Back Clinic Chiropractic Spine Care Team. The spine is designed with three natural curves; the neck curvature or cervical spine, the upper back curvature or thoracic spine, and the lower back curvature or lumbar spine, all of which come together to form a slight shape when viewed from the side. The spine is an essential structure as it helps support the upright posture of humans, it provides the body with the flexibility to move and it plays the crucial role of protecting the spinal cord. Spinal health is important in order to ensure the body is functioning to its fullest capacity. Dr. Alex Jimenez strongly indicates across his collection of articles on spine care, how to properly support a healthy spine. For more information, please feel free to contact us at (915) 850-0900 or text to call Dr. Jimenez personally at (915) 540-8444.
There is significant excitement among surgeons as well as among patients following the recent FDA, or Food and Drug Administration, release of the Charit� Artificial Disc (DePuy Spine, Inc.). The delight among patients with degenerative disc disease comes from the perception that there’s now a safe way to eliminate pain from degenerative discs while also maintaining normal movement. Several patients have developed advanced stages of disc degeneration requiring an additional fusion process or have heard about others with similar difficulties getting fusion processes before, who still continue with constant pain or had more than one effort at fusion. They’ve also discovered the successful results following disc arthroplasty in Europe which has been highly publicized by the media in America.
Lumbar Fusions and Other Discoveries
That is certainly an exciting new addition to the variety of therapies and methods for treating degenerative disc disease. An almost amazing quantity of progress has been made when looking at the way in which the evaluation and treatment for degenerative disc disease has developed over recent years. Many healthcare professionals are now able to recognize disc disorder with MRI and pain generators with discography and facet blocks. Now they could be performed through incisions that are barely observable either anteriorly through the abdomen or through the back where only a decade past, lumbar fusions were being performed through substantial posterior incisions. With the usage of instrumentation that is presently available, achievement rates for one amount fusions approach 90 to 95 percent. Regrettably, not every patient who has degenerative disc disease and contains a successful fusion has a successful clinical result. There’s still a number of patients for whom fusion will not effectively relieve pain.
Risks of Disc Replacement
Disc replacement arthroplasty has the prospect of the treatment of most of the spinal motion segment illnesses which are currently being treated both successfully and not by one of the numerous fusion techniques. At this comparatively early phase of disc replacement development, many healthcare specialists don’t know all of the issues which will be encountered following these procedures. Because the surgical strategy is via the abdomen either retroperitoneal or transperitoneal, in other words, around or through the gut, there are several foreseeable complications including vascular injury, thrombophlebitis, or vein inflammation accompanied by blood clot formation, nerve root injuries, injury to the ureter, and retrograde ejaculation in men.
It’s also known that several disc replacements have failed and have been converted to some fusion with varying clinical consequences. Removing artificial discs, especially at the L4-5 level, poses a substantial risk of vascular injury due to scarring round the prosthesis. Surely, it’s known that artificial joints produce wear debris where that is obviously not an issue with fusion and an inflammatory reaction which could escalate over time.
Early Results of Procedure
Spine specialists and other healthcare professionals in general are very positive and excited about total disc arthroplasty, and suitably so. Appropriate training via cadaveric labs and courses will help minimize the learning curve of the procedure, to avoid other possible complications. There will without a doubt be many improvements and modifications in the prosthetic layouts.
Early results are surely encouraging in the hands of the investigational surgeons but are fraught with the numerous problems common to the creation of a procedure that is new. Total disc arthroplasty is likely to be an option that is better than fusion for several degenerative disorders of the lumbar spine as layout advancements continue being made and as further encounter defines the indicators because of its use.
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 .
Brain injuries are common complications in our modern world. Approximately 2 million individuals experience a head injury in the United States alone each year. Although most brain or head injuries are not considered life threatening, they could sum up to billions of dollars in annual revenue. Brain injuries are often categorized according to patient response. Only 1 out of 4 reported brain injuries are considered moderate or severe.
Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alexander Jimenez offers insights into choosing a chiropractic office.
Whether you are looking to change from your current chiropractor or you�re trying chiropractic treatment for the first time, it�s important to choose the right one to suit your needs and your lifestyle. Chiropractic care is an effective way to eliminate scores of health issues naturally, but it�s still important to find a chiropractor you feel at ease with. Here are tips on how to choose a El Paso chiropractic office.
Ask the Right Questions
When you have your initial consultation with a new chiropractor it�s important to ask questions. Find out how long he or she has been practicing, ask if they have a special area of expertise, and make sure to ask about their experience with your specific health issue. You�ll also get a good sense of whether they�re the right one by watching how they respond to your basic questions. Ideally, you�d like someone that is patient, friendly, and courteous throughout the consultation.
If you notice the chiropractor seems agitated or isn�t allowing you to finish your sentences before answering, you might want to shop around. Since chiropractic treatment is foreign to a lot of people, it�s important for the chiropractor to take the time necessary to explain the entire process clearly until you understand it.
Follow Your Instincts
Sometimes everything seems to check out but you just have a bad feeling for one reason or another. You�re always in control when it comes to selecting a El Paso chiropractic office, so follow your instincts whether they are good or bad.
You’ll find that most chiropractors are great people that are looking to provide you with the best possible care.� If you do your homework you’ll find one the resonates with you.
Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alexander Jimenez gives insights into selecting a chiropractor.
One of the most common questions I get asked as a doctor is how do I find a great chiropractor in El Paso?� In some cities there are dozens to choose from and it can be difficult to know if the doctor you are considering is right for you.� This article will help to walk you through the steps that I would use to find a great doctor to take care of me.
Most patients choose their chiropractor based on the look of the outside of the office or how nice their website is.� I agree that a doctor that keeps up their office and that has a great website is probably a good choice, but there�s more to it than that.� Chiropractic is a very diverse profession so there are some deeper questions to ask.
To Know If A Chiropractor Is Right For You Is To Talk To Them
Learn about who they are as a person and why they became a chiropractor.� There are many different styles of adjusting and many different philosophies in the chiropractic field.� When you find a passionate doctor you have found what you�re looking for.
Ultimately you need to find someone that really cares about you and your well being.� A doctor that is going to be focused on your health and that has a plan to get you back on track.� If you feel uncomfortable then do your homework and you�ll find the best choice for you.
If you have been struggling with a health condition and it feels like you�re going around in circles, I encourage you to give us a call today.� If for any reason we feel that we cannot help you we will get you pointed in the right direction.� We are here to be a resource for you in any way that we can.
Today Is A Great Day To Improve Your Health
If you live in El Paso we encourage you to give our team�a call today.� Our friendly staff will setup a time for you to come in and learn about who we are and what we can do for you.
Because degenerative disc disease, or DDD, can weaken the structures of the spine significantly, you might need to focus on strengthening your back, neck, and core muscles to improve the condition. Subsequently, the proper care and treatment for DDD can help support the spine better, which might result in decreased pain. A healthcare professional may often recommend physical therapy to help treat degenerative disc disease.
Physical therapy includes both passive and active treatments. Passive treatments help relax you and your body. They are called passive because these do not require individuals to actively participate in the treatment. If you’re experiencing severe pain, you’ll most likely start with passive treatments while your own body heals and/or recovers from the symptoms of the disorder. However, the goal of physical therapy is to get the patients into treatments that are lively. These are curative exercises that reinforce the body to ensure the spine has better support and structure.
Passive Physical Therapy for DDD
Your physical therapist may give you one of the following passive treatments:
Deep tissue massage: This technique targets chronic muscle tension that could build up through daily life stress and spasms. You could also have spasms or muscle tension due to strains or sprains from sports injuries or other injuries. A physical therapist may utilize direct pressure and friction to release the tension in your soft tissues, such as ligaments, tendons and muscles.
Hot and cold treatments: The physical therapist will switch between cold and hot therapies. Through the use of heat, the physical therapist will achieve an increased blood flow to the target area. More oxygen and nutrients are brought to the affected region as a result of an increased blood circulation. Good circulation is also needed to remove waste by-products developed by muscle spasms.
Cold therapy, also called cryotherapy, slows circulation, helping to reduce inflammation, muscle spasms, and pain. An ice massage or an ice pack can be used to perform cold therapy. Another cryotherapy option is a spray called fluoromethane, which can cool the body’s tissues. A physical therapist may work with you to additionally stretch the muscles that are affected.
Spinal traction: By extending the back, spinal traction works to alleviate pain caused by muscle tightness or compressed nerves. The physical therapist can achieve that manually by using their own body or mechanically with unique machines. Particularly in case your nerve has been pinched by the foramen, the place where the nerve exits the spinal canal, traction may strive. By stretching the spine to readjust the vertebrae, it is believed to help widen the foramen and improve symptoms of DDD.
Active Physical Therapy for DDD
In the active portion of physical therapy, your therapist is going to educate you on various exercises to improve your flexibility, strength, core stability, and range of motion, or how readily your joints move. Your physical therapy program is individualized, taking into consideration history and your well-being. Your exercises might not be acceptable for another individual with degenerative disc disease.
Degenerative disc disease, or DDD, may not entirely “go away” once the individual’s discs have begun to degenerate. You can’t reverse the process and because of that, your physical therapist will help you learn how to work with it and how to limit the pain. You’ll understand body mechanics and how to avoid situations that can aggravate pain and other symptoms.
The specialist will also show you how to correct your posture and integrate ergonomic principles into your daily activities if needed. This is all part of the “self-care” or “self-treatment” aspect of physical therapy: Through physical therapy, you learn good habits and principles that allow you to take better care of the body.
Your physical therapist could also propose a personalized exercise program for you personally. The goals may include: strengthening abdominal and back muscles, increasing muscle endurance (so that your more powerful muscles can work harder longer), and getting your body to carry your weight more proficiently. An exercise program comes with a different bonus�it can assist you to drop some weight. Extra weight can exacerbate pain so your physical therapist can work along with one to establish goals and after that follow through, if you need certainly to lose excess weight.
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: Whole Body Wellness
Maintaining overall health and wellness through a balanced nutrition, regular physical activity and proper sleep is essential for your whole body�s well-being. While these are some of the most important contributing factors for staying healthy, seeking care and preventing injuries or the development of conditions through natural alternatives can also guarantee overall health and wellness. Chiropractic care is a safe and effective treatment option utilized by many individuals to ensure whole body wellness.
It can be difficult to diagnose degenerative disc disease (DDD) because it grows gradually and can pose a multitude of associated problems (spinal stenosis, herniated disc, etc). For example, your doctor may be able to rapidly diagnose you for having a herniated disc, but it is more challenging to diagnose a herniated disc due to degenerative disc disease.
If you have back or neck pain that comes on suddenly, or in the event you have pain that persists, call a doctor who will refer you to a spine specialist. Your healthcare specialist will make an effort to discover the reason for your pain so that he or she can develop an accurate treatment plan for you�a method to manage your pain and other symptoms of degenerative disc disease and also that will help you recover.
As he/she works toward a diagnosis, your spinal specialist will ask about your present symptoms and what treatments you’ve already attempted.
Common Degenerative Disc Disease Questions
When did the back or neck pain begin?
What activities did you lately do?
What have you done for your own pain?
Does the pain go or radiate to other areas of your body?
Does anything lessen the pain or allow it to be worse?
Neurological and physical exams will be also performed by the healthcare professional. In the physical exam, she or he will notice your position, range of motion (how well and how much you can transfer specific joints), and physical state, noting any movement that triggers you pain. They will aslo feel for muscle spasms, notice alignment and its curvature, and will feel your back.
During the neurological exam, he or she will test your reflexes, muscle strength, other nerve changes, and pain spread (that is�does your pain travel from your back and into other parts of the body?). As it can impact your nerves or even your spinal cord, the neurological exam is especially significant in degenerative disk disease.
You may require to get some imaging tests, to diagnose degenerative disk disorder. You could possibly have an x-ray, which can help your healthcare specialist “see” the bones in your spine. X-rays are good at revealing narrowed spinal stations (spinal stenosis), fractures, bone spurs (osteophytes), or osteoarthritis. Your spinal specialist may refer to these as “basic films.” By that, she or he means that you will have several normal x ray viewpoints done. You’ll have one chosen from the side; that is called a lateral view. You will also provide a “straight on” shot, and it can be done in the front or the back. An x ray shot from the front is named an anteroposterior (AP) view; from the back, it’s called a posteroanterior (PA) view. On the plain pictures, your spine specialist will be trying to find break, scoliosis, and vertebral alignment �other spinal problems that can come along with DDD.
Your healthcare professional may also order flexion and extension x-rays to assess the stability of your back as well as your range of movement (how well your joints move). You’ll be requested to bend forward (flexion) and backwards (extension) during these x rays.
A computerized tomography (CT) scan or or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test may be demanded. These evaluations are somewhat more effective than x-rays at showing the soft tissues in your back and can help to identify issues such as a bulging disc or a herniated disc. A CT scan is useful because it’s more easy to begin to see the bones and nerves on it, therefore if a bone spur is pressing on a nerve, the surgeon can easily spot.
In case the specialist suspects nerve damage from degenerative changes in your spinal column, he or she may order a special test called an electromyography (EMG) to measure how fast your nerves respond.
Additional evaluations can be required by making a degenerative disk disorder identification.
Bone scan: To assist your surgeon find spinal difficulties for example osteoarthritis, fractures, or illnesses (which could all be related to DDD), you may have a bone scan. You’ll possess a rather small number of radioactive material injected into a blood vessel. Your bones will go during your bloodstream and absorb that. An area where there’s unusual activity, including an inflammation will absorbs more radioactive material. A scanner can discover the amount of radiation in all your bones and show the “hot spots” (the places with more radioactive material) to help your surgeon figure out where the problem is.
Discogram or discography: This is really a process that confirms or denies the disc(s) as the way to obtain your pain. You will possess a harmless dye injected into among your disks. When there is an issue together with your disk�like the herniated of it’s �the dye will leak from the disk. The surgeon will likely be capable of see that on an xray, and which will reveal him/her that there’s something wrong along with your disc.
Myelogram: To see for those who have a spinal canal or spinal cord disorder�perhaps nerve compression causing weakness and pain �you might possess a myelogram. In this evaluation, you’ll have a unique dye injected to the area around your spinal cord and nerves. (Before that happens, the region is going to be numbed.) Then you’ll have an x-ray or a CT scan. The image will give a thorough anatomic picture of your spine, notably of the bones, that’ll help your spine surgeon to recognize any abnormalities.
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: Whole Body Wellness
Maintaining overall health and wellness through a balanced nutrition, regular physical activity and proper sleep is essential for your whole body’s well-being. While these are some of the most important contributing factors for staying healthy, seeking care and preventing injuries or the development of conditions through natural alternatives can also guarantee overall health and wellness. Chiropractic care is a safe and effective treatment option utilized by many individuals to ensure whole body wellness.
Degenerative disk disease (DDD) can affect any area of the backbone, but it most commonly affects the low back (lumbar spine) or neck (cervical spine). Where you might have pain will be based on what area of your spine has got the disk degeneration.
You could experience pain for instance, at the site of the damaged disc�in your lower back.
However, the pain might also radiate (or travel) to a different part of your own body. The nerves that branch off your backbone travel to various areas of the body , so if the degenerated disc is pressing on a nerve in your back that is low �a nerve that’s heading down to your legs�you may experience pain in your leg, too. The pain message will “go,” and this can be called a radiculopathy in the medical world.
Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease
Typically, people who have degenerative disk disease have chronic back or neck pain. Sometimes pain will flare up�that’s called an acute episode. The main symptom, however, is pain, so you need to pay attention to it and what makes it better or worse.
With degenerative disc disorder, you might discover pain patterns like:
More pain when sitting for quite a long time, bending, lifting, or twisting
Pain when walking or running
Pain in case you shift positions often
Less pain when you lie down
It’s very important to deal with your back and neck pain correctly. In case your pain continues, seek medical attention � for those who have some of the crisis signals listed below and seek immediate attention.
Warning Signs You Need Instant Help for Degenerative Disc Disease:
Pain is getting worse
Disabling pain
Leg weakness, pain, numbness, or tingling
Loss of bowel or bladder control
Please go to the emergency room call your doctor and/or should you experience these emergency hints.
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: What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic care is an well-known, alternative treatment option utilized to prevent, diagnose and treat a variety of injuries and conditions associated with the spine, primarily subluxations or spinal misalignments. Chiropractic focuses on restoring and maintaining the overall health and wellness of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, a chiropractor, or doctor of chiropractic, can carefully re-align the spine, improving a patient�s strength, mobility and flexibility.
Degenerative disk disease (DDD) develops as an outcome of the effects of aging in your back and particularly in your intervertebral discs.
Additionally, it may be associated with an injury to the back, but in that scenario, your disks have generally become weak because, with age, disks lose water content, may become thinner; both of which can change shape and the strength of one or more discs. Before you feel the result of DDD� other symptoms as well as pain � your discs along with other backbone constructions are changing. That is simply the natural consequence of the stress and tension each of us places our backs through every day.
Causes and Effects of DDD
Effects and the causes of degenerative disc disease are relatively clear-cut: You age, your disks change, your bones could be affected, and also you can develop pain. It even helps to think as a cause and effect process or cascade of DDD: One anatomical change happens, which leads to changes and more degeneration in the structures of your back. These changes combine to cause degenerative disk disease and its particular symptoms.
DDD begins with changes in your intervertebral discs, but eventually it’s going to change another movement parts of the spine, like the facet joints.
Over time, the collagen (protein) structure of the annulus fibrosus (that is the outer portion of the intervertebral disc) changes.
Moreover, water-pulling molecules�and consequently water�in the disc declines.
These changes decrease the ability to manage back move of the disc.
How Disc Degeneration Occurs
The disc can be less spongy and substantially thinner. A disc that is thinner means the space between the vertebra above and below the disc gets smaller, which causes a brand new problem, this time with all the facet joints. They help stabilize the back, and changes move, in the event the disc loses height. Subsequently the cartilage that protects the facets starts to wear away, and they start to proceed too much: They “override” and become excessively mobile.
Function of the Spine with Hypermobility
Freedom causes another change in your spine. It attempts to cease the motion with the growth of little bony parts called bone spurs (osteophytes). Sadly, the bone spurs sometimes pinch nerve structures and cause pain. The bone spurs can narrow the space for nerves and the spinal cord �that disorder is called spinal stenosis. Degenerative disc disease won’t cause spinal stenosis but it’s something you should be aware of if you’ve degenerative disc disease.
Genetics and DDD
Your genes can also raise your danger of developing degenerative disk disease. You might be predisposed to excessive joint and disc wear and tear, so if someone in your family has or had degenerative disk disorder, you may even develop back pain or neck pain related to DDD.
Controlling Your Lifestyle
Eventually, the method you are living could result in degenerative disk disease. Smoking, by way of example, will cause them to degenerate faster and adversely affects your disks. Smoking really decreases the level of water in your discs, and water is part of what helps your discs absorb move. With less water content, your intervertebral discs can wear out sooner.
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: What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic care is an well-known, alternative treatment option utilized to prevent, diagnose and treat a variety of injuries and conditions associated with the spine, primarily subluxations or spinal misalignments. Chiropractic focuses on restoring and maintaining the overall health and wellness of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, a chiropractor, or doctor of chiropractic, can carefully re-align the spine, improving a patient�s strength, mobility and flexibility.
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