Can I Have Chiropractic Care After Back Surgery?
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: I was recently talking to a patient, when they mentioned that they wished their brother could go to a chiropractor for his back pain. I found out that her brother had back surgery 5 years ago, and assumed that he could never get adjusted by a chiropractor again.
This, unfortunately, is a common misunderstanding of patients. People think that if they have ever had neck or back surgery, that they can not go to a doctor of chiropractic and get a spinal adjustment again.
The main thing to understand is it will depend on where and what type of spinal surgery you had to determine when and how can get adjusted again.
After practicing in the greater Houston area for 34 years, we have developed a great working relationship with several spinal surgeons. For a typical discectomy most surgeons will suggest that we wait 4-6 weeks before beginning chiropractic care. A spinal fusion will typically require waiting 4-9 months before receiving a chiropractic manipulation. If a patient received a spinal fusion cage or scoliosis rods, we do not adjust that specific area, but we can adjust the surrounding areas.
A recent study noted that 10% of patients receiving regular chiropractic treatment had at least one prior spinal surgery in the past. Patients With a History of Spine Surgery Receiving Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation in US Academic Health Centers: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Study – PMC (nih.gov) As spine specialist, doctors of chiropractic are uniquely qualified to help with post-surgical rehabilitation and to help minimize a reoccurrence.
Chiropractic care after back surgery will help increase spinal motion, minimize joint adhesions, and help reduce any associated joint pain.
Just because you had neck or back surgery in the past, it does not mean that you cannot experience the pleasure of health by receiving chiropractic care now.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Do You Have To Keep Going To A Chiropractor After You Start?
Houston Chiropractor Comments: I was recently talking with someone when they told me that they wanted to start chiropractic care, but were worried that they would have to keep getting adjusted forever if they did.
Unfortunately, it was not the first time that I had heard that. Since only about 10 percent of the population goes to a doctor of chiropractic, there is a lot of misinformation about chiropractic care.
In my 35 years of being a doctor of chiropractic (DC), we have treated some patients one time and resolved their problem and we have some patients that come one time a month, and have done that for 30+ years.
In my Houston, Texas office we like to find out what is causing the patients’ complaint / pain, fix the problem with chiropractic care and exercises / stretches, and then leave it alone.
Most of the time, this works well. The patients’ complaints are alleviated and they are given stretches and exercises to help prevent a reoccurrence. Think of it like going to a dentist and he fixes a cavity and then tells you to brush and floss to prevent future cavities.
Some patients do well with their home-care program, but eventually life gets busy and they stop doing their stretches and exercises. Since they are usually still doing the same activities…the problems that had resolved, return. The patients have these exacerbations periodically until they make their home-care, part of their daily routine.
Finally, some patients find that the quality of their life is improved with regular chiropractic care. They find that they need less medication, visit other doctors less frequently, and generally have more energy. For these patients, it is like having a tune-up so that they can enjoy life to the fullest.
You do not have to get chiropractic care forever, but you might just find that you want to have regular chiropractic care and experience the pleasure of health.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Are Chiropractic Adjustments Painful?
Houston Chiropractor Comments: Every month, at least 10 – 12 new patients ask me if their chiropractic adjustments will hurt. For most people, it is the fear of the unknown. They have never been to a chiropractor, so they have no idea what to expect. Some have been referred in by a doctor, friend, or co-worker, but even if they are told it is safe, they ask me if it will be painful.
Sometimes I will joke that it will not hurt me at all … and then smile. Patients want reassurance that the treatment will not hurt more than the pain that brought them to our Houston Texas office.
If an adjustment is performed correctly, it should not be painful. Sometimes if there is a serious injury with a lot of swelling and muscle spasms, there might be some soreness noted in the area around the injury.
The actual adjustment removes any restriction in the joint and allows more pain free movement. It also allows any irritation of the nerve to be reduced. These things help to reduce rather than cause pain.
Some patients hear the sound of a chiropractic adjustment and assume that it must cause pain. They think that the sound is two bones grinding together or breaking. In fact, it is just gas in the joint capsule typically. Here is a video explaining the noise that you may hear after an adjustment. Beecher Chiropractic – What is that Chiropractic Noise? (youtube.com)
In summary, typically there is no pain from a properly performed chiropractic adjustment. If you do have any discomfort after an adjustment, it will typically be minimal, such as you might feel after lifting weights or doing yard work. Finally, if you notice any increase in pain after an adjustment put ice on the painful area for 20 minutes and it should go away.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Chiropractic Care For Headaches
Houston Chiropractor Comments: I am always amazed when patients are surprised that chiropractic care can help with headaches. Unfortunately, some people think that chiropractic care is only for neck or back pain. Typically, they will be coming to our Houston Texas office for treatment of their neck pain or from an auto accident, and then realize that the headaches that they had suffered from for years had either gotten better or gone away.
Having a headache can affect your ability to sleep, make decisions, be emotionally available, and carry on with our daily activities.
The most common types of headaches are migraine, tension, and cervicogenic. The tension headache is usually reported as a tight band around the head. The migraine headache is typically one-sided with the patient reporting a sensitivity to light, sound, or smell. The cervicogenic headache typically originates in the neck, but is perceived in the head or face.
Evidence shows that chiropractors are very effective in helping to alleviate cervicogenic and tension headaches and in reducing the intensity and frequency of migraines.
At my Houston TX office, patients have received the best results for their headaches by a combination of spinal manipulation, soft tissue therapy, physical modalities such as electrical stimulation and traction, rehabilitative exercises, and lifestyle changes.
The gentle spinal manipulation is either performed via manual or instrument adjusting to correct any joint misalignments. The soft tissue therapy helps to reduce the muscle tension or spasms. The therapies will be based on your pain pattern and how you respond to care. The rehabilitative exercises and lifestyle changes are designed to give you control over your headaches so that they can be prevented or minimized in the future.
Life is too short to suffer needlessly with headaches. Contact Beecher Chiropractic so that you can experience the pleasure of health.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
How To Pick The Best Backpack For School
Houston Chiropractor Comments: This is the time of the year that parents start to look for school backpacks for their children. These backpacks, while necessary for carrying all their school supplies, tend to be poorly designed for the size of the students. The backpacks often place an excessive strain on their necks and upper backs. Over a period-of-time, the extra weight can distort the natural spinal curvatures.
This distortion can lead to:
- Rounding of the shoulders
- Causing irritation and muscle strain of the rib cage and spinal joints
- Cause the child to lean forward which can reduce their balance and make them more susceptible to falls
The problems with the backpack can be made worse by only utilizing one strap. Doing this causes the child to lean to one side and puts the muscles under non-symmetrical strain.
There is not a consensus among doctors on the correct amount of weight that a child can carry or the perfect backpack design, but parents should use common sense in choosing the best backpack for your child.
Look for backpack design features that help reduce the chance of back pain:
- Lightweight material (canvas as opposed to leather)
- Two padded, wide (2-inches), adjustable shoulder straps on the backpack
- Padded back
- Individualized compartments
- Hip strap, waist belt, or frame to redistribute the weight of the backpack from the shoulders and back to the pelvis
- Wheels so that the backpack can be pulled rather than carried
- Consider using a separate bag for the child’s laptop or other heavier electronic items
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!
How To Reduce Your Back Pain For Free
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: Some of the best things in life are free. Since most people will experience back pain at some point in their life, here are some ways to reduce your back pain at no cost.
Try to stay active. Regular activity will aid in keeping your spine healthy and minimizing your back pain. You do not need to go to the gym every day, but you should find time to do 20 minutes of exercise of some type on most days. It can be simple things such as walking, doing simple body weight exercises, or stretching. If you do a little exercise every day, then when you need to do more activity, like cleaning up after a hurricane, carrying luggage through an airport, or playing sports with your friends, you will not be as sore.
Work at practicing good posture. Be mindful of how you are sitting, standing, or walking. Try not to slouch. Do not spend time looking down at your phone. Try to keep your back straight, with your shoulders back, and your feet flat on the floor.
Lift correctly. No matter how light you think an object is, use the correct mechanics to lift. Make sure that the object is in front of you if possible. Bend at the knees and not just at the waist. Keep the object close to your body. Finally, try not to bend and twist at the same time.
Stretch on a daily basis. Most areas of your body can be stretched appropriately in 1-2 minutes. Remember that you do not have to stretch every area of your body at the same time. Find little windows of time to stretch and it will not be overwhelming. If you need some good stretches, you can find some great videos here.
Finally, stay hydrated. This can be hard during our summers in Houston, TX, but this plays a major role in helping to maintain a healthy spine with well hydrated discs. Most people will need between a half to a whole gallon of water a day. Do not wait until you are thirsty, it is too late by then.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Benefits Of Walking
Houston Chiropractor Comments: If you have had lower back pain in the past, new research out of Australia has confirmed what we suspected. The study showed that if you have recovered from low back pain, then walking can help to prevent a reoccurrence.
The study mentions that walking allows a combination of gentle oscillatory movements, loading and strengthening the spinal muscles and structures, as well as relaxation, stress relief and the release of endorphins.
Over 800 million people around the world suffer from low back pain. In 7 out of 10 cases, the pain will alleviate only to return in the future.
Most chiropractors and other doctors will recommend stretching and exercising to help prevent, or at least minimize, a reoccurrence. Walking is a low cost, and widely accessible form of exercise regardless of age, socio-economic status, or geographic location.
The study, recently posted in The Lancet, showed that walking almost doubled the length of time before a reoccurrence. In addition, the study group reported missing work only half as frequently. Additional benefits were an increase in bone density, cardiovascular health, weight loss, and improved mental health.
As we say at Beecher Chiropractic, movement is medicine.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Best Pillow For Neck Pain
Houston Chiropractor Comments: Every week, at least one patient asks me, “What is the best pillow for neck pain relief”? Choosing the correct pillow and mattress are of paramount importance in getting a good night’s sleep. Without the proper sleeping tools, the bones are not properly supported which does not allow the muscles to completely relax and heal.
The challenge is to find a pillow that works well while you are actually sleeping and moving around in bed, instead of one that feels great when you are just laying on it.
The problem with most pillows with built-in neck rolls or cervical contours is that most people move while they are asleep. These types of pillows work best on patients that do not toss and turn while they are asleep. Once the pillow or the person moves, the neck roll is no longer parallel to the shoulders or the head is no longer being cradled. This causes the head to pitch to one side or causes the neck to bend. Both motions lead to neck pain and do not allow the spine and muscles to relax.
Next is to determine the firmness of the pillow. If the pillow is too firm, it does not allow the neck to fully relax while asleep. If the pillow is too soft, then there is not enough support to ensure a good night’s sleep. Optimally, the pillow should be firm, but allowing the neck to be cradled. Most people respond best to a pillow that gives about an inch when you lay on it.
Next is to determine if you need a pillow with cooling properties. Some patients tend to become very hot at night while asleep. These people benefit from a pillow that will help keep their heads cool while they sleep. Some of these pillows have an external gel layer and some are composed of natural materials such as bamboo or buckwheat husks.
Finally, you need to determine the correct thickness of the pillow. Most of my patients at my Clear Lake City, TX location benefit from sleeping on their backs. For these people, the pillow should be approximately the width of your hand, or about 4 inches thick. For the patients that require a side posture to sleep, the pillow should be about 1 inch thicker, or 5 inches.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Chiropractic Care of Motorcycle Injuries
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: As the weather warms up here in the Houston, Texas area, more people begin to start riding their motorcycles. Unfortunately, some vehicle drivers fail to notice the motorcycle traveling next to them and some motorcycle riders think that traffic laws do not apply to them.
That is when the accidents occur and injuries are the outcome.
Since motorcycle riders do not have the benefit of a solid object protecting them and do not have seatbelts to restrain their motion, they tend to acquire different injuries.
Motorcycle riders and passengers tend to have more abrasions, contusions, and broken / dislocated bones. It is important to properly document all the cuts and bruises to not only be able to address the injuries, but to document any scarring or impairments in the future. Patients who have slid on the pavement or gravel are often surprised when they find that some of it got under their skin and they notice it days or weeks later.
The injured rider’s body also tends to roll or flip over on the ground or pavement instead of being restrained in a vehicle and having a sudden acceleration / deceleration. This results in more global injuries to multiple areas instead of the focal injuries (neck and shoulder) typically seen in auto accidents.
Doctors of Chiropractic (DC) are uniquely qualified for this. Orthopedists MD) and physical therapists (PT) tend to only examine the areas that the patient complains of such as a shoulder or knee and they do not document other areas, such as the neck and back complaint, until after the other area has been surgically corrected or the therapy has finished. At Beecher Chiropractic Clinic in Clear Lake City, Texas we examine not only the area that you are complaining about, but evaluate the mechanism of injury and try to anticipate what other areas might have been injured. This way all your injuries are diagnosed and treated at the same time, if possible.
Hopefully you never get injured on your motorcycle, but if you do, we will be happy to get your injuries resolved as quickly as possible.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Does Dehydration Affect Your Spine?
Houston Chiropractor Comments: As the weather heats back up here in Texas, we run the risk of becoming dehydrated by not making sure that we drink enough water and fluids. This can cause a variety of health concerns.
Our body is composed of up to 50% water and when you are not properly hydrated, you can begin to suffer from dehydration. Typically, you will first notice headaches and dizziness, but it can also result in back and joint pain.
Dehydration has a direct affect on our spine, since it pulls fluids from all areas of the body to support the brain. This leaves the joints, discs, and other connective tissues weak and unable to properly support and cushion the bones. Water helps to hydrate discs located between your vertebrae in your spine and prevents your tendons, ligaments, and muscles from becoming stiff and tight.
If you have chronic dehydration that has affected your spine, it can take 1-2 months to properly rehydrate your discs. You cannot just drink more water for a day or two and correct the problem, you will pee out the extra water before it gets absorbed. It needs to be a gradual increase and then maintained.
Make sure to drink water, milk, or fruit juices before you feel thirsty. Snack on water-rich fruits like melons and berries and minimized drinks like sodas.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
