Dr. Matthew Schaeffer, M.D.

Dr. Schaeffer is a top doctor for spine and back pain

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610-314-4314

Visalus Weight-Loss and Fitness Program

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Nutrition for Long Life

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Eat Right: A Prescription for Healthy Living

Eat right and your body, mind and spirit will love you for it. Ingesting the right foods in the right amounts at the right times of the day will give you maximum improvements in energy, stamina and sense of well being. You will heal from surgery or injury faster, get sick less often, think more clearly, sleep better, exercise easier and be able to use your waking hours more fully and effectively.

There is no pill, medication, vitamin, neutraceutical, surgery, exercise, meditation, protein shake, juicer that is as potent as eating healthy to improve the quality and quantity of your life. Eat right to look better live better and live longer.

Eat Right: History

My recommendations come from experiencing the diet fads and nutrition recommendations that have swept this country or even been somewhat popular over the past 25 years. Similar to many American’s I was taught at home, in school, on the television, in movies, in the supermarket that the “food pyramid” with bread, cereal, rice and pasta as the foundation of daily diet was the healthy way to eat. Three square meals a day with the largest meal being dinner -heavy on the starch, wheat and processed foods such as pasta. I ate this way most of my life and as a young adult (in my 3o’s) I looked and felt like many men – fat and low energy.

My recommendations stem from reading the medical literature on science and nutrition, books on diet, performance, self improvement, attending lectures, fitness gurus, dietitians, observing thousands of patients, personal experimentation and hiring fitness and nutrition experts to retrain my eating habits.

doctor recommended dietEat right: Top Ten Recommendations

1. Eat Less Food

  • Many American’s eat to much food
  • Prepare and serve less food on your plate

2. Eat More Frequently

Eating small portions of the correct foods five to seven times a day will keep you feeling good and living longer

3. Limit Ingestion of Processed or Man-made Foods

90% or more of what you swallow should be food from the earth – grows from the earth or eats what grows from the earth.

4. Water

Water is the foundation from which you build your diet. Drink at least half your pounds of body weight in ounces of water per day. If you weigh 160 pounds each day you should drink 80 ounces of water – simply eight 10 ounce cups of water every waking day. Weigh 200 pounds then drink ten 10 oz. cups of water per day.

5. Vegetables

Most of what you eat should be a fresh vegetable. The vegetable should be at the bottom of the food pyramid – the base from which we build.

6. Lean Protein

Eggs, Chicken, lean meat, fish, low fat dairy, shellfish, tofu, soybeans. Eating protein with each meal will retard glucose spikes and this is important to avoid hunger pains, avoid post-prandial sedation, keep your energy levels sustained as well as decrease chemical mediators of inflammation. All of which will keep you feeling better and living longer.

7. Fruits

High in essential vitamins, fiber and water content. Fruits should be an important part of your daily diet and are great as in-between meal snacks. It is important to temper the glucose spike that occurs after ingesting a fruit by eating a protein or healthy fat at the same time. Example: a handful of nuts.

8. Grains

  • Rice, wheat, oats
  • Limited daily/weekly/monthly ingestion
  • The “top” of our food pyramid- eat very little
  • Can be helpful to eat carbohydrates after exercise if trying to gain muscle mass.

9. Healthy Fats

  • Nuts, olives and avocados contain monounsaturated fatty acids -the healthy fat
  • Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil and walnuts are essential for the body
  • Healthy fats should make up only a small percentage of your daily caloric intake (tippy top of our “food pyramid”).

10. Foods to Avoid

  • Butter
  • Margarine
  • Bacon
  • Sugar
  • Canned Fruits
  • Cold Cuts
  • Salt
  • Soda
  • Cup Cakes
  • Cookies
  • Fried Food

Core Strengthening for a Healthy Back

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back doctor west chester paDr. Matthew Scheaffer recommends Foundation Training to help with core strengthening for a healthy back. Foundation Training is focused on relieving pain, improving athletic performance and preventing injuries with their revolutionary program.All ages and fitness abilities can benefit from Foundation Training because it teaches your body to move as nature intended. Check out their website for videos and information on their programs. Tell them Dr. Schaeffer sent you.

Foundation Training
www.FoundationTraining.com

Yoga For a Healthy Back

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back doctor kennett square paDr. Matthew Scheaffer recommends yoga to help strengthen your back and improve your flexibility. Brandywine Yoga is a local yoga studio offering a range of classes for beginners and experts. Check out their Check out their “Gentle Yoga for Healthy Backs” class! Tell them Dr. Schaeffer sent you!

Brandywine Yoga
1410 Lenape Road, 2nd Floor
(Route 52 in Pocopson above Lenape Pizza)
West Chester PA 19382
610-793-5974
info@brandywineyoga.com
www.brandywineyoga.com

Study Presentation: Comparison Of Transforaminal Epidural Injections Of Methylprednisolone And Dexamethasone In The Treatment Of Lower Back Radicular Pain

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Dr. Matthew Schaeffer, MD was invited to share the results of his study at the International Spine Intervention Society’s (ISIS) 21st Annual Scientific Meeting in July 2013. Below is a link to a summary of his presentation, highlighting the results and supporting research for this study.

Epidural Study 2013 Results

 

 

Study Summary: Comparison of Transforaminal Epidural Injections of Methylprednisolone and Dexamethasone in the Treatment of Lower Back Radicular pain

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Matthew Schaeffer MD, Jeffrey Citara DO, Jimmy Miller

Premier Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Associates, West Chester, PA

Objective: To determine if epidural injections of dexamethasone and methylprednisolone are equally effective.

Design.  Sixty-two patients with lumbar radicular pain were randomized to receive equivalent doses of dexamethasone or methylprednisolone via transforaminal injection. Preoperative testing included visual analog scale and Oswestry Back Disability Index. Postoperative testing included visual analog scale at one and two weeks and three months.  Oswestry Disability Index, Patient Satisfaction Survey and Pain Medication Reduction surveys were administered at two weeks and three months.

Results. Both groups demonstrated significant reductions on the visual analog scale at one and two weeks post-op.  The methylprednisolone group maintained significant reduction on the visual analog scale at three months. Both groups demonstrated a decreased score on the Oswestry Disability Index at two weeks post-op and neither group maintained the significant reduction at three months.

There was no statistical difference in the patient satisfaction survey after two weeks (86% Methylprednisolone, 77% dexamethasone) or three months (81%, 77%).

There was statistical difference in the reduction of use of pain medications after two weeks (79% methylprednisolone, 57% dexamethasone) and three months (77%, 54%).

Conclusion: Methylprednisolone and Dexamethasone are near equally effective in the short term reduction of lumbar radicular pain. Methylprednisolone may be more effective than dexamethasone in sustained reduction of pain and in reducing the use of pain medications.

References

  1. White AH, Derby R, Wynne G. Epidural injections for diagnosis and treatment of low-back pain. Spine 1980;5:78-86
  2. Chan Hong Park, Sang Ho Lee, Bong Kim. Comparison of the Effectiveness of Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Injection with Particulate and Nonparticulate Corticosteroids in Lumbar Radiating Pain. Pain Medicine 2010;11:1654-1658

Chronic Low Back Pain: New Treatments

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Chronic low back pain?

Chances are you have had at least one episode of low back pain – 80% of the population report at least one instance in their lifetime and in 30% of these, the pain will recur. If the low back pain continues longer than 4-6 weeks you may be suffering from zygapophysial joint pain, which is commonly known as “facet syndrome” or facetogenic low back pain.

low back pain doctorThe facet joints connect the vertebrae posteriorly. These joints are found on either side of the spine in the neck, upper back and low back. Facet joint pain occurs when the joint or connecting capsule and or ligaments become inflamed or when the cartilage in the joint wears out or is injured.

It is estimated that facet pain is the cause of chronic low back pain up to 50% of the time in patients over the age of 50 years old.

A good way to accurately diagnose facet joint discomfort is to block the pain signal in the nerves (medial branch nerves) that supply the joints. These diagnostic medial branch blocks are performed as an outpatient procedure under live x-ray. The test involves minimal discomfort and takes less than 10 minutes for the Spine Care physician to perform.

If medicine and therapy are unsuccessful, one proven treatment for this source of back pain is Radiofrequency Neurotomy (RFN). This common modality is often performed in a surgery center and unlike surgery involves no incision. Local anesthetic and a mild sedative are used to keep the patient comfortable. Thin needles are placed next to the medial branch nerves that supply the facet joints. Radiofrequency energy is then used to disrupt the medial branch nerves. Patients typically feel some pain relief with in 1–2 weeks.

In 12–24 months the body may regenerate the nerves that supply the facet joint and if the discomfort returns another RFN can safely be performed.