Archive for the ‘Back Pain’ Category
What Is Sciatica?
What is sciatica? The sciatic nerve stretches from your spinal cord base down to your pelvis, hips, buttocks, legs and all the way down to your feet. When this long nerve becomes inflamed, it can be so painful that a patient will want to seek help for relief.
What a sciatic symptoms? Generally, a patient will only feel the sciatic nerve pain on one side of the body with numbness in some areas and may feel sharp pain in the hip and leg. Another symptom may be a burning sensation or mild tingling. Some instances prevent a patient’s ability to walk.
What are the causes of sciatica? The causes of sciatica - pinched nerve in the lower lumbar region of the back – could be caused by an unexpected event like a car accident. Other causes for sciatica may be due to degenerative disc diseases piriformis muscle spasms and spondylolisthesis. Other common origins leading to sciatic nerve pain are:
• Excess weight
• Poor posture
• Herniated or ruptured disks pressing on the nerve roots
• Vertebral abnormalities
• Bone spurs
• Pregnancy
• Tumors
At Dallas Natural Doctor, Dr. Jade Malay, Plano chiropractor, offers her patients treatment for this musculoskeletal and nervous system disorder by providing a non-surgical method. Call us for an examination and consultation at (972) 378-0383 or send us an email through our contact form for your sciatica problem.
What Makes Spinal Decompression Successful?
Spinal decompression is a non-surgical treatment performed on a machine (the DRX9000) that takes the stress off of injured areas of the back or neck. By relieving the disks or areas of pressure, the nerves that cause pain are released. Certain conditions present the best opportunity for help with the DRX9000:
- Herniated & bulging discs
- Degenerative discs
- Sciatica & leg pain
- Arthritis (depends on the location)
- Headaches
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tendonitis & bursitis
But even if you have one of the above conditions, other factors are important to getting the full effect of the treatment for spinal decompression. For example, overall health and age need to be considered prior to treatment. Sufferers of back pain can also participate in the healing process through improving diet, increasing water consumption, exercise, better sleeping postures, ceasing use of tobacco, narcotics or steroids and having a positive general attitude regarding treatment.
When you’re on board in the process of healing from spinal decompression, the DRX9000 machine works gently over a series of treatments to restore your physical problem. Based on a protocol developed for your specific situation, you either stand or lie down on a table connected to the machine. A harness holds your affected area steady, while the machine gently eases the tension through a gentle stretch. A typical treatment is 30-45 minutes, and you may need 20-30 sessions. The work must be done over time to be fully effective. Otherwise, the body would ‘spring back’ into the existing way of being. The number of sessions is determined by consultation about your specific issue. Each person is slightly different.
Certain issues will disqualify your eligibility for spinal decompression. For example:
- Spinal fusion or cement work
- Hardware in your back such as screws or plates
- Severe osteoporosis
- Severe scoliosis
- Presence of cancer
- Pregnancy
Dallas Natural Doctor offers Spinal Decompression to help resolve your pain. To get help immediately, please complete our contact form or call our office (972-378-0383) for more information about this procedure.
Exercise As Your Back Pain Therapy
Like brushing your teeth, taking care of your back is a daily practice, especially for those who have had injuries or trauma. And, while we often recommend back pain therapy, such as exercises, here are two more things you can do.
1) Yoga has many positive mind and body effects and can help to ease chronic back pain. It’s important that you do the yoga positions correctly, to avoid injury. So, be sure to get the help of an instructor when you’re first beginning to learn about the poses. Here is what you can expect from yoga:
- Muscular strength – Because you hold your body in positions for varying lengths of time, the muscles grow stronger. A yoga routine will commonly work on both back muscles, as well as abdominals. Stronger abdominals strengthen your core, which in turn help your back.
- Tension release – The rhythm of holding and relaxing muscle groups have a relaxing effect on muscles and joints.
2) Pay attention to your activity (or lack of activity) in your day to avoid spinal pain. For example, if you’re traveling and sit for several hours in a plane or car, fluids will build up in your discs. A disc full of fluid is more vulnerable to injury. Here are ways to lessen the strain of traveling on your back:
Stretch your neck and back gently and periodically to keep the fluids moving.
- Adjust the seat of your car so that your knees are higher than your hips. You can do this by slightly tilting the seat back.
- Use a pillow or rolled towel or blanket to support your lower back and/or your neck.
- Place carry-on luggage under your feet where you can rest your feet and cause your knees to be higher than your hips.
- Check your luggage to avoid prolonged carrying of heavy bags.
As chiropractors in Plano, TX, we see many back injuries and strains. We’re here to help in any way we can to relieve chronic back and spinal pain.
Is Stress Affecting You Resulting In Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain accompanied with headaches, depression, anxiety and sleep difficulties may be a sign of past or present mental distress. The word stress is often viewed as a negative word in our vernacular. But like good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, stress has a beneficial side. Stress during a given situation can give us the adrenaline we need to react appropriately – even save someone’s life. On the contrary, excessive stress over long periods of time can be detrimental to your health creating health issues like cancer or heart disease.
. Some working people consider their job a major stressor. In fact, people that react negatively to their jobs may experience a higher corsisol level in the morning. High corsisol had been termed the “stress hormone.” According to the article(1) by Elizabeth Scott, M.S. posted on the About.com Web site, those elevated levels can contribute to:
• Impaired cognitive performance
• Suppressed thyroid function
• Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
• Decreased bone density
• Decrease in muscle tissue
• Higher blood pressure
• Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences
• Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body.
We cannot avoid the occasional stressful incident. But, we are more in control of our lives than we think. The attitude we have as we approach or address a circumstance can affect the body and the subsequent pain that is incurred. The key is to reduce stress whether it is on the job or in any type of recurring situation.
If you are experiencing some type of chronic, stress-related back pain, we will consult with you to determine the cause. Contact our office for an appointment.
(1) http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/cortisol.htm
Plano Chiropractor: Sports Injuries
As a fact of life, although they can be minimized, injuries happen. If you lead an active lifestyle and participate in any type of physical activity, you will eventually experience an injury. However, your treatment of that injury will determine your recovery.
So how do injuries happen? Most weekend warrior athletes play hard, long and fast which causes overuse. Those stops and starts, unusual positions and strains on the back can lead to a minor or severe injury.
Dr. Jade Malay, Plano chiropractor, treats her patients that may have any range of sports-related condition or problem including: acute injuries, gradual injuries from overuse, joint dislocation and carpal tunnel just to name a few.
In particular, if you have experienced back pain lasting over 90 days, we offer treatment using our DRX9000. Considered the best in class, Dr. Malay and her team have invested time and money for this advanced piece of technology. Contact our Plano chiropractic office today to schedule and appointment at (972) 378-0383.
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Children’s Celeb Gets Relief – Plano Chiropracter Plano Chiropractor
Anthony Field, aka ‘The Blue Wiggle,’ is telling the world about How I Got My Wiggle Back – with chiropractic. Anthony was troubled with depression, chronic neck and back pain and digestive issues that made his quality of life almost unbearable. He credits chiropractic care for helping him get back on track, and his book is a testimony to overcoming numerous challenges with comprehensive care for the body.
Anthony is so excited to share his success that he agreed to be a spokesperson for The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) for 2012. As the creator and member of ‘The Wiggles,’ a singing group popular with the under age 5 set, Anthony performs for children all over the world and also has a TV show on PBS. He says that he was never sad on stage, but off-stage his life was nose-diving. It was when the pain became overwhelming that he sought natural help. With the help of chiropractors, Anthony began a regimen of eating better, exercise and regular chiropractic adjustments. Because his group is so active onstage, he now has a chiropractor available everywhere he travels, to make sure that he stays in optimal shape, feeling good.
We see many people that have a similar situation in Dallas, Plano and Carrollton . They look good on the outside, and many people think they ‘have it all together.’ But some of the side effects of success – stress, sliding into poor or too-rich eating habits, and lack of exercise – create havoc on their body. Anthony’s book will be an encouragement that help is possible by getting on a program of health and sticking with it.
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Plano Chiropractor: Can Chiropractic Care Work For You?
Watch any daytime talk show and you are bound to see an expert speak on how positive thinking can do wonders for your life. While it is true that usually those with an optimistic world view can expect to attract a healthier outcome, the question remains: is chiropractic care all hogwash or does it have effective and measurable results?
Starting with the facts, we all know that neck and back pain are real, but what about the treatments? There are various therapies for the pain which include everything from muscle relaxers to surgery. At North Dallas Spine & Total Health, we have seen patients with back pain keeping them from living the kind of life they once did. Many have gone to other doctors that prescribed more traditional remedies resulting in continued agony.
One type of treatment plan we offer is our high-powered laser therapy with our Avicenna Laser. Read about two case studies below to determine if their situation rings true, to some extent, to how you feel.
Case Study 1
A 66-year old man suffered from chronic neck pain. He had seen many doctors (including chiropractors) and took many pain pills. Unfortunately, none of the treatments worked for him and he had to stop bike riding his 150 miles a week and fly fishing.
Outcome: After receiving treatments, he can work out at the gym and he’s back to bike riding and fly fishing with pain-free results.
Case Study 2
A patient had back pain trouble from the age of 12. He was diagnosed with a congenital defect of his 5th lumbar vertebrae. He sought treatments from several doctors for a number of years.
Outcome: After starting 12 treatments, his pain level went down 70%. He used to be grumpy and irritable. Now his outlook is positive and he feels much better. He recommends that if you are struggling with chronic pain to try Avicenna Laser treatments.
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