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    A publication for patients and friends of Westford Family Chiropractic

        Westford  Family  Chiropractic's

        Spinal Times of 2012 

Dr. Richard J. Leigh * 288 Littleton Road * Westford, MA 

 (978) 692-4476    www.westfordchiropractic.com

 

To all of Westford Family Chiropractic patients; welcome to our bi-monthly health newsletter!

             

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Every two weeks we will attempt to address two or three areas that will help improve your health.

 

westfordchiropractic@yahoo.com 

Please comment in the BLOG section of the website.

 

February 2012, Edition 5   

 

In addition to the electonic Newsletter,

Westford Family Chiropractic will be providing a

  paper Health Newsletter which will be issued through the mail.

If you wish to receive this Newsletter you can sign up

 in the office, call, or send us an email.

Dr. Leigh

 

 

  I

Trigger Points and Pain

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Chiropractic Care and Trigger Points

Trigger points associated with lower back and leg pain are commonly found the iliotibial band (near the upper thigh), as well as in muscles near the hip and buttocks, including the psoas, gluteus maximus, and piriformis. Trigger points associated with neck, upper back, and arm pain are commonly found muscles near the upper back and neck such as the the shawl portion of the trapezius muscle, the rhomboid muscles, and the levator scapulae.

These chronic, persistent, localized muscle spasms are caused by postural inefficiencies, biomechanical faults, and stress. Any or all of these factors may be involved. Stress may be ongoing, depending on the person's circumstances, but posture and biomechanics can definitely be addressed and improved with chiropractic care.

Your chiropractor will analyze and identify biomechanical issues, particularly those involving spinal misalignments. A chiropractor will design treatment specifically tailored for your individual needs and, if needed, will help educate you regarding good postural habits and exercises that will be beneficial for many years to come.
Trigger points are persistent, localized muscle spasms that can cause a great deal of pain.1,2,3 Trigger points alone may be responsible for many cases of neck pain, upper back pain, and lower back pain. This relationship is fairly common knowledge among physicians who treat pain, including chiropractors, rheumatologists, and physiatrists (doctors of physical medicine).

What is not generally known is that trigger points may also be implicated in radiating pain into the arm and hand or radiating pain into the leg and foot. In fact, radiating pain due to trigger points may be mistaken for pain caused by a herniated disc, in either the neck or lower back. Trigger point pain affecting the wrist and hand may even be misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome. A patient in whom a correct diagnosis of trigger point pain is missed may lose much precious time and other resources, as she fruitlessly "tries" one doctor after another and needlessly undergoes all sorts of complex and costly testing.

The key to correctly identifying the source and cause of upper or lower extremity radiating pain is to be able to accurately characterize its nature. Radiating pain caused by trigger points is diffuse - the pain broadly covers a region. This diffuse pain is described as "scleratogenous", meaning that it is pain referred from connective tissue such as muscle and tendon. Radiating pain caused by a compressed spinal nerve (ultimately caused by a herniated disc, for example) is described as "radicular" or "dermatomal". This pain is confined to a specific area - the area that is supplied by a specific spinal nerve. For example, pain involving the thumb and index finger could be caused by compression of the C6 spinal nerve. Pain involving the outside of the foot and the little toe could be caused by compression of the S1 spinal nerve.

Scleratogenous pain is not specific. A person might complain of pain across the "shawl" portion of the upper back and traveling into the upper arm, experienced "all over" the upper arm. Another person might be experiencing pain across the gluteal region, hip, and upper thigh. Both of these patterns of radiating pain are likely due to several trigger points, localized to the respective areas.

Of course, an accurate diagnosis is necessary to be able to develop an effective treatment strategy. The good news is that although trigger points necessarily represent a chronic muscular process, they may be treated with very good to excellent outcomes using conservative protocols. Chiropractic care is the optimal method for managing trigger point pain. Chiropractic care is a drug-free approach which directly addresses the biomechanical causes of these persistent trigger points and their associated patterns of radiating pain. Chiropractic care improves mobility and restores function, helping to reduce and resolve chronic pain.

1Alonso-Blanco C, et al: Multiple active myofascial trigger points reproduce the overall spontaneous pain pattern in women with fibromyalgia and are related to widespread mechanical hypersensitivity. Clin J Pain Feb 28 2011 (Epub ahead of print)
2Bron C, et al: Treatment of myofascial trigger points in patients with chronic shoulder pain: a randomized, controlled trial. BMC Med 9:8, 2011 (January 24th)
3Renan-Ordine R, et al: Effectiveness of myofascial trigger point manual therapy combined with a self-stretching protocol for the management of plantar heel pain: a randomized controlled trial. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 41(2):43-50, 2011

 

*From the February 15, 2012 Health Newsletter* 

Back Pain - Am I At Risk?

Are there risk factors for back pain? And, if there are, what can I do to keep myself healthy and well?Learning about potential risk factors and taking appropriate action will help ensure a stronger, more flexible, and healthier lower back.\r\

 Your Family and You

For the most part back injuries are caused by mechanical issues, and the tendency to get such injuries is not inherited.

However there are family-related behavioral tendencies, and these behaviors - while not "inherited" as such - may easily be passed down from parents to children. When we grow up, these ingrained habits of daily living may lead to back injuries.

Poor posture, lack of interest in exercise, and a tendency to be overweight are all patterns of behavior we learn from our parents. As adults, its valuable for us to make conscious efforts to revise these unhealthful patterns, being proactive in developing new behaviors that support our goals of health and well-being.


And, various health issues that actually may be inherited can increase a person's susceptibility to back pain and back injury. Your chiropractor will be of assistance in identifying such additional risk factors.

Are there risk factors for back pain? And, if there are, what can I do to keep myself healthy and well? Your chiropractor can help answer these questions and more.

One primary risk factor relates to exercise. Everyone has heard, "if you don't use it, you lose it". If you're not exercising regularly, your back muscles are deconditioned and much more susceptible to injury - the strains and sprains we're accustomed to calling "back pain".

Muscles get stronger when they're required to do work. Also exercise helps "train" the soft tissues around a joint - the ligaments and tendons - these supporting structures "learn" how to withstand mechanical stresses and loads without becoming injured. Basically, when you exercise - when you do any kind of exercise - your body gets "smarter" and you're less likely to get those annoying back problems.1

A related risk factor is weak abdominal muscles. When you were a kid, at some point one of your gym teachers probably told you to "suck in your stomach". Actually, it turns out that was pretty good advice. Your abdominal muscles support the muscles of your lower back. If your abdominals are weak or if you're not using them - letting them hang out and droop instead of keeping them activated - your body weight has to be held up by the muscles of your lower back. They're not designed to do that - they're designed to move your spine around. And eventually, these lower back muscles will give way under the excess strain. The result is a very painful lower back injury.

There are many easy-to-do exercises for your abdominal muscles. The key is to actually do them - and do them after you're finished doing the rest of whatever exercises you've scheduled for that day. How often? Three times a week is plenty. Abdominal routines are quick - no more than 10 minutes. And, remember to use your abdominal muscles throughout the day. Imagine your abdominals are being pulled in and lifted up. This is not a "tightening" - your thought should be "activate". Your body will know what to do, once you've started adding consistent abdominal training to your exercise routine.

Risk factors for back pain may also be found in your personal and family medical history.2,3 During your initial visit your chiropractor will ask you about accidents and surgeries you've experienced, and discuss any important elements in your family history. For example, surgery to remove an inflamed galllbladder or appendix or to repair a hernia may result in weakened abdominal muscles. A motor vehicle accident or a fall from a height may have caused injuries that healed with soft tissue scarring.

Learning about potential risk factors and taking appropriate action will help ensure a stronger, more flexible, and healthier lower back.

 

 Look for our "hardcopy" Health Newsletter coming soon....in the mail. 

A Westford Family Chiropractic "ALERT"!  90% of prospective patients will find their chiropractor ON-LINE.  Positive reviews are so important...and we / I hope that you feel Westford Family Chiropractic and myself provide you with top quality (5 star) chiropractic care.  I ask that each of you who receive a newsletter would kindly take the time to "write" positive review on one (or more) of these sites:   

     Click on the logo for the site which you may wish to provide a "review" and type "Chiropractor near Westford" in the search box.  Click on the Westford Family Chiropractic heading...Thank You! 

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When creating a "review" you will need to "verify" your authenticity by providing an email address.   THANKS!

   

February 2012 Special !!!

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Positioning Roll exclusive to persons NEW to our office.  Westford Family Chiropractic will always be happy to provide x-rays and evaluations to past and present patients for$25.00.

For any existing patient that refers someone to our office; we will provide you with a neck or back roll as our thank you!

Call Westford Family Chiropractic today!

(978) 692-4476   or

request an appointment on-line.

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