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Common Conditions
Back Pain & Neck Pain - The nerve-rich facet joints
on the back side of the spinal bone are a commoncause of back
pain. If these pairs of interlocking "fingers" aren't
moving right, they can cause painful symptoms. The discs between
the spinal bones can be a source of back pain, too. These
rings of fibroustissues act as spacers, connectors and "shock
absorbers" for the spine. Trauma can cause the soft,
pulpy material in the middle to bulge or herniate, putting
pressure on delicate nearby nerves. Once you know the cause,
you have several choices. One approach is bed rest. But research
shows that prolonged bed rest can actually delay recovery
and make the problem worse! Physical therapy is another option.
But exercising spinal joints that aren't working right is
like continuing to drive your car with misaligned tires! Another
choice is to numb or cover up the pain with drugs. While drugs
can offer temporary relief, they can't correct functional
problems of affected spinal joints. The most drastic measure
is surgery. A laminectomy cuts off the offending facet joints,
leaving the spinal chord exposed! A spinal fusion cuts out
the disc tissue and immobilize the joint. While there may
be times when surgery makes sense, it's expensive, risky and
more than half of all back surgeries fail. More and more people
are choosing chiropractic care first. Specific chiropractic
adjustments can help improve spinal function. Better yet,
chiropractic is safe. Chiropractic is natural. And chiropractic
looks to correct the underlying cause of the problem.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs
when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the
hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The median
nerve controls sensations to the palm side of the thumb and
fingers (although not the little finger), as well as impulses
to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and
thumb to move. The carpal tunnel - a narrow, rigid passageway
of ligament and bones at the base of the hand ¾ houses
the median nerve and tendons. Sometimes, thickening from irritated
tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and causes the
median nerve to be compressed. The result may be pain, weakness,
or numbness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm. Although
painful sensations may indicate other conditions, carpal tunnel
syndrome is the most common and widely known of the entrapment
neuropathies in which the body's peripheral nerves are compressed
or traumatized.
 Disc
problems - The symptoms of a damaged disc can vary according
to its location and severity, but general signs include:
· Severe, localised pain.
· Pain radiating down the legs.
· Worsening pain associated with bending over or sitting
down for a long time.
· Worsening pain associated with activities like coughing
or sneezing.
· Numbness or pins and needles in an arm or leg.
Risk factors - Some people are more susceptible to
disc problems than others. Risk factors include:
Obesity
Poor muscle tone
Lack of regular exercise
Cigarette smoking
Advancing age
Poor posture
Incorrect lifting techniques.
Degenerative disc disease
The discs of a young child are plump, but the water content
reduces with age until the discs are comparatively thin and
hard. Bony growths called bone spurs may develop around the
discs. In many cases, these age-related changes cause no problems,
but some people experience a painful condition called degenerative
disc disease. The most common symptom is back pain caused
by holding the same position (either sitting or standing)
for too long.
Ruptured disc
The term 'slipped disc' suggests that a disc has moved out
of position; however, this is not correct. The discs are held
firmly in place by various structures (including ligaments,
muscles and the vertebrae themselves), so the term 'slipped
disc' is misleading. Terms like 'ruptured', 'herniated' or
'prolapsed' describe the situation better. A crack in the
tough outer shell of the disc allows the soft jelly-like contents
to ooze out. The most common site for a ruptured disc is the
lower back, and chronic lower backache is the usual symptom.
As we get older, the risk of rupturing a disc declines, simply
because the discs dry out and the contents are less able to
ooze through any cracks.
Sciatica
Sciatica is nerve pain from the sciatic nerve that runs from
the spine into the buttock and down the back of the leg. A
common cause of sciatica is a ruptured disc. The spinal cord
has room to slide up and down inside the spinal column whenever
the body moves. However, a bulging disc can protrude into
the spinal column and press against the spinal cord, hampering
its movement and causing pain.
Scoliosis - Everyone's spine has natural curves. These
curves round our shoulders and make our lower back curve slightly
inward. But some people have spines that also curve from side
to side. Unlike poor posture, these curves can't be corrected
simply by learning to stand up straight.
This condition of side-to-side spinal curves is called scoliosis.
On an X-ray, the spine of an individual with scoliosis looks
more like an "S" or a "C" than a straight
line. Some of the bones in a scoliotic spine also may have
rotated slightly, making the person's waist or shoulders appear
uneven. Scoliosis affects a small percentage of the population,
approximately 2 percent. However, scoliosis runs in families.
If someone in a family has scoliosis, the likelihood of an
incidence is much higher - approximately 20 percent. If anyone
in your family has curvature of the spine, you should be examined
for scoliosis.
Children - The vast majority of scoliosis is "idiopathic,"
meaning its cause is unknown. It usually develops in middle
or late childhood, before puberty, and is seen more often
in girls than boys. Though scoliosis can occur in children
with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spinal bifida and
other miscellaneous conditions, most scoliosis is found in
otherwise healthy youngsters.
Adults - Scoliosis usually develops during childhood, but
it also can occur in adults. Adult scoliosis may represent
the progression of a condition that actually began in childhood,
and was not diagnosed or treated while the person was still
growing. What might have started out as a slight or moderate
curve has progressed in the absence of treatment.
In other instances, adult scoliosis can be caused by the degenerative
changes of the spine. Other spinal deformities such as kyphosis
or round back are associated with the common problem of osteoporosis
(bone softening) involving the elderly. As more and more people
reach old age in the U.S., the incidence of scoliosis and
kyphosis is expected to increase.
If allowed to progress, in severe cases adult scoliosis can
lead to chronic severe back pain, deformity, and difficulty
in breathing.
Migraines - Painful, throbbing headaches that last
from 4 to 72 hours. When you have a migraine, it may be
so painful that you are not able to follow your normal routine
or do your usual activities. But even though they make you
feel bad, migraines do not cause long-term damage.
Migraines are a disease. You cannot just "will them
away." Talk to your doctor about your migraines. There
are treatments that can help you manage them.
Study published in the February 2000 issue of the Journal
of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, (JMPT),
showed that people suffering with migraine headaches were
helped with chiropractic care. The study was conducted in
Australia at the Chiropractic Research Center of Macquarie
University. In this research 177 volunteers were studied
who had migraine headaches for over 18 years on average.
Many of the participants also suffered from neck pain.
Anxiety and Stress - Frequently attack the weak
spots of the spine, and it is the spine that can cause general
muscular tension, headaches, migraine, neck pain and back
pain. This pain can then aggravate the stress and anxiety
and so chiropractic treatment is aimed at relieving any
physical complaints which will in turn help with the mental
conditions.
Whiplash - A term used to describe neck pain following
an injury to the soft tissues of your neck (specifically
ligaments, tendons, and muscles). It is caused by an accidental
motion or force applied to your neck that results in movement
beyond the neck's normal range of motion.
Whiplash happens in motor vehicle accidents, sporting
activities, accidental falls, and assault.
The term whiplash was first used in 1928, and despite its
replacement by synonyms (such as acceleration flexion-extension
neck injury and soft tissue cervical hyperextension injury),
it continues to be used to describe this common soft tissue
neck injury. Your doctor may use the more specific terms of
cervical sprain, cervical strain, or hyperextension injury.
TMJ - The letters, TMJ, are a commonly used abbreviation
of the words temporo-mandibular joint. This is the joint
that is found in front of the ear and connects the jawbone
to the skull. Proper function of the TMJ is dependent on
the maintenance of healthy teeth with a properly balanced
bite. A TMJ that is not working properly may cause problems
in one's general health. Though the term "TMJ"
specifically relates to the jaw joint, it is often used
as a generic term to describe dysfunction of the jaw muscles
and associated problems as described below.
Asthma - a chronic disease that affects your airways.
The airways are the tubes that carry air in and out of your
lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways
are inflamed. The inflammation makes the airways very sensitive,
and they tend to react strongly to things that you are allergic
to or find irritating. When the airways react, they get
narrower, and less air flows through to your lung tissue.
A study published in the November / December 2000 issue
of Today's Chiropractic gives some insight into the use
of chiropractic in combating asthma. Forty seven patients
were observed for a two year period. They had been medically
diagnosed with persistent asthma ranging from mild persistent
in 11 cases, moderate persistent in 28 cases, to severe
persistent in 8 cases. The care rendered consisted of specific
chiropractic adjustments. The range of visits was from 14
to 44, with the average being 26 during the study period.
All 47 of the study patients showed "a marked improvement
ranging from 87 to 100 percent." Their symptoms improved
as well as a decrease in their usage of acute asthma attack
medication. Even more impressive was the facts that all
of the patients in the study reported maintaining their
improvement after a two-year follow up.
Infertility -
Stenosis -
Digestive problems:
Constipation
IBS
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