Posts Tagged ‘mid back pain’

What Is Degenerative Disc Disease?

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

Many people that are diagnosed with degenerative disc disease may be a little confused to what exactly they are in for. The term degenerative usually means long term bone troubles that can be crippling. This is why you need to know what exactly this disc condition is about.

The spine is made up of bones called vertebra. In between these bones are cushions called discs. The discs are made up of fibrous tissue around the outer edges. These outer edges are named the annulus. This is where the degenerative process in this disc disease begins.

The aging process causes the discs between vertebra to become damaged and worn out. Injury also incurs damage as well, sometimes being more serious than that of aging. When the annulus experiences damage to it, the fibrous tissues it is made of tears. When these tears heal, they form scar tissue. Too much injury and too much scar tissue weaken the it and allow the inner core if the disc to lose the water in it that actually provides the cushioning for the bones.

When there is not enough water in the disc, it simply collapses. This is when the trouble and pain usually start in this disease. The bones are then able to rub together. In many cases this cause the formation of bone spurs. Bones spurs are sharp and can cut into the nerves in the spinal cord, causing great and severe pain.

When the disc has gotten this far and the bones have formed spurs, some movements can be excruciating. This causes major interruptions in the daily activities of the sufferer. Most times, the only position that can help to provide pain relief is lying down.

Patients with this condition should consult with their doctor about disc replacement surgery. Although it is a fairly new procedure, it may the very answer to spinal fusion and non surgical procedures that only treat the symptoms of pain.

Seeking help with our spine specialists at RB Spine Center can help you stay pain free and maintain what you have. Visit  rbspinecenter.com and for more information.

Do You Suffer From Bulging Discs?

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

Have you heard the term bulging discs? Some call it a herniated disc, which refers to the same condition. It is basically a term that refers to the discs in the spine that for one reason or another become inflamed and bulges out and cause pain.

Many people have this condition and are limited in movement because any time they bend over or reach up; they are met with a lot of pain. But the problem is not always very serious and can be relieved with anti inflammatory medication.

Also, many people find relief after a visit to their chiropractor. Many people become worried or even frightened when they hear that they have a problem with their spine. They start thinking the worse case scenario. They think that they might need surgery or that they might end up paralyzed.

This is only natural, because most people know how delicate the spinal cord is. But if you have a disc problem, in many cases, all you need to do is rest your back and allow your back to heal itself.

There are many ways that you can injure your back. But a disc problem can occur simply from sitting down all day at work. You have to realize that the human body was not meant to sit down for extended periods of time. The sitting position puts extra strain and stress on the spine which can cause inflammation in the discs which leads to the bulging of the gel like material in the spine which leads to pain.

Your chiropractor can suggest stretching exercises that will help the blood circulate in the area of your spine so that the inflammation will be relieved. In fact, in many cases, if you practice the right type of exercise for your back, you might avoid bulging discs altogether.

SYTRINOL

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Cholesterol and triglyceride support

Supports heart health

A natural solution to the cholesterol problem

Sytrinol is a patented complex of polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs) and tocotrienols  that affects cholesterol production within the body. The PMFs in sytrinol notably tangeretin and nobiletin are derived from citrus peels.

In addition to being powerful antioxidants, these compounds have been shown to decrease the plasma concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)PMFs may also reduce the adhesion ability of oxidized LDL-C to deposit on arterial walls, which lowers the risk of atherosclerosis. Tocotrienols are a safe, natural alternative to strain drugs (a class of cholesterol –lowering prescription medication that exhibits some negative side effects) because of their ability to assist in the reduction of cholesterol synthesis. The two natural, plant based active ingredients found in Sytrinol work with the body’s own chemistry, using a multifaceted approach, to lower cholesterol without the harmful side effects associated with other treatments.

Clinical studies with replicated results verify the health –promoting benefits of Sytrinol in lowering total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and mildly increasing HDL cholesterol. The efficacious dose given to subjects in the studies was 300 mg/day. Sytrinol is a consumer –friendly supplements and facilitates user compliance two 150 mg softgels per day is a convenient dose and is not diet –specific.

Sytrinol Softgels:

Maximum Bioavailability: A small clinical trial was conducted to determine if specific delivery system would impact the bioavailability of sytrinol. The researcher concluded that the bioavailability of the principal actives in sytrinol was significant improved in soft gelatin capsules.

Twelve weeks of treatment with sytrinol resulted in a:

27% Decrease in total cholesterol

25% Decrease in LDL cholesterol

31% Decrease in total triglycerides

28% Decrease in LDL to HDL ratio

4%   Increase in HDL cholesterol

RB Spine Center uses a science based nutrition program which helps aid in detecting deficiencies which assists in correcting disease processes.

If you are interested in receiving more information on this product ,or about the science based nutrition program ,please contact RB Spine Center  at 858-345-4114.

Mesothelioma Patients

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Chiropractic Care as Pain Management for Mesothelioma Patients

According to the American Chiropractic Association, chiropractic doctors “have a deep respect for the human body’s ability to heal itself without the use of surgery or medication. These doctors devote careful attention to the biomechanics, structure and function of the spine, its effects on the musculoskeletal and neurological systems, and the role played by the proper function of these systems in the preservation and restoration of health. A doctor of chiropractic is one who is involved in the treatment and prevention of disease, as well as the promotion of public health, and a wellness approach to patient healthcare.”

Chiropractic care is administered to treat and prevent pain and disorders pertaining to the musculoskeletal system that controls the body’s movement, including the spine. Chiropractic care is often sought as a form of alternative medicine and complementary care to coincide with traditional medical treatments. Many cancer patients elect to visit a chiropractor as part of their treatment regimen, including those suffering from asbestos-related cancers like mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer that is caused primarily by exposure to asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral that was used in a number of military and industrial applications throughout the 20th century. The symptoms of mesothelioma can take up to 50 years to become noticeable. By this time the cancer is typically advanced and treatment options are extremely limited. 

Two studies published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics examined the cases of two patients combating cancer. One of these cases involved a 54-year-old man that was diagnosed with lung cancer (a cancer often related to asbestos exposure) and began seeing a chiropractor after he experienced little pain relief one year after he underwent surgery. The man experienced pain relief immediately after beginning chiropractic care and discontinued use of all pain medications after two visits to his chiropractor.

Mesothelioma patients interested in alternative treatment, who strongly believe in the body’s ability to heal itself, may find chiropractic care particularly appealing. Alleviating severe headaches and movement pains during cancer treatment may make the treatment process more comfortable for cancer patients.

MASSAGE THERAPY

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

More and more people are discovering the benefits; Massage is nourishing – mentally, emotionally, as well as physically. One of the nicest things you can do for yourself is set aside some time for a relaxing, therapeutic massage. Studies have demonstrated massage can:

Relieve muscular tension and manage stress, reducing levels of cortisol, a stress hormone

Hasten recovery from strenuous physical exertion by aiding to rid the muscles of metabolic waste

Increase circulation of blood and lymph thereby assisting the body in removing toxins and providing nourishment to the tissues

Break down scar tissue following surgery or injury and encourage the replacement of healthier, less restrictive tissue.

* Prices begin as little as $20.00 for members.

Avoid Failed Back Surgery

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

RANCHO BERNARDO CHIROPRACTOR SAYS “How to Avoid Failed Back Surgery”

Failed back surgery syndrome (also called FBSS, or failed back syndrome) is a misnomer, as it is not actually a syndrome – it is a very generalized term that is often used to describe the condition of patients who have not had a successful result with back surgery or spine surgery. There is no equivalent term for this in any other type of surgery (e.g. there is no failed cardiac surgery syndrome, failed knee surgery syndrome, etc).

Unfortunately, back surgery or spine surgery cannot literally cut out a patient’s pain. It is only able to change anatomy, and an anatomical lesion (injury) that is a probable cause of back pain must be identified prior to back surgery or spine surgery.

 So this been said all avenues must be made before the surgery. Spinal decompression and biomechanical traction is the answer to many patients’ pain. Our office has successfully treated hundreds of patient by using biomechanical traction.

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy is a spinal disc rehabilitation program that uses FDA cleared medical technology that gently stretches the spine and decompresses the discs. This technique of spinal decompression therapy, that is, unloading due to distraction and positioning, has shown the ability to gently separate the vertebrae from each other, creating a vacuum inside the discs that we are targeting. This “vacuum effect” is also known as negative intradiscal pressure.

 The negative pressure can induce the retraction of the herniated or bulging disc into the inside of the disc, and off the nerve root, thecal sac, or both. It happens only microscopically each time, but cumulatively, over four to six weeks, the results are quite dramatic.

Please call us for more information on our chiropractic and medical treatments for failed back surgery.

BENEFIT FROM MASSAGE

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Back in time before all of medical modern advances, before medicines, drugs, needles, and surgery. It was common for individuals to treat themselves to frequent massages, for relief of  many aliments. 

In many aspects, massage is the most natural of natural remedies.
Touching your body where it hurts seems to be a basics instinct,
like our innate fight or flight mechanism. And many health practitioners
claim that massage, no matter how superficial or deep, provides powerful results.

Massage has developed greatly over time! There are in fact many different types of massage techniques but we have listed four of the most commonly used methods from our own office experience.

SWEDISH MASSAGE uses soothing, tapping and kneading strokes to work the entire body, relieving muscle tension and loosening sore joints. Swedish massage is more superficial and there are five basic strokes. They are effleurage (stroking); petrissage (muscles are lightly grabbed and lifted); friction (thumbs and fingertips work in deep circles into the thickest part of muscles; tapotement (chopping, beating, and tapping strokes); and vibration (fingers are pressed or flattened firmly on a muscle, then the area is stimulated by shaking briefly for several seconds. Techniques of effleurage and tapoement seem to be the favorites. This method is commonly used at spas.

DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE targets chronic tension in muscles that lie far below the surface of your body. You have five layers of muscle in your back, for instance, and while Swedish massage may help the first couple of layers, it won’t do much directly for the muscle underneath. Deep muscle techniques usually involve slow strokes, direct pressure or friction movements that go across the grain of the muscles. Massage therapists will use their fingers, thumbs or occasionally even elbows to apply the needed pressure. This method is best used with certain long standing injuries which seem to be persistent and require a bit more to release spasm.

SPORTS MASSAGE is designed to help you train better, and recover quicker, .whether you’re a world class athlete or a weekend enthusiast. The techniques are similar to those in Swedish and Deep tissue massage, but can be altered to meet an individual athletes needs. Pre-competition massage can help warm up muscles and improve circulation before competition, and also energize or relax an athlete and help him or her focus on the competition. Post-competition massage can help rid toxins and waste products out of the body and increase recovery time.

 NEUROMUSCULAR MASSAGE is a form of deep tissue massage that is applied to individual specific muscle group’s muscles. It is used to increase blood flow, reduce pain and release pressure on nerves caused by injuries to muscles and other soft tissue. Neuromuscular massage helps release trigger points, and muscular adhesions (areas which form due to micro traumas) and can also “refer” pain to other parts of the body. Relieving a tense adhesion or trigger point area in your back, for example, could help ease pain in your neck, shoulders, low back, etc. This technique is especially beneficial when used with spinal manipulation and adjunct forms of physical therapy.

 At RB SPINE and MASSAGE CENTER we have special programs designed to help make it affordable for anyone who wishes to receive the benefits of MASSAGE THERAPY. Many of our massages cost as little as $29.00 /hour. All of our massages are supervised by licensed health care providers, ensuring your optimum benefit and comfort.

Call today to experience the benefits of massage.

“Supporting Your Health”.

 RB SPINE & MASSAGE CENTER

858-345-4114

Electrodiagnostic Tests

Monday, August 31st, 2009

Electrodiagnosis

Electrodiagnostic studies, including, nerve conduction studies (NCS), needle electromyography (EMG), and somatosensory evoked potential studies (SSEPs) should be considered an extension of the history and physical examination and not merely a substitute for a detailed neurologic and musculoskeletal examination.

These studies are helpful in the evaluation of patients with limb pain where the diagnosis remains unclear (e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome, numbness in the hand or fingers, tingling in the arms and legs, leg pain, shoulder pain, nerve pain, pain going down the legs, sciatica, radiculopathy, etc.). They are also helpful in excluding other causes of sensory and motor disturbances, such as peripheral neuropathy and motor neuron disease. They can also provide useful prognostic information by quantifying the extent and acuity of axonal involvement in radiculopathies.

We at RB Spine Center welcomes any questions you have about our treatments. Call us directly to schedule any appointment for further information on pain management, neurology, neurological conditions and electrodiagnostic testing.

10 Healthy Back Tips

Monday, August 31st, 2009

1. Exercise Regularly- This does not have to be anything overly strenuous. Something as simple as a daily walk can make a huge difference.
2. Eat A Healthy Diet- Proper nutrients allow the body to repair itself easier
3. Maintain Good Posture- Are you sitting up straight as you read this?
4. Stretch Your Spine Before And After Sports- This will also help to loosen up the surrounding muscles.
5. Don’t Overload Your Backpack Or Purse- Remember to carry it over both shoulders to balance the load (if possible).
6. Stretch Your Legs And Back After Each Hour Of Sitting- Whether in a car or at a desk, stretching regularly will help to keep you from tightening up or injuring yourself further.
7. Never Cradle The Phone Between Your Neck And Shoulder
8. Sleep On Your back Or Side, Not On Your Stomach- This helps to keep your spine in line and reduces the risk of hurting your neck while you sleep.
9. Invest In A Good Chair, Pillow And Mattress- When you think about the amount of time you use these things each day, it’s worth it.
10. Have Regular Spinal Check-Ups- It’s much easier to prevent a problem than to correct one.

If you have any suggestions to add to our list please let us know. RB Spine Center is ready to hear what you have to say.

Low Back Pain

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

When you hear the word chiropractic, do you think of care for spinal pain? You’d be surprised to learn that the world’s first chiropractic patient (1895) was saved from 17 years of deafness and the world’s second chiropractic patient was revealed of a heart condition. Thousands soon praised chiropractic for saving them from headaches, cold, allergy, asthma, sciatica, arthritis, seizures, ear infections, stomach trouble, gynecological problems and many other conditions in addition to back pain.

Spinal Health Can Help You in Many Ways

Your chiropractic will relieve you of the vertebral subluxation complex, which is a severe abnormality that interferes with your body’s proper function. Once your chiropractor relieves you of the vertebral subluxation complex, your body will function better.

 Low Back Pain

About 85% of the population will experience disabling low back pain at least once during their lives! That’s almost all of us. The problem is so bad that any one time, according to one researcher, 6.8 % of the U.S adult population is suffering from an episode of back pain lasting more than two weeks. That’s lot of bad backs. The estimated cost of this problem in the U.S is over $ 50 billion a year.

 Do Medical Treatments and Surgery Help?

The standard medical approach to back pain varies depending on the severity of the condition.Muscle relaxers, painkiller, ultrasound, hot packs, and cold packs are sometimes used. This approach has not been found very helpful. However, if the problem doesn’t improve or worsens, then surgery may be performed.

  The medical approach is at times necessary- even back surgery has a place. But according to some studies, most spinal surgery for acute lower back problems should be rarely performed. Many people who have had surgery report a reoccurrence of their symptoms within a year or two of the operation and may return to the operating table. In some cases the surgery makes no difference whatsoever, and in some cases it does give long term relief.

The Chiropractic Approach

Chiropractors have helped millions of people talking with low back problems, often saving them from pain, disability, drugs and surgery.

 The chiropractor’s purpose is to make your spine and its nerves, discs, and muscles healthier, stronger and more stable by correcting your vertebral subluxation. Anyone suffering from a back problem should see a chiropractor to make sure there are no subluxations and to have them removed or corrected if found. This may make the difference between a life of ease, health, and comfort and a life of pain, disease and disability.

What Do Major Governments Studies Reveal?

Low Back pain sufferers have received very good news lately. Major government studies from the U.S and Canada have reaffirmed what chiropractic patients have been telling their friends with back pain for years: “Why don’t you see my chiropractor? You’ll probably get better much faster than from drugs or surgery – and it’s safer too”.

What Did the U.S Government Discover

In 1994, the federal government sent shockwaves throughout the health care system when a definitive public pronouncement established chiropractic as one of the preferred and the most effective methods of care for acute adult low back pain.

A panel of medical experts spent two and half years reviewing nearly 4000 studies and reported that expensive tests(MRI, CAT scans) and therapies typically used to diagnosed and treat acute lower back pain(ice, heat, massage, diathermy)are largely useless. Instead, the experts recommended objectives of manipulation include symptomatic relief and functional improvement.

           Dr.Gerard W.Clum, president of life chiropractic college-West, said “the guideline. Clearly establishes spinal manipulation as the only recommended intervention whose benefit includes symptomatic relief as well as functional improvement.”

           The panel revealed that extended bed rest (more than four days) was harmful, and that muscle relaxants and surgery can be found helpful in 1 in 100 cases of low back problems and in some people it caused more problems.

What Canadian Researchers Found

The Manga report was commissioned by the government of Ontario in Canada. Leading economists found that chiropractic care for patients with low back is superior to medical care in terms of safety, scientific evidence of effectiveness, cost and patient satisfaction.

    “The higher satisfaction levels expressed by patients of chiropractors  …offers an overwhelming case in favor of much greater use of chiropractic services in the management of low back pain.

   “There should be a shift in policy to encourage and prefer chiropractic services for most patients with low back pain. A very good case can be made for making chiropractors the gatekeepers for management of low back pain in the workers compensation system.”

 The Facts speak for themselves

“ Scientific studies that have been done by  medical physicians comparing  chiropractic care with medical care and physical therapy non- surgical care of the back and neck show that doctors of chiropractic relieve chronic and severe pain both immediate and long term, in one half the time it takes medical physicians not trained in chiropractic procedure. …. Controlled empirical studies can and have been conducted. There are now in excess of 60 scientific studies which demonstrate the value of manipulation. Manipulation is a most effective and cost effective form of treatment for dysfunctional problems in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spines.”

              For patients with acute low back symptoms without radiculopathy , the scientific evidence suggest spinal manipulation is effective in reducing pain and perhaps speeding recovery within the first month of symptoms.

 Chiropractic is better for you.

Studies have shown chiropractic works better, is safer and less costly than standard medicine for lower back complaints.

Why are the results so overwhelmingly in favor of chiropractic?
Because painkillers, muscle relaxers, valium, braces, physical therapy, and surgery are not designed to correct vertebral subluxations. Chiropractic Is and Does!

 Want to know more? Call our office for a free consultation right now.

                           New patients are currently being accepted

                                    Call for an appointment Today 

                                             RB Spine Center

                                                858-345-4114.


RB Spine Center
16980 Via Tazon #100
San Diego, CA 92127
858-345-4887


Easy Access Off the 15 Freeway
Exit Rancho Bernardo Road
Building next to Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Center

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Monday - Friday Appointments Available
Early Morning and Lunch Time Appointments Available

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