Back Talking!

ACP guidelines? What are those? Dealing with low back or neck pain? There is a good chance that you have visited your medical doctor  to discuss treatment options for your back or neck pain. The American College of Physicians (ACP) is the second largest medical organization in the US behind only the AMA. It is comprised of medical doctors that are internists or internal medicine doctors. Internal medicine doctors are typically your primary care physician that takes care of adults only. And if you have a specialist doctor like a cardiologist or an orthopedist, there is a great chance that their initial training was in internal medicine. Definition of Guideline: a general rule, principle, or piece of advice. Guidelines for physicians are designed to help them with decision making when dealing with a certain condition like headaches or lower back pain. It gives them a synopsis of the latest research and the recommended best way to treat that condition. The ACP released an update to the previous https://www.acp

The year 2017 will be memorable for many reasons. Within the world of spines, lower backs, and necks there were some big advancements to help us move forward into 2018 with great momentum. The majority of patients that show up in my clinics have had previous episodes of lower back and neck pain. For many, the treatments that they had to help with those conditions may have done more harm than good. Their care was mismanaged along the way. Too often, drug therapies were the treatment of choice. Great for killing the pain, but not so good for fixing the cause of the pain. 2017 Back Pain Guidelines Get Updates In 2017, we saw 2 significant organizations either update their guidelines for the treatment of back pain, or create a complete new set of guidelines altogether for the treatment of back pain or pain alone. In January of 2017, the https://www.acponline.org/acp-newsroom/american-college-of-physicians-issues-guideline-for-treating-nonradicular-low-back-pain (American College of Physicians) updated their gui

We all have a love affair with our cell phones. But I remember resisting getting one in the first place. I was perfectly content having a phone hanging on the wall at home that had a answering machine attached to it. Why would I want someone to get in touch with me if I wasn’t at home or at work I used to think. Man how times have changed. Now if I forget my phone at home I feel like I have left the house naked. A 2015 survey revealed some rather startling usage rates and the amount of time people spend in front of some type of screen. All age groups spend as much time in front of a PC/laptop/tablet/phone screen as they do asleep in bed Adults 55 and older average 6.64 hours in front of a screen Adults 18-24 spend on average 8.83 hours in front of a screen! 84% admit to suffering from back pain in the past year This group loses more working days to back pain than their parents’ generation (1.5 days more) Their pain is more likely to be experienced in the upper back and neck Text Neck All of

We are back with our “2 for Tuesday” series on Back Talking! I am hosting weekly Facebook Live sessions every Tuesday at 2 pm, so check us out over on Facebook at http://www.thejoint.com/north-carolina/morrisville/morrisville-12022 (The Joint Morrisville )page. This was our second show on Facebook Live, and the first question that I answered was submitted by Margarita, a listener here in North Carolina who had a question about wearing waist trainers. The second question that I tackled is a frequently asked question in my office, “what is the popping sound when I crack a joint?” Waist Trainers Well this was a new one for me, I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about with a “waist trainer”. So off to google I go and the first thing that popped up was an image of Kim Kardashian wearing a “waist trainer”. Right away I recognized what they were talking about. It is essentially a corset. Now celebrities are claiming to have gotten back “in shape” quickly after giving birth, wearin

We are back with our “2 for Tuesday” series on Back Talking! I am hosting weekly Facebook Live sessions every Tuesday at 2 pm, so check us out over on Facebook at The Joint Morrisville page. This week was our first show on Facebook live, so the first question that I answered was an easy one – Who am I, and why you should listen to me. The second question was asked of me in the office last week, someone was surprised to find out that x-rays weren’t necessary. So question 2 is “Are x-rays necessary?” Are X-rays Necessary? There are many tools that doctors have in their toolbox, and imaging studies such as x-ray, CT scans, and MRI allow us to peer into the body like never before. But in my opinion, the most important part of a patient encounter is the history. If the doctor asks the right questions, they have in their mind a working diagnoses before they have even touched the patient. In the answers that the patient is giving the doctor, they are listening to what are termed

We continue with the series titled “what is causing your low back pain?” on Blab. We’ve been hosting weekly blab episodes every Friday at 1p, so come check us out over at blab.im. This week we discuss John, he is an elder gentleman who has arthritis, most likely caused by the 30 plus years of working on a police force. Arthritis One of the most common causes of low back pain worldwide. There are actually over 100 different types of arthritis, which is essentially a condition where one or more of your joints is inflamed. The most common form is osteoarthritis. Its typical presentation is that of pain, stiffness, and in some cases swelling. It affects around 1 in 5 Americans, and it is estimated that more than 20 million Americans have severe limitations on a daily basis due to arthritis. It places a tremendous burden onto the US healthcare system and on the economy. It causes more than 1 million hospitalizations and 45 million doctor visits in a given year. We spend more than $100 billion in

In this week’s episode of Back Talking! we continue with the series “What is causing your lower back pain?” Lumbar strains represent probably the largest single cause of someone struggling with a lower back pain issue. We decide to clean out the basement,  help a friend move that old couch down into the basement, or spread a truckload of mulch in a weekend, and the next thing you know is that you can’t get up off of the floor! Lumbar Strain There is always confusion regarding the words sprain and strain. People use them interchangeably, but there is a difference in the medical world. A sprain is the tearing or stretching of a ligament, a strain is the tearing or stretching of a muscle. When someone rolls their ankle and sprains it, they have suffered an injury to the ligaments surrounding the ankle joint. When someone overdoes it working in the yard, it’s typically a muscle injury. The good news is that muscle strains recovery fairly quickly. In this case study we follow Jason

Annular tears most commonly occur in discs that are degenerating or breaking down. In this episode we continue our series on blab titled “What is causing your lower back pain?” We discuss Sheila, a 54 year old office worker who has recently been diagnosed with an annular tear. Annular Tear The intervertebral disc is comprised of 2 components, the annulus fibrosus and the nucleus pulposus. The annulus is made of tough cartilage and is arranged in concentric rings around the inner nucleus. Its job is to contain the nucleus and to withstand the high compressive forces of the spine. The inner nucleus pulposus is made up of several substances, most importantly proteoglycans and water. Its job is to help spread those compressive forces of the spine over a greater surface area of the vertebra. A healthy disc absorbs its nutrition from its neighboring vertebra. It needs oxygen, glucose and water to survive. When discs begin to degenerate, they lose their ability to attract oxygen, glucose and water, th

Spondylolytic spondylolisthesis. Wow that is a mouthful! Okay, now for a translation of the words, that should help to make things a little clearer. http://backtalkinghelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/5986930142_22d2caba3c_m.jpg ()Scotty Dog! Spondylo means vertebra, lytic means to burst, and listhesis means to slip. So the word translates to a burst and slipped vertebra! Yikes! that doesn’t sound very good! Actually, there are many people walking around with this and have no idea at all. Spondylolisthesis This condition has numerous causes, and in fact has been classified into 6 different categories. What we are going to discuss today is the lytic type that affects the pars interarticularis. The mechanism of injury for this type is thought to be from repetitive cycling of the vertebra between flexion and extension. This cycling motion creates either a stress fracture or a complete break through the posterior arch of the vertebra called the pars interarticularis. To understand this better, think of

Canal stenosis is a common diagnosis for someone suffering from back and/or leg pain. What is stenosis? http://backtalkinghelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Canal-Stenosis.jpg ()Canal Stenosis Stenosis is from the Greek and means narrowing. With that it mind, it should make things a little clearer. You can have narrowing in blood vessels (think heart attack), narrowing in your intestines (scarring from Crohn’s disease), and narrowing in your spinal canal. The canal is where the spinal cord and the nerves that exit off of the cord live. Any of the structures that surround the canal can cause it to narrow, or stenose. Bone, discs, and ligaments are the typical culprits. Degenerative changes in the spine, typically seen in the older  populations, is the number one cause of spinal stenosis. The disc may bulge or herniate into the canal. Osteophytes or bone spurs from the vertebrae may also encroach on the canal. The facet joints may start to hypertrophy or enlarge due to wear and tear, and that enlargemen

Have you been struggling with facet issues? Well you are not alone. Facet joint problems are one of the leading causes of lower back pain. Back Talking, the video show,  has moved and is now being hosted on Blab. We are currently running a series titled “What is causing your lower back pain? In this the so called “pilot episode”, we discuss a real life case study of someone diagnosed with facet syndrome.

http://backtalkinghelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Pills2.jpg ()America is facing the worst addiction crisis ever seen. This story is not about shady drug dealers or back alley deals. It starts with every day people seeking pain relief in their doctors offices. America is awash in opiate pills, there are enough pills prescribed each year to keep every adult American medicated around the clock for a month. Regrettably, almost 1 out of 4 people will become addicted and over 17,000 people a year die from prescription opiate overdoses. People suffering from back pain are at risk of being improperly managed by their physician and prescribed increasingly stronger medications such as opiates. Tweet This

Given the fact that we spend almost 1/3rd of our lives in bed, the position that you sleep in can have a direct impact on your back health. http://backtalkinghelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/DSC00255.jpg ()Hard Days Night! In episode 8 of Back Talking, Dr. Todd Wegerski began the discussion on sleep with recommendations for the best type of mattress that you should be sleeping on, and the best type of pillow that you should using. Well you can own the best mattress and pillow in the world, but it isn’t worth much if you twist yourself up in a pretzel while you sleep! Listen below for the 2 best positions that one should be sleeping in to prevent back pain or to help manage your back pain.

http://backtalkinghelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/DSC_0013-.jpg ()Given the fact that we spend close to 1/3 of our day (and lifetime) in bed, the right type of mattress and pillow can make a difference in waking up achy and sore vs refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Back pain is one of the top reasons that we start to lose mobility as we age. It interferes with physical activity, and could begin the downward spiral of weight gain, loss of strength, endurance, and balance. In this episode of Back Talking, we examine the literature to see what is the best recommended mattress and pillow type for you to help prevent or manage back pain.

http://backtalkinghelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/DSC05703-B.jpg ()In this episode of Back Talking! we take a look at the recently updated FDA warning for NSAID medications. Common examples of NSAID medication are Motrin, Advil, and Aleve. The use of NSAID medications in the United States has skyrocketed, total annual sales of the before mentioned drugs alone tops out at over $1 billion. But there is a significant risk of heart attack or stroke related to the use of NSAID medications.  Take a listen.

http://backtalkinghelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/For-Tuesday-page-001-e1432138260736.jpg ()In this episode of Back Talking, it’s a “2 for Tuesday” version of the show. Our first topic of discussion is pregnancy. Pregnancy and lower back pain go together like peanut butter and jelly.  Is it any surprise with the suggested 25-35 pound weight gain and a protruding abdomen? But surprisingly only 1 out of 3 pregnant women seek care for their lower back pain. The most common treatment sought is massage therapy, then yoga, with chiropractic care down at the bottom with only 6% choosing chiropractic care! The changes taking place to mom and the growing baby inside greatly increases the stress on the lumbar spine and pelvis. Discs, ligaments, and joints can become damaged and pain generators. But chiropractic care can help in all those instances. There are tremendous benefits of receiving chiropractic care during pregnancy:  It is completely safe, and it is drug free! The use of drugs are alw

http://backtalkinghelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/BT5_2For.png () In this Two for Tuesday episode, we discuss 2 commonly asked topics regarding the lower back. Many people upon arising have some form of exercise or stretching routine. But you may be surprised to find out that you should wait about 30 minutes or so after getting out of bed before you jump into that stretching routine! That stretching may be doing more harm than good, and may be what is preventing your back from recovering from an injury. The second topic deals with back or core strength. It is thought by many that having a strong core or back will prevent your back from potentially being injured. Quite the opposite is true, it takes very little strength (about 10% of your back muscles maximum power) to stabilize the spinal joints. It is endurance that is more protective for backs than strength! That is why I’m always saying to get off your butt and move! Take a listen:

http://backtalkinghelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2-For.png ()Todd Wegerski hosts “2 for Tuesday” What I do most is answer questions. People ask a lot of questions regarding what is going on with them. I can see the wheels turning so to speak when we are talking. I’ve done this long enough to anticipate what people are going to ask next. I’ve decided to do a “2 for Tuesday” series. There are many questions that need an answer, but don’t warrant a long drawn out response. So here we go! In this first “2 for Tuesday”, the first question is about back belts. You know the ones, you’ve seen them on weightlifters and at your local Home Depot. But is there a benefit to wearing them? Question 2 is a simple strategy that you can use at work to change your posture to minimize stress and strain on your body!  Hint: it’s something you’ve been sitting on for years. To learn more about Todd, come http://cary-chiropractor.com (visit us)!

http://backtalkinghelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/InjuriesHealing-e1429536306541.jpg ()In this episode of Back Talking! Dr. Todd Wegerski continues the discussion of what causes back injuries, and expands into tissue healing and what risk factors can potentially cause a back injury. We delve into and answer the following questions: Do tissues heal within 6-12 weeks? Can it take up to 10 years for some low back disorders to form? Lasting changes to which injury leads Do sedentary workers have a higher rate of disc herniation? and many more

http://backtalkinghelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Back-Injuries-Episode-2.jpg ()Way to go Charlie Brown! In this episode of Back Talking! Dr Todd Wegerski discusses the one reason, yes the one reason that causes back injuries. With 80% of the population having back pain at some point in their life, and with 50% of those having a recurrence every year, we have reached epidemic proportions. Learn how through a skillful provocative examination, such as a movement screen, we can identify what is the true culprit that is causing your back pain. We review how different types of tissue loading causes injury, but we reveal the one thing that can help you avoid back injuries.