Persistent stress can have an influence upon inflammation and increased pain levels, in addition to leading to other health problems such as high blood pressure, migraines, stomach problems and muscle tension. Stress induced inflammation can contribute towards and exacerbate musculoskeletal issues such as osteoporosis, sciatica, rheumatoid arthritis, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, tendonitis or disc related problems. It can also have affect on neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinsons, or dermatological conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.
Common stress symptoms can include headaches, chest pain, generalised feelings of anxiety and depression, sleep problems or disrupted sleeping pattern, difficulty concentrating or focusing on tasks, fatigue or mood changes.
When we begin to feel stressed, at threat or anxious, our body will begin to produce higher levels of stress hormone cortisol. In addition to this, chronic stress can decrease the body's lymphocytes (or white blood cells) which help to fight off infection. The lower our white blood cell count, the weaker our immune systems become, leaving us with increased risk of viruses. In short bursts cortisol can be of benefit to us by helping to regulate our body's stress response, during our natural fight or flight response whilst helping to suppress inflammation, regulate blood sugar and blood pressure as well as metabolism. However, if the body becomes accustomed to consistent elevated cortisol levels this can in turn lead to an increase in inflammation.
We can help to manage stress symptoms by practising meditation, or ensuring we are boosting our 'feel good endorphins' such as serotonin or dopamine by exercising regularly whilst incorporating physical activity into our day where possible (This could be as simple as taking a break from our desk and performing some gentle stretching or gentle walking.) Eating a healthy balanced diet and making thoughtful food choices can help to reduce symptoms associated with stress, whilst cutting down on stimulants such as sugar or caffeine can help reduce our anxiety levels. Foods dense in nutrients and vitamins can also help to stabilise out mood, as well as minimising processed foods or beverages. Practising breath work and regulating our breathing can also help us to relax – Psychological stress activates our sympathetic nervous system, in turn sending our body into 'fight or flight' survival mode.
During this physical reaction, stress hormones such as cortisol will influence symptoms such as increased heartbeat or quicker breathing. Deep breathing exercises can help to control this by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is a network of nerves that helps to relax the body after periods of stress or danger. It also helps to stimulate life-sustaining processes such as digestion when we feel relaxed. Massage therapy can also help to reduce stress levels by releasing 'feel good' hormones into the body.
Copyright © *|2024* *|Swale Back Pain Clinic Ltd|*, All rights reserved.
Authored by Molly Spice.
All of us can benefit from maintaining a good level of core strength to help support our movement and posture in everyday life. We rely on our core strength to provide us with stability, as well as helping to prevent us from sporting, occupational and everyday injuries.
The core muscles help to support the trunk of the body whilst keeping the body balanced for more complex movements assisting in stabilising the lower back, providing a form of protective 'scaffolding' for the spine. Core strength training also has the capability to improve your workout form, enhance posture and athletic performance and help to reduce short and long term injury . Balance can also help to benefit us in situations associated with everyday tasks such as climbing the stairs, lifting heavier objects, or helping to prevent falls and maintaining flexibility and mobility as we age.
A strong core is extremely important in comfortably maintaining our posture. This can also include less strenuous activities such as sitting, walking or standing. Whether you are running, sitting behind a desk, swimming or reaching for something on the top shelf in the kitchen, the core is being activated to make these movements and is at the centre of every movement that we perform. Poor posture can result in back and neck pain, joint inflammation and spinal disc degeneration, spinal dysfunction and increased muscle tension. Poor posture can also influence the abdominal organs, hindering their optimum function, causing potential discomfort and sometimes contributing to digestive issues.
Signs of poor core strength can include poor posture, difficulty balancing, lower back or neck pain, headaches, difficulty or discomfort when standing for long periods of time, difficulty regulating breathing and slouching automatically or without intent. Performing the correct and safest core exercises for you as an individual are also extremely important as not all exercises suit all people and your fitness, age, lifestyle and previous or current injuries all play a part in guiding us to build the most effective and safe core exercise program for you.
If you feel you could benefit from tailored specialist core strengthening advice or are experiencing postural problems, lower back, neck, disc, shoulder pain or sciatica, call us today on 01795 720326 and we will be happy to help you.
To understand this, we must first have a little understanding of how our nervous system works..... Part of our nervous system known as the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic parts. The two parts balance each other like a pair of scales. The sympathetic part is responsible for arousal and excitation. Think elevated blood pressure, higher heart rate, reduced digestion, wider pupils and blood pushed to the limbs to run or fight. The parasympathetic part is responsible for relaxation, lower heart rate, digestion, reduced blood pressure and sleep. Our nervous system is designed only to manage momentary stress such as the startle reflex due to for example a sudden loud bang! We respond to protect ourselves and move away from danger.
Due to our modern, busy, high stimulus lives, our sympathetic system can be forced into prolonged overdrive, stimulating excess stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol creating prolonged imbalance and what we call "sympathetic drive" or a stress response. When we are exposed to prolonged stress, high levels of cortisol stress hormone and adrenaline stimulate increased inflammation within the tissues of our body's, adding further inflammation and maintaining existing inflammation due to injury, diet and stress.
Stress can increase your pain in a number of ways, including:
Other physical symptoms of stress can include:
Early identification of stress and incorporating stress management education into pain rehabilitation can help with pain management and help to reduce our psychological and physical experience of pain. In addition to eating an anti inflammatory diet, taking light exercise, yoga, slow deep breathing exercises, warm relaxing baths or showers, Osteopathy and massage can also help in providing relaxation and reducing the stress on your body's systems.
Call us today on 01795 720326 or e mail us at clinic@swalebackpainclinic.co.uk to find out how we can help your reduce your pain and tension.
Copyright © *|2024* *|Swale Back Pain Clinic Ltd*, Authored by Lawrence R. Bergstrom. All rights reserved.
Simply put .. sciatic pain can be horrific!
The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body made up of several nerves that originate most commonly between the L4-S3 (just above your belt line and in the middle of your rear-end) areas of your spine and run down the back of the legs and to the front part of the shin and top part of your toes.
Piriformis Syndrome: (Uncommon and often misdiagnosed) This is when a muscle called the piriformis muscle which sits in the middle of your rear-end / rear of your hip joint tightens and compresses the sciatic nerve that runs down the back of your leg. Symptoms will usually be pain that increases when you sit or walk and pain and deep aching run down the back of your leg to your knee, your calf, or even the bottom of your foot. This type of problem is identified by the pain while sitting and can be relieved when you get up and walk around or when laying down. There is usually no lower back pain, but you can have hip pain where the spine meets the hip. When this muscle is tight it will pull your hip out of alignment constantly. The solution is to massage the piriformis and your other leg muscles that run from your rear-end to the foot until they all relax which can take about 2 weeks. On occasion it resolves more quickly with massage and stretching. It is important to get your hips adjusted while the muscles are relaxing to keep the hips from rotating.
Sacro-iliitis: The sacroiliac joint is the spot where the hips meet the spine. That joint has a lot of nerve endings and when it is out of alignment the pain can feel like sciatica. The pain can be felt in the hip area, the back of the leg, and sometimes to the foot. The pain is usually shooting and sharp especially when you go from sitting to standing and usually felt when you are standing still for a while. The pain will also be felt right where the sacroiliac joint is located. The fix for this is hands on treatment such as osteopathy or chiropractic to put the joint in alignment and a special belt called a sacroiliac belt which is worn low around the waist. The belt is worn 24 hours a day for about 2 weeks and then the weak ligaments in the joint are usually fixed. The cause of sacroiliitis is often due to weakened ligaments in the joint, usually a ligament sprain or an anomaly of the joint.
Subluxation: Subluxation or a misaligned vertebrae from the 4th Lumbar to the 1st sacral area. When the spinal bones shift out of alignment they create inflammation and pinch the nerves located in that area and cause pain down the leg. The pain will usually be constant and increase especially when moving and relieved when laying down and resting. Leaning backwards can often bring on the pain. This problem is usually fixed with several hands on adjustments and supportive exercises..
Disc Injury: Disc bulges, herniations, bulging discs, or decaying discs can cause sciatica at the L4-L5 and L5-S1 level of the spine. The pain will usually be sharp, shooting, tingly, or numb. The pain will usually be constant when sitting and standing and usually relieved when you lay down. Walking can be very difficult or impossible when severe. The way to identify the level of damage is through an MRI. We use a combination of non surgical spinal disc decompression therapy ( IDD ) to help fix damaged discs with a 92% success rate.
For more information about how we can resolve any of these issues for you at Swale Back Pain Clinic e mail us at clinic@swalebackpainclinic.co.uk or call us on 01795 720326 today. We will be delighted to help you.
Copyright © *|2024* *|Swale Back Pain Clinic Ltd*, Authored by Lawrence R. Bergstrom. All rights reserved.
A spinal disc is a cushion like structure consisting of several layers of fibro cartilage positioned between two vertebrae in the spinal column. There are 23 discs within the human spine in total, each of them acting as a shock absorber (or cushioning) for the spinal column, as well as supportive structures.
The intervertebral discs consist of three separate layered components. This includes an outer fibrous ring as well as the annulus fibrosus which surrounds an inner gel like centre known as the nucleus pulposus.The annulus fibrosus is a collection of densely packed collagen fibres,creating a structure that surrounds the soft and spongy nucleus pulposus which is made up of 60-80% water.
Unfortunately, due to injury, lifestyle or general ongoing 'wear and tear' sometimes discs can become degenerate or injured, which can have a huge influence on our mobility causing pain, restriction and discomfort. Due to sudden impact or gradual compression, the structure of the normal disc can be altered, meaning that the disc can bulge outside of the circumference of its vertebrae and compress on surrounding nerve endings, triggering pain signals which can be extremely uncomfortable.
Most herniated discs occur in the lower back due to load distribution but can also occur anywhere else in the spine. Symptoms can be dependent on the positioning of the injured disc and whether it is compressing on a surrounding nerve. Symptoms of a disc bulge or disc degeneration can include prolonged lower back, thoracic or neck pain, numbness or pins and needles sensation in the arms or legs, weakness in the arms or legs, problems bending or straightening the back or pain in the buttocks, hips or legs, or pain when sitting for a prolonged period of time (e.g driving). Pain levels associated with disc injuries can range from mild to extremely severe and very debilitating and range from sporadic symptoms in the early stages to constant and severe.
Because of limited blood supply, disc injuries can take a longer time to heal on their own. In many cases, physical therapy, exercise rehabilitation and education can resolve less serious disc injuries. If you aren't recovering however, we can help 92% of our patients improve or resolve their disc related pain with our evidence based non surgical spinal disc decompression therapy program.
If you feel as though you are experiencing disc related symptoms then please feel free to give us a call on 01795 720326 so we can help you. If you are experiencing recent or ongoing change in bowel or urinary habits, altered sensation in the legs, numbness in the lower limbs or saddle seat numbness, Google symptoms of Cauda Equina Syndrome and if you are concerned, please call 111 immediately and refrain from any further physical activity or driving until you have spoken to a call handler, your GP or us at the clinic.
Ice (cryotherapy) can be both an effective and soothing way to reduce swelling and discomfort influenced by injury or chronic inflammation. Physical therapists will often recommend that a patient applies ice to the skin directly over the affected area. Ice constricts (or narrows) the blood vessels (vasoconstriction), which in turn stimulates increased blood flow circulation away from the area, therefore providing a reduction in excessive swelling. In the early stages of tissue trauma and repair a certain amount of inflammation is important. Too much, however, can slow recovery. Ice can decrease blood flow to the injured tissues, helping to decrease inflammation as a result. A little like sipping cold water for a sore throat.
Ice is recommended for use associated with injury for up to 20 minutes in a 60 minute period, providing that the ice is wrapped in a paper towel or a damp tea towel to ensure that it will feel comfortable on the skin, gradually cool the region and avoid tissue damage in the form of an ice burn, capillary or superficial nerve injury. To ice for over 20 minutes is genuinely not recommended due to a possible reaction known as 'vasodilation', in which the blood vessels begin to widen as a defensive response in order to try to ensure the tissues gain the blood supply they need. Icing is usually recommended 2 – 3 times a day, usually morning and evening, or at least always with a 40 minute gap in between icing sessions. You can use the sensitive skin on the back of your hand to check the skin temperature has returned then you can safely ice again.
We also advocate use of a cold pack following manual therapy treatment or IDD non spinal decompression therapy to ease the short term post treatment soreness that can often arise as tissues adapt to treatment. Ice applications and cold water therapy can also be used to help with post exercise recovery, acting as a form of prevention for potential DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) or discomfort post workouts.
For those who don't enjoy the sensation of ice being applied to the skin, a cooling gel such as BioFreeze can also be applied to sore muscles and joints. This can provide a degree of relief from pain and can also be used post workout, after treatment or to soothe tired aching muscles or inflamed joints.
The complicated answer is yes and no! When we are in a great deal of pain, it is natural to want relief from it as soon as possible. Research and experience tell us that acute pain has some benefit to us. From a very young age, we learn that shutting our fingers in a closing door, falling down or touching a naked flame hurts and not to do it again! However, research and experience tell us chronic pain, that is pain that is long term, largely unrelieved and ongoing, is of little value to us and it impacts upon the ancient primordial part of ourhunter gatherer psyche responsible for movement, play, expression, protecting, running, defence and migration.
If chronic pain is experienced for long enough, we literally do become depressed. Watch how quickly a horse or a playful dog become visibly depressed, doleful andmiserable when they can’t function as nature intended. Complex changes occur in neural pathways within our brain, combined with increased stress hormones such as cortisol and depletion of our happy chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine.
There are three phases leading to the pain from soft tissues. Tissue trauma (strain). Inflammation, where chemicals develop and promote inflammation. Sensitisation. This is when your injured tissues are no longer experiencing significant further injury but are damaged, inflamed and the nervous system is stimulated by pain inducing chemicals.
Inflammation, our natural defence system and the gut (Microbiome).
Did you know that a large part of your body’s mechanisms for managing and defending against inflammation lay within your gut? We have trillions of bacteria within our gut to help keep us healthy, maintain our immune system and combat inflammation. Infections, even just one course of antibiotics, binge drinking, smoking, tummy bugs, traveller’s tummy, poor nutrition, medications, viruses, and yes … taking pain killers, negatively affect our gut health and subsequently our ability to effectively combat inflammation, creating a vicious cycle of increasing inflammation and a lessened ability to manage it..
It is important to understand that your pain medication won’t “fix” your problem but it can help reduce your pain allowing you to move a little more, sleep a little more and feel a little more comfortable. Don’t forget you are also stressing injured and inflamed tissue that can be further stressed under the “chemical camouflage” so take things easily and gently while you are healing. Use the bare minimum of pain medication you can tolerate. Don’t forget pain is also a useful messaging system to tell us how much to move and how much to rest. Where possible use natural pain relief techniques first such as the application of cold packs, heat, tens machine, cold showers, ice baths, biofreeze gel (one of the few that actually work in our experience) positions of rest, reducing strain on the body when possible, gentle exercise and movement, can all help in reducing the need for pain relief medication. When pain is just too much to bear, you may need to take some medication until you feel you’re improving.
Protect your gut health. Imbalances in gut health have scientifically been linked to neurological disorders, depression, weight gain, bowel problems and some forms of cancer. Your prescriber may prescribe a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) to partially protect your gut and oesophagus from ulceration, further inflammation or reflux. Long term effects of pharmaceutical pain relief can result in ulceration, reflux, indigestion, liver, kidney, heart, bowel problems, gastric bleed, corneal problems and severe withdrawal headaches. Take a good probiotic (at least 14 strains of natural bacteria), eat wholefoods, unpasteurised kefir, Kimchi, sauerkraut and goat’s cheese are all excellent sources of natural bacteria. Include plenty of these in your diet. Ensure sufficient amounts of daily vitamin D3 and K2 to boost your immune system and expose your skin to healthy levels of sunlight. On this note, be very selective with your sun lotion. One application can stay in your bloodstream for up to 14 days! Much better to expose your skin to sunlight without burning (unless you have been medically advised to avoid sunlight)
So… try more natural approaches first, take the bare minimum of pharmaceutical drugs you can tolerate and look after your gut health!
Article authored by Lawrence R Bergstrom BSc Hons (Ost) Med
First we want to accurately diagnose the cause of your sciatica and we do this via a physical examination and if necessary an MRI scan to look closely at your spine and nerves...
Sciatica is a term used to describe general nerve pain caused by an issue or imbalance involving the sciatic nerve. Irritation of these nerve roots will cause symptoms associated with sciatica - This nerve is the longest and thickest in your body. It is up to 2CM wide in diameter and despite its name, is actually formed of several nerve roots of which branch from the spinal cord through the hips and buttocks before running through the legs to the base of the feet. No wonder it can cause so much pain!
The right treatment for sciatica depends on the individual and the cause - This could range from a herniated disc, injury, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease or a pinched/compressed sciatic nerve. Sciatic compression can result in a sharp or shooting pain, numbness, pins and needles sensation, muscle weakness or a dull aching feeling that typically radiates in the lower back, hips, buttocks or hamstrings to the base of the feet. It is typically one side of the body that is affected and symptoms can range from mild to severe dependant on times of the day, physical activity and other influencing factors.
Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will be aware of how debilitating it can be and how much of an impact it can have on every day life. Even simple everyday activities such as standing, walking or sitting comfortably can be affected by sciatica. This can leave the patient feeling frustrated and can be both physically and emotionally exhausting. Sciatic pain can also be influenced or worsened by general factors such as stress, disturbed sleep pattern or uncontrolled/vigorous physical activity.
The good news is sciatica can be both controlled/improved and the patient can reach full recovery with proper treatment. Massage therapy can be beneficial for sciatica by assisting with reduction in pain as well as providing relief whilst enhancing blood circulation to the affected area and thus aiding the healing process. Soft tissue massage can help to alleviate tension that may be putting pressure on to sciatic nerves whilst reducing general stress and anxiety associated with increased pain levels. Massage can also stimulate specific pressure receptors in the brain - Stimulation of these pressure receptors can help to reduce pain by releasing endorphins, the bodies natural 'feel good' hormone. Most patients will achieve a quicker recovery if incorporating soft tissue therapies into their routine and adding regular massage therapy treatments into the rehabilitation process.
If your sciatic pain isn't resolving call us on 0333 444 0952 or e mail us at clinic@swalebackpainclinic.co.uk
We have a team of skilled therapists and a range of effective treatments to resolve your sciatic pain and get you functioning well again!
1. Ice your lower back for 20-30 minutes several times daily and limit pain meds as much as possible
2. Avoid sitting for more than 30 minutes before getting up and moving
3. Lie on your back with pillows under your knees for 30 minute rests regularly and do regular relaxation yoga breathing or rest in a recliner.
4. Do standing Mckenzie extension exercises (YouTube) several times daily and progress to prone Mckenzie exercises (YouTube) as soon as you can. Only discontinue if it worsens lower back or leg pain
5. Take 500 - 1000 mgs of soluble vitamin c daily & vitamin D3 & K2 daily
6. Drink 2-3 litres of water daily to help hydrate your discs
7. Take very short walks several times daily up and down kitchen, garden or up and down the street. Only walk as far as you comfortably can.
8. Break up long car journeys with regular breaks. Angle your seat backrest back a few Degrees and place a small cushion at the level of your lower back.
9. Float in a swimming pool with noodle floats under your arms and your legs hanging down with your feet towards the bottom of the pool for 20-30 minutes at a time. Relax on your back and gently kick your legs from your hips
10. Takes lots of rest during the first few days and includes as many anti inflammatory foods as possible (Google search anti-inflammatory foods). Pace activities. Recovery WILL take time
11. AVOID twisting movements through the spine especially when bending forwards
12. Never hold your nose if you sneeze! (This temporarily increases inter spinal pressure putting more strain on your injured disc!) Place your hands on your lower back, arch backwards a little and let the pressure of the sneeze exit your mouth. Not “polite” but will save you some pain and strain!
13. Avoid standing leaning forwards at the kitchen counter or sink. This WILL strain your injured disc!
Back pain will at some point affect eighty percent of people, creating loss of work, poor quality of life and cost millions of pounds in lost revenue and work days for the UK. 40% of people suffering severe spinal pain for 12 months or more never return to full time employment!
Did you know with the exception of trauma causing back pain, much of the pain can be relieved and even avoided through proper nutrition? In this article I am going to explain the role of nutrition in helping avoid and decrease the epidemic of back pain.
There are two causes of back pain the first being trauma and the second being degeneration.
This article will reflect the degeneration cause of back pain.
The first event to occur is a loss of normal alignment from the vertebrae. This loss of alignment starts to damage what we call the endplate of the bone that connects to the disc. The loss of alignment is found on x-ray and MRI and this is one reason we scan all our new disc patients. The loss of alignment puts pressure on the endplate where it doesn’t belong and that starts to create a small level of inflammation with something called Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP) which is made by your body and is designed to cleanup disc material when it becomes damaged by breaking down sick and unhealthy disc cells.
The MMP cells are supposed to come in and breakdown any damaged disc cells and then the tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMP) cells come in and shut off the MMP cells and the area is fixed.
The challenge continues to occur if you don’t realign that vertebrae where it belongs. When the vertebrae stay out of alignment the end plate further damages quietly without you knowing and the MMP cells continue their job in the disc.
The challenge is when the MMP cells get out of control they start to damage more of the disc called the nucleus, the central part of the disc that helps disperse the weight of your body through the rest of the disc. The MMP cells damage the nucleus and now the weight of your body starts to cause pressure to be put on the part of the disc that doesn’t want it, called the annulus. The annulus now starts to become damaged again calling in the MMP cells to clean up the mess by pulling out damaged disc cells.
This process starts to weaken the disc and now the entire disc is starting to decay and becomes thinner.
Once the disc becomes thinner now the spine starts to shrink and compress down jamming joints in your back together called the facet joints. The facet joints are meant to be separated and hold only a certain portion of the weight of your body. The decaying disc allows the facet joints to hold much more than they are supposed to creating pain and arthritis in the joint. The bones start compressing the disc and the final component of pain is that the disc and facet joints start to pinch the nerves that come out both sides of the spine causing pain and numbness down your arms or legs
Research shows that in order to decrease back pain and prevent back pain you must do several things proactively:
1. Decrease the amount of sugar, white flour, and bad oils you consume.
Several studies(Cardiovascular risk factors for physicians-diagnosed lumbar disc herniations, Spine J. 2006, The influence of diabetes on lumbar disc herniation, Surgical neurology, 2006, Influence of diabetes on cervical disc herniations, Clinical neurology neurosurgeon 2008) show that patients with high blood sugar, diabetes, hypertension, high bad fats in blood, and obesity all have higher MMP activity in their bodies than those who don’t have those illnesses showing higher levels of inflammation.
Use whole grain breads, pastas, rice and include as many anti-inflammatory foods as possible within your diet. Eat a Mediterranean diet rich in natural colourful foods. Use olive oil, avocado oil, and flax seed for healthy fats.
Stay away from white pasta, lots of white potatoes and white sugar. Bake, roast and steam rather than fry!
2. Decrease inflammation with supplements
Research shows that using high quality fish oils, curcumin / turmeric,as well as glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate are needed to prevent long term inflammation that activates the MMP cells and lets them get out of control. Research found that taking fish oils, chondroitin and glucosamine sulphate decreased CRP an inflammatory marker related to MMP cells. High levels of Vitamin C reduce free radicals within our body and assist in collagen healing.
3. Osteopathic Treatment
The entire activation process of MMP cells are impacted upon by the foods we eat combined with misaligned vertebrae that contribute to injury of the end plate. calling in the MMP cells. Gentle osteopathy treatment can help you with your spinal alignment and reduce further strain on your spine and discs. Gentle regular stretching and mobility also help and your osteopath can advise you on safe, supportive exercise.
4. IDD Therapy
We utilise IDD Therapy at Swale Back Pain Clinic to help restore nutrients to a damaged disc through patented technology that pumps nutrients in and waste out of the disc. It helps heal the nerve by targeting a specific damaged segment and opens it allowing pressure to come off the nerve. It finally restores the proper function to the disc pump allowing the end plate and the disc to function normally providing long term nutrients for the disc.
To help you make the right decisions for your spinal health we now offer a FREE 30 MINUTE initial consultation to help you decide the best of course of action to get you moving well again and out of pain.
Spinal discs are made up of collagen, water, protein and glucose molecules and have a limited blood supply. Once past our late twenties, our collagen is prone to lose a degree of elasticity and therefore more prone to over strain, injury and degeneration.
Discs can bulge, putting pressure on adjacent nerves of the spine leading to pinched nerves and problems such as sciatica, numbness, burning, weakness and pins and needles.
When we lift poorly, sit for hours on end, suffer falls, car accidents, contact sports or injuries, our spinal discs become injured and reduce their ability to repair due to a sparse blood supply and injury to the “disc pump” The physiological mechanism that helps the disc to heal following strain and injury.
A spinal disc can suffer a number of problems from dehydration, loss of disc height, a tear, bulge, partial or full prolapse (jam exiting the doughnut!) These injuries place more stress on the adjacent spinal joints and nerves leading to pain and dysfunction. Many of these problems when moderate can be helped with hands on treatments and exercise...
When physical therapy, medication and exercise aren’t improving the pain, sufferers may be offered injections, nerve block procedures or even surgery. At Swale Back Pain Clinic, in 92% of cases, we are are able to improve on or resolve the pain from these more severe disc problems via a combination of Non Surgical Spinal Disc Decompression Therapy (IDD) allowing the injured disc/s to repair injury, absorb more blood flow, nutrients and water to help the disc pump again and function more efficiently. This reduces toxicity in the injured disc, further reducing sensitive nerves and allows the spine to function more normally again without pain and restriction.
We can obtain a lot of useful information from the history of the problem. We also carry out an orthopaedic, neurological and osteopathic examination to further help us diagnose the likely spinal disc level involved and to rule out other possible causes. Finally, we use MRI imaging to take pictures of the spine to assess the health of the discs, nerves, bones and muscles to accurately diagnose the specific level causing you your pain and to determine the severity of the injury. This helps us to determine the most effective treatment for you to help you out of pain and back to an active life.
There are four types of disc injuries that occur in the spine that can cause pain, numbness, and tingling
Disc Bulge: Think of the disc as a water balloon and when you squeeze the water balloon as a whole, the entire disc bulges. This can cause pain because the disc has little nerves that are attached to the outside 1/3rd of the disc. These nerve fibres feel stretching and when stretched past a point will register with the brain to create pain to let you know there is a problem occurring.
The pain of a disc can be both local to the spine called discogenic pain and can move into limbs like the arms and legs called radicular painbwhen the disc is pinching on a nerve.
Herniation: When the pressure continues within the bulging disc, it weakens the outer layer of the disc that gives the disc its healthy shape, the pressure will then create a smaller bubble. The herniation is now 25% or less of the total shape of the disc. The challenge with the herniation is that it starts to leak fluid mainly water and nutrients which starts to deflate the disc. The herniation can cause pain along the spine again called discogenic pain as well as pain down a limb if it starts to pinch a nerve.
There are two types of disc injuries that occur called a protrusion and extrusion. A protrusion is like a mountain shape where the base of the shape is larger than the top part and an extrusion is like a mushroom where the end part coming out is larger than the base attached to the disc.
Decaying and Degenerative Disc: This is the disc that has been injured for quite a while as the herniation has leaked out almost all the water and nutrients that the disc contained. On x-ray and MRI the disc space is thin and there can also be lots of arthritis formation around the bones and in the spinal joints.
Annular Tear: This is where the outside of the disc tears in one of two directions. The first is called a linear tear that tears like a straight line from the centre of the disc to the outer edge. This tear allows for the centre part of the disc called the nucleus to leak out into the area where the nerves are and can cause pain in the spine as well as pain down a limb not by pressure but by a chemical irritation. The centre of the disc that is leaking is a chemical that can burn the nerves and tissues in the surrounding area. When this happens, this is called a chemical radiculitis. Severe pain! The tear will also cause back pain especially when pressure is added to the spine like using the bathroom, going from a sitting to standing position, and coughing or sneezing. This is because the tear is like a scab you get after a cut. Increase in pressure will cause the scab to tear open at times causing pain in the disc.
These are the four types of disc injuries most commonly treated non-surgically at Swale Back Pain Clinic with our non surgical decompression AcuSpina technology with a 90% success rate.
If you or somebody you know thinks they have a spinal disc injury let us know today and let’s see if we can get you out of pain and living life like you want to again.
IDD therapy is designed to treat severe or chronic neck or lower back pain, headaches originating from the neck and lower back and arm or leg nerve pain.
You will have been diagnosed with a prolapsed disc, annular tear, bulging disc, degenerative disc, facet joint problem or “slipped” disc already, or have consulted with us and we suspect you have one.
Consultation: We will need to meet with you, record the history of your problem and carry out a full examination to develop a diagnosis and to safety net you.
MRI: You will already have an mri, images and report no older than 12 months or have been referred for one by another practitioner or us. We cannot proceed without an mri as we need to safety net you and know the exact spinal disc level we are targeting
Report on MRI findings: At this point, we are able to explain to you with clarity and in plain English, the nature of your problem, the severity of your problem, if you are likely to benefit from IDD Therapy, the number of likely therapy sessions required to improve your problem e.g. 24, 30 or 40 sessions, proposed tailored additional self help and exercise / lifestyle advice and also, the cost of your investment in a course of therapy.
As a clinic seeing a high proportion of people struggling with unresolved back pain and neck pain, we are often asked about our IDD Therapy spinal decompression (IDD) service.
To understand IDD, let’s quickly put ‘unresolved’ back pain into context. Firstly, most back pain resolves itself. Or rather, the body has a natural healing mechanism.
Sometimes that doesn’t work or is taking too long.
This is where manual therapy and exercise typically comes in. From relieving muscle spasm to manually mobilising a joint to help it move freely, clinicians can use a variety of techniques to help the body.
Spine Health
The spine is complex. Conditions can build up over time. In the same way that we might lose flexibility or strength in our leg muscles, the same can be true with the spine.
Movement is key to the health of our spine. So when there is an injury, such as a bulging or herniated disc, or where there is progressive degeneration leading to pressure on joints or nerves, the body may not be able to move adequately for the natural healing mechanisms to operate.
Spinal segments can become stiff and immobile, and this is particularly bad for the sponge-like discs in our spine. These intervertebral discs act as shock absorbers between the bones in our spine ,the vertebrae.
Movement is vital for intervertebral discs. Discs rely on a process of osmosis to receive and thus replenish fluid and nutrients and movement are key to this.
Manual Therapy and IDD Therapy
Manual therapy and exercise often help improve mobility and increase strength which can help most conditions but at a certain point, it isn’t enough for some people.
This is where IDD Therapy comes in.
IDD is delivered by the Acu-SPINA machine. This is a computer-controlled machine which enables us to decompress the specific spinal segments causing your pain and gently improve mobility in the spine.
This treatment tool helps the body and in so doing, reduces pain and progressively restores function.
Whilst having IDD Therapy, patients remain fully clothed. Importantly patients do not need to take time off work, unless the work is heavy manual labour in which case we will guide you on what is best for you.
About IDD Therapy
In plain terms, IDD Therapy decompresses the specific spinal segment (disc & vertebrae), gently working the muscles and ligaments around an injured spinal segment. Helping to restore function and the body’s natural healing mechanisms.
Through a series of controlled stretches, IDD Therapy opens the space between two vertebrae to take pressure off the disc. It creates a drop in pressure which may help retract a bulging disc whilst working the tissues to free movement in the joint.
When the joint is opened, a series of oscillations or mobilisations (think wiggling) help to further work the tissues and create small pressure differentials, progressively helping to improve the tissue range of motion, stimulate fluid exchange across the joint surfaces, thus improving mobility and restore function. Without adequate water, blood and oxygen, tissues die.
How does IDD Therapy achieve this?
Patients are connected to the machine by two harnesses. One harness is attached around the pelvis and is connected to a motor on the machine tower. A chest harness secures the patient to the top of the table.
The motor has a strap, rather like a seat belt strap instead of a rope, which connects to the pelvis harness.
The motor is raised in the tower of the AcuSPINA to a designated angle to ensure the specific spinal disc region is targeted...
At this point the computer programme is set and the motor gently pulls on the pelvic harness.
The harness acts like a big pair of hands on the pelvis, holding it securely. There are several key things about the way the pulling force is administered which make the difference.
Angle
Spinal problems such as a bulging or herniated disc are typically located at a level in the spine.
In the lower back (lumbar spine), the two discs at the bottom of the spine are common areas where problems occur, the L4/L5 and L5/S1 account for perhaps 80-90%% of the disc problems we see. But we can treat other levels too. In the neck (cervical spine) it is the C5/C6 level.
By changing the angle at which a force is applied, or by changing the angle of pull, the pulling force (distraction force) is focused to the affected level.
Whilst some older systems like traction apply pulling forces generally to the spine, they are not focussed to a specific level.
This is one of several differences between IDD Therapy and traditional traction because traction was not specific and thus results were poor. This explains in part why traction went out of use.
Force
The force is the amount of pull used. The spine is incredibly strong. The muscles, tendons and ligaments support our whole body weight and enable us to move, walk or run upright and carry loads.
In order to open the space between two vertebrae, decompress the disc and work the tissues, we need an adequate force. So the pulling force needs to be quite strong.
In actual fact it is far stronger than what can be delivered by the hands.
This force is strong enough to do the job required. But the way the force is administered and controlled, means that despite the high force (built up overtime to up to and over half bodyweight), the patient remains completely relaxed.
Of course, a lower force is applied initially. It’s rather like starting weight lifting, the weights are a lot less initially and you don’t start with the heaviest weights. They are built up over sessions as your muscles, tendons and ligaments adapt and get stronger.
Over the course of the IDD Therapy treatments, the body adapts and small increases in force are added, which remain comfortable.
This conditioning helps to progressively improve function which as we have said is so important for healing.
The pulling force is completely safe as to cause injury to human tissues a pulling force of in excess of 400lbs would be required and the AcuSpina machine pulls to a maximum of 200lbs.
Time
This refers to time on the Acu-SPINA machine. Each IDD treatment includes 26 minutes on the machine. The pulling forces are done in cycles. That is, we pull to a high tension or force, hold for one minute, release to a low tension for 30 seconds, then repeat.
So there are 13 minutes when the affected spinal segment is decompressed and the tissues are being worked. And because the tension does not go to zero tension, the soft tissues are stretched for the full 26 minutes of the time on the machine.
Additionally, and unique to IDD Therapy is the oscillation. This is where we apply a high tension and then at that point, we oscillate which acts as a small mobilisation.
Number of treatments
Have you ever gone to a gym once and got fit? Have you ever gone to the gym once a week and got fit?
The IDD Therapy programme is exactly that, a programme.
To bring about change in the tissues and allow time for healing, it is not possible to resolve certain spine conditions within a standard physical therapy model of 4 to 6 treatments.
The programme is spread over a six to eight week period and consists of twenty treatment sessions. In some instances, patients may need more than twenty sessions.
Some patients experience symptom relief very quickly but the programme is intended to create a platform of long term healing.
A few treatments will not bring about change. Hence having an intense programme where initially patients come three to five times a week is key to the success of the treatment.
The body adapts to the treatment and progresses as we are able to increase the tensions and condition the tissues.
Note: This may partly explain why traction failed because of a handful of treatments. Like going to the gym a few times it simply does not bring about adequate or lasting change.
All sessions are tracked and patient progress is monitored and measured.
Thus a patient who has made progress and is continuing to make progress but who still has some pain or impairment, may benefit from additional treatments.
This is noticeable with cases where there are multiple problems.
An analogy might be going on a programme of weight loss. Through diet and exercise, a person may experience improved strength and loss of body fat.
But at a certain point, a person may still have more weight to lose. That does not mean that the programme is not working, simply that it needs more time.
Of course if there was not satisfactory progress, then an alternative strategy would be needed.
Exercise and Manual Therapy
IDD Therapy is a treatment tool. It is a programme of care, of rehabilitation. We combine it with gentle exercises which serve to strengthen the muscles.
The word exercise can create thoughts of boot camp, especially for those who have rarely exercised.
But the exercise is gentle and even the most exercise-averse can do them, because it is an essential part of maintaining the health of the spine and avoiding recurring pain.
Manual therapy can be used to address other issues. The body is one organism where the whole works in unison.
A herniated disc for example can occur due to a combination of factors which may have built up over time and weakened the wall of the disc. Manual therapy may be used to address some of those factors.
Summary
The combination of targeted force, amount of force, duration of time under tension and the programme of treatments are what make the difference with IDD Therapy.
Pain relief from medication will not address the underlying degenerative changes, stiffness, sensitisation and immobility in a spinal segment to enable the body to heal efficiently.
Spinal injections such as an epidural steroid injection with anaesthetic, can ease inflammation or numb pain but they do not address compression upon a disc or the degenerative changes... They are intended to create a window for rehab. That can be manual therapy and exercise, but if that is not enough or if those standard treatments have not been working, this is where IDD Therapy comes to the fore.
And lastly spinal surgery.
There are times when spinal surgery is the right treatment (typically 2-3% of back and neck pain sufferers). It can help avoid long term nerve damage and relieve debilitating pain. But it is not without risks and it is generally accepted that non-invasive treatment should be the first choice. The research tells us 74% of lower back surgery fails to resolve the problem in the long term e.g. 2 years following surgery.
Unless there is an urgent need for surgery, we would recommend IDD Therapy.
If you or someone you know are struggling with unresolved pain, have tried manual therapy e.g. physiotherapy, osteopathy or chiropractic and exercise and feel the problem is still unresolved, IDD therapy may well be the solution for you.
Did you know that a pound of pressure on a disc is enough weight to cut the blood supply off to the nerve 100%!?
When a nerve loses blood supply, it loses oxygen and starts to die. It is just like asking you to hold your breath for too long.
As the nerve starts to die, it goes through stages and those different stages cause different feelings in the nerves that you sense.
Let’s first look at what makes up a nerve.
A nerve is made up of two parts, the head called the dendrite, and the tail called the axon. Each dendrite ends in an axon terminal, where the electrical nerve impulse jumps a gap and flows into the next dendrite of the next nerve cell.
When the nerve is compressed for example from a disc herniation which weighs 7 pounds on a disc, the oxygen level is cut off completely. The nerve to protect itself shortens the tail or the axon. As it shortens its axion, it pulls away from the next dendrite of the next nerve cell and widens the gap between nerves. This widening of the gap makes it harder for the nerve impulse to jump to the next cell. As the oxygen is decreased, the nutrients in the space between the axon and dendrite loses minerals that also help the nerve impulse flow across the gap.
The longer the compression on the nerve, the wider the gap, the less minerals in the fluid in the gap, the further your symptoms will progress into one or more of 4 stages.
Stage 1: Tingling
Stage 2: Burning
Stage 3: Pain
Stage 4: Numbness is when no nerve signals are jumping at all!
The more severe your symptoms are, logically the greater the impairment to your nerve/s. IDD Therapy works to progressively reverse this process by improving biomechanical movement of the restricted joints, decompress the degenerative spinal disc/s, encourage the physiological “disc pump” to work again, enhancing increased oxygen, minerals, blood and nutrients to your damaged disc, in turn removing pressure from the compressed nerve and so aid in healing. We aim to improve biomechanical function to stimulate biochemical activity. Structure governs function.
If you know somebody that is suffering from unresolving neck, back pain or numbness and tingling, please let them know that we offer a FREE 30 Minute initial consultation, to help them first find out the cause of their problem and then to offer them non-surgical solutions for their pain.
The opioid crisis highlighted the dangers from over-prescribing pain medications for back pain and has raised consciousness amongst health care professionals of the need and desirability to consider alternatives.
GPs are at the front line of spinal pain with 7% of GP consultations in the UK being for lower back pain. Most back pain can be managed holistically with medication, including NSAIDs like Ibuprofen, and physical therapy.
Yet when pain persists, what next?
Return visits to GPs when physical therapy and NSAIDs are not working can see patients prescribed stronger pain medication.
This starts with more powerful medicines like naproxen and can progress upwards to opioid analgesics including codeine, tramadol and in rare cases morphine.
Additionally, a range of neuropathic agents (gabapentin, amitriptyline or pregabalin) may be prescribed for nerve pain such as sciatica.
Pain medication is intended to provide short term relief whilst the body heals or to enable a patient to manage their pain. But ‘managing pain’ can mean living life with pain and that isn’t a desirable outcome goal for anyone.
Stronger pain medication is an indicator of an underlying cause not being addressed. Pain resulting from conditions including bulging or herniated discs can be addressed conservatively with a rehab programme of research-backed IDD Therapy Spinal Decompression.
IDD Therapy addresses the failings of traditional traction by decompressing and mobilising targeted spinal segments.
Taking pressure off nerves and restoring function as part of a programme of care, IDD Therapy relieves GPs of the need to manage some spinal pain.
This allows patients to avoid the side effects of stronger pain medications and the risks of opioids, it addresses the underlying causes of the patients’ problem and it provides alternate solutions for primary care providers.
If you are struggling with back pain, neck pain, spinal disc protrusion, annular tear, disc prolapse or nerve pain such as sciatica, Swale Back Pain Clinic provides a range of manual therapies as well as IDD Therapy Spinal Decompression.
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