The secret to a pain free life is...

Do you feel like you are on a tightrope and one misstep will trigger your pain? This month we are diving deeper into the pain management continuum, to the origin of why most people experience pain.

The secret to a pain free life is balance. Each person’s life has many demands that pull or knock us, in many directions. These include responsibilities of family caregiving, career demands, recreation, and fitness pursuits, so it’s easy to see how our health became a low priority. The usual story is that a person feels “mostly fine”, begins to notice something “different” when moving or doing an activity, and then “something’s terribly wrong!” A part of our body starts to jab or scream at us to let us know, “Hey, this is a problem, do something about this!”

This is when people feel they are walking on a tight rope and don’t know where they are headed. It’s extremely difficult to maintain your balance when you can’t look at where the path is leading.  The purpose of this continuum is to show your options and empower you to make the right decision for you to get back to balanced and pain free.

To achieve freedom from pain in a balanced way you have to get to the right provider. They must explain what the physical and mechanical factors are that are causing your problem. This concept of what you ask your body to do vs. what your body can handle is fundamental. This applies to your whole body but also each individual joint and muscle. Click here for a brief video on this topic.

On the “ask our body to do” side we have your daily activities, habits, work position, repetitive motions or sports. On the “ability” side we have ability to function, including movement, and strength. When we are out of balance the “ask our body to do” side will be overloaded. This overload leads to muscle adhesion and functional restriction with movement. Eventually this overloaded area becomes a problem, gradually worsening until it hurts, “Hey, this is a problem, do something about this!” To solve the problem, first we need to restore the health and function to the overused muscles and joints. Only then can we add specific and simple exercises to balance strength. After restoring function, all that is left is to understand how to maintain the balance given the demands on our body and any limitations in structure or function. For you to be healthy, you need to have a surplus “ability” of what your body can handle when compared to what you are “asking it to do”.  Our job at Rochester Spine + Sports Chiropractic is to be the best we can be at providing exactly what you need to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible. If that is the destination you have in mind as you walk your tightrope of life, I am the expert you seek, call now 678-1362, for your consultation.

How can I manage my pain?

How can I manage my pain?

Pain is a signal from our body that something is wrong. At Rochester Spine + Sports Chiropractic, we see people frustrated and struggling with pain. They need an answer.

The impact goes beyond the one hurting too. Pain impacts other relationships, especially your loved one’s. Many people are searching for answer and just don’t know where to go, or who to trust. This diagram holds the answers to how you can take back your power, resolve your pain and live freely.

Over the next six months we are going to take you on a journey through your pain management options. On the left, we have conservative care. Balance: applies to your whole life and within each area of your body. Soft tissue: refers to the muscle problem, known as adhesion. This problem is a big deal that repetitively and reliably demonstrates why people are in pain. Herbal: describes how nutrition, our food and nature’s medicine, herbs, can be used heal and enhance our existence.  As we approach the invasive side on the right, we have... Medication: where we seek to take something to alleviate our pain. Injections: which are targeted applications of chemicals to overpower our bodies' normal feedback mechanisms, including pain. Surgery: all doctors agree should be attempted only after conservative methods have not been successful, or in an emergency situation.

Every person and their healthcare providers want the same thing… successful and sustained results for the patient.  Health care providers have different training and experience when it comes to how to manage pain.  In our office, as a conservative care expert, I will earn your trust. We provide an accurate diagnosis, teach you about your options, apply the most advanced soft tissue specialist skills to eliminate pain and help you understand balance to keep your body pain free. Our mission is to move a person closer to their vision of optimal health, it starts with freedom from pain.  Our goal is to provide the best results, that can be sustained for a long time with the least risk of harm. Call now, 678-1362, to schedule a consultation with the doctor to find out whether our office has the answer to help you or a loved one struggling with pain.  

Sincerely, Dr. Matt Buffan

Cell Phone Safe Zone

Cell Phone Safe Zone Cell phone use has revolutionized our daily habits. Texting, email, news stories, videos are all available in the palm of our hand. Is your cell phone influencing the pain in your neck? The answer is YES. Holding your cell phone creates increased load on the neck. This increased load on the muscles in your neck creates adhesion in your muscles. Adhesion is like glue that restricts movement and causes pain.

The typical neck pain case starts out with pain in your neck or upper back near your shoulder blade.  Cell phone neck pain The muscles feel stiff or seem to tire easily.  You start noticing that you can't bend or turn your head when driving.  For a patient with neck pain when using a cell phone, we want to reduce any overload on the neck.  How do I hold my phone to avoid neck damage?  One simple way to do that is called the 3-finger rule, where you want more than 3 fingers between your neck and chest at all times. Drive the elbows in towards your sides, elevate your hands and minimize the bending of your neck(see bad vs. safe below). We will all catch ourselves in poor posture with our phone at times. When you find yourself in poor position take a second to follow the steps and get into a better position.  Bad 6 X more stress on neck Safe cell phone position What do I do about my neck pain? If you have neck pain, you need a comprehensive treatment plan to resolve the issue. The first step is to identify the severity of your problem. Our plan is your custom movement prescription. This includes removing muscle adhesion to reduce pain and improve function. Once healthy motion is restored, the muscles are ready for therapeutic exercise. From the initial presentation through the entirety of the case we instruct how to manage the load on your neck problem. To continue using your phone without the frustration and annoyance of neck pain, call 678-1362 to schedule a consultation today.

Get Up, Stand Up... at your desk

Let's address the need for a sit-stand desk. This topic has become increasing popular for good reason. Many people have back pain! I frequently recommend a sit-stand desk for patients who present with impaired function, pain and degeneration of the low back. Today we discuss if you are a candidate for this type of load management strategy.

Why a Sit-Stand Desk? A sit-stand desk is important. Sitting increases the load on discs in your low back. The sit-stand desk is a workstation that allows you to do both, sit or stand at your work station reducing load on your low back. People who sit for four or more hours in a day have a 9x increase in low back pain, compared with people who sit for one hour(1). There are only 168 hours in a week. The average person spends 64 hours a week sitting(2). How much of your life do you spend sitting down?  Low back disc problem How does a sit-stand desk help me? This setup reduces the load on your lumbar spine. With my experience treating thousands of low back pain patients, reducing pain needs a specific plan. This plan requires a combination of restoring muscle function, improving movement, balancing strength and managing the loads on the low back.  I recommend that you sit for 30-45 minutes and stand for 15-20 minutes. It's time to switch to standing if you are uncomfortable and find yourself shifting around to avoid pain. In fact, I recommend that you subtract 20% off the time it takes to hurt and switch before your back begins to be irritated. Sit-Stand setup Do I need a Sit-Stand Desk? There are multiple factors that must be considered for you to be a candidate. First do you have impaired function, pain or a known diagnosis regarding your low back? Any request must be a reasonable accommodation request. Do you have a legitimate request backed by a note from a doctor? Would the request cause your employer undue hardship? Managing the load on the lumbar spine with a sit-stand desk is vital to maintaining health, slowing degeneration and minimizing both pain and missed time from work. If you suffer from low back degeneration, give us a call at 678-1362 to schedule a consultation. Occupational Evolution References: (1) Tucker, J. "Give your patients the ergonomic advantage." Dynamic Chiropractic, April 2017. (2) Yeager, S. "Sitting is the new smoking- even for runners." Runner's World, July 20, 2013.