Category: Back Pain & Spine

Back pain, especially lower back pain, is a constant for many people in Sterling 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. Our Sterling chiropractic clinic offers 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.

At Alternative Wellness Clinic our team is here to help answer your questions.  Please feel free to contact us today.

When it comes to avoiding back injuries, your fate is largely in your own hands. It’s true that an unexpected fall or auto accident may cause an injury that’s beyond your control, but a large percentage of back injuries are caused by your own actions, which means you can take measures to prevent them or stop them from getting worse. Here are a few valuable back injury tips from a Sterling chiropractor.

Pay Attention to Your Lifting Technique

How you lift boxes, laundry baskets, children’s toys, a pair of shoes or just about anything else, has a bearing on the health of your back. When you lift correctly your spine is in the proper alignment and there is no added stress placed on your back. This means you should bend your knees and keep your back as straight as possible when you pick anything up off the floor.

If you have a lot of lifting to do try to place items on a table or chair so there isn’t as much bending required picking it up. Your back is not designed to work like a crane so anytime you use it that way you are putting stress on your back that doesn’t need to be there. Take a balanced stance, lift with your legs and move your feet if you need to change direction while holding the object.

Sensible Body Management

Performing activities with your back health in mind is a great strategy to help you avoid back injuries. That means stretching before any type of physical activity, taking it slow if you have a lot of repetitive lifting to do, and taking breaks to rest and stretch during the activity.

Getting yourself into good physical condition also protects your back and helps to avoid injuries. This includes losing weight in your midsection, and strengthening core muscles, to make lifting and general movement less stressful on your back. Most Sterling chiropractors will also tell you that sleeping on a firm mattress is another way you can nurture your back and prevent injuries.

Don’t Let Injuries Linger

If you end up with a back injury despite your efforts to avoid it, you should seek treatment with a Sterling chiropractor as soon as you can. Spinal misalignment, bulging discs, herniated discs, and other injuries often only get worse if you let them linger. Prompt treatment will restore blood flow to the area, relieve any compressed nerves and get you back to normal in the shortest time possible.

At Alternative Wellness Clinic our team is here to help answer your questions.  Please feel free to contact us today.

The concentric rings made from cartilage and other materials that are located between your vertebrae are known as discs. These discs provide a cushion between the vertebrae, preventing them from grinding against one another while your spine is moving. Sterling chiropractors have very good results when treating this type of problem and this article will help to shed some light on the problem.

What is a Bulging Disc?

If you receive a diagnosis of a bulging disc, it means that a portion of one of your intervertebral discs is protruding past the outer edge of the vertebra. When this happens, the likelihood of the disc pressing on a nerve or other tissue increases. Bulging discs are common, and while they often remain asymptomatic, they do have the potential to cause debilitating pain in some cases.

A bulging disc can be caused by sports injuries or other trauma such as a bad fall or car accident. Regular aging can also cause a bulging disc because the outer portion of your discs can become weaker over time. When pressure from the center of a disc stretches to the outer perimeter, a bulging disc may be the result.

What Are the Symptoms?

Symptoms of a bulging disc begin when the disc puts pressure on nerves in your spine. Almost 90% of bulging discs occur in the lumbar region of the back. In certain cases, pain can radiate from that area to your hips, buttocks, legs, and down to your feet. If you happen to have a bulging disc in your cervical spine, you may notice pain radiating downward from your neck through your arms and to your fingers. In a worst-case scenario, a bulging disc can cause severe pain that almost limits mobility completely.

Bulging Disc Chiropractic Treatment

Chiropractic treatment for a bulging disc may include gentle spinal adjustment at the site of the problem and exercises. Each patient is treated as an individual and treatment plans are customized for maximum effectiveness. Usually, several sessions are required to ensure the disc is successfully improved back to where it needs to be and that the patient is making steady progress.

We hope this information helps you to make the best choice for your health.  Our chiropractic team at Alternative Wellness Clinic is here to assist you in any way we can.  Feel free to contact us today for more information

Among common back conditions, scoliosis is one that has the potential to cause a great deal of discomfort and immobility. Between 5 million and 7 million people in the United States are affected by scoliosis. Sterling chiropractors have the ability to provide relief to many scoliosis patients, making their day-to-day lives more manageable.

What is Scoliosis?

Scoliosis is a condition of the spine where a lateral or sideways curvature of greater than 10 degrees develops. Most of the time, the cause of this unique curvature is unknown, but in around 20 percent of the cases things like neurological disease, trauma, or tumors are responsible. Scoliosis with no known cause is called idiopathic.

If someone has functional scoliosis, it means that a postural issue, muscle spasm or legs that are different lengths is the cause. This type of scoliosis can usually be remedied. If the scoliosis is considered structural, various postural strategies are usually ineffective. Scoliosis is more common among girls and it typically develops between the ages of 10 and 15. It can also be passed down, so if a parent or sibling has it there is a higher likelihood of a younger child getting it.

Common Symptoms of Scoliosis

Some of the common symptoms of scoliosis include intense pain, reduced range of motion, reduced lung function, and reduced heart function. Psychological problems including decreased self-esteem are also a common issue with people that have scoliosis. Around 80 percent of people with scoliosis have a curvature of less than 20 degrees, but since it occurs most often during adolescence, it is possible to see large increases in curvature within a short period. Scoliosis is usually diagnosed through physical evaluation and x-rays to determine the extent of the spinal curvature.

Chiropractic Treatment for Scoliosis

Some of the most effective treatments performed by Sterling chiropractors for scoliosis include spinal manipulation, electric muscle stimulation, and therapeutic exercise. This is an area that hasn’t received a lot of attention or research, but many patients with scoliosis that have had chiropractic treatment report an improvement in their condition.

Even if the spinal curvature is not completely corrected, any associated pain or issues that have been adding to the scoliosis discomfort will be addressed. Sometimes the change in posture and gait created by scoliosis causes other areas to overcompensate, causing pain and leading to new issues. Your chiropractor at Alternative Wellness Clinic will search for the underlying cause of all your structural aches and pains and find the solution that works best for your specific situation.

At Alternative Wellness Clinic our team is here to help answer your questions.  Please feel free to contact us today.

One of the back conditions that patients routinely visit a Sterling chiropractor for is a herniated disc. This type of injury generally responds well to chiropractic treatment so it’s wise to schedule an appointment in the early stages. Herniated disc treatment can help patients avoid prescription pain medications and any side effects that come along with them.

What Is a Herniated Disc?

A herniated disc refers to a situation where the outer portion of one of your vertebral discs has been torn. This allows the inner portion of the disc, or nucleus, to protrude through the fibrous exterior. Herniated discs are sometimes called ruptured discs or slipped discs. The herniated portion of the disc can end up compressing nerves that surround the disc.

Common Causes

A herniated disc is usually a degenerative condition brought on by the wear and tear of normal aging. Over time, your discs lose moisture content and become less flexible, making them prone to tears and ruptures without a whole lot of stress being placed on them. Some factors that may increase your risk of suffering a herniated disc include being overweight, having a physically demanding job, improper lifting, and even genetics.

Common Herniated Disc Symptoms

Many people that have a herniated disc don’t end up experiencing any sort of symptoms, but the ones that do can feel intense pain. If your herniated disc is in your lower back, you’ll be more likely to feel pain in your buttocks, hips, thighs, and calves. If the problem is in your cervical vertebrae you’re more likely to feel pain in your shoulders and arms. Numbness, tingling and general weakness are also symptoms of a herniated disc. Typically, the muscles and body parts that are served by the affected nerves will experience these symptoms.

When to See a Chiropractor

If a conventional doctor has diagnosed you with a herniated disc then make an appointment with a Sterling chiropractor as soon as possible. Many patients show up at a chiropractor’s office with symptoms, but no diagnosis. If you have any of the symptoms listed above, or any back pain that’s been undiagnosed, a chiropractor can assess the issue and formulate an effective treatment plan. Since a herniated disc is usually found in the lumbar region or cervical region, and includes tingling and numbness along with the pain, you’ll be able to give your chiropractor a head start if you pay attention to your symptoms and communicate them clearly.

At Alternative Wellness Clinic our team is here to help answer your questions.  Please feel free to contact us today.

A number of patients who visit our Sterling chiropractic clinic struggle with sciatica. Learn the facts about sciatica and it may help you understand your pain. The sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in the human body, emerging from the spine in the lower back. It also runs through the buttock region, and all the way to the lower leg, where it functions to control the muscles in that region.

The sciatic nerve functions to provide sensation to the entire lower region of the body, including your thighs and legs and extending to the soles of your feet. If for any reason this nerve becomes irritated or inflamed, the pain that is caused is known as sciatica. Sciatica references the numerous symptoms that are directly associated with the irritation of the sciatic nerve, but does not indicate the source.

Sciatic Symptoms

The most common symptom of sciatic nerve irritation is when the pain flows consistently along the pathway of the nerve, especially when the pain is persistent on only one side of the body. There are considerable ways in which this pain can be experienced. Patients may experience a tingling sensation as well as aching or burning. The type of pain is often associated with the exact location of the irritation. It is possible that a patient suffering from sciatica will feel like they are being poked with pins and needles in their lower extremities, accompanied by weakness in the leg or foot of the affected nerve.

As a general rule, sciatica develops slowly and progressively, rarely beginning with intense pain. The pain is normally exacerbated by long sitting sessions, bending, sneezing or coughing, as well as sudden movements.

Diagnosing Sciatica

The diagnosis of sciatica begins with your physician. Your physician will be able to take into consideration your medical history as well as evaluate your descriptions of the pain. It will also be necessary for you to undergo a complete neurological examination that will place an emphasis on your legs and spine. This includes the assessment of your sensory strength as you perform certain activities, allowing the doctor to assess your reflexes, muscle strength, and any pain that may be caused by certain movements.

Treatment Options

In most cases, a conservative approach such as chiropractic care, can be highly effective. Because sciatica can be caused by a number of issues, the treatments will vary based on the cause. This will depend heavily on your chiropractor. The term “conservative” in this context refers to treatments that are not invasive, which excludes surgical procedures and medication. A chiropractic approach would be focused on eliminating or minimizing the pain by addressing any spinal issues, restoring normal movement and function, subsequently reducing the irritation and inflammation.

Should you have any questions concerning sciatica, call our team today at Alternative Wellness Clinic for help.

If there is one body part that most people seem to have problems with at some point in life, it must be the back. Back pain is such a common part of modern life that many people just accept it as normal and try to get by as best they can. Of course, anyone in the chiropractic profession or those with knowledge of human anatomy knows that most of the time, back pain isn’t necessary at all. Treatment from a chiropractor can help immensely, but you can also help yourself. Here are some effective back pain tips from a Sterling chiropractor.

Watch How You Lift

Poor lifting technique is a common cause of lower back strains and sprains, so it is important to observe proper form when lifting heavy objects. No matter what you are lifting, try to keep your back straight and use your legs to do the bulk of the work. Often when we get tired, the legs are used less and less, but you’re asking for a back injury if you stop using your legs. It’s also important not to twist your body when holding a heavy object. If you must turn, move your feet until your body is facing the right direction.

Proper Nutrition

Most people don’t consider nutrition as an essential component to good spinal health, but it can be. Drinking a lot of water and eating healthy foods will help keep weight off your midsection. Carrying excess weight in your stomach causes an imbalance, pulling on those muscles in your lower back all day long. If you suffer from back pain and carry extra weight in your stomach, modify your diet to reduce the burden on your back.

Sensible Exercise

Exercise is a vital part of good health for a variety of reasons, but it’s also a good way to injure your back if you don’t exercise properly. Whatever type of exercise you choose, take the time to warm up properly beforehand and cool down properly when you’re done. Many people just want to jump right in and start lifting weights or playing a sport, but your back muscles are still cold and tight. Find an exercise that’s within your fitness range and protect your back before, during, and after.

Avoid Prolonged Sitting

Generally speaking, people sit far more than they used to. Many professions require long hours at a computer and it can take a toll on your health. The human body is designed to move, so when you sit all day long you’re compressing the discs in your spine. Obviously, everyone can’t switch professions, but you can get up and walk around a little each hour during the day to take some pressure off. If you’d like more back pain tips contact our Sterling chiropractic team.

At Alternative Wellness Clinic our team is here to help answer your questions.  Please feel free to contact us today.

If you have experienced back pain in your life you are part of an overwhelming majority in Sterling. Most of us will experience back pain at one time or another following heavy or awkward lifting, or after a hard workout. If the pain is coming from a strained muscle, it will most likely resolve itself in a few days of rest. If the pain is not muscular, well, then you have a bigger problem to contend with, most likely a spinal disc injury. Our Sterling chiropractor can help.

These injuries are not uncommon and can be extremely painful. It is important to understand the anatomy of the spine, including the disc, and how they play a part in your overall spinal health. Especially in cases when they are herniated or thinning due to a degenerative disease like arthritis.

The Spinal Disc

There is a cushion between each of the vertebra, they are called intervertebral discs. They are a cartilage type composition with a soft gel-like center and a stronger shell, ligamentous wall, encapsulating the entire disc. They are attached to the vertebrae acting as a type of shock-absorber and cushion to keep the vertebrae from rubbing together. Not only do they guard against impact they play a vital role in keeping the spine flexible as well as extremely strong.

When a disc is protruding or bulging, the gel at the center of the disc is starting to push out against the harder outer shell or ligamentous wall of the disc, but this wall has not yet been torn. Statistics reveal that nearly 60% of adults do actually have one or more bulging discs, but they are asymptomatic meaning they are not experiencing any symptoms of pain. Once the interior gel begins to tear the outer ligamentous wall, the disc has progressed from what is considered protruding to herniated. Any bulging or herniation of the disc can result in nerve irritation, inflammation, potential numbness, and quite often severe pain.

A ruptured disc or disc extrusion is a serious condition that results when the interior gel completely tears through the harder ligamentous wall of the disc. As the gel escapes severe back pain and extremely restricted movement can be the outcome.

Take the first step toward relief and regaining your quality of life! Call our Sterling chiropractic team today to schedule a consultation to understand your condition and how to treat it conservatively.