Tag Archive for: pain

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Anti-Inflammatory Injection – Press Release from the BCA

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The news that an anti-inflammatory injection will soon be available for some people in the UK with chronic, inflammatory back pain called Ankylosing Spondylitis, will be welcomed by those suffering from the condition which is currently estimated to be around 200,000 people

The vast majority of people suffering from back pain in the UK have the form that is ‘mechanical’ in origin, which can result from wear and tear, poor posture, strains or injury, as opposed to inflammatory disease. There are already many viable options for treatment of inflammatory disease which have been outlined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. These guidelines on the management of lower back pain include recommending a course of treatment of manipulation, which is provided by chiropractors who are also very well placed to diagnose and treat mechanical back pain.

Tim Hutchful of the British Chiropractic Association, said: “Patients with inflammatory disease affecting their spine form a very small proportion of the total population who have back pain and for these patients, the availability of this drug may make a huge difference to their quality of life. However, the vast majority of patients I see as a chiropractor have back pain that is caused by injury, strain or wear and tear and this form of back pain responds well to a package of care that may include manipulation”.

Figures used were according to Ankylosing Spondylitis guidebook for patients from the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society October 2012

44% of the population stated they currently had some form of back pain or discomfort – British Chiropractic Association February 2013

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Great Summer Camping Tips from the BCA!

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School holidays and the tents are out of storage, brushed down and ready for action. Sleeping away from your normal mattress and on harder surfaces could cause problems for your back, so the British Chiropractic Association has some great tips for more comfortable camping.

Protect your back – Ensure your back is protected against a hard and potentially damp surface by sleeping on a quality approved camping mat or air mattress. Try these out in the outdoor shop before buying – most good stores will have samples available. Try to also take a pillow, if you are used to having one. A blow-up pillow is the most portable…. even better, take your usual pillow from home.

Prep your sleeping area first – make sure to remove large stones or sticks that could dig into your spine.

Sleep sensibly – You should endeavor to sleep in a position where your spine is in a straight line as this helps to avoid neck and back pain.

Lift and carry with care- 57% of Brits believe that lifting and carrying is a major trigger for their back and neck pain, so take care when loading and unloading your camping gear. Two bags are better than one – If possible, pack your gear into more bags rather than less, so you can distribute the weight more evenly and reduce the strain on your back when lifting and carrying them. You can get advice on lifting and carrying here.

Straighten Up! Our set of simple stretches and exercises can be done at home and on the campsite and help support a healthier posture. See them in action and learn how to do them here.

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When To See Your GP and When to See Your Chiro

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A very normal scenario when people develop aches and pains is that they see their general practitioner for help. The General Practitioner (GP) toolbox allows for sick leave, pain relieving medication, and referrals such as psychologist consultations, and pain management courses to help you live with your pain (http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Pain/Pages/Longtermpain.aspx), as well as referrals to imaging modalities.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this picture. It shows the existence of a diverse GP evidence-based tool box designed to provide the best option for the patient in a specific scenario. The only arguable problem is the tendency of long waiting lists, increasing the risk of an acute pain process becoming chronic.

A patient with this same type of complaint who visits a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) receives a very similar management. The DC toolbox allows for all normal physical examinations e.g. blood pressure, lung sounds, neurological tests, identification of area and types of structures involved, as well as prescribing sick leave, and referral to special tests like imaging when these are needed. These examinations provide, as with the GP, a clue on which techniques from the respective evidence-based toolbox should then be applied. Again, nothing wrong about this.

As the DC is a specialist in musculoskeletal physiology (just like an orthopaedic surgeon is specialist in operating on joints) it is fair to state that the DC is far better equipped for correctly diagnosing aches and pains related to the musculoskeletal system, and the GP being a specialist in a very big field in medicine, providing a massive knowledge base, is far better equipped for correctly diagnosing from aches and pains related to medical conditions.

Still, people are often confused about when to see the GP, and when to see the DC. How can you make sure you see the right Doctor? I believe in a simple guideline; See your DC when you’re in pain, see your GP when you’re sick.

A very important thing to remember is that the DC is a trained primary health care professional. This means that if your ache or pain is caused by a condition that requires medical attention, your DC will recognise this and adequately refer you to the right institution e.g. your GP or even the ER.

by iCare @ 2013-07-09 – 23:30:01 

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Ankle and foot pain

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As the base of support for the rest of the body including the spine, the ankles and feet are both very important parts of the body. Our Chiropractors therefore, are experts at assessing and treating foot and ankle function.

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Pelvic pain

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Pelvic pain can be caused for a variety of reasons, our Chiropractors are recommended by the Pelvic Partnership charity and will be able to determine the likely source of your pelvic pain and manage it correctly.

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Is Wearing High Heels Bad for my Back?

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This is a common question I often get asked about, I have written this post as a recent study looked at the effects of high heels >10cm on the lower back.

The paper is called “The effect of walking in high- and low-heeled shoes on erector spinae activity and pelvis kinematics during gait” by Mika A, Olesky Ɫ, Marchewka A, Clark BC published in October 2012.

The conclusion they found was “wearing high-heeled footwear may have clinical consequences, including increasing general or muscular fatigue, creating swelling or limited movement, raising the possibility of cumulative strain, promoting fibrosis in the paraspinal musculature, altering joint loading profiles…this list could go on and all these factors could be both consequences and potential causes of LBP.” LBP is short for ‘Lower Back Pain’.

As usual like most research papers state there is always more research required. However, as you can see this paper found good reason to suggest high heels >10cm as a cause of lower back pain.

My answer to the question is usually that the high heels may be a contributing factor but not the sole reason for your back pain. There are usually lots of individual reasons that all add up to the crescendo that is the back pain. Eliminating/treating each small reason bit by bit is the route to a healthy back. Maintaining a healthy back requires continuing exercises and stretches at home to combat the inevitable compensations your body has to make due to the activities of daily life and our hobbies.

If you are going to wear heels, I would recommend doing the exercises and stretches necessary to reverse the effects they cause. Some of which are stated by the above stated research paper. A good Chiropractor should be able to help you with these problems and any back pain you may have.

Danny Adams

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Great advice on Sleeping and Beds from the BCA

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Research carried out on behalf of Premier Inn suggests that you can tell a lot about someone’s personality by the position they sleep in. Your bed can also be the cause of back pain and the British Chiropractic Association has some great advice for sleep posture and how to choose your bed and pillow.

Choosing the right bed can minimise those factors that may lead to, or aggravate back pain. Research by the British Chiropractic Association in 2011 showed that of those experiencing back pain, 41% of women and 36% of men said that their pain could be brought on by a night’s so-called ‘rest’.
We come in different weights, shapes and sizes, but have one thing in common; we spend more than a third of our lives in bed, so should choose our beds carefully.
Which is better, a hard or soft mattress? – The best mattress is a ’supportive one‘. A 16 stone person sleeping on a mattress may not get the same support as a 10 stone person sleeping on the same mattress.

How do I know which is the right mattress for me? – If you are lying on your side, your spine should be parallel to the mattress and your spine should not sag (bed too soft) or bow (bed too hard). The longer you can spend lying on a mattress before you buy it, the more accurate this feeling will be. – Your pillow should be an extension of this i.e. your neck should be a continuation of the straight spine and not too high or too low.
What about my partner? –   Always shop with your partner as your respective ideal mattress tensions could be very different.  If this is the case, buy beds from a range that allow two single mattresses to be zipped together, so that you both get the support you need.

How do I know if my current bed/mattress needs replacing? –  Are you and your partner getting comfortable nights sleep? If the answer is no, your bed may be the problem. -Can you feel the springs through the mattress? If the answer is yes, it is definitely time to buy a new one. –  Is the bed more that 10 years old? If the answer is yes, consider purchasing a new one – beds wear out and may sag or lose support with time.

What things can I do to help prevent back problems even with my new mattress? – Try and adopt a sleeping position which creates less physical stress on the back. For example, lying on your side is better than lying on your front with your neck twisted to one side. –  Keep moving and avoid being in any one position for too long.

No matter how comfy the position may initially feel, the longer you stay in one position, the more this will ‘load joints’. If your partner moves around a lot at night, try separate beds for a while as your partner’s movement could aggravate YOUR back condition! –  Drink water. Keep well hydrated; dehydration can make muscles ache. –   Don’t leap out of bed first thing in the morning. After you have woken up wake up, try some gentle stretches. –   Wake up your body. Once up, avoid bending or doing anything sudden or strenuous until you back wakes up!

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Neck pain and Whiplash

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Chronic Neck pain affects 1.5 out of 9 billion people worldwide, Chiropractors are known as the spinal specialists and have exceptional knowledge and skills that can help ease your neck pain so that you can function correctly

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Rugby Injuries: The Stinger

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In this post I will be explaining what occurs and what is felt with a stinger injury and I will also give some advice on what to expect with regards to recovery.

“Stingers”, also known as “Burners”, occur when a persons neck is taken too far to one side too quickly whilst at the same time the shoulder is depressed downwards too far and too quickly also. The usual mechanism is as a result of a tackle during Rugby or American Football, the resulting pain is described as stinging or burning sensation. The reasons for these symptoms are because the nerves exiting the neck that innervate the arm (via the “brachial plexus”) are stretched during the tackle and therefore injured.


The type of pain that is felt is regarded as a sharp shooting neurological type pain with regions of stinging and burning locally and often distally down the arm. The pain location can vary, though the most commonly affected area is that which is innervated by the C5 nerve as this is the nerve where most of the over stretching is likely to occur as the shoulder is depressed too far downwards. As you can see in the picture below, the C5 nerve root is the highest exiting nerve that innervates the arm from the neck region.
Look at the yellow nerves exiting the spine in to the arm in this picture, C5 is the highest level.

The regions of skin innervated by C5, C6, C7, C8 and T1 are shown here in this picture, when suffering from a Rugby stinger you may feel discomfort along one or more of these regions with C5 being the most likely.

The muscles that you may find weak as a result of a stinger playing Rugby are most likely to be those innervated by C5 and then decreasing in likelihood C6, C7, C8, T1.

As you can see the main muscles innervated by C5 and C6 are those surrounding the shoulder girdle, therefore expect dysfunction to occur in this region. The rate of healing for a nerve is very slow so make sure you are patient and perform rehab sensibly. I would recommend seeing a specialist (e.g chiropractor) for advice and guidance throughout this process as too little or too much rehab or treatment at the wrong time could decrease your recovery rate and prolong your return to action.

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Do You Work for the NHS?

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We are pleased to announce to all NHS employees that we have joined healthstaffdiscounts.co.uk and are giving 10% off consultation and treatment charges to those NHS employees who hold an NHS staff card!

Tag Archive for: pain

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