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Monday, July 29, 2013

Can Chiropractic Help With Herniated Discs?

We treat a plethora of patients in our Plano Chiropractic office that have herniated discs, and most of them responded very well to care. A herniated disc is when a portion of the gelatinous material inside the outer annulus breaks through and puts pressure on the nerve or causes inflammation which them puts pressure on the nerve.

There are a few options that can be done to treat a herniated disc. The first option is medication, while there can be serious reactions to medication it can be effective, although it is rated the lowest in effectiveness compare to the other options. Most people do not like medication and it seems that every person reacts differently. In this case the medication will usually be in the form of an analgesic and anti-inflammatory. This option could further lead to epidural steroid injections and surgery which could equally be ineffective as well as surgery carries an increased risk of permanent injuries or death. It has been estimated that while some surgeries do work up to seventy percent of lower back surgeries fail. Surgery should always be the last option.

Another option is physical therapy, while physical therapy can be effected and is more effective than medication it is still less effective than chiropractic. Physical therapy usually employees stretching and exercises as well as some passive modalities. Many physical therapy patients get frustrated easily because care can be mundane and usually centers around the physical therapist babysitting the patient in doing exercises. Most active patient learn the exercise then don't see the need for the therapist any more. Chiropractors usually incorporate some sort of physical therapy into their treatment protocol as well which is one of the reasons chiropractic is rated the most effective for lower back pain and disc herniations.

Chiropractic is by far the most effective for treating lower back pain and herniated disc as reported by the patient. Most patients report better customer service due to more doctor face time and report that the therapies overall are more effective. The chiropractic adjustments which work on increasing the zygapophyseal joint space as shown via MRI will increase the overall size of neural foramina allowing greater area for the nerve is question to traverse. Chiropractic is the only conservative treatment that does this. In addition to the above chiropractic increases the range of motion, breaks joint adhesions and helps in decrease inflammation. Including chiropractic with physical therapy is the best choice and since physical therapist cannot preform chiropractic adjustments, the chiropractor should be the first line of defense in lower back pain and disc herniations. If you want help due to a herniated disc or lower back pain we are here to help.     

         

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Obesity Is Now A Disease

Obesity has now been classified as a disease according to American Medical Association. Despite your opinion of the now classified disease it will overall help people who could not afford meal replacement are behavioral counseling to help them lose weight. This also brings up another good point though, if it's now classified as a disease are insurances carriers going to start paying for the services rendered? Many people whom are obese also lack insurance coverage, so classifying it as a disease to be able to treat it to have insurance carriers pay for it can also moot. Then next aspect is why do medical doctor now want to treat this condition is it truly to help people or another code to bill to maximize profits. That last question to ask is why is a preventable condition such as obesity now a disease, a condition with can be totally preventable with education and training of the lifestyle? The thought that obesity is not a disease but rather a consequence of a lifestyle exemplified by overeating and inactivity is equal in thought to make the claim that lung cancer is not a disease due to the fact it was brought about by people who smoke cigarettes.