David Seaman: Inflammation From Our Diet Is Killing Us Slowly

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Why does my back hurt? print | close window

Why does my back hurt? Understanding why your back hurts is the most important thing you can do to help it.  With very few exceptions, back pain does not happen because you did something to it.  It is not because you are old either.  Back and neck pain will most often occur because you did not learn to take care of your spine and keep it in good enough shape to handle what you do to it.  Our spines, just like every other body part, require some attention to stay healthy.  It is not that complicated once you understand some simple anatomy and physiology.  All of us start out in life with a spine, made up of lots of moveable bones (24) with lots of other moveable joints attached to it (72+).  These joints are held together with thousands of small, medium and large muscles, tendons and ligaments.  These joints (where 2 or more bones connect) provide the potential to move just like any other joint in our body.  Just like any joint in the body, they must move to stay healthy.  Motion is essential for joint health.  Motion keeps muscles strong and coordinated, stretches tendons and ligaments, pulls nutrition and fluid in and out of tissues and the disks of the spine.  A healthy spine is one that has perfect mobility among all of these joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments with perfect balance, range of motion and coordination.  In 20 years of clinical practice, I have never seen a "perfect" spine. When any muscle, tendon or ligament gets overstretched either suddenly of slowly over time, a sprain/strain injury will occur.  This is what an episode of neck or back pain is.  The muscles surrounding this injury will tighten up or spasm to protect it from re-injury much like a splint or cast.  These injuries can be very mild (crick or catch), moderate or severe depending on how much tissue damage occurred.  Inflammation (fluid) begins to accumulate in the tissues over 12-72 hours (never apply heat) and then the body begins to heal the tissues injured.  This healing process will always involve some amount of fibrotic and scar tissue being laid down.  Once the healing begins, the muscle spasms, inflammation and pain will gradually go away most of the time no matter what you do.  This is what at one time was called a self limiting episode of back pain.  Today we know that calling this episode of pain a "self limiting" condition was wrong.  Today this is considered an episode in a chronic degenerative process.  The effect of the scar tissue and adhesion's that remain after the episode of pain sets off a cascade of functional problems that spread throughout the spine over time.  Scar tissue will never go away, and since it is dense and fibrous tissue, it will limit normal motion of the tissues and associated joints. (leave a cast on your elbow for 10 years and see what happens)  This abnormal and limited motion is what causes joint degenerative arthritis over time.  Lost motion over time causes the muscles to weaken from lack of use (atrophy), tendons and ligaments tighten and get shorter.  Fluid turnover in the joint decreases because motion pumps fluid in and out of those tissues.  The disks of the spine will begin to dehydrate and ultimately, the joint will begin to develop bone spurs in an attempt to fuse it together.  Immobilize any joint in the body and this process will happen.  This is a slow, progressive, chronic degenerative process that we do not feel happening over time.  See Joint complex dysfunction. This is also known as  Vertebral Subluxation Degeneration.  Also see proprioception to better understand some of this. The spine is made up of a chain of 72+ joints and they all move and contribute to your daily life of sitting, walking, working, sleeping, driving, tying your shoes, brushing your teeth etc.  Once one area in your spine goes through this episode, it will no longer participate in these activities normally.  The tissues and joints above or below this healed injury now try to move more to compensate which puts more stress on them.  Eventually, these tissue get the next strain, sprain injury and go through the same process.   And so goes the life of a spine.  Over our lifetime, these "episodes of pain" will typically become more frequent and more severe as we gradually lose flexibility and motion along this chain of joints.  When we are younger, these tissues above and below the injury compensate somewhat successfully until they are damaged, thus we do not notice this loss of flexibility as much.  But over time, these repetitive strain/sprain injuries add up, and we wake up one morning when we are 60 and think, what happened to me, I used to be so flexible.  So what to do about this?  Just remember move it or lose it.  The only Doctor that is trained to identify and treat this pathology is a Chiropractor utilizing Spinal Manipulative Therapy. Chiropractors stretch and move tissues around joints that you can not to restore normal motion. James D. McLelland D.C. Chiropractor Chiroworksva.com and Physical Medicine Chiropractor Richmond, Chiropractor Short Pump, Chiropractor Glen Allen Author: James D. McLelland D.C. Source: Chiroworksva.com and Physical Medicine

Article is the Copyright © 2013 of Chiroworksva.com and Physical Medicine Non-Permitted Users Will Be Prosecuted Terms of Use - Copyright Notice

Test Your Spinal Health Knowledge print | close window

Test Your Spinal Health Knowledge  How well do you know your spine?  Take this true/false test and find out.  The answers are at the bottom, don't cheat. 1) Back pain is the most common cause of lost work time and disability in the U.S.                                    T           F 2) Spinal degenerative arthritis is the result of lost joint function over time, not age.                                 T           F 3) When I have an episode of back pain I should immediately apply ice.                                                   T           F 4) All strain/sprain injuries will heal with some amount of fibrotic and scar tissue.                                      T           F 5) Scar tissue will never go away and will restrict normal movement patterns unless stretched out.            T           F 6) The disks in my spine are 80% water, they only get hydration and nutrition when the vertebrae move.   T          F 7) Pain is not an indicator of how healthy my spine is.                                                                               T          F 8) Failure to restore normal motion and function means any pain relief is temporary.                                T           F 9) A joint that can not move can not nourish itself and will lead to degenerative arthritis.                           T          F 10) Back pain is caused by a lack of ibuprofen in my system.                                                                   T           F 11) My muscles spasm because they are bored, not to protect tissues from re-injury.                               T           F 12) If I must sit, sitting on a balance ball is the best thing to choose.                                                        T           F 13) Back pain is self limiting, not an episode in a chronic degenerative functional pathology.                   T           F 14) A Chiropractor "straightens my spine".                                                                                              T           F 15) I should only take care of my spine if it hurts.                                                                                    T           F 16) Morning lower back stiffness is normal when I get old.                                                                       T           F 17) Maintaining good motion is critical to the survival of disks and joints.                                                 T           F 18) My spines health is my Chiropractors responsibility, not mine.                                                            T          F 19) When one area of my spine is stuck, the other areas move more to compensate.                              T           F 20) Back pain is usually the result of de-conditioning and poor biomechanics.                                         T           F 21) Chiropractor's stretch and move muscles, tendons and ligaments that I can not.                                T          F 22) I must stretch and move muscles and ligaments 12 times to make them healthy.                                T           F 23) A Chiropractor is necessary to help manage my spines health just like a Dentist or Eye Doctor.        T           F 24) How often I get my spine stretched and adjusted will have a direct correlation to how healthy my       spine will be for the rest of my life.                                                                                                    T          F 25) Everyone should have a spinal checkup by a Chiropractor regularly.                                                 T          F 26) I only have to brush my teeth when they hurt.                                                                                    T         F 27) Chiropractic care help to restore and maintain full joint range of motion.                                           T         F 28) Joints can have poor bio-mechanics without pain or other symptoms.                                                T         F 29) Regular Chiropractic care reduces the risk of injury and degenerative arthritis.                                T         F 30) Most back pain and disability is preventable if we just learned how to take care of our spines.          T         F Answers:  All of them are true except the following.  10,11,13,14,15,16,18,22,26. If you want to find the majority of the answers and why, visit www.chiroworksva.com and click on Learn about your spine. The information above is for educational purposes only and is not advise or intended to diagnose, treat or manage any health condition.  If you have any condition you should seek consult from your Doctor. James D. McLelland D.C. Chiropractor Short Pump, Virginia Chiropractic Centers of Virginia Short Pump Chiroworksva.com and Physical Medicine. Chiropractor Richmond | Chiropractor Short Pump |  Chiropractor Glen Allen | Chiropractor Innsbrook Author: James D. McLelland D.C. Source: Chiroworksva.com and Physical Medicine

Article is the Copyright © 2014 of Chiroworksva.com and Physical Medicine Non-Permitted Users Will Be Prosecuted Terms of Use - Copyright Notice

Spinal Degenerative Arthritis and Back pain, what to do about it!

If you ever wondered how your spine ages, this is a good short video as well as what a Chiropractor does about it.

Funny News from Venezuela:) Ok, it is not about health stuff.

What to watch out for in a Chiropractor

Every profession has good and bad apples.  Chiropractic is no different than any other health care category in that most of the providers went into the field to help people with health problems.  Fortunately, we have more good apples than bad apples in the all health care disciplines.  Unfortunately, sometimes those bad apples can make the entire discipline look rotten and cause some patients to avoid them all, when they really could be helped more by that type of provider than any other. 
Below is a list of things to keep in mind when looking for and or seeing a Chiropractor.  These are just some clues to pay attention to that may make you consider seeking out another Chiropractor.  Some of these clues are universal for all health care providers, and some are specific to Chiropractic.
1) The first and perhaps biggest red flag is a clinic that offers free or discounted initial exam/xrays/treatment/massages or even chicken dinners to come in for the first time.  You pay for what you get in life.  They are either very desperate for patients or plan to get you to commit to a lifetime expensive treatment plan and or over bill your insurance for unnecessary treatment that you do not need or want.  Do not even consider this Doctor, his goals are his, not yours.
2) An initial treatment plan that assumes you want a perfect spine, laying out a program for longer than 6 weeks. 
3) A Doctor that does not ask you what it is you want to accomplish by visiting them.
4) A Doctor that gives you exactly the same treatment plan as every other patient.
5) A Doctor that will not willingly refer or provide a report to your Primary care Doctor or other Health care provider.
6) A clinic that tries to make you purchase tons of nutritional support products, ice packs (frozen peas work well), etc. that you do not want.  One or two things may be appropriate but not a bag full of s.!*&%.
7) An initial treatment plan that assumes you want a lifetime relationship and "perfect spinal hygiene" with a never ending treatment plan.  Initial treatment plans longer than 12 visits is not appropriate for most patient goals and not supported by research.  If you are not getting better by then without a reasonable explanation, you should be referred somewhere else.
8) A Doctor that does not help you learn how to take care of yourself at home.  
9) A Doctor that claims he can treat and or cure anything you may have.
10) If you have an appointment scheduled and have to wait longer than 10 minutes to be seen, this clinic has a total lack of respect for your time or has serious management issues.  They should never overbook, it is not an airline.
11) A clinic that will not be up front about your potential financial obligations with or without your insurance.  You should know exactly (as close as possible) what your getting in to, in writing.
12) A clinic that does not provide you choices for your care and let you choose.  If it is pain treatment only, conditioning or wellness, it should always be up to the patient.
I will likely get a few Chiropractors upset for writing this but so be it.
James D. McLelland D.C.
Chiroworksva.com and Physical Medicine
Chiropractic Centers of Short Pump
Chiroworksva.com
Chiropractor Richmond | Chiropractor Short Pump | Chiropractor Glen Allen | Chiropractor Innsbrook

Author: James D. McLelland D.C.
Source: Chiroworksva.com and Physical Medicine
Copyright: Chiroworksva.com and Physical Medicine 2014

10 Tips for a Healthier Spine

10 TIPS FOR A HEALTHY SPINE

1) Move It Or Lose It: You must get up and move more. Our spines are not designed to sit around at all. Unfortunately, our lifestyles and work typically involve utilizing those 2 cushy pads for pillows instead of walking and running the way they were intended for. Get up and move more.
2) Exercise regularly: Spinal tissue repair and remodeling is determined by the stresses they are subjected to. Regular exercise and stretching will promote a stronger and more stable spine. Just a daily walk can make a significant impact in your overall health and spinal function.
3) It's Flexibility: Consider what the spine is made up of, 72 individual joints, all held together with tiny muscles, tendons and ligaments and every little piece must move to stay healthy, strong and happy. These tissues get stuck and lose mobility in everyone and weight training will not help. Focus more on stretching than weight training in your exercise routine. Consider equipment like a balance ball routine or yoga. Our bodies need much more stretching and cardiovascular exercises that high resistance training.
4) Eat Healthy: Yes, you are what you eat and your spine and supporting tissues use the nutrients you eat to repair, strengthen and coordinate each one of those little joints and disks. This will help reduce the risk of injury.
5) If You Must Sit, Sit On This: Contrary to the old school of "proper ergonomics", once you understand the function and purpose of the spine and all the tissues involved in keeping it happy, the last thing you would want to do is splint, support and baby it to the point that the muscles get to weak to support it. Having a nice lumbar back support sounds nice, but when you provide external support to any part of the body, the muscles take a nap. We will always tend to lean on something if it is in the way. Try sitting on a balance ball instead. Since it has no support, your muscles actually have to do what they are supposed to, support you.
6) Good Posture: Yes, granny was right. Maintaining good posture can be a chore, but the more you do it, the less of a chore it will become. Practice, and soon you wont have to think about it. Occasionally, we can develop very real physical restrictions like scar tissue of tendon and ligament shortening from years of poor spinal hygiene. These issues should be evaluated by a qualified spine physician.
7) Take A Break: Sitting or standing in one place for to long is not going to make any spine happy. Take a break as often as possible to move some. If breaks are not frequent enough then wiggle a bit, move some. We are not statues and we are supposed to be moving or sleeping. Better yet, sit on that ball at work. You will naturally have a tendency to move while you work. This will reduce stiffness, pain, headaches, soreness and guess what happens then. You get more work done for your boss, less "i hurt my back and can not come in to work " days.
8) Wear Good Shoes: You must provide good support under your feet all the time when they are being used. A decent pair of walking shoes, running shoes or tennis shoes are typically the best. Yes, you must wear these shoes inside your house as well. Barefoot, bunny slipper and flip flops are not good for your spine. If you need to buy a pair of shoes and keep them inside the house next to the door so you don't track dirt in then do it.
9) Sleep On Your Back Or Side: These positions are more natural and less stressful to the spine. Never sleep on your stomach. More strain/sprain injuries to the tissues around the spine happen when your sleeping than at any other time. We get in these twisted positions, while the muscles which are supposed to be protecting the underlying tissues are sleeping as well. This is why most people wake up with a :crick" or "catch" in their neck or back. That is a strain/sprain injury, just a minor one.
10) Have Regular Spinal Checkups: Every part of your body needs to be taken care of to stay healthy. Your teeth, eyes, heart and everything else. Unfortunately, many people don't even realize they have a spine until it hurts. Back pain is the leading cause of disability in the United States and it does not have to be if we would just learn how to take care of it.

Provided by Dr. James D. McLelland D.C.

Chiroworksva.com and Physical Medicine
Chiropractic Centers of Short Pump

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