Back Pain During Pregnancy

What Happens During Pregnancy?

Back Pain During Pregnancy is mainly due the changes that the woman's body will undergo. When a women becomes pregnant, a lot of physical changes and alterations in the endocrine system occur, which prepare her body for the growing foetus.

These changes can also lead to joint and spine problems, due to the dramatic change in the pregnant woman's posture. There are pelvic changes, the protruding abdomen and increased Lumbar curve together with the increased weight gain, put pressure on the pregnant woman's skeletal structure.

All of these factors can make pregnant women more prone to spine and pelvic misalignment, leading to back pain, lower back pain or even sciatic pain.

What is Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractic is a manual therapy, which primarily works on the spine and pelvis of the body. Either through accident or injury, poor posture, or postural changes during pregnancy, the body can become misaligned,(a misalignment is when a joint of the body has moved slightly out of its correct natural alignment.).

As the spine protects the spinal cord, misalignment here, or in the pelvis can have a direct effect on the nerves, which may become pinched or trapped and therefore cause back pain.

Chiropractic through specific adjustments maintains the correct alignment of the body, spine and pelvis. This in turn helps to ensure that the body's nerve supply works efficiently, freeing the patient from back pain, or any discomfort caused by misalignment.

Chiropractic care is suitable for many individuals, including infants and children and even pregnant women are reaping the benefits. Once the mum to be is in the second trimester of her pregnancy, i.e., anytime after the first three months, Chiropractic care is safe.

Mc Timoney Chiropractic.

Mc Timoney Chiropractors are trained to deal with pregnant patients and adjust their equipment as necessary to suit the pregnant lady's requirements. The Mc Timoney Technique is a very gentle Holistic process, which makes it particularly suitable for women in this special and delicate state. Also the technique is easily adapted to allow the patient to reap the full benefit of treatment while avoiding any unnecessary pressure on the abdomen.

Treating Symptoms.

Regular visits to a Mc Timoney Chiropractor will keep the Mum to Be in correct skeletal alignment, while the Chiropractor will also give her plenty of advice on posture, lifting and bending during pregnancy.

This treatment is gentle and effective and will ensure that the Pregnant Woman will maintain correct spinal and pelvic alignment and flexibility. This will enable the woman to have a comfortable and enjoyable pregnancy free from back pain and discomfort, while it also ensures that the pelvis maintains correct alignment for an easier delivery.

Mc Timoney Chiropractic care during pregnancy can eliminate many problems such as sciatica, low back pain, headaches, and mid-back and rib pain.

Roma Burke DC AMC MMCAI

Deer Park Chiropractic & Massage Clinic.

Top Reasons to See A Chiropractor

Chiropractic and acupuncture care can add to an individual's life and improve their overall wellness and a reduction in pain. Seeing a chiropractor regularly provides an individual with a sense of health and self-confidence. It is a specialized therapy that teaches an individual how they can take charge of their own well-being. A person who sees a chiropractor or an acupuncture therapist regularly is likely to live longer and have a higher quality of life.

Receiving chiropractic care can also improve the quality of sleep that an individual gets as well. This is because a chiropractor can help reduce the amount of inflammation and anxiety that an individual suffers from. High levels of pain and anxiety can make it more difficult for an individual to get a decent night's sleep. An individual who seeks eastern medicine, such as acupuncture, is going to be able to sleep deeper. He or she is also going to actually feel well rested when they wake up from their slumber.

Alternative therapy is the solution that anyone who is dependent on medication needs. This is because individuals who receive treatment regularly are less likely to use medicine to solve problems that are associated with discomfort. A chiropractor is going to find the root of their patients' problems. A chiropractor is going to help individuals to naturally alleviate the aches and pains that they suffer from. Did you know that prolonged use of over-the-counter painkillers could actually make your symptoms much worse? Chiropractors refer to this as the rebound reaction. When an individual takes painkillers daily, their body becomes dependent on the medication to keep going. Unfortunately, the body will start to have headaches and migraines every day just so you will be forced to increase the dosage. In the end, using painkillers to solve your problems is going to do more harm than good. Treatment must be sought elsewhere.

Individuals who suffer from obesity can also benefit from chiropractic treatment as well. The unfortunate truth is that overweight individuals have body fat that puts additional stress on the skeletal system. A chiropractor can adjust an overweight individual's skeletal system to relieve some of the aches and discomforts that they suffer from. This can actually increase the overweight individual's range of mobility. In the end, this indirectly will have a very positive impact on an overweight individual. Because of the increase range of mobility, an overweight individual can start exercising and maybe even lose some of their excess weight.

Chiropractic Profitability: Task Management, the Foundation for Teamwork

True Teamwork can only be achieved through transparency, accountability and reliable communication. A good task management system not only provides these things but is mandatory for sustainable teamwork and patient loyalty.

Obstacles to Effective Teamwork

When a practice's staff members are unable to communicate their activities and coordinate together there are risks of tasks falling to the side and remaining incomplete while other tasks may be unnecessarily duplicated, wasting precious staff resources. For example, if front office staff are unsure when vital patient information is missing, critical data can be overlooked and patients can become frustrated by later attempts to gather this information. The opposite problem can also arise. Front office staff can end up making multiple request for patient information which can also create frustration and paint a picture of disorganization and chaos. All members of the team must learn to communicate effectively and have clear understanding of their respective responsibilities or tasks. As a team, they must function together to get tasks accomplished in an efficient and professional manner.

Consider for a moment the average hourly rate a chiropractor can earn at optimum capacity. If a void in the cohesiveness of the team causes the Dr. just a few hours time wasted on unnecessary administrative tasks, that can quickly become several hours per month, or thousands of dollars over the course of a year. Few practices can afford to be throwing money out of the window because of difficulties that could otherwise be easily resolved.

Poll shows teamwork to be number #1 concern among Chiropractic practice owners.

A lack of cohesiveness in a practice plagues many offices. Roughly one-third of participants in a recent survey indicated that it was the biggest problem facing their team. Of the group who indicated this was their problem, the largest single category was managers. Managers, who are responsible for overseeing the rest of the organization, easily recognize the negative effects brought about by a staff lacking teamwork. It is also interesting to note that in this same survey, only 16 percent of participants indicated that task management was the biggest problem in their practice. This clearly indicates many practice managers do not perceive task management to be a necessary component of teamwork. Between all five options, nearly half of all of those who participated in the survey indicated that issues related to teamwork were negatively affecting their practice performance.

Building teamwork within a practice

Once a particular office has come to understand the difficulties that can be caused by a lack of teamwork, it is natural that they look for solutions to help encourage the building of these essential relationships.

When considering teamwork not only should interpersonal relationships between those working in your be examined but we should also examine accountability and transparency. When the work environment becomes transparent, communication flows more naturally between members of your staff. Management can make this possible by adopting both technology and methodologies that are task management centric. By offering recognition for tasks that have been completed and making transparent tasks that are neglected a practice builds task ownership among individual staff members.

The manager should also look for ways to clearly communicate job roles and expectations. "By sharing numbers with employees, not just executives, you can increase employees' sense of ownership. However, being open is not enough. You need to be sure your employees are trained... and have enough insight into their own jobs to know how to affect the numbers (bottom line)." - Torben Rick. It may be a good idea to review job descriptions and interview members of the office to hear their understanding and perspective.

Software solutions that offer integrated task management functions are excellent options which allow managers and others in the office to track what is being done and by whom. For example, when the information that is gathered by a doctor's assistant or nurse is passed along to the staff member at the front desk, this will be documented. Tasks can be tracked making it easy to see exactly what stage they are in, who has them, and how close they are to being completed.

Neglecting teamwork can be devastating to any office. Employees need to successfully work together to build an environment of efficiency and productivity. When there is a void in workflow/ task management there are always consequences to the practice's bottom line, patient satisfaction, the work environment, and more. Making this cohesiveness a priority allows practice staff to take their Chiropractic organization to the next level.

Chiropractic Treatment for Sciatica

Sciatica is a condition that indicates disorder with the sciatic nerve that runs down from the lower back to the back of your legs. This nerve manages the muscles behind your knees, lower legs and thigh; the feet and parts of the lower leg. Chiropractic treatments are is commonly used for treating sciatica. Patients who suffer from sciatica have numbness, excruciating pain, and tingling in their leg. The pain often starts in the lower back and them extends down to the legs, calves, feet, and even to toes. Sciatica generally affects only one side of your body.

Chiropractic is the one of the most accepted treatments for Sciatica. Chiropractic treatment revolves around treating the spine and back. Chiropractic doctors are also considered as sciatica specialists. If you have been suffering from sciatica for ages, you may opt for Chiropractic treatments. Chiropractic doctors offer non-invasive and drug-free treatments for sciatica. Chiropractors believe that the human body can heal on its own. Chiropractic methods include diet counseling, massage therapy, TENS treatment and work outs for sciatica.

Before beginning with the treatment, a chiropractic practitioner may ask several questions about your medical history, perform a thorough physical check up, and ask you get x-rays and MRIs done. A thorough medical examination is essential for good chiropractic treatment.

Chiropractors use different varieties of treatment models, the generally concentrate on the usage of manual spine manipulations, known as the chiropractic adjustment. Chiropractic theories state that health can be optimized through unhindered and open neurological pathways. A chiropractic treatment schedule for sciatica generally includes:

1. Cold /Ice Packs: This unique chiropractic technique uses cold or ice packs that help in reducing inflammation, and the pain due to sciatica.

2. Spinal Manipulations: Spinal manipulations or adjustments are done by the chiropractors for realigning the spine. This technique separates a chiropractic practitioner from other medical practitioners. Certain parts of a badly aligned spine may become the cause of inflammations, muscle spasms, pains, and sciatica. Spinal adjustments relieve irritated nerves. Chiropractic manipulations or adjustments are very helpful in treating sciatica.

3. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation or TENS: The TENS unit is used in chiropractic treatments to transmit painless electrical currents to the nerves, to control the pain, through the skin. Electrode bits are placed near or on the affected area.

Even though the TENS instrument used by chiropractors is quite large, several patients are handed a compact size portable device, which is attached to a belt. This system majorly helps to relieve muscle stiffness, spasm, and improves mobility. All this is done by pinging the human system to generate endorphins. Endorphins help in killing body pain naturally.

4. Ultrasound: Ultrasound is commonly used by chiropractors as it helps in increasing blood circulation. This in turn reduces cramping, stiffness, muscle spasms, swelling, and pain. Ultrasound machines send deep sound waves into the body's tissues. These waves create bearable heat and improve healing and blood circulation.

Under certain special circumstances, chiropractic care may not be able to cure sciatica. In such situations, your chiropractic practitioner will refer you to an appropriate specialist.

Musicians Injuries: OUCH, It Hurts When I Play (But Please Don't Tell Me To Stop!)

This article takes a look at musicians' injuries. For an expert perspective, I interviewed Dr. Sarah Mickeler, B.Mus., D.C. Dr. Mickeler is a former professional musician and a chiropractor who concentrates on musicians' injuries in her practice.

1) What led you to specialize in musicians' injuries?

I have a very personal connection to musician's injuries. I had trained as a classical clarinet player and it was during my undergrad that I started to have all sorts of problems from playing too much and with poor posture. Unfortunately, I was told, as many others are, that I should just play through the pain and that maybe it would get better! Of course, it didn't, and it eventually led to the demise of my career as a clarinetist, because I was totally unable to hold up my instrument. So, I decided to pick a new career that would help others musicians - and hopefully before they got to the point that I was at! Chiropractic appealed to me because of the whole health care paradigm that it embodies - as chiropractors, we diagnose and fix the cause, rather than masking the symptoms.

2) What is different about treating musicians than treating the general population?

Often, what I tell people who don't understand the specifics of musicians' injuries, is that "it takes one to know one". As a musician, it can be very difficult to explain to a physician or physiotherapist or even another chiropractor what the mechanics look like when you are playing your instrument. But when someone comes into my office and says that they play flute, or guitar, or tuba, or whatever, I know exactly what the physical component of playing their instrument involves. That is a very important first step.

Secondly, not only do you have to be able to have a good understanding of what playing that instrument involves, but you have to be able to see that person play. Even if someone tells me they play violin (I automatically think: "ok, so they will be leaning their head to the left and have right shoulder problems, etc..."), I am often shocked to see how over the years of playing they have contorted themselves into a little pretzel while they play!

So, on the first or second visit, all of my musicians bring in their instruments and I do a thorough playing analysis to see what it is that they're doing right and wrong. It could be that their posture is contributing to their injury. Or maybe there's something about the instrument that we could change; it might just need a minor adjustment in the thumb rest or a key positioning.

For instance, I have very small hands and found it difficult to reach some of the alternate fingering keys on my clarinet - so I had them sawed off and re-soldered on in a different direction so I could reach them.

Thirdly, it is important to recognize that there are some really common reasons for performance injuries. The most common ones are a change in repertoire, a change in the instrument (such as a new mouthpiece or something similar), a change in practice time or an upcoming recital. If we can pinpoint what it is that the performer has been doing differently lately to contribute to their injury, that helps immensely.

And lastly, it is so important to realize, especially for freelance artists, that you can't just tell them to take a muscle relaxant, and take a few weeks off. If these people took a few weeks off, they wouldn't have a roof over their head or food on the table. While it's occasionally absolutely imperative that a break be taken, most of the time I take a holistic approach to treating performers and change and fix what we can, within the obvious limitations of current gigs and upcoming events.

3) What's the most common injury that you see in your office?

In my office, there is a tie for the most common injury. The first is upper back/shoulder/neck pain - I lump these together because those terms can mean the same thing to a lot of people - often someone will come in and say that their shoulder hurts and point to the pain, but to me what they're pointing to is actually their upper back or lower neck. This one is often a function of poor posture or poor practice ergonomics. If we can figure out how to improve the overall posture and ergonomic situation then this tends to resolve quickly.

And the second most common injury is hand and arm pain. You would not believe how many people walk into my office with numb and tingly hands and fingers - which can be very scary if you're the one to experience it - to find out that the problem isn't actually their hands and fingers at all, but it's a little further up the arm and can be quite easily treated once properly diagnosed. Or they come in with tennis elbow - but they have never held a tennis racket in their life! In my office, I call tennis and golfer's elbow "musician's elbow" because it is a repetitive strain injury. It is really, really common and surprisingly easy to treat.

4) What can musicians do to prevent injury?

First of all, don't be a hero! There is just no reason to practice for hours on end without a break. Always remember to take a little break for every 30 minutes that you are playing. Secondly, don't play through pain. The pain signal is there to tell you that you are doing something wrong. Playing through it is not going to get you anywhere - other than in more pain and in worse shape down the road. Thirdly, be aware of your ergonomics. If you sit to play, does your chair fit you properly? In rehearsal, do you have to strain at all to see both the stand and the conductor? Are your arms contorted oddly in order to be able to play properly? This is not good. And lastly, seek the help of a professional who can not only help you with the injuries that you are currently dealing with, but can help you avoid future injury and optimize your overall performance.

You can find out more about Dr. Sarah Mickeler and her Toronto-based chiropractic practice concentrating on musicians' injuries at http://www.drsarah.ca.

To echo Sarah's advice, please pay attention to any pain signals your body is sending you! Admitting you're having a physical problem doesn't make you any less of a musician - it means you're a very smart musician with years of playing ahead of you!!

This article was originally published on the Muses Muse Songwriter's Resource website (February 2005) http://www.musesmuse.com.

(c) Copyright Linda Dessau, 2005.

Ask Your Chiropractor About Spinal Decompression

If you suffer from herniated discs, sciatica or other sources of pain directly related to your central nervous system, your problem casts a dark shadow over every single facet of your daily activities. There are many treatments available for pain relief, but if you justifiably fear invasive surgeries or pharmaceutical solutions, you do have more natural options. Spinal decompression therapy from a chiropractor has proven to drastically reduce pain and optimize your body's natural healing powers. Here's a short overview.

What Conditions Does Spinal Decompression Help?

• Bulging Discs
• Herniated Discs
• Sciatica and other forms of Leg Pain
• Chronic Back Pain
• Neck Pain
• Limited Mobility

What is Spinal Decompression?

Nerve roots in the spine can become pinched by disc problems or bone spurs, resulting in excruciating pain. In a nutshell, decompression gently relieves the pressure on these nerve roots over time and separates the discs, allowing the free flow of beneficial nutrients, oxygen back into the area and thereby promoting the body's natural healing process.

How Does It Work?

A fully-clothed patient lies on a special table and decompression is achieved by using a combination of spinal position and the application of varying degrees and intensities of distraction forces which serve to gently separate discs, creating a space. This careful stretching of the spine creates a vacuum effect between the discs and pressure is relieved. Each session only takes about 20 minutes, and most patients require several treatments over a period of time to achieve optimal results.

Your chiropractor is expert in combining the newest technologies with the body's ability to heal itself naturally. Is spinal decompression right for you? Ask your chiropractor.

Chiropractic Care for the Elderly: Its Benefits

An elderly can be convinced to see a chiropractor once he is made aware of the benefits he can get from the treatment.

Elderly are relieved of their pain.

One of the most efficient and harmless management for pain brought about by a problem in the vertebra is chiropractic care. I said efficient because a lot of vertebral disorders are related with spine abnormality and the neighboring soft tissues. Adept and trained to examine and treat any displacements in the spine, chiropractors can help the elderly with the insufferable pain that they have.

Increased range of motion of the spine and limbs

The increased range of motion of a person can positively affect their lives in many ways. Having an increased range of motion to some elderly could mean being able to lean down to lift up their grandchildren. For others, it means having no pain doing some gardening chores or having an additional 40 feet away from their driver on the golf course or track. In a lot of instances, an instantaneous increase in the range of movement normally follows chiropractic adjustments. This explains why professional sports teams have a team chiropractor.

Improves Equilibrium and Synchronization

Balance and synchronization problems are common among the elderly because of cervical spine changes that cause its deterioration. Thus, we see irregular strides among the seniors and their feet becomes farther than the normal position. They also have a hard time getting up from a chair or going up and down the stairs. With chiropractic care, the elderly will be able to regain their lost equilibrium and synchronization.

Joint Deterioration is reduced

A misaligned spine will be exhausted or damaged in advance. Therefore, the spine must be checked regularly, as this will minimize its early deterioration. By normalizing the alignment of the spine and decreasing stress, chiropractic care minimizes spinal deterioration and other lesions.

Health and Welfare is Maximized

More than just relieving the pain, chiropractic care helps the elderly to feel good and healthy as it helps them to perform the usual things they love to do.

The Occurrence of Falling is lessened

Senior citizens are prone to getting injuries from falling. Most Americans whose ages are above 65 had suffered from incidence of falling. About 90% of 850,000 bone breakages are brought about by falls as reported by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention. By regularizing the cervical spine's mechanoreceptors via manual manipulation, the danger of falling is minimized. Chiropractors also recommend exercise and stretching schemes to augment litheness, potency, maneuverability, equilibrium and synchronization.

Most of all, it helps the senior citizens to live on their own instead of living in a nursing home. Because chiropractic care brings back their health and wellness, they become more independent thus, regaining their self-confidence.

Senior citizens can indeed be happy in their age as they are relieved of their pains. Chiropractic care brings so much benefit to elderly people in a safe and efficient manner.