Posts Tagged ‘herniated disc’
Friday, September 3rd, 2010
According to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), 60 percent of children toting heavy backpacks to school had suffered from back pain; studies conducted in France have shown that the longer a child wears a backpack, the longer it takes for the spine to correct itself from a curvature or deformity; and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, concluded that the heavier the bags, the more there was compression of the discs in the spine and increased curvature of the lower spine in kids.
Kids’ schoolbags should not weigh more than 10 to 15 percent of their own weight (i.e. if a child weights 65 pounds, their backpack should weigh no more than 13 pounds). Concerned parents only need to see their children leaning in one direction, breathing heavily while lugging their backpacks, or holding their straps to ease achy shoulders to realize they are carrying too much weight. Here are some tips to get your kids’ minds off their backs and back into their studies:
Be Picky About Your Pack
Children naturally migrate toward backpacks that display their favorite television characters. Examine these carefully. The right carryall for their school supplies can be fun and safe. An appropriate-sized backpack will end just a few inches above the waist. Also look for a backpack that has soft, padded straps to maximize comfort and different compartments that help distribute the weight. Packs with waist straps are an added bonus.
Proper Pack Packing
Have your child sort through their backpack and leave any books home that aren’t needed. Place the heaviest items in first so they are closer to your child’s back and put less strain on those muscles. Encourage your child to stop at his or her locker frequently to drop off books that aren’t needed the rest of the day. If the choice is available, advise your child to select a paperback textbook over the heavier hardcovers
Read more: http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/back-to-school-backpacking/#ixzz0yVHwRTtI
Tags: back brace, back injuries, back pack, back pain, back to school, discs, herniated disc, Lower Back Pain, spinal decompression
Posted in Reposted from another source | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
If you are one of the millions of Americans suffering from disc-related back pain it is important for you to understand the difference between the three major types of disc dysfunction and how to treat them.
A disc can suffer damage from an isolated incident such as a fall or a car accident, or it can gradually weaken with age. Either way, the result is most likely severe pain.
This is because discs are in such close proximity to a slew of delicate nerves. One slip, bulge, break or squeeze from the adjacent disc and you can experience pain that will stop you in your tracks, most likely in the form of sciatica pain (the nerve that goes through your buttocks and down your legs).
Here’s a summary of everything you ever needed to know about your discs but never knew you needed to ask:
- A healthy disc has a fibrous outer shell with a jelly-like, squishy substance in the middle called the nucleus. It is that center substance that gives the disc its shock absorbing traits and keeps the vertebrae from rubbing against each other.
- A bulging disc is when, most likely through an injury, the disc is over compacted (squished) between the two vertebrae it protects, forcing the nucleus to push against the fibrous shell with such force that it actually bulges the wall of the shell.
- A herniated disc is when the nucleus actually penetrates the fibrous wall spilling out into the inter-vertebra cavity. This is also called a ruptured disc.
- Disc degeneration is not necessarily caused by injury although an earlier injury may be the partial cause. Degeneration is a much slower onset and is due to age, poor health and poor posture. All these combined gradually wear the disc down. The disc loses its height and elasticity. As it loses height it begins to allow the vertebra to touch and rub. This in itself can be painful and will likely result in osteophyte formations (bone spurs on the outer rim of the vertebrae). Signs of early disc degeneration are referred to as disc thinning.
No matter your disc ailment, believe it or not there is something you can do. Discs can heal if given the opportunity. That opportunity is in the form of added space. All of the above ailments are caused by either a onetime violent squeeze on the disc or a life time of squeezing from gravitational effects. Either way the disc’s natural residing area was compromised forcing it to flatten. With no room to spare in the inter-vertebral disc space, the disc, or parts of it, is forced out. Or in the case of degeneration, cell by cell, over time the disc dissipates.
Give the disc back its original space and the disc will reassume its original shape…and heal! Well, most likely. Extremity of the injury or the advancement of the degeneration may be deterring factors…as will age and patient’s overall health.
How do you give a disc more space? Depends on who you ask. A spinal surgeon is likely to tell you it can be done through surgery (by cutting off the herniation or carving into the vertebra to create more room) or not at all (in which case they may recommend a spinal fusion of the two vertebrae in question thus totally eliminating the need for the disc).
A chiropractor will tell you otherwise—particularly a chiro who specializes in decompression therapy. Modern decompression therapy involves computer guided micro adjustments that can target the specific disc in question. The adjustments expand or stretch the two vertebrae thus creating more inter-vertebral disc space. The result is the disc distracts back into its place and begins the healing process. Full distraction is accomplished over the course of 15 to 30 sessions. These sessions may be augmented with a decompression brace.
Of course, it should go without saying that exercise and good health can make a huge difference in both preventing disc problems in the first place, and in helping them heal. This is especially true with degenerative disc disease. If your core muscles, (the ones responsible for lower spine support) are kept strong, natural weight-bearing forces are kept off the discs to begin with thereby sparing your discs the wear and tear that promotes degeneration.
Tags: back injuries, back surgery, healing, herniated disc, Lower Back Pain, pain, spinal decompression, spine
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | 17 Comments »
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
Check out this new slide presentation called
I put together. It’s informative and entertaining. I call it “infotaining!”
Tags: back surgery, decompression table, discs, distraction, healing, herniated disc, Lower Back Pain, spinal brace, spinal decompression, spine
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
So what is spinal decompression and what does it mean to you as a durable medical equipment supplier?
That’s an excellent question. Wikipedia defines spinal decompression as “the relief of pressure on one or many pinched nerves (neural impingement) of the spinal column.”
There are two ways to treat neural impingement, surgically and non-surgically. Surgically there are two common procedures called microdidectomy and laminctomy (also known as open decompression). During microdisectomy the herniated portion of a disc is removed by surgical knife or laser under the guide of a microscope. Laminctomy is more invasive and involves the removal of a small portion of the arch of the vertebrae.
For most back pain sufferers, a non surgical approach is by all means the preferred treatment choice.
One of the most effective non surgical solutions to evolve in the last decade is computerized mechanical decompression, usually found at a chiropractor’s office. Computerized mechanical decompression is similar to more traditional decompression tables, only the decompression is applied through an on-board computer that controls the force and angle of disc distraction, which reduces the body’s natural propensity to resist external force and/or generate muscle spasm.
As a compliment to this treatment, or even in lieu of the treatment, a chiropractor or physician may prescribe the use of a unique spinal brace designed to mimic and/or continue the decompression effect achieved during spinal decompression therapy. This type of brace is called a spinal decompression brace, and selling these braces is where profits for durable medical equipment providers can really come in.
If you have been in the durable medical equipment industry for a while you undoubtedly know about the hundreds of back or spinal braces on the market. But which of those braces provide spinal decompression?
The answer is tricky because, as an unintended but positive side affect, almost all braces may provide some decompression. But when it comes to traditional spinal bracing, decompression is not a primary intention. Traditional braces work by cinching tight in order to prevent movement in the affected area. Their main purpose is immobilization. However, as the intestinal cavity is compressed and the internal organs are forced upward thereby pushing on the upper torso, some minimal lumbar decompression may result. According to proponents of traditional bracing, this “compression” of the intestinal cavity provides sufficient decompression of spine.
There is another option however. A new brace on the market designed specifically to create decompression is rapidly gaining acceptance and popularity. It works by expanding vertically after it is on the patient. It has internal vertical air cell chambers that the user inflates via a hand air pump. As it inflates the brace grows vertically as opposed to constricting inward. It lodges up under the rib cage pushing upwards and down against the pelvic girdle pushing downwards. The resulting “stretch” provides spinal decompression and creates an environment where herniated or bulging discs can distract into the inter-vertebra cavity.
The centers of the discs consist of a jelly-like substance encased in a tough, fibrous outer skin shell. A herniated disc is one where the jelly like substance has erupted through the fibrous skin due to trauma or degenerative disc disease. In most cases this eruption can push on or pinch a nerve in the spinal column and cause severe pain. When proper spinal decompression is achieved and the weight bearing forces are removed from the lumbar area a distractive force is created and the jelly like material of the disc retracts back into its natural shape and position within the vertebrae, reabsorbs the disc fluid it lost when it was compressed, and with time it has the ability to completely heal itself.
A proper understanding of spinal decompression and the remedies available, particularly how spinal bracing comes into play, can mean big profits to you as a durable medical equipment provider.
Tags: back brace, DME, Durable Medical Equipment, herniated disc, HME, Lower Back Pain, spinal decompression, spine
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | 23 Comments »
Monday, May 17th, 2010
We all know what it is like to have something get on our nerves. But what if something was literally on our nerves…pressing on them, causing more than just irritation?
If you are one of the millions of Americans suffering from an injury-born herniated disc in your spine, you already know the resulting pain can be much more real than when your co-worker steals your red stapler. Take hope; the pain-relieving tactics outlined below may be the best read of your life.
1. See Your Doc
It is critical after sustaining the injury to get into a qualified doctor who can determine the severity of the injury. For the purposes of this article we will assume the injury is indeed a herniated disc and not a fractured vertebrae or torn muscle.
2. Take Your Meds
Your doctor will likely prescribe you a steroid-based, anti-inflammatory such as Prednisone or Medrol. Take them as directed. By definition a herniated disc is one that has “swollen” beyond its normal shape. These powerful drugs will immediately help reduce the swelling associated with the injury and may just be what you need to endure while the disc heals. Unless the pain is unbearable and nothing else is working, try to avoid narcotic-based drugs. They can be addictive.
3. Stay Down…but not for long
Let your spine heal by giving it a break. Your body heals faster with rest (and hydration) so get lots of it in the first day or two after injury, and try different positions to find the ones that give you the most relief. But don’t stay down too long allowing your muscles to weaken which could lead to more injuries.
4. Ice Then Heat, Then Repeat
To further help with healing, alternate the use of ice and a heating pad or warm shower every 3 hours or so. The heat will help the surrounding muscles relax, the ice will help prevent or diminish swelling. If you find one irritates your pain discontinue but stick with the other.
5. Rehabilitate
Follow your doctor or physical therapist’s recommended stretches and exercises. Within a day or so of the injury your body will begin to heal itself. You can help it heal with the careful use of proper movement and strengthening activities.
6. Brace Yourself
A proper spinal decompression brace such as the SR 500 can do wonders. It utilizes vertical air cells within the brace that, once you put the brace on, can be inflated via a hand operated air pump. As the cells fill with air the brace expands vertically lodging up under your rib cage and down against your pelvic girdle. The result is a mild stretching of your lumbar spine which allows for decompression to occur giving your disc more room to return to its original shape and strength.
7. Be Careful
After full rehabilitation using a spinal brace combined with physical therapy you should be pain free. You are healed! But like any previously injured body part, your disc will be more susceptible to re-injury especially in the following months to year. So take it easy. No attempts at landing an ollie on your son’s skate board.
Tags: back brace, Heal, herniated disc, Lower Back Pain
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | 30 Comments »
|
|
