Spinal Decompression for Herniated Disc, Jamaica Estates Queens, NY

Herniated Disc Queens, New York (NY)

An Intervertebral Disc, or Spinal Disc, has two main components. The first, the annulus fibrosis, is the outer layer. This can be likened to the dough part of a jelly doughnut. The second, inner layer, comparable to the jelly portion of a jelly doughnut is known as the nucleus polposus. The inner nucleus portion functions primarily as a fulcrum for movement and as a shock absorber to handle the impacts of movement.

To better understand how a disc functions we often compare it to a jelly doughnut. If you put pressure on one end, say the front end, of a doughnut you could imagine that the jelly would migrate towards the back. If you put pressure on the back end, the opposite would occur, and the jelly would migrate towards the front. The same holds true for your intervertebral disc since it functions as a fulcrum. When the jelly starts to protrude from the confines of the annular fibers this is known as a prolapse. This can cause symptoms of sciatica or radiculopathy such as numbness and tingling down an extremity.

Herniated and Degenerative Disc Disease

As people age, the nucleus pulposus begins to dehydrate, which limits its ability to absorb shock. The annulus fibrosus gets weaker with age and begins to tear as a result of repetitive stress as well as the aging process. This doesn’t always cause pain for all people although it can for some.

In Medicine one generally refers to the gradual dehydration of the nucleus pulposus as degenerative disc disease or if accompanied by bony changes; spondylosis.

Once a tear has arisen within the annular fibers it is highly likely that the inner nuclear material will begin to make it’s way through that tear. This is termed a herniation. All along the sides of the spine are nerve roots and spinal nerves that make their way to organs, tissues and other body parts and they are at high risk of being infringed upon by herniated disc material. A pinched nerve is when this herniated disc material begins to make contact with one or more affected nerve roots and may cause severe radiating pain, numbness, tingling and reduced ranges of motion. One can also suffer pain as a result of a ‘leaky’ disc where the jelly simply oozes out of the tear and begins to cause inflammation in the adjacent soft tissues. If the pain is nerve related it’s usually deemed a radiculopathy.

Disc can become slipped, ruptured, or bulged. However, in medical terms it is more commonly referred to as:
1. Protrustion
2. Extruded Disc
3. Sequesteration

Up until a few years ago surgery was the only option for those who failed therapy. A gap between these two groups left no other options for those who failed therapy. Soon you will learn about a new option that bridges the gap between failed therapy and surgery.

Surgery should be considered if a patient has a significant neurological deficit, or if they fail non-surgical therapy. The presence of cauda equina syndrome (in which there is incontinence, weakness and genital numbness) is considered a medical emergency requiring immediate attention and possibly surgical decompression.

Regarding the role of surgery for failed medical therapy in patients without a significant neurological deficit, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials by the Cochrane Collaboration concluded that “limited evidence is now available to support some aspects of surgical practice”. More recent randomized controlled trials refine indications for surgery.

Surgical intervention should only be considered after all other forms of non-surgical intervention have been exhausted.

What is sciatica?

 

Many people are having pain that starts in low back and shoots down the leg, which is called sciatica. The word sciatica comes from the name of a big fat nerve that runs down behind a leg, which is being formed from low part of the spine’s nerve roots. Most often the interference of sciatic nerve starts in the spine, due to herniated disc or misalignment of the lumbar vertebra, which can put tremendous amount of pressure follows by inflammation that starts sever acute pain. In many cases sciatic nerve can all also be trapped between some very strong muscles like piriformis and gluteal muscles, due to pelvic misalignment.

A non-surgical or invasive treatment: ATM2 (Active Therapeutic Movement) incorporated with Chiropractic adjustment has been very effective and promising in eliminating 50% – 100% of sciatic pain and/or increasing in pain-free Range Of Motion immediately after a first treatment.  For more info please visit https://nektalovhealth.com/active-therapeutic-movement/

Consider Chiropractic

Several studies support the idea that colicky symptoms may be linked to mild bio-mechanical disturbances of the spinal joints, affecting nerve system function which may be helped by chiropractic adjustments. A large, preliminary study reported significant improvement in colic, often after only a single chiropractic adjustment. Another study revealed that 91 percent of parents observed improvement in their babies’ symptoms after two to three adjustments. In a trial, infants were given either a placebo medication or a series of three to five adjustments using gentle “fingertip” pressure over two weeks. Infants receiving the spinal adjustments experienced a 67 percent reduction in daily hours of crying, compared with only a 38 percent reduction in infants on placebo medication.

Resolution of Breech Presentation With Chiropractic Care

In the April 11, 2011, issue of the scientific periodical, the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health, is a documented case study showing chiropractic helping a pregnant woman with a breech presentation pregnancy. A breech presentation is when the fetus is not in the proper head-down position as the delivery date is approaching.

According to the study, a breech presentation is created by “intrauterine constraint” which the authors describe as, “as any force external to the developing fetus that obstructs the normal movement of the fetus.”

The study reports that, in the United States, 86 percent of infants with breech presentation are delivered by cesarean which increases risks to the mother and the baby.

In this case, a 25-year-old woman went to a chiropractic office 31 weeks into her pregnancy. She was referred to the chiropractor by her obstetrician who had recently performed an ultrasound which confirmed the breech position. She was hoping to avoid a c-section birth.

A chiropractic examination was performed using the procedures of the “Webster Technique”. The Webster Technique is a specialized analysis and procedure developed by the late Dr. Larry Webster who was affectionately known as the “grandfather of chiropractic pediatrics”. A determination was made that this woman fit the protocol, and so the chiropractor applied the Webster Technique.

Within four hours of the first Webster Technique adjustment, the woman reported feeling “a lot of movement”. The woman commented that she felt the fetus had shifted from a breech position to the transverse position. After her second chiropractic visit, the woman had a prenatal visit at which the obstetrician confirmed that the fetus had turned to the proper vertex position. The study noted that the woman continued to receive chiropractic adjustments for resolution of low back pain until delivery. She eventually had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery.

Chiropractic Corrective Care vs Pain Relief Care


neck-x-raysThere are many different ways of practicing chiropractic. Vast majority of chiropractors mimic mainstream medical model today for many different reasons. Unfortunately health insurance companies play a huge roll in our health care today. Many chiropractors are participating in many health insurance companies. When patient comes in for chiropractic care, unfortunately they get insurance’s recommendation for care instead of doctor’s, just because insurance does not pay for correction of the cause of the symptom that the patient came in initially.

Very important to understand that pain is only a symptom, there is always a cause. Using pain killers for pain relief is nothing but covering up the symptoms and not correcting the true cause. It’s like diving a car and your check engine light comes on, and you would just cover with piece of tape over it and continue to drive. You may be able to drive a little longer, but eventually the car will break down.

What is Corrective Chiropractic Care? Those chiropractors that utilize corrective spinal techniques will have office filled with high tech corrective equipment. Most importantly corrective care office will do pre and post x-rays, which will show and monitor correction during chiropractic care. Most patients will spend between 45-60 mins in the office while getting corrective chiropractic therapy. Depending on each individual case, corrective care is combination of therapeutic exercises to strengthen the muscles to hold an adjustment, traction the spine to position the spine in proper alignment. If you are having neck, back, and/or low back pain and you have not had your spine checked in the last six months click HERE to be checked on us.

Adjusting Infants? Certainly!

Most hospital births include unnecessary trauma. The routine procedures of technological birth (anesthesia, maternal position, a fearful environment) all contribute to increase in complications and often result in invasive, traumatic births. As we are seeing in the US, the startling rise in c-section deliveries is a good indication that these routing procedures are not leading to safer more natural births but rather to the practice of more invasive, unnatural procedures. Infant and maternal mortality rates are rising, not declining. Technology is not necessarily providing safer care.

A c-section delivery has as much, if not more, trauma than a vaginal birth. The pull force on the baby’s head and neck during the c-section may be considerably greater than a regular vaginal birth because the uterine muscles of the mother are not assisting the delivery process. Most moms who have had a c-section describe a pulling and tugging sensation as the baby was being taken out of the belly. This pulling (which sometimes even lifts the mother from the table) is the amount of force that is pulling on the baby’s fragile spine. Pulling, stretching, twisting the baby’s spine during delivery is known to cause nerve system stress. Mechanical devices such as forceps and vacuum contribute excessive stresses to the baby’s cranium, spine and nerve system.

It is my suggestion for you to find a Doctor of Chiropractic in your area who cares for infants. I believe all babies should be checked by a qualified chiropractor right after birth, especially s-section babies who may need additional cranial care. Also, for the future pregnancies, you may want to get under regular chiropractic care as well it will help restore normal biomechanical function to your pelvis throughout pregnancy and facilitate a safer, easier birth in the future.

Resolution of Breech Presentation With Chiropractic Care

In the April 11, 2011, issue of the scientific periodical, the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health, is a documented case study showing chiropractic helping a pregnant woman with a breech presentation pregnancy. A breech presentation is when the fetus is not in the proper head-down position as the delivery date is approaching.

According to the study, a breech presentation is created by “intrauterine constraint” which the authors describe as, “as any force external to the developing fetus that obstructs the normal movement of the fetus.”

The study reports that, in the United States, 86 percent of infants with breech presentation are delivered by cesarean which increases risks to the mother and the baby.

In this case, a 25-year-old woman went to a chiropractic office 31 weeks into her pregnancy. She was referred to the chiropractor by her obstetrician who had recently performed an ultrasound which confirmed the breech position. She was hoping to avoid a c-section birth.

A chiropractic examination was performed using the procedures of the “Webster Technique”. The Webster Technique is a specialized analysis and procedure developed by the late Dr. Larry Webster who was affectionately known as the “grandfather of chiropractic pediatrics”. A determination was made that this woman fit the protocol, and so the chiropractor applied the Webster Technique.

Within four hours of the first Webster Technique adjustment, the woman reported feeling “a lot of movement”. The woman commented that she felt the fetus had shifted from a breech position to the transverse position. After her second chiropractic visit, the woman had a prenatal visit at which the obstetrician confirmed that the fetus had turned to the proper vertex position. The study noted that the woman continued to receive chiropractic adjustments for resolution of low back pain until delivery. She eventually had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery.

The Epidural Epidemic

Epidurals during birthing have become so routine, as mothers are being convinced that pain during labor is unnatural.

 

Convinced that they should not endure pain during the birth process, mothers are set up to believe in a drug instead of their bodies’ own natural capabilities. Sixty four percent of certified nurse midwives reported concern over the increased number of their clients who desire epidural anesthesia, and a majority of certified nurse-midwives surveyed (53%) reported a negative attitude toward the increased use of epidurals.

We started including questions about births years ago on our children’s case history and 9 times out of 10, mothers will check off that they had a “natural childbirth” and in the next question, they check off that they had an epidural. In other words, if they delivered vaginally, and their eyes were open, they are being led to believe that they delivered naturally.

What is not being provided to the parents is the increased complications which are a result of epidural usage. The PDR cautions that “local anesthesia rapidly crosses the placenta…and when used for epidural blocks, anesthesia can cause varying degrees of maternal, fetal and neonatal toxicity.” It continues, “this toxicity can result in the following side effects: hypotension, urinary retention, fecal and urinary incontinence, paralysis of lower extremities, loss of feeling in the limbs headache, backache, septic meningitis, slowing of labor, increased need for forceps and vacuum deliveries, cranial nerve palsies, allergic reactions, respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting and seizures.” Many of these side effects result in multiple complications. For example, maternal hypotension causes bradycardia (decreased heart rate) in the fetus. This altered heart rate can lead to fetal distress and operative deliveries. This has led doctors to warn “a high concentration anesthetics and epinephrine should be avoided, as they may influence labor.”

Things To Know About Epidurals:

Causes longer labors with slower progress.

Can cause fevers in mothers during childbirth.

Increase use of pitocin by as much as 3 ½ times, which causes slow and irregular contractions. Increases use of antibiotics in your baby by as much as 4 times.

Increases use of forceps by as much 4½ – 20 times.

Causes neonatal jaundice due to altered red blood cells.

Increases the incidence of birth trauma due to the use of mechanically assisted deliveries.
Causes adverse behavioral effects of the neonate.

In order to bring about a reversal in epidural usage, mothers must become educated not only on its potential side effects, but on their bodies’ own ability to give birth naturally. The overwhelming fear associated with birth has become a learned behavior in our culture. Fear causes additional muscular tension in the body, resulting in decreased blood supply to organs and therefore impaired uterine function. It is our privilege and obligation as Chiropractors to care for these women throughout their pregnancies, offering them encouragement and educating about choices for their upcoming experience. I have been told by many chiropractors (and have heard it in our own practice) how women look forward to their visit with us because we treat the process of pregnancy with respect, and we enhance the mothers confidence in her own innate abilities.

References:
Graninger EM; McCool WP. Nurse-midwives’ use of and attitudes toward epidural analgesia. J Nurse Midwifery 1998; 43(4):250-61
1996 Physicians Desk Reference
Stavrou C; Hofmeyr GJ; Boezaart AP. Prolonged fetal bradycardia during epidural analgesia. Incidence, timing and significance. S Afr Med J 1990; 77(2):66-8
Thompson TT; Thorp JM Jr; Mayer D; Kuller JA; Bowes WA Jr . Does epidural analgesia cause dystocia? J Clin Anesth 1998; 10(1):58-65
Studd JW; Crawford JS; Duignan NM; Rowbotham CJ; Hughes AO. The effect of lumbar epidural analgesia on the rate of cervical dilatation and the outcome of labour of spontaneous onset. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1980; 87(11):1015-21
Alexander JM; Lucas MJ; Ramin SM; McIntire DD; Leveno KJ. The course of labor with and without epidural analgesia. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1998; 178(3):516-20
Lieberman E, Lang JM, Frigoletto F Jr, Richardson DK, Ringer SA, Cohen A, Epidural analgesia, intrapartum fever, and neonatal sepsis evaluation. Pediatrics 1997; 99(3): 415-9
McRae-Bergeron CE; Andrews CM; Lupe PJ. The effect of epidural analgesia on the second stage of labor. AANA J 1998; 66(2):177-82
Clark DA; Landaw SA. Bupivacaine alters red blood cell properties: a possible explanation for neonatal jaundice associated with maternal anesthesia. Pediatr Res 1985; 19(4):341-3
Town A. Latent spinal cord and brain stem injuries in newborn infants Develop Ed Child Neural 1969, 11; 54-68
Menticoglou SM; Perlman M; Manning FA; High cervical spinal cord injury in neonates delivered with forceps: report of 15 cases. Obstet Gynecol 1995; 86(4 Pt 1):589-94
Murray AD; Dolby RM; Nation RL; Thomas DB. Effects of epidural anesthesia on newborns and their mothers. Child Dev1981; 52(1):71-82

EPIDURALS ARE USELESS

The epidural is standard medical practice for patients with sciatic back pain. It’s an injection of corticosteroids that is given to improve movement and reduce pain. Although it’s a treatment that has been routinely given to patients for the past 50 years, researchers have only now discovered that the procedure is virtually useless. It has some short-term benefit, which can last for two to six weeks maximum, but the American Academy of Neurology says that it is no longer a recommended treatment.

The change of heart is based on a study of 300 patients with back pain, which found that the steroids offered no long-term benefits. There was no pain relief or improved movement after 24 hours, nor again at 3, 6, 12 month intervals. The only improvement was recorded between two and six weeks, and this was so insignificant that it was no better than that offered by painkillers such as bupivacaine. Overall, epidural injections didn’t help the patient in his day-to-day functioning, his need for surgery, or his long-term pain.
Source: Journal of American Medical Association, 2007;297:1757-8

CHIROPRACTIC DURING PREGNANCY

About 90% of pregnant women experience back and/or low back pain, which is result of weight gain, changed of center of gravity and altered biomechanics during pregnancy. Many pregnant women have reported having sciatica along with low back pain, which shoots down behind their leg. Utilizing any type of medical invasive approach or pain killers is out of question, because it could affect safety of the baby.

It is very important to understand, pregnant woman’s spine and pelvis can be easily misaligned due to release of RELAXIN hormone. During pregnancy, the placenta produces a hormone called RELAXIN that helps your whole body, especially with you pelvis flexibility. While RELAXIN is preparing your body for delivery, its causing pain in the back and lower back. Those delicate nerve roots are being crushed by misaligned vertebra in the spine.

Chiropractic has been a gold standard in treating back and low back pain without medication or invasive procedures safely and effectively. Chiropractic care during pregnancy not only great in eliminating your back/low back pain, but also improve balance and alignment in your spine and pelvis. This can help your baby assume optimal birthing position and reduce the risk of having a breech baby.

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