Are you experiencing pain along one side of your body from your lower back down through your hip and the back of your leg? If so, you could be suffering from a condition called sciatica. According to the Mayo Clinic, sciatica can best be described as "most commonly occurring when a herniated disk or a bone spur on the spine compresses part of the nerve. This causes inflammation, pain and often some numbness in the affected leg." A variety of issues weigh in on an individual's likelihood of ending up with sciatica. Most of them deal with increased pressure on the spine. Obesity: carrying too much weight is instrumental in bringing on a number of health related issues. Extra pounds overload the spine, causing damage that results in sciatica. Improper lifting: Individuals who frequently twist the bodies and lift heavy loads are more likely to suffer from sciatica. Certain jobs that require these movements are a key cause of the condition. Sedentary lifestyle. A person's job does not have to involve lifting to be responsible for this condition. Sitting for extended periods without stretching or standing puts excess pressure on the spine and can cause sciatica. Too many birthdays. Getting older can affect all of our body's joints and bones in a negative manner, especially if we never committed to an exercise routing. An individual's back often deteriorates with age, causing bone spurs and herniated disks that sometimes result in sciatica. Treatment options for sciatica are varied, and the choice depends on the severity of the condition. Pain medication: A common and easy way to treat sciatica is with drug therapy. Anti-inflammatory drugs are frequently used to reduce the inflammation around the nerve, which is a big contributor of the pain. Over-the-counter pain medicines, as well as codeine, may also help with pain management.</p> Acupuncture. Alternative therapies like acupuncture have shown positive results in the treatment of sciatica. If a drug-free treatment option appeals to you, find an experienced acupuncturist in your area and talk to them about treatment options. Strengthening exercises. A consistent exercise program strengthens your muscles and helps the body function effectively. Ask your doctor which exercises assist the body with bouncing back from sciatica. Supplements. Supplying the body with vital vitamins and minerals assists in overall health in general, including improvement from sciatica. Daily doses of supplements such as calcium, magnesium, St. John's Wort, and Vitamin B12 have shown to treat sciatica effectively. Chiropractic care. Chiropractors understand all things spine-related, and work with the body as a whole to help it heal itself. Chiropractic treatment for sciatica works to align the spine and reduce the stress to the lower back. Treatment helps alleviate the underlying causes of the condition, and shows positive results in a short amount of time. Cortisone injections. Most of the time, sciatica can be treated by the less invasive measures mentioned above. However, severe bouts of sciatica may require a shot of cortisone directly into the inflamed area. Individuals generally choose this option when other treatments have garnered no relief. Dealing with sciatica is painful and irritating, as the condition often sidelines the sufferer from daily activities. By knowing the treatment options that are effective in combating both the underlying causes and the pain of sciatica, sufferers can begin a regimen that will help them get back on their feet, pain-free in the shortest period of time possible. If you are suffering from sciatica and would like to talk to an experienced chiropractor about how to treat the condition, contact us today. We all know and understand the importance of maintaining a healthy weight. Some individuals do quite nicely at managing their pounds with seemingly little effort, while other struggle constantly. A recent study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 78 million American adults suffer from obesity. A person who has sustained an injury or suffers from an illness that affects their back, hips, knees or ankles are especially susceptible to weight gain, because they must deal with limited mobility and the stress of daily pain. Striving to stay in the ideal weight range for your body type and height provides a variety of health benefits such as adding less pressure on your back and joints, and increasing your range of motion. Patients who receive chiropractic care often enjoy increased healing by pursuing weight loss. Successfully fight the battle of the bulge with these four handy weight loss tips. First, start small Replace a couple of negative behaviors with positive ones, and commit to making them stick. Great examples of these are substituting water for soft drinks, eating a high-protein breakfast, or changing out your nightly bowl of ice cream with yogurt. Simply removing 100 calories a day adds up to a 10 pound weight loss over a year's time. Small modifications offer the dual benefits of being easier to implement while still showing results. Next, keep a journal Write down every bite you eat along with the portion size. Listing your food intake provides accountability, which may keep you from noshing on that third slice of pizza or super-sizing those fries. It also arms you with important intel that will be helpful throughout your weight loss journey. If you hit a plateau, read back through the journal to see what you may have changed over time that caused the scales to stall. And speaking of scales.... Don't live and cry by the scales Often, dieters weigh every day and are elated or depressed based on the number on the scales. That's a roller coaster way to live, and those emotions can cause calorie laden binges! Plus, daily weighing is not accurate, as fluctuations in water weight are common. Weigh once a week at the most, at roughly the same time each day. A weekly routine gives you a good idea of your success without the stressful up and down of daily weighing. Decrease your sedentary ways Even if you are dealing with an injury or medical condition that limits the ability to exercise, you can still probably be less sedentary than you are now. Again, simplicity is the key. Walk into the bank instead of using the drive through window, stand up to fold clothes instead of sitting down, and take periodic breaks at your desk to stand for a bit. Ask your chiropractor about any limitations you need to follow, and request stretching exercises as your personal situation permits. Moving more on a daily basis will aid in shedding those extra pounds and keeping them off long-term. It's important for individuals to maintain a normal weight range in order to enjoy a healthy life. Chiropractic patients benefit even more from shedding those extra pounds. By committing to a healthier lifestyle with fewer pounds to carry around, individuals with back and joint injuries will see greater positive impact from their chiropractic visits. Over time, the combination of a leaner body and chiropractic care will bring greater mobility, less pain, and a decreased chance for re-injury to the patient. "Mom, it hurts. It hurts!" Parents of children suffering from ear infections are all too familiar with this cry. Tugging at their ears, crying, and trouble sleeping are all signs of an ear infection in your little one. Children are more susceptible to ear infections than adults because of their smaller Eustachian tubes, and their less effective immune systems. Unfortunately, chronic ear infections can quickly become a painful, ongoing problem. Parents have a variety of options at their disposal to treat their child's ear infections. Drops, antibiotics, and ventilation tubes placed by surgical procedure are all commonly used treatments for chronic infections. Chiropractic care is another option available and is rapidly gaining acceptance and popularity for the effective treatment of ear infections. According to HealthyChild.com, ear infections are the reason for 35% of pediatrician visits, and ear pain is the number one reason a child visits a chiropractor. Children who suffer from recurring ear infections benefit from chiropractic care in several ways that are not available through other, more traditional forms of treatment. Here are a few of the benefits chiropractic care offer for ear infections are: It is non-invasive Unlike the surgical procedure that is often used to combat ear infections by inserting tubes in the child's ears, chiropractic adjustments provide a non-invasive form of treatment. This treatment option works well because a little one's spine may be moved out of alignment from the birthing process, or from any number of spills he or she makes learning to walk, run, or navigate stairs. An experienced chiropractor can map out a treatment plan that includes gentle adjustments of the child's neck and spine. The goal is to decrease fluid build up within the ear canals that bring on ear infections and pain. It is a painless option of treatment The last thing parents want in any medical treatment is to cause their child more pain. A negative experience at a doctor's office can create a fear that lasts for years to come. Children with ear infections have nothing to fear from visiting a chiropractor. During a chiropractic visit, the child will participate in adjustments that are pain free. The treatments will be able to reduce the pain in a short amount of time in many instances, and reduce the chance of dealing with another ear infection down the road. It treats the underlying cause Other options of treatment may decrease the symptoms of an ear infection, but never get to the actual root issue. Chiropractic care strives to return the body in its entirety to its normal function. This is the main building block concept for chiropractic in general. By re-aligning the spine, the body as a whole can be healthier and more resistant to infection and disease. Chiropractic care helps adjust the child's body back to a normal state, thus providing a way for it to heal itself and fight off future ear (and other) infections better than simply using drops and antibiotics. If your child is susceptible to ear infections, there are steps you can take to minimize the chances of an occurrence in the first place. Frequent hand washing to prevent the spread of germs and avoiding cigarette smoke are two simple ways to combat ear infections. Chiropractic treatment continues to show promise in treating the underlying issues that cause a child to suffer from ear infections. If you are looking for a treatment that is pain free, not intimidating to the child, and an alternative to invasive surgery, enlisting the help of a chiropractor is a fantastic option. So if your child is experiencing chronic ear infections, give me a call. I'm here to help! A small muscle located deep in the buttocks, the piriformis muscle performs the essential function of rotating the leg outwards. Piriformis Syndrome is a painful condition that occurs when the piriformis muscle is tight and intrudes upon the sciatic nerve in the buttocks. Causing pain and tenderness and sometimes numbness in the buttocks, piriformis syndrome pain may also radiate down the sufferer's leg, and in some cases, even into the calf. There are two commonly identifiable potential causes for piriformis syndrome. One is sitting for prolonged periods of time, which can cause tightening of the muscle. The second cause is an injury to the buttocks, either by a fall, an accident, or a sports injury. Trauma causes the piriformis muscle to swell and irritate the sciatic nerve. Spasms can also cause piriformis syndrome, however, the underlying cause of the spasms frequently remains unknown. Unfortunately, once an individual has suffered from piriformis syndrome, the condition can recur periodically, usually brought on by too much exercise or sitting for a long time without stretching. Whatever the initial cause, piriformis syndrome treatment options are vital in relieving the painful symptoms and healing the condition. These four treatment options are frequently used to treat piriformis syndrome. Medication. Over-the-counter or prescribed pain medicines, anti-inflammatory drugs, or muscle relaxers frequently serve to reduce the pain from piriformis syndrome. A doctor may also inject medicine directly into the piriformis muscle to improve the condition. Heat. A common way to relax tight muscles is to apply heat. Piriformis syndrome sufferers may find relief from painful symptoms by periodically applying heat directly to the tender area. Heat therapy may relieve the tightness of the muscle and promote healing of the entire area. However, it's important to avoid treating the muscle with heat if there is a chance the muscle may be torn. Exercise. The overall cause of the condition is a tight piriformis muscle, so it stands to reason a proper exercise regimen will loosen the muscle and alleviate the symptoms associated with piriformis syndrome. A doctor can prescribe the correct exercises to stretch and subsequently strengthen the muscles and the body's other muscles. A strong body will reduce the chances of the issue recurring down the road. Hands on therapy. Used with other types of treatment or on their own, these types of therapies are popular because of their effectiveness, as well as the fact they are drug-free ways to gain relief from the pain. Massage is a commonly used therapy for piriformis syndrome, as it helps increase blood flow to the area. The massage therapist can manipulate the area to relieve the tightness of the muscle. Another hands on therapy that produces positive results is chiropractic care. Chiropractors view the body in its entirety, and will often treat other parts of the body, such as a foot or leg, in order to improve the condition of the piriformis muscle. They may also utilize a regimen of pelvic and spinal adjustments along with joint manipulation and stretching to loosen up the muscle and help heal the afflicted area. As stated earlier, once the condition has been controlled and the area has healed, it's vital to take precautions to avoid re-aggravating the area. Proper stretching before exercise, periodic breaks when sitting, and maintaining spinal and pelvic alignment will increase an individual's chances of living free of the pain of piriformis syndrome in the future. If you have a question about how chiropractic care can help with the symptoms of piriformis syndrome, or other health conditions, contact us today. |
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June 2018
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