What About Preventing Back Pain?

13 Apr

If you want to prevent low back pain, then you must first understand its cause. A 2008 study found that the majority of low back pain (97%) is mechanical in nature. Mechanical low back pain is the general term that refers to any type of back pain caused by injury to the spinal structures (bones, ligaments, and disks, for example).

In other words, if you have low back pain, the odds are the cause is NOT a tumor or anything life-threatening. But… and this is a very big BUT… every case of low back pain should be evaluated by an appropriate physician to rule out non-mechanical causes. This is why chiropractors are trained in differential diagnosis to determine when low back pain is mechanical and when it is something more serious.

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Man Walks 21 Miles Every Day to and from Work for 12 Years!

9 Apr

But What Happened Next Is the Best Part of the Story…

James Robertson is a 56-year-old man who ran into a little problem twelve years ago when his 1988 Honda Accord stopped working.  He lived 23 miles from the factory he worked at and could not afford another car.  For most people, this would be enough for them to quit, roll over, and play dead, but not James Robertson.

He decided to do whatever it took to get to work and “whatever it took” turned out to be quite shocking.

Every workday, Robertson would walk most of an astounding 21-mile round trip from home to work and back to home.

Here is another amazing fact about this:  Robertson made this journey every day for a $10.55 an hour job.  Since this is barely enough to pay for rent and food, he continued this for twelve years because he was unable to buy another car.

What does Robertson’s boss have to say about him?  “I set our attendance standard by this man,” says Todd Wilson, Plant Manager at Schain Mold & Engineering.  “I say, if this man can get here, walking all those miles through snow and rain, well I’ll tell you, I have people in Pontiac 10 minutes away and they say they can’t get here – bull!”

Wilson also said that Robertson comes in his office every morning to talk sports, and Wilson’s wife makes dinner for Robertson every night.

Here’s where the story gets good…  One day, a banker by the name of Blake Pollock saw Robertson making his daily journey and offered him a ride. The two traveled together for work for a few months until Pollock shared Robertson’s amazing story with the Free Press. Then, Robertson’s story went viral.  That’s when a 19-year-old college student, Evan Leedy, changed the 56-year-old factory worker’s life forever.

Leedy started a GoFundMe drive for Robertson that raised over $300,000 from 11,400 donors in just four days!  At the time of this writing, the campaign has raised over $350,000!  So much for living in a cruel world filled with people who only care about themselves!

But it gets even better…  A local car dealership, Suburban Ford of Sterling Heights, gave Robertson a fully loaded 2015 Ford Taurus.

According to USA Today, the dealership’s manager, Jim Elder, said getting his own employees to work on time is often difficult, and they live in the same town as the dealership.  Then there’s Robertson, who lives miles from work and hasn’t been late in a decade.

While Robertson’s dedication to his job and the work of Leedy and Pollock to help him could cause one to label them as heroes, so are the 11,400 people who donated money to a man they have never met.  Here is something to think about:  11,400 people donated to reach $300,000.  That means the average donation was just $26.32.  It’s amazing how a seemingly insignificant act and amount of money can have such a massive impact on someone’s life.

Just imagine what kind of impact we could make on the world if everyone gave just a little time, energy, or money to help someone they didn’t know each and every day!

We love helping our patients and their friends and relatives through their tough times and getting them feeling better! We are here to help you stay feeling better and looking younger!

Don’t be a stranger. You really can afford Chiropractic care! Don’t wait until you can no longer move!

New Research Claims Treating Back Pain Quickly and Effectively May Help Reduce Future Pain, Suffering, and Even Disability

7 Apr

If you have ever had low back pain, then you will find this information very useful… especially if you do not want your back pain to come back!

New research published in the Journal of Pain (a peer-reviewed publication of the American Pain Society) indicates that pain severity during an episode of back pain is correlated with future pain and disability.

The authors of the study write, “After six months, the results showed that baseline pain intensity was associated with a 12 percent higher risk for developing chronic low back pain and patient beliefs that pain would persist conveyed a 4 percent risk increase. After five years, baseline pain intensity yielded a 9 percent increased risk for chronic pain, while believing that pain would persist had increased the risk by 6 percent.”

According to Science Daily:  “The authors noted that their research confirms previous studies concluding that baseline pain intensity is a key predictor of future pain and disability.

“Clinically, the study confirms that effective pain relief in the initial management of low-back pain has implications for long-term improvement.”

Based on this research, it is clear that all back pain should be taken seriously and treated appropriately because treating back pain quickly and effectively may help reduce future pain, suffering, and even disability.

What About Preventing Back Pain?

If you want to prevent low back pain, then you must first understand its cause.  A 2008 study found that the majority of low back pain (97%) is mechanical in nature.  Mechanical low back pain is the general term that refers to any type of back pain caused by injury to the spinal structures (bones, ligaments, and disks, for example).

In other words, if you have low back pain, the odds are the cause is NOT a tumor or anything life-threatening.  But… and this is a very big BUT… every case of low back pain should be evaluated by an appropriate physician to rule out non-mechanical causes.  This is why chiropractors are trained in differential diagnosis to determine when low back pain is mechanical and when it is something more serious.

What Treatments Help Mechanical Low Back Pain?

Chiropractic has been shown to be both safe and effective for the treatment of mechanical low back pain.  For example, a study published back in 1990 in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) compared Chiropractic care to hospital outpatient treatment and found:  “Chiropractic treatment was more effective than hospital outpatient management, mainly for patients with chronic or severe back pain.  A benefit of about 7% points on the Oswestry scale was seen at two years.  The benefit of chiropractic treatment became more evident throughout the follow-up period.  Secondary outcome measures also showed that chiropractic was more beneficial.”

The study concluded, “For patients with low back pain in whom manipulation is not contraindicated, chiropractic almost certainly confers worthwhile, long-term benefit in comparison with hospital outpatient management. The benefit is seen mainly in those with chronic or severe pain.”

It is great that Chiropractic care can help low back pain, but the main goal of any treatment should be to get you out of pain AND prevent your pain from coming back.

New research published in Arthritis Care & Research, the journal of the American College of Rheumatology, shows that being engaged in manual tasks involving awkward positions can increase an individual’s risk for a low back injury by up to 800%.

Researchers also found that those who are distracted or fatigued while performing physical tasks are also at significantly higher risk for a low back injury.

What’s the Take-Home Message Here?

First, the majority of low back pain is mechanical and can be treated with chiropractic care.  Second, many cases of low back pain can be prevented in the first place by avoiding awkward positions, distractions, and fatigue while performing physical activities.

Learning proper posture while sitting can help prevent the abnormal stress and strain that lead to low back pain over time. If you develop low back pain, seek the proper treatment, one that has a proven track record.  Getting the best care to get out of pain as fast as possible is extremely important.  Also, make sure your treatment plan includes information on how you can prevent your low back pain from coming back (such as learning proper lifting technique) because relapses are often worse than the original injury.

Study Shows Meditation Helps Brain Function!

A new study by UCLA researchers found that meditation appears to help preserve the brain’s gray matter, the tissue that contains neurons.  This is extremely important because at some time in the mid-to-late 20s, the brain begins to decrease in size and can often lose some function.

According to the study, the effects of meditation were greater than expected. Study co-author Dr. Florian Kurth writes, “We expected rather small and distinct effects located in some of the regions that had previously been associated with meditating… Instead, what we actually observed was a widespread effect of meditation that encompassed regions throughout the entire brain.”

Dr. Kurth warns that this study does not “prove” meditation preserved gray matter in the brain.  There are many other factors such as lifestyle and genetics that can have an effect, but the results are promising and hopefully more research will give more definitive answers.

Don’t forget, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to us. Contact us with your questions. We’re here to help and don’t enjoy anything more than participating in providing you natural pain relief.

How to Get More Out of Life

6 Apr

Ever heard of the law of unintended consequences? In a nutshell, it means that all actions, no matter how great or how small, can have unforeseen consequences in both the short-term and over the long-term.

These consequences can be good, bad, or just neutral.  But what can also vary drastically is the magnitude of impact.  In other words, seemingly small actions can have HUGE unintended consequences down the road.

James Robertson’s story is a perfect example.  His amazing experience is detailed in this month’s Inspirational Story.  Basically, Robertson’s car quit on him, and he has been mostly walking to work – a 21 miles round trip – for 12 years.

Through an acquaintance, his story was featured in a local newspaper. After seeing the feature, a 19-year-old college student started a GoFundMe account to try and raise money on his behalf to purchase a car.  In just four days, the campaign raised $300,000 from 11,400 donors.  More money has since been raised, and a local car dealership pitched in and gave Robertson a brand new car.

Wow.  As you can see, the law of unintended consequences is clearly at work here.

Both the money raised through the GoFundMe campaign and the new car were unintended consequences of a person sharing Robertson’s story with a reporter at the local newspaper.

What about negative unintended consequences?

Here is one:  Robertson lives in a bad area.  In fact, not too long ago, a man from his neighborhood won $20 million in the lottery and disappeared.  He was later found murdered, and it is believed he was killed for the money.

Accordingly, Robertson became afraid to live in his neighborhood with his new money and publicity.  Thankfully, a supporter stepped in and helped him find a new apartment in a safer area.

In the end, it really is amazing how one small action can set off a massive chain of events that can drastically change someone’s life – or many people’s lives.

One of the most amazing parts of Robertson’s story is that there were 11,400 donators who raised the initial $300,000.  The average donation was only $26.32.  It is doubtful anyone who donated such a small amount of money would think their actions would be part of something with such a massive impact on a person’s fortunes.

What’s incredible about life is that most big changes do not come from equally big actions.  Instead, they come from the accumulation of small actions.  Consistently doing the right small things each and every day have much more of an impact on your life and the lives of others than trying to find that one big solution.

No matter what you want to do — make more money, improve your career, learn a new language, lose weight, etc. — it’s all about taking the right small steps consistently.

Forget about the “secrets to massive overnight success.”  Just take one baby step in the right direction right now… and never stop.

Best,

Dr. Binder

Why Nighttime Pain with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

17 Mar

Chiropractors are often asked, “Why does Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) bother me so much during the night?” Let’s take a look!

The carpal tunnel is made up of eight small carpal bones that bridge the forearm to the hand. Without these eight little bones, the motion at the wrist would be very restricted and limited to bending a little bit up and a little bit down. Think of all the things you are able to do with a large range of motion at the wrist like tightening a small screw by hand, pulling on a wrench, using a hammer, working under the dash or inside the engine compartment of a car, threading a needle, sewing, knitting, crocheting, and even washing dishes. As you can see, we put our wrists in some pretty strange positions!

Look at the palm-side of your wrist and wiggle your fingers. Do you see all that activity going on? Now, move your eyes slowly towards the elbow as you keep moving your fingers. It is pretty amazing how much movement occurs near the elbow just by moving the fingers! There are actually nine tendons that travel through the carpal tunnel, and these tendons connect your forearm muscles to the fingers. That’s why there is so much movement in the upper half of the forearm when moving your fingers, and in people with CTS, these muscles are usually overworked and super tight. This is why chiropractors work hard to loosen those muscles during treatment! These nine tendons are covered by a sheath, and friction between the tendon and the sheath is reduced by an oily substance called synovial fluid. When we repetitively and rapidly move our fingers, the friction that builds up produces heat, and if the oily synovial fluid can’t keep up, swelling occurs.

Any situation where there is increased swelling in the body can also promote CTS. For example, during pregnancy, hormonal shifts can result in a generalized swelling similar to taking BCP’s (birth control pills). Hypothyroid results in edema or swelling referred to as “myxedema” that can cause or make CTS worse. Some of the inflammatory arthritis conditions such as rheumatoid, lupus, scleroderma, and more can also predispose one to developing CTS. Obesity by itself is a risk factor for similar reasons.

So, why are we so susceptible to CTS symptoms at night? The main reason is that we RARELY sleep with our wrist in a straight or neutral position. We like to curl up in a fetal position and tuck our hands under our chin, bending the wrist to the full extent (90°). By doing so, the pressure inside the wrist “normally” doubles, but in the CTS patient, the pressure can increase by six times! This pinches the median nerve against the ligament that makes up the floor of the tunnel as it travels through the carpal tunnel, which then wakes us up and we find ourselves shaking and flicking our fingers to stop the numb, tingling, burning, pain that commonly occurs with CTS! This is why we prescribe a wrist brace for nighttime use and it REALLY helps! DON’T JUMP TO SURGERY FIRST – TRY CHIROPRACTIC FIRST!

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs.  If you, a friend, or family member requires care for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, we would be honored to render our services.

Back Pain and Posture

16 Mar

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common ailments that chiropractors treat. That’s probably because MOST of us will suffer from low back pain that requires outside help at some point in our lives! Posture has long been studied as a potential cause of low back pain, and this month’s topic will take a closer look at some recent research discussing this issue.

A December 2014 study looked at low back posture in two groups of LBP patients and its relationship with problems associated with intervertebral disk diseases. Looking at a person from the side, have you noticed that the low back area has an arched or inward curve? This is called the “lumbar lordosis” (or, the “sway back” area), and this can be highly variable in terms of the angle or amount of arch. It normally differs between males and females. Degenerative disk disease (DDD) is a common condition affecting virtually all of us at some point in time. DDD results in narrowing of the disk spaces, which there are five total in the lumbar spine (twelve in the thoracic spine/mid-back, and six in the cervical spine/neck). One particular study evaluated a group of 50 patients with long-term intractable (chronic) low back pain with intervertebral disk disease and a group of 50 chronic LBP patients without DDD that served as a “control group.” Researchers measured the degrees of lordosis, or amount of curve (lumbar lordosis), by looking at the person from the side using two different methods in the two patient groups and compared the data. The group with degenerative disk disease had an overall reduction in the lumbar lordosis curve (less arched) using both methods of measuring. The authors concluded that the patients with intervertebral disk lesions had a straighter, or more flat curve (less sway back), when compared to those without disk degeneration. What they were unable to determine was which came first, the disk degeneration or the reduction in the lumbar lordosis?

This study points out several important points. When treating patients with low back pain, some patients feel better when placed in a bent forwards position, or they favor a flat low back curve. Others have the opposite response, or their position of preference favors a more curved (arched) lower spine. The reason for this difference is that LBP is generated from different tissues in the low back, and some tissues favor or feel better in one position and typically feels worse in the opposite direction when injured. The intervertebral disks in the spine lie between the vertebral bodies and serve as “shock absorbers” for the spine and trunk. The center, or “nucleus,” of the disk is liquid-like and is usually well contained inside the disk, held by a tough, outer fibrocartilage material (the “annulus”). The disk is approximately 80% water, and as we age, the water content gradually reduces and the disk spaces narrow, thus limiting the mobility of that part of the spine. More importantly, DDD usually narrows the size of the canals through which the spinal cord and nerve roots travel. When we bend forward, these canals open up wider placing less pressure on the nerves and/or spinal cord. This is why we often see elderly people leaning on grocery carts when shopping, as it hurts less and they can walk longer / farther. Those with herniated disks tend to be the opposite, as they favor bending backwards as this position shifts the nucleus or liquid center forwards and away from the nerve root thus reducing the pinched nerve resulting in less or complete elimination of radiating leg pain.

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs.  If you, a friend, or family member requires care for back pain, we would be honored to render our services.

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