Picture Perfect Posture

By Dr. Dave Edenfield

Most of us are born with perfect posture.  However as the years go on and life takes its toll, it isn’t unusual for our posture to start to suffer.  Think of it as a kind of reverse evolution.  As the posture slowly devolves, with it can go our health, since the spine is the nexus of our central nervous system that signals all of our limbs and organs to do what is required to maintain the body.  If these signals become blocked, this can start a domino effect of problems and pain that if left unchecked can curtail our enjoyment of life.  That’s the bad news.  The good news is that with proper treatment and training, we can restore picture perfect posture.

The Deadly Duo

The problem for many of us is that we spend far too much time sitting down.  Worse yet, we spend too much time sitting in front of a computer.  If you work in an office you undoubtedly spend hours at a time sitting behind a desk staring at a computer screen.  If your monitor is positioned flat atop your desk, or you use a laptop or a tablet then this forces you to tilt your head forward to look at your screen.  In time this can lead to a head forward posture that can cause everything from pinched nerves to degenerated discs.  The cure for this scenario is to raise your monitor at least a foot off the desktop. (If you have a laptop you can plug in an external monitor to accomplish this.)  By raising the level of the monitor, you will defeat the tug of gravity that causes your head to move forward. 

Beware the Chair

Lumbar lordosis refers to the hollow in your back which is a natural feature of the spine.  It is also one of the first areas to be adversely affected by poor posture brought about by hunching when we sit.  For many people the guilty culprit is most often their office chair.  Many people do not even realize that the backrest on most office chairs is adjustable.  Turn your chair around and look for a knob directly behind the backrest that can be turned right and left.  This knob is designed to move the backrest in and out.  By twisting the knob clockwise the backrest should move forward and vice versa.   By making the proper adjustments your spine will receive the support it craves.  If your chair is not adjustable you can always purchase a lumbar roll or even roll up a towel to better support the lower back. 

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Another way to determine if your posture is less than ideal is to stand sideways and look in the mirror.  If you can see that your head is tilted, your shoulder or hips are not level, or your arms or feet are flared, this is proof positive that your posture is anything but perfect.  When I make patients aware of their poor posture, many are surprised that this is at the root of their problems.  Just as an astronaut in orbit gets used to zero gravity, over time our bodies will adjust to imperfect posture. 

More than just an aesthetic dilemma, poor posture can lead to everything from lower back pain and muscle pain, to leg weakness, sciatica, circulatory problems and immune system issues, just to name a few.  Poor posture makes it difficult for the brain to transmit commands.  If you have ever had a computer crash then you can relate to this problem.  Like a computer with a balky cpu, a stressed brain can’t perform its tasks efficiently.  Add to this the fact that your brain, in its effort to correct poor posture, will instruct the muscles, tendons and ligaments to apply added pressure and stress. Since these soft tissues can only give so much, this causes a cascade of failures that quickly add up into either pain and/or dysfunction. 

If you suspect that your posture is not at its utmost, the best thing to do is schedule a chiropractic examination before things get out of hand.  By analyzing your spinal curvature, movement and alignment, your chiropractor can identify and correct the issues that are at the heart of poor posture.  More importantly he or she can create a plan of action to realign your spine, straighten out your frame and help you once again attain picture perfect posture.

Dr.’s  Dave Edenfield and Steven Warfield 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 visithttp://chiropractor-jacksonville-fl.com or http://endyourpain.org 

In Search of the Quick Fix

By Dr. Steven Warfield

It is said that “Time is Money.”  In our fast paced modern society getting things done in a hurry is practically written into our DNA.  So when something comes along that threatens to derail our faced paced lives, be it a strain, sprain, backache or headache, we are in a hurry to find a quick fix.  For many of us this translates to reaching for the nearest bottle of pain pills in the medicine cabinet.  While many analgesics make the pain go away temporarily, what most people don’t realize is that by masking the pain, this can cause the injury to take much longer to correct.  In fact, covering up the pain and going about your normal routine may even create additional injury, the kind that can cost you lost days at work.

Another fact that most people fail to take into consideration is that overmedication, be it a prescription pain killer or plain aspirin is responsible for more harm than good.  According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, “In 1998 statistics showed that there were 14,253 toxic cases involving aspirin without being combined with other drugs.  Of those, 5,363 occurred in children between the ages of 6 and 19. Included in the total were 33 deaths related to aspirin toxicity.” http://blog.drugrehab101.com/2009/08/aspirin-effects.html

When toxicity occurs from aspirin, the following aspirin side effects may occur:

• Chronic ingestion may create anxiety.
• Various respiratory effects, from hyperventilation to respiratory arrest.
• Ear problems can also occur.
• Seizures are possible.
• Many gastrointestinal effects, including most often nausea and vomiting, but also hemorrhage and pancreatitis.
• When elderly people use aspirin to control pain, the increasing amount may create a state of confusion, which may lead to increased consumption.

We’re talking aspirin here which is available over the counter.  Acetaminophen overdose (acetaminophen 

being the active ingredient in Tylenol) is the leading cause for calls to poison control centers, accounting for 56,000 emergency room visits, 2,600 hospitalizations, and an estimated 458 deaths due to acute liver failure each year. If you want to see some truly frightening statistics, take a look at prescription pain killers, many of which are known to lead to physical dependency.  Opioid dependence affects some 5 million Americans and leads to approximately 17,000 deaths per year.  These statistics were so pervasive that it caused the federal government to change the regulations for the prescription of certain classes of pain killers.

In September 2013, the FDA announced that extended-release and long-acting (ER/LA) opioid pain relievers will no longer be indicated for merely moderate pain. The labels for these analgesics previously stated that they were indicated for moderate-to-severe pain. Now, the labels indicate usage only for management of severe pain that requires daily, around-the-clock treatment because alternative treatments are inadequate. The labels will also include a warning stating that long-term maternal use of ER/LA opioid pain relievers can result in potentially fatal neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. These announcements were made in an effort to combat the epidemic of addiction and fatal overdoses associated with opioid abuse. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/287790-overview

Another factor that many people fail to heed is the fact that once hooked it is very difficult to resist the siren call of opioids.  Withdrawal symptoms can include any number of the following and can persist for days or even weeks.

·         diarrhea, persistent shivering, and nausea

·         insomnia, restlessness, tremors

·         abdominal cramping, bone pains, and muscle ache

To get through these debilitating symptoms many patients wind up undergoing methadone or buprenorphine treatment, followed by a gradual tapering off.   

Being a chiropractor has meant that I have had many patients come to me who believed that they were unable to function without analgesics of some kind.  What I have been able to show most of them is that by treating  the underlying causes of pain it is possible to reduce and in many cases eliminate the use of pain pills altogether.  While treatment is an ongoing process that can take months to complete, what every one of them agrees is that when it comes to a quick fix, curing the underlying cause of their pain is worth taking the time to accomplish.

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

Does Your Child's Schoolwear Make the Grade?

by Dr. Steven Warfield

It's that time of year when the weather starts to cool, when football becomes a major source of conversation and the kids are back in school.  For many parents, this is also the time of year when their children start coming down with colds, along with any number of other physical complaints that are simply shrugged off as a rite of passage.  But what most parents do not realize is that the reason that many school age children wind up at home in bed instead of in the classroom has to do with a number of issues that can adversely affect their wellbeing.

If the Shoe Fits...

As far back as the 1990's shoe companies were in the habit of marketing shoes that were patently unhealthy

for children.  Playing on parental emotions as well as peer pressure from other children, the footwear industry continues to use such things as celebrity endorsements to sell footwear to a public that is unaware of the potential health hazards that can occur down the road due to inadequate shoes for their kids.
In the first place, the kind of shoes that are right for adults do not work well for children.  Believe it or not, going barefoot is actually the healthiest way for our children to be.  Since their linbs are still forming, shoes with arch supports or stiff sides can actually interfere with a child's gait or even deform the child's feet, both of which can lead to permanent problems down the road.

According to a report commissioned by Dr. Steve Maffetone, called Ticking Time Bomb: "During the first year following the acquisition of independent walking, most of the child’s gait activity, in particular, the neurological memories—the communication between brain and body—becomes well established. During this time, if the feet are not allowed to develop well, gait and balance disorders begin to occur. In many children, these irregularities are often subtle (the “clumsy kid”) while others more serious such as increased vulnerability to physical injury and various neurological imbalances anywhere in the body, including those associated with eye movement. When a shoe becomes absolutely necessary, it should be lightweight, flexible, shaped more or less quadrangularly, and should not have arch supports and stiff sides.

Backpack Blues

Another area of concern to school age children are backpacks.  While backpacks have evolved over the years to be more orthopedically correct, the problem is that most children do not don them correctly.  They also tend to overload them, which also causes stress on the shoulders, neck and spine.  If your child uses a backpack, the first thing you need to do is make sure they are being worn properly.  This means that the backpack needs to be on both shoulders, not simply slung off to one side.  More importantly, the waistbelt needs to be engaged, since this allows most of the weight to be carried on the hips as opposed to the shoulders.  Last but not least, you should take their fully laden backpack and place it on a bathroom scale.  The maximum weight that a child should be allowed to tote in a backpack should be 15% of the child's weight.

Also of concern to adults should be any of the following warning signs exhibited by their children:
Aching back or shoulders
Stooped posture
Tingling arms
Cold Feet
Persistant stumbling

If your child exhibits any of these symptoms or any foot-related condition, then I urge you to contact your chiropractor to take corrective measures before more serious problems occur.  The spine controls many functions in the body, all of which can be adversely affected by spinal misalignment.  If you want to help your kids succeed in school, then make sure that their attire doesn't get a failing grade.

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

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.