Back Pain & Sciatica

Irritation of the sciatic nerve can cause pain, tingling, or numbness along the course of the nerve and its branches, from the backside to the toes.  Many people who have history of lumbar disc injury, even following surgery, experience pain which travels into the buttock and/or legs.  This type of radiating pain is usually the result of chemical or mechanical irritation to the nerve roots that exit the spine and contribute to the sciatic nerve.  For many sufferers, it is possible to manage their pain with the help of stretches and exercises.

Stretching Basics

• Relax your neck and shoulders, you’re not doing sit-ups
• Maintain slow, even breathing while holding 30 second stretches
• Don’t bounce, hold steady and try to gently increase the stretch with time
• If any stretch or maneuver causes pain, stop the activity and discuss with your Doctor

Knee-to-Chest Stretch

Aside from ice and rest, this stretch is generally the first line of defense against lower back pain with radiculopathy (radiating nerve pain).  I recommend that patients with sciatic pain do the knee-to-chest stretch on a daily basis.  The stretch can be especially effective when performed after waking, but before getting out of bed and putting weight on the back for the first time in the morning.  To stretch, lie on your back and bring the knees towards your torso.  Pull with your arms around your knees or legs to increase the intensity.  Hold the position for 30 seconds while slowly breathing and gently trying to bring the legs closer to the body.  Repeat 2 to 3 times.  If stretching both legs at the same time is too intense, then start by bringing one leg towards the body, stretching then switching to the opposite side (lower illustration).  Alternatives to stretching on the back include deep squatting and pulling the knees to your body or bending to touch your toes while sitting in a chair.  These moves can be repeated multiple times a day.

Piriformis Muscle Stretch

The first stretch that I recommend is for the piriformis muscle.  The sciatic nerve usually runs under and sometimes through the piriformis muscle as the nerve travels between the sacrum and hip, then towards the leg.  Stretching of the piriformis muscle can be achieved in a seated position.  While sitting in a chair, cross the affected ankle over the opposite knee.  With one hand, stabilize your ankle on your knee and with the other hand or forearm apply gentle pressure downward on the involved knee.  If you have strong pain to push down on the knee, than simply stabilize the crossed leg and avoid the added pressure.  *If this movement significantly increase your pain, than stop immediately.  You should start to feel the stretch in your buttock.  From the crossed leg position, with the knee being held down, you can further increase the intensity of the stretch by slowly leaning forward, bringing your chest closer to your knees.  Always maintain the lumbar lordosis or curvature of the back – think “arching the back” while bending forward.  Be sure to maintain slow breathing while performing this and any other stretches.  Try to hold the stretch for 30 seconds, repeat 2 to 3 times and don’t hold your breath.

The next installment of this series, Home Care for Sciatica II, will include nerve glide and sciatic tensioning maneuvers to add gear to the self-treatment toolbox.

Osteoarthrits or OA is the most common form of arthritis.  Characterized by the degeneration of articular cartilage and underlying bone, as well as, overgrowth of bone at the margins of joints, it is also known as degenerative joint disease.  27 million American adults (age 25 and older) and more than 33% of Americans 65 or older are estimated to be afflicted with OA.  Knees, hands, and hips are most commonly the site of pain, swelling, and stiffness caused by Osteoarthritis.

While restoring and maintaining movement in the spine is the central goal of chiropractic treatments, keeping the body moving is also a great way to control OA.  Arthritis Today reports, “activity of all kinds is the best non-drug treatment for improving pain and function,” while “the Arthritis Foundation believes “Moving is the Best Medicine” when it comes to Fighting OA.”  Either of these resources is a great place to learn about how to safely get yourself moving.

The Four Mile Creek Greenway, Matthews recently opened in April 2011.  This pavement and boardwalk greenway now makes areas of downtown Matthews, NC easily accessible to surrounding neighborhoods for walking, biking, and more.  As cooler weather make the outdoors more inviting, get out and get your body moving.  For additional strategies to reduce your risk of Osteoarthritis, visit FIGHTARTHRITSPAIN.ORG.

If you already suffer from OA symptoms, home remedies include the use of Flax seed oil, Epsom salt, Cinnamon, Turmeric, and Ginger, among others.  For dosing and additional remedies jump to Arthritis Home Remedies.  Keeping joints or the spine and the rest of the body moving well with Chiropractic care is another drug-free, conservative approach to controlling the pain, swelling, stiffness, and lost range-of-motion typical of Osteoarthritis.

Remember to listen to your body.  If exercise causes sharp or very strong pain during or within a couple hours of exercising, then your activity may be too strenuous.  Reduce the intensity of your workout or plan to see your physician.

It seems that Osteoarthritis is a natural part of aging, especially after age 45.  Exercise benefits extend beyond the joints to our heart, lung, brain and beyond.  If you are not yet affected by OA, don’t wait until you have pain or stiffness to become active.  With many easy ways to start moving your body, why not get started today?!

Stop sickness at the front door with this simple protocol when you have the first hint that a cold is approaching.  Our resident Acupuncturist/Herbalist/Master Healer, Mika Ichihara, M.S., L.Ac., B.Phar., offers her tips for how to remain healthy during the cold season.  The key she says is to “stop virus invasion into the body at the earliest stage.”

Preventing a cold from taking hold is not difficult if you act early.  This means taking actions as soon as you start feeling any symptoms – sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, coughing, slight headache, chills, warmth/feverish, stiffness of the neck, etc. – coming on.  When you start to experience these symptoms, the virus is knocking on the door, trying to penetrate deeper into the body, while the body is recruiting its defenses.  If your body misses this earliest opportunity to expel, then the virus will start to invade deeper into the system, causing more severe and persistent symptoms.  Once you reach this stage of more intense symptoms, it becomes more difficult to ease the symptoms and the cold might have to run its course (usually about 10 days).

Remember that the initial invasion stage happens very fast, often within a day.  So, you have to take care of yourself as soon as you start feeling symptoms.

Here are some simple natural recommendations to turn away common cold and flu at the earliest stage. These measures help to boost the body’s natural defenses and close the door on cold bugs.  Please try these as soon as you start feeling any of the symptoms listed above.

Tips to Keep a Cold at Bay:

• Take Vitamin C 1,000 – 1,500 mg/day (when healthy 500 mg/day). Food-based (natural or whole food) vitamin C is more potent than synthetic ones.
• Take 4 drops of Oil of Oregano 4-6 times a day (available from Mika).
• Drink ginger tea (Boil 3 cups of water and add peeled and sliced ginger root (a thumb size piece).  Cook for 30-40 minutes until the tea turns to dark yellow.  Add honey to 1 cup of tea to help sooth the throat, if you like.)
• Drink Echinacea tea (Alvita), Echinacea Immune Boosting Tea (Yogi Tea) and/or tincture (Nature’s answer)
• Take Chinese herbs for cold & flu (available at Mika).
• Gargle with salt water if you have sore throat.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Eat warm food, especially vegetable soups, to sweat out.

For more information:

Mika Ichihara, M.S., L.Ac.

Licensed Acupuncturist

704-981-1461

www.loveandcompassion.com

Photo courtesy of James Jordan

Chiropractors are tasked with correcting posture, realigning spinal segments, and maintaining good spinal motion.  Often patients are doing things to upset this delicate balance in their bodies without even knowing.  Two common concerns are carrying a wallet in a back pocket and toting a bag over one shoulder (book bag or handbag).

Fat Wallet in Your Back Pocket

If you have read in this space before, you may recall me espousing on the dangers of carrying a thick wallet in your back pocket.  Sitting on a fat wallet is one of the easiest ways to unlevel the pelvis.  Usually back pockets are situated right under our “sit bones” when we are seated.  If you put your hands under your backside while sitting you can feel two prominences (the ischial tuberosities) that bear our weight while we are seated.  These bones are part of the pelvis, which forms the foundation for our spine.  Putting a book, wood block, or wallet under one side can twist the pelvis and cause the spine to lean away from that side.  Imagine the effect of driving a few hours with your bulky, rear stowed wallet in place.

Shoulder Overloaded

While the effect of carrying a thick wallet in your back pocket is more likely to upset the low back, shouldering a bag on one side is more likely to bother the upper back.  And, carrying enough weight on one shoulder can strain the low back as well.  Holding a heavily laden handbag on one shoulder puts significant stress on the muscles of the shoulder, neck, and upper back as the body tries to maintain the shoulders level and the spine vertical.  Prolonged one-sided carrying can overwork and injure muscles that try to maintain this balanced posture.

Avoid Imbalance

• Remove unnecessary items from your wallet or purse to thin or lighten.
• Store your wallet in a front pocket while sitting.
• Carry handbags across the chest and book bags on both shoulders to distribute weight more evenly.
• Alternate the shoulder that you carry on regularly.

Following these suggestions should help you to avoid straining muscles and putting the spine in a compromising position.  If you should still find yourself dealing with neck, shoulder, or low back pain, come in to Matthews Chiropractic Center to get it checked out.  When the body eventually accommodates to a postural change, then you will be carrying around another problem waiting to upset the balance of your good health.

photo courtesy of shareski

A patient in my office asked, “after I’m finished treating my injuries, how often should I return for care?”  When this patient’s injuries resolve, she will be released from care related to a motor vehicle collision.  She was essentially asking, how often she should make appointments when she wants to continue feeling well.

This patient was still recovering from injuries to muscles, ligaments, and nerves in her neck and low back, but she explained that she was already beginning to feel range and ease of motion that rival her pre-accident status.  Her care concluded when she felt better and we ensured that her condition had stabilized.

The Benefits of Chiropractic Care

If she felt better treating with injuries, she saw that she could continue feeling better receiving chiropractic adjustments after her injuries healed as well.  She understood that her body was benefiting from chiropractic therapy and wants to continue to feel that way in the future.  This is a message that I try to impart to every patient.

For most patients that have no current complaint and desire to present for maintenance care, I recommend visits once a month.  This is often a very good starting point and in the course of care, we will learn if this is a good frequency.  If the patient feels that they are not maintaining optimal functionality, then their frequency can be adjusted accordingly.

Of course patients that are having pain wonder how often they will be treated as well.  Often, patients with injuries will initially be recommended to treat multiple times a week to control symptoms and start to correct misalignments in the spine.  When we start to see maintained improvements then, visit frequency can be reduced.

Staying Aligned Helps Reduce Daily Stresses

The body constantly responds to stressors that affect our well-being and chiropractic treatment can help reduce the effects of these daily stresses on our bodies.  Every patient is different and particular conditions require varying levels of care.

At Matthews Chiropractic Center we can devise an appropriate care plan whether you seek pain relief or desire to stay out of pain.  This is patient centered care, care to suit you.