Spinal Decompression

One cause of back pain that actually does not involve a degeneration or injury to the tissues of the spine is referred to as piriformis syndrome. This disorder actually affects the sciatic nerve as it travels deep through the hips. The piriformis muscle crosses over the sciatic nerve as the nerve travels down from the lower back through the hips and then down the length of the leg to the foot. When the muscle puts excess pressure on the nerve, chronic feelings of pain and numbness can result from the compressive forces.

This syndrome is common in runners, people who bicycle often, and can be found in the general public as well. The piriformis muscle compresses the sciatic nerve near the site of the rotator muscles of the hip, resulting in pain and a loss of feeling. The first sign of the syndrome is a chronic ache in the hips or numbness that that be felt deep in the hips and progress down the leg or even all the way down to the foot. Typically, only one side of the body is affected, as the sciatic nerve branches out from the lower back to either leg.

With piriformis syndrome, the pain can be chronic and be felt when moving, running, walking, or even sitting down. Sitting is one activity where the sciatic nerve is directly compressed by the piriformis muscle. We have all had the experience of sitting in one position or another for too long and our entire leg falls asleep. That is the sciatic nerve "turning off" due to pressure being placed on it at the hip. Thankfully, for the vast majority of us, this is a temporary numbness and only an annoyance, but for some people it is a painful chronic condition.

Pain and discomfort can also extend upwards into the lower back and people may feel as if their lower back is the site of the injury instead of the hips. This can make diagnosing piriformis syndrome difficult for doctors, as they have to take into account the possibility that the problem is caused by a herniated disc or otherwise compressed spinal disc that may cause numbness down the length of the sciatic nerve. This is why doctors may have x-rays or an MRI done on a patient with piriformis syndrome -- to rule out the possibility of a more serious back injury.

Treatment for the disorder typically involves reducing physical activities that place pressure on the sciatic nerve. This may mean standing up more if sitting causes discomfort, as well as taking a few days or weeks off of running or biking. Anti-inflammatory medications may help to reduce swelling if there is any injury or trauma to the piriformis muscle. Stretching and strengthening exercises may be recommended for some people who can move with little discomfort, in order to strengthen and improve the tissue quality of the muscle. And the good news is that surgery is extremely rare for this disorder.

For many people suffering from piriformis syndrome, the chronic feeling of numbness traveling down the leg to the foot may be extremely uncomfortable. Thankfully, that cause of the problem is well known and often responds to treatment and rest. The muscle can be relaxed, stretched, and strengthened so that it does not cause excess pressure anymore, and the nerve can heal quickly so that normal feeling returns once the muscle has relaxed. So while the pain may be chronic once the muscle clenches and applies pressure to the nerve, it does not have to be a permanent source of discomfort for many people.

Research on the functional results after surgery as it relates to a patient's emotional health shows a definitive link. Multiple studies over the last few years in the literature show the connection between a patient's emotional well being and how it influences the postoperative functional recovery.

This link has been highlighted in areas such as joint reconstruction, spine surgery, trauma, and sports medicine. Patients who have a lower emotional health have a higher risk of not improving functionally as much as they should after surgery. This risk stands across multiple demographics including gender, socioeconomic background, and age.

So what exactly does emotional health include? Emotional well being refers to whether the patient tends to be anxious, has less coping skills and social support, and potentially lives with a low-grade depression. This low-grade depression is not one where the patient physically is undergoing treatment for it, but it's a part of who they are.

In addition patients overload their emotional coping skills and have a tendency toward poor social support. So how are surgeons supposed to identify patients who are either living with a reduced emotional well being or on the brink of an emotional health breakdown post-operatively? One of the best ways is for the surgeon to spend time discussing these areas with their patients that could put them at high risk.

This may include discussing such issues as anxiety, depression, and discussing potential poor coping skills which may definitely come into existence when someone has to cope with just having had a major musculoskeletal surgery. There are some patient questionnaires that can help identify patients at increased risk for lower emotional well being, and may include the SF 36 or the SF 12.

It is unclear then, if a patient tends to be at high risk for a reduced emotional well being, whether to intervene preoperatively to try and help with this issue or to change the postoperative course to try and get a better chance of recovery functionally. Currently, there are studies being funded by in NIH that are ongoing and looking at the aspects of emotional health as it relates to surgical outcomes.

It may be that if the patient is deemed to be at risk for an emotional well being issue, then there can be more post operative resources devoted to that patient's emotional health which can help improve their functional outcomes. Here's an example. This patient has some low grade depression that is picked up and activated by the surgery, then maybe that patient is unable to perform the full amount of physical therapy multiple days for week due to being depressed.

Noticing that before surgery and increasing resources to help increase that patients emotional health postoperatively can allow a patient to do the necessary rehab. Unfortunately most patients consider orthopedic surgeons to be high technology and low on the emotional scale. So it may be that additional ancillary support is necessary to help in these situations.

Patients want to be seen as people, and not diseases, and unfortunately in medicine all too often that is what occurs. Physicians, in order to cope with the magnitude of disease that they see on a daily basis, tend to place patients into categories and ignore a lot of the emotion associated with the patient's underlying mindset. One of the things that has been proposed to help with the emotional health of patients is to utilize a multidisciplinary approach for postoperative care that includes counselors, psychologists, social workers and other additional ancillary support.

And it stands right now, a patient's emotional health is an extremely subjective matter. Hopefully as more research is performed it will be possible to identify those who are in need of additional support and with new research potentially identify how exactly to help the patient to increase their functional outcomes along with reducing pain.

Seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) affects more than 25 million Americans each year and current studies indicate the problem of seasonal allergies is on the rise.

Numerous clinical observations and case studies have led researchers to propose that methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) may help to significantly reduce the symptoms of SAR.

In a study conducted in 2002, fifty people with chronic SAR, completed a study. They consumed 2600 mg of MSM per day. As part of the study, respiratory symptoms, energy levels and immune and inflammatory reactions were measured. All of the participants noted remarkable improvement and tests performed on the individuals in the study measured and confirmed that the use of the supplement MSM had made a physically distinctive rectification of SAR symptoms.

The results of the study suggest that MSM supplementation of 2600 mg per day for 30 days may help reduce the symptoms of SAR; additionally few side effects are associated with the use of MSM.

(information obtained for this article was found in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Feb.2003, Vol. 9, No. 1: 15-16)

A PERSONAL NOTE: I have used MSM as a supplement regimen for 10 years. I have been a chronic hay fever sufferer all of my life, and I discovered that using MSM stopped the runny itchy eyes and scratchy throat during the hay fever season. I still sneeze but the more irritating side effects of hay fever have been chiefly eliminated.

For more information on MSM and other supplements go to http://www.freshproductsandideas.com

As one ages, the spinal intervertebral disc undergoes significant changes. Normally the intervertebral disk is comprised of 80% water. With age, that percentage begins to decrease and the spinal disc begins to lose hydration and undergo degeneration.

Some discs undergo rapid degeneration and that can lead to degenerative disc disease. This may or may not lead to pain. The disc can lose height from lack of water, and it can also start to bulge similar to a tire that is getting flat and bulging. Disc degeneration is diagnosed from either x-rays or an MRI, which can be ordered by a Pain Management Doctor.

Just because a person has degeneration present of spinal discs does not mean pain is inevitable as there are many individuals walking around with discs that are dehydrating, degenerating, and bulging but not causing any pain at all.

As the spinal disc continues to degenerate, it can lead to a cascade of degenerative spinal arthritis that occurs as follows. As the disc loses water and degenerates, it loses disc height. The joints behind the disc space, called facet joints, begin to experience abnormal stresses as the disc becomes defective in its ability to absorb stresses. These stresses go to the rest of the spinal elements at the affected level, in this case the facet joints.

The facet joints begin to degenerate and become arthritic, this involves overgrowth of bone around the joint and further pain. Because the degenerative disc is not always affected symmetrically, the patient may end up with scoliosis due to the degeneration that continues to build on itself.

Treatments for degenerative disc disease are multiple. They are all quality of life treatments, as degenerative disc disease and spinal arthritis are not life threatening. Pain management doctors offer facet injections, nucleoplasty, physical therapy, spinal decompression therapy, bracing, radiofrequency ablation, among other treatments. Surgery should be considered as an absolute last resort.

Degenerative disc disease is characterized by severe lower back pain. The symptoms of degenerative spine are easy for a person to recognize, the most common being stiffness and tingling in the spine. It is also one of the most misunderstood diseases. Degenerative disc is not actually a disease, but a term used to explain the normal changes that occur in your spinal discs as you grow with age.

Healthy spinal discs are extremely elastic and can be compressed. They separate the interlocked bones that make up the spine. Discs are responsible for absorbing shock that is caused to the spine, making it flexible, and able to bend and twist. As the discs get older, they become less elastic and problems occur.

Degenerative discs can occur anywhere along the spine, but the highest probability is for them to occur in the lower back--also called the lumbar region--and the neck--also called the cervical region.

The symptoms of degenerative disc disease are numerous. The most common symptoms are stiffness, pain and restricted activity, and depending on the nerve root affected, the pain can occur in the neck, legs and knees. In most cases, the symptoms are of mild pain, but sometimes there is deep pain that often increases when the joint is moved, and lessens when the joint has fully warmed up.

Intense pain is caused by compression of the nerves, which occurs when the spinal disc gets thinner. As a result, the space between the bones narrows. Sometimes, in severe cases, bone and nerve compression is caused that, apart from causing pain, also gives a burning sensation, numbness, and tingling. An extreme case can be that the organs connected to these nerves become diseased, with the seriousness depending on the way degeneration is caused in the discs.

Patients showing symptoms of degenerative spine complain of chronic pain in the lower back along with intermittent attacks of low back pain. These small episodes of pain from disc degeneration can last from a few days to a few months. The amount of chronic pain varies and can range from being a simple irritation to serious pain, disabling the affected person. In some cases the pain can become intense and then return to a low level or disappear entirely. Activities like bending, lifting and twisting can worsen the pain while activities like walking and running can give some relief rather than sitting for a long time. It is recommended to change positions frequently. Lying down is the best option. The symptoms and treatment for degenerative spine disease are covered further in more articles at [http://www.degenerativespineoptions.com]

However, in an active person aged between 30 and 40, the pain should not be severe and persistent. If it is, then medical advice should be sought. If degenerative disc disease is the cause of the pain, then ignoring the pain will only lead to the pain getting worse as time goes on. With the range of excellent treatments for back pain now including exercise, medicine and a range of surgical procedures there is no need to allow the pain to continue. A consultation with your doctor will enable you to consider the best treatment options for the type of back pain you are suffering from.

Without the require for any kind of herniated disc exercises and herniated disc treatment, many research have revealed that the the vast majority of herniated disc cases and its symptoms will deal with themselves in about six weeks. Noticeable development was confirmed in 73% of patients after 12 weeks even without surgery. Naturally, as a result of chemical radiculitis, a doctor may prescribe NSAIDs to relieve lower back pain. Prolonged use of NSAIDs however, may bring about cardiovascular and gastrointestinal health complications.

Epidural Steroid Injections. These have been observed to give only temporary alleviation in a few selected instances and may also lead to serious side effects. Precisely focusing on TNF to reduce discomfort, etanercept is one medication that is in its experimental stage. However, if employed as part of a herniated disk treatment, it may be a very costly answer for any patient.

Chiropractic Care. Medical trials on osteopathic and chiropractic spinal manipulation have generated contradicting results. Though allowed for patients who have encountered relief with this procedure, the WHO has disapproved spinal manipulation in cases of frank disc herniation accompanied by signs of progressive neurological deficiencies.

Spinal Decompression. This is an appealing treatment that has displayed efficiency in providing alleviation not only to disc herniation patients but also to chronic lower back pain caused by other problems. Usually mistaken for typical traction, spinal decompression involves accumulating negative pressure into the spine that would draw extruded materials back into the disc center. This is specifically productive in sciatica. An in depth discussion on spinal decompression can be seen in the page.

Surgery. This is done as well for slipped disc treatment, is only considered when all conventional treatment choices have been taken and healing of the disc herniation and pain alleviation has not been achieved. In instances of significant neurological deficits like caude equina syndrome, surgery may also be necessary. The goals of surgery are the relief of nerve compression (in order to improve healing of the afflicted nerve), alleviation from the accompanying back pain, and the repair of normal function in the patient.

The following are surgical choices for herniated discs:

• Discectomy/Microdiscectomy - Nerve compression alleviation;


• Hemilaminectomy/Laminectomy - Performed to ease compressed nerve and address spinal stenosis;


• Chemonucleolysis: Conducted to fix protruding, bulging, or ripped discs;


• Lumbar fusion - Patients with repeating lumbar disc herniations should undertake this procedure;


• Dynamic stabilization - Uses bendable materials to strengthen the spine if it is affected by degenerative variations;


• Intradiscal Electrothermal Therapy (IDET) - A heat probe is used to shrink disc tissues and cauterize small disc nerves;


• Nucleoplasty - Tissues in the nucleus pulposus are ablated and taken away using Coblation簧 technology and this disc decompression procedure is minimally invasive

Artificial Disc Replacement. The stem cell therapy is one type of herniated disc treatment presently being researched. Intervertebral disc degeneration can be stopped or partial regrowth of the disc is plausible with the autogenic mesenchymal stem cells being experimented on animal specimens.

The US is in the midst of a pain management problem of epidemic proportions. To put it in "medical" terms, the "patient" is on life support in the intensive care unit, and the "doctors" need to huddle to figure out how to save the "patient". According to a recent Institute of Medicine study, over 110 million Americans suffer from chronic pain at an annual cost of over $500 billion dollars. Wow!

So what to do? One of the most interesting facts that came out of the the IOM report was that while the cost of pain management annually is in the hundreds of billions of dollars, the amount of money spent on pain research is only between $200 to $300 million dollars. There is a huge disconnect between the amounts of what it cost and what is being done to rectify some of the problem. More funding at the NIH level is necessary to help produce viable solutions for helping patients and get the pain management situation off of "life support".

Very few of the new medications coming into the marketplace are for pain. What exists now are mostly narcotics, which can work very well but have lots of side effects and addiction potential. New drug classes are needed desperately to help with pain that have different side effect profiles, less tolerance, and less problems with addiction.

More education for medical providers is necessary. During training, medical students receive very little training in pain, which is amazing considering the extent of the problem. It would be impossible to have all patients in pain taken care of by pain management specialists, so all doctors, especially primary care doctors, deserve pain management training.

Along with the training changes, another aspect of pain treatment recommended in the report is to shift pain centers to comprehensive integrated models rather than simply "pill mills". This would entail services such as physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, psychology, interventional pain management, and spinal decompression therapy along with medications.

There is considerable space in the report discussing reimbursement changes as well. When you look at reimbursement for the time spent on patients in pain and all the education and options, the visits can easily take 45-60 minutes. Right now, reimbursement is lacking for these extensive visits.

The report was received very well with 35 professional organizations lauding the findings. If the recommendations can be even partially implemented, maybe over the next few years the "patient" can be upgraded from critical to stable.

Research into whether or not there is an association between bras and back pain does exist. However, it has primarily been in the form of large polls, discussions, and anectdotal evidence rather than any level 1 studies. The common thread seen in the research is that an ill-fitting bra can cause significant pain for females. Rather than considering a breast reduction as a primary form of treatment, receiving an "expert" bra-fitting can ease the problem.

An online poll was conducted in 2006 by Harris Interactive for the nonprofit North American Spine Society and the bra company Maidenform. More than 1,300 women participated in the poll. Fifty-nine percent of the women said their bra caused them to have back, shoulder, or neck pain. The biggest problem cited by these women consisted of the bra straps, followed by the bra's band around the rib cage, the supportive underwire built into many bras, and the bra's cup size or cup fit. Not all of the women were unhappy with their bras. Thirty-nine percent of the entire group said their bras never hurt their back, shoulders, or neck. The remaining 2 percent said they don't wear bras.

Women who are suffering from back pain from their bras are often simply wearing the wrong size.

Many female patients who resort to plastic surgery to ease back pain could achieve the same result by wearing bras that fit. In 2009, over 120,00 breast reductions were performed, a 137 percent increase over 1997. These bras can be expensive and are typically not fashionable. It may be necessary to enlist the services of a custom bra maker. However, it's a small price to pay to avoid potential complications of surgery. There are psychological considerations for surgery as well, so it's not a hard and fast rule it can or should always be avoided.

Wearing the wrong size bra can result in the weight of the breasts being carried by the shoulders rather than the chest and contribute to back pain. It is thought women tend to underestimate the width of their back, while overestimating their cup size. This means their breasts don't get proper support and can lead to pain in the chest, neck and shoulders. Here's a link to an article on considerations for a proper bra to prevent resultant back pain.

A bulging disc is a spine related condition in which a disc weakens and, due to constant pressure, shifts out of its normal position creating a bulge. As a person ages, the spine loses its fluids and becomes immensely vulnerable to different stress factors. Excess weight, poor posture, smoking and other degeneration diseases take a toll on the spine and weakens it constantly.

The best chiropractic therapy for bulging discs is spinal decompression. This involves manual and mechanical measures to proceed with the therapy. It uses a mechanical traction unit that is controlled by an on-board operating computer. This unit basically controls the force and angle of the disc distractions and neutralizes the body's capacity to generate muscle spasms.

During this therapy, the patient is supposed to lay, fully clothed on the table for decompression. The vibrating units are used to relax the muscles in the spine in order to maximize the effectiveness of the therapy. To open up the segments of the spine, the decompression table is tilted at a particular angle to use the gravitational pull to extend the spine. When the spine is extended, the pressure on it is reduced. This results in the therapy being more effective.

Apart from playing a significant role in reducing the spinal pressure, the therapy also helps to create a vacuum in the spinal region which, in turn, aids the spine into get back to its normal position and reduces the bulging disc. Non-surgical therapy using spinal decompression also reverts nerve impairments, helps spinal discs to heal and also reduces spine loading.

Non-surgical spinal decompression is thus, most advisable due to the following reasons:

1. It is very safe and the entire procedure is very gentle.
2. The therapy is comfortable and painless.
3. It is a lot more affordable than surgery.
4. It is not invasive.
5. This therapy is completely FDA certified.
6. The therapy is a proven success.
7. It provides a long-term relief from bulging discs.

There are several versions of spinal decompression that take into consideration your personal needs and adjusts accordingly to provide maximum comfort. The Range-of-Motion decompression technique adjusts according to the patient's spinal posture during the process of decompression. This helps the pulling process from the traction unit to reach deep in the tissues and the other spinal regions. These particular points are generally not accessible by linear decompression and are mostly neglected in other treatment techniques.

The way non surgical spinal decompression therapy works on bulging discs is incredible. The therapy has worked wonders for those who have tried it and are now leading normal lives without physical restrictions. It is considered to be a "better alternative" than any surgical or medical treatments. It does not involve any pain during the whole procedure and it is entirely comfortable. Moreover, unlike other surgical treatments, this is very affordable and gives relief from pain for an extended period of time. For a person who has being suffering from bulging disc, it is never too late to take advantage of such a promising therapy that assures long term pain relief.

Modern lifestyles have been largely blamed for a plethora of health complaints. One of these areas is the high prevalence of back and neck pain which has pervaded society at an alarming rate. Due to the constant strain that contemporary lifestyle puts on our body, the American Chiropractors Association (ACA) has reported that one half of all working Americans complain about back pain every year and that this is one of the main reasons for missing work. If you are accounted for in these statistics, you might be looking for a solution to your back pain and spinal decompression, which has created a reprieve for many patients, could work for you. So, what is spinal decompression?

The Basics of Spinal Decompression
Simply put, this is a spinal disc rehabilitation technique used by chiropractors by utilizing FDA approved equipment and technology. This technique works by stretching the spine and relieving pressure on the spinal discs. The procedure can either be surgical or non-surgical and due to the effectiveness of non-surgical spinal decompression, this analysis will focus on the same. The technique works by unloading due to distraction and positioning which separates the spinal vertebrates from each other and create a vacuum effect, or negative intradiscal pressure, inside the disc that is being targeted.

The effect of this negative pressure is retraction of bulging or herniated discs, which cause much of the pain and irritation, into the main disc. This is what chiropractors aim to achieve during spinal decompression. The pain discerned in most of the lumbar region emanates from the pressure applied on the nerves in this region and when that is relieved, through sequential sessions over some time, you will feel better and your mobility will be greatly enhanced. Spinal decompression is also critical in allowing more oxygen into this region and this can eventually lead to healing of the degenerative discs.

How a Spinal Decompression Session is done
At this point, you might be wondering what will happen during this therapy. Many advances in medical technology have been made since the 1980s when the technology was first used. You will not need to undress and a pelvic harness will be fitted as well as a thoracic one across the chest before you lie on a table face down. The table is automatically controlled through an on-board computer which determines the angle and force of distraction. The table thus enables the application of traction force to the spinal discs which over time will induce the vacuum effect. Each session takes about 30-45 minutes though this can vary depending on your condition.

Now that you appreciate what spinal decompression is, the obvious question is whether you can benefit from this therapy option. A consultation with your doctor and chiropractor is essential before undergoing spinal decompression. Some of the conditions that might be improved upon include back and neck pain, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, worn spinal discs among others. However, if you have a fracture, tumor, mental implants or advanced osteoporosis you cannot undergo spinal decompression due to the heath risks involved.

This is one of the safest and most convenient therapeutic solutions for your back pain and the fact that all the equipment is FDA approved makes it even more ideal. The cost is also lower than surgical procedures which might lead to complications around the highly sensitive spinal region.