Best Sexual Positions for Back Pain

best sexual positions for back painClear Lake Chiropractor Comments: Back pain isn’t just one of the most common reasons for people to miss work; it can also affect your sex life. But new guidelines based on how the spine moves during intercourse could help. A frequently asked question is “How can I have sex without causing further damage or pain to myself or my partner?” People are sometimes embarrassed to ask the question, but it is information that they need.

First, people need to understand that there is an emotional aspect to back pain. Back pain can cause stress. The partner who does not have back pain can have a lack of understanding and perceive the stress and reluctance to have sex as a personal rejection and/or resentment. Research has shown to taking it slow and being patient is beneficial. Start off with a light massage, shower or even just gently rubbing in a soothing pain lotion to help loosen the muscles.

Back pain affects 8 out of 10 people at some point in their lives, and low back pain is the main reason for disability. Regarding sex, doctors used to recommend the spooning position for people with back pain, despite a lack of scientific evidence to support it. Also, a sex position that’s appropriate for one type of pain, might not work for another type of pain.

For men who have an increase in pain while bending forward or after sitting for a period of time, the best positions will be a modified “doggy-style” position while their partner supports their weight on either their hands or elbows. If pain is increased by flexion and motion, then a modified “missionary” position is suggested where the man supports his weight on his hands and his partner flexes their hips and knees. If extension causes back pain, it is suggested that this position is modified so that his weight is supported on his elbows. Another position that is suggested for men with extension related pain is the side position or “spooning”. This will help to minimize the pain from extension and minimize the weight bearing.

For women who have an increase in pain when they sit too long or flex forward to touch their toes the best position are ones that minimize spinal flexion like spooning or “doggy-style” with their weight supported on their hands or elbows. If the pain is increased with extension or arching their back then the best position is a modified “missionary” position with their hips and knees flexed.

The good news is that healthy sexual relations will help to minimize stress which ultimately helps to reduce back pain.

Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!

 

Did You Know This About Low Back Pain?

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Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: If you have low back pain (LBP), you are certainly not alone. Almost everyone at some point has back pain that interferes with work, daily activities, and/or recreation. Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on LBP.  It is the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to lost work time. Back pain is second to headaches as the most common neurological condition in the United States.  Fortunately, most occurrences of LBP go away within a few days. Others take much longer to resolve or lead to more serious conditions (1).

There are two types of low back pain – acute and chronic.  Most episodes of acute LBP last from a few days to weeks, are not neurological and usually do not carry a high level of surgical risk. The Low Back Pain Houstoncause of LBP can be difficult to isolate because often, while the cause is cumulative where multiple events over time, the last activity the patient recalls is “bending over for a pencil.” This, by itself is not likely to cause an acute onset of LBP.  Low back pain can be caused by trauma such as sports injuries, work around the house such as garden work, car accidents, and others. Chronic low back pain, by definition, is LBP that lasts more than 3 months and the cause can be more difficult to identify and is often cumulative and superimposed on a prior condition such as degenerative disk or joint disease.  A real problem is the rate of recurrence or, chronic, recurrent low back pain where pain may subside but returns at various rates of frequency and duration.  This category affects a high percentage of the population and represents the true challenge in spine care management.

As people age, their bone strength and muscle stretch, strength and tone usually decreases due to lack of activity. When the disks begin to lose fluid and flexibility, their ability to cushion the vertebrae and function as “shock absorbers” also decreases. Disks can tear, bulge, and/or herniate which results in localized LBP and/or radiating pain that follows the course one or more of the 31 pairs of nerve roots (eg., “sciatica” down the back of the leg).  Soft tissues such as joint capsules and ligaments lose their capacity to stretch and can tear more easily, resulting in a sprain or strain (muscle/tendon injury). Other conditions that either cause or contribute to LBP include arthritis, obesity, smoking, pregnancy, stress, poor posture and/or physical health, and can lead to unsatisfied patients if these co-contributors are not properly identified and discussed.  Less commonly, LBP can be caused by a more serious condition such as cancer, fracture, infection, spinal cord compression, and various internal conditions (3).  Emergency care may be indicated in these circumstances.

At Beecher Chiropractic, we will perform a complete examination, consider other contributing causes, and will treat the problem(s) causing the LBP condition.  If needed, working with other allied health care providers will be arranged.  Exercise, dietary recommendations, ergonomic or work modifications, spinal manipulation, and modalities will all be considered to help eliminate or control of the LBP. Methods of self-managing the LBP will be emphasized.

Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!

 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Some of Its Causes

Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: Research has shown certain work practices and risk factors, such as being overweight, can elevate your risk for developing carpal tunnel symptoms.

As a chiropractor, I often look to the spine when my patients have nerve pain. Many people with carpal tunnel syndrome have a history of a whiplash injury or other neck trauma. But how can a neck injury make me susceptible to carpal tunnel? Simple. When you sprain the ligaments in your neck, this can cause damage and inflammation, which can irritate a nerve where it exits the spinal cord and courses between tiny bones to eventually reach your hand. If the nerve is irritated at the neck region, then this makes it more vulnerable to compression as it passes through the wrist tunnel. Signs that your carpal tunnel pain is a neck problem include shoulder and neck pain and/or a history of a neck trauma.

How can this possibly be fixed “chiropractically”? The first step is to diagnose if you have a primary wrist or neck problem, or a problem with both areas. A thorough examination of the neck, carpal tunnel syndrome causeswhich may include x-rays, is important. The carpal bones of the wrist can be out of alignment or the vertebrae in the neck can be out of normal position. A specific adjustment can help to correct the abnormal posture and restore mobility.

You may also need to do strengthening exercises, especially if the condition is long-standing or you’ve worn a brace. The muscles of the lower arm are integral to providing wrist support and optimum function

Contractures can develop over time as well, fixating the nerves and not allowing them to glide normally with movements. Deep tissue therapy such as “pin and stretch” and deep massage and break up knots and tight tissues or scarring.

With most patients, alignment is an issue, as is flexibility and strength. I consider the cause of most carpal tunnel symptoms to be multifactorial. Not one exercise, or one pill, or even one adjustment, is right for everyone. However, it’s important to consider conservative options first before deciding on invasive surgery. Even rest and taking pain pills is not really exploring all of the potentially conservative options available.

Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!

 

Minimizing Your Whiplash Risk

Houston Area Chiropractor Comments: While it is hard to prevent someone from crashing their car into your car, there are some things you can do to minimize whiplash injuries.

The first preventive measure is making sure your seat is upright and the head rest touches the top of your head. If there is a lot of distance between your head and the rest, it will do little to help in the event of a collision. Also, if the headrest is too low, in can act as fulcrum, leveraging your neck into a worse position, and increasing injury risk.Minimizing Your Whiplash Risk

Another thing we can do minimize injury risk is being in the best possible shape prior to the trauma. Research has shown people with good aerobic fitness seem to be more resilient after whiplash accidents.

If you are aware you are about to be hit, it is probably best to remain in a neutral position with eyes facing forward. People with their head turned prior to impact seem to have worse ligament injuries.

If you can afford it, a larger car will lessen the momentum of your vehicle after a collision. There are now vehicles with whiplash-protection seats (e.g. Saab) that dampen the effects of rear end-accidents. Frontal collisions tend to be less severe to the neck if the speeds are equal because the chin can hit the chest preventing forward motion of the neck. Rear-end and side-impact collisions do not have this benefit.

Unfortunately, there are many simply unavoidable risk factors. Women and children seem to be more vulnerable, possibly because of the increased head to neck size ratio. Also if you’ve ever had a head or neck trauma before and or have a degenerated disk in the neck, these factors elevate your risk for a more pronounced injury. Other factors that can slow your recovery include wearing a neck brace/collar, taking to bed rest, or getting vertical traction treatments. Inhibiting movements can feel good initially but is not good in the long term because of decreased muscle function and strength. Getting diagnosed as soon as possible can determine the best course of action for getting you to back to a speedy recovery. Just letting things go is rarely a good solution.

Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!

Chiropractic Alternative to Back Surgery?

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Clear Lake City Chiropractor Comments: A large-scale study from Great Britain has shown results that’ll make you wonder whether back surgery is always necessary (Bhattacharyya M. Does the risks and benefits of spinal manipulation in patients with low back pain as a nonsurgical approach translate into better outcomes in routine clinical care: a prospective observational cohort study. J Bone Joint Surg 2008;90B:Suppl.492.). One hundred two patients were followed while they waited to see a spinal surgeon. The patients had disc herniations confirmed by MRI and had sciatic/leg pain. They had also previously tried 4 weeks of medications (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), which had provided no benefit.

While they waited to see the spinal surgeon, they were referred for manipulations provided by experienced chiropractors. The adjustments were given five days per week. Chiropractic Alternative to Back Surgery

A few patients had some transient increase in pain and there were three treatment failures (out of 102). Overall the results were very encouraging with patients moved off of the surgery wait-list.

But how is this possible? The disks are the hard cartilage separating each vertebra in your lower back. When this ligament sprains it can bulge onto a nearby nerve, causing back pain or pain down your leg. Precise adjustments use the bones as levers to affect the alignment of these vertebrae and the movement of the joints in the lumbar spine. If alignment is improved, then there is better posture and distribution of loads. When the mobility is more symmetrical, this also may prevent unequal loading of the soft tissues. Helping these mechanical aspects to heal can be enough to lessen your pain and help you to regain your quality of life. In some cases, it seems it may even keep you from a potentially unnecessary back operation.

Based on the results of the study, anyone without need of emergency surgery should try chiropractic care before having an elective operation for a disk or sciatica/leg pain disorder. Emergency problems would be symptoms like bowel and bladder dysfunction and numbness over the tailbone or hips. Most patients do not fit into the emergency-surgery camp.

Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!