Pinched Nerves Relief

Archive for the ‘herniated disc’ Category

Every year, many Americans are faced with the problem of lower back pain. It is usually caused by some type of accident, whether recreational or work related, though sometimes back injuries can occur just by overdoing it for a few short hours. For some unknown reason, our bodies sometimes stop working. If this is true for you, then you may want to look at some other causes such as fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, menopause, or arthritis.

As we get older, the strength in our bones and our muscle flexibility will decrease. That’s just nature. In our skeletons, the amount of fluid and flexibility near our discs lessens, and therefore we cannot recover from daily activities the way we used to. A ruptured or herniated disc can be caused by something as simple as muscle pain from lifting something. A movement resulting in flattened nerve endings will usually become apparent with lower back pain indications.

Lower back pain can be caused by something as natural as deterioration of our muscles, nerves, and bones. In this way, your body can be compared to a machine. There are body parts that will need to be replaced or altered to be able to keep it running normally throughout the years. Fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, arthritis, viruses, being overweight, and built up scar tissue can all take a toll on our bodies, just as the most gigantic and powerful mountains can be made weaker due to erosion.

If you have lower back pain, you need to try and get up, as staying in bed is not the best thing to do. A study done in Finland in 1996 shows that people with back pain who performed their regular daily duties did better than those who stayed in bed. You can help your muscles and help to relieve the pain if you try Yoga. If you cannot move there are medications such as ibuprofen, naproxen, ointments, antidepressants, and narcotic drugs that could possibly help you. Painkillers can be addictive, so make sure you take them only as a last resort!

Robert Covillien
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/when-your-lower-back-starts-to-hurt-755976.html

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With low back pain being the number reason why millions of Americans miss work, you would think hospitals around the country would be more compassionate with people who suffer from chronic low back pain. Being a chronic pain sufferer myself who suffers from low back pain with a herniated disc, I know too well how ER doctors treat patients seeking help for some kind of relief. It seems as soon as you walk in and tell them the reason your here to see the doctor is for back pain, your immediately cast in a different light.

The ironic thing in today’s modern times, hospitals and ER doctors have available, and can look up information on patients that have on record tests such as, MRI’s, CT scans, or any other type of documentation to verify a diagnosis the patient is complaining of. With so many people falsely going to ER rooms complaining of back pain just to get medication, they should actually do a little research before they put you in that category of just seeking medication.

For instance, I waited 2 hours in the waiting room, after I got back to see the ER physician, I waited in the room for an additional hour just to hear the nurse tell me I need to go see my primary care physician about substance abuse. I was in shock. I could not believe they thought I was there seeking medications and not truly suffering from pain. When just recently I had two MRI’s taken at this same hospital showing indeed I do suffer from herniated discs, and other back problems as well. To add insult to injury, I received a bill the following week charging me for the visit. I wonder what did they do for me. What did they charge me for? The only thing they did in all reality is turn me away. So why do they charge me for turning me away in my time of need.

Unless your in a horrible car wreck, or your wheeled in by ambulance on a stretcher, going to the ER room for pain is a waste of time and money. Not only is it a waste of time and money, your humiliated by the whole ordeal. People who suffer from chronic pain are simply not believed. For whatever the reason may be, ER doctors do not want to treat people in pain. Chronic pain sufferers in America are discriminated again tremendously. Everyone who suffers from pain should write their congressman or senators. Something has to be done. Seems doctors are taken the war on drugs against the innocent, against the people who truly suffer from chronic daily pain. There is something wrong with this picture. America has the best healthcare in the world, but yet you cant get treated for something as simple as low back pain. I just pray for the millions of Americans who are in the same situation they that somehow will find a compassionate doctor who truly understands pain. Seems most doctors today are more interested in what’s best for them, and not the patient. Don’t they still take an oath to help the sick and hurting? Sometimes I wonder

Robert Gould
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/think-twice-about-going-to-the-emergency-room-for-back-pain-35107.html

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Upper back pain is not as common as the lower back pain. But pain is pain. When the pain process starts, it is unbearable. The two common identified causes of upper back pain are:

1. Muscular irritation (also known as myofascial pain)

2. Joint dysfunction.

There can be many other causes- injury, accidents, upper disc displacement and many more.

There is a great deal of stability and less motion in the upper back, which is thoracic spine region. So, spinal disorders are not very common. Conditions like herniated disc, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and spinal disability can cause upper back pain, but such cases are few. This being the case, it is difficult to identify the causes for the upper back pain, precisely. Even an MRI Scan or CT Scan will not be of much help. So, it is not easy for the doctor to find a surgical solution, if the pain persists for a long period.

Modern amenities are not without the accompanying problems. A poor posture over a period of time creates strain in a particular region and that region happens to be your upper back, in case you are a computer operator and work throughout the day in front of your PC. Neck pain and shoulder pain are the comrades -in arms -of the upper back pain.

Here are some more causes of upper back pain:

1. Lack of strength in the particular region.

2. Injuries and damage to the muscles of the region caused through repetitive motions i.e. working in a particular machine in a particular manner. Take for example, hand molding machines. On an average a person does 1500 hand-operated motions in a working schedule of 8 hours.

3. Muscle strains and sports injuries.

Here again. You have to understand your back pain. With the nature of your work known to you, identify the area of your upper back, which is mostly strained. Do such yoga asanas, which help to ease the stress in that area. Do regular oil massage. If this is done in a systematic manner, there would not be any cause for the upper back pain to happen.

Because upper back is a big area, and also ‘muscle junction’, you have to adapt to a system of doing several stretching and strengthening exercises.

If you get the upper back pain, do not panic. Avoid hard medications and painkillers at any cost. Even best of the hospitals, the renowned specialists, have understood the virtue of physio-therapy. Follow it now, for your suffering is due to your past failings and negligence!

Ashish Jain
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/upper-back-pain-59683.html

Technorati Tags: Causes Of Upper Back Pain, Comrades In Arms, Degenerative Disc Disease, Disc Displacement, Hand Molding, herniated disc, Injury Accidents, Joint Dysfunction, Lower Back Pain, Molding Machines, Mri Scan, Muscle Strains, Oil Massage, Poor Posture, Repetitive Motions, Spinal Stenosis, Surgical Solution, Systematic Manner, Upper Back Pain, Yoga Asanas

I like to think of myself as the thinking man’s coach. I’m always evaluating my own programs and what’s currently being taught by other professionals in the hopes of finding better, more efficient ways of doing things.

When it comes to my evaluation process, I use a very simple philosophy: “If it doesn’t make scientific sense, and it defies common sense, then it must be nonsense.”

As I’ve evaluated some of the exercises commonly used as dynamic warm ups by coaches and stretches by Yoga and Pilates instructors, I’ve concluded that many of them don’t jibe with either common or scientific sense.

By deductive reasoning, I’ve concluded that these movements are based on nothing but nonsense, and should be eliminated from your program. I call these movements the Stretching Don’ts, and I hope that by the end of this article you too will avoid them like you would avoid a warm decaf soy latte.

Because of the vast popularity of these exercises, it’s very likely that you’re practicing some of them in your program. In addition, many of these movements are currently being taught by several well-respected coaches.

Well, in this article I’m going to provide you with a whole bunch of science and a solid rationale for why these movements both fail to promote proper movement patterns, and, based on recent research, may actually lead to dysfunction. Rather than telling you what to do and why, I’m going to try to teach you what not to do, and why not to do it.

As the great Bruce Lee once said,

“It’s not the daily increase, but the daily decrease. Hack away the unessential.”

Stretching Don’t #1: The Scorpion Twist

This exercise has shown up more and more these days in yoga classes and fitness magazines.

Truth be told, I have always thought that the scorpion was popular only because it looked cool. I have never used it because in my opinion it felt very unnatural and had no real functional carryover.

My personal opinion aside, the fundamental flaw with the scorpion twist is that it requires the athlete to simultaneously extend and rotate the spine. This type of motion can cause stress to the spinal facet joints. Facets are small joints that overlap like shingles on a roof, forming the back surface of the spine.

According to Dr. Wolf Schamberger in The Malalignment Syndrome: Implications for Medicine and Sport (2002):

 ”The facet joints are stressed non-specifically on side bending, back extension alone and back extension combined with rotation to the right or left.” (p. 244)

Similar writings can be found later in the article:

“Loads on the facet joints of the lumbar spine may play a major role in low-back pain. Shear forces resulting from axial rotation and flexion-extension motions (compressive shear loads) are mainly transmitted through the facet joints. Although traumatic or transient shear forces will be resisted by both the disc and the facets, the disc’s viscoelasticity causes slowly applied or constant shear loads to pass through the facet joints.” (Hassan A. Serhan, Ph.D.; Gus Varnavas, M.D.; Andrew P. Dooris, Ph.D.; Avinash Patwardhan, Ph.D.; Michael Tzermiadianos, M.D.; Biomechanics of the Posterior Lumbar Articulating Elements, 2007)

This article than goes further into the types of pain caused by facet stress and compression:

“Facet joint compression leads to at least three causes of back pain: spinal osteoarthritis; bulging and herniated discs; and nerve root impingement… Because the nervous system is responsible for many other activities, the effects of facet joint compression are very wide ranging.”

Recent research also suggests that you’re ten times more likely to suffer sciatica pain from facet compression injuries than from herniated discs.

With this type of evidence, it’s easy to see why the scorpion twist is a Stretching Don’t.

<a href=” http://www.performanceu.net/article02.html “>Click here</a> to see pictures of all of the Warm Up Don’ts listed in this article

 Stretching Don’t # 2: The Windshield Wiper (or Hip Crossover)

This is an exercise that I’ve seen show up in just about every system of training as either flexibility or as “core strength” exercise. I have even seen coaches load this movement using a weighted medicine ball between the legs.

I myself was using both the loaded and unloaded version of the windshield wiper until I read an article by Coach Mike Boyle called, Is Rotation Even a Good Idea? In that article, Boyle referenced physical therapist Shirley Sarhmann, who in the book Diagnosis and Treatment of movement Impairment Syndromes Movement explained why movements like the windshield wiper contradict the biomechanics of the lumbar spine.

“Rotation of the lumbar spine is more dangerous than beneficial and rotation of the pelvis and lower extremities to one side while the trunk remain stable or is rotated to the other side is particularly dangerous.” (Sahrmann, pg. 72)

“During most activities, the primary role of the abdominal muscles is to provide isometric support and limit the degree of rotation of the trunk which, as discussed, is limited in the lumbar spine.” (Sahrmann, p. 70)

Sarhmann then goes on to explain in more detail the rotational range of motion capabilities at the lumbar spine:

“The overall range of lumbar rotation is … approximately 13 degrees. The rotation between each segment from T10 — L5 is 2 degrees. The greatest rotational range is between L5 — S1… The thoracic spine, not the lumbar spine, should be the site of greatest amount of rotation of the trunk… when an individual practices rotational exercises, they should be instructed to “think about the motion occurring in the area of the chest.” (Sahramnn pg. 61-62)

Taking Sarhmann’s advice, we’ve chosen to eliminate exercises that drive spinal rotation from the bottom up in favor of an alternative variation that’s driven from the top down, shown below. This version puts less stress on the lumbar vertebrae and emphasizes rotation at the thoracic spine, which is better designed for mobility.

Stretching Don’t #3: The Iron Cross

The Iron Cross is basically a more dynamic version of the hip cross over. Therefore, based on what I just told you, it should be obvious why it’s a Stretching Don’t.

The Iron Cross is actually the most poorly designed and dysfunctional movement on my hit list. This movement not only requires excessive lumbar rotation, but also adds a small element of lateral flexion to the mix, as a byproduct of lifting the leg toward the opposite hand. Any qualified physical therapist will tell you that combining spinal lateral flexion with rotation, especially under load, will put you on the fast track to disc injury.

This is mentioned by Gregory S. Kolt and Lynn Snyder-Mackler in their book Physical Therapies in Sport and Exercise (2003):

“The mechanism of back injury in athletes is normally the same as in the general population (i.e. prolonged and or repeated spinal flexion, flexion and rotation under load).” (p. 250)

In the book Fact and Fallacies of Fitness(2003), Mel Siff also makes this point very clear:

“The combination of lateral bending and rotation constitutes one of the most dangerous maneuvers for the lumbar spine.” (p. 89)

Siff than continues to make a very important point and explain why rotary training exercises are much safer and more functional when performed in an upright position.

“A certain degree of compressive preloading locks the facet assembly of the spine and makes it more resistant to torsion. This is the reason why trunk rotation without vertical compression may cause disc injury, whereas the same movement performed with compression is significantly safer.” (p. 89)

My spider-sense tells me that someone out there are saying, “Oh, come on now, Nick. Surely the exercises you’ve described in Warm Up Don’ts 1 to 4 can’t possibly create enough force to cause any significant pain or dysfunction.” Well, bubba, just feast your eyes on the study below, and you’ll see why this line of thinking is flawed.

A research study took thirty-eight normal healthy young subjects (14 males, 24 females) with mean ages of 23 years (males) and 21 years (females), performed 36 functional rotational tasks of the trunk. The subject’s lower extremities were stabilized in a stabilizing platform, allowing the entire motion of flexion-rotation and extension-rotation to take place in the trunk. Of these tasks, 18 were isometric and the other 18 were isokinetic.

The isometric tasks consisted of flexion-rotation and extension rotation from a 20, 40 and 60 flexed trunk in 20, 40 and 60 of axial rotation. The isokinetic activity consisted of flexion-rotation and extension-rotation from upright and flexed postures respectively in 20, 40 and 60 rotation planes at 15, 30 and 60 /s angular velocities.

The results revealed that the males were significantly stronger than females and isometric activities produced significantly greater torque compared to isokinetic efforts. The degree of trunk flexion was not significant; the angle of rotation, although significant, had only a small effect. The 60 trunk rotation was significantly different from 20 and 40 of trunk rotation.

(Kumar S.; Narayan Y.; Zedka M., Strength in combined motions of rotation and flexion/ extension in normal young adults, Ergonomics Volume 41, Number 6, 1 June 1998, pp. 835-852, Taylor & Frances Ltd.)

Pay particular attention to the concluding statement:

“Based on the results and analysis, it is suggested that the motion involved rather than the torque may have a consequential effect in the precipitation of back injuries.”

This statement clearly explains that dysfunction can be created just by moving the spine in a non-functional manner regardless of load. So, as in the theme of this article, it’s imperative that we do our research and choose our exercises wisely.

<a href=” http://www.performanceu.net/article02.html “>Click here</a> to see pictures of all of the Warm Up Don’ts listed in this article

Conclusion

Remember what I said at the introduction: “If it doesn’t make scientific sense, and it defies common sense, then it’s probably nonsense.” Let’s face it, with all of the new training methods, styles, systems and opinions out there, it can be difficult to decide what’s really good and what’s really good for nothing. Use this little philosophy and the decision will become much easier. 

Nick Tumminello
http://www.articlesbase.com/yoga-articles/dynamic-warm-up-and-yoga-stretches-that-suck-706527.html

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The scope of spinal cord surgery in India is very good now days because of the availability of good treatment facilities and most experienced spine surgeons in Indian spine surgery hospitals. Spinal cord surgery becomes must when the symptoms of spine disorders affect daily routine life and chronic back pain starts. The treatment provided to different spine disorders depends on the patients’ health, level of disorder and the status of back bone. Different spine treatment procedures in India are available for the treatment of spine disorders. Spine surgery hospitals in India are at Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Pune. The clinical care provided by Indian spine surgery hospital staff is very good and the medical infrastructure is also very good. Thus many abroad patients are getting attracted to India for getting their treatment done from Indian spine surgery hospitals at low cost.

Now day’s different surgical procedures for treatment of spine disorders are available. Some of the available spine surgery procedures are most advanced and the recovery time required after the surgery is very less. The success rate of different spine surgery techniques is very good worldwide. All the spine disorders can be completely removed from body with spine surgery. Different surgeries available for the treatment of spine surgery are micro disectomy surgery, lumbar herniated disc surgery, cervical spine surgery, thoracic spine surgery, lumbar spine surgery, rotational corpectomy surgery, laminectomy surgery, lumbar spinal fusion surgery, cervical herniated disc surgery, cervical spine fusion surgery, artificial disc replacement surgery, laser spine surgery, spinal cord surgery. The spine has of a series of bone blocks which are separated from one another by discs of soft tissue. Within the structure of the spine sits a tunnel called the spinal canal. This tunnel contains the neurologic structures including the spinal cord and nerve roots. Although there is some free space between the neurologic structures and the edges of the spinal canal, this space can be reduced by many different conditions including injury to the spine. Spinal cord surgery refers to the condition of in which spinal cord is treated to remove the injuries and traumas in the spinal cord. Arthritis of the small joints in the spine as well as thickening of ligaments and formation of bony spurs can all lead to gradual squeezing and irritation of neurologic structures. This process is usually gradual and can lead to symptoms such as pain with walking, a decreased endurance for physical activities, heaviness in the legs, tingling sensations, tightness and numbness in the legs with activity, and often associated low back pains. Spinal cord ranges from physical therapy to epidural injections and finally surgery in certain cases. Since patients affected by spinal cord injury are usually elderly, treatment must carefully consider not only the disease in the spine but also the risks and benefits of treatment in each individual. Although the surgery and steroid injections into the affected area of the spinal cord can offer good relief in some patients, there are people who will only get temporary relief if at all.

Medical tourism in India provides very good assistance to abroad patients for their spinal cord surgery.  Medical treatment centers for spinal cord surgery in India are at Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. The clinical care provided by these Indian spine surgery hospitals is very good and the medical infrastructure in Indian spine surgery hospitals is also very good. This availability of world class services makes Indian spine surgery hospitals an ideal destination for abroad patients seeking low cost treatment. For further details of low cost spinal cord surgery in India visit: – http://www.dheerajbojwani.com and mail us at contact@dheerajbojwani.com.

Ravi Jeswani
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/spinal-cord-surgery-scope-in-india-510140.html

Technorati Tags: Artificial Disc Replacement, Cervical Herniated Disc, Cervical Spine Fusion, Cervical Spine Surgery, Chronic Back Pain, Different Surgical Procedures, Disc Replacement Surgery, Hospitals In India, Laser Spine Surgery, Lumbar Spinal Fusion, Lumbar Spinal Fusion Surgery, Lumbar Spine Surgery, Medical Infrastructure, Nerve Roots, Neurologic Structures, Spinal Cord Surgery, Spinal Fusion, Spinal Fusion Surgery, Spine Disorders, Spine Treatment