Sciatica - A Pain in the Butt

“Piriformis syndrome” is caused by an entrapment (pinching) or irritation of the sciatic nerve as it exits the back of the pelvis, deep within the buttock region. The sciatic nerve usually exits the back of the pelvis immediately below a muscle, called the piriformis muscle. The piriformis muscle is located on both sides of your body, deep within the buttock area. In rare situations (11% of population), the nerve actually passes right through the piriformis muscle. For various reasons, the piriformis muscle can go into spasm and entrap or even pinch the sciatic nerve. This can result in pain along the back of the thigh and knee, with further pain and/or numbness extending as far down as the sole of the foot, called “sciatica”.

Piriformis syndrome can result in “sciatica”. These same sciatica symptoms feel very comparable to that of a herniated disk. A herniated disk usually pinches directly on one of the five nerves that eventually form the sciatic nerve. Because the resulting symptoms of both of these problems are very similar (pain, numbness and tingling below the knee and into the foot), it is not hard to misdiagnose what is actually going on if you don’t look for both potential causes.
Specific diagnostic tests performed by your chiropractor are what distinguish a herniated disk from piriformis syndrome. In simple terms, with piriformis syndrome your chiropractor will not find many positive test results that indicate that the lumbar spine is involved. More often, the acute pain or tenderness is localized to the buttock and hip, while the low back appears quite normal and often pain free.

Many weekend athletes and people who spend long hours sitting in cars or at work are prone to this syndrome. The athlete's cause is commonly due to improper stretching and warm-up exercises as well as overuse during activity. In this case it is most likely that the piriformis muscle is irritated and usually in spasm. For the patient who sits for extended periods of time, their primary cause is due to contracture or tightening of the piriformis muscle. In this case the piriformis muscle is shortened and does not allow for the smooth movement of the sciatic nerve during leg motion.

Any treatment plan must include stretching of the gluteal or buttock muscles as well as stretching of the piriformis muscles. Dr. Landrum can help you by instructing you on the proper stretches and the correct way to perform them. A series of spinal and hip joint adjustments may also be required to relieve your symptoms.

If you are currently diagnosed with a disk herniation but are wondering if the symptoms you are experiencing may at least be partially from piriformis syndrome, call my office for an appointment to have it checked thoroughly. It is always a good idea to rule out other possible causes of your sciatica before simply having surgery.

If you have any questions about your back pain give me an email at landrumdc@gmail.com or visit my website http://www.landrumdc.com/

Back Pain Facts and Statistics

Although doctors of chiropractic treat more than just back pain, a large percentage of chiropractic patients visit their doctor looking for relief from this pervasive condition. In fact, 70 to 85 percent of all people have back pain at some time in their life.

A few interesting facts regarding back pain:

Low back pain is the fifth most common reason for all physician visits in the United States.1,2

Back pain is the most frequent cause of activity limitation in people younger than 45 years old.3

Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic—meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer.

Approximately one quarter of U.S. adults reported having low back pain lasting at least one whole day in the past three months2, and 7.6 percent reported at least one episode of severe acute low back pain within a one-year period.4

Low back pain is also very costly: approximately 5 percent of people with back pain disability account for 75 percent of the costs associated with low back pain.5

One-half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year.6

Approximately 2 percent of the U.S. work force is compensated for back injuries each year.7

Americans spend at least $50 Billion per year on back pain—and that’s just for the more easily identified costs.8

If a person has back pain, what should they do?

If your back pain is not resolving quickly, visit your doctor of chiropractic. Your pain will often
result from mechanical problems that your doctor of chiropractic can address. Many chiropractic
patients with relatively long-lasting or recurring back pain feel improvement shortly after starting chiropractic treatment. The relief is often greater after a month of chiropractic treatment than after seeing a family physician.

The chiropractic approach is to find the cause of the pain and treat it directly. This may involve
realigning the spine or extremities by chiropractic adjustments, physiotherapy for the muscles
and ligaments, rehabilitative exercises, or a combination of these. Sometimes the doctor of
chiropractic will suggest exercises or activities to prevent a reoccurrence of the problem. This
may provide a long term solution to the condition through prevention.

During the first visit, the doctor of chiropractic will complete a thorough examination that
typically includes:
• Patient history
• Physical examination
• Diagnostic studies (when indicated)
• Diagnosis
• Education about the problem and discussion of a chiropractic treatment plan or – if
warranted – referral to the appropriate health care specialist

Chiropractic spinal manipulation is proven to be a safe, effective, and affordable treatment
option. Chiropractic care reduces pain, restores normal range of motion, and decreases the need
for medication.

Tips to Prevent Back Pain

Some back pain is caused by non-preventable factors (traumatic accidents, congenital defects,
tumors), but the majority of low back pain is preventable. Suggestions on how you can prevent
back pain include:
• Maintain a healthy diet and weight.
• Remain active.
• Avoid prolonged inactivity or bed rest.
• Warm up or stretch before exercising or other physical activities.
• Maintain proper posture.
• Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes.
• Sleep on a mattress of medium firmness to minimize any curve in your spine.
• Lift with your knees, keep the object close to your body, and do not twist when lifting.
• Quit smoking. Smoking impairs blood flow, resulting in oxygen and nutrient deprivation
to spinal tissues.
• Work with your doctor of chiropractic to ensure that your workstation is ergonomically
correct.

If you have any questions about your back pain give me an email at landrumdc@gmail.com or visit my website http://www.landrumdc.com

References:
1. Hart LG, Deyo RA, Cherkin DC. Physician office visits for low back pain.
Frequency, clinical evaluation, and treatment patterns from a U.S. national survey.
Spine. 1995;20:11-9.
2. Deyo RA, Mirza SK, Martin BI. Back pain prevalence and visit rates: estimates
from U.S. national surveys, 2002. Spine. 2006;31:2724-7.
3. National Institutes of Health
4. Carey TS, Evans AT, Hadler NM, Lieberman G, Kalsbeek WD, Jackman
AM, et al. Acute severe low back pain. A population-based study of prevalence
and care-seeking. Spine. 1996;21:339-44.
5. Frymoyer JW, Cats-Baril WL. An overview of the incidences and costs of low
back pain. Orthop Clin North Am. 1991;22:263-71.
6. Vallfors B. Acute, Subacute and Chronic Low Back Pain: Clinical Symptoms, Absenteeism and
Working Environment. Scan J Rehab Med Suppl 1985; 11: 1-98.
7. Andersson GB. Epidemiological features of chronic low-back pain. Lancet.
1999;354:581-5.
8. This total represents only the more readily identifiable costs for medical care, workers compensationpayments and time lost from work. It does not include costs associated with lost personal income due to acquired physical limitation resulting from a back problem and lost employer productivity due to employee medical absence. In Project Briefs: Back Pain Patient Outcomes Assessment Team (BOAT). In MEDTEP Update, Vol. 1 Issue 1, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Rockville, MD, Summer 1994.

Healing Hands Chiropractic Gulfport BLOG: How Chiropractic care can be used for cotreatment for Mesothelioma

Healing Hands Chiropractic Gulfport BLOG: How Chiropractic care can be used for cotreatment for Mesothelioma

Tension Headaches

Did you realize that one of the top reasons that individuals visit their doctor is because of headaches? Headaches of even the slightest severity can prevent you from enjoying many of life’s day to day activities. Believe it or not, the number of children, teenagers and adults who are seeking chiropractic care for relief of headaches is right up there in numbers with neck pain or low back pain. Yet, it still surprises me how most of the people do not realize the headaches they are experiencing are primarily tension type headaches, and not migraines.

Tension-type headaches are one of the most common, yet easiest to treat, type of headache. Muscle tension, joint stiffness, and nerve irritation at the back of the neck and head can create a dull, steady pain over the forehead, temples, back of neck and even down the shoulders. Commonly, there is a band-like pressure on both sides of the head. The pain is usually constant, non-throbbing, ranges from mild to moderate in severity, and usually builds in intensity. It is very common for people to even wake up in the morning and feel the headache before even getting out of bed! Tension headaches may last from 30 minutes to even a week and are commonly related to stress, poor posture, and a lack of regular physical exercise. They affect both men and women in equal numbers, and are common in children. They can cause nausea and are not made worse by routine physical activity.

A study done at Ohio University in 1998 showed that more than 70 percent of people who experience this type of headache also had frequent disrupted sleep due to the associated neck stiffness or pain. In addition, these people reported that, over time, this scenario created further fatigue and headache-related anxiety or stress. The same studies also found that 44 percent of the people who experience this type of headache said that it affected their performance at work or school and 72 percent said the pain caused them to miss work or school an average of 3.5 days in the last six months. (1)

Over the past few years, research has shown that spinal manipulation - the primary form of treatment provided by Chiropractors - is an effective treatment option for tension-type headaches and headaches that originate from the neck.(2,3) For example, a report released by researchers at the Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center in Durham, NC, found that spinal manipulation resulted in almost immediate improvement for those headaches that originate in the neck, and had significantly fewer side effects and longer lasting relief of tension-type headache than a commonly prescribed medication. Also, a study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that spinal manipulative therapy was an effective treatment for tension headaches and that those who ceased chiropractic treatment after four weeks experienced a sustained therapeutic benefit in contrast with those patients who received a commonly prescribed medication.

In addition to chiropractic treatment, anyone who suffers from neck stiffness or headaches should be stretching their neck muscles daily, the ergonomics of their place of work should be reviewed to prevent poor posture, and they should participate in some form of regular physical activity. For more information on headaches, neck pain - feel free to give me an email at landrumdc@gmail.com or visit my website at http://www.landrumdc.com

Probably not a tension headache!

1. http://www.ohio.edu/infocus/headache

2. Boline PD , Kassak K, Bronfort G, Nelson C, Anderson AV. “Spinal manipulation vs. amitriptyline for the treatment of chronic tension-type headaches: a randomized clinical trial.” Manipulative Physiol Therapy ; 18:148-54.

3. Gert Bronfort, Willem J.J. Assendelft, Roni Evans, Mitchell Haas, Lex Bouter. “Efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic headache: A systematic review” Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. September 2001 (Vol. 24, Issue 7, Pages 457-466).

Kids and Backpacks

Its back to school time and many parents are asking them selves: How is my kid going to carry all of those school books? I also have an image in my mind of the child having to lean forward to try and counterbalance the weight of the heavy back pack. This article written by Dr. Pamela Stone, a chiropractor who focuses in pediatrics, goes over proper back saftey along with things to do and not do to.

Are you sending your child off to the first day of school with a brand new backpack tossed over his or her shoulder? Although backpacks have become as common as pencils & paper in schools across the nation, you may want to think twice before your child leaves for school each morning. While carrying a backpack may seem harmless, it can cause some health problems, including back and neck problems that may or may not be painful. Such problems may have drastic long-term implications if the results of these poor habits are left uncorrected.

Check The Numbers

New research reveals an alarming danger associated with improper childhood backpack use. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, of the 6,512 children treated in hospital emergency rooms last year for injuries related to shouldering backpacks, 54% involved children ages 5 to 14. Carrying a backpack can cause not only acute injury, but also long term damage. For example, carrying 12 pounds in a backpack and lifting it 10 times per day equals 120 pounds lifted per day. That is equivalent to 21,600 pounds lifted in a school year (nearly 11 tons) or the equivalent of six full size automobiles!

However, you don't need to be a scientist to understand the effects of backpacks on children. Visit any school and watch youths as they struggle to walk while bent sideways under the weight of an overloaded backpack that is carried on one shoulder. You will quickly realize the potential danger of this common school necessity.

How exactly would carrying a backpack affect a child’s spine? Carrying a heavy load that is distributed unevenly or improperly, day after day, week after week, can indeed cause stress to the spinal column of a growing child. “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree” is a phrase that often comes to mind when seeing children lugging backpacks around.

Cure for the Back Pack Blues

Back pain is pervasive in our society. Much of this is brought on by bad habits that were started during our younger years – such as carrying overweight backpacks to school. Slinging a heavy backpack over one shoulder every day may provoke serious postural misalignments and vertebral subluxations. Vertebral subluxations are misalignments of the bones (vertebrae) in the spine that restrict movement and can affect balance, posture and spinal health. Subluxations interfere with the communication between the brain and the body, and prevent the body from functioning at its best. This disorder predisposes children (and adults) to numerous ailments such as neck pain, back pain, and headaches.

Chiropractors have long recognized the spinal health hazards of heavy backpack use and are experts in correcting vertebral subluxations. As specialists in spinal biomechanics, chiropractors also work to educate parents and the community about the proper use of backpacks.

Important Steps in Preventing Backpack Related Injuries

In an effort to reduce backpack related injuries, follow the preventative measures below to ensure the health and safety of your child.

* The maximum weight for your child's loaded backpack should not exceed 15% of his or her body weight. For example, an 80-pound child should not carry more than 12 pounds in a pack. If the backpack is heavier, it will cause your child to bend forward in an attempt to support the weight on his or her back rather than on the shoulders. This rounding of the shoulders will result in back, shoulder and neck pain.

* Insist that your child wear both shoulder straps. Luggin g a backpack with one shoulder strap causes the child to lean to one side to compensate for the uneven weight. This can cause permanent misalignment of the spine, neck and back pain, muscle fatigue and lowered state of health. The bottom of the backpack should rest in the curve of the lower back and the top touch just below the big knob on the back of your neck.

* Padded straps are very important. Look for backpacks with wide padded shoulder straps to avoid pressure on the nerves around the armpits. Padded waist straps that keep the backpack close to the body will help maintain proper balance.

* Teach your child to pack his or her backpack by evenly distributing the contents. Keep the heaviest items closest to your back and avoid loading unnecessary items. The more spread out a load is, the less strain it puts on any one part of the body.

* Often ignored is the act of lifting the backpack. Bend at the knees, use both hands, check the weight of the pack and lift with your legs, not your back. Carefully put one shoulder strap on at a time. Never sling the pack onto one shoulder.

* For older students, encourage them to make frequent trips to their locker between classes to replace books. If the backpack is still too heavy to take home, talk to your child’s teacher. It might be possible to obtain two sets of books or bring home only lighter hand-out materials or workbooks.

* Talk to your child about the importance of using a backpack properly. A child who is educated early in life on the importance of ergonomics can apply this knowledge in the home and office as they grow older, and will be happier and healthier as a result.

Chiropractic care can help

It is important to remember that like many health problems, vertebral subluxations and spinal disorders often go unnoticed and therefore ignored. Because of this, it is especially important to call your Chiropractor if your child experiences any pain or discomfort in the shoulders, neck, legs or back. This way, any potential spinal or postural problems can be addressed and corrected before they get worse. Doctors of Chiropractic offer spinal checkups for youngsters that include a thorough evaluation for vertebral subluxations and postural analysis. Spinal correction is specific and gentle with a child. If you're a parent, don't ignore this potential threat to your child's health. Schedule a chiropractic evaluation for your youngster today.

If you have questions about what I have discussed, give me an email at landrumdc@gmail.com. Or visit my website at http://www.landrumdc.com