Santa Barbara Chiropractor Announces: Breakthrough Treatment is Now Available for Fibromyalgia

Posted on 23. Aug, 2009 by admin in Santa Barbara Chiropractor, fibromyalgia

Your Santa Barbara Chiropractor knows how painful fibromyalgia can be, but you don’t need anyone to tell you about the difficult symptoms of fibromyalgia if you suffer from the pain produced by it. The deep aching that radiates, shoots, burns, and even gnaws within your body can be widespread, affecting regions above and below the waist, and often including both sides of the body.

As if the extremely painful symptoms of fibromyalgia weren’t enough, a surprising ninety percent of fibromyalgia sufferers also experience chronic fatigue syndrome, perhaps you may be one of them. This “double whammy” can leave you not only suffering from pain and fatigue, but also anxiety, 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 someone who suffers from one, or both, of these two devastating conditions, you may find it extremely hard to engage in even the simplest activities in life, and you might even be experiencing depression and feeling defeated. Fortunately, your chiropractor can help you. Chiropractic treatment has been proven to be highly beneficial in reversing trauma-induced injuries by decreasing inflammation to the nerves in the brain stem and spinal cord that can cause pain, neuromuscular dysfunction, and fatigue.

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

While the specific cause of these problems is not known, current research has pointed to 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 come on immediately, often it can take quite a long time, perhaps months or years to develop. By the time fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms arise, these injuries may not be remembered.

When it comes knowledge the spine and how to take care of it, your chiropractor is an expert. Chiropractic treatment has been proven to be extraordinarily beneficial in reversing trauma-induced spinal injury. If you’ve been experiencing the pain and discomfort caused by fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, see your chiropractor today to discover if chiropractic management can help to end your suffering.

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Santa Barbara Chiropractor: Get Relief From the Pain of Sciatica With Chiropractic Care

Posted on 21. Aug, 2009 by admin in sciatica

Your Santa Barbara Chiropractor knows that sciatica is an extremely painful condition. If you suffer from sciatic pain, you are, unfortunately, all too experienced with the deep pain that shadows your waking hours and interferes with your daily activities.

Sciatic pain commonly 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 radiate into your knee. Motion and sitting, alike can be painful. On occasion lying down will decrease, or perhaps briefly eliminate, the pain. However, 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 bulged from its original position in the vertebral column and is causing pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve. Such pressure is extraordinarily painful.

Added pressure on the intervertebral discs, as well as imbalances in the muscles encompassing the spine, can happen during and after extended sitting, especially in a improper position. Usually, a specific event or definite injury doesn’t create sciatica, but, on the contrary, it tends to develop over time as a by-product of general wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. Over time the lower spine loses its ability to function normally during everyday stresses.

Finally, the intervertebral disc develops small fissures, or cracks, which then lets the soft nucleus extend the disc outward. If the disc presses on sensitive tissues, it generates the pain that is generally referred to as a slipped disc. If the disc presses on the spinal nerve, an individual can develop sciatica.

Most disc challenges, including sciatica, can be alleviated with chiropractic adjustments and therapies that usually includes postural exercises. If you are experiencing sciatic pain, it is important for you to seek chiropractic attention.

Technorati Tags: , ,

Santa Barbara Chiropractic Asks: Do Tension Headaches or Migraines Interfere With Your Life?

Posted on 18. Aug, 2009 by admin in headaches and migraines

If you suffer from tension headaches or migraines, Santa Barbara Chiropractic knows that you are painfully aware of their dibilitating impact.

Tension headaches: Like it or not, life can be a pain, now and then, and end up as a tension headache. Most individuals have been impacted by more than one. If you are someone who’s had a tension headache, then you probably experience it as a dull, painful ache in your head that is sometimes accompanied by a sensation 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 occasionally you may experience a loss of appetite.

Tension headaches are generally 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 develop tension headaches all the time or they may take place from time to time. If your headaches occur fifteen or more days a month for a minimum of three months, they’re considered chronic. If tension headaches are interrupting your life, chiropractic treatment may be the remedy. Contact your chiropractor today.

Migraine Headaches: Migraine headaches differ from the average tension-related headache. As reported by the National Headache Foundation, migraines frequently occur on only one side of the head. The throbbing or pulsating pain is accompanied by nausea or vomiting. One-fifth of migraine sufferers have auras, visual disruptions an hour before a migraine attack, and symptoms such as pulsating light, lines or dots.

Are you an individual who suffers from migraines? If you are, you know the disruptive, debilitating effects that this kind of affliction can have on your life. The pain of a migraine headache can put you out of commission for hours, for days, for a lifetime, and standard over-the-counter medications are not only ineffective but, like prescription drugs, they all too frequently have alarming side effects. It’s time to finally get rid of the pain and get your life back! Chiropractic management has been proven to be highly beneficial in relieving and eliminating migraine headaches. Call your chiropractor today!

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Chiropractor Santa Barbara on Balance, Inner Ear Problems, and the Value of Chiropractic Adjustments

Posted on 17. Aug, 2009 by admin in Chiropractor Santa Barbara, balance

Santa Barbara Chiropractor: 10 Most Frequent Questions

Chiropractor Santa Barbara knows that good balance is essential for an individual to be able to manage and keep body position while in motion or remaining still. Good balance helps a person to walk without wobbling, arise from a sitting position without slipping, and to climb stairs without slipping.

Balance problems are regularly disclosed by 9 percent of adults, aged 65 and older. Good balance is vital in aiding an older person to stay independent, and to carry out daily chores and activities. Dizziness, “wooziness,” and difficulties with balance are suffered by a large majority people as they age.

The experience by some people that they, themselves, or their environment is spinning is called “vertigo.” About 40 percent of people nationwide will have an incidence of dizziness that is consequential enough to go to a doctor. And, among older adults, falls are the most widespread cause of severe injury and deaths.

Balance and Inner Ear Challenges

There are a variety 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 prevalent. Its symptoms encompass a brief, intense sensation 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 problem is more probable in people 60 and older, although it can also happen in younger individuals.

There are diverse reasons for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Inner ear infection, head injury, or simply aging can produce the problem. Many times times a simple Epleys procedure can eliminate the problem, though it can be linked to other disease processes. Your Santa Barbara Chiropractor has many years of experience in this procedure.

Labyrinthitis is an infection or irritation of the inner ear that creates dizziness and loss of balance. It affects adults of any age and the cause is unknown.

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

Age is not the only cause for why these problems occur, but older persons are more likely to undergo balance disorders. Treatment for balance disorders varies depending upon the reason. A chiropractor is well-educated in assessing and treating a large majority of the causes. On occasion, even simple exercises for vestibular rehab can be the answer to balance challenges. Make an appointment with a health care professional, such as your Santa Barbara Chiropractor, if you have experienced, or are currently experiencing, dizziness, vertigo, or other challenges with balance.

Not all balance disorders are created by problems in the inner ear. A small number may involve other regions of the body such as the brain or heart. Other factors, in addition to aging and ear infection, may involve head injury, certain medicines, challenges 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,maintaining a healthy weight, and exercise. To assist in making the symptoms of dizziness less severe, generally eating low-salt or salt-free foods, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol, will help.

Balance disorders are dangerous. It is the most prevalent cause of falls and fall-related injuries in older people. It is crucial to have a suspected balance disorder diagnosed 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 chiropractor today.

Technorati Tags: , , , , ,

Chiropractic Santa Barbara Advises: If You'd Like to Avoid Golf Injuries, Get Ready!

Posted on 16. Aug, 2009 by admin in sports injuries

Chiropractic Santa Barbara treats hundreds of individuals, adults and children alike, who have sustained sports injuries. With any kind of sport, injuries are commonplace. You can often avoid getting injured in a particular sport by discovering what injury is likely to occur, and then do as much as you can to avoid it. The Truth is, however, that sports injuries can’t always be avoided. Consequently, it’s important to be in good physical shape to make injury less probable, or less traumatic.   Prior to starting a sport, such as golf, the most valuable thing you can do is to be sure that you have an appropriate fitness level. By cultivating a healthy lifestyle, making sure your joints are mobile and your muscles are limber, warming and stretching your body before activity, using proper form and good postures while actively playing, and giving yourself an appropriate amount of cool down and relaxation time, you will probably keep your body safe from injury.

Golf injuries don’t just happen to amateurs. It has been conjectured that almost a third of pro golfers playing concurrently are playing with injuries. Fortunately, general good health and fitness can reduce the number of injuries that you may experience and may actually preclude them completely.

Good body strength in the muscle regions most used when golfing is very important. However, before you try to build muscle strength, it’s important to make certain your spine is aligned and has good mobility. A successful golf swing is contingent upon your spine’s facility to adequately move in a rotational fashion. Back injuries are the most common sort of injuries sustained by golfers. Your chiropractor will insure that your spine is in healthy alignment and that there is efficient movement of the vertebrae. Chiropractic treatment can make a big difference in helping you to avoid back injury.

Once you’re “straightened” it’s time to strengthen. Being prepared for your golf game is paramount to a safe, injury-free day on the green. Golf stretching and flexibility practices will warm up your muscles and make straining them less likely. Full body range of motion (ROM) exercises will increase flexibility, fairly speedily, in all regions of the body. Furthermore, elastic band conditioning offers targeted golf range of motion improvements and can build needed power in the shoulders, hips and deep muscles of the core. Sports professionals, like your chiropractor, are adding elastic band training to their golf conditioning programs because the bands provide dynamic resistance that regular weight lifting does not supply.

Along with back injuries, a large number of golfers have painful “Golfer’s Elbow.” There is a minor difference between golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow though they are almost the same. Whereas the outside of the upper arm is affected in tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow impinges the inner arm. Golfer’s elbow, like tennis elbow, can be the consequence of a single intense action, such as (in golf) striking the mat at the driving range or hitting a hard fairway surface. Repetitive stress from smaller shocks, however, is generally the reason. Moreover, it can come upon those who all of a sudden begin to play too much golf. As a case in point, if those that generally play golf once or twice a month decide to play in a tournament, they are likely at risk for contracting the injury.

Golf makes exclusive requests of our body. The game is usually longer than most other sports and that can cause fatigue. Unhealthy posture and lack of coordination are normally the signs of a fatigued body. This combination can cause an assortment of injuries. In addition, because of the continuous swinging of the golf clubs, the shoulder muscles are subject to injury. Just as it is crucial for you to stretch and warm up before you start your golf game, be sure to rest your body suitable between games.

An unexpected injury occasionally associated with golf is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. But, because it a condition that comes about due to repetitive stress, many games of golf played over several months continuously may cause this injury. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be a severe injury producing disability and occasionally needing surgery. However, if a health professional, such as your chiropractor, discovers it at an early stage, chiropractic management and, frequently, the use of a brace will alleviate the problem.

Injuries are assumed to be unavoidable part of life for most golfers. But, a healthy, mobile spine, good preparation, proper exercise and muscle conditioning, attaining and maintaining a an appropriate fitness level, and sensible rest and recuperation after your game is over, can help to make injuries a good deal less a part of your golfing experience.

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Chiropractic Santa Barbara: Chiropractic Treatment Can Eliminate Hip Pain

Posted on 10. Aug, 2009 by admin in hip pain

Chiropractic Santa Barbara is an expert when it comes to relieving hip pain. Do you feel pain in one or both hips whenever you rotate them or when you cross your legs?  Does the pain keep you awake 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 initially difficult to move your legs? If any of these symptoms sound familiar, then it is likely that you have imbalances and alignment problems in your lower extremities that, in addition to causing hip pain, can eventually lead to degenerative joint disease in your hips if not addressed.

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 perpetrator. In fact, rather than being the original cause of the problem, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be the eventual result of damage to your hips at a previous time.

Gait changes caused by biomechanical injury such as an ankle sprain or knee strain, can produce hip pain. Moreover, your gait may reposition to compensate for new body demands 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 asymmetries can occur from leg length variances, foot pronation conditions, even carrying a baby or small child on your hip. Strictly speaking, anything that generates an asymmetry or imbalance when you are moving can cause painful hip problems.

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

Hip pain won’t vanish on its own. Hip pain is a signal that something needs correcting. Get out of pain, get back in balance, and get your life back now!

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Chiropractor Santa Barbara: When It Comes to Five-Year-Olds, Banking Takes on a Whole New Meaning

Posted on 02. Aug, 2009 by admin in Chiropractor Santa Barbara, pediatric chiropractic

Chiropractor Santa Barbara is a strong believer in pediatric chiropractic, and also knows that exercise and healthy activity help to give children a head start in life. But, sometimes, striving to keep up with an active five-year-old can feel tiring. If you have an active child of this age, or if you’ve ever been around one for any length of time, you may have found yourself longing for the kid to just sit still for a moment. However, recent research is validating the long-term health benefits of this whirlwind of activity. In fact, rather than trying to slow these little ones down, five-year-olds should be motivated to be as active as possible, according to a new University of Iowa study. Why? “Because it pays off as they grow older,” said Kathleen Janz, lead author of the study and professor of health and sport studies in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Even if kids don’t continue to be as active later in childhood, being active at age five helps them to stay lean as they get older. “We call this effect ‘banking’ because the kids benefit later on, similar to having a savings account at a bank. The protective effect is independent of what happens in between,” Janz went on to say.

The UI team tested the body fat and activity level of 333 kids at ages five, eight and eleven using a special scanner that accurately measures bone, fat and muscle tissue, and an accelerometer that measures movement every minute. Rather than depending on kids or parents to track minutes of exercise, the kids wore accelerometers to record their activity level for up to five days.

Even when controlling for their accumulated level of activity, the study (published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine) indicated that kids who are active at age five end up with less fat at age eight and eleven.  The average five-year-old in the study got thirty minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day. For every ten minutes on top of that, kids had one-third of a pound less fat tissue at ages eight and eleven.

Although further investigation is needed to discover what happens to the active kids’ bodies that keeps them in better shape down the road, Janz said that it may be possible that the active 5-year-olds didn’t develop as many fat cells, improved their insulin response, or that something happened metabolically that supplied some protection even as they became less active.

Weight moderation, however, isn’t the only benefit of early exercise. As a chiropractor I have observed over the years that active kids have far less common childhood health challenges, such as catching colds and the flu. Chiropractic care is, naturally, particularly beneficial in helping kids to stay healthier. But, in addition, the stimulation to the brain that takes place during activities, especially those that require “cross pattern” motor movements of the larger muscles, i.e., right hand/left leg and left hand/right leg, such as crawling, running, climbing, and skipping, also boosts the autoimmune system and keeps kids healthier.

A large number children nowadays are overweight and unhealthy. Though part of the problem is an inappropriate diet, lack of exercise is also a major contributing factor. If you have a five-year-old who chooses to watch television or play video games rather than participating in more active play, help your child to get up and get moving into healthier activities. Moderate to vigorous exercise will not only benefit your child now, but will help to build a healthier future. You can bank on it!

Technorati Tags: , ,