-
New York, NY
Herniated Disc NYC
12/03/2017
Hip Pain and the Lower Back….are they connected?
Solutions for Hip and Back Pain
Ever had hip pain that occurred without any trauma? Do you experience hip discomfort when sitting for a long time? Does your hip still feel weak and painful even after performing exercises to strengthen the hip muscles? Do you experience some mild aching and stiffness in the lower back?
If so, then your lower back can contribute to your hip pain and weakness. Your lower back is a series of joints that move on top of one another to enable you to bend backwards, bend forwards, and shift your hips from side to side. Stiffness in the lower back will affect some of these motions and may affect the nerves that exit from the lower back and innervate the leg. Some signs of nerve irritation are pain, burning, numbness/tingling, and weakness in the muscles that are innervated by that nerve.
Hip Pain Accompanied By Low Back Pain
When you experience stiffness in the lower back along with hip pain, you may notice that you will have difficulty bending forward to pick up an object and/or have discomfort returning upright. This lower back stiffness can affect the nerves that innervate your hip and contribute to your pain. Improving the motion of a stiff lower back can alleviate the nerve irritation.
Once the nerve irritation is alleviated, the discomfort should subside and your hip strength will improve. People with hip discomfort when sitting for a long time may notice their symptoms decrease once they sit in an upright posture or get up to move around.
A number of my patients are surprised how much their hip pain and strength improves after I address their lower back stiffness in addition to treating their hip. They may complain of minor aching and stiffness in the lower back, but will focus more on the limitations and pain in their hip since it notably affects their daily activities.
Diagnose and Treat Hip Pain
In addition to a movement assessment of the lower back, you will undergo a weak link assessment on the Red Cord system. A Redcord weak link assessment is a series of tests to identify weakness/dysfunctional movement patterns in the core stabilizers and legs that may contribute to your hip pain. The combination of hands on therapy to get your back moving and weak link corrections with the Redcord system will have you moving pain free again.
Come in for a lower back and weak link assessment and we will create a treatment plan to have you back to your favorite activities pain free.
02/15/2017
Everything You Need To Know About Herniated Disc Treatment In New York
Herniated Disc Relief NYC
There are several different types of disc problems that people can develop as the result of jarring, impact events, unhealthy lifestyles and even excess body fat. These include disc extrusion, disc protrusion and sequestered discs. Learning more about each of these conditions and their underlying causes is the first step in identifying the best herniated disc treatment in New York.
What Disc Protrusion Is And How It’s Identified And Treated
Disc protrusion is commonly referred to as a slipped disc. Sadly, however, the notion of a slipped disc is really a broad and all-encompassing term. This can describe a vast range of medical issues affecting the spinal discs and the muscles and soft tissues that surround them. A slipped disc can be a protrusion or extrusion of the disc. It can also be a ruptured disc or a disc sequestrum.
Identifying and Diagnosing Lumbar Disc Protrusions
When an actual protrusion does exist, this can occur at the lumbar, cervical or thoracic spine. These are the lower back, the neck and the chest or mid-portion of the spine. With protrusions, while a person might have pain in a specific part of his or her body, the source of this discomfort can lie somewhere else entirely. Thus, the key to identifying bulging discs or other spinal health issues lies in paying attention to the symptoms. Advanced diagnostics can also be used to assess the spine for subluxations or areas of misalignment that might pinpoint the exact location of the injured disc.
Treating Protrusions, Extrusions And Ruptured Or Degenerated Discs
While the common assumption is that protrusions, extrusions and ruptured discs can easily be treated with the hands-on methods that chiropractors use, advanced problems like these are rarely safe to address with anythings so aggressive as adjustments or other forms of spinal manipulation. The first and most important step in these efforts is to alleviate the pressure, stress and swelling that surrounds the injured area and that is affecting the actual injury itself.
Many providers use anti-inflammatory drugs or even cortico-steroid injections. As pain, inflammation and irritation abate, the ability to alter disc alignment increases. This might be done by using specific chiropractic techniques or tables that alter the body and eliminate spinal strain or through physiotherapeutic modalities for better inflammation reduction and targeted healing. In every instance, the ultimate goal should be to supply patients with individualized, integrated plans that are unique to their circumstances, level of suffering and spinal conditions.
Slipped Discs And Sciatica
Some people develop lower back pain that radiates down the buttocks, legs or groin and which is usually the result of both disc pressure and irritation within the associated nerves or nerve groups. When this pain spreads to the area of the leg that falls below the knew, this would be identified as sciatica. Sciatica indicates pressure or irritation of the sciatic nerves and thus, it is perfect example of how analyzing a person’s symptoms can lead to the identification and location of the spinal injury, long before more advanced diagnostic measures are employed.
10/07/2016
Cervical disc disease: Treatment options in NYC
Most people experience a painful neck from time to time and usually the symptoms and stiffness will start to dissipate, especially if the symptoms have been caused through sleeping awkwardly, poor posture or as a result of a minor injury. However, neck pain is often caused through a degenerative disorder, like cervical disc disease, typically associated with age, or through wear and tear of the spine. Degenerative disorders which affect the cervical spine affect a great many people and the loss of flexibility when it comes to moving the neck can make day to day living quite difficult.
Cervical Disc Disease
Typically, the neck is extremely flexible extending forward, back, from side to side, and moving in a circular motion when required. These movements are enabled by the joints within the cervical spine. Called vertebrae, there are seven cervical bones which, on an individual basis, are unable to bend, but the joints ensure movement. Although flexible, there is stability as it is connected by three joints which are comprised of two opposing surfaces made up of bone. The joints are also covered with cartilage and this affords the movement of the surfaces.
The spinal cord houses the nerves within the spine and these transmit signals to the brain. Where damage or degeneration has occurred, pain and stiffness is transmitted through the nerves and the individual feels the sensation of pain.
Cervical Disc Disease Diagnosis
It is important that anyone suffering from a stiff and painful neck seeks medical help and to ascertain the cause. When diagnosing any degenerative disorders, the doctor will require detailed responses to questions about how and when it started as well as any symptoms. There will also be an in-depth examination of the neck area. It can be difficult for diagnosis when neck pain is such a common complaint and is often caused through muscular pains too as well as more serious spinal disorders. Any pain that has continued for over 3 weeks is unlikely to be muscular pain and further diagnosis will be considered.
Cervical Disc Disease Treatment in NYC
Seeking advice and treatment from a Chiropractor is beneficial as they will look at 3 main causes:
- Whether degeneration disturbs the spine mechanics
- Whether any degenerative discs’ bulge and subsequently add pressure to the nerves
- Stenosis causes back and leg pain.
A thorough examination will take place and the Chiropractor is likely to inquire about any previous injuries or back and neck problems. They will need to look at how the individual walks while considering posture. They will check to see if there is any restricted joint motion, muscle spasms or even injury to any disc. A treatment plan will then be devised and discussed and the aim will be to improve joint mechanics by way of the reduction of inflammation and spinal motion. They may also try to improve the inter-vertebral discs, but if advanced disc degeneration is present, this may not be possible. Spinal adjustment may prove beneficial, as this serves to restore movement to the joints.
Seek Professional Help
When neck pain is present, it pays to seek professional medical help and to use chiropractic care as many conditions can be improved even those caused by age or wear and tear. Triggers such as poor posture need to be identified to avoid making any symptoms worse, but generally, with regular treatment and lifestyle changes, there is usually great improvement.
09/20/2016
Slipped disc and spinal disc problems
Spinal disc problems can be debilitating and extremely painful, causing back and neck pain, weakness, numbing and tingling. They can be caused by a number of things, but the main cause is a slipped disc.
Slipped disc
The spinal chord is made up of 24 individual vertebrae bones, which are built on top of each other. Intervertebral discs are located in between these vertebrae, throughout the whole spine. These flat, circular pads have an elastic core called nucleus pulposus and a tough outer membrane called annulus fibrosus. They act as a shock absorber between the vertebrae, maintaining your movement and flexibility. The spinal discs are held firmly in place by ligaments and bend on facet joints. These joints allow the spine to bend and move, but not enough that it would damage the nerves that run through the center of the vertebra.
When put under great stress, a disc may swell and push through its outer membrane. When this happens it breaks from its secure place, and presses against surrounding nerves. If this gets worse, it can rupture or tear, injuring the spinal cord itself. This is called a spinal disc herniation and normally occurs in the lower part of the back.
Slipped Disc Symptoms
Some slipped discs do not press on nerves, so don’t cause any pain or discomfort. But a slipped disc is mostly very noticeable for the majority of sufferers. Sharp pains, numbness of limbs, tingling sensations and weakness in the arms and legs are all symptoms of a slipped disc. Many people suffer from prolonged and chronic pain, which grows worse when bending the spine and being more active.
Slipped Disc Causes
Slipped discs are much more common in older people than younger people. As people get older, their discs’ cores solidify and lose fluidity, make them much more at risk of damage. People who do not exercise are also much more likely to suffer from slipped discs. Slipped discs can also be caused by a sports injury or accident, after great trauma or stress to the spinal cord.
Slipped Disc Diagnosis
You would need to visit a doctor to diagnose a slipped disc; they will perform a neurological examination to check for weaknesses, damage, and reflexes. X-rays may not work as it is hard to see the soft tissues with these. When the source of the pain has been located, it is relatively easy to diagnose.
Slipped Disc Treatments
Rest and pain relief work well for slipped discs in their early stages. But if the outer membrane has ruptured or the nerves are damaged, treatment is much more difficult. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a small electrical current which helps some sufferers, as well as acupuncture. There are types of surgery which can help more damaged discs as well. These range in depth, with microsurgery only removing some of the swellings to take pressure off the nerves, to replacing a damaged disc with an artificial replacement. There is a range of therapies and options to be considered, which your doctor or Chiropractor will be able to advise you on.
05/23/2016
Herniated Disc NYC; An Overview Of Herniated Disk And How It’s Treated
A disc herniation is also called extrusion, protrusion, rupture, or prolapse. This is a painful spinal condition that occurs when the center of the disc escapes through wear and tear. Once this happens, the annulus fibrosus compresses on the lumbar nerve root. If you suffer from herniated disk, you may feel a tingling, electric-like pain in your lower limb or sciatica.
It is important to understand that the low back pain associated with disc herniation originates from annular tear and physical compression of the nerve root. This in turn causes inflammation within the nerve root. There are different types of herniation that vary in size from contained type (protrusion) to non-contained herniation (extrusion).
Disc herniation is grouped according to its exact location. For example, if you imagine the disc being a clock, at 6 it would be dead-center posterior, at 7 it would be a foraminal position, and at 8 it would be neural foramina. This is a far lateral position located in the foraminal herniation.
Herniated Disc Treatment
The main goal of treatment for patients suffering from this condition is to help relieve their symptoms and discomfort. To achieve this, a Chiropractor comes up with an individualized treatment plan that is based on the source of the pain, its severity, and the symptoms that the patient experiences. It is therefore imperative that you discuss all your symptoms with an experienced Chiropractor for detailed evaluation prior to undergoing treatment.
In general, patients are advised to start their courses of treatment by undergoing non-invasive and non-surgical procedures in the chiropractic clinic. For cervical and lumbar discs, non-surgical therapies can be applied for around one month or longer in order to reduce discomfort. These sessions are necessary as the Chiropractor can then find the right combination of treatments that work on the patient.
Patients can try one therapy at a time before finding the most suitable one for relieving their discomfort. For instance, if the treatment is to focus on pain relief, it may be better to try physical therapy as a follow up. Some chiropractors will also use spinal decompression therapy for lumbar pain.
Physical Therapy for Herniated Disc
In addition to physical therapy,the recovery process is vital in helping the patient find comfort. By using proper lifting techniques, excessive wear and tear on the discs can be prevented. Once all the chiropractic methods are tried, the patient will soon experience reduced discomfort. However, if severe pain is still experienced, the Chiropractor can take the treatments to the next level and use advanced methods such as TENS in order to reduce pain and discomfort.
During the one month treatment sessions, the Chiropractor will typically use physical therapy and gentle exercises to help relieve pressure on the nerve root. There is also ice and heat therapy as well as spinal decompression to be tried. Although there are many anti-inflammatory medications available, these are only for the short term, whereas the chiropractic methods of treatment are meant to relieve the symptoms that the patient experiences for the long term. Keep in mind that pain medications are not without their side effects and only offer a temporary solution.