Neel Anand, MD demystifies common myths about back pain. Dr. Anand is the Director of Orthopedic Spine Surgery at the Cedars-Sinai Institute for Spinal Disorders in Los Angeles.
Your mother wasn�t entirely incorrect; hunching your back can definitely be bad for your spine. Nevertheless, the reverse is true also. Sitting up straight for too long without a rest may also add stress to the structures of the spine. Be sure to stand up, stretch, and take a quick walk several times a day to help you from developing complications which can lead to injury.
Conversely, a mattress that is too soft could lack the support necessary to allow appropriate movements. Studies reveal that the medium-firm mattress offers an ideal level of support to help prevent additional injury.
Exercise Behind Back Pain
A survey by the North American Spine Society revealed this as the number one misconception. Of course, in the event that you aren�t energetic all week and you participate in a strenuous activity soon after, you could readily experience injury. It’s possible for you to help prevent back pain by preparing your body for especially more intense work outs and the shock of everyday motions before engaging in physical activity with stretches and warm-up exercises to greatly help wake up muscle tissue. (Take a cue from professional sportsmen who factor stretching and warm ups within their daily routine.) By strengthening your core and torso, you strengthen your back. That means exercises focused on strengthening back muscles and your stomach together with cardio to improve your total fitness.
Other Causes for Back Pain
Getting older doesn�t mean life needs to be debilitating. While there are aches and pains which occur naturally with age, remaining physically fit through exercise helps keep our bodies strong, flexible and limber, making them extremely beneficial to your overall health and wellness. There are so many exercise options to try including Tai Chi, Pilates, yoga and other treatment options that range from acupuncture to complex treatment alternatives, surgical and nonsurgical, to physical therapy. The bottom line is, back pain is not something you should have to live with.
Back pain sufferers often claim that an improper twist caused their injury. However, that occasion was probably the end result of a great many other variables. Overdoing a workout, while lifting heavy things, using poor techniques, bad posture and particularly weight gain can all place strain on the spine and lead to seemingly �out of nowhere � spasms. Occasionally the issue is more serious, as with joint and disc disorders and injuries.
There are few things as relaxing as sinking into a warm tub, but after injuring your back, doing so could really make your situation worse by increasing inflammation. Healthcare specialists recommend applying ice to the affected region for 20 minutes at a time for the initial two or three days in order to be able to decrease pain and inflammation. Individuals who suffer with chronic back pain and who do not experience inflammation can find relief with a warm bathtub. Play it safe and check with your healthcare professional for the best treatment option.
Most people will experience some form of back pain in their life, but the majority will find relief through simple lifestyle changes such as exercise, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines, physical therapy, or even simply by waiting it out. In fact, spine surgery is only recommended to a small percentage of patients after all other methods of treatment have proven futile. These patients frequently suffer from joint issues that cause persistent pain or degenerative back issues. Whether you comprehend the source of your back pain or not, a fear of movement shouldn’t ever prevent you from living.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Weight Loss Eases Back Pain
Back pain and symptoms of sciatica can affect a majority of the population throughout their lifetime. Research studies have demonstrated that people who are overweight or obese experience more back complications than people with a healthy weight. A proper nutrition along with regular physical fitness can help with weight loss as well as help maintain a healthy weight to eliminate symptoms of back pain and sciatica. Chiropractic care is also another natural form of treatment which treats back pain and sciatica utilizing manual spinal adjustments and manipulations.
Chronic low back pain can be a challenge to treat, but new research suggests that massage therapy may provide some relief.
“Current medical guidelines actually recommend massage therapy prior to the use of opioid medications for lower back pain,” explained William Elder, the study’s principle investigator.
“Yet even with those guidelines, physicians and nurse practitioners are not recommending massage therapy,” said Elder. He’s with the University of Kentucky’s departments of family and community medicine and clinical services.
Low back pain is a common problem, and for most people, it’s short-lived. But for about 15 percent of people with low back pain, the problem becomes chronic and lasts more than three months, the study authors said.
There aren’t a lot of effective treatment options for chronic back pain, and physicians often prescribe opioid painkillers such as OxyContin or Percocet to ease the pain. But those drugs come with a risk of addiction.
Other possible treatments include exercise, steroid injections, behavior changes, chiropractic, acupuncture and surgery, according to the U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
The new study sought to simulate real-world back pain and treatment. Researchers asked physicians to recommend massage for people with chronic back pain.
Just over 100 study volunteers were then paired with an approved, experienced massage therapist in their area who assessed the problem and created a treatment plan. The study participants received 10 treatments, which they set up directly with their therapist.
More than half of the participants had less pain after 12 weeks and many continued to report reduced pain after three months.
The research also showed that massage therapy worked better with patients aged 50 years and older, although younger people benefited, too.
“These results are exciting because it shows that most doctors can refer their patients for massage as a treatment. It’s applicable to the real world,” said Elder.
“Some medical providers have taken interest in massage, but most don’t know which type would be helpful. We learned that just referring the patient to a massage therapist and letting them work to select the therapy is effective,” he added.
Dr. Anders Cohen, the neurosurgery division chief at The Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City, recommends massage therapy to his patients as part of what he calls a comprehensive treatment plan.
“Massage is great way to break up adhesions and is great for soft tissue,” Cohen said. “If the back pain is a soft tissue issue, such as muscles and ligaments, it works great. Plus, there is the bonus of therapeutic touch.”
Patients in the study received the massage therapy free of charge. But, cost could also explain why some physicians recommend opioids instead. Cohen noted that massage prices vary, and may not be covered under some insurance plans.
Study co-author Niki Munk is a licensed massage therapist who’s with the Indiana University School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. She said the researchers saw that massage needs to occur regularly when someone begins treatment to reduce the pain.
Munk added that more research is needed on the ideal pain maintenance schedule. But the study authors think that once a level of comfort has been achieved, people can continue to manage their back pain through regular massage therapy on a schedule that fits their needs, such as once a month or every other month.
Munk also noted that selecting the right therapist is important.
“Look for a masseuse that you can establish a therapeutic relationship with over time,” she recommended.
“Chronic low back pain is a complex issue that can’t be cured from just a one-hour massage. Find a therapeutic massage clinic and ask questions about the therapist, such as their initial training and continuing education. Also, make sure that the therapist sets up a treatment plan that will work for you,” Munk said.
The study was published online recently in the journal Pain Medicine.
Many are confused about the benefits and value of chiropractic treatment. According to Dr. Billy DeMoss, a chiropractor with a practice in Newport Beach, who believes chiropractic is vastly underutilized.
He�s also the founder Cal Jam, one of the largest chiropractic teaching events in the world. I will have the privilege of speaking there later this year. Many will only consider chiropractic when they have back or neck pain, but its scope actually goes far beyond that.
�I try to get people to understand that your nervous system and your brain control every function of your body,� he says.
�When we have a condition in chiropractic we call subluxation, which is misalignment or dysfunction in the spine as far as mobility is concerned, it can cause nerve interference, which will interfere with the expression of intelligence that flows over the spinal cord and nerves.
It can contribute not only causing pain that most people perceive as a chiropractic problem but also can cause organs not to function 100 percent.�
Chiropractic as Preventive Medicine
Research by Dr. Dean Harrison and others suggests chiropractic treatments can help prevent progressive spinal degeneration, i.e. osteoarthritis or disc disease. Just like regular dental care will prolong the useful life of your teeth, getting regular chiropractic treatments can do the same for your spine.
Your spinal column, the vertebrae, and the discs, also protect your most delicate and important system � your nervous system � and impingements can contribute to a number of health problems and ailments.
According to DeMoss, anything you do to protect and nurture our spine will promote �greater expression of nerve intelligence� and �a higher vibrancy in health.�
�Healthcare is really about doing everything you can to get the body back in alignment, not only chemically but also spiritually and mentally.
Where I think chiropractic shines is that we address the cause of the problem. Somebody might have high blood pressure. Their high blood pressure is not due to the fact that they [lack] high blood pressure medication.
Your child might have asthma, but it�s not because he�s got a shortage of albuterol; an ear infection is not a shortage of amoxicillin. Those things have their place in a crisis situation. But [chiropractors] don�t look at the symptoms; we look at what caused the symptoms.
Many times if there�s nerve interference lowering the expression and function of organs, it can contribute to the body not functioning at 100 percent, which leaves it more susceptible to, as we in chiropractic say, �Dis-Ease� and then the body becomes sick or symptomatic.
What we like to do is look at the individual holistically and see what�s going on with their nervous system. �
A Brief History of Chiropractic
Osteopathic medicine was founded by Andrew Taylor Still about 140 years ago. As many of you know I�m a doctor of osteopathy (DO). DOs, like chiropractors, receive extensive additional training in spinal adjustments.
However, in my experience, only a small percentage of DOs are really skilled in this area as they have chosen a more conventional allopathic model, which includes more of an emphasis on drugs and surgery rather than diet and lifestyle changes.
Daniel David �D.D.� Palmer is considered the father of chiropractic. He opened the first chiropractic school in 1897. In 1910, the Flexner Report, which was funded by the Carnegie and the Rockefeller Foundations, set a new tone for medicine and led to the systematic undermining of natural medicine.
In the �60s, there was a persistent tendency to suppress physicians from referring patients to chiropractors � so much so that Dr. Chester Wilk ended up filing an antitrust suit against the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1976.
The lawsuit dragged on for more than a decade, but Wilk was ultimately successful. In 1987, the court ruled that the AMA had engaged in an unlawful conspiracy in restraint of trade to contain and eliminate the chiropractic profession.
How Children Can Benefit From Chiropractic
A large portion of DeMoss� patients are children. They don�t come in for pain issues, but rather your typical childhood problems such as earaches, allergies, and asthma, for example.
�Children are healing machines. As long as you get things properly lined up, their metabolism and capacity to heal is in there,� he says. �Sometimes you need to do more than cleaning up the diet and adjusting it.
Sometimes they need to be detoxified, whether it was from some type of possible toxic vaccine or from eating toxic foods. You�ve got glyphosate from GMOs �. preservatives � food colorings and additives � bromines.
You�ve got all these different things that can contribute to lowering the vibration of that patient�s healing potential, i.e. children �
It�s sad because I�ll see kids that come to me and it�s the same story over and over. It�s like, �He�s on his 12th round of antibiotics,� and I�m thinking to myself, �Why would you continue to do something if it didn�t work the first, second, third, or even fourth time? Why do you keep doing it?�
I�ve never taken an antibiotic. I�m fortunate. I wouldn�t take it unless I was on my death bed. The microbiome has become a hot topic lately. I�ve always known about that � When you just indiscriminately use an antibiotic � you�re destroying part of your � immune function.
The more antibiotics these kids take, the weaker their immune systems and the worse the symptoms get. That�s what I do as a chiropractor. I�m really good about adjusting. But I�m really an articulate teacher. I make it so that people can understand it.�
Not All Chiropractors Have the Same Philosophy
According to DeMoss, �chiropractic is like brushing your teeth;� it�s something you need to do on a regular basis to maintain the life of your spine, because regular activities, such as chronic sitting, can contribute to its functioning less than optimally. Granted, some chiropractors focus primarily on pain and injuries, and do not have the full skill set required to address issues like allergies or disease. So it�s important to make sure the chiropractor you choose has the appropriate vitalistic philosophy.
Most of DeMoss� patients come to him via word of mouth, and this is perhaps one of the best ways to find a good wellness chiropractor. You may also want to find out if he or she is trained in any other treatment modalities, such as muscle testing, applied kinesiology, or neuroemotional technique (NET). There are literally dozens of different techniques that can have a profound impact on addressing the bioenergetic component of disease, not just the structural.
Ask your friends for a recommendation. A friend who knows both you and the chiropractor may be able to judge whether your health philosophies and personalities are compatible.
Meet the doctor. Many chiropractors will agree to a no-cost consultation to determine whether you are a good match. To make this visit as productive as possible, here are a few things to consider:
1.Does the practice focus on vertebral subluxation and wellness? Physical, biochemical, and psychological stress may result in spinal subluxations that disrupt nerve function and compromise your health. If you�re looking for a wellness chiropractor, it�s essential that this be the focus.
Some chiropractors confine their practice to the mechanical treatment of back and neck pain, and this is something you need to be aware of beforehand.
2.Does the doctor �walk the talk�? If he or she is overweight, looks unhealthy, or does not live a healthy lifestyle, this speaks volumes regarding their commitment to wellness.
3.Do the two of you �click�? Do you like each other? Do you communicate well? Avoid a doctor who seems rushed, talks down to you, or seems disinterested in listening to your concerns.
4.Does the doctor use objective assessments of nerve function? Since your care is not based just on addressing pain, your chiropractor should be using some form of objective assessment of your nerve function, as spinal subluxations can sometimes be asymptomatic.
Non-invasive instruments that measure the electrical activity in your muscles, and/or a thermal scanner that evaluates the function of your autonomic nervous system can be used, for example.
5.What treatment techniques are used? Chiropractic techniques include low-force adjustments by hand, and more forceful adjustments using instruments. Ask which technique would be used on you, and if you have a preference, make sure the doctor is willing to use it.
As mentioned earlier, many chiropractors are also trained in other complementary techniques, so ask what else your doctor may have in his or her tool bag.
Chiropractic Is Good for More Than Just Pain
According to DeMoss, if you�re not healthy, chiropractic can often address the epigenetic and bioenergetic underpinnings. Naturally, diet and lifestyle play major roles, and DeMoss addresses all of those areas with his patients as well. To give you an example of what he�s talking about, a patient DeMoss has treated for 20 years told him about his daughter-in-law�s infertility problem.
She�d been trying to get pregnant for two and a half years, and they�d spent about $75,000 on infertility treatments, without any success.
�I said, �Gary, why didn�t you refer them here?� It doesn�t make sense to put the bun in the oven if the oven is not working. He didn�t think there was any correlation between her back and her capacity to become pregnant. I said, �I�m so confident, you don�t have to pay me until she becomes pregnant.� So he sent her in.
She was in her 10th week of care here when she became pregnant. He came in the other day and said, �OK. I owe you now.� He wrote me a nice check.
I want people to understand that when something�s not working in your body, there are things that we can do to make it work, other than drugs and surgery. It�s so sad that people have this limited belief set on what chiropractic is about. It�s more than just you coming in and seeing us as a Band-Aid to get rid of your pain.
In reality, I want people to come and utilize chiropractic to maximize their expression of life and maximize not only the quality but the quantity of the life that God have intended for them.�
Many people are exposed to dangerously loud sounds at work and at play, and most of them don’t wear ear plugs or take other steps to prevent hearing loss, a recent U.S. study suggests.
Almost 49 million adults work in very noisy conditions, and more than one-third of them never use hearing protection, the study found. Among leisure pursuits, firearms pose a particular risk and just 59 percent of the 35 million U.S. gun users represented in the study wear hearing protection all the time.
“The problem here is both the number of people using firearms and the potential noise-inducing hearing loss from the repeated gunfire,” said senior study author Dr. Neil Bhattacharyya of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
“A rifle has an extremely loud single burst of sound and if you are firing hundreds of rounds, that can be very damaging, particularly without hearing protection,” Bhattacharyya said by email.
To assess how often U.S. adults are exposed to loud noise and how regularly they take steps to protect against hearing loss, researchers examined 2014 survey data representing 240 million people.
Overall, 22 percent were exposed to “very loud” sounds at work requiring them to shout to be heard at arm’s length. The exposures were for at least four hours a day, several days a week.
Roughly one in five people were exposed to loud sounds outside of work, and 62 percent of them didn’t use hearing protection, researchers report in The Laryngoscope.
With firearms, researchers found that one in five people who shot more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition in the past year never used hearing protection. Most of the firearm-related noise exposure came during recreational shooting.
Lawn mowers were the most common source of non-occupational noise exposure.
Almost two-thirds of people around loud noises during recreational activities never used any hearing protection.
One limitation of the study is that it only included one year of survey data, the authors note. It also didn’t have medical records to document specific hearing or health problems associated with noise.
“Untreated hearing loss is associated with increased stress, depression and social withdrawal, and may exacerbate problems for those with cognitive changes such as dementia,” said Dr. Jennifer Derebery of the House Ear Clinic and Institute and the University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine.
If people aren’t sure whether the noise around them is loud enough to damage their ears, they can get a sound meter app for their phone and use ear plugs or other protection whenever the app shows the sound is too loud, Derebery, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.
And there are good options for people to wear when they still need to hear the sounds around them, a concern for many hunters and concert goers.
“There are outstanding electronic ear muff and ear plug options that solve many of the complaints that recreational shooters and hunters have related to conventional hearing protection,” said Colleen Le Prell, an audiology researcher at the University of Texas at Dallas who wasn’t involved in the study.
“They allow quiet sounds, such as speech and sounds the hunter might be making as they walk, to be not only delivered but amplified, which can be very useful with someone who already has some hearing loss,” Le Prell said by email. “Hearing loss can be prevented, with the consistent and correct use of hearing protection devices.”
Modern chiropractic started in the late 1800s when Daniel David Palmer, a self-educated teacher and healer, performed the very first spinal manipulation on a patient. Chiropractic is the third largest area of medicine today. The word chiropractic comes from Greek words meaning “treatment by hand”, which is exactly what chiropractors do�they use their hands to manipulate the body and promote healing and wellness.
The chiropractic philosophy is dependant on the following belief statements:
All bodily functions are connected as well as the healing process requires the entire body.
A healthy nervous system, especially the spine, is the important thing to your healthier body. The spinal cord carries advice throughout the body and is accountable for many bodily functions including voluntary movements (such as walking) and involuntary functions (like respiration). When the systems of the body have been in equilibrium, it is called homeostasis. Disorders of the bones, muscles, and nerves increase the risk of disorder along with other health problems and can disrupt homeostasis.
When body systems are in harmony, the human anatomy gets the extraordinary ability to keep well-being and treat itself.
Chiropractors
They use traditional diagnostic testing strategies (like x-rays, MRI, and laboratory work) along with specific chiropractic techniques that involve hands-on manipulation of the articulations (joints) of the body. Nutrition and healthful lifestyle counseling is also offered by chiropractors. Chiropractors elect to not prescribe drugs, plus they do not perform operation; however, many chiropractors work with medical doctors and certainly will refer a patient when needed.
Chiropractors believe among the chief reasons for pain and disease is the misalignment of the vertebrae in the spinal column (this is known as a chiropractic subluxation). Through the usage of manual detection (or palpation), carefully applied pressure, massage, and manual manipulation of the vertebrae and joints (called adjustments), chiropractors are able to alleviate pressure and irritation on the nerves, restore joint mobility, and help return the body’s homeostasis.
Some chiropractors dedicate their practices exclusively to finding and removing subluxations. But in addition to using manual adaptations, most chiropractors offer other treatment modalities such as the following:
Physiotherapy
Herbal therapy
Heat/cold therapy
Ultrasound
Electric muscle stimulation
Acupuncture
Manipulation under anesthesia
Traction
Massage
Exercise programs and teaching
Lifestyle and nutrition counselling
Physical rehabilitation
Additionally, many chiropractors have considerable postgraduate training and become board certified in some specific regions of interest such as for instance:
Neurology
Orthopaedics
Sports medicine
Physical rehabilitation
Nourishment
Diagnostic radiology
In Overview
Chiropractic has come a long way since its beginnings. Due to its success in treating back and neck problems and as a consequence of changing approaches and recent research, chiropractic has become more accepted and is currently considered by many to be a piece of mainstream Western medicine. Actually, many hospitals finally have chiropractors on staff. Chiropractors will also be recognized by the court system as expert witnesses inside their field.
The understanding the spine is somehow involved in health and wellness, in addition to the practice of utilizing manual manipulation as a way to obtain healing, dates back to the time of the ancient Greek philosophers. In fact, Hippocrates once said, “Get understanding of the back, for this is the requisite for several ailments.”
The First�Chiropractic Adjustment
Modern chiropractic, however, indicates its beginnings in the late 1800s, �when a Canadian living in the US, Daniel David Palmer, a self educated teacher and healer, performed the very first spinal manipulation on a patient.
That patient was Harvey Lillard, a janitor who worked in Palmer’s building. Lillard was almost totally deaf and mentioned to Palmer that he lost his hearing many years before when he was bending over and felt a “pop” in his upper back.
Palmer, who had been a practitioner of magnet therapy (a common therapy of the time) was fairly learned in physiology and incredibly interested in how a spine interacts with all the remainder of the entire body’s systems.
He found a difficulty with one of his vertebra and examined Lillard’s back. Palmer manipulated Lillard’s vertebra and an amazing event occurred�Lillard’s hearing was restored. Today, this process is referred to as a chiropractic adjustment.
Palmer soon found that alterations could alleviate patients’ pain as well as other symptoms. These problems with vertebrae are called chiropractic subluxations.
He started to use these “hand treatments” to treat many different ailments, including sciatica, migraine headaches, stomach complaints, epilepsy, and heart trouble. In 1898, he started the Palmer School & Infirmary in Davenport, Iowa, and began teaching his chiropractic techniques.
Initial Resistance In The Medical Community
The medical community failed to immediately embrace techniques and Palmer’s chiropractic theories. The called him a “quack” and refused to recognize his achievements. At one point, Palmer spent time in jail because of his violation and was indicted for practicing medicine with no license.
Research has shown that Palmer was not the fish monger that was unlearned that some in the health care profession claim. An investigation of this library, which he quoted in his letters, showed that he was up to date in his knowledge at the turn of the 20th century. Obviously, his theories, in the light of 21st century knowledge, seem uneducated.
Chiropractic Today
Today, chiropractors are licensed in most European countries, Canadian provinces, all the US states, Australia and New Zealand. There tend to be more than 50,000 practicing chiropractors in the US alone . Despite its North American roots, there are more chiropractic educational programs beyond North America.
The concept that light energy from a laser can reduce inflammation and pain, hasten healing in damaged tissues, relax muscles, and stimulate nerve regeneration appears far fetched. Science, however, tells us these effects do happen.
“Power and wavelength ascertain the capability of the laser to penetrate into the body. Once you are in the infrared spectrum and above 800 nanometers in wavelength, laser energy penetrates like X-rays, but to attain depth you need substantial electricity or energy,� Dr. Bruce Coren told Spine Universe.
Two Categories Utilized in Physical Therapeutics
You can find just two groups of lasers being used in physical therapy; group 3 and 4. �Category 3 lasers are much less than 500 milliwatts, mw, in power while class 4 lasers are greater than 500 mw,� Dr. Coren said. Class 3 lasers are occasionally known as cold lasers, while the treatment may be called LLLT for low-level laser therapy. In contrast, class 4 laser treatment might be called HPLT for high power laser therapy.
�The majority of neuro-musculoskeletal conditions respond better to a higher power and a greater dosage, which will be a function of power output and time,� Dr. Coren commented. The best results are going to be obtained with a laser that’s 30 watts of power or more. A 10-minute treatment using a 30-watt laser will generate 18,000 joules, which gives a critical pain relieving, anti inflammatory and healing effect.�
Although 5 or more sessions may be required to solve the problem, patients usually begin to feel better after 1 or 2 treatments. � The more extensive the injury and the more chronic, the more treatments are usually needed,� he included.
Properties of High Power Laser Treatment
Pain Relief: Laser decreases nerve sensitivity by decreasing bradykinin; a pain generating compound. It normalizes ion channels, gatekeepers that are mobile, and releases endorphins, body�s natural pain reliever, and enkephalins, that is related to endorphins, that generate an analgesic effect. Additionally, it has a pain-blocking effect on specific nerve fibers. This increased energy accelerates the repair processes of the cell. Laser additionally causes a widening of the arteries and veins around the damage which really helps to remove damaged cellular debris and increase nutrients and oxygen. White blood cell activity is improved leading to a more fast repair process.
Gifted Tissue Repair and Cell Growth:�Photons of light from lasers penetrate deeply into tissue and accelerate cellular reproduction and growth. As a result of exposure to laser light, the cells of nerves, ligaments, tendons and muscles are repaired quicker.
Improved Vascular Action:�Laser light raises the formation of new capillaries in damaged tissue, which closes wounds quickly, and speeds up the healing process.
Cause and Acupuncture Points:�Laser is very effective in extinguishing painful trigger points. It’s likewise a highly effective method of stimulating acupuncture points with no distress related to needling.
Reduced Fibrous Tissue Formation:�Laser therapy reduces the formation of scar tissue following tissue damage from burns, cuts, scratches, repetitive motion injuries or surgery.
Faster Wound Healing: Collagen is the essential protein necessary to repair injuries or to replace old tissue. Because of this, the laser is effective on burns and open wounds. Laser raises the number of stem cells, which enhances healing.
Conditions Treated Where Laser Therapy is Administered
High power lasers are typically present in physical therapy clinics and chiropractic offices. Neck, back or joint pain generally responds immediately to laser therapy.
�Lasers are also rather powerful for inflammatory conditions, including peripheral neuropathy, tendonitis, bursitis, and capsulitis. Sprains, strains, and repetitive motion injuries all have an inflammatory component and may be successfully treated with laser,� he remarked. �There is no specific state that reacts more quickly to laser. Nonetheless, some patients will respond faster than others for precisely the same condition as individual healing rates can change.�
Laser therapy can be used as a stand-alone treatment, or with rehabilitative exercise therapy. �Rehabilitative exercises and laser therapy complement each other nicely,� explained Dr. Coren.
Precautions of Laser Therapy
There are a few precautions with laser treatment. Eye protection is required for both therapist and the patient, and laser must not be performed over malignancies, pacemakers, spinal stimulators or within the midsection of pregnant women.
Further Recommendations
High power laser treatment is just one of the quickest, most powerful modalities therapists now need to treat inflammation and pain. �Sadly, laser just isn’t covered by insurance, and high-power lasers could be difficult since they are high-priced to locate. Most importantly, results are reached by the quantity of energy produced, 18,000-30,000 joules per treatment being the sweet spot,� Dr. Coren reasoned.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 . �
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Chiropractic and Sciatica
Sciatica is identified as a group of symptoms rather than a single injury or condition. Low back pain is common among a variety of individuals, but when symptoms of numbness and tingling sensations are accompanied with pain and discomfort, there may be unnecessary pressure being placed against the sciatic nerve. Sciatic nerve pain or sciatica can occur due to a variety of factors and chiropractic treatment can help relieve the symptoms. Chiropractic care is a safe and effective treatment option available for restoring the health of the spine and reducing sciatica symptoms.
IFM's Find A Practitioner tool is the largest referral network in Functional Medicine, created to help patients locate Functional Medicine practitioners anywhere in the world. IFM Certified Practitioners are listed first in the search results, given their extensive education in Functional Medicine
