4 Causes of Lower Back Problems

A vast number of people experience lower back pain every single day, or have excruciating lower back problems at some point in their life. Fortunately, many lower back problems treat themselves. For those that don’t, Dr. Barry Goldstein specializes in NYC chiropractic adjustment to treat any kind of musculoskeletal pain. Here, we share the most common causes of lower back problems that can be fixed with NYC chiropractic treatments.

Sprains and Strains – These musculoskeletal back injuries can happen from everyday activities such as picking up something heavy from the floor, or working out improperly at the gym. Minor sprains can fix themselves in just a few days, while more serious ones can take weeks or months to heal.

Degenerative or Herniated Discs – Because spinal bones are separated by discs, the discs act as a cushion to the vertebrae. If the outer ring of a disc is damaged, the insides can slip out and put pressure on nerves as they exit the spine. Aging and smoking are two causes of disc injury.

Poor Posture – When you sit for extended periods of time, especially with a poor posture like a hunched head and shoulders rolled forward, your hip muscles can become tight. This pain can worsen if the muscles that surround your spine are weak.

Obesity – If you are overweight, your risk for back pain is much greater than if you maintain your body’s leaner composition.

Dr. Barry Goldstein, an NYC chiropractic, healing, and nutritional specialist is here to help you. If you have lower back problems, contact Dr. Barry Goldstein today.

Easy Ways to Fix Your Posture

Poor posture can take a serious toll on not only your spine, but your shoulders, hips, knees, and joints, regardless of how healthy you eat and how much you go to the gym. Fortunately, Dr. Barry Goldstein, a NYC chiropractor, can tell you a few ways to fix your posture so you can be sitting and standing up straight in no time.

If you have stiff muscles in the back of your neck that cause your head to lean a bit forward, drop your chin down to your sternum, moving your head only, to stretch the back of your neck. Hold and count to five. Repeat this exercise ten times each day until your posture improves.

If your shoulders are rounded over, the NYC chiropractor says you have a weakness in the middle and lower part of your back muscles. You can lay on the floor facedown, with each arm at a 90-degree angle with your palms down. Raise both of your arms by pulling your shoulders back and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Do not change the 90-degree angle of your arms. Hold this for five seconds. Try doing a few sets of 12 repetitions every day to fix your posture.

As far as going to the gym, NYC chiropractor, Dr. Barry Goldstein, suggests practicing yoga, planks, and doing your squats. These movements strengthen your core to fix your posture over time.

To assess your posture and keep up with your progress, the NYC chiropractor says to take full body photos of yourself in a mirror, one from the front and one from the side. Relax all of your muscles and stand as tall as you can, with your feet hip-width apart. If your ear is in front of the midpoint of your shoulder, your head is too far forward. If you can see your shoulder blade, your back is too rounded. Make sure one shoulder is not higher than the other. Your kneecaps should not be pointing inward.

Avoid Back Pain at Work

You might love spending time at your job, but sitting at a desk all day can have negative effects on your body over time. Spending hours sitting down and staring at a computer can lead to crippling back pain over time. Years of this will cause immense pain and will inevitably affect your work performance and your health.

Along with professional care from New York Chiropractor Dr. Barry, there are simple ways you can avoid back pain and discomfort while at work:

  1. Don’t lean forward toward your computer.
  2. Keep your head up above your shoulders, and focus on aligning your head and neck.
  3. Keep your mouse close so you don’t overreach for hours at a time.
  4. Select a chair with lumbar support. You want your back to rest against a supportive back, while the top is slightly reclined.
  5. Try to keep your torso about an arm’s length from the monitor.
  6. Position your knees at a 90-degree angle, directly above your ankles.
  7. Keep your feet flat on the floor, and shoulder width apart. This will decrease tension in your knees and ankles, that will travel up to your back.
  8. Once an hour, get up from your desk and stretch, walk around, and boost your circulation. Periodic stretching will give your spinal disks a much-needed break.
  9. Don’t cross your legs! It may seem comfortable, but crossing your legs interrupts blood flow and blocks you from keeping your spine straight.
  10. Never pin the phone between your head and your shoulder. This movement puts a heavy strain on your neck.

Don’t wait for your monthly visit to a New York chiropractor – try these tips to avoid back pain and protect your neck and spine while at work.

How Kinesiology Relieves Back Pain

Back pain is dreadful, but it can be treated. Dr. Barry Goldstein in New York uses kinesiology to relieve back pain, but his total view on health will prevent future injuries and create total wellness rather than just treatment. How does it work?

What is Kinesiology?

Simply put, kinesiology is the study of biological movement. Dr. Barry studies the science of kinesiology so he can use the techniques to improve the quality of life for his patients. The techniques used ultimately aim to use kinesiology to relieve back pain, but have more long-term effects that last well outside of the chiropractor’s office.

Kinesiology and Back Pain

The human spine is a very strong and very intricate structure. The muscles, bones and nerves all connect to make the human spine. Throughout our lives, our spines are subjected to a lot of pressure and stress, which can lead to back pain.

Kinesiology relieves back pain by focusing not only on the spine, but in the muscles that are pulling and pushing the spine. Dr. Barry uses his knowledge of kinesiology and chiropractic care to relieve back pain in patients by focusing on total movements throughout the spine, and the muscles around the spine.

Total Balance and Healing

Dr. Barry knows that kinesiology relieves back pain, but that is not enough. The truth is, we can and should lead lives that are balanced and healthy. If we practice preventative living while maintaining healthy lifestyles, we will prevent future issues and reoccurrences.

The statement above is exactly why Dr. Barry combines kinesiology, chiropractic care, and nutrition to create balance and wellness. Consider not only your back pain, but also how your lifestyle and mental state affects and possibly causes some of that pain.

When you are ready for a new, healthy lifestyle, Dr. Barry is the New York chiropractor to contact.

The Stages and Benefits of Chiropractic Wellness Care

All chiropractic wellness care begins with an initial examination from a Times Square chiropractor. After this, x-rays may be recommended to determine the seriousness of your condition. In addition to the adjustment, your chiropractor may recommend certain exercises, diets, and methods of improving your posture.

To fully understand the process when you visit a chiropractor, Dr. Barry Goldstein outlines the stages of chiropractic wellness care along with the benefits:

The Stages of Care.

  • Initial Intensive Care.

The first stage of chiropractic wellness care are referred to as Relief or Acute Care. This session is designed to eliminate the majority of your body’s discomfort and stabilize your condition in a short amount of time. Repeated visits will be required to reduce or eliminate the symptoms completely.

 

  • Rehabilitative Care.

Once the Initial Intensive Care stage has been completed, the option of undergoing Rehabilitative Care will become available to you. The objective of this stage is to address and correct the underlying spinal injury, as well as strengthen the muscles, improve spinal function, and optimize the healing of tissue and organ systems. Visits happen at reducing frequency and are supplemented by exercise.

 

The third and final option available from Times Square chiropractors is the Chiropractic Wellness Care stage. It is designed to maintain your improved health and spinal function, as well as prevent the return of the original condition. The regular attention of this stage catches minor problems before they become serious. Prevention saves time and money by keeping you well.

Easing Sciatic Nerve Pain Through Clinical Nutrition

Sciatica is condition that causes pain in the back, hip, and outer side of the leg. Sciatica is caused by compression of the largest nerve in the body, the sciatic nerve, which begins in the lower back and travels down the buttock and the length of the leg.

Sciatica can occur suddenly and be a painfully debilitating new experience, or it can be a recurring condition that you have lived with for many years. Dr. Barry Goldstein, a clinical nutritionist in Times Square, realizes that often, sciatica is treated with varying anti-inflammatories and over-the-counter medications. What most people who suffer from sciatica do not realize is that clinical nutrition is a powerful tool when combating sciatica.

A high percentage of sciatica sufferers are able to relieve their pain by altering their diets. Follow the below diet tips to alleviate sciatic nerve pain through clinical nutrition:

  • Sometimes, sciatica can be triggered by poor diet that causes constipation. You should incorporate fiber rich foods and add a lot of fruits and vegetables in order to prevent constipation.
  • Oily fish such as salmon and halibut that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids
  • Fresh pineapples and berries are anti-inflammatories that aid in healing and also boost the immune system
  • Drink 2-3 cups of green tea
  • Add turmeric, ginger, and garlic to your meals
  • B-Vitamins are very important to take in when suffering from sciatic nerve pain, and can be found in green peas, spinach, navy beans, nuts, bananas, etc.
  • Foods rich in A-Vitamins such as dairy products, dark leafy vegetables, orange colored fruits, eggs, and oily fish.
  • Foods rich in C-Vitamins, especially citrus and tomatoes
  • K-Vitamins sources such as broccoli and spinach
  • Drink plenty of water, between 1.5-3 liters a day

What to avoid:

  • Clinical nutritionists in Times Square recommend cutting out animal products besides oily fish for the first two weeks.
  • Avoid foods that contain sunflower oil, corn oil, sesame oil, margarine, and partially hydrogenated oil.
  • Stay away from stressor foods such as caffeine, processed food, soda, refined sugars, and chocolate.

Alcohol and cigarettes also produce a stress reaction in the body, so be sure to stay away from those products as well.

3 Secrets No One Tells You About Back Pain

When you stand up, does your couch have an imprint of your body embedded on the cushions? And do you perpetually turn down plans due to chronic lower-back pain? If you answered yes to any of the aforementioned questions, then it’s time to snap out of it and make your first appointment with a Midtown chiropractor.

Spend the rest of the summer months pain-free and outside; simply check out this guide to the three secrets no one tells you about back pain.

1. Clinical nutrition can do wonders for your chronic back pain. That’s right, by giving your body the right nutrition, it has the tools needed to alleviate back pain. Start by getting rid of caffeine, alcohol, or dairy for a couple of weeks, and then add it back into your diet. If your back pain gets worse when you add back a specific type of food, then that could be the main source of your problem.
2. Your back pain will improve with exercise. According to one study, people with recurring back pain reduced their pain levels by 45% with two exercise classes a week. If this is the case, then plan a visit with your Midtown chiropractor; they will be able to help you figure out which exercises will help get rid of your back pain.
3. Back pain isn’t caused by back muscles. A strain or injury to the spine, specifically to one of the five motion segments in the lower back, is the main culprit of chronic back pain. Once at your appointment with your Midtown chiropractor, they should be able to target the main source of back pain and provide you with some much-needed relief.

How a Chiropractor Treats Back Pain

If severe enough, back pain caused by injuries, accidents, or muscle strains can take a toll on one’s health and the lifestyle in which they lead. Luckily, chiropractic services, such as Dr. Barry Goldstein’s Midtown West chiropractic office, can provide patients experiencing back pain the relief they need to maintain quality of life.

At Dr. Barry’s Times Square chiropractic office, he treats patients with back pain through chiropractic adjustments and clinical nutrition. If you are a new patient, Dr. Barry will first go over your medical history and perform a physical examination during a scheduled consultation. He may also review any available lab tests or imaging that could be related to your back pain.

Depending on the results of your consultation, Dr. Barry Goldstein will create an individualized treatment plan for you. Your treatment plan will likely include a series of chiropractic adjustments, during which Dr. Barry will use spinal manipulation to properly align your body’s spine.

The ultimate goal of the spinal manipulation and adjustments performed by Dr. Barry is to enable your body to heal and provide relief from your back pain.

Along with chiropractic adjustments, Dr. Barry also offers clinical nutrition in his Times Square chiropractic office. He believes that pairing spinal manipulation with all-natural, whole foods can help a patient find relief from severe back pain faster than receiving adjustments alone.

Through Dr. Barry Goldstein’s clinical nutrition program, you will receive a personalized nutrition plan that focuses on healing your back pain by eating organically grown, vitamin-enriched foods.

If you are interested in receiving services from Midtown West chiropractor, Dr. Barry, and want to schedule a consultation, call our office at (212) 247-4330.