You might be surprised to find that Medical Doctors don’t do as well as Doctors of Chiropractic with musculoskeletal disorders.  MDs just don’t do as well as they should, whether with their knowledge of anatomy, diagnosis or treatment of musculoskeletal disorders.   Musculoskeletal disorders are problems that have to do with  muscles (musculo_) and the bones (_skeletal).

TMJ dysfunction

A study published last year surveyed the competency of orthopedic staff physicians, physical therapy doctorate students, medical interns, and chiropractic interns. They found that chiropractic students passed their basic competency tests with higher scores than all of the other groups.

What this means that while medical students or doctors and physical therapy doctorate students are typically put on a pedestal for prestigious knowledge in understanding the physical body, this belief is misplaced.  There is nobody as well prepared as a Doctor of Chiropractic or chiropractic student to diagnose, differentially diagnose, and treat somebody with spine complaints, or complaints relating to the muscles or bones that can be conservatively managed.  Medical Doctors are great for invasive treatments such as surgery or injections, and of course nobody else can prescribe drugs to snuff symptoms, but they cannot rehabilitate and fix the cause of problems like chiropractors can.

As a Doctor of Chiropractic, I’ve had my diagnosis of a problem questioned by a person assuming that my training wasn’t the best.  While it is gratifying to me to be proven correct later on in someone’s medical treatment, it is sad to see someone misdiagnosed, and perhaps treated incorrectly by an inferior clinician.

Nobody is better prepared to read an x-ray and provide treatment than a chiropractor (radiologists, of course are the king of reading x-rays, but they don’t treat.) Nobody is better prepared to determine the cause of someone’s low back pain than a chiropractor.  Nobody else can interpret a neurological disorder and provide peripheral treatment, if indicated, better than a chiropractor.  Medical doctors receive training on pharmaceuticals, while chiropractors are spending more time studying x-rays, anatomy, and applying it to treatment while in school.

Humphreys BK, Sulkowski A, McIntyre K, Kasiban M, Patrick AN An examination of musculoskeletal cognitive competency in chiropractic interns. J Manipulative Physio Ther. 2007 Jan;30(1):44-9

As Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, M.D. from Yahoo Health points out, the body has a built in circadian rhythm that lets you know when it is morning and when it is evening.  The body also uses this circadian rhythm to know when to make morning hormones or evening hormones important for various body processes.  If you try to push your body too hard to trick the circadian cycles, you can fatigue your adrenals from over stress. Adrenal Fatigue

Just like the body has an internal clock, it also has a built in coordinates system.  I like to call it my internal gyroscope.  Dr. DiNubile calls it the body’s internal GPS.
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In our office, we don’t employ or rent space to massage therapists. Instead we recommend that our patients go see a select few massage therapists that we trust and whom we know does an outstanding job.

My favorite is Karen Howard of Secret Sanctuary Spa. Karen specializes in therapeutic bodywork and medical massage. She has just finished completing a course on deep tissue muscle work, and I can say she does a fantastic job with it.

Many of our back pain patients have gone to see her for a therapeutic correction or for a relaxing wellness Swedish massage. Even Cindy, our front office manager goes to her on a regular basis. I encourage you too to give her a try.

Conveniently, she is located across the street from our office, but you have to enter the building from the Fourth Street side. First, make an appointment. The Secret Sanctuary Spa is sort of hidden; you enter a staircase next to the bookstore and the boutique shop that sells lavender lotions. From there, you buzz in to enter the building. The building isn’t very fancy, but it won’t matter once you are in getting pampered.

Giver her a call at (707) 843-0808 to make that appointment.

Free Seminar: Have Better Balance & Prevent Falls
This is a seminar especially for senior citizens. In this seminar, here’s what you will learn:

• Learn what four common things at home that may be putting you in danger.
• Learn what to do after you fall, and what to do to prepare for it.
• Learn what the largest balance organ in the body is, and why your doctor might not be looking at it.
• Learn easy exercises to do at home that were learned from brain doctors, and not from weight lifters.
• Learn what your doctor should be looking for if you have any unsteadiness.

Two dates to choose from!

Space is limited to the first 20 people.

Call our office to reserve your space.
(707) 575-5158

Where:

Bennett Valley Senior Center, 704 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa
When:

• June 19, 2008: 11:00 am, 30-45 minutes,
• July 17, 2008: 11:00 am, 30-45 minutes

Why:

To prevent injuries from falling and balance
Who:

Dr. Todd Lloyd with 5th Street Spine

How much: Free!

Scooter Rosa is back in town next weekend. Right across the street fcrom our office is Revoluton Moto, Santa Rosa’s scooter central. Scooter Rosa will be having a vintage Vespa show next Friday at 5:00 pm, and later will have a scoot-in movie at 8:00. (Our office will be closed then!)

I can’t wait to see the classic scooters. I’ll be the guy in a shirt and tie and a camcorder. I have to document it!

People with instability of a joint lose out in three ways. First, an unstable joint loses receptor activity. this receptor feedback is designed to monitor what happens with that joint’s position and dynamic movement. Second, this loss of receptor feedback will result in damage to the joint surface, accelerating degeneration, arthritis, bone spurs, or stiffness. Third, without information coming from the joint, the body’s nervous system cannot tell what is happening with the joint. You lose balance. A wobbly ankle joint won’t allow the minute corrections to happen with the leg muscles and the nervous system.

Todd Lloyd, DC, Santa Rosa, CA

KEY POINTS

Melillo’s book, Neurobehavioral Disorders of Childhood, An Evolutionary Perspective, provides the link between exercise, activity and behavior.

Neurobehavioral Disorders of Childhood: An Evolutionary Perspective.

This is a very erudite book, but in painstaking detail, the authors go through the theory of human brain evolution. Early man learns to walk on two feet, and concurrent with that, the brain grows massively larger to provide the neural circuitry to control and balance the new movement. Because of this brain expansion, the brain become much smarter. Man’s big brain becomes a powerhouse of learning. What follows is learning to use tools, associating experiences with creative ideas, and others.

As cognition improves, society improves, man created his own environment, and man becomes a victim of a sedentary lifestyle. Sitting around all day brings forth less neurological stimulation through the balance system (spine.) The loss of neurological stimulation brings modern day neurobehavioral syndromes such as ADD/ADHD.

In the February, 2008 issue of Dental Economics, an article discusses the ergonomics of sitting, particularly when it comes to practicing dentistry. It is known that sitting places greater amounts of pressure in the discs of the spine. Reclining reduces this pressure, and by far, the most pressure is induced when sitting straight up, using all of the trunk muscles hold the trunk up. This posture of “sitting up straight” is just too fatigable, and cannot be held for long. So, most dentists choose to slump in their chair.

Slouching causes a gradual lengthening of the supporting ligaments in the back pf the spine. This eventually leads to low back instability, and a career full of low back pain for most dentists. Slouching is bad for the back. It can lead to disc herniations, particularly when the dentist is slouching and twisting.

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Dr. Brian Thalhamer, Sonoma County’s expert on Spinal Decompression, has an excellent write-up in NorthBay Biz’ April 2008 issue on the problems faced by white collar workers.

I always knew Dr. Brian was brilliant, but I didn’t know he was such a good writer!

Some key points:

• Sustained sitting in an office environment puts tremendous compressive forces in the low back that is compounded over time.
• You should change your posture often to avoid the lactic acid build up in the muscles and to avoid the neurological reflex that causes the rigidity that can ensue in the muscles.
• Don’t ignore the aches and pains in the body. Listen to what your body is telling you.
• Eat good food, exercise regularly, get enough rest to repair the body, and keep a positive mental attitude.
• Finally, if you need treatment, call a chiropractor, or call Dr. Brian for a spinal decompression consultation.

The plank is a great functional exercise that serves to strengthen and stabilize your entire spine. In particular, the plank helps strengthen the lower thoracic and upper lumber regions of the spine. This is the area where the ribcage ends, and the lumbar spine begins.

Men’s Fitness has an article this month on the plank. They tout it as a simple exercise, but has a great amount of difficulty involved. It takes stamina. They say that most people cannot do it for more than 30 seconds, and if you are in top strength, you should be able to do it for two minutes.

Get into push up position, only on your elbows. Make sure your elbows are directly beneath your shoulders. This provides a strong base; make your shoulders rigid. While on your toes, and on your elbows. Keep your whole body straight, like a plank of wood. Your entire core will be active trying to keep you straight.

I tried it, and while I didn’t have a timer on, at thirty seconds, my core really started to quiver from fatigue. Remarkably, I could feel my serratus anterior give in first; this is the muscle that holds your shoulder blades stable against the rib cage.

Variations:

• Lift one leg up. See how hard the exercise gets then!
• Lift one arm up. Your body will be fighting to prevent you from falling to one side.
• Use a Swiss ball. I love Swiss ball exercises for the added challenge.