WebMD estimates that up to 80% of Americans will at some point in their lives are affected by back pain. Of those, 85% will not find the cause of the pain despite a thorough medical examination.

Because of this, people who suffer from frequent pain, especially back pain; are scared to exercise for fear of hurting themselves. While their fears may seem warranted, studies prove just the opposite, demonstrating that strength training can actually reduce pain and prevent further injury if done properly.

Kettlebells are cast-iron weights that have been used for centuries to train Russian soldiers and athletes, appear to be a promising therapy for back and neck pain, new research shows.

The weights, named for their resemblance to a tea kettle with a looped handle, began showing up in American gyms about 15 years ago and have gained a popular following among exercise buffs looking for a quick full-body workout. Unlike traditional weight training, which typically focuses on lifting exercises, a kettlebell workout requires both swinging and lifting of the weights.

Studies have shown that people training with kettlebells in 20-minute sessions two to three times a week for eight weeks reported less pain as well as improved strength in the trunk and core muscles. Over all, working out with kettlebells reduced lower back pain by 57 percent and cut neck and shoulder pain by 46 percent.

Kettlebell training, while helpful in reducing pain and improving core strength, is also surprisingly aerobic. A study by the American Council on Exercise found that a 20-minute kettlebell workout burns about 21 calories a minute, the equivalent of running at a six-minute-mile pace.

Kettlebells are also an exercise of choice for many people because they are very portable, making it easier to exercise for people on the go.

Because Kettlebells are difficult to control, it’s important to consult with a pain management doctor to see if this exercise will benefit you before meeting with a certified instructor to learn proper form.

The road to better health is paved with the small decisions we make every day, and this quick exercise can help you take control of your back pain.

If you or a loved one is experiencing chronic neck or back pain and would like to see if rehabilitative exercises can help, visit www.wolmed.com to make an appointment to become part of the 15% who find relief from their chronic neck and back pain. WOLMED is a CARF certified full serviced Pain Management Clinic with locations to better serve you in Dallas and Denton.

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BLOOD SAVES LIVES

WOL+MED recently hosted a blood drive this month that benefits the American Red Cross.  Because the blood supply after the holidays is always low, the donations that were received were greatly appreciated.  13 people ended up donating a total of 13 pints of blood, which could potentially save 39 lives!  To show our thanks to those who gave blood, WOL+MED donated 4 $25 gift cards.  The winners of the gift cards are:

1. Regina Golden – $25 gift card for Macy’s
2. Enriqueta Spencer – $25 gift card for Starbucks
3. Veronica Flores – $25 gift card for Barnes & Noble
4. Brandon Johnson – $25 gift card for Chili’s

WOL+MED would like to personally thank every donor who gave blood at the American Red Cross Blood Drive.  You helped make this blood drive a success, your donations save lives!

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With nearly 80 million people in the United States suffering from some form of Chronic Pain, it’s easy to assume that many people lose sleep due to pain.  In fact the National Sleep Foundation says that two out of three people with chronic pain have trouble sleeping at night.  Since an essential part of managing chronic pain is sleep, it starts a vicious cycle that makes recovering from chronic pain more difficult.  Since there is no cure, aside from sleep, exercise, time and proper medication dosage that helps with chronic pain, we have decided to post what real patients are saying helped them sleep better when dealing with their pain.  Listed below are real quotes pain sufferers have given on how they sleep better when dealing with chronic pain.

“I sleep great most nights thanks to our Sleep Number bed, a muscle relaxer that I take right before going to bed, and sleeping with CPAP to correct my sleep apnea.”

“I sleep on my side with a pillow between my legs. I also have a pillow to keep my arm level with my shoulders and I make sure the pillow I place under my head is tucked underneath neck between my ear and shoulder. I sleep this way religiously and it has helped align my spine such that I wake up in less pain. “

“Currently i use Flexeril, restoril, percocet 10mg, & tramadol and only get 5-6 hours of rest.”

“Ah sleep….what’s that? I had Restoril and from another doc Ambien, both of which helped, however my current doc will not order anything for me.”

“I’m not able to take ANY pain medications due to allergies, so I just have to live with it.” “Some nights it seems as though I’m up more than I’m down, but so far God has helped me continue to function. It really does help me to reach out to other people and identify with their pain and suffering!”

Do you deal with chronic back and neck pain that makes it hard to sleep?  If so, please respond to this article and leave your feedback and let others know how you are dealing with your chronic pain so you can sleep better. For more information on pain management, or to make an appointment to evaluate your pain, please visit http://www.wolmed.com.

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Mistake #1. Never use prescription drugs that aren’t yours:

• While friends and family often have leftover pain medications stored away you should never share medication.  Medication may affect each person different depending on the person’s physiology and could do just as much harm as good.

Mistake #2. Never mix different drugs:

• Mixing two or more kinds of drugs can have a synergistic effect intensifying the effects of both drugs which can lead to an overdose.
• Mixing drugs can also have the opposite effect, causing each drug to interfere with the other, affecting each drugs usefulness.

Mistake #3. Never take more than is prescribed:

• Many people think that because one pill helps, two must be even better.  Pills are given by doctors in doses that will both relieve pain and be safe for that specific person.  Taking more than prescribed can be dangerous to one’s health.

Mistake #4. Never drink alcohol when taking pain medication:

• Drinking alcohol of any kind not just hard liquor will quickly intensify the effects of pain medications making it harder to drive or do many other mundane tasks.

Mistake #5. Never save pain medications:

• Because pain medications quickly deteriorate once they pass their expiration dates nullifying their effects, leftover medications should be properly disposed of once there is no more need for them.

If you have any further questions about pain management or you or a loved one has a need for a pain management doctor don’t hesitate to call WOLMED to set up an appointment or visit us online at www.wolmed.com.

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Heavy objects, slippery pavement, unstable equipment and accidents are all things that can occur on the job.  While some injuries may be minor, others may result in chronic pain making one eligible to file for disability or workers compensation.  These incidents cause work related injuries that cost employers billions of dollars on physical therapy and lost wages every year.  Listed below are the 5 most common work injuries to be reported in 2008 according to the 2010 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index.

1. Overexertion: This work related injury tops the list at 25.1% of all reported work related accidents causing $13.40 billion to be lost by businesses in 2008.  This injury is caused when a worker is injured when lifting, dragging, holding, carrying, pushing and tossing objects while on the job.
2. Same level fall: This injury takes second place on this list at 15.7% of all work related injuries with $8.37 billion in lost revenue in 2008.  This injury is caused when a worker falls on a wet or slippery surface.
3. Bodily reaction: At third place on this list body reaction causes 10.1% of work related incidents with $5.40 billion in lost money to companies in 2008.  This can be caused when a workers body reacts to a slip.  The person catches themselves before they fall but in the process they strain or sprain something.
4. Struck by object: This injury takes the next spot on the top five at 10% of work related accidents accounting for $5.36 billion in lost revenue for companies in 2008.  This can be caused when a person is hit by an object that is dropped or falls from a shelf.
5. Fall lower level: last on the top five, this injury causes 9.9% of all reported work related injuries producing $5.29 billion in lost revenue to businesses in 2008.  This injury is caused when a worker falls from an elevated place like a roof or ladder.

While there are numerous other work related injuries that can be mentioned in this list, the top five account for over 70% of all work injuries reported in 2008.  If any of these work related injuries describes your current condition you may be entitled to file for workers comp benefits.  If you are injured at work and are suffering from chronic pain, WOLMED’s pain management clinics in Texas can help!  We assist injured workers not only through pain rehabilitation but also by helping them properly fill out their workers comp claims.  For more information please visit www.wolmed.com.

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There are different variations of rehab facilities. For example CARF Pain Management assists patients with severe work injuries requiring intensive rehabilitation and therapy, medications, surgeries, or injections. It provides treatments found in the work hardening program.  When you visit WOL+MED in Texas you will find a CARF Certification on the wall of each facility. This is proof they have maintained and upholder required standards. Each facility must maintain standards for an ongoing process, which allows the patient to understand they are committed to improving their standards and services for the best interest of all patients.

Next time you find yourself, a friend, or a family member in need of Rehabilitation for Chronic Pain Management, Back and Neck Pain, Workers Injury, and etc, always looks for the CARF Accreditation.  When your doctor is striving to maintain high standards in their facility, you can be assured they are looking out for your best interest. CARF facilities are committed to quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services and enhancing and bettering each patient that enters their facility.

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Point #1 – Unemployment.  When fewer people have jobs fewer people get hurt on the job.

Point #2 – Fear of Unemployment.  When so many people are already out of work, many others fear being out of work.  Lots of companies fire people after they are hurt on the job.  It’s not fair, but it’s a reality for many injured workers.

Point #3 – Reduction of Doctors who Treat Injured Workers.  Workers Compensation health care networks have drastically limited the number of qualified doctors who are allowed to treat many injured workers.  If employees have reduced access to qualified workers comp doctors, who will they report their injury to?  Not reporting an injury doesn’t mean that an injury never happened, but statistically, this will add to the supposed reduction in work injury claims.

Point #4 – Work Injuries that are Treated as Regular Health Insurance Claims.  Many people who are hurt at work will not only not report their injury, but they will see a doctor and say that they don’t know how the pain started.  They may get some treatment from their doctor, but it will be under their regular health insurance and not under Texas Workers Compensation.  Many health insurers are very good at allowing treatment for these kinds of injuries.  Blue Cross Blue Shield is one very good example of an insurance company that takes care of its customers.  The problem is that Texas Workers Comp provides injured workers with many rights that the injured worker must forgo by not filing a work injury claim, and by taking this route annual injury statistics appear lower than they really are.

Now clearly some of the reason for the reduced number of Texas work injury claims is due to things like better employer education on workplace safety, OSHA regulations, and other workplace safety initiatives.  Those points should not be overlooked.  The point I want to drive home is that these numbers are most certainly skewed and the reasons are very sad.  Unemployment, fear of unemployment, reduction of qualified Texas Workers Compensation doctors, filing on health insurance instead of workers comp insurance and anything else that might have an affect on the statistics.

WOLMED Texas workers compensation doctors want to help you when you’re hurt on the job.  We can’t stop unemployment, but we can help you with the fear of unemployment by helping you get the treatment you need and by taking steps to help protect your job.  And sure we accept Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance and most other insurances, but we don’t want you to waive your rights under Texas Workers Compensation.  Instead, we want to help protect your rights.  Finally, while there is a reduction of qualified doctors who treat workers compensation, we still treat injured workers and we have no plans whatsoever to stop helping injured workers.  We want to be your doctor!

If you or someone you know what hurt at work, but aren’t exactly sure what to do about it, give us a call.  The Medical Doctors and Chiropractors at WOLMED can help you.  We are workers comp experts.  We’re open 7am to 8pm on week days and 7am to 4pm on Saturdays and we welcome same-day appointments.  Call us today in Denton and Dallas, TX.

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Federal workers comp has special forms that must be filled out and submitted to the DOL and to the employer. If these forms are not filled out correctly and on-time, it could cause serious problems for the injured worker, including loss of pay, loss of injury benefits, and loss of job.

If you’re hurt at work for the post office, you need to choose your doctor very carefully. There are a lot of really good doctors out there, but if your doctor doesn’t specialize in federal workers comp and doesn’t understand the rules that injured postal employees and other injured federal workers must follow, you could have a lot of problems – other than the injury itself.

WOLMED does specialize in federal workers compensation. We understand the rules set forth by the Department of Labor and we pride ourselves in having excellent patient outcomes and excellent patient satisfaction scores. Our patients get better. They are happy. And – they don’t experience the hassles that are possible when the doctor isn’t a federal workers comp expert.

If you or someone you know was injured working for the post office or any other federal agency, choose WOLMED for the treatment of your federal workers comp injury.

We want to be your doctor!

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Great medical care vith a very friendly staff.

You are always professional and sweet. 

Your availability is beyond amazing.

My husband and I are lucky to have ya’ll around.

Dr. Wolski and staff rock!

You are wonderful.

You guys are awesome!

WOL+MED is the best clinic ever!

Dr. Helsten, Janet, and all staff are superior.

Great service!

Lovely staff and doctor.

We really appreciate all of this great feedback and we hope that others will see this and decide to give us a try too.  We love giving excellent service!

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One website that allows people to rate doctors uses a 4-star system.  Here, Dr. Wolski is rated very favorably, especially from people who we have been able to verify as actual patients of WOL+MED.  There was also a bad review on there by a person who we were able to identify as someone who never had an experience with WOL+MED because they were never a patient here.  So, to be fair to anyone who is interested in getting actual, true feedback from people who have actually been patients at WOL+MED, we did our own study using the same parameters as those used on the web. 

Here’s what we found from a survey of 32 active WOL+MED patients.  Patients were asked to rate the doctor on a 5 point scale where 5 is excellent and 1 is bad.

Ease of Appointment – 4.93 out of 5.

Courteous Staff – 4.93 out of 5.

Accurate Diagnosis – 4.93 out of 5.

Follow Up – 4.9 out of 5.

Bedside Manner – 4.84 out of 5.

Spends Time With Me – 4.75 out of 5

As you can see, actual patients at WOL+MED are very happy with the doctors and staff at WOL+MED.  Now, take a look at the enthusiastic feedback these patients gave us.

Margaret is so wonderful!  She takes time to listen and makes you feel comfortable in the process.

Dr. Shultz is the best.  His concern for treatment is very caring and he goes above and beyond to help.

Love this place and the people.

Simply the best!

Wonderful operation.  No other clinic like yours.  Multitude of services is appreciated.

I wish all doctors were just as caring as Dr. Helsten.

The Doctor and staff are wonderful.

Staff is awesome.

I Love WOL+MED!

I love WOL+MED.  They have been great to me and helpful with getting me better from my injuries.

The staff here and care that I received at WOL+MED has been first rate and I recommend you to all my colleagues.  Thanks!

Always great service and nice people.

If anyone has a doubt as to how patients feel about the doctors and staff at WOL+MED, just remember the feedback from our actual patients.  There’s a very good reason that WOL+MED’s #1 source of new patients is from the referrals of our existing patients.  So, if you were hurt at work or in a car wreck, or if you or a family member is sick, give WOL+MED doctors a try.  We really do want to be your doctor and we’re committed to making you happy to choose and recommend us.

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