Chiropractic + Wellness

Back problems can affect everyone. The most healthy individuals can experience back issues from time to time because of unhealthy postures, standing or sitting for extended periods at a job or school, athletes, and individuals with previous injuries. Back soreness and pain symptoms are common in today's active and inactive world. The pain can range from dull and constant aches to sharp and sudden piercing sensations. This causes pressure to build up against different regions of the spine. Individuals trying to reposition the body can cause an imbalance in the spine that often leads to more pain and problems. It is impossible to adjust one's spine effectively and should be evaluated and treated by a professional chiropractor and therapy team.

Professional Chiropractor

Problems With DIY adjustments

• Self-cracking or having a friend/family/spouse walk on their back or squeeze the body to achieve the crack or pop forces an increase in mobility that can lead to overexerting the spine.
• Can loosen all of the joints instead of just the tight joints.
• This can overly loosen already flexible joints that must compensate for the stiff joints.
• The muscles have to work overtime to maintain stability, adding stress which increases muscle tension.
• This can cause the health of compressed segments to continue to decline and worsen and/or cause further injury.
• It can cause abnormal vertebral degeneration.
• It can be dangerous if the individual has weak bones.
• Injuries can include herniated and dislocated discs.
• In the worst-case scenario, fractures and broken vertebrae.
• Although rare, there is the possible risk of rib fracture or subluxation.
• This can cause pain and symptoms to turn into a serious health or chronic condition.

Chiropractic Training

Chiropractors are trained medical specialists on the body's structure and function. Chiropractors know the correct positioning and function of every area of the spine, from the neck to the tailbone. The most common injuries that chiropractic treats include:

• Muscle Strains
• Sciatica
• Overuse/Repetitive Strains
• Neck Sprains
• Whiplash
• Headaches
• Herniated Discs
• Dislocations
• Fractures

Proper Realignment

Individuals think the popping sound is the goal; however, it's not what relieves the pain or symptoms. The relief comes from the improved movement of the joints. The term for the popping sound is cavitation. Chiropractic manipulation is a specific force applied in a specific direction to a particular joint. During a professional realignment session, the pressure inside the joint decreases, releasing gasses within the synovial fluid into the joint space. That's the popping sound. When a professional chiropractor performs adjustments/cavitations, they:

• ImproveJoint function.
• Relax the muscles.
• Relieve nerve irritation.

There's also the possibility of an unknown underlying cause for the pain symptoms. Therefore, friends and family should not attempt back adjustments unless they are professional chiropractors. When symptoms persist, treatment from a professional licensed chiropractic clinic is safer and more effective, and early treatment can prevent permanent damage caused by chronic inflammation. Professional chiropractor treatments include:

Adjustments

• To gently realign joints to decrease pain and increase range of motion.

Soft-Tissue Therapy

• Relaxes tight muscles, relieves spasms, and releases tension in the tissues that surround the muscle fascia.

Exercises and Stretches

• Restore and maintain joint stability and mobility.

Joint Bracing and Kinesio Taping

• Supports sprained joints or muscles during recovery.

Referrals to Medical Experts

• For guidance on diet and nutrition to reduce inflammation and promote healthy weight.

The Path To Healing

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, don't hesitate to get in touch with Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

References

Dunning, James, et al. "CAVITATION SOUNDS DURING CERVICOTHORACIC SPINAL MANIPULATION." International Journal of sports physical therapy vol. 12,4 (2017): 642-654.

Evans, David W, and Nicholas Lucas. "What is manipulation? A new definition." BMC musculoskeletal disorders vol. 24,1 194. 15 March 2023, doi:10.1186/s12891-023-06298-w

Hardy, Katie, and Henry Pollard. "The organization of the stress response, and its relevance to chiropractors: a commentary." Chiropractic & osteopathy vol. 14 25. 18 October 2006, doi:10.1186/1746-1340-14-25

LaPelusa, Andrew. and Bruno Bordoni. "High-Velocity Low Amplitude Manipulation Techniques." StatPearls, StatPearls Publishing, 6 February 2023.

Navid, Muhammad Samran, et al. "The effects of chiropractic spinal manipulation on central processing of tonic pain - a pilot study using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA)." Scientific Reports vol. 9,1 6925. 6 May. 2019, doi:10.1038/s41598-019-42984-3

Healing takes place at home.

Q: Recently diagnosed with a bulging disc at C5-C6, is there anything I can do at home to relieve my pain?
— El Paso, TX.

A: Great question because anyone that has woken up with a stiff neck can relate. This is the most common area of herniation in the neck. It is highly susceptible to regular wear and tear but poor neck posture, like looking down at a phone for too long and improper motion mechanics can also be a cause.

Taking care of yourself without having to go to the doctor is very important and it is critical to learn proper healing methods, and techniques.

Healthcare professionals will say that most of the healing takes place at home.

There are various ways to reduce pain at home, but remember that there is a point when symptoms do warrant professional medical attention.

Good news

Bulging and herniated discs typically heal within six months — and less than 10% ever need surgery.

Non-surgical treatment for cervical bulging discs is usually enough to relieve pain and the best part is that you can do many of these treatments yourself.

Under chiropractic/therapist supervision, these treatments can be utilized at home or with the assistance

Cervical pillow

A proper pillow will help improve the quality of sleep and also give the neck proper support and position to heal.

Herbal remedies

The natural approach to medications is also welcome. There are plenty of herbal supplements to help relieve pain. There is capsaicin cream, that you can apply and helps reduces pain.

Ice and heat therapy

Ice should be applied in a bag or towel for 15-20 minute intervals, two or three times daily. Heat treatment comes in the later stages of the therapy but follows the same on-off interval technique.

Over-the-Door Traction

This therapy is very effective in helping relieve pain and muscle spasms. Your head and neck are attached to a harness. This is connected to a rope that is connected to a pulley system that goes over a door at your home. Then while sitting, leaning back, or lying down you go through the exercise.

Motion exercises

These exercises help the neck recover its full range of motion. This prevents stiffness from setting in and also helps strengthen the muscles in the neck. A therapist or a chiropractor can show a variety of exercises depending on the area of injury/stiffness.

However, if the pain does not go away a physical therapist/chiropractor can be your best option. Passive physical therapy includes:

• Ultrasound
• T.E.N.S electrical nerve stimulation
• Mild neck traction

These treatment options are non-invasive and effectively help manage pain. It's always important to remember that if your pain continues or starts to become worse tell your doctor and get medical attention.

Chiropractic Alignment

If the pain continues, then you may be referred to a chiropractor for spinal alignment.

Chiropractors are experts at treating neck conditions.  Aligning the cervical segments of the neck is a must as the injury can return if the cervical discs are not in proper alignment or even worsen. Chiropractic treatment can give relief and also stop cervical spine degeneration.

*Neck* Pain Chiropractic Care El Paso, Texas

There is some evidence the conventional go-to pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medicine can help by delivering their benefits along with a host of potentially dangerous effects to anyone. Both medical professionals and patients are looking for alternative medicines that have the same effects as pharmaceutical medicine but that are safe and more effective. Fortunately, numerous natural compounds are backed up by clinical research and studies that are available to help anyone that have a variety of issues that are caused by pain and inflammation.

Research from the Cleveland Clinic had warned patients that NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are intended for short-term use. That person should never use it continuously for fever for more than three days and at least ten days for pain without the consultant from a healthcare provider. Studies show that for any fish oils or other sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that have the same effect since it is the precursor to anti-inflammatory prostaglandins and resolvins for the body.

Back pain sometimes strikes without warning. One minute you’re bending or lifting something heavy; the next minute you’re unable to move. Sudden onset of muscle spasm from the back is common. Roughly 8 out of 10 adults will experience back pain at some point in their lives. Generally, the origin of back pain and muscle spasm can be credited to overuse, an accident or a sports injury. But more often than not, the origin of muscle spasm is the effect of damage to a structure within the lumbar spine.

One matter is clear: if you have had one or more episodes of muscular strain in the back, chances are it’ll happen again. The muscles in the back function together. Without all the muscles of the back working together, no lateral and extension motion of the spine would be impossible. Stability is also added by the muscles of the back in order to keep the spine erect and maintain equilibrium. When the muscles are in spasm due to a spinal health issue, that balance can be compromised.