If It's Not Working Then Change

I know a number of people who keep seeing the same doctor even though they're not getting better.  That doctor may not know unless you tell him.  But who's fault is it then, the responsibility lies on you.  Make a change; see someone else, try a different treatment, etc...

You want to be 100% healthy or as close to it as you can.  That is why I put a number of products on my website that have been tested in the office.  If I didn't like it, I don't sell it.  It's that simple.  I realized a long time ago that there were so many people I could help, but they were just to far away.  This is why I've put a number of these products on my website; that way, no matter where you are you can get relief...

The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. For low back pain, neck pain, midback pain, headaches, fibromyalgia and more, chiropractic can help you. Call our Glastonbury office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression.

Additional Reading Resources:

• Two of the most popular - slim and sit-back rests
• Read more here...
• Try low back traction - 
• Non Surgical Spinal Decompression in Connecticut with the Drx 9000
• Contact the Glastonbury Chiropractor via telephone, or email

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The Back Store: Cushions, Belts, Pillows, Tens, Hot and Cold Therapy and More | You Tube The Glastonbury Chiropractor

I Have Butt and Leg Pain - HELP!!!

Pain with Numbness and Tingling in the Leg and Butt?

You have pain that is in the butt and the leg, what can it be? Is it on both sides? Is it a pain, numbness, tingling...? The sciatic nerve travels down your rear (goes between the two heads of the piriformis muscle) and then travels down the leg. Sometimes depending on where it is you can tell which nerve root in the back is effected. Is it in the feet - might be the L5 or S1 nerve root? Is it just in upper thigh - might be L3.

Nerve roots exit the spine, and in the lower part of the body, form the sciatic nerve, which goes down the leg. Hence the term "Sciatica". So your pain can be back related but maybe it started in the leg? Ask yourself, what might have triggered this? That will help you find the answer.

Your doctor will send for xray or an mri and do and exam, this will confirm it. Chances are it may just be a good strain. Inflammation builds up somewhere and creates pressure; then you get a symptom.

The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. For low back pain, neck pain, midback pain, headaches, fibromyalgia and more, chiropractic can help you. Call our Glastonbury office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression.

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Additional Reading Resources:

• Traction Products for the Lower Back
• A Brace You Can Wear to Correct Posture
• How Can Spinal Decompression Heal my herniated and bulging discs
• Non Surgical Spinal Decompression in Connecticut with the Drx 9000
• Contact the Glastonbury Chiropractor via telephone, or email

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The Back Store: Cushions, Belts, Pillows, Tens, Hot and Cold Therapy and More | You Tube The Glastonbury Chiropractor

My Knee is killing Me... Could it be coming from my back

Knee Pain Got You Down? Where is it coming From?

I recently spoke with someone who was having knee pain, but did not remember doing anything that could have irritated her knee. She did remember that she had strained her lower back recently.

A lot of the time pain in the lower extremity can be coming from the back.

Nerves in the lower back communicate to your legs. In fact, some chiropractors I know only adjust the spine for this reason.

In truth, the pain may get better quicker, if the extremities are treated as well. The Glastonbury Doctors at CT Spine and Disc have training in extremity treatments in addition to the spine. The bottom line is that adjusting or treating both areas will get things better quicker. A quick way to find out if the back is the culprit is to analyze the possible cause of the pain. Did you do something to your back? If so, it was probably the back. If not, the knee may be the source of the pain.

The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call our chiropractic office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

Additional Reading Resources:

• Natural Pain Relief For the Knee
• Understanding Your Neck Posture
• Pain Relief Products
• Non Surgical Spinal Decompression in Connecticut
• Contact the Glastonbury Chiropractor

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Steroid Injections Offer Short Term Relief, study shows

The pain associated with sciatica can be intense, often shooting pains down one leg due to pressure being put on the sciatic nerve. It can also involve numbness, tingling and weakness.

Study Shows that Steroid Injections
Offer Only Short Term Relief

One of the treatments that an Orthopedic Doctor may recommend for sciatica is an epidural. This involves the injection of a steroid into the joint spaces of the spine.

A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Nov 13, showed that these steroid injections often only provide short term pain relief. This study involved 3100 patients who were followed for over a year. 23 Clinical trials were measured.

"The review showed that [epidural injections] offered only small, short-term improvement in pain and disability for people with sciatica and had no long-term effect," said Dr. Chris Maher, a professor of physiotherapy at the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney in Australia (co author).

The results showed that at 2 weeks and 3 months after treatment, 10 trials showed leg-pain relief and 14 reported improvements in disability. But after a year or more, no differences were found in leg pain, back pain or disability for those given injections compared to those given a placebo.

"Given that the treatment effect is likely to be small and short term, patients with sciatica should discuss the potential risks involved in [steroid injections] with their doctor before agreeing to the procedure" said Maher, who also is director of the George Institute for Global Health, in Sydney.

These findings are very similar to an earlier study that showed that the steroid injections are no better than anti inflammatory medications.

At our Glastonbury chiropractic Office we offer non surgical spinal decompression treatments for patients with sciatica and leg pain. Call our office to see if you are candidate for this treatment.

The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call our chiropractic office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

Source: Steroid Shots for Sciatica: Benefits only Brief, Analysis Finds US News 11/12/2012

Additional Reading Resources:

• Traction Products for the Lower Back Pain Relief
• Lower Back Supports - Lumbar Belts
• Do Your Suffer from back and leg pain due to sciatica
• Non Surgical Spinal Decompression in Connecticut
• Contact the Glastonbury Chiropractor

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Do you Suffer from Back and Leg Pain Due to Sciatica?

Sciatica pain can be a big pain in the butt- literally. Understand more about why the sciatic nerve can cause so much pain, weakness and loss of muscle strength.

Check out Arc4life's Newest Squidoo Lens: Sciatica Pain- Back and Leg Pain From Sciatica

Visit the Glastonbury Chiropractor on Facebook.

Additional Reading Resources:

• What is causing my sciatica?
• Is your Lower Back or Leg Pain the result of a lumbar radiculopathy?
• Chiropractic for back and leg pain in Glastonbury CT
• Non surgical spinal decompression Glastonbury CT with the Drx9000
• No More Low Back Pain ! Simple tips to keep a Healthy Back

The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call our chiropractic office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

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Can a Lumbar Disc Injury Cause Back Spasms?

Absolutely. The discs in the lumbar spine act as a cushion, allowing us to move, walk, run, jump, etc … Let’s take a disc injury like a bulging disc as an example. In this case the disc bulges outward, which literally puts pressure on nerves or a nerve root. When this happens, that disc space between vertebrae will flatten. Much like a flat tire, it will flatten and bulge.



Remember, nerves control the muscles, so if we have pressure on the nerves it will create problems with the muscles those nerves go to.



So, if you put pressure on a nerve or nerve root, you may get back pain or sciatica, but you can also get back spasms, leg numbness, or something similar. Depending which disc level or levels get injured can tell us what symptoms may occur and where.




In the past, a disc injury could be a major spoiler, now with DRX9000 Spinal Decompression we can help. Call our office if you are experiencing disc pain or low back spasms.





The Glastonbury Chiropractor serving Glastonbury, Marlborough, East Hartford, Hartford, West Hartford, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Middletown, Manchester, and more- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call our chiropractic office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

Additional Reading Resources:

• Spinal Decompression doctor in your area
  
• Dr B Uses the DRX
  
• Non Surgical Spinal Decompression in Connecticut
• Contact the Glastonbury Chiropractor

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Lumbar Degeneration… What can I do??

Have you been told you have arthritis in your back, lumbar degeneration? … And then told, “There’s nothing you can do.”
Well, there actually is something you can do. What typically happens with lumbar degeneration? The lumbar discs flatten and bulge. Much like a flat tire, the discs flatten allowing there to be more nerve pressure.

One newer treatment that has shown to help is spinal decompression. The drx9000 creates a stretch with much much more force than traction, however, you hardly feel a thing. The drx decompression actually keeps the muscles relaxed when creating a stretch. This is vital to create a suction effect in the disc space. Essentially, there is a pull in the up and down direction and a suction effect from the sides, pulling the disc back in where it has bulged out.

So, if you have low back pain or sciatica because of arthritis in the low back, try drx9000 spinal decompression.


The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call our chiropractic office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

Additional Reading Resources:

• Work Related lower back pain
  
• How Can Chiropractic Help My Disc Degeneration
  
• Glastonbury Chiropractic Office
  
• Non Surgical Spinal Decompression in Connecticut
  
• Contact the Glastonbury Chiropractor

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Good In = Good Out, When it comes to your overall health as well as low back pain or sciatica!

Remember when you were a kid and your aunt used to tell you thinks like “you eat so many ____, you’re going to turn into a _____.”

She’d say something like “you eat one more donut, you’re going to turn into a donut!” Maybe it was Mom or Grandma, or whoever, but it actually rings true. We kind of are what we eat. Hence, my title here means you put good stuff in, you get good stuff out. Good food- lots of fresh fruits and veggies, healthy things- means more energy, better body function, etc …

And remember, 100% health equals 100% function of our bodies. Eating right is one major piece to that puzzle of 100% health. Getting adjusted by your chiropractor is another.

I remember back in chiropractic school, in nutrition class we had to make a chart of what we ate every day for a week. Until you track what you eat daily from breakfast, lunch and dinner to snacks, you sometimes forget or just don’t even realize you aren’t eating as well as you should be.

Make a chart and see what you can improve in your diet- maybe it’s less sugar, maybe more fresh vegetables, whatever the case is … tracking your diet is easy to do and can really open ones eyes to improving their diet and health.

Don’t be afraid to ask your chiropractor some ways you can stay healthy with your diet. At CT Spine & Disc, Spinal Decompression and chiropractic care and our chiropractors in Glastonbury are always here to help.

The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call our chiropractic office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

Additional Reading Resources:

• Chiropractor Ct
  
• chiropractic glastonbury
  
• About us at CT Spine Chiropractic and Spinal Decompression
  
• Non Surgical Spinal Decompression in Connecticut
• Contact the Glastonbury Chiropractor

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How Can I Stretch the Piriformis?

With low back pain, sciatica, pain into the front of the leg, or groin pain we often have piriformis muscle tightness and spasm. The muscle spasm and taut muscles can be in the buttocks and hamstrings too.

The piriformis muscle is in the bottom of your buttocks; think of when you sit, the part that is against the chair is the piriformis region.

The standard stretch is to cross one leg over the other and then pull that leg-knee to the chest.

Ex: to stretch the right piriformis muscle, cross the right leg over the left and pull the left knee toward your chest. Do this in a lying on your back position.

Another great way to do this that’s often easier is to do it seated. Cross your right leg over your left and lean forward until you feel the stretch. Depending on your level of back or leg pain this version may be easier to do.

The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call our chiropractic office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompressionAdditional Reading Resources:

• Sciatica Exercise Program
  
• stretches for sciatic relief>
  
• Glastonbury Chiropractor
  
• What is Non Surgical Spinal Decompression: FAQ's
  
• Research about Non Surgical Spinal Decompression

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Sciatica and the Piriformis Muscle...

Technically, we refer to any back pain going down into the leg as sciatica. The reason is the sciatic nerve travels down the leg giving off different branches to various parts of the leg.

The source of pain is from the lower back because that is where the nerve roots come off the spinal cord. The lower nerve roots form together to create the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve then travels down the buttocks between two head of the piriformis muscle and down the leg.

When this piriformis muscle gets irritated, it pinches the nerve making pain worse. Ultimately, pressure on the nerve roots in the back will contribute to piriformis tightness as well. This happens because the piriformis is controlled by these nerves too. Spinal misalignments and/or disc problems can be the root cause of the nerve pressure however.

Chiropractic treatments and spinal decompression are the two best natural options for quick pain relief.


The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call our chiropractic office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompressionAdditional Reading Resources:

• sciatica treatment exercise program
  
• spinal decompression research
  
• What is Chiropractic
  
  
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This October: Chiropractic Awareness Month!

This is Chiropractic awareness month. This is the perfect time to visit your chiropractor's office with any healty health concern you may have.

Chiropractic is a drug-free, non-surgical treatment option. It's one of the biggest, if not the biggest natural health care profession. A doctor of chiropractic is trained in may areas of health. After 3-4 years of undergraduate study a DC (doctor of chiropractic), goes to an additional 4 years of schooling.

Some of the most common conditions treated are neck pain, headaches, back pain, and sciatica. Visit your chiropractor this month to find out if he or she can help.

The Glastonbury Chiropractor is located in central Connecticut- CT Spine and Disc Center specializes in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call our chiropractic office at 860-633-8756 to schedule an appointment and to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

Additional Reading Resources:

• Chiropractic glastonbury
  
• Contact CT Spine
  
• Sciatica Exercise Program
  
• What is Non Surgical Spinal Decompression: FAQ's
• Research about Non Surgical Spinal Decompression

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Continuous Pressure on Nerves can Lead to Nerve Damage

As you can imagine, if you continue to put pressure on a low back nerve that nerve can start to deteriorate. Like the root of a plant, if you confine it to a pot to small or forget to supply it with light and water, it will cease to grow, and eventually will shrivel up.

The nerves are similar, if we allow the life force to be cut off then eventually it will atrophy. Of course, at this point, pain may become more permanent and other symptoms may start to arise.

The symptoms associated with lumbar nerve pressure include pain, tingling and numbness, sciatica, and even leg weakness.

In the lower back the common term for this is “Sciatica.” Lumbar Disc herniation often causes sciatica. What happens is the disc ruptures outward, putting pressure on nerve roots. This pressure eventually can lead to disc and nerve degeneration.


CT Spine and Disc Center is located in central Connecticut- Specializing in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call us at 860-633-8756 to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

Additional Reading Resources:

• Two Tips to Avoid Back Pain
  
• Gardening Safely without Pain
  
• Glastonbury Chiropractor
  
• Proven Techniques for Back Pain
  
• What is Non Surgical Spinal Decompression: FAQ's
• Research about Non Surgical Spinal Decompression

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The Differences In Various Lumber Disc Conditions…

I often have patients that bring in their MRI report page with a very confused look on their face. Doctor- can you tell me what this word means?

The lumbar spine consists of five vertebrae or spinal segments. Between each segment is a disc. This disc acts as a shock absorber so we can do things like: run, jump, twist, and lift. It also acts as a spacer between segments forming a hole between spinal vertebrae. L1 refers to Lumbar 1, L2- Lumbar2, and so on. There is an L1 to L5, then you hit the sacrum which is often referred to as S1.

Disc problems are often classified into one or more of the following conditions:

• Disc Degeneration- this is age related breakdown of the disc. This is often synonymous with disc desiccation and is accompanied with fibrosis and osteophyte formation of adjacent vertebrae.
  
  
• Disc Desiccation- a disc that has fibrosed or hardened due to loss of water content. You see the disc is made up of an annulus (outer fibers which are slightly harder), then the inner nucleus which is more of a gel-like material.
  
  
  
• An annular tear refers to any disruption in the outer disc fibers. Besides a tear you can also have a rupture of the annulus fibrosis. The annulus is the outer ring of the disc.
  
  
• When someone has a herniated disc they have disc material that has broken out through the annulus. The nucleus pulposis is displaced beyond the margins of the vertebrae.
  
  
• Next is a Disc Protrusion- It is basically another name for a herniated disc. There are two types; focal disc protrusions or broad based disc protrusions. Focal is when the disc protrusion is less than 25% of the disc circumference. A broad based protrusion is when the disk protrusion encompasses 25-50% of the disc circumference.
  
  
  
• When the disc that has herniated out is more wide than it is long (meaning how far it is reaching outward) it is a Protruding Disc vs. the next definition.
  
  
  
• Extruded Disc- this means the disc has come outward further than it is wide. Extruded discs can also be classified as sequestered or migrated discs.
  
  
  
• Sequestered disc- Also called a migrated disc, is when that extrusion breaks free from its connection to the rest of the disc material and is now a free fragment or “fragmented disc.”
  

Additional Reading Resources

• The Most Common Disc Herniation in the Neck
  
• Understanding A Disc Problem with a Jelly Donut: Herniated Disc or Slipped Disc?
  
• Understanding Non Surgical Spinal Decompression: FAQ's
  
• Research about Non Surgical Spinal Decompression

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CT Spine and Disc Center is located in central Connecticut- Specializing in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call us at 860-633-8756 to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

Do my leg and butt muscles play a role in my back pain and sciatica?

Most often your leg and butt muscles do play a role in your back pain and sciatica. As I mentioned in the last blog, everything in the body works together. Having leg muscles that are extremely tight will limit the flexibility of your pelvis and therefore limit movement of the lower back.

If your calf muscles are tight it affects your hamstring muscles; if your hamstring muscles are tight it affects your gluteus muscles; if your butt muscles are tight it affects your low back muscles.

Just like we talked about previously, if one area of the body has a problem, something else must pick up the slack. For example, if the hamstring muscles are extremely tight your low back may have to flex more to make up for the lack of motion in the leg muscles. This can put excessive stress on the spine and discs which leads to injury.

Make sure you stay limber by stretching leg muscles as well because it can save your back from injury.

Additional Reading Resources

• Lower Back Rehabilitation: A Vital Tool to Keep Your Back Pain Away
  
  
• Doctor, I have butt and leg pain, can you help me?
  
  
• What is causing my sciatic?
  
  
• Specific Symptoms associated with a Lumbar Radiculopathy
  
  
• Understanding Non Surgical Spinal Deomcompression
  

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Dear Doctor, I have Butt and Leg Pain. Can you Help me?

Pain starts in my left rear-end and travels down my leg. Sometimes I even get numbness. I don’t really have much back pain. Is it back-related?

Over and over we see patients with pain in the legs and buttocks or numbness and tingling in the legs, but no back pain. Most often the problem still comes from the lower back.

The reason is that nerves have specific referral patterns, measuring pressure on one part of the nerve may refer or send symptoms to another area.

In the low back the lower nerve roots form together to create your sciatic nerve which travels down near your sacrum (or tailbone region) and exits out the buttock on each side and sends nerve innervation to the legs.

Depending where the pressure is and how severe it is will determine your symptoms. The nerve roots that branch off the spinal cord are a bundle of nerves; depending which fibers in those nerve roots are irritated will determine where your symptoms may occur- leg pain, foot numbness, back pain, shooting pain down the leg starting at the base of your rear-end, muscle cramping in your calves. . .

Some symptoms are more common for certain conditions or a disc problem at a specific level often causes similar symptoms. This is specifically why we do specific exam tests or lab tests, or take pictures of the spine and/or discs.

So, to answer your question in the title- the answer is often: yes! However, our consultation and exam with you will give us a clear yes or no.

If you suffer with symptoms in your lower extremity such as leg pain and tingling/numbness in the legs, call our office for a free, no obligation consultation right away.

CT Spine and Disc Center is located in Glastonbury, CT- Serving patients in central CT and MA. If you suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine, we can help you. Call us at 860-633-8756 to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression.

Additional Reading Resources:

• What is Causing my Sciatica?
  
• How does Drx9000 Non Surgical Spinal Decompression Work?
  
• Understanding Non Surgical Spinal Decompression: FAQ's
  
• Research about Non Surgical Spinal Decompression
  

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Low Back And Leg Pain Relief... Treatments Available For Your Sciatica!

The 1st line of defense is usually conservative treatment by your doctor, chiropractor, or therapist.

Your doctor may use some anti-inflammatory or pain relief meds or over the counter medication. He may also give you some home exercises or stretches to perform that help the muscles.

Your chiropractor will use gentle spinal manipulations to align the spine as well as muscular therapies like electrical muscle stimulation, ultrasound, ice, or heat, trigger point work to name a handful.

Your medical doctor or your chiropractor will also use specific test in the office to best determine the cause of your symptoms; they may also send you for specific images such as an MRI, or CT scan of your spine and discs.

Your physical therapist may work with on stretching, strengthening muscles, as well as postural exercises and other therapies.

Your massage therapist will use various muscle techniques to relief muscle tension, spasm, and trigger points.

If this does not work the new treatment method of choice is non-surgical spinal decompression with the drx9000.

Pain relief shots are another treatment option. This is typically in the form of a steroid injection or an epidural.

If all of these options fail the next alternative is surgery. There are many types of back surgery. Keep in mind no matter how non-invasive you think this or that surgery may be, it’s still surgery. Any good doctor or surgeon will only recommend this if the individual has exhausted all other options and/or have such severe symptoms it warrants immediate action.

CT Spine and Disc Center is located in central Connecticut- Specializing in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call us at 860-633-8756 to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

Additional Reading Resources:

• How does spinal decompression work
  
• View our 3D animation of back pain causes
  
• Learn how chiropractic manipulation can be extremely valuable on your pathway to health and relief of pain
  
• Understanding Non Surgical Spinal Decompression: FAQ's
  
• Research about Non Surgical Spinal Decompression
  

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Is Your Lower Back Pain Or Leg Pain The Result Of A Lumbar Radiculopathy?

Severe Lower Back Pain Or Leg Pain may be the Result Of A Lumbar Radiculopathy. Patients who present with lower back pain that is radiating into their legs and feet may be diagnosed with a lumbar radiculopathy. A lumbar radiculopathy includes anything that causes irritation, compression or dysfunction of one or more of the lumbar (low back) nerves. The lumbar nerve roots are sensitive to any type of irritation or pressure- and can cause those nerve roots to not function properly. The general term we often use for a lumbar radiculopathy is Sciatica.



What goes on at the nerve root level in the low back can cause many different symptoms? Any type of irritation to the nerve root can cause inflammation which can then cause back pain. Believe it or not, pressing on a nerve may not cause pain, or at least pain right away, but it will cause neurological deficits at some level.

The lumbar nerve roots have sensory, motor, and reflex components. When we say compression of a nerve root could cause neurological deficits, the sensory, motor or reflex component may be affected. Each nerve in the low back controls certain muscles and certain sensations and reflexes in areas of the low back, buttocks and legs.

Radiculopathy can be caused by different things- and often times it is important to distinguish a radiculopathy from other conditions such as spinal cord lesion or a severe muscle strain.

To diagnose a radiculopathy, it is important to have a proper history and consultation with your Doctor. What caused this pain? What is the pain level? Does the back pain travel into the legs? Does the pain cause numbness and tingling anywhere? Your doctor will determine what level the radiculopathy is taking place by looking at sensory changes such as feeling altered sensations or tingling, decreased or absent reflexes, and weakness in certain muscles. This goes back to looking at the sensory, motor and reflex aspect of each lumbar nerve root. So the first step in understanding a lumbar radiculopathy, is to see your doctor for a proper consultation, history and examination. You may also be sent out for specific imaging studies such as a lumbar MRI.

I will discuss more about specific details about what can cause a radiculopathy, what symptoms present at certain levels and how to treat this type of back pain or sciatica in the next couple blog posts. If you have specific questions about a lumbar radiculopathy or sciatica or have tried various treatments with no real success, call our office at 860-633-8756 to find out if we may be able to help.


CT Spine and Disc Center is located in central Connecticut- Specializing in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call us at 860-633-8756 to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

Additional Resources:

• How does spinal decompression work
  
• View our 3D animation of back pain causes
  
• Learn how chiropractic manipulation can be extremely valuable on your pathway to health and relief of pain
  
• Understanding Non Surgical Spinal Decompression: FAQ's
  
• Research about Non Surgical Spinal Decompression
  

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Can My Back Be Causing More than Just Back or Leg Pain?

Yes, low back pain can often cause leg pain. Nerves in the low back not only communicate to your back and leg muscles but also go to the important parts of your body like you bladder, intestines, sexual organs, etc...And if pressure continues to accumulate on nerves or a nerve other problems often do start to happen.

Think of it like this – if you have extra pressure on the nerves traveling to your right kidney and nothing interfering with nerves traveling to your right kidney and nothing interfering with nerves to the left kidney, which one do your think will be working better?

This is the reason why keeping your nerves free of pressure is extremely important, one day it may be back pain, the next it could be something much worse.

Second, when your body is working to heal your back other parts of the body often pick up the slack. Remember the kidney example I just gave – the left kidney will have to pick up the slack for the right kidney. This can then lead to problems there other parts of the body as a result.

Lastly, dealing with pain can wear you out mentally, maybe causing depression, loss of sleep, fatigue, irritability… It’s is usually a downward spiral of things just getting worse..And all because of your back.

If you have back pain or know you have degeneration and pressure on the nerves of the low back, don’t wait until its too late.

CT Spine and Disc Center is located in central Connecticut- Specializing in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call us at 860-633-8756 to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

Additional Reading Resources:

• Oh..My Aching Leg?
  
• The Common Answers To Solving Back Pain From a Herniated Or Bulging Disc...And Why They Almost Never Really Work!
  
• The Two Best Stretches for Sciatica Relief
  
• Understanding Non Surgical Spinal Decompression: FAQ's
  
• Research about Non Surgical Spinal Decompression
  

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Oh, My Aching…Leg?

Certain low back conditions give rise to more than just low back pain. For example, leg pain can be more intense than low back pain, even though the cause of the leg pain is coming from the low back. When this happens, many patients complain that they have “sciatica,” which refers to radiating pain that starts in the low back and extends down into the leg. When the intensity of leg pain is worse than the low back, it can make patients wonder, “…where is my problem really coming from?”

To understand this better, a short “anatomy lesson” is appropriate. The spine can be divided into two halves, front and back. The structures in the front half include the larger, heavier bones called vertebral bodies and the shock absorbing cushions that lie between the vertebral bodies called the intervertebral disks. The disk is like a jelly donut where the center is liquid-like and the outer portion is a tough, criss-cross pattern cartilage arranged like the rings on a tree stump. There are also ligaments that hold the vertebrae and disks tightly together. The back half of the spine includes the spinal cord, nerve roots, as well as the small joints of the back called facet joints. Every movable joint has a joint capsule that helps lubricate the joint and limits the amount of movement, along with surrounding ligaments. The larger, heavier vertebral bodies and shock absorbing disks carry the majority of the weight (approximately 80%) while the smaller facet joints carry much less weight (only 20%) but are more responsible for guiding the movements of our back.

When leg pain is present, it can be caused by either a pinched nerve, or, an inflamed facet joint.

When a nerve is pinched, the cause is usually from the intervertebral disk where the jelly-like center leaks out and presses on the nerve that goes down the leg, commonly referred to as a “herniated disk with sciatica.” This type of pain is quite specific, easy to describe and often extends below the knee to the ankle or foot. It can include muscle weakness, numbness in certain areas of the leg, and bending forward increases low back and leg pain while bending backwards reduces the leg pain (and sometimes the LBP).

When a facet joint capsule tears (technically, called a “sprain”), the pain is “referred” down the leg in a generalized, non-specific manner, usually described as a “deep ache,” often hard to describe and usually does not go below the level of the knee. Here, it feels better to bend forward and worse to bend backwards, of which neither movement changes or affects the leg in a specific way. Disk related leg pain carries a potential for surgery if all non-surgical approaches fail, while facet joint referred leg pain rarely requires invasive treatments or surgery.

The good news is that both of these sources of low back and leg pain are very treatable with DRX9000 Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression or Chiropractic care! The important point to remember is that obtaining prompt treatment, when symptoms first appear is best – as waiting and hoping it will subside on its own often results in a longer treatment course and is less satisfying for all concerned.

YOU MAYBE A CANDIDATE FOR DRUG FREE RELIEF!
FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 633-8756.

Medical Advisory Board Doing More Research And Testing With The DRX9000!!

Axion Worldwide, the maker of the DRX9000, now has a medical advisory board continually doing research with the DRX9000. The DRX9000 has had a superb success record for back pain and sciatica sufferers. Because of the success of this non-surgical, natural treatment it has sparked the interest of the "traditional (drugs and surgery)" medical fields, and opened new insight into treating severe back pain and herniated discs.

Dr Joseph Pergolizzi MD of Johns Hopkins is one of the commitee members of this independent medical research advisory board. Listen to top medical school doctors and top name researchers speak on non-surgical Spinal Decompression by clicking here!



The Chiropractors at CT Spine And Disc Center use DRX9000 Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression for severe back pain, sciatica and herniated disc. For more information or to see if you might qualify for treatment call 633-8756.