I came across an old article talking about and giving tips for worker’s safety for those workers working in vineyards. I was impressed with the way this article tackled the scope of all of the ways that workers could potentially get injured while on the job.

Pruning Without Pain

Hand pruning is the most expensive part of wine production, according to the article, and workers have a lot of pressure to produce. This can cause fatigue in the muscles in various parts of the body.  Particularly, this occurs frequently in the back, but workers are accustomed to just work through the fatigue, placing their backs at risk. 

The article suggest that workers take microbreaks every 30 minutes to pause and stretch.  This helps the muscles to recover from the repetitive strain, it helps the muscles move through their entire contractile length, and it helps to bathe the muscle tissue with nutrients while expelling wastes.  This is similar to a recent OSHA manual that I have that suggests the same thing for office workers.  OSHA suggests that office workers take microbreaks to avoid fatigue and repetitive strain injuries.

Since these workers are a big part of a wine production’s investment, they ought to be cared for properly.  Chiropractic care can help the workers maintain their physical form for efficient work. 

Chiropractic care identifies imbalances in the skeleton and joints, and the muscles pulling on and controlling the skeleton.  Chiropractic care helps to relax tight muscles, which also helps with the speedy recovery of a week’s worth of work.  Just like athletes benefit greatly from chiropractic care, so too can “industrial athletes” perform better when cared for.

These guys usually don’t take the initiative to seek out chiropractic care for themselves, so it would make good economic and steward sense for employers to send them to a chiropractor. Supportive chiropractic care for vineyard workers can help reduce worker’s compensation claims by preventing injuries.  It can be surprisingly affordable too.  For cash services rendered in a typical chiropractic office, it can be $40 to $50 a visit. 

Employers can negotiate their own terms with chiropractors to make the fee less as long as it means a steady stream of patients coming through the chiropractor’s door. If a crew of workers for a vineyard is 40 men, and the men get supportive care once per week, this comes to $6,400 a month that the employer would pay.  I don’t know what vineyard managers typically pay out in worker’s compensation claims, but I’m told it is pretty expensive. I would be interested in seeing those numbers to see if preventing several new claims per year would balance out that expense. 

Of course, this would also potentially cut down on manforce lost to injury, and it would lead to greater satisfaction among workers.  Most people enjoy chiropractic care, and this extra benefit could really raise employee’s satisfaction. 

Most people in Sonoma love to see the economy run along smoothly, and the wine industry here is a great part of that.  We all want workers to be as healthy as possible for the overall well-being of the community.  Chiropractic care can be a valuable partner in that quest for better health, improved efficiency, and job satisfaction.

Todd Lloyd, DC
Sonoma Chiropractor

So, have you ever woken up stiff and found that stretching loosens you up better?  You are breaking apart the adhesions, the fuzz, and you are making sure that you can move freely again.  If you don’t get this broken apart, you might need some outside help: massage therapy, rolfing, and even chiropractic care.  Have you had a chiropractic adjustment, and felt like things are moving 100% better afterward?  You’ve broken apart the fuzz.

When I was in school, and even attending some postgraduate classes, I had a chance to get my hands on some cadavers.  the fuzz is there. On some people, it is very light, but on others, it can be very tough.  You can really gain an appreciation for how tough and tight the glue is between the muscle layers in some people.  It’s a very real thing, and your muscles generally don’t like to fight it enough to rip it apart. 

Check out this video so you too can gain an appreciation for the fuzz:

Todd Lloyd, DC
Sonoma Chiropractors

Chiropractic care helps restore the normal motion and muscle control of the spine, and has a great track record of getting rid of headaches or managing chronic headache problems.  In Sonoma, you can reach our office at (707) 408-2225 to have a free consultation with me, and to discuss how our chiropractic care can manage your headache pain and provide relief.

Todd Lloyd, DC
Chiropractor in Sonoma

Your body’s core is an integral part of your golf swing, as it is a power source, a rotational force and can be vital in preventing back pain. This week’s episode of Golf Fitness Academy_Online provides explanation and exercises for taking care of your core, so it will take care of you and your golf swing.

Chiropractic care helps to maintain the proper mobility of the spine so the supportive muscles can provide the right amount of stability.

Here’s part 2:

Here’s part 3:

Todd Lloyd, DC
Sonoma Chiropractor

According to Forbes:

A panel of doctors recently recommended that it be banned; the FDA is still deciding what to do.”

So Vicodin is dangerous and addictive, but it’s still the most prescribed medication in the United States.

From MSM.com:

Vicodin is a drug that is crying out to be replaced. Vicodin has a supporting role on the television show House, M.D. because the protagonist, a Sherlock Holmes-like doctor, is hooked on it. It is particularly dangerous because when patients develop a tolerance for the narcotic they start taking too much. This can lead to liver failure from overdoses of the acetaminophen component of the combo. Most of the 400 deaths due to acetaminophen poisoning each year result from misuse of the Vicodin or similar drugs. Last June an FDA advisory panel recommended banning Vicodin. The FDA is still deciding whether to take this advice.”

I’m glad we have painkillers that you can take in a pinch.  For acute pain, sometimes you have to have something for temporary relief. However, temporary is the important key to this advice.  If you find that you are taking anything for too long to deal with pain, then there are some other things to look at. 

What of these things can you improve?  Because if you can improve in any of these areas, then you will be closer to living life pain-free again.

1. Muscle strength
2. Joint range of motion (chiropractic care)
3. Even muscle tone from left to right, from top to bottom, and from front to back. (chiropractic care)
4. Proper nutrition
5. Plenty of rest
6. Outlook on life, goal setting, relationships

Todd Lloyd, DC
Chiropractor in Sonoma

Read the following case report.  A man gets hurt on the job.  Being managed with many therapies that did not work, he gets back surgery.  The back surgery did not work either, so the man develops what’s called “failed back surgery.”  This sends him in a downward spiral of using ever increasingly stronger narcotics and opioids to mask the pain and feed his addiction.  Finally, he needs to be hospitalized to detox from the pain meds.

Don’t let this happen to you.

Spine: 20 May 2010 – Volume 35 – Issue 12 – pp E549-E552

Iatrogenic Disability and Narcotics Addiction After Lumbar Fusion in a Worker’s Compensation Claimant

Parks, Philip D. MD, MPH, MOccH; Pransky, Glenn S. MD, MOccH; Kales, Stefanos N. MD, MPH

Abstract
Study Design. Case report.

Objective. Describe a case of chronic occupational low back pain with various treatments of questionable efficacy, leading to prolonged disability, iatrogenic narcotic addiction, and opioid-induced hyperalgesia.

Summary of Background Data. Concerns about narcotics and other questionable treatments for chronic low back pain are increasing, especially in those with work-related conditions.

Methods. Medical record review.

Results. The patient had significant, persistent low back symptoms, but good function at work and home. He underwent lumbar fusion to address persistent pain, and subsequently developed failed back surgery syndrome. He was prescribed increasing amounts of opioid analgesics and was recommended for an intrathecal morphine pump, without evaluation of the safety or efficacy of his current regimen. Subsequently, he was hospitalized for opioid detoxification and substance abuse treatment.

Conclusion. Patients with chronic low back pain are at risk for receiving ineffective and potentially harmful treatment. A focus on restoring function instead of complete pain relief may lead to better outcomes in these patients.

Todd Lloyd, DC
Sonoma Chiropractor

For muscle aches, joint aches, and other body aches and pains:

Initial treatment should focus on nonpharmacological approaches (eg, physical therapy, heat/cold, orthotics).

What they overlook, of course, is the expert management of back pain, neck pain and headaches by a Doctor of Chiropractic. Chiropractors make their careers out of caring for these problems without using pharmacology. Patients with heart disease can safely be treated by chiropractors.  With chiropractic care, these patients will be able to cope with less or no added chemicals in their system.  Many patients who see chiropractors are those who are too sensitive to pharmaceutical drugs, or have experienced addictions in the past, and choose not to use drugs to handle their pain.

Current evidence indicates that selective COX-2 inhibitors have important adverse cardiovascular effects that include increased risk for myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and hypertension.The risk for these adverse effects is likely greatest in patients with a prior history of or at high risk for cardiovascular disease.

In these patients, use of COX-2 inhibitors for pain relief should be limited to patients for whom there are no appropriate alternatives, and then, only in the lowest dose and for the shortest duration necessary.

(A Cox-2 inhibitor is a type of NSAID that is safer for side effects for the lining of the stomach and colon, but is risky for the bloodstream. A normal aspirin, which is an NSAID, inhibits two kinds of enzymes: COX-1 and COX2.  COX-1 destroys the lining of the stomach, so sometimes they want to use the more selective COX-2 inhibitor for pain relief. Chiropractic care inhibits neither of these enzymes.)

The debate about the increased risk of cardiovascular events attributed to the selective COX-2 inhibitors and the nonselective NSAIDs is part of a broader national debate about drug safety.

Even if you are not being managed by your doctor with these drugs for pain, but you instead choose to medicate yourself with over the counter medications, you should take careful heed of this warning.  The AHA is recommending that you not take these drugs if you might have heart problems.  The AHA is recommending that you try conservative care first, and this is best done in the form of chiropractic.

With a proven track record for back relief and neck pain relief, chiropractic care is a safe alternative to NSAIDs, and fits within the AHA guides nicely.

Todd Lloyd, DC
Chiropractor in Sonoma.

Video provided from a Fox News interview

I bring up the topic of a shortage of primary care doctors again on my blog because there is a solution available to those general practitioners that are overworked, and a solution for those patients that are sick of waiting in a crowded waiting room. 

A large amount of health care spending is done for low back pain an other types of neuromusculoskeletal complaints and conditions.  In a general practitioner’s office, these patients usually either receive medication to dampen the pain or to relax spasming muscles, or they get routed to an orthopedic surgeon for a surgical consult. 

I have a better solution. Medical groups should hire and install doctors of chiropractic in their practices, or gather a network of chiropractors to refer.  Chiropractors are primary care physicians with some reservation about drugs and surgery.  Chiropractors are autonomous and have the licensing to diagnose and differentially diagnose medical conditions, and work well within the medical system, as we have seen in the Veteran’s Administration’s use of chiropractors in their hospitals and clinics. 

Using chiropractors can greatly reduce the burden of patient demands for musculoskeletal complaints, and this can leave other, organic conditions for medical management.  Rerouting back, neck, and headache pain patients away from a general practitioner’s care will allow more focus on care for diabetes, liver conditions, heart conditions, and other conditions that are better and more efficiently managed by medical care.

Todd Lloyd, DC
Chiropractor in Sonoma

A Colleague of mine sent this in a discussion of chiropractic care.  These are quotes taken from peer reviewed scientific journals.

“The loss of normal cervical lordosis is associated with neck pain.”

- Haughie L.  Relationship of Forward Head Posture and Cervical Backward Bending to Neck Pain.  JMPT 1995;  3:91-7

There are a lot of nerve endings in the muscles and joints of the neck, and these send nerve signals to the brainstem where they can mix and mingle with nerve signals that can carry headache signals. People with poor neck posture have more headaches.

“Straightening of the lumbar spine is associated with severe pain and dysfunctions that are known as the flat back syndrome.”

- LaRone MO  Loss of Lumbar Lordosis.  A Complication of Spinal Fusion for Scoliosis.  Orthop Clin N Am  1988;  19:383-93

Having a back that has lost its normal curve can cause more pain. Along with the pain, if you have lost your normal back posture, you probably don’t move as well as you should. Along with this, you’ll have muscles that have wasted away.

“A fixed kyphotic posture of the mid-cervical spine will lead to overall sagital imbalance manifested by axial pain in the upper to mid-thoracic spine.”

- Lowery G.  Three Dimensional Screw Divergence and Sagittal Balance.  Spine:  State of the Art Reviews  1996;  10:343-56

In my practice, I see continually that if someone has problems in their neck, they also have radiating pain to their mid-back, shoulder blades, or their arms.

Is your posture off?  You don’t need to just resign yourself to it.  Don’t accept defeat, and do something for yourself.  There are exercises you can do to help it, and of course, chiropractic care will help restore the function of the joints of the spine and reset the muscle tone that controls posture.

Todd Lloyd, DC
Chiropractor in Sonoma

Here’s more:

Older People with weak posture had 1.44x greater mortality rate.

Study of 1,353 osteoporosis patients:

· Posture was assessed as Normal or Hyperkyphotic (forward head).  Hyperkyphotic was defined as requiring more than a 1.7 cm head support hold head level.

People with hyphekyphotic (Forward head) posture had 1.44x greater mortality over the next 4.2 years.

—

D. Kado, MD, Huang, DrPH, A. Karlamangla, MD, PhD etc.  Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Volume 52 issue 10, p 1662 –10/2004

Bad posture could raise blood pressure.

Direct neural connection between neck muscles and nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS – a part of the brainstem which plays a crucial role in regulating heart rate and blood pressure.)

Study author I.J. Edwards

This study could explain elevated BP and heart rate with neck injuries like whiplash or ergonomic activities like hunched over a computer all day.

The Journal of Neuroscience, DOI: 10.1523/neurosci.0638-07.2007

—

"Forward Head Posture leads to long term muscle strain, disc herniations, arthritis… " — Mayo Clinic November 3rd, 2000

—

"Deviations in the body’s center of gravity (read: poor posture)… have resulted in intestinal problems, hemorrhoid, varicose veins, osteoporosis, hip and foot deformities, POOR HEALTH, DECREASED QUALITY OF LIFE, and a SHORTENED LIFE SPAN [my emphasis added]." 

Journal of the American Medical Association Volume 165(7), pages 843-846

—

"Loss of cervical curve stretches the spinal cord 5-7 centimeters and CAUSES DISEASE [my emphasis added]." — Dr. Alf Breig, neurosurgeon and Nobel Prize Recipient

—

"For every inch of forward head posture, it can increase the weight of the head on the spine by an additional 10 pounds." — Dr. Kapandji, Physiology of Joints — Volume 3

—

DEMENTIA and exercise!!!!!!!!!

· Those walking less than a quarter-mile day were almost twice more likely to develop Alzheimer’s or other dementia than men who walked more than two miles daily.

Knoops of the Netherlands Wageningen University, per 12/06 JAMA

—

• “The expectation that damaged low back tissues should heal within a matter of weeks has no foundation. Long term problems have a SUBSTANTIAL biomehcanical/pathoanatomical basis.” Low Back Disorders, Mcgill, p. 12 (My Ephasis added)

—

Chronic Low Back Pain Linked to Reduced Aerobic Fitness Levels

· People with poor CV fitness more likely to have chronic low back pain.

Smeets RJEM, Wittink H, Hidding A, et al. Do Patients with chronic low back pain have a lower level of aerobic fitness than healthy controls?  Spine 2006; 31(1):90-97.

—

“Altered alignment of the spinal column is known to cause bone, disc, ligament and myofascial degeneration.” 

Adams MA.  Sustained Loading Concentrations in Lumbar Intervertebral Discs

Spine 1996:  44:611-33

—

“In a 10 year follow-up, Katsuura et al. found that segmental cervical kyphosis and hypolordosis is one of the factors causing degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc and body.”

-Katsuura A.  Kyphotic malignment after anterior cervical fusion.  Eur Spine J  2001;10:320-324

—

“Posture affects and moderates every physiological function from breathing to hormonal production.”

- Lennon J.  Postural and Respiratory Modulation of Autonomic Function, Pain and Health.  American  Journal  of Pain Management  1994;4:36-39

—

The development of ossification of the ligamentum flavum was secondary to altered alignment in the form or a kyphotic angle.

- Fukuyama S.  The Effect of Mechanical Stress of Hypertrophy of the Lumbar Ligamentum Flavum  J Spinal Disord 1995;  8:126-30

Balance Benefits at a Glance:

Reduced joint pain

Better posture

Reduced back pain

Higher confidence for sports or daily activities

Faster balance reaction time

Reduced risk of sudden trauma due to improved body awareness

Reduced risk of future injuries

With Better Balance You Can:

1. Develop a killer golf swing
2. Avoid a broken hip
3. Look taller and slimmer
4. Reduce incontinence
5. Walk straighter and more gracefully
6. Ski the blue and black diamonds instead of the green
7. Improve your sex life
8. Have the guts to try something new
9. Greatly improve performance in ALL sports
10. Prevent sports injuries, especially sprains and strains
11. Hold that yoga pose as long as you need to
12. Stay on the mountain when you’re hiking
13. Avoid accidents because you’ll react faster
14. Stop wobbling
15. Pick up your kids without straining your back
16. Look cool when you’re carving on your skateboard, snowboard, long board, surfboard
17. Increase the benefit of and response to your chiropractic visits.

18. Be agile
19. Enhance your quality of life
20. Increase your independence
21. Raise your overall level of health

Read more about how to improve your balance here.

From allegromedical.com

Todd Lloyd, DC
Chiropractor in Sonoma