San Diego Chiropractic Blog

Dehydration is a common problem among adults. I have read studies that indicate that at any one time approximately 75% of American adults are suffering with mild symptoms that result from being dehydrated. Being a chiropractor in San Diego, a desert community, we see many people suffering from ailments ranging from neck pain and headaches to lower back pain with sciatica that all carry some link to dehydration.

The human body is approximately 65% water. By definition, dehydration occurs as the result of excessive loss of water from the body. This occurs as a direct result of not taking in enough water. That is a very superficial explanation of dehydration. In reality, it’s a bit more complicated than that since the body loses electrolytes as well as fluids.

Dehydration is a major issue with our health. A common scene in professional sports is that of the athletes becoming dehydrated and “cramping up”. This cramping of muscles affects us normal people as well. We suffer from back spasms and similar symptoms as a result of dehydration.

Another common symptom of dehydration is headaches. Dehydration has long been known to be a trigger of Migraine type headaches. Many people mistakenly think it occurs only in hot weather and that you’re not dehydrated if you’re not thirsty.

Dehydration Facts:

” It takes an average of 64 to 80 ounces to replace the water our bodies lose in 24 hours.

” Under normal circumstances, how much water we need depends a great deal on the volume of our perspiration and urine output.

” Our bodies’ need for water increases under circumstances such as:

” warmer weather or climate

” living at high altitudes

” increased physical activity

” when experiencing vomiting or diarrhea

” when fevered

” when you have a cold or the flu

” if you have a chronic disease such as uncontrolled or untreated diabetes, kidney disease, alcoholism, cystic fibrosis, or adrenal disorders,

” if you are taking some medications. Always check your prescription information.

” during long air flights

” Losing as little as 1 to 2% of body weight can result in dehydration.

” Losing 3 to 5% can negatively impact reaction time, concentration and judgment

” Losing 9 - 15% results in severe dehydration and is life-threatening.

Dehydration Symptoms:

” Excessive thirst

” Fatigue

” Muscle weakness

” Headache (or, in the case of Migraineurs, Migraine)

” Dizziness

” Less frequent need to urinate and decreased output

” Darker colored urine (should be nearly clear to pale yellow)

” Confusion

” Increased heart rate and respirations

” Skin that doesn’t snap back when pinched and released

” Children may exhibit additional symptoms:

” Absence of tears when crying

” No wet diaper for three hours or longer

” Irritability

” Lethargy

” Fever

When caught early, dehydration can usually be treated at home. Common treatments include:

” Mild dehydration: rehydration by drinking fluids including sports drinks, which rehydrate by providing not only fluid, but also electrolytes and salt. In children, products such as Pedialyte may be recommended as it also contains carbohydrates to help absorption in the intestinal tract. Coffee, tea, and soda should not be used for dehydration as the caffeine in them can actually be dehydrating.

” Moderate dehydration: rehydration may suffice, but IV fluids may be required.

” Severe dehydration: Immediate action must be taken, treating the situation as a medical emergency. Hospital treatment is necessary for IV fluids to rehydrate more quickly and efficiently and to allow observation.

As with most ailments, it’s better to prevent dehydration than to treat it. Here are some preventative steps you can take:

” Drink plenty of fluids and eat foods high in water. Fruit contains the most water, followed by vegetables, meat, then grains with the least.

” Choose your beverages wisely. Caffeine and alcohol can be dehydrating. For some people, too much fruit juice can cause diarrhea, which can be dehydrating.

” If you’re planning a day with more significantly exercise than usual, begin hydrating the day before.

” Sports drinks can help maintain electrolyte balance, but be aware of the sugars in them.

” Plan outdoor activities for cooler parts of the day.

” If you’re organizing outdoor activities, provide shaded areas.

” When you’re ill, be sure to continue drinking fluids, and get additional fluids if you have a fever or are vomiting or have diarrhea. Call your doctor for help with vomiting or diarrhea if necessary.

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

I will start this blog post by saying that I am not big on New Years resolutions. Maybe I am pessimistic but I always think that they set me and many of you up for failure.

Case in point, many of the patients in my Chiropractic office in San Diego have already faltered with their new diets and exercise programs for this New Year. Sometimes they fail with their resolutions simply because the changes involved in their new resolutions are too much of a drastic change from their prior lifestyle. Others expect too much of themselves on a physical level and end up in my office complaining of neck pain, back pain, sprains, strains and other exercise related pains. Many people at this point make a comment about how “getting in shape is killing them”.

I always enter the New Year with the thought that I will do just a little better than I did the last year. This is especially true with diet and exercise. Although I am a health care professional, I do succumb to the temptations of the bean rice and cheese burrito or the piece of pizza with extra cheese. Likewise, I find myself getting run down from time to time and I loose my desire to exercise.

Failing in my diet and exercise are two downfalls that have an immediate impact on my well being. When exercise goes by the wayside I have less energy, I tier easily and I sleep poorly. When I blow my diet I feel fat, bloated and most of all - guilty. These responses to failures in my diet and exercise make me wonder why I fail in my efforts.

The benefits of maintaining a healthy diet and following a challenging exercise regimen are easily identified. Following a reasonable diet and getting enough exercise make me feel good! I hope that those benefits are enough to make me hang in there.

That is my health goal for the New Year - to be just a little better than I was last year with diet and exercise.

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

“Hey Doc, is it OK if I crack my own neck?”

In my San Diego chiropractic clinic, I treat many patients for neck pain, back pain and other joint pains. A few of these patients ask me if it is OK if they crack their necks and backs by themselves. A few of them will tell me that they have their kids or the wife walk on their back. And a few of them are in my office because either they cracked their back or neck by themselves or they had someone else do it for them which resulted in an injury.

The funny thing about some of these people who were injured by a non-chiropractic adjustment is that they are nervous about me adjusting them for their neck pain or back pain.

The truth about cracking your own neck or back is that it is not very safe. Usually people develop pain or stiffness in the spine because of an injury or some ongoing condition. Chiropractors are trained to specifically diagnose and provide treatment for these conditions or injuries.

Through the course of my fifteen year career, I have seen patients who have broken vertebra by adjusting their own necks and backs. I have seen broken ribs as a result of having someone walk on their backs, I have seen two patients who suffered mild strokes from cracking their own necks and I had one patient whose brother suffered paralysis from the chest down because his partner walked on his back resulting in a crushed vertebra and a seriously damaged spinal cord.

Some people crack their own joints daily for years without suffering obvious serious consequences. Even these people are doing themselves a disservice. In no normal situation should you feel as though you have to crack a specific joint every day. Those who do crack the same joints everyday for years will develop arthritis in those joints resulting in pain, dysfunction and possibly disability.

In most cases cracking or as we chiropractors call it “adjusting” a joint is fairly easy once the skills are acquired. However, the one of the most important things regarding the delivery of any type of health care is when not to deliver it. In every case that I have seen when a patient was injured by a non-chiropractic adjustment, the injured patient “thought” that they knew what was wrong.

Don’t make the same mistakes. If you need to get adjusted, go to the chiropractor!

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Being a practicing chiropractor in San Diego for the last 15 plus years has given me the opportunity to manage hundreds of cases of lower back pain. I would say that of these cases of low back pain, at least 75% of them are the result of a sedentary lifestyle and lack of core strength.

Our spines are essentially a stack of bones that give use the ability to flex, bend and twist while at the same time provide protection for our spinal cord. Ligaments, which are tough fibrous bands of tissue help provide stability of the joints. Another major contributor of stability for our spines comes from the muscles. The muscles in our bodies, regardless of where they are located should be strong and flexible. Strong flexible muscles in our core help prevent injuries.

The trend in America is that we are becoming heavier and exercising less. In addition to this trend, or perhaps a contributor to this trend is the fact that so many people have work that revolves around the computer. I know that some of my patients sit at a computer station all day long - every day of the week.

Sitting at a computer has multiple ill effects on the health of our spines. The postural stress of sitting puts stress on the discs that separate our vertebrae. When we sit, the normal forward sweeping curve of our low backs round backward which displaces the weight of our bodies forward putting increased pressure on the discs. This posture also stretches the muscles that run down the back of the spine eventually causing what is known as a “stretch weakness”.

It is the loss of core strength combined with the postural stress of sitting at work for hours and days on end that leads to most of the back problems that I see at work. I always find it ironic that office workers who are in for treatment make comments about how I must see so many heavy laborers for back pain while my office is filled with computer jockeys.

The solutions to the problems described above are simple but require diligence. First of all, you have to take breaks if you sit all day. I had a seminar years ago where one of the speakers gave a simple solution to get you up and moving during the day. He suggested that you have a small, 8 oz glass of water on your desk that you drink from all day. With this plan, every twenty minutes or so you will have to get up to get more water or get up to go to the bathroom. These mini breaks in your day help relieve postural stress.

The second part of taking care of your back involves building strength in your core. This involves exercise. Walking, jogging, bicycle riding, crunches and various exercises on a Swiss Ball will all go a long way towards building core strength and reducing your chances of lower back injury.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Does acute or chronic back pain have you down? Looking for alternatives to what your current back pain management plan is? Read on!

Practicing chiropractic in San Diego has exposed me to a patient base that is more interested in their health then in other areas of the country. In addition to traditional chiropractic treatment for neck pain and back pain our office offers our patients a host of recommendations for self care of their pain that can become part of a healthy lifestyle.

In order to help control episodes of back or neck pain, immediately drink several glasses of water. In some cases, dehydration will cause muscular aches and back pain. The rule of thumb of drinking eight, eight ounce glasses of water per day is healthy in general. Incidentally, headaches can be caused by dehydration as well. If you have headaches on a regular basis, increasing your water consumption may give you relief.

Ice applications to the area of pain can also be beneficial. Ice helps reduce inflammation which not only causes pain but can trigger local muscle spasms that lead to functional losses. There used to be an old rule concerning icing that suggested ice for the first 48 hours and then apply heat after that. Modern clinical studies indicate that as long as you have pain, you have inflammation. Inflammation always responds better to ice than it does to heat. We recommend that our patients ice their back pain or neck pain 20 minutes at a time at least two times per day with at least a 20 minute break in between sessions. Ice with a soft gel pack through a thin piece of clothing. Lastly, watch for frostbite - if the skin over the area that you are icing turns red or brown and scabs over you did too much.

Try to not sleep on your stomach. Stomach sleeping puts your back into extension which compresses the joints that run down the back of your spine. You should either sleep on your back with your knees supported with a pillow or sleep on your side in the fetal position. Either of these two positions may be comfortable for you and allow for a better nights sleep.

Do not try to exercise out of the pain. Exercise is vital to strengthening your back and providing stability but it needs to begin when your original pain has subsided and or is no longer aggravated by physical activity. The joints in our spines are supported by the ligaments and muscles. Once injured, ligaments heal slowly and may never provide the support that they did before the injury. We can improve our muscle tone, however, through exercise to regain pre-injury stability.

One last bit of advice that I will mention in this article is nutritional supplementation. Nutritional supplements can not only help you heal faster but can help control pain and inflammation as well. Among the common supplements that we recommend are essential fatty acids, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, SAMe and vitamin C.

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

As a chiropractor, I am always asked “Does chiropractic really work?” This is an unfair and a loaded question. Chiropractic care is a very effective form of treatment for some things and not for others.

Being a Chiropractor in San Diego, I see sports related injuries all year round. Running injuries, falls from bicycles or rollerblades, golf injuries, basketball injuries - you name it and most likely we have seen it. More often than not these injuries result in typical sprain / strains that result in neck pain, back pain, sciatica etc.

The types of injuries that I just listed are a few of many joint injuries / symptoms that chiropractic care is very effective in treating. You might say that chiropractic care was made for such injuries. The reason that I say this is because of the nature of these types of injuries.

The typical sprain / strain injury usually results when a fall or an accident forces a joint through an excessive or abnormal range of motion. This type of injury stretches the ligaments and muscles that move and support the spine. The result of this type of injury is irritation and inflammation of the joint and scar tissue formation.

Without chiropractic treatment, the scar tissue from sprain / strain injuries restricts and or alters normal joint motion which can cause pain and stiffness. Chiropractic manipulations help to restore full, normal joint motion by breaking down scar tissue that would otherwise cause stiffness and pain.

Chiropractic care is an excellent form of therapy for reducing the effects of postural stress from sitting at a computer, poor lifting habits, poor posture and a variety of other stresses that we expose ourselves to on a daily basis.

So, does chiropractic work? The only way to know is go visit one and see. Chiropractors want their treatment to work and are reluctant to take on cases that may not properly respond to their therapy. No doctor that I know wants to have unsuccessful treatment sessions during the course of their work day. A good chiropractor can look at your history, perform an examination and make a sound determination on how well you will respond to care.

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

Workstation Considerations

The study of workstation ergonomics tells us that the objects that we use most often should be located closest to your body and accessed easily, without awkward body positions or movements. Repeated reaching or prolonged fixed postures that involve leaning forward from your chair are stressful and fatiguing.

Some people are aware of computer ergonomics and have purchased various ergonomic devices. These devices, such as keyboard trays, gel mouse pads, and ergonomic keyboards rarely provide solutions to the big picture of computer ergonomics. These items must work with each other in order to produce a significant reduction in postural stress. For example, an ergonomic mouse is of little use if it is positioned in an area that requires reaching and stretching in order to operate it. Limiting reaching and stretching for desk items is essential to maintaining a healthy ergonomic environment.

The most frequent complaint that I have seen in my office is due to computer work is the combination of mousing and reaching to the desk for the mouse.

Most computer stations are designed in a way that involves the worker operating the computer mouse on a pad on the desk. Reaching to the desk for the mouse places direct stress on the joints and soft tissues of the neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand. Additionally, reaching forward for the mouse stresses the lower and middle back.

So How Does Reaching for the Mouse Set the Stage for Injury?

Reaching for the mouse causes you to lean forward in your chair, extend your arm and support the weight of your body through your extended arm.

The stresses placed on the human frame when reaching for the mouse are easily identified. Contrary to popular belief, sitting, which most people believe is relaxing, is hard on the back. Sitting for long periods of time can cause increased pressure on the discs of the spine.

In recent years, studies on postural stress have indicated that we should be sitting upright with our hips flexed at 90 degrees. As it turns out, the most up to date studies show that a slightly reclined sitting posture with the hips flexed at 100 to 115 degrees is ideal if you have to sit at a desk. If your mouse is not positioned close enough to your body, you will have to reach for it. Reaching for your mouse stresses your back by reducing the angle of your hips.

Next, we have to look at the effects of reaching on the neck and shoulder. When the mouse is being operated at a distance that makes the operator reach, the shoulder extends forward and the shoulder blade abducts (rotates forward). This position stretches the muscle groups that connect the medial portion of your shoulder blade to your spine and the superior portion of your shoulder blade to your neck. In the short term, this stretch aggravates the affected muscle groups causing spasm, fatigue, headaches and stiffness in the neck and shoulder. In the long term, this position creates a condition called a “stretch weakness” resulting in muscular imbalance, trigger points and chronic variations of the conditions listed in the prior sentence.

Lastly, placing the mouse too far away, too low, or too much on one side can cause shoulder, wrist, elbow, and forearm discomfort. When the operator is forced to reach for the mouse, his / her body weight shifts forward and ultimately results in weight bearing stress on the extended arm. Spending prolonged periods of time leaning on an extended arm is an unnatural and destructive posture that will eventually lead to the development of a repetitive stress syndrome; likely resulting disorders would include tendonitis of the wrist, elbow or shoulder.

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

Does computer work seem much more difficult (physically) than it should be?

The patients in my San Diego chiropractic practice often seem perplexed by the fact that they can be injured doing such sedentary work as computer work. Most are of the opinion that it takes a forceful and traumatic incident to result in injury.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. National statistics point to the computer as a major contributor to lost days at work due to injury. I see the same thing in my San Diego Chiropractic office. Neck pain, shoulder pain, wrist pain, hand pain and back pain are common among those who don’t have the proper ergonomic set-up of their computer stations. That being said, some people get these symptoms regardless of their ergonomic set-up and must evaluate many other contributing factors in order to relieve the stress.

Computer ergonomics is the study and / or implementation of workstation design with the purpose of reducing or eliminating physical stress.

My interest in repetitive stress syndromes began approximately 10 years ago when my practice started seeing a much greater number of people suffering from the effects of computer / keyboard work. Despite all of my training and continuing education related to these types of injuries, I quickly realized that traditional treatment for this type of injury was marginally successful at best.

Any type of therapy was going to have to include the application of basic ergonomic principals to the patient’s work environment.

I am of the opinion that treatment alone or application of ergonomic principals by themselves is not going to resolve a repetitive stress injury.

Over the next several weeks I will write a series of articles that will address the implication of workstation ergonomics and injury resulting from postural stress secondary to use of the computer mouse.

Specifically, the following will be addressed:

1) What repetitive stress injuries are

2) What role do work station ergonomics play in injury

3) How reaching for the mouse sets the stage for injury

4) What are the symptoms of repetitive stress injury

5) How you can avoid mouse reaching injuries

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
Back Pain Relief & Treatment
Work Injury & Workplace Safety Advice
Web Design Hillcrest - San Diego - California
Prenatal Health & Pain Relief

So you’ve had a Birthday and you’re thinking about your youth that’s slipping away. I would like to go back to 30 myself. Of course there are some things we can do to help feel more youthful and have more energy. Proper nutrition is one thing that you can start today to make you feel better tomorrow.

Some San Diego Chiropractic offices include nutrition in their practices. Nutrition is a logical component of helping patients regain and maintain their health. That being said, I don’t have a good grasp of some of the concepts employed by chiropractors and other doctors regarding testing for nutritional deficiencies. Many doctors that sell nutritional products decide that you need them based on their need to sell them to you.

I have always liked measured outcomes. Granted, in health care, many times “improvement” in a patients’ condition is driven by the patients’ symptoms.

In other words, when the patient is out of pain, they are done with care!

This is seldom a good call, most of the time it isn’t. Even doctors are advised against making judgments regarding delivery of care for their own illnesses. After all, many patients are riddled with cancer or have major blockage in their hearts’ arteries yet the patient has no symptoms. Like any of these conditions, treatment for even seemingly minor symptoms is best when delivered until the illness is completely resolved.

Our state of wellness is fleeting and worsened when we ignore signals that we are losing our health.

We can develop mild symptoms like insomnia or anxiety or fatigue for example and attribute them to something other than some internal issue. Often our symptoms are attributed to things such as work stress or relationship problems. While those stresses are contributors to our symptoms, diet and ultimately nutrition take the lead role in producing symptoms of ill health.

I recently made the decision to have a hair analysis performed for mineral content. The lab that we are now using for hair analysis uses state of the art equipment to analyze the hair sample then they generate a report containing specifics regarding their findings. They also include recommended supplements and gobs of information regarding the consequences of their findings.

Having considered myself above the average as far as my health goes, I was shocked by the reports findings.

This report is exactly what I need to drive my nutritional supplement schedule. It provides a measure of where I am and what I should take to get where I need to be.

For those of you who have dismissed the findings of a hair analysis as inaccurate, advances in this procedure over the last ten years have made the results as accurate as blood tests.

So get serious about getting healthy, do yourself a favor and get a hair analysis. It will do wonders with guiding your nutritional plan and it will keep you on track toward better health!

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

San Diego Chiropractic Care
Chiropractor San Diego Blog