San Diego Chiropractic Blog

Many problems with the neck and upper back affect the shoulder and visa versa. There is a good reason for why this happens and I will use this post to explain it.

There is that old saying regarding the human body that goes something like “everything is connected”, of course in this instance we are talking about anatomy - specifically a kinematic chain.

In a kinematic chain, the function / health of adjacent joints are dependant on each other. A simple example of a breakdown among joints in a kinematic chain and the resulting consequences would be a person who sprains their ankle, limps on that ankle for several days and then develops knee pain secondary to the limp caused by the injured ankle. If the limping or gait impairment continues for any period of time, the irritation can involve the hip and eventually the low back. The ankle, knee, hip, sacroiliac joints and the joints of low back all form a kinematic chain.

In a similar yet more complicated arrangement, the vertebra of the cervical and thoracic spine are intertwined with the shoulder joints. The shoulder is made up of a series joints that allows for a tremendous amount of movement in a number of planes. Compared to the knee, for example, that only allows for about 120 degrees of flexion and very little rotation and translation, the shoulder is incredibly mobile. While, like the shoulder joint has ligaments and a joint capsule that tie the humorous to the scapula and the clavicle, the primary source of stability of the shoulder joint is the muscles, many of which attach into the cervical and thoracic vertebra.

Regarding the spine - in particular the cervical and thoracic spine - the joints found in the spinal column have considerably less motion than do most other joints in the body. That being said, the cervical spine displays the greatest amount of motion found in the spine while the thoracic spine is the most limited in its flexibility. Many of the big muscles of the neck and upper back insert onto the scapula and the clavicle links these two joint complexes together.

In many cases, shoulder pain or dysfunction can result in spasms of the larger muscles that help stabilize the shoulder - most of these muscles originate from the vertebra of the neck and upper back. The stress of this spasm can cause pain or dysfunction in the neck and upper back. Because of the shared muscles between the neck, upper back and shoulder girdle, the exact opposite scenario can occur with a primary spinal problem causing muscle spasms that have a negative effect on the shoulder.

Both the shoulder and the neck joints display complex, compound movements. Adjacent joint complexes like these that share major muscle groups make for an increased likelihood of pain / dysfunction spreading to include the second joint or in this case, joints.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Migrain headaches are a common complaint in my San Diego Chiropractic Clinic. Researchers and medical professionals have developed many different theories regarding the cause of migrains.

Many chiropractors, my peers, believe that in some instances migrains are caused by misaligned vertebra that pinch certain nerves in the upper cervical portion of the spine. I see patients’ migrain headaches respond favorably to chiropractic care in my clinic on a regular basis. That being said, misalignments of the upper cervical vertebra don’t explain all cases of mirgain headaches because all of my patients don’t get better.

Other different theories about the cause of migraines include:

Vascular pressure changes in your brain; from initial blood vessel constriction and a drop in blood flow, followed by dilation and stretching of blood vessels, which activates pain-signaling neurons. These dialations and constrictions can include blood flow increases of up to 300%.

Changes in your serotonin levels; when levels drop, blood vessels including those in your brain become swollen and inflamed, which can lead to migraine pain.

Neurological disorders; related to nerve cell activity that crosses your brain, causing pain. In this case, it is thought that the release of neurotransmitters across the cortex of your brain can directly stimulate the trigeminal nerves found in your brain stem, setting off a chain reaction that ends in the pain signals of a migraine.

A nervous system disorder involving your brain stem. Your brain stem is your control center for alertness, perception of light, noise and smell, cerebral blood flow, cardiovascular function and pain sensitivity — many, if not most, of which are part of the symptoms of a migraine attack.

Typically a person who experiences migrains often can identify a “trigger” that they can point to as the culprit of their headaches. If you have migrains and have not attempted to identify your triggers you should. The following is list of some common migraine triggers.

Allergies: Including food allergies / sensitivities and chemical sensitivities.

Dehydration and / or hunger

Changes in sleeping patterns: Both missing sleep and oversleeping can trigger a migraine.

Stress: Emotional stress or trauma can trigger a migraine.

Physical exertion: Intense exercise has been known to bring on migraines.

Hormones: Some women experience migraines before, or during their periods, during pregnancy, or during menopause.

Other factors: Bright lights, fluorescent lights, loud noises and strong smells (even pleasant ones) can trigger a migraine. Weather changes, seasonal changes, and changes in altitude can also act as a trigger for a migraine.

All of the above causes of migraines are significant and some are downright scary. New research studies, however, point to a few potential cures of migraines that just may work for you. A recent study found that vitamin supplementation of vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid has the potential to reduce the frequency and severity of migrains.

Recent studies have also found that 42% of those suffering from migraine headaches are also suffering from a vitamin D deficiency.

It follows that supplimentation of B6, B12, folic acid and vitamin D may provide significant migraine relief for a portion of you reading this post.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

Personal Injury Doctor San Diego

Have you ever noticed how tight your neck, upper back and shoulders are after a long day of sitting at the computer?

There are a number of factors that contribute to this tightness. Simply the stress of deadlines, an overbearing boss or an annoying co-worker can make your shoulders rise up and your head push forward. And this stress is the result of just the emotional stress of work. When you add the real physical strains of a poorly designed work station on top of the emotional stresses that already exist you have a perfect recipe for a repetitive stress injury.

A large part of designing an ergonomically friendly workstation revolves around limiting the “reach” for items that are frequently accessed.

The distance that you have to reach for any object in your workspace can have major implications on your health. In general, workers should have the items that they use on a regular basis through the day such as the mouse and keyboard for computer users or the telephone for a receptionist or a sales person, positioned close to their bodies so as to avoid awkward or overreaching.

As a general rule, the best positioning for your keyboard and mouse allows you to operate them while your shoulders hang straight down at your sides and elbows are slightly extended. This position reduces the stress of overreaching and allows for completion of your tasks with less muscular effort.

There are many ergonomic apparatus that allow for proper placement of your computer input devices. Pull out keyboard trays, split keyboards, mouse platforms and even foot controls help reduce the ongoing stresses of computer input.

Even with these devices, it takes awareness to maintain an ergonomically friendly work environment.

For a nice selection of high quality ergonomic office products you can visit www.comfortkeyboard.com.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Approximately 25% of all people injured in whiplash accidents never make a complete recovery. Residual problems such as headaches, neck pain, back pain, numbness and tingling sensations are common ongoing complaints.

My Chiropractic office in San Diego treats patients for whiplash injuries throughout the year. During the rainy season, however, these injuries are much more common.

Whiplash injuries primarily do damage to the soft tissues that move and support the spine. During the whiplash accident, muscles and ligaments are stretched and torn. Muscles and ligaments that are damaged by whiplash accidents go through a process that involves irritation, inflammation and scar tissue formation. Our bodies tend to over produce scar tissue which causes problems in the future. Excessive scar tissue formation causes restrictions in range of motion, impingement of nerves and pain with cold weather.

Because of the nature of this healing process, chiropractic treatment is especially effective in treating whiplash injuries. Scar tissue builds up in a disorganized web of fibers and often hampers the range of motion of the joints of the spine. Chiropractic adjustments improve range of motion by breaking down scar tissue that is not needed and would only serve to limit normal motions of the spine.

The spine is like any other mechanical structure in that the closer that it moves to the way it was designed to move the fewer problems you will encounter with it. For us, this means a reduced chance of experiencing the symptoms that I referred to in the opening paragraph of this post.

The bottom line is that residual symptoms are common after whiplash injuries and they can range from being a slight annoyance to a source of significant disability.

Chiropractic adjustments combined with therapies such as electrical muscle stimulation, hot packs and ultrasound are very effective in treating those suffering from whiplash injuries.

If you have been involved in an auto accident be sure to have your injuries evaluated and treated by a chiropractor. You will experience the immediate benefit of pain relief and the long range benefits of a healthy spine.

Here’s To Your Health

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com

In my San Diego Chiropractic clinic, I provide treatment for many types of injuries. Typical injuries that result in neck pain, back pain, chronic headaches, sciatica etc., include auto accidents, work related injuries, injuries caused by domestic chores and sometimes things as simple as sleeping in an awkward position.

Of these patients suffering from neck pain, back pain and other injuries, I would say that at least 50% of them ask, “what can I do for myself to make sure that this doesn’t happen again?” This question served as the inspiration for this article and I will address it in this post.

To begin with, neck pain and back pain are great motivators.

When people are in pain they take a proactive approach to their health. People often inquire about what kind of stretch or exercising that they can start right away. Unfortunately, this enthusiasm has to be placed on hold because the best thing that you can do while your injury is new is to apply ice packs to the injured area and rest.

Over my 15 plus years in practice I have seen a large percentage of enthusiastic patients ignore this advice and end up giving their conditions a major set back. The time to start exercising and stretching your back for most of us is when it is out of its acute stage of pain.

My biggest struggles in practice have been dealing with my patients exercise and diet habits. Exercise is one of the few things that a patient can do at home, outside of chiropractic care, to help prevent or diminish the chances of developing back pain.

After an injury, you should approach exercise cautiously - almost to a point where the exercise that you are performing feels like it is doing nothing. If you can get through a few low intensity exercise sessions like this without aggravating your condition, you should slowly add resistance, time or distance allowing you to build confidence and strength at the same time.

You have to remember to incorporate a sensible approach to exercising after a back injury. Be sure to exercise and stretch under the advise of a health care professional. Strong and flexible muscles add strength and support to your spine and will provide much needed stability.

I have always tried to help the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic office with their neck pain and back with stretches and exercises. The combination of chiropractic care with stretches and exercise allows for quicker, more complete healing.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com

My Chiropractic office in San Diego, California provides treatment for many patients who complain of lower back pain that is accompanied by leg pain. The term for this leg pain is sciatica and it implies that the leg pain is due to a compression of the sciatic nerve.

More often than not, sciatica is due to compression of the nerve at the point where it exits the spine. The typical scenario is that one of the five joints in the lower part of the spine will become misaligned, irritated and inflamed, putting pressure on the sciatic nerve and causing leg pain.

Because so many cases of sciatic pain are caused by spinal misalignments, in many cases this condition is effectively treated with chiropractic care.

Chiropractic treatment for sciatica can involve spinal adjustments, hot packs, ice packs, electrical muscle stimulation, ultrasound, traction and specific stretches / exercises. Typically, chiropractic treatment for this condition requires a course of care rather than a single visit.

Although many cases of sciatica are due to simple spinal misalignments, there are other causes of this condition that must be examined. Some of the other leading causes of sciatic pain are as follows.

1) Bulging Disc: A bulging disc is also known as a slipped disc. This means the gel-like center of the disc bulges up against the nerve root. Disc bulges can cause pain, numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness. Typically, disc bulges generate pain with sitting, bending and twisting motions.

2) Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Spinal stenosis is a type of nerve compression that most often affects older people. Leg pain similar to sciatica can occur as a result of lumbar spinal stenosis. The pain is usually brought on by activities such as standing or walking and relieved by sitting down.

3) Spondylolisthesis: Spondylolisthesis is a disorder that is characterized by one vertebra slipping forward over the vertebra below it. When the vertebra slips and becomes displaced, spinal nerve root compression occurs and often causes sciatic leg pain. Spondylolisthesis has many possible origins including developmental (found at birth, develops during childhood) or acquired as a result of degeneration, trauma or physical stress.

4) Trauma: Sciatica can result from nerve compression caused by external forces from such things as motor vehicle accidents, falls, work injuries and sports injuries.

5) Piriformis Syndrome: Piriformis syndrome derives its name from the piriformis muscle and the pain that arises when the muscle irritates the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve runs beneath the piriformis muscle and develops pain when muscle spasms develop compressing the sciatic nerve. It may be difficult to diagnose and treat due to the lack of x-ray or MRI findings.

6) Spinal Tumors: Tumors are abnormal growths that are either benign or cancerous. Fortunately, spinal tumors are rare. When a tumor develops in the lower back, there is a possibility for sciatica to develop as a result of nerve compression.

More Coming Soon

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com

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

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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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
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Several years ago, Florida Sate University was selected as a site for the newest Palmer Chiropractic College. While this blog post revolves around a story that takes place thousands of miles away from my San Diego Chiropractic Office, it is relevant because it would initiate a study that would explore current beliefs and opinions regarding chiropractic care. After all, this would be the first general studies university to have a chiropractic college integrated into its campus. As with most changes, there were both accolades and anger. As a result of the divide between those in favor and those against the addition of Palmer College (my school by the way), an intensive study of chiropractic was launched by the Florida State University to find out exactly what chiropractic care was and why so many people seek out chiropractic treatment.

The following findings are taken directly from the overview found on the first few pages of the FSU report.

Reasons and Conditions for Patients Seeking Chiropractic Care

The primary reasons that patients seek chiropractic care are for illness related to back pain, headaches, and neck pains. Other types of illnesses for which chiropractic treatments are sought include lower and upper extremity pains, chest pains, and abdominal pains.

The primary causes of patient conditions for which chiropractic care is sought are activities of daily living, motor vehicle accidents, overuse/repetitive stress, work and sports/exercise/recreation.

Almost 10 percent of the patients seeking chiropractic care do so for wellness and preventive care reasons.

Consumer Use and Satisfaction with Chiropractic Care

Consumers of chiropractic care have expressed overwhelming satisfaction with the services. A survey of Floridians revealed that over 90 percent of those who have used chiropractic care during the past three years were satisfied with those services.

Nationally, the percentage of the U.S. population who has used chiropractic services has increased from 5 percent in 1980 to over 45 percent in the late 1990s.

A 2000 Florida survey revealed that over 29 percent of Floridians have used chiropractic care just within the past three years.

The survey also revealed that 92.3 percent of those who previously used chiropractic care would do so again if they had illnesses that chiropractors treat.

Research Proves Effectiveness of Chiropractic Care for Selected Conditions

During the past 20 years, over 100 studies of the effectiveness of chiropractic care, both alone and in combination with other treatments, have been conducted by reputable researchers. The studies have included clinical trials, research of medical records, consumer surveys, and chiropractic surveys. Very little research has been conducted on the wellness/preventive effectiveness of chiropractic care. Thus, no evidence currently exists either supporting or denying the hypothesis that chiropractic care improves the overall health of an individual.

The research has shown that chiropractic care is either more effective or as effective as comparable pharmaceutical and surgical treatments for back and neck pains and for certain types of headaches.

Perhaps of even more importance, the research has shown that chiropractic care is significantly safer than comparable pharmaceutical and surgery treatments, producing far fewer (about 4,000 times fewer, according to one study) negative side effects such as chronic pain, disability, or death.

This is just a small piece of the FSU study on chiropractic care. In future posts I will provide more details from this document. I hope you enjoyed it!

Yours In Good Health

Dr. Jones

San Diego Chiropractic Care
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