Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alexander Jimenez discusses chiropractic care for back pain.
Back pain, especially lower back pain, is a constant for many people in El Paso and around the world. Chiropractors have always been known as �back pain doctors� to a certain degree, and while they can treat a much wider range of ailments, this moniker is certainly true. El Paso chiropractic care for back pain includes a range of individualized treatments designed to remove the pain permanently.
Some Facts About Back Pain
One estimate places the number of back pain sufferers in America at roughly 31 million.
Here are some other interesting facts that illustrate just how serious the problem is:
A 2010 report entitled Global Burden of Disease placed lower back pain as the leading cause of disability around the world.
Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work days and the second-leading reason for doctor�s visits behind infections in the upper-respiratory tract.
50 percent of all working Americans say they experience back pain symptoms each year.
Mechanical issues cause the majority of back pain cases, meaning they are not the result of an underlying health condition.
Conservatively, Americans spend about $50 billion on back pain.
Some experts say that as much as 80% of the population will experience back pain at some point in their lives.
Why Do I Have Back Pain?
The causes of back pain can vary quite a bit. With so many muscles, bones, ligaments, and joints all working together in a complex structure, strains and other injuries leading to back pain are common. You may be experiencing back pain due to improper lifting, poor posture, stress, being overweight, a past sports injury, or a car accident. Conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis also cause back pain, as does disease that originates in certain internal organs.
Chiropractic To The Rescue
Chiropractic care is a safe and effective way to treat many types of back pain. With proper chiropractic care for back pain, you will have greater mobility and fewer flare ups. For many patients eliminating the side effects of prescription pain medication is a welcomed benefit they never even considered. Chiropractic treatment focuses on the underlying cause of the back pain while most conventional treatments focus on the symptoms. When only treating the symptom or the pain you may experience relief, but whatever is causing that pain will still be there.
Reputable chiropractors will also suggest lifestyle changes you can make to help prevent back pain from returning. These include maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding prolonged sitting, staying active throughout your life, staying hydrated, wearing low-heel shoes, stretching your body, and using proper body posture. By helping yourself and receiving high quality chiropractic care, back pain should be a thing of the past.
You don’t need to scald your hands to get rid of germs. For effective hand hygiene, water temperature matters less than time, new research states.
The finding runs counter to U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines recommending that food establishments and restaurants deliver water at 100 degrees Fahrenheit for hand washing, the researchers said.
Scientists at Rutgers University in New Jersey said they found that cold water is as effective as hot in getting rid of harmful bacteria and other germs. What’s more important, they said, is that people scrub their hands with soap for at least 10 seconds.
“People need to feel comfortable when they are washing their hands, but as far as effectiveness, this study shows us that the temperature of the water used didn’t matter,” said Donald Schaffner, a specialist in food science at the university.
And, using cold water saves more energy than warm or hot water, Schaffner pointed out.
“Also, we learned even washing for 10 seconds significantly removed bacteria from the hands,” he said in a university news release.
For the study, the researchers contaminated the hands of 21 volunteers with high levels of a harmless bacteria several times over six months. The participants were then asked to wash their hands in 60-degree, 79-degree or 100-degree water.
The amount of soap the people used didn’t affect the findings. The researchers noted that more study is needed to determine exactly how much soap and what types are best for removing potentially harmful germs.
Referring to the FDA guidelines for the food service industry, Schaffner said their findings suggest a policy change is in order.
“Instead of having a temperature requirement, the policy should only say that comfortable or warm water needs to be delivered,” he said. “We are wasting energy to heat water to a level that is not necessary.”
The study appears in the June issue of the Journal of Food Protection.
UTEP�s freshman Emmanuel Korir was named the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) National Athlete of the Week on Tuesday morning.
Korir�s 800m performance at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge was one of the most impressive by any freshman in NCAA during a regular season meet. Korir clocked in a time of 1:43.73 to garner the second-fastest time in NCAA history just behind Donavan Brazier�s record of 1:43.55 in 2016.
The Kenyan came through the first 400m in about 52.48 seconds and pushed the final lap in 51.25 seconds for a negative-split, crossing the finish line eight seconds before the nearest competition.
The mid-distance runner is one of only three men in history to have personal-bests under 1:44 (800m) and 45.00 (400m). Korir (21, Kenya), Mark Everett (22, USA) and Alberto Juantorena (25, Cuba).
This is Korir�s third national weekly honor and he will return to the track when UTEP hosts the Conference USA Outdoor Championships on May 11-14 at Kidd Field.
For live updates and breaking news be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram.
Following an impressive performance at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge, Emmanuel Korir (800m) and Lilian Koech (800m) were named C-USA Tack Male and Female Athlete of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday Afternoon.
Korir clocked in a time of 1:43.73 to garner the second-fastest time in NCAA history just behind Donavan Brazier�s record of 1:43.55 registered in 2016.
The mid-distance runner is one of only three men in history to have personal-bests under 1:44 (800m) and 45.00 (400m). Korir (21, Kenya), Mark Everett (22, USA) and Alberto Juantorena (25, Cuba).
Koech clocked a personal-best 2:04.68 winning the 800m run. Her time ranks eighth in the country and third in the league.
This is Korir�s second C-USA outdoor weekly honor and Koech�s first of the season.
The Miners will return to action when UTEP hosts the Conference USA Outdoor Championships on May 11-14 at Kidd Field.
For live updates and breaking news be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram.
Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alexander Jimenez shares a few tips on how to prevent back pain, treating injuries and stretching.
Since chiropractors see the results of poor lifestyle choices on a daily basis, it�s only natural to formulate opinions and offer tips to patients so they can help themselves. From sore backs, necks, shoulders, irregular sleeping patterns to back pain, we provide help in a wide range of areas. Here are 3 tips from a El Paso chiropractor that will help keep your body operating efficiently.
1) Try Not To Sit So Much
Sitting seems like a relatively innocent activity, but the negative effects that prolonged sitting creates are numerous. Extensive sitting has always been associated with back pain and spinal issues, but recent research also suggests a link between too much sitting and heart disease. If you have a sedentary job like so many people do, make a point of getting up and moving around at least once per hour. You can take phone calls standing up, buy an adjustable standing desk, do deep knee bends, jumping jacks or just go for a quick walk. The key is to stand up and move around to relieve pressure and stay healthy.
2) Get Injuries Treated Promptly
Another important tip from a El Paso chiropractic team is to get quick treatment if you�ve suffered an injury. A little twist or tweak now can lead to years of discomfort and improper muscle function if you just leave it alone. It�s always wise to apply ice to injuries to help reduce swelling, but visiting a chiropractor as soon as possible will help with the healing process and keep your muscles and joints functioning at full capacity.
Leaving minor injuries may not cause a great deal of pain, but the effects will be felt in the future. Many people end up using various pain medications or having reduced mobility as they get older because they chose to leave an injury alone.
3) Incorporate Stretching Into Your Day
Treating injuries promptly is a good idea, but preventing them altogether is even better. Keeping your muscles, tendons, and ligaments flexible with daily stretching will help you avoid many common injuries. You can incorporate the stretches into your morning routine or as part of your daily workout regimen. As you age, those muscles will become tighter and tighter leaving you prone to injury. Working for long hours hunched over a desk also shortens muscles and opens the door to injury. Stretching tips from a El Paso chiropractor include your hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, chest, hips, and back. It only takes a few minutes a day, but you�ll notice the results for the rest of your life.
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.
Feeling bad about skipping a day? Taking rest days from your workout may actually be healthier for your bones and body than a nonstop fitness streak, according to a small new study.
The preliminary research, presented at the American Physiological Society�s annual meeting, found that women who were Olympic rowers had more signs of inflammation and lower levels of bone-building protein in their blood during their most intense weeks of training, compared to recovery weeks that included days off.
These protein fluctuations may be a warning that training without adequate recovery could lead to injury or bone loss, study authors say.
In general, exercise is good for bone health. Bone mineral density, an indicator of bone strength, typically increases with regular physical activity, especially the weight-bearing type. But experts have often wondered if too much exercise could have the opposite effect, especially for female athletes. That can be a difficult thing to measure, says Nigel Kurgan, a graduate student in the Centre for Bone and Muscle Health at Brock University in Canada, because elite athletes may also follow strict dietary patterns that could also negatively affect bone health.
To help account for this, Kurgan decided to study 15 female heavyweight rowers training for the 2016 Olympic games. Rowers have a high incidence of stress fractures and are at increased risk for bone loss�but because these women weren�t competing in the sport�s lightweight category, restrictive eating and low-calorie diets were less likely to play a role.
At several points during the nine-month study, Kurgan took blood samples from the rowers to measure levels of two proteins in their body: osteoprotegerin (OPG), which stops bone mineral loss, and sclerostin (SOST), which inhibits new bone formation. The rowers� training ranged from 12 to 21 hours a week.
Levels of OPG decreased over the course of the study, indicating that the athletes were indeed at risk for bone loss. The highest levels of bone-growth-inhibiting SOST corresponded with the weeks with the highest training volumes, and vice versa. Inflammation in the body also increased during the most intense training periods.
The researchers also tested the rowers� bone mineral density at the beginning and the end of the study, and found no change. But they say that the consequences of intense training may only become evident after longer periods of time.
�We are learning that regardless of whether you eat well or not, the systemic inflammation of intense training�unless you bring it down from time to time�creates an issue for bone cells and all kinds of tissue,� says co-author Panagiota Klentrou, professor and associate dean in the department of kinesiology at Brock University. �When you�re at peak training volume, you also have to incorporate time for the body to recover.�
This theory likely applies to all levels of athletes, not just Olympic hopefuls, Kurgan says.
Recovery is important for other reasons, too: Muscles need time to repair themselves from the stress of hard training, and the body needs rest and adequate fueling to maintain high levels of functioning. A 2016 study in Frontiers in Physiology found that two days in a row of intense, CrossFit-style workouts lowered levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the body, suggesting a potential drop in immunity.
With further research, it�s possible that scientists could develop a blood test to let athletes know when they�re overdoing it, says Klentrou. �There may be markers that coaches can monitor to see if they have to adjust their training volume,� she says.
Amateur athletes don�t need to take such elaborate approaches, she says. �If they monitor the symptoms of their body and watch for signs of exhaustion and poor recovery from hard workouts, I think they�ll be pretty safe.�
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