Archive for January, 2011

The Causes of Disc Problems

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on January 17, 2011
in Cincinnati Chiropractors and Disc Problems
. 0 Comments

Everyone knows someone that has a disc problem. At parties people often come up to me with questions about this topic. I usually turn it around and ask them a couple of questions to find out how much knowledge they have on the topic. Usually, their knowledge is very limited.

Below are some of the characteristics or facts about our discs.

• If it weren’t for our discs, we would all be roughly four inches shorter. Have you noticed your parents or grandparents getting shorter? This is why that happens they are simply losing disc height. By the way, Chiropractic care can help prevent disc height loss.

• Our discs act as shock absorbers, keeping the vertebra separated and also allowing our spine a wide range of movements. When we are young are discs are very resilient. As we age, they lose much of that resiliency which predisposes us to having disc problems.

What are the primary causes of disc problems?

From the time we are born, up to our later teens, each of our discs has an excellent blood supply. Like the rest of our body, there are arteries that take oxygenated nutrient rich blood to the disc and there are veins that take deoxygenated blood and waste away from the disc. For some “unknown” reason, the arteries and veins disappear (they become atretic) causing the disc to become avascular by our late teens. As you can imagine, this is not a happy time for the disc. A good analogy would be… The groceries stop being delivered and the sewer backs up.

Because of this, the disc is left with tunnels (where the vein and artery once resided) in the ligamentous outer rings of the disc called the annulus. These tunnels act as conduits for the “putty-like” center of the disc called the nucleus pulposus. This putty-like substance finds these conduits and can actually ooze through them during periods of high stress (lifting improperly, auto accidents, sports injuries, sneezing and coughing) which can lead to bulges, herniations and sequestered discs.

Because the direct blood supply in no longer available, the disc now relies on segmental motion to pump nutrients in and waste products out. To do this, the disc employs a process called imbibition. Imbibition can be explained by watching someone play an accordion. When an accordion is pulled apart, air rapidly is pulled into the bellows of the accordion. As the accordion is squeezed, air is forced through and out of the instrument to make the sound. That same motion occurs in a disc. When we bend backward the disc is elongated causing nutrient rich fluid to be pulled into the disc from the top and bottom of the vertebra that it is attached to. Conversely, when we bend forward the disc is compressed causing waste products to be forced out of the disc into the ends of the vertebra. This process happens hundreds of times each day. As long as there is normal motion at each disc level this pumping action is adequate to keep the disc healthy.

Misalignments or subluxations are the true enemy of the disc. When your spine becomes subluxated the disc’s normal pumping motion is reduced or in severe cases, completely eliminated due to loss of motion. If the subluxation is not corrected, degenerative processes begin leading to osteoarthritis. Once this happens, the areas above and below the affected area have to compensate for the osteoarthritic area. Over time these areas will begin to become problematic also.

I have successfully treated many individuals in the Greater Cincinnati area that had disc problems. Like most neuromuscular problems, it is best to seek out treatment early. The longer you wait the more difficult your case becomes.

Arm and Shoulder Pain

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on January 13, 2011
in Arm & Shoulder Pain and Conditions & Treatments
. 0 Comments

Arm and Shoulder painArm and shoulder pain have a variety of causes. There are traumatic causes (automobile accidents, sports injuries & falls) and more insidious causes (over-use syndromes). Both however, share several common symptoms which include pain, swelling, changes in mobility and disruption of lifestyle.

Due to the complexity of the structures involved, it is very important to have a thorough examination to determine the exact cause of the pain. Typically, the pain will get worse and spread over time due to neighboring areas trying to compensate for the problem area.

Spinal problems (subluxations) in the neck and upper back can irritate the nerves that go into the shoulder and arm. Mildly irritated nerves may cause tingling in the shoulder, arm and hand. Severely irritated nerves may cause numbness, burning or weakness in the affected shoulder and arm.

Frozen shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis)

This is very painful. The onset is usually gradual. Like all other joints in the body, the shoulder joint is surrounded by a capsule. The capsule wraps completely around the joint… encapsulating it. When the capsule develops adhesions the motion in the joint will become reduced due to discomfort. In the acute phase, the discomfort ranges from a constant dull ache to pain only with movement. As more adhesions form, the pain becomes more intense, waking them at night if they roll over on that shoulder. Combing or brushing their hair becomes impossible due to the pain. These people automatically start reducing the amount of movement on their own which leads to disuse atrophy. This type of problem needs to be evaluated and treated immediately.

Bursitis

Can be caused by both work and play, if you overuse or repetitively stress your body’s joints, you may eventually develop a painful inflammation called bursitis. Most people are unaware that they have over 150 bursae in their body. These small, fluid filled sacs lubricate and cushion pressure points between your bones and the tendons and muscles near your joints. They help your joints move with ease. Bursitis occurs when a bursa becomes inflamed. When swelling or inflammation occurs, movement or pressure is painful. Bursitis often affects the joints in your shoulders, elbows or hips. But you can also have bursitis by your knee, heel and the base of your big toe. Bursitis pain usually goes away within a few weeks or so with proper treatment, but recurrent flare-ups of bursitis are very common.

Rotator Cuff Problems

Your rotator cuff consists of several muscles and tendons in your shoulder. Four major muscles subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus and teres minor and their tendons connect your upper arm bone (humerus) with your shoulder blade. They also help hold the ball of your upper arm bone firmly in your shoulder socket, as if holding a golf ball on a tee. This combination results in the greatest range of motion of any joint in your body. Rotator cuff injuries are fairly common. Causes of the injury may include falling, lifting and repetitive arm activities, especially those done overhead (painting or wall-papering ceilings). Other activities may include throwing a baseball, reaching up to work on a car on a rack or placing items on shelves above your head. The injury is also common among people whose jobs or hobbies include heavy demands on their shoulders, such as athletes, archers and people in the construction trades. Poor posture, especially as related to your shoulders hunched forward, also can contribute to rotator cuff injury. Obesity can cause this also. As you get older, your risk of a rotator cuff injury increases.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis is inflammation or irritation of a tendon — any one of the thick fibrous cords that attach muscles to bone. The condition, which causes pain and tenderness just outside a joint, is most common around your shoulders, elbows and knees. But tendonitis can also occur in your hips, heels and wrists. Some common names for tendonitis are tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, pitcher’s shoulder, swimmer’s shoulder and jumper’s knee.

I have successfully treated many individuals in the Greater Cincinnati area that have had arm and shoulder pain. Most of these people at the completion of treatment are amazed how much better they feel and disappointed that they did not get the proper treatment to begin with.

Cell Phone Elbow

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on January 3, 2011
in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Cell Phone Elbow, Cincinnati Chiropractors and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

Cell Phone CarTingling & Numbness

Have you noticed tingling or numbness in your pinkie and ring finger? Do you typically hold your cell phone to your ear using that same hand? If you answered yes to these questions, you are probably developing Cell Phone Elbow!

I knew that it was only a matter time, before chronic cell phone users would begin damaging an essential nerve in their arms by bending their elbows too tightly for too long. When cell phone users hold the phone to their ears, they stretch a nerve that extends underneath the funny bone and controls the smallest fingers. When they talk for long periods of time in that position, it chokes the blood supply to the nerves. It makes the nerves m-a-l-f-u-n-c-t-i-o-n. The next thing you know, there’s tingling in the ring and small finger.  People who have this condition, which is technically called Cubital Tunnel Syndrome, can feel weakness and clumsiness in their hands.

Blue ToothMy best advice is simple, if you have Cell Phone Elbow or you feel you are developing it, buy a Blue Tooth device, note example to your right. They fit behind your ear and are simple to use.  Within days you should notice the tingling in your fingers fading away.

I hope this post was helpful.

Dr. Gould