The Back Pain Secret Most Doctors Don’t Know About !
There is a secret to treating back pain, most health care professionals don’t know about. The secret is this: the body works as a coordinated single unit.
Most doctors only treat the areas that are painful, and that is a mistake. You can’t separate parts of the body to treat them. You must treat the body as a unit.
Here is a little test that illustrates my point. While you are sitting there, turn your head to the left and see how far it goes. Now turn it to the right and see how far it goes. Now, scrunch up your toes in your shoes like you are making a fist with your feet. Now, test how far you can turn your head. You will notice that it changed. For some it will be easier, for some harder. It may be easier one way and harder the other. The point is, it changed.
Your feet changed how your neck works.
You can do other tests like this and find the same type of thing.
If you have back pain, you can’t just treat the area where the pain is. If you have low back pain, you are going to have problems elsewhere that need to be addressed. Your chest could be rounded forward, putting more strain on your low back. Your feet could be misaligned, causing you to walk funny, throwing out your low back. You could have a neck issue that causes you to lean forward putting more strain on your back…and on and on.
Treating just the area of pain, and neglecting overall body posture is one of the biggest reasons low back pain becomes chronic. If the whole body is treated and good posture is restored, back pain can be eliminated without drugs or surgery.
For more information on how to eliminate your back pain log on to: www.newbackpainreliefinfo.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 Emotions Cause Low Back Pain?
This article discusses how anger and emotional expression may affect your back pain. For years many medical doctors thought back pain was more of an issue in the brain than the 
spine. Research has shown this to be the case in many who are disabled from work. But mechanical sprain injuries of the spine are also critical to body function and how much pain you may experience. You just cannot separate the brain from the body and expect to tackle a difficult problem like low back pain.
Researchers at Duke University looked at this complex problem by measuring the amount of emotional expression, anger, and back pain in patients. The studies included 61 persons with chronic low back pain. The results were quite interesting. Patients who reported greater conflict with regard to expressing emotions may be experiencing higher pain and anger.
Have you ever considered that how you express your emotions could affect how much the back hurts? Do you hold on to angry thoughts and feelings? Ignoring these issues does not make the problem go away. And covering-up your emotions with a cocktail of medications doesn’t seem like a good long-term solution, especially with the unhealthy side effects that can sometimes occur.
Of course there is a difference between “blowing up” at someone and expressing emotions appropriately. Have you tried opening up to someone? A friend, or counselor can help show how your emotions can be dealt with constructively. Some patients have severe emotional conflicts and may require psychological support. Others can become more “in tune” with the emotional side of life through simple awareness. Does your back flare up around emotional periods of your life? We can help with the mechanical stresses of the spine, but to maximize your potential you have to consider emotions and the brain. By integrating a mind-body approach to health, the complexity of back pain is addressed more fully. This may get you more engaged with life, more active, and with a healthy outgoing attitude.
Being in chronic pain is no fun, for us, as well as our friends and family. So if you think your emotions (or lack of emotions) may have something to do with your back pain, consult a competent health care provider who addresses the whole person. When patients can confront these issues in a calm and supportive environment, the need for medications if often reduced.
To find out more about how I treat low back pain and other low back related conditions like sciatica, spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis log on to www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com.
What Can I Do to Prevent Low Back Pain?
One important concept in spine care is making the patient an active participant in their rehabilitation. It’s important to change our sedentary lifestyles so that we not only get well, but also do things that prevent problems from occurring in the first place. But first, it is important to understand how back injuries occur. When we bend and twist and pick up things, tremendous forces are placed on the disks and ligaments of the spine. It’s important for muscles to be coordinated and flexible so you have maximum strength to resist.
Hopefully you’ve begun an exercise program. One of the more neglected areas of daily spinal hygiene is stretching. By stretching the muscles that move the bones and joints, we make them more flexible. This can make you more resilient at resisting heavy or awkward loads.
The important thing is to do stretches correctly. In general you want to be warm when you stretch. If you’re not too warm, then proceed slowly, gradually bringing more circulation to the area. After a long walk is a good time to stretch. You can also do stretches throughout the day, even in your office chair. Simple hand and shoulder stretches can be done at the computer, and can help to release tension in the shoulders and wrists.
It’s helpful to hold the stretch for at least 40 seconds so that the muscles have a chance to respond and elongate, and do not bounce, or move in a quick or rapid way.
If you have a back or other joint injury, it’s important that certain stretches are avoided, because they can further increase the stretch on ligaments. For example, you may not be able to touch your toes right now, but there are better ways to gain this flexibility than through toe-touching stretches. This is because bending forward can also aggravate a lower back condition. Instead you can bring the leg up to stretch the back of the thigh by placing the foot on a chair or table (acting as ballet bar). By keeping the low back in good upright posture, the back of the thigh is stretched while also lowering the stress on the spinal disks.
Our office can assist you with creating an individualized daily stretching program that fits your lifestyle, and minimizes the risk of injury. Paying attention to these simple preventive measures can be worth a pound of cure down the road.
YOU MAYBE A CANDIDATE FOR DRUG FREE RELIEF!
Log on to : www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com
Fibromyalgia Its Real and Its a Global Problem
What do I mean by global? Well it does occur in countries around the world, but more to the point, fibromyalgia is only one piece of a complex full-body puzzle. Patients with fibromyalgia will report widespread pain in the neck, back and in other areas, but there’s also much more to the story.
Usually, patients will have sympathetic activation-stressed nerves, which can result in a depressed immune system, obesity, TMJ problems, and even high blood pressure. Headaches are also quite common, as are other aches and pains. Fibromyalgia sufferers usually have a long list of symptoms they have had over the years.
And after years of pain, most patients have avoided certain movements and exercises, thus further diminishing their quality of life.
This can all seem daunting to many doctors who want to find a pill for every pain. You may have also been prescribed antidepressants thinking this would get at this global bodily 
disorder.
I’m Dr. Paul Kramer DC and I’ve treated many fibromyalgia patients over the years. There is not one thing that seems to help these types of patients-no silver bullet. If there were such a cure, I’d do it tomorrow.
Rather you need to address the problem globally by correcting misalignments of the spine and extremities. Correcting your posture does absolute wonders in relieving pain. Diet is also an issue. For many patients they will need to lose weight and I can assist in doing this in a controlled way. Most patients need guidance about certain foods and fats that promote inflammation, which is a key point in addressing symptoms.
There may also be certain chemicals that you are ingesting that are contributing to the problem, rather than helping.
Lastly, all of my patients need to start exercising. Being a couch potato is no solution for fibromyalgia. Inactivity and inflexibility just makes joint and muscle pains worse.
I start patients off with simple daily stretches to add flexibility followed by walking. Some patients can barely get out of bed, so we start with walking to the end of the block. The goal is to get up to 15-30 minutes of fast paced walking each day. Once your weight is down to a manageable level, I encourage patients to join a gym, so they can develop more strength in all of their muscles. This comprehensive approach I believe is key to addressing fibromyalgia symptoms, as well as other important health problems that often accompany it.
YOU MAYBE A CANDIDATE FOR DRUG FREE RELIEF!
The Problem of a Low Back Problem
If you watch much television or have paid a visit recently to a family medical doctor for low back pain, the information you’re getting may be a flawed. For example, you’ve probably been told that back problems are not very serious and that the problem is quickly cured with simple treatments, such as going back to work or taking an aspirin. One commercial recently aired, shows a patient bent-over in a stuck position, who is apparently cured by taking two aspirin. These advertisements convey the message that back problems are trivial and that cures come in a bottle.
The reality is far different. Few studies show that taking pills does any good at all. More importantly, they tend to mask mechanical problems of the back that need mechanical types of treatments. Most back pains are problems of the spinal joints, either moving too little (fixation dysfunction), or too much (instability). These small problems grow bigger when you consider the spine is the lifeline of good posture. You really cannot do too much with a bad back. You may not be able to work, play, or even sit for longer than fifteen minutes. This can have far reaching consequences for everyday life and its enjoyment.
By treating these minor aches and pains as signals of something wrong that needs to be properly diagnosed and corrected, is the best way to manage this type of injury. When these problems are ignored or improperly treated, it’s only a matter of time before the minor sprain turns into a disk protrusion, and eventual degeneration or arthritis. With arthritis there will be substantial limits on the function of the low back. With lack of function comes reduced quality of life.
I am Dr Paul Kramer and I specialize in the mechanical treatment of these painful spinal conditions. My treatments involve spinal adjustments, which are designed to correct the misalignments of your low back vertebrae, and improve the range of motion of the individual spinal joints. When joints are functioning normally, then the nervous system will be less irritated. Your back muscles will become more relaxed and less painful if the joint is not irritated through improper position or excessive motion.
A comprehensive examination is the only way to determine if chiropractic treatment will be right for your particular spinal problem. I can also provide advice on how to minimize recurrences and prevent future flare-ups. By addressing problems when they’re small, future disability may be avoided.
YOU MAYBE A CANDIDATE FOR DRUG FREE RELIEF!
Log on to: www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com
