Costa Mesa Chiropractic

Get Your Life Back

Archive for August, 2009

Costa Mesa Chiropractic Asks: Are You Sidelined by Tension Headaches or Migraines?

Aug 16

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Costa Mesa chiropractic wants to know if you periodically or frequently experience tension headaches or migraines. If so, you are painfully aware of their dibilitating impact. Below is valuable information about both tension headaches and migraines:

Tension headaches: We’d all agree that life can be a pain, on occasion, and turn into a tension headache. Many people have suffered from more than one. If you are someone who’s had a tension headache, then you probably experience it as a dull, aching head pain that is sometimes accompanied by a feeling of tightness or pressure along your forehead or on the sides and back of your head. Sometimes, you might feel a tenderness of your scalp, neck and shoulder muscles, and at times you may lose your appetite.

Tension headaches are usually characterized as mild to moderately intense. The severity of the pain varies from one headache to another in the same person, as well as from one individual to another You may have tension headaches all the time or they may happen occasionally. If your headaches take place fifteen or more days a month for at least three months, they’re considered chronic. If tension headaches are disrupting your life, chiropractic management may be the remedy. Contact your chiropractor today.

Migraine Headaches: Migraine headaches differ from the typical tension-related headache. Firstly, migraines generally develop on only one side of the head, according to the National Headache Foundation. They throb or pulsate and are accompanied by nausea or vomiting. Auras, visual symptoms an hour before a migraine attack, and features such as pulsating light, lines or dots, are experienced by one-fifth of migraine sufferers.

Are you a person who suffers from migraines? If you are, you know the upsetting, disabling effects that this kind of challenge can have on your life. Regrettably, you likely know from experience that standard over-the-counter medications are ineffective, and prescription drugs all too often have dangerous side effects. Still, the pain of a migraine can put you out of commission for hours, days, even a lifetime. It’s time to finally get rid of the pain and get your life back! Chiropractic management has been shown to be powerful in relieving and eliminating migraine headaches. Get in touch with your chiropractor today!

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Costa Mesa Chiropractor Can Help Relieve Your Sciatic Pain

Aug 15

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Your Costa Mesa Chiropractor is an expert when it comes to spinal health and can help relieve the pain of sciatica.  Sciatica is an extraordinarily painful affliction. If you suffer from sciatica, you are, unfortunately, all too experienced with the deep pain that accompanies your waking hours and interferes with your daily activities.

Sciatic pain ordinarily travels from your low back, through the buttock(s), and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of your leg(s). Frequently, the pain may even be felt in your knee. Motion and sitting, alike can be painful. On occasion lying down will decrease, or perhaps momentarily eliminate, the pain. Nonetheless, sciatica will not go away permanently without proper treatment.

“Radiculopathy,” the medical term for the clinical diagnosis of sciatica, means simply that a disc has distended from its original position in the vertebral column and is placing pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve. This type of pressure is extraordinarily painful.

Increased pressure on the intervertebral discs, as well as imbalances in the muscles encircling the spine, can happen as the result of prolonged sitting, specifically in a poor position. For the most part, a specific event or exact injury doesn’t produce sciatica, but rather it tends to come about over time as a by-product of average wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. Over the course of time the lower spine loses its ability to function in a healthy way during common daily stresses.

Ultimately, the intervertebral disc develops small fissures, or cracks, which then allows the soft nucleus to extend the disc outward. If the disc presses on sensitive tissues, it generates the pain that is generally called a ruptured disc. If the disc puts pressure on the spinal nerve, then sciatica can develop.

Most disc challenges, including sciatica, can be alleviated with chiropractic adjustments and management that commonly includes postural exercises. If you are suffering from sciatic pain, it is vital for you to seek chiropractic attention.

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Costa Mesa Chiropractor: Breakthrough Treatment is Now Available for Fibromyalgia

Aug 14

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Your Costa Mesa Chiropractor offers breakthrough treatment for fibromyalgia. If you are suffering from fibromyalgia, you don’t need anyone to tell you the stressful symptoms of the condition. The painful symptoms can cover a large area, taking place above and below the waist, and involve both sides of the body. The deep aching that accompanies the condition often radiates, shoots, stings, and even gnaws at your body.

As if the acute pain and suffering from fibromyalgia weren’t enough, a disproportionate ninety percent of fibromyalgia sufferers also have developed chronic fatigue syndrome, and you might be one of them. It is this “double whammy” that can leave you not only suffering from pain and fatigue, but also malaise, headaches, numbness and pins and needles, dizziness, sleep disturbance, swollen feeling in tissues, stiffness, sensitivity to noise and stress, and cognitive impairment.

If you are suffering from one, or both, of these two devastating conditions, you may find it difficult to engage in even the simplest activities in life, and you may even be experiencing depression and feeling defeated. Fortunately, your chiropractor can assist you. chiropractic techniques have been found to be highly effective in reversing trauma-induced injuries by decreasing inflammation to the nerves in the brain stem and spinal cord that can trigger pain, neuromuscular dysfunction, and fatigue.

You may be curious, at this point, about what “trauma-induced injuries” have to do with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. You may find the answer surprising

While the specific cause of these problems is unknown, recent research has identified traumatic neck injuries, like whiplash and concussion, for example, as risk factors for the onset of both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. And, here’s the thing: although the pain and fatigue caused by spinal injuries can begin immediately, frequently it can take months or even years to develop. These types of injuries may no be remembered by the time fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms arise.

When it comes treating problems related to the muscular-skeletal system, your chiropractor is an expert. Chiropractic care has been shown to be highly beneficial in reversing trauma-induced spinal injury. If you’ve been experiencing the pain and discomfort generated by fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, see your chiropractor today to find out if chiropractic treatment can help to eliminate your suffering.

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Chiropractor Costa Mesa Can Help You to Finally Eliminate Your Balance Challenges

Aug 13

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Chiropractor Costa Mesa can help you with your balance challenges. Controlling and maintaining body position while staying still or mobile is the essential function of good balance. Good balance helps someone to walk without faltering, arise from a sitting position without falling, and to climb stairs without slipping.

Balance difficulties are often disclosed by 9 percent of adults, aged 65 and older. Good balance is essential in aiding an older person to stay independent, and implement daily chores and activities. Many older individuals, however, undergo dizziness, “wooziness,” and challenges with balance.

The term, vertigo, refers to the feeling that some people have that they, themselves, or the things around them are spinning. About 40 percent of Americans will experience dizziness that is consequential enough to go seek medical assistance. And, among older adults, falls are the prevailing cause of serious injury and deaths.

Balance and Inner Ear Conditions

There are many types of balance disorders. Three customary types are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, labyrinthitis, and Meniere’s disease. Of these three, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most widespread. Its symptoms involve a brief, intense experience of vertigo with a change in head position, when rolling over to the left or right in bed or when getting out of bed, or when looking up for an object on a high shelf. This condition is more probable in persons 60 and older, however it can also take place in younger individuals.

There are diverse causes for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Inner ear infection, head injury, or simply aging can cause the problem. Whereas it can be linked to other disease processes, often a simple Epleys procedure can eliminate the problem. Your Costa Mesa Chiropractor has many years of experience in this procedure.

Labyrinthitis is an infection or inflammation of the inner ear that produces dizziness and loss of balance. It affects people|individuals of any age and the cause is unknown.

Ménière’s disease is a balance disorder that causes vertigo, irregular hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ears), and a “full feeling” in the ear.

Age is not the only explanation for why these problems arise, but older persons are more likely to encounter balance disorders. Care for balance disorders varies depending upon the reason. Sometimes, there’s a simple answer to balance challenges, such as simple exercises for vestibular rehab. A chiropractor is well-trained in analyzing and treating most of balance problems. Consult a health care professional, such as your Costa Mesa Chiropractor, if you have experienced, or are currently experiencing, dizziness, vertigo, or other abnormalities with balance.

Whereas some balance disorders are created by challenges in the inner ear, other disorders may be associated with another area of the body, such as the brain or the heart. Other components, besides aging and ear infection, may include head injury, certain medicines, interferences with blood circulation, upper respiratory infections, viral infections, stress, fatigue, smoking, alcohol use, stroke, high or low blood pressure, and heart disease.

Balance disorders produced by high blood pressure can generally be managed by less sodium intake,cultivating a healthy weight, and exercise. To assist in making the symptoms of dizziness less severe, most often eating low-salt or salt-free foods, and staying away from caffeine and alcohol, will help.

Balance disorders are significant. It is the most prevalent cause of falls and fall-related injuries in older people. It is crucial to have a suspected balance disorder analysed and treated as soon as possible.

If you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions, you should discuss the symptom(s) with your chiropractor:

• Do you have the feeling of being “unsteady?”

• Does the room seem to spin around you?

• Is there ever a time when you feel as if you are moving when you know you are standing still?

• Do you lose your balance and/or fall?

• Do you feel as if you are falling?

• Does your vision ever become “blurred?”

• Do you ever feel disoriented, or lose a sense of time, place or identify?

Don’t wait until it’s too late! Call your Costa Mesa chiropractor today.

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Ask Chiropractor Costa Mesa How Chiropractic Can Help During Your Pregnancy

Aug 12

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If you are wondering if it a good idea to get your spine checked while you are pregnant, Chiropractor Costa Mesa has this answer: Absolutely! It is highly beneficial to get adjusted while you are pregnant.

You’ve probably noticed that, your body is going through many changes, and these adjustments will continue as the pregnancy progresses. One change that goes basically unnoticed is your body’s increased production of the hormone elastin. This hormone is designed to relax the tendons in the pelvis. This relaxation allows the pelvis more flexibility during the birthing process to make delivering the baby easier.

This process, despite the fact that its function is to assist the mother during labor, can create a lot of back pain in the months leading up to the birth. As the pregnancy advances, more elastin is released, which allows the pelvis to become increasingly more unstable. Add to that the gradual increase in the size of the baby and uterus, and you have the recipe for severe low back pain. As a Costa Mesa Chiropractor, I currently have several pregnant patients coming into my office for symptoms associated with their pregnancy, but as a rule it is for their low back pain.

A bonus to seeing a chiropractor routinely during your pregnancy is that there is proof that it can actually decrease labor time. Why do chiropractic adjustments help? Simply put, if the pelvis is where it needs to be, the muscles contracting during the labor process are more efficient and won’t have to strain against misaligned joints.

In answer to the second question above, most assuredly chiropractic care during your pregnancy is safe. Chiropractic is not only safe and beneficial in relieving the low back pain associated with pregnancy, but other symptoms like heartburn, nausea, swelling, and so on. Certain trained chiropractors can also help mothers who have a breached baby. This is done by using the Webster Technique, a low force technique to manipulate the uterus and get the baby into the proper presentation for delivery. A simple Google search on the Webster Technique can give you much more information.

In summation, not only is chiropractic safe for pregnant women, it is also very beneficial in helping with the symptoms associated with their pregnancy. To any pregnant women out there reading this, please go to see your local chiropractor, or if you are close enough, look up your Costa Mesa Chiropractor. We can make you feel a lot more comfortable during your pregnancy, and we can even make the labor process easier.

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Costa Mesa Chiropractor Offers Posture Corrections to Help Knee Pain Relief

Aug 11

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Your Costa Mesa Chiropractor offers posture corrections that not only will give you knee pain relief, but help you to avoid more problems in the future. Here’s what you need to know:

Along with spinal problems, knee pain and disability is one of the most widespread problems of the musculoskeletal system. Poor mechanics of the knee, as well as faulty foot mechanics as compensation for foot pain often cause painful knee conditions. Additional causes normally include overuse of the knee joint, inflammation related to arthritic changes in the joint, and traumatic injury from sports and falls.

Non-trauma knee problems: Insufficient mechanics of the knee joint and the corresponding stress on the soft tissues of the knee are, by far, the most prevailing cause of non-traumatic pain. Usually, the part of the knee implicated is the patella or knee-cap. Many times the patella does not move smoothly or does not move sufficiently on the femur during bending of the knee causing abnormal stress on the tendons, cartilage and ligaments. This specific condition is frequently called chondromalacia patella (CMP) or Patella Femoral Syndrome (Knee Cap Pain). The condition generally starts when there are imbalances in the quadriceps muscles of the thigh that attach to and move the patella. Imbalances in the muscles having to do with knee movement frequently begin from lower back problems, particularly in the sacroiliac joint. Imbalances in muscle groups that attach to the knee can also lead to pain and dysfunction. For example, pain on the medial or inside of the knee occurs when the muscles on the insides of the thigh are stressed and tight.   Faulty foot mechanics that create gait deviations such as pronation, are another cause of mechanical knee pain.

The correspondent pain from overuse is most often noticeable during activity, in particular stair climbing, running, jumping, and subsequent standing after prolonged sitting. Some women appear to be predisposed to painful overuse ailments for anatomical reasons, however such ailments are many times related to wearing high heels on a regular basis.

The main treatment for mechanical or overuse injuries to the knee is to re-establish proper balance of the muscles, restore proper movement to the patella and other joints of the knee, and to correct any subluxations of the sacroiliac joints and bones of the foot.  In certain cases, a brace is adopted to aid with the alignment of the patella or to stabilize the joint. Chiropractors, such as your Costa Mesa Chiropractor, are highly experienced in providing knowledgeable diagnosis and management of these ailments.

Knee problems due to trauma: Traumatic injuries commonly take place during sports that involve running and jumping, especially. When the knee is pulled or twisted beyond the capability of the ligaments that hold the joint together, tearing of these tissues can happen creating a sprain. The muscles that move the knee can also be torn during injury creating a strain or pull of the muscle. As with a sprain, a muscle strain can range from a mild injury that requires little treatment to a serious injury necessitating surgery. The knee also has two special “cartilages” – the menisci – between the tibia and the femur that facilitate frictionless motion and cushioning. These cartilages can also be torn during trauma, and commonly need surgical repair, or even removal if damaged severely.

Traumatic knee injuries can create serious pain and swelling and necessitate immediate diagnosis and treatment. In the majority of cases a competent chiropractor, such as your Costa Mesa Chiropractor, can manage these problems, but there are some injuries that require the craft of an orthopedic surgeon. In any event, it is vital to stabilize the injured joint as soon as possible and to ice the damaged area, if possible, until the injury can be evaluated.

Conditions such as poor mechanics and problems due to overuse, as well as traumatic injuries, need to be eliminated at an early stage. If not, the tissues of the knee joint, particularly the cartilage, will start to erode. If tissue and cartilage wear away, the bones will rub together unprotected and changes such as bone spurs can eventuate. This painful problem, known as degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis, is frequently progressive with age. Common treatment may involve medications such as NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Nevertheless, there are natural anti-inflammatory supplements that produce excellent results such as rosemary, glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, bioflavinoids, curcumin. Conservative treatment, such as chiropractic, can be extremely helpful in alleviating the pain. Your Costa Mesa Chiropractor is will be happy to recommend anti-inflammatory supplements. In addition, people can often assist themselves by keeping their weight down, doing exercises (especially in the pool), and wearing cushioned shoes or insoles.

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Chiropractic Costa Mesa: Eliminate Hip Pain Now!

Aug 10

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Chiropractic Costa Mesa can help you to eliminate your hip pain. Here’s what you need to know: Does hip pain keep you up at night and make it hard to get a good night’s rest? When you get up in the morning, or when you get out of your car, are you stiff and do you find it hard, at first, to move your legs? Do you experience pain in one or both hips whenever you rotate or twist them or when you cross your legs? If you answered in the affirmative to any or all of the previous questions it is likely that you have imbalances and alignment problems in the lower part of your body that, in addition to causing hip pain, can eventually bring about degenerative hip joint disease if not taken care of.

Even though hip pain and related problems are ordinarily signs of age-related degenerative conditions, especially osteoarthritis of the hip joint, osteoarthritis isn’t always the “bad guy”. In fact, instead of causing the original problem, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be the ultimate result of damage to your hips earlier.

Injury due to biomechanical problems, such as an ankle sprain or knee strain, can produce changes in your gait that create hip pain. Furthermore, your gait may shift to counterbalance new activities such as a job change, an alteration in the way you sit, a new sport or activity, or if you start driving for long periods of time on a regular basis..

In addition, gait imbalances can be caused by leg length discrepancies, foot pronation challenges, even carrying a baby or small child on your hip. In other words, anything that generates an asymmetry or imbalance when you are moving can develop into painful hip problems.

As part of the chiropractic management of your hip problem, along with adjustments, your chiropractor may prescribe orthotics. Your chiropractor will also offer appropriate progressive rehabilitative exercises that include muscle stretching and strengthening.

Hip pain won’t diminish on its own. Hip pain indicates that something needs to be corrected. Your chiropractor can help to get you out of pain, get back into balance, and get your life back!

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Costa Mesa Chiropractic Warns: Avoid the Disability of Advanced Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Aug 9

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Costa Mesa Chiropractic wants to help you avoid the disability of advanced carpal tunnel Syndrome. Chiropractic methods that work so effectively with the spine can, of course, be used on other joints in the body. Basically every joint is subject to injury and range of motion limitations, routinely due to trauma, excess vibration, or repetitive motions Therefore, it may not surprise you to know that chiropractic treatments are an effective, natural, non-surgical approach to the treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

The carpal tunnel rests within the underside of the wrist. It is a tunnel, or passage, through which the Median nerve travels on its way to stimulate and enliven the hand and fingers. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the most common nerve entrapment disorder. As the name indicates, the condition comes about when a nerve is impinged or restricted between other tissues of the body producing inflammation of the nerve. This can take place if the size of the tendon enlarges due to irritation or overuse, or if the tunnel, itself, shrinks due to the misalignment of the carpal bones.

Pain, numbness, pins and needles, and tingling in the fingers are the first symptoms of CTS. People with CTS often awaken from sleep with these symptoms and shakeout and/or rub their hands to try to ease the unpleasant feeling. Furthermore, the hands can feel clumsy or weak, and fatigue easily with activity. Over time, grasping small objects with the thumb and fingers can be extremely affected and, without treatment, can result in an entire disability of the hand.

Obviously, correct diagnosis and suitable treatment are crucial to confining the disabling symptoms associated with the advancement of CTS.  It would be smart for you to try the most natural approach first if you are suffering from the pain and disability associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. If you’ve been searching for a drug-free, non-surgical, and highly effective approach, chiropractic treatment may be your answer. You can learn more about safe and natural chiropractic care, and what it can do for you, by calling your Costa Mesa Chiropractor today.

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Costa Mesa Chiropractor Explains About Arthritis and Chiropractic Treatment

Aug 7

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Your Costa Mesa Chiropractor wants you to know as much as possible about arthritis because one of the most frequently misunderstood conditions among people is arthritis. When some people hear this word they anticipate a future with crippled and twisted joints.  However, many conditions from benign to severe are listed under the term, arthritis. For our purposes we will confine this analysis to the most common forms of arthritis.

Osteoarthritis and Chiropractic Care

Osteoarthritis, degenerative arthritis, or degenerative joint disease (DJD) are the labels for the most common form of arthritis, which is also called, spondylosis, if it occurs in the spine. This form of arthritis is not limited to humans, but occurs in all mammals, and is due to the degradation of the cartilage that protects the joint surfaces. When joint cartilage is injured, the sensitive bone tissue that is usually protected by the cartilage becomes stressed causing degenerative changes in the joint. Sometimes, osteophytes, or bone spurs, can occur when the bone around the joint increases quickly. Bone spurs create painful inflammation to other tissues adjacent to the joint exacerbating the already grievous condition.

The most common areas of the body that develop degenerative joints are in the spine, particularly in the lower neck and lower back, the knees, the hips and the fingers. Everyone may experience DJD at one point in their lives, though previous trauma, ones occupation, activities, weight, diet, and heredity affect the degree of the condition and its onset.

Pain and/or stiffness in the affected joints are primary indicators of DJD. As the condition advances there can be loss of mobility, particularly when weight-bearing joints such as hips or knees are implicated.  As a last resort joints can be surgically replaced with synthetic devices. This should be done only in severe cases where the joint is measurably worn and movement is intolerable due to severe pain.

Prevention is invariably the best option, beginning at an early age.

  • Making sure that all injuries to joints are properly treated will help to avoid future problems.
  • People involved in occupations that necessitate standing or walking should wear suitable shoes that provide good support and shock absorption.
  • Weight loss through proper diet will help to lessen stress on weight-bearing body joints.
  • Avoid kneeling on hard surfaces, such as when doing housework, as this can put strain and create knee pain.
  • The natural vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants included in fruits and vegetables are crucial for healthy joints and a healthy body.

Recently there have been some studies that reveal that the nutritional supplement, Glucosamine, can help with DJD and can possibly help rebuild joint cartilage. However, it must be used over time and does not work in all conditions.

chiropractic adjustments help to restore proper mobility and function to the spinal joints. Chiropractic care is not only sound, but extremely effective in relieving the debilitating pain of arthritis. Your Costa Mesa Chiropractor is highly trained when it comes to arthritic pain relief. In addition, chiropractic modalities such as joint mobilization, ultrasound, cold laser therapy, massage and electro-therapy may be used to aid in the treatment of painful and stiff joints. Sometimes a brace is required to help stabilize the joint in an attempt to alleviate pain. A chiropractor may suggest exercises such as stretching, yoga, tai chi and other gentle mobilizing activities to help maintain arthritic joints.

Gout

An increased level of uric acid in the blood and the deposition of uric acid crystals in the joints produce gouty arthritis. The most common joints are the big toes, the knees, ankles and wrists, and is often characterized by acute pain and swelling. A large number of people who develop gout are predisposed through heredity, though episodes are more often than not brought on by binge eating of inflammatory foods, when dehydrated or fasting, or after a major surgery or illness. Particular foods such as red meat (especially organ meat), certain seafood, legumes, and mushrooms contain the natural substance, Purines, that are metabolized in the liver to form uric acid. Since individuals with gout cannot efficiently metabolize uric acid, the buildup in the bloodstream causes joint problems. In addition to the foods specified and additional foods containing Purines, other dietary restrictions need to be followed including the avoidance of alcohol.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory disease, is systemic in nature and thought to be produced by immune system dysfunction. The most common joints affected are the small joints of the hands and fingers, the feet, knees, and shoulder, though other areas of the body can be affected as well. Morning stiffness made more painful by movement is most often associated with the disease. Many times people complain of general malaise and fatigue, and the disease in its more advanced forms can affect many of the other body systems. Rheumatoid arthritis can be easily identified through particularized blood tests. Though, currently, there is no cure, in addition to medication and vitamin and diet therapy, treatment should include chiropractic adjustments to mobilize joints and help to relieve the pain and stiffness associated with this disease. Additional modalities such as ultrasound, heat, electro-therapy, and massage may also be valuable. Your Costa Mesa Chiropractor is dedicated to helping individuals in getting relief from the pain and suffering associated with arthritis.

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Costa Mesa Chiropractic Talks About The Treatment That Assists in Relieving Scoliosis Pain

Aug 5

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Costa Mesa Chiropractic wants you to know about as much as possible about scoliosis and how chiropractic care can help.

Introduction: A normal spine looks straight, without much change from side-to-side, when the body is viewed from behind. However, if the spine is observed to have a lateral, or side-to-side, curvature, the individual might have an affliction called scoliosis.This affliction often gives the appearance of the person leaning to one side though it should not be confused with unsatisfactory posture. Scoliosis is a troublesome deformity that is expressed by both lateral curvature and rotation of the vertebra often producing a characteristic “rib hump” in the mid or thoracic spine. This is caused by the vertebrae in the area of the major curve rotating toward the concavity and pushing their fastened ribs posterior thus causing the distinctive rib hump seen in thoracic scoliosis. The pulmonary and cardiac functions can be impeded if the thoracic curve and rib rotation exceeds 70 degrees. Frequently later in life in untreated severe idiopathic infantile and juvenile scoliosis patients, this intensity of curve and consequential cardiac and pulmonary changes can be life threatening.

Anatomy: If a person were to view the trunk from a side view, the spine would disclose four normal curves: the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral. The thoracic, in the chest vicinity, has a healthy round curve, “reversed C,” called a kyphosis, while in the lower spine there is a normal “C” curve, known as swayback or lordosis. Hyperlordosis is the term used to describe elevated swayback, while increased kyphosis in the thoracic spine is called hyperkyphosis. Scoliosis changes regularly accompany alterations from normal on a side view. Some round back deformities are simply due to bad posture and can often be eliminated with postural exercises. A small portion of individuals with kyphosis have more rigid deformities than the postural type, which are seen in conjunction with vertebral deformity. This class of deformity, called Scheuermann’s kyphosis, is much more difficult to treat than postural kyphosis, and it’s cause is unknown.

Almost anyone can help to identify a child or adult with scoliosis merely by looking at the person in a standing position, preferably without a shirt and in briefs, and observing the following:

  • One shoulder may be more elevated than the other.
  • One scapula (shoulder blade) may be more elevated or more pronounced than the other.
  • With the arms hanging loosely at the sides, there may be more space between the arm and the body on one side.
  • One hip may look to be higher or more conspicuous than the other.
  • The head is not aligned with the pelvis.
  • One side of the back appears more elevated than the other when the individual is observed from the rear and asked to bend forward until the the spine is horizontal.

The child or adult should be sent to a healthcare professional, such as a chiropractor, for further assessment once scoliosis is detected. your chiropractor would be happy to help.

There are a variety of origins and many varieties of scoliosis, however the most prevalent, by far, is Idiopathic Scoliosis, which accounts for nearly 85 % of all cases. “Idiopathic” means “no known cause” and is observed with equal occurrence in boys and girls in the mild or low curve magnitudes. This condition can be sub-classified into infantile, juvenile and adolescent types, depending upon the age of onset. Idiopathic Scoliosis may be due to genetic or hereditary influences as it commonly runs in families. For reasons yet to be found, girls are five to eight times more likely than boys to have their curves develop in size and require treatment. As the term “Idiopathic Scoliosis” implies, this kind of scoliosis usually happens when children are completing their last major growth spurt. Unfortunately, at this age young people are reluctant to let their body to be seen by parents and other adults, so it is very important to have this age group observed on a regular basis.

It is crucial that if a scoliotic curve is observed in a growing adolescent, the curves be monitored for any development by a periodic examination and sometimes standing x-rays. In ninety percent of cases, the scoliosis is mild and does not require active treatment, however increases in spinal deformity necessitate evaluation to determine if a brace or other treatment is required. In a small number of patients, surgical treatment may be necessary.~Surgery may be needed for a small number of individuals.

Brace therapy (orthosis) is recommended for both juvenile and adolescent children when an increase in their scoliosis or kyphosis is identified, or when new symptoms of moderate scoliosis or abnormal kyphosis are diagnosed. There are a number of styles of braces, all made to prevent curves from increasing by acting as a buttress for the spine during active skeletal growth. Braces normally will not make the spine completely straight, and cannot always keep a curve from increasing. Nevertheless, bracing is effective in preventing curve progression in a significant number of skeletally-immature adolescents.

Scoliosis has no simple resolution. The majority of cases, even though regularly monitored, are not actively treated. Severe cases are occasionally treated surgically, but the standard medical treatment for moderate cases is a brace. You may want to see your local chiropractor first.

In addition to bracing, many other therapies have been used successfully including specialized exercise, electric stimulation of spinal muscles, nutritional programs, and chiropractic treatments. It appears that the most beneficial results have been sustained with a multi-faceted approach to the care of this condition.

There are chiropractors, that have years of experience assisting with scoliosis symptoms.

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