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

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

Do you pay attention to your nutritional intake?

While most of us think that what we eat and the supplements that we take are important, most of us are hit and miss at best. I know that personally I have to dig deep within myself to avoid fattening and sugary foods. I also have to keep my supplements in plain sight or I will forget to take them.

Supplements are important for those who suffer from neck pain, back pain or any other type of joint pain. They are especially important for those who are recovering from injuries such as car accidents, work injuries and sports injuries. Nutritional support for injured muscles and ligaments is important during the various healing stages.

The following recommendations cover nutritional support for bone and joint health as it relates to sprain / strain injuries. That being said, these recommendations will also help you maintain your spinal health.

Nutritional support is a valuable asset to your chiropractic care.

The following supplements are considered very important.

Chondroitin Sulfate: 500 - 1000 mg daily - Nutritional support for strengthening joints, ligaments and tendons

Glucosamine Sulfate: Take as directed. - Very important for the formation of bone, tendons, ligaments, cartilage and synovial (joint) fluid

MSM: 500 - 1000 mg 3 X daily - This is a sulfer compound that reduces pain and inflammation. MSM is also important for joint and tissue repair

Calcium: 1500 - 2000 mg daily - Needed for repair of connective tissue. You should use two forms of calcium - calcium chelate and calcium gluconate. Very important for skeletal strength (especially for women but men should supplement as well.)

Magnesium: 750 - 1000 mg daily - Works in conjunction with calcium

Essential Fatty Acids: Take as directed - Promotes cardiovascular and cellular health.

Grape Seed Extract: Take as directed - A powerful anti-inflammatory

Manganese: 15 mg daily - Strengthens wounded ligaments and tendons

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Have you ever wondered what it takes to build a healthy and strong spine?

Being a Chiropractor in San Diego, I see many types of injuries. These injuries result in symptoms such as neck pain, back pain, chronic headaches, etc. The cause of these injuries ranges from car accidents and work or sports injuries to injuries caused by more domestic duties that result from around the house chores and sometimes things as simple as sleeping in an awkward position.

Of these injured patients, I would say that at least for the moment, while they are in pain, at least 75% 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 in this post.

To begin with, pain is a great motivator. 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, the best thing that you can do while your injury is new is to apply ice packs to the injured area and rest. More often than not, over my 15 plus years in practice I have seen enthusiastic patients ignore this advice and end up giving their conditions major set backs. 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 which allows you to build confidence and strength at the same time.

This is a sensible approach to exercising after a back injury. Slow and cautious - and under the advise of a health care professional. Strong muscles add strength and support to your spine and can only serve you in a beneficial way.

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
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Prenatal Health & Pain Relief

Have you ever had an episode of low back pain? How about low back pain with sciatica? Neither of these is good.

Many patients are seeking back pain relief when they visit my San Diego based chiropractic clinic.

That is not unusual since most people consider chiropractors as back pain specialists. That being said, we treat patients for a variety of ailments including neck pain, headaches, sciatic pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc. While all of these conditions sound like very different conditions, they are actually very similar.

Most of my patients that suffer with headaches also complain of neck pain or stiffness. In fact, many headaches are related to muscle tension that originates in the neck. The muscle tension or spasm in the neck triggers the headache. Therefore, by treating the neck with a combination of chiropractic adjustments, hot packs, ice packs, muscle stimulation and ultrasound; the muscle tension in the neck can be resolved preventing the headache.

This is just an example of how one problem in a specific region of the body can be responsible for symptoms in a separate area. Likewise, sciatica is most often related to irritation of joints and muscle spasms in the lower back. Similarly, carpal tunnel syndrome results from a process involving joints in the wrist and the surrounding muscles and ligaments.

All of the conditions that I listed above as well as many unlisted conditions follow the same path to becoming symptomatic. Either through some specific injury or ongoing trauma (such as keyboarding, mousing or improper lifting techniques), the joint becomes irritated and inflamed causing pain and muscle spasm. If the pain and spasm affects a specific nerve, the patient may experience additional symptoms such as sciatica or arm / hand pain.

Any pain that travels from the back or down down an arm or leg is an indication of a more advanced problem that requires immediate evaluation and treatment.

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