Are Your Feet the SOURCE of Your Pain?

Your feet are the foundation of your body, your spine, and your gait. They act as shock absorbers and

levers to propel you forward while walking, running, and jumping. However when there is a breakdown in structure of your foot, like flat feet or ankle collapse, it can contribute to a number of different issues including arthritis, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, knee pain, hip or groin pain, and even low back pain.

Check out the picture to the right, this shows the left ankle and foot collapsing inward, this motion is known as pronation or hyperpronatin in this case. This pronation of the foot and ankle can cause twisting of the bones that make up the knee to lead to arthritis, cartilage wearing, and increased stress on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) in the knee. Repetitive pronation especially when under high forces of running or sudden movements while playing sports can actually weaken those ligaments until they tear completely which is an immediate need for surgery!

In addition, the loss of shock absorbing power in the foot due to this pronation can also increase the shock that the knee, hip, and spine have to absorb which can lead to degeneration in the spine and lower extremity.

How do you know if you have an issue?

1) You may have an issue if you have a history of health conditions such as plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, shin splints, bunions, hammer toes, knee or ankle pain or injury, degeneration or arthritis in the spine or legs, or a history of disc herniation or degenerative disc disease.

2) Stand on your feet and have someone look at your feet and ankles. Do they bow inward or does the achilles tendon bow rather than staying straight up and down? (Reference the picture above for what bowing looks like.)

3) Perform a navicular drop test at home. To do this you'll need an index card and a pen. Sit down and use the pen to draw a dot on the hard bone on the middle of your foot. Place the index card on the inside of your foot and draw a line on the card next to the dot you made on the foot. Stand up and then draw another line where the dot has dropped. If the lines are more than 8mm apart, you have an issue. (check the picture below for what this should look like.)

If you do have an issue, there are a number of great options to help correct pronation and help to reduce your risk of injury or arthritis. In many cases a home exercise and stretching program can strengthen and balance muscles to get rid of pronation all together, however some folks will need additional help with an orthotic to support their arch. Depending on your daily activities and how your body responds to the exercise program, you may need additional support from a custom fitted orthotic that is designed specifically for you. In my office, we have many styles available including orthotics that can be worn in high heels or dress shoes and heavy duty orthotics for those that are on their feet or support additional weight from work equipment (such as firemen or police officers) or from lifting.

If you'd like more information or would like to setup a free consultation, please call my office at 309-689-6200 today.

Chiropractic Adjustments Superior to Medication for Low Back Pain

Low back pain is one of the most common conditions that affects Americans today and it affects approximately 31 million every year. It is the most common cause of missing work and 20% of workers that take leave for low back pain become disabled.

Many traditional medical treatments used for low back pain are costly and inefficient which leads to the further budget and health care cost constraints for the US. The cost of low back pain is astounding and is a severe detriment to our health care system and our national budget. In 1998, the direct costs associated with low back pain were estimated at $26.3 billion.  This cost does not include indirect costs such as lost income from work, decreased productivity, or costs associated with care of daily activities that cannot be performed.

Traditional medical treatments rely on medication to cover up the pain, physical therapy to strengthen muscles but ignore the underlying joint issue, or surgery to cut out painful tissues without prevention for future injury. This treatment model can lead to recurrent injuries or medication addiction that can cause further health issues but a feeling of helplessness for the patient.

A recent double blind study looked at effectiveness of current treatment options including the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, spinal adjustments, and placebo in three separate groups. Participants reported  physical disability, function, off work time, adn rescue medication usage. The results revealed the chiropractic adjustments were superior to diclofenac and placebo with faster pain relief and better function and quality of life improvements. In addition, the spinal adjustment group used 3 times less rescue medication than the diclofenac group with the number of days of usage of that rescue medication being half that of the diclofenac group.1

This study is revolutionary in the fact that the author demands the replacement of ineffective treatments with better alternatives such as chiropractic adjustments in an effort to provide better patient care and outcomes as well as reduce the costs associated with low back pain.

As a Peoria chiropractor, I have helped many patients who've failed to respond to traditional medical treatment or have had their back pain return after treatment. Here at AlignLife, I focus on finding the root cause of the problem and correcting that first, followed by recommended the proper nutrition required for optimal healing and the preventative exercises necessary to prevent the injury from recurring. I want to make sure that patients have the tools they need to get better, stay better, and live better.

If you've been dealing with back pain and haven't been seen by a chiropractor, then you need to try it now. Call 309-689-6200 to schedule a free low back pain consultation at AlignLife today.

References
1 von Heymann et al. Spinal high-velocity low amplitude manipulation in acute nonspecific low back pain: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial in comparison with diclofenac and placebo. Spine 2013 April 1; 38(7):540-8

Top 4 Causes of Shin Splints

Do you have shin splints now or have you had them in the past? Then you know all about the pain and disability they create. Runners and athletes frequently will suffer needlessly with them for months or even years before they go away and some may have to give up a sport or running hobby to allow their injury to heal. Teenage athletes seem to be the most frequent in my office and this may be due in part to the fact that their bodies are still developing and they are still in a state of growth which can also contribute.

So what are shin splints? Shin splints are miniature fractures of the bone that occur along a muscle attachment site in the lower leg and can repeatedly be injured and even cause bone disfigurement when healed over numerous times. There are many different muscles that attach in the lower leg as you can see from the picture below.

There are 4 Main Causes of Shin Splints
1.  Excessive use of improper footwear
2.  Chronic tight leg muscles
3.  Magnesium deficiency
4.  Joint misalignment of the lower leg and pelvis

When it comes to wearing shoes, many of us choose the wrong type in the name of fashion, convenience, or because they are the latest technology to make our legs and butts look tighter. Am I right? Don't deny it because I know it's true! The key thing to remember when it comes to footwear is that we need to make correct choices most of the time and when wearing shoes that aren't anatomically correct we need to stretch and do specific exercises to reverse the damage we've caused while wearing these shoes. As a general rule, I DO NOT recommend shoes that have a heel or ones that are restrictive for your toes to move sideways. These shoes not only weaken muscles in the feet but they also cause increased degenerative rates of the bones in the foot that can lead to bunions and disfigurement and can even cause altered posture and gait that can lead to shin, knee, hip, or low back pain and increased degenerative rates that can lead to injuries including disc herniations and spinal fractures.

Chronic tightness of the posterior leg muscles can also cause significant posture changes that can alter your pelvic posture and pull or tighten muscles that attach directly on the shin. These tight muscles can become unbalanced around the joint itself and may lead to shin splints. I recommend a daily stretching routine to address the muscles in the low back and legs to help neutralize any muscle tension that can contribute to injury. If you're already doing a stretching routine and noticing that the muscles seem tighter on one side or if you're feeling a stretch in other places further up or down the leg on one side, chances are you have a muscle imbalance that might be contributing to a future injury.

Magnesium deficiency is a huge factor in the world today. Magnesium is mostly found in dark green leafy vegetables and sea vegetables and since most of us eat iceberg lettuce and don't eat seaweed on a weekly basis, about 80% of the population is in fact deficient in magnesium. Magnesium is the body's key nutrient that is used to relax muscles including those in the walls of your blood vessels, so if you're deficient you may feel tightness and stiffness in your muscles and you may have a slightly elevated blood pressure as well. Magnesium is also one of the nutrients your body needs to harden bones, so if you're getting mini fractures from shin splints and don't have enough magnesium, chances are that you're not healing fully. This can predispose you to future injuries and even lead to shin splints that become worse or spread over a larger area.

The last and most important cause of shin splints is joint misalignment! If your posture or muscles are weak or unbalanced due to footwear choices and chronic muscle tightness then your body may try to adapt itself. This adaptation can include tipping the pelvic forward or backward, rotation of the bones in the leg, and even loss of foot arch due to muscle weakness or rotation of the bones in the foot due to compensation. Adaptation is a necessary means of survival short term, however if you're dealing with these types of adaptation over a period of time it can lead to permanent changes and increase rates of degeneration or arthritis in the spine, hips, knees, ankles, and even feet.

If you or a loved one is suffering from shin splints or any of the other conditions I've mentioned that can be directly linked as a contribution to shin splints, I'd highly recommend they get evaluated by a clinician who is trained to recognize joint misalignment and correct it. 

For those of you in the Peoria area, I am extending 5 spots for a free consultation and examination to check for joint misalignment, muscle imbalance, and magnesium deficiency that can contribute to shin splints or other low back, knee, and foot conditions. This comprehensive evaluation normally costs upwards of $150 due to the time required but for the first five that call I am offering this examination and consultation free of charge!* Please call my office 309-689-6200 today to reserve your spot. For those of you outside of the Peoria area, AlignLife offices are expanding across the US so check our website for the clinic closest to you or talk to your chiropractor about joint alignment issues that can contribute to shin splints.

* State funded insurance members including Medicare and Medicaid are not eligible.