Posts Tagged ‘chiropractor’

What’s the Difference Between an MD and a DC?

Posted on: August 13th, 2013

md-or-dc-200-300
By James Barger

It’s important to know the basic differences between an MD (Medical Doctor) and a DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) so that you understand the unique role that each type of medical professional plays in helping you to maintain or regain your health.

MDs and DCs are both licensed healthcare providers. They examine, diagnose and treat patients. However, most MDs have more hours of training in physiology, whereas DCs typically have more hours of anatomy training. Their methods of practice may help explain this difference in emphasis.

DCs are experts in musculoskeletal health and general wellness. Like an MD, a DC will use diagnostic imaging, lab tests, clinical exams and questionnaires to determine a diagnosis, but the course of treatment will be different. MDs tend to prescribe pharmaceuticals and surgery to treat patients, whereas DCs use a more holistic approach involving a variety of hands-on treatments as well as advice on diet and exercise.

Office visits are also often quite different experiences. On a typical visit to an MD, you will likely be asked by a nurse or assistant to fill out paperwork and provide information about your condition. Then the MD will visit you, look at the information, perhaps perform a brief clinical examination, and quickly prescribe a treatment. In the course of doing this, most doctors will take only a small amount of time to understand
your overall health picture. And treatment will usually involve drugs and/or medical procedures.

It is not uncommon for patients to have a more personal relationship with their DC than with their MD. Visits to a DC also tend to be more involved. The chiropractor will speak with you at length about not only your physical symptoms, but your lifestyle habits as well. He or she will examine you, perform any necessary tests, discuss possible treatment options, and provide appropriate manual therapies. Together, these treatment methods are sometimes referred to as “physical medicine”. These may include targeted spinal adjustments, therapeutic massage, disc decompression, laser therapy, electrical stimulation and hot and cold treatments as well as structured exercise and stretching programs. In addition, the chiropractor may also make specific suggestions about your nutrition, day-to-day environment and physical activity.

In general, musculoskeletal problems (particularly those related to back, neck and joint pain) are better treated by a DC. However, many chiropractors have also developed specialized expertise in other areas as well. DCs will refer you to an MD if they believe that diagnosing and treating your specific condition is beyond their scope of practice.

James Barger, DC has successfully treated over 2500 Folsom area residents with safe, effective chiropractic care. He receives referrals from dozens of Sacramento, El Dorado and Placer county MD’s. Our clean, modern facility is located at 231 Blue Ravine Road, near the UC Davis medical offices, in the Natoma Station center, on the corner of Blue Ravine and Turnpike. Call and talk to Karen or Dr. Barger at 916-984-9999.

Can Yoga Relieve Back Pain?

Posted on: August 7th, 2013

hübsche frau auf strand macht jogaCan Yoga Relieve Lower Back Pain?

by James Barger

As the leading reason for impairment in Americans under 45 years of age, lower back pain is the second most typical reason individuals visit their physician. An estimated 60 % to 80 % of the grownup populace suffers from low back pain eventually in life, and traditional medical therapies are generally ineffective in the long term.

Nonetheless, there are alternative means of dealing with lower back pain that have actually been proven to be more effective which do not involve medicines or invasive surgical treatment. These consist of chiropractic care, massage therapy and– interestingly enough– yoga.

A study carried out by researchers from Manchester and York Universities and released in the journal, Annals of Internal Medicine, discovered that those who took part in weekly yoga sessions showed substantial improvement when performing day-to-day physical tasks such as walking, bending and getting dressed. Lead author of the research, Professor David Torgelson, who is the director of the York Trial Facility at the University of York, stated, “In the past when you had back pain, you were told to lie down till it passed. These days, the main advise is to keep your back moving. It appears yoga has even more beneficial effects than usual care consisting of other types of exercise, although we have not carried out a direct comparison.”.

A total of 156 patients with chronic lower back pain took one 75-minute yoga class once a week for 12 weeks in addition to seeing their routine doctor, while 157 clients only saw their doctor. Even 9 months later, those who had taken the yoga classes were better able to do daily tasks than the group who had only had standard medical therapy. Another study of 228 individuals that was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (a different journal than the one above) likewise found that regular yoga sessions improved function and decreased pain better than conventional treatment.

In both papers, the clients who were approved to take part all had non-specific back pain, which means that their pain was not detected as being triggered by a specific underlying condition such as a slipped disc, spinal stenosis, sciatica, and so on.

There are a few reasons yoga could be advantageous for lower back pain. First off, yoga is a practice that both strengthens and stretches the muscles. A certified yoga educator will know which are the most valuable positions for you to practice based upon your body’s condition and capacity. For example, tight hamstrings can tilt your pelvis to an angle that does not offer ample support to your back. Gentle yoga stretches in this area can assist to straighten the pelvis, taking pressure off your lower back. At the same time, specific yoga poses enhance the core muscles of the trunk, which are the most important in offering correct support and versatility to the upper body as it moves, again taking pressure off the back.

Before beginning any yoga class to treat your lower back pain, make certain to consult with your doctor to dismiss any hidden issues that could be causing your discomfort. You must also let your yoga teacher know about your back pain so that she or he can select the proper poses for you and adapt any poses so that they do not worsen the issue. As these researches have actually shown, participating in yoga classes on a regular basis can help to ease back pain and get you moving again.

If there are any questions, give Barger Chiropractic of Folsom a call at 916-984-9999.

Chiropractic More Effective for Neck Pain Than Other Treatments

Posted on: April 21st, 2013

Chiropractic More Effective for Neck Pain Than Other Treatments

Folsom Chiropractor-neck pain

By James Barger

Neck pain is believed to affect between 10% and 15% of the general population, and is particularly likely in those over 50 years of age. Neck pain is frequently accompanied by headaches, dizziness or other symptoms.  In addition, certain movements or sustained postures of the neck can aggravate the pain and stiffness and add to a limit in range of motion.

Common treatments for neck pain include prescription analgesics along with some type of physical therapy (usually massage, application of heat and/or specialized exercises) to deal with the pain and improve function.  However, the results of a randomized controlled trial published in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that manual therapy, such as chiropractic care performed by a certified chiropractor, was more effective than either physical therapy or continued care by a general practitioner.

The study involved 183 patients between 18 and 70 years of age who had reported having non-specific neck pain for two weeks or more. Patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups: manual therapy, physical therapy or continued care by their physician.

Those referred to a manual therapist had a 45-minute treatment once a week for up to six weeks; those who were treated by a physical therapist had a 30-minute treatment twice a week for up to six weeks; and the remaining patients who were under continuing care from their doctor were given medication to treat pain and inflammation, were instructed in the use of hot compresses and were given exercises they could perform at home to treat their neck pain. All patients included in the study were allowed to use exercises at home, non-prescription pain medication and any medication that his or her physician may have prescribed before the beginning of the study in the treatment of their neck pain.

Seven weeks after the beginning of the study, patients were asked to rate their neck pain, from “much worse” to “completely recovered,” and the researchers compared the number of patients in each group who had reported feeling at least “much improved.” The results indicated that 68.3% of the manual therapy group reported feeling either “much improved” or “completely recovered,” compared with 50.8% of patients in the physical therapy group and 35.9% of patients in the physician-treated group.

Despite the fact that the lead author of the study is a physical therapist, the study noted that “the physical therapy patients achieved significantly worse success rates while using twice the number of patient visits as the manual therapy group.” The researchers concluded that “in daily practice, manual therapy is a favorable treatment option for patients with neck pain compared with physical therapy or continued care by a general practitioner,” and that “primary care physicians should consider [referral for] manual therapy when treating patients with neck pain.”

For more information, call Barger Chiropractic of Folsom at 916-984-9999,  231 Blue Ravine Road, #200, Folsom.  Visit our website at www.docbarger.com or www.folsomchiropractor.net