Choosing a Handbag: Oprah Asks a Chiropractor for Advice

Find out if you suffer from "Big Bag Syndrome". Neck pain, headaches and back pain may be the result!

Oprah Winfrey asked chiropractor Isis M. Medina to weigh in on hundreds of handbags and assess the potential damages for the October 2007 issue of "O - The Oprah Magazine".

Dr. Isis M. Medina's rule is that you should tote no more than 10 percent of your body weight—so a bag that's more than five pounds when empty is a bad start. If your load is excessive, your head and neck jut forward rather than staying over your shoulders, which can lead to headaches, neck tension, and back pain.

Additionally she stresses the importance of posture, strength and straps, and adds lots of valuable tips for women trying to choose the right purse.

Read the original article by clicking here.

Additional Reading: My Bag Is Killing Me

"Spinal Decompression", Good or Bad?

You may have seen the ads in the papers or even on TV. Just what is "spinal decompression therapy" and is it worth considering? Let's take a look at the facts.
(Note: Spinal Decompression therapy is often referred to as SD therapy or IDD therapy)

SD therapy is typically described as a "safe, painless, comfortable, non-surgical, non-invasive" alternative to spine surgery. It involves traction of the lumbar vertebrae. Costs typically range from $3000 to $7000 for a full treatment regimen. Most insurance plans pay little if any of the bill. The majority of this cost is typically paid by the patient.

Recently published research stated that at this point "Only one small randomized controlled trial and several lower level efficacy studies have been performed on spinal decompression therapy. In general the quality of these studies is questionable." The researchers concluded that "Only limited evidence is available to warrant the routine use of non-surgical spinal decompression, particularly when many other well investigated, less expensive alternatives are available."

So, can "Spinal Decompression" help? I am certain that it can. Health practitioners have been using various forms of traction therapy for literally thousands of years, and with good results. However, traction therapies generally cost around $25 per treatment and are covered by insurance while SD therapy often costs as much as $250 or more per treatment and is not generally covered by insurance.

Is SD therapy just a fancy traction table with computer screen and a high price tag? The jury is still out on this one, but so far the corporations who brought it to market are still placing their bets on high dollar advertising and not on real research. At least one major manufacturer of SD therapy equipment has been in serious trouble over their unsubstantiated claims. For now, I believe the wise old saying should apply: Buyer Beware.

Source: Chiropractic & Osteopathy

Soldiers Report Less Back Pain After 9-11 Attacks

Our soldiers have impressed the pain researchers! It is generally accepted that stress tends to increase reports of back pain. Despite this, our soldiers reports of back pain decreased significantly after 9-11 as they moved from peace-time to war-time status.

Before the attacks of September 11th, 2001, the percentage of soldiers reporting "no back problems and full fitness to deployment" was between 28-31%. By October, 2001, one month following the attacks, this figure rose to 48%. By November it increased further to 57% and finally, by December the figure rose to 71% reporting "no back problems and full fitness to deployment".

Researchers concluded: "While most previous data would suggest an increase in low back pain complaints with increased psychosocial stressors, this study found that most soldiers transitioning to war-time duties minimized back pain complaints, which ensured fitness for overseas duty. Only a small number of soldiers, not previously reporting disabling back pain began to do so as the time to deployment neared."

Source: Spine Meeting Abstracts

Surgeons Under-Report Complications

Researchers found that after back surgery, patients report their own complication rates from surgery as much as 10 times higher than their surgeons do.

In the past, surgical outcomes have been assessed by the surgeon only, with success being judged from a predominantly surgical or technical perspective. Nowadays, it is generally accepted that the patient should be the main judge of outcome. Unfortunately, the assessment of complications after surgery has not enjoyed this same enlightened approach.

Researchers gave questionnaires to both patients and surgeons one year after back surgery. In the patient questionnaire, the patient was asked “did any complications arise as a consequence of your operation 1 year ago (e.g. problems with wound healing, paralysis, sensory disturbances, etc.)?” Patients answered "yes" at a rate of 29% while their surgeons reported complications in as few as 3-10% of cases.

This gap in reporting illustrates the need to more adequately consider the perceptions of the patients in defining the complication rate related to back surgery.

Source: Spine Meeting Abstracts

Disrupted Sleep Makes Pain Worse

A new study indicates that frequently interrupted sleep can make one more susceptible to pain by altering the body’s natural systems that regulate and control pain and can even lead to spontaneous painful symptoms.

The study included 32 healthy women who were studied for seven nights. The women were assigned to one of three groups: a control group that slept undisturbed; a group that was woken up eight times during the night;and a third group that went to bed later than usual. On the sixth night, the women in the latter two groups underwent 36 hours of total sleep deprivation, followed by an 11-hour recovery sleep.

During the study, researchers tested the women’s pain thresholds and pain inhibition. The women in the group that had been woken up eight times during the night showed an increase in spontaneous pain, while those in the other two groups did not, showing that disrupted sleep impairs natural pain control mechanisms that are thought to play a key role in the development, maintenance, and exacerbation of chronic pain.

Conclusion: For those with chronic pain, getting continuous, undisturbed sleep is key to controlling the pain.

Sources: American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Reprinted from Spine-Health.com

Dr. Richards Comment:

Back pain and sleep quality is a two way street. It is hard to sleep when you hurt and hard to heal when you can not sleep. Patients under chiropractic care often note improved sleep soon after beginning treatment.

Click here to read stories from patients about improved sleep after chiropractic treatment.

Chiropractic Plus Exercise for Low Back Pain

A study published by the British Medical Journal (2004) finds that spinal manipulation plus exercise offers effective treatment for those suffering from back pain. The Journal concluded that this collective approach to back pain treatment provided "significant relief of symptoms and improvements in general health."

Specifically, the study found that the greatest reduction of pain and the greatest improvement in back function was experienced by patients who received a treatment approach consisting of spinal manipulation and exercise in addition to care from their general practitioner.

"The costs of back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions on the country's economy and workforce productivity are staggering - conservatively estimated at about $50 billion per year," commented American Chiropractic Association President Donald J. Krippendorf, DC. "The ACA is pleased that research such as this is being conducted and brought to the attention of the public through journals such as the British Medical Journal. With reports such as these, we can offer our patients the best care possible."

The MRC trial included more than 1,300 patients from across the United Kingdom, whose back pain had not improved after receiving care from a general practitioner.

According to the ACA, the MRC study is one of a number of recent studies regarding chiropractic's effectiveness for back pain over traditional medical care

EurekAlert

British Medical Journal

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Dr. Richards' Comments:
I came across this article, now 3 years old, and felt it was worth posting anew. The study offered something that isn't considered frequently enough. The patients who had the best results were co-managed by their Chiropractor and their General Practitioner. I love this spirit of co-operation and have been able to work together with members of Hendersonville's medical community to help many patients . I find that with every passing year Chiropractic becomes more accepted by mainstream medical practitioners - not only for their patients, but for themselves. I have had the opportunity to help a number doctors, surgeons, dentists, physical therapists, psychologists, nurses and massage therapists to improve their own spinal alignment.