Back Injury and Low Back Pain - Heavy Burden For the Construction Industry

Low back pain is the most common job related disability. Construction has the highest rate of back injuries in all types of industry, except for transportation. The rate of back injuries in construction, 25%, is notably higher than the average rate for all other industries. The costs of missed days of work and back injury claims are higher than any other type of industry. In 2004, construction had the most lost time due to back injuries with 51.2 injuries per 10,000 full-time workers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2005, a total of 4.2 million injuries and illnesses were reported in private industry and approximately 2.2 million of these resulted in days off work or restricted duties. Each year, a back injury causes 1 out of 100 construction workers to miss work. The amount of work missed averages 7 days but it can extend as long as 30 days. These injuries are a huge economic burden to the construction industry due to lost productivity and absenteeism, medical costs and benefits. The Bureau of Labor Statistics points out that middle-aged workers who have severe low back pain and carry out physically demanding work, as in construction, are much more likely to leave the industry due to disability than are other workers. The Bureau speculates that the number of back injuries is actually even higher due to under reporting,

Most of the back injuries to construction workers affect the low back. Within the construction field, masonry workers have the highest rate of back injuries, approximately 1.6 times higher than the average rate for all of the construction trades. Back problems are the most common among these workers as they do heavy lifting and carrying.

Factors Associated with Back Injury

• Stressful living and work activities


• Poor body mechanics when lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying things


• Repetitive lifting of awkward items, equipment, boxes, etc.


• Twisting while lifting


• Bending while lifting


• Reaching while lifting


• Lifting an object that is too heavy or unwieldy for one person to handle safely


• Fatigue


• Poor footing such as on a slippery floor or uneven ground


• Lifting with a forceful movement


• Maintaining bent or stooped posture for prolonged periods, fatiguing muscles


• Staying in one position for too long with no stretch breaks, allowing muscles to become stiff


• Poor layout of work area


• Poor posture when sitting


• Poor physical condition - losing the strength and endurance to perform physical tasks without strain


• Vibration from a motor such as in a lift truck, a delivery truck, or from using a jackhammer for long periods resulting in increased muscle tension

Determining the cause of low back injuries in construction can be difficult because of the variety of work that is involved and the different methods that can be used to accomplish a job. The materials handled, body positions that are necessary, and the work conditions are different for each of the trades. Identifying the types of general construction tasks is the first step in designing safer ways to get the job done. When improved methods are used, there is a greater chance of reducing worker injury.

A project funded by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. (NIOSHA) evaluated the construction industry to identify areas of risk so more appropriate interventions could be developed. It identified:

High Risk Construction Tasks

Framing

• Working at ground level and having to reach up when using a saw, nail gun, etc.


• Lifting building materials from ground level


• Manually lifting trusses to top of a second story


• Lifting and carrying plywood flooring


• Lifting assembled walls


• Moving materials to a second story

Drywall

• Lifting sheets of drywall from ground level


• Completing prep work such as sanding or cutting at or near ground level


• Installation of dry wall sheets near ground level


• Overhead installation of drywall on ceilings or high walls

Masonry

• Distributing blocks or bricks throughout worksite from delivered piles with a wheelbarrow


• Redistributing blocks or bricks from temporary files using a bucket or by hand


• Erecting scaffolding


• Lifting and positioning metal framework


• Lifting and placing flooring of scaffold


• Lifting bricks or blocks up to people on a scaffold by hand or using a bucket


• Laying a brick or block foundation


• Laying brick near or below ground level


• Lifting bags to mixer


• Shoveling

With the huge volume of low back injuries in construction, employers suffer as well as the workers. According to Liberty Mutual, the largest workers' compensation insurance provider in the US, back injuries and overexertion injuries from lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying or holding an object cost employers $13.4 billion every year!

Are Stem Cell Injections an Alternative To Steroid Injections?

For decades now, pain doctors have been injecting steroids around the spine for pain relief from multiple conditions. These include relief of the pain from herniated discs, bulging discs, facet arthritis, and degenerative disc disease.

Do they work? Yes they do. Multiple studies show the benefits of steroid injections for alleviating pain, improving function, and avoiding surgery for multiple painful conditions. However, they are not without their downside.

For example, steroids are a huge anti-inflammatory substances. This is great for pain relief. But the method by which steroids provide pain relief is with cortisone, which knocks out inflammation high on the flowchart of how anti-inflammation works. At this high level on the chart, it also emulates the cortisone that is produced by the adrenal glands and may affect those glands.

If the adrenal glands receive feedback that the body is receiving cortisone from another source, the response may simply be to cut back its own production. When the body cuts back its production, and the steroid wears off, then it may take a while for the adrenal glands to realize it needs to ramp up production again. The body may suffer some deleterious effects while that process is occurring.

Steroid injections have very low side effects overall. However, they may transiently raise blood sugars and cause a small weight gain. This is because although the steroid material is injected into a defined area, that steroid may slowly get absorbed into the blood stream and have that effect. Usually it is mild and transient.

Physicians performing injections are cognizant of these effects and therefore limit the amount of steroid injections given. In the case of an older citizen trying to function and enjoy life, he or she may suffer from arthritis in the spine, knees, hips, and shoulders. If a limit is set at say 6 injections per year, there is no way to cover all these areas. If a steroid injection lasts for 3 months (typical), that one joint will receive 4 injections per year. A typical patient with facet arthritis of the spine will have pain at multiple levels - is that one or two levels going to get injected and suck up all the injections for the whole year?

Clearly there is room for improvement in this area, as limiting treatment based on the "weakest link" being simply too many injections from steroids leads us to the obvious question - Isn't there a better injection substance?

What if a material existed that could have the same (or better) pain relieving effects of steroid injections, however, be non-steroidal? What if that substance also showed promise for cell regeneration, of which steroid doesn't do?

That question is one of the most burning and appropriate questions for interventional pain management. There is a potential revolutionary option for pain management on the horizon and that is... stem cell injections.

Years ago stem cell therapies developed a questionable reputation based on the fetal harvesting. There are ways now to get stem cells without dealing with the fetus or any embryonic origin. For instance, there is a stem cell rich product that is obtained from live willing donors from amniotic fluid.

The stem cell rich injection product is non-steroidal based and anti-inflammatory. The anti-inflammatory qualities come from chemicals called cytokines, which act like a steroid in the sense they alleviate pain, but do not have the steroid side effects. In addition, the stem cell rich injection material is FDA regulated and processed at an ISO certified lab, so all major diseases are ruled out.

The stem cell rich injection material has been used for years in the US over 3000 times successfully so far for spine fusion enhancement, wound healing assistance, and scar barrier around the spinal cord. Pain management is the obvious next step.

So the hope is results for pain relief as good as steroid without the side effects. The real question is, will it help with cell regeneration?

There was a rabbit study looking at this (Im et al, JBJSB, 2001) and the results showed cartilage defects can be enhanced by the implantation of mesenchymal stem cells. Other studies have shown amniotic fluid to have a very safe risk profile for human injections once processed according to the FDA's Current Good Tissue Practices.

If a stem cell rich injection product from amniotic fluid that is FDA regulated actually allows for cell regeneration along with immediate pain relief, the potential is for patients to achieve a longer lasting pain relief effect. Some of the cartilage degradation and defects could be benefitted with the injections, and that would potentially allow for lengthier, lasting pain relief. Studies looking at this are underway, and we will know soon enough.

Chiropractic Care For Women Offers Many Benefits

Today's modern woman has become much more knowledgeable in diet, nutrition, weight loss, exercise, sports and physical activity, and methods for maintaining wellness and general fitness - about which chiropractors have considerable expertise that they are eager to share. Chiropractic wellness programs are particularly well-suited to the special needs of pregnant women, new mothers, women who are overweight, who are in stressful situations, and others who need to protect and strengthen their bones, nerves, joints, muscles and overall health.

Millions of women rely on chiropractors because of the caring interaction that develops between patient and doctor and because of chiropractic's effective combination of expert care, effective spinal adjustments, exercise and nutritional guidance, and lifestyle counseling.

Chiropractic offers demonstrated relief for many of the specific health challenges that affect women based on their female anatomy and the fact that the female body is designed to be able to bear children. Pregnancy and the menstrual cycle are centrally important health matters for women. Being pregnant, preparing for pregnancy, and recovering from childbirth are just some of the uniquely female issues. Pain during the menstrual period (dysmenorrhea), premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and chronic pelvic pain are among the distressing conditions which disrupt the otherwise healthy lives of many women.

Older women are much more likely than men to develop Alzheimer's disease (which burdens the afflicted with near-total memory loss and reduced mental functioning) and osteoporosis (in which the bones become weak, brittle, and porous; the posture stooped with the shoulders rounded). These are just two of the problems of aging that women must be aware of and can take steps to prevent.

Women may get headaches during menstrual periods and pregnancy, as well as under ordinary circumstances. Women are more likely to be bothered enough by headache pain to seek a way to overcome it. When the bones of the spine lose their normal position or motion, the sensitive nerves and blood vessels to the head become compromised. When these delicate tissues are stretched or irritated, they can produce certain types of headaches. While aspirin or other medications may cover up the symptoms, they do not really correct the cause of the headache.

Similarly, women are often victims of osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease) and have a 200 to 300 percent greater chance than men of suffering rheumatoid arthritis.

Because the nervous system controls and coordinates all of the different functions of your body, any disruption in nerve communication to your organs and body tissues will result in abnormal function. Chiropractors help restore normal nerve function and communication, thereby allowing your body to work normally and naturally.

The result is often a reduction in pain and inflammation, as well as prevention of further deterioration. Research has also demonstrated that arthritic changes begin in the spinal joints in as few as three days after a joint becomes fixated. Relief from pain and prevention of further deterioration are among the many "side effects" of regular chiropractic care.

Natural Treatments for Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis is a condition whose effects can range from mild irritation to debilitating pain and even paralysis. Learning the symptoms, causes and treatment options may help you avoid drugs and surgery.

Stenosis can occur in either the cervical spine in the neck or the lumbar spine in the lower back. Lumbar stenosis is the more common; according to Spine-Health.com, about three-fourths of all cases occur in the lumbar spine. Stenosis involves the compression of nerve roots that exit the spinal canal. There are three types, named for the location of compression:

1) Formainal: The foramen is the space through which a nerve leaves the spinal canal. This is the most common type of spinal stenosis; it occurs when bone spurs, which develop along a vertebra due to disc degeneration, compress the nerve. Discs act as shock absorbers. As they degenerate, bone friction causes tiny shards of bone to develop.

2) Far Lateral: This type of stenosis occurs beyond the foramen. Compression can be caused by a bulging or herniated disc, or by a bone spur.

3) Central: This involves obstruction of the nerves within the spinal canal. It is generally caused by a bulging disc and ligament overgrowth within the spine.

Cervical stenosis is generally considered a more dangerous condition than when it occurs in the lumbar spine. This is because the spinal cord, that dense bundle of nerves, is present in the upper spine but ends in the upper part of the lower back. From there, the nerves fan out into a horse's tail pattern, hence acquiring the name "cauda equina." There is more risk of paralysis associated with impingement of the spinal cord. That said, lumbar stenosis can, in rare cases, involve severe nerve damage that leads to bladder and bowel loss of control, sexual dysfunction and inability to walk.

Bone spurs formed due to facet joint arthritis may also impinge nerves, causing stenosis.

Symptoms

Spinal stenosis often causes localized back or neck pain and refers pain to either the legs or the arms. There may also be tingling, weakness and numbness along the affected nerve's pathway. People with lumbar stenosis often have sciatica.

One way to tell if stenosis is causing your pain is to monitor when symptoms reside. People with this condition experience relief when sitting and leaning forward, as these positions create more space in the spinal canal and take pressure off nerves. Imaging tests such as MRIs, CTs and dye injection may be used to confirm the diagnosis.

Natural Treatments

Light, guided exercise is often prescribed to strengthen the muscles that support the spine and to maintain cardiovascular health, which ensures proper blood flow to areas of the spine. Exercises for lumbar stenosis usually involve forward bending. Examples of such exercises can be seen at http://spinalstenosis.org/blog/sciatica-exercises/. Cervical stenosis patients may perform isometric exercises which strengthen neck muscles without stressing joints. Exercise helps support the spine and manage pain. A physical therapist should guide you through what exercises are safe for you.

Chiropractic care can help your symptoms if a misaligned spine is aggravating your condition. Restoring alignment will take pressure off of discs and nerves.
Chiropractors can also perform decompression treatments, which increase disc space and can resolve stenosis caused by herniated or bulging discs.

Acupuncture and acupressure are alternative treatments that have had immense success in relieving pain of many types. They both involve the application of stimulus, either needle points or touch, to energy meridians, which some in Western culture equate with nerve bundles. It is worth a try for anyone looking to avoid reliance on pain medication.

Surgery is only recommended for people with severe stenosis that poses a threat to the spinal cord or the patient's ability to walk or control bladder and bowels.

Knowing the cause of your pain equips you to make smart choices about your treatment options. If you have back or neck pain that radiates and is relieved by sitting and leaning forward, you may have spinal stenosis. Share this information with your doctor and improve your chances of pain relief.

Introduction to Decompression of Back

There are many reasons why someone suffers from lower back pain. Common reasons include injuries and aging. Our spine is naturally protected by the vertebrae and cushioning it are the intervertebral disks. The main function of the intervertebral disks is to cushion any impact or shock experienced by the spinal cord and protects it from any damages. However, sudden huge impact can cause the spine to be damaged despite of the protective measures. Aging also contribute to a significant percentage of people suffering from back pain mainly due to degeneration of the disks due to wear and tear.

There are many methods to treat back pain. One of the more popular methods is the decompression of back or Spinal Decompression. Spinal Decompression is a non-invasive treatment which means that there is no incision or injections required. It is also non-surgical and it's relatively cost effective as compared to other methods such as surgery.

Spinal Decompression uses the mechanism of traction which straightens the backbone and relieves pressure in the back. The patient will be lying on the back and motorised traction will help to create negative pressure in the intervertebral disks and that helps to relieve the pain. The spine is gently stretched and this stretching motion will change the position of the spine, allowing them to realign to their normal position. Spinal Decompression also increases oxygen flow to the spine, allowing better exchange of nutrients and increasing healing rate.

Being a non-surgical and non-invasive method, the cost of treatment will be much cheaper as compared to surgery. During surgery, the bulging disks will be trimmed to prevent it from pinching onto the nerves which causes pain. Surgery is expensive and ranges from $20000 to $25000. Surgery is also much more dangerous as compared to Spinal Decompression. The usual cost for each Spinal Decompression treatment ranges from $100 to $200 and patients will usually improve within 20 sessions.

However, Spinal Decompression is not meant for everyone. Patients who are pregnant or suffering from current illnesses such as cancer, osteoporosis, neuro-disorders or cognitive dysfunction are not allowed to undergo decompression of the back.

This is a non-surgical, non-invasive and low risk treatment for back pain which most people are able to undergo. Most doctors will often leave surgery as the last resort as it carries the highest risk amongst all treatment options. As such, there is no harm in giving Spinal Decompression a go.

What To Do If You Have Sciatica From A Pinched Nerve

A herniated disc sometimes pushes on a spinal nerve and causes sciatica. The sciatic nerve is actually not one nerve root but a compilation of multiple nerve roots including the fourth and fifth lumbar nerve route along with the first sacral nerve root which combines together into a large nerve call the sciatic nerve.

This is why when the sciatic nerve is being compressed, in layman's terms called a pinched nerve, it is termed sciatica. Typically depending on which nerve root of the sciatic nerve is actually being compressed up around the spinal column, is where the patient will have the pain in his leg anatomically. In order to avoid surgery from a herniated disc, what are the treatment options available in the acute phase of having sciatica?

First of all, the best way to avoid surgery is to undergo a series of treatments at a pain management center. The first treatment that will probably be initiated will include narcotic medications along with muscle relaxants and starting physical therapy. In addition, it is prudent to start Tylenol and anti-inflammatories as well. Patients should take a gastric protection medication such as an H2 blocker so that they do not get a gastric ulcer.

Physical therapy may help substantially along with treatment from the chiropractor of spinal decompression therapy to decompress the sciatic nerve. The medications may make life much more tolerable, and if the patient is also having back pain a back brace may help as well. A lot of the time narcotic medications do not work very well for sciatica pain. If this is the situation then taking Lyrica or Neurontin can help with the nerve pain and can help modulate this type of pain.

Along with the medications,a treatment agenda helping substantially with the acute pain from sciatica would also include interventional pain treatments. This would include an epidural injection or series of injections which consists of steroid medication being injected under x-ray guidance around the area of the pinched nerve. This will not fix the area of the pinched nerve, it will simply bathe the area with soothing steroid medication to help decrease inflammation and hence the pain associated with it.

Some people still think it is a good idea to spend time in bed when you have back pain and leg pain from a pinched nerve. Studies actually show that this is a bad idea as you can actually make the situation worse. Getting out of bed and ambulating along while trying to do most of your activities of daily living is much better in the long run.

So the combination of medications along with a back brace, physical therapy, chiropractic treatment and spinal decompression therapy, along with interventional pain treatments is the best combination of treatments that we have in this day and age to try and prevent the need for surgery. Although a discectomy surgery has small risks associated with it, they are real and it is much better to avoid surgery if at all possible. We know that at a years time after surgery, if the patient was able to avoid surgery, the results are equivalent.

Is Your Child on Drugs? 15 Tell-Tale Signs to Watch Out For

Drug abuse amongst kids is more common than you may think. Parents need to educate themselves on drug use and watch out for signs of drug use. Learn more here about what drugs kids are using, fifteen tell-tale signs to watch out for, and what you can do.

According to the National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA), abused drugs include tobacco, alcohol, prescription medications, anabolic steroids, cocaine, crack, heroin, inhalants, LSD, marijuana, MDMA or ecstasy, methamphetamine, PCP, and club drugs like special K, Vitamin K, jet, soap, G, and roofies.

In 2008, abuse of marijuana was reported by 11.8 percent of 8th graders, 26.7 percent of 10th graders, and 32.8 percent of 12th graders according to NIDA. The same year, NIDA revealed that recreational abuse of Vicodin and OxyContin had increased over the last five years among 10th graders. According to a poll conducted in 2009, nearly 1in 10 high school seniors reported non-medical abuse of Vicodin; 1 in 20 reported abuse of OxyContin.

Your own medicine cabinet may be a deadly source of drugs for your child. Opioids are prescribed to alleviate pain and are commonly abused by kids. Opioids include Vicodin, OxyContin, Darvon, Dilaudid, Demerol and Lomotil. Another class of drugs being abused is central nervous system depressants used for sleep disorders and include barbiturates such as pentobarbital sodium or Nembutal and benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax. Commonly abused stimulants used for ADHD and narcolepsy include Dexedrine, Ritalin, Concerta and amphetamines like Adderall. Some common street names for these prescription drugs are oxy, cotton, blue, 40, and 80.

Educate yourself on the latest street names for drugs and look for them in your child's communications. Monitoring your child's emails, text messages and social media sites provides necessary insight into your child's life that you might not be privy to any other way. If you suspect your child is on drugs your first hunch is usually correct. Hopefully, you know your child better than anyone else. Find out what is going on with your child immediately if you see any of these tell-tale signs.

1. Severe Shifts in Mood


2. Unexplained Change in Personality


3. New Friends


4. Lack of Interest in Favorite Sports or Activities


5. Avoiding Family or Family Activities


6. Decrease in Appetite


7. Spending More Time in Bedroom


8. Feeling Down and Being Quiet Most of the Time


9. Falling Grades


10. Skipping School


11. Lack of Respect for Family Rules, Chores, or Curfews


12. No Interest in Personal Hygiene


13. Defensive Attitude When Drug or Alcohol Use is Suspected or Mentioned


14. Weight Loss or Weight Gain


15. Dishonesty and Stealing

Your child can become a complete stranger in the blink of an eye if you ignore any of these signs. Do not hesitate to get professional help. If you are not sure, seriously consider drug testing your child at home. There are lots of instant drug testing kits to choose from that are widely available at Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens and other well known drug stores. The prices are reasonable and range anywhere from twelve to thirty-eight dollars. You can easily and quickly test your child for drugs and alcohol in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Avoid online services that require the mailing of samples via FedEx due to the possibility of poor testing methods or fraud. If you are uncomfortable with drug testing you child, go to your family doctor or a state approved lab test facility in your area.

How Does Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Progress Into Adult Scoliosis?

There are multiple different kinds of scoliosis, which is a term that refers to abnormal twisting and curvature of the spine. With regards to the different kinds of scoliosis, there are those that occur in childhood and those that occur in adults.

Scoliosis that occurs prior to adulthood can be subclassified into juvenile, adolescent, congenital, and neuromuscular. The most common type is referred to as adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The term "idiopathic" means there is no known cause. The good thing about scoliosis in adolescents is that the spine has the following characteristics:

1. Until skeletal maturity is reached, the spine can potentially respond to bracing as it may be flexible.


2. Only a minority of kids with adolescent scoliosis experience pain. It's noted to be less than 25%.


3. If an adolescent does need surgery for scoliosis, the physiologic reserve is tremendous and the complication profile is reasonable.

Bracing for adolescent scoliosis can help prevent the progression of curvature, but not reversal. If skeletal maturity is reached and the curvature is under 40 degrees, the scolisosis may not progress according to various studies. However, if it's over 40 degrees studies show the natural progression after skeletal maturity to be approximately one degree per year. Might not seem like much, but after 30 years, the curve may be at 70 degrees!

Once skeletal maturity is reached and the curvature is over 30 to 40 degrees, surgery is not always indicated. The curve should be monitored every year or two along with the patient's symptoms.

As the patient settles into adulthood, additional factors come into play. Meaning adults who had adolescent sciolosis have spines that are typically loaded off-center and subjected more often to arthritis of the spinal joints and degenerative disc disease. The spinal discs can be loaded off-center and experience asymmetric degeneration leading to a worsened scoliosis.

As the scoliosis worsens, the biomechanics of the spine actually compound the situation, creating arthritis in the spinal facet joints and making the scoliosis painful. This is a major difference between adolescent and adult scoliosis - Pain! While adult scoliosis can be exceptionally painful, adolescent scoliosis is typically more of a cosmetic issue.

The increased facet joint arthritis and degenerative disc disease brought on by the asymmetric scoliosis leads to two problems:

1. Worsening scoliosis


2. More pain

So adolescent scoliosis can lead to adult degenerative scoliosis. Adult degenerative scoliosis can occur all on its own, but a significant amount of the time it is a continuation of what occurred in the person's early years. Unfortunately the gift that keeps on giving.

Non-Invasive Treatment For Back And Neck Pain

Spinal Decompression Therapy consists of a non-invasive therapy that is a relief for back pain and pain in relation to spinal disc injuries. Spinal Decompression Treatment provides gentle decompression of the disc through the use of a decompression table.

Restore vs. Repair

The methodology is the patient is strapped to a computer controlled table that moves and stretches the patient in small increments so as to gently pull apart the spine to relieve pressure from the intervetebral discs. The theory is that when a damaged disc is compressed and under constant pressure, the disc is unable to receive normal nutrient flow as the blood vessels are restricted. This situation perpetuates the worsening in deterioration of the disc. While the disc is compressed it cannot receive normal nutrient flow, and the disc will harden, which in turn causes it to receive even less nutrient flow.

This ongoing cycle inevitably leads to complete destruction of the disc. The decompression table is a two level table that places the patient in a face down position while grasping two handles at the table's head, this allows them to let go of the handles to stop the stretching if it becomes painful. The patient is strapped to the lower section of the table by a fastener around the pelvic girdle, and the lower section of the table moves away thereby pulling the patient from the waist, and therefore gently pulls the spine to separate the vertebrae to allow the disc to be relieved of the pressure and allow restoration of circulation to the intervertebral discs.

This process is repeated over and over in small increments, and eventually is believed to restore the disc to a more normal condition. These devices supposedly provide relief, but no amount of traction will "cure" a herniated disc, only surgery can repair a herniated disc. One type of these tables is called the VAX-D Therapeutic Table. With FDA approval as a traction device the VAX-D Therapeutic Table has merit as a treatment, but it is not legal to claim a correction of a herniated disc can be had by the therapy.

Inversion tables

There are several similar table type decompression devices under different names but they all function similarly. There are also manual devices to accomplish this with affordable home versions called inversion tables that operate on this same principle. With the inversion table, the back pain sufferers strap themselves onto the table and then are placed in an inverted position where gravity does the work of pulling the spine.

Users of this type of device should not use it while alone, but rather should have someone nearby to watch them and to assist them in righting themselves, especially if their condition is advanced as it may be difficult for them to right themselves. It is recommended to do this for 5-10 minutes three times per week. Prolonged inversion can be dangerous as the heart must work harder to pump blood in this position and elevates blood pressure. The elevated pressure can be very bad if the person suffers from high blood pressure, also blood may pool in the lungs and brain and put the brain at risk for hemorrhage.

Do not add to the problem

This treatment, like chiropractic treatment, is still under much controversy. It has its proponents and its opponents. But it must have its advantages or its use would not continue. So much like other treatments it may or may not help you find relief. The decompression table treatments are expensive and some insurance carriers will not cover the cost. If you wish to try this type of treatment but do not have insurance or cannot afford to pay out of pocket then a home inversion table may be an option as these range from $150-$400, but use with caution and progress slowly and be patient to see if there are positive results. If you try to rush it you may do further damage.

These methods, as with chiropractic may yield results for you and may be used in conjunction with physical therapy and exercise. Depending on the severity of your condition use caution, with exercise as well in order not to do further damage. You may want to consult your regular physician before beginning an exercise regimen.

7 Symptoms of Slipped Disc That You Should Be Aware Of

Slipped disc or herniated disc happens when a part of the disc in the spine ruptures and the gel in it leaks out. This will place stress and pressure on the surrounding nerves and cause pain and discomfort in the patient. Many patients have slipped discs without them even realising it. Depending on the location, the pain and discomfort will vary. Here are some of the symptoms of slipped disc that you should know.

Pain in the arms and legs

If the location of the slipped disc is at the lower back, there will be severe pain experienced in the lower part of the body such as the buttocks, legs and thighs. Depending on the severity, pain in the feet may also be experienced by some. If it is at the neck region, there will be pain felt in the arms and shoulders. During certain actions such as sneezing or coughing, the pain will be more intense.

Numbness

When patients have a slipped disc, the gel will leak out and place pressure on the nerves, causing numbness in certain parts of the body. When you experience numbness, it could be a sign.

Weakness

The muscles surrounding the injured nerves will start to weaken and this will affect your basic day to day actions such as walking and even the ability to hold things.

Loss of bladder and bowel control

The immense pressure on the nerves can cause patients to lose their ability to control their bladder and bowel. This is an indication of a very serious complication and medical attention should be sought immediately.

Muscle spasms

When the bulging disc is pressing against the ligaments and onto the nerves, it causes tremendous pain to the surrounding area. As such, the affected muscles will go into spasm as part of our body's natural mechanism to immobilise the affected area and to reduce pain on its own.

Loss of ability to perform fine motor skills

Slipped discs can also cause a compression of our spinal cord, leading to the loss of ability to perform fine motor skills such as writing and tying shoe laces.

Abnormal sensation

The pressure acted on the nerves can cause abnormal feelings and sensations to be experienced by the patient. Depending on the location of the slipped disc, sudden electric shock sensation can be felt in places such as the arms and legs.

Above are some of the symptoms of slipped disc. All of them are caused by the pressure on the nerves from the herniated disc and they can disrupt signals from the brain to other parts of our body. If you have any of the symptoms, consult a doctor immediately.

Slipped Disc Treatment? The What, the When, the Why, and the How!

Getting slipped disc treatment is necessary if you are enduring pain daily due to a herniated disc. This article will discuss what a herniated or bulged disc is, when it occurs, why it occurs, and how you can get a slipped disc treatment.

Slipped Disc Treatment - The What

What is a slip disc? A slipped disc is an expression used to describe the displacement of the discs from their original location in between the vertebrae.

Herniated Disc Treatment - The When

When does this occur? A slipped disc occurs when the disc bulges out of its protective ring of connective tissues. When this happens, it is said to be slipped. Other terms used to describe it include; herniated, torn, bulging, or ruptured.

Bulged Disc Treatment - The Why

What causes a disc to slip? Basically, stress, wear and tear, shock and other factors that bring pressure to bear on your spinal column.

You need to realize that your discs are really designed to act as shock absorbers assisting your body with locomotion. If you are finding this difficult to comprehend, think in terms of what the shock absorbers do for cars - they absorb the shock from entering pot holes and climbing bumps so that you don't feel it.

Slipped Disc Treatment - The How

Unfortunately, just as the shock absorbers in cars go bad, your disc can themselves become damaged thereby requiring herniated disc treatment to fix them.

Below are 3 slipped disc treatments which you can employ to solve the problem.

#1. Lifestyle Alterations...
There is no point putting unnecessary, additional, pressure on your herniated disc. There are lifestyle alterations that you can use to ease of the effects of a bulged disc.

These include keeping an appropriate weight; being overweight actually increases your potential of having a bulged disc. This is due to the fact that the lumbar spine supporting your entire body becomes strained because of the added flesh around your middle.

You can ensure that you stay trim and fit by eating vegetables, fiber, grains, fruits, lean protein, fish, and eggs and by performing physical exercises regularly.

You should also think positively about the outcome of your condition. Having a self defeatist attitude will only cause you to remain in your current predicament or worse.

#2. Medicines...
There are medicines that you can use to treat the bulged disc, these include; muscle relaxants, non steroid anti inflammatory medication, narcotic pain killers and so on.

#3. Self Help...
You can often relieve the pain resulting from a minor case of slip disc by using home remedies like hot or cold therapy. This involves the use of ice packs or heat packs to apply to the affected area.

Additionally, you can take over the counter anti-inflammatory medication like ibuprofen, Tylenol and Advil.

You may also get a lot of relief by performing simple exercises which helps to strengthen and stretch your back.

If you require it, you could also get a massage and physiotherapy as they have been proven to help.

FACT: Most conventional treatments for slipped disc only work as a temporary band aid solution; they all fail to work in the long run!

Review of the Ironman ATIS 1000 AB Training System Inversion Therapy Table

The Ironman ATIS 1000 AB Training System is a combination inversion table and abs training system designed for the reduction of back stress. This table has an abs and core training system which provides for the isolation of the abdominals far more effectively than bench training. This also allows for the building up and strengthening of the abs when you sit on it for just a few minutes every day. Another unique feature of this table is that it provides you with ten different inversion locking angles. These enable you to find the perfect position for both your body type and symptoms. This table is manufactured by Ironman Fitness and has been engineered to provide users with endurance, strength, stamina, speed and performance. Below are some key features of the Ironman ATIS 1000 AB Training System Inversion Therapy Table:

• Durable oval tubing steel frame


• Heavy nylon backrest - This is tough yet durable.


• Memory foam vinyl pillow - To provide you with ample head support.


• 10 different inversion locking angles


• Vinyl safety side covers - To protect your hands and fingers.


• Tough rubber non-skid floor stabilizers


• Height-adjustable frame up to 6 feet 6 inches


• User capacity of up to 300 pounds


• Folds for storage


• Measures 26 x 62 x 49 inches (W x H x D)


• Weighs 76 pounds


• Inverted, foam dipped hand grips - These allow for maximum stretching while inverted.


• Side holder for cell phones, watch, wallet, eyeglasses, coins and other small objects that you want within easy reach.

There are various positives to this inversion therapy table. First of all, it enables you to lock the bed at desired angles. The foot holder is also very comfortable and is mounted in a way that makes the orientation and position of the "Heel Holder" just right. I also liked the packaging and delivery process as all the parts were delivered wrapped along with the tools required to assemble the inversion therapy table. While assembling the table was not exactly easy, the directions and the fact that I have some experience with DIY helped me to work fast to complete the set up. So I do like the design of the table because I am able to feel secure while inverted it - I attribute this quality to its solid and sturdy construction.

There are certain shortcomings about this inversion therapy table which I have to mention. First of all, I don't like the fact that the headrest of the Ironman cannot be adjusted. As a result, whenever I want to put it in the right position for my needs, I am forced to remove one bolt and then rotate the table. I also don't like that when it folds up it becomes big and heavy. This is a bit of a bother for me as I sometimes have to move it from the den in order to use that room for other things. It's also a hassle whenever I need to store it away.

Spinal Decompression Machine

Among the various disease prevalent in the world one of the most common and chronic disturbances is the neck and back pain. This can be caused by compression of the spinal disc. The discs act as a cushion between the vertebrae along the spine. If they get damaged or inflamed and get degenerated then serious problem arise. To deal with such problems the spinal decompression machines are used.

Drx9000 spinal decompression machine combines science and technology to combat the spinal problems. This machine is being use by chiropractors worldwide. This machine uses a table with rollers, a harness, a computer and the chiropractor overseeing the machine in process. This guarantees a cure from the back pain. The spinal decompression machines do bring in a lot of relief and an individual needs to undergo complete treatment to totally be free of the degenerative disease.

DRX9000 Spine Decompression Machine is a major breakthrough in non-surgical spinal decompression. This decompression treatment relieves the pressure from the herniated disc and thus provides relief to the patient. Surgery is also another way to handle such problems but it cannot guarantee that it will be a success and there is a lot of risk that is involved. In some cases the pain has further deteriorated.

A spine decompression usually takes place by placing the patient over a computer controlled spinal table. Depending upon the condition of a person the physician enters different modes of disc therapies. In this procedure some force is applied to the affected area and thus the decompression occurs and the blood flow gets regulated and thus relieves the pain and facilities healing. This process at times is also accompanied by cold or hot compresses to provide immediate pain relief. Patients undergoing this treatment are advised to increase oral fluid intake.

Breakthrough In Sciatica Symptom Relief

Sciatica symptom relief has often been hit and miss, but a new treatment option provides effective relief in the majority of cases with minimal risks.

Sciatica (commonly misspelled as syatica) is an irritation of the sciatic nerve which is formed by nerves that arise in the low back. Most cases of sciatica are caused by herniations or bulges of one or more spinal discs. The spinal discs are soft tissue structures that separate the spinal bones (the vertebrae) and act as shock absorbers.

When a disc becomes damaged, the cartilage wall on the outside of the disc may be too weak to fully withstand the pressure coming from inside the disc, and the result is a protrusion of the disc into the passageways where the nerves branch off from the spinal cord and exit the spine. This places pressure on the nerves and creates pain, often in the form of sciatica, which begins in the buttock area and may extend down the leg towards the foot.

The treatment options for sciatica symptom relief vary depending on the case. Medication is usually the first line of treatment for sciatica symptom relief. Muscle relaxers may also be prescribed to reduce muscle spasm. Medication may be effective enough to provide relief short-term until inflammation subsides and/or the disc stabilizes. In more severe cases, oral medication may not be effective, and some patients may not be able to tolerate the common side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs and/or the diminished mental alertness seen with pain killers and muscle relaxers.

Steroid injections are often the next line of sciatica symptom relief treatment, and they are used to try to reduce inflammation around the discs and spinal nerves. While steroid injections often provide relief short-term, the long-term effects are less favorable. Due to the fact that the main effect of steroid injections is to reduce inflammation, once those effects wear off, inflammation and the resulting pressure on the nerves often builds up again, and symptoms return. Steroid injections also carry side-effects that include immune suppression, osteoporosis, and soft tissue damage, so their use must be limited to prevent causing other health problems.

Surgical treatment is often suggested for sciatica sufferers, and in a few cases it may be the only real option. The overall success rate of disc surgery is poor - about 50% - and in a relatively high number of cases the symptoms actually get worse after surgery resulting in what is known as "failed back surgery syndrome". Complications of surgery include problems from post-surgical scar tissue formation and increased stress on adjacent spinal discs which may result in additional problems with other discs in the years following surgery.

Fortunately, there is a new option in sciatica symptom relief that has a high success rate and a very low risk of side-effects. Spinal decompression is a new, advanced form of spinal traction that uses special computerized traction motors to gently and slowly apply a decompressive force to the spine, reducing pressure in the spinal discs. Spinal decompression systems can comfortably create negative pressure (suction) within the spinal discs that can pull disc bulges and herniations back in and away from sensitive nerve structures, as well as increase disc hydration and nutrition to help with disc healing. Unlike the old forms of spinal traction which could be painful due to the traction pull triggering muscle spasm, spinal decompression systems monitor and respond to the body to keep muscles relaxed so the treatment is comfortable and effective.

Preliminary studies have shown a success rate for spinal decompression of 80 to 90%, with the beneficial effects holding up well over the long-term. The one-year recurrence rate post-treatment is less than 5%. While spinal decompression is not appropriate for everyone with sciatica and is not effective in every case, it does represent a big improvement in sciatica treatment.

Cure For Sciatica? 6 Natural Cures For Sciatic Nerve Pain That Will Restore You Back to New!

Fact number one; since you are looking for a cure for sciatica you should know that it is available. Fact number two; your condition is not exclusive to you alone. Sciatic nerve pain affects one to three percent of the world's adult population and this statistics is according to the Journal of Controversial Medical Claims.

Fact number three; sciatica is accompanied by certain physical symptoms, including, but not limited to, the following; excruciating back pain, weakness, a tingling sensation, and numbness, burning of the buttocks and legs, among others.

Fact number four; it is possible to get a cure for sciatica, in fact, you can get many cures for sciatica. Fact number five; the problem is not the availability of said cures, but how to determine which is most suitable for you and who you can trust to provide it.

Fact number six; in this article, you will discover 6 natural cures for sciatica which you can begin to apply today. Pay close attention because at the end you will be given the opportunity to discover a fantastic method to relieve your sciatica which has a 98.7% success rating...Let's move on shall we?

#1. Reiki...
Reiki is a type of deep relaxation technique which is popularly used by the Japanese to promote healing. It is commonly practiced by someone referred to as a Reiki practitioner.

It involves placing the hand on the affected area to clear away the negative energy while allowing positive life force energy to flow into the body in a healthy through the strengthening of the energy pathways.

Although the above may seem like gibberish to you right now, it is actually possible for you to learn how to perform Reiki for yourself.

#2. Rest, Ice and Heat...
Using ice and heat coupled with rest is a fantastic cure for sciatica which a lot of people employ to combat their condition.

It involves pausing what you are doing once you feel the pain coming on and finding a comfortable position to rest until the pain subsides and you are able to resume what you were doing.

You can also use an ice pack to fight sciatica because cold helps to reduce the inflammation of the sciatica nerves.

Ensure that you use an ice pack and not directly apply the ice to the skin so as not to damage your tissue. Use frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel if finding a pack proves difficult.

Alternatively, a heat pack may also be used. Just make sure not to apply the heat directly to your skin.

#3. Yoga...
Yoga is another cure for sciatica that is effective. Ensure that you work with an instructor who is a professional and is very experienced with dealing with sciatica patients, so to speak.

To keep pressure off the sciatic nerves, all forward bends should be done with your knees bent. Stay away from yoga posses that are discomfiting.

#4. Acupuncture...
If you are conversant with acupuncturists, then you will already be aware of the fact that the surfaces of our bodies have energy meridians running through and over it.

What acupuncture does is to cure sciatica by opening obstructed meridians through the use of tiny needles placed at very specific points in the body.

The aim of this is to restore normal energy flow so as to allow the body heal itself as usual while resuming nourishment through the meridians. Again, do not worry if this is not making much sense to you, your acupuncturist will know what to do okay?

#5. Massage Therapy...
For as long as time has existed, massage therapy has been employed as an effective method of curing many a malady; sciatica inclusive.

You can cure your condition using several massage techniques but one of the more popular ones is the use of two tennis balls placed underneath each buttock in a way that balances your spine.

What this does is to take the pressure off of your sciatic nerves by transferring the pressure onto the center of your buttocks and relaxing your gluteus and piriformis muscles.

#6. DTS Spinal Decompression...
This is a chiropractic treatment which consists of a computerized spinal stretching table. It is setup to help your injured disc realign and allow the healing process to begin by creating a vacuum effect.

FACT: Most conventional treatments for sciatica only work as a temporary band aid solution; they all fail to work in the long run!

Can Chiropractic Treatment Help Scoliosis?

Back pain is one of the most common health complaints by people across the world. The pain may be localized into one or more of the three major segments of the spinal column; cervical (neck area), thoracic (middle back), lumbar (just above the buttocks), and sacral spine (down into the buttocks area).

By far the most common location of back pain is the lower spine, or lumbar (also called lumbago). Acute low back pain (lumbago) is the number five most common reason for visits to the doctor. But there is another, potentially more serious, spinal problem, and that is scoliosis.

What Is Scoliosis?

Scoliosis is a Greek word meaning curvature; thus scoliosis is a lateral or sideways curvature of the spine. Scoliosis is more common in females, and usually begins in childhood. It is estimated that approximately 2% of the population suffers from this condition. The curvature can start at the thoracic area of the spine, and rotate down to a hump at the rib cage. The Adams Forward Bending Test is even used in Physical Education classes in schools to determine if any children might be afflicted with this abnormality.

The causes of scoliosis are not fully known, which is why it is referred to as "idiopathic". In children three or younger, it is called infantile scoliosis; ages 4-10 is juvenile scoliosis; and older kids,11-18, adolescent scoliosis. There is also congenital scoliosis (present at birth) and neuromuscular scoliosis, usually caused by a nervous system malfunction affecting muscles (e.g., polio, cerebral palsy,muscular dystrophy, and spina bifida). Scoliosis can worsen during growth spurts.

There are no symptoms overall. However, the Bending Test may show one shoulder higher than the other,the pelvis is tilted; your chiropractor can measure the lengths of the legs to check for uneven lengths. A person suffering from scoliosis can have low back pain, a tired feeling in the spine after sitting or standing for long periods.

It is very important to have X-rays taken of the spine, since a curvature may be worse than can be detected by visual examination. There are also MRI scans, and a special spinal curve measurement called scoliometer screening. If it is determined that scoliosis is present, then the individual may choose chiropractic treatment.

It should be noted that most idiopathic scoliosis cases do not need treatment of any kind. The only thing required could be a back brace, which can be adjusted as the child grows. Only in the most severe cases is surgery recommended by medical professionals.

While there are not many really definitive studies on chiropractic treatment of scoliosis, there are definitely encouraging results with specific chiropractic treatments of mild idiopathic scoliosis (less than 20 degrees curvature, with no complicating conditions) in children 9-15 years old. The full-spine adjustments were given three times a week, for one year. Special attention was paid to the sacroliliac joints. Muscle work around the curvature area was also performed. Children with mild scoliosis are encouraged to exercise regularly, and to hang by the hands to encourage the spine to open the concavity of the curve. There has been as much a reduction of 2.6 degrees in spine curvature by utilizing chiropractic treatment of scoliosis.

The medical community does not offer any treatments at all for spinal curves less than 20 degrees, and may not even consider this spinal variance as a case of scoliosis.

While the chiropractic treatment of scoliosis is still in its investigative research phase, the results so far have been extremely encouraging. There still have to be randomized, controlled clinical trials. But chiropractic care of scoliosis offers distinct advantages over the management and monitoring of early-stage scoliosis.

Spinal Decompression Therapy - A Back Pain Relief From Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative disc disease is the progressive deterioration of the spinal discs and arthritic changes that occurs due to wear and tear with aging. Not actually a disease, it is a condition in which pain is caused from a damaged disc. In clinical terms, it is called spondylosis. The pain caused by a degenerated disc is termed by doctors as discogenic pain. The condition can take place throughout the spine, but most often, it occurs in the discs in the lumbar region (lower back) and cervical region (neck).

In a study, it is found that low back pain increases with increasing degree of disc degeneration. Degenerative disc disease is more likely to be developed as an individual gets older. Intervertebral discs become more vulnerable to degeneration and become more distinct as the lower spinal column gets straighter. Those individuals with a straighter vertebral column are at greater risk of low back pain and more severe symptoms than individuals with normal intervertebral slope.

A spinal disc is composed of a tough outer shell with a soft center inside. The discs are located between your spinal vertebrae to support spinal bones and cushion your movements. As a person age, the discs flatten out and spread sideways. The outer shell can become brittle or crack and the soft center can leak or bulge, pressing on nearby nerves or joints which can cause pain.

Degeneration in intervertebral disc is a part of normal aging and is associated with additional risk factors such as heredity, obesity, excessive weight, and smoking. When we are born, the disc is about 80% water. As we age, the disc dries out and loses flexibility to absorb shocks. Daily activities and sports activities can damage the disc. By the age of 60, most people have some degree of degenerative disc disease.

Degenerative disc disease is common and it can be present in people with no symptoms. In some people, they may feel symptoms such as low back pain which is more painful when sitting and when doing certain activities like bending, lifting, and twisting. They actually feel better when walking or running rather than prolonged sitting or standing, and if they shift positions frequently.

For people with degenerative disc disease, they usually manage the pain by minimizing stress on the disc through proper ergonomics and posture, exercise, and engaging in rehabilitation program. It is usually in the best interest of most patients to treat the pain using conservative treatment rather than surgery.

Spinal Decompression is the only nonsurgical treatment that is capable of reducing the symptoms of degenerative disc disease by treating the cause of disc degeneration, the chronic disc compression that contributes to loss of fluid.

Decompression therapy is a new form of treatment for back pain associated with disc problems. Research confirms that decompression is an effective treatment for degenerative disc disease. It reduces pressure on the disc and nerves and rehydrates the disc by drawing in fluids and nutrients.

Many lives have improved with spinal decompression since it was introduced. With just a course of the treatment, majority of the patients experienced complete relief and remained pain-free. Added with exercise program, appropriate spinal balancing, and spinal education, you'll see that no other treatment can provide such benefit than spinal decompression.

How to Sleep With a Bulging Disc and Sciatica - Is Relief Really Possible?

Sleep is supposed to be the most peaceful time of the day. A relaxing way to recharge your energy for the next day. But there are things that can put you in so much pain that sleep, if it is even possible, is very hard. Discover how to sleep with bulging disc and sciatica, and finally find some relief.

Anytime that you are sleeping with sciatica or a bulging disc, the main goal is to keep your posture straight while not putting any additional pressure on the disc itself. You may be wondering, what about the sciatica? How do I make sure that I don't put any more pressure on my sciatic nerve? Well, whenever you are laying down, keeping a straight posture ensures that you will not put any strain on your sciatic nerve.

So how do you achieve good posture while you are sleeping? You are after all...asleep. The good news is that you have a couple of options. The bad news is that you will probably have to play around with them to find what works for you.

The first and probably easiest option is to invest in a pillow that is specifically designed to support your neck and your spine. While the idea of spending money is not always ideal, it is an easy solution to an otherwise painful problem.

There are many choices out there as far as pillows, memory foam, feather, microbead, maybe even pregnancy pillows. All of these are good things for you to try. But if you do your research, you are likely to find that the pillow that stands above the rest in terms of sciatic relief and good posture is the buckwheat pillow. Filled with hulls, this pillow not only supports the neck, but also supports and cradles the head.

Another option that may or may not work depending on where your bulging disc is and how badly it hurts is sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees. The pillow will give your spine the extra support that it needs and also take pressure off of your back to help your disc. And even though it may seem a little funny for you guys out there, a pregnancy pillow may be another option if you are a side sleeper.

When all else fails, you may want to try sleeping in a recliner surrounded with pillows. It is not as comfy as your bed by far, but it should help you to stay in the same position for the night.

Bulging Disc Treatment - Treatments To Help Reduce Protrusion

Bulging discs are common conditions to the herniated disc but slightly different. This gives them a wide selection of treatment options for one to choose from. This condition, especially one in the lumbar can be very painful. However, it is imperative to note that not all disc problems require surgery. Only the most complicated and severer ones do. Here are to mention a few treatments to help reduce protrusion or the bulging disc.

Physical therapy on Bulging Disc

This is the most common used method of treatment. It involves the use of the ultrasound, hot packs or simply therapeutic massage. This technique is very useful and only requires you to stretch and do some strengthening exercise.

Spinal manipulation and traction are also useful herniated disc treatment used by chiropractors. When properly used, they can provide good results since they relieve the pressure thereby relieving the pain.

Medication on Bulging Disc

The most common medication for bulging disc is the pain-killers, relaxants and ant-inflammatory drugs. These help relieve the pain as well as cause relaxation in the muscles.

Cortisone injections which are made to the spinal canal are quite effective. They act fast in relieving of the acute pain and inflammation which leads to the irritation of the nerves. The down side of this treatment is that you become dependent to the medications. Failure leads to recurrence of the pain.

Spinal decompression on Bulging Disc

This method involves no drugs and its results are very successful. This procedure stops the pain by the treating of the disc problem. This is done using computer controlled pumps which enables spine re-hydration to the disc thereby repositioning the spine materials back to their tracks. It offers a natural healing.

Surgery on Bulging Disc

This is not common unless the condition gets quite severe. Considerations however have to be taken before choosing this method of treatment because if done improperly, it can lead to permanent damages. It is even highly advised against by most medical doctors to the bulging disk patients.

If you must have this medical procedure, which is very effective if done properly, you should go for the laser surgery. This is precise, causes less scares and chances of destroying the healthy cells are minimal. What's more is that the process takes less time to heal than other types of surgery.

The McKenzie method on Bulging Disc

This is an effective method of treatment in which spine treatment is done using the concept of posture, dysfunction and derangement. It essentially deals with spine abnormalities for injuries caused by stress. This treatment essentially makes the use of extension exercises where the lower back if hyper-extended to allow decompression and give them relocation to the preferred location.

The Williams Technique on Bulging Disc

This technique applies the reverse of the McKenzie technique in bulging disc treatment. Treatment is made in regards to the ability of the spine getting unstable due to dysfunction form lack of enough support. Flexion (bending) position is the main technique used to encourage disc decompression on the nerves.

Epidural steroid injections for pain relief

This includes the injection of cortisone in spinal canal, but outside the spinal sac. This has considerable benefits in pain reduction and inflammation which irritates the nerves. This is however done by a pain management professional, commonly an anesthesiologist. It is an outpatient affair and takes less than an hour to complete.

No matter the given method of treatments, the patients have to be physically and mentally prepared to take the treatment. Some might be more painful than others while others might take longer to achieve. Be patient and never at one time jump from one treatment to another without the completion of one. Bulging disc treatment is something you should really look into.

Three Reasons Why Spinal Arthritis Is More Difficult To Treat Than Hip or Knee Arthritis

The joints of the spine are called facet joints. They are located on both sides of the spine at every level up and down the spinal column all the way from the skull down to the sacrum.

Each of these joints combines to allow humans an incredible range of motion of the spines, permitting bending and twisting to an exceptional degree. Unfortunately though, each of these joints has cartilage and it has the potential for arthritis either due to age with loss of cartilage or trauma with damage to cartilage and subsequent arthritis pain.

Spinal arthritis is more difficult to treat than that of an extremity such as the hip or the knee. Here are the three main reasons why this is the case.

1. The number of joints in the spine is much higher. When you're dealing with hip or knee arthritis, there is one on each side. When you're dealing with spinal joints, there is one on each side at every level. Each of them is prone to developing arthritis and pain. even though the joints are considerably smaller, arthritis at any one facet joint can cause just as much pain as arthritis in a knee or a hip joint.

Typically when a person develops arthritis in a facet joint, he or she has arthritis in multiple facet joints which would need to be treated. Figuring out which is causing the pain and treating appropriately is much more difficult in a spinal arthritis situation than for the hip or knee.

2. Figuring out the source of the pain is more difficult. Even the best trained spine doctors who are board-certified can only tell people 50% of the time exactly why their back hurts. This is one of the shortcomings of back pain treatment, that the world of modern medicine is simply farther along when it comes to hip or knee arthritis than for that of the spine.

What this means is that if a pain management doctor does an injection into one of the facet joints of the lumbar spine, it may relieve part of a person's back pain, but a decent amount of the time they will still have significant residual pain. Pain management doctors have developed some more specific techniques to delineate the source of a person's pain, including facet joint injections and medial branch blocks as diagnostic tools. This will continue to improve, however, currently it makes spinal arthritis more difficult to deal with than that of the hip or knee.

3. Surgical outcomes for spinal arthritis treatments are not as good as that of total joint replacement for the hip or knee. Out of all the surgeries done for quality-of-life in the world, total hip and total knee replacement are in the top five overall. They are unbelievable game changers when it comes to decreasing pain and increasing function.

The same cannot be said for surgery for spinal arthritis. Although artificial disc replacement has been in existence since 2004, it has not been shown to be as good of a procedure as extremity joint replacement. In addition, there is no FDA approved procedure for replacing the facet joints in the back of the spine. What this means is that if a person undergoes surgery for facet arthritis, it will involve a spinal fusion. Satisfactory results after these treatments are in the 50 to 75% range, whereas knee replacement surgeries are typically over 90% satisfactory with outcomes.

The hope is that with modern medical techniques advancing, diagnosing the exact areas of spinal arthritis will become more exact and the results will be better with surgery. For now, nonsurgical pain management treatment is actually very good at reducing pain. it just takes more diagnostic tools and thought-provoking maneuvers to make sure the proper levels are being treated with the appropriate procedures.

What Is Chiropractic Mobilization As Opposed to Chiropractor Manipulation?

Mobilization, in the realm of chiropractics, refers to a therapist using physical adjustment on the joints and soft tissue of the body. It is used in an effort to assist in soothing of pain as well was assisting to improve the range of motion of the limb and to place the exact source of the discomfort of the body. Also commonly used on the spine, this aspect of manual therapy is used on the facet joints when they have become stiff and are acting as a constant source of pain.

Mobilization Versus Manipulation

Chiropractic Mobilization is a very precise hands-on technique that uses slow, gradual motions to smoothly articulate the joints within their normal range of motion in an effort to relieve tension. Contrary to normal belief, as the two are used almost interchangeably, this technique of chiropractic mobilization is different than manipulation as they are two entirely separate concepts.

Manipulation is the sudden thrust to take the tissue or joint beyond the normal parameters of motion in an effort to reduce the pressure quickly, and this is the near opposite of the slow and gradual manipulation that seeks to reduce pressure slowly.

Despite often being confused for manipulation, Chiropractic Mobilization retains the primary goal of restoring normal function to joints of the body that have become problematic. It seeks to treat many of the different possible issues of soft tissue or of the limbs, including dysfunctions that arise by either sports or more severe injuries, such as those induced by trauma.

It seeks to help correct poor posture, spine degeneration, or issues that have arose from disease. It is viewed as one of the more conservative treatments, falling in the same categories as palpation and heat therapy, and it is usually recommended first when an individual that is experiencing neck or back pain contacts an institute for assistance. Typically several weeks of this treatment is all that is needed to assist them in reducing pain levels, and is favored by most as treatment because of no surgery being required.

Options

However for some patients pain persists and it is for these suffering individuals, which is when surgery is brought up as a possible response to their issues. If chiropractic mobilization is proving to not be enough and surgery is an available consideration for an individual to make, despite requiring length rehab after the initial period of hospitalization, most reputable spine and joint correction centers have procedures that are safe, effective, and respectful of the area being worked on.

Scoliosis Surgery - Medically Necessary or Cosmetic?

Over 38,000 scoliosis surgery procedures (adult and adolescent patients combine) are performed in the United States every year and there is no medical indication for the highly invasive procedure with poor long-term outcomes and a mortality rate (death) equal to that of swine flu (H1N1 virus) ["fatality rate for swine flu could be anywhere between 0.1%-0.35%" and for scoliosis surgery the "mortality rate was 0.17% and 0.40% for pediatric and adult patients".] The primary and only indication for scoliosis surgery is cosmetic improvement. Which, in all fairness is an important aspect and treatment outcome in scoliosis treatment, however current research suggests it doesn't succeed in the in its attempts to correct the spinal deformity associated with idiopathic scoliosis either.

1. Scoliosis surgery fails to improve cosmetic spinal deformity in scoliosis. First of all, no seems to think about the massive scar the length of the spine that results from this procedure (that will ruin bikini season) and a recently published study on the topic of spinal fusion surgery and cosmetic improvement concluded, "Radiographic and physical measures of deformity do not correlate well with patients' and parents' perceptions of appearance. Patients and parents do not strongly agree on the cosmetic outcome of AIS surgery." (Smith 2006)


2. It does not eliminate pain. Pain is not an indication for scoliosis surgery and many studies find that many patients are actually in more pain 3-5 years post op than pre-op. Don't believe me? Check out what I dub "the most unhappy place on earth" which is the scoliosis surgery revision section of the National Scoliosis Foundation Scoliosis Forum.


3. It does not improve quality of life. When asked if scoliosis surgery benefits the patient researcher Berven stated in the September 2007 SPINE Journal "there are no current, definitive studies that answer the question posed above." Which is odd, because a 17 year post follow-up study found 40% of the post scoliosis surgery patients were legally defined as "severely handicapped".

This is in sharp contrast with the 50 year follow up study of un-treated scoliosis patients who seemed to have an significantly increased quality of life than many of the post fusion patients. Surgery does not improve lung function. A published study in the Journal of bone and joint surgery found

"no remarkable improvement in pulmonary function more than two years after surgery; three patients showed deterioration. The results of tests performed less than two years postoperatively showed no improvement in pulmonary function, irrespective of the types of assessments used." Furthermore, an even more recent study from ModernMedicine.com concluded, "This study supports the previously published theory that any surgical procedure that disrupts the chest wall has a negative impact on pulmonary function,"

It does not necessarily halt curve progression in adults. The average curve progression rate in adults with un-treated idiopathic scoliosis is 1-3 degrees a year. Post scoliosis surgery studies indicate a rate of curve progression in post spine surgery adults at Initial average loss of correction post spinal surgery is 3.2 degrees the first year, 6.5 degrees after two years, and 1.0 degrees every year after that of the course of the patient's life.

I believe Dr. Paul Harrington, known for inventing the scoliosis surgery that implants metal rods in scoliotic spines, stated in 1963, "metal does not cure the disease of scoliosis, which is a condition involving much more than the spinal column". I highly encourage every patient whom is considering any treatment to dig deep into the research available (both pro and con), ask your doctor as many questions as you can think of, and have your x-rays read by at least 2 radiologist (non-surgeons), because they are unbias and the Cobb angle measurement (used to determine the "need" for scoliosis surgery for some reason) has a inter-examiner measurement error of +/-5-10 degrees. Everyone has the right to make a truly informed decision.

Ten Ways to Avoid Surgery With Low Back Pain From Facet Joint Syndrome

Facet Syndrome is a condition in the low back that involves a problem with the facet joints, which are thumbnail sized joints on either side of the spine at every level. As with any synovial joint in one's body, arthritis can ensue, and the facet joints are no exception. Facet joint arthritis typically occurs at numerous levels, so if surgery is undertaken quite a few levels would need to be addressed. This is usually not a good indication for surgery unless one has significant degenerative scoliosis, instability or a separate issue needing to be addressed.

There are numerous ways to avoid surgery with facet arthritis and facet syndrome. Here are the top ten nonoperative methods.

1) Live With the Pain, Activity Modification - Not ideal but at the end of the day surgery for facet arthritis is a quality of life decision. If a patient can avoid painful activities and thereby keep the pain under control this may in fact be the best option. All legitimate nonsurgical options should be exhausted and this may be the last option standing.

2) Lower Your Body Mass Index - Being overweight equals extra weight on the arthritic facet joints. If the joint is painful from arthritis and the body weight is pushing down on the painful region then extra pressure may exacerbate the problem.

3) PT, Rehab, Lumbar Strengthening - Physical therapy can strengthen the muscles surrounding the spine, thereby reducing pressure on the arthritic and painful facet joints.

4) Spinal Decompression - This is a revolutionary nonoperative treatment that is FDA Cleared, very safe, and highly effective that may dramatically decrease the pain from facet syndrome. Treatment at an AZ pain center with spinal decompression therapy may allow surgery avoidance.

5) Chiropractic Treatment - Treatment from a phoenix chiropractor may be extremely effective at reducing low back pain from facet arthritis.

6) Medial Branch Blocks - The nerve endings that supply sensation to the facet joints are called medial branches. They can be numbed with numbing and steroid medication placed into the area of the medial branches around each of the affected facet joints. As with facet injections, this may provide relief for months at a time.

7) Facet Blocks - These are injections of steroid and numbing medication placed directly into the facet joints for pain relief. They may give substantial pain relief for days, weeks, or months.

8) Radiofrequency Ablation - Termed RFA, this procedure involves thermal ablation, or burning, of the medial branches, which are the tiny nerve endings supplying sensation to the facet joints. This procedure is the most modern available for facet syndrome pain and may help with pain relief for 3-18 months.

9) Pain Medication - NSAIDS and pain medication may provide excellent pain relief on a daily or as needed basis with flare ups.

10) Bracing and TENS Unit - These may provide significant benefit with pain reduction for facet arthritis. TENS machines are available at your AZ pain doctors office.

How to Prevent Bad Back Pain

In order to understand how to prevent bad back pain, you must first know and understand what is causing it. The majority of back pain that many experience, is normally associated with an underlying problem with the sciatic nerve. However, there are some cases that are caused by over worked or sore muscles.

Since the majority of cases are due to sciatic nerve problems, here are some things to avoid, to prevent bad back pain.

1. Avoid carrying or lifting with your arms extended outward and in front of you away from the body.


2. When you are standing or sitting, avoid bending at the waist.


3. If possible avoid sitting for prolonged periods, if it is not possible, refrain from slouching.


4. Avoid lifting objects too heavy for you.


5. Avoid twisting repeatedly, or twisting repeatedly while holding a heavy object.


6. Weight lifting improperly such as, trying to jerk the weights up because they are too heavy for you.

Most problems with the sciatic nerve occur from improper lifting of heavy objects or twisting at the waist. When lifting heavy objects lift with the legs, do not use your back to lift. When twisting at the waist, whether standing or sitting, do it slowly, do not jerk the upper body around quickly.

Sitting for long periods can cause spinal decompression especially when you are sitting in a position where you are slouching or in some other improper position that causes the spine to arch forward. If you need to sit for extended periods, use some type of lumbar support pillow or cushion on your chair this can help keep you from slouching.

Exercise, ones designed to backward extend the spine, can help keep the discs and vertebrae in the lower spinal column in alignment. These are simple backward stretches done on a medicine ball, and believe it or not, if you are already experiencing bad back pain due to an underlying problem with the sciatic nerve, these stretches can help alleviate the pain.

If you are already a sufferer of sciatica or have problems with the discs in the lower back then, you should avoid high impact activities. Some of these activities would include, running, jogging, jumping, driving off the road, (mountain bike, dirt bike and atv's as well as any four-wheel drive vehicle) contact sports, winter-sports such as, skiing or sledding on uneven terrain, water sports such as, boating, water skiing, or jet skis in choppy waters.

High impact activities like the ones mentioned above, contribute to spinal decompression, and if you are already suffering from spinal decompression, you can make it more severe thus causing even more severe pain. If you suffer from, herniated discs, then these high impact activities can damage the discs further, and once again, worsen the pain you feel.

Statistics show that only about one in one hundred actually benefit from surgical procedures to repair damage to discs that are causing sciatic nerve pain, and also show that there is a chance that surgical procedures can also worsen the condition instead of helping it. So, all other avenues of treatment should be pursued before considering surgical procedures to correct lower back pain.

The Difference Between Evolutionary and Revolutionary Pain Management

Pain management has evolved substantially over the last 15 years. Completely new technology has come into existence but there has also been improvements on existing technology. This includes such things as new ways to do injections, new methods of spinal manipulations, along with new machines such as radiofrequency ablation.

When looking at the changes in pain relief treatments some have been evolutionary while others have been revolutionary. The difference is as follows. Evolutionary means you take an existing technology and changed it to make it better. Revolutionary technology are things that come along that did not exist before. If these work and provide excellent outcomes for patients in pain, then it is truly a revolutionary technology and can also be termed a "disruptive" technology.

Let's look at a few of the evolutionary technologies in pain management. Sixty years ago epidural injections first were invented. These were done as intra-laminar procedures and this technique still exists to this day. Results are over 75% excellent for patient relief and they can be great at avoiding surgery.

Over the last 10 years however, transforaminal epidural injections have become much more common and this evolution in technique has provided for the ability to place the steroid medication much closer to the area of the pinched nerve. So it's not a new technology, it just represents a nice improvement over the previous technique.

Another evolution in pain treatments is the type of medications that are used to provide pain relief. First is that there are steroids now that do not have as much of a particulate matter as before and this can decrease the incidence of complications. There are also some nonsteroidal medications that can be injected which represents another evolution in injections.

Another evolutionary technique in pain procedures has been spinal cord stimulators. The newest variations of spinal cord stimulators has been an improvement on the leads being placed so that better back pain reduction and leg pain relief can be achieved.

What it comes to revolutionary technology, the leader of the pack is radiofrequency ablation. This technology did not exist in pain management approximately 10 years ago. For the management of facet arthritis and other conditions, it has truly revolutionized the ability to gain long-term pain relief in patients.

It's been very exciting because until radiofrequency neurotomy nothing has existed that could give pain relief for longer than a few months which is what facets injections typically get for patients and then they need to be repeated. Radiofrequency procedures can give pain relief for up to 2 years.

Another revolutionary technology in pain management is spinal decompression therapy. This involves an intermittent computerized traction that is completely different than regular lumbar traction. Some may refer to it as an evolution, but it really does represent a revolutionary approach to treating these conditions.

It is important in pain treatments that we continue to achieve both evolutionary and revolutionary techniques. One of the most hyped revolutions will be when stem cell injections become mainstream as this is becoming the future of pain relief which is more regenerative in nature as opposed to just masking pain.

Many Back Specialists Recommend Spinal Decompression

Spinal decompression has been recently approved as a surgery free method to help cure skeletal disorders such as herniated discs that cause severe back pain and limit mobility. This therapy stretches the spinal column and removes undue pressure from injured discs and vertebrae and also treats facet joint syndrome. Those who have tried pain medications with little success might want to consider this recently approved treatment.

Many people with severe back pain have relied on pain relieving injections with moderate success but the effectiveness of injections, many believe, begins to diminish after repeated injections. Pain medications can prove to be effective but medications cause unwanted side effects and in some individuals cause dependency. Side effects can include nausea and dizziness and a feeling of lethargy in some medication users.

People with a history of drug dependency should refrain from using any type of narcotic pain medication because using such medication can cause a person to relapse. The term relapse refers to a person who has been free of addiction to resume the addiction. It is critical that a person who has a back problem, who has had a history of drug dependence, to find non medication methods of pain relief in order to avoid a relapse.

Many in the medical community believe that back surgery should be the last option because the risks involved in back surgery are high. It is interesting to note that as far as medical surgical techniques have evolved in the last one hundred years that back operations are still fraught with potential danger. The back is made up of delicate nerves, tendons, and ligaments and a slight error on the operating table can result in a major back handicap.

Many chiropractors practice spine realignment believing that many backaches are caused by a spinal column that is sending wrong messages from the nervous system to the vertebrae and back discs. Some patients benefit from spine realignment while others experience minimum pain relief from the procedure and return to pain medications. Chiropractic care has been shown to be effective when spine decompression is combined with other chiropractic treatments but not every chiropractor performs decompression treatment.

Many back specialists recommend treatments to help relieve the pressure on one or many pinched nerves in the spine. Many back specialists believe that this type of treatment will promote disc healing and enhance the structural integrity of the injured discs. Back specialists recommend pressure relieving treatments in order to increase motion and spine flexibility.

Many patients report that after their pressure relieving treatments that they can sleep more soundly and can resume a pre-injury lifestyle. Many back specialists support pressure relieving treatment because the specialists believe that the treatment helps restore connective tissue to pre-injury status. Many back specialists are optimistic about the advances in this particular type of back treatment.

There are those in the medical community who are seeing good results with spinal decompression which is a non surgical back healing technique. Many people use pain medication to control their back pain but pain medication is problematic. Pain medication can cause unwanted side effects and can cause dependency issues in some patients especially patients with a history of drug addiction. Spinal decompression, many back specialists believe, helps promote natural healing of the vertebrae, ligaments, and nerve endings.

How Unstable Surface Training Can Decrease Muscle Speed and Power

One growing trend in gyms across the country over the past decade has been training with weight while balancing on an unstable surface. The use of stability balls, Bosu balls, wobble boards, and the like has taken off as people have begun to make easy or difficult movements even more difficult. It is not uncommon to see people squatting with dumbbells while attempting to balance on a rubber ball. But it seems that few people have ever taken the time to ask themselves if such unstable surface training is effective in increasing sports or athletic performance.

The use of unstable surface training for upper body movements may have a lot of value. The arms and upper body is often not in contact with the ground or any solid surface, especially during athletic contests or games. For many contact sports such as football or basketball, having contact with a stable surface is more the exception. Having contact with an every changing surface such as a ball or another player is more often the rule in these activities. Thus, some types of unstable surface training for upper body strength may be a good idea for athletes and active people, and the use of stability balls and wobble boards to train the arms and shoulders may have benefits.

But should people ever do squats, lunges, or other lower body activities while attempting to balance on an unstable surface? Unless these people are often moving about during earthquakes while the ground is shaking beneath them, the typical position of the ground is fairly stable. And it is not necessary to use an unstable surface to train the stabilizing muscles of the legs -- single leg exercises can be much more difficult and challenge the stabilization of the body and legs. Thus, it seems to make sense to keep at least one leg on the stable ground when training.

Furthermore, the body has a natural tendency to adapt to whatever training stimulus it is given. It follows that training the legs on an unstable surface will train the body and mind to expect more instability during athletic competition due to this previous training. In fact, this can make the legs slower to react to stable surfaces if the lower body has been subjected to a lot of unstable surface training. Speed can decrease, and even power production of the muscles of the lower body may be compromised as a result of this type of training.

Training the stabilizer muscles of the body is important, but the correct type of training should be done. The upper body is much more receptive to unstable surface training, due to the fact that arms and hands are often forced to deal with unstable objects. Unstable surface training for the muscles of the lower body, however, may result in a decrease in athletic performance when the legs must be connected to the stable earth (as in almost every sport). Thus, the use of stability balls, wobble boards, and other such equipment has its place, but should not be used in ways that can actually decrease speed and power.

Top 7 Causes of Shin Splints and How to Stay Shin Splint Free Forever

Some runners get shin splints once or twice and other runners get shin splints again and again. Either way the pain can be intense and can stop you dead in your tracks. Understand the top seven causes of shin splints, discover recovery techniques and what you can do to stay shin splint free.

1. The Hard Truth

Avoid as much as possible running on hard surfaces like concrete. Running for long periods of time on hard surfaces can cause tiny micro-cracks in the two bones of the lower leg the fibula and the tibia, also called the shin bone. Repeated insult can turn these micro stress fractures into major problems that will end your training for a considerable time. If you have a stubborn history of shin splints this may be the root of the problem.

A qualified sports clinic can identify or rule out a stress fracture. X-rays can detect stress fractures, but not always. A sports clinic equipped with x-ray equipment can help diagnose detect the presence of stress fractures with x-rays or more sensitive diagnostics like a bone scan. Choose softer surfaces like dirt trails, grass, rubberized tracks, or sand and alternate running these surfaces.


2. Too Much Too Soon

Increasing your mileage too quickly can result in shin splints especially for beginning runners. To avoid injury and see the best results, beginning runners need to start slow, build up, and stick to it. A safe program for new runners is to your weekly mileage total by 5% every two weeks. The seasoned runner can increase mileage by 10% to 15% every two weeks. These are recommendations. Many factors determine the safe mileage increase percentage for you including your running history and style, along with your general health, weight and age.

No matter how long you have been running do not let stubbornness or ego get in the way of listening to your body. When you need to slow down or stop do it. Warm up and cool down properly.


3. Running In Circles

Going through the same routine the same way repeatedly can cause excessive stress and strain on the muscles and bones of the lower leg. Stress and strain can lead to more serious conditions the longer you continue the same routine. Change is good for your mindset and your body.

Variations in location, surface, duration are great ways to mix-up your running program. Add cross training activities like cycling and swimming to give your body a break from the routine. You will perform better and be less likely to develop an injury.


4. If The Shoe Fits

The typical running shoe has a life span of approximately 300-400 miles. Worn out shoes must be replaced. Factors affecting wear and tear of running shoes include your running style, weight, leg length differences and foot type. Visit a specialty running store where they have a podobaroscope, a glass surface with a mirror underneath, or where they do foot scans to determine your foot type. Arch determines foot type. Normal-arched runners are usually normal pronator, runners with flat feet are usually overpronate and high-arched runners are typically underpronate.

If you have high or low arches you may need prescription orthotics. Orthotics help to prevent abnormal internal rotation of the shin bone and the fibula. Rotation of the bone can cause torque stress to the attached calf muscles. The rotation and torque usually results in shin splint like symptoms and pain. Orthotics may help prevent shin splint occurrence in most athletes no matter the sport or activity.


5. Coral Your Calves

When you have shin splints, you feel pain along the inside-front part of the lower leg. Pain in this area is also called medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). An imbalance between the calf muscles on the back of the lower leg and the muscles on the front part of the lower leg is the most common cause for MTSS. Stronger calf muscles on the back of the lower leg dominate the weaker muscles on the front part of the lower leg. This happens when the muscles on the front part of the lower leg try to slow you down at heel strike and when they lift the toe off the ground. Pressure from the muscles on the back of the lower leg stresses the muscles on the front part of the lower leg where the muscle attaches to bone. The result is inflammation and pain along the inside-front part of the lower leg where the muscles on the front part of the lower leg attach to bone.

Physical therapy and exercises can help strengthen the muscles on the front part of the lower leg. Rapid toe taps are easy to do and quickly tone the muscles of the lower leg. To prevent shin splints, perform rapid toe taps in ten to fifteen minute sessions three to five times per day. Take care of yourself. Adequate rest periods that allow your body to recover from strenuous training must be incorporated into your routine. Warm up, cool down and be sure to stretch before training. Rest, stretch, and strengthen to say goodbye to shin splints forever.


6. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

If your calf muscles are extremely tight and full of knots this is the likely cause of your shin splints. Knots or adhesions bind up the calf muscles over time and shortening and tightening it. The short tight muscle contracts creating stress along the tibial ridge or edge of the shin bone.

You need to work out the knots in your calf and lengthen it again. Traditional massage therapy is more effective when ultrasound therapy is used first to help break up the knots. Ultrasound therapy working simultaneously with a premodulated current is one of the best catalysts for working through knots. A qualified sports doctor or chiropractor can administer this highly effective therapy. Muscle stripping and active stretch techniques are also effective therapies that remove adhesions, elongate the muscle, and then strengthen that muscle.


7. Take A Timeout

Poor recovery management causes many injuries in athletes at all levels. The drive to be better, faster, and stronger is part of successful training. Injuries pop up when your head takes over and you ignore messages from your body. When you ignore exhaustion and pain and continue running your form will suffer.

Take the time to get proper nutrition, stretch before and after training, sit in ice baths and visit a sports medicine clinic to begin a rapid and solid recovery. Keep up these good habits and be much less prone to future injuries. Take good care of yourself and your body will take care of you.