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By admin, September 22, 2007 4:51 pm

Be Smart About Luggage

• Lift luggage in stages. Move slowly when lifting your luggage and break the action into smaller parts. For example, when lifting a bag into an overhead bin, it can first be lifted to the arm of the seat, then to the top of the seatback, and then into the bin in separate motions.

• Never twist while lifting. Never, never, never. This is a common cause of injury to the low back. Pivot with your feet so that your whole body moves instead of just twisting your back. Nuff said.

• Better yet, avoid lifting. Ask a flight attendant for help. If you explain you have back condition, you will be surprised how helpful the airline staff will often be. If your bags are small and light, it will be less of a burden to ask someone to do this for you.

• Ship ahead. This is my favorite solution for luggage – just mail your stuff on to your destination ahead of time. This way you avoid luggage entirely and can carry just one small bag onboard with you. No schlepping. No hassle. No pain.

• Pack light. Use 2 or 3 smaller bags rather than one large/heavy bag, especially if you will have to lift the bags in/out of car trunks, off airport baggage carousels, into and out of overhead bins, etc.

• Use a backpack. Do not sling a bag over one shoulder (unless it is a very light handbag). Use a good quality lightweight backpack – and wear it using both straps. The generally recommended maximum weight of a backpack is 10 – 15% of your body weight – less if you have a painful back. Using backpack has the added advantage of leaving your hands free to hold onto handrails on escalators, stairs, the boarding ramp, etc.

Proactively Manage the Airline Service

• Get an aisle seat. Ask for an aisle seat out of medical necessity (stress medical necessity). It is easier to get into and out of an aisle seat, and allows you to get up and move around the cabin more easily. Since back pain can’t be seen, traveling with a letter from your doctor that explains your condition will help you get accommodations such as an aisle seat.

• Get wheelchair assistance. Make sure the airline knows you are handicapped so they will wheel you around with a wheelchair. You won’t have to carry your bags, walk to the gate, or stand while waiting in line at security. It is best to do this when you make the reservation. You just need to ask for wheelchair assistance to the plane door. Even if it is supposed to be just a short walk to the gate, remember that gates can change, there may be a lot of standing in line when going through security, and other issues may arise that would make a wheelchair worthwhile.

• Ask for a row of seats. If the airplane isn’t full, when booking see if you can get the last row of seats (which usually no one else wants). Then you can pull up the seat arms and lie down.

• Recline. For many back conditions, sitting in a slightly reclined position is least stressful on the back. If this is the case, remember to check that your seat will recline when making your reservation and getting a seat assignment. Some seats in exit rows or at the back of the plane to not allow you to recline.

• Stretch key muscles. Sitting for extended periods can cause stiffness and tension in the hamstrings (the muscles in the back of the thighs) and hip flexor muscles, which in turn puts added stress on the low back. Ask your doctor for a few safe hamstring and hip stretches you can do while traveling.

• Preboard. When they call for pre-boarding for people who need assitance, that’s you. Make sure the gate agent knows you will need to pre-board. Conversely, if sitting for a moment longer than necessary will be unbearable, then board very last. If you do this, make sure your carryon can fit beneath your seat, because if you board last the overhead bins might already be full.

• Consider a handicapped parking sticker. If you will be parking at the airport but have trouble walking very far, you can ask your doctor to fill out an application for a handicapped parking sticker to be able to park nearest the airport entrance.

• Avoid getting bumped. Due to overbooking, a practice that seems common lately, getting a seat assignment in advance can reduce the risk of getting ‘bumped’. If no seat assignment is given when you buy your airline tickets online, call the airline to get seat assignment immediately. If you arrive at the ticket counter without seat assignment on an overbooked flight, you probably will get bumped off the flight and forced to take a later flight – which can be several hours or even one or two days later.

Sit with support

• Fix the seat. Place a small rolled-up airline pillow, blanket, or a towel or lumbar pillow between your back and the seat to support the natural inward curve of your lower back. You may also use commercial low back supports if you prefer. Supporting the curve in your low back is especially important with many airplane seats, as they are often worn out and force your lower back to an unnatural, stressful position. If the bottom of the seat is concave from too much use, place a folded blanket on the seat.

• Use your feet. Bottom-up leverage from your feet is also required to support your low back. While seated, your knees should be bent at a right angle. If your seat is too high, place your feet on something that can act as a firm footrest – like a book or box – to keep your knees at a right angle and avoid stressing the low back.

General advice

• Bring a letter. Get a letter from your physician explaining your condition, medications and treatment requirements. This can come in handy in many ways — when requesting an aisle seat, wheelchair assistance, getting your medications through security, if you need medical care while traveling, etc.

• Drink water. Water circulates healing nutrients and oxygen throughout the body. Drink water frequently to help keep your pain at bay and keep your body nourished.

• Get up and move. Sitting in one position for extended periods of time stiffens the back muscles, which can put stress on the spine. Get up and stretch and move around every 20 to 30 minutes if possible. Movement stimulates blood flow, and blood brings important nutrients and oxygen to your back, reducing stiff muscles, helping curb inflammation. Movement also helps prevent blood clots from forming in the leg (called deep vein thrombosis), which is one of the most dangerous risks of sitting still for long periods.

• Wear slip on shoes. Wear good, comfortable supportive shoes if you will be walking distances through airports, train stations, etc. Slip on shoes are the best, because its easy to get them on and off (without having to bend over) when going through security.I also advocate diversion to help keep the pain at bay, especially if traveling will be stressful for you. One option is to treat yourself to something special – a great new book or movie – during the flight. Another option is to do something for someone else (write a letter to an elderly relative or neighbor, write down memories of your children, etc.) to focus your mind elsewhere.

Happy travels!

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By admin, September 19, 2007 12:27 pm

This doctor is the only one in the world who does this technique? Sorry but there are 10,000 chiropractors in California alone who would beg to differ. This is standard stuff taught in chiropractic school. Watch the video below and make sure to call us if you have knee pain.

http://cbs13.com/health/local_story_257182857.html

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By admin, September 14, 2007 11:33 am

Trauma patients 5 times more likely to suffer facial dysfunction after a crash

THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) — About one in three people who suffer whiplash is at risk of developing delayed jaw pain/dysfunction that may require treatment, a Swedish study finds.
Publishing in the August issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association, researchers at Umea University studied short- and long-term temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain and dysfunction in 60 patients involved in rear-end car collisions. The patients were checked when they were brought to hospital emergency rooms after a crash, and again one year later.
Patients who suffered whiplash were five times more likely to have TMJ pain and/or dysfunction immediately after a crash than uninjured people in a control group. A year later, 34 percent of whiplash patients had developed TMJ symptoms, compared with 7 percent of those in the control group.
The TM joints, located on each side of the head, work together to enable movements needed to speak and chew. Problems that affect the proper function of this system of muscles, ligaments, discs and bones can result in a painful TMJ disorder, according to the American Dental Association.

If you are having jaw or TMJ pain call us today to make an appointment, we have successfully treated many people with jaw pain.

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By admin, September 12, 2007 8:49 am

Recently I had a disturbing conversation with a patient from a company which supplies drug data to many hospitals and doctors to help them minimise Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs). “One in twenty deaths is associated with ADRs.” she told me. I was amazed. I knew there had been a report in the British Medical Journal in 2004 that had concluded that ‘the true rate of death in Britain from adverse drug reactions, excluding potential overdoses, may therefore be greater than 10,000 per year.’(the author was Pirmohamed).

But this woman was suggesting the true figure was far more; three times more in fact. You can do the math. Approximately 600,000 people die every year, so one in twenty gives you 30,000 annual deaths. Compare that with the 3,200 a year killed by road accidents.

However it’s the kind of figure that supporters of prescription drugs would dismiss as anecdotal. But today her figures receive dramatic confirmation. A large study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that in the States the number of reported fatal ADRS from prescriptions drugs has gone up by about three times.

“From 1998 through 2005,” it concludes “reported serious adverse drug events in the US increased 2.6-fold from 34,966 to 89,842, and fatal adverse drug events increased 2.7-fold from 5,519 to 15,107.” At first sight that doesn’t look like very many. But remember that the number of reported ADRs are a tiny fraction of actual ADRs. In fact back in 1994, the number of fatal ADRs in America was estimated to be over 100,000 per year (Lazarou, JAMA, 1998). If that figure were a true reflection, and the situation has got three times worse, then one would be talking in excess of a quarter of a million people!

One reason for the increase could be that people are taking three times as many drugs. But the study covered that. “Reported serious events,” wrote the authors “increased 4 times faster than the total number of outpatient prescriptions during the period.” It is, of course possible to dream up other reasons for the huge increase but the authors drew the obvious conclusion: “These results highlight the importance of this public health problem and illustrate the need for improved systems to manage the risks of prescription drugs.”

What amazes me most is the complacency we, as a society, have about this. Where is the Citizens Action Group, the Government Commissioned investigation or independent department charged with urgently reducing this tragic state of affairs with independent funding?

Until that happens it obvious that anyone on drugs is going to have to be much more aware of balancing the harm against the benefit. The next time you have an ache or pain think twice about taking drugs, pick up the phone and call us for natural healthy chiropractic care.

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By admin, September 10, 2007 2:33 pm

Relationship Between Early Opioid Prescribing for Acute Occupational Low
Back Pain and Disability Duration, Medical Costs, Subsequent Surgery and
Late Opioid Use.

Spine. 32(19):2127-2132, September 1, 2007.

Study Design. Retrospective cohort study of workers’ compensation (WC)
claims with acute disabling low back pain (LBP).

Summary of Background Data. Opioid analgesics have become more accepted
for acute pain management. However, treatment guidelines recommend
limited opioid use for acute LBP management. Little is known about the
long-term impact on outcomes of opioid use for acute LBP.

Conclusion. Given the negative association between receipt of early
opioids for acute LBP and outcomes, it is suggested that the use of
opioids for the management of acute LBP may be counterproductive to
recovery.

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By admin, September 7, 2007 7:57 am

A typical response to experiencing back pain is to take it easy – either staying in bed or at least stopping any activity that is at all strenuous. While this approach is understandable and may even be recommended in the short term, when done for more than a day or two it can actually undermine healing. Instead, active forms of exercise are almost always necessary to rehabilitate the spine and help alleviate back pain.

When done in a controlled, gradual, and progressive manner, active exercise distributes nutrients into the disc space and soft tissues in the back to keep the discs, muscles, ligaments and joints healthy. Consequently, a regular exercise routine helps patients avoid stiffness and weakness, minimize recurrences of low back pain, and reduce the severity and duration of possible future episodes of low back pain.

Depending upon the patient’s specific diagnosis and level of pain, the back pain exercise and rehabilitation program will be very different, so it is important for patients to see a spine specialist trained to develop an individualized back exercise program and to provide instruction on using the correct form and technique.

For most back conditions, active exercise and stretching – not rest – is typically necessary to help reduce pain and encourage healing.

To be effective, a patient’s back pain exercise program should be comprehensive, working the whole body even if it targets the back. A balanced workout should include a combination of stretching, strengthening, and low impact aerobic conditioning.
Stretching as part of a back pain exercise routine

Almost everyone can benefit from stretching the soft tissues – the muscles, ligaments and tendons – in the back and around the spine. The spinal column and its contiguous muscles, ligaments and tendons are all designed to move, and reduced motion can accentuate back pain. Stretching different muscles and ligaments is essential for gaining and maintaining mobility and flexibility. Patients with chronic back pain may find it takes weeks or months of stretching to mobilize the spine and soft tissues, but will find that meaningful and sustained relief of low back pain typically follows the increase in motion.

The most important muscles to target are:
Hamstrings, in the back of the leg, to aid correct posture while sitting and standing, and support the gluteus muscles in the buttocks and the hip flexors and minimize stress on the low back.

Piriformis, which run from the back of the femur (thigh bone) to the sacrum (the base of the spine). When tight, this muscle can cause sciatica-like pain, and has been linked to sacroiliac joint dysfunction.

Psoas Major which is attached to the front portion of the lower spine and can greatly limit low back mobility if tight, making it hard to stand for extended periods or kneel on both knees.

Gluteus muscles of the buttocks which support hip flexibility as well as the pelvis
Stretching should be done daily, perhaps several times a day, to ensure flexibility. See also Stretching for back pain relief.

Developing strong core muscles in the abdomen, lower back and gluteus is critical to decreasing the stress placed upon the lower back. Many different exercises can contribute to overall strengthening of these core muscles, and two types of exercise programs are often recommended for back pain patients are:

Dynamic lumbar stabilization. This back exercise is designed to help patients find their “neutral” spine, which is the position that allows the patient to feel the least discomfort. The back muscles are then exercised to teach the spine how to stay in this position and help the patient be aware of the position.

McKenzie extension exercises. These back exercises focus on extending the spine to reduce the pressure on, and the pain generated from, a herniated or degenerating disc. Pain relief can be felt in both the back and the leg, and when the pain is very acute the exercises may be done several times a day.

Both of these types of exercises are best learned working with a chiropractor, although with practice patients can do the exercises by themselves. See also Strengthening and back pain exercises.

Engaging in a low-impact cardio exercise program will aid rehabilitation and maintain everyday functionality. While some back pain patients can engage in running and other types of cardio exercise, for many with serious back pain it is more realistic and comfortable to engage in low impact cardio conditioning that is easy on the joints and gentle on the back.
There are several types of aerobic exercise that are gentle on the back and, when done on a regular basis, highly effective in providing conditioning:

Walking. In general, walking is very gentle on the back, and walking two to three miles three times per week is very helpful for patients.

Biking or cross-training. Bicycling or using an elliptical cross-trainer are also effective ways to exercise without putting stress on the back.

Water therapy. Exercising in the water provides weightless conditioning, which minimizes stress on the back and joints throughout the body.

Most physicians recommend at least 20 to 30 minutes of cardio exercise every other day to keep in shape. Patients could alternate days of cardio and strength conditioning to get a daily dose of exercise and allow muscle groups time to rest.

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