AboutJ. Shawn Leatherman, DC, CCST, CCSP Expertise I can answer questions on general chiropractic care, sports injury, whiplash and auto crash, mild traumatic brain injury, structural and functional rehabilitation of the spine, nutrition for inflammation and repair, fitness training, and other general health and nutrition related inquiries. I currently lecture on automobile trauma, occupant kinematics, and forensic risk analysis to local EMS, Fire and Police, as well as nutrition and sports injury to community groups. Rest assured all answers are generated from my clinical experience, and scientific research.
Experience I have accumulated over 1000 hours of post-doctoral training including; Certifications in Spinal Trauma/Mild Traumatic Brain Injury from the Spine Research Institute of San Diego and the International Chiropractic Association, Certification in Low Speed Auto Crash Reconstruction and Certification in Forensic Risk Analysis from The Center for Research Into Automotive Safety and Health, Certified Proficiency in spinal and extremity diagnostic proceedures from The Motion Palpation Institute, Certified in Sports Injury and Rehabilitation from the National University of Health Sciences and The American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians, Nationally Certified Fellow of Structural Rehabilitation from The Chiropractic Biophysics Organization, and I have advanced training in manipulation under anesthesia and nutrition. I treat accident victims in my clinic on a daily basis, and constantly stay abreast of the current research. Please visit my website for more information: www.suncoasthealthcare.net
Organizations International Chiropractic Association, Florida Chiropractic Association, American Academy of Pain Management, Chiropractic Biophysics, Spine Research Institute of San Diego, Center for Research Into Automotive Safety and Health, Motion Palpation Organization, American Academy of Manual and Physical Medicine, Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, The Better Business Bureau Of Northwest Florida
Education/Credentials B.A. (Psychology) from The University of Cincinnati, B.S. (Human Biology)& D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractic) from Cleveland Chiropractic College, C.C.S.T. (Certification in Chiropractic Spinal Trauma) from The International Chiropractic Association, C.C.S.P. (Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician) from The American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians.
Question QUESTION: I have been told I have small bulging discs from c5-through c7
Symptoms are as follows..
I developed pain and weakness in arm when I did weights approx 5 years ago
Pain did go away when I stoped doing weights
I have seen Chriro, physio and osteo- acupuncture u name it
I have no pins and needles- just general stiffness now in neck.
However when I do weights the pain becomes more intense- i.e. like a hot flame on my neck
Now, I have recently been to see sports doctor
He has said I must correct my forward head posture
go swimming do freestyle to strengthen my neck and reverse degenerative
disease in my spine .
I am 33 years old and want to be physical again .
what would u recommend – I just want to be able to do things again …physical
how would I go about rehabiliatiing myself
Should I be swimming ?i am doing pilates also
thx for your help
ANSWER: Dear Brent,
There are a few options I would recommend for you. Concerning the fact that the pain (flame-like symptoms) get worse with lifting weights, I would suspect that you still have bulges in the lower cervical spine because lifting increases pressure in the spinal cord which can aggravate those disks. I would recommend that you obtain a new MRI to ascertain the current condition of the lower cervical spine first before initiating any new treatment applications or exercise programs.
I also agree with the sports medicine doctor that if you have significant forward head positioning that this must be corrected or the problem will just get worse. The position of the head should be over the shoulders, not out in front of them. Some doctors don't believe head posture matters, but research has determined otherwise. Moreover some very prominent doctors and organizations have corroborated this fact, see below:
“For every inch of forward head posture (25mm), it can increase the weight of the head on the spine by an additional 10 pounds.” Kapandji, Physiology of Joints, Vol 3.
“Loss of the cervical curve stretches the spinal cord 5-7 cm and causes Disease.”
Dr. Alf Breig, Neurosurgeon (Nobel Prize Recipient)
“For every inch that the head moves forward of its normal posture, the compressive forces on the lower neck increase by the additional weight of the entire head”
Curl D: Head Pain. Baltimore, Williams and Wilkins, 1994
“Forward head posture leads to long term muscle strain, disc herniations, arthritis and pinched nerves.” The Mayo Clinic, Nov. 3rd, 2000
“The spinal injury weakens the spine and predisposes the patient to further injury, regardless of type and extent of damage. This phenomenon is especially true when protection of the injured part is not adequate. Ligaments and muscles heal only by scar formation, and the annulus fibrosis of the disk is almost powerless to heal tears of its substance.” David B. Levine, M.D., The Painful Back, Page 451, Chapter 92
Now, if the disk bulges have gotten worse, or if they impinge on the nerve roots, or closely approximate pressure on the spinal cord or outer coverings, I would recommend that you seek out some form of decompression in the neck first, then progress to structural rehab to correct the posture. There are many machines on the market that perform decompression and you need to research them carefully. I do not recommend one over the other as they are all very similar, but you need to make sure that they can perform the decompression protocols in the neck. Some names: Accuspina, DRX 9000, Lordex, Spine Med, Spinal Aid...there are others. Now this care program is often expensive, do your homework and do not pay more than $3500.00. In addition, you may wish to look at the POSTURE PUMP which can be used at home. The device costs under $200.00 and has been the subject of ongoing clinical research which shows disk bulge reduction while in use. I have used this with many patients, and get great results in improved function and pain reduction.
For the structural rehab of the neck, I would look at Chiropractic Biophysics, and Pettibon Technique. They are both very similar, and consistently get results. Make sure that your doctor is either certified in the technique or in the certification process. Do not let a doctor that has not completed some training in structural rehab traction your spine or prescribe exercises...they need to understand what is going on and be able to effectively communicate it to you.
Lastly, swimming is a great exercise to keep you conditioned and work the musculature of the neck as it is weight bearing and utilizes muscle that are not used in the traditional training environment. I absolutely recommend it. Good Luck Brent, fell free to write back with any further questions.
Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi thx for your help. much appreciated
I am having a bone scan to determine exact state of cervical area. Was wondering if you have heard of "posture pal" and whether u would recommend this product? Also, I saw quite a few posture pump type products. Which one do you recommend?
Also, just out of curiosity, have u ever seen this type of injury improve so a person can train and be physical once again ...what I am asking is I forever doomed to be in pain?
I have been swimming and injury has got worse, was doing freestyle- maybe I should wait for bone scans that are due – 7th may
I visited the surgeon other day, he has booked me in for bone scans and seems to think maybe a steroid injection may work, i.e. he seems to think the bulge maybe irritating a nerve , so, while the pain settles down following injection I can then try and stabilise the injury i.e. my posture etc ?what do you think
Also would decompression be an alternative to the injection – i.e. not as intrusive? Not sure – I don’t really have the money to spend on decompression – I am in health fund so will check if they cover this. Also I am in Australia, so, not sure whether this technology is available yet?
Thx again for your help - very much appreciated
Answer Dear Brent,
Well at this point I think the best thing you can do is wait for the additional imaging that has been ordered by the doctor you are seeing. This will help to exactly identify what the extent of the problem is. After that point you can make a better determination of what types of care will be best initially and then for an improved long term outcome. I am really interested to see if the bulged disks in you neck have gotten worse. However, I must tell that that a bone scan will tell you nothing about the state of the disks in your neck. It only tells you about metabolic processing in the actual bone...such as tumor processes, fractures, etc... so I would recommend a new MRI.
Considering the posture devices, the one I recommend to my patients is the POSTURE PUMP by POSTURE PRO. You can purchase it online for about $179.00 and they will ship it directly to your door. It is easy to utilize on your own, and works well to reduce disk pressure and pain. It has even been the subject of clinical studies which show decreased disk pressure with utilization. If you have any problem getting the device, let me know, and I would be happy to help you with it. I recommended this device to someone else in England and they were quoted a price of $349.00 with shipping, and I was able to get it to them for $220.00.
The decompression is less invasive than injections, however, it will not give you an immediate reduction in symptoms and takes a few sessions to show good results. The injection will not fix anything, but may be a good avenue to reduce your pain and inflammation so that you can pursue a more effective rehab program. If your really hurting get the injection to reduce your discomfort and then move on to the rehab issue.
Now, I have seen these same issues in many patients, and with active rehab types of care you should improve. Less than 5% of the patients I see with these types of issues every need surgical corrections. You can accomplish much with focused active care programs. Good Luck Brent.
Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net
