I'm sure that when most parents are taking their children to see the animated movie "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" from Dreamworks, they aren't expecting to see the talented dog Mr. Peabody perform a chiropractic adjustment. In the film, a character voiced by Stephen Colbert (the host of "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central) hurts his back simply by standing up from a chair. Mr. Peabody, who is famous from the original "Rocky & Bullwinkle" cartoons for being able to do just about anything, rushes to the rescue. Mr. Peabody proclaims that he is a licensed chiropractor and proceeds to perform a chiropractic adjustment. Although it would have been spectacular to see the patient actually declare his consent for this chiropractic adjustment, we have to make allowances for movies. Mr. Peabody understands that chiropractic is useful, has mastered his particular chiropractic technique, and underscores the importance of being licensed. In fact, we should probably call him Dr. Peabody. And, finally, Stephen Colbert's character expresses how delighted he is that a licensed chiropractor came to the rescue. Here's the clip from Youtube:
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Sometimes when people have low back pain, they also have associated leg pain. Usually, we refer to this leg pain as sciatica. But is leg pain always sciatica?
Technically speaking, sciatica only refers to pain that travels down the leg via the sciatic nerve, which is really a superhighway of nerves that exits your low back on both sides and then travels down your buttock, the back of the thigh, the calf, and even into the foot. Often the pain associated with sciatica will travel down the leg and to the calf, ankle, or foot. Sciatica can be caused by irritation of the nerve at the low back or buttock (in what is called piriformis syndrome) due to compression, inflammation, spinal stenosis, disc herniation, etc. However, there are other nerves that travel from the low back into the leg, and these nerves can also be irritated by similar circumstances. Here are two examples: 1) There's a nerve called the "lateral femoral cutaneous nerve" that can cause numbness and tingling at the outside of the thigh. That's the only place that will feel numb in this condition, called meralgia paresthetica. This condition is usually caused by compression of the nerve at the front of the thigh, groin, or low back. You can sometimes solve meralgia paresthetica by yourself. If the nerve compression is being caused by having too many objects in your front pants pockets, for example, then simply removing the items from your pocket may relieve your symptoms. The compression can also be caused by obesity: the extra weight gain can put pressure on the nerve as it passes through the groin. In this case, weight loss will usually relieve the pain. Other causes, such as low back misalignment, will need to addressed by a few visits to your chiropractor. 2) The sacroiliac joints, if inflamed or immobile, can irritate nearby nerves and cause pain that radiates to the thighs, as well. The classic case of sacroiliac radiculitis involves low back pain that causes radiating pain to the outside of the thigh but usually stops at or above the knee. In other words, this radiating pain generally does not travel into the lower leg or foot the way that sciatica usually does. The sacroiliac joints generally require chiropractic care to regain their proper function. Stretches and exercises can help to establish core strength in the low back and abdominal areas, but the sacroiliac joints usually need chiropractic adjustments to re-establish lumbar and pelvic biomechanical stability. Radiating pain can affect many different nerves and result in many different presentations of pain, numbness, and tingling. It is important to remember that not all radiating pain is sciatica, and not all radiating pains require the same treatment. If you are experiencing radiating pain, consult your chiropractor to obtain a proper diagnosis. Only when the correct diagnosis is established can the proper treatment be advised. We know that handheld devices are brand new in the history of mankind, and researchers don't yet have enough data to say definitively what impact our use of these technologies will have on our longterm health. But the evidence is beginning to mount up. We already know that sitting and slouching is common with handheld device use. This slouching has given rise to the condition named "text neck" and causes neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, and headaches. We know that increased handheld device time is causing more nearsightedness. We know that increased screen time promotes a sedentary lifestyle, which in turn promotes the development of obesity. And so on. Last week a Huffington Post article made controversial headlines because of a bold claim that children under 12 should never use handheld devices. Ever. And the author of the article didn't even mention text neck! Here's a quick excerpt. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Society of Pediatrics state infants aged 0-2 years should not have any exposure to technology, 3-5 years be restricted to one hour per day, and 6-18 years restricted to 2 hours per day (AAP 2001/13, CPS 2010). Children and youth use 4-5 times the recommended amount of technology, with serious and often life threatening consequences (Kaiser Foundation 2010, Active Healthy Kids Canada 2012). Handheld devices (cell phones, tablets, electronic games) have dramatically increased the accessibility and usage of technology, especially by very young children (Common Sense Media, 2013). As a pediatric occupational therapist, I'm calling on parents, teachers and governments to ban the use of all handheld devices for children under the age of 12 years. The author of this article, Cris Rowan, goes on to list ten research-based reasons why screen time is detrimental to childhood development, including sleep deprivation, mental illness, and so-called "digital dementia" including attention deficit disorder and the inability to think deeply.
In case her argument doesn't seem strong enough, she also has a Fact Sheet available which is, well, impressively exhaustive. I encourage everyone with children to check out the research and to form your own conclusions. |
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DisclaimerUnless otherwise attributed, all content is written by Kyle Johnson, DC, of Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria.
All images used are under Creative Commons license. Although every effort has been made to provide an accurate description of our chiropractic care and its benefits, the information given on this website and blog is not intended to be, nor should it be interpreted as, medical advice for any condition. If you have any questions regarding your condition, you should seek the help of Dr. Johnson in person, so that he may properly assess your condition. This blog is provided by Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria, S.C., proudly located in Peoria, IL. |