Exercise Your Options: A Lesson in Pain Reduction

 

You may remember your grammar school gym class where the PE teacher would lead you in jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups and arm circles. If you’re like a lot of baby boomers, you probably look back and assume it really didn’t do much for the health of the students — just kept the class busy for an hour.

Elementary school days may be way behind you, but exercise carries many benefits now that it couldn’t offer a younger you, especially if you’re battling pain from an injury or chronic condition.

The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics published a report on randomized controlled trials, or RCTs, looking at the result of exercise as treatment for patients experiencing intense pain from soft tissue injuries in the hip, thigh or knee. Success was measured by the following factors:

• Intensity of pain
• Recovery
• Quality of life
• Psychological outcomes
• Adverse events

“One RCT found statistically significant improvements in pain and function favoring clinic-based progressive combined exercises over a ‘wait and see’ approach for patellofemoral (anterior knee) pain syndrome,” the study says. “Patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome or groin pain had the best results with clinic-based exercise programs.”

Chiropractic Journey

An ABC News blog posted an article about a study comparing the outcome of three different forms of treatment for pain. Results show that both the patients treated by chiropractic professionals and the individuals who received home exercise advice, referred to as HEA, had higher rates of success than those who turned to medication for relief. Just 13 percent of the patients who took medication reported a satisfactory reduction in pain, whereas, about two-thirds of those who were treated through either chiropractic care or HEA said they were pain-free.

A total of 272 patients, age 18-65, who were suffering from recent-onset neck pain took part in the study, which the National Institutes of Health spearheaded.

“I always prescribe exercises and/or physical therapy for neck pain,” wrote Dr. John Messmer from Penn State College of Medicine. “I also tell patients that the exercises are the treatment and the drugs are for the symptoms.”

Dr. Lee Green, professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan, also talked to ABC News about the study.

“Doesn’t surprise me a bit,” Dr. Green said. “Neck pain is a mechanical problem, and it makes sense that mechanical treatment works better than a chemical one.”

The study, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, singles out the effectiveness of spinal manipulation therapy, or SMT, to provide relief for patients with neck pain. Researchers found that in both the short-term and long-term statistics, SMT had the most effective outcome. The report adds that HEA proved equally effective at some points in the study.

Participants rated their pain at several intervals: 2, 4, 8, 26, and 52 weeks. This enabled scientists to draw specific conclusions, such as the evidence showing that 12 weeks of SMT provided greater pain relief than up to one year of medication.

Exercise Works

Your chiropractic professional can guide you in choosing exercises that target the areas you need treating. Chiropractic visits, in addition to home exercise practices, are a way to double down on your odds of successful treatment.

According to the Mayo Clinic website, there are multiple benefits to using exercise for your joints, as well as improving general wellness. Exercise serves to:

• Strengthen the muscles around your joints
• Help you maintain bone strength
• Give you more energy to get through the day
• Make it easier to get a good night’s sleep
• Improve your balance

We’re not talking about the kind of punishing calisthenics that win you the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, but something to just curb your symptoms and add some range of motion. Consulting with a chiropractor to incorporate some exercise seems to be the best way to get a passing grade in pain relief.

Exercise Your Options: A Lesson in Pain Reduction was first published to T98 Rehab & Chiropractic blog page

Chiropractic And Asthma: The Answer Will Leave You Breathless

Asthma affects approximately 1 in 13 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Asthma is also the leading chronic disease in children, as well as the top reason for missed school days. Asthma causes more than 2 million emergency room visits each year; when overnight hospital stays are required, the average length is 3.6 days. Chances are that either you or someone you know deals with asthma. So what can you do about it and can chiropractic help?

Asthma

World Health Organization defines asthma is a chronic disease characterized by recurrent episodes of breathlessness and wheezing. The severity and the frequency are dependent upon the person. While some experienced attacks at any time, others experience asthma attacks induced by certain situations or events such as exercise.

Bronchial tubes are the passageways that air flows through into and out of the lungs. During an asthma attack, the lining of the tubes are irritated and swell. This causes a narrowing of the tubes, thus a reduction of airflow into and out of the lungs. Hence, the wheezing and breathlessness.

Reduced airflow and asthma attacks can contribute to more health issues than the obvious discomfort from lack of proper airflow. This includes difficulty sleeping, daytime fatigue, decreased activity levels, and the ability to concentrate and carry out daily duties as well as school and work absenteeism.

Can Chiropractic Help Asthma

Correct spinal alignment and full range of spinal joint motion support proper nervous system functioning. The nervous system is your master control system. When the spine is misaligned or not moving properly, it can negatively affect your body’s ability to handle irritants that would otherwise not be an issue.

Chiropractors don’t treat asthma. They do, however, look at the functioning of the entire body as a result of how well the spine is moving or not moving. If a patient is suffering from an ailment such as asthma, the chiropractor looks at the level of the spine that is associated with those structures involved. With regard to asthma, if necessary, chiropractors can check and adjust the thoracic spinal segments because the nerves that exit this portion of your spine innervate (or supply) the lungs and bronchial tubes.

When the thoracic spine is misaligned or not moving through its full range of motion, it can also impede the ability of the lungs to expand fully with inhalation. So when chiropractors adjust the spine and restore the full range of motion to the thoracic spine, it aids in the lungs’ ability to take in the maximum amount of air possible. While this decrease in movement may seem minimal, all motion counts no matter how small, especially if one is dealing with asthma.

So yes, chiropractic may help those with asthma.

If you deal with asthma and are looking to use more conservative measures, let the chiropractors at T98 Rehab and Chiropractic check your spine and assist you and your lungs in the healthiest life possible.

The following article Chiropractic And Asthma: The Answer Will Leave You Breathless Read more on: T98 Rehab Website

Chiropractic Benefits: 10 Advantages of Chiropractic Care

 

At least 70 million adultsTrusted Source in the United States deal with some type of chronic pain. In fact, low back pain is the second most commonTrusted Source reason Americans see their doctor.

Many people are interested in finding alternatives to medication for pain relief. Chiropractic treatment is one potential pain management option, especially if you’re dealing with back pain or neck pain.

In this article, we’ll outline 10 of the top benefits of getting chiropractic care, and how to find a chiropractor who’s right for you.

What is chiropractic care?

Chiropractic care is a form of complementary medicine based on the idea that your body can heal itself with the help of specific hands-on manipulations from a trained professional. These manipulations help realign your joints and can potentially lead to pain relief.

Chiropractic treatment may help relieve pain from conditions affecting your:

• bones
• cartilage
• connective tissue
• joints
• muscles

Chiropractic treatment often focuses on your spine but may focus on other parts of your body depending on the particular issue you’re dealing with.

Chiropractic treatment has some similarities with physical therapy, and certain conditions may benefit from being treated with both types of therapy.

In general, chiropractors are more likely to use hands-on manipulations to relieve your symptoms. Physical therapists tend to put a bigger emphasis on rehabilitating injuries with stretches and exercises.

What are the benefits of chiropractic care?

1. Improves neck pain

Neck pain is a common problem, especially if you sit for many hours a day, frequently bend your neck to use your phone, or have poor posture. A chiropractor may help ease your neck pain by realigning your spine and easing tension in your neck muscles.

An older 2012 study found that 12 weeks of spinal manipulation was more effective than medication at treating non-specific neck pain in a group of 272 adults at 8-, 12-, 26-, and 52-week follow-ups.

A 2019 studyTrusted Source found that cervical spine manipulation may help decrease neck pain in the short-term by modifying levels of neuropeptides in your blood. Neuropeptides are proteins made in your nervous system that function as neurotransmitters or hormones.

2. Reduces reliance on opioid pain relievers

People with chronic pain are often given prescriptions for opioid pain relievers to help manage their discomfort. However, undergoing chiropractic treatment may lower your need to take these pain relievers.

A large 2020 studyTrusted Source compared the number of prescriptions for opioid pain relievers filled for adults who visited just their doctor or who visited both a chiropractor and their doctor to treat spinal pain.

Read More: https://www.healthline.com/health/chiropractic-benefits

Related Article: Complementary Therapies to Promote Cognitive Function in Geriatric Patients