Treatment for sciatic nerve pain

Treatment for sciatic nerve pain does not have to require invasive procedures or addiction risk. Chiropractic is non-invasive, safe, and effective. In my previous post, Relief from sciatic nerve pain, I shared what sciatica is and what causes sciatic nerve pain. Now, let’s compare the available treatments and take a more in-depth look at how and why chiropractic is the best option.

Traditional treatments for sciatica

Traditional treatments for sciatic nerve pain often don’t get to the bottom of the issue. Without addressing the root cause, the pain can just keep coming back.

Non-surgical medical treatments include options like pain and anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), muscle relaxers, opioids, and steroids. But they just mask symptoms and are unable to correct a nerve compression caused by a bulging or herniated discs, tumors, or other forms of spinal decay. The risk of addiction or the liver damage associated with long term use is also a factor that should be considered. For these reasons, drugs should only be used temporarily until the underlying problem is corrected.

Physical therapy can exercise and strengthen unstable joints and certainly has its part in your overall

treatment plan. However, if it does not address the root cause of your sciatica, then its relief may only be temporary.

Surgery is irreversible and sometimes fails, so it should be considered an option of last resort. Surgical treatment often involves cutting away disc tissue or removing bone to make room for the nerve but only about 2% of patients require surgery!

Chiropractic is the natural approach to better health and fast relief of sciatic nerve pain. Read More “Treatment for sciatic nerve pain”

Sciatic nerve pain relief

Fast sciatic nerve pain relief is possible with the safe and effective chiropractic treatment options we offer here at Synergy Wellness. But first, we need to understand what it is and what it is not. Since sciatica is a very common reason for back and leg pain, it’s understandable that pain from unrelated causes is often mislabeled as sciatica. In those cases, it could stem from strained or damaged muscles or ligaments.

Where is the sciatic nerve?

Sciatic nerve pain is often uncomfortable, distracting, and even debilitating. Starting in the lower back, it can extend down the leg and into the foot and toes. The source of actual sciatica pain comes from irritation of the sciatic nerve. Pressure or pinching of this sciatic nerve that originates in the L4 and L5 vertebrae in your lower back is the cause of most sciatica pain, hence its name. If you take a look at the sciatic nerve diagram, you’ll see that the sciatic nerve is the large nerve that runs down the back of each leg. Like a large river created by smaller streams, five pairs of nerves exit the spine in the lower back to form the two sciatic nerves. Check out my video, What is sciatica and how is it best treated. Read More “Sciatic nerve pain relief”

Cox flexion distraction technique for chronic pain

Cox flexion distraction technique for chronic pain is used by chiropractors trained in the Cox® Technic method.

About one-third of Americans report that they suffer from some form of chronic pain. It is also the number one cause of long-term disability in the United States. According to a 2019 Dept. of Health & Human Services report, pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined.

Many Americans suffer from chronic lower back pain, neck pain, and migraines caused by a long list of conditions that can be treated with non-invasive chiropractic care. When treating chronic pain stemming from disc herniations and bulges, spinal stenosis, and nerve pains like sciatica, one chiropractic technique is considered the Gold Standard and is the most researched chiropractic procedure. It’s called Cox flexion distraction Technique.

Read More “Cox flexion distraction technique for chronic pain”

There are differences between osteopathy and chiropractic care, and knowing them can help you. Choosing a healthcare provider is an important decision and many people struggle with determining the right fit for themselves and their families. The seemingly endless list of fields and specialties doesn’t necessarily help. As you consider the kind of over-all care you are seeking, you will also want to factor in any current health concerns and personal preferences.

When it comes to back pain, most people choose to see either a chiropractor or an osteopath, but that is not the only problem they can help you with. Many people often wonder what chiropractic and osteopathy differences even are. The chiropractic and osteopathic fields do share many similarities; however, there are a number of important differences as well.

Read More “Osteopathy and chiropractic differences”

Temporomandibular disorders are irritating at best and debilitating at worst. Jaw clicking and popping. Headaches. Earaches or tinnitus. Inflammation or jaw locking. Does any of this sound painfully familiar? Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD), frequently miscalled TMJ (temporomandibular joint), are a common cause of facial discomfort. The pain commonly associated with it can affect one or both sides of your face. It stems from problems with the jaw itself or facial muscles and nerves. More women than men are affected by TMD. These disorders mostly occur in patients between the ages of 20 and 40.

What is the temporomandibular joint?

The temporomandibular joint acts as a hinge connecting your jaw to the temporal bones in front of your ears. As with other joints, cartilage and discs act as a buffer between the bones. This “hinge” allows for the up and down and side to side movements necessary for talking, yawning, smiling, eating, laughing, and more. You typically use this joint over 5,000 times a day. In other words, it does a lot of work! You can probably guess that problems with the muscles, tissues, bones, or nerves in this area can have a major impact on your well-being and quality of life.

Read More “Temporomandibular Disorders (TMJ)”

The standing desk is gaining in popularity. Is getting one the best option for you?

When to sit, when to stand

Without a doubt, there are numerous negative effects of regular, prolonged sitting. Over time, these negative effects can even cause cascading health issues. If you spend the majority of your day sitting at a desk, you are probably very familiar with a few of them. But there are some that may surprise you. Take a look at this list.

• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Weak legs
• Weight gain
• Increased risk of certain cancers
• Higher rates of diabetes and heart disease
• Slowed down brain function
• Shorter life span
• Altered posture and alignment
• Muscle tension (Sign up for FREE MUSCLE TENSION SCAN)
• Weakness
• Decreased cardiovascular health
• Increased risk of depression and anxiety
• Poor digestion
• Poor blood circulation
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Higher cholesterol
• Bulging or herniated disks
• Slower metabolism

Standing office desk

This has led to countless ideas and ergonomic products designed to alleviate the strain that long-term sitting puts on the body. One such product gaining in popularity over the last few years is the standing desk. What better way to avoid the pitfalls of sitting in a chair all day than to eliminate the chair altogether?

Which leads you to the numerous negative effects of regular, prolonged standing. Good upright posture is necessary regardless of whether you are sitting or standing. This requires substantial effort from your muscles. Insufficient blood flow to loaded leg muscles used for standing increases pain and fatigue in your neck, back, and legs. Other negative effects include:

• Long term back pain
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Lower-limb muscle fatigue and swelling
• Increased risk of leg cramps
• Aching muscles
• Corns and bunions
• Increased pressure on hip, knee, and ankle joints
• Varicose veins
• Can exacerbate coronary heart disease and arthritis
• Sore feet
• Neck and shoulder stiffness

Ergonomic desk setup

The human body is designed to move, not remain sedentary or standing for prolonged periods. Ideally, you should have the ability to choose from a few different work positions in order to change things up throughout the day.

Setting up and maintaining an ergonomically beneficial workstation should be your first step. Next, you’ll want to introduce regular “micro-breaks” throughout your day, especially if you have a stationary sitting desk. About every 20 minutes you should get up and move around or stretch. Even just one day of breaking up your sitting with regular movement can be beneficial in regard to several health issues like blood pressure.

If you have a standing desk, make sure you keep the chair nearby to utilize for sitting breaks. Regular walking around and stretching also helps here. A standing desk still requires ergonomically setting up your desktop tools, such as your computer screen and keyboard, in order to help maintain an ideal posture.

Adjustable standing desk

Another option currently available is the sit-to-stand adjustable desk that combines the best of both worlds. Combined with an adjustable chair and an anti-fatigue mat this can go a long way towards a more healthy work environment. By changing positions and moving around regularly you distribute the daily workload across more of your muscles which reduces the stress on individual joints and muscles and it increases your blood flow to those tissues.

So, which option is best for you? That may require a bit of trial and error to discover, but whether it’s sitting, standing, or a little of both, the tools are definitely available. Sign up for a free 10 day trial of our Corporate Wellness portal for information and tutorials that can help guide you to your perfect workstation set up.

As inevitable as death and taxes, occupational stress has become the new normal for most Americans. It could be considered a major workplace health hazard. Merriam-Webster defines stress as “a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation . . . that tends to alter an existent equilibrium.”

Daily stress at work can lead to everything from actual physical illnesses and injury to substance abuse and depression. A Michigan public health study concluded that poorly managed anger (which is a common result of ongoing stress) can lead to a 2.5 times higher risk of death from heart disease.

Stress will always be a part of life. How we deal with occupational stress can change our health for the better or worse.

Our bodies are geared for a fight or flight response to stressors that resolve or finish quickly. Most occupational stress in today’s modern work environment is prolonged and rarely takes a break. Your body’s response that is meant to be short-term (increased heartbeat and respiration, increase in adrenaline and other hormones, etc.) becomes more long-term and just adds fuel to the fire.

Read More “Occupational stress”

Should you have a standing desk or traditional desk? When should you sit, and when should you stand?

Without a doubt, there are numerous negative effects of regular, prolonged sitting. Over time, these negative effects can even cause cascading health issues. If you spend the majority of your day sitting at a desk, you are probably very familiar with a few of them. But there are many that may surprise you. Take a look at this list.

Dangers of sitting too much

• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Weak legs
• Weight gain
• Increased risk of certain cancers
• Slows down brain function
• Shorter life span
• Altered posture and alignment
• Muscle tension
• Weakness
• Increased risk of heart disease
• Decreased overall cardiovascular health
• Increased risk of depression
• Increased risk of anxiety
• Poor digestion
• Poor blood circulation
• Increased risk of diabetes
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Higher cholesterol
• Bulging or herniated disks
• Slower metabolism

This has led to countless ideas and ergonomic products designed to alleviate the strain that long-term sitting puts on the body. One such product gaining in popularity over the last few years is the standing desk. What better way to avoid the pitfalls of sitting in a chair all day than to eliminate the chair altogether?

That leads us to consider the numerous negative effects of regular, prolonged standing. Good upright posture is necessary regardless of whether you are sitting or at a standing desk. This requires substantial effort from your muscles. Insufficient blood flow to loaded leg muscles used for standing increases pain and fatigue in your neck, back, and legs. Below are some other negative effects.

Read More “Standing desk or traditional desk?”

Bulging disc and herniated disc are commonly used terms for intervertebral disc problems. People also use terms like slipped and ruptured, but a disc does not actually slip, and ruptured just refers to a disc that has herniated. This can understandably cause some confusion when you just want to figure out what is wrong and how to fix it. For simplicity, we will stick with bulging and herniated for the rest of this post.

What are intervertebral discs, and what do they do?

In between each of your vertebrae, except the atlas and axis (C1 and C2), are flexible, gel-like pads. They are called intervertebral discs. They act as shock absorbers for your spine. These cushions absorb and disperse impact energy and provide spinal flexibility for bending and turning. Each disc is made of a tough cartilage surrounding a softer inner core called the nucleus pulposus.

Being an integral part of your spine, this puts them right next door to the bundle of nerves serving your spine and other areas. This is important to note because a bulging or protruded disc can press on these nerves and cause pain. Those nerves serve other parts of your body. That means you may feel pain in other areas, not just in your back.

Bulging disc vs herniated disc

A bulging disc is simply that: a disc that is bulging outside of its normal parameters between vertebrae. Wear and tear or damage from misuse can cause the disc to be pushed out farther than it should be. Age is also a very common factor as discs become compressed over time. A disc does not always bulge out evenly all the way around. It can often only be ¼ to ½ of the disc that is affected.

Herniated discs, on the other hand, happen when cracks form in the tougher outer layer of cartilage. That allows the softer core to protrude. Over time, an untreated bulging disc can develop into a herniated disc. They can also occur from trauma such as a car accident. Herniated discs are commonly called ruptured discs or slipped discs. As stated before, a disc cannot slip. A disc is attached to the top and bottom of the vertebrae. What can slip are the vertebrae themselves. The term slipped disc would be more accurately called a slipped vertebrae or a subluxation.

Read More “Bulging disc vs herniated disc: What’s the difference?”

Ergonomics in the Office and its Role in Corporate Wellness

Ergonomics in the office doesn’t have to look like a workplace full of space-age furniture and strenuous stretching routines. It can be as simple as adjustable chairs and microbreaks.

Back and neck pain are commonly reported workplace injuries, and not just from bad lifting. Seemingly benign activities such as sitting in an office chair for too long can cause problems. Workers who spend large amounts of time sitting at desks benefit from applying simple ergonomic principles in their work environment. Doing so can help avoid work-related injury and pain. Corporate wellness programs like the ones offered through Synergy Wellness have been shown to reduce lost work time due to illness and injury.

What is ergonomics?

Merriam-Webster defines ergonomics as “An applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely.” In a typical office environment, this simply means the workspace and tools are designed or laid out to reduce stresses on the body. Facilitating a healthy work environment and habits reduces health-related productivity loss. The proper chair can help maintain a healthy posture. An ergonomic keyboard can reduce the risk of carpal tunnel. In essence, the tools conform to the needs of the worker instead of the worker conforming to fit the tools. With that in mind, let’s discuss how a focus on proper ergonomics in the workplace can reduce common health complaints of office workers and increase their overall health, well-being, and productivity.

Read More “Ergonomics in the office”