“My Neck Is Killing Me!”

When patients present with neck pain, they always ask, “where is the pain coming from?” Of course, this can only be answered after a careful history and thorough evaluation is completed, which is what we do in this office.  Let’s take a closer look at what this involves.

The History: This includes a careful description of how the injury occurred, if there was an injury.  For example, in a slip and fall injury, it makes a difference if the patient fell forwards, sideways, or backwards; if they landed on their knees, hips, buttocks, back or if they hit their head on the ground.  Also, if there was a dazed feeling or loss of consciousness in the process.  If there was a head strike, were there any signs of concussion: fatigue, mental “fog,” headache, difficulty communicating or forming words or sentences.  When there is no specific injury, we will ask if there were perhaps one or more, “mini-“ or “micro-“ injuries that may have occurred sometime within 2-3 days prior to the onset of the neck pain.  The cumulative effect of several small “micro-injuries” can result in a rather significant onset of symptoms several days later.  The next batch of information gathered includes factors that increase and decrease the pain, the type of pain quality (sharp, dull, throb, burn, itch, etc.), pain location – “…put your finger on where it hurts and “does it radiate into the arms or legs, severity (pain level 0-10), and timing such as, “it’s worse for the 1st 30 min. in the morning and then loosens up.” Information regarding past history, family history, medical history (surgeries, medications), social history, habits (caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, etc.), and a systems review (heart, lungs, stomach, nervous system, etc.).

The Physical Exam: This includes vital signs (blood pressure, etc), observation – the way the head is positioned (forwards, to the side, rotated, etc.); palpation – touch/feel for muscle spasm, trigger points, spinal vertebra position and motion; range of motion, orthopedic and neurological tests. The exam procedure may also include x-ray, depending on each case.

The Diagnosis: This is determined after taking all your information and “…putting the puzzle pieces together” to determine what is causing your pain.

The Treatment: Chiropractic spinal manipulation (often referred to as “adjustments”) is performed by applying energy or force to the misaligned or fixed vertebra structures by one of many methods depending on the patient’s size, pain level, tolerance, and so on.  The use of physical therapy modalities such as ice,  laser therapy, and/or others, again, depending on your specific situation and needs can also be very helpful.  Similarly, exercises to teach you how to hold your proper posture, to improve flexibility or range of motion, and to strengthen the muscles that are weak really help the beneficial effects last longer. A work station/job assessment may also be needed if that appears to be irritating your condition.

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

What Stretches Can I Do For My Sciatica?

I am asked this question quite often, and the correct answer is a little complicated.

Stretching does not alleviate sciatica.  It only makes it worse.

The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body.  It starts in the lower back and goes all the way down the legs to the toes.  It commonly gets irritated from poor posture, degenerative discs, narrowing of the spinal canal (spinal stenosis), swollen joints in the spine, or problems with the pelvic joints (sacro-iliac joints).

When the sciatic nerve gets irritated or pinched, it is very painful.  As a response, the muscles in the buttocks and the back of the legs spasm up.  Because the muscles are cramped and spastic, people with sciatica want to stretch.  Typically, they bend forward and stretch the hamstrings or they lay on the back and pull their legs up.

These stretches loosen up the spasms and give slight relief of the pain.  However, the stretching also elongates the sciatic nerve and causes more irritation.  The nerve irritation causes more pain and spasm.  So, the patient stretches more.  They get temporary relief from relaxing the spasms, but the nerve gets more irritated.  This leads to more pain and spasm…so the patient stretches more…and on and on it goes.

The stretching only gives temporary relief, but in the end, it makes the patient worse.

The best thing to do if you suffer from sciatica, is to get the cause of the problem solved.  You should find out if the cause is poor posture, degenerative discs, swollen spinal joints or a sacro-iliac joint problem.  All these conditions are treatable.  If the condition is properly treated, the sciatic pain and spasms go away.

For more information on sciatica treatment log on to: www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com

Vitamin Therapy For My Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

As with most problems of the body, there are a multitude of causes and cures and rarely is there a magic bullet for anything, including carpal tunnel syndrome. At our clinic, we look at how the wrist and neck are aligned to see if there is an irritation or compression on the nerves that pass through the carpal tunnel. We use a detailed examination of both the wrist and neck to see if your carpal tunnel symptoms may actually be referred from your neck.

Most patients will benefit from other aspects of our comprehensive approach, such as specific stretches or exercises and appreciating how our lifestyle choices can also influence symptoms.

While excessive weight is a risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome (obese and overweight patients have a greater risk for developing carpal tunnel syndrome), there are also other dietary approaches that have been tried to cure or alleviate symptoms. One of these is vitamin therapy, specifically vitamin B6. This is an important vitamin for many complex bodily functions, including maintaining a strong immune system. It also supports glucose or blood sugar functions.

Recent research (Ryan-Harshman M, Aldoori W. Carpal tunnel syndrome and vitamin B6. Canadian Family Physician 2007;53(7):1161-2.), has shown that although the research is weak on the subject, there appears to be modest evidence that supplementing their diet with vitamin B6 can help some patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. This effect has to be balanced against any known risks, which appear to be very rare and not severe. The recommended daily dose is about 100-200 mg and this can be taken for a few months with a gradual reduction in the dose after this time.  Other authorities believe it’s better to take the B vitamins in a complex form rather than one vitamin in isolation. There may be some biochemical synergy to taking the various B vitamin forms together, which is how they are often sold in stores. You can also get B6 from natural food sources such as potatoes, garbanzo beans, and fortified cereals. Older adults and those who consume excessive alcohol can be at risk for developing a vitamin B6 deficiency.

But proper treatment can only begin after a thorough diagnosis to determine the cause of your symptoms.

YOU MAYBE A CANDIDATE FOR DRUG FREE RELIEF! FOR MORE INFORMATION LOG ON TO: http://www.relieffromcarpaltunnel.com

Low Back Pain: Is It Serious?

Back problems can cause a good deal of worry and for good reason. Any problem that doesn’t go away on its own in a reasonable period of time should be a cause for concern. Rarely, severe back pain can be caused by tumors and other destructive processes, so it’s important to have these serious conditions ruled out with a thorough examination and x-rays or other imaging.

The other serious aspect of back pain, much more common than a spinal cord tumor, is how it can affect your quality of life, often with devastating consequences. Research has shown how disabling severe back problems can be. In terms of quality of life, the decrease can be even more than that seen with heart and lung problems. This may not seem correct at first glance, but if you think about a back problem making you unable sit or function at work, or basically being able to enjoy life, then it becomes more understandable.

The trouble is, many of us think lying on the couch will do the trick, or taking aspirin every day is a good long-term solution.

We direct our care at improving the posture and mobility of the spine as a way to speed recovery. We find that just addressing the pain with medications or adhering to strict bed rest can be counter productive. The treatments are applied in a careful and specific manner. As the loads on the spine are more equalized and as joints begin to exhibit more flexibility, the body is placed in a more optimal environment for healing. Since self-care is also integral to our approach, we will encourage proper stretching and exercises to help maintain and extend what we can do in the clinic.

YOU MAYBE A CANDIDATE FOR DRUG FREE RELIEF! FOR MORE INFORMATION LOG ON TO: http://www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com

What Isn’t Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

That’s a strange question….well, maybe not as crazy as it sounds! Knowing what isn’t carpal tunnel syndrome, or CTS, may help you avoid an unnecessary surgery for a condition that looks very similar to CTS.  Because CTS is such a common problem, it’s not uncommon for other conditions to be mistakenly called “CTS.” Because of that, subsequent surgical treatment will fail.  So, what are similar conditions you should know about?  You’ll be surprised at the possibilities: Pronator tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, radial tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, cervical radiculopathy, peripheral neuropathy, De Quervain’s Disease, fracture/trauma, degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis), ganglion cysts, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), serum lupus erythymatosus (SLE), scleroderma, syringomyelia, multiple sclerosis, pregnancy, obesity, hypothyroid, gout, diabetes mellitus, Paget’s Disease, acromegaly, mucopolysaccharidoses, eosinophilic fasciitis, hyperlipidemia…

Obviously, you get the picture. There are MANY conditions that can either contribute and/or “cause” CTS. So, let’s discuss how we can determine what the condition is that may be causing CTS. CTS is “likely” if none of the above causes or contributes to these symptoms of CTS:

1. Numbness/tingling in the distribution of the median nerve in the hand only (not forearm) affecting the 2nd and 3rd (sometimes part of the 4th) fingers.
2. The need to shake and “flick” your fingers repeatedly during certain activities such as writing, sleeping, typing, driving, reading/holding a book / newspaper.
3. Waking up at night due to numbness.
4. Difficulty buttoning a shirt, picking up fine things, unscrewing a jar, riding a bike and more.

It may be necessary and appropriate to have some blood tests performed to help “rule out” (that means, “…get rid of..”) some of the above long list of conditions.  Some of these blood tests include (but are not limited to): a sedimentation rate (ESR), rheumatoid factor (RA), ANA antibody test (for SLE), uric acid (for gout), glucose (for diabetes mellitus), thyroid profile (for hypothyroid), lipid profile and even a Lyme’s disease test to rule out the possibilities of that!  If any of these blood test return “positive,” get those conditions treated FIRST before consenting to CTS surgery so you can avoid having a poor / unsatisfying result.  Remember, you can always have surgery later, but you can’t “undo” the surgery after the fact (if it doesn’t help).

Therefore, why not consider a non-surgical treatment FIRST and if that fails, AND, blood tests prove none of the above conditions are present, THEN you can feel more comfortable that no underlying condition is present that is causing or adding to CTS.  Some of the common non-surgical treatments you can expect from our chiropractic approach for CTS include: wrist manipulation / mobilization, active release technique (ART) applied to the flexor forearm muscles, night wrist splint use, low level laser therapy, activity modifications, ergonomic or work station modifications.  Once you’re sure no other underlying metabolic cause or contributor is present, call us and we will help you with our non-surgical, no negative side-effect treatment approach!

We realize you have a choice in who you are considering for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs.  If you, a friend or family member require care for CTS, we would be honored to render our services.

YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME!  FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 262-251-8306

Ice or Heat for Fibromyalgia Pain?

Fibromyalgia patients often ask me if they should use ice or heat on their painful areas.  When I tell them not to use a heating pad, sometimes their faces will turn white.  The person will then tell me that they have been using a heating pad all the time because it “feels good.”

Using heat on sore muscles tends to feel pretty good, especially in cold weather areas like Wisconsin.  However, heat makes tissues swell.  The swelling can cause damaged tissues to take twice as long to heal.

People suffering from fibromyalgia tend to have inflammatory issues already.  The inflammation comes from a variety of reasons too lengthy to go into in this blog.  But, heat will make the inflammation worse.

Generalized heating of the body that comes from a hot bath or shower does not seem to be harmful. Its the heating pads that seem to cause the most trouble.  The localized heat causes blood vessels to open up and increase circulation.   The increased circulation to an already swollen area, causes more swelling.

If you are experiencing symptoms where your skin is very sensitive to the touch, discontinue the use of a heating pad immediately.  This is a sign that you have too much swelling and you are getting over sensitive.

I normally suggest ice in order to bring swelling down.  However, I know from experience that many fibromyalgia patients cannot tolerate ice.  The cold makes them feel too achy.  But ice is the best thing to do, if you can handle it.

If you like the heat because it gives you temporary relief of pain, then take a shower or bath.  Limit the time to 20 minutes.  This will keep you from overheating.  If you take a warm bath, you may try using Epsom salts.  The magnesium in the Epsom salts has been found to be beneficial for fibromyalgia sufferers.

To find out more about how I treat fibromyalgia, log on to www.stopyourfibronow.com

Can Fibromyalgia be Caused by an Infection?

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome where patients feel pain in multiple areas of the body.  They can often feel sick, like they have the flu and suffer from chronic fatigue or depression.

One of the interesting studies to come out in the last few years about fibromyalgia found that 100% of the people tested had dysbiosis problems in their small intestine.

What is Dysbiosis ?  Normally your small intestine should have certain bacteria in it that help you to digest your food.  In dysbiosis, bacteria, fungi and parasites that should not be there, are growing in the intestines.  These bad bugs create toxins that get absorbed into your system.  The toxins cause inflammation, pain and a feeling of sickness.

You can find out if you have dysbiosis by running certain lab tests.  Urine tests to look for organic acids that are byproducts of harmful micro-organisms can help pinpoint what problems you are having.  The best test is a comprehensive stool culture that will be able to see exactly what is growing in you intestines.

From there, treatments can be prescribed that will eliminate the harmful micro-organisms and replenish the helpful micro-organisms.  By doing this, you will eliminate many of the toxins floating around in your body that cause pain and fatigue.

In my experience with treating fibromyalgia, solving the dysbiosis problem is not the complete answer to the pain.  However, it is one big step up the ladder to a full recovery.

To find out more about how I treat Fibromyalgia go to www.stopyourfibronow.com.

Can You Recommend A Detox Product?

Several of my patients have asked about different detox products they have seen on TV or in health food stores.  The product I recommend and use myself is Total Tea.  I use it because it is gentle acting and the herbs in it have multiple benefits, not just in detoxification.  It is not the total answer if you are concerned about toxicity in your body, but it is a great start.

Total Tea contains:

GynoStemma (Gynostemma pentaphyllum)

• Acts as a scavenger in the stomach and intestines to eliminate waste and toxins from the body
• Helps accelerate metabolism by adjusting blood sugar and reducing blood fat
• Contains many beneficial amino acids and vitamins and minerals, including selenium, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, manganese, phosphorus and more
• Strengthens the body’s overall health and thought to have a strong anti-fatigue effect

Senna (Cassia angustifolia, Locust Plant)

• A “cleansing herb” that relieves constipation, increases peristalsis, and helps soften stools

Papaya (Carica papaya)

• Contains “papain”, an enzyme chemically related to “pepsin” which helps digest protein in the body and acts as an anti-inflammatory
• A safe and natural digestive aid that helps prevent indigestion

Ginger (Zingiber officinalis)

• Excellent digestive aid that helps reduce stomach acids and contains anti-inflammatory components
• Relieves indigestion, gas pains, irritation to the intestinal walls, diarrhea, and stomach cramping
• Contains therapeutic properties that stimulate blood circulation, toxin removal, and cleansing of the bowels and kidneys

Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

• Soothes and comforts the stomach, promoting healthy digestion
• Stimulates the flow of digestive juice and bile and the expulsion of gas from the GI tract
• Helps with the treatment of ulcerative conditions of the bowel and intestinal colic

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea)

• Stimulates the immune system to counter both bacterial and viral infections
• An alterative herb that can be used for long periods of time to gradually and gently detoxify the blood stream thus improving digestion, glandular secretion and assimilation
• Contains anti-inflammatory components

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

• Calms and relaxes the entire body; reduces anxiety; supports a healthy nervous system; helps ease digestion, tense muscles, and menstrual pain; relieves irritability; and helps sleep
• Contains anti-inflammatory properties that soothe the digestive tract and help relieve pain, indigestion, acidity, gas, gastritis, bloating, colic, ulcers and other inflammatory conditions of the digestive system

Rosehips (Rosa canina)

• Mild diuretic and laxative that helps soften stools without purging
• Beneficial for constipation, infections, bladder problems and diarrhea
• Excellent nutritional supplement and helps prevent colds

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum)

• Used to combat microorganisms, diarrhea and other GI disorders, and has anti-oxidant properties

Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa)

• Used to treat constipation
• Possesses anti-inflammatory properties

For more information on Total Tea go to www.totaltea.net.  You can also get it at my office for the same price as online.  If you would like to sample it, ask Jennifer on your next visit and she will make you some.

Does Stretching Help Low Back Pain?

Like most health conditions, low back pain is a chronic problem. Patients with low back pain typically suffer off and on for years. Back pain seems to come on when we overexert or do something out of the ordinary, such as moving boxes or when returning to a sport we have not tried since our high school days.

Most patients will say that stretching seems to prevent problems and injuries from the activities of daily living. Both the weekend warrior and the daily athlete will attest to the benefits of stretching prior to the activity.

But stretching is typically not a good treatment plan when the pain comes on. Why is that? Why is something so effective for preventing a problem and completely useless as a cure. Some patients are lucky however. Through trial and error, they may find that the stretching actually causes their back pain to get better. But over the years its effectiveness diminishes. Some patients will say that their normal pre-activity stretches actually make the pain get much worse.

Stretching is designed to lengthen muscles and tendons. But back problems typically affect the ligaments and the discs. And the problem here is that the ligaments are stretched out, allowing the bones to creep into abnormal positions. So while stretching may help a tight muscle, its affect on ligaments can be detrimental.

Another factor to consider is that the delicate nerves of the lower spine cross the disk areas. With stretching, those nerves can lengthen and become even more irritated.

If you find that your normal stretches seem to have no effect on your pain or even make the pain worse, then that is a sign the ligaments have been damaged. Stretching will not help in this scenario and you will need to consult a chiropractic doctor who will perform an examination of the ligaments and discs.

The adjustments that chiropractors perform are designed to align the bones of the spine so that the ligaments do not remain stretched-out, producing pain. Over weeks, the bones begin to hold their normal position for longer periods of time and gradually the ligaments begin to shorten.

The doctor can also advise you on stretches that lengthen the muscles but do not cause further stretch to the already damaged ligaments of the lower spine.

YOU MAYBE A CANDIDATE FOR RELIEF.

Log on to www.newbackpainreliefinfo.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.