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Sciatica and Chiropractic Care

Sciatica and Chiropractic Care

Sciatica and Chiropractic Care This article is going to focus on sciatica and Chiropractic care. First of all, what is sciatica? Your sciatic nerve is about the size of your thumb and runs all the way down the back of your leg. It begins by exiting from your lumbar spine, where it is called your lumbar plexus. The nerves of your lumbar plexus join together and travel along the back of your leg as the sciatic nerve, it then branches off  as different nerves as it travels past your knee. How do you know if you have a problem with your sciatic nerve? Do you experience burning or pain along the back of your thigh or cramping in the back of your leg? When I have sciatica and need a Chiropractic adjustment, it feels like a squirrel is chewing on the back of my leg and won’t stop! It is miserable and if you have had it, you would do anything to make it go away. Can Chiropractic care help with sciatica? So, how do you know if Chiropractic care is the right choice for your sciatica? Have you ever had lower back pain before the sciatica started? Have you had an injury to your back previously? Have you had Chiropractic or other care for spinal stiffness before, even if it was another region of your spine? Is your back stiff on a regular basis? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your spine is probably the problem causing your sciatica and you should be checked by a Chiropractor. If your spine does not move the way it was designed to...
Chiropractic helps people with arthritis

Chiropractic helps people with arthritis

Chiropractic – helping people with arthritis Arthritis is a painful and debilitating condition and can have a significant impact on the quality of life of individuals suffering from this disease.  As World Arthritis Day was on 12th October 2014 we wanted to highlight the benefits Chiropractic care for those suffering from this condition. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine1 reported that 63% of patients who visited a rheumatologist, for the conditions rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, also sought some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).  Of these individuals 31% (almost half) chose Chiropractic care, making Chiropractic the most popular alternative used by this group of people.  Importantly, 73% of these patients determined that Chiropractic care was helpful in controlling their chronic pain. An additional aspect of this study was to determine why these arthritic patients chose CAM and the reasons they gave were: Because their prescribed medication wasn’t working to control their pain Because they heard it would help Because it is safe Because it helped someone they know Reducing the use of prescription medicines or over-the-counter medications such as NSAIDs for pain relief means fewer harmful side effects and addiction from long term use.  The lifestyle changes associated with Chiropractic recommendations will also positively influence diet, exercise and overall health. The ability to control some symptoms through Chiropractic care not only reduces the financial burden on the NHS (arthritis cases are set to double by 2030!) but more importantly it improves the quality of life of those suffering from the disease and may in some cases delay the necessity to take early retirement. It’s important that people realise...
Before you give your kids your iPad, read this!

Before you give your kids your iPad, read this!

With the children off school over the summer holidays, it was great to meet some of our existing patient’s kids. For many of them it was the first time they’d seen a chiropractor work their magic, and the popping and clicking captivated the majority. However, those children that were ‘old hat’ with what we do played on an iPhone or iPad. You didn’t have to be a chiropractor to notice the childrens posture when they were hunched over the phone playing Angry Birds or watching Peppa Pig! You can’t help but wonder the influence prolonged periods slouching over these devices will do to young malleable spines. We all say that we were much more active as kids compared to the current generation but I needed to have a look at some of the statistics. A recent study from this year took a sample of 461 parents with children between the ages of 11-16. 40% of these children had suffered from neck or back pain and, worryingly, 15% of parents said their child’s pain was directly resulting from using technology. Parents suggested a staggering 68% of children spent more than four hours on a laptop, tablet or phone. The NHS suggests a child should spend at least an hour a day doing rigorous activity. 48% of parents in this study suggested their children didn’t meet this. You can only hypothesise about the long-term affect of children leading more sedentary lives. I have seen the affect this has had on hundreds if not thousands of adults, many of which come in when their posture has changed, the shoulders have rounded, the mid back is hunched and the...
Lord Lloyd-Webber – Journeying from suicidal thoughts to Chiropractic

Lord Lloyd-Webber – Journeying from suicidal thoughts to Chiropractic

This blog is in regards to Lord Lloyd-Webber’s battle with his own thoughts during debilitating back pain and how he previously experienced his mother go through the same.  To read more follow this link for the full report. Lord Faulconers Bill to allow assisted suicide for those that are terminally ill has recently rekindled a huge ethical and moral debate in the national papers. Although this article focuses very much on Lord Lloyd-Webber and how his view on the subject wavered depending on his experiences, it also demonstrates some very strong chiropractic philosophy. The longer I practice Chiropractic the more I see the relationship between mind and body. A healthy body often belongs to a healthy mind and vice versa. When patients have been through an intense period of emotional stress, existing health issues appear to worsen or new ones appear. Research in abundance demonstrates the increase in depression etc. in chronic pain sufferers. This mind/body principle is key to a holistic chiropractor and is often the answer I give when people ask me, “What’s the difference between a chiropractor and an osteopath/physio?” I’ve had hundreds of patients that develop disc symptoms (as Lord Lloyd-Webber appears to have suffered) either during or after a period of stress. A huge part of the healing process for the patient is the acknowledgment of the link between the two and then taking the necessary steps to deal with both problems. The other key principle to Chiropractic is that the power that made the body heals the body. As chiropractors, we allow healing to happen, we DON’T do the healing. Lord Lloyd-Webber underwent “14...
Why Does My Pain Feel Better In The Warm Weather?

Why Does My Pain Feel Better In The Warm Weather?

The prolonged spell of warm weather in Bristol appears to not only have lifted spirits and the sale of San Miguel; patients have been reporting in their droves that their pain has been more bearable in the heat. Is this possible? Can the temperature and climate affect aches and pains? It’s almost understandable when a patient goes abroad on holiday; they are away from their daily routine, relaxing, swimming and generally having a great time. But is there more to it than simply time out? Symptoms tend to worsen again after three days back doing the school run and days in the office, so it suggests not. So… has this prolonged period of good weather been responsible for peoples pain easing, whilst still doing the daily grind, or are we just lifting our moods by enjoying the summer we’ve craved for years? Expert opinion is divided, but one consistency found in both theory and research is the role of barometric pressure. One of the better known theories is that the increased pressure in warmer times, prevents the joints swelling and thus causing pain. Although this makes sense, it is unfortunately unproven by research. Another theory discusses the role pressure change has on the synovial fluid in the joints, but again this is unproven. Research in Australia and USA has found no correlation between temperature and level of pain in arthritic joints i.e. you were just as likely to experience pain whether you were in a warm or cold climate. BOO I say! So the truth appears to lie somewhere in the middle. Pressure changes may influence pain, also I...

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