SpineForce, Cutting Edge Physical Therapy in NYC
The SpineForce is a cutting edge proprioceptively based piece of equipment, designed to help you strengthen the deep intrinsic core and lower back muscles. The Spineforce combines varied grips stances and pushing and pulling techniques, to help rehabilitate and strengthen the deep postural and stabilizing muscles that help keep your skeletal tissue from being overused and becoming dysfunctional.
Herniated, bulging and degenerated discs can be caused by something as seemingly simple as improper posture. Improper form when sitting, exercising, sleeping, and even walking, can compress the discs in the spine and overload deeper muscles causing the body to adapt the kinetic chain to improper movement patterns, further compounding the problems that lead to painful conditions, such as sciatica. At Living well Medical we use the SpineForce as a part of our integrated treatment plan for helping patients relieve pain and recover from herniated or bulging discs. When a patient, after undergoing non surgical spinal decompression, has improved enough to start a physical therapy program, the SpineForce is used as a part of that integrated, individualized process.
SpineForce can improve not only muscular strength and endurance, but it also improves stability, joint mobilization, proprioception, balance, flexibility, posture as well as cardiovascular conditioning. Combined with an oscillating platform and varied grips and visual feedback, it is a cutting edge piece of technology that is also simple to use.
It can not only be used to treat muscular imbalances and help rehabilitation, but it can help improve general strength and athletic ability. When combined with other non invasive treatments such as the Graston Technique, non surgical spinal decompression, Cold Laser Therapy, Active Release Techniques and Physical Therapy, the SpineForce can be a great tool in fighting back pain, and physiological dysfunction.
Visit Living Well New York to learn more.
Watch the SpineForce at work:
How to Prevent Slips and Falls in NYC
At Living Well Medical we’ve definitely noticed the extreme weather conditions this winter, and its been one of the worst on record for New York City, and definitely the worst that we can recall for the past few years. Its not just the piles of snow that are collecting on every sidewalk, but this year, the amount of ice and slippery slush have been unreal. The ice can contribute to a host of injuries ranging from simple bruises to more serious injuries like sprains and broken tail bones. Some injuries may require rest ice and some rehabilitation, while other may require more thorough diagnostic care like X-rays.
As a physical therapist Lisa Corey DPT. sees tons of patients coming in throughout the winter season with sprained ankles, wrists, and sore backs. It’s not too surprising to find that a common cause of injury is from slipping on ice! Although we can’t avoid all the snow that has been affecting the NYC area, there are ways to prevent slips and falls and the resulting injuries.
The first line of defense against the snow can take place before you even go outside, by wearing proper footwear. Avoid shoes with heels or smooth soles and wear boots or shoes that provide proper traction for the weather. This way you are less likely to slip!
Once outside you can use your own body mechanics to help avoid a fall. Walk with a wider base of support, keeping your toes pointing outward and your knees slightly bent, this keeps your body in a state of readiness and makes it easier for your center of gravity to re center and react to the sudden changes of walking on an unstable, slippery surface.
It will also help to keep your arms out at your sides and out of your pockets to stabilize your upper body, almost like walking on a tight rope. This way, your arms are also available to help catch and ease your fall in case you find yourself on a slippery sidewalk. It also helps protect your face and head from hitting the ground if your hands aren’t stuck inside your pockets.
There are also a few simple tips to follow when walking, take short steps or even shuffle for better stability.
Stay alert, pay attention to asphalt conditions so you won’t be surprised by things like black ice, and you will be better able to react and control yourself when dealing with a very slippery surface. Your body is better able to react to unstable conditions when it has more proprioceptive feedback, so you’re less likely to slip when you can also see and anticipate instability.
Stay loose, try not to shrug your shoulders up and tuck your chin in, it might keep you a bit warmer, but a relaxed posture is better at dealing with shifting/ slippery surface conditions.
Pack properly, make sure you carry all your stuff in the proper bags, a backpack will allow you proper use of your arms and bulky handbags and purses can be awkward to carry and can end up adding to the challenge of walking around on slippery surfaces.
If you do end up getting hurt from a fall or accident, it’s often a good idea to seek proper treatment, weather its knee pain from landing on your knees, or if you’ve thrown your back out shoveling the driveway, it’s been a nasty winter and it looks like it may get worst. Slips falls or overuse injuries can become chronic if untreated, and can be very debilitating and painful, like sciatica, or herniated cervical or lumbar discs.
Getting proper treatment form a qualified medical practitioner can mean a faster recovery, less pain, and for certain people it can mean avoiding painful and invasive surgery. This has been one of New York City’s worst winters, but it doesn’t have to lead to chronic painful conditions. If you’re suffering from pain and discomfort, no matter what the cause of the injury, Living Well Medical has a vast array of experts and techniques that can help reduce pain and speed up the body’s natural healing process using integrated, non invasive techniques.
Living Well Medical is located at 632 Broadway, in the Tribeca/ SOHO area of New York City.
Shoulder Pain Treatment in NYC
shoulder pain nyc
Shoulder pain doesn’t have to be a constant issue, if you’re an athlete, a fitness enthusiast or just a regular average joe who’s suffering from an old injury or just concerned about that lingering tightness in your shoulder. Shoulder pain and discomfort can result from many things, from tossing a baseball around or a playing with a 20 pound toddler, an awkward fall or even sleeping on it the wrong way.
Some common causes of shoulder pain:
- Arthritis.
- From the shoulder or torso being twisted, impacted, or pushed or shaken
- Prolonged stress to the Spine or Shoulder Girdle
- Sleeping incorrectly or in awkward positions or surfaces
- Preexisting injuries
- Muscular imbalances
- Repetitive use/ over use
- Injuries resulting from participation in sports
- Whiplash, resulting from an accident or situation where the head is quickly snapped in an awkward way
- General daily wear and tear
Some problems associated with the shoulder can also lead down the appendage and effect the arm and even the hand. These problems include neuritis, neuralgia, rheumatism, bursitis, fibrositis, and common sprains, strains, and sore muscles resulting from exercise and general activity or may even be a result of poor blood circulation. Furthermore, shoulder pain can be associated with soft tissue (muscles, tendons, nerves) problems, or the issue can lie in the hard tissue like cartilage and bone.
Shoulder pain caused by nerve damage
Some shoulder pain that radiates down the length of the arm. The pain can be felt as far as the wrist and hand and even resulting in pain further down the origin of the injury, such as pain associated with conditions like carpal tunnel. Such pain can be a result of damage to the brachial plexus nerves. The brachial plexus nerves lie in the lower part of the neck and serve the surrounding shoulder and arm areas. Different symptoms and problems may be caused by damage to different brachial plexus nerves. If the patient is suffering from neck pain or stiffness, it be one of an early indicator of brachial plexus damage. Sometimes there might be no pain in the neck, but it may be felt just in the appendage, and sometimes may lead to numbness which can be a good indicator of nerve damage. Nerve damage often causes a sensation of “pins and needles” in the affected areas, as well as weakness of the associated limb. Chiropractic care is a great way to treat problems associated with nerves since chiropractors specialize in diagnosing, treating and preventing mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
Chiropractic treatment is especially effective in dealing with problems that may arise the spine, and central nervous system which lies within the spine, which branches off in to the pripheral nervous system. So problems with the central nervous system can have an effect on the proper function of the rest of the body. Living Well Medical offers the best possible chiropractic care available in NYC.
Pain associated with Damage to the joint
Aside from nerve damage, pain caused by trauma to the actual musculoskeletal tissue can be just as, if not more, painful. Sometimes the pain can be difficult to treat, but with the proper diagnosis and treatment such as those provided by Living Well Medical, pain and surgery may be avoided. Shoulder pain can vary between a lingering deep soreness to severe pain that limits the joint’s full range of motion, and the pain can last for a long time, especially without proper treatment. Sometimes even with proper treatment, the healing process can take some time. Common causes of shoulder pain like tendinitis, bursitis, arthritis, frozen shoulder, adhesive capsulitis, inflammation, and rotator cuff injuries can start out slowly but can become chronic. There are also injuries like the separation of the A-C joint in the shoulder, which can not only result from trauma, but can also be caused by repetitive use. Injuries to the shoulder can also result in dislocation of the arm and subluxation, which is instability of the joint due to a partial dislocation.
Shoulder pain caused by muscular weakness or imbalance can be easily treated by proper Physical Therapy.
Chiropractors can make manual adjustments to the shoulder and scapula in combination with other advanced techniques, and produce real results, which result in reducing and often eliminating pain and weakness. Along with quality chiropractic care there are many available ways to treat shoulder pain and injuries, all of which are provided by a highly qualified staff at Living Well Medical. The techniques range from:
- Acupuncture
- Physical therapy
- Massage
- ART (Active Release Techniques)
- Cutaneous stimulation (heat/cold therapy)
- The Graston technique ( soft-tissue mobilization technique)
- Electrotherapy
- Cold laser theraphy
- Nutritional Support
- Kinesio taping
- Behavior modification
Along with a range of diagnostic procedures available at Living Well Medical, there are no shortage of options when it comes to treating shoulder pain
The shoulder is a bit more complicated than a simple ball and socket, there are may, varied underlying and overlapping support, and movement systems that are responsible for keeping it going, but naturally a complicated system can break down or simply wear down, however there are no shortage of ways that shoulder pain can be diagnosed and treated here at Living Well Medical.
Living Well Medical is located at Broadway and Bleecker Street in the West Village in New York City.
Cervical disc herniations and Chiropractic care-New Study-Chiropractor NYC
Cervical disc herniations and Chiropractic care.
We have been treating patients with Cervical herniated disc in our Herniated disc NYC clinic using a combination of Chiropractic care
, Cervical spinal decompression and Cox cervical flexion distraction. This was a recent study that was made available by the American Chiropractic Association.
To learn more about our NYC clinic visit www.livingwellnewyork.com
BenEliyahu et al. Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Clinical Follow-up: Study of 27 Patients Receiving Chiropractic Care for Cervical and Lumbar Disc Herniations. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics Volume 19, Number 9, November/December, 1996
Objective: To prospectively investigate the effect of chiropractic management on clinical and anatomical outcome of disc pathomorphology in previously magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-documented disc herniations of the cervical and lumbar spine.
Setting: Private practice.
Subjects: Twenty-seven patients with MRI-documented and symptomatic disc herniations of the cervical or lumbar spine. A prospective clinical case series.
Design: All patients were evaluated before commencement of chiropractic care by MRI scans for presence of disc herniations. Precare evaluations also included clinical examination and visual analog scores. Patients were then treated with a course of care that included traction, flexion distraction, spinal manipulative therapy, physiotherapy and rehabilitative exercises. All patients were re-evaluated by postcare follow-up MRI scans, clinical examination and visual analog scores. Percentage of disc shrinkage on repeat MRI, resolution of clinical examination finding, reduced visual analog pain scores and whether the patient returned to work were all recorded.
Results: Clinically, 80% of the patients studied had a good clinical outcome with postcare visual analog scores under 2 and resolution of abnormal clinical examination findings. Anatomically, after repeat MRI scans, 63% of the patients studied revealed a reduced size or completely resorbed disc herniation. There was a statistically significant association (p, .005) between the clinical and MRI follow-up results. Seventy-eight percent of the patients were able to return to work in their predisability occupations.
Conclusion: This prospective case series suggest that chiropractic care may be a safe and helpful modality for the treatment of cervical and lumbar disc herniations. A random, controlled, clinical trial is called for to further substantiate the role of chiropractic care for the non-operative clinical management of intervertebral disc herniation.
Dr. Steven Shoshany DC-Chiropractor NYC (212) 645-8151
www.drshoshany.com
This is a great study-when someone has a cervical herniated disc it can cause allot of pain and dysfunction like shooting or burning arm pain to name a few symptoms.
What I like best about the combining Spinal decompression with Chiropractic care is the fact that is non-drug and non-surgical and it actually allows the disc to return back to its normal position.
If you are looking for a spinal decompression clinic in San Francisco I recommend Executive Express Chiropractic.
Lower Back Pain and Sleep Loss
Severe back pain can lead to significant sleep loss and longer recovery times.
Here at Living Well Medical in NYC, I regularly hear from patients who are suffering from pain in their back or neck that is so severe that it begins to affect how well and how often they are sleeping during the night. It’s just one of the many problems that go along with having a badly aching back. Some of my patients have even noted that sitting, standing AND lying down all caused pain. In other words, there was no comfortable position to be in at all.
How can you get better if you can’t sleep? Rest is one of the key components for the body’s own maintenance and repairs. In cases like these, often related to problems with the intervertebral discs like herniation or bulging discs, it’s best to be proactive, not reactive. Many times, orthopedic doctors will point right to surgery or long term pain medication regimens when there are alternatives that can help. At Living Well Medical, we integrate a number of non-surgical therapies and technologies to stop back pain without relying on the invasive side of medicine.
One of our most exciting treatments is non-surgical spinal decompression with the DRX9000. It’s a computer-guided medical device that places specific amounts of stretch on areas of the spine that have herniated discs (and other disc-related spinal conditions). In so doing, pressure placed on the nerves by displaced disc material can be relieved and important nutrients encouraged to move in. That can jump start the healing process and relieve back pain in the process. Some patients even feel relief after only a few sessions (it’s even been reported that some patients fall asleep during treatment!)
So it might be that you are losing sleep from back pain, but there’s still hope for recovery without surgery or drugs. Come in and see us at Living Well Medical in SoHo in Downtown New York and find out what we can do for you! Give us a call at 212-645-8151, and return to restful nights of sleep.
- Dr Steven Shoshany, NYC chiropractor
Lower back pain? Chiropractic is the 1st choice! As seen on the Early Show-Chiropractor NYC
The video report findings made by a consumer reports survey and shows that hands on chiropractic care was first choice among lower back pain sufferers. This is of course good news for the chiropractic profession as the survey shows that the public trusts a chiropractor to care for their back problems.
If you are searching for a Chiropractor in NYC be sure to visit www.drshoshany.com
We integrate Chiropractic care, with Physical therapy, Massage therapy and Acupuncture.
We also use the Graston Technique, Active release technique, Cold laser therapy, Kinesio taping and many other Non-surgical methods.Visit us online at www.livingwellnewyork.com
Neck Pain: Pinched Nerves and Arm Pain No More
Neck pain is another one of those problems that can leave you feeling totally lost. It invades your everyday life, making even simple things feel impossible. Your quality of life suffers and it can get depressing if it’s long term. Like back pain, the pain can be nearly intolerable, and it often gets people to consider riskier treatments like those prescribed by surgeons. Surgery should almost never be the first line of defense in cases of neck pain. Honestly, who doesn’t want to explore their options before taking drastic measures like choosing the surgeon’s table? And who in NYC has time to be out of work for weeks recovering from surgery?
Living Well Medical does things differently. We put everything we have into designing programs for healing and pain relief that rely mainly on the body’s own innate potential. No painkillers, no surgeons. Only the best in non-surgical methods like NYC physical therapy, massage, the Graston Technique, and non-surgical spinal decompression make up our treatment programs. In some cases, neck pain that radiates into the arms is caused by a pinched nerve in the cervical spine; spinal manipulation and manual therapies like chiropractic can be helpful in times like these.
In event that you do have a pinched nerve, there is the potential for the cause to be a herniated disc. Our herniated disc treatment in NYC, often brings together spinal decompression to help the body heal the herniation and strength training and exercise to provide more muscular support of spinal muscles, potentially preventing future re-injury. Flexibility and range of motion should also be improved during treatment.
No matter what the source of your neck pain, we’re here to help. Get help for your neck pain at Living Well Medical in NYC. Spinal decompression and physical therapy are only a small part of what we offer to patients like you who are in pain and want it to stop. Call our front desk today at 212-645-8151 and make your appointment to meet with our experts. Remember, surgery isn’t the only option – there is hope for non-surgical relief.
-Dr. Shoshany, Chiropractor in NYC
Back Pain from a Herniated Disc or Sciatica in NYC: Say Goodbye
Living Well Medical in NYC effectively treats back pain from sciatica or a herniated disc.
Anyone who has ever suffered a serious back injury knows about the frustration, the debilitating pain, and the complete, grinding halt it can put to your life. Of course, interventional medicine prescribes tons of medications and/or surgery – some people just don’t want that, and who can blame them? Who wants to have such a vital structure as the spine get cut up if they don’t have to?
At my office, Living Well Medical, we sometimes find that sciatica or a herniated disc is the cause of the back problem, so we put the best non-surgical treatments that use the most current technology behind any treatment plan. Sciatica treatment in NYC will often involve elements of physical therapy (to strengthen muscles that sometimes do not adequately support bones) and a treatment to lengthen the spine and increase disc space like spinal decompression using the DRX9000.
The DRX9000 has been a potent treatment for a herniated disc in NYC for years, and we use it to reduce the load of the spine and help important, healing nutrients and fluid get to a disc that is causing pain. Often in a few weeks of specialized nyc back pain treatment with non-surgical spinal decompression, patients find some relief and improved function and range of motion. Of course, for patients with a history of chronic back injuries, physical therapy and therapeutic exercise have been shown to help prevent re-injury by strengthening surrounding tissue that supports the spine.
If your back has been bothering you non-stop, back pain treatment with non-surgical spinal decompression and all the other services we make available could be an alternative to surgery. Give my office a call at 212-645-8151 and get help for your back pain.
- Dr. Shoshany, NYC Chiropractor
Putting on the Stripes to Ease Pain -Kinesiolgy tape as seen in the Wall street Journal today-Kinesio tape NYC
Volley ball player Kerri Walsh wearing Kinesio tape
Great article in the Wall street Journal today about Kinesio tape.
We have been using all of these tapes in our NYC physical therapy practice for years.
By LAURA JOHANNES
Bright-colored strips of tape in odd patterns are increasingly being seen on professional and recreational athletes. Kinesiology tape can help take pressure off overused muscles, reduce swelling and alleviate pain from injuries, say companies that sell it. Scientific evidence is mixed, but clinicians say it seems to work—at least in the short term.
Kinesiology taping, developed in the 1970s by Japanese chiropractor Kenzo Kase, came to the U.S. in the mid-1990s. Now, a number of companies are competing with the tape created by Dr. Kase, called Kinesio Tex Tape. While the tape is sold by Kinesio Holding Co. only to clinicians, such as physical therapists and chiropractors, some of the newer brands are being marketed to consumers, with application instructions included on the package and on Web videos. (Kinesio Holding is an Albuquerque, N.M., company owned by Dr. Kase’s daughter, Tomoko Kase.)
U.S. volleyball player Kerri Walsh wore Kinesio Tex Tape at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Ms. Walsh is now a paid endorser for competitor KT Tape.
Unlike standard athletic taping, which often involves wrapping a joint for support and compression, kinesiology tape is placed in a variety of patterns depending on the injury, says Graceann Forrester, a Cortland, N.Y., physical therapist who instructs clinicians on how to use the tape. It is pulled to differing degrees of tension to create the desired effect and is typically worn for two to five days, unlike standard tape, which is used mainly during an activity.
Kinesiology tape can be used to pull back a shoulder that is hunching forward, Ms. Forrester says. Or to reduce swelling in a joint, tape can be used to pull up the skin and create an area of low pressure where fluid can move and drain, she says. Some clinicians believe the tape provides stimulation to skin cells that affects pain pathways—similar to rubbing a spot that hurts.
Tape can be applied along the length of a tired muscle for support. “It allows the muscles to go on vacation for a day or two so they come back healed,” says Gainesville, Va., physical therapist Holly Moriarty, a member of the Lumos medical advisory board who was offered stock options, but hasn’t decided to accept them.
Kinesthesiology is growing as a non-drug means to treat muscle inflammation using strips of colored tape. D.C.-based sports chiropractor Holly Moriarty demonstrates how to tape a patient.
Lumos, a Provo, Utah, company that began selling its KT Tape last year in major sporting-goods stores, offers a perforated and precut version to make it easier to use. Other new market entrants include Toronto’s Nucap Medical Inc., which sells its SpiderTech brand to clinicians in a variety of pre-cut patterns, and RockTape Inc., of Los Gatos, Calif., which is marketing its tape to consumers as an enhancer of athletic performance.
RockTape so far hasn’t published any evidence of its performance-enhancing claim, and clinicians are skeptical. Other companies’ claims of reduction of pain and swelling are backed up by athlete experiences but the scientific literature remains inconclusive.
“There’s no evidence of a long-term or medium-term clinically significant effect,” says George Theodore, Massachusetts General Hospital surgeon and team physician for the Boston Red Sox, However, he says, kinesiology taping “is not harmful and over the short term it can have a beneficial effect” on pain and range of motion. It isn’t clear if the effect is psychological, he adds.
Some trainers swear by it.Clay Sniteman, physical therapist and trainer for Association of Tennis Professionals, says he uses KT Tape during breaks in matches. “The athlete feels better immediately,” says Mr. Sniteman, who says he gets no compensation from Lumos. “When that happens multiple times, there is something to it.”
Two recent studies on Kinesio Tex showed some short-term effect. A study of 42 patients with shoulder pain, published in 2008 in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, found that range of motion improved immediately after application of kinesiology tape, compared with a sham taping using no tension. But the study found no significant difference in pain or overall disability scores.
Last year, a study on 41 patients with whiplash after car accidents found statistically significant pain relief and improvements in range of motion with kinesiology taping compared with a sham tape. The effects were seen immediately and continued a day later. In the paper, published last year in the same journal, the Spanish-led research team said the changes were so small they “may not be clinically meaningful.” Kinesio Holding, which didn’t fund either study, says a limitation of the shoulder study is that the kinesiology taping wasn’t customized to each patient’s injury.
Even if taping does work in the hands of a trained clinician, it isn’t clear it will work when used by consumers. Taping can sometimes cause skin rashes, which can be minimized by not overstretching the ends, clinicians say. Baby oil can be used to remove any sticky residue.
Dr. Steven Shoshany is a certified Kinesio taper,and our NYC practice uses and sells RockTape, Nucap Medical’s Spidertech tape and KT Tape.Rocktape stays on better and is excellent for runners, especially when the area gets wet. All of these tapes have their benfits.
To learn more about Kinesio tape in our NYC Physical therapy office click on our link (KinesiotapingNYC)
What Exactly is a Herniated Disc?
As a pretty common injury, understanding what’s happening with a herniated disc is also a common concern among my patients at my back pain treatment center in NYC. Since there’s no time like the present, I figured I could satisfy those who are curious with a quick blog post on the anatomy of the disc and this particular condition.
Over the course of our lives, spinal discs that support the proper f
unction and shock absorption of lose some of that resilience. They dry up, they degenerate, and generally don’t perform their job as well as before. That’s why, in general, the people we treat for herniated discs tend to be middle-aged and older. Of course, we do get younger people, too – especially when accidents and contact sports are involved – they just represent a smaller number of patients.
The important thing to remember is that age definitely plays a role in how susceptible a person is to disc problems like herniation.
Anyway, when a spinal disc is overloaded, pushed beyond it’s weight-bearing capacity, it will either bulge or herniate. In a herniation, the outer band of the disc, the annulus, tears allowing the inner part of the disc, the nucleus, to spill out. For some people, a herniation will cause no pain, but for others, the nucleus can press against the spinal nerves. This compression can cause excruciating pain, numbness, and even muscle weakness in time. Hopefully, that gives you an idea of just what a herniated disc is.
Okay, so what about treatment for a herniated disc? What then?
At our NYC back pain center, we put together a multidisciplinary treatment program that involves elements of spinal decompression, physical therapy, massage therapy and other non-surgical pain relief therapies to perform a potent combination to stop the pain from herniated discs. Living Well Medical has years of experience getting patients back to health and wellness with these methods. If your back is aching and you can’t take it anymore, give us a call today at 212-645-8151. We want to help you feel like your old self.
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