Monday, April 25, 2011

The Importance of Staying Pain Free

People suffer from pain all the time, sleeping the wrong way, or in an awkward position can cause neck pain all day (a stiff neck), sitting for two long can cause back pain, etc. On the other hand if you like to run, or exercise a lot to avoid problems like back pain, be ready for knee or ankle pain, or shin splints. You want to just keep going and "run through" it, be ready for the shin splints to degrade in to stress fractures.

Living in New York City is great but it also takes a toll on your health - not even going to start about the usual "unhealthy air" and "overcrowded subways" bit, that's going to have to wait for a different time. The physical demand on top of a hectic lifestyle that requires you to keep a break neck pace, combined with long bouts of inactivity, which in turn leads to exhaustion and further disdain for energy requiring activity, i.e: exercise can just pound on the stress. Feel like managing your physical health is a losing battle yet?

Truth is, its not all that complicated to take care of your body. Its not always "sound mind, sound body", in recent years and especially in cities like Manhattan its really become clear that its often the other way around. Being in a physical state of well being, peace, and pain free has a great carry over to the mental state, in a big part because you aren't constantly reminded, via physical stimulus (pain) that something is wrong.

Step back and take a look at whole picture.
When you're hungry, you eat
When you're exhausted, you fall asleep (sometimes at work)
When you're bored, you seek out fun and companionship
So how is it that when you're in pain you simply ignore it in favor of "more important" matters, even if its just sitting back to watch TV or play Xbox.

Exercise can create an environment for some serous stress relief as well as help strengthen muscles. That said, an injury can be compounded by just trying to train it away. People have a tendency of addressing their common biological needs and processes, but often when it comes to pain we ignore it, take a few pills and hope for the best.

So what happens when you ignore chronic pain?
Letting chronic pain, even when its minimal, can lead to degenerative conditions like:
Radiculopahty, which causes symptoms like Sciatica.
Bulging Discs, when the Annular swells and bulges out interfering with spinal nerves
Herniated Discs, when the internal disc material leaks out past the annulus.

Furthermore, untreated problems of the spine can lead to the discs becoming dessicated and the longer you wait to get treated, usually, the longer it may take to correct the problem. However some patients at Living Well Medical have felt relief almost immediately and a remission of symptoms after only a handful of treatments. Getting rid of pain can relieve a lot of mental stress as well. Knowing that you're physically capable of anything, can help you feel mentally more capable and happier as well.

Friday, April 15, 2011

A Safe Alternative to Back Surgery

So you have had chronic back pain and its only gotten worst...

Over the past 50 years, our natural movement patterns and have deviated from what we are actually built to do. We have evolved to walk upright, perform physical work, stand, and lie down to sleep. We aren't necessarily built to sit for long periods of time. Sitting loads the lumbar spine directly instead of the big bones and muscles carrying most of the weight through to the ground, it is instead loaded directly on to the lumbar spine, which is further deviated form its natural position by rounding and over arching.

Loading the spine properly involvers standing with feet apart, chest up head up, and allowing the natural curve in your back to curve normally. Sitting not only makes it easier slouch, or round, it makes it desirable to do so. This not only impacts your posture, it also makes you fatigue faster because the body is in a state of rest and anticipates sleep, which is why we are a huge coffee drinking culture.

Along with consuming vast quantities of natural, and now, ever increasingly, synthetic stimulants with harmful concentration of certain acids and sugars, we also are becoming de-conditioned faster, and for longer. Being "out" of shape doesn't only contribute to back problems, it accelerates them, making them an eventuality. You don't have to be out of shape to experience back problems, you can even be a well trained, and well conditioned athlete, and still experience chronic pain.

Exercise Exercise Exercise
Doctors have been saying it for years - that a steady exercise regimen that elevates your heart rate and challenges you physically is essential to maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy cardiovascular system. Recently many studies have shown that weight training has a range of benefits from increasing cardiovascular health and efficency, to increasing bone density, fighting osteoporosis. There is no substitute or pill for good old fashioned exercise.

Getting the right type of treatment


Making sure that you have the proper people working for your benefit is essential to getting back on the path to healing, and getting back to doing what you love. An integrated approach combining multiple disciplines under the same roof, like medical care, chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, and other soft tissue treatment methods, can produce fast and effective treatment protocol that can speed up the healing process and eliminate the need for surgical intervention.
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Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Free Herniated Disc and Sciatica Seminar in NYC

Free Herniated Disc and Sciatica Seminar in NYC

At the end of April, there is a very informative and useful, free, seminar on back pain, including herniated discs and sciatica treatment, focusing on non surgical spinal decompression. If you live in or around NYC and are suffering from chronic back pain, or even looking for a second opinion or non surgical pain treatment option, check out the seminar.