Chicago Doctor Revolutionizes Chronic Back and Neck Pain Treatment

Dr. Jeff Winternheimer’s Functional Disc Rehydration is Changing Lives

CHICAGO, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Dr. Jeff Winternheimer of the Illinois Back Institute has developed a revolutionary non-surgical procedure to alleviate back pain. Both professional athletes and everyday back and neck pain sufferers have been flocking to his four Chicago area clinics to see for themselves.

When a disc begins to degenerate it loses all of its interior fluid and becomes dehydrated, causing extreme pain. Up until now it has been impossible to mend or rehydrate the discs in your back and return them to their normal state, but Dr.

Jeff has found a painless, surgery-freeway to make it happen.

Functional Disc Rehydration is an innovative procedure that reverses disc degeneration and makes your back healthier and stronger. It relieves the pressure on the disc and allows nutrients to flow back in, simultaneously strengthening and reactivating the supporting muscles of your back. This makes your back and spine stable once again and alleviates all of your pain. Patients receive treatment that takes the pressure off their discs while they are walking, sitting and lying down. The Illinois Back Institute provides additional therapies to maintain good posture and strong muscles.

The results were proven in a recent formal research study formulated by a biomechanics scientist at a PAC-10 university, patients aged 39-83 participated to see just how effective Functional Disc Rehydration could be, and the results were remarkable. After just one treatment all patients experienced disc rehydration of at least 18%, and long-term results of 10 weeks showed 80% rehydration.

Dr. Jeff, a Chicago based chiropractor and founder of the Illinois Back Institute, faced years of research to put an end to his own excruciating back pain (which stemmed from a frivolous college stunt in 1988), and has helped thousands of people avoid spinal surgery and live pain free by reversing the effects of Sciatica, Stenosis, herniated discs, bulging discs and degenerative disc disease. This treatment has proven so successful that Coach Mike Ditka’s Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund has teamed up to offer Dr. Jeff’s treatment to retired NFL legends facing some of the most complex of back and neck injuries.

If you have questions for Dr. Jeff regarding back health, or would like more information please visit http://www.illinoisbackpain.com, or call 866-693-0955 to schedule a consultation.

 

 

Avoid Back Pain with Dr. Jeff Winternheimer’s Tips for Shoveling Snow

With temperatures dropping and a chill in the air, the snow falls yet again. While many people look forward to the season’s  snow, many more of us dread having to shovel it away. Let’s face it…shoveling snow is hard work! And if not done correctly, it can put severe strain on the back.

“People need to be very careful when shoveling snow,” explains Dr. Jeff Winternheimer, founder of the Illinois Back Institute with 4 locations throughout Chicagoland (Wheaton, Countryside, Berwyn and Orland Park). “While most people recognize the tremendous stress that shoveling snow can place on the heart, what they may not realize is the amount of stress and strain that it can cause to the back,” he adds.

“It’s not surprising that thousands of people injure their backs each and every year while shoveling snow,” he continues. “During the winter season, I’ve seen everything from basic muscle fatigue and low back strain to vertebral disc damage and even spinal fractures,” he says. “But, with proper preparation and a few easy tips, shoveling snow can be a very healthy, fun, and safe form of winter exercise.”

The following suggestions from Dr. Jeff are sure to help.

Dress for Success

Make sure you are dressed appropriately for the weather with layered clothing that is non-restricting and easy to move in. Also, consider wearing a hat. A great deal of body heat is lost through the head, so a hat is a must. If it’s icy cold, breathing through a scarf will help. And, don’t forget the importance of proper boots, which are not only essential for keeping your feet warm and dry, but the soles provide good traction, which will help with your balance.

Don’t Forget the Gloves

Not only do you need to wear gloves to keep your hands warm, but gloves with vinyl or leather on the palms and fingers will help you form a tighter grip on the shovel’s handle so it doesn’t slip. Thick gloves will also help protect your hands from calluses and blisters while shoveling.

Warm-Up

Like any exercise, it’s important to warm up. Before digging into the snow, try a few jumping jacks. Or, take a few minutes to jog or march in place to get the blood flowing and the muscles warm. As we all know, warm relaxed muscles work much more efficiently than cold tight ones; and are less likely to be injured.

Shovel Sense

Using the right shovel can save your back from injury or pain. Be sure that your shovel is lightweight and has a curved handle (like the new ergonomic ones), which allows you to keep your back straighter when shoveling. Also, make sure that it’s not too tall (resulting in an awkward grip) or too small (causing you to bend over). I believe that a smaller blade is better than a larger blade. Although a small blade can’t shovel as much snow, it avoids the risk of trying to pick up too heavy a load with a larger one.

Take Breaks

When shoveling, you need to take frequent breaks and pace yourself. Stand up straight, stretch your back and roll your shoulders a few times to release the tension. Pace yourself. There’s no need to shovel the entire driveway and sidewalk at one time.

Drink Up

Be sure to drink plenty of fluids before, during and after shoveling snow. Like jogging, riding a bike, or a work-out in the gym, snow shoveling is exercise, so staying hydrated is important. Avoid caffeinated drinks, as they cause dehydration, which will make you more likely to experience aches, pains and other discomfort after shoveling.

Use Your Legs

When shoveling, make sure you are lowering yourself with your legs and not bending forward towad the snow with your back. Doing so will help avoid added pressure on your spine.

Alternate Sides

Any repetitive motion for a long period of time is sure to cause soreness. To lessen the chance of experiencing back pain while shoveling, alternate between tossing the snow to your right and tossing it to your left. Also, try changing hand grips so that if the shovel is to your right, leading with the left arm; change it to the left side, leading with your right arm.

Speaking of Grip

Speaking of grip, don’t place your hands too close to one another. Create some distance between your hands (about 12 inches or so), which gives you more leverage and makes it easier to lift the snow.

Lift Correctly

Whenever possible remember to push the snow instead of lifting it. Pushing puts far less strain on the spine than lifting. But, if you must lift, protect your back from injury by doing so correctly. Begin by standing with your feet about hip width for balance and keeping the shovel close to your body. Bend from the knees (not the back) and tighten your stomach muscles as you lift the snow, avoiding any twisting movements.

Toss Correctly

Once you have picked up the snow, turn your whole body and face the direction you want to toss the snow. By doing so, you are tossing the snow in a straight forward way, completely taking out the torso rotation and saving your back. NEVER twist to throw the snow to the side, and never throw it over your shoulder! It’s very important to walk to where you want to dump the snow. Holding a shovelful of snow with your arms outstretched puts too much pressure on the spine.

Listen to Your Body

Stop IMMEDIATELY when you feel any sort of pain or shortness of breath. With snow shoveling, especially, you’ve got to listen to your body and know your limitations.

Take a Hot Shower

When you’re done shoveling, take a hot shower and stretch while under the hot water. Doing so will help relax the muscles and it will lessen the chance of any aches and pains later on.

About Dr. Jeff

Dr. Jeff Winternheimer is a local chiropractor and founder of the Illinois Back Institute. After years of research to put an end to his own excruciating back pain (which stemmed from a frivolous college stunt in 1988), he has developed an innovative, non-surgical, natural treatment that rehydrates the discs and has proven 100% successful. Called Functional Disc Rehydration, Dr. Jeff has helped thousands of people avoid spinal surgery and live pain free by reversing the effects of Sciatica, Stenosis, herniated discs, bulging discs and degenerative disc disease.

If you have questions for Dr. Jeff regarding back health, or would like more information about his ground-breaking discovery, please visit http://www.illinoisbackpain.com, or call 866-693-0955 to schedule a consultation. Dr. Jeff is available for speaking engagements

At Home Tips For Back Pain Relief

There are many components to back pain. If you suffer from back pain it is very important you see a Dr. to identify what is causing your back pain. Having said that, I will now explain about a few of the components that will lead to you having chronic back pain, after that I will give you advice on how  and what you can do about it.

A large portion of all chronic back pain (pain that last more than 3 months), comes from a break down in the disc. We call this disc degeneration. There are several variables that will lead to disc degeneration. The one that I want to talk about in this article is what we call muscle imbalance. This problem is very common and probably the least understood. So I will do my best to explain it.

Muscle imbalances develop often as a result of simple activities. It has a lot to do with the control mechanisms in the nervous system for our muscles, and our daily activities.  You can very often have muscles get too tight, let’s say from sitting too long, and a as a consequence of the tight muscles other muscles can get weaker. This results in muscles going out of balance. It indirectly related to what is called the neuromuscular system. The technical medial term I am talking about is called reciprocal inhibition.   For the sake of simplicity all you really need to know is when muscle go out of balance (reciprocal inhibition) the effect is an increase in load on the disc. The muscle imbalance leads to  more pressure on one side of the disc relative to the other side. This really can be side to side or front to back. The uneven pressure on the disc will lead to a breakdown in the disc we call this disc degeneration, and this can lead to back pain.

The goal of this article is to help you understand back pain and help you identify that there are thing you can do to make yourself better. Now to fix the problems with the muscle imbalance, what you need to do is get the muscle back in balance. I have spent the last 18 years of my life helping people get out of pain and assist in the process of getting muscle back in balance.   To get the muscle back in balance is a 4 part process. This article is about the first part, this is known as the Inhibitory techniques. This is a process that is used to release tension, and/or decrease activity of the overactive neuro myofascial (muscle) tissues in the body. To accomplish this we use a foam roll. This roll is about 3 feet long and 6 inched in diameter. It is like a long foam cylinder. They are soft and have some give to them, they are foam!

This process is designed to do 2 very important things. Number one, to eliminate the effect trigger points will have on the muscles and the body. A trigger point is a portion of the muscle that will get real tight as a result of activities of your life, very often they will be the source of some low level pain. Number two; influence the effect the nerves and nervous system has on the muscles. Part of why you have muscles out of balance is because of the effect the nervous system has on the body.   If you are interested in performing this at home what you would need to do is order a foam roll the cost is roughly $20-30 USD. And start to roll up and down your spine. You want to position the roll at about your mid back. You would position the roll so that the end of the roll is at either elbow. You want to be able t roll up and down. You would be positioned on your back with the roll between your shoulder blades and start to roll up a few inches and down a few inches. If it hurts too much stop doing it.   Do this one time per day for 30-40 seconds gradually going higher and lower this will start to break up some of the trigger points and start to loosen up the muscles allowing the nervous system also to relax the hold it has on the muscles. Again if you have pain you need to see a Dr.

I have released on my website the top ten tips for back pain so if you find this information helpful you will find the top ten tips very helpful.  Yours in spinal health; Dr Jeff Winternheimer.