Looking for Neck and Back Pain Relief? Try adding Chiropractic!

If you visited a medical doctor for low back pain, you definitely want to consider adding chiropractic.

In 2012, Spine Journal released a research study where they found 73 percent of people who added chiropractic care to medical care had their pain much better or even completely gone. If you had medical care alone, you only had a 17 percent chance to get those same results.

Chiropractors are trained to work on your muscles (soft tissue), your spinal alignment and range of motion motion to help reduce pressure on the nerves that exit your spine. Also, chiropractic adjustments have been shown to decrease pain by stimulating your central nervous system and brain, without having to resort to taking dangerous drugs.

So if you're struggling with back pain and maybe you've gone to a medical doctor definitely consider adding chiropractic care. It is going to drastically increase the likelihood that you get the results you desire.

What is an Annular Tear and How Can You Find Relief?

Have you been told you have an annular tear on one of your spinal discs and it's causing you back pain? 

In this article, we'll explore what an annular tear is, how long it takes to heal, and what are some of the best treatment options.

Most commonly these tears can occur in the lumbar spine at L4-L5 and L5-S1, which is part of your low back or lumbar spine.

Annular Tear Causes

Annular tears happen to your spinal disc. The discs of your spine are located between the bones of vertebrae; like a sandwich. The discs are designed to act as small shock absorbers and disperse the impact or load of gravity as you move your body throughout the day. 

Every single segment of your spine moves a little bit in each directly- forward (flexion), backward (extension) and side to side (lateral bending and rotation). The cumulative result of each segment moving a little bit is our full range of motion! 

 But as we age and encounter injuries, sometimes small micro tears can happen on the outside of your spinal discs. Those outside rings of your spinal discs are called the annular fibrosis, and that's why a tear in that portion is called an annular tear. 

When annular tear happens, it does not mean that all the fluid inside your disc immediately gets push out. The inside portion of the disc, called the nucleus pulposus is more like crab meat and less like water. 

Your discs are pretty tough but when a tear occurs it often results in immobilizing, debilitating pain. Many patients that I've spoken with just feel their back lock up when the tear happens, and they're unable to move. That can be really scary. But usually, after a few days, you can slowly get back to their normal patterns of life.

Annular Tear Treatment

Controlled careful motion actually helps heal your discs after a micro-tear happens. Medications or injections for torn discs can sometimes take away the pain, but they don't really promote actual healing. That's why conservative measures like chiropractic care, light exercise, and sometimes even light traction can be a great way to keep your spine mobile and improve your healing. 

Can a Chiropractic Adjustment Make You Stronger?

Did you know that a chiropractic adjustment doesn’t just help reduce your pain levels it enables you to get stronger? It’s true.

Researchers measured the electrical activity in the arms and legs before, during and after a chiropractic adjustment. What did they find? An increase in cortical drive post chiropractic adjustment. That’s science-speak for more strength.

Why it Matters:

Stronger is Better¦ better stamina, better balance, better coordination, better performance in every area of your life. What will you do with more strength?

• Your brain powers your movements and your strength through your nervous system
• Adjustments have been shown to increase your cortical drive, which helps make your stronger
• While one adjustment may not make you a champion powerlifter, this exciting new research is important for all of us who want to live an active lifestyle

Next Steps:

Pay attention. That’s right, consider being more mindful of where having more strength can be more positive in your life.

Science Source:

Impact of Spinal Manipulation on Cortical Drive to Upper and Lower Limb Muscles. Brain Sciences. 2017. 7,2

Reducing Tension Headaches Caused by Poor Posture

Ergonomics is the study of posture and positioning of your body. It sounds pretty boring until you consider that millions of people are suffering from headaches every day related to their posture! Whether it’s an assembly line, typewriter, computer, tablet, or phone, you are likely spending a lot of time looking down.

Research has found that up to 20 pounds of pressure is placed on your neck for every inch your chin extends forward or down. This increased pressure can irritate the tissues of your neck leading to everything from premature degenerative changes to chronic headaches.

Maintaining a healthy posture can not only help reduce the stress and pressure on the spinal joints of your neck- but it can also help dramatically reduce headaches. The first step in regaining a proper posture is to establish normal motion. This is why chiropractic adjustments are likely to become your new best friend.

Chiropractic care is focused on finding the areas of your spine which aren’t moving correctly and gently helping them regain their normal range of motion. After we have worked with you to restore proper movement, then we can focus on strengthening the muscles supporting your neck and back. This personalized type of care is how we have been able to help many people just like you establish better posture and reduce the frequency and severity of their headaches.

• Every inch of forward head posture places up to 20 lbs of pressure on your neck
• This pressure can contribute to tension headaches
• Research has shown chiropractic care can dramatically improve your posture and reduce your headaches  

Take a look around your workstation the next time you are at the office. Is it set up in a way that's ergonomically correct? If not, or if you're not sure, just let your chiropractor know. They would be happy to set up a time to come to your office, evaluate your workplace, and provide specifics recommendations for improvement to help keep you and everyone you work with feeling great!  

Science Source:

Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Chiropractic Treatment of Adults with Headache. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. Volume 34, Number 5. 2011

Efficacy of Manual and Manipulative Therapy in the Perception of Pain and Cervical Motion in Patients with Tension-Type Headache: A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. (2014) 13, 4-13

Solving the Opioid Crisis...with chiropractic?

Over the past few years, our country has been fighting one of the most deadly epidemics in history: addiction to prescription pain medications. What’s more, thanks to a pharmaceutical industry that has billions of dollars to spend on lobbying and advertising…t's been an uphill battle.

In the United States alone, over 300 million prescriptions for pain relievers are filled each year.

Many of the people filling those medications started taking them due to back pain, and until recently, prescribing pills has been the standard of medical care for acute pain. That’s why we have so many people addicted to painkillers, and it’s estimated that 2% of the population will eventually become addicted to these prescription painkillers.

There is a better, safer way; a way to find relief without becoming addicted to these dangerous medications.

New research shows that when Chiropractic care is added to standard medical care, over 73% of people have significant improvement or complete relief! What’s more, when people focus on correcting the cause of the problem and experience relief naturally, they don’t need to keep taking that higher and higher dose of medication to reduce their pain.

That’s why many healthcare organizations are looking towards Chiropractic care as a tremendous ally in the fight against prescription medication abuse and addiction.

•  Medications are no longer recommended as a first-line treatment for back pain.
• Over 73% of people who added Chiropractic to their medical care found significant or complete relief from back pain.
• Adjustments can help you address the cause of the pain, not just mask the symptoms.

Science Source:

Adding Chiropractic Manipulative Therapy to Standard Medical Care for Patients With Acute Low Back Pain. SPINE Volume 38, Number 8, pp 627-634. @2013