I talk to the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic clinic about health and weight on a daily basis.  While many people don’t want to hear about how their health habits, in this case carrying too much weight, can negatively affect their joints, it is my responsibility to present them with the facts (I don’t harp on them by the way!).

The joints of your spine, hips, knees, ankles and feet are all weight bearing joints.  These joints support the weight of your body.  The more you weigh, the more weight bearing stress is directed into these joints.  With time, weight bearing stress wears the joints down resulting in a condition known as osteoarthritis.  Osteoarthritis is a “wear and tear” type of arthritis that causes inflammation, scar tissue formation and muscle spasms.  Inflammation is often responsible for the neck pain, back pain and other joint pains that we experience.

We know that weight gain causes joint pain and that joint pain can make exercise difficult however, a recent study out of England also suggested that as we gain weight we tend to lose our desire to exercise at an emotional level as well.  You can see how as we gain weight the deck becomes stacked against us as far as our ability to regain a healthy weight.

I am well aware that talking to patients about their weight issues is only effective if I can catch them during a period of time when weight loss is important to them.  That being said, I also know that none of us look forward to experiencing the downsides of growing older complicated by the negative effects of weight gain.  The bottom line is this; weight gain is bad for all of your joints and can cause pain and disability as we grow older.  Do yourself a favor and keep your weight in check – it will make you and your joints happy!

Have a Nice Day!

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

I see patients in my San Diego chiropractic clinic everyday that complain of numbness or tingling sensations in their hands and / or feet.  Many times these sensations are caused by either pinched nerves secondary to neck pain or back pain.  Sometimes numbness and tingling is caused by herniated discs in the neck or back.  This post will focus on peripheral neuropathy as a cause of numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.

Peripheral neuropathy is caused by damage to the nerve as a result of trauma, infections, metabolic conditions and exposure to toxins.  Diabetes is by far the most common cause of diabetes and commonly results in sensations described as glove like or stocking like.

Peripheral neuropathy usually starts in the longest nerves – those which reach your toes and fingers are the ones to be affected first.  The onset is usually a gradual progression of numbness and tingling in the feet or hands that can spread into the legs and arms.  People with neuropathy describe the sensations as burning, sharp, electrical, numbing and tingling.  Sometimes these patients experience a loss of coordination, weakness and even paralysis.

In addition to diabetes being a cause of neuropathy, common contributors of this condition include vitamin deficiencies, alcoholism, infections, exposure to toxins and auto immune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Treating neuropathy can include exercise, stretching, healthy eating and if you are a smoker – kicking the habit.  Chiropractic care is also effective in treating neuropathy by using adjustments and providing proper nutritional support.  Medications are also available for treating neuropathy but they often produce undesirable side effects.

Yours in Good Health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

In my San Diego Chiropractic office, I hear this question from most of my patients who have been involved in car accidents.  Aside from the pressing issues of neck pain, back pain and headaches that are common after a car accident, payment of medical bills is one of the more common concerns of my patients. The reason that this question is so common is because there are so many avenues through which your medical costs can be covered.

Most people have a medical payments provision on their auto insurance.  Your medical payments will cover all or the great majority of your medical expenses up to the stated limit on your policy.

If the person that hit you is uninsured, you may be able to cover your medical costs with the uninsured motorist provision of your auto insurance – if you opted to have this type of coverage on your policy.

Some people don’t carry medical payments on their insurance policy (you really should because it is inexpensive).  If this is the case in your situation, you can pursue the responsible parties insurance via what is commonly known as a third party claim.  Often you can settle a third party claim on your own but some prefer to use a lawyer.

If you choose to hire a lawyer, your medical expenses will be covered under an attorney’s lien.  We accept liens as do many other doctors’ offices.  When your medical care is covered under a lien, your doctor will be paid out of the settlement after your attorney settles your claim.

I hope that this basic explanation of insurance benefits related to care for car accident injuries is helpful.  There are other scenarios but the ones that I mentioned above are the most common.

Your’s In Good Health,

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Automobile Injuries

Most of the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Center come to me for pain relief.  The question is; what is pain?  The answer to this question can be complex but pain is always the end result of some sort of long standing dysfunction that has resulted in inflammation and eventually pain.

Using the analogy of an ice burg; pain relative to the dysfunction that caused it is analogous to the “tip of the ice burg.”  We all know that 95% of an ice burg lies underwater and the tip that we can see represents the smallest portion of its mass.  The same is true with processes that cause us to experience pain.  Our bodies have many coping mechanisms that help mask or compensate for pain – by the time the underlying process actually causes pain it is usually quite advanced.

Because pain represents a small portion of the dysfunctional process, the meaning of pain relief can be confusing.  Since pain is the final manifestation of a particular dysfunction, the simple relief of the pain should not be confused with “a fix” of the original problem.  Sometimes patients that don’t understand what pain represents make the mistake of stopping care as soon as the pain resolves.  Failure to correct the cause of the pain leads to chronic conditions that become very difficult to effectively treat.    

A simple example of pain as a result of a primary dysfunction is low back pain that is secondary to a dysfunctional sacroiliac joint.  I see many patients with restricted sacroiliac joint motion – primarily this joint dysfunction comes from long hours of sitting.  Patients with restricted sacroiliac joint motion are prone to suffering with lower back pain.  Treatment for this condition involves chiropractic adjustments on the locked sacroiliac joint.  Many patients get pain relief with adjustments even though on subsequent evaluations the joint motion has not been restored to normal.  I would guess that about half of my patients continue with their care after pain relief in order to restore normal function to the problematic joint while the other half discontinues care as soon as they feel better.  My personal experience (20 years worth!) tells me that those who discontinue care with pain relief are much more likely to develop chronic pain in the future because they didn’t treat long enough to correct the underlying problem.

The point is this – pain is not good measure of your health.  People have cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and many other life threatening disorders and don’t experience pain or other symptoms until the process has significantly advanced.  Back pain, neck pain and headaches act the same way.  Regardless of the type of care you receive, follow through with treatment until your doctor releases you.  Cutting your care short will only serve to make you more comfortable while your joints degenerate. 

Yours in good health,

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

That being said, there are businesses that are more resistant to economic down turns than others.

The bar in the complex where my San Diego Chiropractic Center is located seems to be handling the current economic stress with ease.  The struggling economy may have even made them busier!

My office has maintained itself during this economic down turn because during times of stress my patients tend to place a higher value on their health.  I find it peculiar that during stressful times that some people will spend their hard earned money on unhealthy items such as alcohol and cigaretts while others spend their money on improving their health with chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage, yoga and gym memberships.

When the economy goes south and we can’t treat ourselves (financially) to the things that normally make us feel satisfied, many of us re-focus on our health or other types of self improvement.   

Stress has many negative physiological effects on our bodies so it is imparative that during stressful periods that we take better care of ourselves.  Cortisol is the “stress hormone” that is released when we are stressed.  The release of cortisol not only stresses our adrenal glands but it also tends to make us gain weight which causes more health and happiness issues.  Yes, stress can even make you fat!  Stress also magnifies old injuries by creating muscle spasm that can aggravate or cause neck pain, back pain and headaches.

Our bodies like balance.  Balance helps our bodies negate the effects of stress.  Pro-active steps towards maintaining health can help us attain balance which helps control the physical and emotional expressions of stress.

Yours in good health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

The question is; What do health, wellness and life extension have to do with chiropractic care?

In the early years of its development as a health care instrument, the founders of chiropractic identified the link between chiropractic adjustments and a healthy nervous system.  Chiropractic researchers noted that when patients came in for care for conditions like neck pain and back pain that as they received care, other symptoms that they suffered with also improved.  Conditions like asthma, constipation, headaches and a host of other complaints would improve as these patients proceeded with their chiropractic care.

Athletes would see improvements in overall performance in their abilities and workers noticed quicker recovery times and fewer injuries as a result of chiropractic care.  Chiropractors all over the country found that patients who had first sought care for a specific ache or pain wanted to continue treatment even after their original symptoms had resolved.  Ongoing chiropractic care simply made patients feel better physically then they ever had before.  It was then that the benefits of chiropractic care for health maintenance purposes became the larger focus of chiropractic treatment. 

The connection between chiropractic care, health, wellness and life extension is an easy path to follow.  The function of all of our body processes is dependant on a healthy nervous system.  Chiropractic care directly acts to help your nervous system function at its best.  When your nervous system is healthy, all of your systems are more efficient resulting in better health, a higher level of wellness and life extension.

Yours in good health,

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

I ask all of the new patients of my San Diego Chiropractic Center this question.  I would estimate that about 75% of them answer “yes” to this question although at least half of them really have not had Chiropractic Care.

Let me explain, I am not calling my patients liars but many of them are misinformed regarding their past experiences with chiropractic treatment.  Chiropractic treatment is much more complex than “my back is ‘out’, can you pop it back ‘in” scenario that only involves a treatment or two. 

Many of my patients have had back or neck problems in the past and went to see a chiropractor for an adjustment and are under the impression that they have had chiropractic treatment and that it only took one visit.  In reality, chiropractic care is a process that improves your health through the cumulative effects of a series of treatments combined with specific exercises, stretches and nutritional support.

Let me explain some more – joints don’t just “pop out”.  The joints in our spine are surrounded by some of the strongest ligaments and muscles in our bodies.  In order for a joint to “pop out” the muscles have to be week, the ligaments stretched and typically you have been exposing yourself to some kind of ongoing postural stress or some stressful activity that your spine is not coping with adequately. 

Pain is the final manifestation of this process and by no means is an indicator of spinal health.  Unfortunately, pain is relieved quickly with care (sometimes just a visit or two) while the underlying problem continues to fester and worsen for years before it produces pain again leaving the patient with a false sense of security regarding the status of their condition.

When I see a new patient who has had the same problem in the past that they thought was corrected with prior chiropractic care (one or two treatments), the current episode of pain is usually much worse than it was in the past because the patient only received treatment to relieve the pain – not the necessary care to treat the underlying problem.

Hence, a treatment or two with a chiropractor to relieve your pain is very different from being under chiropractic treatment that addresses all aspects of your condition including pain relief, treatment for the underlying reasons for your pain and supportive therapy to insure that your condition doesn’t continue to silently worsen.

Yours In Good Health

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Several years ago a few studies emerged that suggested that chiropractic manipulation had a blood pressure lowering affect on those folks who suffer with chronic hypertension.  For chiropractors this was no new revelation.  For the general public, however, who sees chiropractic care simply as a fix for neck pain, back pain and headaches, this report was news to them.  Many of my patients greeted the reported affects of chiropractic care on lowering blood pressure with skepticism. 

I believe that skepticism is healthy since there are so many scams in healthcare.  That being said, you also have to keep an open mind regarding potential new cures for common human conditions.  Had one of my colleagues told me a story of lowering blood pressure with chiropractic manipulations I would have believed him because I understand the interaction between chiropractic adjustments, the spine, the nervous system and the many functions of our bodies.  However, when I recently read a study in the Journal of Human Hypertension that documented blood pressure reductions of -17/10 mm HG in a group of patients who were receiving chiropractic adjustments of the upper neck I gained additional validation for what I already knew.

The purpose of this blog post is not to promote that I can help patients with chronic hypertension – although I can.  The purpose of this post was simply to advance the idea that chiropractic care is effective at treating a vast number of conditions, not just the typical cases of neck pain, back pain and headaches.  The conservative nature of chiropractic care makes it a safe and effective therapy for many of the conditions that ail us.

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Saying that technology leads to neck pain and back pain may be over-reaching a bit, but there is a definite link between our obsessions with hand held electronics and spinal health.

Most of the cases of neck pain that I see in my San Diego Chiropractic office are due to postural stress.  The postural stress that causes most of the cases of neck pain in my office is caused by regular, frequent texting, computer use, DS play, cellular phones, iPhones (and similar devices), e-book readers (such as the Kindle), iPods, etc.  Kids, young adults and even mature adults admit to spending hours each day retrieving and inputting information into these hand held devices. 

The end result of the postural stress caused by hand held electronic devices is known as Forward Head Posture or FHP.  Forward Head Posture causes a variety of symptoms that can range from mild annoyances to significant levels of disability.  We can often feel the results of FHP, such as neck pain, upper back pain or stiffness, after returning to a neutral position after just a few minutes of looking downward at a keyboard or a smart phone.  With time, these symptoms can expand to include headaches, neck strain, pinched nerves and a host of other painful syndromes involving the upper extremities.

The bad news about FHP is that in a few years it will be much more prevalent than it is today.  A recent study by Kaiser found that kids aged from 8 to 18 spend an average of nearly 8 hours per day either playing DS type games, texting or using smart phones in some other way.  Chances are that this statistic will worsen.

FHP is a type of repetitive stress syndrome.  Over my years in practice I have seen my patients lose their careers because of injuries due to repetitive stress.  While the world is changing its communication habits it is vital for our health that we manage the time that we spend with hand held electronic devices. 

Have a great day!

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com

Most of my patients initially come to my office with neck pain, back pain or headaches.  Regardless of the complaint, I often check many chiropractic subluxation indicators in order to find the cause of the complaint.  This method is typical for the kind of care you would get from a holistic practioner. 

One of the most substantial differences between chiropractic treatment and medical treatment is the way in which we look at you, the patient.  Chiropractic care is holistic in its approach to you.  A holistic approach sees you as a whole person whose parts are interdependent on each other.  Medical care takes an allopathic approach meaning that your care tends to be focused on the specific area that has become problematic. 

If we use tension headaches as an example to expose the differences between the two types of care the differences between allopathic and holistic treatment become clear. 

As a chiropractor the first thing that I do when a patient comes to me complaining of muscle tension headaches is look for the source of the muscle tension.  Sometimes the muscle tension lies in the thin band of muscle that crosses the bottom of the skull while other times the muscle tension comes from the neck or shoulders / upper back.  The point here is that different sources of pain drive a need for different types of care.  After the source of the muscle tension is found, treatment is delivered to the source of the problem. 

If you present to your MD with the same muscle tension headache, you will probably be prescribed some kind of medication to dull the pain but not to address the cause of your headache.  This kind of care is allopathic – focusing only on the pain of the headache – not the cause of the headache.

But that’s where the similarity ends because each discipline looks at health and healing in very different ways.

Chiropractors and medical doctors have two very different philosophies, yet each has its place. If you have broken bones or you’re bleeding by the side of the road, you need the lifesaving measures of emergency medical treatment.

On the other hand, if you have chronic aches and pains or if your interest lies in wellness and health maintenance, you definitely want the “focus on health” approach that is the objective of chiropractic care.

Have a great day!

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

www.JonesPainRelief.com