Back Pain Articles

As a chiropractor at New Century Spine Centers in San Diego, I would guess that at one point or another you have had some type of pain somewhere in your body. This is a pretty safe assumption to consider. I would bet that you have also had some kind of problem that was brought on by something very slight. Let me give you a simple example. You wake up in the morning and walk into the bathroom and as you go to squeeze the toothpaste out of the tube and you drop the lid on the floor. You bend down to pick it up and zap, lightning sharp pain shoots up your spine and back down your leg again. You try to stand up straight but for some reason it feels like someone is pressing against your back causing you to hunch over and making it impossible to straighten up.

Here’s another typical pain invoking experience. You rush out the door because you are late for an appointment. As you settle into the car you remember that you forgot your keys so you hurry back into the house retrieve them and return to the car. As you start the engine and turn your head to back out of the driveway you feel like someone stuck you with a hot barbecue poker in the back of the neck causing you great difficulty to return your head to a normal position without feeling that searing pain that we all enjoy. So it may not be a toothpaste lid or the turning of your head that provokes you to fall to your knees in agony, but I am almost certain that you have experienced a similar type situation in which the action you performed such not have caused such extreme pain. There are a few different responses to this type of situation.

If you were hanging out with Hippocrates right now at Starbucks sipping on a Latte and talking about life and science and the human experience, how do you think he would respond if you asked him if it was normal for the body to respond like yours did when you bent over to pick up that heavy toothpaste lid or when you whipped your head around to back the cart out of the dirt road. I would guess that he would first ask you what toothpaste was and then once that was cleared up he would tell you ……NO. This is not a normal physiological response for your body to such a minimal action. The reaction does not equal the action.

Ok, philosophy class is over. Let’s get back to how you would respond to this situation. Here are 5 common mistakes that I have observed from people who experience these types of situations. The first thing I hear is I put a heating pad on the area and it felt great. I am not against heating pads or heat but here is the situation. When you have an acute injury (acute = from the time the injury occurs to at least 72 hours after it occurs) you never put heat on it. Heat opens up the blood vessels which are already engorged even more causing more swelling and fluid accumulation in the injured area. This will result in relaxation for up to 12 hours after heat use and then pain worse than the initial event after the trip to lala land has ended. There are exceptions but for the majority of people please resist the urge to use heat unless you’ve been told by your chiropractor or doctor otherwise.

The second is thinking that it would go away but it has been two to three weeks and the ache hasn’t stopped. Ouch, this one is not good! The real question from me to you is why you thought that the ache would go away. Let me give you an analogy. Pretend the oil light on your automobile goes on, would you continue driving until it went out and just assume that the problem went away. I hope not. This is the best analogy that I can think of to relate to the ache signal that your body is sending you. Don’t pretend there isn’t something wrong. Get to the root of the problem. Come get adjusted by a chiropractor immediately or as soon as possible after the initial event.

#3 is thinking I don’t know why this happened, I am totally healthy, and there is nothing wrong with me. This is my favorite one from the men. For guys, we have to admit to some facts. Women are much better at taking care of themselves then we are. The reason is because they are willing to tell someone when they aren’t feeling well and then they try to get help for it. This is not good in the long run. One little problem + one little problem + one problem = One BIG PROBLEM. The proof is that women tend to live something like 4 years longer than men. Surprise, surprise, I wonder if we men just think Oh well we aren’t going to live as long anyways so why not just put up with what we got and die sooner. This is of course some faulty logic because if we did take care of ourselves we would live longer. Generally speaking, men are much more willing to put up with little problems that they experience.

#4 is I know that I only need one or two adjustments and everything will be fine. The only man I know in history who performed one treatment on someone and they were fine was Jesus. I am not Jesus. I don’t know any chiropractors named Jesus. Normally when people tell me the chiropractor fixed them in one adjustment and I look in their files, or consult with the other chiropractors I see that they have been adjusted 4 times on the low end and 8-10 on the high end (normal, about 6 visits) for an acute problem. My goal is to see you out of pain as quickly as possible so that you can function normally, but my goals do not end there!

#5 is not getting chiropractic adjustments regularly to prevent these occurrences in your life. Now I am not saying that if you get regular adjustments your life is going to be perfect. Life is not perfect. I myself get regular adjustments. I don’t stop getting adjusted all together because I know that if I didn’t get regular adjustments and a flare up occurred, it would be a lot worse than it normally is. Our bodies are not perfect but if we work preventatively to keep things moving and aligned throughout the course of our lives a lot of these irritating pains could be avoided.

The joints of your spine are some of the key messengers of your nervous system. If they are not working there is no way for you to know because you cannot see them. Pain is your only signal and by then a lot of times it is already too late. Chiropractors are trained to detect problems with these joints and help prevent the pain before it occurs. Science has proven that nerve endings are all affected during an adjustment. The goal of treatment is to get you out of pain first of all, but to keep you pain free and fully functioning is the main idea.

Want to find out more about spinal decompression therapy, then visit New Century Spine Centers site on how to choose the best chiropractor for your needs.

Everyone wants to know a good secret. This is especially true when it comes to a back pain relief secret. But the question is can you keep a secret? I hope not, because the secret I’m about to reveal should be shouted from the mountaintops. Here’s why. Have you ever heard of ultimate fighting?” With its sudden rise in popularity, you probably have. And I bet many still think it’s some ultraviolent bar-room brawl with sadistic, blood-thirsty fans.

Well, that opinion may have been justified many years ago when the legendary Gracie family first started The Ultimate Fighter Championship in the United States. At that time, the Gracie family believed their brand of mixed martial arts dubbed, “Gracie Jiu-jitsu” to be unbeatable. They were well known in Brazil for The Gracie Challenge. As the legend has it, one of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu’s originators, Hellio Gracie, often ran newspaper ads in Rio De Janeiro requesting anyone who wanted broken arms, legs and ribs to simply show up at his marital arts academy! This was a bold move.

Shortly after coming to the United States, one of Hellio’s many sons’, Rorion, sent shock waves through the mixed martial arts world by announcing he would fight any man to the death for $100,000 in an early 90’s magazine interview. Rorion was also the mastermind behind the original Ultimate Fighter Championship that pitted fighters from many different fighter styles against each other with basically no rules in a fenced-in “cage” called “the octagon.” The Graicies wanted to prove to the world their fighter style was the best. And after Rorion’s skinny little brother, Royce, quickly dismantled all his opponents – some out-weighing him by over 100 pounds – they had proven their point.

It didn’t take many of those “no rules” fighting tournaments before local governments stepped in and outlawed the event in most states in America. Since that time, however, that “shock event” has turned into a legitimate sport with sanctioning bodies and rules to protect the fighters in each state. It has also attracted some of the best athletes in the world such as Olympic Gold Medalists in Wrestling, former professional football players, and Judo, Professional boxers and many others. Because the fighters must be accomplished at so many different fighting arts and skills (Kickboxing, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiujitsu, Thai Boxing just to name a few), many think ultimate fighters are the ultimate athletes.

Why am I telling you all this and what does it have to do with relieving back pain? As you can imagine, Ultimate Fighting also puts ultimate stress and strain on your back. These athletes are constantly picking up opponents, punching, kicking and twisting themselves into a pretzel. And because of that, back pain (and injury) is common. So how do these fighters keep themselves training and fighting pain-free?

Here’s is how. During the final show in the second season of the hit Spike TV series “Ultimate Fighter,” the heavyweight winner, Rashad Evans, took the time to thank Chiropractic Care. This was for relieving his back pain and allowing him to fight that night! THIS WAS NOT A PAID ENDORSMENT! This was a testimonial to chiropractic care.

Even more amazing, Former Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler, Randy Cotour is the former heavyweight champion. What’s so amazing about that? He was over 45 years old! Whether you agree with this sport or not, can you imagine being in good enough physical condition to be able to step into a cage and fight another person… half your age? And not only that… be the best in the world? I have heard and read several interviews with Randy. What does he credit for his mind-boggling success and what seems to be his fountain of youth? He always mentions three things…1) Diet 2) Hard training 3) Chiropractic care

And listen to this… just about every ultimate fighter I looked into was under routine Chiropractic care. So what? You don’t know who any of the “ultimate fighters” are. I thought you might say that, so I’ve compiled a little list of athletes and celebrities you will recognize. All have the money and resources to choose any treatment their little heart’s desire. Yet, they all have chosen to be under Chiropractic care. They are Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wayne Gretzky, Evander Holyfield, Rocky Marciano, Joe Montana, Sylvester Stallone, Robin Williams, Whitney Houston, Alec Baldwin, Richard Gere, Anthony Robbins, and more.

And this is a very small sample of the entire list I have put together. It’s really amazing. And here’s something to think about: I wonder how many athletes and celebrities that get paid to endorse a drug or similar product were actually helped by Chiropractic or another alternative without the deep pocket to pay for testimonials? Who knows? I guess that’s a secret…Final thought for this month: I’m not saying you are going to be able to step into the octagon and fight a 20-year-old kid if you are under Chiropractic care. But, if routine Chiropractic care is how the best athletes in the world relieve their back ache and function at elite levels, don’t you think it could help your back ache and the quality of your life?

Want to find out more about spinal decompression therapy, then visit New Century Spine Centers site on how to choose the best chiropractor for your needs.

Can your chiropractor keep your brain from shrinking? The Journal of Neuroscience brings sobering news to chronic back pain sufferers. Scientists found that even one year of chronic back pain can age the brain 10 to 20 years. 26 people with chronic, continuous pain of more than a year were compared with 26 healthy people. The researchers theorize that the stress of chronic pain causes “burnout shrinkage.” But that may not be a life sentence.

Brain shrinkage doesn’t always equal loss of brain cells and some shrinkage may reverse once the chronic pain ends. Can chiropractic reverse the damage associated with brain shrinkage? Chiropractic success with chronic conditions is well known to the population. Apparently learning to live with it may cause serious long-term health problems. If you know anyone with chronic back pain, please advise them to explore chiropractic care. Their pain and their brain will thank them.

Most of you know that there can be damaging effects to your brain from electromagnetic radiation, environmental pollution, toxic chemical additives to food and other chemicals added to the things we drink, but did you know that pain can cause your brain to shrink somewhat. I have been contemplating this brain shrinkage phenomenon since I first read about it a while ago. The conclusions I have come up with may astonish a lot of you.

Here they are (keep in mind that I am being sarcastic here to prove a point): 1) Because individuals tend to think that their pain will “eventually go away by itself” (if only I had a dollar for every time I heard this), I suppose that the logic explanation for the reason that the pain eventually goes away is that part of our brain just disappeared. 2) If pain causes our brains to shrink it would probably be a good thing for those of us who are quite knowledgeable on every subject known to mankind (i.e. smarty pants) to be in pain every once in a while in order to give the other individuals around us a chance to keep up with us. 3) It may be beneficial to most of us that we only use a minor percentage of our brain’s capacity to engage in our daily activities (the myth that we use only 10% of our brains is exactly that, a myth). But this could mean that most of us have lots of brains to spare so if we ever get into pain and start to lose our brains, we shouldn’t have much of a problem. 4) Some of us have been told that we have “swollen heads”, pain every once in a while might help our heads to shrink slightly, allowing us more easy passage through doorways and getting in and out of cars, we would also be less of an obstruction for the individuals behind us at the movie theatre. 5) Long-term pain could allow us to have that constant light headed feeling that some long distance runners strive for because our heads would literally be lighter. This would also help our posture because a lighter head would be easier to keep upright. Less forward head leaning with the reduction in weight makes for a better posture.

Well I hope you get the big idea here. The big idea is that having a smaller brain is not a good thing or should I say avoiding pain is a good thing! It’s been found that the best way to avoid pain is to be proactive about your health. When our patients at the chiropractic office in San Diego ask us how often they should come in to get adjusted I recommend at least one time per month to get checked and realigned. All of the chiropractors at New Century Spine Centers personally try to get adjusted once per week and it is believed that it helps prevent a lot of problems with our health that we would have otherwise developed.

So here is my official position on how often you need to be coming in to get adjusted. If you do not have acute pain due to some unfortunate incident you should be coming in once per month. I look forward to seeing you and helping you maintain your hat size for the duration of your life. New Century Spine Centers is located in San Diego in Mission Valley and can be reached at 619-630-9153.

Looking to find the best information on spinal decompression therapy, then visit www.BackCareTreatment.com to find the best advice on chiropractic for you.

Chiropractic care is a common treatment for whiplash. To understand how chiropractic works for this injury, it is important to understand whiplash. Pain in the neck, shoulders, head or the base of the skull that occurs after a motor vehicle accident is often referred to as whiplash. It’s a common term that most patients hear following an automobile accident. Most patients with whiplash recover in a few weeks or at most, a few short months. However, in a small percentage of 15 to 20% of people develop chronic pain that does not go away so easily. Whiplash is not a trivial problem, because once it has occurred; only 70% have recovered completely by one year and only eighty two percent have recovered completely by two years. In addition to neck pain, there are many symptoms associated with the whiplash syndrome that include sleep problems, ringing in the ears, poor concentration and memory, blurry vision, fatigue, and weakness.

The therapy for acceleration deceleration injury syndromes depends on the stage and degree of the problem and which structures have been injured. Therapy can vary from chiropractic care, physical therapy, orthopedic intervention and more. In addition to soft tissue injury, ache that persists after four to six months is usually due to injury to the facet joints, one or more discs, or both. The diagnosis can usually be made by injections, MRI, and X-rays. Therapy is usually successful, but may require physical therapy, injections, and occasionally surgery.

The term whiplash is confusing to many. This is because it is both a mechanism of injury and the symptoms caused by a car accident. It is due to a traumatic event that causes the head to move suddenly in a whipping motion in one direction and then recoil in the other direction. The most common cause of whiplash is a motor vehicle accident in which one vehicle is struck from behind by another. However, it can occur when a car stops abruptly after striking a pole, a wall, or another car, and can also occur after a side impact.

Significant damage to ligaments, discs, and joints can occur even if the swings of extension and flexion are not excessive, but often the neck is forced to the extreme ends of normal range or beyond. Because the trauma is usually sudden, occupants of the car are not prepared for the impact. The muscles are relaxed, which allows more forces on the discs, ligaments and joints. Perhaps the most important fact about whiplash is that significant pain and structural damage can occur even in low velocity crashes.

It is the patient with persistent ache without any other specific findings on examination or specialized tests that presents the most problems for the patient himself or herself, the doctors, and the legal system. In the first few weeks to months after motor vehicle collision, it is often impossible to determine the exact cause or causes of the ache. The symptoms and signs are not sufficiently specific. In almost every instance, the muscles and ligaments have been strained and may be inflamed, painful, and tender. However after about 3 months, primary muscle or other soft tissue injuries usually have healed entirely.

The most common causes of persistent pain in whiplash are the facet joints and the discs. There is a poor correlation between the radiographic appearance of the joints and whether they are painful. Some joints which look bad are painless while other joints that look normal can be proven to be a source of pain. Only facet injections can determine whether the joint is painful. In a research study by Drs. Bogduk and Aprill, in 23% of patients, facet joints alone were the cause of pain, in 20% of patients the discs alone were the cause of pain, and in 41% of patients both the facet joints and discs were contributing. They were not able to identify the source of the pain in only 17% of their patients.

Many whiplash patients have symptoms which seem unexplainable, such as headaches, pain in the shoulders, between the shoulder blades, or in one or both arms. These symptoms can significantly impact activities of daily living. There may be fatigue, dizziness, problems with vision, ringing in the ears, heaviness in the arms, and low back pain. There can be poor concentration or memory, change in emotions with irritability, depression or short temper, and sleep disturbance. Dizziness occurs in one-quarter to one-half of people with whiplash injury. Again, researchers are not sure of the cause. The most likely explanation is an injury to the part of the inner ear that regulates balance. Problems with memory and concentration can be due to the pain itself, depression, medications, or trauma to the brain. Visual disturbances occur in 10 to 30% of whiplash patients and blurred vision is the most common.

Fortunately, most people who suffer neck pain after a whiplash injury will recover by six months. However, a small percentage of people continue to have pain. Most patients destined to recover completely will have done so by three to four months, after which the rate of recovery slows markedly. By two years, essentially all patients have reached their individual maximum improvement. About 18% continued to have significant pain two years after the accident! Patients who did not get well tended to be older, had pain which began sooner after the accident, and/or had their head rotated to either side at the time of impact. They also found that patients who, before the accident, had a history of neck pain, arthritis of the neck, or headaches did not do as well.

Common sense would tell us the greater the ache and impairment, the larger the legal settlement or award might be. Rarely, patients may exaggerate their symptoms or be faking. However, a bigger question is whether the potential for money from a legal settlement can unconsciously prolong or worsen the ache. This is known as “secondary gain” and it is unconscious, not fraudulent. The science shows that personal injury litigation does not adversely affect outcome. In 1983, Drs. Norris and Watt reviewed 61 patients who were treated for acceleration deceleration injury injuries, 41 of whom had personal injury lawsuits. They found no change in symptoms after claims were settled. About ten years later, long after litigation had settled, only 12% had completely recovered, and 48% had ache which interfered with normal daily life. In another study from 1993, Drs. Parinar and Raymakers re-evaluated patients they had seen previously for legal opinions, not for therapy, 8 years after the initial consultation. They concluded that lawsuits did not influence the timing or degree of recovery.

Several years ago we carefully analyzed a group of patients who were referred for treatment by their attorneys because they were not getting better. The patients were treated with strengthening exercises, body mechanics training, medications, spinal injections and occasionally psychotherapy. No patient needed surgery. Most of the patients did well with significant improvements in pain and function. Although most patients still had mild pain at the end of treatment, it was not enough to interfere with their daily lives. These very favorable results occurred although none of the lawsuits had been settled.

Want to find out more about car accident injuries, then visit the car accident web site site on how to choose the best chiropractor for your needs.

The average human, both men and women shrink up to three inches over the course of their entire life. These facts are being revealed by chiropractors in San Diego. You can begin losing height slowly some time in your late twenties. This process then accelerates as you age. So, if you are in your thirties you are shrinking right at this moment! And the worst part is that some people shrink more quickly than others. The results can be a devastating “hunchback” appearance over time. It can also lead to limited mobility and constant pain. The good news is that there are simple and easy things you can do right now at this moment to minimize the aging and shrinking process. You can do things to make sure you stay strong and tall and don’t end up looking like the hunchback of Notre Dame! It’s not an appealing look.

First let’s talk about why you shrink. Although there are several factors that lead to shrinking, the one that has by far the biggest impact is your spine. How? The disc has several important functions: 1. It helps to “glue” the vertebrae together…keeping them in place. 2. It acts like a shock absorber, allowing the spine to compress and rebound when stress is applied. Sort of like a spring. 3. It maintains proper spacing between the bones. Proper spacing is needed so each bone can move completely. This space allows nerves to pass through their opening without getting pinched. What does all this have to do with you shrinking? Simple. The disc is like a week old jelly donut. It has a tough outer layer and a soft, gel-like center. That center is normally 88% water. So guess what? Your disc makes up 33% of the height of your spine. So, if your disc somehow loses water, dries out so-to-speak, you lose height!

Your spinal discs only have one way to keep their fluid content. This is through a process known as imbibition. It is also through proper motion and fluidity. Proper motion serves as a natural pump that brings fluid and other nutrition in and out of the disc through the process of imbibition. As soon as that motion is stopped, the disc begins to reduce in size and die in the process. If your spinal bones misalign or malfunction, the spinal discs cannot move through their normal range of motion causing its fluid content to be lost and the disc height to decrease. This misalignment is referred to as a subluxation.

And here’s an amazing fact: An estimated two inches of vertical height of the spine may be lost if the water content of the discs are lowered by only sixteen percent! What’s worse: This sets off a vicious cycle of spinal and body degeneration. As your disc shrinks, it compresses joints and causes inflammation (swelling) due to friction. Swelling and more friction reduce mobility even more. As more motion is lost, the disc loses more water, shrinking even more, causing compression and the cycle keeps going until your spinal discs look like a slice of pepperoni! What’s more, your spine can become deformed, making it difficult to maintain balance and upright posture. That’s one reason you see people with “hunchbacks” or using a walker. During this process, nerves can get pinched that can cause severe pain and other chronic health problems.

That was a lot of dreadful news. But there is good quality news: Chiropractic adjustments combined with rehabilitation procedures and proper nutritional can restore proper motion to malfunctioning spinal segments. This will decrease friction and swelling, and allow fluid back into the disc. This in turn will stop the vicious cycle of pain, degeneration and reduce in height! Even though you can’t completely end the aging process in your spine, you can seriously slow it down. This reduces the amount of height you lose and all the chronic pain and health problems that go along with the problem. How do you guard your spine? This can be done by simply going to your doctor of chiropractic and having your spine routinely checked for misalignments. Misalignments are known as subluxations. Through quick and easy chiropractic methods, it can determined if you have a problem that can cause spinal degeneration and all the problems that come along with it if a subluxation is found. Proper steps can be taken to correct it before serious and permanent damage is done.

Let me ask you a question: Does it make more sense to routinely see your dentist for check-ups even though your teeth don’t hurt or, should you wait until your teeth hurt? I don’t know how you answered that question, but I think it makes more sense to see my Dentist BEFORE I wake up in agonizing pain and need a root canal. Or…maybe have the tooth pulled. If you think like I do, it also makes sense to come see a chiropractor BEFORE you’re in agonizing pain. By that time, your spine needs a Chiropractic root canal. A lot of work must be done and money spent that could have been avoided. The worst thing is: waiting until you are in pain means damage has already been done. Some damage can be corrected…some cannot. Over time, this damage adds up… leading to problems and pain that may not be able to be corrected.

I’m sure you heard the phrase an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Seeing a chiropractor that specializes in these conditions can mean the difference of suffering in agony or living a pain free life. The chiropractors in San Diego’s New Century Spine Centers are at the top of their profession. To learn more about the chiropractors in San Diego at New Century Spine Centers, call them at their San Diego office at 619-630-9153.

Want to find out more about spinal decompression therapy, then visit New Century Spine Centers site on how to choose the best chiropractor for your needs.

Lots of people suffer with back and neck pain. Dr. Michael Pritsker, DC, is a spinal decompression specialist and chiropractor at New Century Spine Centers in San Diego. He is providing free spinal health classes in Mission Valley. These classes are held the first Wednesday of each and every month. Patients and others who attend learn some of the latest treatment options for back pain. They also learn some of the best self-help techniques exercises for low back pain.

For back pain sufferers going through chiropractic care, there are many factors to consider. Even after you have experienced the great benefits of chiropractic treatment, it is very important for you to continue practicing safe and healthy habits so that you can stay healthy and pain free. This is especially important when it comes to lifting, working, playing, or simply doing routine daily activities. Maintaining a healthy spine is vital to your overall health. Chiropractors can help relieve discomfort and pain so you may experience better health throughout. Regular use of a self-care program by you may prove to be one of the best approaches to keeping your spine healthy and free from pain.

Even if you have chronic spinal problems, or underlying conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, or disc injuries, you can perform activities more easily by practicing basic self-care measures. The spine has a unique anatomical design, providing flexibility, balance, structural support, and a protective conduit for the spinal column and nerves carrying messages between your brain and the rest of your body. With a healthy spine, you can reach, stretch, bend and twist without much thought or pain. With proper care and a consistent exercise program, you can experience improved spinal function and range of motion in your daily life.

When you visit a chiropractor for the first time, a chiropractic evaluation is performed to locate the source of your problem. A set of radiographic exams may also be taken to view the area of your complaint as well. Chiropractic manipulations are also referred to as adjustments. They are done to realign your muscles, bones and joints to correct misalignments, or “subluxations.” The adjustments may diminish the pain, or may cure your problem completely. In either case, it is important that you continue to maintain good health and not just focus on symptoms.

The following is a list of simple tips that can lead you on your way to taking better care of your spine. Sleeping on a soft bed or couch can strain your neck and back muscles since. This occurs because the three curves of the spine are not adequately supported. The best sleeping positions are on your back or side. A pillow can be placed under the knees when lying on your back to take pressure off of the lower back. Sleeping on your stomach is not recommended since it can cause additional strain on the neck and back. Make sure you have a firm mattress that keeps the spine aligned and supports the spinal curvatures.

When standing for extended periods, rest one foot on a small stool to maintain spinal curvature and relieve pressure. The knees should be bent when bending forward. Low-heeled shoes may help by maintaining spinal curvatures and cushioning your weight. Standing or bending forward for long periods can cause increased spinal pressure, especially if you slouch. Bending over with straight legs increases the pressure in the lower back. High-heeled shoes may result in a “swayback,” which throws the natural curves out of alignment when standing or walking.

Rolling up a towel or placing a lumbar or low back support cushion in the lower portion of your back may help to support your lumbar curve. Reposition the seat of your car so that your knees are level with your hips. Sitting in chairs that do not support your back may throw the natural spinal curvatures out of alignment and add extra stress to the neck and back. Slouching increases the strain even more on your spine. Sitting too far away from the steering wheel while driving also may increase stress to the neck and back. Use chairs that promote good posture and support your back.

Lifting and bending forward at the same time puts great strain on the muscles and increases the pressure inside the discs (the spongy materials between the bones of your spine) even more. When bending forward, keep your back straight while bending at the knees and hips. This will help to keep the three spinal curvatures in proper alignment. Bending forward with the legs straight causes a loss of the three natural spinal curves and puts undue stress on the lower portion of your back. When lifting, keep your spine straight while using your legs to do the brunt of the work. Hold the objects being lifted close to your body to keep the weight on your spine to a minimum.

A ladder or stool may be used to reach items above your head. A tool called a “reacher” can be used to grab hard-to-reach items. Always ask someone for help if the item is heavy or you don’t feel you can reach it yourself. Keeping the feet, knees and hips stationary while turning the lower back increases the chances of a twisting injury to the spine or an injury to the discs. The shape of the vertebrae do not allow the joints of the spine to twist easily. Imagine your body as being one continuous unit from your shoulders to your hips. When turning, use your feet to make the turns, not your back. Do not stretch your arms or back for something beyond your normal reach. Concentrate on moving your feet first in the direction you wish to turn, while maintaining the natural curves in your spine. This type of movement decreases the natural curves of the spine, resulting in additional stress or strain. Move your body close to the item you are reaching for.

Dr. Michael Pritsker can be contacted at New Century Spine Centers in San Diego. Their phone number is 619-630-9153. New Century Spine Centers in San Diego has regular spinal health care classes that are free of charge to local residents.

Learn more about chiropractic care. Stop by the spinal decompression site where you can find out all about spinal decompression therapy and what it can do for you.

As a spinal decompression chiropractor in San Diego, I regularly look for new information on back pain. I was recently surfing around the internet and found something very interesting . I typed in cure for back pain and got thousands of matches online. I found this interesting because if there actually were so many cures, there wouldn’t be anyone left with any back pain!

But we all know most of these “cures” are coming from opportunity seekers just trying to separate you from your money. The first thing that’s a dead give-away is when someone offers a cure for ALL back pain. Just like there is no ONE magical diet that works for everyone, there is no ONE solution for ALL cases of back pain.

Back pain can be severely complex. It may have more than one cause and need more than one solution or treatment. I once came across one web site that claimed he had the ultimate cure for all back pain. It didn’t matter what kind of back pain it was. This guy had supposedly cured his own back pain with a special and secret set of exercises. He claimed these exercises would cure everyone’s back pain regardless of the cause. These are exercises he would give you for a hefty price! I searched online on Google and found this guy had also suffered with carpal tunnel syndrome and had found the cure for that which he sold. He also suffered with headaches that he cured and of course sold the cure. Then there was his shoulder and elbow pain cure. I think you get the point as of now.

Just for kicks, we ordered this guy’s special set of secret exercises. What a joke these exercises were. They were nothing more than a mix of elementary school exercises with a few wrestling stretches in between. Attempting to do some of these “special” exercises in the wrong condition can make you much worse. This is especially if you have a herniated or bulging disc. It could leave you crippled on the floor. And that’s the problem with most people selling or advising exercises as a cure for back pain. They think all back pain is caused by weak or tight muscles. This is not the case in all situations.

This may be PART of the problem, but if you have a herniated or bulging disc that is NOT where you should start. Look at it like this: If the front end of your car goes out of alignment, what do you think happens to your tires? They wear unevenly, right? So what do you do? Do you drive your car a special way to try to fix the alignment? Do you work on the parts of your car supporting the alignment? Or do you get the alignment fixed?

The same holds true when it comes to back pain. You cannot just exercise the problem away. When you have a herniated or bulging disc in your spine, your spine is injured and does not work the way it should. The more you exercise it, the more abnormal stress is put on your spine and discs, and the more damage you may cause to your spine. Exercise will not fix a herniated disc! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. There are better and more effective options available for back pain. Spinal decompression in San Diego can heal herniated discs properly. Then, and only then, does it make common sense to exercise to strengthen the area.

Here is one last important thing to think about. If exercise cured backs, why do so many professional athletes suffer with back pain? It is a very long list. I guess these elite athletes don’t know the “special” exercises that are being sold on the internet! To learn more information about back pain, you can visit Dr. Michael Pritsker’s site at www.MichaelPritsker.com. To learn more about advanced spinal decompression in San Diego and to find out if you are a candidate for this therapy, visit New Century Spine Centers where they have the top doctors that perform spinal decompression therapy.

Want to find out more about back pain exercises, then visit the San Diego back pain site on how to choose the best chiropractor for your needs.

Last year, chiropractic care could have saved about 3,300 children age 5-14 that were treated in emergency rooms for this back-to-school related activity. A San Diego chiropractor and spinal decompression specialist reveals how this could have all been avoided with advanced chiropractic care. It is important to understand what it is and how you can avoid it happening to your children.

It’s an exciting time for millions of children and parents all overr the world. After a well deserved summer vacation, it’s time to head back to school. And what does back to school mean to most moms and dads? Shopping! This includes school supplies, notebooks, paper, pens, pencils, the latest fall fashion clothes and one of the hottest trends of the last few years which is backpacks.

Backpacks are an admired item. Millions of elementary, middle, and high school students are heading to their classes with filled backpacks thrown over their shoulders. While hauling a backpack to school every day may seem harmless enough, but it can cause sore neck and back problems and injuries for students who don’t pack or carry their backpacks correctly. Those weighty loads can cause repetitive stress injuries and spinal ache that will get worse with age and may last a life span.

Some research studies actually say that if they are used improperly, they are outright dangerous and can cause permanent damage to your child’s spine. This can possibly lead to herniated discs and arthritis.

Here are some shocking back pack facts: The Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates that over three thousand children aged 5 to 14 were treated in emergency rooms last year for injuries related to backpacks. Backpack-related injuries are up over 250 percent since 1996. According to researchers at the University of Michigan spinal program, up to 60 percent of children will experience some form of back pain by the time they reach age 18. An Auburn University study shows heavy backpacks can be a dangerous threat to spine development. In their survey sample, the average pack was seventeen percent of the child’s body weight overall. This weight is the equivalent of a 150 pound adult carrying a 26 pound backpack. 67.2% of the children that were examined in this study suffered muscle soreness, 50.8% back pain, 24.5% numbness and 14.7% shoulder pain. Studies at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center also show that backpacks that are too heavy as the cause of shoulder or lower-back pain and poor posture in kids.

A recent study published in the journal Spine, found that 6 percent of 10-year-olds complained of low back pain, while 10 to 15 percent of 12-year-olds reportedly had lower back pain. A recent scientific study found that carrying a backpack affects the mobility of spinal bones. This leads to restricted movement which is a risk factor for low back pain.

Another study used magnetic resonance imaging to examine the effect of backpacks on the intervertebral discs of the spine. These are the fluid-filled cushions between spinal bones. According to the article, backpacks affect the fluid in the discs. This is a risk factor for disc herniation and osteoarthritis.

There is new research that reveals an alarming danger associated with childhood backpack use. This research stems from the growing number of reports of childhood back pain in recent years. By the end of their teen years, 60% of youths experienced at least one back pain episode. New research indicates that this increase may be due to the improper use of backpacks in children. Research presented at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation’s annual meeting in San Francisco stated that children carrying a load of twenty five percent of their body weight had balance problems and were more likely to experience injuries from falls.

It’s obvious from all the research that can be hazardous and can cause harm to your child’s spine if they are not used properly. One of the chief safety hazards with backpacks is overfilling them. Many children are carrying up to forty pounds. and are injuring themselves. If your children are feeling head pain, neck aches, bad posture, achy and strained muscles, low back pain, muscle spasms, tingling hands, and increased scoliosis complications, they are carrying way too much weight imcorrectly.

Your children should carry no more than 10-15% of their body weight on their backs. Here are some backpack weight guide lines to go by. A child weighing 40 lbs should carry no more than 6 lbs. A child weighing 75 lbs should carry no more than 11 lbs. A child weighing 100 lbs should carry no more than 15 lbs. A child weighing 125 lbs should carry no more than 18 lbs. A child weighing 150 lbs should carry no more than 22.5 lbs.

Here are some more tips on wearing backpacks properly. Make sure the weight is distributed evenly. It helps to put heavier items on the bottom and this keeps the weight off the shoulders and improves posture. Have your child wear both shoulder straps unless there is a specially designed backpack that is designed to use only one strap. Lugging a heavy backpack using one strap can shift the weight to one side which can lead to misaligned spinal bones, neck and muscle spasms, low back pain and walking improperly. Get a pack with well padded or air-filled straps. Non-padded straps will dig into your shoulders and cause pain and injury. If the back pack comes with a waist strap, make sure your child uses it.

Many injuries in the spine occur from simply lifting the pack off the ground. To avoid this, make sure your child always lifts with their legs bent and their backs straight up. Do not bend forward.
It is also advisable to make sure that your children only take what they need to school. The extra weight adds up fast and can injure their developing spines.

Last and most important, make sure your child has their spines checked by a chiropractic office to make sure their spine is in proper alignment and they are not setting themselves up for permanent injury. You can even bring them in with their backpacks and a good chiropractic office will make sure that they fit correctly.

Learn more about backpack safety. Stop by the chiropractic site site where you can find out all about chiropractic care and what it can do for you.

There is a lot of research about the treatment for back pain. One of these treatments for back pain is chiropractic care. There are lots of scientific studies and it is published in many Medical Journals. Some of the findings conclude that the average patient receiving care by a chiropractor for back pain is better off than fifty four to eight five percent of the patients receiving other common and accepted medical back pain treatments.

Additionally, fourteen of these studies showed that this treatment that we will refer to later costs less and was up to twice as effective as most common medical treatment. Seventeen of the studies showed a decrease in disability at work from chiropractic care and less back pain symptoms. Unfortunately, many of these studies were done in the eighties! I am referring to chiropractic care. So why isn’t this treatment plastered all over the front pages and headlining the nightly news on a regular basis? How could something so great and proven to be this effective be kept out of the spotlight for so long?

The answer to these questions and more will follow. First off, we have to look at the real facts about back pain. Here are some shocking low back pain statistics: 1) Eight to ninety percent of all adults will suffer from low back pain at some point in their life. 2) Low back pain is the leading cause of disability in people under forty five years of age. 3) Low back pain is the second leading cause of visits to the doctor. 4) Low back pain is the third leading reason for hospital admissions. 5) The annual cost of back pain in the United States range from $20-$75 billion, and as much as $100 billion worldwide. 6) According to Met Life Insurance statistics, the average back treated medically without surgery costs $7,210, and the average back treated with surgery costs an astonishing $13,990, and 7) Statistics indicate that fifteen to twenty percent of the population has low back pain in any given year, approximately twenty three million cases.

The question that you seriously have to consider is doing all epidemics kill? The answer is no, and it’s a good thing that they don’t. If all of them did kill, most of us would be dead from back pain alone.

Before we get to the #1 treatment, let’s talk about other “common” treatments and the facts about how good they really are. The first is anti-inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAIDs. These drugs, such as Tylenol, Motrin, Aleve and Advil are often the first and most common treatment for back pain. Well, let’s see what 2 prominent medical doctors have to say about them.

The first was Dr. Julian Whitaker, M.D.. He reported saying that in our attempt to escape the throbbing of an occasional headache, the muscular ache of being a weekend warrior, Americans spend over six and a half billion dollars each year on prescription and over the counter pain relievers. And we do this at tremendous cost to our health. The side effects are that these drugs can damage the stomach, liver, kidneys, and even some of the tissues they are designed to support. Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs which are sometimes taken on a daily basis by arthritis sufferers, may speed up degeneration of the joint by restricting cartilage synthesis and speeding up cartilage destruction.

Dr. Joseph Mercola, M.D., Department of Health Policy and Management, John’s Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health said, “Researchers say aspirin and related drugs kill almost as many people every year as AIDS and are responsible for a silent epidemic. About 26 billion over-the-counter tablets are consumed each year alone and the number of deaths caused by medicines is large. Research estimates that approximately 16,500 deaths occur annually in the U.S. from ulcer related complications associated with their use. If those deaths were given their own category, the toxic effects of NSAID drugs would constitute the 15th most common cause of death in the United States. NSAIDs are probably the most dangerous drugs that medicine uses because of their widespread use. As a group, they probably account for the largest amount of deaths of any drug group.” The bottom line about NSAID drugs is that they kill 16,500 people every year and damage the joints they are supposed to treat.

The next discussion is very common. I am referring to surgery. Understanding just one statistic about surgery is very important. By understanding the statistic, it just may shock you. According to the official Clinical Practice Guidelines put out by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, surgery has been shown to be helpful in only one in a hundred cases of low back problems. Even having a lot of back pain does not, by itself, mean you are required to have surgery on your spine. But many people think that it does.

If only 1% of back problems are helped with surgery, is it really worth the risk of infection, paralysis or even death? That is something that needs to be considered.

Unfortunately, that was the bad news. But with all bad news there is usually good news. Many of the studies I talked about show chiropractic care to be the best, safest and least expensive treatment for back pain. Since you might not believe it coming from a chiropractor in San Diego, I’m going to give you one more thing to consider. This quote is from the well respected Pran Manga, PhD. Dr. Manga is a medical economist from Ontario Ministry of Health who studied this subject very thoroughly. The conclusion was that there is an overwhelming amount of evidence indicating that chiropractic care of low back pain is more cost effective than well known medical care. Chiropractic care of low back pain is greatly superior to medical management in terms of scientific validity, safety, cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction rates.

These are the statistics and quotes from some very prominent figures. The only problem is that Dr. Manga published his findings back in 1993 and many people have not heard this before. The reason that many have not heard it before is profit.

Reviewing the statistics again you’ll find that the average medical non-surgical back costs a little over seven thousand dollars to treat. The average surgical back costs almost fourteen thousand dollars to treat. And important to understand is that $6.6 billion is being spent every year on drugs. That’s the real facts. After all, I’m sure you realize whose commercials pay for the news you watch every night anyway.

So next time you have an aching back, sore neck, or headache, here’s something for you to remember. Try chiropractic first, drugs second, and surgery last!

Looking to find the best chiropractor, then visit www.backcaretreatment.com to find the best advice on chiropractic care for you.

If someone asked us to choose between good health and great wealth, most of us would pick good health, without a question. However, if asked to define “health,” we might have trouble putting into words what this concept means to us. For some of us health might mean absence of illness, disease and pain. For others good health might mean a more positive state of being, including strong bones and teeth, shiny hair and eyes, strong muscles, appropriate weight, and more.

One thing that most if not all will agree on is we want great health. But this goal may be difficult to reach with a health care system focused primarily on treatment of disease as opposed to prevention of illness. Though we have extensive research about the illnesses of the body and treatment of symptoms, what have we studied about creating wellness within the body to prevent health problems before they happen?

For heart patients, heart bypasses and angioplasty do not address the underlying cause of the heart problem. Surgery merely treats the existing problem, which sometimes returns if the patient doesn’t also make a lifestyle change. When patients make comprehensive life changes consistent with a healthy heart, the patient has a good chance of improving. This reality is being proven through research.

Many times a patient is hospitalized with an end-stage illness that has taken years to develop. During previous years the person has eaten donuts, salami, french fries and ice cream every day. The patient may ask, “What’s wrong with me, Doc?” The doctor replies, “I don’t know, we’ll have to run more tests.”

The reality is that we can look at the whole person and his or her lifestyle over the years, and the illness will be written all over the body. Wouldn’t it make more sense to study what causes the body to be healthy? Unfortunately, only 20 percent of today’s research is spent on preventative health care. Part of the problem might be that it is harder to study prevention than it is to study treatment for illness and disease.

Some researchers examining the factors that help keep the body healthy are becoming increasingly convinced of the importance of the mind/body connection as a critical factor in health. This factor is an important reason more people are turning to chiropractic health care as part of their health building strategies.

Chiropractic care works directly with the mind/body connection for health. The brain contains all the information to run the body correctly. The nervous system is a channel of communication from the brain to each tissue cell in the body. We all understand the function of the skull in protecting the brain. In similar fashion, the spinal column houses and protects the nervous system.

We know that brain functions can be affected unless we keep it safe and free from severe injuries. The same is true for the spinal column and proper nervous system functioning. When the spine is seriously damaged and the spine cord becomes clipped, the body can become paralyzed because the brain can no longer communicate properly with the rest of the body. This principle also applies when damage to the spine is on a lesser scale, resulting in misalignment of spinal bones and pressure on nerve function. Spinal vertebral misalignment results in a partial communication breakdown leading to a partial as opposed to full connection between the mind and body. When this happens, the body loses much of its ability to maintain health and proper functionality.

Additionally lifestyle factors are important in building health. We know we need proper rest, correct nutrition, exercise and a positive mental attitude. Unfortunately we may not fully understand the importance of a fully functioning nervous system. Building health within the body is the ultimate the path we all must discover for ourselves. It is not something a doctor can give us especially when they are focusing on disease. It is something we give ourselves because healing and health are natural states, and we have the power to control our decisions regardless.

The developer of chiropractic BJ Palmer once said, “In the future, chiropractic will be valued for its preventative qualities as much as for relieving and adjusting the cause of many ailments.” The future is now because chiropractic care is no longer alternative but the mainstream choice of millions who have turned to chiropractic for natural health and wellness care. Many chiropractic doctors including the chiropractors at New Century Spine Centers in San Diego are now covered by many insurance companies.

Doctors of chiropractic are committed to educating their patients about healthy lifestyle and their patients express appreciation for it. To learn more, those interested can go to www.BackCareTreatment.com. We need to be involved with our health by asking questions and beginning our own quest to discover just what “good health” is, and how it can be obtained.

Learn more about chiropractic care. Stop by New Century Spine Centers in San Diego web site where you can find out all about alternative medicine and what it can do for you.