Is Chiropractic Care Safe After Spine Treatment Or Surgery?

Submitted by Southwest Spine and Pain on March 23, 2020

When performed by licensed chiropractic physicians, chiropractic care can be incredibly beneficial in reducing different types of back, neck, or joint pain. However, like any surgical procedure, therapy, or treatment, spinal manipulation can have serious health risks if performed incorrectly or if administered by a chiropractic physician who’s unfamiliar with non-rotational methods of manipulation. If you’re considering chiropractic care for after an interventional pain treatment or minimally invasive spine surgery, take note of the following points.

For patients with chronic back pain due to spinal fractures or degeneration, it’s imperative a physician at Southwest Spine and Pain Center be consulted before chiropractic care is sought. This is especially true for individuals who...

Patient Safety is our Top Priority

Submitted by Admin on March 13, 2020

A Note for Our Patients Regarding COVID-19

Before coming to one of our clinics, please consider the following:

Have you had a fever and/or new onset of cough or difficulty breathing/shortness of breath?

Does you believe you may have been exposed to COVID-19?

Have you or anyone else come in close contact with someone who recently traveled domestically or internationally to a COVID-19 restricted area to include China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, Japan and Singapore?

If any of the above questions is answered "YES", you may be required to wait 14 days for an appointment at our office in order to facilitate the protection of other...

Muscle Spasms: What Do They Mean and Should I Be Worried?

Submitted by Southwest Spine and Pain on February 23, 2020

Occasional muscle spasms are normal, but here’s how to tell if your muscle spasms may be something more.

Most people have experienced a muscle spasm at one time or another in their lives. Have you ever noticed that sometimes, as you’re trying to go to sleep and just about to drift off, your entire body will suddenly twitch uncontrollably? Well, that unexpected wake-up call is actually a muscle spasm.

Muscle spasms can occur as a result of a lot of different things, from being tired to stress to certain medical conditions. In many cases, occasional muscle spasms are nothing to be concerned about, but read on for more information about when your muscle spasms might warrant a check-up with your doctor.

What is a...

Running with Sciatica: Is it Safe?

Submitted by Southwest Spine and Pain on January 20, 2020

Sciatica can be a painful condition and interfere with exercise—here’s what you need to know.

You’ve probably heard people talk about having sciatica, and that’s for good reason—many people experience a form of pain related to the sciatic nerve at some point in their lives.

That’s because the sciatic nerve is actually the largest nerve in the entire body, extending from your lower back all the way down through the muscles and joints of your hips, glutes, legs, and feet. Because it affects so many structures in your body, it can be relatively easy for it to become injured or irritated, leading to pain, numbness, or weakness, in your back, buttocks, or legs.

What Causes Sciatica?

Sciatica is a condition of pain as a result of the...

Are There Travel Restrictions With Spinal Cord Stimulation?

Submitted by Southwest Spine and Pain on December 15, 2019

30-Second Blog “Snapshot:”

A spinal cord stimulator (SCS) is an implantable device that delivers electric pulses to specific nerve fibers that control pain.
SCS is not a cure for chronic pain, but can help manage pain symptoms.
Because SCS uses an implantable generator that produces low-level electric pulses, patients need to be cautious of certain lifestyle choices.

The leaders of Utah pain management at Southwest Spine and Pain Center offer spinal cord stimulation as a treatment option for those living in chronic pain. To learn more about this device and the procedure itself, please visit our treatments page. If you already have a...

Are Chronic Headaches and Back Pain Linked?

Submitted by Southwest Spine and Pain on November 17, 2019

It seems like some people just can’t get a break. Researchers are discovering that people who have chronic headaches are also more likely to have chronic low back pain.

Research published in July in the Journal of Headache and Pain looked at 14 studies from around the world—studies from Denmark, the United States, Germany, Iran, Tunisia, the UK and Qatar—that had examined a link between headache and low back pain.

Some of the studies were small—just 88 participants—while other were quite large. One international study included over 404,000 people. The ages of people in the various studies ranged from 9.8 to 102.

The researchers found a...

Rethinking Your To-Do List When You Have Chronic Pain

Submitted by Southwest Spine and Pain on October 10, 2019

If you’re like most of us, you probably keep a to-do list. It can help keep you organized and feel like you’re making progress on getting where you want to be.

But what if what you really need is a not-to-do list.

Especially if you’re living with chronic pain, it may be important to give yourself permission not to do things. Here are some things to consider not doing.

Do NOT say yes to everything. You don’t need to live up to someone else’s ideal of what a parent, a spouse, or an employee should be. If you can’t volunteer for a community event or don’t have the energy to cook more than frozen pizza, don’t push yourself to do those things. Know your limitations and respect them.

Do NOT ignore your body. If you’re...

New Study Looks at the Cause of Chronic Pain

Submitted by Southwest Spine and Pain on September 22, 2019

Why does one person develop chronic, disabling pain and another doesn’t? Doctors aren’t completely sure, but it appears that a combination of psychological traits, socioeconomic status, and brain function may play a role.

A study published in August in PLOS Biology looked at how those factors combined to contribute to chronic pain in a group of patients with chronic back pain.

They found, as previous studies have, that people with lower incomes are more likely to suffer from chronic pain than those with higher incomes.

Through questionnaires, they also found that certain psychological traits were associated with chronic pain. For instance, a tendency to “catastrophize”...

What does neuropathic pain feel like, and how is it treated?

Submitted by Southwest Spine and Pain on August 12, 2019

How do you know if you have neuropathic pain versus a different type of pain? And what’s the best way to treat it if you do?

People with neuropathic pain often describe it as burning or shooting pain. They may also have numbness and tingling, and they may feel pain from a touch that wouldn’t normally be painful, such as going out in cold temperatures or rubbing against something.

When people talk about neuropathic pain, they’re usually talking about pain associated with the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system includes all the nerves throughout your body except for the brain and spinal cord. This peripheral system sends messages to the brain and spinal cord, which make up the central nervous system.

Peripheral neuropathy occurs when part of the...

Six Common Rheumatic Diseases that Cause Chronic Pain

Submitted by Southwest Spine and Pain on July 15, 2019

There are more than 100 rheumatic diseases—that is, diseases that affect the joints, tendons, bones, muscles, and ligaments. Many of them, including relatively common ones like osteoarthritis, cause chronic pain.

If you think you may have a rheumatic disease, be sure to see a doctor. Early treatment may help prevent or delay the damage some rheumatic diseases can cause.

Here is a look at six of the more common rheumatic diseases:

Osteoarthritis

Probably the most well-known of the rheumatic diseases is osteoarthritis, which is caused by wear and tear of the joints. It often develops as we age, as the cartilage that cushions our joints begin to wear away. This can eventually lead to bones rubbing against each other, with no cushion between...

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