Women with severe restless legs syndrome may face higher stroke risk

(Free registration on Medscape required to read whole article.)

An analysis of data from the Nurses' Health Study II found that female patients with severe restless legs syndrome may be more likely to experience stroke, especially ischemic stroke. Researchers, who examined data from 72,916 women ages 41 to 58, report an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.07 for stroke and 3.52 for ischemic stroke among women who experience RLS at least 15 times a month. The study did not establish a causal link, but RLS patients may warrant particular attention to the risk of cardiovascular disease, said researcher Dr. Xiang Gao. Medscape (free registration)

Manipulation under anesthesia

Some patients may experience high levels of pain with any movement of their spine, so that manipulations are not tolerable unless done under anesthesia.

http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/manipulation-under-anesthesia-pain

Spinal Manipulation is a Safe Effective Pain Reliever

Scientific evidence has indicated that spinal manipulation is a safe, mild-to-moderate pain reliever for lower back pain, neck pain and headache, and recent health care guidelines have listed it as a viable treatment option for symptoms that do not respond to self-care.

http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/evolution-chiropractic-medicine-health-care

Spinal Stenosis

While the term “stenosis” comes from Greek and means a “choking”, spinal stenosis, however, has little in common with choking. So what is spinal stenosis?

http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/spinal-stenosis/what-spinal-stenosis

Integrating Chiropractic Care

What's the best way to incorporate chiropractic care in with care from other doctors?

http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/integrating-chiropractic-care-other-doctors

Studies link sedentary activities to increases in anxiety

Australian researchers said an analysis of study data indicates that sedentary activities, such as working at a desk or playing video games, may increase anxiety symptoms. "It is important that we understand the behavioral factors that may be linked to anxiety -- in order to be able to develop evidence-based strategies in preventing/managing this illness," head researcher Megan Teychenne said in a news release.

The report was published in the journal BMC Public Health.

Decrease Sitting Time & Feel Healthier

Decrease your sitting time by 66 minutes per day and feel healthier. In a recent study 87% of people reported feeling more comfortable and energized when they were alternating between standing and sitting. Read more below:

http://www.spine-health.com/blog/one-hour-ease-your-back-ache-and-boost-your-mood

Pain Killers Can Increase Chronic Pain

How pain killers sometimes increase chronic pain:

http://www.spine-health.com/blog/how-pain-killers-sometimes-increase-chronic-pain

Integrating Care in Chiropractic

What's the best way to incorporate chiropractic care in with care from other doctors?

http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/integrating-chiropractic-care-other-doctors

Back Pain: Chiropractic vs. Medical Doctors

Back Pain:

Chiropractic vs. Medical Doctors

Who Get Better Results and Who is More Cost Effective?

Chiropractic Proves 300% more effective

Chiropractic Proves 50% More Cost Effective

BY: Donald Capoferri DC, DAAMLP

William J. Owens DC, DAAMLP

Mark Studin DC, FASBE(C), DAAMLP, DAAPM

In 2010 a study of back pain patients insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee revealed patients receive nearly 3x better results at almost half the cost when consulting a chiropractor instead of a traditional medical doctor.

Statistics show that back pain, and more specifically lower back pain will affect 70-80% of all Americans.  Back pain is one of the top 10 most costly conditions treated in the United States.  Costs directly associated with examination and treatment are in excess $50 billion dollars per year.  Indirect cost of back pain include lost work day, reduced employee productivity and disability are $47 billion dollars.  That makes the total economic impact of lower back pain in excess of $97 billion dollars per year.

The study was conducted on 85,402 patients, all insured with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee.  This insurer was chosen because it provided equal access to both traditional medical and chiropractic care. The population of patients were diagnosed with the following conditions: Spinal disc disorders, Lower back pain, muscle spasms, joint mobility restrictions, Sacroiliac joint sprain/strain and lumbar spine sprain/strain.  The results of the study revealed those patients who initiated care with a chiropractor had a 61% “very satisfied response” when surveyed.  Those patient who initiated care with a medical doctor had a 27% “very satisfied response.” The patients who initiated care with a chiropractor incurred 40% less cost than those choosing traditional medical care.

There is a growing body of evidence indicating that chiropractic care is more effective and less costly than medical care for back pain.  In contrast to this and many other studies indicating the efficacy of chiropractic care for back pain, only 7% of U.S. back pain sufferers consult a chiropractor.  Using the data from this study insurers nationally would realize billions of dollar of savings if the population of back pain patients initiated care with a chiropractor first. 

Insurance companies that restrict access to chiropractic care at this juncture with statistical evidence, are paying more for care and delaying necessary, effective care for no apparent reason other than politics or prejudice. If all restrictions for chiropractic access were removed carriers would save money and offer a significant public health benefit. The statistics speak for themselves.

Reference:

Liliedahl R., Finch M., Axene D., Geertz C., (2010) Cost of Care for Common Back Pain Conditions Initiated with Chiropractic Doctor vs. Medical Doctor/Doctor of Osteopathy as First Physician:  Experience of One Tennessee-Based General Health Insure, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 33 (9) pgs. 640-643

Pain Medicine for Lower Back Pain - Best Pillow to Use?

It may be easier and less time consuming to take pain medicine to help your lower back pain, but a recent study shows that spinal manipulation may be more effective.
http://www.spine-health.com/blog/chiropractic-manipulation-or-medication-low-back-pain

Patients with neck pain often ask "which is the best pillow to use?" and the truth is there’s no one pillow that works for everybody. This video reviews the advantages and disadvantages of different types of pillows.
http://www.spine-health.com/video/best-pillows-neck-pain-or-back-pain-video

Chiropractic can be an effective nonsurgical treatment option for many types of low back pain, including those associated with facet joint or sacroiliac joint dysfunction and disc problems. Chiropractic manipulation is a common therapeutic treatment designed to increase function and decrease pain and nerve irritability. Here's a video explaining what it looks like and how it works.
http://www.spine-health.com/video/chiropractic-adjustment-lumbar-spine-low-back-video

Join Current Care Today!

Current Care is the RI health community's central bank of patient's records. By joining it, you allow your doctors to access x-rays, blood work, medication lists...etc using their computers rather than waiting for faxes, mail or patients to pick up their information for them.

Everyone (not just my patients but friends, relatives co-workers...) should sign up! Stop by the office anytime and fill out the simple enrollment form that takes just two minutes and we will take care of it from there. Pick up more and have all of your family and friends fill them out and return to us. You can also enroll on the internet at CurrentCareRI.org or call 888-858-4815

Using Medication to Manage Pain and Reduce Sleep Problems

Using Medication to Manage Pain and Reduce Sleep Problems

After pain management patients have tried behavior and environment modifications to improve their sleep, it could be appropriate to discuss over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids, changes to their pain medication, or even both. Learn more...

Back Care for Lower Back Pain

Since most episodes of lower back pain are self-limited, it is often advisable for patients to employ back care on their own early in the course of low back pain.

Back Care First Aid

In most cases, do-it-yourself back care for low back pain should center on a combination of:

• A short course of rest, limited to one to two days
• Pain medication, such as NSAIDs (e.g. ibuprofen) and/or acetaminophen
• Application of ice and/or heat on the lower back to decrease inflammation.

Slow mobilization and gentle stretching is then an advisable form of lower back pain care, and the sooner a patient can return to his or her normal functional activities, the sooner the episode of lower back pain will usually get better.

• See Lower Back Pain Treatment

Other Forms of Lower Back Care

Walking is often an excellent exercise for low back pain since it is gentle on the back and helps oxygenate the soft tissues in the back to stimulate a healing response. If walking is too painful, exercising in the water (water therapy or pool therapy) is usually tolerable. Such back care is typically beneficial for lower back pain because the water counteracts gravity and helps to support the patient’s weight in a controlled fashion.

Sitting upright (e.g. in an office chair, driving) will often aggravate low back pain, since this position loads the back three times more than standing. Sitting in a reclining position, however, relieves pressure on the lower back and is often the most comfortable position for patients experiencing an episode of back pain in the lower back (lumbar spine).

When to Seek Lower Back Care from a Medical Professional

Chiropractic on the Lumbar Spine Video

If the lower back pain symptoms do not start to abate within one to two weeks, medical attention should be sought from either the patient’s primary care doctor or chiropractor. The assessment of the patient begins with a history of the patient’s low back pain and includes questions such as:

• Where is the back pain?
• Is there more low back pain or more leg pain?
• How long has the pain been present?
• Does anything make the lower back pain better?
• Does anything make the low back pain worse?
• What back pain care has been tried?
• Have there been other episodes of lower back pain?

A physical exam will also be done to assess the patient’s nerve function and motion in the lower back. Sometimes diagnostic studies (such as an x-ray) will be recommended to better assess the anatomy of the patient’s spine and determine the specific type of back care.

• See Introduction To Diagnostic Studies For Back Pain

Initial Back Care and Lower Back Pain Help

Combining the information from the patient’s history, physical exam, and diagnostic studies, the health provider will then recommend a course of back care for the lower back pain. Generally, conservative (non-surgical) treatments for the low back pain will be recommended first.

If conservative back care fails, back surgery may be a reasonable option to try to cure the lower back pain.

Further Reading: Lower Back Pain Treatment

Repost: Lower back pain triage & incorporation + subluxation

In the assessment of lower back pain, differential diagnosis utilizing a "triage" concept of classifying low back injuries into one of three categories helps to guide the doctor of chiropractic. Click below to read more.
http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/chiropractic-diagnosis

Post 2)
What's the best way to incorporate chiropractic care in with care from other doctors?
http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/integrating-chiropractic-care-other-doctors

Post 3)
The term "subluxation" is used by doctors of chiropractic to depict the altered position of the vertebra and subsequent functional loss, which determines the location for the spinal manipulation.
http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/subluxation-and-chiropractic

Current Care

Current Care is the RI health community's central bank of patient's records. By joining it, you allow your doctors to access x-rays, blood work, medication lists...etc using their computers rather than waiting for faxes, mail or patients to pick up their information for them.

Everyone (not just my patients but friends, relatives co-workers...) should sign up so that we can move into the 21st century!! Stop by the office anytime and fill out the simple enrollment form that literally takes 2 minutes and we will take care of it from there.

Pick up more and have all of your family and friends fill them out and return to us. You can also enroll on the internet at CurrentCareRI.org or call 888-858-4815.

Recognizing a heart attack

I've always appreciated the fact that most patients that I see have a mechanical problem with their back, neck, hip, shoulder...etc that I can help them with. Rarely, I come across a patient who doesn't fit the mold of a mechanical problem causing their pain. Possibilities include cancer, heart, gallbladder, prostate and more.

Recently, I had a patient whose low back pain was caused by lung cancer that spread (metastasized) to their spine. The cancer eventually caused a weakening of the bone structure of a vertebra leading to pain in his back. Although worse than normal, he was not that concerned because he had always had some amount of chronic back pain so he never came in for evaluation until it was too late

I write about this because so many people have chronic pain in their back, neck, hip...etc but they never get it looked at. They figure that it will eventually go away. It's only when the pain gets so bad that it interferes with their daily activities, do they eventually come in.

Most times, it's a mechanical problem that's treatable with chiropractic therapy but occasionally it's not. In those cases, early detection can be a matter of life and death. And, if it proves to be mechanical, prompt treatment always resolves the condition faster anyway, so you're better off getting it looked at. So, if you've been having pain that's lasting more than a week or two, I urge you to get it checked out. It's better to be safe than sorry.