San Diego Chiropractic Blog

Decreasing chronic muscle tension is necessary for improving your sleep.   This seems obvious but we never seem to apply the obvious to our own situation.

If you toss and turn looking for a comfortable sleeping position but never seem to find it and lie in bed trying to fall asleep with little success you are not alone.

Sleeping comfortably isn’t easy in this stressful world – stress causes anxiety and muscle tension which makes sleeping more of a chore than it should be.  I would guess that 75% of the new patients that come to my San Diego Chiropractic clinic indicate on their patient intake / history form that they have sleeping difficulties.

Most of us express the physical manifestations of stress as painful muscle tension in the neck, shoulders and in the area in between the shoulder blades. When muscles are used to being tight all the time it becomes nearly impossible to relax when we try to sleep. These muscles have typically been subjected to postural stress for the better part of your day and in many cases they are tight because they are helping guard irritated joints in your neck and upper back.

Tight spasmed muscles prevent complete relaxation of your body leading to spotty, restless and unsatisfying nights of sleep.

Chiropractic treatment helps relax tight spasmed muscles by calming the nervous system and restoring full free range of motion to the joints of your spine. Chiropractic adjustments help restore balance to your body which allows for more complete relaxation of the muscles that move and support the joints of your back and neck.

While chiropractic treatment can’t help you resolve a stressful work situation or an unhappy home life it can help you deal with the physical expressions of those stresses.  Reducing muscle spasm through chiropractic adjustments will help you sleep better and help you cope with your stress more effectively.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Rotator Cuff Injuries and Shoulder Pain

Rotator cuff injuries are among the worst type of shoulder injuries. At my San Diego Chiropractic Center we diagnose and treat rotator cuff injuries on a regular basis.

The rotator cuff muscle group is responsible for coordinating rotational movements of the shoulder – especially for activities like throwing a ball - hence the name; rotator cuff. This group of shoulder muscles is made up of the following as listed below:

1) Supraspinatus

2) Infraspinatus

3) Teres Minor

4) Subscapularis

The most frequently injured / torn rotator cuff muscle is the supraspinatus. This muscle is about the size of your index finger and has a tendon that is about as long as the muscle itself. This muscle can be injured through trauma related to sports, work and automobile accident injuries. It can also atrophy and tear from being under used – this underuse also known as “senile degeneration” is often found in older or sedentary patients.

Rotator cuff injuries must be taken seriously. If left untreated they can not only cause chronic shoulder pain and disability but they can also lead to neck pain / stiffness and pain between your shoulder blades. While pain is a motivation for most patients to seek care, the resulting disability can restrict a host of activities of daily living ranging from loss of ability to perform work duties to being unable to throw a ball and in many cases making getting a decent night sleep impossible and should be of great concern as well.

Rotator cuff injuries aren’t the only source of shoulder pain but they are one of the more serious causes of shoulder pain. If you suspect that you have injured your shoulder and need professional help please feel free to contact us – we would be happy to help diagnose and treat the source of your shoulder pain.

Dr. Jones

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(619) 280-0554

Whiplash and Neck Pain

Neck pain is common after a whiplash accident. The treatment that you receive (or don’t receive in some cases) following that accident impacts your spine and your health for the rest of your life.

Whiplash damages your joints and the muscles and ligaments that move and support them. Most of the time these injuries are painful immediately after the accident and other times they don’t become problematic until years later. Relieving pain and avoiding future episodes of related pain or disability requires getting treatment for your whiplash as soon as possible.

The forces involved in auto accidents are severe. Whiplash places forces on the muscles and ligaments that far exceed the amount of force they were designed to handle. Whiplash accidents tear muscles and ligaments resulting in swelling, pain, muscle spasms and eventually cause scar tissue formation. Scar tissue not only can become a source of pain but it severely restricts the range of motion of your spine as you age.

We all know older people (and sometimes younger people) who have to rotate their entire bodies in order to look behind them. Those people have limited range of motion of the joints in their necks. With rare exception, this limited range of motion is caused by scar tissue and arthritis that has accumulated from old whiplash injuries.

Chiropractic treatment helps with many different conditions and is exceptionally effective in resolving injuries related to whiplash injuries. In fact, chiropractic care is the perfect therapy for most injuries that are related to whiplash. Chiropractic care helps control the pain associated with torn muscles and ligaments and it is also very effective with breaking down excessive scar tissue that restricts the normal range of motion of your spine.

We have successfully treated hundreds if not thousands of patients who suffer from either current whiplash injuries or the later effects of those injuries in my San Diego chiropractic office. Chiropractic treatment combined with a stretching and exercise program and proper nutritional support can be the difference between chronic long lasting pain and a healthy pain free spine.

Sincerely,

Dr. Steve Jones

Click Here For Your San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

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

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

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Types of Headaches

Headaches is one of the major afflictions for which new patients visit my chiropractic office in San Diego. This condition may seem like a minor health issue to those of us who do not suffer from chronic or severe headaches. But they can have a major role as to how the patient and the population are generally affected. Over ten million visits to the doctor in the United States were caused by headaches in 2007 alone, while being a popular excuse for calling out of work and school.

Medications from the doctor offer relief for a little while, but don’t do anything to help the origin. Chiropractic care, on the other hand, works directly at righting the root causes that trigger a multitude of headaches. This piece will delineate the five basic kinds of headaches — tension, toxic, sinus, cluster and migraine — so you may have a better understanding of which kind of headache you might be experiencing.

Tension Headaches

The most common type of headache, by far, is tension headaches. Roughly 4 out of 5 people are subject to tension headaches from time to time, while five percent are subject to tension headaches every day. Tension headaches affect women twice as much as men.

The duration of anywhere from 30 minutes to several days is average for tension headaches. Band-like pain, pressure, or throbbing of the head are the most common symptoms related to this type of headache.

There can be a significant increase in severity with the frequency of the headaches. Emotional stress, depression, not enough rest, poor posture, and/or chiropractic subluxation causing pressure on the nerves are some of the multiple causes for tension headaches. More frequently than otherwise, this kind of headache normally happens due to a mixture of the above mentioned causes.

Toxic Headaches

This is a rare occurrence of a headache in the medical community. Despite this fact, it is often straightforward to identify this category of headache, when occurring as a result to toxin exposure.

Sinus Headaches

Sinus headaches are not unusual, and the pain is localized to sinus cavities around the forehead, eyes, nose, and cheeks. Rather than relieving sinus headaches long term, many medications used for this purpose ironically may exacerbate and prolong sinus conditions.

Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches are one of the most intense sort of headaches and are normally one-sided. Luckily, though, they are quite unusual and less than 0.1% of people suffer from them. They generally begin prior to age 30 and happen in time periods ranging from 14 days to three months.

These headaches usually occur one to three times per day, lasting for 30-90 minutes. The patient usually awakens from them one to two hours after retiring.

When the cluster period is over, these headaches may disappear for months or years, but the headaches reappear later on. These attacks are considered to be tied to circadian rhythms in the pineal gland and hypothalamus, which controls the resting and awake cycles. This type of headache often occur with spring or fall changes in season.

Migraine Headaches

Migraine headaches, vascular in nature, are caused by variations in the arteries inside and outside the brain. Approximately 28 million Americans suffer with migraines, however approximately 13 million Americans don’t have a diagnosis now. Migraines affect more women than men. Of the ones who have been diagnosed, 25 percent experience at least four episodes per month; 35 percent endure 1-4 attacks per month, and the final 40 percent go through one attack per month or less. Migraines can commonly last from four hours to three days.

There is a family history of migraines in four out of five sufferers from migraines. Children who have one parent who gets migraines have a 50 percent chance of getting them, and if both parents get them, they have a 75 percent chance.

Understanding migraine headache triggers may help avoid future headaches; common trigger factors include weather changes, caffeine, chemical exposure, fatigue or insomnia, and missed meals. Signs may include an aura in the form of light, noise or odor sensitivity; nausea or vomiting; and stomach distress or pain. Additional symptoms of paleness, dizziness, a mild fever, or an upset stomach may manifest in a child with a migraine.

Written by the best San Diego Chiropractor

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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

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Dr. Jones

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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
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Which is worse - neck pain or back pain?

I hear this question often in my San Diego chiropractic office. Of course the answer is easy - if you have back pain, back pain is definitely worse than neck pain. If you have neck pain, neck pain is definitely worse than back pain.

Another common question that I hear regarding low back pain is why sitting makes it hurt more than standing.

This is a good question, which can be answered through physics. I remember seeing a diagram in one of my office ergonomic books that exposed the different stress levels on the spinal disks with various body positions.

The diagram had drawings of a person standing, lying down, sitting and then sitting while hunched forward with very poor posture. The disk pressure differences with these different postures was given as follows:

1) Standing upright 100%

2) Lying down 24%

3) Sitting upright 140%

4) Sitting hunched 190%

The explanation of the much higher disk pressures while sitting is explained by examining the structural changes that occur when we change from a standing to a seated position.

Our spines are supposed to have curves when viewed from the side. The neck should have a nice sweeping forward curve, the mid-back should carry a backward curve and the low back should have a sweeping forward curve. When these curves are present, the weight of your body is carried evenly across several different structures of the spine. These curves help provide stability for your spine.

Once we assume a seated position, the natural forward curve in our low backs reverses which increases the pressure on the disks and either increases back pain or causes back pain. If we stay in that seated position but flex our bodies forward at the waist (think bad posture - slumping over your keyboard or desk) the pressure in the disks elevates causing more damage and more pain.

Limiting the time that you sit will help your back pain in most instances. This is advice that I hand out to my San Diego chiropractic patients everyday of the week. I hope that it helps you as well.

Yours In Good Health

Dr. Jones

San Diego Chiropractic Care
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Have you been to a chiropractor lately? Have you ever been to a chiropractor?

Regardless of your answer to these questions, do you know what a chiropractor does?

I have been a practicing chiropractor in San Diego for the last 16 years. Helping people with neck pain, back pain, sciatica and headaches with chiropractic care is rewarding. As a profession, chiropractors only provide care to somewhere around 10% of our population. I have always wondered why this number is so low since patient satisfaction with chiropractic treatment is so much higher than it is with traditional medical care and that most independent research indicates that chiropractic care is more effective than western medicine for back pain.

Chiropractic care is an excellent , conservative treatment for many types of back injuries including those caused by auto accidents and various work injuries. That being the case, I have always thought that more people don’t seek out chiropractic care for their back and neck injuries because they don’t know what to expect with a chiropractic visit.

In this post, I am going to tell you exactly what procedures that our new patients go through at the time of their first visit.

Once a new patient comes to our office they are asked to fill out a brief informational health history that covers both past and current problems. After they are done with this form, I review the history to acquaint myself with current and past complaints that are relevant to the reason for the appointment.

With the history form reviewed, I take the patient to one of my exam / treatment rooms where I ask the patient to tell me more about their pain. During this time I also ask additional questions to help me get a good understanding of the patients’ concerns.

After I am satisfied with my understanding of the patients’ concerns and they have nothing else to add to the history, I perform an examination on the involved areas that includes range of motion tests, necessary orthopedic tests and neurological tests. Usually the information that I obtain from these tests is sufficient to allow me to make a decision regarding treatment.

If treatment is indicated, care usually involves therapy to relax the muscles followed by chiropractic adjustments to relieve the pain / dysfunction of the involved joints. Since many of our new patients have never been to a chiropractor before, I always ask the patients to help me keep all of our procedures within their “comfort zone”. I have always thought that this is very important since so many Americans are unfamiliar with manual type therapies.

The number of chiropractic visits varies person to person depending on the severity of the injury and each persons response to care.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com