Tag Archives for " Sciatica Treatments "
What Is the Sciatic Nerve and Why Does It Hurt so Much?
Anyone who currently suffers (or has ever suffered) from sciatic nerve pain knows what REAL pain feels like. Here at SpineCare in St. Joseph MI, we’re great at treating low back and sciatica pain. With thousands of individual sciatica pain treatments given over the years, I can confidently say to you that REAL relief can be experienced, sometimes as early as your very first treatment session. Continue reading
Relief from Recurring Neck and Low Back Pain with Spinal Decompression Therapy
Treating Recurring Neck and Low Back Pain with Spinal Decompression Therapy
Lasting and recurring neck, back, and sciatica pain can limit you in many different ways. Before it takes a toll on your daily routine you might be able to put an end to it. Some who suffer from back pain choose spinal decompression therapy.
Relief from lasting and recurring neck, back, and sciatica pain is one of the top benefits of spinal decompression. One of the main reasons I recommend this treatment to my patients is the ability to help patients recover faster and better from injured spinal nerves and herniated or degenerative discs in the neck or back.
Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy is used to reduce compression and irritation to nerves caused by disc and joint disorders. For many patients it offers a safe, pain-free, and non-surgical solution to chronic spinal conditions.
When you undergo a spinal decompression therapy for your neck, back, or sciatica pain, you will actually experience your spine being stretched so gently that most patients feel instant relief, even when the force and position of the spine changes. The computer controlled traction relieves neck, back, or sciatica pain by taking the pressure off the spinal discs by creating negative pressure in the disc. So those discs that are herniated or bulging may retract and in return promote movement of water, oxygen, and other nutrient-rich fluids that are essential when your discs are recovering.
Spinal Decompression Therapy is extremely effective, and I’ve been able to help many patients in the St. Joseph, MI area avoid risky procedures such as pain injections and surgery. If you are interested in seeing if this treatment could be the answer for your neck, back, or sciatica pain, call us today and schedule a consultation.
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St. Joseph, MI Chiropractor — Dr. Michael Rowe
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Spinal Stenosis: Causes and How to Treat It Without Surgery
Do you have trouble standing up straight due to pain, or difficulty walking even short distances before you have to stop and sit because it hurts so much? If so, you might have a condition called spinal stenosis.
In this video, Dr. Rowe goes over the signs and symptoms of spinal stenosis, and shares two effective treatments to help relieve pain.
What is spinal stenosis?
A common cause of neck, back, and sciatica pain is due to spinal stenosis, which is when the spaces where the spinal nerves travel through the spine begin to narrow and become closed off. Think of a hole where a spinal nerve goes through that is becoming smaller and smaller, until it’s so small it starts to pinch the spinal cord or spinal nerve roots. This results in a compressed, or pinched nerve, that causes pain, tingling, or numbness.
What are the signs and symptoms of spinal stenosis?
Spinal stenosis causes nerve compression that can lead to many symptoms not only in the neck and back, but also in the arms or legs. Symptoms such as traveling pains like sciatica, weakness, cramping, numbness and tingling, and muscle spasms. In very severe cases, incontinence or paralysis has been reported.
People that suffer from spinal stenosis have pain when trying to stand up straight, especially after sitting for a long time. Other signs may include pain or weakness with walking — especially while going up or down a hill, ramp or stairs — which is often relieved with sitting or leaning forward.
A big sign I see here at SpineCare is when a patient tells me that it’s unbearable to shop at a store, unless they have a shopping cart they can lean in to while walking.
What causes spinal stenosis?
Probably the biggest cause of stenosis I see is due osteoarthritis — or “wear and tear” arthritis that is from repetitive injuries and stresses on the neck or back. The most common cause of osteoarthritis is lack of motion or misalignment of the vertebrae (or building blocks) in the spine. Osteoarthritis causes osteophytes (or bone spurs) which narrow the canal, compressing the spinal cord or spinal nerve.
Other causes of stenosis include:
Poor posture
Disc herniation or bulges
Tumors or cysts
And a previous injury or surgery to the spine (especially if not treated properly)
Spinal Stenosis is more common in people over the age of 50, due to the build-up of osteoarthritis and bone spurs over time in the neck or back. Also at risk are people who have sedentary lifestyles, such as sitting for most of the day, which leads to a lack of motion in the spine. This increases the chance of developing osteoartithis and stenosis.
Spinal stenosis treatments without surgery.
When Spinal Stenosis is caused by disc degeneration or herniation, I recommend non-surgical spinal decompression therapy to my patients. It has a high success rate among patients here at SpineCare. With this treatment a specific, gentle traction is applied to the damaged areas in the spine. This causes a gentle stretching of the spine and helps open up areas that have become closed off, which helps relieve pressure off pinched nerves. With the pressure being removed from surrounding nerves, pain and symptoms caused by spinal stenosis begins to diminish.
Another treatment option is chiropractic care. Chiropractic is a safe, proven, and effective treatment used by millions of people. It’s a great option for those who are searching for a conservative, drugless, and non-surgical route. At SpineCare, I use a gentle, traction based method called flexion-distraction. This technique can help open the spinal canal spaces, relieving the pressure in the spine and correcting joint alignment in order to restore motion. Patients with spinal stenosis in our clinic have reported not only reduced pain and symptoms, but improved range of motion as well.
If you are looking for alternatives to medications and surgeries for relief, please contact us today and schedule for a consultation. We’ve helped many patients in the St. Joseph MI area, and we may be able to help you. Also, if you know of others who can benefit from this video, please like and share.
Thanks for watching!
St. Joseph, MI Chiropractor — Dr. Michael Rowe
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