Author: Apex Health

  • Chiropractors and Chiropractic Care: An Overview

    Chiropractors diagnose and treat a broad range of physical conditions in patients with muscular, nervous, and skeletal problems, especially the spine.

    Chiropractors make use of conventional diagnostic tests, such as X-rays, MRIs, and lab work, as well as specific procedures that involve manipulation by hand of various parts of the body. Chiropractors are best known for their ability to correct misalignments of the spine, which are called subluxations. But spinal manipulation is only a small part of what chiropractors do as part of an overall plan to manage and relieve pain and many kinds of ailments. Other kinds of treatments chiropractors are capable of providing include:

    • Electrotherapy
    • Therapeutic exercise
    • Ice/heat therapy, including therapeutic ultrasound
    • Lifestyle and nutrition counseling
    • Massage therapy
    • Physical rehabilitation
    • Stress management
  • Stenosis

    In a normal healthy spine, bundles of nerves exit the spinal column at dozens of tiny locations from the base of the skull to the top of the lower back. When these openings become blocked or narrowed, nerves can become impinged, leading to a condition called stenosis.

    The vast majority of cases of spinal stenosis occur in the lower back. Lumbar spinal stenosis can severely restrict daily activity. Because lumbar stenosis almost always impinges the sciatic nerve, one or both of the legs also can be affected. Radiating pain or numbness in the legs, and sometimes the ankles, feet and toes, is common.

    What causes changes in these openings? A lot of things! One major cause is the process of aging. As joints and ligaments undergo wear and tear, they can shift partially into these spaces. In fact, stenosis is most common in people in their 50s and beyond.

    Stenosis also has can be inherited or acquired at birth. In rare cases, synovial cysts, which develop as a result of degeneration in the facet joint in the lumbar spine, have been linked to spinal stenosis, or at least mimic many of the symptoms of spinal stenosis.

    Symptoms of spinal stenosis include:

    • Burning, tingling, or shooting pain in the buttocks or extremities.
    • Diminished pain in the extremities when bending forward or sitting (which relieves the pressure on the nerve by temporarily opening the vertebral space).
    • Numbness
    • Weakness

    Cervical stenosis with myelopathy is a type of stenosis that affects the long tracts of nerves inside the spinal cord. Symptoms of myelopathy include:

    • Arm pain
    • Heavy feeling in the legs
    • Inability to walk at a fast pace
    • Loss of fine motor skills
    • Shooting arm and leg pain, particularly when bending the head forward

    Rest and restricted activity, as well as over-the-counter medications, such as aspirin and analgesics, and corticosteroid injections, have been known to provide temporary relief of the pain associated with stenosis. Physical therapy and back braces have also shown to be somewhat effective.

    A thorough chiropractic examination will provide you with information about all of the available nonsurgical and nonmedicated options.

  • Back Pain

    Eighty percent of Americans experience one form of back pain or another during the course of their lives. More men over the age of 45 are disabled by back pain than any other condition. It is the third most common reason for surgeries. Because of this, people complaining of back pain cannot be easily diagnosed. This is because the spine is such an incredibly complex structure of bones, muscles, nerves, joints, tendons, and ligaments. Injury or disease affecting any one or more of these structures can often trigger an episode of pain.

    Lower back pain is often caused by a muscle strain. The erector spinae, or large paired muscles in the lower back that help keep your spine erect, can become inflamed and spasm. In more serious cases, the pain may be caused by a degenerative condition, such as arthritis, disc disease, or disc herniation.

    A degenerative disc condition can sometimes cause a chain reaction of other events in your spine. When a disc is not in its proper place, or is malformed from disease or some other condition, it can allow additional undue pressure on other healthy structures, such as neighboring discs, nerves, muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons.

    Rest, ice or heat therapy, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine, such as aspirin, are often the first course of treatment for mild lower back pain. This allows your muscles to return to their normal position and begin to heal.

    Because the thoracic spine is the sturdiest part of the spine, it is less prone to injury. That said, upper back pain, while less common than lower back pain, is often caused by irritation of the muscles or a problem with a joint. Other less common causes of upper back pain include herniated or degenerative discs.

    However, rest for a sore back should be kept to no more than two weeks. Otherwise, the muscles in the lower back begin to atrophy and can become significantly weak, leaving you open to further undue pain and injury.

  • Leg Pain

    The largest nerve in the human body may be responsible for one of the most common causes of leg pain. The sciatic nerve connects the spinal cord with the leg and foot muscles, and runs down both sides of the lumbar spine, through the buttock and back of the thigh, and down to the foot.

    Many kinds of leg pain can be traced to problems with the sciatic nerve. Sciatica pain occurs when one or more of the spinal nerves become compressed. A disc herniation is often the culprit. Other causes include spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, and arthritis.

    While the pain typically travels down, or radiates, along the sciatic nerve, it is often felt in the lower buttocks, the back of the leg, and even the bottom of the foot. Symptoms include numbness, tingling, and/or a burning or prickling sensation.

    It is very important that you seek medical attention if you experience these kinds of symptoms, because long-term compression of the sciatic nerve can cause permanent damage. In addition, untreated sciatica nerve damage can cause such problems as loss of bladder and bowel control.

  • Treatments of the Sacroiliac Joint

    A common joint disorder involves the sacroiliac joint, which links the bottom of the spine with pelvic bone. This joint endures a lot of pressure and absorbs the shocks from the upper body.

    Although it is a very strong and mostly stationary joint, the sacroiliac joint can become damaged or impaired. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction can mimic many of the symptoms of herniated lumbar disc. People with sacroiliac joint dysfunction typically complain of pain on one side of their lower back or buttocks. The pain can sometimes shoot down one or leg or both, sometimes extending all the way down to the foot.

    Possible chiropractic treatments include:

    • Spine manipulation or adjustment
    • A joint injection (if pain warrants)
    • Analgesics
    • Exercise
    • Ice therapy
  • Heat Therapy

    While ice therapy is used to reduce swelling, heat therapy is used to relax the muscles and increase circulation. Both kinds of therapy help reduce pain.

    Heat therapy is often used in patients who have chronic or long-lasting pain. Heat therapy can involve many kinds of methods, from simple heating pads, wraps, and warm gel packs, to sophisticated techniques, such as therapeutic ultrasound.

    Back injuries can create tension and stiffness in the muscles and soft tissues of the lumbar region, or lower back. In many cases, your circulation may be impeded.

    The tension in the muscles can sometimes escalate to spasms.

    Heat therapy:

    • Dilates the blood vessels of the affected muscles, allowing them to relax and begin healing.
    • Helps lower discomfort by reducing the amount of pain signals going to the brain.
    • Increases the ability of your muscles to easily flex and stretch, thereby decreasing stiffness.

    Heat therapy, as well as ice therapy, are normally parts of an overall chiropractic treatment plan and rarely accomplish maximum results without it.

    Heat therapy is not used on swollen or bruised tissues, or in patients who have dermatitis, deep vein thrombosis, diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, open wounds, and cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension.

  • Scoliosis

    Scoliosis is a medical term that refers to spinal curvatures. Scoliosis is a condition that almost always begins in early childhood. And it is exceedingly rare. In fact, only about 5 out of 1,000 American children usually develop curved spines enough to warrant treatment. Scoliosis affects only 1 percent of the world’s population. Scoliosis Specialist Near Scoliosis Treatment 

    In normal children, the spinal column grows in a straight line from the neck down to the tailbone. Curved spines have an abnormal sideways bend. In other words, looking at tieback from behind, the spine of a child with scoliosis will curve to the left or right, instead of going straight down. If a child with scoliosis is not treated for the condition, it could later cause chronic pain, a deformed spine, poor posture, and in some cases, heart, lung, or gastrointestinal problems.

    A curved spine is one that fails to develop normal front-to-back arches, causing undue weight to be carried on the vertebral discs. If a disc or vertebra shifts to one side or another, the spine may follow.

    There are many causes of scoliosis. The birth event, or even daily activities, may cause vertebrae to become misaligned, a condition called subluxation. In some cases, scoliosis can be inherited as a result of a short leg or pelvic distortion. Some early childhood diseases also have been linked as possible contributors to scoliosis. Some think children are forced to walk at too early an age before their spines fully develop. Scoliosis Specialist Near Scoliosis Treatment 

    Scoliosis rarely has symptoms associated with it. Most children with curved spines do not complain of pain. So it is important to have your child examined by a medical professional if you suspect he or she has a curved spine.

    Chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation, can be an effective means to stem further spine curvature, and in some cases, even reverse the damage. In addition, back braces, which have become technologically advanced and lightweight, may assist the spine in returning to its normal straight position. Only about 10 percent of those with scoliosis eventually require surgical treatment.

  • Wrist Pain

    Carpal tunnel syndrome is probably the most common source of wrist pain . Symptoms may include soreness, numbness or tingling, or a burning sensation. Carpal tunnel is caused by compression in the median nerve of your hand. The compression causes swelling.

    Carpal tunnel is more common among people who have repetitive wrist movements, such as sewing, painting, and writing; using a computer; and playing racquetball or handball. Diabetes, arthritis, pregnancy, and obesity have also been linked with carpal tunnel as well.

    Other causes of wrist pain include:

    • Arthritis (joint inflammation), including osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease).
    • Bursitis (inflammation of the bursa, the small sac containing fluid that lies between tendons and bones).
    • Fracture or other injury.
    • Gout (a form of arthritis that occurs as a result of the build-up of uric acid in the body and the joint fluid).
    • Muscle sprain or strain.
    • Tendonitis (irritation of a muscle tendon, which is the rope-like muscle that attaches to the bone).
  • Nerve Disorders

    Your spine includes an incredibly complex network of nerves that originate in your brain, coursing their way downward through the spinal column and exiting at more than 60 different locations from the base of your skull all the way to the top of your lower back.

    There are almost limitless ways for nerves to become damaged in your spinal column and other bony structures of your body, such as your wrists, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles.

    A general term for nerve disorders in the spine is “compressive neuropathy,” which occurs when nerves in the spine are compressed. The nerves that exit the spinal canal become trapped, compressed, and swollen. A compressive neuropathy may cause pain to radiate from your buttocks all the way down to your ankles and toes.

    Subluxations (misalignments in the vertebrae), genetic disorders, diseases such as osteoarthritis, and traumatic injuries are all leading causes of spinal nerve disorders. Bone spurs or herniated, ruptured or bulging vertebral discs, can also compress and damage a nerve.

    Symptoms of nerve damage range from mild cases of numbness or weakness to severe cases of radiating or stabbing pain, fatigue, loss of motor control, difficulty walking, sitting or standing, and in the extreme, paralysis.

    Moreover, if nerves in your spine become permanently damaged, you may experience long-term adverse health effects in other systems and organs in your body. A pinched or damaged nerve in your spine may lead to blurred vision or headaches, loss of hearing, slurred speech, and bowel and bladder problems, to name a few.

    Here’s a look at some common nerve disorders:

    • Carpal tunnel syndrome – Nerves also can become pinched in the carpal tunnel, a small area inside the wrist that provides a passage for finger flexor tendons and the median nerve.
    • Foraminal stenosis – A form of compressive neuropathy, foraminal stenosis is a nerve impingement in the lower back. Because lumbar stenosis almost always impinges the sciatic nerve, one or both of the legs can also be affected. Radiating pain or numbness in the legs, and sometimes the ankles, feet and toes, is common.
    • Peripheral neuropathy – A form of nerve degeneration that mainly affects the arms, hands, legs, and feet, peripheral neuropathy has been associated with poor nutrition and diabetes. Because peripheral neuropathy can cause nerve endings to deaden, people with this condition often report losing feeling in their fingertips and toes.
    • Sciatica – Sciatica is a condition in which the sciatic nerve is impaired. A bundle, or cable, of small nerves travels down the spine and into the pelvis area, where they come together to form the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve then branches off into each lower extremity, through the buttock and into the tops of the legs. People who have sciatica often complain of numbness or tingling in the feet or toes, or sharp stabbing pains in the buttocks or shooting down the backs of their legs.
    • Spinal infections – including spinal meningitis. Although rare, spinal infections have been linked to nerve disorders. As in any infection, the affected area of the spine may become swollen, causing pressure on spinal nerves. In addition, the infection, left untreated, could lead to an abscess and permanently damage soft tissues and nerve cells.
    • Piriformis syndrome – This is a condition caused by the sciatic nerve getting pinched as it exits the spinal column. (Sometimes, it can mimic the symptoms of sciatica.) The pinching is sometimes caused by muscle spasms. Piriformis syndrome sometimes causes pain along the back of the thigh to the knee, or loss of feeling in the soles of the feet.
  • Subluxations

    The spinal column is an intricate framework of interlocking bones that, when viewed from the side, form a gentle “S” shape. The spine is a sophisticated system—both fragile and sturdy—of muscles, bones, joints, ligaments, discs, a spinal cord, and nerves.

    Daily activities, such as lifting and exercise, or traumatic experiences, such as automobile accidents, can sometimes cause obvious, and at other times, subtle, problems with your spinal cord. The most common problem involves a misalignment of the small bones in your spinal cord.

    We call these misalignments “subluxations.” Often, these misalignments create pressure or irritation on the various nerves in your spine, and can cause a wide variety of symptoms throughout your body, such as localized pain, soreness, irregularity, and weakness. When pressure is applied on a nerve in your spine, the nerve energy is interrupted, and sometimes this can profoundly affect the function of other systems or organs in your body.

    The vertebral subluxation complex is medical terminology for the ways chiropractors categorize the various locations, or “components,” where subluxations are known to occur. The five components of the vertebral subluxation complex:

    1. Chemical component – Biochemical abnormalities can sometimes occur when one or more of the other vertebral subluxation components occur.
    2. Muscle component – Problems that occur when impinged nerves cause vertebral muscles to malfunction.
    3. Nerve component – “Neuropathology” is another term for this, which essentially refers to undue pressure on a spinal nerve.
    4. Osseous (bone) component – This occurs when one or more vertebrae are either not in correct position or moving improperly. Degeneration of the vertebral bones can cause this sometimes.
    5. Soft tissue component – When subluxations occur, they can affect the soft tissues, including ligaments and veins, surrounding your spinal cord.

    Symptoms That May Indicate a Subluxation

    If it weren’t for our remarkable nervous system, we might never know about most serious problems or be able to correct them before they get worse.

    You may benefit from chiropractic care and treatment if:

    • You have developed any kind of pain in your joints or skeletal structures, such as your neck, back, shoulder blades, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, or ankles.
    • You have developed problems walking, such as erratic movement, loss of rhythm or difficulty with your balance; this may be a sign of muscle weakness or other problem.
    • You have developed sensory problems, such as numbness, tingling, burning, or localized pain. Nerves in your spinal cord branch off into sensory and motor nerves. A good example of this, and one that is common among people with back problems, is sciatica pain. Sciatica pain usually radiates down one leg or another. These types of sensory symptoms are not normal and may indicate a problem with the nerves in your spine. In some cases, these sensory problems radiate from one area to another.
    • Your reflexes are diminished or absent. Reflex reactions are normal if you bump part of your body, such as a physician tapping your kneecap with an instrument. If no reflex reaction occurs in this instance, it could be a sign that you have incurred some kind of damage to your spinal cord, nerve root, peripheral nerve, or muscle.

    Here are some common symptoms that may indicate a subluxation or other spinal-related disorder:

    • Blurred vision
    • Bowel or bladder problems
    • Dizziness (also vertigo)
    • Earaches or ringing in ears
    • Fatigue
    • Headaches
    • Irritability
    • Leg cramps
    • Muscle twitching
    • Nausea
    • Numbness and/or tingling
    • Stiffness
    • Swallowing difficulty
    • Walking or gait problems
    • Weakness in your arms or legs
    • Pain
    • Low back pain and/or stiffness
    • Neck pain and/or stiffness
    • Pain between the shoulder blades
    • Pain in the arms, legs, feet, and hands
    • Pain in the jaw or face
    • Shoulder pain