What You Should Know About the Flu Shot!
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Raking Leaves and a Pain-Free Fall
With summer becoming a distant memory, the leaves will soon be turning colors and falling from the trees, blowing about your yard, driveway and sidewalk. So it’s only natural that your thoughts are turning to the day you’ll need to get the rake out and start to work. However—as with all maintenance and household tasks that require some physical exertion—it‘s very important for you to take a few common-sense precautions against accident and injury.
Fall yard work, leaf raking and other outdoor activities carry numerous risks, including upper and lower back strain, neck strain, and shoulder pain. Just like sports, this type of physical activity can increase your chances of getting hurt if your body isn’t properly prepared for it. You can avoid these types of injuries by warming up, stretching and maintaining good posture as you go about your work.
Athletes are able to reduce the risk of injury by warming up and stretching. You can use this approach too. The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) recommends 10-15 minutes of stretching exercises such as trunk rotations, side-bends and knee-to-chest pulls. When these are combined with a short walk or some jumping jacks (which help to stimulate circulation) and followed by additional stretches, the body is ready for the sort of manual labor associated with raking and yard work.
While raking your yard, good posture can also prevent back problems—make sure you keep your back straight and your head up! Use common sense while working: lift with your legs and bend with your knees, taking care that you don’t strain your back while picking up bundles of leaves and grass. If you’re likely to carry heavy items, hold them close to your body to help prevent back strain. In order to take the pressure off your back, rake using the “scissors” stance: put your right foot forward and the left one back, then reverse after a few minutes. When using a lawn mower, try to use your core body weight to move it as opposed to your arms and back.
Also, remember that it’s important to pace yourself and take frequent breaks. This is particularly important when the weather is hot. If this is the case, also be sure to drink lots of water and wear sun-protection such as a hat, sunblock and sunglasses. Switching tasks regularly can help prevent repetitive motion injuries in vulnerable muscle groups—change body positions, or simply move onto another job for a short period of time before returning to the previous one.
Investing in extra protective gear (maybe some gloves to prevent blisters, a mask if you’re prone to allergies and protective eyewear) can make life easier while taking on outdoor chores. Ergonomic tools with extra padding, larger or curved handles are less tiring to use over a long time period.
One of the most useful things you can do to help prevent accidents and injuries is to have a plan for what you want to accomplish and to make sure that you have realistic expectations about how much you can get done in the time available. If you’re unaccustomed to physical labor, chances are pretty good that you’ll feel a bit stiff or possibly sore the next day. If this happens, you can use ice to soothe the discomfort. Of course, chiropractic care is always available if you need it.
As chiropractic physicians, we’re experts in diagnosing and treating a wide variety of conditions that affect the musculoskeletal and nervous system. We know from experience how easy it is for fall clean-up to unexpectedly go wrong. Please be smart and take reasonable precautions!
Chiropractic Treatments for Whiplash
.Because each individual case of whiplash is different, it is not possible to generalize about the chiropractic whiplash treatment.
The appropriate chiropractic treatment is unique to each whiplash injury and is directed at the primary dysfunctions detected during the chiropractic exam.
However, chiropractors commonly employ different chiropractic treatments for whiplash, often including:
- Manipulation
- Muscle relaxation and/or stimulation
- Various exercises
- Ergonomic and lifestyle changes.
This article explains when, why and how chiropractors may employ these whiplash treatments for neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain, and other related symptoms.
Chiropractic Manipulation for Whiplash
The primary whiplash treatment for joint dysfunction, spinal manipulation involves the chiropractor gently moving the involved joint into the direction in which it is restricted.
Also known as a chiropractic adjustment, spinal manipulation may involve the application of a short thrust in that direction. In many cases, instead of a thrust, a slow mobilizing movement is used by the chiropractor.
Muscle Relaxation or Stimulation as Whiplash Treatments
The chiropractor’s primary whiplash treatment for related muscle dysfunction, muscle relaxation and/or stimulation consist of gentle stretches to the muscle that has excessive tension or repeated contractions of the muscle that is inhibited.
If the muscle is very tight, a more vigorous stretch may be applied by the chiropractor. Gentle finger pressure techniques may be applied to trigger points to relieve the pain associated with the tight muscles.
McKenzie Exercises and Stabilization/Sensorimotor Activities
Chiropractors may employ different types of exercises, including McKenzie exercises and/or stabilization and sensorimotor exercises, to help treat patients with whiplash injuries.
McKenzie exercises are specifically designed to reduce disc derangement related to a whiplash injury. They consist of simple movements that are initially done in the office but make for an easy transition to self-care at home. McKenzie exercises also help the patient take an active role in his or her own recovery.
Stabilization and sensorimotor exercise approaches are designed to correct faulty movement patterns in routine activities and everyday life. Such whiplash treatment trains the nervous system to better coordinate and control movement patterns and improves the ability of the neck muscles to maintain stability of the neck.
These exercises are designed to help in a major trauma, such as a fall or whiplash during a motor vehicle accident, or in “microtrauma” from simple things such as being jostled in a crowd, playing sports or performing occupational or home jobs that require physical effort.
Chiropractic Advice on Ergonomic and Lifestyle Changes
These whiplash treatment suggestions stress improvements for performing everyday activities with minimal strain to the body. The chiropractic advice addresses factors in an individual’s work, home or recreational activities that perpetuate the dysfunctions that result from the whiplash accident.
Additionally, spine care professionals at the chiropractic clinic may teach the patient better “use of self” and, if necessary, stress reduction methods to help chiropractic problems.
Whiplash Treatment in Chiropractic Care
The whiplash treatment plan developed by the chiropractor for each specific problem may include one or more of these approaches and may involve others as well.
In addition to his or her whiplash treatment plan, the doctor of chiropractic might give a referral to another health professional, such as a medical specialist if it is deemed appropriate.
Today’s article was written by Donald Murphy, DC and is shared from the following website: https://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/chiropractic-treatments-whiplash. Today’s image was shared from the following website: https://seriousaccidents.com/personal-injury/whiplash-injuries/
Teens, Back Pain and Chiropractic Care
Looking at the big picture, low back pain is a big problem. The condition affects more than 600 million people worldwide, including over one-third of all Americans—more than the number of people affected by diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined. The financial burden (medical care plus lost productivity) caused by chronic lower back pain in America exceeds $550 billion annually.
That said, one of the saddest aspects of chronic lower back pain is that it doesn’t discriminate between adults and children. And in an era when teens’ musculoskeletal systems are particularly at risk because of reduced physical activity and poor posture (thanks to heavy school backpacks, improper sitting ergonomics and lots of time spent on mobile devices), this problem is only growing larger. In addition, a number of studies have already indicated that lower back pain in adolescents is strongly associated with the development of chronic lower back pain later in life. That’s the bad news for teens. However, the good news is that those adolescents who have been successfully treated to eliminate lower back pain in their youth have a lower risk of developing chronic lower back pain as they grow older.
So it’s natural that the medical community is keenly interested in learning which treatments are most successful in terms of eliminating the lower back pain itself and in preventing it from recurring later in life. This interest led to a recent study. The aim of the study was to determine which of the commonly-available treatment methodologies were most effective. To determine this, researchers performed a meta-analysis of existing studies published in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese to measure which of the treatments used in these studies produced the most consistently positive outcomes in terms of pain, disability, flexibility, endurance, and mental health. The researchers found studies that produced data for 11 treatment groups and 5 control groups involving a total of 334 children and adolescents, and then compared the data.
Their findings were both strong and definitive. Of all the treatment methodologies used in the individual studies, the ones most effective in producing short-term and long-term positive outcomes in the five areas studied were those that involved therapeutic physical conditioning and manual therapy. That is, treatments provided by “hands on” practitioners such as chiropractors, osteopaths, and physical therapists.
These therapies, commonly involving joint and spinal manipulation and ultrasound treatment to reduce pain, were subjectively found to be more effective by the patients than other treatments. The patients’ subjective analysis was confirmed in most of the studies by clinician assessments. Naturally, these “manual therapy” treatment options were preferable in many other ways as well, because they avoided reliance on potentially addictive painkillers like OxyContin and Vicodin, epidural steroid injections, and surgery.
These findings confirm what Doctors of Chiropractic have observed in their own clinics. Over the years, we have seen many patients (of all ages) benefit from the manual therapies we use to provide relief for their lower back pain. So if you (or your children) experience lower back pain—whether occasional or chronic—contact your chiropractor and ask him or her to explain to you the treatment options available, and what they can do to relieve your symptoms and allow you to enjoy life free from pain once again.
Have Some No-Guilt Chocolate Coconut Almond Granola for Breakfast!
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Why Does Back Pain Tend to Recur?
In a recent Consumer Reports survey, 88% of more than 14,000 subscribers who had lower back pain indicated that it had recurred during the prior 12 months. While other academic studies suggest that recurrence may be somewhat less widespread—perhaps affecting between a third and half of all back pain sufferers—it’s very clear that many people experience back pain as a recurring problem.
Professor Doune Macdonald and fellow researchers at the University of Queensland in Brisbane were interested in learning why some people experienced a recurrence of their back pain while others did not. Their investigation found an association between recurrence of low back pain and altered muscle activity in the deep muscle fibers of the lumbar spine. These muscles are also referred to as your “core” muscles, the ones that are most targeted in Pilates training. Your core muscles give strength, balance and stability to the back, and consist of muscles in the lower back, abdomen and pelvis.
The most important of the core muscles for the stability of your back are the multifidus. These run along the length of the spine and help to take some of the pressure off the vertebral discs so that weight is more evenly distributed along the length of the back. When working properly, the multifidus muscles are activated even before any movement takes place, so as to protect the spine against injury from a sudden load of weight (such as when lifting a heavy box or bending over to tie your shoes).
According to a study published in the journal Painin 2009, Macdonald and colleagues found that the multifidus muscles showed later activation in those with recurrent low back pain than in the backs of healthy subjects. Any delay in muscle activation can be a potential problem, as a sudden loading of weight on the spine when it is unprepared can lead to abnormal bending and twisting of the spine, increasing the risk of injury.
Possessing strong multifidus muscles is one of the obvious solutions to preventing the occurrence of low back pain. However, part of the problem is that once this set of muscles has been injured, the multifidus tends to atrophy due to disuse while the patient is healing. Prolonged bed rest is one of the worst ways to recover from low back pain because it encourages the multifidus to atrophy even further.
Chiropractic care that includes rehabilitation exercises and spinal adjustments has been shown to improve the function of the multifidus muscles. Your chiropractor can suggest exercises you can do at home that will strengthen your core muscles in between adjustments. The adjustments themselves will align your spine so that it functions properly and will not put excess strain on the supporting multifidus, thus reducing the likelihood of a recurrence of low back pain.
How Do Chiropractors Measure Pain?
Measuring the amount of pain being experienced by a patient is an essential part of chiropractic assessment prior to treatment. However, unlike objective measures such as the degree of spinal curvature or the range of joint movement, the amount of pain cannot be determined directly, but is instead inferred from the patient themselves or from signs usually associated with it. These two methods—patient self-reporting and inference by examination—are the basic tools chiropractors will use to assess a patient’s pain level.
While the degree of discomfort reported by a patient is an important guide, the subjective experience of pain means that each person will have a different level at which they call pain mild, moderate or extreme. Likewise, patients will all have varying degrees of verbal and physical reactions to different levels of soreness. Taken together, however, self-reporting and examination provide a combination of evidence which can be used to determine pain levels with a reasonable degree of accuracy.
Most chiropractors treating a patient will use an assessment form that asks about the kind of problem that the patient is currently experiencing and the amount of pain it is causing. A basic diagram of the body may also be used to mark locations and levels of pain. Further questions, either in the form of a questionnaire or through a patient interview, may be asked to ascertain the frequency of pain and the nature of movements and activities that may trigger pain or worsen it.
The level of perceived discomfort is often assessed using a pain scale in which the patient is asked to assign a figure to their experience such as from 0 (no pain) to 10 (extreme pain). Although such a scale will be subjective, most patients demonstrate a good deal of internal consistency when it comes to reporting relative pain levels. This means that patient-reporting using this type of pain scale can be useful in determining whether a condition is responding to treatment over time or getting worse, as well as in determining how pain levels fluctuate over the course of a day or in response to certain kinds of activity. In addition to the simple pain scale, there are several specially designed questionnaires that are also used to assess the degree of pain and disability associated with spinal injuries, such as the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale.
Chiropractic assessment of a patient actually begins the moment the patient walks in the door. A skilled chiropractor can tell much about a condition and how much pain someone is in by their overall posture, how they walk, facial expressions of discomfort and involuntary verbalization. While being examined, palpation and movement of problem areas will often give rise to further articulation and tensing against painful movement, which provide further clues both to the location and degree of soreness. A chiropractor may use pain scales during the examination so that patients can communicate in a more focused way how much a certain movement or palpation hurts. Marking these pain levels on a chart provides a baseline measurement that a chiropractor can use to judge the effectiveness of treatment over time.
Although pain measurement is only one method of assessing both the degree of injury and success of treatment, it is an important one. Pain is both a clear sign that something is wrong and an impediment to normal daily activity. In contrast, a reduction in pain following chiropractic therapy increases feelings of wellbeing and provides subjective evidence of improvement. For the chiropractor too, this is an essential indication that they are doing something right. Together with other signs such as increased strength, range of movement and endurance, reduced pain is a welcome indicator that a patient is making progress.
“Freshman 15” Facts and Fiction
The “Freshman 15” idea has been around for more than 20 years. It’s the popular notion that students gain about 15 pounds during their freshman year in college as a result of being away from home for the first time without any parental supervision over what (and how much) is eaten. Intuitively, this seems to make a lot of sense. The combination of easy access to the college cafeteria, lots of new campus delivery and takeout options and unlimited late-night snacking potential make it more likely that a student’s eating patterns will shift, often resulting in larger portions containing more fat, sugar, and salt. This can be especially true for young people who find themselves in a brand new academic, athletic and social setting filled with excitement and—yes—anxiety. But how much truth is there—really—in the Freshman 15?
The Freshman 15 By the Numbers
Like many common catchphrases, the Freshman 15 is shorthand for a combination of fact and fiction. First of all, it IS true that many students gain weight during the first two years at college, and that most of the weight gain tends to occur in the first semester of the freshman year. BUT the effect is usually closer to the “Freshman 3 to 10” than the “Freshman 15.” A study conducted by researchers Jay Zagorsky at Ohio State University and Patricia Smith from the University of Michigan, Dearborn took a close look at the numbers. The investigators analyzed data from 7,418 teenagers who took part in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 and were followed up on each year thereafter. They found that the average amount of weight gain during the freshman year in college was actually 2.5 pounds for women and 3.5 pounds for men. In addition, 25% of college freshmen actually lost weight during that year. Only 5% to 10% of freshmen really gained 15 pounds.
It’s Just as Much About Time of Life as it is Environment
Researchers Zagorsky and Smith discovered that young adults gained about a pound and a half per year, whether they were in college or not. This suggests that weight gain may be part of a broader lifestyle shift that comes with new independence. So what difference does the college environment itself actually make? According to an Auburn University study, the average student gained 11.7 pounds over the course of four years. Even with dorm living that allows constant access to snacks, fast food, and the all-you-can-eat college cafeteria, it did not make a large amount of difference in how much weight students gained. Those who gained the most weight were those who drank large amounts of alcohol.
Zagorsky noted, “College students don’t face an elevated risk of obesity because they gain a large amount of weight during their freshman year. Instead, they have moderate but steady weight gain throughout early adulthood. Anyone who gains 1.5 pounds every year will become obese over time, no matter their initial weight.” This is a very important observation because young adults who gradually put on pounds—whether or not they’re attending college—are establishing a pattern of weight gain that will almost certainly cause health problems if it continues.
What Incoming Freshman Should Know
For those going off to college, the important things to keep in mind in order to avoid gaining weight are basic rules that apply to everyone:
- Eat reasonable portions of a variety of whole foods (including lean meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit).
- Lay off fast food that is chock full of fat, sugar, and salt.
- Avoid snacking between meals (Eat a piece of fruit if you feel hungry.).
- If you must drink alcohol, drink it only in moderation.
- Make it a point to exercise regularly.
By keeping this handful of healthy eating and exercise principles in mind, freshmen can get a positive start on their college years and create lifestyle habits that will serve them well throughout their lifetimes.
Can Chiropractic Adjustments Reduce or Reverse Autism?
Today, we want to share an interesting article from Natural News. Chiropractic adjustments can facilitate amazing healing! We have been blessed to see it! While we cannot claim that chiropractic adjustments can cure or alleviate every condition, we hope this article will give our readers a sense of its potential! It is truly incredible what chiropractic adjustments can do!
Chiropractic adjustments shown to reverse autism in three-year old girl
(NaturalNews) A recent case study reported in the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research suggests that chiropractic adjustments can help reverse and prevent autism and issues related to the autism spectrum. The patient was an adopted three-year-old girl who was born at 28 weeks weighing 2 pounds, 5 ounces by a woman who had a history of prior drug abuse. After two years of abnormal behavior and receiving multiple “autism” diagnoses from medical doctors, her parents decided to take her in for a thorough developmental evaluation. Five critical items were failed: social/emotional, communication, cognitive, adaptive/self-help and sensory.
Little girl’s life changed by chiropractic
The child’s parents brought her to a local chiropractor, presenting with a cocktail of horrible symptoms including common neurological autism manifestations, unrelenting headaches, acid reflux, vomiting, sleeplessness and seizures. Subluxation-based specific chiropractic care was performed on the patient, which resulted in complete resolution of her headaches, acid reflux, vomiting and sleeplessness within one month. Significant improvements in autism-related issues were also noted, including calm behavior, increased eye contact, happier demeanor, improved attitude, increased focus and attention, and an initiation to sound out words. The study reports that the girl continues to progress as evidenced by a significantly increased vocabulary, continued improvement in attention and focus, and complete lack of epileptic episodes.
According to her mother, the patient from this case study has been “off all of her medications, she’s making improvements with her occupational therapists, speech therapists, even her pre-school teachers are noticing a big difference. I’m getting my little girl back – look, she’s making eye contact with me, and even starting to say a few words! She’ll use her hands to do the motions to the Itsy Bitsy Spider song!” Her mother cannot stress enough the impact that chiropractic care has had on her daughter.
Natural health experts speak out
According to Dr. Matthew McCoy, a chiropractor, public health researcher and editor of the journal that published the study, “If you damage or compress or otherwise interfere with the neurological structures in the spine this can have far reaching implications on the functioning of the body. Through research reports like this we are finding that correcting the misalignments or abnormal motion associated with these spinal problems reduces the nerve interference and people experience improvement.”
The authors of the study stated, “We believe that working together, chiropractors, MDs, occupational therapists, and other health care provides will see results by managing the root cause(s) and not just the various symptoms presented by ASD children.”
Vertebral subluxation
“Finding the cause of autism, and not simply masking the symptoms, is the most effective way of managing the disease,” one author of the study says. One such risk is thought to be spinal misalignments and/or abnormal motion of the spine, termed “vertebral subluxations” by chiropractors, which result in structural and neurological interference to the spine and nervous system. It is this interference that may cause a cascade of neuroendocrine events that lead to abnormal cholesterol metabolism. The theory is that, once those spinal distortions are corrected, the body is better able to balance its physiology.
Not surprisingly, other researchers have found similar results in regard to diseases in the autism spectrum being managed by chiropractic adjustments, and this case is one of several emerging studies describing this phenomena.
The authors call for further study in a controlled environment.
Sources:
Amalu WC. Autism, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, strabismus and illness susceptibility: a case study in chiropractic management. Todays Chiropr 1998;27(5):32-47.
Marini NSC, Marini SC. Improvement in autism in a child coupled with reduction in vertebral subluxations; a case study and selective review of the literature: case report; review. J Pediatr Matern & Fam Health Chiropr 2010; 3:107-115.
Cleave J, Alcantara J, Holt K. Improvement in autistic behaviors following chiropractic care: a case series. J Pediatr Matern & Fam Health Chiropr 2011; 4:12-13.
Hoffman N, Russel D. Improvement in a 3 1/2-year-old autistic child following chiropractic intervention to reduce vertebral subluxation. J Vert Sublux Res 2008; 7:1-4.
Cohn A. Improvement in autism spectrum disorder following vertebral subluxation reduction: a case study. J Pediatr Matern & Fam Health 2011; 4:87-91.
http://science.naturalnews.com
http://science.naturalnews.com
About the author:
Eric L. Zielinski, DC (c), MPH (c) has devoted his life to natural health and wellness for over a decade. Inspired by the timeless principles in the Bible, Eric’s mission is to seek out ways to provide people with simple, evidenced-based tools that they need to achieve the Abundant Life. Formally trained as a chiropractor, Eric’s primary approach is to serve his patients and clients through natural health care, nutrition counseling, spiritual mentorship, and empowering life strategies!
Why Do Schools Perform Spinal Screenings?
Many schoolchildren around the country are required to undergo spinal screenings at school when they enter certain grades. Some states require a simple manual spinal screening, while others do the screening alongside a mandatory BMI assessment and checks for chronic health conditions. In many states, spinal periodic screenings are offered on a voluntary basis, and local school districts (as well as local health departments) are encouraged to conduct them as a complement to screenings done by chiropractic physicians and other private healthcare providers.
Why exactly do schools provide spinal screenings? The answer is pretty simple. While each of the 50 states has its own standards for when and how screenings are performed, as well as who should perform them, they all share the same basic goal: detecting early signs of scoliosis.
Scoliosis a condition that involves an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine—either to the left or to the right—when viewed from the front or back. The curvature can occur in any part of the back (though some areas are more common than others) and can vary in degree from slight or moderate to severe. Scoliosis is just one of many conditions that can affect the spine, compromising its ability to support the body’s frame correctly and potentially causing reduced strength and range of motion. If left untreated, it can result in deformity and serious damage to major musculoskeletal structures and internal organs.
Before regular screenings were implemented and information on scoliosis and other spinal curvature disorders was widely disseminated, these conditions often went undetected or were already severe when diagnosed. As a result, many children never received treatment at a time in their development when it could have made a significant difference to their health and quality of life.
According to the Standards for Scoliosis in California Public Schools, published by the California Department of Education-Sacramento, signs of scoliosis appear “in about 10% of the population although only about 2% develop a condition which would need medical treatment. Girls necessitate treatment about 8 times more often than boys. A front to back curvature (kyphosis) is not as prevalent as scoliosis, but it affects boys slightly more often than girls. It is most important to detect the condition as early as possible so that treatment can be provided. Without treatment, undetected scoliosis can get worse rapidly during the growth years and result in physical deformity, limitation of physical activity and other more serious complications.”
Common symptoms of spinal curvature include a bump over the shoulder blade, one shoulder or hip higher than the other, unequal distance between the arms and body, and clothes that don’t seem to fit properly. These signs often go unnoticed—and they are easily confused with poor posture.
The first, subtle signs of curvature frequently start to emerge in early adolescence. However, they regularly go overlooked. In children and teenagers who are otherwise healthy, an abnormal curvature nearly always progresses without discomfort. And since adolescents are very often shy about their bodies, they tend not to see primary care physicians on a regular basis. Thus, a young person (and his or her parents) may have no idea that something is wrong. This is one reason that The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends spinal screening as part of a preventive health visit at 12, 14, and 16 years of age.
It is important to understand that early signs of an abnormal curvature don’t necessarily mean that the curvature will persist or become more severe. Early diagnosis is complicated by the fact that it’s generally impossible to distinguish which slight curves are likely to develop into a serious deformity and which are not. This is why early detection is so important. In many cases, all that is necessary is close observation of the child’s growth and possibly special exercises for flexibility. If the curve does start to develop (most often during the youngster’s time of rapid growth), further progression of the curve can often be halted by wearing a back brace—but only if it is worn before bone growth is complete.
If scoliosis becomes severe, spinal surgery may become necessary. In recent years, school-based spinal screening programs have provided the opportunity for early detection, regular monitoring, and reduction in the need for potentially risky and expensive procedures.
Regular preventive healthcare is important for everyone, but it’s particularly important for children, whose bodies are developing in so many important ways. While periodic spinal screenings should be a part of this preventive care, they are not typically included in checkups or wellness visits. Remember that chiropractic physicians are specially trained to diagnose and treat structural conditions that affect the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, including scoliosis. We encourage parents to take a proactive approach to their children’s spinal health. If you have a teenager at home, please consider making an appointment for a spinal screening. Just call or visit our office to learn more!