Proper Sleep Positions for Those With Back and Neck Pain

One of the most common questions I get is “how should I sleep?”  Sleep can be extremely difficult when you have severe back or neck pain.  There is no perfect answer to fit everyone, but there are a few tips that will help with most issues.

Side Sleeping:  This is the best position for low back pain and most mid back pain.  However, it does require a few modifications.  You need to put a pillow between your knees to separate them to the same width as your pelvis.  It is also very helpful to put a pillow between your arms.  This will help keep you on your side and will  reduce stress on the shoulders.  If you aren't very tall, a king-size pillow works great for knees and arms.  Body pillows tend to be to "mushy" to work well.  With rib issues, shoulder pain and mid back pain, the pillow between your arms is a must.  You also need a pillow under your head that is about 2-3 inches thick to fill the space between the neck and shoulder.

Back Sleeping:  Back sleeping is best for neck pain and is also good for low back pain.  It may or may not be best for mid back or rib pain; it depends on the person.  Modifications for back sleeping include a pillow that has a hollowed middle for neck support or a thin pillow with a rolled towel under the neck and 1-2 pillows under the knees. 

For extreme cases, patients may end up in a recliner.  This should be done only if it is the only comfortable position.  Use a rolled up towel behind the neck and a thin pillow may help behind the low back.

It is generally not a good idea to sleep on your stomach.  It is also not good to sleep with one or both arms above your head.  This can lead to neck, upper back and shoulder pain.  

Sleep is essential to healing; it just isn’t always easy to do with pain!

Heat Exhaustion vs. Heat Stroke

Summer is always a good time to review the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.  These conditions are very serious and symptoms can come on suddenly.  Seek medical attention immediately for both conditions.  Heat stroke can be fatal.

Heat Exhaustion symptoms:
Dizziness, confusion or anxiety
Fatigue
Headache
Muscle cramps
Excessive sweating, can have cold clammy skin
Slowed heart rate
Fainting
Nausea
Extreme thirst

Heat Stroke symptoms:
Nausea and vomiting
Decreased sweating with hot, flushed, dry skin
Dizziness, vertigo
Confusion and fatigue
Loss of consciousness or convulsions
Rapid heart rate and/or shortness of breath
Decrease urine or blood in the urine or stool
Headache
Raised body temperature (104 or higher)

If you suspect heat exhaustion, move the person to an air-conditioned or cool area and administer fluids.  If they do not start to revive after a short period of time, seek medical attention.  If you suspect heat stroke, seek medical attention immediately.

Many of us love to move our exercise outside during the summer.  Summer sports or practices can also pose a threat.  The key is to make sure that you stay hydrated and decrease your intensity on really hot days. Remember to dress in light-colored, breathable fabrics and to wear sunscreen.  Make sure that you watch children carefully, as they may not recognize the signs easily or may ignore them if they are enjoying themselves.  When dehydration or exertion is intense, water may not be enough.  I often recommend Pedialyte or something similar for people who work outside on extremely hot days.  Salt can also be helpful.  Sports drinks are good too if they do not contain too much sugar.  Excessive sweating depletes your body of more than just water.  I do NOT recommend using sports drinks for every day workouts.  They have too much sugar and are not necessary.

The best part of summer is all of the fun in the sun.  Don't let heat exhaustion or heat stroke ruin your day!

Summer Recipes for Healthy, Delicious, Easy Meals

Summer Recipes for Healthy, Delicious, Easy Meals

Summer is a great season for grilling, salads and fresh fruits and vegetables.  However, it is also a really busy time for most.  I thought it might be nice to share some ideas for fast, healthy meals using fresh ingredients.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Homemade Balsamic Dressing
Salads are easy and great on a hot day.  Marinade and grill a few chicken breasts and place them on top of a salad piled high with all of your favorites.  I suggest using romaine or green or red leaf lettuce or field greens. Topping suggestions include grape tomatoes, green or red onions, avocado, olives, fresh mozzarella, fresh chopped jalapeno or anything else you have handy.

To make the dressing:  combine extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar at a 50/50 ratio and add salt, pepper and several dashes of dry mustard.

One Pot Pasta
This is thanks to a Martha Stewart Living article and I am HOOKED!  Nothing easier, and so good.
Combine a box of whole wheat pasta, 2 cups of diced tomatoes or halved grape tomatoes, several handfuls of fresh basil, 4 cloves of garlic, a thinly sliced medium sized onion, 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper, 1 tsp red pepper flakes and 4 1/2 cups of water.  Cook it all together in one pan (do not pre-cook the pasta).  Stir and top with a little shredded parmesan cheese.

Jerk Chicken
Marinade chicken (organic if possible) in a liquid jerk marinade for 24-72 hours before grilling.
Grill and slice the chicken into strips.  Wrap in corn tortillas with sliced avocado and fruit salsa.  These are so easy and so delicious!  It goes really well with a side of cantaloupe.

Summer is full of great tastes that are not available in the winter months.  Watermelon, strawberries, tomatoes and so many other things just don't taste the same when they are not in season.  Enjoy it while you can!

Motherhood Pain-It Doesn't Just Stem From Pregnancy

Motherhood-and fatherhood-can be very painful.  Insert all kinds of jokes related to child behavior here, but  I am talking about real, physical pain.

As a new mother and a chiropractor, I am getting to experience this situation from both sides.  In the office, I treat pain related to child care and outside of the office, I get to experience it!  So, what causes this pain?  What can be done?

Back and neck pain for parents is generally caused by bending forward to cradle, care for or pick up the baby or by leaning back to offset the child's weight while holding them.  Car seats are also a struggle, as there is no easy way to get them in and out of most vehicles.  They are also heavy and awkward to carry.

There are things that you can do to help with the pain:

1.  Get regular chiropractic care.  There are some things you just cannot change during parenting, and adjustments can help relieve and prevent pain.

2.  Get regular exercise.  Take walks, do yoga, swim.  It also helps to do some upper back toning (like band rows) and some abdominal work (bridging, pelvic tilts, planks).  There are even a lot of baby-and-me exercise plans out there.

3.  Use proper body mechanics whenever possible for lifting, picking things up off the floor and feeding.  Since you do these things over and over again, it really makes a difference.

Even though you cannot avoid certain activities as a parent, pain is avoidable if you work at it.  Don't let the happiest time of your life be one of the most painful.  Take care of yourself so that you can take better care of your little one.

Back Pain Treatment

Back pain is the most common problem for patients in my office.  Over the past 15 years, I have gotten very good at treating it.  Although chiropractic care cannot cure all low back pain, I would estimate that 85% of the people who seek care for low back pain at my office leave feeling better.

If you have never been to a chiropractor, you may be unsure of what happens at a visit and whether or not it is safe.  Chiropractic has historically been poorly understood and there is still a lot of misinformation floating around.  I will not address every bad or incorrect thing I have ever heard.  Instead, I will detail an average visit and treatment plan.

When a new patient comes in for their first visit, there is paperwork (no surprise!) that will not only include the current pain, but also a complete health history.  Every person has a unique history and this history is important.  Then, there will be a review of the symptoms and health history.  This will include things like "what makes your pain better or worse" and "what are you unable to do."  Next, an examination will be performed.  That will include things like range of motion, orthopedic testing, and palpation (a hands on type of examination that can detect muscle spasm, swelling, joint restriction and other things).  After that, I will take a few minutes to explain my initial impressions of the problem, whether or not further testing is needed, and what, if any, treatment would be appropriate to start that day.  

Unlike many offices, I usually start treatment on the first visit.  Depending on the level of soreness and whether or not X-Rays have been ordered, I may modify care for the first 1-3 visits to make it more gentle or general.  There are certain things that are safe to do for almost any cause of low back pain.  I will stick with those if there is some uncertainty or I am waiting for further test results.  These will include passive modalities like ultrasound or electrical muscle stimulation.  I will also utilize muscle massage techniques and flexion distraction (a specialized form of manipulation through gentle traction).  I may also use an activator, which is a gentle, mechanical tool for adjusting.  Treatment is always based on patient tolerance.  In other words, I will not cause the patient undue or severe pain.  The "no pain, no gain" philosophy does not work well, as it triggers inflammation and a worsening of pain.

Treatment will generally last anywhere from 1 week to 3 months depending on the severity and cause of the problem.  During that time, the treatment may evolve several times, moving to more active or hands-on treatment.  The frequency of treatment will also decrease as the patient progresses.   My rule of thumb is 1-2 visits of no pain prior to release.  That ensures that the patient is stable and is less likely to have their pain return as soon as they stop care.

Chiropractic care looks similar, although not exactly the same, for most low back pain.  This is because treatment is aimed at restoring proper movement and function and not curing a disease.  I often say to new patients "the goal is to make your back function as close to perfectly as possible.  If it is moving correctly, it doesn't usually hurt."  It's simple, but it makes sense.  That approach is safe and effective for treating everything from a muscle strain to a disc herniation.  It works well for arthritis, too.  Even if you cannot make it perfect, you can almost always make it move and function better, which will reduce pain and increase abilities.  To me, that is what chiropractic is all about.

Be well!  

Sedentary Lifestyle and Metabolism

As a chiropractor, I spend a lot of time telling people they need to exercise and move more. There is such a huge lack of understanding about the true impact of being still that it is my main goal for patient education.

In today's world of machines, most people spend their day in a small space doing the same thing over and over.  This leads to a wide variety of deleterious effects.  With the rise of the industrial, machine assisted workplace, we have seen the rise of repetitive stress injuries (Carpal Tunnel, etc.) and obesity along with its related diseases (Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer and others).  I have seen an exponential rise in upper back pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia and headaches.

All of these things are directly related to a static work station and a sedentary work day.  NASA has proved  multiple times that a sedentary lifestyle leads to degeneration of the body's systems.  When the first astronauts came home from orbiting the earth, there were noticeable differences in their metabolism.  This happened in as few as 4 days!  Subsequent research found that it takes about 14-16 changes from lying to standing posture each day to keep the metabolism elevated at a high enough rate to avoid the degenerative changes.

Our bodies are a complex system of muscles and joints and they were made to move.  There are many structures within the body for which movement is the main source of nutrition.  No movement equals no exchange of nutrients for waste.  Movement keeps our nervous system efficient and aware.  It is not just about burning calories.

So what should you do?  Obviously, we can't all have jobs that allow extensive movement throughout the day.  If you have a sedentary job, try starting with small movements.  Tap your toes or lift your feet off the ground while at your desk.  Stand up and sit down periodically "just because".  Use breaks to walk around, not check in on your phone.  Exercise outside of work.  Stretch during the day.  Wiggle.

Employers want healthy workers.  If you have ideas about how to get more movement into each workday, discuss it with your supervisor.  Repetitive stress injuries account for 1/3 of worker's compensation dollars.  They want you healthy!

Outside of work, you need to exercise.  It does not matter what type of exercise you enjoy.  Do something!  Don't have time every day?  You can still make sure to get the up and down changes necessary to keep your  body functioning.  5 minutes is all you need.

No doctor or chiropractor can get you well if you aren't willing to help yourself.   Movement is the key to healing and staying healthy.

Motivation for Weight Loss and Exercise

While driving in to work the other day, I listened to an interesting radio piece regarding weight loss motivation.  As a chiropractor, I am often asked about weight loss and readily give advice on both weight loss and exercise.  Therefore, studies in motivation are very, very interesting, as getting people to follow 

through is, by far, the biggest hurdle to overcome.

The study discussed the popular idea that posting a picture of someone skinny on your fridge or elsewhere in your home will act as motivation to lose weight.  For example, posting a picture of a model in the dress you desire to fit into should help you stay on track.  The researchers wanted to know if this was a helpful tool for motivation.  To test it, they divided women into 2 groups and gave them food journals.  The one set received a food journal with a neutral object on the cover and pages (a tape measure).  The second group had a skinny model on the cover and pages. 

Guess what happened?  The group with the tape measure lost weight, while the group with the model lost no weight and even gained a small amount of weight!  This may or may not be a surprise to you, but it is interesting and worth considering when you are trying to motivate yourself to exercise or lose weight. 

My advice?  Think about what motivates you.  Why do you want something?  What do you hope to gain?  Those are the pictures you should put up.  Do you want to be able to ride a bicycle with your kids?  Post a picture of a bicycle.  Want to go hiking somewhere beautiful?  Post that.  After all, it is not about what you look like.  It is about how you feel and what you can do.  Remind yourself every day that you are working toward something attainable.  Know that it takes time.  Celebrate your little victories and write them down.  When you are feeling discouraged, look at the note that says “I walked up 2 flights of stairs without breaking a sweat” or “I finished my exercise class and did not get sore!”  Don’t measure life by your pants size.  Measure it by your activities.  Enjoy the ride!

Immune Support for Cold and Flu Season

There are a lot of great things that you can do to help fight off illness during the winter months.

My supplement company, Standard Process, has some wonderful products.  They are formulated in several different ways so that you can choose the one that best suits your needs.  I will highlight a few of them:
Congaplex
This is used for short-term, acute care and support of the immune system.  It supports immune function, provides antioxidants, supports the thymus gland, contains RNA to help your body build more cells, and more.

Andrographis Complex
This herbal blend provides immune support and respiratory support.  It also helps to maintain a normal body temperature and helps your body to adapt to stress and sudden changes in weather or temperature.

Broncafect
This supplement is ideal for support of healthy respiratory tract function.  It supports the body's ability to break up respiratory secretions, support normal cough reflex and maintain healthy throat tissue.

Cataplex A-C
This supplement combines Vitamins A & C with Echinacea and other ingredients to provide immune and tissue support.  It is also a great source of antioxidants and can be taken more long-term.

These great products, and many others, can make your winter more enjoyable and help keep you well.  They are only available through health care professionals.  For more information, you can contact me or go to the Standard Process site to find a doctor near you.

Other things to do to keep healthy:

• Exercise.  It supports immune function in addition to all of the other benefits it has.
• Use a humidifier.  The dry environment created by heaters in winter creates an optimal condition for viruses.  This is why we get sick more in the winter, not the cold weather.
• Get some fresh air.  Contrary to popular belief, it does not increase your risk of getting sick to go outside.  It is great for your mood, too!
• Get some sleep and drink lots of fluids.  This old advice is true and helps your body put up a good defense when you come in contact with germs.

Think about the number of germs that you come in contact with every day.  There is no way to eliminate them all, nor is it good to try.  Too many antibacterial products are creating resistance to antibiotics.  The best thing you can do for yourself is to strengthen your immune system.  You will be exposed to cold and flu bugs.  Whether or not you get sick is going to depend on your system.  The best way to stay healthy is to stay strong!