spinal stenosis Archives - Hometown Family Wellness Center

May 11 2020

Due to Kickbacks, Risky Back Surgeries are on the Rise

Today I came upon a post by Dr. Graeme Gibson, Seattle Chiropractor that discusses an article he read on yahoo about orthopedic doctors receiving kickbacks for surgical procedures. I took interest to this because this is not surprising at all, as medical doctors and pharmaceutical companies have been known for years for this kickback disgrace.

Many medications and now surgeries that people are receiving are unnecessary and put patients at risk. Unfortunately most patients trust their doctors that what is being prescribed is in their best interest. But when one knows the statistics of back surgeries having less than a 50% success rate and a high risk or paralysis, why are these procedures being done before conservative care in many instances?

Most outcomes of surgery, even if get pain relief, the patient is then extremely limited in their daily activities. In most instances a surgery is considered a success if it provides pain relief, which most of the time lasts only 1 to 5 years, and then further surgical procedures are required.

Yes, medications and surgery are needed at times, but not at the rate they are being recommended. It’s always important that a patient gets a second opinion, and if necessary a 3rd opinion before taking drastic measures such as surgery. I highly recommend that anybody that has back pain, have one of those opinions be from a chiropractor as chiropractors are one of the few who are highly qualified for spinal problems. Many times a short treatment plan of chiropractic care can determine if a patient can improve and avoid surgery. Chiropractic is known to have around an 85% success rate with back pain, without the side effects of drugs or surgery.

I also have firsthand experience with back surgery, as my mother was told 15 years ago she needed surgery for spinal stenosis and a herniated disc and nothing else would help. Fortunately for her, I was in chiropractic college and I said to please try going to a chiropractor. I referred her to somebody I knew in her town… and we prevented her surgery for around 12 years before “needing” the surgery. Chiropractic helped her maintain her normal daily activities without restriction. Fortunately, when time came, I found her a great orthopedic surgeon who has an amazing reputation.

In my 13 years in practice, I have helped patients in Freehold, Marlboro, Manalapan, Howell, Colts Neck, Jackson, and Morganville, NJ avoid unnecessary surgeries that orthopedic doctors said were the only answer. So before opting for surgery, give us a call to see if we can help you.

If you are looking for a great Seattle Chiropractic office in Washington, look up Dr. Graeme Gibson, DC

Queen Anne Chiropractic Center

1905 Queen Anne Avenue North

Seattle, WA 98109

(206) 282-8275

May 11 2020

Radicular Pain Can Be Relieved Naturally

Radicular Pain occurs when there is pinching or pressure on spinal nerves. This radiating pain can feel like tingling, numbness or pins and needles where there is pressure on the nerve or further from the source. You might be diagnosed with sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), bulging or herniated discs or something called double crush

Natural Relief of Radiating Pain — Suffering with radiating Pain?

sydrome. It is important to find the cause of the symptoms to be properly treated.

Every day wear and tear as well as traumas can cause your spine to misalign. These misalignments are called subluxations that can affect the nerves. Injury to the ligaments and muscles cause inflammation which also disrupt the nerve functions. The more the joints are misaligned it puts pressure on the discs. This pressure can cause the discs to bulge or herniate which further irritate the nerves. The joints will degenerate and calcify the longer they are subluxated. Calcification results in spinal stenosis and narrowing of the nerve canal.

While subluxations of the spine can affect the nerves, you can also have misalignments of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee and foot. It’s possible to have the subluxation of the spine along with these misalignments along the extremities. When you have pressure on a nerve in 2 locations it is called a double crush injury.

Most medical treatments just mask the symptoms. These treatments such as pain relievers, muscle relaxers, steroid injections and surgeries have many risks and side effects. You might get temporary relief of the symptoms but it gives you false sense of security. While not feeling the pain you might cause more damage doing activities that further stress the area. The joints which are still misaligned will have compromised motion and putting pressure on the discs leading to further degeneration of the joint complex.

It is important to find the cause of the radiating pain to correct it. Chiropractors find the source of the pinched nerve so we can relieve the pressure causing radicular pain. The nerve can heal when the chiropractic adjustment removes pressure from the nerve. Chiropractic reduces the irritation and inflammation that causes radicular pain.

One study had 85.5% of 162 patients in a hospital setting resolve the radicular pain with chiropractic care. Only 10 cases needed further treatment with epidural injections, another 10 for further medical treatment and 3 for surgical intervention. This shows many people can avoid medical intervention and surgery.

Another study of 44 patients in an orthopedic department were suffering with sudden, severe low back pain. All but 2 patients returned to work. Significant is the fact that sick leave was reduced by 2/3 compared to conventional medical treatment.

These and other studies help confirm chiropractic as a natural, effective treatment for radicular pain. Our chiropractor in Freehold has been helping patients for the last 18 years. Give us a call at 732-780-0044

May 11 2020

Spinal Degeneration Helped with Chiropractic!

Spinal degeneration is a condition suffered by many people. When your spine is neglected the joints, discs and supporting soft tissues start to decay. Throughout life your body is experiencing stresses. When you are first born the doctor pulls on your head and neck to deliver you. When you first start to learn how to walk how many times do you think you fell? Do you think sitting at the desks in school for what seems like years on end in bad postures has an effect on your spine? What about sports injuries, car accidents, slips and falls, bad sleep positions, your neck tilted while texting, sitting at a computer at work all day and many other stresses to your body?

All these stresses have an accumulative effect of misaligning the bones in your spine. This causes pressure on the discs and joints. Wear and tear occurs causing spinal degeneration. The discs start to lose their shock absorption due to loss of fluid. This can lead to bulging and ruptured discs.

Other factors too can increase spinal degeneration: Dehydration, smoking, lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyles, poor nutrition.

Medically, doctors say spinal degeneration is normal wear and tear and is part of aging but read the following analogy.

Spinal Degeneration Can Be Helped by Chiropractic

Think of your teeth for a second. If you neglect your teeth you will get tooth decay. If the day you first had teeth you just ate foods, drank acidic and sugary products. Over the years, your teeth would start to decay or degenerate. One could say it’s part of normal wear and tear or part of aging but you were taught from a young age that if you brush your teeth, floss and see the dentist on a regular basis we can prevent cavities and keep your teeth in good shape for many years to come.

The nice thing with your teeth is they can always be replaced. If you get spinal degeneration it’s much more serious. Your spine cannot be replaced AND it protects the most important system of your body, the nervous system.

When you get spinal degeneration it typical results in pain and many times osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis. Eventually the nerves start to get affected leading to numbness, tinglings and reduces the function of your entire body.

Now a study from the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation shows chiropractic can improve the condition of spinal degeneration. 40 men from 30 to 40 years old with degenerative lumbar disease at L5-S1 were split into 2 groups. One received the spinal manipulation while the other received a placebo.

Patients were assessed for height, perceived low back pain, neural mechanosensitivity and spinal mobility in flexion. Immediate improvements, even after just one treatment, were seen in the group that got the adjustments in all test categories.

Chiropractic provides relief for patients suffering with spinal degeneration. We have seen the same results in our office. Freehold Chiropractor, Dr. Russell Brokstein has been helping patients with spinal decay for the last 16 years. We recommend not waiting to get to this point. Simple chiropractic maintenance with home stretching and exercise can prevent these conditions from occurring in the first place, just like brushing your teeth and seeing a dentist protects your teeth. For more information about Dr. Brokstein click here.

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