Chiropractic Care for Older Medicare Patients
Saves Money, Shortens Back Pain Episodes
Patients with chronic low back pain and other medical problems received three different types of care. The results are in:
Chiropractic manipulation only: lowest cost and shortest back pain episodes
Combo chiropractic & medical care: second lowest cost
Medical care only: highest cost
If you want to lower your healthcare costs and also shorten your pain episodes, call your local Houston chiropractor now! We can help shorten your experience with back pain in Houston and neck pain.
Chiropractic and Opioid Prescriptions
More doctors of chiropractic (DCs) could mean fewer opioid prescriptions for younger Medicare beneficiaries.
Higher number of DCs per capita is strongly correlated with a lower proportion of Medicare patients who fill opioid prescriptions. If you currently have back pain, neck pain, or need a chiropractic care in Houston, please consult with your local Houston chiropractor – Dr. Beecher. Natural solutions can be had like chiropractic for opioid prescriptions.
Low Back Pain & Spinal Manipulation – American College of Physicians
New guidelines published by the American College of Physicians (ACP) note that most acute low back pain improves over time regardless of treatment; however, ACP recommends that patients who seek relief should first select non-drug treatments such as superficial heat, massage, acupuncture or spinal manipulation before turning to pain medications.
Chiropractic Care For Elderly Lower Back Pain
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: Chiropractic treatment of elderly lower back pain (LBP) has been reported to be very safe and highly effective. In fact, back in 1994, guidelines were published recommending that chiropractic treatment of low back pain should be a first consideration / treatment of choice in front of many other forms of back care health services. Since that time, more and more studies have been published showing continued advantages of chiropractic care over many other forms of LBP care.
Even though studies have shown that the peak prevalence of LBP occurs in the 5th decade of life, LBP is also a significant public health problem in older adults ranging between 13% and 49% with “…soaring costs in terms of health care expenditures.” So, what about care for the elderly – is chiropractic care equally safe and effective in this older population as it is in younger patients?
A recent study reported two types of spinal manipulation or adjustments verses minimal conservative medical care (MCMC) in patients with subacute or chronic, non-radiating elderly lower back pain over 55 years of age. This included a total of 240 participants, of which 105 were women and 135 were men with an average age of 63 years. The two types of manipulation included a high velocity low amplitude type (the classic “cracking” type of manipulation) and a low velocity variable amplitude type (stretch – not associated with a “crack”) treated 12 times over a 6 week time frame. A 3rd treatment group (MCMC) served as a “control” to compare against the two manipulation approaches. All three groups received a half hour exercise session at week 3 and outcomes were studied at 3, 6, 12 & 24 weeks. The results showed equally effective benefits to the two styles of manipulation over the MCMC group, with no serious adverse events associated with any of the treatment groups.
This study is important in a number of ways. First, it points out that two distinctive styles of manipulation frequently utilized in chiropractic and likely to be encountered by patients obtaining chiropractic care, are equally effective in a population exceeding 55 years of age for elderly lower back pain. The type of manipulation ultimately decided upon can therefore be based on: 1) patient preference (as some patients just don’t like being “cracked”) and 2) the chiropractor’s clinical experience.
When visiting our clinic, we take pride in providing accurate, up-to-date information about our patient’s condition and what must be done to obtain long term, satisfying results. We are most appreciative to have the opportunity to provide care to our patients and strive to make the experience highly satisfying.
If you, a family member or a friend requires care, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services. We are proud that chiropractic care for elderly lower back pain has consistently scored the highest level of satisfaction when compared to other forms of health care provision and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
What Causes Headaches And What Can I Do About It?
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: “I woke up this morning with an excruciating headache. I thought the top of my head was going to blow off!” “I notice as the day goes on, tightness in my neck worsens and I get a headache usually by 2-3pm.” “I don’t know if I can do my work with my headaches.” “What causes headaches like this”?
These are common patient history entries we frequently receive at our clinic. Headaches are one of the most common complaints prompting patients to visit a health care provider. Many patients ask what causes headaches. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) describe the four types of headaches as vascular, muscular contraction or tension, traction and inflammatory.
What Causes Headaches in Common Forms of Headaches
The most common form of a vascular headache is migraine. Migraine sufferers usually complain of severe pain on one or both sides of the head, nausea or vomiting and sometimes visual changes. There is often a heightened sensitivity to light or noise prompting migraine sufferers to lie in a dark, quiet room until the migraine passes. Women are more likely to suffer from migraines than men and the severity of symptoms can be so extreme that all activity must be stopped until it passes.
The next most common type of vascular headache is the toxic headache produced by a fever. Other vascular headache types include “cluster” headaches, which are characterized by repeated episodes of intense pain that start in one spot and spread out from that spot. These may only last a few minutes to an hour but carry a very high level of pain and activity intolerance. Another common type of vascular headache is that resulting from high blood pressure.
Muscle contraction or tension headaches involve tightening of the facial and neck muscles. These often start in the neck and radiate over the top or to the sides of the head. The muscles in the neck are usually extremely tight and tender and often, moderate pressure applied with the finger or thumb to these muscles will prompt radiating pain into and/or over the top of the head. This can also result in significant activity intolerance but usually not as severe as migraine or cluster headaches.
Traction and inflammatory and what causes headaches result because of other conditions that range from a sinus infection to a stroke. These types of headaches can serve as a warning sign of a more significant or serious condition. Another example is meningitis as well as other conditions affecting the sinuses, spine, neck, ear, and teeth.
Preventative Treatment of Headaches
The NIH suggests, when headaches occur ≥3 times a month, that “… preventive treatment is usually recommended.” Certainly, in some cases, medication may be indicated but only after ruling out a more serious condition and after exhausting less invasive treatments that carry fewer side effects.
The American Chiropractic Association recommends: 1) avoid long time periods of staying in one position (computer, sewing machine, reading, etc.) and take stretching/neck range of motion exercise breaks every ½ to 1 hour; 2) Exercise – walking, low impact aerobics; 3) Avoid teeth clenching (due to straining the temporomandibular – TMJ, or jaw joint); 4) Drink lots of water – stay hydrated. These are some of the more common catalysts of what causes headaches.
Chiropractic care may include spinal manipulation (adjustments), nutritional advice (dietary suggestions, vitamin/mineral options such as a B complex), exercise, posture retraining, and relaxation techniques. If you, a family member or a friend require care, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our service. If headaches are a problem, a trial of chiropractic makes sense prior to utilizing a more risk oriented headache treatment option? We look forward in serving you and your family.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Neck Pain Causes and Chiropractic Treatment
Houston Chiropractor Comments: What are some common neck pain causes? Neck pain is a very common complaint that chiropractic has been found to be very effective in treating.
Common Neck Pain Causes
There are many neck pain causes including posture related (such as a forward head carriage) and repetitive strain (such as long static holding of awkward positions). These two causes are very similar as the head weighs approximately 15 pounds and when held in a forward translated position for a lengthy time frame, the muscles fatigue and begin to ache. This is similar to holding a baby in your arms for a long time frame. We soon find ourselves moving the baby to the other arm or against our chest due to the gradual increasing strain placed our upper quarter muscles. Hence, we must similarly change the forward head position when we are working at the computer, listening or talking (especially if the person is not directly in front of you), reading a book, cooking, and so forth.
Another cause of neck pain is trauma. This could be neck pain from whiplash caused by a car accident, a slip-and-fall injury, sports injury, and more. These injuries are highly variable as no two injuries or accidents are the same and, there are a wide variety of neck sizes in both length and girth and hence, the same trauma may hardly result in an injury in one person and greatly injure a smaller, more petite person. Your doctor of chiropractic will ask you about the “mechanism of injury” as that can give us clues about which tissues are injured. For example, in a motor vehicle collision, if the impact occurs from the side verses the rear end of the car, the tissues in the neck are stretched differently and the management/treatment may vary accordingly.
Other neck pain causes include a “slipped” or herniated disk. A herniated disk is like a jelly donut where the jelly leaks out and presses against a nerve that travels down the arm. Symptoms often include pain, numb, tingling, burning, weakness, or combinations of these sensations down the course of the nerve. When this occurs, the person is usually quite specific about where the pain is traveling such as, “…it goes down my arm to my ring and little finger.” Dr. Beecher can offer chiropractic herniated disc neck treatment as well.
Another cause can be related to natural aging process involving the “wearing out” process of the disk, joints, and muscle/ligament attachments. The term, “osteoarthritis” is commonly associated with these findings and is often blamed for neck pain, but this is controversial. First, osteoarthritis (OA) takes years to develop and many people have a significant amount of OA but literally no pain or symptoms while others with only a little x-ray evidence of OA present with an abundance of pain.
Your Neck Pain Causes and Chiropractic Treatment
So, how do chiropractors manage all of these causes of neck pain? A thorough history, examination, and locating the positions of pain production verses pain relief are “key” to the successful management of patients with neck pain. For one patient, traction/stretching types of manual adjustment techniques work best while for the next, this may not be tolerated at all, which is why we “pre-position” the patient prior to administering an adjustment.
Other chiropractic treatment for neck pain considerations may include exercise instruction, physical therapy modalities (electric stim, ultrasound, etc.), the use of ice, re-adjustment of a computer monitor or work set up and nutritional considerations. If you, a family member or a friend require care, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our service.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Natural Muscle Spasm Treatment
Clear Lake City Chiropractor Comments: A common question that I get consistently from patients, old or young, male or female, athletic or a couch potato is what they can do for muscle spasm treatment. For the sake of this article I will call a muscle spasm a forceful, intermittent & involuntary contraction of a muscle. A cramp is a sustained muscle spasm.
A muscle spasm is usually due to a muscle sprain, exercise, a joint irritation, dehydration, metabolic disorders or just overall fatigue. A cramp is due to the same things plus inadequate blood supply, mineral depletion or nerve compression.
Muscle Spasm Treatment
When you feel a muscle spasm or cramp, stop what you are doing. Try and massage and stretch the affected muscle out. If the problem is due to an acute (new) injury or sprain then put ice on it for 20 minutes and then off for 40 minutes. You can repeat this multiple times, but remember that after 20 minutes you will have gotten the maximum therapeutic benefit from the ice. The ice will help reduce the inflammation and irritation of the muscle. If this is a chronic (older) issue then moist heat will be beneficial. Use the heat for the same amount of time as the ice. Make sure that you are properly hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Coffee, tea and sodas are diuretics and tend to lead towards dehydration as does alcohol. If the spasm is due to exercise or an injury then make sure to give the muscles time to heal by minimizing activity. If things get worse, please consult with a physician or chiropractor about sports related rehabilitation or chiropractic rehabilitation.
Certain mineral deficiencies, such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and sodium can also lead to muscle cramps. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recommendations for every vitamin and mineral in your diet. For potassium, the USDA suggests eating 4,700 milligrams per day. Potassium-rich foods include sweet potatoes, tomatoes, soy, yogurt and tuna. Your calcium intake should equal 1,000 milligrams per day. Good sources of calcium include sardines, soy, leafy green vegetables and dairy. A healthy diet also includes 420 milligrams of magnesium per day. Foods high in magnesium include nuts, squash, bran and lima beans. Other vitamins that can have an effect on your muscle irritability are vitamin D, E, B-1 & B-7. These all can help naturally treat muscle spasms.
Your Clear Lake Houston chiropractic Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Three Chiropractic Terms You Should Know
Three Chiropractic Terms You Should Know
Chiropractor In Clear Lake, TX Comments: Like all professions, chiropractic medicine has its own terminology. Every week I will have a new patient ask me what at least one of these three words mean. The three most common chiropractic terms that I am asked to define are chiropractic, subluxation and adjustment.
First Of The Three Chiropractic Terms Is Chiropractic.
This one always surprises me. Almost all of my patients are referred in by friends and family members that have already received excellent results over the past 26 years yet they don’t tell them what chiropractic is or what we do. Just to come to my office and we will get them better as quickly as possible. By definition chiropractic means done by hands. Chiropractic is a system of complementary medicine based on the diagnosis and manipulative treatment of misalignments of the joints, especially those of the spinal column, which are held to cause other disorders by affecting the nerves, muscles, and organs. In short, we use our hands (and sometimes instruments) to move joints (either in the spine or in the extremities) to help fix problems. At our office we also use physical modalities and exercises to help make sure that the problem does not return. Chiropractic is surprisingly one of the chiropractic terms you should know!
What Does Subluxation Mean?
What is the definition of subluxation? For most of our patients, this is one of the causes of their complaints. A subluxation is a partial dislocation or a bone that is slightly out of alignment with the bone next to it. This misalignment causes the joints to not line up correctly and the muscles to pull unevenly which causes pain, numbness, weakness etc.
Adjustment Is The Final Chiropractic Term
This is what is done to correct the subluxation. An adjustment uses a light, quick impulse of the hands (or an instrument) to move the joint back into the correct position. It is more specific than a general mobilization of a joint which a medical doctor, trainer or physical therapist will perform.
So in short if you are having neck, back or joint pain or discomfort the cause might be a subluxation that would be treated by an adjustment by a chiropractor. That is chiropractic.
Dr. Ward Beecher is your chiropractor in Clear Lake, TX and practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog or any other chiropractic terms, please comment below, call, or email!
What Do Insurance Companies Say About Chiropractic?
Houston Chiropractic Comments: If chiropractic care helps patients get better faster and costs the patient and/or insurance company less, shouldn’t EVERY low back pain patient FIRST see a chiropractor before any other type of doctor? That is in fact, what should be done, based on the literature.
A few years ago a report was delivered on the impact on population, health and total health care spending. It was found the addition of chiropractic care for the treatment of neck and low back pain “…will likely increase value-for-dollar in US employer-sponsored health benefit plans.” Authored by an MD and an MD/PhD, and commissioned by the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, the findings are clear; chiropractic care achieves higher satisfaction and superior outcomes for both neck and low back pain in a manner more cost effective than other commonly utilized approaches.
The study reviews the fact that low back and neck pain are extremely common conditions consuming large amounts of health care dollars. In 2002, 26% of surveyed US adults reported having back pain in the prior 3 months, 14% had neck pain and the lifetime prevalence of back pain was estimated at 85%. LBP accounts for 2% of all physician office visits where only routine examinations, hypertension, and diabetes result in more. Annual national spending is estimated at $85 billion in the US with an inflation-adjusted increase of 65% compared to 1997. The numbers have continued to rise thru 2016 as the population ages. Treatment options are diverse ranging from rest to surgery, including many various types of medications. Chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation and mobilization, is reportedly also widely utilized with almost half of all patients with persisting back pain seeking chiropractic treatment.
In review of the scientific literature, it is noted that 1) chiropractic care is at least as effective as other widely used therapies for low back pain; 2) Chiropractic care, when combined with other modalities such as exercise, appears to be more effective than other treatments for patients with neck pain. Other studies reviewed reported patients who had chiropractic coverage included in their insurance benefits found lower costs, reduced imaging studies, less hospitalizations, and surgical procedures compared to those with no chiropractic coverage. They then utilized a method to compare medical physician care, chiropractic physician care, physiotherapy led exercise and, manipulation plus physiotherapy-led exercise for low back pain care. They found adding chiropractic physician care is associated with better outcomes.
When combined with exercise, chiropractic physician care was also found to be very cost-effective when compared to exercise alone. When comparing the cost effectiveness of chiropractic care with or without exercise even at 5 times the cost of the care they utilized in their analysis, it was still found to be “substantially more cost-effective” compared to the other approaches. It will be interesting given these findings if insurance companies and future treatment guidelines start to MANDATE the use of chiropractic FIRST – it would be in everyone’s best interest!
If you, a family member or a friend require care, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Top 5 Chiropractic Myths
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: In the 28 years that I have been a chiropractor, I have been consistently surprised by some of the myths about chiropractic and chiropractors that still persist today. Here are the ones that I hear the most.
- Adjustments hurt: When someone is experiencing back pain the last thing they want to experience is worsened pain in the chiropractor’s office. If your chiropractor is performing an adjustment correctly, it should not be painful. Though there might be some brief discomfort, this has to do with your presenting injury and not the adjustment itself. Generally, patients feel relieved and comfortable after an adjustment. Any soreness noted should be similar to what you feel after too much yard work or working out at the gym.
- Once you start you have to keep going: Everyone is afraid of making commitments, especially financial ones, and no one wants to hear that once they see a chiropractor they will have to go for the rest of their lives. The chiropractor will develop a specific treatment plan after identifying what is causing your pain. This plan includes the number of sessions the chiropractor believes you will need to complete the care and improve your symptoms. Some patients will see a chiropractor for conservative maintenance, in the same way you would eat healthy foods or exercise, the choice to continue going is up to you.
- Chiropractic Care is Dangerous: Chiropractic care is inaccurately believed to be more dangerous than standard medical care. Chiropractic care is less invasive than other medical interventions that increase risk for injury. Surgery and medical side effects are more dangerous than any of the non-invasive methods that chiropractors prescribe, like a neck manipulation or spinal adjustment. The American Chiropractic Association has compiled information about risk of death from spine surgery, neck surgery, and taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and aspirin, all of which have a much higher risk of serious side effects and death.
- Chiropractors aren’t REAL doctors: Most people are aware of the delicate nature of necks and spines, and therefore only want to entrust their care to a doctor that is properly accredited. Generally, chiropractors have four years of pre-medical undergraduate education, learning about various scientific fields. Next, they have to complete 10 trimesters or about 4 years of study at an accredited chiropractic college. During these years, students must complete approximately 4,800 hours of study, combining time in the classroom and laboratory and clinical experience. This breadth of education prepares chiropractors to treat the variety of cases they see.
- Cracking your back yourself is the same thing: This falsehood is particularly frustrating considering the above information about the advanced training each chiropractor has to receive to be able to practice. This training enables chiropractors to have an understanding of the sensitive nature of joints and how they function. People also incorrectly assume that it is the same thing when their massage therapist, coach or physical therapist performs it, it isn’t. Just because you hear a noise when you crack your back at home does not mean you have achieved the same results as a carefully orchestrated spinal adjustment in the chiropractor’s office.
68669_2835 flickr photo by DrDawn1 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA) license
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at his Houston chiropractic clinic by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
