San Diego Chiropractic Blog

Are You A Runner?

I used to be. I ran all through high school, college and up to about six months ago. I was finally forced to stop because of ongoing ankle pain, knee pain, low back pain and sometimes even neck pain. I was pain free and healthy if I kept my running to grassy areas or on the beach. A serious lack of free time kept my runs on asphalt and concrete which finally took their toll. I have read that with each stride a 200 pound runner can generate over 2000 pounds of impact force through the legs and into the low back. I suppose that 30 years of running was all I could take.

Over the years, my San Diego Chiropractic Center has provided treatment for hundreds of people suffering from back pain, neck pain and leg pain that is easily attributed to their running habits. I have read in various journal articles that running becomes detrimental if your distance is greater than 15 miles per week or further than 3 miles per run. The conclusions that these articles drew to is that running beyond the guidelines previously mentioned does the joints more harm than the aerobic benefit of the exercise does your body good. It seems that these studies indict long distance running as an exercise of diminishing returns.

That being said, for those of you who do run, there is good news concerning the health benefits of running. Researchers reported in the July 2001 issue of American Journal of Public Health that men in their 30s who jog a minimum of ten times monthly develop a bone density that is at least 5 percent higher than that of men who jog less frequently.

The study analyzed answers to questions in a health survey of over 4,000 men, including 954 joggers and 3,300 who did not jog at all. The study included results of hip joint X-rays taken of each man to determine bone density. The researchers then compared the findings from joggers with results from non-joggers.

Dr. Michael E. Mussolino, a researcher at the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention office said the results showed that, “The men who were jogging nine times a month were doing much better than those who were jogging only one to eight times a month. Even those who jogged eight or fewer times a month had a higher bone density than those who did not jog at all.” He also noted that the study showed that it does not require marathon-like running to build strong bones.

The National Institutes of Health estimates that 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and another 18 million are at risk of the disease. Eighty percent of these people are women. The NIH estimates that one out of every two women and one in eight men will break a bone as the result of osteoporosis within their lifetime. The report states that building dense strong bones in young adulthood is considered by experts to be an important factor in preventing osteoporosis.

The bottom line is this, if you are a runner, run smart. Keep your runs fairly short and off of hard surfaces. Running is like most other things in life. Running can be healthy but if you take it to an extreme it can become detrimental to your well being.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com

You are on my last nerve!

When I was a kid my mom probably said that to me a hundred times. Now my patients in my San Diego chiropractic office complain of other types of nerve issues. Sometimes, pinched nerves accompany neck pain, back pain and headaches.

Pinched nerves always result in pain traveling down either an arm or a leg resulting in what is called radiating pain. Many patients come to my San Diego chiropractic office complaining of a pinched nerve but my exam reveals simple neck pain or back pain.

There are many causes of pinched nerves. One of the worst scenarios involves a herniated disc in the spine that is putting pressure on the nerve. Herniated discs don’t always mean that surgery is required but it usually results in stretched out, more intensive treatment plans.

One of the more common causes of pinched nerves results from irritated and inflamed joints in the spine. Poor lifting habits, awkward sleeping positions, poor posture and many other aggravating activities can inflame the ligamentous capsule that surrounds the joint. As the capsule swells, it cause local muscle spasm and can cause compression or pinching of the nerve.

Like I wrote earlier in the article, pinching of the nerve causes radiating pain that travels down the leg, into an arm, down the back or sometimes up to the back of the head. Either way, pinched nerves can make you absolutely miserable.

There are several things that you can do for a pinched nerve at home. To begin with, pinched nerves almost always involve inflammation and swelling. By applying ice packs to painful areas you can reduce the inflammation and relieve some of the pain. In addtion to ice pack use, you have to acknowledge and respect your pain. That means rest as much as you can - working through pain rarely works out well for the patient. Try your best to stay out of painful positions and don’t “test” it.

Chiropractic treatment is very effective at relieving the symptoms of a pinched nerve. Instead of masking the pain with drugs, chiropractic care improves the mechanics of the joint which helps relieve the pain and improve your range of motion.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com

When was the last time that you felt pain?

I treat people with back pain, neck pain and various other pains on a daily basis.

Pain is a very complex sensation. The body’s interpretation of pain involves both nerve and chemical processes that are relayed to the brain for interpretation. In my San Diego Chiropractic office, I hear my patients complain of neck pain, back pain, headaches, sciatic pain etc. Some of these patients suffer from acute pain while others who are less fortunate complain of chronic long lasting pain.

A study completed recently in Chicago revealed some very interesting things about brain activity in people suffering with chronic pain.

Brain scans taken of people in chronic pain show a constant activity in areas of the brain that are at rest in those who don’t suffer with chronic pain. Researchers said that this finding could help explain why chronic pain patients have higher rates of depression, anxiety and other disorders.

Apparently they found that chronic pain seems to alter the way people process information that is unrelated to pain. They found that enduring long periods of pain affects brain function even with tasks that demand minimal attention.

Studies have shown that in healthy people, certain regions of the brain take over during a resting state, something known as a default mode network. “It takes care of your brain when your brain is at rest,” Dr. Chialvo said.

When a person performs a task, this default mode network quiets down, but not in people with chronic pain.
Instead of quieting down, a front region of the cortex of the brain associated with emotion is constantly active. This constant activity disrupts the brains’ normal equilibrium.
To study this specific brain activity, Dr. Chialvo did a type of brain scan on 15 people with chronic back pain and on 15 healthy people.

In this study, volunteers were given a simple attention task — tracking a moving bar on a computer screen - in order to observe the brain shifting out of default mode to handle the task.

Both groups performed the task well but when they measured areas of the brain that were activated, the differences emerged.
“Where we were surprised is the difference in how much brain they used to do the task compared with the healthy group. It was 50 times larger,” Chialvo said.

They said disruptions in this brain activity could explain why pain patients have problems with attention, sleep disturbances and even depression.

So there you have it. If you feel a little off or if someone you work with or care about has trouble focusing or staying on task because of pain, your observations are correct. Give yourself and others a break.

Here’s To Your Health

Dr. Jones

www.JonesPainRelief.com

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

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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

Arthritis is a scary word to most people. It is also a condition that most of think we will never be afflicted with.

In my San Diego Chiropractic clinic, I see people every day who suffer from the effects of arthritis. Besides the fact that arthritis slows you down and limits your physical abilities, it also causes pain. Neck pain, back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain and even headaches (secondary to the neck pain) are common complaints from people with arthritis.

Most of the patients that we provide chiropractic treatment for are suffering from a type of arthritis know as osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease, degenerative arthritis and wear & tear arthritis. The term osteoarthritis describes a type of arthritis that occurs because of a wearing down of the joint. Other types of arthritis such as rheumatoid are due to a more aggressive auto immune response that destroys the joints much faster than osteoarthritis.

In some cases, osteoarthritis is the result of some injury to the joint that resulted in unnatural or awkward movements of that joint. In the medical community we refer to these abnormal movements as “biomechanical abnormalities” In many cases, a joint has to be exposed to biomechanical abnormalities for years before the joint becomes laden with arthritis.

In my chiropractic office, we treat many patients for automobile accidents. I always tell these patients that while I am not trying to minimize the pain that they are currently suffering from, the most important aspect of their entire treatment program is to help restore normal biomechanics of the spine. This is because eliminating the pain associated with car accident injuries is important but the initial pain that comes with a car accident is only a fraction of the long-term discomfort that comes with biomechanical abnormalities.

Of course I am referring to a process that involves whiplash of a joint leading to scar tissue formation causing abnormal biomechanics that results in arthritic joints.

We do provide effective treatment for the PAIN of arthritis but there is no treatment that CURES it.

The bottom line is this: If you have neck pain or back pain now, get treatment for it before it becomes an incurable disorder like arthritis.

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