San Diego Chiropractic Blog

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

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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

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Being a Chiropractor in San Diego, my office provides treatment for many whiplash accident victims. One of the reasons for these accidents is wet weather driving. Since we don’t have rain throughout the year in this desert community, when it does rain, oil and debris that has been sting on the road all year long loosens resulting in a very slick driving surface.

Auto accidents are serious! You may not be aware that approximately 25% of all auto accident victims never make a full recovery. That could mean a lifetime of neck pain, low back pain, headaches, etc.

The best defense for accident prevention in wet weather is defensive driving. The following paragraphs were found on the National Safety Council website and specifically target safe wet weather driving techniques.

“Losing control of your car on wet pavement is a frightening experience. You can prevent skids by driving slowly and carefully, especially on curves. Steer and brake with a light touch. When you need to stop or slow, do not brake hard or lock the wheels and risk a skid. Maintain mild pressure on the brake pedal.

If you do find yourself in a skid, remain calm, ease your foot off the gas, and carefully steer in the direction you want the front of the car to go. For cars without anti-lock brakes, avoid using your brakes. This procedure, known as “steering into the skid,” will bring the back end of your car in line with the front. If your car has ABS, brake firmly as you steer into the skid.

While skids on wet pavement may be frightening, hydroplaning is completely nerve-wracking. Hydroplaning happens when the water in front of your tires builds up faster than your car’s weight can push it out of the way. The water pressure causes your car to rise up and slide on a thin layer of water between your tires and the road. At this point, your car can be completely out of contact with the road, and you are in danger of skidding or drifting out of your lane, or even off the road.

To avoid hydroplaning, keep your tires properly inflated, maintain good tread on your tires and replace them when necessary, slow down when roads are wet, and stay away from puddles. Try to drive in the tire tracks left by the cars in front of you.

If you find yourself hydroplaning, do not brake or turn suddenly. This could throw your car into a skid. Ease your foot off the gas until the car slows and you can feel the road again.

If you need to brake, do it gently with light pumping actions. If your car has anti-lock brakes, then brake normally; the car’s computer will mimic a pumping action, when necessary.

A defensive driver adjusts his or her speed to the wet road conditions in time to avoid having to use any of these measures. Reprinted with permission from the National Safety Council”

If you do happen to get into a fender bender, get to the chiropractor ASAP. From a statistical standpoint, the best way to avoid becoming one of the 25% of auto injury patients that never fully recover is to undergo an examination with a licensed chiropractor and follow up with any recommended treatment as soon as possible.

Drive Safe, More Coming Soon!

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com
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Car Accident Whiplash Injury

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

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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
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Back Pain Relief & Treatment
Work Injury & Workplace Safety Advice
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