“Move it or lose it” captures the chiropractic philosophy in a nutshell, especially when it comes to aging. As we age, our joints lose much of their “natural” mobility mostly due to wear and tear over the years and age-related moisture decline. Unless we, boomers, make a concerted effort to get regular exercise and stretch daily, and perhaps to get periodic chiropractic manipulation to maintain or increase joint mobility, boomers are cruising towards a future of mobility-related disabilities that will be costly both in healthcare needs and quality of life in general. Which direction are a large number of baby boomers cruising? According to new study, the number of middle-aged Americans with certain mobility-related disabilities, (including walking a quarter-mile and climbing 10 steps) is on the rise. That’s right! The study, based on a National Health Interview Survey carried out each year from 1997 to 2007, which included up to 15,000 individuals annually, revealed that more than 40 percent (that’s too close to half!) of 50 to 64 year olds reported having problems with at least one of nine physical functions and many reported more than one difficulty.
There was also an increase in the number of people using special equipment, like a cane or wheelchair, to get around. Moreover, an increased number of people reported needing help with daily personal care activities, such as getting out of bed and moving around the home. “This a disappointing trend with potentially far-reaching and long-term negative consequences,” said Richard Suzman, director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging, which funded the study. “If people have such difficulties in middle age, how can we expect that this age group — today’s baby boomers — will be able to take care of itself with advancing age? If it continues, this trend could have a significant effect on the need for long-term care in the future.”
The researchers note that the study was based on people’s self-reports, which could affect the results.
For more on the study, which was published in the April issue of the journal Health Affairs, go to LiveScience.com.
As a Wichita Chiropractor for over twenty years, I have assisted hundreds of individuals suffering from the pain of sciatica, I’m truly aware from experience just how incapacitating sciatic pain can be. Those who suffer from sciatica are regrettably all too familiar with the deep radiating pain that accompanies their waking hours each day and interferes with almost all of their daily activities.
Are you concerned that your low back pain might be generated by sciatica? You are probably experiencing sciatica if your pain radiates from your low back, through one or both sides of your buttocks, down the large sciatic nerve in the back of one or both legs, and possibly radiates into your knee(s). Moreover, sitting, as well as movement, can be painful. Commonly lying down will reduce, or occasionally even temporarily eliminate the pain. However, you should be warned that sciatica will not go away without proper care.
Radiculopathy
A radiculopathy is a medical term that describes a condition where a disc has protruded from its normal position in the vertebral column and is creating pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) that forms part of the sciatic nerve in the lower back. Such pressure is extremely painful.
Prolonged sitting, especially in an improper position, can cause imbalances in the muscles enclosing the spine and additional pressure on the intervertebral discs. A particular event or injury isn’t commonly the cause of sciatica, but rather sciatica has a tendency to develop over time as a consequence of everyday wear and tear on the vertebrae of the lower spine. After a while the lower spine can lose its ability to function normally during ordinary stresses.
Ultimately, the intervertebral disc undergoes small fissures or cracks that then let the soft nucleus to protrude the disc outward. Pain is generated as the disc pushes on sensitive tissues. This occurrence is commonly known as a ruptured, or slipped, disc. If the disc presses on the spinal nerve, a person can develop sciatica. With chiropractic treatment and management, which usually includes postural exercises, most disc conditions, including sciatica, can be completely relieved.
Periformis Syndrome
Another condition that creates sciatic pain is periformis syndrome. Periformis syndrome develops when the periformis muscle, for whatever reason, goes into spasm and irritates the sciatic nerve, is superficial to the nerve In addition to chiropractic manipulation, this kind of sciatica can be significantly relieved by sciatica stretches that your chiropractor can recommend.
It is vital for you to seek chiropractic attention if you are experiencing sciatic pain. If you are in the Wichita area, as your Wichita Chiropractor, I invite you to come in to see if I can get you out of pain and help you to get your life back!
As a chiropractor who believes in the human body's ability to heal itself, often with the aid of natural, non-invasive, drug-free chiropractic treatment, I am always dismayed, but never surprised, at some of the pernicious claims and tenacious effrontery of drug companies when it comes to pain killers, in general, and the "treatment" of a number of conditions that don't get any better with drugs or are made worse by them. And, as a chiropractor who has helped hundreds of headache sufferers not only get temporary, but permanent relief, when I read about a drug study for yet another pain med that will likely keep headache sufferers numbed to their pain, but in the process numb to the rest of their life as well, I feel like shouting from the rooftops: "Try chiropractic first!" But, today, when I read about a study, sponsored by Merck (who also makes the product), I really felt compelled to say that this particular study is shamefully playing to the fears of migraine sufferers when, in fact, the drug itself only offers "less severity" at best when it comes to a migraine headache.
The study, conducted by Dr. X. Henry Hu of Merck & Co.and colleagues, found that one in five migraine sufferers had "avoided" a work-related commitment because they were afraid of getting a migraine, while 27 percent reported canceling a work commitment for this reason, and round 28 percent said they had avoided or canceled social commitments due to fear of migraines.
I have treated many patients who told me how much they'd "feared" the onset of a migraine and limited their activities in life because of that fear, so I do understand how devastating the fear of migraines can be. And, yet, the only "solution" this study offered?
This study is "important," said Dr. Hu, because the unpredictability of migraines could contribute to people's anxiety and fear about them and early treatment with migraine drugs called triptans can help reduce headache severity. "Because of the lack of predictability of future migraine attacks, migraine sufferers may benefit from increased education on the importance of keeping medications available at all times," he and his colleagues concluded.
My conclusion? If you suffer from migraines, give your chiropractor a call today!
SOURCE: Headache, published online March 25, 2010.
As a Chiropractor in San Diego, I counsel many individuals who come to my clinic who want to lose weight. I know how hard it can be, and I also know how important it is to lose those extra pounds. Before you decide to add a little more “stretch” to the fabric in your wardrobe, there’s something important that you should know regarding those few additional pounds you may have gained. Over time, extra weight can add up to a surprising number of health issues from heart and pulmonary diseases and diabetes to back pain and joint degeneration. Even a few additional pounds put undue stress on organs, like the heart, and on joints in the low back, hips, and knees. Regrettably,more than half (62%) of men and women in America are overweight or obese, according to recent studies. That is a very significant percentage and an enormous national health issue (no pun intended).
Though we try to pretend otherwise, most of us know that the human body was not intended to schlepp around surplus weight in the form of body fat. A mere excess of 20 or 30 pounds can, in point of fact, overload and overburden the musculoskeletal system. Extra weight in the tummy, for example, makes it necessary for the body to compensate (counterbalance the weight) by tilting the pelvis forward. The tilt puts pressure on the joints of the low back. Painful inflammation results as this joint compression hinders nerve activity. Most men and women who have a “spare tire”experience low back pain generated by a pinched sciatic nerve or misalignments of the spinal column that impinge nerves as a result of weight-bearing stresses. If left untreated, misaligned vertebra not only continue to irritate the degenerative changes that have already taken place, but can create new arthritic changes in the spine in the future.
Here are the ways in which chiropractic treatment can help. First of all, to be clear, a moderate body weight is necessary in order for the musculoskeletal system to function in the way it is designed to. That said, in addition, chiropractic adjustments relieve nerve impingements in the spine and help to get mobility back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, such as in the low back, hips, and knees. And, certainly exercise and physical activity are a lot easier, and healthier for the body, when the spine is in alignment and the joints have good motion. Not only will exercise help with weight reduction, but it can actually inhibit degenerative changes as we age.
Healthcare professionals, like your chiropractor, can advise you regarding your diet and exercise choices. In addition to caring for people suffering from back pain and joint inflammation, chiropractors offer proficient suggestions on the particular lifestyle changes that can help an individual to stay healthier, more energetic, and more active through the years. Arthritis and immobility due to aging don’t have to be unavoidable. The human body was created for a lifetime of pain-free movement.
So, if you’ve been thinking that a few extra pounds won’t hurt, think again! As your chiropractor in San Diego, and someone who cares deeply about your overall health, I’d like to help you to make healthier choices. Make an appointment today!
As a chiropractor I always recommend that my patients get regular exercise. Often the “resistance” I get is from my older patients who don’t have “convenient” exercise opportunites available. However, it is extremely important, especially as we age, to keep our body moving or to get our body moving, so whether it is convenient or not, every individual needs to find a way to make routine daily activity…routine.
According to a new study, many older men find themselves leaving out this important aspect of health. In fact, the new study points to the health benefits of living in neighborhoods with built-in physical activity resources. Researchers conducted a study among community-dwelling men age 65 years or older from the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area. They wanted to see whether or not older men who live within one-eighth, one-quarter, or one-half mile of physical activity resources (including parks, trails and recreational facilities) are more likely to maintain or increase the amount of time they spend walking than men who live farther from these resources.
The study ran from March 2000 – April 2002 at six U.S. clinical centers, and then was then followed an average of 3.6 years to assess changes in time spent walking. The results of the study revealed a positive association among urban-dwelling older men between living within one-eighth mile of parks and one-half mile of trails and maintaining or increasing time spent walking, although the association was limited to men living in high-socioeconomic status neighborhoods.
The study’s authors said, “Proximity to physical activity resources such as parks and trails may be important for maintaining moderate physical activity over time among older men residing in high-socioeconomic status neighborhoods. These findings support an eco-social model of physical activity promotion incorporating neighborhood-level resources and parks and trails.”
Source American Journal of Public Health
Right now there is a variety of treatment options from which you can decide as it pertains to your low back pain and soreness in many parts of your body as a result of arthritic transformations, not to mention visiting your chiropractor in San Jose. But unfortunately, a large number of men and women who are suffering from painful arthritis and lumbar pain all the same suppose that they have to search for a medical doctor as the lowest risk way to discover a treatment method for their pain. However, you might be surprised to find out that not many medical doctors are able to be beneficial people wipe out, or naturally minimize the difficulties of lumbar pain resulting from arthritis. Instead of being accustomed to detecting and treating the root cause of the soreness you are feeling, medical doctors habitually start treating simply your symptoms, that one could do not just for pain reduction, but to genuinely decelerate arthritic changes in your body.
Finding a San Jose chiropractor is actually one of the very best things that you can do to assist your arthritis and low back pain. Chiropractors are doctors who focus completely on taking care of the musculoskeletal system, and arthritis is a joint problem. Chiropractic care has aided many individuals in decreasing the process of arthritis by getting their joints in motion. Motion is necessary for joint health. A good chiropractor is extremely proficient in the treatment of low back pain, even when it is because of arthritis
If you have never gone to a chiropractor previously, you might be somewhat concerned about what will occur once you are in the office. It might help to offer a quick picture of what you can anticipate. You’ll be asked about your medical history, which will oftentimes include a family account of arthritis. The chiropractor will likely inquire about your present-day diet and lifestyle and may propose explicit changes that will be very helpful in lessening the inflammation attributable to arthritis. And, finally, you will receive a scrupulous examination. After the testing is finished, the chiropractor will let you know if chiropractic care can help your back pain, and also reduce your painful arthritic difficulties. of your visit Then you’ll learn about the actual therapy you are going to should have.
A chiropractic adjustment reduces pain gently and organically, and it is a painless approach. And, probably the most fantastic factor of going to a chiropractor for your lumbar pain and arthritis is that you can feel certain that the source of your pain is being dealt with effectively, and that the comfort you experience doesn’t entail masking the warning sign of pain, but truly eliminating the basis of your condition.
Whether you see a chiropractor for “crisis” care or on a regular basis, you may have assumed that chiropractic treatment has always been included for the athletes participating in Olympic Games. But, sadly, that hasn’t been the case until now. Read on…
For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, will include chiropractic care inside the Olympic Village Polyclinic, a multi-disciplinary facility that offers comprehensive health care and medical services. While doctors of chiropractic (D.C.s) have historically been included on the Olympic medical staff, the upcoming events mark the first time that D.C.’s from the host country will be treating athletes and officials from around the world directly inside the Polyclinic.
“This is an historic event not only for the chiropractic profession, but also the athletes who will now have access to the care that will help them prepare their bodies for competition,” states Michael Reed, D.C., MS, DACBSP, and Team USA Medical Director (USOC). “These athletes train hard and endure significant physical demands. Sports-focused D.C.s, along with other members of the sports medicine team, are specially skilled to assist them in reaching peak performance.”
Throughout the years, chiropractic has become a mainstay in the care of world-class athletes, leading to a growing number of D.C.s included in the Olympic Games. Countless athletes attribute the care they receive from their chiropractors — working along-side other health care professionals – as a key to properly preparing their bodies to perform optimally.
Okay, I know that all of us are secretly looking for a “silver bullet” that will guard against everything from cardiovascular disease and cancer to bone fractures and sagging skin. But, the truth is that there will likely never be just one thing to “fix” any one problem, much less one thing to fix all the problems at once! As a case in point, I offer the results of a recent study about a wonderful vitamin, Vitamin D, and calcium, both of which shouldn’t be neglected, but aren’t “the answer” either.
Vitamin D Plus Calcium Guards Against Fractures But the vitamin alone doesn’t offer significant protection, researchers say
(HealthDay News) — Daily supplements of calcium and vitamin D reduce the risk of fractures in women and men of all ages, even if they’ve suffered previous fractures, but vitamin D supplements alone don’t offer significant protection, a new study has found.
Researchers analyzed data from 68,517 people, average age 70, who took part in seven studies that looked at the effect vitamin D or vitamin D plus calcium had on reducing fractures.
The analysis revealed that vitamin D given alone in doses of 10 micrograms to 20 micrograms per day doesn’t prevent fractures. However, calcium and vitamin D given together reduce the risk of hip fractures, total fractures and possibly vertebral fractures.
The study, published online Jan. 12 in BMJ, called for additional studies of vitamin D, especially vitamin D given at higher doses without calcium.
There’s a growing consensus that a combination of calcium and vitamin D is more effective than vitamin D alone in preventing nonvertebral fractures, Opinder Sahota, of Queen’s Medical Center in Nottingham, England, wrote in an accompanying editorial.
Further research is need to determine the most effective dose, treatment duration and method of taking the calcium/vitamin D combination, Sahota said.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more about calcium and vitamin D.
Amidst a great deal of emotion and rhetoric coming out of Connecticut this week regarding the stroke issue The Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation has just released a very clear position statement on the issue of chiropractic and strokes.
Atlanta, GA, January 07, 2010 –(PR.com)– According to the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation there is no human experimental evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations are causally related to strokes.
“While plaintiff’s attorneys and expert witness make claims and statements contending that such a causative link exists, the fact remains that these are based largely on anecdotes, case reports, and case controlled studies and cannot be used to prove causation” stated Foundation President Christopher Kent DC, JD a chiropractic researcher and attorney.
According to researchers and the scientific method itself there are all sorts of biases and distortions that effect conclusions drawn from such studies and other criteria must be used to determine whether such a link exists.
“What this boils down to is a simple lack of understanding of biostatistics and epidemiology” stated Foundation Vice President Matthew McCoy DC, MPH, a chiropractic researcher and public health expert. “Words like ‘association’ and ‘causation’ and ‘risk’ have very specific meanings when it comes to their use in epidemiology and it’s clear that laypersons involved in this debate are using these terms inappropriately.”
While the experience of a stroke can be devastating and no one would suggest ignoring the concerns of those who have suffered one, the reality is that when it comes to the contention that chiropractic causes strokes – the evidence just isn’t there. And while the strokes these people have experienced are indeed real, McCoy suggests there are often other issues involved and offered an example. “Millions of people visit a dentist every year and a certain number of those same people get into car accidents on their way home. If we were to run the stats on it we might find that there is a statistical association between visiting a dentist and getting into a car accident on the way home. But no one would even consider suggesting that the dentists are causing the car accidents.”
Self described chiropractic stroke victims say there is a risk and that people should be advised about it prior to undergoing chiropractic care. The majority of chiropractors would agree that patients should be informed of the risks, benefits and alternatives of any health care intervention, but according to Dr. Kent “Such informed consent must be based on appropriate information and since there is no scientific evidence that chiropractic adjustments or neck manipulations actually cause strokes, it is inappropriate to require a doctor to suggest that such a risk exists.”
Dr. McCoy added another often overlooked issue “Chiropractors utilize a number of techniques to address joint dysfunction and vertebral subluxation and in fact there are over 300 named chiropractic techniques and many do not employ the type of manipulation that has been alleged to be a factor in vertebrobasilar accidents. This adds to the inappropriate nature of such a disclosure.”
In the end, chiropractic has an impressive safety record compared to traditional medical care with estimates are that anywhere from 100,000 (Institute of medicine) to 750,000 (Null et al) people die every year from medical care. In comparison, other than some minor soreness following chiropractic treatment, research has shown chiropractic to be very safe.
With any type of sport, injuries are not uncommon. You can often times avoid getting injured in a particular sport by discovering what injury is apt to happen, and then do as much as you can to avoid it. Sadly, sports injuries can’t always be avoided. As a result, it’s advantageous to take excellent care of your body to make injury less likely, or less traumatic. The most valuable thing that you can do is to be sure that you have the proper fitness level prior to starting to play a sport, such as golf. You will probably keep your body safe from injury if you adhere to these general guidelines: Maintain a healthy lifestyle; keep your joints mobile and your muscles limber; prepare your body prior to activity; use proper form and good postures while actively playing; give yourself plenty of cool down and relaxation time.
It isn’t simply amateur golfers who get injured. Close to a third of pro golfers playing in the same time frame are playing with injury. The good news is that overall good health and fitness can decrease the number of injuries that you may incur and may possibly deter them altogether.
Effective body strength in the muscle areas most utilized during golf is crucial. However, before you try to build muscle strength, it’s essential to make sure your spine is aligned and has good mobility. A injury-free golf swing is contingent upon your spine’s facility to efficiently move in a rotational manner. Back injuries are the most widespread kind of injuries suffered by golfers. To insure that your spine is in appropriate alignment and there is efficient movement in the vertebrae, see your chiropractor in Sacramento. Chiropractic treatment can go a long way in helping you to prevent back injury.
Once you’re “straightened” it’s time to strengthen. Being prepared for your round of golf is essential to safe, injury-free action on the green. Golf stretching and flexibility exercises will warm up your muscles and make injury them less likely. Complete body range of motion (ROM) exercises will enhance flexibility, fairly fast, in all regions of the body. Furthermore, elastic band conditioning offers functional golf range of motion improvements and can increase needed strength in the shoulders, hips and deep muscles of the core. Sports professionals, such as your chiropractor, are adding elastic band training to their golf conditioning programs because the bands provide dynamic resistance that general weight lifting does not provide.
Along with back injuries, a large number of golfers suffer from “Golfer’s Elbow.” There is a small difference between golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow though they are almost the same. Whereas the outside of the upper arm is disturbed in tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow impinges the inner arm. Golfer’s elbow, like tennis elbow, can result from a single intense action, such as (in golf) hitting the mat at the driving range or thrusting down on a hard fairway surface. Repetitive stress from smaller shocks, though, is more commonly the protagonist. In addition, it can happen to those who all of a sudden begin to play too much golf. As a case in point, if players that ordinarily play golf once or twice a month elect to enter into a tournament, they are conceivably at risk for developing the injury.
Golf makes distinctive requirements on our body. Fatigue can be a problem because the game ordinarily lasts longer than most other sports. Whenever the body is fatigued, bad posture and impeded coordination normally follow. This combination can create an assortment of injuries. Moreover, the shoulder muscles are prone to injury because of the continuous swinging of the golf clubs. Just as it is crucial for you to stretch and warm up before you start your golf game, be sure that you rest your body suitable between games.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is, perhaps, an unexpected injury associated with golf. But, as it a condition that occurs due to repetitive stress, numerous games of golf played over several months repetitively may create this injury. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be a severe injury creating incapacitation and on occasion necessitating surgery. However, chiropractic treatment and, sometimes the use of a brace will relieve the problem if a health professional, such as your chiropractor, detects it at an early stage.
Injuries are assumed to be inevitable part of life for many golfers. Nonetheless, a healthy, mobile spine, good preparation, appropriate exercise and muscle conditioning, reaching and sustaining a a good fitness level, and prudent rest and recuperation after your game is over, can help to make injuries much less a part of your golfing experience.
Dr. Yong Kim is a Sacramento chiropractor with over thirteen years of experience helping thousands of patients get out of pain and get their lives back. His office is located at 1707 Professional Drive, Sacramento, CA 95825. He has special training in the area of sports injuries. Dr Kim is himself an avid health enthusiast. For more information go to his website at http://www.sacramentochiropractor.org
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