Low Back Surgery – A Last Resort

Once you cut you cannot uncut……that’s the truth.

Once a spine is fused, you cannot un-fuse it, or once a spine under goes a laminectomy you cannot return the cut bone to your body, the same as with laser disc surgery or arthroscopic spine surgery etc. So often people with lower back pain and/or sciatica think they need surgery, when there are plenty of other options. Choices that if tried could spare a person from the hospital stay, the operation and often failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS).  If all other non-invasive options are expended, then the final resort can be surgery.

One of the other options is non-surgical decompression with the DRX9000. We were one of the first offices in New Jersey to treat patients with the DRX9000; we started in February 2006. The treatment involves a series of visits aimed at restoring the injured lower back structures and moving them off the pain causing nerves. Once the nerves are free of any pressure they can heal and allow the patient to live pain-free.

If you suffer with lower back pain and/or sciatica you are welcome to a FREE consultation to see if DRX9000 treatment can help you. We will perform a free consultation and evaluation to find the underlying cause for your low back pain and/or sciatica. Should you have any MRI’s or x-rays you may bring them in so we can do a complete evaluation (although MRI’s and x-rays are not required for the consultation and evaluation).  Call the office at 201-825-6601 for your FREE office visit.  We are located at 161 N. Franklin Tpke in Ramsey (half way between Main St and the Interstate Shopping Center).

~Dr. Michael Guadagnino, DC

If you ever lose bowel or bladder function associated with lower back pain and/or sciatica this is a medical emergency and you need to call 911.

 

 

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Being Treated by a Chiropractor is Not a Lifetime Commitment

A common question we are asked, do I need to see you forever?

Patients treated in our office are relieved of their pain, given some exercises to do at home then released. Our policy is NOT to treat patients forever.

The overwhelming numbers of patients that enter our office come in for aches or pains; which could vary from headaches, neck pain and back pain or disc injuries. This office’s modus operandi is to do a thorough consultation and examination; then determine if chiropractic can help the patient. If the answer is yes we put together a treatment plan to help the patient return to pre-injury status; if not we will refer that patient out to an appropriate physician.

Once we begin the treatment plan honest goals are set and the patient will know approximately how long it will take before they are back at full strength. As soon as they have reached those goals, and the patient can return to their daily activities without pain they are discharged. We do not treat people forever.

There are those few patients that may have an active work schedule, or are athletes and need regular tune-ups because of the constant impact they put upon their spine. Otherwise patients come in, they get treated and they return to their life, many times never to be seen in the office ever again.

So the next time anyone states that once you start with a chiropractor you need to see him forever, remember not in this office!

Dr. Guadagnino, DC

17 Foods That Can Clean Out Arteries & Protect From Heart Attacks

Avocado

Avocados are great in fighting bad cholesterol which will seriously help your arteries out. They are rich in nutrients and fats.

Salmon

Salmon is very healthy since it contains an abundance of fatty acids. These acids are great for your cholesterol and triglycerides but also for soothing inflammation. You can also find fatty acids in other fish such as tuna, mackerel, and herring.

Nuts

Nuts are a great source of rich omega-3 and unsaturated fats. These fats act as memory boosters, and they’re great for your cholesterol but also for treatment of the joint pain. In order to achieve this, you should consume a variety of almonds and walnuts every day.

Cranberries

Cranberries are very rich in potassium and, for this reason, great for your cholesterol. You should drink 3 glasses of this precious juice in order to lower the risk of heart diseases by at least 40%.

Persimmon Fruit

To fight against bad cholesterol, you should eat persimmon fruit because it’s rich in fibers and good sterols.

Turmeric

Since turmeric is rich in curcumin, you should use it as often as possible in your meals. You can also drink it as a tea. It’s good when it comes to anti-inflammatory features and it also prevents fat storage.

Seaweed

Seaweed is absolutely fabulous since it’s extremely rich in various vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, carotenoids, as well as in proteins. If you consume it regularly, you have better chances to balance your blood pressure, enhance your circulation, widen your blood vessels and reach a healthy and good cholesterol level.

Green Tea

Green tea proves to be a fabulous antioxidant and great help when it comes to having a healthy metabolism and good cholesterol. Also, catechins found in green tea calm our body and act as an energy booster. In order to enjoy its full benefits, try consuming this mighty tea 1-2 cups a day.

Coffee

According to many pieces of research, coffee proves to be great for heart attack prevention. For this reason, you should consume 1-2 cups a day of this popular breakfast beverage.

Spinach

Spinach has so many health benefits. It keeps your arteries clean without buildup, supports muscle tissues, controls your blood pressure and also keeps your heart healthy.

Broccoli

Broccoli is great for good cholesterol and balanced blood pressure. It is extremely rich in vitamin K.

Olive oil

Olive oil has been used throughout the centuries as a very potent fix. Among many useful characteristics, this oil is extremely good for your heart and cholesterol due to its healthy fats.

Asparagus

Asparagus is a mighty food for lowering high cholesterol. It consists of powerful compounds responsible for soothing inflammation, but it also works great in preventing blockage of the veins.

Pomegranate

Pomegranates contain nitric oxide that has amazing results when it comes to good blood circulation.

Watermelon

Watermelon is fantastic and you can use it in many ways for various purposes. It contains nitric oxide, responsible for widening blood vessels.

Orange Juice

Orange juice is abundant in various antioxidants. For this reason, orange juice is great for blood pressure and blood vessels. A glass a day of this precious juice provides our body with daily supplies of vitamin C and many other useful vitamins. Make sure to watch the sugar levels on various orange juices.

Whole Grains

Flour made of whole grain is rich in fibers that control cholesterol and this way keep your arteries clean and your heart healthy and strong.

Please try to eat more of these great foods. Many of them not only taste delicious but are also heart and artery healthy!

source:  Health Life Star 9/9/16

Dr. Michael Guadagnino, DC  

3 Symptoms That May Indicate You Have Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease

1. Pain that is provoked by activity, then subsides
Often times, a symptom of lumbar degenerative disc disease is pain that is provoked by physical activity—such as bending, lifting, or twisting—and then subsides. For example, your lower back pain may flare-up after swinging a golf club or following an extended period of gardening.

If you have degenerative disc disease, it is likely that the pain from these activities will soon return to a low-grade level, or disappear entirely.

However, in certain cases it is possible for severe episodes of lower back pain caused by lumbar degenerative disc disease to last for anywhere between a few days and a few months.

2. Pain is worse when sitting
Many of my patients find that their degenerative disc disease pain is worse when sitting. One reason for this is that sitting places 3 times as much pressure on the discs at the bottom of your spine as standing.

So if you work a sedentary office job, you may be provoking your symptoms simply by going about your daily routine. One way to test whether sitting is exacerbating your symptoms is to alternate between a standing desk and sitting in a chair during your workday.

It is important to note that some patients still feel pain from degenerative disc disease while standing—but they may find significant relief while walking (or engaging in some other form of exercise).

3. Pain is better when resting in a reclining position
Many people who suffer from lumbar degenerative disc disease find that their symptoms are alleviated by resting in a reclining position (such as lying in a reclining chair). Additionally, others find relief simply by sleeping with a pillow under their knees. This is due to the fact that both positions relieve the stress on your lumbar disc space.

In some cases, patients with degenerative disc disease choose to purchase an adjustable bed—as it can be configured in a number of ways to support your body in a reclining position.

Conclusion:
If you suspect your back pain is caused by lumbar degenerative disc disease, make sure to schedule an appointment.  Dr. Guadagnino can help you accurately identify the source of your symptoms—which is the first step when it comes to finding the right course of treatment. Our office is located at 161 N. Franklin Tpke, Ramsey, NJ and the phone number is 201-825-6601.

source Spine-Health 5/1/17 Scott Kutz, MD

www.BackPainRamsey.com        Dr Guadagnino

Headaches, How Can a Chiropractor Help?

After you read this article, please check the two research paper links below supporting treatment for headaches.

One of the most common ailments that we treat in our office are headaches.  There are a few different types of  headaches, many of which are associated with the neck.

 

A great majority of headaches originate from the base of the skull, where the spinal column attaches; also know as the occipital area.  Located in this area of the spine are very sensitive nerves, that when irritated can create pain upwards into the head.

The most common type of headache we treat are Tension headaches. These headaches feel like a band that wraps around the head and could also involve pain the runs behind the eyes.  Tension, poor posture, lack of sleep as well as a host of other irritating factors could create a tension headache.

Cluster and migraine headaches are also treated in our office, but they are not as common a type of headache.  Cluster headaches usually involve one eye, which could create teardrops, appear “less open” or be felt into the eye brow.  At times, pain may be experienced in the shoulder located on the same side of the body as the affected eye.  Treatment for a cluster headache would also involve reducing tension and poor segmental motion in the neck and shoulder.

Migraine headaches are a more complex type of headache for which we have had some success treating.  Like the other types of headaches, this too involves irritation of the nerves in the neck, only it produces much different symptoms than a tension or cluster headache.  Many people misdiagnosis at home a migraine headache when it really is a tension headache.

In our office we help to relieve those tight soft tissues and gently restore motion allowing that area of the spine to “reset” and remove the pain associated with the headache.  If your headache requires more invasive medical types of care, we will (and have) refer patients to someone who could offer that help.

So, if you suffer with headaches and would like to not live on medication for your symptoms what should you do?

Our recommendation is that you find a chiropractic office with experience treating headaches.  Our office is located at 161 N. Franklin Tpke in Ramsey, NJ. It’s right off Route 17 and easy to locate. We have 26-years experience treating and caring for people who suffer with headaches.

To find out if we can help you please call 201-825-6601 and ask for a complimentary headache consultation. Our parking lot comes right up to our front door to accommodate all our patients.

1. Bryans R, Descarreaux M, Duranleau M, et al. Evidence based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with neck pain. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2014; 37: 42-63.

2. Bryans R, Descarreaux M, Duranleau M, et al. Evidence based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with headache. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2011; 34: 274-89.

Is Treatment Expensive?

Our office gets it, we all live in the real world.  When we first started treating people with the DRX9000 back in 2006, it was an expensive treatment.  Today many offices still follow that old “cash only” payment model; our office DOES NOT!

Since those early days of spinal decompression treatment we have accepted insurance.  Most of our patients have insurance that will pay for care in a chiropractic office.  By utilizing your insurance plan, the treatment is usually the cost of your co-payment.

When you enter the office for DRX9000 treatment, we will check your insurance for what type of coverage you may have.  Most often there is chiropractic coverage on people’s plan.  This includes covering therapies, depending on the insurance company, may be what  spinal decompression treatment falls under.  A through communication between our office and your insurance company will allow us to understand what, if any treatment may cost.

As always, our initial consultation for the DRX9000 is complimentary.  This includes a thorough analysis on why your back and/or leg may be hurting, orthopedic & neurological testing and report of findings.  If we feel that spinal decompression is something that cannot help you, we will tell you – and you still will not be charged.  If it is something that can help you, we will explain what course of treatment you should take and what your insurance covers.

Don’t let a rumor that treatment with the DRX9000 is unaffordable stop you from pursing care.  We have received referrals from other providers (including MD’s), former patients who were successfully treated with the DRX9000 and even insurance companies.

Why wait, call Dr. Guadagnino today at 201-825-6601 to see if and how DRX9000 treatment can help you.

A Happy and Healthy?

So what does a happy healthy new year mean to you?

Is it the start of a yearly resolution? diet? or exercise program?  And why do so many people need to make this resolution; often times the same resolution every year?

Personally, I do not think it has anything to do with weakness, failure or any other negative connotation.  Actually, we as humans are wired to keep doing what we’ve always done, unless something actually moves us to do something new.  Sir Isaac Newton referred to the force needed to change direction as Inertia.  So what will it take to create some positive inertia in your life this January 1st?

In the 1970’s a popular self-help book titled Pscho-Cybernetics stated that it takes 21 days to change a habit, or start a new habit.  These 3 weeks were important to re-train the body and mind.  This will create enough inertia to make a valuable change in one’s personal direction.  Twenty-one days supposedly directs the unconscious to start seeing things differently and allow the physical being to not only start  new but stay on that fresh path.

So what can you do to stay motivated?  On December 31st or January 1st, whenever you are ready to forge ahead with a resolution, take out paper and pen and write down everything you are thinking with respects to this new path.  Write the why’s, the how’s and put to paper the excitement you are feeling now and will feel once this idea has changed your life.  Then every morning upon waking and every night before going to bed read what you have written.  Read it slowly and think of the words you are saying.  Let it be a part of your wake and your sleep.  Then after the 21 days are up, you should see yourself on a new path, only now you will be 3 weeks into your venture, not “hoping” to start a new.

After you have completed the 21-days, take out a new paper and pen then write where you wish to see your life in the next 3-weeks.  Again write about everything you are feeling, how you wish to get there and why it is necessary to succeed.  Read this new paragraph every morning and night.   Before you know it you will have seized upon enough inertia so next New Year’s there will be no need to wish for this resolution again.   Good Luck with your aspirations for 2017 and have a Happy New Year.

~ Dr. Guadagnino

But I don’t want to be “Cracked”.

No one wants to be “cracked”, that’s a horrible word.  A more scientific term is “articular cavitation where the pressure inside the joint is released to the outside of said joint and this pressure gradient change makes a sound”.  Even if someone still does not wish to be cared for in this way there are many different options a patient with neck or back pain may be treated.

Back in the old days, before chiropractic was scientifically proven this form of manipulation was the only way people were treated.  Today, with the influx of improved education, expanded therapeutic techniques and medical/chiropractic co-treatment of patients there is now a multitude of methods to help our patients.

The Activator Instrument

One of the most gentle, yet very effective ways to get a similar result for patients without making that “sound in the spine” is the use of Activator Adjusting.   This process utilizes an activator instrument to gently percuss the areas a traditional adjustment would take place.  This is an approach developed a couple decades ago which is now a normal standard method of treatment.

Also used in practice are typical treatment therapies such as electric muscle stimulation, ultra-sound therapy, cold laser therapy and non-surgical spinal decompression.  None of these therapies create that “cracking sound” and are very helpful to relive patients of neck and back pain.

 

If you suffer with either neck or back pain, but are afraid of the “crack”, we do utilize a host of alternative treatments that have a great track record to getting people well quickly without the use of drugs or surgery.  Call the office for a free no-obligation consultation at 201-825-6601.  The office is open days, nights and Saturday mornings.

http://www.ChiropracticRamsey.com          www.BackPainRamsey.com

What Treatment is the BEST for a Herniated Disc?

We have been providing treatment for back and neck pain in Bergen County for 25 years.

There is a lot of information out there on how to diagnose and treat a herniated disc in the low back. Some of it is good and some not so good. Our recommendations come from almost a quarter century of front line experience.

Patient receiving non-surgical decompression in our office

What most people don’t realize is that a herniated disc is very common. In fact, many people have them and do not even realize it. And when you are diagnosed with a herniated disc it is not the end of the world. And, it does not mean you automatically need back or neck surgery.

Often, a herniated disc will heal on it’s own. It just depends on the nature and severity of the condition and the patients overall health profile. All cases are different.

One thing for sure. Chiropractic adjustments should be considered as the #1 treatment option. This has been proven over and over again.

In the event that chiropractic adjustments fail to deliver favorable outcomes there is a logical “next step”. It’s called nonsurgical spinal decompression. The machine we use is the DRX9000. The DRX9000 is designed and built to treat herniated and bulging discs in the lumbar spine nonsurgically. It is considered the gold standard for drugless disc treatment. You can find out more at www.BackPainRamsey.com.

So, if you have been diagnosed with a herniated or bulging disc in the low back, what should you do?

Our recommendation is that you find a clinic that has both chiropractic and spinal decompression.  Our office is located at 161 N. Franklin Tpke in Ramsey, NJ.  It’s right off Route 17 and easy to locate.  In our office we treat with traditional chiropractic, cold laser therapy and spinal decompression.

To find out if you are a candidate for spinal decompression therapy in Bergen County please call 201-825-6601 and ask for a complimentary consultation. Our parking lot comes right up to our front door to accommodate all our patients.

Is All Jaw Pain a TMJ Condition?

The Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) is a hinge like joint that moves the your jaw up and down.  This is an important function that allows you to chew, talk and often times breathe.  What supports the jaw and allows it to move up and down are skeletal muscles.  In fact, the primary use of all skeletal muscles is to move bones.

The initials TMJ have become synonymous with anyone at anytime having jaw pain, but many times jaw pain is not coming from your TMJ.  There are a host of other things other than a problem in either your left or right jaw  joint (TMJ) that can give you pain and discomfort.

The most common problem are tight masseter muscles, followed by tight temporalis muscles.  Everyone has two macerater muscles, one in either cheek and two temporals muscles on the outside of your head.  The masseter is a very powerful muscle, in fact it is one of the most powerful muscles in the body.  This muscle, like every other muscle in your body could become sore, fatigues or develop trigger points.  Do to the location, density and use of the masseters any tightness will most likely cause pain.

I am writing this today because I had this very issue with a patient this morning.  She had a very tight, sore and slowly moving jaw.  A careful analysis revealed her masseters are very tight and needed some soft tissue work.

So if you ever develop a problem with your “jaw”, don’t always assume TMJ.  It may be TMJ, or it may be something else.  Get it checked out by a competent professional who may offer you a simple solution.      ~Dr G.

http://www.ChiropracticRamsey.com                           http://www.BackPainRamsey.com