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Posted by John Buffington on September 19, 2018
Back Pain is very common. In fact, over 80% of the US population will experience back pain at some point. Most of the time back pain will resolve either on it’s own or with proper treatment.
If you experience back pain and the symptoms do not resolve after a few days, it’s probably a good idea to visit a chiropractor to make sure your back is in proper alignment. The pain may become worse or develop into an ongoing problem.
Posted by John Buffington on August 28, 2018
It wasn’t long ago when surgery was considered the only option for a lumbar or cervical herniated disc. Now we know that some disc herniations will actually heal on their own and that others will respond to non-surgical treatments that target the cause. That’s right. You should never rush into surgery for a disc herniation unless it is a medical emergency.
Posted by John Buffington on August 22, 2018
One of the more common questions and concerns of our patients is when they should have an MRI. Some patients have been suffering with ongoing neck pain and some have sudden onset. Some have neck pain that radiates into the shoulders or arms and some have headaches along with neck pain.
Here is a list of symptoms that are commonly associated with neck pain:
Posted by John Buffington on August 20, 2018
Spinal Stenosis is when the diameter of the spinal canal narrows abnormally due to bony (arthritis or spurs) or soft tissue (disc bulge or herniation) thickening. Spinal stenosis is mostly diagnosed in the lumbar spine and is less common in the cervical spine (but is more serious).
Since there is no extra room inside the spinal canal there is often compression of the spinal cord or nerve roots. This is especially true in the cervical spine.
Posted by John Buffington on August 15, 2018
How do I know if I have a herniated disc?
Actually, it's more likely that you don’t!
Sure, there are symptoms like low back pain that travels down the leg (sciatica), numbness and tingling in the arms, hands, legs or toes, weakness of grip, foot drop, night pain, antalgia (leaning away from the pain), abnormal reflexes, swelling, and pain when laughing or coughing (positive Valsava test), BUT you can have these signs and symptoms and NOT have a disc herniation.
Posted by John Buffington on August 10, 2018
Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) mostly results when the spinal discs wear abnormally, often resulting in pain and loss of function.
Just like the tread on your tires wear unevenly when the front end is out of alignment, so will the spinal discs when the spine is out of alignment. When the discs lose their normal height and water content, they lose the ability to function properly.
Posted by John Buffington on August 8, 2018
Our Express location at One Embarcadero Center will now offer 60-minute Massage Therapy sessions Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. All scheduling is handled by the therapist, William Fuller, through his website www.visionbodymind.com.
Posted by John Buffington on August 6, 2018
Spinal decompression machines are designed and built to treat cervical and lumbar disc bulges and herniations non-surgically.
Spinal decompression treatments can also help other conditions such as Facet Syndrome, Spinal Disc Degeneration and Stenosis.
Spinal decompression machines like the DRX-9000 (the one we use) seek to enlarge the disc space, re-position the disc, re-hydrate the disc, elongate the spine, strengthen the spinal ligaments and restore spinal motion and biomechanics.
Posted by John Buffington on August 3, 2018
About 12 years ago or so we began to incorporate non-surgical spinal decompression into our treatment protocols for cervical and lumbar disc herniations. During this time we have helped hundreds of patients return to more normal active lifestyles and many have avoided surgery. I guess you could say the results have been outstanding.
Posted by John Buffington on July 30, 2018
Spinal decompression machines are designed and built to treat lumbar and cervical disc bulges and herniations naturally. The machine we use is the DRX-9000. We chose the DRX-9000 because it is very comfortable for the patient. In fact, most fall asleep during treatment.
The typical spinal decompression treatment protocol is 20 one-hour sessions done over a period of 6-8 weeks.
