Workplace Safety

Better Ergonomics

2011-09-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

Ergonomics, ergonomics, ergonomics – it is all that we hear. For good reason too!

Today’s workers spend more and more time sitting at computer terminals. We try to find comfortable positions at our home and work office stations but these positions are deceitful.

Regardless of my chiropractic education, without the help of a few ergonomic devices, I end up slouching over my computer.

Approximately ten years ago, I started working on the development of an ergonomic apparatus that eventually would be known as the Ergo Nav. This device was 100% inspired by my treatment of patients who were suffering from computer related ailments and syndromes.

I began to notice a pattern amongst my patients who complained of computer related neck pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, wrist pain and hand pain.

First of all, they typically carried worse symptoms on their dominant sides. Right handed folks had more severe symptoms on the right and lefties were worse on the left.

A second prevalent characteristic among these patients was the intense and often unbearable increase in their symptoms when they were using the computer mouse.

Almost all of my patients who suffered from some sort of neck, back or upper extremity complaint that was secondary to computer use complained that reaching to the desk for the mouse greatly exacerbated their pain!

One of the things that I tell my patients is that when they are in pain, regardless if it is neck pain, back pain or pain in some other joint, to pay attention to the activities that make the pain worse. This is good information to know because barring some significant injury; most of the time pain is the end result of some ongoing low level aggravation that more often than not goes un-noticed. Once you are in pain, the activities that have silently contributed to your current symptoms will be the activities that now noticeably cause your current symptoms to worsen.

The ongoing painful stress of reaching for the mouse is what led to the idea behind the Ergo Nav. The Ergo Nav was designed to be an inexpensive, adjustable and functional mouse platform that would allow a computer operator to operate the mouse in a comfortable, ergonomically friendly position.

By eliminating the need to reach for the mouse a large amount of stress can be eliminated reducing the chances of injury.

Visit our Ergo Nav Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Better Health Steve Jones

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554

Pinched Nerves Treatment in San Diego

2011-08-03T01:23:00.000-07:00

Pinched Nerves in San Diego

You are on my last nerve!

When I was a kid my mom probably said that to me a hundred times. Now my patients in my San Diego chiropractic office complain of other types of nerve issues. Sometimes, pinched nerves accompany neck pain, back pain and headaches.

Pinched nerves always result in pain traveling down either an arm or a leg resulting in what is called radiating pain. Many patients come to my San Diego chiropractic office complaining of a pinched nerve but my exam reveals simple neck pain or back pain.

There are many causes of pinched nerves. One of the worst scenarios involves a herniated disc in the spine that is putting pressure on the nerve. Herniated discs don’t always mean that surgery is required but it usually results in stretched out, more intensive treatment plans.

One of the more common causes of pinched nerves results from irritated and inflamed joints in the spine. Poor lifting habits, awkward sleeping positions, poor posture and many other aggravating activities can inflame the ligamentous capsule that surrounds the joint. As the capsule swells, it cause local muscle spasm and can cause compression or pinching of the nerve.

Like I wrote earlier in the article, pinching of the nerve causes radiating pain that travels down the leg, into an arm, down the back or sometimes up to the back of the head. Either way, pinched nerves can make you absolutely miserable.

There are several things that you can do for a pinched nerve at home. To begin with, pinched nerves almost always involve inflammation and swelling. By applying ice packs to painful areas you can reduce the inflammation and relieve some of the pain. In addtion to ice pack use, you have to acknowledge and respect your pain. That means rest as much as you can – working through pain rarely works out well for the patient. Try your best to stay out of painful positions and don’t “test” it.

Chiropractic treatment is very effective at relieving the symptoms of a pinched nerve. Instead of masking the pain with drugs, chiropractic care improves the mechanics of the joint which helps relieve the pain and improve your range of motion.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Adjustable Economical Mouse Platform website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Back pain, Neck Pain and more

Back Pain Relief San Diego

2010-01-22T02:13:00.000-08:00

Many patients are seeking back pain relief when they visit my San Diego based chiropractic clinic.

That is not unusual since most people consider chiropractors as back pain specialists. That being said, we treat patients for a variety of ailments including neck pain, headaches, sciatic pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc. While all of these conditions sound like very different conditions, they are actually very similar.

Most of my patients that suffer with headaches also complain of neck pain or stiffness. In fact, many headaches are related to muscle tension that originates in the neck. The muscle tension or spasm in the neck triggers the headache. Therefore, by treating the neck with a combination of chiropractic adjustments, hot packs, ice packs, muscle stimulation and ultrasound; the muscle tension in the neck can be resolved preventing the headache.

This is just an example of how one problem in a specific region of the body can be responsible for symptoms in a separate area. Likewise, sciatica is most often related to irritation of joints and muscle spasms in the lower back. Similarly, carpal tunnel syndrome results from a process involving joints in the wrist and the surrounding muscles and ligaments.

All of the conditions that I listed above as well as many unlisted conditions follow the same path to becoming symptomatic. Either through some specific injury or ongoing trauma (such as keyboarding or mousing), the joint becomes irritated and inflamed causing pain and muscle spasm. If the pain and spasm affects a specific nerve, the patient may experience additional symptoms such as sciatica or arm / hand pain.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Chiropractic Approach to Tension Headaches and Neck Pain

2009-12-30T01:54:00.000-08:00

Chiropractic Approach to Tension Headaches and Neck Pain

In my San Diego chiropractic clinic we treat hundreds of people each year with headaches. Some of the more common types of headaches that we see are the: migraine headache, cluster headache, caffeine headache, vascular headache, spinal headache and tension headaches.

Like its’ label implies, muscle tension headaches occur secondary to hypertonic or overly tight muscles. In many cases, the muscle tension that causes the headache is a direct result of neck pain or dysfunction. This article will focus on the tension headache because it is the most common type of headache and the type most often linked to neck pain.

This article will describe in both how and why some people get tension headaches and what can be done for them both at home and with chiropractic care.

To begin with, most people think of their skull as being covered only with skin. What many don’t know is that underneath the skin lies a thin layer of muscle. Another well known fact regarding muscle tension headaches is that the pain that the patient feels is from these muscles, not from the brain.

Most of the time this layer of muscle that covers the skull maintains normal resting muscle tone. During these times, the patients are free from the effects of muscle tension and the resulting headaches.

Stress, whether from work, home or social situations can cause these muscles to tighten. Think of an irritated persons’ furrowed brow. This reaction to stress can cause the muscles covering the skull to spasm resulting in muscle tension and a tension headache. Typically, the headache will fade as the muscle spasm resolves.

Another common source of muscle tension headaches is the neck and upper back. There is a thin layer of muscle that connects the top vertebra in your neck to the base of your skull. This muscle group is known as the suboccipital muscles. When we are stressed or injured (as in a whiplash accident), the neck muscles can tighten and spasm resulting in neck pain, back pain and muscle tension headaches as well.

There are many muscle groups and layers of muscle that overlap in the neck and upper back. Chronic tightness of these muscles can also trigger the onset of a chronic headache. If indeed your headache is caused by muscle tension, it will certainly improve as the muscle tension decreases.

Headache relief can come from several different treatments. A common home remedy for headache involves the use of ice packs. Ice packs can be applied to the head or neck in 20 minute sessions. Ice packs will remove inflammation built up in the muscles and calm the nerves. Teaching yourself relaxation techniques can also be very effective if you carry the proper mindset.

Muscle tension headaches also result from minor misalignments of the vertebra in the neck called subluxations that can trigger muscle spasms and pain that create the headache. Subluxations irritate the joints of the spine and the associated nerves resulting in the muscle tightening (spasm) around the joint as a protective mechanism.

Chiropractic adjustments help restore the normal healthy balance of the muscles that move and support the spine. A healthy spine is not bound by muscle tension and much less likely to trigger a muscle tension headache. A treatment program with an experienced chiropractor can result in dramatic improvements in patients suffering from chronic muscle tension headaches.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Low Back Pain Treatment

2009-12-12T02:04:00.000-08:00

Low Back Pain Treatment

I have been practicing chiropractic care in San Diego for the last 15 years. In that time I have seen many different types of lower back injuries that all generate some level of back pain or disability. Back pain severity can range anywhere from a mild ache to an intense, severe bout that can cause total disability.

For most of these people, the joint most likely to be involved is the sacroiliac joint. We have two sacroiliac joints. They are located just to the left and right sides of the spine at your beltline. These joints are both the largest and the strongest joints in your spine. They have the largest muscles and the strongest ligaments to provide for their movement and support.

These joints also have a close relationship with the bottom two vertebra of your lumbar spine. The sacroiliac joints are attached to the L4 L5 vertebra with ligaments that essentially create a situation in which the health of each of these joints is dependent on the health of the other adjacent joints.

The L4 L5 S1 and sacroiliac joint complex is very durable while allowing a great range of motion. This joint complex, however, is also subjected to incredible levels of stress as a result of poor posture, sitting, sports injuries and improper lifting techniques. Patients who sustain injuries in this area are dumbfounded that they cannot recall any particular injury that “threw their back out”.

Like any other joint in your body, the sacroiliac joints weaken and eventually are injured by ongoing low levels of stress. We often see people who have suffered a severe back injury involving the sacroiliac joints following an activity such as picking a sock up off the floor or some other mundane task. An injury following a task such as this indicates a long standing problem that should be addressed by a competent chiropractor.

Low back injuries that are not promptly addressed with formal therapy can easily become chronic leading to more severe aggravations in the future.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Adjustable Economical Mouse Pad website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Back pain, Neck Pain and more

Medical Myths Overheard in a Chiropractors Office

2009-12-03T02:17:00.000-08:00

Medical Myths Overheard in a Chiropractors Office

In my San Diego based Chiropractic clinic, I hear wives tales regarding health and fitness all the time. The one that I hear most often doesn’t have anything to do with neck pain or back pain – it has to do with knuckle cracking. It seems that almost everyones’ parents have told them “Don’t crack your knuckles, they will get big and full of arthritis when you are older!” Believe it or not, this is not true. Cracking joints that are weight bearing ie, your neck, back, knees and ankles, etc can be harmful if you are not a trained chiropractor, but cracking your knuckles is only irritating to other people.

A study was just released that examined 7 common medical myths that are being circulated today. They are as follows:

Two US researchers took seven common beliefs and searched the archives for evidence to support them.

Despite frequent mentions in the popular press of the need to drink eight glasses of water, they found no scientific basis for the claim.

The complete lack of evidence has been recorded in a study published the American Journal of Psychology, they said.

The other six "myths" are:

Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight

The majority of eye experts believed it was unlikely to do any permanent damage, but it might make you squint, blink more and have trouble focusing, the researchers said.

Shaving makes hair grow back faster or coarser

It has no effect on the thickness or rate of hair regrowth, studies say. But stubble lacks the finer taper of unshaven hair, giving the impression of coarseness.

Eating turkey makes you drowsy

It does contain an amino acid called tryptophan that is involved in sleep and mood control. But turkey has no more of the acid than chicken or minced beef. Eating lots of food and drink at Christmas are probably the real cause of sleepiness.

We use only 10 per cent of our brains

This myth arose as early as 1907 but imaging shows no area of the brain is silent or completely inactive.

Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death

This idea may stem from ghoulish novels. The researchers said the skin dries out and retracts after death, giving the appearance of longer hair or nails.

Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals

Despite widespread concerns, studies have found minimal interference with medical equipment.

The research was conducted by Aaron Carroll, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, and Rachel Vreeman, fellow in children's health services research at Indiana University School of Medicine.

I hope that you enjoyed this information. Happy Holidays!

More Soon

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Causes of Back and Neck Pain

2009-11-30T01:31:00.000-08:00

Causes of Back and Neck Pain

Like many across the United States my Chiropractic Office in San Diego provides treatment for neck pain and back pain. Although chiropractic care helps many different conditions, it is often viewed as treatment for just back pain and neck pain.
When dealing with back pain and neck pain, it is important to have your pain evaluated by a healthcare professional. Dismissing back pain and neck pain as insignificant can lead to more significant health issues.
Many conditions can cause back pain and neck pain, ranging from injury and infection too twisting or turning “the wrong way”.   Injuries such as those sustained in an automobile or other accident can damage muscles, joints, ligaments, and vertebrae.

Overuse or under use of the back muscles is by far the most common cause of back pain that manifests as tightening or spasm of the muscles that connect to the spine.   Inflammation and swelling often occur in the joints and ligaments, especially in the cervical and lumbar regions, as people age.

A herniated disc occurs when the nuclear pulposus, the inner material of the disc, pushes through a tear in the annulus fibrosis, the outer material of the disc causing nerve root compression.   The cervical and lumbar regions of the spine have the most mobility and the discs there are more likely to wear down or be injured. Ninety percent of disc herniations occur in the lower two lumbar vertebrae.

Spinal stenosis, the narrowing of the spinal canal, can cause spinal cord irritation and injury. Conditions that cause spinal stenosis include infection, tumors, trauma, herniated disc, arthritis, thickening of ligaments, growth of bone spurs, and disc degeneration. Spinal stenosis most commonly occurs in older individuals as a result of vertebral degeneration.

A pinched nerve, or radiculopathy, occurs when something rubs or presses against a nerve, creating irritation or inflammation. Radiculopathy can result from a herniated disc, bone spur, tumor growing into the nerves, and vertebral fracture, and many other conditions.

Sciatica is a certain type of radiculopathy that involves inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Pain is experienced along the large sciatic nerve, from the lower back down through the buttocks and along the back of the leg.

A spinal tumor that originates in the spine (primary tumor) or spreads to the spine from another part of the body (metastatic tumor) can compress the spine or nerve roots and cause significant pain.

Infections of the vertebrae (e.g., vertebral osteomyelitis), the discs, the meninges (e.g., spinal meningitis), or the cerebrospinal fluid can compress the spinal cord and result in serious neurological deterioration, if it is not diagnosed and treated immediately.

Arthritis often affects the facet joints which are formed by two adjacent vertebra and direct or guide movement of the spine.   As the joints degenerate, they loose their normal alignment, and the cartilage and fluid that lubricates the joints may deteriorate. Bone then rubs against bone, which can be very painful.

These are just a few of the conditions that can cause back pain and neck pain. Most cases of back and neck pains are due to mechanical causes and can be readily addressed by a chiropractor. The point is, however, neck pain and back pain is a warning signal that should not be ignored.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Low Back Pain Treatment San Diego

2009-11-17T02:09:00.000-08:00

San Diego Low Back Pain Treatment

Lower back pain is one of the most frustrating things for patients to deal with. I have had what I consider bad lower back pain, bad neck pain and other injuries that get my full attention. Of all of these conditions, I think that lower back pain has been the worst spine complaint that I have had. Since I became a chiropractor in San Diego, I have taken informal surveys of my patients regarding the area of their backs that create the greatest level of disability when aggravated and more often than not the answer is lower back pain.

Chiropractic care for lower back pain is pretty straight forward. Usually low back pain is accompanied by muscle spasms which have to be addressed first. Most low back pain patients do very well with treatment that begins with the application of hot packs and electrical muscle stimulation. Electrical muscle stimulation sounds intimidating to some people but it is a very comfortable, relaxing form of therapy that is excellent at soothing muscle spasms.

Once the muscles have been relaxed as much as possible, the affected joints of the lower back can be adjusted. Much like the sound of electrical muscle stimulation, some people find the sound of having their joints manipulated intimidating. In fact, the overwhelming majority of even first time chiropractic patients find the joint manipulations to be comfortable and soothing to their back pain.

Chiropractic care is delivered as a series of treatments rather than a single session. That is not to say that you may not attain 100% relief with one session, but you shouldn’t count on it. The rule of thumb in regards to how much care you may need for a low back issue is that you must allow for one week of active care (2 to 3 visits per week) for each month that you have had a particular problem. This level of frequency and consistency will ensure the greatest level of recovery with chiropractic care.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Four Steps to Neck Pain Relief:

2009-11-07T01:56:00.000-08:00

Four Steps to Neck Pain Relief:

My San Diego chiropractic office sees a regular flow of patients with neck pain. I use a variety of chiropractic adjustments and physiotherapy modalities to help relieve the pain and stiffness that accompanies neck pathologies. In addition to treatment that I perform here in the office for neck pain, there are many steps and procedures that can be taken by the patient outside of my direct care.

Here is a list of four pro-active steps that you can take to avoid neck pain.

1)    Avoid activities that instigate neck pain
2)    Stretch
3)    Exercise
4)    Watch Your Posture

Let’s begin with number one. This sounds simple, but avoiding activities that instigate neck pain seems to skirt peoples’ minds. It is kind of like that old doctors’ saying, “if it hurts don’t do it!” You would be surprised by how many of my patients come in with neck pain, or hip pain, arm pain, back pain, and say, “you know doc, every time I do (fill in the blank) I hurt my neck.” It is the strangest thing but it happens over and over.

Stretching is also very important in relieving neck pain. With stretching, it should be done as a prevention, not a cure. This means that by stretching daily, you can help prevent a neck pain crisis. Usually, stretching during a neck pain crisis will aggravate your symptoms rather than relieve them. Stretching on a consistent basis can go a long way towards improving your health. I recommend / hand out specific exercises to my patients on a regular basis. The patients who do their exercises seem to do much better than those who don’t.

Exercise is also very important. By the time we reach adult years, we have usually suffered at least one significant sprain / strain type injury. These injuries happen as a result of falls, whiplash, heavy lifting and various sports injuries. Sprain / strain type injuries can damage the ligaments in the neck resulting in a weak link. For many people, the only way to add stability to their necks is with exercise. Just like stretching, however, exercise must be habit that is begun for an episode of pain. Exercising muscles that span a dysfunctional joint is a sure fire recipe for further aggravation.

One of the more difficult ways to prevent neck pain is by watching your posture. Posture is a difficult thing to control because we tend to do our work in front of us which makes it easy to tilt our heads down and round our shoulders forward. This posture causes anterior weight bearing and creates a tremendous amount of stress on the neck and upper back. Proper ergonomic set ups at both work and home do a great deal to help us with posture. The most important item concerning posture is to simply be aware of it and to straighten up whenever we think of it.

More coming soon!

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Stress and General Tension:

2009-10-20T01:03:00.000-07:00

Stress and General Tension:

Picture this; you are just finishing a grueling work week. Your neck hurts and your shoulders are tight. It feels as though your shoulders a drawn up around your ears.

Does all this sound familiar? It should. Stress affects us everyday. The pressures of work and personal relationships can make us feel like a giant knot all by themselves. For most of us, however, this is just the beginning of our stress. Physical ailments that exist because of current conditions and those that continue to haunt us from the past i.e. old auto accident injuries, falls off our bicycles, years of postural stress etc. also contribute directly to our general tension level.

I am sure that most of my readers can recall a time when they went to work with some kind of neck pain or other body ache that made them much less amicable.

The process that takes place is simple and much more damaging then you might think. Our bodies are very good at compensating for stresses whether they are physical or emotional. However, if the stresses exist for a long enough period of time or if they are compounded by other stresses, our bodies start to express this build up of stress in various ways. For some people, stress and tension will generate headaches. For others the continued stress will trigger episodes of neck or back pain.

For either of the above examples, the process that takes place involves the body responding to stress with muscle tension. More often than not, our physical response to stress involves a tightening of the muscles in the shoulders and upper back. In addition to this tightening of muscles causing neck and back pain, it also raises blood pressure, burns energy causing physical fatigue and in some people causes mental fatigue.

Unfortunately, we are probably stuck with our jobs and although stressful, we elect to keep our relationships. These things are pieces of our lives that many of us have no choice but to accept (we could if we really wanted).

We can more easily take better care of our bodies. Proper ergonomics at work and home, breathing techniques, yoga, exercise, massage and of course chiropractic treatment can go a long way in counteracting stress and general tension.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Ergonomically Yours Blog

2009-10-16T05:52:00.000-07:00

Ergonomically Yours

Articles about Ergonomics Issues and Products, this is the blog for a website we are building at the moment that will be selling many different Ergonomic Office Products

Yours SEO4Chiros

The Chiropractors SEO

The Computerized Office and Its Effects on Workers

2009-10-15T00:18:00.000-07:00

The Computerized Office and Its Effects on Workers

Hundreds if not thousands of books and articles have been written that deal with the short and long term negative effects of working with computers.

As a chiropractor practicing in San Diego, I see a constant flow of new patients who complain of neck pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, wrist pain and hand pain as a result of long work days that mostly consist of sitting at a computer. It doesn’t stop there. Because sitting is especially stressful for the lower back we see plenty of computer operators who complain of low back pain as well.

It seems that the computer spares no body part from pain, discomfort and sometimes disability.

The most damaging characteristics of computer work can be summed up in two related triggers that stimulate our bodies to react to this type of work.

The first of these triggers involves the way the muscles of our necks, upper backs, arms and hands are used during computer work.

Whenever we are working on our computers our fingers are moving a mile a minute while the rest of the muscles of our upper extremities are in a static contraction. Muscles are designed to move joints through an entire range of motion. When we work at our computers these muscles simply contract to hold joints in a fixed position. When muscles act in this way they build up lactic acid, become irritated and inflamed and eventually fatigue and become painful. The long-term effects of this process include tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, etc, etc.

The second trigger involves postural stress. It is human nature to lean forward into our work. Leaning forward improves our ability to see what we are working on. This posture typically includes bending forward at the waist, rounding our shoulders forward and craning our necks forward. Each of these body positions by themselves is capable of causing pain and discomfort. When we are doing computer work it is not unusual to have all three of these postural stresses working on us at the same time.

Controlling these stresses is of utmost importance in order to prevent injury. Taking short one or two minute stretching breaks for the arms and hands every twenty or thirty minutes is very helpful. Icing the painful areas is helpful as well. Finally, becoming aware of your posture and doing what you can to eliminate postural stress will help.

There are other articles on this topic in this blog and in my chiropractic blog at www.jonespainrelife.com/blog that will give you more information on how to control the stresses of computer work.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Short North Accident Injury Care

2009-10-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

Short North Accident Injury Care: "# SEO for Chiropractors

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554
San Diego Chiropractic

ADJUSTABLE MOUSE PLATFORM Website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Chiropractic San Diego Website to make an appointment
Better Health Steve Jones

Computer Ergonomics

2009-10-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

Computer Ergonomics: "Sitting, Reaching and Posture
August 22nd, 2009

Sitting and reaching have a profound impact on your posture. Both sitting and reaching stress the spine. Reaching stresses both the spine, shoulder, elbow and wrist. Sitting and reaching contribute to poor posture that can cause neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain and wrist pain.

Sitting has a negative impact on your back for several reasons. Since our spines were made to move, it should come as no surprise that hours on end of sitting in a static position leads to injury.

In addition to a lack of movement, the sitting posture itself is structurally stressful to the spine. When we are standing upright, the lower back should have a sweeping forward curve which promotes stability by reducing pressure on the discs that separate our vertebra. Sitting reverses the normal curve in our lower backs and increases the pressure on the discs leading to an increased chance of injury.

From a postural standpoint, the sitting position can promote rounded shoulders, slumping forward of the upper back and jutting forward of the jaw. Not only are these postures unattractive but they contribute to the development of tendonitis and result in stretch weakness of the involved muscles.

There are volumes of information regarding ideal sitting postures both on the web and within other posts on this site. Sorting out your posture with the use of a good ergonomic chair will help you maintain good posture and spinal health.

Reaching at or beyond your normal arc of motion also contributes to poor posture and cumulative trauma type injuries, especially of the neck and shoulder. It is vitally important to the health of your frame to keep objects that you use on a regular basis within easy reach. Your phone, the mouse, stapler, etc., if used frequently through the course of your day, should be within your immediate reach. Objects that are used less frequently can be kept farther away, closer to the edge of your comfortable reach.

Take a good look at your work space. Making a few simple changes will help save your posture and your spinal health.

Here’s To Your Health

Dr. Jones
San Diego Chiropractic

(619) 261-6590

Recent Posts

What Causes a Stiff Neck?

2009-10-10T00:08:00.000-07:00

What Causes a Stiff Neck?

Stiff necks are one of the most annoying forms of spinal discomfort. Waking with a stiff neck in the morning almost certainly assures you of having an uncomfortable day. We see many patients each year with stiff necks in my San Diego chiropractic clinic.

The medical term for a stiff neck in torticollis. Torticollis usually prevents the head / neck from being turned or tilted to one side or another.

When the affected individual attempts to rotate or tilt their head / neck into the restricted range of motion they are met with increasing pain that is more often than not enough to prohibit the movement.
Torticollis is a protective splinting of muscles in the neck caused by the brain's perception of bodily injury. Many torticollis patients presenting to our clinic usually have no history of trauma or illness to explain the severity of their symptoms.

Patient history often includes frequently sleeping near an open window or in front of an air conditioner. We see patients that drive convertibles who are also prone to getting torticollis.

Pain medications and muscle relaxants have limited effects in certain individuals. One such man presented to the Emergency Department (ED) complaining of having awoken with severe neck pain and immobility. The attending ED physician diagnosed the patient as suffering from acute torticollis. The patient was medicated first with an intramuscular injection of Toradol and oral Flexeril, which proved ineffective.

Injection of the narcotic Demarol followed. Reporting minor relief, the patient was discharged with prescriptions for both a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic and a muscle relaxant.

The patient returned to the ED later that evening. He complained that neither his pain nor his mobility had improved, in spite of all the medication. The evening ED shift decided to obtain a chiropractic consultation, hoping to increase the patient's mobility and decrease pain and the need for additional narcotic analgesia.

History and examination revealed findings consistent with a diagnosis of acute spasmodic torticollis. The patient exhibited severely restricted cervical ranges of motion, antalgia, muscle spasm and vertebral joint fixation. Radiographic examination revealed signs of degenerative joint disease, but was negative for fracture or pathology.

I applied electrical muscle stimulation and moist heat to the patient's neck in preparation for spinal manipulation. The purpose of the adjunctive therapy was to help relax muscle and ease pain to facilitate the manual procedures and spinal adjustment. As the patient relaxed with the adjunctive therapy, we discussed the severity of his pain and immobility in contrast to the lack of significant examination and radiographic findings.

The patient appeared to understand that the torticollis was a protective splinting caused by the brain's perception of bodily injury. As with many torticollis patients presenting to our ED, there was no history of trauma or illness to explain the severity of the patient's symptoms. Patient history included frequently sleeping near an open window or in front of an air conditioner.

After removing the adjunctive therapy modalities, I performed manual therapy to further increase the patient's mobility before performing cervical adjustments. With the patient seated, I asked him to turn his head as far as possible to the painful side. I held his head still and asked him to try to turn further. I instructed him to push hard, but not enough to move my hands. After a few seconds, I told him to relax.

As he relaxed, I also relaxed my grip on his head, allowing his head to move slightly toward the painful side. I had the patient repeat this several times, and then several times to the other side, until he appeared unable to achieve increased range of motion.

For the second part of the manual therapy, I stood behind the patient, held his mastoid and parietal areas between my hands, and lifted gently. I held my forearms against his shoulders and asked him to push up against my resistance. As he pushed, I instructed him to take a deep breath and hold it.

The patient's physical and emotion tension increased as he simultaneously contracted his upper trapezius muscles and held his breath. I asked him to concentrate on the feeling of relaxation as he lowered his shoulders and exhaled. As he released the tension on his upper trapezius muscles, I added additional traction force. The patient repeated this procedure several times until less muscle spasm was palpable.

With the patient more relaxed and in less pain, I proceeded to have him lie supine for cervical adjustments. I attempted to put the patient at ease by explaining that we would approach adjustment of his neck in a slow, progressive, "step-wise" fashion.

I explained that he might hear a popping sound as the joints moved, which could be loud, as it involved the inner ear, separated from the cervical spine by little more than an inch. I assured him that if at any time during the procedure, he had a sense that the adjustment would hurt, he could let me know and I would defer the adjustment for another day. I also demonstrated the amount of force I would use by making a sample adjusting thrust to his arm. Cervical adjustments were performed bilaterally, with increased mobility noted.

The patient tolerated the entire procedure well and without complications. His range of motion was approximately 90 percent of normal upon discharge from the ED. He did not require any additional prescriptions for medication. Upon leaving. he stopped at the nurse's station to thank the staff for its help and to demonstrate his increased range of motion.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Chiropractor Columbus, OH - Dr. Gregory Smith

2009-10-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

Chiropractor Short North Columbus, OH - Dr. Gregory Smith: "Columbus Chiropractor, Dr. Gregory Smith

Our goal is to help people lead a more healthful lifestyle, free of discomfort, by removing the cause of their problems as cheaply and quickly as possible.

If you suffer from back pain, neck pain, sciatica, or have been injured in an auto collision, we may be able to help.

Please give us a call at (614) 299-9797."

recent posts on chiropractic blog

2009-10-05T05:22:00.001-07:00

Types of Headaches Oct 03, 2009

Types of HeadachesAt my chiropractic office in San Diego, one of the most common complaints that new patients present with is headaches.  To many of us who don’t suffer from chronic or severe headaches, this condition may seem a minor health problem.  However, they have major implications on the affected patient and on society as a...

Continue >>
Repetitive Stress Trauma Sep 30, 2009

Repetitive Stress Trauma: An Introduction Repetitive Stress Trauma or RST is described entirely by the words that make up the phrase.  Repetition implies that the injury is the result of more than one exposure.  Typical RSTs result from weeks, months or years of performance of a repetitive task with a specific body part.  Stress is...

Continue >>
Work Station and Reaching Sep 30, 2009

Work Station and Reaching:Have you ever noticed how tight your neck, upper back and shoulders are after a long day of sitting at the computer?There are a number of factors that contribute to this tightness.  Simply the stress of deadlines, an overbearing boss or an annoying co-worker can make your shoulders rise up and your head push...

Continue >>
Chronic Pain vs Acute Pain, Whats the Difference Sep 23, 2009

Chronic pain is defined as pain that persists longer than 90 days beyond the course of the natural expected healing time.  As a chiropractor in San Diego, I get calls from both new and established patients on a regular basis who complain of back pain, neck pain, etc.  One of the factors that comes into play when planning a chiropractic...

Continue >>
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome What to do about CTS? Sep 19, 2009

What to do about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?Initially, treatment involves resting the affected hand and wrist and avoiding the activities that caused or may worsen symptoms.  Night time immobilization of the wrist in a splint to avoid further damage from twisting or bending is often helpful.    Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,...

Continue >>
Sep 16, 2009

How Does Ergonomics Affect You?Those of you have read my blog posts both here and at www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1 know that ergonomics is the study of how we can manipulate our work environment to both improve work performance and reduce injury-causing fatigue. Obviously, the cost of injury drives the study of ergonomics.  This is a good...

Continue >>
Back Pain & Sitting Sep 16, 2009

Sitting Postures and Back PainSitting is a pain in the @#$%&! Or at least a pain in the back.Our spines do not like sitting as a rule. If you remain seated in the same position for a long enough period of time you will experience some level of discomfort. Although there are many reasons that sitting eventually causes discomfort, one of...

Continue >>
Prognosis & Fees Personal Injuries Personal Injury Case Sep 15, 2009

Prognosis Personal Injury Case: The need for future care and the amount of settlement for that care is based on an accurate prognosis. Due to overuse, the term "guarded" has lost most of it's meaning in the medical/legal world. We contend a more accurate system will benefit the patient, insurance carrier, representing attorney, treating doctor,...

Continue >>
End Points of Care Personal Injury Case Sep 15, 2009

End Points of Care for a Personal Injury CaseIn our experience, this is often the most debated aspect of the personal injury case. The attorney is again forced to justify the length of his client's care, and thereby support the amount billed as well. The care rendered should be reasonable and fall within reasonable guidelines for treatment...

Continue >>
Narrative Reports for Soft Tissue Injuries personal Injury Cases Sep 15, 2009

Narrative Reports for Soft Tissue Injuries personal Injury CasesIn our experience, this is far and away the greatest downfall in the well managed soft tissue case. We, as a profession, have become dependent on the computer generated narrative report. In our opinion, and that of the legal community as well, these types of reports often do not...

Continue >>
Special Tests for Soft Tissue Injuries Sep 15, 2009

Special Tests for Soft Tissue Injuries The use of special imaging and diagnostic procedures are becoming more popular in the clinical management of patients. Attorneys will be placed in the position of justifying the expense and use of these tests to the claims adjustor or judge. The doctor should consider the following questions before ordering...

Continue >>
Orthopedic Supports for Soft Tissue injuries Sep 15, 2009

Read first Well Managed Chiropractic Soft Tissue Injury Managing Soft Tissue Injury with Chiropractic  Soft Tissue Treatments Personal Injury Case  Frequency of Care for a Soft Tissue Injury  Treatment Times for a Soft Tissue InjuryOrthopedic SupportsThe use of orthopedic supports, such as a cervical collar, during the acute...

Continue >>
Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement 2 Sep 14, 2009

 Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement 1First Read http://work-injury-workplace-safety.blogspot.com/2009/09/repetitive-stress-treatment-and-one.htmlContinued.....There are several benefits to this type of design.  First of all, a mouse platform that attaches to the armrest of the chair is natural and...

Continue >>
Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement 1 Sep 14, 2009

Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic ImprovementDr. Steve Jones practices in San Diego, California.  This article will relate his struggles to find appropriate and effective treatment for repetitive stress injuries (such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and symptoms including hand pain, wrist pain, neck pain, shoulder...

Continue >>
Stretching and Chiropractic Sep 13, 2009

Stretching and Chiropractic - Try to be More Flexible in 09-10The headline of this article could be interpreted in a variety of different ways.  For the purposes of this blog post it will address our physical flexibility.  Flexibility is an important measure of our physical fitness.  Flexibility is just as important to our overall...

Continue >>
Causes of Back and Neck Pain Sep 13, 2009

The Causes of Back and Neck Pain and Chiropractic TreatmentMy Chiropractic Office in San Diego California is like many across the United States.  While chiropractic care helps many different conditions, it is often viewed as treatment for back pain and neck pain.  Determining the specific causes of neck pain and back pain for each...

Continue >>
Ergonomic Basics Defining Your Workspace Sep 12, 2009

Defining Your Workspace: Ergonomic BasicsSetting up your office space correctly definitely requires some expert input. That being said, many aspects of setting up your office space are based on common sense.We all have specific items at work that we handle more frequently than others. In my work environment for instance, I use the mouse and...

Continue >>
Computers do they harm Students Sep 12, 2009

Do Computers Help or Harm Our StudentsComputers speed our daily tasks in ways that we could not have imagined ten years ago.  That being said, most every improvement in our lives is a double edged sword (pardon the cheesy analogy).Computer work gives me a pain in the neck!  It probably gives you a pain in the neck too.I graduated college...

Continue >>
Better Ergonomics Sep 12, 2009

Ergonomics, ergonomics, ergonomics – it is all that we hear.  For good reason too! Today’s workers spend more and more time sitting at computer terminals.  We try to find comfortable positions at our home and work office stations but these positions are deceitful.  Regardless of my chiropractic education, without the help of a few...

Continue >>
Posture and Back Pain Aug 30, 2009

Posture and Back PainHave you ever hurt your back and scratched your head wondering – how did this happen when my back has felt fine until now?Patients present to my San Diego Chiropractic clinic on a regular basis with neck pain, back pain and other related symptoms that not only lack a history of pain in that area but have no recent injury or...

Continue >>
Repetitive Stress Trauma San Diego Aug 16, 2009

Figuring out what is the root cause of a Repetitive Stress Trauma is of the utmost importance.  Once you have figured out what the source of that stress is, you have figure out a solution.  I provide treatment for many people who simply don’t see the importance in controlling the stress that they impose upon themselves.  Many of...

Continue >>
Picking up On Repetitive Stress Trauma: Aug 09, 2009

Picking up On Repetitive Stress Trauma:I ended my last post with discussing the contributing factors of work duties with the development of Repetitive Stress Trauma.  The reason that work is such a heavy contributor to these types of injuries is the frequency and consistency of the exposure to the aggravating activity.  Most of us work...

Continue >>
Pinched Nerves Treatment in San Diego Aug 07, 2009

Pinched Nerves in San DiegoYou are on my last nerve!When I was a kid my mom probably said that to me a hundred times.  Now my patients in my San Diego chiropractic office complain of other types of nerve issues.   Sometimes, pinched nerves accompany neck pain, back pain and headaches.Pinched nerves always result in pain traveling...

Continue >>

Benefits of Fish Oil Oct 05, 2009

The Many Benefits of Fish OilWe always stress the importance of fish oil for the heart and the digestive tract, but you probably haven’t heard that people who eat the most fish have the fewest eye problems. The impact of fish oil on vision was a topic at this week's meeting of the Association for...

Continue >>
Why You Need a Cleansing Diet Sep 30, 2009

Why You Need a Cleansing Diet.In my San Diego Chiropractic Center we treat people as a whole.  In general, chiropractors are concerned about the typical neck pain and low back pain complaints that our patients have, however, dietary concerns are addressed as well.  The value of a properly...

Continue >>
Controling Food Cravings for certain types of food Sep 23, 2009

In my chiropractic office in San Diego, I treat people that are more oriented toward taking proactive steps in maintaining their health.  In addition to helping my patients with the typical neck pain, back pain and headaches that are common complaints for chiropractors, I also give advice...

Continue >>
Health benefits of Soy is it really good for you? Sep 23, 2009

Soy – Good or BadBeing a chiropractor in San Diego, I am surrounded by patients who try to make improvements in their health on a number of fronts.  Sure, they often come to my office complaining of neck pain, back pain or headaches, but usually at some point the topic of nutrition comes...

Continue >>

Chiropractic Care and Nutrition Update Sep 23, 2009

Chiropractic Care and NutritionAre you ready to feel better?  Back in the early part of April, I posted a blog article regarding chiropractic care and nutrition, specifically, my own nutrition.  Being the owner of my San Diego Chiropractic office, I spend most of my days treating patients...

Continue >>
Diet and Chiropractic for Better Health Sep 23, 2009

Better Health through Diet and ChiropracticA lack of symptoms or sickness does not make you well.Every patient in my San Diego Chiropractic practice wants to be healthy.  The question is, however, what is health? And, how do we “get” healthy?I always try to encourage health maintenance beyond...

Continue >>
Microwaving and Your Health Sep 20, 2009

Microwaving and Your HealthI wanted to convey a self imposed revelation that I recently had regarding microwave ovens. About six months ago I moved into a new place that did not have a microwave oven. At the time of my move, I looked at getting a microwave oven as a priority; after all, I had not...

Continue >>
Sep 20, 2009

I hear the patients of my San Diego based Chiropractic Clinic talk about digestive disorders and the effects of probiotics on a regular basis.  This may surprise some of you who think that the only chiropractors deal with are neck pain, back pain and headaches. Probiotics are the “good”...

Continue >>
Good Nutrition for Better Sleep Sep 20, 2009

Better Sleep With Nutrition   Several posts ago I did an article on my nutritional state.  I am doing this for several reasons. First of all, I want to get healthier.  While I had a fantastic educational experience in nutrition 18 years ago in chiropractic college, my...

Continue >>
Cinnamon Helps Lower Blood Cholesterol Sep 16, 2009

A Spoonful of Cinnamon Helps the Blood Cholesterol Go Down In our Chiropractic office in San Diego California, we like to stress the importance of natural holistic healthcare.  Although our office is delivering chiropractic care for neck pain, back pain and the like, we also encourage our...

Continue >>
Better Sleep with Nutritional Sep 16, 2009

Get Better Sleep With Nutrition Some time ago I did an article on my nutritional state. I am doing this for several reasons. I want to get healthier. I had a fantastic educational experience in nutrition 18 years ago while in Chiropractic College; to my dismay implementation of my nutritional...

Continue >>
Nutrition Health and Chiropractic Sep 16, 2009

Chiropractic and Nutrition – Why Not?So you’ve had a Birthday and you’re thinking about your youth that’s slipping away.  I would like to go back to 30 myself.  Of course there are some things we can do to help feel more youthful and have more energy.Some San Diego Chiropractic offices...

Continue >>
Nutrition Update Still Sleeping! Aug 27, 2009

Nutrition Update – Still Sleeping!I did a post on regarding a new supplement program that I had started sometime around the middle of March.I am ecstatic about the results so far!In my last post I had touched on some health issues that have been plaguing me for years.  The issues that I...

Continue >>
environment that is full of allergens San Diego Aug 22, 2009

San Diego is known as being an environment that is full of allergens.  I have many patients in my chiropractic practice that specifically come to the chiropractor (me) for neck or cervical adjustments that help their allergies.As it is, millions of Americans alter their summer activities...

Continue >>
Neck pain or Back pain Which is worse?
Oct 03, 2009

Which is worse – neck pain or back pain?I hear this question often in my San Diego chiropractic office.  Of course the answer is easy – if you have back pain, back pain is definitely worse than neck pain.  If you have neck pain, neck pain is definitely worse than back pain.Another common question that I hear regarding low back pain is...

Continue >>
what is Chronic Pain? Sep 30, 2009

 Chronic pain is defined as pain that persists longer than 90 days beyond the course of the natural expected healing time.  As a chiropractor in San Diego, I get calls from both new and established patients on a regular basis who complain of back pain, neck pain, etc. One of the factors that comes into play when planning a...

Continue >>
Pain Relief Doctor Mission Valley San Diego Sep 22, 2009

Cold Laser therapy, also known as Low Level Laser therapy, has been used around the world for over 30 years, and is just now becoming popular in the U.S.  One of the biggest benefits of cold laser therapy is that it can be used to treat areas and conditions that all previous therapy modalities could not.  This is a truly revolutionary...

Continue >>
Chiropractic treatment of Pain in Extremities Sep 22, 2009

Sound Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (SASTM) is an extremely effective way to treat soft tissue injuries, be it acute or chronic.  It works so well that many professional sports franchises have incorporated it into the care for their injured athletes.San Diego Soft Tissue Injury DoctorMairs Chiropractic(619)...

Continue >>
Chiropractic Treatment for Low Back Pain Sep 20, 2009

 Chiropractic Treatment for Low Back PainWhy do I have back pain?Being a chiropractor in San Diego, I hear this question all the time.  Back pain and neck pain are the two most common complaints that my patients have.  The fact that my practice is in San Diego probably decreases the frequency of these complaints.  People in San...

Continue >>
Exercise and Chiropractic to Build a Healthy Spine Sep 20, 2009

 Using Chiropractic and Exercise to Build a Healthy SpineIn my San Diego Chiropractic clinic, I provide treatment for many types of injuries.   Typical injuries that result in neck pain, back pain, chronic headaches, sciatica etc., include auto accidents, work related injuries, injuries caused by domestic chores and sometimes things...

Continue >>
Hip Pain & the Sacroiliac Joint Sep 16, 2009

Sacroiliac Joint and Hip PainThe patients in my San Diego Chiropractic clinic often complain of “hip pain”.  When I ask them to point to the pain they almost always point to the area right next to the spine just below their beltline.  That is the difference between a medical definition of the hip and that of a patient.  From a...

Continue >>
Building a Healthy Spine Sep 16, 2009

The Role of Exercise in Building a Healthy SpineI see many types of injuries as a Chiropractor in San Diego.  Some of the common injuries can result in neck pain, back pain, chronic headaches, sciatica etc.  Causes of these injuries range from auto accidents and work related injuries to injuries caused by domestic chores, house work and...

Continue >>
Personal Injury Outcome Assessment(Part 3) Sep 15, 2009

An Introduction to Outcome Assessment(Part 3) Mark van Hemert, DC, DACS In 1992, David Chapman Smith, commission counsel to the Mercy guidelines, stated: "There must be a better method of judging whether a patient's condition or health status has changed, one that has scientific credibility, can withstand...

Continue >>
Outcome Assessment personal Injury(Part 2) Sep 15, 2009

An Introduction to Outcome Assessment(Part 2) Mark van Hemert, DC, DACS IME was originally an acronym for independent medical examination, but the IME doctor is now chosen by and paid by the insurance industry. The acronym now stands for insurance medical examination.The most recent development in the...

Continue >>
An Introduction to Outcome Assessment Personal Injury(Part 1) Sep 15, 2009

An Introduction to Outcome Assessment(Part 1) Mark van Hemert, DC, DACS The design of this article is to give the chiropractic profession an introduction into the value and usefulness of clinical outcome assessment procedures. Using outcome assessment methods of case management gives the chiropractic...

Continue >>
Liability & Labor Disability Personal Injury Cases Sep 15, 2009

 Liability - Personal Injury CasesEven when all aspects of case are well managed, problems for reimbursement can ensue. If the liability for the automobile accident is disputed, the settlement will often be different when compared to an undisputed case. For example, if the treated patient is found to be 20 percent comparatively negligent for...

Continue >>
Treatment for Sports Injuries San Diego Sep 14, 2009

Sound Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (SASTM) is an extremely effective way to treat soft tissue injuries, be it acute or chronic.  It works so well that many professional sports franchises have incorporated it into the care for their injured athletes.Read More Sports Injury Treatment

Sep 14, 2009

Cold Laser Therapy, also known as Low Level Laser therapy, has been used around the world for over 30 years, and is just now becoming popular in the U.S. One of the biggest benefits of cold laser therapy is that it can be used to treat areas and conditions that all previous therapy modalities could not. This is a truly revolutionary form of...

Continue >>
Exercise for a Building a Healthy Spine Sep 14, 2009

 The Role of Exercise in Building a Healthy SpineI see many types of injuries as a Chiropractor in San Diego.  Some of the common injuries can result in neck pain, back pain, chronic headaches, sciatica etc. Causes of these injuries range from auto accidents and work related injuries to injuries caused by domestic chores, house work and...

Continue >>
Work Injury & Workplace Safety Advice Sep 14, 2009

Work Injury & Workplace Safety AdviceCall Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic(619) 280 0554 http://jonespainrelief.comVisit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more about or Buy Ergo NavVisit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Drinking Soda Pop can Ruin Your Bone and Joint Health Sep 13, 2009

 Drinking Soda Pop can Ruin Your Bone and Joint HealthIn my San Diego Chiropractic office we see many people for neck pain, back pain, headaches and various other types of pain.  In the summer time it is not uncommon to see many of those people walk into my office with a Big Gulp from the 7 Eleven across the street.Sometimes I like to...

Continue >>
Posture and Back Pain and Neck Pain Sep 13, 2009

Back Pain, Neck Pain and PostureBack pain and neck pain can strike anyone at any time. In my chiropractic clinic in SanDiego, California, we see patients that have injured their backs or necks from liftingboxes, operating heavy machinery, sports injuries, auto accidents and falls. Many nonchiropractic.Patients or new chiropractic patients would be...

Continue >>
Why Do I Have Back Pain? Sep 13, 2009

Why Do I Have Back Pain?  A Chiropractic OverviewThe other day I had a new patient walk into my San Diego, California office asking for chiropractic treatment.  He was bent over 45 degrees at the waist, complaining of lower back pain and saying “Doc, Why do I have back pain?  I have no idea how I got this way but I am having trouble...

Continue >>
Chiropractor Blogs for SEO Clients Sep 12, 2009

Chiropractor Blogs for SEO Clients, take a look. http://work-injury-workplace-safety.blogspot.com/http://car-accident-whiplash-injuries.blogspot.com/http://back-pain-relief-treatment.blogspot.com/Lynn & Kym BrownSEO & Website Accessibility Consultant & Services HillcrestSan DiegoHome: 619 269-5372...

Continue >>
Back Pain and Arthritis Sep 12, 2009

Back Pain and ArthritisArthritis is a scary word to most people.In my San Diego Chiropractic clinic, I see people each day who suffer from the effects of arthritis.  Besides the fact the in general arthritis slows you down and limits your physical abilities, it also causes pain.  Neck pain, back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain and...

Continue >> Sep 12, 2009

How Does Your Posture Affect Back Pain and Neck Pain?Chiropractor, neck pain ,posture ,chiropractic ,back pain ,ergonomicHave you ever wondered how it can be that you can sit around all day doing nothing strenuous and develop back pain or neck pain?  When you start to examine the structure of our bodies and apply some simple rules of...

Continue >>

Yoga and Chiropractic Sep 29, 2009

Yoga and ChiropracticMy sister is a long time chiropractic patient. Not my patient, she lives 700 miles away from my chiropractic practice in San Diego, so she does not get free care from her little brother, she has to pay for it.About ten...

Continue >>

Steve Jones CHiropractor San Diego Sep 29, 2009

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic(619) 280 0554 http://jonespainrelief.comVisit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo NavVisit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Tension Headaches and Neck Pain Sep 25, 2009

Chiropractic Approach to Tension Headaches and Neck PainIn my San Diego chiropractic clinic we treat hundreds of people each year with headaches. Some of the more common types of headaches that we see are the: migraine headache, cluster...

Continue >>

Neck and Shoulder whats the connection? Sep 24, 2009

The Connections Between the Neck and Shoulder Many problems with the neck and upper back affect the shoulder and visa versa. There is a good reason for why this happens and I will use this post to explain it. There is that old saying...

Continue >>

Is Chiropractic Care Addictive? Sep 23, 2009

Is Chiropractic Care Addictive? I am asked this question on a regular basis. There are many people who are under the impression that once you begin chiropractic treatment you have to keep going – almost like something bad is going to...

Continue >>

What is a Tension Headache? Sep 19, 2009

What is a Tension Headache? Tension headaches are the most common kind of headache. Tension headaches usually occur in middle age and are often associated with stress and anxiety. What are the Causes of Tension Headaches? Tension headaches are...

Continue >>

What is a Tension Headache? Sep 19, 2009

What is a Tension Headache? Tension headaches are the most common kind of headache. Tension headaches usually occur in middle age and are often associated with stress and anxiety. What are the Causes of Tension Headaches? Tension headaches are...

Continue >>

Diet and Chiropractic for Better Health Sep 19, 2009

Diet and Chiropractic for Better HealthI believe we all want to be healthy. The question is, however, what is health? And, how do we “get” healthy? In my San Diego chiropractic office, I always try to encourage health beyond the obvious...

Continue >>

Exercise and Diet Sep 18, 2009

Exercise and Diet:Recently I have had an awakening regarding the importance of a healthy diet. I have always exercised and always watched my diet. That being said I would occasionally give in to cravings and didn’t always watch the sodium and...

Continue >>

Benefits of Fish Oil

Oct 05, 2009

The Many Benefits of Fish OilWe always stress the importance of fish oil for the heart and the digestive tract, but you probably haven’t heard that people who eat the most fish have the fewest eye problems. The impact of fish oil on vision was a topic at this week's meeting of the Association for...

Continue >>

Why You Need a Cleansing Diet

Sep 30, 2009

Why You Need a Cleansing Diet.In my San Diego Chiropractic Center we treat people as a whole.  In general, chiropractors are concerned about the typical neck pain and low back pain complaints that our patients have, however, dietary concerns are addressed as well.  The value of a properly...

Continue >>

Controling Food Cravings for certain types of food

Sep 23, 2009

In my chiropractic office in San Diego, I treat people that are more oriented toward taking proactive steps in maintaining their health.  In addition to helping my patients with the typical neck pain, back pain and headaches that are common complaints for chiropractors, I also give advice...

Continue >>

Health benefits of Soy is it really good for you?

Sep 23, 2009

Soy – Good or BadBeing a chiropractor in San Diego, I am surrounded by patients who try to make improvements in their health on a number of fronts.  Sure, they often come to my office complaining of neck pain, back pain or headaches, but usually at some point the topic of nutrition comes...

Continue >>

Chiropractic Care and Nutrition Update

Sep 23, 2009

Chiropractic Care and NutritionAre you ready to feel better?  Back in the early part of April, I posted a blog article regarding chiropractic care and nutrition, specifically, my own nutrition.  Being the owner of my San Diego Chiropractic office, I spend most of my days treating patients...

Continue >>

Diet and Chiropractic for Better Health

Sep 23, 2009

Better Health through Diet and ChiropracticA lack of symptoms or sickness does not make you well.Every patient in my San Diego Chiropractic practice wants to be healthy.  The question is, however, what is health? And, how do we “get” healthy?I always try to encourage health maintenance beyond...

Continue >>

Microwaving and Your Health

Sep 20, 2009

Microwaving and Your HealthI wanted to convey a self imposed revelation that I recently had regarding microwave ovens. About six months ago I moved into a new place that did not have a microwave oven. At the time of my move, I looked at getting a microwave oven as a priority; after all, I had not...

Continue >>

Good Nutrition for Better Sleep

Sep 20, 2009

Better Sleep With Nutrition   Several posts ago I did an article on my nutritional state.  I am doing this for several reasons. First of all, I want to get healthier.  While I had a fantastic educational experience in nutrition 18 years ago in chiropractic college, my...

Continue >>

Cinnamon Helps Lower Blood Cholesterol

Sep 16, 2009

A Spoonful of Cinnamon Helps the Blood Cholesterol Go Down In our Chiropractic office in San Diego California, we like to stress the importance of natural holistic healthcare.  Although our office is delivering chiropractic care for neck pain, back pain and the like, we also encourage our...

Continue >>

Better Sleep with Nutritional

Sep 16, 2009

Get Better Sleep With Nutrition Some time ago I did an article on my nutritional state. I am doing this for several reasons. I want to get healthier. I had a fantastic educational experience in nutrition 18 years ago while in Chiropractic College; to my dismay implementation of my nutritional...

Continue >>

Nutrition Health and Chiropractic

Sep 16, 2009
Chiropractic and Nutrition – Why Not?So you’ve had a Birthday and you’re thinking about your youth that’s slipping away.  I would like to go back to 30 myself.  Of course there are some things we can do to help feel more youthful and have more energy.Some San Diego Chiropractic offices...

Continue >>

Nutrition Update Still Sleeping!

Aug 27, 2009
Nutrition Update – Still Sleeping!I did a post on regarding a new supplement program that I had started sometime around the middle of March.I am ecstatic about the results so far!In my last post I had touched on some health issues that have been plaguing me for years.  The issues that I...

Continue >>

environment that is full of allergens San Diego

Aug 22, 2009
San Diego is known as being an environment that is full of allergens.  I have many patients in my chiropractic practice that specifically come to the chiropractor (me) for neck or cervical adjustments that help their allergies.As it is, millions of Americans alter their summer activities...

Continue >>

recent posts on chiropractic blog

Jul 05, 2009

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic (619) 280 0554www.jonespainrelief.comVisit our Stop RSI Economical Mouse Platform, website to learn more about or Buy Ergo NavVisit my San Diego Chiropractor Website to make an appointment Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition,...

Continue >>

Types of Headaches

2009-10-03T00:05:00.000-07:00

Types of Headaches

At my chiropractic office in San Diego, one of the most common complaints that new patients present with is headaches. To many of us who don’t suffer from chronic or severe headaches, this condition may seem a minor health problem. However, they have major implications on the affected patient and on society as a whole. In 2007, headaches accounted for over 10 million doctor visits in the U.S. alone and are one of the most common reasons for absences from work and school.

Medications from the general practitioner offer temporary pain relief, but do nothing to correct the cause. Chiropractic care, however, is more geared towards correcting the underlying causes behind many types of headaches. This article will define the five basic types of headaches - tension, toxic, sinus, cluster and migraine so you can get a better grasp on what type of headache you may be dealing with.

Tension Headaches
Tension headaches are by far the most common type of headache. Approximately 80 percent of our population suffers from occasional tension headaches, about 5 percent suffer from daily tension headaches. Women are twice as likely to suffer from tension headaches as men.

Tension headaches can last anywhere from 30 minutes to several days. The most common symptoms associated with this type of headache are band-like pain, pressure or throbbing of the head. The severity can increase significantly with headache frequency. Tension headaches usually have multiple causes, including emotional stress; depression; inadequate rest; poor posture; and / or chiropractic subluxation, causing pressure on nerves. More often than not, this type of headache usually occurs as the result of a combination of the fore mentioned causes.

Toxic Headaches
Toxic headaches are the least recognized type of headache in the medical community. That being said, this type of headache is easily identified when directly associated with exposure to a toxin.

Sinus Headaches
Sinus headaches are common and occur around the forehead, cheekbones, eye orbits, and the base of the nose. Drugs rarely correct the causes of sinus headaches, and commonly leave the patient with chronic sinus problems.

Cluster Headaches
Cluster headaches are usually one-sided and are considered to be one the most intense types of headaches. Fortunately, however, they are uncommon and affect less than one in 1,000 people. They typically start before age 30 and occur in time frames that vary from two weeks to three months. The headaches tend to occur one to three times a day and last for 30-90 minutes. They usually wake the patient one to two hours after going to bed.
After the cluster period, the occurrence of these headaches may cease for months or years, only to recur at a later date. These attacks appear to be linked to the circadian rhythms associated with the pineal gland and hypothalamus, which regulate the sleep and wake cycles. These headaches are also associated with seasonal changes in spring or fall.

Migraine Headaches
Migraine headaches are a vascular-type headache that is associated with changes in the size of the arteries inside and outside the brain. It is estimated that 28 million Americans suffer from migraines, and an estimated 13 million have not yet been diagnosed. More women than men get migraines. Of those diagnosed, 25 percent suffer four or more attacks a month; 35 percent suffer 1-4 attacks a month; and the remaining 40 percent suffer one or less attacks a month. It is common for migraines last four hours to three days.
Four out of five migraine sufferers have a family history of migraines. Children have a 50 percent chance of having migraines if one parent has migraines, and a 75 percent chance of having migraines if both parents have them.

There are many potential migraine triggers that include stress; chemicals; caffeine; weather conditions; hormonal cycles; fatigue; poor sleep patterns; and meal-skipping. Symptoms may include an aura which can be described as a; sensitivity to light, noise or odors; nausea or vomiting; loss of appetite; and stomach upset or abdominal pain. Children having migraines also may look pale and experience dizziness, blurred vision and/or fever or stomach upset.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Repetitive Stress Trauma

2009-09-30T01:26:00.000-07:00

Repetitive Stress Trauma: An Introduction

Repetitive Stress Trauma or RST is described entirely by the words that make up the phrase. Repetition implies that the injury is the result of more than one exposure. Typical RSTs result from weeks, months or years of performance of a repetitive task with a specific body part. Stress is the result of inadequate recovery time in between exposures to the repetitious task. Trauma, of course signifies bodily injury as a result of the repetitive stress.

Health care workers primarily view Repetitive Stress Trauma as an occupational or work injury. This thought is based on government statistics which indicate that those who work are more likely to develop an RST injury. While these statistics can’t be denied, they also need to be taken into proper context. In my San Diego based chiropractic clinic, we see many patients with RST injuries. Most of the time, most of the trauma is related to work, more specifically to computer work. Additionally, many of these injured people spend upwards of six hours per day on their computers while at work only to come home, eat dinner, and then sit at their own computers for hours on end as well. It doesn’t matter where the stress comes from, the injury remains the same. That being said, in my 15 years of experience in dealing with RSTs I have found the primary source of irritation to be the work environment.

At this point I will go off on a tangent for just a moment … or more. One of the services that my office offers is ergonomic evaluations. Since most of my patients are in computer related occupations, most of my evaluations are on computer set-ups. Typically, when I question my patients about their work stations I hear the following, “Well, it is pretty good except for FILL IN THE BLANK.” At this point I usually suggest that I come to their place of work and evaluate their work station. They are usually way out of the ideal ergonomic set-up. I see keyboards, mice, monitors and phones positioned in ways that will certainly lead to a worsening of their condition.

RSTs, ergonomics and permanent disability are important topics. As such, I will end this article at this point and be back tomorrow or Tuesday with a continuation of what I have started. This topic will be covered over the next three or four posts. Stay tuned.

More soon.
Doc

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Work Station and Reaching

2009-09-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

Work Station and Reaching:

Have you ever noticed how tight your neck, upper back and shoulders are after a long day of sitting at the computer?

There are a number of factors that contribute to this tightness. Simply the stress of deadlines, an overbearing boss or an annoying co-worker can make your shoulders rise up and your head push forward. And this stress is the result of just the emotional stress of work. When you add the real physical strains of a poorly designed work station on top of the emotional stresses that already exist you have a perfect recipe for a repetitive stress injury.

A large part of designing an ergonomically friendly workstation revolves around limiting the “reach” for items that are frequently accessed.

The distance that you have to reach for any object in your workspace can have major implications on your health. In general, workers should have the items that they use on a regular basis through the day such as the mouse and keyboard for computer users or the telephone for a receptionist or a sales person, positioned close to their bodies so as to avoid awkward or overreaching.

As a general rule, the best positioning for your keyboard and mouse allows you to operate them while your shoulders hang straight down at your sides and elbows are slightly extended. This position reduces the stress of overreaching and allows for completion of your tasks with less muscular effort.

There are many ergonomic apparatus that allow for proper placement of your computer input devices. Pull out keyboard trays, split keyboards, mouse platforms and even foot controls help reduce the ongoing stresses of computer input.

Even with these devices, it takes awareness to maintain an ergonomically friendly work environment. Adjustable Economical Mouse Platform

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Chronic Pain vs Acute Pain, Whats the Difference

2009-09-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

Chronic pain is defined as pain that persists longer than 90 days beyond the course of the natural expected healing time. As a chiropractor in San Diego, I get calls from both new and established patients on a regular basis who complain of back pain, neck pain, etc. One of the factors that comes into play when planning a chiropractic treatment program is the duration of the patients pain. In genereral, the longer that a patient suffers with a painful condition, the longer / more intense the treatment is needed in order to fix it. Acute or recent episodes of pain respond much quicker than do chronic conditions.

Pain is very difficult to quantify by any practitioner. Pain is subjective in nature and completely defined by the person experiencing the symptoms, the fact that chronic pain can exist without an obvious cause makes it much more difficult to treat.

I see the difficulties that my chronic pain patients have with their conditions on a daily basis. Aside from the actual pain that they experience, those who suffer with chronic pain often limit their activities for fear of exacerbating their conditions. They also have a much harder time focussing on mental tasks as the pain is a constant source of distraction. The more severe the pain, the more difficulties these people have with attention demanding tasks.

While we strive to avoid pain, pain is a wonderful tool of the nervous system. Pain lets us know of actual or potential tissue damage with an unpleasant sensation that directs our attention to the affected area so that we can either immediately take action to stop the process or focus on healing the injured body parts. Chronic pain sensations are a bit more insideous.

Chronic pain often involves a decrease in the sensativity of the nerve fibers that send messages of pain from the damaged area. With a decreased sensativity (threshold), the nerve is much more likely to transmit painful sensations to the brain then a healthy nerve / tissue combination. This activity within the nervous system is know as a wind up phenomenon and it is very difficult to stop once it has been established. In some other cases, nerve fibers that normally don’t carry painful sensations not only begin to transmit pain signals but it is thought that they may actually generate the signals themselves.

In my office, chronic pain is often the result of untreated sprain / strain type injuries of the joints. In untreated or under-treated sprain / strain injuries, the joint or the muscles that move the joint are laden with scar tisuue that acts to either limit or alter motion of that joint. With time, the awkward, unnatural biomechanics of the scar tissue laden joint results in irritation, inflammation and finally pain and spasm. While chiropractic care is often successful at re-establishing “clean” biomechanics of a joint, it is always better to get the care in the beginning of an injury versus waiting for that injury to become chronic, with a requiring more care with a decreasing chance of complete recovery.

Because of the possibility of an acute painful condition becoming a chronic one, I always encourage my patients to take care of themselves immediately when they first start to experience pain. I have practiced chiropractic care for almost two decades now and I can say that chronic painful conditions of the spine are devastating. Not only do they make you expereince pain, but in most instances they limit your physical activities creating a situation that can easily degrade from inactivity secondary to pain, to deconditioning and eventually to obesity and ill health in general leading to a dissatisying lifestyle.

The bottom line on chronic pain is this – avoid it if you can. Don’t ignore your pain. Painful acute conditions that are left untreated can easily spiral into a chronic condition that has the potential to alter your lifestyle in a negative way.

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Adjustable Economical Mouse Platform website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Back pain, Neck Pain and more

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome What to do about CTS?

2009-09-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

What to do about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Initially, treatment involves resting the affected hand and wrist and avoiding the activities that caused or may worsen symptoms. Night time immobilization of the wrist in a splint to avoid further damage from twisting or bending is often helpful.    Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and other nonprescription pain relievers, can ease the pain.   Ice packs, prednisone and / or lidocaine (injected directly into the wrist) can relieve swelling and pressure on the median nerve and provide relief.

Stretching and strengthening exercises are very important for people whose symptoms have improved. If symptoms persist for 6 months or longer, your physician may recommend surgery to sever the band of tissue around the wrist (flexor retinaculum) to reduce pressure on the median nerve.

The recurrence rate of carpal tunnel syndrome following treatment is high. The majority of patients never recover completely. Reports show that the majority of Carpal Tunnel Release Surgeries are authorized again within 24 months of the initial procedure.

The best way to treat carpal tunnel syndrome is to prevent it. Eliminating as many repetitive tasks as possible will help stave off the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome.
The following suggestions can go a long way in preventing the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome:

1)    Take frequent breaks, rest from repetitive tasks is vital
2)    Use correct posture, postural stress can affect the nerves as they exit the spine
3)    Eliminate repetitive over-reaching. Stretching for a mouse or phone on a regular basis generates postural stress.
4)    Stretching and regular exercise are of great help
5)    Ice pack application on aggravated wrists helps.
6)    Rotate your job duties when possible, ie don’t keyboard or mouse for hours on end if you can also be working on dictation or some other task that gives you a break from the computer.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

2009-09-16T03:52:00.000-07:00

How Does Ergonomics Affect You?

Those of you have read my blog posts both here and at www.jonespainrelief.com/blog1 know that ergonomics is the study of how we can manipulate our work environment to both improve work performance and reduce injury-causing fatigue.

Obviously, the cost of injury drives the study of ergonomics. This is a good thing. Most employers, especially those who run large corporations are detached from their employees – both physically and emotionally. Were it not for the actual cost of employees’ injuries, many employers would not know or care about their workers’ ergonomic situation.

In the world of ergonomics, there are six separately identifiable variables that affect work performance and fatigue. These six variables are:

1)    Workload
2)    Each Individuals Physiological Response to the Workload
3)    The Individuals Size & Strength Capabilities
4)    Biomechanical Variances
5)    Human Factors
6)    Work Organization

The questions that should be answered by examining the variables listed above are not limited to but include:

1)    Can You Perform a Task Once Without Injury
2)    Do You Physically Fit Your Workplace
3)    Are You Strong Enough
4)    Can You Perform the Task For Seconds to Minutes Without Fatigue or Injury
5)    Will Injury Occur if the Work is Performed Over Months or Years
6)    Do You Have the Mental Capacity to do the Work

These variables directly affect an individual’s ability to perform certain job duties with or without producing an injury.

The reason that I have decided to include this dry and academic sounding material in this blog is to help provide some very general guides that can be used to evaluate your fit for your work duties.

I have patients who were injured at work who are not good fits for their work. They either lack the strength, the height or the endurance to effectively perform their work tasks.

If you find yourself in such a situation you should ask for or pay for an ergonomic analysis of your work environment. Many large companies either have an ergonomics department or have access to an ergonomic specialist.

Writers Bio

Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.
Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Back Pain & Sitting

2009-09-16T03:48:00.000-07:00

Sitting Postures and Back Pain

Sitting is a pain in the @#$%&! Or at least a pain in the back.

Our spines do not like sitting as a rule. If you remain seated in the same position for a long enough period of time you will experience some level of discomfort.

Although there are many reasons that sitting eventually causes discomfort, one of these reasons cannot be avoided. The natural center of gravity for a sitting human being is approximately 1 inch in front of the belly button. In order to park our upper bodies over our center of gravity we have to either lean forward eliminating the support of our backrests or slide our butts downward and forward assuming a slumped position. Often these postures are accompanied by crossed legs or feet and leaning our elbows on the desk or our armrests in order to promote stability of the spine.

Poor posture often results from chairs and work stations that are void of proper ergonomic considerations. Postural stress causes discomfort in the neck, back and arms resulting in fatigue and fidgeting. It comes as no surprise that these consequences of poor posture have a negative effect on your mood, your concentration and your productivity.

In the long run, poor posture can cause chronic back pain, neck pain and a host of syndromes that affect the upper extremity as a whole.

I found an excellent definition of poor posture in a book called “Backs” by Leonard Ring in which he defined poor posture as “a faulty relationship of the various parts of the body which produces increased strain on supporting structures”.

As important as proper sitting posture is for a younger person with an otherwise healthy back, it is of much greater importance to those who are older and may have some level of arthritis in their spines or a history of injury. Arthritis weakens the joints in the back and makes it more sensitive to the stresses of prolonged sitting when using good posture and much more likely to suffer consequences in situations that involve poor posture. A history of back injuries is also detrimental to the spine during sitting positions especially when it is exposed to the stress of poor posture. All of those old gymnastics, football, hockey and general horseplay falls and jolts have a cumulative effect that decreases our ability to endure stressful postures.

The bottom line is that there are many good sources on the Internet that describe the characteristics of proper sitting positions. The more stress that you can eliminate from your sitting postures the happier your back will be.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Prognosis & Fees Personal Injuries Personal Injury Case

2009-09-15T06:08:00.000-07:00

Prognosis Personal Injury Case:
The need for future care and the amount of settlement for that care is based on an accurate prognosis. Due to overuse, the term "guarded" has lost most of it's meaning in the medical/legal world.

We contend a more accurate system will benefit the patient, insurance carrier, representing attorney, treating doctor, and most important, the profession as a whole.

The prognosis should encompass facts from the history of the accident, physical examination, and the radiographic studies.

Personal Injuries Lawsuit Fees:

As one might imagine, this is also a hotly debated subject. We fully believe the doctor has the prerogative to charge any fee he chooses for the level of service rendered.

For example, a charge of $5,000/visit can be made and reimbursement can be sought. However, it should be realized an uphill battle for total reimbursement will ensue. In other words, the fees charged may only be paid at the end of expensive litigation and in all likelihood will not be the amount billed.

We strongly suggest the doctors use fees which are both usual and customary to their geographic location.

Relative value studies can be a key to determine these fees. Use of these accepted relative value guides is a powerful weapon for the attorney when he argues the reasonableness of the charges as they are able to show the fees fell within an accepted range and do not represent an unreasonable amount on the doctor's part.

The treating practitioner should realize both the legal and insurance communities consider all aspects of the personal injury case to be negotiable. This would certainly include the fees charged by the doctor.

Read More of this article

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

End Points of Care Personal Injury Case

2009-09-15T06:02:00.000-07:00

End Points of Care for a Personal Injury Case

In our experience, this is often the most debated aspect of the personal injury case. The attorney is again forced to justify the length of his client's care, and thereby support the amount billed as well. The care rendered should be reasonable and fall within reasonable guidelines for treatment duration.

In our opinion, when one or more of the following occurs, the patient has reached the maximum point of medical/chiropractic improvement from the type of care rendered.

1.    If the patient's condition gets worse under the care rendered.

2.    When the patient's subjective complaints have clearly reached the upper and lower limits. An example is when the patient's subjective complaints have reached a point where the treatment rendered only "makes them feel better" for a few days and then they are the same as before the visit.

It is clear that the feeling of being "better" for a few days is only temporary and the patient has more than likely reached the clinical limitations of matter from the type of care rendered.

This is not to say the patient does not have complaints, or that the care does not make him feel good, only that further treatment will more than likely be of very little clinical benefit. Thus, the criteria for determining the end points of care.

3.    When the patient fails to make clinical progress between lengthening dates of service. All care is based on achieving a preinjury status.

If the patient fails to make progress between visits over an expected period of time, the clinical potential for further healing is remote.

Treatment, after these points have been achieved, increases the total amount of services rendered and makes a timely settlement more difficult.

Read More of this article

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Adjustable Economical Mouse Platform website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav
Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Back pain, Neck Pain and more

Narrative Reports for Soft Tissue Injuries personal Injury Cases

2009-09-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

Narrative Reports for Soft Tissue Injuries personal Injury Cases

In our experience, this is far and away the greatest downfall in the well managed soft tissue case. We, as a profession, have become dependent on the computer generated narrative report.

In our opinion, and that of the legal community as well, these types of reports often do not represent original thought or an accurate depiction of the patient's condition. The various legal arenas involved in personal injury suits take a very dim light as to the veracity of these types of reports.

The narrative report must also be an accurate reflection of the treatment rendered. All sections of the report should correlate to eliminate inconsistencies, and above all should represent accurate and original work. Remember, the attorney will use the report as a settlement tool. It should contain answers, not new problems.

The quality and accuracy of the narrative report should not be underestimated.

It alone represents months of care, the patient's basis for future medical considerations, prognosis, and most important of all, reimbursement for the services rendered. "He who botches the report, botches the case."

Read More of this article

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Adjustable Economical Mouse Platform website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav
Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Back pain, Neck Pain and more

Special Tests for Soft Tissue Injuries

2009-09-15T05:56:00.000-07:00

Special Tests for Soft Tissue Injuries

The use of special imaging and diagnostic procedures are becoming more popular in the clinical management of patients. Attorneys will be placed in the position of justifying the expense and use of these tests to the claims adjustor or judge. The doctor should consider the following questions before ordering such tests:

What is the clinical criteria for performing the test? If based solely on the patient's subjective complaints, this represents a very poor criteria.

Is the test both sensitive and specific for the condition? Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), for example, represent procedures which are both sensitive and specific. However, their use is often inappropriate in an uncomplicated soft tissue injury. Thermography, in comparison, is very sensitive, yet due to vast testing and interpretation variables, often renders the use of this test questionable.

Is the testing procedure well accepted in the scientific literature? For example, the timely use of paraspinal EMGs producing $900 to the incurred bills, in our experience, will bring the settlement process to a halt. The treating doctor may contend that the use of this special procedure was clinically necessary, but the insurance carrier will only reimburse those procedures proven in the clinical and literary arenas.

How will a "positive" or "negative" test alter the form of care rendered? A "positive" paraspinal EMG finding, in our experience, has never produced a change in the type of care rendered. For that matter neither has a "negative" result.

Is the test timely? The thermogram, for example, would be expected to be "positive" on the first days following the trauma, thus, negating the clinical criteria for performing said test during the acute stages of injury. For the above reasons, plus the high fees associated with these procedures, we feel the improper use of these tests often produces prolonged reimbursement to all parties; patients, attorneys, and doctors.

Read More of this article

(619) 280 0554

www.jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Adjustable Economical Mouse Platform website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav
Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Read More Articles on Chiropractic, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Back pain, Neck Pain and more

Orthopedic Supports for Soft Tissue injuries

2009-09-15T05:08:00.000-07:00

Read first

Orthopedic Supports

The use of orthopedic supports, such as a cervical collar, during the acute states of the injury, is a common clinical practice in both the medical and chiropractic communities. It is, however, a double-edged sword.

The most reasonable approach would entail use of these supports during the functional instability phase of injury, followed by removal as prolonged use can lead to dependency.

Typically, the support is most beneficial during the ten days following the trauma. Prolonged use would support the need for additional investigation, which must include consideration of a psychological component.

X-rays

The initial use of x-rays in the well managed soft tissue injury is well supported in the scientific literature.

The use of "follow-up" series of x-rays is, however, debated. We have found the use of serial x-ray studies is usually unwarranted, absent the clinical management of clear osseous injuries or delayed instability.

The prudent use of x-rays should always consider the potential harm from radiation exposure. This is especially true in patients of child bearing years. The use of repeat plain film radiographs will often bring the case under immediate scrutiny, thus, complicating the settlement process.

Next:

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

http://jonespainrelief.com
Visit our Adjustable Economical Mouse Platform Website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement 2

2009-09-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement 1

First Read http://work-injury-workplace-safety.blogspot.com/2009/09/repetitive-stress-treatment-and-one.html

Continued.....

There are several benefits to this type of design. First of all, a mouse platform that attaches to the armrest of the chair is natural and provides a constant distance between the mouse and the user. With this design, the mouse is at your finger tips while your forearm comfortably rests on the armrest. The other important feature of this design is that it allows the operator to sit back in his / her chair which allows for much needed low back and neck support.

He purchased many of the mouse platforms that attach to the chair and started his evaluations of the available products. This seemed like such a reasonable solution to such a common problem yet these products were not readily available. He soon realized why. Many were expensive and had complex attachment procedures. Furthermore, they were big. It was difficult to get close to your desk because they protruded off the end of your armrest by 8 to 10 inches. Lastly, they were not adjustable. How could these platforms be considered ergonomic without the ability to rotate or tilt the platform itself?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After two years of development design and many different prototypes, he felt as though he had a solution. Dr. Jones had developed a mouse platform that had a flexible attachment to the armrest of the chair, a smaller platform that didn’t intrude on the operator’s workspace and a platform that would not only laterally shift side to side, tilt side to side and tilt forward, but it would also tilt down and out of the way when having an attached product at the end of your armrest was not convenient.

While he recognizes that this product is not a solution for all ergonomic issues for everybody, it is a valuable component of an ergonomically friendly work environment.

When combined with a keyboard tray and a supportive chair with armrests that adjust up and down, this product makes for a very comfortable computer posture.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

http://jonespainrelief.com
Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement 1

2009-09-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement

Dr. Steve Jones practices in San Diego, California. This article will relate his struggles to find appropriate and effective treatment for repetitive stress injuries (such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and symptoms including hand pain, wrist pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and elbow pain that were not extensive enough to warrant a specific diagnosis) and why his efforts eventually led prevention vs. treatment.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav
-------------------------------------------------------------
Back in the middle part of the 1990’s, his practice started undergoing an unexpected transformation. He started seeing a tremendous number of people complaining of upper extremity pain that was obviously related to long hours of computer work.

While he had studied carpal tunnel syndrome in school and had seen these patients in the past, the overwhelming numbers of these patients that were presenting to his office inspired a desire to learn more about these injuries.

Standard conservative treatment for most types of repetitive stress injuries of the upper extremity involved some combination of wrist splints, elbow straps, massage, joint manipulations, ultrasound therapy, electrical muscle stimulation, trigger point therapy and icing. Treatment for more advanced or debilitating cases could include cortisone injections and various types of nerve decompression surgeries.

These treatments worked some of the time. Most of the time treatment would provide temporary relief for short periods. Many of those who would obtain relief from treatment would have periods of relief that would be punctuated by seemingly unprovoked exacerbations that would cause anger, frustration and depression in both the patient and Dr. Jones (I am sure that he was not the only doctor who was frustrated by treating these conditions).
-------------------------------------------------------------
Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav
-------------------------------------------------------------
For many of those patients who suffered with repetitive stress injuries, the end result of treatment was some level of disability followed by the loss of their employment.

Carpal tunnel surgery is questionable, statistics that show that approximately 95% of all carpal tunnel surgeries are reauthorized one year after the initial surgery date. How hopeless does that sound?

Dr. Jones had always been a compassionate, attentive doctor who listened to his patients. He would pay careful attention to their complaints and as a result he started to notice certain common threads that linked his repetitive stress patients.

Most of these complaints involved ergonomic issues that were easily fixed. Some of these things included: having the computer monitor off to one side instead of placed in front of the patient, using the key board at the wrong height, and having a chair without armrests or postural correct supports. Most of these issues were easy enough to fix. The most common source of irritation that he was told of, however, was the neck, shoulder, elbow and wrist pain associated with mousing.

Continued......

Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement 2

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

http://jonespainrelief.com
Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Stretching and Chiropractic

2009-09-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

Stretching and Chiropractic - Try to be More Flexible in 09-10

The headline of this article could be interpreted in a variety of different ways. For the purposes of this blog post it will address our physical flexibility. Flexibility is an important measure of our physical fitness. Flexibility is just as important to our overall health as is strength, endurance, aerobic capacity and body composition.

One of the big problems that I encounter with my patients in my San Diego Chiropractic office is a lack of flexibility in the joints. Strong muscles that span flexible joints are ideal for everything from mundane household chores to weekend athletic adventures. A lack of stretching catches up to us when we perform movements beyond the normal for our lifestyles or activities. In some cases, an extreme movement can be something as simple as reaching to the table behind you for your cup of coffee. Neck pain, back pain, arm pain and leg pain can all occur as a result of injuries due to inflexibility.

As a general rule, as our bodies age, our physical fitness degrades. Regarding flexibility, we tend to loose it. That is why it is very important to develop flexibility when we are younger and maintain it as we get older. Even those of us in our forties or older must try to regain some and maintain most of our flexibility even though we are not 20 something anymore.

I always tell people to think about how much strength, endurance or in this case flexibility that they have lost in the last 10 or 20 years. I know that I am not as physically fit as I was when I was 20 or even 30 years old. There is no way that I want that same trend to continue over the next 20 years. In order to prevent the atrophy of our bodies we have to maintain them through stretching and exercise.

In addition to perhaps regaining the ability to touch your toes, becoming more flexible will also help in the following ways.

1)    Helps Relieve Stress: Flexible muscles are loose and relaxed muscles. Loose, flexible muscles are less likely to tighten up during stressful, tense situations.
2)    Helps Improve Posture: Loose muscles help your body maintain better posture. Avoiding unnecessary postural stress will help you feel better.
3)    Helps Increase Circulation: Increased circulation comes as a result of consistent stretching. Improved circulation helps bring nourishment to your muscles while removing toxic build-up of lactic acid and other waste products.
4)    Helps Improve Coordination: Stretching will improve your joints range of motion providing for better balance, mobility and coordination. Improved coordination will help us with all athletic activities and help prevent falls as we age.

I always recommend stretching in the form of Yoga. Stores like Target have many instructional DVDs on Yoga. Linda and I have always found that Rodney Yee produces better than average DVD courses on Yoga. If you are not experienced in Yoga you will need to start with a beginners course, many people look at Yoga and assume that it is easy. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. Yoga is not only a great stretch but an excellent work out and you can hurt yourself if you over-do it.

Some guidelines for safe stretching include:
1)    Warm up Before You Begin
2)    Don’t Bounce While Stretching
3)    Avoid Pain While Stretching – It Should Feel Like A Good Stretch – Not A Painful One
4)    Stretch Both Sides
5)    Stretch Both Before and After Exercise

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Better Health Steve Jones

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

http://jonespainrelief.com

Visit our Ergonomical Device Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Causes of Back and Neck Pain

2009-09-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

The Causes of Back and Neck Pain and Chiropractic Treatment

My Chiropractic Office in San Diego California is like many across the United States. While chiropractic care helps many different conditions, it is often viewed as treatment for back pain and neck pain. Determining the specific causes of neck pain and back pain for each chiropractic patient is vital prior to the onset of any treatment.

When dealing with back and neck pain, it is important to have your pain evaluated by a professional. Simply dismissing back or neck pain as typical and unimportant can be a very bad mistake.

Many conditions can cause back and neck pain, ranging from injury to infection to simply twisting the wrong way.   Traumatic injuries such as those sustained in an automobile or other type of accident can damage muscles, joints, ligaments, and vertebrae.
Overuse or under use of the back muscles is by far the most common cause of back pain that manifests as tightening or spasm of the muscles that connect to the spine.   Inflammation and swelling often occur in the joints and ligaments, especially in the cervical and lumbar regions, as people age.

A herniated disc occurs when the nuclear pulposus, the inner material of the disc, pushes through a tear in the annulus fibrosis, the outer material of the disc causing nerve root compression.   The cervical and lumbar regions of the spine have the most mobility and the discs there are more likely to wear down or be injured. Ninety percent of disc herniations occur in the lower two lumbar vertebrae.

Spinal stenosis, the narrowing of the spinal canal, can cause spinal cord irritation and injury. Conditions that cause spinal stenosis include infection, tumors, trauma, herniated disc, arthritis, thickening of ligaments, growth of bone spurs, and disc degeneration. Spinal stenosis most commonly occurs in older individuals as a result of vertebral degeneration.

A pinched nerve, or radiculopathy, occurs when something rubs or presses against a nerve, creating irritation or inflammation. Radiculopathy can result from a herniated disc, bone spur, tumor growing into the nerves, and vertebral fracture, and many other conditions.

Sciatica is a certain type of radiculopathy that involves inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Pain is experienced along the large sciatic nerve, from the lower back down through the buttocks and along the back of the leg.

A spinal tumor that originates in the spine (primary tumor) or spreads to the spine from another part of the body (metastatic tumor) can compress the spine or nerve roots and cause significant pain.

Infections of the vertebrae (e.g., vertebral osteomyelitis), the discs, the meninges (e.g., spinal meningitis), or the cerebrospinal fluid can compress the spinal cord and result in serious neurological deterioration, if it is not diagnosed and treated immediately.

Facet joints allow movement of the spine. The facet joints are formed by two adjacent vertebra and direct or guide movement of the spine.   As facet joints degenerate, they may not align correctly, and the cartilage and fluid that lubricates the joints may deteriorate. Bone then rubs against bone, which can be very painful.

These are just a few of the conditions that can cause back pain and neck pain. Thankfully, most cases of back pain and neck pains are related to mechanical causes and can be readily addressed by a trained chiropractor. The point is, however, pain is a warning signal that should not be ignored. The best place to have your back and neck pain evaluated is with a chiropractor.

Bio Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He recieved his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice. Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. Click the following links to find out how we can help you start feeling better today!

Visit our Ergo Nav Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Better Health Steve Jones

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554

http://jonespainrelief.com

Chiropractic, neck pain, San Diego, back pain, chiropractor, treatment

Ergonomic Basics Defining Your Workspace

2009-09-12T11:57:00.001-07:00

Defining Your Workspace: Ergonomic Basics

Setting up your office space correctly definitely requires some expert input. That being said, many aspects of setting up your office space are based on common sense.

We all have specific items at work that we handle more frequently than others. In my work environment for instance, I use the mouse and keyboard more than any other object on my desk. At this point I will inject a shameless plug for my Ergo Nav. Since I use my mouse most frequently, I have it perched right at the end of my chairs' armrest. My Ergo Nav positions my mouse close enough to my body to avoid any reaching for the mouse at all. From an ergonomic standpoint, this positioning is ideal.

Visit the Ergo Nav site to see a demo of how it Reduces Wrist, Arm and Neck Pain For Computer Users

My keyboard is also within my immediate reach as are my writing instruments such as pens and pencils. All of the items that I have discussed so far are within my immediate reach area, which is also known as the "usual work space".

Most people only have a handful of objects that truly belong in their "usual work space". The actual dimensions of this space vary with the size of the worker, therefore, you have to keep the principals of good ergonomics in mind when determining the actual size of your "usual work space". As far as placement of mice, keyboards, pens, phones etc., within your "usual work space" you have to position these items in a way that avoids or limits hunching of the shoulders, flaring out of the elbows or forward flexion of the shoulders.

The area beyond the "usual work space" is considered the "occasional work space" and should contain objects that are only occasionally used. In my circumstances, the "occasional work space" contains my cpu, monitor, printer and my phone. Most of the time I have an assistant to answer my phone and I may only make a handful of calls each day. My monitor only requires that I turn it on and off once a day – the same being the case with my printer and the computer itself. My desk space is limited so the items that I have covered are the only items in my space. Staplers, files and paper are needed infrequently enough to not deserve the chance to clutter my work area.

Ergo Van Site San Diego Chiropractic Website to read more about workplace injuries and Repetitive Stress Syndrome
and how I can help you set up your workspace and work with any pain you may already have

Better Health

Steve Jones San Diego Chiropractor

Call Steve at
(619) 280 0554

Computers do they harm Students

2009-09-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

Do Computers Help or Harm Our Students

Computers speed our daily tasks in ways that we could not have imagined ten years ago. That being said, most every improvement in our lives is a double edged sword (pardon the cheesy analogy).

Computer work gives me a pain in the neck! It probably gives you a pain in the neck too.

I graduated college in 1991 and at the time I can say that I made it through school without ever owning or even barely using a computer.

I bought my first computer in 1995 and didn’t really start spending more than a few hours on it daily until maybe 2003. In this relatively short period of computer use, I have developed postural stress issues despite my efforts to keep it at bay. I even developed an ergonomic mouse platform in order to help eliminate the stresses of mouse reach and I still fall victim to postural stress.

I began practicing chiropractic in San Diego in 1993 and at that time my practice consisted of patients suffering from typical complaints. It was unusual to get patients that complained of neck pain, back pain, headaches or sciatica that wasn’t a result of some specific injury, auto accident or work injury.

Now my chiropractic patients are different. I still practice in San Diego and my patients still complain of neck pain, back pain, headaches and sciatica but these symptoms begin with a different type of injury.

And it is scary!

Most of the injuries that I see today are due to sedentary tasks. Most of these tasks involve computer use and postural stress. The scary thing about these injuries is that I hear from my patients with kids that their kids are using computers both at home and in school.

I know how computer work has affected me with less than 5 years of moderate use. Students of all ages are using computers for everything.

By the time today’s’ kids are in their 30s or 40s, they will have had over 20 years of exposure to the postural stresses associated with computer use. Considering the frequency with which I see computer related stress syndromes now, it is hard to imagine how much of these disorders will be seen in another 20 years.

The health of tomorrows computer users will rely on ergonomically designed work stations combined with stretching, exercise and chiropractic therapy to help relieve the effects of computer related postural stress.

Visit our Ergo Nav Website to learn more or Buy Ergo Nav

Visit my San Diego Chiropractic Website to make an appointment

Better Health Steve Jones

Call Steve Jones at
(619) 280 0554

http://jonespainrelief.com

Posture and Back Pain

2009-08-30T01:20:00.000-07:00

Posture and Back Pain

Have you ever hurt your back and scratched your head wondering – how did this happen when my back has felt fine until now?

Patients present to my San Diego Chiropractic clinic on a regular basis with neck pain, back pain and other related symptoms that not only lack a history of pain in that area but have no recent injury or accident to explain their current painful symptoms.

This is frustrating for the patient yet a typical presentation for me.

When patients come in for care with this type of history recent injury, my inquiries usually lead to a situation that involves excessive postural stress for that patient.

Ongoing postural stress affects our body much like the old analogy of the straws on the camels back. Our bodies are capable of compensating for quite a bit of stress before symptoms appear. This is good and bad.

The good part of this situation is that if we didn’t compensate for all the little stresses that we are subjected to, we would be uncomfortable all the time. The bad part about compensation is that we often are not keen enough to recognize when our bodies are being exposed to ongoing low levels of stress.

Once the stress levels build to a certain point, the body part in question reacts with irritation, inflammation and muscle spasm. This combination produces pain and tightness and usually is the reason that patients call my office.

Postural stress can place an amazing amount of stress on your spine. One of my reference books has a chart that describes how different body positions affect the amount of pressure on your discs in the low back. The differences are amazing.

When standing straight up with ideal posture, the pressure in the discs of the low back is 100%. When lying flat on your back the pressure is at 24%. While sitting straight with good posture, the pressure is at 140% but when slouching forward with poor posture the disc pressure goes to a staggering 190%.

Considering that most of us sit for a good portion of the day, simply sitting becomes a significant source of stress for the lower back.

This kind of ongoing stress combined with an awkward twist or bend can generate a crisis for the low back leading the patient to wonder exactly how turning to pick that cup of coffee off the desk behind him / her lead to such a severe back spasm.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Repetitive Stress Trauma San Diego

2009-08-16T01:29:00.000-07:00

Figuring out what is the root cause of a Repetitive Stress Trauma is of the utmost importance. Once you have figured out what the source of that stress is, you have figure out a solution. I provide treatment for many people who simply don’t see the importance in controlling the stress that they impose upon themselves. Many of them are of the opinion that if they get some treatment that the aches and pains will go away. For a small percentage of people, this is true. For most however, resolution of the symptoms of a Repetitive Stress Trauma involves formal treatment with an experienced clinician as well as reducing the physical stress that their work environment imposes upon them.

You have to look at it this way, if you work in a physically stressful environment for 40 hours per week and receive therapy 3 times weekly with each session lasting 30 minutes, you are attempting to counter 40 hours of repetitive stress with 1 ½ hours of therapy. This formula will not work for most people. Treatment must include workstation modifications.

I have taken the liberty of outlining some basic rules of setting up an ergonomically friendly computer workstation below. Trying to come close to these recommendations will go a long way in reducing your work stress.

1) Placing the input device directly in your immediate reach zone offers natural comfort and maximum hand-eye coordination. The use of a platform for the mouse is preferable.
2) Your chair should have arm rests that are adjustable.
3) Your wrist should be either in a neutral position or flexed slightly downward when operating both your mouse and your keyboard. For this reason, if you select a mouse platform that attaches to your chair, adjustability of the platform is of primary importance.
4) Consider using a high quality office chair with adjustable armrests and lumbar supports. It should also allow some degree of recline. The angle of your hips should be open to about 115 degrees.
5) Make sure that the upper arm and elbow are as close to the body and as relaxed as possible for keyboard and mouse use - avoid overreaching.
6) Hold the mouse lightly, don't grip it hard or squeeze it. Place the pointing device where you don't have to reach up or over very far to use it. The closer you can place it to your body the better.
7) Your monitor should be directly in front of you and the upper 1/3 of it should be at eye level.

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

(619) 280 0554

Picking up On Repetitive Stress Trauma:

2009-08-09T01:27:00.000-07:00

Picking up On Repetitive Stress Trauma:

I ended my last post with discussing the contributing factors of work duties with the development of Repetitive Stress Trauma. The reason that work is such a heavy contributor to these types of injuries is the frequency and consistency of the exposure to the aggravating activity. Most of us work at least 5 days a week, usually consecutive days and we do the same things each day for the most part. This kind of continual stress exceeds the body’s ability to recover and heal. Without adequate rest / recovery, a portion of us are susceptible to developing a repetitive stress injury.

Typical activities associated with the onset of Repetitive Stress Trauma include repetitive gripping, reaching, twisting, pushing, pulling and the use of computer input devices including both the keyboard and the mouse. Often times, these activities are performed in ways that dictate the use of poor posture and awkward body positions.

Hence we have the perfect formula for the development of a Repetitive Stress Trauma. Forceful Movements + High Repetitions + Poor & Awkward Postures + Lack of Recovery Time = Repetitive Stress Trauma.

This is not rocket science but it takes some thought to putting the pieces together. It also takes some thought in unraveling the particular stresses that are or could cause you to develop symptoms.

More Soon,

Dr. Jones

Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs. www.JonesPainRelief.com

Call Steve Jones at his San Diego Chiropractic Clinic

Workplace Safety

Better Ergonomics

Pinched Nerves Treatment in San Diego

(619) 280 0554

Back Pain Relief San Diego

(619) 280 0554

Chiropractic Approach to Tension Headaches and Neck Pain

(619) 280 0554

Low Back Pain Treatment

(619) 280 0554

Medical Myths Overheard in a Chiropractors Office

(619) 280 0554

Causes of Back and Neck Pain

(619) 280 0554

Low Back Pain Treatment San Diego

(619) 280 0554

Four Steps to Neck Pain Relief:

(619) 280 0554

Stress and General Tension:

(619) 280 0554

Ergonomically Yours Blog

Ergonomically Yours

The Computerized Office and Its Effects on Workers

(619) 280 0554

Short North Accident Injury Care

Computer Ergonomics

Recent Posts

What Causes a Stiff Neck?

(619) 280 0554

Chiropractor Columbus, OH - Dr. Gregory Smith

recent posts on chiropractic blog

Types of Headaches

(619) 280 0554

Repetitive Stress Trauma

(619) 280 0554

Work Station and Reaching

(619) 280 0554

Chronic Pain vs Acute Pain, Whats the Difference

(619) 280 0554

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome What to do about CTS?

(619) 280 0554

(619) 280 0554

Back Pain & Sitting

(619) 280 0554

Prognosis & Fees Personal Injuries Personal Injury Case

(619) 280 0554

End Points of Care Personal Injury Case

(619) 280 0554

Narrative Reports for Soft Tissue Injuries personal Injury Cases

(619) 280 0554

Special Tests for Soft Tissue Injuries

(619) 280 0554

Orthopedic Supports for Soft Tissue injuries

(619) 280 0554

Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement 2

(619) 280 0554

Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement 1

Repetitive Stress, Treatment and One Specific Ergonomic Improvement 2

(619) 280 0554

Stretching and Chiropractic

Causes of Back and Neck Pain

Ergonomic Basics Defining Your Workspace

Computers do they harm Students

Posture and Back Pain

(619) 280 0554

Repetitive Stress Trauma San Diego

(619) 280 0554

Picking up On Repetitive Stress Trauma:

(619) 280 0554