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Safe Driving and Car Accidents In San Diego

Being a Chiropractor in San Diego, my office provides treatment for many whiplash accident victims.  One of the reasons for these accidents is wet weather driving.  Since we don’t have rain throughout the year in this desert community, when it does rain, oil and debris that has been sting on the road all year long loosens resulting in a very slick driving surface. 

Car accidents are serious!  You may not be aware that approximately 25% of all car accident victims never make a full recovery.  That could mean a lifetime of neck pain, low back pain, headaches, etc.

The best defense for accident prevention in wet weather is defensive driving.  The following paragraphs were found on the National Safety Council website and specifically target safe wet weather driving techniques.

“Losing control of your car on wet pavement is a frightening experience. You can prevent skids by driving slowly and carefully, especially on curves. Steer and brake with a light touch. When you need to stop or slow, do not brake hard or lock the wheels and risk a skid. Maintain mild pressure on the brake pedal.

If you do find yourself in a skid, remain calm, ease your foot off the gas, and carefully steer in the direction you want the front of the car to go. For cars without anti-lock brakes, avoid using your brakes. This procedure, known as “steering into the skid,” will bring the back end of your car in line with the front. If your car has ABS, brake firmly as you steer into the skid.

While skids on wet pavement may be frightening, hydroplaning is completely nerve-wracking. Hydroplaning happens when the water in front of your tires builds up faster than your car’s weight can push it out of the way. The water pressure causes your car to rise up and slide on a thin layer of water between your tires and the road. At this point, your car can be completely out of contact with the road, and you are in danger of skidding or drifting out of your lane, or even off the road.

To avoid hydroplaning, keep your tires properly inflated, maintain good tread on your tires and replace them when necessary, slow down when roads are wet, and stay away from puddles. Try to drive in the tire tracks left by the cars in front of you.

If you find yourself hydroplaning, do not brake or turn suddenly. This could throw your car into a skid. Ease your foot off the gas until the car slows and you can feel the road again. If you need to brake, do it gently with light pumping actions. If your car has anti-lock brakes, then brake normally; the car’s computer will mimic a pumping action, when necessary.

A defensive driver adjusts his or her speed to the wet road conditions in time to avoid having to use any of these measures. Reprinted with permission from the National Safety Council”

If you do happen to get into a fender bender, get to the chiropractor ASAP.  From a statistical standpoint, the best way to avoid becoming one of the 25% of Car Accident  injury patients that never fully recover is to undergo an examination with a licensed chiropractor and follow up with any recommended treatment as soon as possible.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

http://jonespainrelief.com
Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Duration of Care

The scientific literature indicates the vast majority of healing will take place during the first three weeks following the traumatic event. In addition, the majority of the injuries seen are limited to muscular injuries and treatment of patients over 90 days, in our experience, often hinders the solving of the legal matters.

This is not to say that all soft tissue injuries need 90 days of care. Care, like the patient’s injuries, are individual. But, if treatment is longer than 90 days, it should be stressed that the clinical necessity for care should be justified even more.

It is the doctors responsibility to prove the care is needed, not the insurance company’s responsibility to prove it’s not needed.

In our experience and opinion, documenting only the patient’s subjective complaints, is insufficient criteria for the continuation of care.

To support the need for continued care, the documentation within the file should show timely re-examinations which demonstrate objective physical examination findings.

In addition, these objective signs would need to be reasonably “weighed” against the clinical potential for further healing.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Adjustable Economical Mouse Platform website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav
Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Back pain, Neck Pain and more

This discussion is designed to address the soft tissue personal injury case and to offer what we consider are reasonable points of view which are supportable in the literature when possible.
In our experience, failure to follow a reasonable approach often leads to close scrutiny of the claim. It is our hope this discussion will bring the two different levels of expectation a bit closer and result in a higher level of cooperation between the two sides.
Additionally, if the case you manage as the treating practitioner can pass through the medical/legal system, your relationship with the plaintiff attorney can only flourish.
However, if the attorney representing the patient loses a potential award as a result of many of the topics mentioned in this article, how likely could an expanding relationship be?

Scope of Care in Personal Injury Cases

Obviously, the correct diagnosis is paramount in treating any patient following trauma. We will assume, for the purposes of this discussion, the case being treated represents an uncomplicated soft tissue injury. Specifically, injuries that are absent fractures neurological deficits, dislocations, disc herniations or vascular complications.
Treatment rendered for these injuries should represent the standard of care for the geographic area serviced.
The “scope of practice” or treatment rendered should be designed to make passage through the medical/legal system easier. For example, performing reflexology on a patient’s feet for cervical spine injuries will draw more attention than the well accepted treatment course of manipulation, moist heat, ice, ultrasound, and other therapies.
This is not to say that payment will be denied, but the road to reimbursement and settlement would be much easier if a more traditional approach to care is rendered.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Adjustable Economical Mouse Platform website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav
Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Back pain, Neck Pain and more

How Does Ergonomics Affect You?

Those of you have read my blog posts both here and at www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1 know that ergonomics is the study of how we can manipulate our work environment to both improve work performance and reduce injury-causing fatigue.

Obviously, the cost of injury drives the study of ergonomics.  This is a good thing.  Most employers, especially those who run large corporations are detached from their employees – both physically and emotionally.  Were it not for the actual cost of employees’ injuries, many employers would not know or care about their workers’ ergonomic situation.

In the world of ergonomics, there are six separately identifiable variables that affect work performance and fatigue.  These six variables are:

1)    Workload
2)    Each Individuals Physiological Response to the Workload
3)    The Individuals Size & Strength Capabilities
4)    Biomechanical Variances
5)    Human Factors
6)    Work Organization

The questions that should be answered by examining the variables listed above are not limited to but include:

1)    Can You Perform a Task Once Without Injury
2)    Do You Physically Fit Your Workplace
3)    Are You Strong Enough
4)    Can You Perform the Task For Seconds to Minutes Without Fatigue or Injury
5)    Will Injury Occur if the Work is Performed Over Months or Years
6)    Do You Have the Mental Capacity to do the Work

These variables directly affect an individual’s ability to perform certain job duties with or without producing an injury.

The reason that I have decided to include this dry and academic sounding material in this blog is to help provide some very general guides that can be used to evaluate your fit for your work duties.

I have patients who were injured at work who are not good fits for their work.  They either lack the strength, the height or the endurance to effectively perform their work tasks.

If you find yourself in such a situation you should ask for or pay for an ergonomic analysis of your work environment.  Many large companies either have an ergonomics department or have access to an ergonomic specialist.

Writers Bio

Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.
Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Adjustable Economical Mouse Platform website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Back pain, Neck Pain and more

Narrative Reports for Soft Tissue Injuries personal Injury Cases

In our experience, this is far and away the greatest downfall in the well managed soft tissue case. We, as a profession, have become dependent on the computer generated narrative report.

In our opinion, and that of the legal community as well, these types of reports often do not represent original thought or an accurate depiction of the patient’s condition. The various legal arenas involved in personal injury suits take a very dim light as to the veracity of these types of reports.

The narrative report must also be an accurate reflection of the treatment rendered. All sections of the report should correlate to eliminate inconsistencies, and above all should represent accurate and original work. Remember, the attorney will use the report as a settlement tool. It should contain answers, not new problems.

The quality and accuracy of the narrative report should not be underestimated.

It alone represents months of care, the patient’s basis for future medical considerations, prognosis, and most important of all, reimbursement for the services rendered. “He who botches the report, botches the case.”

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Adjustable Economical Mouse Platform website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav
Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Back pain, Neck Pain and more

Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement

Dr. Steve Jones practices in San Diego, California.  This article will relate his struggles to find appropriate and effective treatment for repetitive stress injuries (such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and symptoms including hand pain, wrist pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and elbow pain that were not extensive enough to warrant a specific diagnosis) and why his efforts eventually led prevention vs. treatment.
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Visit our Ergonomic Mouse Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav
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Back in the middle part of the 1990’s, his practice started undergoing an unexpected  transformation.  He started seeing a tremendous number of people complaining of upper extremity pain that was obviously related to long hours of computer work. 

While he had studied carpal tunnel syndrome in school and had seen these patients in the past, the overwhelming numbers of these patients that were presenting to his office inspired a desire to learn more about these injuries.    

Standard conservative treatment for most types of repetitive stress injuries of the upper extremity involved some combination of wrist splints, elbow straps, massage, joint manipulations, ultrasound therapy, electrical muscle stimulation, trigger point therapy and icing.  Treatment for more advanced or debilitating cases could include cortisone injections and various types of nerve decompression surgeries. 

These treatments worked some of the time.  Most of the time treatment would provide temporary relief for short periods.  Many of those who would obtain relief from treatment would have periods of relief that would be punctuated by seemingly unprovoked exacerbations that would cause anger, frustration and depression in both the patient and Dr. Jones (I am sure that he was not the only doctor who was frustrated by treating these conditions). 
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Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav
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For many of those patients who suffered with repetitive stress injuries, the end result of treatment was some level of disability followed by the loss of their employment. 

Carpal tunnel surgery is questionable, statistics that show that approximately 95% of all carpal tunnel surgeries are reauthorized one year after the initial surgery date.  How hopeless does that sound?

Dr. Jones had always been a compassionate, attentive doctor who listened to his patients.  He would pay careful attention to their complaints and as a result he started to notice certain common threads that linked his repetitive stress patients. 

Most of these complaints involved ergonomic issues that were easily fixed.  Some of these things included: having the computer monitor off to one side instead of placed in front of the patient, using the key board at the wrong height, and having a chair without armrests or postural correct supports.  Most of these issues were easy enough to fix.  The most common source of irritation that he was told of, however, was the neck, shoulder, elbow and wrist pain associated with mousing.

Continued……

Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement 2

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

http://jonespainrelief.com
Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

 Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement 1

First Read http://work-injury-workplace-safety.blogspot.com/2009/09/repetitive-stress-treatment-and-one.html

Continued…..

There are several benefits to this type of design.  First of all, a mouse platform that attaches to the armrest of the chair is natural and provides a constant distance between the mouse and the user.  With this design, the mouse is at your finger tips while your forearm comfortably rests on the armrest.  The other important feature of this design is that it allows the operator to sit back in his / her chair which allows for much needed low back and neck support. 

He purchased many of the mouse platforms that attach to the chair and started his evaluations of the available products.  This seemed like such a reasonable solution to such a common problem yet these products were not readily available.  He soon realized why.  Many were expensive and had complex attachment procedures.  Furthermore, they were big.  It was difficult to get close to your desk because they protruded off the end of your armrest by 8 to 10 inches.  Lastly, they were not adjustable.  How could these platforms be considered ergonomic without the ability to rotate or tilt the platform itself?
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Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav
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After two years of development design and many different prototypes, he felt as though he had a solution.  Dr. Jones had developed a mouse platform that had a flexible attachment to the armrest of the chair, a smaller platform that didn’t intrude on the operator’s workspace and a platform that would not only laterally shift side to side, tilt side to side and tilt forward, but it would also tilt down and out of the way when having an attached product at the end of your armrest was not convenient.  

While he recognizes that this product is not a solution for all ergonomic issues for everybody, it is a valuable component of an ergonomically friendly work environment. 

When combined with a keyboard tray and a supportive chair with armrests that adjust up and down, this product makes for a very comfortable computer posture.

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Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav
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Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

http://jonespainrelief.com
Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Stretching and Chiropractic – Try to be More Flexible in 09-10

The headline of this article could be interpreted in a variety of different ways.  For the purposes of this blog post it will address our physical flexibility.  Flexibility is an important measure of our physical fitness.  Flexibility is just as important to our overall health as is strength, endurance, aerobic capacity and body composition. 

One of the big problems that I encounter with my patients in my San Diego Chiropractic office is a lack of flexibility in the joints.  Strong muscles that span flexible joints are ideal for everything from mundane household chores to weekend athletic adventures.  A lack of stretching catches up to us when we perform movements beyond the normal for our lifestyles or activities.  In some cases, an extreme movement can be something as simple as reaching to the table behind you for your cup of coffee.  Neck pain, back pain, arm pain and leg pain can all occur as a result of injuries due to inflexibility.

As a general rule, as our bodies age, our physical fitness degrades.  Regarding flexibility, we tend to loose it.  That is why it is very important to develop flexibility when we are younger and maintain it as we get older.  Even those of us in our forties or older must try to regain some and maintain most of our flexibility even though we are not 20 something anymore.

I always tell people to think about how much strength, endurance or in this case flexibility that they have lost in the last 10 or 20 years.  I know that I am not as physically fit as I was when I was 20 or even 30 years old.  There is no way that I want that same trend to continue over the next 20 years.  In order to prevent the atrophy of our bodies we have to maintain them through stretching and exercise.

In addition to perhaps regaining the ability to touch your toes, becoming more flexible will also help in the following ways.

1)    Helps Relieve Stress:  Flexible muscles are loose and relaxed muscles.  Loose, flexible muscles are less likely to tighten up during stressful, tense situations.
2)    Helps Improve Posture:  Loose muscles help your body maintain better posture.  Avoiding unnecessary postural stress will help you feel better.
3)    Helps Increase Circulation:  Increased circulation comes as a result of consistent stretching.  Improved circulation helps bring nourishment to your muscles while removing toxic build-up of lactic acid and other waste products.
4)    Helps Improve Coordination:  Stretching will improve your joints range of motion providing for better balance, mobility and coordination.  Improved coordination will help us with all athletic activities and help prevent falls as we age.

I always recommend stretching in the form of Yoga.  Stores like Target have many instructional DVDs on Yoga.  Linda and I have always found that Rodney Yee produces better than average DVD courses on Yoga.  If you are not experienced in Yoga you will need to start with a beginners course, many people look at Yoga and assume that it is easy.  THIS IS NOT THE CASE.  Yoga is not only a great stretch but an excellent work out and you can hurt yourself if you over-do it.

Some guidelines for safe stretching include:
1)    Warm up Before You Begin
2)    Don’t Bounce While Stretching
3)    Avoid Pain While Stretching – It Should Feel Like A Good Stretch – Not A Painful One
4)    Stretch Both Sides
5)    Stretch Both Before and After Exercise    

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Better Health Steve Jones

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

http://jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Chiropractic and Nutrition – Why Not?

So you’ve had a Birthday and you’re thinking about your youth that’s slipping away.  I would like to go back to 30 myself.  Of course there are some things we can do to help feel more youthful and have more energy.

Some San Diego Chiropractic offices include nutrition in their practices.  Nutrition is a logical component of helping patients regain and maintain their health.  That being said, I do have a good grasp of some of the concepts employed by chiropractors and other doctors regarding testing for nutritional deficiencies.

I have always liked measured outcomes.  Granted, in health care, many times “improvement” in a patients’ condition is driven by the patients’ symptoms. 

In other words, when the patient is out of pain, they are done with care!

This is seldom a good call, most of the time it isn’t.  Even doctors are advised against making judgments regarding delivery of care for their own illnesses.  After all, many patients are riddled with cancer or have major blockage in their hearts’ arteries yet the patient has no symptoms.  Like any of these conditions, treatment for even seemingly minor symptoms is best when delivered until the illness is completely resolved.

Our state of wellness is fleeting and worsened when we ignore signals that we are losing our health. 

We can develop mild symptoms like insomnia or anxiety or fatigue for example and attribute them to something other than some internal issue.  Often our symptoms are attributed to things such as work stress or relationship problems.  While those stresses are contributors to our symptoms, diet and ultimately nutrition take the lead role in producing symptoms of ill health.

I recently made the decision to have a hair analysis performed for mineral content.  The lab that we are now using for hair analysis uses state of the art equipment to analyze the hair sample then they generate a report containing specifics regarding their findings.  They also include recommended supplements and gobs of information regarding the consequences of their findings.

Having considered myself above the average as far as my health goes, I was shocked by the reports findings. 

This report is exactly what I need to drive my nutritional supplement schedule.  It provides a measure of where I am and what I should take to get where I need to be.

For those of you who have dismissed the findings of a hair analysis as inaccurate, advances in this procedure over the last ten years have made the results as accurate as blood tests.

So get serious about getting healthy, do yourself a favor and get a hair analysis.  It will do wonders with guiding your nutritional plan and it will keep you on track toward better health!

Writer

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic

ADJUSTABLE MOUSE PLATFORM Website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Chiropractic San Diego Website to make an appointment

Better Health Steve Jones

A Spoonful of Cinnamon Helps the Blood Cholesterol Go Down

In our Chiropractic office in San Diego California, we like to stress the importance of natural holistic healthcare.  Although our office is delivering chiropractic care for neck pain, back pain and the like, we also encourage our patients to use natural remedies at home as well.  There are many benefits of using cinnamon in our diets.  There are also many different forms of cinnamon.  I recently came across this article and thought I would share it with you.

A new report suggests that the equivalent of a spoonful of cinnamon a day can significantly lower blood sugar, cholesterol and lipid levels. This could be good news for people with diabetes.

Sixty people with type 2 diabetes were divided into six groups; three groups received daily doses of cinnamon (1, 3 or 6 grams, respectively), while the other groups received placebo capsules containing wheat flour. The cinnamon was consumed for 40 days, followed by a 20-day washout period. Blood glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol levels were all significantly lower in patients receiving cinnamon compared to those given a placebo.

While adding cinnamon to the diet won’t cure a person with diabetes, it may help protect diabetic patients from some of the worst complications that arise from the condition, such as blurred vision, heart disease and kidney failure.

Here are a variety of ways that cinnamon can be incorporated into a person’s diet, try adding it to your morning coffee or try eating oatmeal (which is very good for cholesterol) with a teaspoon of cinnamon, or making a tea out of boiling water and cinnamon stick.”

Reference:
Khan A, Safdar M, Muzaffar Ali Khan M, et al. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care December 2003;26, pp3215-3218.
More Soon

Doc

Get Better Sleep With Nutrition

Some time ago I did an article on my nutritional state. I am doing this for several reasons.

I want to get healthier. I had a fantastic educational experience in nutrition 18 years ago while in Chiropractic College; to my dismay implementation of my nutritional education has been absent from my San Diego chiropractic office. I take responsibility for this; as my focus has been on helping patients with specific complaints of neck pain, low back pain, headaches and the like.

Secondly, before I implement anything into my patients’ care I like to be on board with it so I can have first hand experience with its benefits. Nutrition is no different. I have been hit and miss with my diet and supplements for years – it is time for a change.

To recap my first post on this topic, I had a hair mineral analysis performed approximately one month ago. The results revealed deficiencies in many nutrient minerals. Some of the minerals that I was deficient in have the ability to cause anxiety and may affect my ability to sleep soundly. Both anxiety and insomnia are conditions that I have struggled with for years.

The lab that I used for my hair analysis not only provided a report regarding my deficiencies, but they also gave me a supplement recommendation list that I could use to restore proper mineral balance in my system.

As of the date of this post, I have been taking my supplements as advised by the lab for about ten days. At this point I feel a bit clearer headed and I have slept soundly for over 7 hours per night over the last three nights. I know that three nights good sleep is not a fix, but it is unusual. In a typical month I usually only get two or three good nights sleep.

Three good nights sleep in a row is a record for me and enough evidence to justify continuing with my nutritional supplements.

In a few weeks I will post again on this topic to let you all know how I am progressing.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic

ADJUSTABLE MOUSE PLATFORM Website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Chiropractic San Diego Website to make an appointment
Better Health Steve Jones

Defining Your Workspace: Ergonomic Basics

Setting up your office space correctly definitely requires some expert input. That being said, many aspects of setting up your office space are based on common sense.

We all have specific items at work that we handle more frequently than others. In my work environment for instance, I use the mouse and keyboard more than any other object on my desk. At this point I will inject a shameless plug for my Ergo Nav. Since I use my mouse most frequently, I have it perched right at the end of my chairs’ armrest. My Ergo Nav positions my mouse close enough to my body to avoid any reaching for the mouse at all. From an ergonomic standpoint, this positioning is ideal.

Visit the Ergo Nav site to see a demo of how it Reduces Wrist, Arm and Neck Pain For Computer Users

My keyboard is also within my immediate reach as are my writing instruments such as pens and pencils. All of the items that I have discussed so far are within my immediate reach area, which is also known as the “usual work space”.

Most people only have a handful of objects that truly belong in their “usual work space”. The actual dimensions of this space vary with the size of the worker, therefore, you have to keep the principals of good ergonomics in mind when determining the actual size of your “usual work space”. As far as placement of mice, keyboards, pens, phones etc., within your “usual work space” you have to position these items in a way that avoids or limits hunching of the shoulders, flaring out of the elbows or forward flexion of the shoulders.

The area beyond the “usual work space” is considered the “occasional work space” and should contain objects that are only occasionally used. In my circumstances, the “occasional work space” contains my cpu, monitor, printer and my phone. Most of the time I have an assistant to answer my phone and I may only make a handful of calls each day. My monitor only requires that I turn it on and off once a day – the same being the case with my printer and the computer itself. My desk space is limited so the items that I have covered are the only items in my space. Staplers, files and paper are needed infrequently enough to not deserve the chance to clutter my work area.

Safe Driving and Auto Accidents In San Diego
Being a Chiropractor in San Diego, my office provides treatment for many whiplash accident victims.  One of the reasons for these accidents is wet weather driving.  Since we don’t have rain throughout the year in this desert community, when it does rain, oil and debris that has been sting on the road all year long loosens resulting in a very slick driving surface.
Auto accidents are serious!  You may not be aware that approximately 25% of all auto accident victims never make a full recovery.  That could mean a lifetime of neck pain, low back pain, headaches, etc.

The best defense for accident prevention in wet weather is defensive driving.  The following paragraphs were found on the National Safety Council website and specifically target safe wet weather driving techniques.

“Losing control of your car on wet pavement is a frightening experience. You can prevent skids by driving slowly and carefully, especially on curves. Steer and brake with a light touch. When you need to stop or slow, do not brake hard or lock the wheels and risk a skid. Maintain mild pressure on the brake pedal.

If you do find yourself in a skid, remain calm, ease your foot off the gas, and carefully steer in the direction you want the front of the car to go. For cars without anti-lock brakes, avoid using your brakes. This procedure, known as “steering into the skid,” will bring the back end of your car in line with the front. If your car has ABS, brake firmly as you steer into the skid.
While skids on wet pavement may be frightening, hydroplaning is completely nerve-wracking. Hydroplaning happens when the water in front of your tires builds up faster than your car’s weight can push it out of the way. The water pressure causes your car to rise up and slide on a thin layer of water between your tires and the road. At this point, your car can be completely out of contact with the road, and you are in danger of skidding or drifting out of your lane, or even off the road.
To avoid hydroplaning, keep your tires properly inflated, maintain good tread on your tires and replace them when necessary, slow down when roads are wet, and stay away from puddles. Try to drive in the tire tracks left by the cars in front of you.
If you find yourself hydroplaning, do not brake or turn suddenly. This could throw your car into a skid. Ease your foot off the gas until the car slows and you can feel the road again. If you need to brake, do it gently with light pumping actions. If your car has anti-lock brakes, then brake normally; the car’s computer will mimic a pumping action, when necessary.
A defensive driver adjusts his or her speed to the wet road conditions in time to avoid having to use any of these measures. Reprinted with permission from the National Safety Council”
If you do happen to get into a fender bender, get to the chiropractor ASAP.  From a statistical standpoint, the best way to avoid becoming one of the 25% of auto injury patients that never fully recover is to undergo an examination with a licensed chiropractor and follow up with any recommended treatment as soon as possible
 Steve Jones San Diego Chiropractor

Back Pain, Neck Pain and Posture

Back pain and neck pain can strike anyone at any time. In my chiropractic clinic in San
Diego, California, we see patients that have injured their backs or necks from lifting
boxes, operating heavy machinery, sports injuries, auto accidents and falls. Many nonchiropractic.

Patients or new chiropractic patients would be surprised to find that the most
common type of injury that we see in our office is not from lifting 90 pound sacks of
concrete but from postural stress.

Postural stress is the “silent killer” when it comes to our spinal health. Postural stress
occurs during both seated and standing positions. Postural stress occurs any time that
your spine looses its’ natural curves and / or moves forward beyond its neutral balance
point.

An example of a posturally stressful position for your neck would be when you are sitting at the computer leaning your neck and head forward while either keyboarding or reading the screen. Assuming a posture in which your head and neck are extended out in front of your body reverses the normal curve of your neck and shifts your head forward of its balance point.

When we assume postures that cause stress on our spines, the stability that is inherent in our structure when postural boundaries are respected is lost. Postural stress exposes our aligaments and muscles to prolonged periods of stretching which results in fatigue,
irritation, inflammation, back pain and neck pain.

Treating postural stresses resulting neck pain and back pain requires a multifaceted
approach. Chiropractic care will relieve the pain and stiffness. This may take several
treatments based on the length of time that you have been in pain and the severity of your symptoms. Concurrent to chiropractic care, you must do everything possible to remove the causes of the postural stress. A thorough workstation analysis can reveal hidden sources of postural stress. Applying ice packs to the specific areas of neck pain and back pain in twenty minute sessions is also helpful.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com or www.ErgoNav.com

San Diego is known as being an environment that is full of allergens.  I have many patients in my chiropractic practice that specifically come to the chiropractor (me) for neck or cervical adjustments that help their allergies.

As it is, millions of Americans alter their summer activities because of allergies.  For some of us, allergies mean having to limit outdoor activities during some seasons.  Having the ability to do yard work, play golf, horse around with the kids or take a walk around the park should all be part of summer-time fun.  For a few of us allergy sufferers, it can mean complete misery.

We typically use anti-histamines (both prescription and over the counter) to help to reduce the severity of our allergy symptoms.  These anti-histamines are not without side-effects, especially in children whose allergies may be treated with a lifetime of medication.  The downside of long term anti-histamine use is that they do not resolve the cause of the allergies, but merely reduce to symptom severity.

For this reason, many people consider natural alternatives to anti-histamine medication as they are concerned about long term effects of the medication.  Allergies are caused by exaggerated immune responses therefore reducing allergies requires improving the health of the immune system. 

There are several ways to naturally boost immune system function:

Nutritional support is vital for a properly functioning immune system.  Without essential nutrients, the body cannot produce the cells need for immune function.  The body expresses inadequate immune system function with allergic reactions.  A good initial approach is to eat more fruits and vegetables and drink more water.  Eating whole grains and fresh fish will help you consume complex carbohydrates and essential fatty acids which are essential for a healthy immune system.  If food seems to be a source of your allergies, you may want to consider supplementing your improved diet with vitamins and minerals.

Exercise is also important in boosting immune function.  Aerobic exercise has been proven to help stimulate proper immune cells (Igg), and suppress histamine-producing immune cells (Ige).  Both of these cell types play critical roles in the immune response. 
Another critical way to improve immune system function is to improve nervous system function.  The nervous system regulates the immune system, therefore a properly functioning nervous system is better able to coordinated immune cell activity. 

Chiropractic adjustments have helped many allergy sufferers by improving the health of the nervous system.

The bottom line is that allergies are a response that we think we have no control over. However, through diet, exercise, and chiropractic adjustments you may be able to control your allergies the healthy way.
More Soon,
Doc

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

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Nutrition Update – Still Sleeping!

I did a post on regarding a new supplement program that I had started sometime around the middle of March.

I am ecstatic about the results so far!

In my last post I had touched on some health issues that have been plaguing me for years.  The issues that I mentioned were insomnia and anxiety.

To back track just a little bit, I had read quite a bit about hair mineral analysis over the years and out of curiosity finally had one done.  My results revealed deficiencies in several minerals that can cause not only insomnia but anxiety.

I had begun taking the minerals that I was deficient in and as of this last Monday I had three consecutive good nights sleep.  It is now Friday, April 04, 2008 and I have now had seven (7) great nights sleep. 

For the first time in years I don’t feel like I need a cup of coffee to get me started in the morning and I don’t feel myself running out of energy in the mid-afternoon.

I am not sure at this point how I am doing with my anxiety levels.  I definitely feel less anxious than I did.  That being the case, I am reasonably sure that the only stress that has reduced in my life is the stress that I used to have when I was trying to sleep. 

Either way, I am sleeping better, MUCH BETTER, and my anxiety level seems to be lower.

I realize that I have only been doing this for a few weeks but this is encouraging.  My results thus far really makes me want to look at the rest of my health habits a bit harder.  Maybe a few adjustments in my diet such as eliminating a bit more refined sugar and simply resisting the urge to succumb to unhealthy cravings could help me attain a level of health that I have not had in years.  

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

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Back Pain and Arthritis

Arthritis is a scary word to most people.

In my San Diego Chiropractic clinic, I see people each day who suffer from the effects of arthritis.  Besides the fact the in general arthritis slows you down and limits your physical abilities, it also causes pain.  Neck pain, back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain and even headaches (secondary to the neck pain) are common complaints from people with arthritis.

Most of the patients that we provide chiropractic treatment for are suffering from a type of arthritis know as osteoarthritis.  Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease, degenerative arthritis and wear & tear arthritis.  The term osteoarthritis does describe a type of arthritis that occurs because of a wearing down of the joint.
In some cases, osteoarthritis is the result of some injury to the joint that resulted in unnatural or awkward movements of that joint.  In the medical community we refer to these abnormal movements as “biomechanical abnormalities”  In many cases, a joint has to be exposed to biomechanical abnormalities for years before the joint becomes laden with arthritis. 

In my chiropractic office, we treat many patients for automobile accidents.  I always tell these patients that while I am not trying to minimize the pain that they are currently suffering from, the most important aspect of their entire treatment program is to help restore normal biomechanics of the spine.  This is because eliminating the pain associated with car accident injuries is important but the initial pain that comes with a car accident is only a fraction of the long-term discomfort that comes with biomechanical abnormalities. 

Of course I am referring to a process that involves whiplash of a joint leading to scar tissue formation causing abnormal biomechanics that results in arthritic joints.  
We do provide effective treatment for the PAIN of arthritis but there is no treatment that CURES it.

The bottom line is this:  If you have neck pain or back pain now, get treatment for it becomes an incurable disorder like arthritis.

Article Writers Bio

Dr. Steve Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in San Diego.  Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.   Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.  Click the following links to find out how we can help you start feeling better today! www.JonesPainRelief.com, www.ErgoNav.com

 Chiropractic Treatment for Low Back Pain

Why do I have back pain?

Being a chiropractor in San Diego, I hear this question all the time.  Back pain and neck pain are the two most common complaints that my patients have.  The fact that my practice is in San Diego probably decreases the frequency of these complaints.  People in San Diego tend to be more active which actually lowers the incidence of low back and neck pain.

Over fifteen years ago when I first started practicing chiropractic care in San Diego, most of my low back pain patients and neck pain patients for that matter were not related to office work.  Most of the cases that I had when I first started practicing were do to injuries like car accidents and falls or heavy work.

In the mid to late nineteen nineties, I started to see a trend in injury mechanisms among my patients.  They were starting to attribute their pain to long hours of sitting at the computer.

Sitting all day at the computer not only causes back pain but it also causes neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and various arm problems.

Lower back pain is primarily due to poor sitting posture.  When we are standing up with good posture, our lower backs have a sweeping forward bowing curve that resembles a stretched out letter “c”.  This shape distributes our bodies weight evenly throughout the spine.  When we sit, this curve reverses, greatly increasing the stress on the joints and discs in the spine.

With time, this postural stress results in irritation and inflammation resulting in pain and muscle spasms.

Once the low back has reached a point of pain and spasms, chiropractic care is necessary to relieve the pain, improve the bio-mechanics of the spine and relax the muscles.

In addition to chiropractic care for back pain, the patient must seek out an ergonomic chair and have it adjusted properly for their body.  In many cases, I suggest a complete workstation analysis to help prevent future problems with other computer related stresses.    

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic

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Better Health Steve Jones

Medical Management in Personal Injury cases

Our experience with these cases comes from clinical practice, file reviews, and contributions to the scientific literature on the subject. With this said, we are in a unique position to see cases at the request of both the plaintiff and defense.

There is, despite the apparent contradiction in party philosophy, one area of commonality. Both sides utilize our opinion and both desires to know what, in our opinion, constitutes a well managed soft tissue case. Both sides, it seem, have a strong desire to be reasonable, but the different levels of expectations mentioned earlier make each party feel the other is often being unreasonable.

Legal Issues in a Personal Injury Suit

The plaintiff side of the issue is represented by the patient’s attorney and we have discovered they are often placed in a position of “pressure” when attempting to justify some of the patient care issues common to the handling of soft tissue cases by the doctor or therapist.

We believe anything which allows the claim to pass through the “legal” process easier, will be greatly appreciated by the attorney and will often result in a better long-term working relationship with the attorney. This better relationship often results in greater utilization of the doctor’s services by the attorney.

If, on the other hand, the clinical treatment of the doctor or therapist causes the case to lose value, the possibility of a long-term relationship decreases dramatically.

For example, the case we mentioned earlier in which the doctor treated the patient 454 times for an uncomplicated soft tissue injury, makes the case very difficult for the attorney to move the case through the “system” and do justice to their client’s interests. This type of behavior makes the claim lose value and results in protracted litigation before settlement.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Visit our Adjustable Economical Mouse Platform website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav
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Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Back pain, Neck Pain and more

Better Sleep With Nutrition  

Several posts ago I did an article on my nutritional state.  I am doing this for several reasons.

First of all, I want to get healthier.  While I had a fantastic educational experience in nutrition 18 years ago in chiropractic college, my implementation of my nutritional education has been absent from my San Diego chiropractic office.  I take some responsibility for this as my focus has been on helping patients with specific complaints of neck pain, low back pain, headaches and the like.

Secondly, before I implement anything into my patients’ care I like to be on board with it so I can have first hand experience with its benefits.  Nutrition is no different.  I have been hit and miss with my diet and supplements for years – it is time for a change.

To recap my first post on this topic, I had a hair mineral analysis performed approximately on e month ago.  The results revealed deficiencies in many nutrient minerals.  Some of the minerals that I was deficient in have the ability to cause anxiety and may affect my ability to sleep soundly.  Both anxiety and insomnia are conditions that I have struggled with for years.

The lab that I used for my hair analysis not only provided a report regarding my deficiencies, but they also gave me a supplement recommendation list that I could use to restore proper mineral balance in my system.

As of the date of this post, I have been taking my supplements as advised by the lab for about ten days.  At this point I feel a bit more clear headed and I have slept soundly for over 7 hours per night over the last three nights.  I know that three nights good sleep is not a fix, but it is unusual.  In a typical month I usually only get two or three good nights sleep.

Three good nights sleep in a row is a record for me and enough evidence to justify continuing with my nutritional supplements.

I will post again on this topic in a few weeks to let you all know how I am progressing.

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

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Injuries as a result of an auto accident have the potential to affect almost all of us, seeing as how the majority of Americans either are drivers or passengers in cars on a daily basis.

There are approximately 3 million whiplash injuries sustained in the U.S. every year. Many cases of whiplash are unreported or go untreated due to the seemingly minor low speed collision or minimal, or any, amount of damage to the involved vehicles. It is also estimated that 45% of people who suffer from chronic neck pain do so as a result of a previous whiplash injury.

Although whiplash is the most commonly thought of injury with auto accidents, it is very common for people to receive injuries to the hips, knees, shoulders, back, and ribs to name a few.

It is very common, especially with low speed collisions, for there to be no pain immediately after the accident. Often it takes several days or longer for any pain to appear. Most people believe that if they do not have pain immediately following the accident, or if it’s a week or two after the accident before they start having pain, then they can’t receive treatment for it, or have any treatment included in the insurance claim. This is completely false.

It is routine for auto accident patients to begin care weeks or months after the accident, despite what your insurance company may lead you to believe.
Another myth related to car accidents is that if there is no damage to the vehicle, then there can be no injury, and therefore insurance companies will not cover any type of treatment. This is also false.
There is overwhelming scientific evidence that injuries can occur without there being any damage to the vehicle. The insurance companies know this, but they bank on the fact that you do not. In fact, low speed collisions with little or no damage to the vehicles make up a significant portion of the cases handled and paid out by auto insurance companies.

Dr. Mairs Chiropractic office employs a variety of different modern chiropractic techniques for dealing with the many possible symptoms that accompany whiplash including neck pain, headaches, jaw pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, hand pain, numbness and tingling.

Dr. Mairs will work with you to find the most effective treatment for your auto accident related injuries; we pride ourselves in treating every patient as an individual. Mairs Chiropractic specializes in pain relief for auto accident and sports injuries.
We will customize your chiropractic treatment to provide a pain relief program designed to get fast, long lasting results.

Stop living with pain needlessly!

Start your pain relief treatment now!

Contact our San Diego Clinic today!

http://www.mairschiropractic.com/accident_injuries/Car_Accidents.html

Repetitive Stress Trauma: An Introduction

Repetitive Stress Trauma or RST is described entirely by the words that make up the phrase.  Repetition implies that the injury is the result of more than one exposure.  Typical RSTs result from weeks, months or years of performance of a repetitive task with a specific body part.  Stress is the result of inadequate recovery time in between exposures to the repetitious task.  Trauma, of course signifies bodily injury as a result of the repetitive stress.  

Health care workers primarily view Repetitive Stress Trauma as an occupational or work injury.  This thought is based on government statistics which indicate that those who work are more likely to develop an RST injury.  While these statistics can’t be denied, they also need to be taken into proper context.  In my San Diego based chiropractic clinic, we see many patients with RST injuries.  Most of the time, most of the trauma is related to work, more specifically to computer work.  Additionally, many of these injured people spend upwards of six hours per day on their computers while at work only to come home, eat dinner, and then sit at their own computers for hours on end as well.  It doesn’t matter where the stress comes from, the injury remains the same.  That being said, in my 15 years of experience in dealing with RSTs I have found the primary source of irritation to be the work environment. 

At this point I will go off on a tangent for just a moment … or more.  One of the services that my office offers is ergonomic evaluations.  Since most of my patients are in computer related occupations, most of my evaluations are on computer set-ups.  Typically, when I question my patients about their work stations I hear the following, “Well, it is pretty good except for FILL IN THE BLANK.”  At this point I usually suggest that I come to their place of work and evaluate their work station.  They are usually way out of the ideal ergonomic set-up.  I see keyboards, mice, monitors and phones positioned in ways that will certainly lead to a worsening of their condition.

RSTs, ergonomics and permanent disability are important topics.  As such, I will end this article at this point and be back tomorrow or Tuesday with a continuation of what I have started.  This topic will be covered over the next three or four posts.  Stay tuned.

More soon.
Doc

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Adjustable Economical Mouse Platform website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Back pain, Neck Pain and more

How Does Your Posture Affect Back Pain and Neck Pain?

Chiropractor, neck pain ,posture ,chiropractic ,back pain ,ergonomic

Have you ever wondered how it can be that you can sit around all day doing nothing strenuous and develop back pain or neck pain?  When you start to examine the structure of our bodies and apply some simple rules of physics, the fact that we don’t suffer from more frequent or intense back pain and neck pain is a wonder.  In my chiropractic office in San Diego, California, I see office workers on a regular basis that have significant back and neck complaints related to simple ergonomic issues.

Back pain or neck pain can affect anyone at any time.  I see patients that have injured their backs and necks from lifting, operating machinery, sports injuries, auto accidents and falls on a daily basis.  I would classify these injuries as typical or expected types of injuries.  Many non-chiropractic patients or new chiropractic patients would be surprised to find that the most common type of injury that I see in my office is not from lifting heavy sacks of concrete but from the long term consequences of postural stress.

Postural stress is the “silent killer” when it comes to our spinal health.  Postural stress occurs during both seated and standing positions.  Postural stress occurs any time that your spine looses its’ natural curves and / or moves forward beyond its neutral balance point.

An example of a posturally stressful position for your neck would be when you are sitting at the computer leaning your neck and head forward while keyboarding, mousing or viewing the screen.  Assuming a posture in which your head and neck are extended out in front of your body reverses the normal curve of your neck and shifts your head forward of its balance point.

When we assume postures that cause stress on our spines, the stability that is inherent in our structure when postural boundaries are respected is lost.  Postural stress exposes our ligaments and muscles to prolonged periods of stretching which results in fatigue, irritation, inflammation, back pain and neck pain and eventually arthritis.

Treating neck pain and back pain that has resulted from postural stress requires a multifaceted approach.  Chiropractic care combined with stretching and nutritional support will relieve the pain and stiffness and restore normal, full joint motion.  This part of your recovery may take several treatments or a lengthy treatment program based on the length of time that you have been in pain and the severity of your symptoms.

In addition to chiropractic care, you must eliminate or modify the causes of the postural stress.  A workstation analysis can reveal ergonomic issues that are instigators of postural stress.  Ice pack applications to the specific areas of neck pain and back pain in twenty minute sessions are also helpful.

The best way to begin your care is discuss your issues with your chiropractor.  Chiropractors are well trained in dealing with postural stress issues and the neck pain and back pain that result from it.  At my San Diego based chiropractic clinic we use a complete approach that utilizes chiropractic care supported by specific stretches and exercises.  We also encourage the proper nutritional support to facilitate the healing process.  Whatever approach that you take to relieve the pain of postural stress, please be aware of the importance of eliminating the source of the postural stress in addition to seeking treatment.

Bio for Article city

Dr. Steve Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in San Diego.  Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.   Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.  Click the following links to find out how we can help you start feeling better today! www.JonesPainRelief.com, www.ErgoNav.com

Why You Need a Cleansing Diet.

In my San Diego Chiropractic Center we treat people as a whole.  In general, chiropractors are concerned about the typical neck pain and low back pain complaints that our patients have, however, dietary concerns are addressed as well.  The value of a properly spine can’t be ignored but if you have a poor diet consisting of high calorie, difficult to digest junk food you are not being as respectful to your body as you could be. 

Cleansing diets can help you turn your health around.  A cleansing diet should be used any time your digestion is sluggish or if you feel heavy, congested or lethargic.  There are a variety of other symptoms for which a cleansing diet may be appropriate include headaches, fatigue, bad breath or if you experience other digestive discomforts like gas, bloating and constipation.

The first step with any type of cleansing diet is to cut out the junk food.  Junk food includes:  food additives, snacks, desserts, canned foods, processed foods and salty foods.  The basic idea is to eat fresh foods that are freshly prepared and to keep meals very simple.  Also, try to decrease the size and frequency of meals, and be sure to eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly. 

The next step is to distinguish between the heavy and light food groups.

 Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are considered heavy food groups while fruits, vegetables and herbs are considered light food groups.  The light food groups are the foods that we use for cleansing.  In a balanced diet, heavy food group meals are evenly counterbalanced with portions from the light food groups.  For the purposes of a cleansing diet, the heavy foods portions are reduced while we increase the portions from the light food groups.

Next, simple carbohydrates like sugars and refined flours should be eliminated completely. Complex carbohydrates like whole grains can also be eliminated or sharply reduced for up to a week.

The next step is to eliminate animal-based proteins. Animal-based proteins include pork, red meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy. These proteins are dense and highly nourishing foods and are unsuitable for a cleanse. These foods come from animals that are high on the food chain and are likely to carry environmental toxins.

During this cleanse, we can eat plant-sourced protein in small quantities.  The best choice for plant based proteins is simple well-cooked whole grain and bean combinations.  In general the smaller the bean, the easier it is to digest.  The mung bean is well-known for its cleansing and protective qualities.  Brown rice and lentils are another good complete protein combination. Nuts and seeds also provide protein but are higher in fat and best eaten fresh in very small quantities or avoided altogether.

Organic fruits are perhaps the best cleansers and are best if eaten alone.
Your cleansing diet can be supported by gentle stretching, aerobic exercise, deep breathing, chiropractic care and massage. Remember to leave ample time between meals and limit your eating times so that no food is eaten between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. A short cleanse can be accomplished in three days.

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

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Yoga and Chiropractic

My sister is a long time chiropractic patient.  Not my patient, she lives 700 miles away from my chiropractic practice in San Diego, so she does not get free care from her little brother, she has to pay for it.

About ten years ago, my sister took up Yoga – about nine years ago she called me one day and said “Hey Steve, this Yoga thing is great, I bet that if all of your patients took up Yoga that they wouldn’t need you anymore!”  I actually took this as a compliment because I had originally encouraged her to do Yoga – and now she was feeling better because of it.

While I know that the practice of Yoga is a wonderful method for keeping your muscles stretched and your spine flexible, it is a compliment for chiropractic, not a substitute.

Many of my peers consider my philosophy regarding the management of my chiropractic patients a bit odd.  Instead of placing my patients on long term care programs, I prefer to get my patients out of pain as quickly as possible and then give them a combination of stretches and exercises that they can do at home that will help stabilize their area of pain.

Those of you who have not tried Yoga should do so.  Yoga is a discipline that constantly challenges your physical being.  The positions used in Yoga routines test your body and mind with combinations of stretching, strength training and balance that very few other disciplines can offer.

From a purely physical standpoint, Yoga helps even your muscle tone, improve your balance and coordination, build strength, prevent injury, focus your breathing, improve your posture and elongate muscles.  Mentally, Yoga allows to focus on the “now” which helps reduce stress and consequently, reduce muscle spasms among other things.

It is because of all of the benefits of Yoga that I recommend it to most of my friends and patients.   Combining the benefits of Chiropractic care’s ability to break down scar tissue and adhesions that limit or alter normal joint motion and Yoga’s benefits as discussed above makes for an exceptional approach to treating neck pain, back pain and many other musculoskeletal conditions that I see in my office.

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic

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Chiropractic San Diego Website to make an appointment
Better Health Steve Jones

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic
(619) 280 0554

http://jonespainrelief.com

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Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Chiropractic Approach to Tension Headaches and Neck Pain

In my San Diego chiropractic clinic we treat hundreds of people each year with headaches.  Some of the more common types of headaches that we see are the: migraine headache, cluster headache, caffeine headache, vascular headache, spinal headache and tension headaches.  Like its’ label implies, muscle tension headaches occur secondary to hypertonic or overly tight muscles.  In many cases, the muscle tension that causes the headache is a direct result of neck pain or dysfunction.  This article will focus on the tension headache because it is the most common type of headache and the type most often linked to neck pain.

This article will describe in both how and why some people get tension headaches and what can be done for them both at home and with chiropractic care.

To begin with, most people think of their skull as being covered only with skin.  What many don’t know is that underneath the skin lies a thin layer of muscle.  Another well known fact regarding muscle tension headaches is that the pain that the patient feels is from these muscles, not from the brain. 

Most of the time this layer of muscle that covers the skull maintains normal resting muscle tone.  During these times, the patients are free from the effects of muscle tension and the resulting headaches. 

Stress, whether from work, home or social situations can cause these muscles to tighten.  Think of an irritated persons’ furrowed brow.  This reaction to stress can cause the muscles covering the skull to spasm resulting in muscle tension and a tension headache.  Typically, the headache will fade as the muscle spasm resolves.

Another common source of muscle tension headaches is the neck and upper back.  There is a thin layer of muscle that connects the top vertebra in your neck to the base of your skull.  This muscle group is known as the suboccipital muscles.   When we are stressed or injured (as in a whiplash accident), the neck muscles can tighten and spasm resulting in neck pain, back pain and muscle tension headaches as well.

There are many muscle groups and layers of muscle that overlap in the neck and upper back.  Chronic tightness of these muscles can also trigger the onset of a chronic headache.  If indeed your headache is caused by muscle tension, it will certainly improve as the muscle tension decreases.

Headache relief can come from several different treatments.  A common home remedy for headache involves the use of ice packs.  Ice packs can be applied to the head or neck in 20 minute sessions.  Ice packs will remove inflammation built up in the muscles and calm the nerves.  Teaching yourself relaxation techniques can also be very effective if you carry the proper mindset. 

Muscle tension headaches also result from minor misalignments of the vertebra in the neck called subluxations that can trigger muscle spasms and pain that create the headache.  Subluxations irritate the joints of the spine and the associated nerves resulting in the muscle tightening (spasm) around the joint as a protective mechanism. 

Chiropractic adjustments help restore the normal healthy balance of the muscles that move and support the spine.  A healthy spine is not bound by muscle tension and much less likely to trigger a muscle tension headache.  A treatment program with an experienced chiropractor can result in dramatic improvements in patients suffering from chronic muscle tension headaches.

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Dr. Steve Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in San Diego.  Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.  He is certified as a Specialist in Health Ergonomics.  Dr. Jones Can be found on the web at www.JonesPainRelief.com & at www.ErgoNav.com

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic


Reduces Wrist, Arm and Neck Pain For Computer Users Website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Chiropractic San Diego Website to make an appointment
Better Health Steve Jones

Injuries as a result of an auto accident San Diego

Injuries as a result of an auto accident have the potential to affect almost all of us, seeing as how the majority of Americans either are drivers or passengers in cars on a daily basis.

There are approximately 3 million whiplash injuries sustained in the U.S. every year. Many cases of whiplash are unreported or go untreated due to the seemingly minor low speed collision or minimal, or any, amount of damage to the involved vehicles. It is also estimated that 45% of people who suffer from chronic neck pain do so as a result of a previous whiplash injury.

Although whiplash is the most commonly thought of injury with auto accidents, it is very common for people to receive injuries to the hips, knees, shoulders, back, and ribs to name a few.

It is very common, especially with low speed collisions, for there to be no pain immediately after the accident. Often it takes several days or longer for any pain to appear. Most people believe that if they do not have pain immediately following the accident, or if it’s a week or two after the accident before they start having pain, then they can’t receive treatment for it, or have any treatment included in the insurance claim. This is completely false.
It is routine for auto accident patients to begin care weeks or months after the accident, despite what your insurance company may lead you to believe.

Writer Andrew Mairs
San Diego Car Accident Whiplash Dr

Mairs Chiropractic

(619) 261-6590

Injuries as a result of an auto accident San Diego

In my chiropractic office in San Diego, I treat people that are more oriented toward taking proactive steps in maintaining their health.  In addition to helping my patients with the typical neck pain, back pain and headaches that are common complaints for chiropractors, I also give advice regarding other lifestyle changes that help them become healthier people. 

Food cravings are the downfall for many of us regarding our health.  I can’t recall what the disorders or deficiencies were, but I remember studying conditions that made some people crave dirt – that is right, people crave to eat dirt, and other deficiencies that made people crave aspirin.  Obviously, none of us would think that a nice plate of dirt for dinner would sound good without some underlying nutritional deficiency that would drive us to such a craving.

It is interesting how mineral deficiencies can result in cravings of more typical types of foods.  Naturopath Colleen Huber says that all food cravings are a signal that our bodies are telling us that we need more of certain types of foods.  For example; when we crave sweets our bodies really need chromium, carbon, phosphorus, sulfur or tryptophan.  A craving for chocolate can be an indicator that you are deficient in magnesium while a craving for salty foods is an indication that we are chloride deficient.  If you crave soda or other carbonated drinks what you really need is calcium.

This is incredibly valuable information.  Once again, as a chiropractor I am not only concerned with relieving my patients back pain or neck pain but I am concerned about their health as a whole.  Poor diets are fueled by cravings that we often don’t understand and poor diet planning.  A poor diet can cause low energy, weight gain, low self image and a feeling of being out of control among a host of other much more serious disorders.   

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

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Is Chiropractic Care Addictive?  I am asked this question on a regular basis. 

There are many people who are under the impression that once you begin chiropractic treatment you have to keep going – almost like something bad is going to happen to you if you stop your care.

I understand how some people would come to think that chiropractic care could be addictive, after all, almost all medications that people get from their medical doctors for pain is addictive.  I suppose that if you are in pain, are concerned about the addictive nature of the medications that you have taken in the past, and are going to the chiropractic for the first time that you may think that chiropractic care for pain may be addictive as well.

I can assure you that chiropractic care is not addictive but feeling good can be as powerful as an addiction.  There are certain people that are more “in tune” with their bodies than others.  Restrictions in joint motion and flexibility typically occur slowly over time and are not normally perceptible.  Once these people start care they experience full, free range of motion of their joints – and they like it.  After formal care ends, a percentage of these people notice when their joints begin to lose their range of motion.  Since they felt better under chiropractic treatment, they like to continue their care simply to feel better.  This is about as addictive as chiropractic care can be.  It is really no different from those who exercise and / or diet and feel better and therefore continue with their plan.

In closing, you can receive chiropractic care with no fear of developing a physical or physiological dependency on the treatment.  Most chiropractors, myself included, know that chiropractic care is of great benefit to the health of your spine.  Keeping your spine well adjusted is akin to keeping your teeth brushed and flossed – but it is not addictive.

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic

Reduces Wrist, Arm and Neck Pain For Computer Users Website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Chiropractic San Diego Website to make an appointment
Better Health Steve Jones

The Connections Between the Neck and Shoulder

Many problems with the neck and upper back affect the shoulder and visa versa.  There is a good reason for why this happens and I will use this post to explain it. 

There is that old saying regarding the human body that goes something like “everything is connected”, of course in this instance we are talking about anatomy – specifically a kinematic chain. 

In a kinematic chain, the function / health of adjacent joints are dependant on each other.  A simple example of a breakdown among joints in a kinematic chain and the resulting consequences would be a person who sprains their ankle, limps on that ankle for several days and then develops knee pain secondary to the limp caused by the injured ankle.  If the limping or gait impairment continues for any period of time, the irritation can involve the hip and eventually the low back.  The ankle, knee, hip, sacroiliac joints and the joints of low back all form a kinematic chain.

In a similar yet more complicated arrangement, the vertebra of the cervical and thoracic spine are intertwined with the shoulder joints.  The shoulder is made up of a series joints that allows for a tremendous amount of movement in a number of planes.  Compared to the knee, for example, that only allows for about 120 degrees of flexion and very little rotation and translation, the shoulder is incredibly mobile.  While, like  the shoulder joint has ligaments and a joint capsule that tie the humorous to the scapula and the clavicle, the primary source of stability of the shoulder joint is the muscles, many of which attach into the cervical and thoracic vertebra. 

Regarding the spine – in particular the cervical and thoracic spine – the joints found in the spinal column have considerably less motion than do most other joints in the body.  That being said, the cervical spine displays the greatest amount of motion found in the spine while the thoracic spine is the most limited in its flexibility.   The fact that many of the big muscles of the neck and upper back insert onto the scapula and the clavicle links these two joint complexes together.

In many cases, shoulder pain or dysfunction can result in spasms of the larger muscles that help stabilize the shoulder – most of these muscles originate from the vertebra of the neck and upper back.  The stress of this spasm can cause pain or dysfunction in the neck and upper back.  Because of the shared muscles between the neck, upper back and shoulder girdle, the exact opposite scenario can occur with a primary spinal problem causing muscle spasms that have a negative effect on the shoulder.

Both the shoulder and the neck joints display complex, compound movements.  Adjacent joint complexes like these that share major muscle groups make for an increased likelihood of pain / dysfunction spreading to include the second joint or in this case, joints. 

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic

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Chiropractic San Diego Website to make an appointment
Better Health Steve Jones

Another myth related to car accidents is that if there is no damage to the vehicle, then there can be no injury, and therefore insurance companies will not cover any type of treatment. This is also false.
There is overwhelming scientific evidence that injuries can occur without there being any damage to the vehicle. The insurance companies know this, but they bank on the fact that you do not. In fact, low speed collisions with little or no damage to the vehicles make up a significant portion of the cases handled and paid out by auto insurance companies.

Dr. Mairs Chiropractic office employs a variety of different modern chiropractic techniques for dealing with the many possible symptoms that accompany whiplash including neck pain, headaches, jaw pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, hand pain, numbness and tingling.

Dr. Mairs will work with you to find the most effective treatment for your auto accident related injuries; we pride ourselves in treating every patient as an individual. Mairs Chiropractic specializes in pain relief for auto accident and sports injuries.
We will customize your chiropractic treatment to provide a pain relief program designed to get fast, long lasting results.

Stop living with pain needlessly!
Start your pain relief treatment now!
Contact us today!

Writer Andrew Mairs
San Diego Car Accident Whiplash Dr

Mairs Chiropractic

(619) 261-6590

 Chronic pain is defined as pain that persists longer than 90 days beyond the course of the natural expected healing time.  As a chiropractor in San Diego, I get calls from both new and established patients on a regular basis who complain of back pain, neck pain, etc. 

One of the factors that comes into play when planning a chiropractic treatment program is the duration of the patients pain.  In genereral, the longer that a patient suffers with a painful condition, the longer / more intense the treatment is needed in order to fix it.  Acute or recent episodes of pain respond much quicker than do chronic conditions.

Pain is very difficult to quantify by any practitioner.  Pain is subjective in nature and completely defined by the person experiencing the symptoms, the fact that chronic pain can exist without an obvious cause makes it much more difficult to treat. 

I see the difficulties that my chronic pain patients have with their conditions on a daily basis.  Aside from the actual pain that they experience, those who suffer with chronic pain often limit their activities for fear of exacerbating their conditions.  They also have a much harder time focussing on mental tasks as the pain is a constant source of distraction.  The more severe the pain, the more difficulties these people have with attention demanding tasks.

While we strive to avoid pain, pain is a wonderful tool of the nervous system.  Pain lets us know of actual or potential tissue damage with an unpleasant sensation that directs our attention to the affected area so that we can either immediately take action to stop the process or focus on healing the injured body parts.  Chronic pain sensations are a bit more insideous.

Chronic pain often involves a decrease in the sensativity of the nerve fibers that send messages of pain from the damaged area.  With a decreased sensativity (threshold), the nerve is much more likely to transmit painful sensations to the brain then a healthy nerve / tissue combination.  This activity within the nervous system is know as a wind up phenomenon and it is very difficult to stop once it has been established.  In some other cases, nerve fibers that normally don’t carry painful sensations not only begin to transmit pain signals but it is thought that they may actually generate the signals themselves.

In my office, chronic pain is often the result of untreated sprain / strain type injuries of the joints.  In untreated or under-treated sprain / strain injuries, the joint or the muscles that move the joint are laden with scar tisuue that acts to either limit or alter motion of that joint.  With time, the awkward, unnatural biomechanics of the scar tissue laden joint results in irritation, inflammation and finally pain and spasm. 

While chiropractic care is often successful at re-establishing “clean” biomechanics of a joint, it is always better to get the care in the beginning of an injury versus waiting for that injury to become chronic, with a requiring more care with a decreasing chance of complete recovery.

Because of the possibility of an acute painful condition becoming a chronic one, I always encourage my patients to take care of themselves immediately when they first start to experience pain.  I have practiced chiropractic care for almost two decades now and I can say that chronic painful conditions of the spine are devastating. 

Not only do they make you expereince pain, but in most instances they limit your physical activities creating a situation that can easily degrade from inactivity secondary to pain, to deconditioning and eventually to obesity and ill health in general leading to a dissatisying lifestyle.

The bottom line on chronic pain is this – avoid it if you can.  Don’t ignore your pain.  Painful acute conditions that are left untreated can easily spiral into a chronic condition that has the potential to alter your lifestyle in a negative way.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic

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Chiropractic San Diego Website to make an appointment
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Microwaving and Your Health

I wanted to convey a self imposed revelation that I recently had regarding microwave ovens. About six months ago I moved into a new place that did not have a microwave oven. At the time of my move, I looked at getting a microwave oven as a priority; after all, I had not been without a microwave for about 30 years. As time passed, I learned to live without the microwave. I noticed that I was eating healthier, planning my meals better and feeling physically better by cooking my food on the stove, the old fashioned way.

I have just recently started hearing about how the microwave destroys the nutritional value of the food as it cooks. I decided to do some research on this topic and found this interesting article. I hope that you enjoy it.

“Healthy eating is not just about choosing healthy foods to eat, but also relates to how they are prepared prior to eating. Vegetables, for instance, can suffer nutritional losses during cooking.

A study this week has found, for instance, that boiling broccoli in water for just 10 minutes reduced the content of plant chemicals known as glucosinolates by 40 percent. Within the body, glucosinolates are converted into other compounds called isothiocyanates that are believed to have cancer-protective properties.

This research, conducted at Warwick Medical School, found that shorter cooking times, as expected, led to less degradation of glucosinolates: Just five minutes of boiling led to losses of only 15 percent.

This recent research reminded me of a previous piece I wrote which summarized some of the research of the nutrient losses that can occur with different methods of cooking.

Microwaving is often recommended as a preferred cooking method because it can shorten the cooking time. However, the evidence suggests that this form of cooking can lead to considerable nutrient losses. In a study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, researchers assessed the effects of a variety of cooking methods on nutrient levels in broccoli.

While boiled broccoli was found to lose two-thirds of its original content of disease-protective nutrients known as flavonoids, this actually compared quite favorably with the whopping 97 percent loss induced by microwave cooking. Analysis of other nutrients revealed similarly dire depreciations. Contrary to what may be expected, it seems we can microwave goodbye to a good deal of the nutritional goodness vegetables have to offer.

In this study, steaming induced only 11 percent degradation in this type of flavonoids. In another study, boiling was found to reduce the level of folate (believed to protect against both heart disease and cancer) in spinach and broccoli by more than half. In comparison, steaming had minimal effects on the level of this vitamin.

What the research shows is that when it comes to cooking vegetables, steaming is generally best. And the shorter the cooking time, the better. For the best of health, it can help to develop a taste for vegetables done al dente.

Dr. John Briffa is a London-based doctor, author, and health writer with an interest in nutrition and natural medicine.
Dr. Briffa’s website

More Soon,

Doc Jones

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

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Which is worse – neck pain or back pain?

I hear this question often in my San Diego chiropractic office.  Of course the answer is easy – if you have back pain, back pain is definitely worse than neck pain.  If you have neck pain, neck pain is definitely worse than back pain.

Another common question that I hear regarding low back pain is why sitting makes it hurt more than standing.

This is a good question, which can be answered through physics.  I remember seeing a diagram in one of my office ergonomic books that exposed the different stress levels on the spinal disks with various body positions.

The diagram had drawings of a person standing, lying down, sitting and then sitting while hunched forward with very poor posture.  The disk pressure differences with these different postures was given as follows:

1)    Standing upright 100%
2)    Lying down          24%
3)    Sitting upright     140%
4)    Sitting hunched   190%

The explanation of the much higher disk pressures while sitting is explained by examining the structural changes that occur when we change from a standing to a seated position.

Our spines are supposed to have curves when viewed from the side.  The neck should have a nice sweeping forward curve, the mid-back should carry a backward curve and the low back should have a sweeping forward curve.  When these curves are present, the weight of your body is carried evenly across several different structures of the spine.  These curves help provide stability for your spine.

Once we assume a seated position, the natural forward curve in our low backs reverses which increases the pressure on the disks and either increases back pain or causes back pain.  If we stay in that seated position but flex our bodies forward at the waist (think bad posture – slumping over your keyboard or desk) the pressure in the disks elevates causing more damage and more pain.

Limiting the time that you sit will help your back pain in most instances.  This is advice that I hand out to my San Diego chiropractic patients everyday of the week.  I hope that it helps you as well.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic

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Cold Laser therapy, also known as Low Level Laser therapy, has been used around the world for over 30 years, and is just now becoming popular in the U.S.  One of the biggest benefits of cold laser therapy is that it can be used to treat areas and conditions that all previous therapy modalities could not.  This is a truly revolutionary form of treatment.
http://www.mairschiropractic.com/cold_laser/Laser_Treatment.html

Car accidents are a fact of life; even the best of drivers will eventually be involved in one.  Injuries from car accidents can lead to a lifetime of chronic pain.  This is why it is so important to see a doctor who has the highest amount of training and knowledge specifically in the area of car accident injuries.
http://www.mairschiropractic.com/accident_injuries/Car_Accidents.html

Chiropractic Care and Nutrition

Are you ready to feel better? 

Back in the early part of April, I posted a blog article regarding chiropractic care and nutrition, specifically, my own nutrition.  Being the owner of my San Diego Chiropractic office, I spend most of my days treating patients with neck pain and back pain.  While neck pain and back pain are very important to resolve, there are other health concerns that must be addressed if we expect to be truly healthy.

Several months ago, I had a hair mineral analysis performed on myself.  The results of that test were surprising to me.  Aside from my calcium and magnesium levels, every other nutrient mineral was deficient. 

Even iron!

As I had indicated in prior posts on this topic, one of my primary health concerns over the last 10 years has been lack of restful sleep or insomnia.

As I read up on the minerals that I was deficient in, insomnia was a side effect in two of them in instances of deficiency. 

That bit of knowledge was not enough to quiet the skeptic in me.  After all, the company that does the hair mineral analysis also makes the vitamins and minerals that they recommended to me.  In addition, I also indicated on my paperwork that insomnia is one of my health concerns.

In order to test these results, I bought mineral supplements from a local source and began taking them as directed on the containers.  It took about 11 days before I could say for sure that the quality of my sleep had improved.  Within a few more days the improvement was dramatic.  Prior to taking these mineral supplements, a good nights sleep was limited to two or three nights per month. 

As I write this blog post, I have slept well, over 7 hours per night, for the past month or so.  Despite all this quality sleep, I still feel like I am playing catch-up with my rest.  I suppose that is the result of 10 years of poor sleep.

I will do future posts on this topic.  In the mean time, remember that you are what you eat!  Poor dietary habits definitely create a need for dietary supplements.  Maintaining your health is work but it is worthwhile.

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

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Soy – Good or Bad

Being a chiropractor in San Diego, I am surrounded by patients who try to make improvements in their health on a number of fronts.  Sure, they often come to my office complaining of neck pain, back pain or headaches, but usually at some point the topic of nutrition comes up.  At that point I usually ask the question – Are you a soy consumer?

Soy is everywhere now days.  It can be found in bread, cakes, baby formula, milk, meat substitutes, cereal, snack foods and even pet foods.  As most of you know you can even get soy-based drinks at Starbucks.  In fact, almost every time that I have been in Starbucks I have overheard customers ordering a “Soy Chai Latte” something or other intentionally.

In many cases, soy seems to be the answer to many peoples diet concerns.  Those who are lactose intolerant use soymilk and soy burgers are seen as an ideal protein substitute for those who are vegetarians.

Soy, however, has some very real health complications for its consumers.  Soy is an estrogen precursor and can cause a host of side effects in both women and men.  Like most hormones, elevated levels of estrogen come with dangers.  Soy can trigger the growth of estrogen based fibrotic tumors in women and result in the formation of breast tissue in men (gynecomastia).

Many people have allergies to soy that can cause everything from mal-absorption to full blown allergic reactions that include upset stomachs, excessive mucus production, vomiting and hives. 

In addition to elevated estrogen levels, soymilk contains nearly 100 times the aluminum that is found in cow’s milk.   In a report issued in 1997 by the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition, aluminum levels in breast milk ranged from 4 to 65 ng/mL while soy-based formulas contained 600 to 1300 ng/mL.   As many of you may know, research is leaning heavily toward aluminum as a contributor to Alzheimer’s disease.

Soy is neither safe nor natural.  It is heavily processed with a variety of toxic chemicals.

Soy is often offered as a healthier and natural alternative to our normal foods.  However, there are many problems with soy, and I see my chiropractic patients struggle with physical symptoms secondary to soy consumption on a regular basis.  This article touches on just a few of the problems with soy consumption.  If you would like more information on soy, try going to the food and drug administrations’ website and search for “soy” to find in depth material on the possible dangers of soy in your diet.

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California.  He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California.  Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.  Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Stop RSI Economical Mouse Platform, website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractor Website to make an appointment

Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Back pain, Neck Pain and more

Sound Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (SASTM) is an extremely effective way to treat soft tissue injuries, be it acute or chronic.  It works so well that many professional sports franchises have incorporated it into the care for their injured athletes.

San Diego Soft Tissue Injury Doctor

Mairs Chiropractic

(619) 261-6590

http://www.mairschiropractic.com/

The Effects of Dehydration

Dehydration is a common problem among adults.  I have read studies that indicate that at any one time approximately 75% of American adults are suffering with mild symptoms that result from being dehydrated.  Being a chiropractor in San Diego, a desert community, we see many people suffering from ailments ranging from neck pain and headaches to lower back pain that carries some link to dehydration.

The human body is approximately 65% water.  By definition, dehydration occurs as the result of excessive loss of water from the body.  This occurs as a direct result of not taking in enough water.  That is a very superficial explanation of dehydration.   In reality, it’s a bit more complicated than that since the body loses electrolytes as well as fluids.
Dehydration is a major issue with our health.

A common scene in professional sports is that of the athletes becoming dehydrated and “cramping up”.  This cramping of muscles affects us normal (non-professional athletes) people as well.  We suffer from back spasms, neck pain and many other similar symptoms as a result of dehydration. 

Headaches are another common symptom of dehydration that needs to be taken into account.  Dehydration has long been known to be a trigger of Migraine type headaches.  It is staggering to think of how many dollars are spent for treatment of headaches when the underlying culprit is dehydration. 

Many people mistakenly think that dehydration only occurs in hot weather and that you’re not dehydrated if you’re not thirsty.  Usually by the time you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated. 

Dehydration Facts:
•    It takes about 64 to 80 ounces to replace the water our bodies lose in 24 hours.
•    Normally, how much water we need depends on the volume of our perspiration and urine output.
•    Our bodies’ need for water increases under circumstances such as:
•    Living in warmer climates
•    Living at high altitudes
•    Increased physical activity
•    With vomiting or diarrhea
•    With fever
•    When you have a cold or the flu
•    Those with chronic disease such as uncontrolled or untreated diabetes
•    Losing as little as 1 to 2% of body weight can result in dehydration.
•    Losing 3 to 5% can negatively impact reaction time, concentration and judgment
•    Losing 9 – 15% results in severe dehydration and is life-threatening.
Dehydration Symptoms:
•    Excessive thirst
•    Fatigue
•    Muscle weakness
•    Headache
•    Dizziness
•    Less frequent need to urinate and decreased output
•    Darker colored urine (should be nearly clear to pale yellow)
•    Confusion
•    Increased heart rate and respirations
•    Skin that doesn’t snap back when pinched and released
•    Children may exhibit additional symptoms:
•    Absence of tears when crying
•    No wet diaper for three hours or longer
•    Irritability
•    Lethargy
•    Fever
When caught early, dehydration can usually be treated at home.  Common treatments include:
•    Mild dehydration: rehydration by drinking fluids including sports drinks, which rehydrate by providing not only fluid, but also electrolytes and salt. In children, products such as Pedialyte may be recommended as it also contains carbohydrates to help absorption in the intestinal tract. Coffee, tea, and soda should not be used for dehydration as the caffeine in them can actually be dehydrating.
•    Moderate dehydration: rehydration may suffice, but IV fluids may be required.
•    Severe dehydration: Immediate action must be taken, treating the situation as a medical emergency. Hospital treatment is necessary for IV fluids to rehydrate more quickly and efficiently and to allow observation.
As with most ailments,  it’s better to prevent dehydration than to treat it.  Here are some preventative steps you can take:
•    Drink plenty of fluids and eat foods high in water. Fruit contains the most water, followed by vegetables, meat, then grains with the least.
•    Choose your beverages wisely. Caffeine and alcohol can be dehydrating. For some people, too much fruit juice can cause diarrhea, which can be dehydrating.
•    If you’re planning a day with more significantly exercise than usual, begin hydrating the day before.
•    Sports drinks can help maintain electrolyte balance, but be aware of the sugars in them.
•    Plan outdoor activities for cooler parts of the day.
•    If you’re organizing outdoor activities, provide shaded areas.
•    When you’re ill, be sure to continue drinking fluids, and get additional fluids if you have a fever or are vomiting or have diarrhea. Call your doctor for help with vomiting or diarrhea if necessary.

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

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What Causes a Stiff Neck?

Stiff necks are one of the most annoying forms of spinal discomfort.  Waking with a stiff neck in the morning almost certainly assures you of having an uncomfortable day.  We see many patients each year with stiff necks in my San Diego chiropractic clinic. 

The medical term for a stiff neck in torticollis.  Torticollis usually prevents the head / neck from being turned or tilted to one side or another. 

When the affected individual attempts to rotate or tilt their head / neck into the restricted range of motion they are met with increasing pain that is more often than not enough to prohibit the movement. 
Torticollis is a protective splinting of muscles in the neck caused by the brain’s perception of bodily injury. Many torticollis patients presenting to our clinic usually have no history of trauma or illness to explain the severity of their symptoms.

Patient history often includes frequently sleeping near an open window or in front of an air conditioner.  We see patients that drive convertibles who are also prone to getting torticollis.

Pain medications and muscle relaxants have limited effects in certain individuals. One such man presented to the Emergency Department (ED) complaining of having awoken with severe neck pain and immobility. The attending ED physician diagnosed the patient as suffering from acute torticollis. The patient was medicated first with an intramuscular injection of Toradol and oral Flexeril, which proved ineffective.

Injection of the narcotic Demarol followed. Reporting minor relief, the patient was discharged with prescriptions for both a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic and a muscle relaxant.

The patient returned to the ED later that evening. He complained that neither his pain nor his mobility had improved, in spite of all the medication. The evening ED shift decided to obtain a chiropractic consultation, hoping to increase the patient’s mobility and decrease pain and the need for additional narcotic analgesia.

History and examination revealed findings consistent with a diagnosis of acute spasmodic torticollis. The patient exhibited severely restricted cervical ranges of motion, antalgia, muscle spasm and vertebral joint fixation. Radiographic examination revealed signs of degenerative joint disease, but was negative for fracture or pathology.

I applied electrical muscle stimulation and moist heat to the patient’s neck in preparation for spinal manipulation. The purpose of the adjunctive therapy was to help relax muscle and ease pain to facilitate the manual procedures and spinal adjustment. As the patient relaxed with the adjunctive therapy, we discussed the severity of his pain and immobility in contrast to the lack of significant examination and radiographic findings.

The patient appeared to understand that the torticollis was a protective splinting caused by the brain’s perception of bodily injury. As with many torticollis patients presenting to our ED, there was no history of trauma or illness to explain the severity of the patient’s symptoms. Patient history included frequently sleeping near an open window or in front of an air conditioner.

After removing the adjunctive therapy modalities, I performed manual therapy to further increase the patient’s mobility before performing cervical adjustments. With the patient seated, I asked him to turn his head as far as possible to the painful side. I held his head still and asked him to try to turn further. I instructed him to push hard, but not enough to move my hands. After a few seconds, I told him to relax.

As he relaxed, I also relaxed my grip on his head, allowing his head to move slightly toward the painful side. I had the patient repeat this several times, and then several times to the other side, until he appeared unable to achieve increased range of motion.

For the second part of the manual therapy, I stood behind the patient, held his mastoid and parietal areas between my hands, and lifted gently. I held my forearms against his shoulders and asked him to push up against my resistance. As he pushed, I instructed him to take a deep breath and hold it.

The patient’s physical and emotion tension increased as he simultaneously contracted his upper trapezius muscles and held his breath. I asked him to concentrate on the feeling of relaxation as he lowered his shoulders and exhaled. As he released the tension on his upper trapezius muscles, I added additional traction force. The patient repeated this procedure several times until less muscle spasm was palpable.

With the patient more relaxed and in less pain, I proceeded to have him lie supine for cervical adjustments. I attempted to put the patient at ease by explaining that we would approach adjustment of his neck in a slow, progressive, “step-wise” fashion.

I explained that he might hear a popping sound as the joints moved, which could be loud, as it involved the inner ear, separated from the cervical spine by little more than an inch. I assured him that if at any time during the procedure, he had a sense that the adjustment would hurt, he could let me know and I would defer the adjustment for another day. I also demonstrated the amount of force I would use by making a sample adjusting thrust to his arm. Cervical adjustments were performed bilaterally, with increased mobility noted.

The patient tolerated the entire procedure well and without complications. His range of motion was approximately 90 percent of normal upon discharge from the ED. He did not require any additional prescriptions for medication. Upon leaving. he stopped at the nurse’s station to thank the staff for its help and to demonstrate his increased range of motion.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

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 Osteoporosis and Chiropractic:

I see many older (and sometimes younger) patients in my San Diego chiropractic office who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis.  Osteoporosis is an insideous  disease.

Initially it developes without any clear symptoms, affecting the skeletons’ bone density.  Osteoporosis is usually discovered by special testing or bone weakening that leads to fractures which can result in falls, back pain, neck pain, etc.

I am always surprised that those diagnosed with osteoporosis know so little about it.  I did a search on line and found the following article that is worth reading.

Osteoporosis is a disease of bone leading to an increased risk of fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density (BMD) is reduced, bone microarchitecture is disrupted, and the amount and variety of non-collagenous proteins in bone is altered. Osteoporosis is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in women as a bone mineral density 2.5 standard deviations below peak bone mass (20-year-old sex-matched healthy person average) as measured by DXA; the term “established osteoporosis” includes the presence of a fragility fracture.[1] Osteoporosis is most common in women after the menopause, when it is called postmenopausal osteoporosis, but may develop in men and premenopausal women in the presence of particular hormonal disorders and other chronic diseases or as a result of smoking and medications, specifically glucocorticoids, when the disease is called steroid- or glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (SIOP or GIOP).

Osteoporosis can be prevented with lifestyle advice and medication, and preventing falls in people with known or suspected osteoporosis is an established way to prevent fractures. Osteoporosis can be treated with bisphosphonates and various other medical treatments.

Osteoporosis itself has no specific symptoms; its main consequence is the increased risk of fracture. Osteoporotic fractures are those that occur in situations where healthy people would not normally break a bone; they are therefore regarded as fragility fractures. Typical fragility fractures occur in the vertebral column, hip and wrist.
The symptoms of a vertebral collapse (”compression fracture”) are acute back pain, often with radiculopathic pain (shooting pain due to compression of a nerve) and rarely with spinal cord compression or cauda equina syndrome. Multiple vertebral fractures lead to a stooped posture, loss of height, and chronic pain with resultant reduction in mobility.

Fractures of the long bones acutely impair mobility and may require surgery. Hip fracture, in particular, usually requires prompt surgery, as there are serious risks associated with a hip fracture, such as deep vein thrombosis and a pulmonary embolism, and increased mortality.

The increased risk of falling associated with aging leads to fractures of the wrist, spine and hip. The risk of falling, in turn, is increased by impaired eyesight due to any cause (e.g. glaucoma, macular degeneration), balance disorder, movement disorders (e.g. Parkinson’s disease), dementia, and sarcopenia (age-related loss of skeletal muscle). Collapse (transient loss of postural tone, with or without loss of consciousness, leads to a significant risk of falls; causes of syncope are manifold but may include cardiac arrhythmias, vasovagal syncope, orthostatic hypotension and seizures. Removal of obstacles and loose carpets in the living environment may substantially reduce falls. Those with previous falls, as well as those with a gait or balance disorder, are most at risk.

Osteoporosis requires special considerations in our office.  Chiropractic techniques involving little or no force have to be utilized to ensure patient safety.  In addition to variations in technique, nutritional suppliments are also encouraged, especially mineral supplimentation.  Osteoporosis treatment requires a multifaceted approach in order to see improvements.  Patients also must show patience with treatment as results are usually only seen with prolonged periods of care.

More Soon,
Doc

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic

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Chiropractic San Diego Website to make an appointment
Better Health Steve Jones

What is Chiropractic and how does it Work?

The chiropractic philosophy begins with the principle that the human organism has an innate power to maintain its own health. Chiropractic care focuses on adjustments to correct spinal malfunctions called subluxations.

Adjustments of the spine are delivered during the treatments in order to remove interference that may affect the spinal cord and the nerves that exit between the bones of the spine. The nervous system controls all the organs and tissues of the body, so a nerve system functioning at its best facilitates the body’s ability to cope with disability and disease.

The chiropractic approach to health care incorporates a holistic view, stressing the patient’s overall well being. The chiropractic approach recognizes that many factors affect health, including exercise, diet, rest, environment and heredity.

Chiropractic focuses on maintaining optimal health naturally so that the body is better able to resist disease, rather than simply treating the symptoms of disease. Chiropractors use natural, drugless, non-surgical health care and rely on the body’s inherent recuperative abilities.

Chiropractic is whole-body health care that views the human body as much more than the sum of its parts. Chiropractors see their patients as more than people coming to their office with a set of symptoms.

This unique health care approach views the body as having an innate, natural ability to adapt to changes in its internal and external environments and maintain itself in a state of health. Traditional medicine and its allied health fields typically views the body from a more mechanistic standpoint — as a system of parts that can be altered through outside interventions to produce certain results. Both approaches have important roles to play, but they are fundamentally different.

Chiropractic treatment focuses on the nerve system (the brain and spinal cord) which manages the body’s vast chemical interactions to ensure proper function off all of the bodies’ cells. The brain sends messages through the spinal cord across a huge network of spinal nerves to deliver information to every cell, organ and system of the body. This information system coordinates the myriad chemical reactions that dictate how well you sleep, how food is digested, your ability to concentrate, physical coordination, the capabilities of the immune system and all aspects of body function.

When bones of the spine become misaligned or move out of their normal position, they can distort the flow of information from the brain to the body.

Without the proper information from the nerve system, the body cannot function to its full potential. 
While chiropractic is very effective at treating conditions such as neck and back pain, lower back pain and tension headaches, we can see from the systems that it impacts that it is really much more than back pain care.

Chiropractic Treatment is initiated with a detailed history and evaluation of the patient. The chiropractor will make many considerations when doing the evaluation, including your age, general health, occupation, past injury history including treatment and lifestyle.

If major trauma or disease is involved, your chiropractor may refer you to a trusted medical doctor, orthopedist or neurologist for a consultation and necessary treatment.
Once a diagnosis has been rendered, your chiropractor will choose from a range of treatment options, manipulations, ultrasound, muscle stimulation, heat or ice therapy, exercise, specific stretches, etc to help restore your pre-injury status.  Your chiropractor may also analyze your home and work environment in order to ensure that you’re not re-injuring yourself and creating a chronic condition.

A good, well rounded chiropractic program will include at home therapies to speed your recovery. Exercises such as swimming, walking, low-impact aerobics, and stationary bicycling may be suggested as these activities have been proven effective in decreasing neck and back pain.

The goal of chiropractic care is to return the patient to normal activities as quickly as possible, with the knowledge you need to minimize or eliminate your problem.

The nature and extent of your injury will determine how long it takes to heal. In general, recovery from neck and back sprains or strains can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the severity of the injury, your age your health in general and other factors.  In general, the longer the patient waits before coming in for treatment the longer it takes for them to make a full recovery. 

The patient must also trust the doctor.  Many times the patients’ pain is relieved before the physical problem that caused the pain is corrected.  In order to give yourself the best chance at a long lasting “fix” the patient must follow the doctor’s prescribed treatment plan.

Your recovery will be faster if you follow the program designed by your chiropractor.  Without proper treatment, prolonged stiffness and discomfort may result.

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic

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 The Role of Exercise in Building a Healthy Spine

I see many types of injuries as a Chiropractor in San Diego.  Some of the common injuries can result in neck pain, back pain, chronic headaches, sciatica etc.

Causes of these injuries range from auto accidents and work related injuries to injuries caused by domestic chores, house work and sometimes things as simple as sleeping in an awkward position.

Of these injured patients, I would say that at least 50% of them, for the moment, while they are in pain they ask “what can I do for myself to make sure that this doesn’t happen again?”  This question served as the inspiration for this article and I will address in this post.

To begin with, pain is a great motivator.

When people are in pain they take a proactive approach to their health.  People often inquire about what kind of stretch or exercising that they can start right away.  Unfortunately, the best thing that you can do while your injury is new is to apply ice packs to the injured area and rest.

Over my 15 plus years in practice I have seen a large percentage of enthusiastic patients ignore this advice and end up giving their conditions a major set back.  The time to start exercising and stretching your back for most of us is when it is out of its acute stage of pain.

My biggest struggles in practice have been dealing with my patients exercise and diet habits.  Exercise is one of the few things that a patient can do at home, outside of chiropractic care, to help prevent or diminish the chances of developing back pain.

After an injury, you should approach exercise cautiously – almost to a point where the exercise that you are performing feels like it is doing nothing.  If you can get through a few low intensity exercise sessions like this without aggravating your condition, you should slowly add resistance which allows you to build confidence and strength at the same time.

Remember to follow a sensible approach to exercising after a back injury.  Be sure to exercise and stretch under the advise of a health care professional.  Strong and flexible muscles add strength and support to your spine and will provide much needed stability.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic

ADJUSTABLE MOUSE PLATFORM Website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Chiropractic San Diego Website to make an appointment
Better Health Steve Jones

Why Do I Have Back Pain?  A Chiropractic Overview

The other day I had a new patient walk into my San Diego, California office asking for chiropractic treatment.  He was bent over 45 degrees at the waist, complaining of lower back pain and saying “Doc, Why do I have back pain?  I have no idea how I got this way but I am having trouble standing up and sitting down, can you help me?”  This is a common new patient presentation in our office.  More often than not, the typical back pain patient can’t recall a specific cause of their back pain.  Sometimes the pain has advanced enough to affect the nervous system resulting in sciatica nerve pain.

Patient’s like this always want an explanation as to how they got the way they are.  Most of my patients have followed a typical course on their way to experiencing back pain.

The joints, muscles and ligaments that allow movement, move the body and provide stability in the low back are among the biggest and strongest in the body.  This being the case, it usually takes a significant single injury to damage these structures.  A hard fall, car accident or a long day of strenuous lifting are examples of single events that can cause back pain all by themselves.

However, most cases of back pain are caused by cumulative stress.  Cumulative stress comes from postural stress (excessive sitting), poor lifting habits, awkward sleeping habits, etc.  Cumulative stress also known as repetitive stress takes place over months or sometimes years.

The bottom line is that most back injuries arise from events that seem small and insignificant by themselves but after months or years of exposure to these stresses lead to irritation of the joints and muscles resulting in back pain. 

Once the joints, muscles and ligaments of the lower back have been exposed to extended periods of stress, they become very vulnerable to injury.  This process follows a predictable path.  The joint is stressed by some activity, the stress irritates the soft tissues of the joint, the irritation causes inflammation and the inflammation causes pain and scar tissue formation.  Scar tissue limits joint motion, causes pain in the joint and is often sensitive to changes in weather. We all know someone that knows better than the weather man as to when it is going to rain.  It is scar tissue build up and arthritis that causes joint pain when it is going to rain.

Once this process has begun, a severe case of back pain can arise from something as simple as picking a sock up off the floor or reaching for a cup of coffee.

Unfortunately for the patient, the little things that they do on a regular basis that stress their backs don’t become apparent until after they are in pain.  I always advise my patients to pay special attention to the specific activities or movements that aggravate their backs while they are in pain.  These are the activities that are often responsible for the cumulative stress that I discussed at the beginning of this article.  

Joints are complex structures that in most cases are very durable and work without pain.  However, the process described above can happen silently, over time, resulting in severe back pain and / or sciatica for the person who has ignored proper back care through the course of their lives.  Chiropractic care from a licensed chiropractor can be very effective in relieving your back pain.  Chiropractic care is a safe, effective and affordable form of treatment that has a history of success with relieving low back pain.

Key: chiropractic, back pain, chiropractor, sciatica, low back pain, chiropractic treatment, nerve pain

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com or www.ErgoNav.com

 Drinking Soda Pop can Ruin Your Bone and Joint Health
In my San Diego Chiropractic office we see many people for neck pain, back pain, headaches and various other types of pain.  In the summer time it is not uncommon to see many of those people walk into my office with a Big Gulp from the 7 Eleven across the street.

Sometimes I like to depart from the obvious when discussing the health of your spine.  There are probably many of you who are reading this article while enjoying a tall glass of soda over ice.
 
This article should make you second guess EVER reaching for soda again.
Did you know that the average American drinks an estimated 56 gallons of soft drinks each year?  Next time you are craving a soda, consider this: one can of soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites.

Soda has absolutely no nutritional value.  Studies have linked soda to osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease.  Despite the long list of negative health effects, soda accounts for more than one-quarter of all drinks consumed in the United States, and its consumption is becoming more prevalent.  In the last 10 years, soft drink consumption among children has almost doubled in the United States. It is estimated that teenage boys drink three or more cans of soda per day, and 10 percent drink seven or more cans a day. The average soda consumption for teenage girls is two cans per day, and 10 percent drink more than five cans a day.
Let’s take a look at the major ingredients in a can of soda:

•    Phosphoric Acid: May interfere with the body’s ability to absorb calcium, which leads to osteoporosis of the teeth and bones. Phosphoric acid neutralizes hydrochloric acid in your stomach, which interferes with digestion, making it difficult to utilize the nutrients from the healthy foods that we eat.
•    Sugar:  Soda manufacturers are the largest single user of refined sugar in the United States.  Sugar consumption increases insulin levels, which lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging and many other undesirable side effects. Most sodas include over 100 percent of the RDA for sugar.  Think of the average teenage boy who has 3 cans per day!

•    Aspartame: This chemical is used as a sugar substitute in diet soda. There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption including brain tumors, digestive problems, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures.  When aspartame is stored for long periods of time or kept in warm areas it changes to methanol that converts to formaldehyde and formic acid. Both are known carcinogens.  Formaldehyde is the stuff they preserve the dead with!
•    Caffeine: Caffeinated drinks cause anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, vitamin and mineral depletion, breast lumps, birth defects, and perhaps some forms of cancer.
If you are still drinking soda, stopping the habit is an easy way to improve your health. Pure, filtered water is a much better choice. If you must drink a carbonated beverage, try sparkling mineral water.
From a chiropractors stand point, bone weakening is a major concern.  As a chiropractor, I spend my days helping my patients improve the biomechanics of their joints.  If the patients are consuming soda and engaging in other detrimental practices, our efforts become less likely to have desirable results.
Animal studies demonstrate that phosphorus depletes bones of calcium and two recent human studies found that girls who drink more soda are more prone to broken bones. Phosphorus appears to weaken bones by promoting the loss of calcium. With less calcium available, the bones become more porous and more brittle.
As long ago as a 1994 Harvard study of bone fractures in teenage athletes found a strong association between cola beverage consumption and bone fractures in 14-year-old girls. The girls who drank cola were about five times more likely to suffer bone fractures than girls who didn’t consume soda.  All of this is due to phosphorus consumption.

The potential damage of bone loss is compounded by the growing numbers of obese people in the United States.  The combination of weakened bones with increasing body weight can certainly undermine our future health.
Trying to stop drinking soda is difficult.  Both sugar and caffeine make soda an addicting substance.  It is best to stop drinking soda by going “cold turkey”.  Remember if you slip up to keep trying to quit.
Stop drinking soda today.  Your body will be much healthier without it.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com or www.ErgoNav.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554