Chiropractic Elk Grove

We not have all experienced knee problems but to those of us who have know how excruciating that type of pain can be.  When asked to give a number on a pain scale out of ten, ten being the worst pain I have ever felt, my ten is the knee pain I felt after a skiiing accident where I fell and tore the medial collateral ligament on my right knee.  I was already not taking pain medication as a choice in my life so I never filled my perscription for codeine or whatever it was for.  I went to bed and elevated it on a pillow.  Somehow I did fall asleep but woke up in the middle of the night to tremendous pain that made me curl into a ball holding my knee, crying and rocking to make it feel better.  This happened ten years ago.  I still remember.  Now, women, give me a break, I haven’t had the priviledge to have given birth to children yet, so I am assuming if I do ever get the chance at such an endevor, I will change the definition of my “ten.” 

I am writing this to those who understand what I am talking about and to the rest of you that I care about and wouldn’t want you to feel this kind of pain. 

First,  I want women to take note that one reason women might be prone to knee issues is because of the muscle weakness in their hamstrings.  So we can pick special exercises at the gym to address those muscles.  Ask the personal trainer which ones and how best to do them.  Make sure you stretch them afterwards.  Remember the muscle is the primary stabilizer and ligaments are secondary.  So it should make sense that the muscle loses its tone to a point that it can no longer stabilize the joint efficiently - joint goes. 

Children are prone to knee injuries because of sports they play or how they play them.  Sports that require quick starting, stopping, changing directions, pivoting, twisting or decelerating movements all can result in torn ligaments or be a contributing factor to a knee injury.  Injury can also be a result of direct impact. 

Knee pain can also come from subluxations or rotated hips that displace more weight on one leg, therefore knee, than the other.  Before you look to surgery to “fix” the knee problem try chiropractic first!  Get a chiropractic opinion.  The chiropractor should be able to check for hip rotation, subluxations or even excessive foot pronation (this is walking on the inside portion of the foot, where the arch should be).  The arch is very important to the support of the body.  They are part of the feet, the foundational structure to us, while standing up right. 

Take a proactive approach to keeping your knees from getting injured.  Go see a chiropractor.  Remember knee injuries might not just show up with an single incident but may be due to repeated microtrauma over time. 

Hoping you don’t ever feel my “ten out of ten,”

Dr. Munoz

A lot of people come in to the office thinking they have “sciatica.”  Either they heard from their friends what it is supposed to feel like or their medical doctor has diagnoses them with it.  I wanted to bring some light to the subject.  Medical doctors will want to perform massively invasive, open back surgeries. 

Description of Sciatica

Sciatica is a layman’s term for a pinched nerve that can cause pain that runs from the buttocks down the back of the leg.

The sciatic nerve is about an inch or so long in the buttocks made of multiple spinal nerves. When people commonly refer to sciatica it is not necessarily a problem of the sciatic nerve, it’s a problem of the nerve when it is being pinched as it exits from the spine from a herniated disc or a bone spur. 

As chiropractors we have seen sciatica also be caused by subluxations, a misalignment of the spine that creates a
radiculopathy, pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) and rotation of the hips.  You might just have Piriformis syndrome that presents itself in our bodies and is very similar to sciatica but should be treated differently.

The causes of subluxations are sometime unknown to the patient or are caused by direct trauma.  Subluxations in terms of sciatica are a result of prolonged external pressure on the nerve, and pressure on the nerve from nearby body structures. It can also be caused by entrapment — pressure on the nerve where it passes through a narrow structure. The damage slows or prevents conduction of impulses through the nerve.

Signs & Symptoms of Sciatica (How you might feel when you show up to the office):

The sciatic nerve can also be injured by fractures of the pelvis or other trauma to the buttocks or thigh. Prolonged sitting or lying with pressure on the buttocks may also injure it. Systemic diseases, such as diabetes, can typically damage many different nerves, including the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve may also be harmed by pressure from masses such as a tumor or abcess, or by bleeding in the pelvis.

Symptoms of sciatica include sensation changes, numbness, decreased sensation, tingling, burning and pain in the buttocks, down the back of the legs, the back of the calf or the sole of the foot. Sciatica can also cause weakness in the legs, knees and feet and in severe cases can cause loss of mobility.

No one is minimizing how you feel.  This is a serious issue and you may need surgery.  What I want you to do is think about the choices you have to “fix” it.  Before you go the traditional medical/surgical route what I would do if I were you is to see a chiropractor and see if they can get the pain to go away.  Try chiropractic first.  Although we don’t only go  pain in regards to how well you are doing, in this case you could determine if the chiropractic treatments are working/helping based upon your level of pain.  In other words, if the pain decreases in this case, I would think you would agree that something is being done to your body that is bettering the situation and may take you further away from the need for surgery.  My first recommendation is that you have a discussion about your progress with your current chiropractor if you are not seeing the results you were looking for.  I would even suggest that if one chiropractor/series of chiropractic adjustments are working for you to give chiropractic another chance through another chiropractor.  It may be the type of chiropractic adjustment or the individual chiropractor’s way of case management that didn’t work and not necessarily the whole chiropractic approach all together.  In other words, don’t throw away the baby with the bath water.  We are all very different.  I am suggesting you try another one and even explain to the new/second chiropractor what the situation is.  I guarantee you that the second chiropractor will give you great care and attention in hopes to get relief for you so that you don’t “leave” chiropractic all together.  After all, in the end you always have the medical, traditional, surgical route to go if both attempts get no results. 

Just trying to help you out with some choices - think about it,

Dr. Munoz

Source: Article ”Sciatica and Sciatic Nerve Pain,” Laser Spine Institute, LLC, www.laserspineinstitute.com

We are coming up on another weekend.  For some of you it’s the only time you get to exercise.  We are expecting great weather this weekend, here in Elk Grove.  72 degrees F on Saturday and Clear.  So if you are a weekend warrior you might think of going for a walk, jog or a run.  If you do so, I wanted to give you a few tips.  Being that we don’t want you to get hurt and you don’t normally do it make sure you go out there with the right equipment. 

I bought a pair of running shoes at The Running Zone at 8470 Elk Grove Blvd.  There phone number is 916-478-9663.  They did such a great job at fitting me for the right shoes.  They had me walk up and down the middle of their store in order to first “diagnose” me as a pronator, supinator, or something in between.  They can even determine/tell you if there is an arch in your feet that might be missing.  Once that is determined the store has the shoes on the walls seperated into those different type of categories. 

Their sales people take all the guess work out of what type of shoe is best for you.  After that all you have to do is pick the color, really, style and brand you think you might like.  They will bring out a couple and have you try them on.  It’s kind of like this weird magical thing happens.  One of the three or so pairs they bring out for you to try on will feel like they were made for you. 

They know how to size them to your feet.  They will actually bring you a half a size or full size larger than what you normally wear.  It might look or feel different but it is what makes them feel like you are walking on clouds.  If you can’t make it to the store or want to give picking out your own shoes on your own, which I don’t recommmend, The Running Zone’s, Bob Wischnia, has written and posted an article on How To Choose the Best Running Shoes for You on the left hand side of the their website page at http://runningzone.us. They also seen to be having an event, Healthy Kids Fun Run for children on April 25th.

Have a great weekend,

Dr. Munoz

So, this one is going to be short and sweet.  I am going to talk to you about inflammation, this is when there is an increase of blood to and injured area of your body.  The body sends blood to that area to help heal it.  Inflammation is occuring when you feel low back pain or neck pain from the whiplash you experienced from the accident.  It is also present but not so visible or felt by you inside your arteries as in the inflammatory  processes that happen with cardiovascular disease.    So in order to send healthy blood to the injured areas so that it can do its job and deposit healthy building, reparing, rebuilding blocks the body and blood system have to have healthy building blocks.  Here are some healthy choices of foods that you can consume while you are experiencing the low back pain or over a longer period of time for your cardiovascular issues:

Foods That Discourage Inflammation

• Salmon and other oily fish
• Flax/pumpkin seeds
• Olive oil
• Whole grains
• Brightly colored fruits and vegetables

Foods That Promote Inflammation

• High-fat meats (especially red meat)
• Processed meats
• Sugary snacks, sodas and cereals
• Refined grains
• Candy and junk food

So there you see it/hear it again.  Maybe now you know why we ask you to eat better - for repair when hurting/inflammation exists.  If you want to take supplements instead, take a multivitamin (without iron) magnesium, fish oil and vitamin D.  If you can only afford one supplement, make it vitamin D.  If you come across some more money the second supplement you should buy is the multivitamin without iron.  The third in choice should be the fish oil and then the magnesium.  If you have even some extra money or money is not an issue then buy a probiotic, then coenzyme Q10, lipoic acid, acetyl-L-carnitine, ginger, turmeric and garlic, in that order, all to reduce inflammation and reduce free redical damage.  

Take this list to grocery store and health food store.  Be healthy.

Take care,

Dr. Munoz

Source:  “Staying Healthy During Tough Economic Times,” Author  Dr. David Seaman from To Your Health Magazine  March 2009

Hi Everyone,

Want to know just how bad milk is for you?  This is what I got from reading an article by Will Hively called, “Worrying About Milk” found in the August 2000 Magazine Discover:  Organic and organic raw is better than the regular stuff on they are selling us on the shelves.  That milk is coming from cows that are exposed to pesticides, antibiotics, and bovine growth hormones.  Some of us are lactose intolerant, which consists of symptoms of bloting cramps and diarrhea after digesting dairy products.  Those in charge of the milk industry have been selling it to us under the pretenses that it is good for our bones.  It doesn’t even do that.  You would have to drink 5 gallons of milk a day to get the amount of calcium you need to strengthen your bones.  There is more calcium in some vegetables and legumes than in cow’s milk.  Vegetables like broccoli, kale  and brussels sprouts have lots of calcium.  I know… you are saying “ew… brussel sprouts” or “I see them at the market in the spring time but I wouldn’t begin to know what to do with them.”  I found you a good recipe.  We had a rule in our family.  You have to try something once and then say you don’t like it.  I think you should try it once, give it a try and decide.  Here it is:

Brown Butter Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

Recipe courtesy Aaron McCargo Jr.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, cored and leaves removed
1 gallon salted boiling water
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
Pinch cracked black pepper
Pinch salt
1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add the Brussels
sprouts and blanch, about 1 minute until bright green.

In a saute pan, add butter, caraway seeds and cracked black pepper. Melt butter until browned.

Drain the Brussels sprout leaves and toss into butter mixture to coat. Season with salt and lemon juice and
serve.

Try it and let me know what you think.  I will try it too.  I have been meaning to.  I used to eat them as a child.  I think I like them.

More about milk:  We are the only species that drinks milk of another species into adulthood.  We should take a clue from nature.  Cow’s milk is linked to liver cancer in rats.  It’s related to the amount of casein in the milk.  Breast and prostate cancer are prevalent in areas of the world milk is consumed.  Breast cancer is rare in parts of the world where they don’t drink milk at all.  Miller, from the Dairy Council, says there are studies that say milk assist in bone growth, reduce blood pressure, and reduce the risk of colon cancer.  Sorry I ended with the opposing research.  I know you must get that a lot.  I think someone from the Dairy Council might have something to gain.  I will let you make up your mind.  Altough it might be true, what Miller said,  I would keep cow milk consumption to a minimum or again like I said earlier in the article, buy organic raw milk.  Try that too and let me know how things go.  We have a patient’s son that was what his mother called “addicted” to milk.  When she switched it to the organic kind he drinks less.  It makes you wonder what is in the regular milk sold at the grocery store.  She has also tried the raw milk but found it to be expensive, $8 a half a gallon!

Talk to you later,

Dr. Munoz

Hi Everyone,

Thought I would share some tid bits about nutrition.  As your chiropractor the primary thing we are all after is looking at correcting/adjusting the structure of your spine in order to get a properly functioning central nervous system and entire body.  Being that we are already addressing something other doctors aren’t, some of us will address other factors going on in your life that is affecting your health, like your posture, excersise, nutrition, for those of you that are interested in losing weight, the essential curves of your spine, etc.  I know you hear a lot from the media but I would like to be a source of information to you.  Today I will talk about nutrition.  I don’t think your medical doctor talks to you about it and I don’t know how many dieticians or nutritionists you know.  Here I go to make an attempt to make your choices easier when you go to the grocery store.  If you change one thing it will be better than none.

Elaine Magee, MPH (Master Public Health), RD (Registered Dietician) says, eating a healthy diet can ward off chronic diseases in her article, “Food Mistakes That Can Get in the Way of Healthy Eating.”  Other things she said were because the best fruits and vegetables for us are the crispier ones, the fresher the better.  For those of us that can’t go to the store everyday she says we can have frozen fruits and vegetables readily available to us by keeping our freezer stocked with them. 

When we go to the store try and buy those things that only “God made” and not man made processed foods.  Those things that are processed should be of more healthy choice, examples are whole grain bread, pasta, tortillas, hot dog buns as well as things with no trans fats and that do include olive oil. 

As Americans, we eat out way  to often.  It is probably why we are more obese than other countries.  If you want to find out where you are on the BMI Chart in comparison to others and calculate your BMI go to http://men.webmd.com/weight-loss-bmi.  We don’t know what is going into our meals when restaurants make our meals.  Prepare for cooking at home with the frozen meats, fruits and vegetables as stated before.  Prepare with fully stocking your pantry with whole wheat pasta, brown rice, cans of tuna, and jars of marinara sauce.  Try and have breakfast daily.  Use the frozen fruit to make a smoothie in the morning. 

Hope you take some/one bit of advice and put it to use.  A small change and can make a huge difference, like eating in one more meal a week than you already do.

Take care of yourself,

Dr. Munoz

It’s Friday!  I hope you all have a great weekend.  I thought I’d end this week with some uplifting information about our profession and our patients opinion on their chiropractic care and results, so that you can share it with your friends who might not being going to a chiropractor right now. 

Chiropractic Patients Are More Satistfied With Their Care!

Chiropractic patients contineu to report that they are moe satisfied with their low back care than medical low back patients.  Consider these fairly recent low back pain findings:

Satisfied with care:

Chiropractic Patients                             96%

Medical Patients                                     84%

Treatment was helpful:

Chiropractice Patients                            99%

Medical Patients                                     80%

Likely to seek care from another provider:

Chiropractic patients                             14%

Medical patients                                     27%

Source: Carey CS, et al. Acute severe low back pain. Spine, 21:339-344, 1996

Thought I’d share information so that you can.  The results are in we do well with low back pain with our patients.  Those of you who know we do well with other complaints too.  Share the information and change someone’s life.   They don’t need to live with low back pain.

Hi Y’All,

Just wanted to say a few things about the little people in our lives.  Know that your children are always welcome at our office.  Here are some things I think you should know/think about:

The First Subluxation

The birth process may be the cause of our first subluxation.  Forceps and Vacuum type devices used in birthing can cause extreme trauma to an infant’s spine.  Even “natural” childbirth methods can affect an infant’s spine.  Studies suggest that colic, poor appetite, ear infections or erratic sleeping habits can all be signs of subluxation.  Relax.  Newborn adjustments are gentle.  As a rule, no more pressure than you’d use to test the ripeness of a tomato is involved.

“Growing Pains”

Learning to walk, ride a bike or play sports can produce subluxations not to mention the accidents that happen as they are just playing around with each other.  Many times these subluxations are written off as “growing pains.”  Ignored, these problems may worsen until they can become more difficult to correct as an adult, later in life.

Doctor’s Orders

1250 babies were examined five days after birth, 211 suffered from vomiting, hyperactivity and sleeplessness.  Of these 211, spinal abnormalities (subluxations) were found in 95%.  Chiropractic spinal adjustments frequently resulted in the immediate stoppage of crying, muscular relaxation and sleepiness.  The authors stated that an unhealthy spine “causes many clinical feature from central motor (brain or spinal cord) impairment to lower resistance to infections - especially ear, nose and throat infections.”  By the way, the authors were Medical Doctors. 

Get Your Child (or Children) Checked

How can you find out if your child has a subluxation?  The only way to know is to bring them in and get them checked.  Only Doctors of Chiropractic are trained to locate and correct subluxations.  If a subluxation were limiting your child’s health potential, wouldn’t you want to know about it?  If money is holding you back, we have affordable family care plans that can fit any budget.  But then again, our children should come first as far as health care goes, shouldn’t they?

You should consider chiropractic care for you children as preventative care to future problems.  They will have a higher immune system with chiropractic adjustments and will be less likely to get sick. When they do get injured, because we know it is inevitable, they will recover faster than their non-adjusted counterparts, just because their nervous system is intact and knows what to do. All four of us doctors of chiropractic that work in this office work with children.  Dr. Hansen, Dr. Ferguson, myself, Dr. Munoz and the most newly arrival to our team, Dr. Anderson.  Dr. Anderson would love to build a practice around children.  She has a lot of experience providing pediatric chiropractic care, she has two young boys of her own.  Even if you don’t bring your children in to see her, even if you don’t have any please make sure you meet her and welcome her to our family.  She works Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Talk to you soon,

Dr. Munoz

So we have talked a lot about toxicity lately around the office.  I wanted to share with you bits and pieces of different articles that speak to the air around us and how it affects us. 

For beginners there is the outside air pollution that we can’t do much about other than vote and make our voices heard when it comes to what is being done about it. 

We have always suspected the quality of the air had an affect on us but finally there was a study done and published in the New England Journal of Medicine,  local residents actually live an average of five months longer when our local government takes action to clean up the air pollution.  Tiffany Sharpels goes on to say in her Health and Science article on TIME.com called, “Want to Live Longer? Cut the Pollution,”  15% of the increase of life span was attributed to cleaner air.  So just think a strong environmental policy could effect all of our lives. 

Within our own homes we have to be aware of the toxins we are bringing into them.  We are spending lots of money on air fresheners for our home to make them seem more inviting, clean and welcoming.  There is are a group of chemicals called phtalates (pronounced THAL-ates) used in the air fresheners that for the moment does not have to be regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has been connected to causing cancer, abnormal sex-hormone abnormalities that in turn can affect fertility.  Coco Masters goes on to say there are “two air fresheners that the NRDC found virtually free of phthalates were Febreze Air Effects Air Refresher and Renuzit Subtle Effects” in the article called “How “Fresh” Is Air Freshener?”  He also recommends, lemon in the garbage disposal, opening the windows for fresh air, baking soda at the bottom of the trash can, taking out the trash frequently, keeping fresh coffee grounds on the counter all for different natural ways to make your home smell fresh. 

Air ventilation is important to have in our homes as well.  If your home already has a heating/air conditioning unit at the very least make sure we are replacing the filter every year if not more often. (every 3, 6 or 9 months are better options)  A step above just doing that would be to look into buying a home air purification system.  The ultraviolet feature is not necessary.  There are so many different kinds, ionic, hepa, remote control, permanent filter (no need to change the filter).  All of them are created for you to enjoy fresher, cleaner and healthier air.  They should be considered especially when someone in the family has allergies being that some have allergen reducing filters.   They will protect you from harmful indoor air particles, such as smoke, dust, pollen, mold spores and pet dander.  Some filters are designed to reduce odors.  There are so many varieties and prices to match.  If money allows you may even want to consider a smaller version for your place of work.

More to come on this subject…Stay tuned

Hey Golf Lovers, 

I know I am not alone.  I don’t know what it is about the sport.  Whether you play on an occasional weekend or you are an avid golfer, you love the game.  I have some tips for those amateur golfers, which is most of us.  Chiropractic and Golf go hand in hand with the potential of getting low back pain from playing.  This is what the ACA (American Chiropractic Association) says about how to avoid back pain or injuries and can maybe help improve your game:

Amateur golfers find themselves contorting their bodies into oddly twisted postures, generating a great deal of torque to their entire spine especially to the low back.  Couple this motion with the bend-over stance, repeat it 120 times or so over a three to four hour period of time, add the fatigue that comes with several miles of walking, and you’ve got a good workout and recipe for potential low back trouble.

As America’s love affair with the game continues to grow, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has advice on how to take a proactive approach that will prepare your body for many years of pain-free play. 

“Most golfers go until they get hurt, then look for help,” says Dr. David Strude, a member of the ACA Sports Council and founding fellow of the National Golf Fitness Society.  “Back pain is a warning sign that there is an underlying problem responsible for a symptom that will likely get worse.  Doctors of chiropractic look for the cause of the symptom and help reduce the likelihood of future injury.”

If you take the chiropractic approach, you’re in good company.  According to Dr. Stude, Tiger Woods says that lifting weights and visiting his chiropractor regularly have made him a better golfer.  Dr. Stude and the ACA suggest these simple measures to help you avoid back pain or injury and improve your game:

• Purchase equipment that fits.  Don’t try to adapt your swing to the wrong clubs:  A six-footer playing with irons designed for someone five inches shorter is begging for back trouble.  For beginners, here in Elk Grove, you can go to the Sports Chalet or Big 5 to see what they have to best suit your needs and size. 
• For the women in golf:  If you have “inherited” your husband’s or significant other’s golf clubs, they might be difficult for you to use.  Not only are the clubs often too long, but the shaft is often not flexible enough for a woman’s grip.  Women typically play better with clubs that are composed of lighter, more flexible material, such as graphite.  Walmart, here in town, even has a good selection for women beginners.  There is a Wilson set pink in color and a portion of your purchase goes to breast cancer research, I believe. 
• For men in golf:  It is a good idea to spend some extra time performing quality stretches - before and after you game - to increase your trunk flexibility.  While men are traditionally stronger than women, they usually aren’t as flexible.  Men need to improve their flexibility to maintain a more even and consistent swing plane and thus improve the likelihood of more consistent performance.
• For senior golfers:  If you show some signs of arthritis in the hand, consider a larger, more specialized grip for added safety and performance.  Talk to the representative at the pro shop at the golf course you go to.  They might have some in stock and if not definitely have a catalogue for you to take a look at and possibly order from. 
• For all golfers:  For some, scores may not be as important as enjoying the social benefits of the game.  having clubs that are comfortable will increase the chances of playing for a long time without significant physical limitations.
• Take lessons.  Learning proper swing technique is critical.  At the e3nd of the swing, you want to be standing up straight; the back should not be twisted.
• Wear orthotics.  These custom-made shoe inserts support the arch,absorb shock, and increase coordination.  “Studies show custom-made, flexible orthotics can improve the entire body’s balance, stability and coordination, which translates into a smoother swing and reduced fatigue,”Dr. Stude says.  While the upper part of a shoe may score style points, what the foot rests on affects your game.
• Avoid metal spikes.  They tear up greens and can increase stress on the back.  Soft shoes or soft spikes allow for greater motion.
• Warm up before each round.  “Stretching before and after 18 holes is the best way to reduce post-game stiffness and soreness,” says Dr. Stude. Take a brisk walk to get blood flowing to muscles; then do a set of stretches.  To set up a stretching and/or exercise routine, see a doctor of chiropractic or golf pro who can evaluate your areas of tension and flexibility.
• Pull, don’t carry, your golf bag.   Carrying a heavy bag for 18 holes can cause the spine to shrink, leading to disk problems and nerve irritation.  If you prefer to ride in a car, alternate riding andwalking every other hole-bouncing around in a cart can also be hard ton the spine.
• Keep your entire body involved.  Every third hole, take a few practice swings with the opposite hand to keep your muscles balanced and even out stress on the back. 
• Drink lots of water.  Dehydration causes early fatigue, leading you to compensate by adjusting your swing, thus increasing the risk of injury.  Don’t smoke or drink alcoholic beverages while golfing, as both cause loss of fluid.
• Take the “drop.”  One bad swing-striking a root or a rock with your club - can damage a wrist.  If unsure whether you can get a clean swing, take the drop.

Chiropractic Care Can Help

Doctors of chiropractic are trained and licensed to treat the entire neuromusculoskeletal system.  Some doctors of chiropractic have specialized training in sports medicine and can provide advice for golfers to help them decrease the stresses and strains placed on their bodies.  Doctors of chiropractic can address other health concerns, such as shoulder, knee, arm and wrist pain that could affect your game.  “If you golf consistently, you will no doubt feel the stress of the game, but by following a few simple prevention tips, it is possible to play without pain for a life time,” says Dr. Stude.

Chiropractic in Cyberspace

If you like to surf the Net, check out the American Chiropractic Association’s Web site.  Not only can you find a doctor of chiropractic near you, but you can also obtain additional information about preventing spinal pain and injury, read important studies about the effectiveness of chiropractic care, and learn about chiropractic education and the history of the chiropractic profession.  Visit them today at www.acatoday.com or call them at 800-968-4636.