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Showing posts from April, 2010

FAQ: What is the basis for Chiropractic?

FAQ: What is the basis of chiropractic? The nervous system affects all tissues of the body, directly or indirectly. This is most evident when a nerve is pinched in the neck or lower back. Typically a person will feel numbness and/or a pins and needles sensation and/or pain along the course of the nerve. A little bit of irritation on the nerve can create a nuisance- it may bother the person but doesn't stop them from their daily activity. A lot of compression on the nerve can create disabling pain and over the long term lead to loss of reflexes and muscle function. Sciatica is a pain typical of a pinched nerve in the lower back. Pinched nerves are commonly caused by the bones in the spine being out of proper alignment and/or arthritic deterioration of the spaces that the nerve passes through. The goal of chiropractic treatment is to relieve the pressure on the nerve where it is compressed, where it emerges from the spine. In less complicated cases, a simple adjustment of the j

Sciatica

The following is from the Harvard Health News Letter and gives a reasonable explanation of sciatica and treatment options. At one time, a person with sciatica was automatically sent for surgery, and at that time, it require some techniques that would be considered crude by today's standards. Most people did recover, perhaps more by rest and medication and time of recovery, as they did by the surgery itself. So what was the value of invasive techniques compared with the risks and costs.. In Ontario, the patient would have minimal expenses, yet it adds to the tax burden of social health care costs. There is no such thing as a free lunch.. or surgery. Surgical treatment for low back problems has improved and is far less invasive. yet the same caveats remain - would it get better on its own, with conservative management, and is surgery necessary or even helpful to get the patient ahead. When you come to see me for your leg pain, I determine if your problem is a true sciatic (ner