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If you reach for the pain medicine when you experience neck pain, you may want to take a look at this latest study on pain medicine and neck pain. A recent study published in January’s Annals of Internal Medicine set out to determine whether spinal manipulation and/or home exercise is more effective than the use of pain medicines for the treatment of acute neck pain.

Both in the short and long term, spinal manipulation as well as at-home exercises won out over the use of pain medicines as being a more effective treatment for neck pain.

Acute neck injuries are common. Serious injuries such as whiplash may occur during an automobile accident, but you may incur whiplash in other ways as well. For instance, have you ever stood up quickly and hit your head? Left untreated, whiplash can turn into chronic whiplash syndrome that leads to months of troublesome symptoms such as dizziness, bed spins, shoulder pain and headaches.

Other acute neck injuries occur during normal tasks and activities. You might wake up with a “kink” in your neck due to sleeping in an awkward position. Your neck injury may stem from a repetitive strain injury or poor ergonomics at your work station. Reaching for something awkwardly can lead to a neck injury. Stress is a major cause of neck pain.

It’s important to have neck pain evaluated because left untreated, some neck injuries can lead to chronic neck pain and limited mobility in the future. Spinal misalignment and inflammation leads to a further damage to the surrounding tissue and bone, which can begin the process of early degeneration. Many older patients who are experiencing limited mobility, spinal stenosis or cervicogenic headaches can attribute their pain to an acute neck injury received earlier in life.

Your Oak Lawn, IL chiropractor can evaluate your neck pain and restore cervical health through gentle spinal manipulation, massage therapy and both passive and active exercises that can reduce inflammation and encourage proper healing to avoid chronic neck pain in the future. Pain medicines only serve to mask the pain. Proper chiropractic care as well as advice on what you can do to prevent future neck injuries are far more effective than pain medicines at relieving neck pain.

Inflammation and Obesity

Have you heard of chronic systemic inflammation? Inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury and infection. In medical terminology, the suffix “-itis” means inflammation. Sinusitis, for example, is the inflammation of the sinuses and it occurs as a result of allergies or an infection by a virus or bacteria. Tendonitis is an inflammation of the tendons.

Inflammation can be acute and the process is meant to protect surrounding tissue and the rest of the body from further damage or infection. It sort of creates a protective area. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is an out of control response that needs evaluation and treatment.

Chronic systemic inflammation affects the entire body. More and more research is revealing that chronic systemic inflammation is behind a number of disease processes as well as aging. It is a vicious cycle that begins with excessive abdominal fat. Fat is actually an organ rather than merely a tissue. It produces hormones and cytokines that are meant to control the amount of fat we carry. The hormones signal hunger or suppress appetite, encourage fat storage or facilitate fat burning.

Unfortunately, we tend to override this system and when too much fat is accumulated in the abdominal region, the immune system begins to attack the fat. This causes an excessive release of cytokines and hormones that encourage more inflammation and reduce the ability of appetite suppressing hormones and fat burning hormones. The end result? More weight gain, more inflammation, more weight gain… getting the picture?

As obesity is a major cause and/or contributor to lower back pain and other joint related problems, your Oak Lawn, IL chiropractor can share advice on weight loss. Chiropractic care involves treating the patient as a whole, not just the symptoms. Let’s look at some foods or nutrients that can help you reduce inflammation and begin down a lighter path, sooner!

--Omega 3 fatty acids found in supplements such as fish oil or of course, fish. Consuming fish 2-3 times per week can help you reduce inflammation

--Phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables have anti-inflammatory properties. By consuming a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, you can help reduce inflammation as well as work towards balancing the hormones that are keeping you overweight.

As well, remember to limit your consumption of inflammatory foods such as excessive animal protein, overly processed refined carbohydrates and foods or beverages with artificial sweeteners, flavors and colorants.

Uh-Oh, Numbness or Tingling in Your Hands or Feet?

Although alarming, numbness or tingling in your hands or feet is really no different than pain. It’s your body’s way of letting you know something needs to be changed because currently, there’s a situation that is not allowing proper blood flow or nerve transmission.

Let’s get a couple of serious issues out of the way first. If you are diabetic, numbness or tingling in your hands and especially your feet should be evaluated. If your Oak Lawn, IL chiropractor rules out any musculoskeletal issue that is causing the numbness or tingling, you will be properly referred to a physician. Many diabetics suffer from poor circulation in the extremities, and this can lead to infection and loss of a limb if not treated properly. There are also other cardiovascular issues that can lead to tingling and numbness in the hands and feet.

However, most of the time, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet is quite simple. You may need to change your shoes to a more supportive pair or perhaps a new pair if yours are worn. If you use a computer a lot, you may need to switch your keyboard. Your hands should “float” as you type and your forearms should be parallel to the floor. Poor ergonomics is the cause behind many chronic musculoskeletal problems.

There are many causes of tingling or numbness in the hands or feet. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common cause of tingling or numbness in the hands. Other causes are tennis or golfer’s elbow as well as shoulder problems such as bursitis. Chronic neck pain or whiplash can lead to tingling or numbness in the hands.

Tingling or numbness in the lower extremities can be caused by sciatica stemming from chronic back problems. The sciatic nerve may be compressed and this can lead to shooting pain down one or both legs as well as muscle weakness, numbness and tingling that may extend all the way to the feet. Spinal misalignment and subsequent gait abnormalities may also be the culprit behind numbness or tingling in the feet.

Your Oak Lawn, IL chiropractor can evaluate your tingling or numbness symptoms and develop a customized treatment plan designed to address the inflammation and resulting nerve or blood vessel compression that is causing your symptoms.

Call us today for more information on available treatments for musculoskeletal conditions as well as overall wellness!

November is Diabetes Awareness Month! What Can Your Chiropractor do for YOU?

We don’t usually think about chiropractors when we hear the term “diabetes.” Since November is Diabetes Awareness Month, I wanted to take a few minutes of your time and let you know what chiropractic care in Oak Lawn, IL can do to help people with diabetes both manage their blood sugar and potentially reduce their dependence on oral or injected insulin.

First, let’s chat just a minute about diabetes. More than 25 million Americans (adults and children) currently have diabetes, and another 79 million have already been diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Diabetes is an enormous burden on our healthcare system and is predicted to cost us around 3.4 trillion dollars over the next decade, which of course will trickle down to you and me. Cases of diabetes continue to rise and it’s the 5^th deadliest condition in our country.

Type 1 diabetes is not necessarily preventable. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin and most cases are diagnosed during childhood or adolescence. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is highly preventable.

When you eat, blood glucose levels rise and insulin is released into the bloodstream to “unlock” the cells to allow blood glucose in so cellular energy can be produced. If the energy is not needed, the glucose is stored as fat. When we eat too much, especially overly processed foods high in sugar and low in nutrients, and have consistently higher than normal levels of blood glucose, insulin becomes resistant and can no longer keep blood glucose levels at a manageable level.

What becomes important in the treatment of diabetes is managing these high blood glucose levels. Blood that has too much glucose is very sticky and causes all sorts of problems in the body such as clogged arteries and poor circulation. It’s difficult for your heart to pump this sticky blood through your body, so your heart becomes worn out sooner than necessary. Coronary artery disease is common amongst diabetics as well as macular degeneration which can lead to blindness. It’s also common for the poorly circulated lower extremities to become infected, which can lead to amputation. Of course, diabetes is also taxing on the renal system and eventually, renal failure can occur and dialysis or a kidney transplant becomes necessary.

Changing dietary habits and reducing weight by a mere 5 pounds can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 58%! In this light, chiropractors are well prepared to give you advice on proper weight loss methods, dietary habits and supplements that can help you lose weight and manage blood glucose.

In addition, studies have shown that some diabetic patients who underwent vertebral subluxations were able to stabilize their blood glucose levels and reduce their dependence on oral or injected insulin! At the heart of chiropractic care lies the concept that a healthy spine lends to a healthy body. When the spine is misaligned, nerves that extend from the spinal cord are not able to function at optimum levels, which can lead to other health problems.

Call your Oak Lawn, IL chiropractor today, Dr. Jeff Hoekstra, to see what our caring staff can do to promote overall wellness and help you prevent diabetes or diabetic complications!

Don’t Let Chronic Back Pain Interrupt This Holiday Season

The holiday season is daunting enough for people without chronic back pain: extra shopping, extra cooking, extra travelling and of course decorating, wrapping presents and STRESS. All of these “extras” during the holiday season can truly cause additional suffering for those with chronic back pain.

Your local Oak Lawn, IL chiropractor has some tips for you on how to minimize the negative effects of the holiday season on your chronic back pain!

1. Begin a weight loss plan and beat the holiday 5 (or 10 or more) pounds! Extra weight, especially around the midsection can cause and or aggravate chronic back pain.

2. Stay hydrated! We often forget to drink plenty of water when the temperatures drop. Keep those discs fluid-filled and joints well lubricated by making sure you get at least 2 liters of fluids per day.

3. Wrap presents on a table or counter that allows you to maintain proper posture. Stooping and bending to wrap presents can be very hard on your lower back.

4. Take time for YOU. Stress can aggravate current back pain, and it may even be a cause of some chronic back pain cases. Make a relaxing bath or a 20 minute walk a part of your daily routine.

5. Have a cookie exchange instead of trying to bake a million things for the holiday season. When you are in the kitchen, make sure you take time to stretch and rest your back. Standing on a hard surface while rolling out or decorating cookies can lead to more back pain.

6. If you are travelling this season, make sure you allow extra time so you can stop to get out of the car periodically and stretch your back and legs.

7. Staying with relatives? Let them know ahead of time that you need to have a firm mattress. Now is not the time to get stuck on someone’s lumpy old couch! Your loved ones may be able to rent or borrow an extra mattress.

8. Get some help with the decorating and don’t try to do it all in one day. If you have a few extra dollars to spare, you might hire at least the outdoor lighting. Unpack those heavy tubs as you go instead of trying to move the entire tub.

9. Make sure you stick with your chiropractic maintenance plan. You may be busier than ever, but missing treatment for your chronic back pain could make you lose loads of time later!

Above all, take time to enjoy this holiday season. A few less presents, a few less treats and a little more time to observe and take in the holiday spirit! Joy, laughter and smiles are always a great cure for any chronic pain!