Chronic Pain
Correcting ‘Australian Posture’ – Chronic Back Pain
Case History: Chronic Lower Back Pain, Forward Head Carriage and ‘Australian Posture’
Mr. M. is a 44 year old male sales and office worker who attended the Practice. Yes a real patient, real person.
He was suffering with chronic lower back pain (CLBP). He had been enduring spinal pain for 25 years and things were getting progressively worse.
In terms of postural distortion; Mr. M. had what we affectionally call an ‘Australian Posture’. Australian Posture is something we commonly see in Practice and is a driver of many lower back and neck conditions.
Australian Posture is the forward translation of the torso and head forward of the vertical green axis line, in the manner you see below. Not only does this create tremendous pressure on the lower back, but also the neck and shoulders.
Spinal Fusion is a Trap
Surgeons are being warned to stop routinely undertaking spine-fusing operations over fears too many patients are being left needlessly crippled.
A gathering of Australian pain specialists have been told to scale back their reliance on common lumbar fusion operations by visiting US expert Dr Gary Franklin.
Dr Franklin – a neurologist and medical director of the Washington State Department of Labour and Industries – said his US study also found 44 per cent of workers were left permanently disabled a decade after fusion surgery.
Is Sitting The New Smoking?
I hope you’re sitting down for this one folks.. or maybe not, because it appears that your chair is out to get you!
It might sound strange, but it’s true.
Researchers have found that sitting, something we all do on a daily basis and which the majority of us spend 80% or more of our working day doing could kill us faster than smoking will.
Statistics from an Australian study released in the LA Times Feature which feature this news indicate that an hour of sitting in front of the TV cuts around 22 minutes from our lives.
That’s: 1 hour of sitting cuts 22 minutes from our lives – extraordinary!
Back Care for Office Workers
Most of us are in the same predicament – sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day, hunched over the keyboard with our necks bent in unnatural positions.
In truth, our backs were not designed to spend long periods of time sitting at desks. Spending 6 to 8 a day in front of the computer can lead to shoulder, arm, hand and neck problems, as well as issues with balance and co-ordination. Here, in this article, we discuss how office-workers can avoid back pain with a few simple changes to their routine.
Acupuncture Reduces Chronic Pain
As a clinician very rarely would I have a patient with a musculoskeletal condition that does not respond well to Acupuncture.
In reality has little to do with the nature of their complaint and more to do with the concept of giving themselves ‘permission to be there’ for care.
Luckily acupuncture works – whether you believe in it or not.
In a recent analysis published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers concluded that acupuncture has a definite effect in reducing chronic pain, such as back pain and headaches – more so than standard pain management.
Whole Body Vibration – Get Faster Results From Your Care
Get Better Results From Your Care.
One of the key components missing from most Chiropractic Clinics is Rehab. Physiotherapists, on the other hand, may have fantastic rehab – but alas are often unable to provide the corrections to restore normal Spinal Biomechanics.
To assist in our Rehabilitation Programs we use a number of different devices, physical therapies, exercise therapies, mirror image exercises, Spinal remodelling and traction equipment.
One of the most popular, and evidenced based machines, used to assist You in Your recovery is Whole Body Vibration (WBV).
WBV can be used to assist with virtually all strength, stretching and rehabilitation programs. The 3D Vibrational Technology provided by our medical grade plates is quite impressive in its ability to help you recover faster, improve your flexibility and stimulate muscles you never thought you had!
‘Is Acupuncture As Good As Drugs – Or Better?’
A number of patients recently have been commenting on the recent publicity Acupuncture has been receiving in the news lately.
Acupuncture is just as good as drugs at relieving pain in people’s lower backs and from sprained ankles and migraines, a ground-breaking hospital trial has found.
The extraordinary finding could open the door to Australian hospitals offering the low-cost Chinese medicine therapy used by more than 1 billion people worldwide for pain relief, particularly in Asia.
Acupuncture has been trailed in the emergency department of a number of leading Melbourne Hospitals, including the Alfred, Northern, Cabrini and Epworth.
The purpose of the trial is to see if acupuncture could relieve acute pain in patents presenting to hospital and how it would compare to the normal drug protocols.
