Month: May 2022

Remember & Honor on Memorial Day from the Pittsburgh North Hills chiropractic office of Dr. James J Schofield.

Lumbar spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal which can put pressure on the spinal cord that travels through the canal. This article will discuss lumbar spinal stenosis and how non-operative chiropractic treatment may help.

Lumbar spinal stenosis tends to cause lower back pain, numbness into one or both legs and can refer pain into the hips. It is usually caused by age-related wear and tear causing osteoarthritic bone and spur buildup. It typically occurs during middle age or older. Lumbar spinal stenosis can be quite debilitating, affecting one’s sleep, ability to walk and can impair one’s ability to perform home and work chores.

It should be said that if a person has impaired bladder or bowel control it is best to immediately go to an emergency room and have a neurological examination.

As a practicing chiropractor of 38 years, I’ve had numerous patients tell me that they have had an MRI that diagnosed lumbar spinal stenosis and their doctor told them that there’s nothing, short of back surgery, that can be done for it. Yet, I have many patients with the condition that have little or no pain.

While lower back surgery can be a treatment option for lumbar spinal stenosis it is one that most patients are hesitant to undertake. Certainly conservative, non-operative therapy is preferred for this condition.

Chiropractic evaluation will check the patient’s spinal and pelvic joint alignment. If there is misalignment of the spine or pelvis it can create pain in the lower back. If there is also lumbar spinal stenosis a healthcare practitioner, who is not a Doctor of Chiropractic, may have confusion as to what is causing the patient’s pain and inappropriately decide that the stenosis, not misalignments, is the source of the pain.

Chiropractors can perform pelvic and spinal adjustments to bring about relief for lower back pain. Chiropractors are the preeminent specialists, in the health care field, to provide and perform gentle, safe, effective realignment of malpositioned spinal vertebrae and pelvic joints.

A chiropractor may also work with the soft tissue areas of the area including fascia, muscles, ligaments and tendons. Soft tissue techniques involving pressure point therapy and electrical muscle stimulation can release tension and stress of these areas of the body. Using cold packs appropriately, to reduce inflammation is also frequently helpful to enhance healing and pain relief.

Today’s modern practice of chiropractic allows for people experiencing lumbar spinal stenosis to gain pain relief for this very debilitating and uncomfortable condition.

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Thank you to all that serve and have served in the Armed Forces from the Pittsburgh North Hills chiropractic office of Dr. James J Schofield.

Most of us know that lower back pain afflicts many people. Pain can be classified as acute which is pain lasting less than three months in duration or chronic which is pain lasting more than three months. It is estimated in the United States 25% of all older people suffer from chronic lower back pain. With baby boomers (those born between 1946-1964) 51% of all costs (over $10 billion) are due to chronic lower back pain. This article will discuss chronic lower back pain and what can be done to bring about relief of chronic back discomfort.

As a practicing chiropractor of over 38 years, I have treated thousands of patients for lower back pain. Acute lower back pain, which is of short duration, usually responds to chiropractic care rather quickly. A couple visits to a couple weeks of visits usually takes care of the problem.

However, chronic back pain which has existed, episodically or constantly, for a longer period of time, is much different than an acute condition. Chronic back discomfort involves irritated and inflamed tissues such as the spinal and pelvic joints, ligaments, nerves, spinal discs, fascia and muscles.

There is a myriad of treatment options patients face in the treatment of chronic back discomfort. These range from surgery to medication’s to more conservative treatment such as chiropractic care and physical therapy.

Before surgery is attempted most experts agree that a conservative approach is best taken. Medications can be helpful for short term pain relief, but they are not without risk. A research article on this subject published in Scientific American, November 2021, notes: “There is no such thing as a risk free-drug and that goes for most trusted painkillers.” Pharmacologic side effects of back pain medications include gastrointestinal and kidney complications.

Chiropractic care for chronic low back pain relief can be multifaceted. Chiropractic spinal and pelvic adjustments gently and safely help to realign malpositioned joints. This can allow irritated nerves, ligaments and spinal discs to heal. Cold packs applied to the area can help reduce inflammation. Electrical muscle stimulation can bring relief for muscle spasms and pain. A deeper pressure point therapy can help to release constriction and strain of the fascial tissues.

Since chronic back pain has existed in most patients for a longer period of time, correspondingly it may take some treatment time to respond and heal, which may involve weeks or months. It is very important that the patient invest their energy and time to enhance their healing. Treating chronic back pain truly involves teamwork between the doctor and the patient.

Chiropractic care has been a conservative safe effective, source of pain relief for chronic lower back pain for over 125 years. Surely it will continue to play an important role in helping with this pervasive condition.

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Back, Neck and Hip Pain Relief

Many times, in my 38 years as a practicing chiropractor, I have had a new patient with pain in their low back, neck or hips come to my office and make the statement: “I have arthritis and my doctor told me I have to live with it.” Yet, I have hundreds of other patients with arthritis, and they have little or no pain. Often it comes as a surprise to those who suffer with osteoarthritis that this very common condition can be helped. This article will discuss osteoarthritis and how one can achieve relief of osteoarthritic pain.

Osteoarthritis is simply degeneration of a joint. It may be mild or severe. A good example of this type of arthritis would be a football player who suffered an injury to his right knee in high school. As he becomes middle age, that knee may have arthritis, but the left knee might be perfectly fine. Osteoarthritis is almost always the result of an injury or repetitive stress that occurs to a joint. It is simply a wear and tear condition.

Although, osteoarthritic pain can occur with any joint, perhaps the most painful and debilitating results of this condition affect the lower back, hips and neck. Fortunately, one can take steps to gain pain relief for the back, neck and hips.

A study published in February 2022 in the Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation revealed chiropractic treatments of spinal manipulation and soft tissue therapy is effective for reducing osteoarthritic pain and improving joint function of the hips and spine.

Chiropractors evaluate their patients spinal and pelvic alignment. If there is misalignment of the spinal vertebrae or the pelvic joints, it can create pain in these areas. If these areas also have a degree of osteoarthritic degeneration the pain can be magnified. By performing chiropractic spinal and pelvic adjustments a Doctor of Chiropractic can bring pain relief to spinal, hip and pelvic joints. Chiropractors are the preeminent healthcare specialists to provide safe, effective realignment of malaligned spinal vertebrae of the neck, lower back and of the pelvis and hips.

Chiropractors also have techniques and are trained to work with the soft tissue of these areas. Specifically, muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia respond well to mechanical treatment. There are a number of soft tissue techniques that chiropractors can use to bring relief. Some of these techniques involve using the hands to provide deep pressure point therapy and some use modalities such as electrical muscle stimulation to release tension and stress in the soft tissues.

Today’s modern practice of chiropractic allows for people to gain pain relief osteoarthritis of the neck, lower back and hips. Chiropractic care is safe, gentle and effective and chiropractors are expertly trained to help their patients with relief of pain for spinal and hip osteoarthritic conditions.

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Happy Mother’s Day!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! From the Pittsburgh North Hills chiropractic office of Dr. James J Schofield.

In my 38 years of chiropractic practice, I’ve had quite a few patients whose sleep was being disrupted due to neck or lower back pain. I recall a patient I saw many years ago named Paul, who was having back pain and sciatica. On his first visit with me he said he’d barely had any normal sleep in over a month due to his pain. He’d already tried medication, but it was of no help. This article will discuss why people may have sleep problems due to spinal pain and how chiropractic care can help with this condition.

Sleep, especially proper sleep, is important for our health. If we do not get adequate sleep, which is generally defined as eight hours per night, it can create problems over the long haul. Lack of sleep can cause learning and memory complications. Weight gain can occur by altering the way our metabolism and hormones should normally function. Cognitive abilities such as mood, concentration and industrial and automotive safety can be affected.

If neck or lower back pain is occurring it may make it difficult for a person to fall asleep, stay asleep or awaken too soon.

Taking sleep medications may help symptomatically, but does not address the cause of the problem.

If a person has misalignments of the spinal bones of the neck or lower back that is causing pinched nerves or irritated spinal joints, it can be challenging to find a comfortable position in bed to fall and stay asleep. This was the case for my patient Paul, who I mentioned earlier.

Another patient, Lindsay, was having such excruciating neck pain that no matter which way she laid her head on her pillow she could not find a comfortable position and was getting no sleep.

When patients like Paul and Lindsay come to me, I initially perform an evaluation to check for misalignments of their spine. Once these are located, I can perform chiropractic spinal adjustments to realign malpositioned vertebrae. Many patients get so much relief after their first or second visits that they end up sleeping 10 to 12 hours to catch up on the sleep they’ve been missing.

This was the case with Paul and Lindsay. As they gained lower back and neck pain relief, their sleep patterns returned to normal. I worked with them to correct their spinal misalignment and showed them how to do stretching and strengthening exercises at home to help prevent the problem from returning. We also talked about the proper type of mattress and pillows to use to provide proper spinal support while sleeping.

I’m happy to report that both Paul and Lindsey never had sleep problems due to spinal pain again. Back and neck problems do not have to interfere with one’s sleep. Try chiropractic care for neck and back pain relief and see if it doesn’t help you to sleep better. It has for millions of patients.

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