Peeling the Onion

In the language of statistics, health is a continuous variable. A person's health can be expressed as an infinity of values ranging from abundant well-being to terminal states approaching death. If health were a discrete quantity you could assign a number to it. You could say that someone had 95% health or 32% health. You'd be able to measure health on an exact scale. But of course health is much more complex. Health status requires intermediate descriptive states for a more complete understanding of a person's level of wellness.

The practical outcome is that health is an expression of many factors, not merely one kind of activity. A person who has an extraordinarily healthy diet but has very high levels of stress may still suffer from cardiovascular disease, regardless of the amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and fresh fruits and vegetables he consumes.¹ A person may be a champion athlete, such as a ballet dancer or a figure skater, and yet have type 2 diabetes owing to a lifetime of unhealthy nutrition.²

There are many such cautionary tales, including that of a famous runner, author, and fitness expert who died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 52.

Like an archeological dig, good health has many layers. It's always a mistake to stop digging (even though you think you completely understand a process), because a little more effort and a little more thought will reveal new patterns and new connections. This is the major problem with medications. You take a drug to stimulate one thing or inhibit another thing, but there always more layers to consider. Side effects result from trying to manipulate one layer of effects while ignoring the consequences to other important layers.

Statins are a good example of this process of failing to consider the layers of health. These drugs lower blood cholesterol levels by inhibiting the production of a liver enzyme that is part of the pathway of cholesterol synthesis. But statins have many side effects, including Lou Gehrig's disease, memory loss, liver damage, nausea, diarrhea, and muscle pain.³

In contrast, chiropractic care is designed to pay attention to all the layers. Chiropractic care, in fact, is a layer-optimization process. By restoring full functioning of a person's nerve system and improving the mechanical functioning of the musculoskeletal system, chiropractic care enables the body's layers of health to interact in the way they were designed to interact. Chiropractic care is a natural, efficient method of restoring and maintaining good health.

Chiropractic treatment, known as a chiropractic adjustment, involves methods of restoring optimal mechanical function to spinal joints. When joint mobility is optimized, nerve impulses flow freely from the brain to the body and back from the body to the brain. 80% of information to the brain arises from joints and muscles. At Jennings Chiropractic Neurology Clinic Dr. Ed Jennings focuses on the information coming in, sensory, outgoing information, motor system and the intercommunication within the brain.

Normal nerve transmission allows all body systems to function normally. Cells receive their instructions on time and in the right amount. Information (feedback) from the cells likewise reaches the brain on time and without distortion. Cells and tissues do their jobs efficiently and effectively and the body expresses optimum health. The channels of communication are open and information is freely transmitted back and forth. Thus, the layers of good health are in alignment. The body has a built-in healing mechanism. The job of the Chiropractic Neurologist is to enable that mechanism to work properly.

¹Knoepfli-Lenzin C, et al: Effects of a 12-week intervention period with football and running for habitually active men with mild hypertension. Scand J Med Sci Sports Feb 2, 2010 (Epub)
²Fuemmeler BF, et al: Weight, dietary behavior, and physical activity in childhood and adolescence. Implications for adult cancer risk. Obes Facts 2(3):179-186, 2009
³Sharma M, et al: Systematic review: comparative effectiveness and harms of combination therapy and monotherapy for dyslipidemia. Ann Intern Med 151(9):622-630, 2009

Four Resolutions for a Healthier Back

Tips for Keeping Your Resolutions

Don't Over Do It Set goals that are challenging yet attainable. Take some time to consider what is most important to you and choose a resolution that moves you in the right direction, yet is not a drastic, overwhelming change. Tell Everyone Spread the word! Support from friends, family and co-workers can make a huge difference as you strive to reach your goals. Making them aware of your goals is a great way to ask for that extra bit of support that can get you through even the toughest challenges. Treat Yourself Along the Way Be sure to be good to yourself and celebrate small achievements on the way to the big one. Reward yourself as a way to encourage more of the same successful behavior.

Eat more vegetables. Stress less. Take the kids out to the park more often. You may already have a long list of resolutions for the new year. This year, honor your spine, too. With the help of your doctor of chiropractic, these simple steps can promote a healthier back for the new year.

Consider replacing your pillow or mattress.

Do you wake up with aches and pains? It could be time to purchase a new mattress or pillow. The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) recommends finding a mattress that evenly supports your whole body. There should be no gaps between you and the mattress when you lie down. When choosing a pillow, select one that supports your head and neck in alignment with the rest of the spine, whether you sleep on your side or back. Keep in mind that what works for your partner may not work for you— there isn’t one mattress or pillow that fits everyone. Simple adjustments, such as adding foam padding, can help tremendously.

Re-evaluate your posture at work.

Americans spend an average of 44 hours at work every week— often behind a desk. To avoid poor posture that can lead to tension, back pain, and joint problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome, check that your chair is the right size and adjusted correctly, says the ACA. Do your feet rest comfortably on the ground? Does the chair offer lumbar support? Are you able to tilt or swivel easily while performing tasks at your desk? Also, be sure you have adequate light (so that you aren’t straining to see documents or a computer screen), adjust your computer monitor so that it is at eye level, and wear a headset for longer telephone conversations. And don’t forget to take frequent breaks and stretch throughout the day.

Learn how to lift correctly.

Many back injuries are caused by improper lifting of items such as luggage, backpacks or briefcases, storage boxes, or even groceries. But knowing how to lift properly can prevent serious injury. First and foremost, don’t bend from the waist. Keep your back straight, and squat to reach the item. Then, keep it close to your body as you lift, and avoid twisting motions. When traveling, check all bags that weigh more than 10 percent of your body weight.

Eat right and exercise well.

Eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise helps your body stay toned and tension-free— and promotes a healthy weight and a happier spine. Smart exercise and a good diet can also prevent osteoporosis, which affects over 20 million American women. To start, the ACA recommends eating out at restaurants less (to reduce the amount of unhealthful fats and sugars you consume) and adding more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your diet. Aim for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes of exercise, three or four days a week.

Do You suffer with Neck Pain?

Do you suffer from neck pain? If you do, you’re not alone. Nearly 75 percent of American adults will suffer from neck pain at some point in their lives. And, looking at our anatomy, it’s no wonder so many of us do. Though having your head perched on top of your spine gives you a great view of your environment, the set-up is rather like propping a bowling ball atop a tower of blocks. The price? Our necks are prone to injury of the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints. But by paying attention to our posture, doing regular stretching and strengthening exercises, and visiting our chiropractors, we can help keep our necks pain-free. Jennings Chiropractic Neurology Clinic has 26 years experience in dealing with these conditions and more.

Causes of Neck Pain

Neck pain ranges from mild (annoying and distracting) to severe (incapacitating). Poor posture during normal, everyday activities such as watching TV, using a computer, reading a book, or talking on the phone can easily trigger minor neck pain. TV watching can be particularly bad for the neck if you’re lying on a couch, with your head propped at an awkward angle for a prolonged period of time. Holding the phone between the jaw and shoulder (rather than in your hand), reading at a desk or table with your head hung over a book, or working with a computer monitor below eye level can also be particularly stressful for the neck. By resting and making efforts not to repeat the offending stresses on the neck, minor neck pain usually disappears on its own within a day or so.

Neck pain that won’t go away or keeps coming back can signal a more serious underlying problem. Subluxations or joint restrictions; injuries such as whiplash; diseases like osteoarthritis, meningitis and tumors; congenital malformation; and degeneration (such as that in arthritis) require more than rest. A trained healthcare professional such as a doctor of chiropractic (DC) can help. He or she can determine whether the cause of your neck pain is minor and easily treatable or more serious and requiring more intensive, extended treatment. Then he or she may recommend chiropractic adjustment, massage, natural anti-inflammatory supplements, and/or strengthening and stretching exercises. In some cases, the DC will refer you to a specialist.

Prevention is Key

How can you avoid the need for treatment in the first place? The first step is to take note of your everyday posture. If your job requires a lot of phone use, consider wearing a headset. Do you slouch when you watch TV? Lie on the couch? Choose to sit upright, in a posture-supporting chair. When studying or reading, avoid putting the book or magazine on a flat surface. Instead, consider using a book prop. And, if you notice your computer monitor is below eye level, elevate it by placing it on top of a shelf or tower.

If you experience neck pain that doesn’t abate within 24 hours, seek the advice of a trained healthcare specialist for the appropriate diagnosis and treatment. And remember, because chiropractors specialize in the neuromusculoskeletal system, they are some of the most well-trained healthcare professionals to consult about neck pain.

Neck pain is often caused by weak muscles in the front and tight, overactive muscles in the back of the neck. Doing daily strengthening and stretching exercises can be helpful in preventing neck pain. Try the following exercises:

EXERCISES FOR THE NECK

Lie flat on your back. Tuck your chin to chest and raise your head no more than an inch off the floor or bed. Hold this position until your muscles are tired (they may shake). Do this exercise three times, once or twice per day.

In a standing or sitting position, with your neck erect and tall, keep your chin level and jut your head forward. Then, drop your chin to your neck. Place your hands on the back of your head to gently encourage a stretch of the muscles at the back of the neck. Hold this position for several seconds. Do this exercise three to fives times, as much as once an hour, every day.

Looking straight ahead, tilt your head to one shoulder.With the same-side hand, gently pull your head toward your shoulder. Hold the stretch for several seconds. Repeat on the opposite side. Do this exercise three to five times on each side, as often as once an hour, every day.

The Ties That Bind

What would you consider to be a standard of health? Flexibility. Musculoskeletal, chemical and emotional flexibility. You're born loose and you die stiff. Loss of motion in between is a loss of vitality, and loss of function. Maybe just at microtraumatic/microscopic level most of the time, but it adds up to a point where either you injure yourself pushing your newly restricted limits of joint and tissue tensile strength, or you find you just can't do which he used to do and you don't know where it went.

The key to understanding the technique I use,called Neuromuscular Reeducation, is knowing about adhesions. When an area is injured, whether it's muscle, connective tissue, fascia, tendon or some combination of these elements (as most injuries are) the body handles this inflammatory response of the tissues to trauma, the only way it knows how, through hyperplasia of the affected tissue followed by a fibrous healing, the laying down of a less elastic, second grade, poorly vascularized scar tissue to protect the involved areas. Adhesions form wherever damage and inflammation have occurred. They limit both strength and range of motion. It can be thought of as a K mart grade of connective tissue. This response occurs whether you take anti-inflammatory medication or not.

Every muscle in the body is surrounded by a smooth facial sheath, (connective tissue) every muscular fascicule and fibril are surrounded by fascia that can exert pressures of over 2000 pounds per square inch. Neuromuscular Reeducation is a hands on approach to the evaluation, and structural and functional treatment of the human body and its injuries. Every time we experience a trauma, undergo an inflammatory process or even suffer from poor posture, the body adapts, restricting the fascial layers as well as the range of motion of the involved joints.

There may be an overall range of free movement, but at a joint or segmental level, irregular biomechanics are being set up by the restrictions. They frequently act like layers of onion; as one set of adhesions is removed, we slowly begin to lose our physiological adaptive capacity. We further lose our flexibility and spontaneity of motion, which sets us up for trauma, pain or restriction of motion.

These adhesions pull us out of a three-dimensional orientation with gravity. As a muscle tendon begins to stretch and encounters an adhesion, the muscle contracts to prevent any further stretching and to protect the area involved. The result is that the muscles involved are not as strong and the range of motion is limited in the involved joint. Adhesions can affect areas that are quite small, sometimes just a few muscle fibers, and other times there can be a number of areas like that scattered throughout a muscle group. If adhesions prevent a muscle from reaching proper extension, the increased stress on the tendons can contribute to tendinitis.

Feeling the adhesion is only part of the battle with patients. Each person has a subtle, complex and unconscious perception of his or her body. When you have pain and limitation of motion due to an injury, you adapt your body image to fit that limitation. This unconscious mental adaptation often persist long after the injury has been resolved. Patients may often limp for weeks or months after a hip or leg problem has been eliminated, so an important part of the treatment is in making the patient's aware so that they can adapt their new behavior to the new physical reality.

At Jennings Chiropractic Neurology Clinic we have a greater understanding of the nervous system and how these compensatory mechanisms are controlled. Useful tools include spinal and extremity manipulations, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physical rehab, and brain based exercises.

An example of these scar tissue is to consider a tough piece of meat. Typically one needs to pound the meat or tenderize it, to break down the adhesions. Even then the meat is very tough to chew and mostly used in a stew. This is in comparison to a piece of veal which is nice and tender and absent any scar tissue. One of the best parts of this technique is that active people get better faster. It is really a long-term project with the exception of major tears and other injuries people.

I was first introduced to this technique in 2005 shortly after relocating to the Bay Area of California. I called on a fellow Chiropractic Neurologist to give me a tuneup spinal adjustment. He introduced me to Neuromuscular Reeducation and I underwent several treatment sessions for my old rugby and football injuries. I had never let any injuries or restrictions prevent me from doing any activities that I wanted to do. However I could see in a short period of time that I was definitely looser. I signed up for the weekend course where participants worked hands-on each other. At the end of this weekend chronic nagging lower back discomfort that I had experienced for probably 20 years was gone. My flexibility was improved, my legs looser, I ran faster and was able to lift more weights as when I was much younger.

I am currently involved with a lot of running and continue to lift weights. I can feel when my knees start to act up that I need to do more work on my thigh muscles, a.k.a. quadriceps. I have incorporated this technique into my chiropractic neurology practice and fine that patients get better much faster. I've yet to meet a person that did not have improved range of motion and decreased pain perception in only one treatment.