Combating The Opioid Crisis: How Chiropractic Can Save Lives!

Chiroeco reports:

Chiropractic needs to be heavily involved in the war against the opioid epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2017, 17,029 people died from overdosing on prescription opioids alone. That number skyrockets to 47,600 when you take into account all opioid-related deaths, including the use of illicit opioids. Research indicates the majority of illicit users first misused prescription opioids. Early integration of effective and appropriate chiropractic care could have potentially saved thousands of lives.

Most experts agree that improving prescribing practices and the way pain is treated is an effective avenue to help prevent misuse, addiction and overdose. At the same time, it’s critical that patients continue to receive legitimate access to effective pain management. Educating patients and collaborating with other medical professionals on effective utilization of chiropractic care is the right thing to do for patients, and an important part of addressing this national crisis. 

The American health care system is the most expensive health care system in the world and spends more per capita on health care than all other countries. Skyrocketing health care costs have placed an enormous burden on society, which has led to legislation designed to both improve quality and lower costs. Health care systems will be required to create innovative delivery systems with a coordinated model that reduces costs while delivering high-quality care across a continuum of care.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) encourages integrated health systems, providing incentives for physicians to form “Accountable Care Organizations.” In these groups, doctors can better coordinate patient care and improve quality, help prevent disease and illness, and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.

Chronic pain affects more than 100 million people in the United States and leads to more than $635 billion per year in costs attributable to medical treatment and lost productivity. It is obvious musculoskeletal injuries are often poorly managed, and this lack of a clear path to pain resolution leaves patients frustrated, confused and suffering unnecessarily. Unfortunately, only about 10% of the public seeks care from chiropractors without a referral, leaving the other 90% to seek more expensive traditional avenues to manage pain.

However, as implementation of PPACA and the National Prevention Strategy moves health care from a system of sick care to one based on wellness and prevention, primary care providers will increasingly be called upon to provide treatment of chronic pain through coordinated care. This means medical providers are more open to collaborating with chiropractors than at any other time in history.

Making health care more effective

There is an obvious need in the United States to improve the evaluation and management of patients with chronic pain, and chiropractic services can be an integral part of the solution. 

OUCH: Back Pain In Kids Is More Common Than You Think!

 Chiroeco reports:

A new study presented at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) highlights the frequency of back pain in children and adolescents and suggests there is a significant linear increase in back pain, specifically in the lower back as kids age from 10 to 18 years old.

As a follow up to the recent report on poor posture leading to back problems, this is an excellent study that parents need to be made aware of.

Up until this point, there has been no known large-scale epidemiologic study of back pain in a representative cohort of American children. Because of this, Peter D. Fabricant, MD, MPH, orthopaedic surgeon at the Hospital of Special Surgery in New York City, and his colleagues surveyed a representative cohort of children and adolescents across the United States and documented the findings in “The Epidemiology of Back Pain in Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study of 3,669 American Youth.”

The subjects were equally split by age and sex, and proportionally representative of the population of state of residence, race/ethnicity, and health insurance status as determined by census data. After outlier subjects with an unusually high or low height, weight or BMI were excluded (in order to eliminate outlier responses), 3,669 participants were included in the final analysis.

 Among the findings of the research:

• Back pain is common in children and adolescents, and the incidence of children who experienced pain in the past year increases linearly with age (about 4% for each year of age).
• Of the cohort, 33.7% (n=1,236) had some episode of back pain in the previous year and only 40.9% of this group sought treatment such as physical therapy (44%), massage therapy (33.9%) and chiropractic treatment (34.1%).
• While back pain is common in children and adolescents, it very rarely requires invasive treatment such as injections or surgery, as less than 5% (n=23) of the 40.9% who sought treatment needed surgical or procedural intervention.
• Females reported more back pain (38%) compared to males (29%) in the previous year and, among both groups, lumbar back pain was the most common at 68.9%.

“While adult back pain has been widely quantified and studied, there has been little research looking into similar effects on children and adolescents,” said Dr. Fabricant. “We know that it’s a real issue affecting kids and this study allowed us to collect a vast amount of data and provide a high-level analysis. Now we can use these results to further study specific activity-based, physiological, and psychosocial contributors to back pain in this population.”

SOURCE: PR Newswire

Stand Up Straight: Get to the Core of Your Problem!

 Texas Health reports:

You heard it a million times growing up: “Stand up straight!” “Quit slouching!” “Watch your posture!”

Sure, as teenagers we may have rolled our eyes at those statements. But poor posture may now be to blame for the aches and pains so many of us feel as we age. And in today’s tech-obsessed, 24/7 world, there are more opportunities than ever to strain or injure our back, spine and neck. But stopping the slouch may be more than a mental exercise – you may need hands-on help.

“When you’re 15 and hunched over, and someone tells you to stand up straight, you can, and you do,” she said. “But when you get to be older, it’s not as easily done. The muscles aren’t as pliable,” explains Kathy Farkas, a physical therapist at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.

Core Issue

 

Years of poor posture can actually result in structural changes to the spine, muscles, ligaments and tendons, making standing up straight a little more difficult as you age.

To strengthen the muscles that promote healthy posture, the core muscles – those lying bellowing the abdominals, connecting to and surrounding the spine – are the most important muscle groups you can focus on. That includes your glute muscles and back extensor muscles, too, which help stabilize the pelvis and give the back extra support.

“Most people have stronger chest muscles than back muscles, which ends up ‘pulling’ them into a hunched position,” said Dr. Carl Wang, a Spine Team Texas pain management physician and a member of Texas Health Physicians Group. “Keeping good strength in the the core muscles, including the ones on the backside, is important.”

Text Neck

 

Are you reading this on your phone or other mobile device?  Increasingly, many of us get our news and information this way. Likely, your head and neck are tilting forward to look down at your phone.

The average human head weighs 10 to 12 pounds. Research shows that we put about 60 pounds of pressure on our necks when we hold them forward – like we do when we are looking at and replying to text messages, emails and more via our smartphones. Those aching muscles in your neck and back?  They result from the pressure we put on them every day, interacting with our hand-held devices.

From the neck down, good alignment is important, whether you are active or taking a seat. “Office workers often believe they are not stressing their spine with their everyday tasks. Unfortunately, office workers make up the majority of our patient population, likely due to inattention to proper ergonomics while sitting for six to ten hours a day,” Dr. Wang said.

Get Moving

 

While slumping is one habit Mom might have asked you to stop, another habit may be helpful in battling back pain: fidgeting.

Movement can help keep our bodies happier. Whether you sit or stand for long periods of time, changing positions often can relieve pressure from being in one position.

Farkas said that if you stand a lot at work, shifting your weight and moving can help with lower back pain as well. “Shift your weight, prop a foot up on a stool or inside an open cabinet, or lean against a wall,” she suggested.

“If you are sitting, I recommend changing your position every 20 to 30 minutes,” Farkas said. “Use a small towel rolled up at the lower back to provide postural support. Sit with your feet evenly on the ground, with your thighs parallel to the floor.”

To battle “text neck,” check your equipment settings for everything from your monitor to your phone.  Your head should be level with the screen, or just slightly lower so you’re gently glancing down, not with your head flexed forward.

Back to Health

 

Good posture has been proven to have benefits, in addition to alleviating back pain.

A study at San Francisco University revealed that students who were told to walk down a hall in a slouched position reported increased feelings of depression and lower energy than the students who were asked to skip down the hall.

And Harvard researchers found that people who used “power poses” (they stood up straight, with their shoulders back) had a 20 percent increase in testosterone levels and a 25 percent decrease in cortisol levels, while people who slouched had a 10 percent decrease in testosterone and a 15 percent increase in cortisol levels.

Take this Back

 

“Probably the most beneficial thing about having good posture is that it decreases the stress on the spinal musculature, the spinal structure and the joints,” Farkas said. “That can decrease the general aches and pains that occur with poor posture — the pains that come with overstressing those postural muscles.”

So, strengthen your core, practice you posture and reap the benefits. Standing up straighter does make us feel more ready to conquer the world.

Measure how back and neck pain affects your life with the free, online 5-minute assessment. Or find a spine physician on the medical staff of Texas Health hospital near you. If you live in DFW and want to join The Feel Good Network's Chiropractic Doctor referral program, contact site admin.

Pro Orthotics Keep MLB's Tampa Bay Rays On Their Toes

Chiroeco reports:

THE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SEASON IS ONE OF THE LONGEST IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS. Over a 7-1/2 month period, every team will play at least 192 games (including spring training). With only 18-20 days off for the whole season, players’ bodies are placed under an extraordinary amount of stress.

Medical staffs are responsible for keeping players healthy and performing at an elite level, and for many players this starts with addressing imbalances in their feet.

It starts with the feet

Whether a baseball player is swinging a bat, throwing a ball, running a base or reacting in the field, his power, control, propulsion and ability to react in the field all originate from his lower extremities. Imbalances due to pronation or supination of the feet can make the difference in hitting the ball, making the play, or even being able to take the field. 

If the foot is excessively pronated, then the knees will have excessive valgus stress, the Q-angle will be increased and the hips will be internally rotated. This provides a less than optimal position to be explosively powerful and can lead to injuries.

An unbalanced stance due to pronation or supination of the feet places a lot of stress on the body and increases the risk of injury. Players with excessive pronation of the feet are more prone to injuries of the knee, hip and even the lower back, while players with excessive foot supination are more prone to inversion ankle sprains. Players’ risk of injury increases based upon the playing surface and the shoe types they wear. Artificial turf is a harder surface and provides an uneven playing field due to the unevenness of the substrate, and with the lack of support that is common in baseball cleats, players who have collapsed or high arches have a higher probability of sustaining an injury to a foot, ankle, knee, thigh, hip or back.

Custom orthotics and performance

To address imbalances in players’ feet to help prevent injuries, the Tampa Bay Rays have used custom orthotics with almost 100% positive results. Custom orthotics correct imbalances in the feet and provide the proper stability for the body with multi-arch support. Custom pro orthotics help align the body, including the foot and ankle, which is essential for a player’s balance and kinetic chain efficiency. They include materials that help with shock absorption and propulsion, which is critical when considering the lack of support baseball cleats typically have.

Many people think about custom orthotics for prevention of injuries or to help prevent re-injury once an injury has occurred. However, the role of custom orthotics in increasing everyday performance is just as important to a professional baseball player. The average batter swings in 140 milliseconds while trying to connect with an 85-plus mile-per-hour ball. That is less than the 400 milliseconds it takes to blink your eye. Imbalances in a player’s feet can affect the stability of how a batter distributes his weight through his swing and be the difference in making great contact with the ball or missing it completely.

Fancy footwork

Good fielders make fielding look easy, and it is their footwork that leads to the process of good fielding. The better their footwork, the better their glove work. When a player has a 100-plus mile-per-hour ball coming at them, the ability to react quickly and get their body in position is critical. When a player’s feet don’t work, the rest of the body follows. This can put a player out of proper position to make the play.

Imbalances in the feet also impact a player’s speed and accuracy when throwing a ball. Pitching is all about balance and mechanics. If a pitcher does not have the proper balance, his mechanics can be thrown off, leading to an errant throw due to a lack of power and control.

Baseball players stand around a lot, but need to be able to have explosive bursts and movements when running bases or reacting in the field. Players that are flat-footed are less capable of generating the explosive power to propel the body forward quickly. This can be the difference in beating the throw or being in position and making the play.

Reducing stress, improving results

Imbalances in the feet due to pronation or supination can greatly impact a player’s swing, throw, movement and reaction time. Having the proper balance and support helps prevent injury and improve performance. Custom pro orthotics provide proper balance and support for the whole body, help correct imbalances in the feet, and include advanced materials that support shock absorption at heel strike and propulsion at toe-off during the gait cycle.

With our team, we have used custom pro orthotics to make sure our players have the proper support and balance, which has resulted in reduced stress on their bodies, fewer injuries, and improvement in performance. Almost every player or staff member who has custom orthotics has ordered additional pairs so they can have the proper balance and support in all their shoes, on and off the field. 

PAUL HARKER is the former assistant athletic trainer for the MLB Tampa Bay Rays; he currently serves as the team’s medical coordinator. He has served with the Rays organization for 23 years and represents footlevelers.com.

Did You Know That Drinking Plenty of Water Can Help You Feel Better?

Chiro Health USA reports:

Summer is that time of year filled with exciting outdoor activities and highly anticipated family vacations that usually take place in the blistering summer sun.  With the hot summer months rapidly approaching, you may be wondering how you and your loved ones can stay properly hydrated this year. While drinking water is the best way to stay hydrated, it’s not the only way.  Maintaining the right levels of electrolytes and carbohydrates, and consuming the right foods, can also aid in proper hydration.

Water is Key

The human body is made up of approximately 60% water and needs to be properly hydrated throughout the day to reach its maximum potential.  A few hours before bed you should drink plenty of water so that the eight hours spent sleeping and not drinking anything won’t leave you waking up in a dehydrated state.  Upon waking, be sure to drink a glass or two to start off your day.  If you are planning to participate in any energy-demanding activity, drink plenty of water during and rehydrate after it’s over.

Electrolytes to the Rescue     

Electrolytes play an important role in keeping the body hydrated during the summer months.  Electrolytes (as well as carbohydrates) help the body absorb whatever fluids you drink.  Sodium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, and potassium, are essential to healthy nerve and muscle function.  These nutrients keep the body going when it has to exert excess energy.

 What You Eat Is Important Too

 Did you know that food accounts for approximately 20 percent of your daily fluid intake making it a major contributor to hydration status?  Nutrition News states “Luckily, many foods that are in season in the hot summer months, such as melon, tomatoes, and strawberries, are naturally rich in water, carbohydrates, and minerals, including those all-important electrolytes. In addition, infusing water with fresh fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers can give your ordinary bottle of water an extraordinary and healthy dose of flavor.”  So, if you enjoy fresh fruits and veggies, summer is the best time to load up on them.

Watch for Clues

 One of the best indicators that the body is properly hydrated is the color of your urine.  If your urine is a light color, you are more than likely properly hydrated.  If your urine is darker than apple juice, that usually signals dehydration and a need for immediate rehydration.