Flip-Flop Disease

Summer is here and people are taking off their clothes in layers including their shoes. In the quest to cool down in the intense summer heat many people turn to flip-flops as their primary shoes.

For many, these shoes are a great alternative to normal shoes that keep in heat and don't let the summer sun penetrate. But for some people flip-flops can create a problem known as plantar fasciitis. One of the most common foot injuries, plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammatory condition of the bottom of the foot caused by inflammation of the fascia. There are ligaments that run the entire length of your foot and serve as a shock absorber for the bottom of you foot. It is a common injury for long distance runners it can also cause havoc for non-athletes as well.

Supporting the arch of the foot this taught band of tissue supports the bottom of the foot. With excessive force, standing on hard floors for prolong periods, weight gain, loss of strength in the calves, obesity and shoes without proper arch support can all be causes of this condition.

Most flip-flops are flat with no support of the foot which can lead to a prolapsed arch that can lead to an inflammation of the plantar fascia. This can be a painful condition limiting the patient to movement due to the severe pain.

At the Conway Clinic we've had tremendous success in not only relieving this condition but showing you tips on how to prevent this condition from returning. You don't have to live with this condition...find relief today call us now at 570-287-7070.

Is There Really New Treatments To Provide You With Pain Relief

I have been in practice for 28 years now and have been privileged to have help thousands of patients over come pain and disability. About 15 years ago I knew what I was doing was right but it wasn’t what I wanted.  I knew that there had to be more and I decided to return to school and learn different ways of helping people get out of pain.

Returning to school at the University of Southern California Health Sciences, I studied with some of the top rehab doctors in the country. I continued to study with other doctors on my own from outside of the profession of chiropractic. Continuing to expand my research I went on to co-develop what came to be known as the MyoFascial Disruption Technique (MFDT) that was clinically shown to be 95% faster than conventional treatment in relieving pain. 

From there I came across other treatments that fit into my tool box that now allows me to do things that no one else can do. Please don't take this for boosting. My only intention is to plead with you that you don't have to have surgery or remain on mind numbing medication for ever. There are alternatives and these alternatives that I use absolutely work. 

Now, let me tell you why I’m different.

I believe that most if not all injury is as a result of a deficient neurological system. Here’s how it works.

The muscles of the body are all controlled by the nervous system which is the body’s electrical system. The neurological system supplies the body with an electrical supply it needs to operate properly. In this case we’ll be talking about the muscles in this example.

Each muscle gets a nerve supply (electrical) from the brain and spinal cord.

Muscles are designed to move the bones but more importantly muscles are designed to absorb force. Just like the shock absorbers of your car absorbing force to keep it away from the chasse. The muscles are designed to absorb force to keep it away from the joints.

The joints are not designed to absorb force so that force can cause trauma to the joints, ligaments, fascia and tendons of that area. Once that happens inflammation occurs sending a signal to the brain that is interpreted as damage. The brain then sends a signal to that area that shortens the muscle group which in turn can’t absorb force.

Knowing that the muscles are driven and controlled by the nervous system when an injury occurs a “short-circuit” develops. This short-circuit will slowly over time shut down the full benefits of the muscular system. This is how people begin to weaken, compensate and eventually degenerate leading to surgical intervention.

This can be prevented!

Over the years I have developed a highly specialized examination that allows me to locate the type of injury and severity. More importantly, identify the area of the neurological short-circuit.

You see, the area where your pain is coming from is where the damage ended, not where it began. Having a accurate diagnosis leads to fast and efficient treatment significantly reducing recovery times and more importantly reduction in treatment costs.

This is what separates me from just about every other doctor or therapists. My examination will lead me to the area where the damage began. Then I can properly remove the origin of the damage thus relieving the pain in the area that you are describing. Once you are pain free we can help develop a plan to teach your body to properly absorb force and to strengthen you. 

Many of my patients have pain relief after the very first treatment. From there, the patient can expect continued pain relief and begin to strengthen the area so that it doesn’t return. The goal is to release you as quickly and as safely as possible and to ensure your problem doesn't return.

All treatments at the Conway Clinic work on the principle that joint problems, tears, sprains, fractures, or repetitive task injuries are caused by muscles not properly absorbing force. This energy propagates to tissue not intended to accept the force. We find the muscles that are incapable of doing their job and treat them to eliminate the cause. 

Our cutting edge treatment goes way beyond conventional chiropractic or physical therapy. Using state-of-the-art treatment protocols you can stop taking medication that could be causing other types of problems that could lead to serious complications over time. We seriously adhere to a disciplined approach that focuses on quality and evidenced-based processes. By implementing these standards, we have greatly reduced the variability in clinical practice and improved the outcomes for our patients.

We have been able to help many patients to relieve knee pain, shoulder pain, lower back pain, elbow pain, TMJ pain, migraine headaches, and many other areas of damage. Not only do we specialize in sports injury relief we have been very successful in helping patients with chronic joint damage that would have eventually led to joint replacement.

I can honestly say that the bulk of our patients are sports oriented however athletes are not our only patients. We have achieved unprecedented consistent results for non-athletic patients that range from 18 to 85.  Our quality approach is just as important for someone who just experienced lower back pain, leg pain, neck pain or other symptoms that are reeking havoc with your life. I can sincerely tell you that even if you've been dealing with long term condition it can be helped.

If you are suffering from pain that you’ve been told that either there is no help or that you have to have surgery please give us a call first. I’m not saying that I can cure everything but it is definitely worth your while to find out if you pain can be eliminated. If you want to ask question feel free to contact me via email free of charge to ask me any question that you want. I want don't want to waste your time, but if you have a problem and I can help then let's find out how we can get you better now....not next year. Here is my email address: drc@conwayclinic.com.

Feel free to contact me so that I can answer any of your questions.

Tiger Suffers an Achillies Strain

In a unpopular and unlikely move, Tiger Woods the once most dominant professional golfer in the world, abruptly walked off the course this past weekend at Doral's Blue Monster. Mr. Woods turned to his caddy and said "that's it, lets go." They summoned the course officials and a cart jettison them to the parking lot where Woods got into his car and sped off. The only thing he said was a brief sentence from his car window that he had pain and it was his left leg.

I say unlikely because Tiger gutted out one of the best golf performances I've ever seen in the U.S. Open win over Rocco Mediate in a 91 hole marathon. Playing with a severe knee injury Tiger decided to play though the pain to accomplish what other golfers dream about pain free...three U.S. Open titles.

As time developed it was learned that Woods had injured his Achilles tendon in his left leg. Apparently the pain began early in the round where Woods showed signs of discomfort after certain shots. You could see that Woods was in pain as he continued to play but then he made an executive decision to 'shut it down.' With the Masters looming in the next few weeks, I'm sure that the combination of his declining play and knowing if he continued to press the injury, knowing the possibility of worsening, it was easy to say to himself "lets stop here before it gets worse."

The Achilles tendon is a tough fibrous tendon connecting the calf muscle to the heel of your foot. The Achilles tendon is the thickest tendon as well as being the strongest. When you push off your foot in a forward manner you active the gastrocnemius (calve) muscle along with the Achilles tendon. This combination allows you to stand on your toes, walk, run and jump. What many people don't know, it's not just the muscles of the calves. It's important that the muscles of the entire leg stay strengthened to protect you from any future injury.

The most common Achilles tendons injuries are Achilles tendinitis and Achilles tendon rupture. Tendinitis is an inflammation of the tenon itself that can be painful. An Achilles tendon rupture normally comes on in a very rapid onset usually the patient hearing a "pop" and experiencing a severe sharp pain in the calve area.

Active people between the ages of 30 to 60 are more prone to Achilles rupture which leads to surgery. Many times the patient will experience a partial tear of the the tendon which obviously isn't as severe as a complete tear but can be just as painful. Partial and full Achilles tendon ruptures are most likely to occur in sports requiring sudden eccentric movement such as tennis, sprinting, racquet ball, basketball and long distance running.

When the muscles of the lower extremity lose their ability to properly absorb force that force will continue to travel to the joint to where the tissues of that area are not designed to absorb force. If that force continues the likelihood of stress occurring to the tissue is high. This repetitive stress can weaken the area and with one ballistic move, the tendon fibers can break down resulting in micro tears or to a severe full tear of the tendon.

The key is proper strengthening of the muscles of the legs from the thighs, back of the thighs, shins and calves. Build strength, endurance and the ability to absorb force then you can feel confident that you will not injury your Achilles tendon.

"Got good news from doc tonight. Only mild strain of left Achilles. Can resume hitting balls late in week and hopeful for next week," Woods tweeted.

The good part is that Tiger Woods didn't completely tear the Achilles tendon but let's hope he gets the appropriate advice to lean how to properly absorb force. With the right treatment Woods could be playing pain free and free from the fear of future injury in a week or so. I've been able to do this with numerous athletes in my office and I see no reason why this can be done for Tiger.

Dr. Malcolm Conway is a sports injury specialist who treats all types of sports injuries in a non-surgical, non-drug fashion. His methods are described by some advanced and innovative but more importantly affective. For more information on injury prevention or to ask Dr. Conway questions please go to www.conwayclinic.com.

The Myth Behind Low Back Pain

The Myth Behind Low Back Pain

By Dr. Malcolm Conway

How many people deal with some type of lower back pain? Well, according to statistics 8 out of 10 people over the age of 30 will suffer from some type of lower back pain.

Back pain comes in many different types of varieties of stiffness, aches, and can lead all the way up to sweat producing, back curling, searing pain that can bring you to your knees in a heartbeat.

But what exactly is and what causes lower back pain?

Low back pain is a complicated issue but bear with me for a minute and let me explain how it works and how pain develops.

The lower back is built with 5 bones called vertebra. These bones are designed to protect the spinal cord and its emerging spinal nerves. There are five individual bones that make up the lumbar spine. The fifth bone sits on top of a triangular bone called the sacrum (sake-rum).

In between each bone is a pad that protects each bone from ‘banging’ on top of one another. This pad is called a disc. The disc is a cartilage material whose fibers are built in circles. In the middle of this disc there is a jelly substance called the nucleus pulposus.

Now think how it would be if we just tried to stack up 5 bones on top of each other….probably wouldn’t be too stable. That’s where the muscles come in. Muscles are the stabilizers that hold the bones together so they don’t fall apart. But more importantly the muscles act as shock absorbers to protect the bones and the disc from force and trauma. Just like the shock absorbers of your car they are put in to absorb the force from the road to keep it away from your cars chasse and eventually you.

The muscles without an electrical supply are useless. The muscle gets an electrical supply from the brain and spinal cord. This electricity or nerve impulses allow the muscle to turn on (contract) and turn off (relax).

When the never impulse begins to slow up and the muscle doesn’t get the message as fast as it can the muscle loses its ability to absorb any force coming into that area. That force if not absorbed it will continue to the bones and the disc. If repeated force, day after day, hour after hour, is entered into the bones and discs, that area will begin to break down because it’s not designed to absorb this force. The faster the never impulse the faster the muscle can contract the more force absorbed. The more force absorbed in the muscle the less force is placed on the bone therefore nor pain or discomfort.

But when that force goes into the joint over and over, day after day the joint will begin to break down. The bones and the joint space will begin to degenerate over time. This is called arthritis.

How many people do you know have or have been told they have arthritis?

When you go to the doctor and they take an X-Ray and it shows degeneration you’ll be given the diagnosis of arthritis. But here is where I choose to get off the misdiagnosis carousel. When you see the degeneration or arthritis in your lower back (or any other joint) the doctor will say, “Your problem is due to the arthritis in your lower back.” I’m here to tell you that this is wrong. Now it’s true that you may have arthritis in your lower back but please understand this is where the damage ENDED UP, not where it BEGAN! Because your muscles couldn’t properly absorb the force that force continued to go into joint and over time it began to breakdown.

Let me throw this out to you. 

Find me an 8 year old with lower back pain. Okay, find me a 12 year old with a lower back problem. You see, the reason why you can find any children with any lower back problems is that there neurological system is working at top levels and therefore the muscles work the way it was designed.

Think about this for a moment. Let’s take a 25 year old body builder and let’s take a 8 year old young boy. Who is going to do better with repetitive jumping off a four or five foot ledge? Now think about this…the body builder has muscles bigger than the 8 year olds entire body, but you and I both know that the 8 year old will do better with this repetitive jumping scenario. Even though the body builder’s muscles are three to five times the size of the young boy it’s the ability of the nervous system of turning on so that the muscle can absorb the force.

You’ve already seen young kids jump down from incredible heights without even giving it a second thought. When’s that last time you stepped off a curb without looking and felt that jolt shoot up you back?

The reason for this is that the 8 year olds nervous system can turn the muscle on faster than the body builder. Now if the body builder trained for this they too can develop the muscle to absorb force just like the 8 year old. The point that I’m attempting to make is that it’s the ability of the nervous system to turn that muscle on is the key in protecting any joint in the body from repetitive force.

Do you know how many lower back cases there are that keep returning. Pain returning after treatment, pain after years and even pain after surgery because they never got to the real reason why the pain came on in the first place.

After a extremely through examination my goal is to locate the area where the neurological system is not firing properly so that I can eliminate the short circuit. Once found and corrected we can then develop the proper protocols to begin to rebuild that area so that the pain and dysfunction will never return.

Joint Replacements

Before I start with my intended article on joint replacements I need to share an announcement....

                       We have finally released our new website...www.ConwayClinic.com.

It's been completly overhauled with complete explanations of our treatment and services that are provided to both the athlete and non-athlete alike. Lot's of people think that we only treat athletes. Although the majority of the cases that we see, we continue to offer the same quality of services to patients in auto accidents, on-the-job injury, slip and falls and many other chronic type of symptoms. Okay, enough of that...let's get on with the article.

Joint Replacements
One area that I want to address is the issue of joint replacements. Patients that have been dealing with long standing pain in their knees, hips, shoulders or ankles have been told that they have degenerative changes. Most doctors are telling their patients that they have arthritis. Put them on some type of medication and send them on their way. Billions of dollars are spent every year on degenerative arthritis for the most part just to patch it up temporarily. There are many cases that can be fixed and fixed for years on end of pain free living.

If the patient continues on the pain medication over riding the pain the problem continues to produce problems to the joint causing increase degeneration. And what happens it leads to a visit to the surgeons office at the other end of a diagnosis of joint replacement.

It seems to me that there has been a rash of orthorpedic diagnosis given to a lot of my patients telling them that their problem is "bone-on-bone."   The doctor tells them that due to the knee pain they are going to need a replacement because they have "bone-on-bone" when I put up the x-ray to read there is plenty of room between the bones.

It is my judgement after seeing patients for over 27 years that when a patient has a joint pain that is bone-on-bone they can hardly walk 10 yards without having to stop for assistance. Patients continue to come into my office telling me that they are scheduled for surgery when they can walk normal to the average eye. Yes, they have some pain but nowhere near the pain of a patient who truly has "bone-on-bone" pain. That type of pain is severe and disabling.

Joint pain in many, if not all patients, not related to a pathological disease, is directly due to the supporting muscles not doing their job. The muscles gets its electrical supply from the nerve. If  the muscle didn't get a nerve supply then in reality all you have is a filet mignon. Once the nerve supply feeds the muscle the energy it turns the muscle from a steak to a moveable muscle.

The muscle is designed to turn on (contract) and turn off (relax). When it turns on (contracts) its designed to absorb force. Just like the shock absorber of your car the muscle is designed to absorb the same force before it gets into the joint. The joint isn't designed to absorb force and the bones of the joint begin to bang together in a round about way. This leads to inflammation that leads to pain and eventually to degeneration...also known as arthritis. Now if the degeneration goes too far then in fact you may need to have surgery to replace the joint. But please, please listen to me...most of these joints don't need to be replaced.

If the muscles are properly turned on they will contract in the manner they were designed and properly  absorb force. If the force is taken up by the muscle(s) that force can't get to the joint and the joint will remain healthy.

At my office the first thing done is a functional exam to see where the breakdowns are coming from. Muscles are an outward expression of the nervous system. So I can test the nervous system through testing the muscles. I can track down what muscles aren't properly turned on not absorbing force. Then with a specialized machine that I have I can locate the exact area to where this "short circuit" is located. From there, I can then design a protocol to remove that short circuit turning on the neuromuscular response allowing for the proper healing to take place.

We have been able to help lots of patients get rid of they chronic pain and save them from surgery. I can even help patient who already had joint surgery. We are able to  to accelerate the healing process in many cases as much as 60 to 80%. That can take months off of your rehabilitation time. One of our patients who had complete reconstructive ACL (knee ligament) surgery was scheduled by his doctor to be in rehab for 6 to 8 months. Using out innovate treatment protocols we were able to get him back to his football team workouts in six weeks.

If you have questions about any of this feel free to drop me a line via email at drc@conwayclinic.com. I'll be happy to answer any of your questions and hopefully keep you away from surgery.

Dr. Malcolm Conway
Conway Clinic for Sports Injury
www.ConwayClinic.com

Health Update

Weekly Health Update Week of: Monday, October 31st, 2011 Courtesy of: Malcolm Conway, D.C. (570) 287-7070 "Security is mostly a superstition. It doesn't exist in nature." ~ Helen Keller
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Mental Attitude: Friendships & Anxiety. Anxious, solitary kids are more emotionally sensitive and more likely to be excluded and victimized by their peers. They're also less likely to have friends, and when they do, to have fewer than their peers and to lose friendships over time.  Child Development, Sept 2011 Health Alert: Obesity Costs!  States spend up to $15 billion a year in medical expenses related to obesity. Estimates in dollars range from $203 million in Wyoming to $15.2 billion in California. National costs of obesity are $147 billion.   Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Sept 2011 Diet: Wine & Dementia Risk. Moderate wine drinkers are 23% less likely to develop dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease. Resveratrol, found in fairly high levels in wine, is a naturally occurring antioxidant that decreases the stickiness of blood platelets and helps blood vessels remain open and flexible. It also inhibits enzymes that can stimulate cancer cell growth and suppress immune response. Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Exercise: Good Reasons.  Exercise decreases the rate of joint degeneration in people with osteoarthritis, lowers your resting heart rate, helps to boost creativity and reduces circulating levels of triglycerides. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996                  Chiropractic: What Does Double Crush Mean?  If there is irritation of a nerve root at the vertebra of the neck, or at the triangle formed between the scalene muscles and the first rib, the nerve itself becomes "sick." As that nerve passes into the arm, it passes through several muscles before it enters the hand, beneath the transverse carpal ligament. If the nerve is already "sick," the "secondary stress" of compression within the arm muscles, or at the wrist, may cause regional symptoms at that location. We call that second insult to the nerve a "double crush" phenomenon.  Wellness/Prevention: Four Ways To Live Longer.  Those who practice all 4 are 66% less likely to die early from cancer, 65% less likely to die early from a major cardiovascular disease, and 57% less likely to die early from other causes. 1) Avoid Tobacco. 2) Limit Alcohol: Men should have no more than two drinks a day, women no more than one. 3) Improve Your Diet: Eat more fruits, eat more vegetables, eat more whole grains, switch to fat-free and low-fat dairy and eat more seafood. Cut down on salt and foods high in sodium, saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, added sugar, and refined grains. 4) Exercise at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise spread over at least 5 days a week - or - do a total of 75 minutes of vigorous exercise 3 days a week or more.  American Journal of Public Health, August 2011
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Conway Clinic for Sports Injury

How One Vitamin Can Save Your Life...

I've written about this before and I have to come back to it once again becasue of its importance...Vitamin D(3). Please read and if you have questions feel free to contact me. I'll be happy to show you more evidence on how truly important this cheap readily available vitamin can help you boost your immune system.

I don't want to sound like a broken record but here is one of the cheapest forms of medicine that can do more for your health than you can imagine. For years vitamin d has been known for bone health when used with calcium. Well please, please read  and understand that vitamin d can not only help with your bones but with many more conditions.  The research is overwhelming to the efficacy of building your immune system. Research over the past two decades is now gone way beyond the norms of showing how powerful this one small supplement can improve your life. In many cases can it can save your life.

                    Females: Correct levels of Vitamin D can reduce breast cancer by 50%.

You may or may not know but I've been preaching about vitamin d for years once I learned about how powerful it  really was. But I needed facts so I began taking vitamin d for myself taking 5,000 iu per day. After three months I had my blood tested and found out that I was still deficient and below the normal values of vitamin d. So I began taking 10,000 iu per day and found that was the trick and my values normalized.
 
Vitamin D deficiency is at epidemic proportions in the United States and many other regions around the world today, largely because people do not spend enough time in the sun to facilitate this important process of vitamin D production.

The best way to get your primary dose of vitamin d is to get exposed to the sun. You need to sun at least 40% of your body in direct sun light for period of time conducent to your skin type. If you are fair skin you will only need 15 to 20 min and you can continue to add time the darker complected you are. Even African-Americans need direct sun light because of the fact that all humans are designed to receive UVB spectrum of light. It's the UVB that is important to the production of vitamin d to your body.

So what happens if you live in an area like me that doesn't allow to absorb that type of light? There are two ways that can help you get the appropriate amount of sun light. If you live in the upper portion of the U.S. you won't be able to get UVB sun light that will provide the needed vitamin d. You have two alternatives:
        1. Tanning Bed or Salon
        2. Oral Supplementation

Yes, you heard that right a tanning bed that uses UVB bulbs is completely safe AS LONG AS YOU DON'T BURN! The key is that you get enough that your skin turns LIGHTLY pink.  You can do this two to three times per week which will give you the vitamin d needed to boost your health.

Oral supplementation is good however not as effective as the upper two suggestions. But it still works pretty well if the other ways are out of the question. You need to take 8,000 iu per day and in about three to four months you need to have your vitamin d levels tested.

Occasional sunlight exposure to your face and hands is not sufficient for vitamin D nutrition for most people. To optimize your levels, you need to expose large portions of your skin to the sun, and you may need to do it for more than a few minutes. Ultraviolet light from the sun comes in two main wavelengths -- UVA and UVB. It's important for you to understand the difference between them, and your risk factors from each.

First there is UVB, the healthy wavelengths that help your skin produce vitamin D. Then there is UVA, which is generally considered the unhealthy wavelengths because they penetrate your skin more deeply and cause more free radical damage. Not only that, but UVA rays are quite constant during ALL hours of daylight, throughout the entire year -- unlike UVB, which are low in morning and evening, and high at midday.
So to use the sun to maximize your vitamin D production and minimize your risk of skin damage, the middle of the day (roughly between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.) is the best and safest time. During this UVB-intense period you will need the shortest sun exposure time to produce the most vitamin D.

Based on recent research published by Grassroots Health from the D*Action study, the average adult needs to take 8,000 IU's of vitamin D per day in order to elevate his or her levels above 40 ng/ml -- the bare minimum requirement necessary for disease prevention. Ideally, you'll want your levels to be between 50-70 ng/ml.

As Carole Baggerly, director and founder of Grassrootshealth.com, noted:

"We just published our very first paper. We have about 10 people in this study now that are taking 50,000 IU a day and they're not reaching a potential toxicity level of 200 ng/ml.  It should be noted, however, that this is not a recommended intake level. The study reported data on about over 3,500 people.
… One very significant thing shown by this research was that even with taking the supplement, the curve for the increase in the vitamin D level is not linear. It is curvilinear and it flattens, which is why it's even hard to get toxic with a supplement."

This means that even if you do not regularly monitor your vitamin D levels, your risk of overdosing is going to be fairly slim -- even if you take as much as 8,000 IU's a day. As an aside, there is evidence that the safety of vitamin D is dependent on vitamin K, and that vitamin D toxicity (although very rare with the D3 form) is actually aggravated by vitamin K2 deficiency.

My hope for you that you heed this advice and begin to get your Vit D in any form that is comfortable for you. The scientific evidence is overwhelming now to help you boost your immune system.

Dr. Malcolm Conway
www.conwayclinic.com
www.raisingeliteathletes.com