Can a Trip to the Chiropractor Save You Money?

By Dr. Steven Warfield

As any baby boomer will attest, the rising cost of medical care is as inevitable as death and taxes.  In 2011, Americans spent more than $50 billion to treat chronic back pain alone.  That doesn’t factor in the costs associated with loss of income due to missed work days while patients recover from their injuries.  The reason that I point this out is due to the fact that half of all working Americans will experience back pain of one form or another in 2013.  While the causes are many, the reason that back injuries are so debilitating has to do with the sophisticated architecture of the spine, as well as all the areas of the body that are controlled by it. 

The back is a complicated support and control structure that consists of bones, disks, joints, ligaments,

Back pain (Photo credits: www.myhardhatstickers.com)

 nerves, and muscles.  If any of these structures becomes stressed, damaged or imbalanced, it can cause a domino effect that can make life difficult to say the least.  If you have ever pulled a muscle in the back and then experienced a sharp pain from bending down to pick up a dropped pencil, you know how your back can make or break even the simplest of tasks.  While auto accidents, falls, sports injuries and other traumatic events can cause back pain, so can poor posture, pregnancy, obesity and stress.

When most people experience back or neck pain, the first thing they do is reach for a bottle of pain killers.  Be it an over-the-counter remedy or a prescription medication, all analgesics have one thing in common: all they do is mask pain.  They neither alleviate the underlying cause of pain, nor do they create an environment that leads to recovery.  Since pain is the body’s way of telling you that something isn’t quite right, covering up these signals can sometimes cause further damage that can ultimately lead to surgical intervention. 

After an extensive study of all currently available care for low back problems, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research—a federal government research organization—recommended that low back pain sufferers choose the most conservative care first. And it recommended spinal manipulation as the only safe and effective, drugless form of initial professional treatment for acute low back problems in adults. 

Chiropractors specialize in non-invasive treatments for back and neck pain, including spinal manipulation.  

Jim Dubel demonstrating adjustment protocals (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Not only can these treatments prove effective in correcting the underlying causes of back pain, but they can in many cases circumvent the need for surgery, thus saving patients time and money in their effort to rebound from injury.

A new study by the Journal of Manipulative Physical Therapy, “Aging baby boomers and the rising cost of chronic back pain: secular trend analysis of longitudinal Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS) data for years 2000 to 2007,” concludes that the prevalence of back pain and costs associated with existing treatment patterns have and will continue to escalate — in part due to an aging population. The JMPT analysis conducted by researchers out of National University of Health Sciences found no indication of a decline in regards to the number of chronic back pain incidents and costs coupled with current treatment patterns.

When compared to the high costs associated with surgery, chiropractic care can not only save you money, it can also improve your long term outlook on life, which itself is priceless.   

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/

Time to Throw in the Towel?

By Dr. Dave Edenfield

English: Tennis Elbow (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Americans like to lead an active life.  Many are into golf, tennis, soccer, softball, running, martial arts and other sporting activities.  While these avocations are great for the cardiovascular system, each and every one of them has the potential to result in injury of one kind or another.  Whether it is something as simple as a pulled muscle, or as complicated as tennis elbow or torn ligaments, such injuries can occur to people of all ages. 

The Garrick and Requa study of injuries in highschool sports for two academic years revealed 1197 injuries for 3049 participants in 19 different sports.³These two authors also reported on the number of high school injuries (per 100 participants) for the various specific sports as follows:

Male	Injuries	Female	Injuries
Cross-country	29	Cross-country	35
Volleyball	10	Volleyball	6
Gymnastics	28	Gymnastics	40
Basketball	31	Basketball	25
Swimming	1	Swimming	9
Tennis	3	Tennis	7
Track & Field	33	Track & Field	35
Baseball	18	Softball	44
Wrestling	75
Soccer	30
Football	81

Whether a teenager or a retiree, the cumulative effects of athletic stresses on the human body can and sometimes does result in musculoskeletal injuries. The good news is that with prompt treatment and education these injuries do not mean that you have to throw in the towel.  The bad news is that like it or not, sports injuries cannot be completely avoided.  Even professional athletes who are coached and trained by some of the best and brightest in sports medicine are forced to confront injury from time to time.  The reason that pro athletes and weekend warriors alike become injured is generally due to one of three causes:

      1.      They play too hard

      2.      They play too long

      3.      They play when they hurt.

Protective sports equipment such as helmets can protect athletes from head injury. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The mantra “No pain, no gain” is often used to spur athletes to play even when their bodies tell them to stay 

on the bench.  Unfortunately this can cause the underlying injury to become magnified.  Or, it can create a situation that precipitates a more serious and possibly career ending injury.  While the pros must strike a balance between playing injured or risk getting cut from the team, weekend warriors need to think twice about playing if they are not 100% healthy.  They also need to think twice about exacerbating an existing injury by overdoing it around the home or office.  So if your back is feeling the strain after playing 18 holes, you might want to avoid toting heavy boxes up to the attic.  If your ankle is tender from Wednesday evening’s soccer match, you should give a second thought to water skiing over the coming weekend.

Another thing you should consider before you turn a strain into something that requires more serious medical intervention: consult your chiropractor.  Chiropractic offers a holistic, drug-free method of healing sports injuries.  By adjusting the spine and providing ongoing physical therapy, chiropractic care can correct many imbalances that can put undo strain on overworked muscles, tendons and ligaments.  Chiropractors can also assess the long term effects of your chosen avocation in order to provide you with exercise and nutritional advice that can mean being able to keep playing without sacrificing your overall health.  Just as many professional athletes have come to realize, the benefits of chiropractic care far outweigh the prospect of having to throw in the towel.

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.  

Weight Until You Hear This

By Dr Steven Warfield

Let’s face it, obesity is a problem in this country.  If you are trying to lose weight don’t feel bad since you are in good company.  More than 65% of American adults are classified as overweight.  Many people at one point or another in their lives try to shed excess pounds.  Some become downright obsessive about weight loss.   As a rule, the majority rely on a combination of diet and exercise to try to shed those unwanted pounds.  Others try everything from Weight Watchers to gastric bypass surgery.  What few people realize is the fact that chiropractic treatment can not only help you slim down, but it can actually help you keep the weight off.

does-xanax-cause-weight-gain ? (Photo credit: Life Mental Health)

That’s right, chiropractors offer a number of weight loss strategies and nutritional counseling.  This is particularly useful for people who routinely go on and off their diets, since there are a number of factors that contribute to weight gain.  Everything from stress to injury to hormonal imbalances and even certain times of the year have an effect on weight gain.  In particular, numerous studies have shown that chronic pain has a significant effect on weight gain in individuals. If you are not addressing all the components the end result of healthy weight loss will elude individuals.  If you are not addressing each of these factors in your effort to slim down, then you are probably fighting a losing battle. 

In a recent paper, the CDC estimated that Americans eat 100 to 300 calories a day more than then did 10 years ago.  When you do the math, that works out to between 36,500-109,500 calories per year.

Jim Dubel demonstrating adjustment protocals (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Everyone knows that holidays are a trigger for weight gain.  But most people don’t realize that such things as

 poor posture and spinal misalignment can also negatively affect your ability to keep weight off.  Believe it or not, spinal adjustments have been shown to aide in the absorption of nutrients while improving flexibility.  Massage also aids in the process since it reduces stresses that act as a trigger to binge eating.  Since the nervous system controls a number of functions in the human body, including digestion, it should come as no surprise that if your back or neck are not in tune then your nervous system is not going to send the proper signals to your digestive tract. 

Of course, there are other ways that your chiropractor can help you lose weight.  Aside from addressing issues of pain, your chiropractor can also recommend herbal supplements designed to complement the treatment program.  He or she can help you formulate a diet regimen that you can stick to, as opposed to fad or crash diets that never work in the long run. 

Look at it this way.  You probably wouldn’t take your car to your hair dresser if it needed to be repaired.  Neither should you trust your body to people who are not trained in modern medicine.  If you are looking for a diet plan that won’t do your body more harm than good, sit down with your local chiropractor and find out how to create a regimen that takes into account the big picture.  You’ll be glad you did.

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

Can Chiropractic Care Cure the Common Cold?

By Dave Edenfield

Face it, life has lots of ups and downs.  With all the stresses of everyday life, the body, mind and spirit take a beating, all of which is registered, stored and transmitted via the central nervous system.  Whether these stresses manifest themselves as migraine headaches, mood swings and/or physical ailments of one sort or another, the sad fact is that tension takes a toll on everyone’s health.  Add to this the hectic pace of modern life and it’s a wonder that we all aren’t walking wounded.

To deal with and deflect these stresses, some people turn to Eastern disciplines such as Yoga or Tai Chi, while most Westerners turn to Tylenol and Ben Gay.  Thousands of years ago it was learned in Asia that mind, body and spirit are all connected.  By stretching the muscles, realigning the spine and learning how to cope with stress, the rest of the body will benefit.

Chiro is not just good for your aching back

Jim Dubel demonstrating adjustment protocals (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 Many of today’s ailments can be caused by spinal imbalances.  Everything from fatigue and headaches, to allergies, sleep disorders and even poor immune response can be attributed to subluxations, which are caused when one or more vertebrae move out of position creating inflammation around the nerve root and surrounding tissues.  This misalignment causes pressure or irritation on the nerves, which in turn causes them to interfere with the signals traveling up and down the spine.  In order to compensate, the body then attempts to correct the situation by recalibrating muscles and tendons, all of which have a tendency to further misalign the spine. 

The way that chiropractors deal with subluxations is to first detect and then correct the misalignment.  They detect subluxations via orthopedic and neurological tests, structural weight bearing spinal x-rays, and Surface Electromyography (see video below that detects electrical activity).  Once detected, these misalignments can be corrected through both manual and mechanical means.  A number of treatment modalities including ultrasound, interferential, Class IV medical laser treatments, therapeutic activities and Vax-D can be brought to bear to speed drug-free relief.  However, chiropractic care doesn’t stop there.

Contrary to popular opinion, Chiropractic care is not the exclusive domain of those who have wrenched their back, pulled muscles or been involved in a car accident.  One of the hallmarks of chiropractic care is that it is designed to improve overall wellbeing by providing health enhancements that go way beyond an office visit.  Aside from realigning the spine and correcting any musculoskeletal anomalies, chiropractors routinely provide their patients with counseling on everything from exercise and nutrition, to lifestyle enhancements that are designed to keep the body in balance. 

Does Chiropractic Work Better than Pills?

English: X-ray of child's spine before and one month after beginning chiropractic treatment.Kasserol18 ( talk ) 17:16, 16 September 2010 (UTC) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In a study funded by the National Institutes of Healthin 2012, 272 patients with neck pain were treated using three different methods: medication, exercise and a chiropractor.  After 12 weeks, the patients who used a chiropractor were more than twice as likely to be pain free as compared to those who relied on medications.  Those patients treated by a chiropractor experienced the highest rate of success, with 32 percent saying they were pain free,  and only 13 percent of those who relied on medication.

In fact, as far back as 1975 medical studies proved that individuals who received chiropractic care had an improved immune response.

In 1975, Ronald Pero,Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York's Preventive Medicine Institute and professor in Environmental Health at New York University, began researching the most scientifically valid ways to estimate individual susceptibility to various chronic diseases. Pero's team measured 107 individuals who had received long-term Chiropractic care. The chiropractic patients were shown to have a 200% greater immune competence than people who had not received chiropractic care, and a 400% greater immune competence than people with cancer or serious diseases. 

These and subsequent studies have proven that while chiropractic care won’t necessarily cure the common cold, it will enhance an individual’s immune response to disease. It can also create an atmosphere that helps people deal with stress as well as any discipline espoused in the East.  Besides, it’s one heck of a lot easier than trying to learn how to maintain a lotus posture.

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.  

Sound Advice for Pain Sufferers

By Dr. Steven Warfield

When most people hear the term “Medical Ultrasound” they picture those fuzzy pictures of babies in the womb that are a staple or prenatal care in this country.  What they don’t realize is that ultrasound also has a second application as a therapeutic treatment used by chiropractors the world over.

The History of Therapeutic Ultrasonography

Ultrasonography, or the use of ultrahigh frequency sound for medical purposes, got its start in 

English: Medical Ultrasound linear array Probe/scan head/transducer. By Daniel W. Rickey 2006 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Germany back in the 1940’s.  By 1952, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine was established to explore the uses of ultrasound technology and to educate the public about its applications.  As far as therapeutic applications go, it was discovered that ultrasound stimulated tissue, increased blood flow and reduced pain, stiffness and spasms, making it a versatile treatment mechanism.  Using these devices for everything from micromassage to thermal effects produced by the sound waves has helped patients recover from everything from car accidents to chronic back and neck pain.  Best of all, unlike medication, ultrasound produces no side effects. 

Studies have shown that Ultrasonic Therapy (UT) has been useful in treating everything from myofacial pain syndrome, to spinal stenosis and osteoarthritis.  “Two  2010 studies support the use of UT for osteoarthritis.  One study was a well-designed randomized placebo controlled clinical trial for hip osteoarthritis.  The conclusion was that “addition of therapeutic ultrasound to the traditional physical therapy showed a longitudinal positive effect on pain, functional status, and physical Quality of Life in patients with hip osteoarthritis. Yet another osteoarthritis systematic review of UT for hip and knee was conducted as a Cochrane Database Systematic Review.  Their conclusions were that “In contrast to the previous version of this review, our results suggest that therapeutic ultrasound may be beneficial for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.”

Ultrasonic devices used in chiropractic treatment are performed using a handheld inducer that is attached to a controller that is used to set the desired frequency and duration of the ultrasound.  Outside of the range of human hearing, ultrasound creates and directs sound waves to travel as much as three to four inches into the body.  These waves are focused to excite soft tissue as well as producing localized heat. (Think of the device as a combination of hot pack and masseuse.)  Since these sound waves are easily absorbed by soft tissue such as muscles, ligaments and scar tissue, this type of therapy is useful in treating sprains, strains and other deep tissue damage.

In a typical ultrasound treatment session, a conductive gel is applied to the area that is to be treated.  The inducer, typically looking like a pint sized shower massage, will then be gently placed on the skin and slowly moved over the affected area for a minute or so.  Totally pain free, the usual sensation if there is one is a feeling of warmth or possibly a slight tingling.  When the treatment session is over, the gel is wiped away and the doctor may ask you to stretch your muscles or may follow up the ultrasound with a massage or chiropractic manipulation session.  Just as with physical therapy, ultrasound treatments work best if performed over a series of 5-8 sessions. 

This technology is so safe and effective that it has long been used to treat pregnant women to help reduce pain and inflammation that accompany changes in the mother’s body.  For sufferers of injury or chronic pain, therapeutic ultrasound treatment is just one more tool that helps chiropractors offer relief to their patients.  If you or anyone you know is suffering from chronic neck, back or muscle pain, have them ask their doctor about ultrasound treatments.

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

The Miracle of MyoVision

By Dr. Dave Edenfield

When you mention the word “Chiropractor” to most people, they get a picture of a skilled medical professional manually adjusting the spine of a patient.  While this hands-on approach is definitely a part of what chiropractors do, you might be surprised at the amount of technology that we use on a daily basis in our practice.  One of these revolutionary devices is called MyoVision, which measures the amount of electrical activity released by muscles as they contract. 

Invented by NASA researcher David, Marcarian, MyoVision is designed to allow doctors to quickly and objectively identify areas of concern in a patient’s nervous system in order to create an effective treatment plan.  (The technology was originally developed to measure the effects of zero gravity on astronauts.)  Best of all, Myovision is a totally painless and non-invasive scanning system that provides a visual record of spinal subluxations quickly and efficiently.  This makes it safe for everyone from infants to seniors.  Even pregnant women can benefit from MyoVision, since testing takes only a minute or so to perform.

Known in the industry as Surface Electromyography or sEMG, you can think of this device as relating to the spine the way that an electrocardiogram relates to the heart.  In practical application, the MyoVision scanner uses a pair of handheld devices that are placed over the muscles of the lower back or neck.  Once completed, the scanner displays information graphically on a computer screen to identify abnormalities.  Over the course of treatment, the scans are repeated to document progress and fine tune patient care.

The reason that MyoVision is such an important diagnostic tool is due to the fact that spinal misalignments can cause pain, spasms and weakness in the affected areas.  When these imbalances occur, muscle activity will increase or decrease in order to compensate.  MyoVision detects, quantifies and displays this activity so both the doctor and the patient can see the results. The results can also be presented to insurance companies, and even used in court as evidence of injury.

The testing can be conducted in one of two modes:

1.      A Static Test involves having the patient stand stationary while sensors are placed on either side of the spine at designated locations.  This produces a color-coded bar graph on the monitor that displays areas of high or low voltage.  From this information, the doctor can determine the areas of interest in order to develop a treatment regimen.  As treatment progresses, this system also allows both doctor and patient to see a visual representation of improvement.

2.      A Dynamic Test involves the patient doing a series of movements which allows the doctor to observe how the muscles fire when in motion.    When a range of motion test is taken alone, the doctor cannot see how the muscles are firing.  MyoVision provides the doctor with a complete picture of a patient’s prognosis, which can help the doctor determine both an initial treatment plan, as well as monitoring the progress of treatment.

While these scans represent only part of the picture when determining the extent of injury along with an appropriate course of treatment, the miracle of MyoVision is that by educating patients they can become more involved in the healing process and less likely to cause further complications.

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

A Headache You Can Do Without

By Dr. Steven Warfield

Migraine sufferers know all too well the throb, throb, throb deep within their heads as a migraine begins to take shape like a thundercloud on a hot summer day.  These first seismic tremors are just a warning sign of things to come.  Kind of like an orchestra warming up before a concert.  For many, a full blown migraine can be debilitating, forcing them to cancel appointments and prepare for a long, rough ride to recovery. What some migraine sufferers do not know is that there are a number of triggers to the malady, as well as some treatments that they may not have considered.

The Onset to Upset

In the first place, there are actually two types of migraine headache, known as the classic and the common migraine.  The classic, which is experienced by 15% of sufferers is often preceded by what is known as an aura, that exhibits a number of symptoms, including the sensation of flashing lights, or even a temporary blind spot.  This precursor can last as long as a half hour, only to be followed by the full blown migraine headache, nausea and extreme sensitivity to light.  Lasting between three hours and three days, this type of migraine is almost completely debilitating once it has begun, requiring those afflicted to lie in a cool dark room until it has passed.

The common migraine, experienced by 85% of sufferers (the majority of whom are women, commonly manifests itself as a throbbing headache localized to one side of the head. Unlike the classic migraine, those afflicted with the common variety can usually carry on with the tasks at hand.

Regardless of the kind of migraine, there are a number of common triggers that can bring one on.

1.      Food containing caffeine or nitrates, such as chocolate, coffee or wine

2.      Stressful situations

3.      Some medications, especially vasodilators

4.      Menstruation

5.      Excessive tension in the back and neck

While the causative mechanisms are not entirely understood, migraines are thought to be related to such things as changes in blood flow and/or chemical changes in the nervous system that interfere with nerve signals.  Research has shown that the majority of migraines start not in the brain, but in the spine.  It isn’t unusual for even a subtle misalignment in the spine to irritate or even obstruct the nerves that carry signals to the brain.

This is one of the reasons that chiropractic treatment can be a godsend to migraine sufferers.  Studies have shown that adjusting the vertebrae can relieve the pressure that can cause either type of migraine headache.  Spinal manipulation can also relax tension in the neck, upper back and shoulders, which if left unchecked can be trigger a migraine. These same studies have also shown that periodic chiropractic adjustments can help to reduce the occurrence of migraines.

In one clinical trial conducted at Macquarie University, by Dr. Peter Tuchin, "Around 22 per cent of patients had substantial reduction after chiropractic treatment - which means that more than 60 percent of their symptoms reduced during the course of the treatment," Tuchin says. "What makes this a really strong result is that this was a really chronic group - the average length of time they'd had migraine was 18 years. To get a change of that sort of magnitude in a really chronic group was quite amazing.

"Another 50 per cent had quite noticeable improvement. They either found that the frequency of the migraines was less, the length of time they had them was less or that they didn't need to use their medications as much. This last result is very significant because some of the migraine medications are very strong drugs which have lots of side effects. Some of the migraine medications also have the problem of giving instant relief to the migraine, but creating another 'rebound migraine' the next day."  http://www.news-medical.net/news/2005/05/22/10268.aspx

If you or someone you know suffers from migraines, urge them to consult a chiropractor.  Sometimes even a single treatment is enough to ward off the onset of migraine and the symptoms that are associated with an attack.  That’s one headache we can all do without.

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://lakewoodchiropracticjax.com