Posts Tagged "arthritis"

Neck spur and MVA

Posted by Marc Croker | 0 comments

In November 2002 a 55 year old woman suffered a car accident on the way home from work. She was sitting in the rear of a stationary car with her head turned slightly to the right. The car was rear ended and she had to have the next three weeks off work as she was experiencing neck pain and severe headaches. Her headaches were felt around her forehead on both sides and she had some light-headedness. She saw a physiotherapist three times a week for the next six months.

In May 2003 this woman started to feel severe pain around her right shoulder blade and pain into her right arm. She reported a tingling sensation in the 4th and 5th fingers and numbness in her right index finger. She was unable to turn her head fully to the right and was starting to get some lower back pain and pain in her right hip. She was still suffering from neck pain and headaches.

She presented to this clinic seven months after the accident. On examination this woman could not turn her neck to the right hand side and felt pain in her arm whenever she tried. The examination revealed that she had inflammation of the facet joints of C23, C67, T23 and the rib on the right at the same level, and L5S1. She had limited movement of her neck in all directions together with neck pain and pain in her right arm on most movements.

X rays and CT scans revealed disc degeneration at C45, C56 and C67 with bony narrowing of the foramina where the nerves exit the spine at C56. There were large bone spurs narrowing the spinal canal, the lateral recesses and the exit foramina on both sides. She had recently been told that an operation was needed to remove one of the spurs in her neck.

Chiropractic manipulation was initially performed on the joints below the level of the degeneration, at C67 and some soft tissue massage was also utilised. Her treatments were initially 2-3 days apart and after 6 visits this patient reported feeling pain free for the first time in 7 months. After 11 visits she found that the pins and needles and numbness also went away and that she did not feel the need to have an operation to remove the spur in her neck. Her treatments at this stage were only once per month and incorporated treatment for her upper neck pain and headaches which also subsided quickly.

This woman has continued her chiropractic care for the purpose of good spinal health and to prevent any recurrence of symptoms that may arise due to the degeneration in the lower neck. As of her most recent visit in May 2010 she continues to do well without any of the symptoms that she had sustained from the car accident.

It is important to note that having degeneration or arthritis anywhere in your spine is not necessarily a contra indication to having chiropractic treatment. In many cases the degeneration is not severe and can be successfully treated. In severe cases the arthritis is not the level of the spine causing the pain. It is often a level above or below the level of the arthritis responsible for the symptoms as the degenerated level is simply not moving at all and not capable of being strained. This is unlike the levels above and below that are now working harder than they should be to compensate for the arthritis. It is a common experience for a patient to present with lower back pain without any evidence of arthritis in their lower back but have severe arthritis in the neck without any neck pain.

In summary arthritis should give you a sense of stiffness or a lack of ability to move fully in one or more directions but it shouldn’t be painful. If there is pain associated with spinal arthritis then the painful joints can be treated with manipulation and the patient returned to a pain free state. Joints can only be inflammed if they still have some function left in them.

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Arthritis

Posted by Marc Croker | 0 comments

Most people suffering from back or neck pain are suffering from arthralgia (pain in the joints). Arthralgia is caused by inflammation in these spinal joints. If inflammation remains in a spinal joint over many years it erodes the joint surfaces and results in spinal arthritis (or spinal degeneration). Arthritis literally means “joint inflammation”.

Inflammation in the spinal joints ->  Arthralgia ->  Intermittent back pain + TIME  = ARTHRITIS

Chiropractors identify inflamed spinal joints and endeavor to restore normal function to that segment with the intention of minimising the arthritic process. Arthritis will cause recurring pain and stiffness of that part of the spine.

Spinal arthritis is not reversible. Chiropractic care and a lifetime of healthy living can prevent the arthritic process in the spine.

Many patients of this clinic have come in and told me that they have arthritis and that nothing can be done. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most people with severe arthritis will not complain of pain at the same level as their arthritis. In fact most of the pain that they suffer from is usually a few vertebral segments away from the degenerated level. The reason for this is that the degenerated level is not moving very much and it passes the strain onto neighboring joints. These joints become inflamed because they are doing more work than they should be. Treatment to the degenerated level will depend upon the severity of the arthritis. If there is only mild to moderate arthritis chiropractic manipulation can restore some movement to the degenerated level thus relieving pain and restoring movement. In severe arthritis the pain is usually coming from a different level of the spine and it is this level that is treated and not the arthritis. The take home message is that you can usually get people out of pain regardless of the amount of arthritis. However the greater the amount of degeneration the greater the time it takes to alleviate the pain.

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Managing Lower Back Pain

Posted by Marc Croker | 0 comments

Back Pain and Arthritis

According to the Australia Bureau of Statistics, in 2004-05, 15% of the population of Australia (almost 3 million people) suffered from back pain. Another 15% of the population reported as suffering from arthritis. The ABS reported that 1 in 3 people complained that arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions was their main disabling condition. In 2001-02, $4.6 billion was spent on these conditions. 49% of people over 65 years of age suffered from athritis – a largely preventable condition. Only 10% of people with arthritis consulted a GP or specialist and only 4% visited another health professional. Non-pathological back pain is a condition that can be treated easily. With our understanding of the cause of back pain there is no reason why anyone should suffer.

Managing Back Pain

• Get treatment immediately.  Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Low back pain will often become a cycle of pain-spasm-pain and so delaying treatment can make the problem worse.
• Use ice. Ice reduces swelling and inflammation which is directly responsible for pain. Heat increases the inflammation process and can prolong recovery.
• Don’t stay in one position for too long.  Avoid resting in bed. Immobility weakens the body tissues and can slow the healing process. Resting is good for pain as long as it is interspersed with periods of gentle movement such as walking.
• Avoid sitting during periods of low back pain.  Sitting puts several times more pressure through the disc than when standing.
• Try to avoid positions where the back is bent forward such as ironing and washing up.
• Dont cough or sneeze when your back is bent forward or turned to one side as this can result in a disc protrusion.
• Sleep on your side and alternate between left and right sides during the night. Sleeping on your stomach or back will only make your back worse.
• Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, breads and cereals which are high in fibre. This will prevent having to strain when you’re at the toilet.
• Limit the use of pain relieving medication.Use analgesics if the pain is intolerable, but only in the short term. Pain killers only cover up the pain while arthritic change continues. Chiropractic care is the best treatment for pain of mechanical origin.

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