over and over again.  The more expensive and exotic the support, the worse the problems are in the spine.  Especially, if the patient has been told to wear the supports every waking moment.

You see, arch supports rob the feet of their ability to compensate for uneven surfaces.  Instead of the feet doing the compensating, the knees, hips and spine do it.  The spine gets extra wear and tear, and you see many extra problems.

This flies in the face of everything that is currently being taught in chiropractic, orthopedics and podiatry.  And, you might think I’m crazy, but a recent study agrees with me.

In 2008, a research paper published in the British Journal of Sports medicine did a comprehensive review of over 35 years of research on footwear.  They concluded that there is not one published study that shows that shoes with arch supports prevent injury.  The author even contacted the major shoes companies and asked for their research and the companies wouldn’t respond.

Arch supports are one of those things doctors have dreamed up that works good on paper, but doesn’t work in the real world.

What should you wear ? If you are walking or running, you should wear flat shoes.  If you are doing a lot of standing, wear shoes with a small heel.  The heel will help you stand up straighter.  A lot of women’s shoes have about an 1 ½ inch heal and this is perfect for someone who stands in one place a lot.

Change your shoes often and walk barefoot whenever possible.  Barefoot walking will help you strengthen your feet.  If you’ve been in arch supports a long time, you will have to do this gradually because your feet are probably very weak.

For more information on how I treat foot pain, log on to www.stopyourfootpain.com.

Can Neck Problems Cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Neck problems are a common cause of pain and numbness in the hands.  The nerve involved in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is called the Median Nerve and it runs from your first three fingers, thru the carpal tunnel, up your arm, to your neck.

CTS happens when the tendons of the wrist swell and compress the median nerve as it passes thru the carpal tunnel.

However, if the nerve is pinched at the neck, you can get the same pain and numbness in the hands as when you have CTS.  The symptoms are the same, but the nerve is compressed in the neck, not the wrist.

You can also have a condition called “double crush” where the nerve is compressed at both sites.  Chiropractors have known for decades that the reason CTS surgery has such a high failure rate, is because undiagnosed neck problems are not addressed.  A growing body of research is supporting treatment of the wrist and the neck for CTS.

An article appearing in the March 2009 issue of the Journal Of Orthopedic Sports and Physical Therapy showed that people with CTS have larger postural distortions in the neck and less range of motion than normal healthy people.  Other studies have confirmed that pinched nerves in the neck are often mis-diagnosed as CTS.

If you are interested in more information on how I treat CTS log on to www.ReliefFromCarpalTunnel.com and order a free report.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2009;39(9):658-664, Epub 19 March 2009.
doi:10.2519/jospt.2009.3058