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January 22, 2011

Upper Back Pain – What Can You Do?

Filed under: Chiropractic,Chiropractic Tips — Tags: , , , , , , , — admin @ 11:01 am

chiropractor san clemente Upper Back Pain What Can You Do?When we hear someone complaining about back pain, it is often lower back pain.  Indeed, upper back pain is not really all that common.  When it happens though, it can result in a lot of discomfort, and severe pain.  While they do work together, as does your entire body, the lower and upper back serve different purposes.  The upper back’s job is to provide stability and strength to stand up straight, whereas the lower back, as well as the neck, are meant to allow for mobility.  The upper back, or thoracic spine, also helps to protect your internal organs and your chest.

The thoracic spine consists of twelve vertebrae, all situated in the middle of the spine.  Your ribs link to the vertebrae, and on the other end of the ribs, they are then linked to the breastbone.  This allows for limited movement of the spine, as the ribs keep the spine in place by being attached to the sternum.

What Causes Upper Back Pain?

There are a number of factors that can lead to upper back pain, including strain, poor posture, or injury and trauma.  Working at a desk all day can also contribute to upper back pain, and neck and/or shoulder pain will often accompany this type of pain.  Lifting heavy objects or repetitive motions can sometimes be the cause of the strain or sprain that occurs to cause upper back pain too.  These activities can cause muscles to stretch and strain too much, which can result in tearing of the muscle tissue.  Along with joint dysfunction, this muscular irritation is a primary underlying cause of upper back pain, often resulting in damage to the ligaments.

Treatment of Upper Back Pain

Massage therapy, passive physical therapy and acupuncture are all possible treatment options for this type of muscle strain pain.  Stretching and strengthening exercises can help to relieve pain in the long term and prevent further injury.

Chiropractors specialize in any type of back pain, whether it is occurring in the upper, middle or lower back, or even in the neck.  When you see a chiropractor for upper back pain, he or she will examine your spine for trigger points in your muscles, which can produce radiating pain. Trigger points are nodules that build up in injured or over-used muscles, and they are strong generators of pain.

While your upper back pain is most likely coming from muscles, adjustments to the spine can help to relieve pressure on those muscles, which will help to reduce the pain.  Upper back pain is often accompanied by subluxations of the spine, which put pressure on the muscles and joints.  A series of chiropractic adjustments addresses these subluxations and helps to relieve pressure and reduce pain.

The important thing to remember is that if you don’t see a chiropractor for your back pain, even if the pain subsides, the underlying cause of the pain will not have been addressed.  This means the chance for pain returning is high.  So if you are experiencing upper back pain – or any other back, neck, or joint pain – it’s time to call the chiropractor for an appointment.  If you’re in the San Clemente area, get in touch with our San Clemente Chiropractor Office today!

November 28, 2010

The Pain in Your Neck Could be Whiplash

Filed under: Chiropractic — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 10:22 pm

chiropractor san clemente The Pain in Your Neck Could be WhiplashWhiplash is an injury to the neck that is caused by sudden movement of the head in one direction.  This can occur in many different ways – vehicle accidents, sports, work related accidents, etc.  Injuries of this type most definitely warrant a very thorough check-up by a Chiropractor.  Whiplash injuries can literally take years for symptoms to develop, and this is very dangerous.   Unfortunately, it is common for people to not seek treatment unless some sort of serious complications develop.

In the past, whiplash injuries were very difficult to document since no bones are broken and soft tissue injuries do not show up on x-rays.  This caused insurance companies to deny claims which literally added an “insult to the injury.”  Nowadays, though, insurance companies cover whiplash injuries. When the head doesn’t hit the windshield of the vehicle and no bones are broken, anywhere from 62% – 90% of people will complain of neck pain.  The pain generally doesn’t begin to be noticeable until up to two days after the accident occurred.  Tightened muscles are what cause this pain by reacting to tears in the muscle or an excessive movement of the joints caused by ligament damage. Muscles tighten as a way of offering support to the head, and limiting any excessive movement.

Almost 70% of people who are suffering from whiplash report experiencing headaches. These types of headaches are very inconsistent. The pain might be on one side, both sides, constant or intermittent, in one specific location or more of a general area.  Often times, these types of headaches are the result of tightened and tensed muscles that are doing their best to keep the head in a stable position.  Much like with tension headaches, whiplash headaches are often felt directly behind the eyes.

What Exactly Causes Whiplash?

The most common way to receive whiplash is while riding in a vehicle that gets struck from behind or collides with another car.  The head is jerked forward, then back suddenly, pushing the muscles and ligaments that support the spine beyond their usual limits.  Take a rear-end collision as an example. When the victim’s vehicle is pushed forward and is then slowed down very rapidly – whether it is from braking or from hitting the car in front, the body is pushed forward, but the head remains momentarily behind – rocking back and forth. This happens until some of the muscles are stretched and torn. This is where whiplash occurs.

As a reflex, the muscles do their best to bring the victim’s head forward.  This can create overcompensation because the head is already moving in a forward direction as the car slows down.  This results in the head rocking forward – stretching and tearing more muscles and ligaments.  Even worse, the discs of the spine can actually bulge, tear, or rupture.  Vertebrae can be knocked out of their rightful position which can reduce the range of motion.

Treating Whiplash with Chiropractic Care

All whiplash cases vary and are different from one another.  This fact makes summarizing what Chiropractic treatments may be used for whiplash difficult.  One common treatment for whiplash is spinal manipulation.  Because of joint issues, this is commonly a first choice for many Chiropractors. What it does is realign the spinal joints which can help the joints to regain their normal range of motion.

Another common treatment for whiplash is muscle stimulation or relaxation methods. This is used to treat any of the muscles that were affected by the whiplash injury.  For example, if your Chiropractor comes across a muscle that appears to be weak, they will stimulate the muscle, creating contractions.  If the problem is the opposite and the muscles are simply too tense, the Chiropractor will stretch the muscles in order to relieve the built-up tension.  The intensity of stretches and stimulations depends completely on how tight or weak your muscle is.  If the muscle is very tight, it will require much more intense stretching.  In most cases, these types of stretches are painful, but the Chiropractor can apply pressure to particular trigger points that will help to alleviate some of the pain.

Once your Chiropractor is satisfied that your spine has been realigned, they will most likely provide you with exercises that will help keep the discs in alignment.  You will be shown how to do these exercises in the Chiropractor’s office, and then be given instructions to take home with you.  This is a wonderful way for patients to take a more active role in the treatment of their injury.

Further treatment

Your treatment plan for whiplash may include one or more approach used by the Chiropractor.  Depending on your specific case, the Chiropractor may even give you a referral to a different type of health professional such as a medical specialist if they feel that would be an appropriate step to take.

The first step to feeling better after experiencing whiplash is to get into the Chiropractor’s office as soon as possible so that we can evaluate your injury and take the necessary steps to have you on your way to healing and being pain-free.  So if you’re in the area and think you’ve experience whiplash, get in touch with our San Clemente Chiropractor office right away!

October 18, 2010

Chiropractic Care for Your Sciatica

Filed under: Chiropractic,Chiropractic Tips — Tags: , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:00 am

chiropractor san clemente Chiropractic Care for Your SciaticaYou’ve probably heard of sciatica, and you might even have it, but not everyone knows what sciatica really is.  It is common for patients to think they have sciatica when they don’t, and just as common for those with sciatica to believe it is something else.  We often see this with leg pain that people assume stems from an issue with the leg itself.  As chiropractic care demonstrates daily, problems that manifest in one part of the body are quite often the result of an issue that originates in another area – very often the spine.  Sciatica, a condition that is very common and affects many people, stems from aggravation of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the human body.  The sciatic nerve starts in the lower back, runs through the buttocks, and down the leg.

Common symptoms of sciatica are a shooting pain through the lower back and down the leg (following the path of the sciatic nerve), a tingling or burning sensation accompanying the pain, and numbness in the lower back and/or the legs.  Any one or a combination of these symptoms can point to a case of sciatica.

What causes sciatica?

Sciatica often comes as the result of damage to one or more discs in the lower back, due to lifting heavy objects improperly or other types of injury.  This damage can put pressure on the sciatic nerve, irritating it and causing the pain, numbness, and tingling described above.  The pressure on the nerve can also come from the muscles and bones surrounding it.  Less commonly, a growth or tumor close to the spinal cord can also exert pressure on the area, resulting in sciatic pain.

In cases where an injury has not occurred, the symptoms of sciatica can be brought about by slouching and bad posture.  Sciatica is also a common complaint of women who are pregnant, which can also put pressure on the back.  This can also be the case with people who are overweight, as the extra weight – especially around the waist – can place undue pressure on the spine as well.

What can you do about sciatica?

One method that is often effective for relieving sciatica is to cool the lower back by icing it.  Cooling the back on and off for periods of fifteen minutes can offer comfort for a period of time.  Stretching can help to loosen the back muscles as well, and this can help as well, when done properly.  A good rule of thumb is that if your stretching hurts, don’t do it.  If stretching does not hurt, it is something that should be done daily. Because long periods of inactivity can worsen the symptoms of sciatica, it is often worse for people first think in the morning, so this is a good time to perform stretching exercises.

While these home remedies can provide a degree of relief, they often prove to be ineffective and/or temporary.  For this reason, seeking the care of a qualified chiropractor is your best bet for immediate, long term relief.  Seeing your chiropractor, sooner rather than later, helps ensure that your sciatica will be addressed in a way that is conducive to promoting the long term health of your entire body.  So if you or someone you know is in the San Clemente area and suffering from sciatica, get in touch with our office right away.  We’ll take great care of you and get you back to your old self ASAP!

October 11, 2010

Chiropractic Care for Your Lower Back Pain

Filed under: Chiropractic — Tags: , , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:00 am

chiropractor san clemente Chiropractic Care for Your Lower Back PainIt might seem unusual to some that after so many blog posts about how chiropractic care can help in so many ways, we are just now really delving into how a chiropractor can help with lower back pain.  After all, this is one of the most common reasons people make an appointment to see a chiropractor. There’s a good reason we haven’t focused on this topic, and that is because so many people only associate chiropractors with back pain, when in fact  a chiropractor can help with a wide range of problems and conditions.  As we have detailed so often, chiropractic care is concerned with the whole person, and not just the back.

Still, a chiropractic blog without information about how chiropractors treat lower back pain would not be complete.  Spinal manipulation (a method we use to adjust a patient’s spine into proper alignment) is a safe, effective treatment for acute lower back pain, and we do address this condition frequently.  The type of acute pain associated with the lower back is often the result of a sudden injury, such as what can happen when moving heavy furniture or suffering a sports injury.

While this type of pain will often lessen over time without treatment, the reason for the reduction in pain is not because the root problem has been addressed, but simply because the muscles have had a chance to relax – often with the use of pain pills and muscle relaxers.  The danger in that scenario is that the chance for the injury reoccurring is very high, as the cause of the original injury has not been treated.  When the injured patient visits a chiropractor right away though, we are able to speed the healing process and help to prevent future problems, all without the use of medications.

One concern many have is the fear of experiencing pain at the chiropractor while in this condition.  After all, if it hurts to even move normally, and your idea of a chiropractor is someone who wants to twist and jolt your back, you might think there’s no way anyone is going to do that to me right now! What’s important to remember is that any chiropractic visit begins with a comprehensive assessment that results in an accurate diagnosis of your back pain.  Because so many people trust chiropractors first when it comes to back pain, we are trained to make necessary adjustments in a way that will not exacerbate your pain.  The gentle care of a chiropractor is both safe and effective, and it’s tailored to your needs.  There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to chiropractic care.

Research has also shown time and again that chiropractic is helpful in treating headaches and neck pain. So if you have lower back pain, or any other painful condition related to your spine or nervous system, we should be your source of relief.  Call our San Clemente Chiropractor office today and start feeling better right away!

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