San Diego Chiropractic Blog

Is your bad back caused by a bad disc? Are you unsure about the kind of treatment you need? Maybe this post will help give you some direction.

As you probably know, traditional medical options are limited to pain killers, physical therapy, steroid injections and surgery. Alternative types of care, including chiropractic treatment, are an effective alternative to those options offered by traditional western medicine.

I treat patients with bad discs in my San Diego chiropractic center every day with great success. Some of these disc patients come in simply to keep their backs pain free while others have acute low back pain related to a recent disc injury or an old disc injury that have been re-aggravated.

Our bodies have a tremendous ability to heal themselves and to cope with injuries that it has not had to deal with before (also known as compensation – which can be good or bad). Chiropractic care enhances your body’s ability to heal itself by restoring full joint motion and removing the pain and pressure of pinched nerves.

Chiropractic care is very conservative and effective for disc injuries while surgery has potentially severe side effects and in many cases is not successful.

In evaluating your disc injury we will:

1) Take a complete history of your injury

2) Perform an examination that will focus on your particular problem

3) If needed, you may be referred for x-rays or perhaps MRI

4) Recommend a series chiropractic treatments if we feel they would benefit your condition.

5) Provide you with at home stretches, exercises, nutritional suggestions and ice / heat advice in order to help speed your healing process.

If you have a bad disc you should consider trying chiropractic treatment - we can help find a solution for your back pain.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Do you struggle with losing weight or maintaining your weight?

Are you finding it difficult to get into shape – especially if you are struggling with joint pain?

It should be no surprise that chiropractic treatment can help you lose weight and get into better shape by making exercise more comfortable or pain free. In my San Diego Chiropractic Practice we work with patients everyday who use our care for the sole purpose of helping them lose weight and get into better shape.

I don’t want to miss-lead you - there isn’t a chiropractic treatment that will stimulate your system to lose weight and tone muscle. There are many people, however, that don’t exercise because of various aches and pains that can often be helped with chiropractic treatment. If you are avoiding exercise because of joint pain you may be able to take significant steps towards improving your health through exercise by utilizing chiropractic care to restore healthy, pain free range of motion to your stiff or aching joints.

People get out of shape and gain weight for a variety of reasons. In many cases, acute neck pain, headaches or back pain prevents healthy exercise habits leading to de-conditioning and weight gain. In other cases, chronic pain from specific injuries in your past that have not healed correctly can cause lingering joint pain and stiffness resulting in limited activity or even no exercise at all.

In many cases chiropractic care can reduce or eliminate joint pain, improve your joints’ range of motion and relieve the physical stresses of daily living that may be interfering with your ability to exercise. You will find that exercising is much easier when it isn’t accompanied by nagging pain or stiffness. With less joint pain exercise becomes easier providing you with better chances of attaining your weight and or fitness goals.

Have a Great Day

Dr. Jones

Click here for your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

There comes a point in every ones life when it is time to try something new. This is what we (chiropractors) have been seeing with our patients over the years. When you look at the vast range of doctors and what they specialize in, Chiropractors fill that slot that specializes in pinched nerves that typically cause neck pain, back pain, headaches etc.

Despite this general categorization that people associate chiropractors with, as recent as the early 1980s only about 5% of the U.S. population had visited a chiropractor. My last post gave some figures taken from a recent FSU study of Americans and their choices of healthcare providers and found that the percentage of U.S. residents that had been treated by a chiropractor had risen to nearly 45%. Of that 45% of people who had been to a chiropractor, over 90% reported a satisfactory experience and stated that they would return for chiropractic care in the future.

Aside from the fact that I am a Chiropractor and I know that my treatments are of considerable help to my patients, I am thrilled that some of the negative stigma regarding chiropractic care as a whole is fading. Between the many established benefits of chiropractic care and the many dangers of medications and other medical treatments (4000 times more dangerous according to the FSU report), public opinion has swayed to a supportive stance toward chiropractic treatment.

Chiropractic treatment plays an essential role in natural health care. I have practiced in San Diego for over 15 years. During that period, we have treated many patients for conditions that they had been treated for by their medical doctors with drugs, surgery and other uncomfortable procedures.

More often than not my office is the last stop for these patients. These people usually respond very favorably to our therapy, making improvements that were not realized with traditional medical treatment. I have always wondered how many patients take dangerous medications or undergo surgical procedures that would have experienced full recovery with natural chiropractic treatment.

Almost 100% of our population has been treated with traditional medical doctors. Only 45% of you have been to a chiropractor. Considering that nearly 80% of our adult population suffers with some form of neck pain or back pain, the percentage of patients who have been to a chiropractor are much to low considering how effective and safe chiropractic treatment actually is.

Next time you find yourself complaining of neck or back pain, do yourself a favor and seek out safe and effective chiropractic treatment.

More Coming Soon

Dr. Jones

Here’s To Your Health

Call (619) 280-0554 for an appointment
San Diego Chiropractic
Dr. Jones Your Mission Valley Doctor for :

• Whiplash Doctor
• Treating Whiplash Mission Valley SD
• Whiplash Treatment San Diego
• Whiplash Personal Injury Claims
• Work Related Injury
• Sport Injury Pain Relief

Sit Up, Stand Tall!!! We have all heard these commands from a parent, grandparent, teacher or our doctors.

I remember hearing this command when I was a kid and I always thought of it as adult badgering. That being said, there are good reasons to work on your posture. I find that poor posture contributes to the health issues of approximately half of the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Center. The following list gives five reasons for you to work on improving your posture.

1) It doesn’t look good. Poor posture is unattractive making us appear to be tired, dis-interested and lacking in confidence.

2) It wears you down. Poor posture is due to muscular imbalance and weakness. For example, when our heads are jutted forward the muscles in our necks and upper backs have to work much harder. This extra work creates a stretch weakness that results in fatigue, muscle tension headaches, neck pain, back pain, etc.

3) It leads to pain. The pain from poor posture can be significant and even result in disability. Overworked, weakened muscles cause a build up of lactic acid resulting in muscular pain. Chronic postural stress can also cause joint pain and pinched nerves.

4) It makes you injury prone. Chronic postural stress causes sprain/strain injuries that can make ordinary house chores much more likely to result in injuries.

Over my nearly 20 years of practice I have seen patients cancel chiropractic appointments in favor of manicures, tanning sessions and for after-work drinks with their co-workers. Despite the fact that poor posture can have series health consequences, I understand that these consequences may not be what motivates people to correct their posture. If not for the negative health effects, work on your posture for vanity. Good posture will make you feel better and look better!

Jones Pain Relief Clinic
10415 San Diego Mission Rd
San Diego, CA 92108
Ph: (619) 280-0554

Here’s To Your Health

Call (619) 280-0554 for an appointment

San Diego Chiropractic

Dr. Jones Your Mission Valley Doctor for :

• Whiplash Doctor
• Treating Whiplash Mission Valley SD
• Whiplash Treatment San Diego
• Whiplash Personal Injury Claims
• Work Related Injury
• Sport Injury Pain Relief

Have you ever had chiropractic care for injuries from an auto accident?

At my San Diego based Chiropractic Clinic I provide treatment for many patients with neck pain, back pain and headaches. In many cases, the cause of these aches and pains are related to auto accidents or other types of personal injury.

More often than not, the accident in question occurred years earlier and the initial symptoms were not taken seriously by the patient. Most people don’t take the time to seek treatment for themselves yet they scramble to get their cars fixed. This thought process extends into other injury / treatment scenarios as well. I once had an acquaintance who smoked but proudly proclaimed that she didn’t smoke inside her car because she didn’t want to ruin the interior!

I don’t know why so many of us carry these kinds of thought processes. In the case of auto accident injuries, the little bit of neck pain or the slight headache or the lower back pain is often overlooked or dismissed and minimized as being un-important. This is flawed thinking. Imagine if we treated other health conditions with such disregard.

The injury mechanisms in whiplash type accidents are complex. Muscles are stretched and torn, ligaments can sometimes partially tear or rupture, intervertebral discs can become herniated and spinal fractures can occur. These injuries can lead to a vast number of symptoms that can cause anything from slight irritation all the way to severe disability.

While the mechanism of injury in whiplash cases is complex, the typical resulting spinal injuries follow a well established path. Initially, the muscles and ligaments in the injured area are irritated. This irritation leads to inflammation. Inflammation is not only responsible for many of the initial symptoms that you experience but it is also responsible for scar tissue formation which can make your symptoms permanent or chronic.

Statistically, 25% of all auto accident / injury victims will suffer from some ongoing symptom related to their accident. Chiropractors are experts in dealing with the types of injuries that occur as a result of auto accidents. The best way to insure that you are not a member of this group of 25% is to get an examination and possibly treatment, if recommended by your chiropractor.

Yours In Good Health

Dr. Jones

San Diego Chiropractic Care
Chiropractor San Diego Blog

Here’s To Your Health

Call (619) 280-0554 for an appointment
San Diego Chiropractic
Dr. Jones Your Mission Valley Doctor for :

• Whiplash Doctor
• Treating Whiplash Mission Valley SD
• Whiplash Treatment San Diego
• Whiplash Personal Injury Claims
• Work Related Injury
• Sport Injury Pain Relief

ve you ever injured your back and scratched your head and wondered - how did this happen when my back has felt fine up until now?

Patients present to my San Diego Chiropractic clinic on a regular basis with neck pain, back pain and other related symptoms that not only lack a history of pain in that area but also have no recent injury or accident to explain their current painful symptoms.

This is frustrating for the patient yet a typical presentation that I see in my Chiropractic office.

When patients come in for care with this type of history recent injury, my inquiries usually lead to a situation that involves excessive postural stress for that patient.

Ongoing postural stress affects our body much like the old analogy of the straws on the camels back. Our bodies are capable of compensating for quite a bit of stress before symptoms appear.

This is good and bad.

The good part of this situation is that if we didn’t compensate for all the little stresses that we are subjected to, we would be uncomfortable all the time. The bad part about compensation is that we often are not keen enough to recognize when our bodies are being exposed to ongoing low levels of stress.

Once the stress levels build to a certain point, the body part in question reacts with irritation, inflammation and muscle spasm. This combination produces pain and tightness and usually is the reason that patients call my office.

Postural stress can place an amazing amount of stress on your spine. One of my reference books has a chart that describes how different body positions affect the amount of pressure on your discs in the low back. The differences are amazing.

When standing straight up with ideal posture, the pressure in the discs of the low back is 100%. When lying flat on your back the pressure is at 24%. While sitting straight with good posture, the pressure is at 140% but when slouching forward with poor posture the disc pressure goes to a staggering 190%.

Considering that most of us sit for a good portion of the day, simply sitting becomes a significant source of stress for the lower back.

This kind of ongoing stress combined with an awkward twist or bend can generate a crisis for the low back leading the patient to wonder exactly how turning to pick that cup of coffee off the desk behind him / her lead to such a severe back pain and spasm.

Here’s To Your Health

Call (619) 280-0554 for an appointment
San Diego Chiropractic
Dr. Jones Your Mission Valley Doctor for :

Have you ever had a case of low back pain?

Statistics tell us that approximately 80% of us will suffer from low back pain over the course of our lives.

My San Diego Chiropractic clinic provides treatment for many patients with low back pain. For decades chiropractors have had the reputation of being the “back doctors”. I can’t tell you how many times I have had a patient tell me about a friend with either elbow pain or knee pain or shoulder pain who didn’t come into my office for treatment because they think that all chiropractors treat is back pain.

A recent episode of back pain that I personally experienced renewed my level of empathy for my patients with pain in.low back. Not that I had lost my empathy for my patients, but a little personal experience always helps with my focus.

Despite the reputation of being back doctors, chiropractors are trained to deal with all of the joints whether they are part of the spine or not.

The process that affects the joints in the lower back is the same process that affects other joints in the body. They are irritated by a fall or some other injury. The irritation causes inflammation and the inflammation causes pain, swelling and scar tissue formation. The scar tissue limits the joints range of motion and can become a source of pain itself.

Treatment can be as simple as a few chiropractic adjustments and a few sessions of therapy.

The next time you have a joint that aches, try chiropractic treatment. Most joint problems that cause lower back pain respond well to safe, natural, holistic chiropractic care.

Dr. Jones
San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Lower Back Treatment

Here’s To Your Health

Call (619) 280-0554 for an appointment
San Diego Chiropractic
Dr. Jones Your Mission Valley Doctor for :

• Whiplash Doctor
• Treating Whiplash Mission Valley SD
• Whiplash Treatment San Diego
• Whiplash Personal Injury Claims
• Work Related Injury
• Sport Injury Pain Relief

Do you know what and what not to do after an auto accident?

It is that time of the year again. You know, when the roads are wet with rain and half the people on the road drive like it is dry (FAST) and the other half slow down to half the posted limit. People who live in San Diego only see an average of 11 rainy days per year. That is about 3 percent of the time. Until your car loses traction and you hit another vehicle, most don’t realize how quickly and easily it can happen. While an accident usually starts and ends in matter of seconds, the neck pain, headaches, back pain, etc. can continue for weeks, months or sometimes, years.

In addition to the typical physical aches and pains associated with auto accident injuries, there are legalities to consider as well. Sometimes there are disputes as to who is the guilty party that is responsible for the accident. Many people will deny their responsibility even though their role in the accident is obvious. If you have been involved in an automobile accident, there are a number of things you can do to preserve your legal rights.

The following is a summary of some of the most important things you can do to protect your legal rights after an automobile accident:
1. Do not leave the scene. If you leave the scene of an auto accident, you may be criminally prosecuted. You are required to provide your name, address, driver’s license and auto insurance information to the other driver.
2. Assess yourself for injuries and then, if you are able, help the injured if there are any. If someone has been injured in the accident, you should call for an ambulance / paramedics and assist them to the extent you are qualified. Before calling for the ambulance, be prepared to give an accurate location of the accident and a count of the number of individuals injured.
3. Avoid additional collisions. Make sure your vehicle is not presenting a safety hazard to other motorists. If possible, it should be moved so that it is not obstructing traffic. You can further warn oncoming traffic to proceed with caution by setting flares, turning on your hazard lights, and raising the hood and trunk of your vehicle.
4. Notify the police. Typically the police will prepare a report that contains specific information regarding the accident and the parties involved. While you may not be required to call the police, the accident reports they produce could be helpful to you later.
5. Do not admit liability. You should not admit responsibility for the accident to the other drivers, passengers, or to the police for that matter. You may convey facts concerning how the incident occurred; however, it is best not to comment on your responsibility (or liability) for the accident. This is a legal matter that is not always readily and easily ascertainable.
6. You should get the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of any individuals involved in the accident, as well as any witnesses to the accident. You should also obtain the name of the insurance company and policy number of the other drivers involved. If possible, you may take photographs to document the accident scene including skid marks, road obstructions, and damage to the vehicles.
7. Notify your insurance company. If you do not give your insurance company prompt notice, your policy may provide that the insurance company may deny coverage for your claim. Accordingly, you should give your insurance company notice by way of telephone and by written notice that provides you a means of proving such notice was given, such as by facsimile or by certified mail. You should provide your insurance company with all information they request concerning the facts of the accident.
8. Consult a chiropractic doctor to evaluate your neck and back for injuries. Some injuries may not manifest themselves until some period of time after the accident; the fact that you do not immediately feel as though you have been injured does not necessarily mean that no injury has occurred. You should consult your insurance agent to see if the cost of seeing a doctor in connection with the accident is covered by your insurance policy. You should not settle your claims for injuries arising from the accident until you have been advised by your chiropractic doctor as to the full extent of your injuries.

I hope that you find this information helpful. Drive safe!

Yours In Good Health

More Coming Soon Here’s To Your Health Yours In Good Health
Dr. Jones

San Diego Chiropractic Care
Chiropractor San Diego Blog
Pain Relief San Diego Chiropractor
Car Accident Whiplash Injuries Pain Relief
Auto Injury Pain Relief & Treatment
Work Injury & Workplace Safety Advice
Web Design Hillcrest - San Diego - California

For the most part, San Diego is a city of fairly fit and active people. Since I am a chiropractor in San Diego, I can’t help but notice that a fairly large portion of my patients are trying to lose weight.

Losing weight is not only a noble endeavor but a difficult one.

Losing weight is not only good for your cardiovascular health but also for your health in general. Losing extra weight is very important to your skeletal health as well. Every extra pound that you carry puts a little more stress through your spinal joints causing excessive wear and tear.

Excessive wear and tear results in arthritis, neck pain, back pain, headaches, sciatic pain, hip pain, knee pain etc. I am of the opinion that less pain is better.

Chiropractic care is an important part of your efforts to maintain your spinal health. That being said, you should not dismiss the importance of keeping fit as it directly relates to your spines’ ability to withstand the stresses of a long life.

Since I am sure that at least some of my patients’ problems are due to the fact that they carry excess weight, I thought I would give a few suggestions for successful weight loss.

1) Remember that weight control is your responsibility. Having a weight loss partner who agrees to “watch out for you” will only inspire you to cheat while they are not watching.

2) Don’t let a single failure in your diet degrade into a whole day of poor diet choices. If you blow a part of your diet, don’t view your entire day of eating as a failure and consume junk all day. Pick up your good diet choices the next time you have a meal.

3) Don’t start dieting prior to holidays or vacations where you will be tempted by overindulging making it difficult to lose weight.

4) Don’t weigh your self more than a few times each month. Losing weight takes time which isn’t compatible with Americans desire for instant results.

5) Cut back on salts, caffeinated drinks and soda. Even diet soda!

6) Drink plenty of water and try eating soup before meals to help reduce the number of calories you consume.

These are just a few simple ways to start trimming those extra pounds.

Both you and your spine will be better for it.

Yours In Good Health

Dr. Jones

San Diego Chiropractic Care
Chiropractor San Diego Blog
Pain Relief San Diego Chiropractor
Car Accident Whiplash Injuries Pain Relief
Back Pain Relief & Treatment
Work Injury & Workplace Safety Advice
Web Design Hillcrest - San Diego - California
Prenatal Health & Pain Relief

Like many across the United States my Chiropractic Office in San Diego provides treatment for neck pain and back pain. Although chiropractic care helps many different conditions, it is often viewed as treatment for just back pain and neck pain.

When dealing with back pain and neck pain, it is important to have your pain evaluated by a healthcare professional. Dismissing back pain and neck pain as insignificant can lead to more significant health issues.

Many conditions can cause back pain and neck pain, ranging from injury and infection too twisting or turning “the wrong way”. Injuries such as those sustained in an automobile or other accident can damage muscles, joints, ligaments, and vertebrae.

Overuse or under use of the back muscles is by far the most common cause of back pain that manifests as tightening or spasm of the muscles that connect to the spine. Inflammation and swelling often occur in the joints and ligaments, especially in the cervical and lumbar regions, as people age.

A herniated disc occurs when the nuclear pulposus, the inner material of the disc, pushes through a tear in the annulus fibrosis, the outer material of the disc causing nerve root compression. The cervical and lumbar regions of the spine have the most mobility and the discs there are more likely to wear down or be injured. Ninety percent of disc herniations occur in the lower two lumbar vertebrae.

Spinal stenosis, the narrowing of the spinal canal, can cause spinal cord irritation and injury. Conditions that cause spinal stenosis include infection, tumors, trauma, herniated disc, arthritis, thickening of ligaments, growth of bone spurs, and disc degeneration. Spinal stenosis most commonly occurs in older individuals as a result of vertebral degeneration.

A pinched nerve, or radiculopathy, occurs when something rubs or presses against a nerve, creating irritation or inflammation. Radiculopathy can result from a herniated disc, bone spur, tumor growing into the nerves, and vertebral fracture, and many other conditions.

Sciatica is a certain type of radiculopathy that involves inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Pain is experienced along the large sciatic nerve, from the lower back down through the buttocks and along the back of the leg.

A spinal tumor that originates in the spine (primary tumor) or spreads to the spine from another part of the body (metastatic tumor) can compress the spine or nerve roots and cause significant pain.

Infections of the vertebrae (e.g., vertebral osteomyelitis), the discs, the meninges (e.g., spinal meningitis), or the cerebrospinal fluid can compress the spinal cord and result in serious neurological deterioration, if it is not diagnosed and treated immediately.

Arthritis often affects the facet joints which are formed by two adjacent vertebra and direct or guide movement of the spine. As the joints degenerate, they loose their normal alignment, and the cartilage and fluid that lubricates the joints may deteriorate. Bone then rubs against bone, which can be very painful.

These are just a few of the conditions that can cause back pain and neck pain. Most cases of back and neck pains are due to mechanical causes and can be readily addressed by a chiropractor. The point is, however, neck pain and back pain is a warning signal that should not be ignored.

Yours In Good Health

Dr. Jones

San Diego Chiropractic Care
Chiropractor San Diego Blog
Pain Relief San Diego Chiropractor
Car Accident Whiplash Injuries Pain Relief
Back Pain Relief & Treatment
Work Injury & Workplace Safety Advice
Web Design Hillcrest - San Diego - California
Prenatal Health & Pain Relief