Herniated Disks

A herniated disc occurs when the soft, gelatinous inner core of a spinal disc leaks out through the disc’s weakened outer layers and affects a nearby nerve.

www.spine-health.com/blog/understanding-herniated-discs

DC: What it means when your back "goes out"

The nerve supply to the spine has a relatively high threshold, writes Dr. Michael Noonan, so the pain from a back problem builds over time but can seem to come out of nowhere. The spasms generally associated with a back attack often come from the muscles protecting an inflamed or misaligned joint, where the real problem lies, Noonan writes...

(from Bangor Daily News (Maine) (free registration))

VIDEO: Sacroiliac Joint

Sacroiliac joint problems can cause lower back pain and/or leg pain and is often treated first with chiropractic care.

http://www.spine-health.com/video/chiropractic-adjustment-sacroiliac-joint-video

Reiteration on Sciatica

Sciatica (pronounced sigh-at-ih-kah) is not a medical diagnosis in and of itself – it is a symptom of an underlying medical condition. Learn all about it:

http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/sciatica/what-you-need-know-about-sciatica

There are many different terms used to describe spinal disc pathology and associated pain, such as "herniated disc", "pinched nerve", and "bulging disc", and all are used differently by doctors. Learn the difference:

http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/herniated-disc/whats-a-herniated-disc-pinched-nerve-bulging-disc

Lumbar Radiofrequency Neurotomy Video

Lumbar Radiofrequency Neurotomy Video

Lumbar radiofrequency neurotomy is a minimally invasive procedure that reduces or eliminates the pain from damaged joints by disrupting the nerves that carry pain signals. It's a helpful option for patients to reduce pain enough to participate in a rehabilitation program.

Start watching...

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

Understanding Spinal Stenosis

Understanding Spinal Stenosis

As we age changes cause spaces in the spine to narrow and put pressure on the spinal cord and nerves as they branch out. This can result in leg pain, weakness, or numbness that gets worse when walking or standing, and improves when sitting or bending forward.

» Find out More

When medications and injections fail to provide pain relief , your doctor may refer you to a spine surgeon for traditional lumbar decompression surgery. The surgery removes the bone and soft tissue putting pressure on your nerves and causing your pain. While effective, the traditional procedure typically requires general anesthesia and a hospital stay.

You may have an alternative to traditional surgery.
Learn more about the Steps Clinical Study for the Minimally-invasive Totalis™ Procedure.

What is the Totalis™ System?

 

The Totalis™ system is a set of specialized instruments that perform the surgical procedure through a small tube that is about the diameter of a dime. Through this tube, doctors use the specialized Totalis™ instruments to remove the tissue and bone that are compressing the spinal nerves, while using X-ray images to precisely guide the procedure.

The Totalis™ system is FDA cleared, and currently being offered at select spine centers as part of the STEPS Clinical Trial.

The Totalis™ system is:

• Minimally-invasive alternative to traditional spine surgery
• Does not require general anesthesia
• Allows most patients to return home the same day

» Learn more about the Steps Clinical Study for the Totalis™ Procedure and find Study locations

Visit these additional resources to learn more about spinal stenosis:

• About Totalis™ for Spinal Stenosis
• See if you might qualify for the STEPS Trial, and to get connected directly with the local spine center in your area.

Do you experience leg pain, tingling, or numbness when walking or standing?

Do you experience leg pain, tingling, or numbness when walking or standing?

You may have spinal stenosis, a common condition typically caused by changes that happen in the spine as we age.

» Find out More

Dr. Jardon - Have You Experienced Sciatica?

Dr. Rick Jardon on Sciatica

Occipital Nerve Headache (video)

Sometimes a headache may be caused by a problem with the occipital nerve, which travels through a segment of spine in the neck.

http://www.spine-health.com/video/cervicogenic-headache-video

How lower back nerve problems can cause leg pain

Leg pain may be caused by a problem in the leg, but often it starts with a problem in the lower back, where the sciatic nerve originates, and then travels along the path of the nerve.

http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/leg-pain/leg-pain-and-numbness-what-might-these-symptoms-mean

Chiropractic manages pain naturally

“Almost everyone can benefit from chiropractic,” says Dr. Nancy J. Trimboli, owner of Trimboli Chiropractic with offices in Munster and Cedar Lake, about managing pain. “Every person on the planet has had a fall, has done sports, and has been involved in a vehicle crash of some type, however minor. These bumps and bruises of life cause spinal misalignments which irritate or interrupt normal joint function and nerve function. If left uncorrected, this will definitely lead to problems. Chiropractors correct those misalignments, allowing the body to heal and function normally. It’s a simple concept yet the ramifications are huge.”

According to Trimboli, chiropractic care has shown through individual patient cases and published research to be not only highly effective for long term back—and other--pain resolution, but to be highly cost effective.

“We have helped countless numbers of people over the years avoid surgery,” she says. “Back surgery obviously should be a last resort. You should do every treatment possible prior to surgery. That should include Chiropractic, massage therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture, even yoga and other exercise. There are specific reasons to have back surgery and pain is not on that list. This is because you most certainly will have pain after back surgery from the surgery itself.”

But that doesn’t mean surgery isn’t totally off the table in certain cases.

“If someone has a progressive muscle weakness or loss of sensation that does not improve with conservative care, they may need a surgical intervention,” says Trimboli. “Also, you need to remember that most people have multiple issues creating their discomfort. Sciatic type pain can be caused from the nerve as it exits the spine, or from disc issue, from a pelvic misalignment, from a muscle spasm, or adhesions on the nerve itself. Chiropractic can address all of these issues, where surgery may only address one of them.”

This approach to pain management has long been a goal for Trimboli who knew from a young age she wanted to work the in medical field. Despite achieving high grades, after completing her undergraduate studies in pre-med, Trimboli decided attending med school was not for her. When a friend’s mother suggested she talk to a chiropractor, it didn’t take long for Trimboli to realize that was the field for her.

“Even when I was 18 I knew there had to be a different way,” she says. “I wanted to study a style of healing that was different than drugs and surgery.”

Choosing chiropractic school, Trimboli spent the first three years taking the same courses and using the same books as medical students. It was then that chiropractic and medical studies began to differ. That divergence formed the foundation for her work. Her mission, she says, is giving to people, young and old, the power and knowledge of chiropractic, so that they may get their greatest enjoyment out of life.

“We offer low force chiropractic adjustments for infants, children and adults,” says Trimboli noting that means there is ‘no popping’ when adjustments are made. “To help us in our work, we have 15 massage therapists on staff that do therapeutic massage, myofascial release, lymphatic drainage, and cranial sacral therapy. Our trainers teach our patients effective at-home exercises to stretch and strengthen spinal muscles. Modalities, such as cold laser therapy, help patients to feel better more quickly and heal more completely.”

It’s also important for people to work at keeping their spines remain flexible and functional including doing specific stretches at home on a routine basis to alleviate or prevent pain.

“Exercise by doing something you enjoy,” says Trimboli. “Challenge your balance and strengthen your core with a yoga, tai chi or Pilates class. Ask for help when lifting things or doing heavy work that you don’t often do. Watch your diet and avoid foods that inflame the spinal joints, which for everyone is sugar.”