Patients who had spinal fusion surgery were less likely to return to work and needed more opiates, study says

Patients who had spinal fusion surgery were less likely to return to work and needed more opiates, study says

 

Three Level Fusion
 

Recently a report published by NBC News highlighted the issue of failed back surgery. Experts estimate that nearly 600,000 Americans opt for back operations each year. For many of these Americans their back surgeries have a negative outcome. A recent study in the j0urnal “Spine” shows that in many cases surgery can backfire, leaving patients in more pain. These researchers reviewed the records from 1,450 patients in the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation database who had diagnoses of disc degeneration, disc herniation or tingling and weakness of the arms or legs. Half of the patients had surgery to fuse two or more vertebrae in hopes of curing low back pain. The other half had no surgery even though they had similar conditions. The researchers found that two years after treatment only 26% of those who had surgery returned to work. Two years after treatment 67% of those who did not have surgery had returned to work. The researchers noted that there was a 41% increase in painkiller use, especially opiates, with those who had surgery.The lead author of the this study reported that the studies on fusion surgeries show the procedures don’t alleviate pain from degenerative discs very effectively.

We have seen many patients who have had spinal fusions, in the past, either continue to have back pain immediately afterwards or they develop new back pain years later. Some of these patients did not try chiropractic before their surgeries.  We see patients with complicated conditions and routinely consult with specialists in the field of pain management and spine surgery.  We have found that the majority of patients we have sent to these specialists have not needed surgery and recover from their symptoms with continued care in our office. The take away message from this study is to exhaust all options before back surgery.

At Fifth Avenue Chiropractic we offer a wide variety of treatment and therapy options based on your specific needs using some of the most sophisticated diagnostic and treatment procedures in spine care today. 

If you know someone considering back surgery who has not tried chiropractic, share this post with them.

Are YOU or your KID Training for next years Football Season?

Are You or your KID Training for next years Football Season? One thing you should consider before playing football;

Football Injuries and Cervical Spinal Curves

 With Super Bowl 47 coming up, most football fans around the United States are looking forward to rooting for their favorite team, watching quirky commercials, or enjoying a guilt-free day of snacking and drinking.

Football players on the other hand (whether professional, college, or high school) are more concerned about performing at their peak, and avoiding injury on the field.

A recent study has shown a dramatic and eye-opening correlation between an athlete’s neck curve (cervical curve), and the extent of injury sustained during head-first or direct impact blows to the front-top of the skull.

In other words, athletes with straight or reversed cervical curves are prone to complex injuries to the cervical tissue and nerve roots, while those who maintain a normal cervical curve have a lot less chance of long-term and complex injuries.

Screening for neck curve abnormalities should be part of every athlete’s routine before, during, and after football season. Ensuring a correct cervical curve not only protects athletes from complex injuries, but ensures optimal health and wellness for the rest of us.
(picture demonstrates before treatment (no curve) and after treament (curve)

To find out if you are a candidate for care, contact Fifth Avenue Chiropractic & Chambersburg BStrong4Life at 717-263-6101

This information was brought to you by Ideal Spine Health & Research Center in Eagle Idaho is the largest chiropractic corrective care facility in the United States, specializing in helping athletes (and patients) regain proper spinal alignment and curvature – ensuring optimal health on or off the field.

 http://www.idealspinehealth.com/football-injuries-and-cervical-spinal-curves/

Got Foot Pain? Most over-looked structure.

The foot is probably the most over-looked structure.

It’s not surprising that the foot is a much more delicate instrument then we realize.
A single human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 tendons and 20 muscles!

And guess what?

If the floor is crooked the table wobbles! It's not surprising that not only your foot pain but your knee, ankle, hip or back pain starts at your "floor" (feet).

The amount of damage an uncorrected foot can cause is grossly underestimated.

Three (3) critical things are necessary for an orthotic to be effective at relieving pain and improving function.

1. They must cap­ture the corrected position or posture of the foot: as high an arch as the foot can make with heel and ball of the foot flat on the ground.

2. The orthotic must make full con­tact with the entire foot in this position in order to have the me­chanical power and efficiency to control the foot.

3. The orthotic must be custom calibrated to flex and support the demands we put on our feet every day. The orthotic must be rigid enough to maintain a cor­rected foot posture yet flexible enough to ‘give’ upon impact with a typical concrete floor.

Custom Orthotics stabilize the arch and absorb the adverse effects that gravity puts on to the soft tissues of the foot, arch and heel.


Call us to see if your Custom Orthotics are covered by your insurance plan.
717-263-6101


Many Insurance Plans cover 1-2 pairs of custom orthotics per year per family member!

National Don't Fry Day

National Don't Fry Day

This Friday is national Don’t Fry Day, reminding everyone to be careful not to burn this Memorial Day weekend. While it is important to avoid burning your skin, it’s also important to get sun exposure for vitamin D and all the other good things the sun does for us!

Let us give you some tips on safe and healthy sun exposure:

• Get the right amount for you. Every person has different skin. We all live in different places. We all need different exposure times. We recommend you expose your naked skin for half the time it takes to turn pink. This way, you won’t burn and you’ll produce vitamin D. This amount of time is going to be different for everyone.
• The more skin you can expose, the more vitamin D you will produce. Don’t settle for exposing just your legs and arms. Take your shirt off or wear your bathing suit if you can! This way, you can produce much more vitamin D in a shorter amount of time. Again, don’t bake! Follow the first principal.
• Don’t use sunscreen. Sunscreen doesn’t allow your body to produce as much vitamin D as it wants to. Plus, sunscreen has not been shown to prevent all types of skin cancers.
• Cover up. Got a little sun exposure? Good. Now cover up with clothing or shade. It’s important not to burn! If you must use sunscreen after a little naked sun exposure, sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB is recommended.

Now you’re all set to be safe and produce some vitamin D this weekend and summer!

This information comes from the Vitamin D Council by Dr. John Cannell

Don't Let Arthritis Limit Your Lifestyle!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Don't Let Arthritis Limit Your Lifestyle!

One of the oldest, and most common conditions of aging is arthritis - Osteoarthritis, in particular.  Osteoarthritis is characterized by the breakdown of the joint's cartilage.  

At, Fifth Avenue Chiropractic we know cartilage is the part of the joint that cushions the ends of bones. Cartilage breakdown causes bones to rub a against each other, causing pain and loss of movement.  Most commonly affecting middle-aged and older people, osteoarthritis can range from very mild to very severe.  It affects hands and weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, feet and the back.

         Symptoms:

• Grandual and subtle onset of deep, aching joint pain

• Worse after exercise or weight-bearinng

• Often relieved by rest

• Joint swelling

• Limited movement

• Morning stiffness

• Grating of the joint with motion

• Joint pain in rainy weather

Chiropractic care can have a positive impact on osteoarthritis.  Because one of the contributing causes of osteoarthritis is abnormal wear and tear on a malfunctioning joint, chiropractic care can actually help treat a contributing cause of osteoarthritis. Chiropractic care involves chiropractic manipulative therapy, also called a chiropractic adjustment.  At Fifth Avenue Chiropractic, we also highly recommend stretches and exercises for our patients, and we also develop ways to help you improve your overall posture and joint health so that we can either slow down or stop further arthritic conditions from worsening.

 

  At Fifth Avenue Chiropractic and Chambersburg BStrong4Life Center, we also offer Power Plate whole-body vibration therapy, which has been shown to decrease both pain associated with arthritis and fibromyalgia.

If you would like to know more how you can start living better today and start living life on YOUR terms, then call me at 717-263-6101  

                                                             www.fifthavechiro.com

www.chambersburg.bstrong4life.com

Myths about Osteoporosis

Myths about Osteoporosis

"Osteoporosis is just a natural part of aging."

Osteoporosis and aging have a correlation relationship, not a causation relationship.  Lifestyle changes, caused by decreasing mechanical loading on the body, force prevalence of this disease in the aging populations, but the disease is not caused by aging in itself. This is one of the most common misconceptions about osteoporosis: That we are all DOOMED to futures of being hunched over or suffering from broken hips. Osteoporosis is a degradation in bone density, and it can be significantly affected by high-impact levels of axial mechanical loading.

"I take calcium so I don't have to worry about osteoporosis."

There are actually 17 nutrients that are critical for bone health, and calcium is just one of them.  However, the misconception of calcium being the answer to the osteoporosis problem has led many to take calcium dietary supplements in excess, which not only does not solve the bone health problem but creates other adverse health conditions such as increased risk of kidney stones (Curhan, et al., 1997). Even when the body is given all of the proper nutrients for bone health, these are just building blocks. The function of bone tissue increasing in mass or gaining in density is using these building blocks only as an adaptive response to a stimulus. So without the stimulus for the adaptive response, the body cannot use these building blocks.  The function of bone mass density generation involves axial bone loading. Once intense loading happens, the bone mass genesis (osteoblast) begin to retain minerals, and bone mass becomes more dense.  

"I exercise, so I don't have to worry about osteoporosis."

 The mechanics of running include a heal strike impact, resulting in three to four time as much force as the body weight of the individual, depending on speed (Heinonen, et al., 1996). For this reason, more injuries result from running or impact-type fitness activity than non-weight bearing exercise. This has forced many physicians to encourage low-impact or non-weight bearing exercise (such as cycling) for older individuals (Hopkins, et al., 1990, Robinsion, et al., 1998, Rector, et al., 2008) in order to prevent osteoporosis. In 2008 a study was published comparing bone health in adult male recreational athletes, aged 20-59, belonging to two groups, one group being cyclists (non-weight bearing exercisers), the other group being runners, (weight-bearing exercisers), whose impact loads are beyond their body weight. Of the cyclists 63% had Osteopenia of the spine or hip (determined by DXA scans), compared with only 19% in the running group. "Cyclists were 7 TIMES more likely to have Osteopenia of the spine than runners, controlling for age, body weight, and bone-loading history. Based on the results of this study, current bone loading is an important determinant of whole-body and lumbar spine bone mass density. Therefore, bone-loading activity should be sustained during adulthood to maintain bone mass." (Rector, et al., 2008)

"I will only be concerned with this disease after I break a bone, which isn't that BIG of a deal."

Individuals with osteoporosis can be asymptomatic (no pain or warning), with diagnosis of osteoporosis only after a fracture. Obviously this is not desirable or logical. Cooper, et al. reported that individuals over the age of 50 who break the hip or femur head have a higher mortality in the year following their fracture resulting from their immobility during the recover (1993). In 1993 the Mayo Clinic did a retrospective analysis of osteoporotic vertebral fracture patients. At five years'  post-diagnosis of the fracture, the survival rate was 61%. "Clinically diagnosed vertebral fractures are rarely fatal, and the reduced survival seen subsequently could relate to comorbid conditions." (Cooper, et al., 1993) This means the presence of other diseases or disorders can contribute to the higher death rate, and the inability to move or fully use lung capacity, raise heart rate, or use nutrients properly compounds risk.

"One of my parents had Osteoporosis; I suppose I am going to have it also."

There are genetic indicators for this disease. However as the disease involves a lack of axial loading being imposed on the body, both the onset and degree of the disease can be delayed significantly. Genetic predisposition is one contributing factor to the disease. Others include the following (Ralston, 2005):

·         Certain kidney diseases

·         Vitamin D deficiency

·         Some hormonal diseases, such as some thyroid disorders

·         Cushing's Syndrome

·         Treatment with steroids for certain medical conditions

·         Certain types of cancer (related to Chemo Therapy treatment)

"I am male, and this is a disease that affects females; therefore, I have nothing to worry about."

Though it is more prevalent in women, men can certainly be affected by osteoporosis. The International Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that, in the United States, almost two million men have osteoporosis and another three million are at risk (IOF, 2010). No different from women, osteoporotic men suffer from osteoporotic fractures in hips, spine, wrists, and other bones.

"I will look into osteoporosis when I am older; I am too young to worry about it now."

Looking at bone mass is not simple. Bone mass increases or decreases depend on the levels of proper loading stimulus. Commonly, younger individuals receive more axial loading of the bone mass, therefore achieving a higher level of bone mass density. When the individual stops inducing high-impact level loads, the result is degradation of bone mass, but this process can take years. Individuals who ignore the lack of axial mechanical loading being placed on the skeletal system can begin degradation of bone mass density. Ultimately, when the individual does finally address the issue, bone mass is already low, and attempting to load the body via conventional exercise modalities becomes more difficult and has an elevated chance of fracture. 

More importantly, up to 90% of bone mass is created during childhood and adolescence. A specific example would be the bone mass density differences in both lumbar spine and femoral neck. During puberty the mass density of bone tissue can increase from four to six times in both males and females. This is the period when both size and density of the skeleton grows. This phenomenon, called "peak bone mass" can continue to develop up to the age of thirty. Typically, bone mass begins to slowly decline, then accelerates at the onset of menopause for women. Considering that most of the bone age of thirty, it would make sense to have individuals focus on maximal bone loading from adolescence on. The greater the bone mass is at the time of peak bone mass, the higher the bone mass will be later decades of life.

 To find out how to increase your bone density and reverse loss of bone density call today at 717-263-6101 and speak with Dr. Bryan. Visit: www.chambersburg.bstrong4life.com to get more information.





This information comes from the book, Osteogenic Loading: A new modality to facilitate bone density development. By John Jaquish Ph. D the inventor/developer of bioDensity, Raj Singh, MD, Eleanor Hynote, MD, Jason Conviser, Ph.D.

Your Foundation: Starts at your FEET

Your Foundation:   Starts at your FEET It's been established that your feet are your foundation. It's important your feet are structurally stable for optimally function of your body. The arch of your foot, when biomechanically correct, should provide full support when walking, running, and standing. The arch allows for shock absorption, to conform to variable terrain, and provides leverage as it propels the body forward onto the next step. If the arch of your foot is too great or less then optimal it creates a poor foundation, which leads to poor function of the foot and for the rest of your body. What causes someone to develop a poor foundation? First of all, the majority of us our arches flatten too much (flat feet) and do not re-stiffen enough for efficient propulsion from each step to step.   About four percent of us are with high, rigid arch structures, creating poor shock absorption and weight-bearing pressure concentrated in a few spots. There are a number of reasons why most of us have some degree of flat feet, but mostly it comes down to body weight, gravity and concrete. The first two are constantly flattening the foot down against the hard surfaces we live on. The ligaments that support the bones of the foot get stretched out and our arches drop. This leads to a poor foundation and leads to loss of optimally function at the feet and then goes up to the spine.                                      What kind of problems result from someone having a poor foundation? If you are like the majority of people with some degree of arch loss, either from birth or over time, there are some critical facts you need to know: Pain and deformities can arise in the feet such as bunions, plantar fasciitis, corns, and hammertoes, etc. are usually caused by the lack of enough arch in the foot when we are standing, walking, and running (weight-bearing activities).  Because foot function affects the entire chain of bones leading to the spine, pain, and dysfunction in the knee, hip and low back often result as well. In all, there are over thirty common diagnoses related to poor foot function. Can the problems be prevented or corrected with the use of Sole Supports? Yes,  If the problem is caught early enough, pain and deformity can often be prevented. Regular use of these unique orthotics can often reverse deformity development or at least, prevent surgery. How? Because when you restore normal function, you give your body what it needs to heal itself. A typical orthotic only masks your symptoms temporarily –until further deformity makes things worse. When you restore healthy foot function other treatment or therapies are more effective and last longer. What is an orthotic? An orthotic is a supportive device which is placed inside footwear, to change the mechanical function of the foot. Ideally, it should provide full, custom and corrected arch contact so that the foot works in a biomechanically correct way. To date, only Sole Supports manufactures full arch contract orthotics, calibrated to flex for your weight and foot type. The reason for this is simple: they are more difficult to make because they must actually change the way your foot works and need to be comfortable at the same time.  Other orthotics are either just cushions or have a one-size-fits-all, poor arch support that is not customized to your foot.  These orthotics may feel fine but, by failing to actually change foot posture and function, they will not prevent or alleviate the usual painful deformities or syndromes. Dr. Bryan has been certified in making custom orthotics, specifically  Sole Supports. If you feel that you may need orthotics or want to ask questions feel free to email Dr. Bryan or call. P: 717-263-6101 or drbryan@fifthavechiro.com If you like Fifth Avenue Chiropractic's BLOG and feel it is informative, feel free to pass along the link to friends and family members.  Dr. Gary Dockery story about Sole Supports! www.fifthavechiro.com www.chambersburg.bstrong4life.com

Fun Foot Facts: The foot is an intricate structure containing 26 bones. Thirty-three joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles, and tendons hold the structure together and allow it to move in a variety of ways.   The American Podiatric Medical Association says the average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day. Those cover several miles, and they all add up to about 115,000 miles in a lifetime -- more than four times the circumference of the globe. While walking, each step can exert a pressure on your feet that exceeds your body weight and when you're running, it can be three or four times your weight -- which adds up to a cumulative force of over 500 tons a day. With certain sporting activities this force can go up to 7 times bodyweight. Three out of four Americans will experience foot health problems of varying degrees of severity at one time or another in their lives. Women have about four times as many foot problems as men; lifelong patterns of wearing high heels often are the culprit. Your feet mirror your general health. Such conditions as arthritis, diabetes, nerve and circulatory disorders can show their initial symptoms in the feet.  Foot ailments can be your first sign of more serious medical problems. About 19 percent of the US population has an average of 1.4 foot problems each year. Eighty percent of the population will suffer from back pain due to a problem starting in their feet. This can be caused by biomechanical imbalances, abnormal stresses or structural problems