DCOA - Addison

Low Back Pain or Hip Osteoarthritis: Which One is it?

When patients say, “…I have low back pain,” they may point to anywhere between the lower rib cage and their hip area. In other words, everyone interprets where their low back is located differently. So, when differentiating between low back pain and hip pain, one would think that the patient would either point to their low back or their hip, right? Well, where does hip osteoarthritis usually hurt? That’s what makes it so hard! The pain location can vary and move around in the same patient anywhere in the pelvic region including the groin (which is common), to the side of the pelvis, to the buttocks, the sacrum, and in the low back. To make it even more challenging, degenerative or injured disks in the lower lumbar spine can refer pain directly into the hip area and also create localized low back pain. In fact, patients often have BOTH conditions simultaneously! Usually, during examination, we move the hip joint feel for reduced motion and watch for pain patterns in certain positions. An osteoarthritic (OA) hip is comparably more tight and painful with rotation movements. For example, the patient is seated with their leg crossed, trying to touch their knee to their opposite shoulder. In the OA-hip patient, they may only be able to get it half way there compared to the other side and often complain of groin pain. The “ultimate test” is the x-ray that reveals the loss of the joint space—the “cartilage interval”—which narrows on the side with OA.
Learn More By visiting The Neck & Shoulder Pain Relationship

Given the close anatomical proximity between the neck and shoulder, it’s no wonder the two are intimately related. With our hectic lifestyles that include driving, hunching over computers and electronic devices, and talking on the phone (not to mention stress arising from multiple sources), sometimes it seems like the muscles in the neck, upper back, and shoulders tighten up and hurt at the same time. The question is, when it comes to pain in the neck and the shoulder, which one is the “chicken” and which is the “egg?”

The neck gives rise to the nerves that innervate the head (C1-3 nerve roots), the shoulders (C4-5), and the arms (C5-T2). Hence, there are 8 sets of nerves in the neck, 12 sets in the thoracic (middle back region), 6 sets in the lumbar or low back region, and 5 sets in the sacrum, all of which travel to a specific destination allowing us to move our muscles and to feel hot, cold, sharp, vibration, and position sense. When these nerves get pinched or irritated, they lose their function and the ability to feel, making it challenging to button a shirt, thread a needle, or pick up small objects. It can also make it difficult to unscrew jars, squeeze a spray bottle, or lift a milk container from the refrigerator. Hence, the nerves arising from the neck, when pinched, can have a dramatic effect on our ability to carry out our desired activities in which shoulder, arm, and hand use is required.
On the other hand, when the shoulder is injured (such as a rotator cuff tear), this can also result in neck problems. There are several ways pain from the neck affects the shoulder and vice versa. When the shoulder is injured, pain “information” is relayed to the brain starting at the nerve endings located in the area of the shoulder injury, transmitting impulses between the shoulder and the neck, and finally from the neck to the sensory cortex of the brain. That information is processed and communication to the motor cortex prompts nerve signals to be sent back to the shoulder through the neck and to the injured area (in this case, the shoulder). A reflex muscle spasm often occurs as a result, serving as kind of an “internal cast” as the spasm tries to protect the injured shoulder. This can become a “vicious cycle” or never-ending “loop” until the reflex is interrupted (perhaps by a chiropractic adjustment). Another means by which both areas become injured has to do with modifications in function. We tend to change the way we go about our daily chores when an injury occurs to the shoulder, such as putting on a coat differently by leaning over to the opposite side. These functional changes can also give rise to neck pain. Because of this reflex cycle, as well as the close anatomic relationship between the neck and shoulder—not to mention the “domino effect” of soft-tissue injuries which seem to change the function at the next joint level—it’s not surprising that both the neck AND the shoulder require simultaneous treatment for optimal treatment benefit. However, the good news is, regardless which one is the “chicken or the egg,” chiropractic treatments of shoulder injuries will almost always include the neck and vice versa.

Low Back and Leg Pain – Is it Sciatica?

We’ve all heard of the word “sciatica” and it (usually) is loosely used to describe everything from LBP arising from the joints in the back, from the sacroiliac joint, from the muscles of the low back, and even from a pinched nerve caused by a ruptured disk. The symptoms of sciatica include low back pain, buttocks pain, back of the thigh, calf, and/or foot pain and/or numbness-tingling. If the nerve is compressed enough, muscle weakness can occur making it hard to stand up on the tip toes creating a limp when walking.

The GOOD NEWS is that Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression can resolve this problem, thus helping avoid unnecessary surgery! So, check alternative treatments FIRST, before electing for surgery!!!

Visit www.AddisonBackandSpine.com to learn more.

How Do MD’s View Chiropractic?

In the mid-1980s, a political event spurred a change regarding the medical community’s outward disrespect of chiropractors when the AMA (American Medical Association) was sued for anti-trust violations and the chiropractors won!
For the first time, the public, open anti-chiropractic slander that appeared on billboards, in magazine articles, and in TV/radio advertisements against the chiropractic profession was prohibited.

In fact, prior to this, it was against the AMA by-laws for a Medical Doctor (MD) to publicly socialize with a chiropractor! This all seems pretty extreme but was truly occurring prior to the mid-1980s… BUT NOT ANYMORE!

In 1994, the United Kingdom and the United States almost simultaneously published official guidelines for the treatment of acute low back pain.
BOTH DOCUMENTS REPORTED THE USE OF SPINAL MANIPULATION, A PRIMARY FORM OF CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT, AS A FIRST CHOICE IN THE TREATMENT FOR ACUTE LOW BACK PAIN.

Now, for the first time, a non-chiropractic group had recommended chiropractic based on researched data that overwhelmingly supported spinal manipulation as an effective, safe, and less expensive form of care when compared to all the other treatment approaches that the healthcare consumer can choose from.
Research has continued to pour in and recently, similar recommendations were made in the treatment of chronic low back pain. Also, when reviewing the research pool, continued support of the 1994 guidelines for acute low back pain was again found to be valid with little change required.
According to the published guidelines, ALL patients with acute AND chronic low back pain should see chiropractors FIRST.

If this guideline was followed by everyone, there would be such a shortage of chiropractors, it would become one of the most desirable professions to seek vocationally.

Unfortunately, many MDs do not know enough about chiropractic to strongly recommend it to their inquiring patients. That is why this office goes out of its way to educate MDs in our community about the benefits of Chiropractic care.
Also, some programs at medical schools are now including “alternative medicine” courses in the curriculum of the undergraduate MD programs and, rotations in alternative or complimentary health services currently offered at some university / hospital settings as a post-graduate option.

This is reflected by an increasing population of MDs who actively seek out chiropractors to work with when their patients present with conditions like acute or chronic low back pain, neck pain, and/or headaches.

The MD/DC relationship is truly improving as noted by the inclusion of chiropractic into hospital programs, integration into the military bases and VA hospitals, routine coverage by most insurance companies, etc.

Schedule a free consultation today by visiting www.AddisonBackandSpine.com