The Lowdown on Sciatica

By Dr. Steven Warfield

Sciatica is a condition that can occur to people of all ages.  It involves pain, numbness and/or tingling that can radiate down either or both legs.  It can be triggered by a sudden trauma like that caused by an auto accident or it can simply appear without any apparent causative factor.  Sometimes surgery is recommended as a method of correcting this condition.   Before you or someone you know who has sciatica goes under the knife there are some facts you need to consider.

What Causes Sciatica?

There are a number of factors that can induce the condition, including spinal misalignment, hip displacement 

and disc aggravation.  The pain caused by sciatica can last for weeks or it can subside after a few hours.

Bad deadlift form can cause spinal cord injuries like lumbago and sciatica (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 Disorders known to cause sciatica include spine subluxations, herniated discs, pregnancy and even diabetes. Caused by a compressed or pinched sciatic nerve, sciatica symptoms can include pain, numbness or tingling that radiate through the buttock, down the back of the thigh, through the calf all the way down to the foot.  As the condition progresses, everything from loss of sensation to muscle weakness and loss in leg function is commonplace.  The longer a sufferer of sciatica goes without treatment, the more likely complications are to occur as the nerve becomes ever more affected.  

How Can You Treat Sciatica?

Since there are a number of disorders that can underlie the condition, the first step is to determine the precise cause.  Diagnosis may include everything from a physical examination to an x-ray, MRI and/or electrodiagnostic testing such as electromyography.  These diagnostic tools are vital to establish the best course of spinal adjustments and other therapies used to treat the condition.

Chiropractic therapy for sciatica can include a number of modalities, including the following:

      ·         Spinal Manipulation which is designed to realign the spine so as to restore the vertebrae to their proper position which in turns helps reduce nerve irritability, muscle spasm, pain and other sciatica symptoms.

      ·         Ultrasound Therapy uses ultrasonic sound waves that are designed to penetrate into tissue to improve circulation and reduce muscle cramping, swelling and stiffness.  These treatments also aid circulation and are painless. 

      ·         TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) relies on a battery-powered muscle stimulation device that delivers imperceptible electrical impulses that are used to control pain and relax the muscles that cause spasms.

      ·         Cold Therapy can also be used to mitigate sciatica symptoms.

      ·         Massage is extremely useful in that it relaxes the muscles and reduces spasms.

When it comes to treating sciatica, pain medication only masks the symptoms.  The best course of treatment is to help the body regain proper balance in order to relieve nerve irritation and allow the body to heal on its own.  Chiropractic care can greatly reduce sciatica symptoms and help many sufferers avoid surgery.   If you or anyone you know suffers from sciatica, contact your local chiropractor to schedule a consultation.

Dr.’s Steven Warfield and Dave Edenfield offer the most advanced treatments for back pain, sciatica, neck pain, whiplash and headaches. They also treat auto accident victims with state-of-the-art technologies.  For more information visit http://endyourpain.org or http://chiropractor-jacksonville-fl.com

Chiropractic Medicine is Nothing to Sneeze At

By Dr. Dave Edenfield

When most people think of chiropractic medicine, they conjure up images of people who need their back 

Jim Dubel demonstrating adjustment protocals (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

and neck adjusted, or someone in pain.  The last thing they would contact their chiropractor about would be to help them alleviate their allergy symptoms.  While we chiropractors do concern ourselves with the spine, what most people don’t realize is that the nervous system controls much more than just their sense of pain.  Among other things it also controls the sinuses.

When most people deal with allergies, they customarily either reach for a pill or go to their allergist for a shot.  While providing temporary relief, shots and pills do not cure the problem.  They only relieve the symptoms.  Add to that the problems associated with antihistamines, including drug resistance and even possible heart complications and you can see why many allergy sufferers are eager to try a drug-free treatment that can offer relief.

Chiropractic care for allergies has been around for more than a century.  Yet this option is often news to many patients.  This is in part due to the fact that general practitioners and even most allergists were never trained in chiropractic techniques when they attended medical school.  In fact, the way that chiropractic care helps allergy sufferers is not by treating the allergy directly, but by locating and correcting areas of nervous system inflammation called subluxations.  Subluxations can disrupt communication between the nervous system and the brain. Correcting these subluxations then enables the brain and nervous system to communicate more effectively, which in turn helps the body. Allergy patients would benefit from improved communication between the brain, nervous system and immune system to combat allergies, among other things.

Immune response is critical in fighting off everything from disease and infection, along with dealing with stress.  Responsible for warding off all kinds of foreign invaders, the immune system represents the body’s defending army which is martialed by the nervous system.  Therefore when a chiropractor aligns the spine and removes anything that can interfere with nerve impulses this in turns allows the immune system to function at its peak.

In many cases, allergy symptoms are actually caused by an overreaction of the immune system to allergens.  In order to deal with anything from pollen to pollution to dust to mold or pet dander, the body sometimes overproduces histamine in dispatch the invading organisms.  As a result, allergy sufferers start wheezing and sneezing and their eyes start tearing as the body tries to flush out the allergens.  This is also why those who suffer from allergies are customarily prescribed antihistamines, which tend to dry the sinuses.  The problem is that the over-prescription of antihistamines can have adverse or even deadly side effects if combined with other medications. 

Allergies affect more than 40 million Americans and can start at any age.  Particularly in children, a compromised immune system can be responsible for everything from illness to asthma. 

“In a recent study, children with asthma showed an overall improvement in the lung capacity after only 15 chiropractic adjustments. In a Danish study of 115 families with children ages 0 to 7 years suffering from asthma, diabetes, and epilepsy. One third of the children underwent chiropractic adjustments, after which 93 percent of the parents surveyed reported improvement in their child’s asthma condition. Other findings documenting abnormal spinal mechanics associated with asthma were performed by the famous osteopathic researcher Alan Stoddard. Stoddard stated that many diseases are due to mechanical lesions (vertebral subluxations). There is ample research documenting the intimate connection between the spinal column, the nervous system, and the respiratory system. Vertebral subluxations in the neck and upper back can produce associated muscle spasms, which cause a restriction and stasis of the lymphatic drainage from the head and neck. As a result, the body is unable to wash out the bacteria , debris, and foreign material to which it is exposed. Chiropractic adjustments in many cases will produce immediate relaxation of the neck musculature responsible for obstructing the lymphatic (neck) drainage. These adjustments improve respiratory function by restoring normal nerve function, which in turn may result in symptomatic improvement in bronchitis and asthma.”

Even adults who had no childhood history of allergies can sometimes wind up becoming allergic to environmental pollutants or even food such as nuts or certain types of grain later in life.  Not only do these late stage allergies require those affected to alter their lifestyle, but many times sufferers are forced to carry epinephrine pens in order to self-administer an injection should they be accidentally exposed to allergens which can cause their throats to swell and their airways to become blocked.

So when it comes to dealing with allergies, the emphasis should be put on correcting any imbalances which can adversely affect the body’s immune system.  A healthy body is better able to ward off invading organisms than any bottle of pills ever was.  And that’s nothing to sneeze at.

Dr. Dave Edenfield  and Dr. Steven Warfield are part of the team of doctors and therapists at http://www.lakewoodchiropracticjax.com/who are dedicated to helping you and your family lead  healthier, happier and pain-free lives.  

Is It Time to Call the Fashion Police?

By Dr. Steven Warfield

If it’s one thing that I have imparted to readers the past few weeks it’s that your lifestyle can be at the root of many of the aches and pains that plague you.  Everything from being overweight to sitting at a desk all day long to daily stress can cause the spine and hence the body to become unbalanced.  These imbalances can cause a cascade effect that literally turns your body against you.  In order to cope with misalignment, the soft tissues of the body will try to cope by altering the tension in everything from muscles to tendons and ligaments.  Being elastic, these soft tissues like everything else in the human body have their limits.  Once these limits are met or exceeded, then pain is the inevitable way that the body tells you that everything is not as it should be.

Putting the spine back into proper alignment can be the first step toward reversing this downward spiral and correcting the situation that is causing pain.  However, if the underlying cause of the problem is triggered by a lifestyle choice then ultimately these also need to be addressed and corrected unless you want to have then entire vicious circle start anew. 

Do You Dress of Duress?

To start off the litany of fashion faux pas that are triggers for pain, I would like to quote the old adage, “My shoes are killing me.”  Footwear can and does play a major role in both the onset and severity of back pain.  While high heels are definitely at the root of many a female patient’s back problems, flip flops which are worn by both sexes can be just as deadly. 

A recent article entitled, “Are Flip Flops Bad forYour Health,” notes that, “From New York’s sweltering 

sidewalks to Brazil’s sandy beaches, there’s no sandal that signals summer quite like the flip-flop. But are these no-fuss flats as harmless as they seem? Studies show that despite their easy-breezy appeal, extended flip flop use can cause a range of physical ailments, ranging from plantar fasciitis and muscle soreness, to lower back pain. Not exactly what we signed up for, right?” 

While you would think that wearing sandals would provide more support than bare feet, studies have shown that flip flops have been shown to throw the mechanics of walking out of kilter, which in turn can lead to such maladies as plantar fasciitis, which is an inflammation of the tissues on the bottom of the foot that strikes nearly two million Americans every year. Another research study at Lehigh University reported that when sufferers of the condition switched to lightweight shoes eighty percent of those afflicted reported relief within a year.

When it comes to high heels, not only are they bad for the posture, there have been a number of documented injuries that have resulted from women either falling or tripping due to high heels. Some of these cases have even required trips to the emergency room.  Even discounting the strains and sprains that are caused every day by high heels, studies have revealed that high heel wearers walked with shorter, more forceful strides which over time actually caused the calf muscles to shorten.

A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology showed that, “Wearing high heels daily can cause hammer toes, bunions, dislocated or sprained ankles, fractures, and ligament tears - some of which may require surgery. The bigger the heel the woman wears, the greater the risk.” 

What’s Your Bag?

A ladies' Burberry handbag in the company's trademarked check pattern (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another fashion accessory that causes more problems than it is worth are the briefcase, tote bag and purse.  

While large totes might be a great way to deal with everyday clutter, from a kinesthetic point of view they are not worth the effort.  Big bags encourage large loads.  Heavy loads slung from only one side of the torso are one of the quickest ways to throw the body and therefore the spine out of balance.  If you are forced to carry a significant amount of weight around town on a daily basis, it is far better to either invest in a backpack that is designed to evenly distribute the load, or better yet a tote that comes equipped with wheels and a handle that will significantly reduce the weight your frame must bear. 

If you insist on using a shoulder-slung tote, you should limit your load to no more than ten percent of your body weight not to exceed fifteen pounds.  It’s also a good practice to alternate the side of the body that supports the bag.

In his blog, Choosing the Right Handbag,” Dr. Carl Zaycosky states, “Carrying the appropriately weighted and sized bag can help in preventing shoulder, neck and back pain. It could even reduce headaches. The trapizius muscles at the top of the shoulder go up the neck to the base of the skull, potentially creating the nasty tension headaches you feel at the back of your head.” 

While any of these suggested changes to your lifestyle might be considered inconsequential, they can have profound effects on the body’s ability to remain balanced and keep you pain free.  So the next time you find yourself in the closet trying to decide which shoes to wear or which bag to take with you for the day, remember that when it comes to fashion, anything looks better than hospital greens.

Dr.’s Steven Warfield and Dr. Dave Edenfield offer the most advanced treatments for back pain, sciatica, neck pain, whiplash and headaches. They also treat auto accident victims with state-of-the-art technologies.  For more information visit http://www.lakewoodchiropracticjax.com/

Don't Let Arthritis Derail Your Life

By Dr. Dave Edenfield

Sufferers know all too well that the painful inflammation of their joints commonly known as arthritis can make living life to its fullest difficult at best.  While the wrist and finger joints are the most common sites of this affliction, arthritis can also be present in the neck, shoulder, hips, knees and feet.  Once symptoms appear, some sufferers find that just accomplishing the simplest of tasks can be all but impossible.  If you or someone you know has arthritis, there is no reason that they have to let this condition derail their lives.  Treatments are available that can help reduce pain and increase mobility.  But before you can treat the condition you first have to identify the condition’s underlying causes.

To begin with, there are two primary types of arthritis: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.  Osteoarthritis is primarily caused by wear and tear caused to the joints and is the bane of the elderly.  Rheumatoid arthritis on the other hand can hit at any age and is an autoimmune disorder.  Other types of arthritis can be caused by the buildup of uric acid crystals, infection or other underlying diseases such as lupus.

Also the way that symptoms present themselves is dependent upon the type of arthritis present.  Those who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis commonly experience more pain early in the morning, while osteoarthritis tends to strike after activity.  In order to determine the type of arthritis and create a treatment, a doctor will need to conduct an examination, possibly including x-rays, as well as asking questions about your symptoms.  There are a number of factors that can help a physician get a bead on the type of arthritis with which you or a loved one is afflicted. Everything from the time and speed of onset, to tenderness, aggravating and relieving factors, as well as joint involvement all need to be explored in order to create a precise diagnosis.

Once a diagnosis has been made, there are a number of treatment modalities that can be used to help alleviate arthritis pain, inflammation and swelling.  Chiropractic treatments for arthritis can include such things as chiropractic adjustments, massage, ultrasound therapy, trigger-point therapy, therapeutic laser treatments as well as exercise and stretching regimens. 

• Ultrasound therapy. When many people hear “ultrasound” they think of prenatal pictures of babies in the womb.  Therapeutic ultrasound when applied to soft tissues and joints creates sound waves that can produce a massaging effect that helps reduce swelling and decrease pain and stiffness.

• Trigger-point therapy. Applying gentle pressure to a specific area of muscle where a patient experiences pain is another non-narcotic technique that is proven to alleviate pain.

• Cold laser therapy. We’re not talking Star Trek here.  Cold lasers use a concentrated beam of light that penetrates deep into the tissue to reduce inflammation without causing any discomfort whatsoever. (See video below)

• Therapeutic exercises and stretches. Designed specifically for people with rheumatoid arthritis, low-impact exercises can promote flexibility and endurance. Best of all, these activities can be done in the office or at home.

Regardless of the type of arthritis in question, this affliction is one of the most common disabilities in the US with more than 20 million Americans being afflicted.  It has been estimated that this disability sets the public back more than $100 billion every year due to a combination of treatment costs and lost wages.  The common misconception is that arthritis is just another stage of the aging process and that the only way to effectively treat the condition is to take medication and slow down.   Chiropractic care is proof positive that arthritis sufferers can manage their pain, gain hope and realize that this debilitating condition need not derail their lives.

Dr. Dave Edenfield  and Dr. Steven Warfield are part of the team of doctors and therapists at http://www.lakewoodchiropracticjax.com/ who are dedicated to helping you and your family lead  healthier, happier and pain-free lives.  

The Next Shiny thing

By Dr. Steven Warfield

When it comes to maintaining our health we are all guilty of looking for the next shiny thing that promises to provide a quick fix.  Anything that will reduce or better yet eliminate the tedium of actually doing work in order to receive the desired benefit is all we crave.  Let’s face it, instant gratification is so ingrained in the American psyche that it’s practically incorporated into our DNA.  So for today’s blog I thought I would take a few minutes to review several popular “quick remedies” that seem to be all the rage to see if they have any medical efficacy.

Can Titanium Necklaces Enhance Sports Prowess

For the past few years a number of prominent sports stars have touted the game enhancing attributes bestowed upon them by wearing titanium necklaces.  Created in the 1980’s by Yoshiro Hirata, his Phiten Company is one of the world leaders in manufacturing titanium infused products.  According to the company’s literature, titanium necklaces and bracelets supposedly work by stabilizing the flow of electricity used by nerves to communicate signals to various parts of the body.  While a number of sports stars swear by them, to date there is no scientific evidence that can support Phiten’s claims.  In a quick review of review sites, there were those who gave credence to the effectiveness of this technology along with just as many who reported no noticeable benefits.  Without scrupulous scientific study, any reported benefits of wearing titanium could be just as likely the result of the placebo effect as it is of any real medical benefit.

Good or Bad Vibes?

Vibration-based exercise equipment has also shown a surge in popularity as of late, touted as a revolutionary way to add muscle tone.  The developers of the devices also claim that the use of these devices can also cut down on workout time.  Unlike titanium necklaces, this technology has been the subject of several medical studies, including one sponsored by NASA.

“A 2009 study by the University of Antwerp in Belgium and Artesis University College seems to show that vibration plates do work. In the study, obese women who followed a healthy diet and exercised using vibration plates lost more weight long-term, including more hard-to-lose belly fat, than women who followed a healthy diet and conventional exercise.

The group who used vibration plates performed basic moves such as squats, push-ups, calf rises, lunges and ab crunches on the machines. They performed each type of 10 exercises for 30 seconds each, and gradually built up to 60 seconds each.

They followed this program for 6 months. The group using vibration plates lost an average of 11% of their body weight, compared with a 7% body weight loss for the group using conventional exercise methods. The group using vibration plates also lost the most belly fat. Additionally, the group using vibration plates maintained their weight loss 6 months after the initial 6-month study ended.”

As for the NASA study, their goal is not to buff up their astronaut corps.  Their main goal is to stop prevent 

bone loss that occurs in the weightless environment of space.  Currently, astronauts in orbit spend an average of two hours per day working out with some fairly complicated devices that are resistance based.  The problem is that this still has not stopped the muscle atrophy and bone loss inherent to everyone who ventures into space.  A NASA funded study suggests that having astronauts stand on a vibrating plate for 10-20 minutes each day could slow bone loss.

"The vibrations are very slight," notes Stefan Judex, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, who worked on the research. The plate vibrates at 90 Hz (1 Hz = 1 cycle per second), with each brief oscillation imparting an acceleration equivalent to one-third of Earth's gravity. "If you touch the plate with your finger, you can feel a very slight vibration," he added. "If you watch the plate, you cannot see any vibration at all. Although the vibrations are subtle they have had a profound effect on bone loss in laboratory animals such as turkeys, sheep, and rats.” http://science1.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2001/ast02nov_

Despite these studies, the verdict is still out, since some researchers remain unconvinced, feeling that vibration equipment can lead to back pain and cartilage damage.  Either way, vibration equipment is by no means a panacea, since it is used in conjunction with exercise.  It doesn’t replace it.  Even using the equipment properly should be done under the supervision of a professional.  As one trainer in the FitDay article noted, “If it’s easy, you aren’t doing it correctly.”

Can Kinesio Tape Fix That?

Most people first took note of this product during the 2008 Olympic Games, when athletes started showing up for competition replete with multiple strips of colorful tape affixed to their torso, abdomen, arms or legs.  Called Kinesio Tape, it was developed in the 1970’s by Japanese chiropractor Dr. Kenzo Kase.  At the time he was dissatisfied with sports taping methods then in use to combat joint pain.  He theorized that in order to stabilize the joint, it was necessary to tape around the muscle to achieve joint correction.  Unfortunately the sports tapes available at the time were too stiff and had a tendency to immobilize the joint.  Therefore he started to experiment with tapes, trying to develop a product that had the same elasticity as muscle.  Two years later he came up with a tape that was flexible enough to do the job.  Thus was born Kinesio Tex Tape.

While less restrictive than traditional sports tapes, the real question is whether it can live up to the claims of its inventor.  Several studies have been published:

“Kinesio taping improves pain, range of motion, and proprioception in older patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25706053

“A little elastic for a better performance: kinesiotaping of the motor effector modulates neural mechanisms for rhythmic movements.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25309355

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/sportsdoc/Kinesiotape-vibration-machines-and-more-do-they-REALLY-work.html#j5j8A86a64W3HZ2w.99

Despite all the evidence, many athletes still swear by the product.  

Far from being simple to apply, devotees must be trained in how to properly apply the tape. 

Kevin Anderson, managing director of Kinesio UK, admits that, "There's nothing magical in the tape, it certainly can't improve your performance or make you into Superman, but the way people use the tape is to lift the skin, reduce the pressure and that helps relieve pain and swelling."

Other recent sports fads include such things as Strength Shoes (which make wearers look as though their tennies have blown a flat), Compression Sleeves (which make it look as though you are nursing a broken arm), and Breathe Right Nose Strips (which were originally developed to curb snoring).  The bottom line is that when it comes to keeping the body in top physical shape, while sports fads come and sports fads go, nothing enhances physical prowess more than practice, practice, practice.

Dr.’s Steven Warfield and Dave Edenfield offer the most advanced treatments for back pain, sciatica, neck pain, whiplash and headaches. They also treat auto accident victims with state-of-the-art technologies.  For more information visit http://www.lakewoodchiropracticjax.com/