Roberto Clemente: Baseball Player, Hall-of-Famer, Believer In Chiropractic, Chiropractor --- WAIT, WHAT?!?!?!

Who knew that baseball hall-of-famer Roberto Clemente was such an avid believer in chiropractic. Incidentally, he also seemed to function as a chiropractor himself according to teammates. This is certainly worth a look and listen to as he joins an illustrious list of athletes who utilize chiropractic services).

(Skip ahead to the 1:10 mark if you'd like).

A Pain In The Butt, Literally - A Series On Sciatica - Part 2

In the first part of this series on sciatica, the question, "what is sciatica?" was posed, and then answered. In this second part, the question, "how does it happen" will be answered? This is in an effort to educate the public as to why the term sciatica is used so often, specifically in chiropractic, orthopedic and primary care settings.

Sciatica, as answered in part 1, is an inflammation or irritation of the sciatic nerve. In order to understand how does it happen, one must first understand the anatomy of the region. The sciatic nerve is a large, tortuous nerve that is comprised of nerve roots at the L4 - S3 vertebrae. The nerve roots come together to form a "superhighway" nerve that supplies nearly the whole of the skin of the leg, the muscles of the back of the thigh, and those of the leg and foot (see picture to left).

Nerve roots joining to form the sciatic nerve

Once you understand how large a nerve it truly is, and how far ranging the distribution is, it becomes a little clearer as to how irritation of the nerve can lead to problems as far away as the foot. When an intervertebral disc is "bulging," or "herniated" it implies that the center portion of disc has been pushed out the back of the disc. When this occurs, the bulge or herniation (see below) pushes or compresses against the nerve root that will later join with other nerve roots to form the sciatic nerve.

Just as when you compress anything, transfer from one side to another becomes more difficult. Think of a plastic bag that is inflated. Then compress the middle and try to transfer air from one side to the other. Because of your compression, transfer is made increasingly difficult, even impossible. A nerve operates in the same fashion. When compression occurs, signals that travel back and forth, in addition to the blood flow within the nerve becomes more difficult. Compression can take many forms including pain, altered sensation such as pins and needles, tingling or shooting sensations, and weakness. Herniations and bulging discs are the primary mechanisms by which sciatica occurs, but there are other causes as well, including but not limited to muscle tightness within the hip, bone spurs on vertebrae, spinal stenosis, tumors and even pregnancy.

Images of herniated & bulging discs

If you experience any of these symptoms, make sure you schedule an appointment with Dr. Donohue at Rehabilitation & Spinal Care of Rockford. The office is accepting new patients and can provide relief of this condition and these symptoms. Call (815) 394 0309.

Spinal Manipulation In Medical News

 In recent medical news on www.medpagetoday.com, a study was described in which "osteopathic manipulative therapy was effective in alleviating chronic low back pain to a clinically significant degree."

 Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy (OMT) is Chiropractic Manipulative Therapy without the word 'osteopathic." The study indicated that over the course of 8 weeks and 6 sessions in total, those receiving OMT had a 30% or more reductions in their pain levels. Those who were not receiving the actual OMT were instead, receiving a sham version of the treatment. Furthermore, it was found that patients were more likely to experience 50% improvements in pain levels if they were receiving manipulative therapy.

A lower back spinal manipulation movement

 This is significant news for OMT practitioners and chiropractors alike as the methods used to relieve musculoskeletal and joint pain are similar. Manipulative therapy, in general, relies on improving the range-of-motion across a joint segment. When range-of-motion is compromised, the neurology of a joint is affected and pain arises. Chiropractors and Osteopaths who choose to utilize manipulation restore the function of a joint space by affecting the soft-tissues that cross said joint.

 The beauty of this study is that it serves to confirm what many have known previously, that because we as humans are dynamic creatures who rely upon movement, soft tissues and joints are affected. When the biomechanics of these joint segments become altered and ultimately aberrant, pain ensues.

Injuries On ESPN Headlines

 Professional and collegiate sports are multi-billion dollar industries with annual revenues that are greater than the GDP's of many countries. With that in mind, keeping the athletes that produce those revenues on the field, court, diamond, pitch or whatever ground surface that the sport is played on is paramount to the continued success and growth of those sports. It seems that daily on ESPN.com there are multiple news reports of an injury to an athlete across the spectrum of sporting activities. Whether it's an ankle injury to a basketball player, an elbow injury to a golfer, a knee injury to a football player or a concussion to a hockey player, there is no shortage of medical conditions to be discussed.

 Rehabilitation & Spinal Care of Rockford will be taking one injury/day and discussing it across the spectrum of social media, delving into the mechanism by which the injury occurs, the time frame in which the athlete should recover, treatments and limitations. Some of the information will be new to you, some of it will be interesting, and all of it will be relevant.

Instagram Photo Of Kobe Bryant's
Swollen Left Ankle

 Today, the most notable injury seems to be the sprain/strain to Kobe Bryant's left ankle. Without debating the intent of the play that led to the injury and whether Dahntay Jones intentionally placed his foot underneath Bryant, who was in mid-air attempting a game-tying jump shot, there is no doubt that the left left outer malleolus is swollen. The malleolus is the bone that protrudes from beneath the skin at the ankle region, as it does on the inside as well.

 The injury, termed an inversion sprain because the ankle inverts or turns inward upon landing, is the most common injury to the ankle. Based upon reports on ESPN.com regarding the timetable for Bryant to return to play, it can safely be assumed that the lower part of the fibula was not affected by the injury. In some cases, when the force of the landing is too great, or the bones are too weak, an avulsion fracture of the distal fibula can occur as well. This complicates the time it takes to return to activities, and can, depending on the extent of fracture have to be resolved surgically.

 The most common ligaments injured in these types of injuries include the calcaneofibular ligaments (part of the lateral collateral ligaments of the ankle) and the anterior talofibular ligaments (both seen in the diagram to the right). When these ligaments are injured the recovery time, depending on the extent of the injury can range from 2 weeks to 8 weeks.

 At Rehabilitation & Spinal Care of Rockford, ankle sprains are treated conservatively and effectively by first maintaining range-of-motion (ROM). Maintenance of ROM is essential in the early stages of healing. As a chiropractor, using passive ROM techniques helps to return edema to the lymphatic system. This assists in reduction of swelling. Adjustment of the ankle joints additionally helps to reduce both pain and swelling, while also assisting in increased ROM. Additional techniques utilized to combat the inflammation and pain include acupuncture, electrotherapy, heat, instrument-assisted soft-tissue mobilization, kinesiotaping and cold therapy.

 Lastly, physical therapy is essential for the continued rehabilitation and strengthening of the damaged soft-tissue structures. RASC Rockford has treated many conditions related to ankles and rehabilitated them successfully. If you are struggling with ankle pain, schedule your appointment today.

Stay Out Of The Surgeon Suite - Chiropractic Care Can Help

The surgeon suite is essential in the healthcare landscape today, but it should still always be a last resort. With that in mind, RASC Rockford would like to provide some evidence that chiropractic care can be a surgical lifeline. A recent study in Spine found that for worker's compensation patients with back pain in Washington state, there were "reduced odds of surgery were observed for those under age 35, women, Hispanics, and those whose first provider was a chiropractor (sic)."

What exactly does this mean for patients of RASC Rockford? This should let patients know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Make sure if you are experiencing back pain that you are getting regular adjustments to decrease the risk of stenosis and deterioration of your lumbar spine.