Chiropractor

B.Soc.Sc(Natal), D.C.(USA), Dip.Appl.Clin.Nutrit.(Aust), Intermediate Life Support(EMS,Cape)

Health & Lifestyle Coach
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Intermediate Life Support

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Sciatica is a condition commonly seen by chiropractors and although mechanical back pain is way more common, there is always a steady flow of patients with sciatica making their way into chiropractic offices.

The Sciatic Nerve

IMG_6895Sciatica essentially refers to compression of the sciatic nerve, the largest and longest nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve originates in the lower back from a number of nerve roots exiting off the spinal cord which then join together to form the sciatic nerve. The nerve then travels down the leg and is responsible for supplying sensation and function to all the structures of the leg.

Compression of the nerve can come from different sources, but the most common is a disc protrusion, commonly referred to as a ‘slipped disc’. In reality the disc doesn’t ‘slip’, but it can bulge, protrude or herniate. I usually describe it to patients as similar to tooth paste being squeezed out of the tube. There can be just a small amount ‘peeking’ out of the tube (bulge), or, with more pressure on the tube, a larger amount comes out (protrusion) and with even more pressure some of the tooth paste can actually ‘break off’ and separate from the rest of the tooth paste in the tube (herniation).

Sciatica and Back Pain

The nerve bulge, protrusion or herniation usually occurs as a result of a strain or injury that causes a tear in the fibers that support and hold the disc in place. Because these fibers do have pain receptors there can be some lower back pain in the initial stages, however usually the back pain does not persist for very long before the leg pain takes over as the primary problem. images

Who should manage and treat sciatica?

The Chiropractor

In my 27 years of practice I have found that chiropractic management and treatment of sciatica is can be very effective and should definitely be the first ‘port of call’ for patients with sciatica.

Results with a disc bulge or protrusion are usually excellent, but results may be variable with a disc herniation.

Aside from the pain in the leg, patients can present with or without neurological signs and this would depend on the degree of nerve compression. The greater the pressure, the more the chance of ‘hard’ neurological signs such as decreased or absent reflexes, marked tingling, pins and needles or numbness and even muscle weakness.

These are more serious signs and should not be allowed to persist for an excessive amount of time with out referral for an MRI scan

The Neurosurgeon

If patients are experiencing unrelenting severe pain as well as ‘hard’ neurological signs I am of the opinion that a neurosurgical consult is warranted.

Management and Treatment

The first thing to note is that there is no ‘quick fix’ with true disc problems, as can be the case with mechanical back pain.

My approach is bed rest for 14 days, yes, strict bed rest! feet

The bed rest is coupled with using ice packs intermittently to help reduce inflammation and chiropractic treatment 3 times a week in those first 14 days. I always recommend natural muscle relaxant supplementation and, occasionally, if the pain is very severe I may recommend anti inflammatory medication as well.

Sitting is to be avoided at all costs.

Even if the symptoms improve after 7 days I still caution patients about being too optimistic as I have seen too many instances of where retuning to normal function too soon causes a more severe relapse.

There are times however, where surgical intervention is necessary and this is usually to relieve the excruciating leg pain. Rest and conservative treatment, however, should always be given a chance. There are risks with any surgical procedure and a documented failure rate of around 20% for surgical procedures for sciatica. The research also clearly shows that at 12 months the results of conservative vs surgical management are exactly the same.

Please feel free to share this blog, comment or email me at klentin@iafrica.com for more information

backache chiropractorThey say there are two types of people, those with back ache and those that are going to get it!!!

That basically translates to the fact that lower back pain is basically an epidemic. The most common type of lower back pain is what is referred to as mechanical lower back pain. This relates to the mechanics of how the joints between each vertebra move and articulate.

The spinal joints are the ‘moving parts’ that allow you to bend and twist and just like any other moving part they are subject to wear and tear and therfore damage. There are three situations that will cause back trouble.

1. Pathological conditions

These are medical type problems such as an infection or a disease.

2. Disc conditions

Here the shock absorber pad between the vertebra bulges, or herniates (a bit like tooth paste being squeezed out of a tube) and touches the nerve route causing the pain the radiate, usually down your arm if your neck is the problem or your leg if the problem is in the lower back.

3. Mechanical conditions

These are by far the most common and are caused by one, or a combination, of three things:

- trauma

- repetitive strain

- over use syndrome

This is the typical type of pain that has made the chiropractic profession famous!

Countless studies support chiropractic as the modality of choice for the management of lower back problems, typically types 2 and 3 above.

Why not consult a chiropractor about your ailing back?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

good health….so, I’ve been sharing some insights around things that seriously contribute to, if not cause, health problems. I’ve actually been a bit ‘stronger’ with my comments, calling these things the ‘deadly sins’ that cause disease, disability and an early death.

Every day I am confronted by patients that are submitting themselves to any one, or even all, of these things and so many  of them are in varying stages of dis-ease, disability and, if they continue on the same path, heading towards premature death.

I ended the last blog saying that being subjected to chronic on going stress (the first of the deadly sins) puts your body into a state of ‘defense physiology’ . continue reading…

….continued

Happiness

Happiness is

Yesterday I was sharing some thoughts on Facebook around factors that predispose us to disease, disability and early death.

Number one factor is stress. I was saying that there are 2 types of stress, acute stress i.e. usually an ‘emergency’ type of stress (an accident, a huge fright, a big dog chasing you etc.). Our bodies are actually quite well equipped to manage these types of stressor, through the flight or fight mechanisms, providing they aren’t on the extreme ranges.

The second type of stress is called chronic or on going stress. This is the continued bombardment by stressful stimuli, coming at us from all angles. Work related stress (deadlines, pressure, personality differences, boredom etc. etc.), relationship stress, financial stress, health stress, traffic stress, ‘home life’ stress – the list could probably go on and on. I often describe it to my patients as life.

This type of stress forces your body into a state called ‘defense physiology’…

to be continued…stay tuned for more fascinating information on the effects this state will have on you…physiologically

 

cellphone-pregnancyExposure to radiation from cell phones during pregnancy can affect the brain development of offspring, potentially leading to hyperactivity, Yale School of Medicine researchers have discovered.

Although this study was done on mice, it’s the first experimental evidence that fetal exposure to radiofrequency radiation from cell phones does in fact affect adult behavior“, said senior author, Dr Hugh S Taylor, professor and chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in the Dept of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University.*

continue reading…

processed-meatEating a portion of processed red meat daily can increase a person’s risk of dying young by up to 20%, according to a long – running US study of more that 120,000 people. The research was done by the Harvard University experts and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. continue reading…

caffeine coffeeIt seems that consuming caffeinated coffee may significantly reduce the risk of Parkinson’s Disease in some men and women, depending on their genetics, according to research published by the Public Library of Science.

On average, heavy coffee drinkers were found to have a 27% lower risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease, regardless of the genes they carry, but a 59% lower risk if they carry a specific variation of gene GRIN2A, according to the research.* continue reading…

male-menopauseThe whole concept of Male Menopause is something that is gaining more attention in scientific circles, but that is still not properly understood and rarely considered as a potential cause of altering physical and psychological states that occur in men with advancing years.

Menopause in women is now well accepted as being responsible for many changes, again both physiologically and psychologically, that occur as changes in the menstrual cycle occur.  The effects of declining estrogen levels are well known and researched, however the effects of declining testosterone are not that well understood, or accepted, at this point in time. continue reading…

How does a human ‘Pimp his or her Ride‘?

Someone asked me the other day what I did and without really thinking about it too much blurted out that ‘I’m a pimp your ride guy‘. Well needless to say his eyebrows perked up a notch or two!

pimp my human rideOnly afterwards, as I started to elaborate, did I realize that I was actually right on target with my comment.

Many of the patients that come in to see me are functioning like old cars…their carburetors are blocked, they are spewing out toxic exhaust fumes, they are misfiring, their tyres are worn and out of alignment, their motors are ‘pinking’ and generally their ‘get up and go’ has got up and gone! continue reading…

vitalityEternal youth, the commodity sought after so intensely by so many; the commodity on which billions of dollars, pounds, rands  are spent every year; the source of billions in income for companies specialising in anti aging, vitamin therapy, spa treatments and the list goes on and on.

Is the process of senescence, the ageing process in other words, modifiable or even avoidable?  Looking back over the past 150 years the upper limit of life expectancy has exceeded all previous predictions to the tune of about 2,5 years per decade (1). We are living longer, mostly due to the wrong reason, unfortunately. Medical science has progressed to such an extent that the ability now exists to keep people alive, even after nature has attempted to intervene.

continue reading…