Anyone who spends much time behind a desk, needs to consider how their posture may be affecting their back health. People who sit for long periods of time are at greater risk of pain from poor posture and a back injury.

Now, many companies are beginning to recognize spinal health as a new area of safety management. This not only shows concern for employee’s welfare, an ergonomically designed work space can be a cost saving measure as well. In many cases, the employer will reap immediate rewards by employees taking fewer sick days and incurring less work related injuries.

Making your work environment safer

If you’d like to make your own workstation better for your back health, follow the tips offered by Garland chiropractor, Dr. James Mixon:

• Avoid slumping or slouching forward in your office chair – This type of posture can add stress to the discs in the spine and may create problems over time. As you grow tired, the natural tendency is to slouch. The best way to avoid this is to adjust the lumbar support on the back of your chair, so that your lower back is arched forward slightly and your rear touches the back of the chair.
• Adjust the armrest – If your office chair has an armrest, use it. To help take strain off of your shoulders and neck, raise the armrest so that it barely lifts your arms at the shoulder.
• Adjust your computer monitor – Your computer monitor should be positioned so that your gaze rests comfortably on the middle of the monitor. If you find that you must look up or down at the screen, it should be adjusted to prevent neck strain.
• Let your feet touch the floor – Adjust your chair so that you feet touch the floor and your thighs are positioned at a 45 degree angle (or slightly lower) to your hips.
• Get up and stretch – Even if you have a comfortable, ergonomically designed work station, you should not remain seated in one position for a long period of time. As a rule of thumb, try to get up every 30 minutes. Stretch for a minute or so, take a a restroom break or a walk to the water cooler. Even a small amount of movement will in increase blood flow and help you avoid muscle strain.

If, after a long day at the office you find yourself trying to work out stiff, achy muscles or a throbbing backache, consider this… Pain from poor posture is a warning indicator. It’s your body’s way of alerting you to a situation that should be addressed.

Over-the counter medications camouflage the problem

Many people camouflage the body’s symptoms by taking OTC pain relievers or by using over the counter analgesic creams or patches. Others look for relief through exercise or massage. However, if the underlying spinal joints are not working properly, it can be like driving a truck with misaligned wheels.

It is important to get to the root cause of neck and back pain. In many cases this can be as simple as realigning the spinal vertebrae. This is where chiropractic treatment can be extremely effective. Chiropractic adjustments can help improve spinal functions. This natural treatment option is safe and gentle and is used by millions of people each year.

Safe treatment for pain from poor posture

Even with the best prevention, there are times when many of us will find ourselves experiencing neck, shoulder, knee or back pain and in need of a Garland chiropractor. So if you find yourself in this position, don’t just mask the symptoms. Instead, consult a local chiropractor. Garland residents can turn to the team at Texas Spine & Wellness.

Each day, Garland chiropractor, Dr. Mixon, along with his staff members, help people get swift relief from pain from poor posture, neck pain, back pain, and joint paint, as well as headaches and migraines.

The advanced therapies offered through Texas Spine & Wellness ensure that you’ll also have access to specialized treatments such as spinal decompression therapy, laser therapy and therapeutic massage.

Contact us today to schedule a treatment with Dr. Mixon.

Back pain can be serious. Unfortunately, an uncomfortable back ‘tweak’ isn’t all that uncommon. It’s easy to strain yourself just doing every day activities  such as  pulling weeds, lifting children, taking out the trash, rearranging furniture, carrying grocery bags,  or climbing a ladder

If you don’t bend or stretch your body in just the right way while doing your chores, your back will suffer. There are all kinds of over-the-counter remedies that can be used for mild back pain. But when your pain is moderate or severe,  it’s not as easy to tackle!

Let’s look at options available for spine-related pain, such as Spinal Decompression and chiropractic treatment.

Causes of serious back pain

A herniated or bulging disc is a tear in the outer, fibrous ring of a disc that lets the important soft, spongy spinal material protrude between the outer rings. The tear can allow inflammatory chemical transmitters to be released, and that causes acute pain. This condition can be serious enough to require back surgery.

Sciatica, which results from an irritation in the actual root of the spine’s lower lumbar region, can be debilitating. This terrible pain isn’t in the disc itself, but is often from a disc bulge which can irritate  nearby nerves. This is “nerve root pain” that tends to radiate to other areas of the body. The term Sciatica is often used to describe  the pain that runs from the lower back down the leg.

Either of these conditions can disrupt your life.

Symptoms

The  cause of pain in your lower back or your leg is tied to whether or not there is pressure on a nearby nerve. If there is no pressure from the herniated disc, you may only have a slight ache in the lower back or you may not have any symptoms at all. However, when a nerve is affected symptoms can include:

• Numbness or a sense of pins-and-needles going down one leg from the buttock or from behind the knee to the thigh. The pain can even extend all the way to the ankle or foot.
• A feeling of weakness in some muscles in one or possibly both legs.
• Front thigh pain.
• Muscle spasms or deep and severe muscle pain.
• Pain in the lower back.
• Pain in the buttocks or leg pain that intensifies when sitting.
• Hip pain.
• Difficulty moving your leg or foot due to weakness or numbness.
• Consistent pain on one side of the buttocks.
• Difficulty standing up because of a shooting pain.

Options

If your condition is severe enough, surgery may be required; however, if you prefer to avoid surgery, nonsurgical Spinal Decompression Therapy (SDT) is an option. It’s a safe, non-evasive treatment that is often very effective and, just as important, it’s cost-effective.

As a Garland Chiropractor, I can help determine if you have a bulging or herniated disc. Then we can decide if spinal decompression therapy is the best approach for your specific condition.

How spinal decompression therapy works

To decompress a spine means stretching it to provide a good healing environment for the affected disc. When the spine is stretched, pressure is reduced and the bulging spinal material is pulled back inside the disc. This allows healing nutrients and other substances to reach the injured area. Over time—meaning that more than one treatment is usually required–this action helps replenish fluids needed to heal the spongy spinal material in a damaged disc.

This type of therapy involves the use of a comfortable, computer-controlled traction table. The prone patient is strapped on the table below the ribcage and around the abdomen, held in place while the table initiates cycles of gentle stretching. This is all controlled by a customized, computer generated treatment plan, which means each patient’s treatment is specific to their personal physical needs.

The number of treatments needed is can vary dependent  upon the patient’s condition. Often however, it may take several treatments to begin to experience improvement. The good part is that the stretching therapy takes about 20 minutes and it can be done within the chiropractic office.

Is it for you?

While Spinal Decompression Therapy is a good choice for most patients with a herniated disc or sciatica, there are some people who should not undergo this type of therapy. This includes:

•  Expectant mothers—the baby wouldn’t appreciate it!
• Patients with vertebrae that have been broken, those with spinal fusion, or who have any kind of spinal implants, especially an artificial disc.
• Patients with failed back surgery.
• Anyone who has had multiple surgeries for pain improvement without recovery (no improvement).Additionally, patients with osteoporosis, spinal infections or tumors, or who require blood-thinning medications are not good candidates for this treatment.

Summing up

If you’re suffering back pain from a herniated disc or sciatica, consider Spinal Decompression Therapy to relieve or reduce your pain. It’s non-invasive, non-surgical, drug-free, and relatively quick!

If you’re already a patient, that our clinic has a wide variety of resources, such as chiropractic treatment, massage therapy and physical rehab, all designed to help you feel better as quickly as possible.

Contact Texas Spine & Wellness and let us help you to determine if you’d be a good candidate for Spinal Decompression Therapy.