The Benefit of Thoracic Spine Treatment for Mechanical Neck Pain

Great study demonstrating the benefit of mid back or thoracic spine treatment for mechanical neck pain.  Potentially an argument for having the entire spine treated even though only one area is affected.  You don't go to the dentist to get one tooth cleaned, do you?

Examination of a Clinical Prediction Rule to Identify Patients With Neck Pain Likely to Benefit From Thoracic Spine Thrust Manipulation and a General Cervical Range of Motion Exercise: Multi-Center Randomized Clinical Trial

 

from Physical Therapy current issue by Cleland, J. A., Mintken, P. E., Carpenter, K., Fritz, J. M., Glynn, P., Whitman, J., Childs, J. D.

Background

A clinical prediction rule (CPR) purported to identify patients with neck pain who are likely to respond to thoracic spine thrust manipulation has recently been developed, but has yet to be validated.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of this CPR.

Design

This was a multi-center randomized clinical trial.

Methods

One hundred forty patients with a primary report of neck pain were randomly assigned to receive either 5 sessions of stretching and strengthening exercise (exercise-only group) or 2 sessions of thoracic spinemanipulation and cervical range of motion exercise followed by 3 sessions of stretching and strengthening exercise (manipulation + exercise group). Data on disability and pain were collected at baseline, 1 week, 4 weeks, and 6 months. The primary aim (treatment group x time x status on the prediction rule) was examined using a linear mixed model with repeated measures. Time, treatment group, and status on the rule, as well as all possible 2-way and 3-way interactions, were modeled as fixed effects, with disability (and pain) as the dependent variable. Effect sizes were calculated for both pain and disability at each follow-up period.

Results

There was no 3-way interaction for either disability or pain. A 2-way (group x time) interaction existed for both disability and pain. Pair-wise comparisons of disability demonstrated that significant differences existed at each follow-up period between the manipulation + exercise group and the exercise-only group. The patients who received manipulation exhibited lower pain scores at the 1-week follow-up period. The effect sizes were moderate for disability at each follow-up period and were moderate for pain at the 1-week follow-up.

Limitations

Different exercise approaches may have resulted in a different outcome.

Conclusions

The results of the current study did not support the validity of the previously developed CPR. However, the results demonstrated that patients with mechanical neck pain who received thoracic spine manipulation and exercise exhibited significantly greater improvements in disability at both the short- and long-term follow-up periods and in pain at the 1-week follow-up compared with patients who received exercise only.

 

Joshua M. Brooks, D.C.

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ABC Clinics

Rosa Family Chiropractic

2750 Prosperity Ave, Suite 550

Fairfax, VA  22031

703.876.5600

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www.RosaChiropracticFairfax.com

www.RecoveryDoc.net

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The Benefits of Exercise with Traumatic Brain Injury

Interesting study regarding the benefits of exercise with traumatic brain injury.  Benefits of exercise should not be underestimated as it is key to a healthy lifestyle.  Here at Rosa Family Chiropractic, we encourage all, yes all, of our patients to engage in some form of exercise.

Abstract: Wise EK, Hoffman JM, Powell JM, Bombardier CH, Bell KR. Benefits of exercise maintenance after traumatic brain injury. Objective: To examine the effect of exercise intervention on exercise maintenance, depression, quality of life, and mental health at 6 months for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) with at least mild depression. 

Design: Treatment group participants were assessed at baseline, after a 10-week exercise intervention, and 6 months after completion of the intervention. Setting: Community. Participants: Participants (N=40) with self-reported TBI from 6 months to 5 years prior to study enrollment and a score of 5 or greater on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Interventions: Ten-week exercise intervention program consisting of supervised weekly 60-minute sessions and unsupervised 30 minutes of aerobic exercises 4 times each week. Telephone follow-up was conducted every 2 weeks for an additional 6 months to promote exercise maintenance for individuals randomized to the intervention group. 

Main Outcome Measure: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) comparing participant outcomes over time. Post hoc analyses included comparison among those who exercised more or less than 90 minutes per week. Results: Participants reduced their scores on the BDI from baseline to 10 weeks and maintained improvement over time. Many participants (48%) demonstrated increased physical activity at 6 months compared with baseline. Those who exercised more than 90 minutes had lower scores on the BDI at the 10-week and 6-month assessments and reported higher perceived quality of life and mental health. 

Conclusions: Exercise may contribute to improvement in mood and quality of life for people with TBI and should be considered as part of the approach to depression treatment.

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Another Reason to Supplement Calcium

Another reason to supplement calcium. In our office in Fairfax we offer one if the best supplemental farms of calcium with a very efficient absorption rate.

Check this link below: 

http://www.rttnews.com/1954033/calcium-scan-best-heart-risk-diagnosis-tool-study.aspx?type=hnr&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=sitemap

Rosa Family Chiropractic maintains an active presence on many popular search and social media websites. Select your favorite website below to stay connected or review us.

      

Meet the Official Team Chiropractors and Recovery Specialists of the Chesapeake Bowl '12

Dr. John Rosa and Dr. Rick Rosa were the official team Chiropractors and Recovery Specialists for the recent 3rd Annual Chesapeake Bowl FootballGame. The game was held immediately after Christmas on Saturday, December 29^th. The Chesapeake Bowl brings together all of the Gateway Seniors, which are the top recruited high school athletes in the Northeast. The regions represented at this year’s Chesapeake Bowl included Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia. All student athlete participants are fall 2013, 2014 and 2015 prospects for collegiate league football.

In order to prepare for the game, the area’s leading high school athletes are trained by both collegiate and NFL level players at the Chesapeake Bowl Selection Camp. After camp, only the most selective athletes are invited to play in the bowl.

Peter Rosa, class of 2014 was one of those athletes. Peter who is also the son of Dr. John Rosa is featured here (below) along with his Father and Uncle Dr. Rick Rosa at the Chesapeake Bowl game, this past December. Peter is kicker at St. John’s College High School and is a highly sought out recruit for many of the country’s leading universities.

During the game both Dr. John and Dr. Rick Rosa ensure athletes maintain proper recovery, hydration and health. 

But football is not the only sport where you will find the duo exhibiting sports recovery expertise, they have served as sports recovery specialist for a number of leagues including mixed martial arts, boxing, basketball, football, pro cycling and more. In fact, Dr. Rick Rosa travels the United States and the world to help athletes. Recently Dr. Rick Rosa served as the official cut-man, chiropractor and recovery specialist for the World Heavyweight Championship in Berne, Switzerland. Dr. Rick Rosa is also facilitating sports rehabilitation and recovery for the Pro Cycling team, Champion Systems, mid January 2013.

The doctors lead a 12 clinic chiropractic, physical therapy and sport rehabilitation medical group, which is comprised of 16 licensed Chiropractors with physical therapy privileges, serving the DC/MD/VA metropolitan area called Accessible Beltway Clinics. The Doctors of Chiropractic atAccessible Beltway Clinics are elite in their profession, and have been the exclusive and/or preferred chiropractors for professional and Olympic level athletes and athletic teams, including Team Colavita Cycling, Team Lloyd Irvin Mixed Martial Arts, Team Champion Systems Pro Cycling, the Washington Wizards and more.

To learn more about Accessible Beltway Clinics and RecoveryDoc, please visit:

www.abcclinics.com

www.recoverydoc.net

YouTube 

Importance of Nutrition

You cannot forget the importance of nutrition.  at rosa family chiropractic we take a full recovery approach to injury rehabilitation including mental, physical, psychological, and of course nutrition.

The year was 1950, and The Magic 8-Ball had just arrived in stores. It looked like a toy, but it wasn't. It was a future-telling device, powered by the unknown superpowers that lived inside its cheap plastic shell. Despite a bit of an attitude—"Don't count on it," "My reply is no"—it was a huge success. Americans, apparently, want to see their futures.

A few decades later, Congress passed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act that, among other things, turned the 45,000 food products in the average supermarket into fortune-telling devices. Americans inexplicably yawned. I'm trying to change that. Why? The nutrition label can predict the future size of your pants and health care bills.

Unfortunately, these labels aren't as clear and direct as the Magic 8-Ball. Consider the list of ingredients: The Food and Drug Administration has approved more than 3,000 additives, most of which you've never heard of. But the truth is, you don't have to know them all. You just need to be able to parse out the bad stuff. Do that and you'll have a pretty good idea how your future will shape up—whether you'll end up overweight and unhealthy or turn out to be fit, happy, and energized.

While researching the new Eat This, Not That! 2013: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution, I identified 8 ingredients you never want to see on the nutrition label. Should you put down products that contain them? As the Magic 8-Ball would say: Signs point to yes.

BHA

This preservative is used to prevent rancidity in foods that contain oils. Unfortunately, BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) has been shown to cause cancer in rats, mice, and hamsters. The reason the FDA hasn’t banned it is largely technical—the cancers all occurred in the rodents’ forestomachs, an organ that humans don’t have. Nevertheless, the study, published in theJapanese Journal of Cancer Research, concluded that BHA was “reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen,” and as far as I’m concerned, that’s reason enough to eliminate it from your diet.

You’ll find it in: Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Pebbles

Parabens

 These synthetic preservatives are used to inhibit mold and yeast in food. The problem is parabens may also disrupt your body’s hormonal balance. A study in Food Chemical Toxicologyfound that daily ingestion decreased sperm and testosterone production in rats, and parabens have been found present in breast cancer tissues.

You’ll find it in: Baskin-Robbins sundaes

Partially Hydrogenated Oil

 I’ve harped on this before, but it bears repeating: Don’t confuse “0 g trans fat” with being trans fat-free. The FDA allows products to claim zero grams of trans fat as long as they have less than half a gram per serving. That means they can have 0.49 grams per serving and still be labeled a no-trans-fat food. Considering that two grams is the absolute most you ought to consume in a day, those fractions can quickly add up. The telltale sign that your snack is soiled with the stuff? Look for partially hydrogenated oil on the ingredient statement. If it’s anywhere on there, then you’re ingesting artery-clogging trans fat.

You’ll find it in: Long John Silver’s Popcorn Shrimp, Celeste frozen pizzas

FIGHT FAT WITH FAT! Some fats, like trans fat, will pad you with extra pounds, but other types can help you shed unwanted weight. See for yourself—pick up these 5 Fatty Foods that Make You Skinny today!

Sodium Nitrite

 Nitrites and nitrates are used to inhibit botulism-causing bacteria and to maintain processed meats’ pink hues, which is why the FDA allows their use. Unfortunately, once ingested, nitrite can fuse with amino acids (of which meat is a prime source) to form nitrosamines, powerful carcinogenic compounds. Ascorbic and erythorbic acids—essentially vitamin C—have been shown to decrease the risk, and most manufacturers now add one or both to their products, which has helped. Still, the best way to reduce risk is to limit your intake.

You’ll find it in: Oscar Mayer hot dogs, Hormel bacon

Caramel Coloring

This additive wouldn't be dangerous if you made it the old-fashioned way—with water and sugar, on top of a stove. But the food industry follows a different recipe: They treat sugar with ammonia, which can produce some nasty carcinogens. How carcinogenic are these compounds? A Center for Science in the Public Interest report asserted that the high levels of caramel color found in soda account for roughly 15,000 cancers in the U.S. annually. Another good reason to scrap soft drinks? They’re among The 20 Worst Drinks in America.

You’ll find it in: Coke/Diet Coke, Pepsi/Diet Pepsi

Castoreum

 Castoreum is one of the many nebulous “natural ingredients” used to flavor food. Though it isn’t harmful, it is unsettling. Castoreum is a substance made from beavers’ castor sacs, or anal scent glands. These glands produce potent secretions that help the animals mark their territory in the wild. In the food industry, however, 1,000 pounds of the unsavory ingredient are used annually to imbue foods—usually vanilla or raspberry flavored—with a distinctive, musky flavor. 

You’ll find it in: Potentially any food containing “natural ingredients”

Food Dyes

Plenty of fruit-flavored candies and sugary cereals don’t contain a single gram of produce, but instead rely on artificial dyes and flavorings to suggest a relationship with nature. Not only do these dyes allow manufacturers to mask the drab colors of heavily processed foods, but certain hues have been linked to more serious ailments. A Journal of Pediatrics study linked Yellow 5 to hyperactivity in children, Canadian researchers found Yellow 6 and Red 40 to be contaminated with known carcinogens, and Red 3 is known to cause tumors. The bottom line? Avoid artificial dyes as much as possible.

You’ll find it in: Lucky Charms, Skittles, Jell-O

THE DOMINO EFFECT: Sugar doesn’t just come in the form of cookies and candy. Discover the insidious ways it can creep into your diet with 9 Sneaky Sources of Sugar.

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

 Hydrolyzed vegetable protein, used as a flavor enhancer, is plant protein that has been chemically broken down into amino acids. One of these acids, glutamic acid, can release free glutamate. When this glutamate joins with free sodium in your body, they form monosodium glutamate (MSG), an additive known to cause adverse reactions—headaches, nausea, and weakness, among others—in sensitive individuals. When MSG is added to products directly, the FDA requires manufacturers to disclose its inclusion on the ingredient statement. But when it occurs as a byproduct of hydrolyzed protein, the FDA allows it to go unrecognized.

You’ll find it in: Knorr Noodle Sides, Funyuns

FIGHT FAT EVERY DAY: Knowledge is your best defense in the battle against flab. To keep up with the latest calorie-cutting research, sign up for the FREE Eat This, Not That newsletter! and be sure to follow me right here on Twitter.

Rosa Family Chiropractic maintains an active presence on many popular search and social media websites. Select your favorite website below to stay connected or review us.