Hozho Health & Wellness

06/29/2021

Sciatica vs. Sciatic Nerve Pain

Do you suffer from low back or gluteal pain and wonder if its sciatica? It could be, but it can also be sciatic nerve pain.

Sciatica is a type or symptom of lumbar radiculopathy and it is caused when a nerve root from L4-S1 is compressed by either a herniated disk, bulging disk or disk degeneration; as these are the most common causes. When one of these lumbar nerve roots becomes compressed, it triggers symptoms such as paresthesia (tingling, pins and needles or tightness) sharp pain, numbness and/or weakness that radiates from the low back to the thigh and down to the knee and ankle.

When a person is experiencing pain that initiates in the lateral side of the gluteal region and it does not radiate down a lower extremity can be due to sciatic nerve pain caused by inflammation and pain from the piriformis muscle which Is located above the junction of sciatic nerve roots through the greater sciatic foramen which is an opening in the pelvic bone. When the piriformis becomes aggravated, it can put pressure on the sciatic nerve, causing sciatic nerve pain, NOT sciatica.

Another type of sciatic nerve pain that gets confused with sciatica is SI or Sacroiliac Joint pain. The SI joint is located in the pelvis connecting both the pelvic and sacrum bones. Pain is felt in your sacrum region (the lowest part of your spine between your low back and tailbone) and pelvic bone and it can be described as sharp with movement such as walking, twisting or turning and it’s a localized pain. SI joint pain can also radiate to the gluteal area and down the posterior thigh but it does not radiate down the entire lower extremity. Sacroiliac joint can be aggravated by twisting, turning or moving the wrong way, heavy lifting such as squats using excessive amount of weight, etc…

05/26/2021

Low Back Pain Continued...

Image # 1: The next weak muscle area is the gluteus medius which long term sitting leads to weakness of this muscle due to over flexibility and muscle inactivation. This area causes pain in a person who notices that they lean to one side for stability or support while standing. This pain is also dull and gnawing and doesn't go away unless the muscle is activated. Sadly, the pain will also increase with muscle activation while using proper form, until the muscles as well as ergonomics are working together.

Last 4 images: The last are the paraspinal muscles. These are typically tight in people with weak gluteal activation or from long term sitting with a slouching posture. Over time the iliopsoas can become tight and triggers back pain with stretching and rest. These muscles can also trigger migraine headaches, shoulder, and arm pain. These muscles require gluteal activation as well as trapezius activation, specifically the middle trapezius to help with long term improvement.

05/26/2021

Low back pain?

A lot of people come in with low back pain also knows as lumbago and sometimes mistaken for sciatica. Many patients think I've lost my mind when I ask questions about sitting, posture, amount of time seated, soft beds or lounge chairs, and whether or not you have lower leg cramps or poor ankle flexibility. 

Why is this important?

Image #1) Poor ankle flexibility often creates a referred pain to the SI joint where some people see dimples in their lower back. This type of back pain is often a dull ache or gnawing type of pain that doesn't get relief with stretches. In fact, taking NSAIDs often makes the pain worse or has no effect. 
Image #2) Iliopsoas muscles. The filet mignon muscles which are often severely tight due to long-term sitting, hiking with a heavy pack or steep hills, or the worse, workout out leg day and doing hinge squats. Usually, if a person has poor flexibility in their ankles then their soleus (calf) muscles are tight, if those are tight the patient often has excess use of their knees for heavy lifting or balance and will indicate knee pain over time. Once these two hinge locations are overactive then the anterior hip becomes overused and excessively tight which then leads to back pain. Much of what is needed to fix this, other than Acupuncture, is gluteal activation exercises and ankle flexibility. Treating one does not necessarily improve the other. They both need care together. This pain can be sharp, pulling, or throbbing and often feels worse with back extension or lateral flexion. The patient often says that curling their knees to their chest feels best and standing for a long period of time is the most uncomfortable. 

✔Check out Part B of this post.

04/29/2021

Meet Hozho Health and Wellness provider

ROBERT R. PONTECORVO JR. LAC.

A San Diego based Acupuncturist specializing in Orthopedic Pain Management and Symptomology, Worker’s Compensation, Sports Medicine, and one of the few fully integrated practitioners for Autoimmune care using acupuncture. Robert is an experienced biochemist and retired registered nurse, active professor and California State Board Licensed Acupuncturist.   He had graduated with a Masters Degree from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine for Acupuncture and Herbology and recently has finished his Professional Doctorate (Ph.D. Equivalent) in Internal Medicine and Healthy aging for chronic illnesses where he had completed research on better diagnostics and integrative treatment for Lupus and Fibromyalgia
In the 24 years of medical experience, education and practice Robert has used methods taught to him by various Western clinicians in diagnostics as well as nutrition as a form of treatment. In 1997 he had the great honor to be taught acupuncture from Dr. Adriana Wu (Wu, Tung Lu) who was one of the original students of Dr. Tung in Taiwan, renowned for pain management and acupuncture anesthesiology. After four years of her teaching he spent six months in Taiwan where he treated patients with acupuncture and myofacial release in a community setting often caring for 60-80 patients a day. It was at this time that he decided to begin his Masters Degree in Acupuncture for licensure in California

04/27/2021

Herbal medicine is complimentary to your acupuncture treatment in that it often extends the benefits of a treatment or even helps enhance the process of bringing your body to homeostasis (back to normal). We also have a separate listing for Herbal and Supplement consultation for those not ready for acupuncture. Hozho Health and Wellness provides formulas in two highly effective, capsule, and granule which are custom made for your specific condition. Most clinics give herbs from "Patent" formulas that is more of a one size fits all method, we don't find this to be as effective however; we will honor the patients request to give a formula that you have found works best for you.

04/25/2021

Many actions that are done on a daily basis can lead to a simple injury. In this case reeling in a fish led to extensor forearm pain, decreased grip, and pain with flexion or extension. The brachioradialis and extensor muscles were all tight and upon direct needle Acupuncture, therapeutic heat, a light active release the patient was able to have full action of her forearm again. Yes a video would have been nice as a before and after however the patient and I did not think of that and instead the picture was taken because she wanted to show a friend what Acupuncture does.

If you have any questions or would like to book an appointment, go on our website hozhohealth.com or call us at 1(877)909-0508 or visit our Genbook page for available apartments.

04/25/2021

Happy Sunday everyone! Here at Hozho Health and Wellness not only helo our patients with acupuncture care, but we also treat with cupping. If you are wondering what cupping is or if it's the right treatment for you, here is a little information that can helo you.

Cupping:
If provided cupping to a patient you will feel a “sucking” sensation over portions of your body that mimics a deep massage. As seen in recent sporting events including the olympics and periodically witnessed on celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock, there is often the purple circles on a patients back. This is normal in some patients and the duration of time this mark remains is between hours to a few days. We recommend you to be honest with your acupuncturist if you are not wanting this form of treatment or have a formal event to attend to within days of your visit.
We do recommend that you not go into the ocean, wear open backed clothing or expose your affected area to the environment for at least 24-48 hours after treatment.
This treatment as well as Tui Na can be done individually without Acupuncture for those that are not ready for an Acupuncture treatment

We are open today from 8:30am to 2:30pm. Book your appointment today! You can find us on Genbook for appointments.
For more information, visit our website hozhohealth.com or call us at (877)909-0508

04/18/2021

04/18/2021

04/18/2021

We not only provide acupuncture, cupping or Tui Na, but since we care so much for the well-being of our patients we also provide lifestyle recommendations.

We recommend science based dietary advice, foods to avoid, activities to begin or avoid and stretches that would benefit your health. This will help you prolong the effects of your treatment as well as get you to a healthier state in your life.
It is important to live life to its fullest regardless of your age. What is the benefit of growing old if you cannot enjoy it with your friends, family or within a social atmosphere of your pleasure.

Balance your life and do not forget to smile

04/18/2021

Hozho Health and Wellness is dedicated to provide multi-disciplined integrative medical treatment to our patients. Various treatments can be identified below which the Journal of American Medicine Association (JAMA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated Acupuncture is most effective with

*Orthopedic injuries
*Osteo Arthritis
*Rheumatoid Arthritis
*Migraine and other types of headaches
*General Arthritis
*Sports Medicine
*Pain management (various body parts)
*Sciatica
*Palliative oncology treatment (details provided in consultation)
*ADD/ADHD
*Irritability or difficulty in focusing
*Stress management including PTSD
*Circulatory and cardiovascular disorders
*Digestive disorders
*Mentrual problems
*Reproductive disorders (Male/Female)
*Sexual dysfunction
*Allergies and Asthma
*Dermatology
*Insomnia and other sleep disorders
*Addiction
*Autoimmune complications (i.e. Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Diabetes, Parkinson's Disease, etc.)
*Vertigo

Call us today or visit out website for more information

Interested and would like to book an appointment? Call us at 1(877)909-0508.

04/18/2021

Always great to provide relief in the athletes and medical practitioners. Book now! Go on our website hozhohealth.com or call us at (877)909-0508. We look forward to helping you!

04/18/2021

I haven't been a fan of auricular points aside from chronic pain and vagus treatment but was influenced to try Nogier's system. 22 y/o female with spinal pain, mental stress and menstrual cramps. Once needles were in she stated that she felt warmth along her spine, a pulse in her left o***y area (where the cramp was) but minimal change in focus. This was all within 5 minutes. No other points were used. Happy patient means happy provider.

04/18/2021

One of my favorite set of muscles to evaluate for all neck, upper back, and arm pain. This is another set of muscles often overlooked in carpal tunnel or lateral/medial epicondylitis (tennis/golfers elbow). Though we can needle this area I like doing a manual release as it allows the muscle to be coaxed more into remaining relaxed. I will combine it with acupuncture or electrical stimulation but for those patients scared of needles it is easily worked on with manual techniques. I had the great privilege of working on a physical therapist friend who is a body builder and elite triathlete who had this muscle in spasm. Without needles, and in front of a dozen people or more we released the muscle manually and with a pen stimulator. The evaluators got to see the muscle literally shrink in size and the participant able to increase lateral rotation of her neck with minimal to no aggravating tension. We often see these muscles in spasm with athletes, desk workers, machinists, and some of the hard labor workers that handle heavy machinery (jack hammers, etc). This muscle also is affected with women due to breast tissue of various sizes causing pressure in the back from the breast line to the back of the neck. Releasing the muscle and encouraging rhomboid exercises is most effective.

04/18/2021

Oh the ever present referred pattern of pain. Patients often ask why I don't needle directly into where the pain feels worse, many of the times that is due to pain being rooted elsewhere. Many times after needling I will do Tui Na (deep therapeutic stretches aka myofascial release) or slide cups and they not only have more range of motion but their headache is gone. Aspirin is ok temporarily, but treating the root problem is a necessity. Book Now! Go on our website hozhohealth.com or call us at (877)909-0508.

04/18/2021

Sciatic pain? Sometimes it isn't which is why it is important as a practitioner to interview and palpate and more important as a patient to answer questions factually. Why would a patient not answer factually? Sometimes people will be told a diagnosis, or see a diagnosis on the internet and will not be satisfied until it is confirmed that is what they have. The problem with this is that referred pain is usually the culprit and many general practitioners or patients aren't as keen to orthopedic evaluations. It would be like asking a podiatrist (foot doctor) to check for uterine fibroids. It is just something they learned in school and outside of their true specialty. So, how does one get this false sciatica? Sitting and posture or sitting with bad posture. When we flex in our posture for long periods of time we create excess tension on our antagonist muscles which lead to tiny knotted trigger points. Our treatments help tremendously with the pain, add in some Tui Na (soft tissue regeneration) or slide cupping and you actually feel taller. Regardless of how good that first treatment may have been we advise a quick follow up as a rebound effect happens often with paraspinal pain especially low back pain

04/18/2021

Have had more patients coming in with this referred pain and muscle spasm. This is truly set by posture in their cases, mostly poor posture while sitting. In women the pain usually begins just below the bra line with soreness radiating to the sacrum or gluteus region. Based on symptoms and not evaluation it is often diagnosed as sciatica but missing other signs to confirm this. One of the patients was given steroid injections without reason and said the pain was just as bad as before the injections. Mixing the second picture into the problem, this is adding to low back pain from sitting, either with legs raised or outstretched for a period of time. Both are causing low back pain as a symptom. This is why I check a persons hips and palpate prior to treatment. It is more important to me to relieve the primary problem as much as possible during the first treatment. The stretches are the patients required homework. I love that the problem is typically remedied in a few visits (2-3) in many but not all cases. Quality care requires quality evaluation. 

04/18/2021

Pain is in bright red and the trigger of pain is along the areas where there is an X. Many of our patients with low back pain usually express anterior hip pain as well. The iliopsoas muscle is hard to release and not too comfortable but the release a patient receives is phenomenal. We do distal points to help reduce the overall pain and inflammation and then use Tui Na to manually elongate the iliopsoas for relief. Never too late to make an appointment. Go on our website for more information hozhohealth.com or call us at (877)909-0508.