The Back Injury…

So, “bad backs” are very common.  They are probably 50% of the reason for new visits into chiropractic offices.  It is actually the reason why I am a chiropractor.  17 years old, back was going bad, hurting during hockey practice, and built up to a point when (three months post auto accident), I was put on the floor for about four days without moving besides crawling.  I saw a chiropractor shortly after that episode, and my life was changed.  I was 24 at the time.

I am now, acutely aware of what it takes to make a back strong, and keep it strong, though at times, simple rest is the answer.  Certain injuries require a time of rest, and that time of rest varies based on MANY factors.  But the thing that I want to write about (because I am sitting here in pain right now, more in a bit), is when the very thing that insures your backs future, ends up being the cause of short term pain.  What to do next?

So today I head off to the gym after church.  I had the girls with me all weekend, so the plan was get in quick, do a few heavy lifts (squat, shoulder press, dead-lift), and get out.  I went in and worked up with four warm-up lifts on the dead-lift.  The weight will seem heavy if you aren’t in this world, but the last succesful lift I did was 405#.  Then I jumped up to what would have been a 30# PR (personal record) and attempted 495#.  I missed the lift.  No back pain.  475#, near miss.  Waited and tried it again, missed it worse.  Then dropped back to a very safe and “easy” 455#.  On the pull my back said “NO”!

So I stopped there, abandoned all other lifts, and cleaned up.  Now the question, what do you do when you hurt your back doing something that strengthens the back?  My answer, is you do more.  But when, how, and how do you know to do more?  If you hurt your back doing abdominal crunches on a machine at the gym with a weight bar across your chest, I would tell you to stay away from that ridiculous machine for the rest of your life.  So it is obviously not going to be that easy at times.

Dead-lifts are good for marriages too.

The key to understanding this, is to understanding the goal.  Quick rewind, your spine is the vine.  Your brain reaches everything through it, so there is a relationship that is based on the ability of your spine to first carry messages to your muscles, and to organize their coordinated contraction, their tone, and their responsiveness to stress.  This is an amazing component of the healing process, intricate and beyond full understanding.  Many things have to come together to truly be OVER the problem of a bad back.

Currently I live episode free for about five years.  I have had bad pain, but nothing that was a true episodic acute meltdown (several days of non-functional living).  Even though the pain I feel right now is pretty significant, I know that I will be adjusting tomorrow without too much issue, and by Wednesday will feel comfortable going right back after that heavy lift.  Healing is a combination of strengthening the back, while insuring that it is in the right position (adjustments).  I have met many people with extremely strong backs, and really bad back pain (need adjusting).  And I have met people with really well adjusted spines, but little neuro-muscular connection (need strengthening).

My recommendation for all of you, is to consider starting a program that will strengthen your whole body functionally.  I hate machines, I think that moving within the confines of a machine make no sense.  It takes skewing reality to “buy into” the idea that isolation exercises somehow best builds strength for compound movements… when the compound movements are available for you to do!  So if you are a patient, try Max T3 in our office for $50 a month, it is well worth it.  Otherwise consider buying the DVD’s on the Maximized Living website or looking up our CrossFit gym.

Second, stay adjusted.  It only takes one poor movement on a subluxated spine to set you back a year or more.  We all want health, your spine is your health because of the nervous system; then it is a significant component of your health because it is the physical point of stress for all movement and muscular action.  It is HUGE.

So, go out and get it strong!  Be well, have a great week!  – Dr. E

Chiropractic Finds its roots!

There have been more internal battles in chiropractic over the last thirty years, than any other profession that I am aware of.  Granted, there have been no internal strikes, but we aren’t set up for that.  There have however, been many chiropractors who have come into the profession, not because of a love for the profession.  But rather from a desire to have the “doctor” title, or because they read that it was a growing profession, or perhaps some other reason.  Many of the chiropractors who join the profession with this kind of motivation, do not appreciate the philosophical position that the profession was founded on.

Let’s go back and review.  DD Palmer discovered chiropractic (we use discovered because we don’t believe a man invented it, but rather this was from God… laying hands to heal was and is the method of choice from a Biblical perspective), in 1895 in Davenport Iowa when he adjusted Harvey Lillard and restored hearing.  This began the start of a very vitalistic approach to health of chiropractic, and was expanded upon by BJ Palmer (son of DD) through his lifetime.  This approach is the one that we use to govern our treatment philosophy.  Basically, you are an amazing and magnificent creation with vital life forces flowing through your nervous system.  To truly measure those signals is impossible, and to try to quantify life forces is an endeavor that will fail miserably as their are inexplicable intricacies to life that will remain illusive.  The goal of care then, is not to guarantee a specific outcome, but rather support bringing the body back to its normal function.  If that means greater symptoms, then it is a proper endeavor.

DD Palmer

This is in stark contrast to the mechanistic philosophy that has governed medical practice for years (though recently there has been large groups of MD’s who are departing from this philosophy).  The growth of animal science as it relates to quantum physics has been a contributor in the growing number of questions of this philosophy.  The sad thing, is that in chiropractic, their has been a division for years, that is based on this difference.  Many chiropractors who have come into the profession (as stated above), have sought after mainstream acceptance.  In many cases it is because of the desire to be more financially successful, thus insurance acceptance has been a goal, along with hoping to come alongside MD’s and receive referrals.

In other cases, it is common to see chiropractors working with MD’s these days.  Though from the outside, that might seem like a very promising idea to many of you.  However, if we dig in and consider the implication, you will realize that it is probably not the best situation for you, them or the profession.  The number one reason according to industry surveys for MD/DC clinics is to allow for greater insurance billings for the DC (if MD’s refer and prescribe specific treatments, then bill those treatments under their license, those treatments will receive higher insurance reimbursement, than in a DC office).  This has come under great scrutiny, and their have been massive insurance penalties levied on some of these practices (not good for anyone).

In addition, most of these DC’s do not maintain as one of their practice goals the desire to get their patients off of medications (makes sense).  So are there any of you reading this who would prefer to take medication over being free of them?  So then who is to help lead you?  If one your goals would be to live a life as free from meds as possible, then you probably want someone leading you that way.  If all the effort from your health care providers is to treat with meds, then you WILL end up on them.  We have learned this all too often, from the most conservative anti-med people around, who have ended up taking them.  It’s part of leadership towards health.

OK, let’s keep going on this path.  Have any of you ever been adjusted by an Osteopath?  I know some of you have, as we have talked about it.  The DO designation started as a license to treat disease through manipulation of joints of the body, to improve blood flow and restore circulation.  Many osteopaths were much like the chiropractors of today though.  Complaining about low volume practices, wanting greater involvement in the insurance reimbursement world, these doctors have gone the way of the MD, choosing to prescribe medication instead of manipulate (they have been trained in full medical practice, and awarded an MD degree benefit along with their DO degree).  Now it is hard to find a practitioner who manipulates, as most examine, diagnose and prescribe medications as their usual office protocol.

So, where are these roots in chiropractic?  Well, one of the greatest chiropractic accomplishments of the recent past has been the explosive growth of practices in Maximized Living.  There are more patient visits that happen in these offices, than in the offices of ten times the number of other chiropractic offices.  Which means that much more influence towards healthy lifestyle, corrective focus of care, an understanding of the value of lifetime care, and a bent towards natural health and clean living.  The model is one that helps to rescue the insurance problem that exists in our country, while rescuing from the chronic disease problem as well.

In the last few weeks I have had several cool testimonials come out, from a man in his sixties telling me that his balance has improved dramatically, to another telling me that he has been able to eat spicy foods again without heartburn, to another telling me that their daily headaches have stopped, and lastly another who fought through the flu in 2 days, which their immune system has never been able to do.  Chiropractic has found its roots!

Be well, be well adjusted!  – Dr. E

“My disc healed on a nerve”

My wife heard this comment at her gym Wednesday night… she goes to Lifetime for kickboxing, and CrossFit with me.  This was Lifetime.  She was sitting near one of our neighbors after class, and the person commented to someone else that her “disc healed on a nerve”.

“Healed on a nerve?” her friend said.

“Yes, my doctor said that it healed after they injected it with junk, and it is now healed on the nerve”.

“What are they going to do?”

“Need to go in now I guess.  I don’t want to, but they aren’t giving me many options.”

I need to make some comments on this topic.  This is really a sad situation of poor understanding of how the body works, but it is because of a doctor poorly educating a patient.  I can think of one really good reason why, it removes accountability from the doctor, and puts it all on the patient.  First off, true healing is not healing with disease.  True healing occurs when you heal to your natural state.  A disc (protruded, herniated, etc) does not “heal” onto your nerve.  It is still a clinical condition, it is still diseased and sick, it is not healed.

So why did this doctor use this terminology?  He was injecting a steroid very likely, into her disc to reduce inflammation, and the “healing” terminology was used because it is easy to help a patient get around the idea of healing.  The reality, is that all the steroid is doing is reducing inflammation, and healing is the thing that your body is doing on its own, under the control of the nervous system, however the nervous system is compromised by the disc pushing on the nerve, so it cannot heal.

You see, the important point of this discussion is that healing cannot occur without a clear signal from that nerve that is being compressed by the disc.  So what do you do in this situation?  Well, decompression is the necessary step.  You need to try to remove the pressure from the nerve, and in that process gain healing of the disc.  There is probably a 50/50 chance that she could be healed fully, if she does the right thing.

The conversation of the two women was preceded with a “My back is killing me comment, I shouldn’t be doing this class… but as long as I don’t do kicks I should be ok”.  When in reality, she shouldn’t be doing any kind of twisting rotating motions with a disc that is protruded or herniated, and symptomatic.  They should be focused on activities that will allow for healing to occur.  Once again, misinformation has led her to believe she can continue without worsening the condition, when in reality, everything that she is doing is worsening her condition.

When you have the sensation of nerve pain, it is a sign that you have really put a significant amount of pressure on your nerve.  It isn’t an insignificant problem at all.  Nerve pressure comes without pain first and foremost, then it slowly develops into pain.  When you feel it shooting down your leg, there is a significant amount of pressure, and it might be disc related.  I know spending extra money isn’t anyone’s favorite pasttime, but if you have nerve pressure, then you should consider talking to us about trying decompression, and considering what other activities you should avoid.

I hope that helps you gain a little better understanding of your discs and healing.  Be well, enjoy the weekend, Dr. E