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Chiropractic and Bursitis
Bursitis is the inflammation of a bursa. A bursa is a fluid filled sac that is located in certain areas of the body that experiences rubbing or friction between two structures, usually between a tendon and bone, or muscle and bone. The bursa sits between these two structures and acts as a cushion to reduce any rubbing, friction or irritation.
Bursitis is commonly caused by injury or repetitive movement, with the most common areas affected being the shoulder, elbow, ankle, knee and hips. Common advice given by Doctors and Physios is rest and ice together with painkillers and anti-inflammatories.
Some people don’t realise that Chiropractic can also be a very effective treatment option. A bursa becomes inflamed because there is excessive rubbing of the tendon over the bursa. It is considered excessive because either it is happening more frequently (such as increasing the amount or intensity of running you do) or because there is more friction because the muscle and tendon is tighter or less elastic and therefore rubs harder over the bursa. So certainly it may be necessary to reduce the amount of training, but if it is due to a tightness of the tendon, then by improving biomechanics and the balance of the muscles and tendons across the joint will help reduce the bursitis. This is exactly what Chiropractic does. By balancing the body it improves and normalises biomechanics which results in releasing the muscle. When the muscle is released it reduces the tension on the tendon and so reduces the friction on the bursa. This will improve the bursitis, and also the chance of it returning when you return to training.
Fractures, Sprains and Chiropractic
Can Chiropractic help with a fracture (the medical term for any broken bone)? No, of course not! But Chiropractic can help if you’ve had a fracture, it has healed, but it still just doesn’t feel right.
Obviously the first thing you need to do if you suspect a fracture is go to the hospital and have it treated. Once it has healed and you are able to use it again, you may notice that it is can be painful or uncomfortable at times, or it just doesn’t feel right. If it doesn’t improve then thats when seeing a Chiropractor can be helpful.
When you have a fractured bone it is usually due to a fall. So when you fall and land with enough force to break your bone, it is obviously quite a large force. It is not only the bone that will be injured by this degree of force, there would be a number of surrounding joints and ligaments, tendons and muscles affected by the impact.
These muscles and tendons will very likely be strained, while the joints can be jarred, inflamed and possibly in slight misalignment. This will result in the joints in the area not moving freely, so when moving that part of your body, it will feel tight and restricted, and even painful. The muscles would also feel sore and possibly spasmed.
Similarly, spraining a joint can impact on surrounding joints, muscles and ligaments. Seeing a Chiropractor soon after having such an injury is important as it can improve the rate of healing, as well as reduce the level of pain. A sprain is essentially due to overstretching of a joint and hence the ligament crossing that joint will be strained, sprained or in extreme cases, torn. This overstretching of the joint will impact the alignment of that joint, and then this misalignment will continue to put some strain on the ligament. This ongoing strain can reduce the ability of the ligament to heal.
The misalignment of the joint can also produce pain, so treating the misalignment will reduce the pain, and improve the overall function. This is particularly the case when its an ankle that has been sprained (which is very common) as there are so many bones around the ankle there is potential for many joints to become affected. Then as a secondary problem, if there is some changes in the alignment of the foot joints, then the body will be compensating because of pain and also poor biomechanics, which can result in pain and inflammation in the knees or back.
Chiropractic care can be very effective in correcting these joint misalignments and so it makes sense to have some Chiropractic care at some stage after an injury such as a fracture or sprain to improve healing, decrease pain and improve overall function.
Acupuncture for Low Back Pain
Acupuncture can be very effective in resolving low back pain. We are now seeing several research studies that confirm this, including some that show Acupuncture to be more effective than the conventional approach described above. Interestingly, studies tend to show that very light needling or needling that does not penetrate the skin (approaches often used in Japanese-style Acupuncture) can be as effective as deeper Chinese-style needling.
Our Acupuncturists are very experienced in treating low back pain and finds this is one of the conditions that responds best to Acupuncture.
What happens in a treatment?
The Acupuncturists approach to low back pain is to use the gentlest needling possible to reduce the pain and get you back to your normal life as quickly as possible. Often the needles are warmed with moxibustion (a warming herb) to really “unknot” the underlying muscle and ligaments. Most people find the treatments extremely relaxing – the feeling is a bit like having a good massage. The points chosen and method of Acupuncture depend on your constitution (the pattern you fall into based on your symptoms and on information gained from carefully palpating the body and on examination of your pulse and tongue). It’s important to work on the underlying cause of the problem as well as the symptoms.
So what works for one person with low back pain may be quite different from what works for another.
How long will it take to work?
Back pain that has recently come on responds more quickly than pain that has been present months or years. There is usually a response within 4-6 treatments, with further treatments consolidating this. Generally, the treatments would be weekly (or sometimes twice-weekly for severe, acute back strain) for the first few, and then we reduce the frequency as the condition improves. Health-fund rebates are available for Acupuncture treatments.
Low back pain.
If your back has ever seized up, you’ll know it’s one of the most disabling experiences there is. Or perhaps you suffer from a more low-grade, but still annoying and uncomfortable, form of low back pain. You’re far from alone, with somewhere between 70 and 85% of us having suffered an acute back strain at some point. The pain may be brought on by heavy lifting, sudden movements, or prolonged standing or driving, or it may appear “out of the blue”.
Western medicine does not have much to offer sufferers of low back pain, with usual advice being to gradually resume usual activities, while taking painkillers for the discomfort. In the longer term, strengthening exercises and losing excess weight can be useful. Surgery may be recommended for some specific problems affecting the lumbar spine (especially if the nerves that exit the spine are trapped), but tends to be a last resort and is not always successful.
Acupuncture for low back pain
Acupuncture can be very effective in resolving low back pain. We are now seeing several research studies that confirm this, including some that show acupuncture to be more effective than the conventional approach described above. Interestingly, studies tend to show that very light needling or needling that does not penetrate the skin (approaches often used in Japanese-style acupuncture) can be as effective as deeper Chinese-style needling.
What happens in a treatment?
My approach to low back pain is to use the gentlest needling possible to reduce the pain and get you back to your normal life as quickly as possible. I use mainly the Japanese style of acupuncture, which focuses on light needling (of carefully selected points) with deeper techniques when required. Often the needles are warmed with moxibustion (a warming herb) to really “unknot” the underlying muscle and ligaments. Most people find the treatments extremely relaxing – the feeling is a bit like having a good massage. The points chosen and method of acupuncture depend on your constitution (the pattern you fall into based on your symptoms and on information gained from carefully palpating the body, and on examination of your pulse and tongue). It’s important to work on the underlying cause of the problem as well as the symptoms.
So what works for one person with low back pain may be quite different from what works for another.
How long will it take to work?
Back pain that has recently come on responds more quickly than pain that has been present months or years. There is usually a response within 4-6 treatments, with further treatments consolidating this. Generally, the treatments would be weekly (or sometimes twice-weekly for severe, acute back strain) for the first few, and then we reduce the frequency as the condition improves.
Chiropractics role in fertility.
Most people think of seeing a Chiropractor for body pains and headaches, but Chiropractic care does have an impact on the whole body, including organ systems. In that way it does have a small role in helping with infertility, but is best used as an adjunct to other treatments such as Acupuncture or Naturopathy.
The principle of Chiropractic is to balance the physical body and allow it to function as it is designed to. This will in turn reduce any tension in the muscles, and pressure on the joints and spinal discs, and hence reduce pain. It also has the effect of reducing any pressure on the nerves. If the nervous system is free of pressure it is also able to function as normally as possible, hence the body’s organ systems will receive the optimal nerve supply and hence function optimally also. In this way Chiropractic can have an impact on systems including digestion, circulation and fertility.
The nerves that originate from the lumbar and sacral spine, ie the lower back and pelvis, supply the reproductive system, so if there is some imbalance to these structures there may be interference to how well the reproductive system works and hence possibly affect fertility.
Another way a Chiropractor may help when it comes to fertility, is with the Neuro Emotional Technique (NET), described in our June newsletter. Sometimes we can have fears that hold us back in life, and these fears and emotions can be strong enough to affect our body and how well it functions. When it comes to fertility, pregnancy and parenthood, there are many emotions that can come up, and potentially impact on our fertility (either by increasing stress levels or by affecting hormone levels). These can include fear of being pregnant or the birth, or self esteem issues around being a good parent. Commonly it can also bring up concerns of how a baby will impact your career, social life, relationship with your partner to name just a few. NET can be a great tool to allow you to be free those emotional blocks and hence function more optimally.
Once you fall pregnant, then Chiropractic can be of a great benefit in reducing any discomfort that can come about due to all the changes your body will be going through. See next month newsletter article, Chiropractic and Pregnancy.
Stress and your body, part 3.
After having read Parts 1 and 2, you will now have a much better understanding of how your body can change when it is dealing with stress, and how these changes present themselves as symptoms. Having just gotten through the end of a year, christmas, and possibly sending your children back at school, you may very well have experienced first hand some of these manifestations of stress.
In this article I will explain how treatment can help. It is helpful to address the symptoms to make you feel better and more comfortable, but it is also very important to address the the cause ie the stress itself, and hence reduce your body’s’ reaction to it. Symptomatically we can change the pain and muscle tightness that occurs in the neck and shoulders by correcting any misalignment and jamming up in the vertebrae of the neck and upper back. By treating the spine at these areas we are improving movement of the spine and stimulating the nerves to flow freely and thereby stimulate the muscles to relax and work more freely.
The diaphragm can also be treated by a very gentle release that helps it relax, which then allow the ribs to release. Sometimes the spine at the level of the diaphragm may need an adjustment to help it release, and possibly some work needs to be done on the muscles between the ribs. This results in reduction in tightness and restrictions in movement, and allows improved breathing.
The jaw is another issue. When it tightens it can potentially tighten many areas of the skull, which can become very uncomfortable. The jaw can be released directly by working on the muscles and with gentle pressure to the jaw joints. Often it is necessary to look at the whole skull. With that we test for any jamming of the areas of the skull where the many bones that make up the skull join each other. This treatment is gentle and even relaxing , and has great results in reducing tightness and any headaches associated with it.
These are all ways to reduce any symptoms, but it is also important to address the degree to which your body reacts to stress. As seen in previous articles your body will react to stress, there is no changing that. But you may notice that your body will react in differing degrees with different stresses. Sometimes even to the point where you think it is excessive, or an over-reaction. The degree to which your body reacts is different for every person and is influenced by your past experiences and emotions. If we have had a bad experience in the past we will often be more sensitive to something similar happening, this is due to a learned response, or what can be called body memory.
There are two ways that we can look at these reactions. One is using the technique of Neurolink, the other is a techniques called Neuro Emotional Technique (NET). If you have been coping with stress for a while, it may be difficult for your body to come out of that response once the stress has stopped. Neurolink is a technique that resets your body and Nervous System. Just like a computer that has crashed when it has been overloaded with tasks and needs to be rebooted, our Nervous System is similar and Neurolink can ‘reboot’ your system.
NET is a technique that works on a deeper level to find out why we are reacting strongly to something, and what experiences in your past have led to this strong reaction. It also resolves and releases the memory of these past experiences that is being held in your body. This helps reduce any reaction of fear or anger or sadness, for example, that your body may currently be exhibiting.
Sports Massage: Pre and Post Event Massage
If you’re training for an upcoming event and are looking to be in tip-top shape, the needs of those pre sport verses the needs of those post sport are very different. Pre sport massage focuses on relieving muscles via light compression and lymphatic release, whereas post sport focuses on repair, via slow deep friction techniques, stretching (passive and active) and mobilisation. Pre sport massage should not be invasive as massage can temporarily weaken muscles in order to aid in successful repair.
Pre sport massage
Pre sport massage is given under the assumption that the athlete is pre conditioned to the activity that they are about to undertake and is therefore a means of enhancing the natural health of muscles by stimulating blood flow to provide nutrients to muscles in a relaxed state, and the lymphatic system, to remove waste from muscles that may be lingering. The massage focus is optimisation, to reduce risk of damage (not to undo damage).
Post sport massage
Post sport massage is focussed on undoing damage caused during activity; with an emphasis on (post sport) it is never advised to get this type of massage before a sport event. The massage focuses on breaking up scar tissue, tight connective tissues, and posture. Generally it is slower than remedial massage to focus on fibre release and increasing range of movement. I like to apply trigger point therapy within my post sport treatments as it allows for a far more successful release and breakdown of scar tissue, therefore, more successful mobilisation post treatment.