Spinal Decompression

'Height increasing exercises' may seem strange to the individuals who subsist in this world with a belief that tall height is hereditarily dependent and nothing can be done in order to get rid of it. No doubt, genetic factors have an importance, but various other aspects are there that can avert one from getting the potential stature.

Here are given some height increasing exercises, one can follow these after consultation of experts

Swimming

Swimming is a good exercise that aids in lessening compressive powers applied to the spine. When one swims, disks in vertebra tend to expand and it thus aids in adding some inches in height.

Wall stretching exercises

Height increasing exercises involve wall stretching exercises that are helpful in adding few inches in stature. Keep the back against wall and then raise both hands as elevated as possible. In this posture, one will be standing on his toes in fully stretched pose. It helps in removing any curvature of spine and elongates the spine.

Rope skipping

Rope skipping also helps in giving a boon to muscles and bones of thighs as well as lower leg. It causes body to extend and become flexible.

Sprinting at high speed

Sprinting at high speed is the best exercise used by various sports person and athletes. Often, high speed running causes some micro cracks in bones of legs, however these tend to heal within a week or two and aid one to increase height naturally.

Height increasing exercises offer an ideal way to encourage physical boost in one's stature naturally, even subsequent to the puberty age. There are various exercises available for increasing height; however the most effective is spine stretching exercise which is actually a spinal decompression exercise that aims exclusively to lengthen spinal column.

Summary

Height increasing exercises have really proved of great significance when it comes to identifying ways of growing taller naturally. One can realize miraculous results within short duration if does these exercises daily.

Sciatica is a common problem that people can sometimes experience. It is the term used by the medical community for pain, numbness, or weakness that is in the leg. However, despite what many believe, it is not a medical condition, but rather the result of a medical condition that you may already be experiencing. The cause is from pressure being applied to the sciatic nerve or nerve damage in the area.

Some people describe the experience as a tingling feeling that is present in their legs. Others say that it is more like a burning sensation. In individuals who have very severe cases, they may not even be able to move properly. There have been cases of it happening in both legs, however it usually only happens in one. Pain can be felt in the hip or back of the leg. Individuals may also report feeling pain in their feet as well. Your doctor can figure out if you have sciatica from several different types of tests. This can involve MRIs, blood tests, or x-rays. This can also involve tests that reflect on your range of motion. In example, someone that is suffering from the ailment may have problems bending their feet down or may reflect weak reflexes. There can also be weakness in the bending of the knees.

If the condition is treated before the nerve damage has the chance to worsen, there is a good change that the individual can recover completely. Other times, full recovery might not be possible and may leave the individual with a loss of motion. Pain can also become more consistent and prolonged. For this reason, it is important to get the problem diagnosed fairly soon. Treatments offered can reflect on what type of damage has been done to the nerve and what the cause of it is. The best cases involve non surgical treatments where the individual recovers quickly. Situations where damage is caused to the nerve via pressure being put on it requires for this to be treated by surgery. The doctor might also prescribe injections or medication to treat pain and stop inflammation.

Other treatment options might include physical therapy. This can improve the range of motion in the individual and promote more muscle strength. Combined with other treatments, it can help individuals regain their movement and function again. For those who stand or sit often at their job, the doctor might request changes or suggest different methods to get the work done. Regarding the severity of the nerve damage, prevention techniques can differ greatly. What might work well to prevent pain for one individual may not work at all or completely for another individual. It is best to have these prevention measures created by a doctor personally so that they apply more specifically to the individual and their own circumstances.

In order to receive the best results in the recovery of the individual from sciatica and its pain, an examination should happen as promptly as possible. Even if the individual only suspects the possibility, it should be considered and treated seriously. If pain continues without proper care, nerve damage can increase and make it more difficult for the individual to recover correctly.

For those suffering from chronic back pain as a result of spinal compressions, injuries, DDD or disc degenerative diseases, herniated disc and other spine diseases, spinal decompression therapy is an alternative treatment to invasive and surgical procedures. This therapy is guaranteed effective and highly recommended by physicians, chiropractors and health professionals. While spinal decompression treatment would not require you to take medications or any invasive procedure, this method utilizes a spinal decompression machine for best results.

When you have saved yourself from medical expenses, you will then have to prepare a budget for the machine that you will be using for the decompression. Spine decompression machines are state - of - the - art - technology which are computerized and capable of determining the amount of decompression that your body needs tom achieve the best cure.

There are few spinal decompression machines that you can choose from if you are considering of purchasing one. There is the Vax - D or Vertebral Axial Decompression which is popularly known to be the most effective and safest decompression machine. It works to increase the spaces between inter - vertebral disc to relieve pain. It is also effective in the treatment of herniated disc, sciatica, DDD and the results can be more accurate and permanent. Treatment with Vax - D takes about 15 to 30 sessions on a daily basis. Another decompression machine used for spine and disc diseases is the DRX9000. DRX9000 is FDA - approved to treat chronic back pain, herniated disc, sciatica as well as degenerative disc diseases of DDD. This machine is computer - controlled that should be used accurately to prevent further injuries. This must only be used by health professionals who knew exactly the proper procedures of using the machine. Treatment with DRX9000 can last up to 50 sessions depending on the back problem. However, results vary from one patient to another.

If you are looking to purchase one from these two types of decompression machine, then you will need thousands of dollars for one machine. Yes, the machine are very expensive and so is each sessions of the therapy. If you think you can't afford this, then inversion therapy is a good alternative. With a $200 or $300 inversion table, you can actually decompress your spine and get relief for your back pain plus more benefits brought about by the therapy through inversion.

Imagine having back pain for a year, five years, or even a decade, and finally getting so frustrated you opt to go for a surgery that the doctor assures you will get rid of your pain and allow you to regain a normal lifestyle again. This is the exact story that was reported on MSNBC just a short while ago. In the next few paragraphs we can briefly recap the story of Ms. Scatena, but before we do I am going to some something completely out of the ordinary for my monthly newsletter. I'm going to let the cat out of the bag and give you the punch line right off the bat.

Patients who opt to have back surgeries and spinal fusions are way less likely to go back to work and are in desperate need of more opiates. Now this is NOT my opinion. I'm going to take a neutral stance on this and just going to lay down the story, give a few references as to where these statistics are coming from, give you insight into what a majority of "celebrity" back surgeons and pain management doctors have to say about it, and leave it at that. So let's get started. The story starts in the town of Scottsdale Arizona in the blazing heat. There was a woman, in great physical shape except for excruciating back pain. She jumped from doctor to doctor and after thinking she was getting the best advice and doing her research she finally decided to opt for surgery. She suffers from spinal stenosis of the lumbar spine. For those of you that are wondering what spinal stenosis is, it is generally a narrowing of the canal through which the spinal nerves travel. It puts pressure on the nerves which in turn cause pain, and if you've been reading this monthly newsletter for any length of time, you're well aware that....

Pressure = Pain Pressure causes pain fibers to experience pain, causes rubbing, irritation, and then the insuring inflammation to compound the problem. So Nancy opted to try and alleviate the pain by going through a "spinal microsurgery procedure". Immediately following the surgery Nancy Scatena was concerned she may have made the wrong decision. Just a month after surgery her pain was back in full swing and more excruciating than ever. So there she sat with unrelenting back aches and pain and her doctor prescribing medication after medication. None of which did more for her than barely taking the edge off. And just like the 27 million other Americans that suffer back pain every year she sat (or actually tried to sit comfortably) wondering what her next move should be. So just like many of us, she turned to a friend that recommend she go see yet another surgeon who her friend referred to as...

A Miracle Worker This new miracle worker-as she was referred to-assured her that this second operation would fix everything. And she decided to go with her friends' recommendation and have the surgery. And for just a few weeks the pain was better. Then It Came Roaring Back On MSNBC they say that about 600,000 Americans opt for back surgeries of some sort. But they go on to say that many surgeons and pain management experts say that most, back surgery is full of empty promises. And here are the facts as to why. And these numbers are actually from a study done in Ohio. I'll take out all the "doctor-ese" of the story and just lay out the facts. They looked at just under 1500 patients in the workers compensation system, half of them had surgery, half of them did not. So here is how it breaks down.

• 26% of those that had surgery returned to work


• 67% of those that did not have surgery returned to work.

So if that isn't troubling enough, the real shocker is that those that did have surgery for their back pain had a...

41% Increase in Pain Medications! So what does that actually mean? Well the head researcher in the study was a doctor named Dr. Traung Nguyen who is a researcher from the University of Cincinnati. Medical Colleagues claim that this study is evidence that back surgeries don't alleviate pain from degenerative discs.

Why Would They Continue To Do Procedures That Studies Show Don't WORK?

You're completely on point if you're asking yourself that same question. After all, the study provides "clear evidence". Some sources say economics. Spinal surgery is a lucrative procedure. In the Spine Journal, they report an EIGHT fold increase in invasive procedures that fuse two or more vertebrae over the past 15 years. This the little know dirty little secret that has public health experts and surgeons up in arms about back surgery.

In fact, one of the leading experts is publicly stating back surgery and the legitimate need for spinal fusions has gotten "WAY BEYOND WHAT IS REASONABLE AND NECESSARY" Another interesting statistic is that there are some parts of the country where spinal fusions are FOUR times more likely than the national average. All this comes from Charles Burton who is THE medical director for the Center for Restorative Spine Surgery in St Paul.

Is He Alone? Nope. Not at all. Dr William Webb who is the chairman at the University of Pennsylvania and the Chief of Neurosurgery of Pennsylvania Hospital says that "there is some success in treating back pain but as a whole we are less successful at treating back pain." As if that isn't convincing enough that surgery for back pain is the last resort, if it even should be an option at all (surgery is only clinically indicated when muscles begin to atrophy or there is bladder or bowel incontinence, otherwise it is an elective procedure). Dr. Dorisk Cope, who is a professor and chair for pain management at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, admits that....

"It's a case of, if you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail." So that brings us back to this month's newsletter message. The hammer and nail analogy refers to a "carpenter" trade. You wouldn't go to the carpenter and ask him to fix your plumbing. Why? That's not his specialty, in fact he probably doesn't know much, if anything about plumbing at all. Just like surgeons don't know much about Non-Surgical Methods. And we should be thankful about that. After all, if the surgeon was spending time to learn about Non-Surgical technologies and procedures then he is not getting better at surgery which is what we really want him to be good at right? The truth of the matter is that if someone has bowel or bladder incontinence, or muscle wasting or damage to the nerves, then more than likely they need to see a surgeon ASAP.

But Pain By Itself? Based off what many in the research, teaching, and neurosurgical circles are saying it just not as effective as the general population, portal of entry doctors, and the surgeons themselves would like to think. While I agree that for many there is no magic bullet, what I am saying is that if someone has a pressure "diagnosis', a herniated, bulging disc, a disc pressing on a nerve cause stenosis, sciatica or neuropathy, or they have a failed surgery, there may still be hope. If you have a compression problem, if you're suffering from pain, void of bladder, bowel or muscles wasting problems then maybe non-surgical spinal decompression is the answer.

Spinal Stenosis sufferers everywhere --rejoice! A new day is upon us! Yes I'm talking about the recent popularity of the use of cetylmyristoleate (CMO) to combat the UGLY pain associated with joint pain and Spinal Stenosis pain.

Cetylmyristoleate CMO), was first discovered way back in the early 1960's at The National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. by a research chemist named Harry Diehl. While he was studying the immunity of mice, Mr. Diehl accidentally discovered an ester substance with a waxy /milky-like form that could travel to the joints and lubricate the region that was degenerating. With the newly "lubed" joint, comes the added benefit of joint pain relief and better mobility.

It wasn't until 1994 that Mr. Diehl introduced cetylmyristoleate (CMO) to the general public.

First published in the 1994 issue of the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and with the double clinical studies that followed, it was concluded that cetylmyristoleate(CMO) is effective in the treatment of many forms of arthritis joint pain and spinal canal degeneration.

Needless to say, many of us spinal stenosis sufferers are thankful for the arrival and rise of this new joint pain supplement!-- The lubricating properties go right to work, reducing and in some cases, eliminating the pain associated with medium to severe cases of any type of joint related ailment, including degenerative arthritis; gout; spinal stenosis; bursitis and fibromyalgia.

So the cetlylmyristoleate (CMO) goes to work immediately-- and before too long, you just feel better and you also move better too! -- it improves your lifestyle--all naturally and without the use of harmful drugs.

What I like about cetylmyristoleate is the fact that so many doctors use it, and swear by it because of the lubricating properties that are in it. They approve it and many of them recommend it to their patients to aid in their recuperation from Spinal Decompression therapy and from the excruciating pain of degenerative arthritis; and also from spinal canal degeneration.

As we age our body stops producing bone and cartilage nutrients. The spine discs degenerate; the spinal canal narrows (exposing nerve endings) and the inflammation is painful and constant. In many lumbar and cervical spinal stenosis cases cetylmyristoleate (with its fatty acid lubrication) helps to alleviate the excruciating pain.

Keep in mind that not all joint pain relief systems work on everybody. Research shows that cetylmyristoleate(CMO) helps about 80% of those who use it in about 3 weeks.

You might want to consider using a quality cetylmyristoleate product if you suffer from medium to severe joint pain; spinal stenosis pain or if you are hampered with poor mobility and range of motion.

With millions of back pain sufferers worldwide searching for alternative ways to find chronic back pain relief, non-surgical spinal decompression therapy arises. Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy has successfully treated many back pain sufferers who received unsatisfactory results with traditional treatment methods such as bed rest, physical therapy, pain medications, acupuncture, surgery and traction. As new clinical research demonstrating the positive outcomes of this form of therapy continues to surface, it may not take long before it is widely considered to be an effective treatment option for chronic back pain conditions.

In a recent study published in Pain Practice, patient outcomes indicated that chronic low back pain improved with treatment on the DRX9000 True Non-surgical Spinal Decompression System™.

The study titled, "Treatment of 94 Outpatients With Chronic Discogenic Low Back Pain with the DRX9000: A Retrospective Chart Review" indicated that patients with a mean pain duration of 535 weeks (Over 10 years) reported a mean verbal numerical pain intensity rating equal to 6.05 on a 0 to 10 scale prior to treatment with the DRX9000™.

Patients were treated at four clinics throughout the United States. They received 30-minute DRX9000 sessions daily for the first 2 weeks tapering to 1 session/week.

After the completion of the DRX9000 True Non-surgical Spinal Decompression System therapy, the mean verbal numerical pain intensity rating decreased to a statistically and clinically significant rating of 0.89.

Furthermore, patients also reported a decrease in analgesic use and improvement in activities of daily living.

The authors were able to follow-up at a mean 31 weeks with 29 patients and reveal mean values of 83% improvement in back pain and satisfaction of 8.55 on a 10-point scale. None of these 29 patients reported requiring surgery. The authors also acknowledge that there are other spinal decompression systems available commercially. However, they suggest that the design difference between these devices, "may lead to differing physical responses to therapy, so studies of one type of apparatus should not readily be applied across all machines."

As more clinical research demonstrating positive results utilizing this form of treatment is disseminated, the question may no longer be whether it's effective but rather who offers it.

To learn more about the DRX9000 True Non-surgical Spinal Decompression System and available clinical research, please visit us here [http://axiomworldwide.com/drx9000.aspx].

This article is not intended nor should be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Consult your physician before considering any medical treatment method available.

Discectomy is one of the most widely used surgical procedures for treating bulging, herniated, ruptured and extruded discs anywhere in the spine. This surgical technique involves removing some of the disc in the hope of relieving any pressure that the bulge or rupture is enacting on delicate and sensitive neurological tissue, such as the spinal cord or a spinal nerve root.

Although traditionally a fully open surgical procedure, disc removal is now almost always performed using minimally invasive methods. This is great for patients, since the less damage incurred during the procedure, the faster the recovery, the less the chance for complications and the better the possibility for providing marked pain relief. Most procedures are referred to as microdiscectomies or microendoscopic discectomies, since they utilize the smallest of incisions and the least degree of anatomical injury to the patient. These newer operations allow a number of small incisions to replace one large surgical cut and also facilitate reaching the spine through the front or side of the body, preventing the need for muscular dissection and the messy rehabilitation needed to correct this devastating damage.

The partial disc removal procedure is case specific, meaning that it is custom tailored to the exact needs of each patient. In some cases, a small amount of disc material is removed, while in others, a sizeable percentage of the overall disc is excised. Typically, the surgery will be performed to treat one of two diagnosed conditions. Spinal stenosis is when the implicated disc is thought to be applying pressure to the spinal canal and possibly the spinal cord itself. In these cases, the disc will be trimmed at the center line or the areas of posterolateral herniation, depending on where the impingement occurs. In cases of foraminal stenosis leading to a suspected pinched nerve, the posterolateral and far lateral aspect of the disc will be trimmed to relieve pressure on the compressed nerve.

One of the problems with discectomy is the incredibly common recurrence of herniations, often worse than the originally treated condition. This occurs in a large percentage of treated patients. This can make the entire procedure worthless and even land the patient in a worse state than before the surgery. I see this often in the patients who write too me on my various websites each week. However, the real catastrophe of the surgery is the fact that most are not needed at all. This is because the condition has been misdiagnosed in what is actually occurring, wherein the disc is taking the blame for sourcing pain, when all along it is innocent of any symptomatic expression. This is an epidemic concern and explains why so many back pain treatments fail...

Avoiding back surgery is always advised whenever possible. Remember that many spinal operations are not needed, nor are they proven to be effective in most cases. In fact, statistics clearly show that the majority of patients will have a recurrence of symptoms either immediately or within a matter of weeks or months after the procedure. Very few patients enjoy symptomatic resolution for the 10 years necessary to deem an operation a complete success. Unfortunately, almost none of the patients operated on each year have any idea of this until after they themselves endure the misery of failed back surgery syndrome and their doctor stops taking their calls.

There are many alternatives to surgery and most will work better, even in cases of misdiagnosis. At least no new damage will be done when avoiding invasive anatomical injury. Spinal decompression is a great option for contained symptomatic bulges and herniations, while simply allowing time to pass can work wonders for even the most acute discs. Never forget that in the great number of cases where disc herniations exist, but ARE NOT the actual source of pain, NO treatment is needed at all. This comes as a shock to patients, such as myself, who spent years of their lives and more money than can be easily counted pursuing worthless and unnecessary treatment which provided no relief, but certainly did wonders to make their physicians, chiropractors and therapists wealthy.

Part I - Spine Stretching Exercise

Height increase is the idea that one can perform exercises or other methods (other than limp lengthening surgery) to induce physical increase in one's height naturally, even after puberty age.

The height increase exercise that is most often mentioned is the spine stretching exercise.
Spine stretching exercise essentially is a spinal decompression process that aims specifically to elongate the spinal column.

The rationale behind spine stretching exercise is that since the earth exerts gravitational pull on everything that rest on it which obviously includes your body, thus by offsetting this gravitational pull one can restore his/her natural height. Gravity pulls down the natural gaps between each spinal disc of your spinal column and can decrease your natural height up to 1-3 inches. It is a known fact that when you wake up in the morning, you can be about 1-3 inches taller. This is because the laying down position of sleeping throughout the night has relaxed the spine in such a way that the decompression from gravity has been neutralized. Unfortunately, within a few hours of being upright (include in both sitting and standing position) the spinal compression from gravity would you shorten again.

The spine stretching exercises focus on training your spine to resist this gravity pulls by constantly helping your spine to relax and to restore the natural fluidity within those spinal column gaps between the discs.

There are many activities that are known to be effective for spinal decompression. The most common spine stretching exercise is hanging on a bar with your body suspense in midair. This is typically done with a traditional pull-up bar. The concept is simple which is utilizing the strength of your arms and shoulder to support your entire body weight. This way your body is being pulled down by gravity but unlike normal upright walking, your feet do not counteract against the gravitational pull. So instead of decompression of the spine, you got a relaxed spine that is being pulled straight downward. It is recommended that hanging to be done on daily basis and with each session lasting at least for 1-5 minutes. The duration for hanging sessions tend to be quite short due to the demanding arms and shoulders strength. But this should be improved over time as the arms and shoulders got stronger from repetitive training.

One great debate that has been ongoing is whether the height obtained from stretching is permanent. There seems to be evidence for both scenarios. A good number of people who experience immediate gain from spinal stretching such as hanging have reported that height increase has been lost after abandoning the stretching routine. One explanation for height loss from lack of maintenance is that those individuals lack physical activities, in particular with their core muscle around the spinal column. When the core muscles are not strong enough, the gravity would eventually take back the height gain. For those reports that height increase was permanent, those tend to be individuals who are physically active and have a strong core that can maintain the loosened state of the spinal column.

That is why it is not enough to merely stretch out the spine regularly, but also to build strength around your core to ensure the height increase would be permanent. Core muscle training is the solution.

Stay tune for next part on core muscle training.

more info on height increase exercises, visit Height Increase Specialty [ http://www.heightshop.com ]

Pelvic pain can be extremely painful and disabling to patients. Treatment options are limited, especially if surgery has been performed with residual pelvic pain. Pain doctors can help many patients with pelvic pain with an interventional pain management injection.

A superior hypogastric plexus block involves the administration of a dose of pain killing medication near the region of the nerve collection in front of the fifth lumbar and first sacral vertebral bodies. The hypogastric block usually involves a series of several injections, repeated at weekly intervals.

Who can benefit from the Injection?

This treatment has brought relief to many patients who suffer from pain located in the PELVIC structures, to include pain located in the region of the bladder, lower intestines, as well as the uterus, and ovaries in women, and the prostate and testicles in men.

Does it Work?

A hypogastric plexus block is a short, minimally invasive procedure that can be extremely effective. The benefits of a superior hypogastric plexus block can be temporary for some people and the amount and duration of pain relief vary from person to person. Some tend to have relief for weeks where others can benefit from the block for years.?Fortunately, the procedure is a low risk, nonsurgical treatment that if successful the first time, will most likely continue to provide pain relief with repeat treatments.

What's the Bottom Line?

The Superior Hypogastric Plexus Block can effectively treat pelvic pain that does not respond to other medications. Make sure your pain doctor has considerable expertise in these blocks as the needle ends up being placed in a potentially delicate area.

The lumbar area, commonly referred to as the lower back serves as an important structure in the human anatomy. It is vital for structural support, movement, and protection of certain tissues. Therefore, when the lower back gets injured due to accidents or diseases, many bodily functions are affected as well. Lower back pain can happen at any age, but naturally occurs to those beyond age 40.

The major causes of lower back pain are:

1. Lumbar radioculopathy - when the nucleus polposus, the gel-like center of the lumbar disc, leaks out due to compression, it irritates the nerves located near the disc as it makes its way out of the spine. This causes such symptoms as lower back pain, tingling, and numbness of the legs.


2. Bone encroachment - any condition that result in the movement or growth of the vertebrae in the lumbar spine which, in turn, compresses the space for adjacent spinal cord and nerves.


3. Bone and joint conditions - these can be congenital (acquired since birth) degenerative (due to aging), or caused by inflammation, for example, arthritis.

Spinal decompression offers a long-lasting, safe, non-invasive, non-surgical, and cost-effective way of treating lower back pain. It works by using a machine, DRX 9000, to apply the forces needed to decompress injured discs and vertebrae. This relieves the discs of excess pressure, and relieves us of pain and other symptoms. Its mechanism involves the continuous cycle of stretching and relaxing of the spine in order to separate it from the bone and create negative pressure inside the injured discs.

The vacuum created from the negative pressure also works to assists the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the injured discs, thereby regenerating homeostasis, and accelerating the healing process.

Spinal decompression promises instant relief of pain and requires only a few analgesics to be taken after the treatment. It is more reliable than the traditional spinal surgery since only minimal side effects can occur. Muscle spasms, due to excess forces applied on the back, are prevented by the continuous oscillation process of elongation and rest as the machine senses when the muscles become too tense.