Dr Davis' Back & Wrist Pain Blog

Turbo Charge Your Spinal Decompression Therapy By Switching To A Plant Based Diet

I know it sounds weird. But, it really is true. You can increase the odds of a favorable outcome by switching to a plant based diet. How is this possible you ask ? Well, for one thing, by design, this is the food we should consume. You can fight me on this, but it's true. There is now such an overwhelming body of evidence and proof to substantiate the benefits of eating like this that it is pretty much conclusive. Please pick up a copy of the China Study by T. Colin Campbell if you want to read the latest data. This is the largest study ever conducted on the relationship between diet and heath. I understand that this lifestyle is not Status Quo, but so what. If you want to express your health potential and help your spine get better, you need to take action. A plant based diet has been proven to reduce inflammation associated with degenerative joint disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Here is an article I found in the newsletter archives of doctor John Mc Dougall M.D., entitled: DIET: THE ONLY REAL HOPE FOR ARTHRITIS. Oh, by the way, you can eat as much as you want and you don't have to count calories. You never go hungry. And guess what ? You stay lean and mean. Your body seeks it's natural bodyweight, which is usually a lot less than where your average person consuming a typical American diet is weighing in at. Everyone knows that extra bodyweight stresses the spine. Just getting the weight down will make you feel so much better and enhance the decompression therapy . I could go on forever here but it's not necessary. Give it a try and see for yourself.

Visit Dr. Mc Dougall at: http://www.DrMcdougall.com Here is a live link to the article above: diet, the only real hope for arthritis

San Francisco Spine Center explains why Herniated Lumbar Discs On The Rise With Office Workers

Back pain sufferrers often wonder, why does my low back hurt so much when I get out of bed ? Well, there is a scientific explanation for this. Pressures on the intervertebral discs vary according to the position your body is in. The position that puts the least amount of stress on the spinal disc is when you are on your back with your knees slightly bent (put a pillow under your knees). This is why we encourage you to sleep like this (and ice in this position). The intradiscal pressure increases a little when you sleep on your side (you should never sleep on your stomach). When you get out of bed and stand it really goes up. If you bend forward a little it goes up even more. Then, when you sit down with your body upright it drops significantly. That is until you bend forward (like when you are at your computer) while sitting. This forward position when seated really stresses out the lumbar disc and explains why we are seeing such an increase in lumbar disc herniations, bulges, and degenerative conditions that lead to herniations in white collar office workers. I found an old article that has some good graphics and a chart of what I described above so you could understand this better. Remember, there is a cause for every effect, and an effect from every cause. These conditions do not just develop out of the blue. They are usually the result of poor habits, including workstation, lifestyle, and sleeping  postures. But you know what, just about everything we do puts us into this seated, hunched position. We eat this way, drive this way, fly this way, sit in class all those years this way. Do you see what I mean ?  And when we are born we do not come with an owners manual warning our parents about this. So, this is why we are so concerned about posture at the workstation and postures in general, when it comes to treating herniated lumbar (and cervical) discs. If you want a workstation setup overveiw see Sarah or Dr. Davis.   

Don't Expect The DRX 9000 to Fix Your Problem If You Don't Do Your Part

I am a little bit puzzled why someone would pay $6500 for 6 weeks of decompression therapy, and then  not do their home ice or wear their back support  (or drink the 80-100oz of water/day) ? Then ask me why the treatment was not working. Clearly this is someone that is NOT ready to get better. Who knows what else they are doing or not doing.  I can without a doubt say that the patients that get the most out of the treatment, put the most into the treatment. It's like this with anything in life.  Just focus on your home care instructions (really get into it) and making your appointments and let the process unfold. Chances are, you will be glad you did.   

San Francisco DRX 9000 Patients Want To Know: Now that My Herniated Discs Are Fixed, How Long Will It Last ?

One of the most common questions I get from disc herniation patients is:  How long will the results last ?  Another words, once the treatment is over, and I am as good as I am going to get, how long will it stay that way ? Will I have to keep coming back for more treatment ? Will it just last a short period and then go right back to where it was ?  So, I will do my best to address this issue right now. This technology is fairy new ( 5-7 years). The DRX 9000 has been around for about 2-3 years. Because of this there are no long term studies available.  There is a four year study floating around that says there is only a 4% reoccurrence rate. This is extremely low. I have only had my machines for 18 months or so, so that's as far back as I go. The thing is, we are not putting parts in the spine than might wear out or malfunction. We are not cutting into the body. We are not putting chemicals into the body. We are simply helping the body to do what it would be doing if it could. This is not a magic bullet as all our DRX 9000 graduates will attest. This is a lengthy process and a lot of work goes into the objective. What usually pops out of the oven is a spine that is much healthier and better able to adapt to the stresses of modern day living. Once the spine is in this healthier state we can then do things such as stretching, yoga, core exercises, weight lifting, chiropractic, pilates, etc. depending on the individual situation. There is also an extensive home regimen for post treatment care from the manufacturer. In addition, we offer our in-house spinal "core" rehabilitation on the SpineForce machine. This is an additional cost, but is well worth it. Also, some patients choose to come in for periodic (3-6/yr) sessions on the DRX 9000, even if they are not in pain. This is called maintenance care. The point is, there will be plenty of ways to maintain the results. We will help figure out the best way for YOU.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Cervical Disc Herniations, and Non-surgical Treatment Options

I have been treating repetitive stress injuries at our carpal tunnel injury center for almost 15 years. In fact, when I was in chiropractic college all of the students used to see me for their arm and hand pain. I just developed a liking toward working on the neck, arms, and hands. I followed this up with advanced training and eventually started giving seminars all over the country to other doctors on how to treat these stubborn conditions, mostly carpal tunnel syndrome. The funny thing is, all of my friends are chiropractors and I won't let most of them mess with my arms or hands. Since chiropractors earn their living  with their hands, we can't afford to be without them. What we do is very similar to the office workers we treat, in the sense that there is so much repetitive motion. Chiropractors have a high incidence of disability due to overuse syndromes compared to the general population. Office workers (and chiropractors) also tend to develope cervical disc herniations because of all the rotation that they put into their necks moving their head back and forth from the computer screen (or adjusting table) to the other stuff they are doing. This causes the disc to wear abnormally, leading to bulges, herniations, and various repetitive stress traumas. For the most part, these conditions are completely treatable, but can often take many months to resolve. It's very hard to find someone that has lots of experience with these conditions. If you don't, you sometimes give up to early or don't know when to try something different. I hear horror stories about patients spending years and years doing the wrong kind of treatment. Some of them even having unnecessary surgery on the hands, and the doctor never even checked the neck. Now, even the medical community acknowledges that CTS like symptoms can stem from the neck. Especially from herniated disc in the neck. Here is a very good article by a duo of medical doctors on a case presentation of cervical herniated disc with carpal tunnel symptoms. Good until it comes to the treatment options.  Non-surgical spinal decompression featuring the DRX 9000 is new, so you will not see it referenced much if at all in medical journals or articles. But, just give it a few years. Well, maybe 5-10 years, this stuff moves slow. Then, everyone will be using this technology in one way or another. I have simply added it to my already successful methods, making them even better. I believe doctors should look at all available options and consider what is the best for the patient, and the least invasive. This is the future of health care.  So for now, we will work the the people that don't want to wait for the insurance companies and HMO's to give this new technology it's stamp of approval. People seek out what they want and are able to make intelligent decisions on their own.   

San Francisco Disc Pain Doctor Concerned: Prescription Back Pain Medication Deaths On The Rise

I am more than concerned about some of the prescription medications that San Francisco herniated disc pain sufferers are telling me they are taking for their back pain. I understand that this is the only way some of them can get through the day, but on the other hand, this could turn out to be a deadly mistake. So, I went online to do a little research to see if there was an increase in prescription pain medication overdoses. Here is the article I found on The Rheumatology News Blog, a great source of information.  I have had many patients stop taking pain medication after the first few sessions on the DRX 9000. There are also other methods of pain control such as guided imagery and acupuncture. Please consider the health consequences of pain medications before you take them.

What is a Cervical Disc Herniation ? How is it Treated ? Do I have to have Surgery ? What are the Symptoms ?

I thought I would start this post with an article I found from the North American Spine Society. The article explains what a cervical disc herniation is and what the conventional medical approach is as far as treatment is concerned (Hint-you will not see any mention of the DRX 9000 ). Here is the article:

Herniated Cervical Disc What is it? What Treatments Are Available?
	What is a Herniated Cervical Disc? The backbone, or spine, is composed of a series of connected bones called "vertebrae." The vertebrae surround the spinal cord and protect it from damage. Nerves branch off the spinal cord and travel to the rest of the body, allowing for communication between the brain and the body. The brain can send a message down the spinal cord and out through the nerves to make the muscles move. The nerves also send information such as pain and temperature from the body back to the brain. The vertebrae are connected by a disc and two small joints called "facet" joints. The disc, which is made up of strong connective tissues which hold one vertebra to the next, acts as a cushion or shock absorber between the vertebrae. The disc and facet joints allow for movements of the vertebrae and therefore let you bend and rotate your neck and back. The disc is made of a tough outer layer called the "annulus fibrosus" and a gel-like center called the "nucleus pulposus." As you get older, the center of the disc may start to lose water content, making the disc less effective as a cushion. As a disc deteriorates, the outer layer can also tear. This can allow displacement of the disc's center (called a herniated or ruptured disc) through a crack in the outer layer, into the space occupied by the nerves and spinal cord. The herniated disc can then press on the nerves and cause pain, numbness, tingling or weakness in the shoulders or arms. Your doctor may test for changes in the reflexes, sensation and strength in your arms caused by the herniated cervical disc. Rarely, the herniated disc may put pressure on the spinal cord, causing problems in the legs as well. How is it Diagnosed? A thorough clinical evaluation to determine the character and location of the pain plus an examination of the neck and careful assessment of any weakness, loss of sensation or abnormal reflexes can often diagnose and locate a disc herniation. The doctor's diagnosis can be confirmed by using X-rays, CT scans or MRIs. The X-ray can show bone spurs and narrowing of the disc space as the spine ages and deteriorates, but cannot show a disc herniation or nerves in the spine. The CT and MRI scans provide more detailed pictures of all the spinal elements (vertebrae, discs, spinal cord and nerves) and can identify most disc herniations. Additionally, electrical (nerve conduction) studies may be performed to look for signs or evidence of nerve damage that can result from a disc hernation. What Treatments Are Available? Many patients with symptoms of a herniated cervical disc will improve without any treatment. For patients that continue to have pain, there are a number of other options. There are many medications that can help decrease the pain associated with cervical disc herniation. Nonsurgical Treatments Many patients will improve with nonsurgical treatment or "conservative care." Your doctor may prescribe nonsurgical treatments including a short period of rest, a neck collar, anti-inflammatory medications to reduce the swelling, analgesic drugs to control the pain, physical therapy, exercise or epidural steroid injection therapy. The goals of nonsurgical treatment are to reduce the irritation of the nerve from the herniated disc material, relieve pain, and improve the physical condition of the patient. This can be accomplished in the majority of herniated disc patients with an organized care program that often combines a number of treatment methods. Ask your doctor whether you should continue to work while you are being treated. After the onset of pain from a herniated cervical disc, a short (1-2 days) period of rest may be beneficial. After this short period of rest it is important to begin moving again to prevent stiff joints or weak muscles. Your doctor, with the help of a nurse or physical therapist, may also begin education and training on specific exercises to strengthen your neck. These exercises may be performed at home or you may visit a physical therapist for a more specific program to meet your needs and abilities. It is important to perform the exercises as described by the doctor or physical therapist. Your doctor or physical therapist may also use traction, electric stimulation, hot packs, cold packs, and manual ("hands on") therapy to reduce your pain, inflammation and muscle spasm. Medication and Pain Management Medications used to control pain are called analgesics. Most pain can be treated with non-prescription medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, Nuprin, Advil), naproxen (Aleve), or acetaminophen (Tylenol). If you have severe persistent pain, your doctor might prescribe narcotics for a short time. Sometimes your doctor will prescribe muscle relaxants. However, you want to take only the medication you need because taking more doesn't help you recover faster, might cause unwanted side effects (such as constipation and drowsiness), and can result in dependency. All medication should be taken only as directed. Make sure you tell your doctor about any kind of medication you are taking-even over-the-counter drugs-and if he/she prescribes pain medication, let him/her know how it is working for you. Also, be sure to notify your doctor of any allergic reactions to medication you have ever experienced. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) are analgesics and are also used to reduce swelling and inflammation that occur as a result of disc herniation. These include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and a variety of prescription drugs. If your doctor gives you anti-inflammatory medications, you should watch for side effects like stomach upset or bleeding. Chronic use of prescription or over-the-counter NSAIDs should be monitored by your physician for the development of any potential problems. Corticosteroid medications-either orally or by injection are sometimes prescribed for more severe arm and neck pain because of their very powerful anti-inflammatory effect. Corticosteroids, like NSAIDs, can have side effects. Risks and benefits of this medication should be discussed with your physician. Epidural injections or "blocks" may be recommended if you have severe arm pain. These are injections of corticosteroid into the epidural space (the area around the spinal nerves), performed by a doctor with special training in this technique. The initial injection may be followed by one or two more injections at a later date. This should be done as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation and treatment program. The purpose of the injection is to reduce inflammation of the nerve and the disc. Trigger point injections are injections of local anesthetics (sometimes combined with corticosteroids) directly into painful soft tissue or muscles along the spine. While occasionally useful for pain control, trigger point injections do not help heal a herniated cervical disc. Surgery For patients whose pain does not improve with the previous treatments, surgery may be necessary. The goal of surgery is to remove the portion of the disc that is pushing on the nerve. This is done by a procedure called a discectomy. Depending on the location of the herniated disc, the surgeon may make an incision either in the front or back of your neck to reach the spine. The technical decision of whether to perform the operation from the front of the neck (anterior approach) or the back of the neck (posterior approach) is influenced by many factors including the exact location of the disc herniation and the experience and preference of the surgeon. With either approach, the disc material is removed from the nerve, usually with good results. Because removal of the herniated disc fragment from the front removes most of the disc in addition to the herniated portion, fusion is often recommended and performed at the same time. (Please see the North American Spine Society patient education brochure on Spinal Fusion Surgery.) What Can I Expect After Surgery? Many patients are able to go home within a short period of time-sometimes as litle as 24 hours after surgery. After surgery, your doctor will give you instructions on when you can resume your normal daily activities. A thorough postoperative rehabilitation program is advisable to help you resume the activities of daily living. Most patients will benefit from a postoperative exercise program or supervised physical therapy after surgery. You should ask your doctor about exercises to help with recovery. Surgery is very effective in reducing the pain in the arms and shoulders caused by a herniated cervical disc. However, some neck pain may persist. Most patients respond well to discectomy; however, as with any surgery, there are some risks involved. These include bleeding, infection and injury to the nerves or spinal cord. It is also possible that pain will not improve following surgery or that symptoms may return. In about 3-5% of patients, the disc will rupture again and cause symptoms at a later time. Disclaimer: This information is for general information and understanding only and is not intended to represent official policy of the North American Spine Society. Please consult your physician for specific information about your condition. Copies of this information in a glossy color brochure are available from the NASS Office by calling toll-free 1-877-SpineDr. © 2000 North American Spine Society. Reprint with written permission only. Here are my two cents: I think everyone pretty much knows what the medical options are. They have been the same for quite some time now. Non-surgical spinal decompression is fairly new. There are no long term studies available either (4 years is the longest I know of). But, so what ? We are not cutting into the body. We are not removing anything. We are not injecting anything into the body. We are not putting chemicals into the body. We are simply helping the spine to do what it would if it could. For the patients that I accept for treatment, this is good enough. You can always have surgery. Spinal decompression is very safe and gentle. As far as I know the DRX 9000 has never caused permanent damage to anyone. Some patients get sore in the beginning, and we work through it. But that's about it. Does it help everyone ? NO. Will it help you ? I don't know. I do know it's worth a shot. The success rate is pretty good when you consider the alternatives. The next step is to see if you qualify for care. As far as I know I have the only DRX 9000C in the San Francisco Bay Area. Give us a call at 415-392-2225.

San Francisco Disc Herniation Center includes "Core" spinal muscle rehabilitation using the revolutionary SPINEFORCE machine

I remember the first time I laid eyes on the SpineForce machine. I went to a clinic on the East Coast to investigate the DRX 9000 spinal decompression system and they were using the  SpineForce for rehabilitation. I was told that professional sports teams, cutting edge orthopedic clinics, as well as neurology clinics were using the machine to improve athletic performance and in the case of the neurology clinics, treat stroke victims. I already knew that there was a relationship between weak spinal muscles (spinal core) muscles and back pain. I mean, who doesn't. So, I was planning on purchasing the MEDX system created by Aurther Jones (invented Nautilus equipment at University of Florida) to use in conjunction with the DRX 9000. That plan was tossed out after I met the SpineForce. I witnessed elderly patients that could barely walk (I was told) when they started, perform the exercises with ease. I tried the machine myself and I was just blown away. I instantly got it. Basically, the SpineForce is able to create a safe, but unstable enough environment to activate the "core" spinal muscles. These are muscles that are very hard to exercise. There are 180 of them. They move the vertebrae through their various ranges of motion. When these muscles become injured they either become flaccid (weak) or enter a state of spasm. Either way this interferes with their ability to control muscle movement and posture, leading to abnormal stresses on the spinal discs and vertebrae. This can result in disc herniations, disc bulges, disc degeneration, spinal stenosis, and loss of normal function. It is this cascade of events that is thought by many to be the underlying cause of generative conditions of the spine. The SpineForce machine is actually able to assess the integrity of these muscles, create a real time treatment protocol, engage you in treatment, let you know how you are doing while you are doing it, then score you at the end so that we can monitor your progress and move you through the various levels of intensity. There is a starting point for everyone. You can see some video clips of the SpineForce in action on our website.  Not everyone does the SpineForce at our clinic. The sessions are twice per week for six weeks at the end of the six week DRX 9000 protocol. We have many patients that travel from other states or from far distances within the state, making it difficult for them to follow through with SpineForce. They are prescribed the normal home care program set by the manufacturer of the DRX 9000, Axiom Worlwide. But, if you are local and are able to do it, it makes sense that you do. The additional cost is $1500 for the 12 sessions.    

Arthritis Pain and Meditation

I found a good follow up article to my previous meditation posting  on the very interesting "Arthritis Pain Blog", entitled Meditation For Your Mental Health. I am really suprised that more back pain doctors do not incorporate this ancient healing art into their treatment protocols. 

Herniated Disc Treatment in San Francisco with the DRX 9000 Offering New Hope to Back Pain Sufferers. Many choose NOT to Have Surgery

As a San Francisco Chiropractor treating chronic, severe, low back and neck problems for almost 15 years,   I did not ever dream I would see the day when we could help patients that were in such bad shape. Chiropractic has great success treating most cases, but there is a segment of back pain conditions that fall into the category of "chronic and severe". What you will find with cases like this, are patients that do not respond to conventional chiropractic, physical therapy, or even cortisone(not that this is a good solution). These patients tend to have badly degenerated spines, herniated discs, sometimes at multiple levels, deconditioned core spinal muscles, and often times spinal and foraminal stenosis. Stenosis (occlusion of an opening) occurs when the herniated discs, or bony degeneration has decreased the diameter of the spinal canal or nerve opening causing pressure and malfunction (arm pain, sciatica, numbness, tingling, weakness). But, in the past year and a half, since I incorporated spinal decompression therapy using the DRX 9000, I have helped so many patients get their lives back that I am a believer. I'm talking about patients that have had no where to turn, either they do surgery or live with the pain. I have had many patients undergo treatment that have even had surgery (that did not work). As long as there is no metal in the spine (hardware from surgery), tumors, infections, severe osteoporosis, recent compression fractures,  and some other contraindications, we can put you on the machine. If you have had a discectomy, laminectomy, laminotomy, or some other kind of micro-surgeries you will probably qualify for treatment. Does everyone get better ? Of course not, this is not magic and there are limitations of matter. In addition, we do not call on the machine to do the job all by itself. There is extensive home care and lifestyle modifications we recommend to create fertile soil for the healing to take place. The complete story about our disc herniation treatment program was detailed as the feature story in the May, 2006 edition of M.D. NEWS Magazine. Click here: Download final_md_news.pdf .

Our goal is to help you take the spine to a better, healthier, stronger place so that you can get more out of life. You can always have surgery. This treatment becomes something that you can try that does not involve pills or knifes. It's something to seriously consider if you feel you have nowhere else to turn.