Catalina Medical Center: Blog

Back pain has many causes, and sometimes, dysfunction in the back can impact the limbs, as well. At the Catalina Medical Center in Redondo Beach, our doctors carry out thorough examinations to discover the source of a patient’s pain or numbness. One of the most common problems we find is a spinal misalignment called degenerative spondylolisthesis. Spondylolisthesis describes what happens when a vertebra has slipped forward. This can be caused by injury, tumorous growths, or deformity, but in most cases it is degenerative. What this means is that the spinal discs in between each bone have gotten drier, or the facet joints in back of the spine have lost strength, causing the vertebra to slowly slip forward. Degenerative spondylolisthesis is most often found in the lumbar region, which is the lower back, although it can occur in the neck. Women over age sixty-five are the population most at risk. A person may be unaware that they have spondylolisthesis. However, slipped vertebrae in the l...

Posture refers to the body’s alignment and positioning with the force of gravity. If we are sleeping, standing, running, or walking, maintaining good posture means that force will be distributed evenly throughout our neck, shoulders, back, and legs.  Good posture is important for your health because it helps you walk tall while improving circulation and digestion while keeping the structures in the spine healthy. If you are looking for some tips to improve your posture, utilize these and give our doctors at Catalina Medical Center a call. Imagine that a string is attached to the top of your head and pulling you upwards. The idea is to keep your body in perfect alignment, maintaining the spine’s natural curvature, neck straight and shoulders parallel with the hips. To stand correctly, you should always keep your shoulders back and relaxed while pulling in your abdomen and keeping your feet about hip distance apart. Balance your weight evenly on both feet an...