ArthroStim - Kinder Gentler Chiropractic Care

by Dr. Dave Edenfield

Even though chiropractic care has been around for more than a century, it still has a reputation for "popping" or "cracking" the back.  While strictly manual adjustments may have been standard operating procedure in the old days, most of today's chiropractic practitioners utilize state-of-the-art technologies that literally take the stress out of performing spinal adjustments.

One of the technologies that we use at Lakewood Chiropractic is a device known as the ArthroStim. (See the video below.) This handheld instrument is used to deliver a gentle force, in the form of multiple light percussion or tapping, to the patient at the appropriate angle and pressure to subtly and painlessly correct joint motion.  In fact these taps are delivered so quickly that the patient doesn't have time to tense their muscles, which is another reason the ArthroStim works so well.  This therapy feels really good.

In addition to spinal issues, the ArthroStim is also great for treating problems with any joints in the body such as the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, knee and ankle.  It's so gentle that it can even be used on infants and seniors.  (Arthritis sufferers love the ArthroStim.) This high precision, low impact device has been approved by the FDA as one of the safest methods for treating neck, back and  joint pain resulting from loss of motion.  Unlike pain pills and cortisone shots, there are absolutely no side effects from its repeated use.

While traditional chiropractic treatments are perfectly safe, many patients report that they prefer the ArthroStim to standard adjustment methods.  Traditional adjustments rely on high-energy thrusts and pulls to the neck and back.  These adjustments are not only designed to correct spinal misallignments, but they are also meant to stimulate neural receptors that produce nerve impulses which in turn relay crucial information to the brain.  This neural feedback helps the brain update and evaluate changes prompted by chiropractic adjustment.  This in turn allows the brain to transmit commands to the muscles and soft tissues in order to adjust their tension, all of which is necessary to set into motion the healing process.

By generating a series of controlled and highly targeted micro-thrusts, the ArthroStim is able to not only realign the spine, restore motion and stimulate specific neural receptors, but it also avoids activating the body's pain receptors while doing so.  In fact, this device is so tunable that it allows your chiropractor to progressively reduce the amount of force that is applied as your treatments progress. 

The best way to understand the ArthroStim is to think of it as a device that allows your chiropractor to divide the force needed to make the adjustments into a series of smaller forces that are delivered incrementally over a highly localized area. Some of the benefits associated with ArthroStim are:

• Low Impact
• High Precision
• Non-Invasive
• Zero Side Effects

If you or anyone you know is in pain or has an aversion to standard chiropractic practices, send them this blog and video so they can see that there are technologies that can take the stress out of treatment.

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

Are You Suffering from Bleacher's Back?

By Dr. Dave Edenfield

Being a football player means taking a fair share of punishment on the field.  But what most ardent football fans don’t realize is that being a die-hard football fan comes with a certain amount of physical duress for those who attend the games.  Football season has started and if you are a season ticket holder or even go to an occasional game at EverBank Field, then you spend hours sitting in stadium seats that are less comfortable than those on an airliner.  Even if you are not a Jaguar fan, but are a parent who regularly attends your children’s sporting events, then you too can come down with a case of Bleachers Back. 

The problem with sitting on the bleachers is that there is absolutely zero back support.  This forces you to sit

 in an awkward position for hours on end which causes undue strain on your spine.  Stadium seating while a little better is known to be lacking in lumbar back support.  Even worse, at many stadiums due to space constraints, fans are required to sit with their knees higher than their hips.  This translates into poor posture and inevitable post game pain. 

To avoid Bleachers Back, try to keep your pelvis, hips and shoulders as close to vertical as possible.  Allow your lower back to maintain its natural curve while keeping the abdominal muscles engaged for support.  Try keeping your knees straight ahead and when possible shift in place from time to time to reduce lower back pressure and promote blood flow.  When you do stand up to root for the team, make sure you turn your entire body as opposed to twisting your back.  All of these can help you avoid straining your back.

Like it or not, the two most common causes of back pain are sitting and/or bending.  In practice, this means the human spine has difficulty dealing with dealing with loads at certain angles.  This is why if you twist or bend your back the wrong way, or try to lift something heavy with your back you can easily cause injury.  Also remaining seated for prolonged periods, such as at work or in a sports arena without proper lumbar support can cause undue stress to the back that can inevitably result in pain.

Other than maintaining proper posture when seated at the game, the most important thing you can do to limit the stress of Bleachers Back is to decompress your spine after the game is done.  Other than avoiding further strain on the lower back once you get home, you can also try lying flat on the floor with your knees bent and with your feet up on the couch for ten minutes.  This takes the strain off the spine and allows the muscles and connective tissue to relax. 

If you find out come Monday morning that your trip to the big game has left your back feeling sore, there are several therapies that can prove helpful, including spinal adjustment, massage, ultrasound, Vax-D spinal decompression and even cold laser therapy.  All of these treatments are designed to restore the normal biomechanics of the spine in order to make the pain go away.  Pain killers on the other hand only serve to mask the pain, which can result in more harm than good. 

Bear in mind that the last thing you want to do is start off the week with a sore back, especially if you spend most of the day sitting in front of a desk.  This is only going to increase your discomfort or possibly even cause you to miss several days of work.  So just like the teams on the field, the best way to win the big game is to create a game plan that you can follow every Sunday throughout football season.  Now if we could only get the Jaguars to consider this policy.

Ways to protect your back on game day:

•       Consider investing in your own stadium seat (available at big box stores)

•       Wear shoes with good arch support

•       Stand up every chance you can

•       Keep your abdominal muscles strong and connected

•       Decompress your back post game

•       If you wake up sore on Monday, seek treatment immediately

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




Are Leg Cramps Cramping Your Style?

By Dr. Steven Warfield

Beyoncé with her back-up dancers on their toes; she considered the scene her toughest shoot, giving her blistered feet and muscle spasms. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Everyone experiences leg cramps from time to time.  Sometimes they occur during or immediately following exercise, while at other times they can cause you to come awake in the dead of night.  Either way, when leg

cramps occur there is little you can do but deal with them since they leave sufferers literally writhing in pain. While these painful muscle contractions can from a few seconds to several minutes in duration they are considered harmless reminders that the muscles of the leg or foot are in a state of imbalance. 

This imbalance can be caused by a number of factors and is not limited by age.  Sometimes cramps can occur due to prolonged exercise such as running, cycling or weight lifting.  However, the condition is just as likely to be caused by a lack of exercise, such as that caused by prolonged sitting behind a desk or on an airplane.   Other factors such as dehydration, sodium or potassium depletion or even medical conditions such as diabetes, metabolic disorders and parathyroid disease can be a trigger for cramps.

Leg or foot cramps that occur in the night can be caused by sleeping in an awkward position.  But it may also be an indication of an electrolyte imbalance, dehydration or a more serious medical condition, particularly if these nocturnal cramps occur frequently.  One common cause of cramping may be due to a narrowing of the arteries.  Cramping in the upper arm could be an indication of an impending heart attack. If you suddenly experience cramps after a short walk, particularly if the cramping is accompanied by severe pain, you need to see your doctor immediately since this could indicate a blood clot. 

In order to treat the underlying issues involved it is necessary to perform an examination and possibly blood studies in order to evaluate such things as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium levels as well as thyroid function.  The medical practitioner will also need to differentiate cramping from other diseases that commonly mimic the condition.  (Diabetic neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease can sometimes be mistaken for simple cramping.)  Possible side effects from prescription drugs that are being used by the patient also need to be taken into, particularly in regard to certain drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol levels or decrease the production of stomach acid.

Once the underlying cause of cramping has been isolated then treatment can begin.  Sometimes dietary supplements along with simple stretching exercises are all that it takes to all but eliminate the problem.  Foods high in potassium such as bananas can of help to some sufferers, along with foods high in vitamin B complex, such as whole grains, legumes and leafy green vegetables are of use to others.  For many the simple act of drinking more fluids before and during strenuous activities can all but eliminate these painful muscle spasms. For others the addition of quinine tablets can make all the difference. 

Circulation is vital to speed nutrients to the muscles as well as clearing out the waste products that the muscles produce during strain.  Treatments such as chiropractic adjustments, massage and ultrasound can improve circulation and greatly reduce the frequency and duration of cramping.  Daily stretching routines, such as the one below can also help prevent leg cramps.

Try this simple stretch before you hop into bed each night:

1.      Stand facing the wall, 30 inches away.

2.      While keeping your heels on the floor, lean forward, put your palms on the wall, and slowly move your hands up the wall as far as you can reach comfortably.

3.      Hold the stretched position for 30 seconds. Release.

4.      Repeat steps 1 through 3 two more times.

http://advancedhealth.ca/conditions/pain-conditions/leg-cramps.html

Treatment along with dietary supplements and daily stretching may be all it takes for you keep muscle spasms from cramping your style.

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

This Old Therapy Can Make You Feel Brand New

By Dr. Dave Edenfield

When people think of going to the doctor, their first thoughts are of getting an injection or having to take medicine that tastes bad.  Therefore many people have an aversion to going to the doctor.  But what if there was a therapy that felt good?  Would that change people’s opinion?  Well there is one form of deep tissue treatment that we use in our chiropractic practice that not only feels good, but it works to solve a number of clinical issues.  Our patients call it a godsend.  We call it massage therapy.

Massage has been used to treat stress and pain for thousands of years.  Written references to the effects of massage have been cited in such places as ancient Rome, Greece and Mesopotamia.  Hippocrates himself described medicine as “the art of rubbing.”  Massage therapy was introduced to the US in the 1850’s by a pair of physicians who had learned massage techniques while studying in Sweden.  While the treatment fell out of favor during the 1940’s, by the early 70’s a new resurgence of the therapy was seen as everyone from celebrities to athletes sung its praises.  Today, massage is an accepted and popular form of therapy with more than 18 million adults in the US and more than 700,000 children having received massage therapy in 2010 alone.

While the term “massage” is uniformly used to describe the manipulation of muscles and soft tissues of the body, there are actually dozens of different forms of massage, including Balinese, Barefoot, Deep Tissue, Metamorphic, Myofascial, Pediatric, Shiatsu, Swedish and Trigger Point, just to name a few.  Many forms of massage are performed while lying down, while others are performed in a seated position.  Specialized massage tables and ergonomic chairs have been designed to allow the patient to relax while the practitioner plies his or her trade.  Specialized tools and massage oils have also been developed to enhance the effects of treatment. 

Here are some of the benefits that are experienced by those who receive regular massages:

·         Pain Relief

·         Stress Reduction

·         Improved Posture

·         Lower Blood Pressure

·         Better Flexibility

·         Fewer Headaches

·         Enhanced Healing

·         Stronger Immune System

Studies of the benefits of massage have demonstrated that it is an effective treatment for a number of medical conditions, including: Arthritis, Digestive Disorders, Fibromyalgia, Myofascial Pain Syndrome, Plantar Fasciitis, Sciatica, Sleep Disorders, Sports Injuries, Tendonitis, Tennis Elbow and Whiplash.  In one study by the National Institute of Health, 400 patients with low back pain were given 1 hour of massage per week for 10 weeks.  In its final analysis, the NIH study reported that:

 “Significantly greater improvements in disability and persistence of symptoms were seen at 10 weeks in both massage groups compared to those who received usual care. For example, at 10 weeks massage recipients were better able to perform daily activities, were more active, spent fewer days in bed, and used less anti-inflammatory medication than those who received usual care.”

Regardless of the style of massage, these treatments are universally applied to relax the muscles, reduce stress and relieve pain.  Used in conjunction with other forms of alternative medicine and chiropractic care, including ultrasound therapy, cold laser therapy, Vax-D and spinal adjustments, massage can be a valued therapy that not only works good but feels good.

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