Austin Chiropractic Studies

Diagnosis:

Lumbalgia, Muscle Spasms, Lumbar Segmental Dysfunction, Nervous System Disorder (NOS)

Patient presents with with headaches, neck and low back pain, and general fatigue.  Altered CNS as treated.

Differential Diagnosis: 

IVD Disorder, Disc Degeneration, Facet Dysfunction, Anterior Head 2 Degree to Deafferentation

Treatment:  

Run 7 day food diary - target other disorders (diabetes, hypertension, impotence,etc) and alter diet / nutrition accordingly.

Alter work ergonomics to include moving computer into Right visual field and alter hand used for mouse.

Enlarged Right blind spot causing patient to rotate head Right and subsequent somatic tonus in order for the patient to bring in more Left visual field.  Do Right eye exercises (including "pen push-ups", etc.) and chiropractic adjustments Left side extremity to feed appropriate afferentation.

Chiropractic Physio Therapy -  intersegmental traction, moist heat, muscle stimulation for 2 weeks.

Chiropractic adjustments accordingly and muscle rehab later if wedging is noted.  After joint dysfunction is resolved, then start extension dominant exercises and cross trainer 45 minutes/daily kept within heart rate parameters (for this patient <112-130>).  Chiropractic Austin, Dr Bary, shows chiropractic care to be most beneficial in this and similar cases.  Monitor heart rate, blind spot, mittlemyers, pupils, and palpation, and exercises rehab progress.

-  Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to reorganize structurally and functionally as it responds to stimuli and to injury.  Clinically, an application of this can be seen with a stroke patient.  Damage to the Right cortex giving paresis on the Left arm and leg.  The PNS system will maintain and the cortex will reorganize so as the "learn" to fire the Left side pathways.

-  Excitotoxins are substances added to foods and beverages that stimulate neurons to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees.  

Example of Excitotoxicity:  Eating foods with MSG - when ingested, it raises glutamate levels above the normal 8-12 mg's which is what open the channels to let Na+ in, and continues filling the cell until the cell lysis and dumps its contents extracellularly and this same process happens to its neighboring cells, and so on.