Do You Have Hip Pain (Sciatica)? Did You Know Your Acupuncturist Can Help?

Do You Have Hip Pain (Sciatica)? Did You Know Your Acupuncturist Can Help?

If you’re living with hip pain, you know how bad it can be. Surgery is expensive as well as risky. So, what should you do to get rid of your hip pain? Have you considered Acupuncture?

First let’s talk about the different types of hip pain, as well as some of their causes.

Hip Pain Caused by Sciatica

You may have people talk about their sciatica acting up. Your sciatic nerve is a large set of nerves that starts in your lower back and your sacrum, where your lower back is fused to your vertebrae. This is between your hip bones and pelvis.

The sciatic nerve can get pinched by the muscles and joints it runs under. A few of the causes of Sciatica are:

  • Bulging or Herniated Disc. You have “disc disorder†if your back’s discs are bulging or herniated. Bulging discs are known as contained disc disorders which means their gel-like center is still inside, or contained, by their outer wall. Herniated discs, as opposed to bulging discs, are called non-contained disorders.
  • Spinal Stenosis in the Lumbar. Spinal Stenosis is the name for a nerve compression disorder. This usually happens with older adults, but not always. A common cause of spinal stenosis is degenerative arthritis.
  • This funny word is a disorder that usually affects your lumbar spine. You get Spondylolisthesis when one of your vertebra slips out of place. This causes the spinal nerve root to compress, and frequently makes sciatic leg and hip pain.
  • Sometimes, you get sciatica the old-fashioned way; from an injury. If you’re in a car accident, or you’ve fallen, or even if you’re just playing football, you might compress your nerves and get sciatica.

Hip Pain Caused by Iliotibial Band Syndrome

If you’ve developed Iliotibial Band Syndrome, also known as IT band syndrome, your Iliotibial band becomes inflamed, and rubs the outside of your knee joint. This can give you pain throughout your legs as well as your hips. The more Iliotibial Band Syndrome is ignored, the worse it gets, and the more hip pain you’ll experience. Make sure you’re taking care of it immediately. These are the common causes of Iliotibial Band Syndrome:

  • The most common way you’ll get IT band syndrome is overuse. There are usually other things that contribute to your IT band syndrome, however, the main characterization of IT band syndrome is overuse.
  • Tight Tissues. If your muscles are tight in your hips, as well as along the side of your leg, this can cause or contribute to IT band syndrome.
  • Weak Hip Muscles. According to research from Stanford, weak hip muscles are one of the bigger causes of IT band syndrome. If you have weak muscles in your hip, your running form breaks down. This puts a lot of stress on your knee’s tissues, for this reason, you can get IT band syndrome from weak hip muscles.
  • Poor Running form. As mentioned above, if you’re using a poor running form. This could cause your IT band syndrome.

So, What Can an Acupuncturist Do?

Acupuncture works by relaxing tight muscles, improving blood circulation, regulating the nervous system, and releasing neurotransmitters to reduce pain. Acupuncture has been shown to be an effective treatment for sciatica without the side effects of prescription pain medications like NSAIDs and muscle relaxers.

There are many techniques and strategies to manage and fix back pain and hip pain. If you’re suffering, call (310) 652-3200, email, or use our contact form to see how we can help you feel better and pain-free.

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What Can Your Acupuncturist Do For Arthritis

What Can Your Acupuncturist Do For Arthritis


Arthritis is a very painful condition. At its best, it can cause constant pain. At its worst, it can make simple things difficult to do. Many people do not know that their acupuncturist can bring great relief. But first, you need to know what kind of Arthritis you have. There are many types of Arthritis:

  • Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease. This is the most common kind of Arthritis, typically caused by repetitive force to your joints and is most common as you age. In this kind of Arthritis, the joint becomes of alignment due to the wearing down of the cartilage from an uneven joint surface. Poor nutrition, not enough blood supply, and poor nerve supply are additional factors.
  • Septic Arthritis can be either bacterial or viral. Both types of septic Arthritis generally start with joint infections.
  • Gouty Arthritis is caused by uric acid crystals getting put in the joint, which causes inflammation. This type of Arthritis is a metabolic condition. There is a more uncommon type called pseudogout. Pseudogout is characterized by painful swelling of your joints coming on suddenly. Episodes of Pseudogout can last for days or even weeks.

How an Acupuncturist can help

Acupuncture may help with arthritis symptoms, including rheumatoid arthritis. Research suggests that acupuncture can have an anti-inflammatory effect and help regulate immune function. Acupuncture may also curb pain by boosting the amount of endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers.
A study found that after 26 weeks, patients receiving real acupuncture felt significantly less pain and functioned better than those who received sham acupuncture. The American College of Rheumatology approves acupuncture for treatment of hand, knee, and hip pain.
The benefits of acupuncture can last a few days to a couple of weeks after each session. Over time, acupuncture can provide longer-lasting, or even permanent, relief from pain, inflammation, and other problems.

While anti-inflammatory medication is often given to treat Osteoarthritis, it has been shown to slow the rate that your cartilage heals. Additionally, using anti-inflammatory medicine over a long period of time may damage the lining of your stomach. Chiropractic care is a drugless approach. We work inconjunct with medical doctors, and we can prolong the need for immediate surgeries in many cases.

Acupuncturists also take care of post-surgery pain which usually involves the soft tissues.

Autoimmune Arthritis

Besides Osteoarthritis, there are many forms of autoimmune arthritis. While your acupuncturist is still helpful for autoimmune types of Arthritis like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, or Psoriatic Arthritis, there is no cure. Medication is needed to control these types of Arthritis. While your bones and joints will continue to deteriorate without medication, ask your doctor for medications that are gentler on your stomach lining.

Most people have some of the Arthritis. This is particularly true after 40 years of age. Arthritis is most obvious on an x-ray. Left untreated and allowed to develop Arthritis can become debilitating. If you think you may have Arthritis, or are feeling joint pains, The Relax Holistic Healthcare team is here to help.

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Got tech neck? 6 Ways to Fight Poor Posture

Got tech neck? 6 Ways to Fight Poor Posture

You hear from an early age to keep proper posture. The impact posture has on your health is very clear. Poor posture can cause spinal pain, headaches, mood changes, blood pressure, even your pulse and your lung capacity could leave you looking for a back pain doctor. Simply improving your posture may reduce or ultimately eliminate many of your symptoms.

There are many factors in today’s lives that encourage poor posture. Computers, phones, TV, video games, and backpacks all cause people to use a “forward head postureâ€. When you hold your head forward you overwork and strain your neck and upper back muscles. Spending a lot of time in forward head posture can cause muscle fatigue and neck pain caused by continuous isometric contraction. Your neck muscles will suffer from less circulation which causes burning pain. Forward head posture can even damage your spinal tissues by causing them to deform and change. Long term forward head posture can create permanent changes to your spine causing frequent visits to the back pain doctor.

FHP can change or even reverse your normal neck curve, which can cause disc compression, tension headaches, and it could even cause early arthritis. In addition to those problems, FHP could leave you with TMJ, a painful disorder on its own. If you have forward head posture you should have it immediately checked by a chiropractor. You will not be able to get help from a medical doctor. Even if you’re not feeling any symptoms yet, they rarely present themselves early. Long term FHP will cause spine and nerve damage.

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How to Detect FHP

To determine if you have FHP there are a few things you can look at. Stand in front of a mirror and from a side view, your ear should line up with the top of your shoulder. If it doesn’t, or you’re already experiencing symptoms, call your back pain doctor to schedule an appointment.

Common Causes of FHP

Computers often encourage poor posture. If your monitor is too low you will need to strain forward to comfortably view the screen. Coupled with repeatedly moving your head to read up and down the screen, this makes your computer ergonomics very important when combating FHP. Raise your monitors up higher so that your head is level when you’re looking at them to read. Use a desk chair that can adjust to the right position and then lock to discourage slouching.

Watching television or playing video games is another contributor to poor posture. When you sit on a couch for long periods playing video games or watching television you don’t get the back support you need for good posture. Consistently sitting in one position for longer periods of time can cause your body to adapt to the poor posture easier. Try sitting in a desk chair or other seat that has strong back support and encourages proper posture to combat this.

Heavily loaded backpacks will naturally push your head forward to counterbalance the weight. This causes extra stress on your nerves, discs and joints. Try not to overload your backpacks to prevent your body from using your head as a counterweight.

Trauma such as falls and car accidents can create a muscle imbalance that pulls your spine out of alignment.  Visit your back pain doctor to get treatments for your injury and keep your spine properly aligned.

Smart Phones are a strong contributor to FHP. Most people look down at their phone resting their arms. This pulls your head forward and strains your neck muscles. Instead of holding the phone down, hold it up in a more neutral position. Your arms might get a little tired but your proper posture will be worth it.

Solutions for FHP

1. The First step in correcting your FHP is to have a chiropractor examine and x-ray your back to measure your FHP. Once they’ve gotten the exact measurements they can develop a treatment program for your FHP. This will include specific exercises and adjustments. Ask your chiropractor to point out any improvements to your ergonomics situations to discourage FHP.

2. There are exercises you can do when you’re sitting in one position for a long period. Every 20-30 minutes sit up straight and pull your neck and head over your shoulders. Hold while counting to 3. Do 15-20 reps of this.  Another exercise you can do is to stand against a wall with a small pillow in the middle of your back and move your head back to touch the wall. Hold that position for another count of 3 and do 20-25 reps.

3. Always use a pillow to support your back when you’re sitting or driving. Keeping support on your lower back will naturally move your head and neck back over your shoulders.

4. Never wear your backpack over one of your shoulders. Try to keep your children’s backpacks at 15% of their weight. Whenever possible choose backpacks that have a waist and chest belt. This will neutralize the load and keep your head from moving forward to compensate.

5. When you’re at home lay face down on the floor. When you’re laying on the floor extend your head and shoulders up and pinch your shoulder blades together. Hold this for another count to 3 for 15-20 reps.

6. Position your computer monitor so that the top third of the screen is even with your eyes and around eighteen to twenty-four inches away from you.

Good posture will improve your health in many areas and make you feel better every day. Between a little effort on your part and a good back pain doctor on your team, you set yourself up for a future full of the activities you love instead of pain and degeneration that you’ll get from poor posture. If you have any questions or are looking for treatment, schedule a spine and posture exam at Relax Holistic Healthcare.

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Is your Sacroiliac Joint Causing Your Back Pain? A Back Doctor Can Help

Is your Sacroiliac Joint Causing Your Back Pain? A Back Doctor Can Help

If you’re suffering from lower back pain, you might have a problem with your sacroiliac joint, or your SI joint. Your sacroiliac joint is located in your pelvis. It links the iliac bones, or the pelvis, to the sacrum, which is the lowest part of the spine above the tailbone.  This condition is painful and a back doctor may be able to help you.

Causes of Sacroiliac Joint Pain

As with other bones and joints in the body, your pelvis bones and your SI joint can become damaged both through injury as well as normal wear and tear. Injury could cause the joint to get disrupted or misaligned, and the supporting ligaments may be damaged. Among the causes of SI joint pain are trauma in your past, or degenerative disease. Other causes of SI are unknown.

Symptoms of SI Pain

Symptoms come in either acute or chronic form. If your symptoms are immediately obvious you have acute symptoms. On the other hand, if your symptoms begin to come over time, you’ve got chronic symptoms. You may feel problems or pain in your upper legs, buttocks, or higher on the spine. These symptoms are most obvious when you’re sitting, lifting, walking, or running. You might feel your symptoms between your lower leg and your lower spine or anywhere in between. Many back doctors miss the SI joint when diagnosing your back pain. Make sure yours is checking your SI joint.

People Most at Risk for SI Joint Problems

  • Anyone can have problems with their sacroiliac joint, but some groups of people are more at risk:
  • People who’ve had significant injuries that caused a disruption of the SI joint
  • People whose pelvis motion is asymmetric. Asymmetric motion might happen if your legs are significantly different length, or if one leg is weaker than the other. Worn out or inappropriate footwear can alter your steps and cause stress repetitively on your sacroiliac joint
  • Women who have been through pregnancy. In addition, women are generally at an increased risk for problems in their sacroiliac joint due to their broader pelvises. The broader pelvises coupled with a greater curve in the lumbar spine combines to increase risks of sacroiliac problems.

How to diagnose Sacroiliac Joint Problems

Sacroiliac Joint issues are difficult to diagnose because they share many symptoms with other disorders your back doctor is going to look for. Keep these tips in mind:

  • SI joint problems often feel like spinal disc pain. Be sure your back doctor checks your SI joint if you feel spinal disc pain.
  • SI Joint problems frequently happen along with other spinal problems like degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis, sciatica, or herniated discs. If you’ve been injured and you’ve been diagnosed with any of these problems, have your back doctor check the SI joint as well.
  • Suffering pain after your lumar spine surgery you may have a sacroiliac joint problem instead of or in addition to your lumbar problem.
  • If you’ve had lumbar surgery in the past, there’s an increased risk that you’ll have SI joint problems, even if you don’t feel the symptoms now.

Because these challenges in diagnosing your pain exist, it is important for you to bring up concerns about SI joint problems with your back doctor. Your doctor will use a variety of tests to examine your back and pelvis to determine whether SI Joint problems cause your back pain. They may use X-rays, CT-scans, or MRIs to diagnose your SI Joint disorder.

If you or someone you love shows symptoms of SI joint pain, the team at Relax Holistic will offer you a free consultation and chiropractic analysis. You can contact them at their West Hollywood office, their Marina del Rey office, or their Culver City office.

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Scoliosis Can Be Helped with Holistic Care

Scoliosis Can Be Helped with Holistic Care


Treat your body well by using its natural healing powers. Hospital and doctors’ visit are expensive and may not fix the problem at its root. Holistic care is non-evasive and can correct many health issues such as Scoliosis.

Scoliosis is not a disease, but rather the term to describe any abnormal, sideways curvature of the spine. Characteristics include an ‘S’ or ‘C’ shape to the spine. The cause is widely unknown, but fortunately, there are preventive, holistic health treatments available.

If neglected, abnormal curvature of the spine could lead to deceptive health problems in the future. That is why it is so important to recognize the symptoms of Scoliosis and receive holistic care early on.

Causes

No definitive answers exist as to the cause of Scoliosis. It is still somewhat of a mystery as to why some individuals get it, and others do not.

The largest affected population are children. The condition, which causes the spine to twist or curve as it forms, is most common to occur around the ages of 5-15. If a parent has Scoliosis, then their children are more likely to inherit it. This leads professionals adopting genetics as the culprit to early spine deformation.

Even in adult patients, its presence is unknown as to its causation. Adult Scoliosis could be a side effect of past or present health issues. The patient may have had neurological trauma or mild Scoliosis since childhood. Other physical causes could be muscle spasms, bad posture, or having legs at different lengths.

In the elderly, Scoliosis may appear from osteoporosis, misalignments with shrinking discs and postural muscle weakness.

Symptoms

You can prevent Scoliosis by recognizing the symptoms early. Lateral curvature of the spine is the most common indicator to see a chiropractor for further analysis.

Early signs to look for include:

• One-shoulder higher than the other

• One hip higher than the other

• Shoulder blade protruding on one side more than the other

• Uneven waistline

• Uneven shoe wear

• Clothes fit unevenly

• Leaning to one side

• Pain in the legs or back

Advanced cases cause protruding rib cages on one side of the body or misalignment of the hips, knees, and feet. The most severe cases affect breathing and organ functioning.

Treatment

Holistic care is non-evasive and if done early enough, can completely align the spine to a healthy state. Scoliosis treatments may include chiropractic care, therapeutic massage, acupuncture, spinal manipulation, traction, electric muscle stimulation, and exercise.

Chiropractic adjustments work with the body’s own healing abilities by slowly straightening the spine. Chiropractic care can even relieve patients from symptoms experienced after the scoliosis surgery.

Acupuncture and therapeutic massage are great at relieving muscle pain and other symptoms associated with Scoliosis.

At times it is recommended to have custom orthotics as part of the Scoliosis treatment. The health of the feet and spine relate directly to each other.

If Scoliosis goes untreated, you may find it hard to function or participate in physical activity. Advanced cases would require surgery. The most common surgery uses Herrington rods, which are metal rods permanently implanted along the length of the entire spine to straighten it out.

Preventive Care

At Relax Holistic, our trained doctors look at the entire picture in determining the right plan for your overall health. We examine your spine, feet, and overall well-being in determining the best care options for our patients.

Our holistic care treatments consider both long-term relief and prevention. It couldn’t be any easier to make an appointment with us as we have three convenient office locations in the Los Angeles area. Please feel free to contact us today!

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