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Category: Back Pain

Curve Rehabilitation and Posture Correction Programs

Curve Rehabilitation and Posture Correction Programs

Young woman with back pain isolated on white.As unfortunate as it is, loss of normal spinal curvature and poor posture are extremely common. Given the amount of time we spend staring at various screens—whether sitting at an office desk or walking down the street—it’s not surprising that our bodies are being affected. It’s also not surprising that back and neck pain has become the second most frequent reason for visiting a doctor.

Many people presenting with back and neck pain also suffer from a loss of normal spinal curvature. Luckily, there are a number of treatment options that can be used to restore the normal curve and to help patients relearn good posture. Broadly speaking, loss of the normal curve most commonly involves one of three conditions: lumbar hyperlordosis, scoliosis, and abnormal kyphosis. Each has a number of curve rehabilitation techniques associated with it.

Lumbar Hyperlordosis

Patients with lumbar hyperlordosis (also known as “swayback” or “saddle back”) have developed an exaggerated arch in the lower back (the lumbar region of the spine) that typically makes the buttocks and belly appear more prominent. The treatment approach will often depend on the severity of the abnormal curve and the amount of mobility that still exists in this area of spine. If the curve is not flexible, then it is more likely that treatment will be necessary.

Since hyperlordosis places unusual stress on the vertebrae and spinal discs, failing to seek treatment increases the risk of accelerated spinal degeneration, disc herniation and other structural problems. These, in turn, can cause pain and limit function. Over time, other areas of the body—including the hips, legs and internal organs—may also be affected.

Chiropractors are experts in diagnosing and treating a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions that affect the back and neck. Depending on the situation, they may use a combination of chiropractic adjustments, spinal molding blocks and foam rolls to restore the normal curve. They will also work closely with patients to make postural adjustments, strengthen core muscles and increase range of motion. When a child has hyperlordosis, treatment may involve a brace, which helps to ensure that the abnormal curve doesn’t worsen as he or she grows.

For the most severe and painful cases of hyperlordosis, surgery may be necessary. The objective of this surgery is to correct the severity of the curve and provide additional support for the body’s frame. Such surgery may involve metal rods, hooks, or screws. Surgeons may also use a bone graft to stimulate new growth and strength.

Scoliosis

The word “scoliosis” is more widely recognized than hyperlordosis among the general public. It refers to an abnormal c- or s-shaped lateral curvature of the spine—one that is apparent while looking at an individual from the front or back. In some cases, a patient’s head may appear off-center or one shoulder or hip may be higher than the other.

In about 80% of cases, the cause of scoliosis is not known. This is generally referred to as “idiopathic”. Scoliosis may also be “functional” (an abnormal curve develops because of a problem elsewhere in the body), “neuromuscular” (a curve is caused by abnormally formed vertebrae) or “degenerative” (the curve is the result of deterioration, damage or weakness in the spine’s supporting structures—bone or soft tissue—during later years).

Treatment options for scoliosis depend on the severity and location of the curve, its cause and the likelihood of it getting worse as the patient gets older. Treatment typically involves braces for children and adolescents if their spinal curves are between 25 and 40 degrees. However, the brace’s straightening effect only lasts as long as the patient wears it. Those with a curve beyond 40 degrees to 50 degrees are often candidates for scoliosis surgery. As WebMD puts it, “The goal is to make sure the curve does not get worse, but surgery does not perfectly straighten the spine. During the procedure, metallic implants are utilized to correct some of the curvature and hold it in the correct position until a bone graft, placed at the time of surgery, consolidates and creates a rigid fusion in the area of the curve. Scoliosis surgery usually involves joining the vertebrae together permanently—called spinal fusion.”

Abnormal Kyphosis

Abnormal kyphosis is an outward curvature of the thoracic spine (middle back) that results in a “hunched forward” or “hunchbacked” appearance. It is often caused by poor posture. In these cases—referred to as “postural kyphosis—a chiropractor can reduce the hump by prescribing lifestyle changes and strengthening exercises that improve posture. He or she may also use a variety of spinal adjustment techniques to reduce pain and inflammation, calm muscle spasms, restore range of motion and slow the rate of disc degeneration in the middle back.

 

Chiropractic Care and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Chiropractic Care and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

?????????????????????After years of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, large numbers of U.S. servicemen and women have returned home with a wide range of physical and psychological injuries. While the American media has done a great deal to raise awareness of many of the challenges they face, from traumatic brain injuries and lost limbs to hearing loss and PTSD, other health issues have received much less attention. Back pain–often serious and sometimes debilitating–is one of them. “We see quite a bit of spine pain among returning veterans,” said Tom Kotsonis, a staff physician in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Zablocki Veterans Administration Medical Center in Milwaukee. “The vast majority of young combat veterans we see are suffering from neck and back pain.”

In fact, the Spine Journal has reported that “There have been 10 times as many long-term spinal pain casualties unrelated to combat injuries among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans compared with blast injuries. After being medically evacuated from Iraq with non-battle-related spinal pain, patients have less than a 20% chance of returning to their unit and regular duty. [In addition,] 60% of veterans seeking care for spine problems have serious psychological distress.”

These kinds of statistics raise a number of questions that deserve answers. What’s causing this increased incidence of back and neck pain among the troops? And what’s being done about it?

According to the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Journal Sentinel, many U.S. Army infantry men and women on tour in Iraq and Afghanistan carry 50 to 60 pounds (or more) on their backs for hours daily while performing foot patrols. Heavy helmets, body armor, gear, weapons, and extra ammunition all weigh them down, causing considerable stress on the neck and spine. “The number of people getting evacuated from war zones for back pain has been as high as 60% of the wounded,” explains Eugene Carragee, an editor for The Spine.

Faced with these kinds of experiences in the field, many veterans are looking for help from their own: the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) reports that a VA policy allows veterans access to chiropractic care. In fact, the VA has begun providing veterans chiropractic care by employing chiropractic doctors on staff at VA hospitals.

From the F4CP: “The VA now provides chiropractic care (via hired or contracted staff) at approximately 40 major VA treatment facilities within the United States. Unfortunately, an overwhelming majority of America’s veterans still do not have access to chiropractic care because the VA has taken no action to provide chiropractic care at approximately 100 of its major medical facilities.”

This is indeed unfortunate—according to Military.com, VA hospitals with chiropractors on staff are in just 23 states: California, Maine, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Georgia, Kansas, Montana, New York, Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nevada, Tennessee, South Carolina, Washington, Michigan, New Mexico, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Texas, South Dakota, and West Virginia.

Retired Brigadier General Rebecca S. Halstead has been a vocal advocate for expanding chiropractic care among America’s military personnel. She understands first-hand the physical wear and tear that comes with serving in both combat and support roles. Plus, her own struggles with fibromyalgia and experience with chiropractic care have also helped to shape her perspective.

“They set me on a path of getting well. I’m the healthiest I’ve been in 10 years. I was taking eight or 10 prescription drugs in 2008. The more I went to the chiropractor, the less prescriptions I needed.”

“When I retired, my pain was easily a 9 or 10 (on a 10-point scale) every single day. My pain now is a 2 or 3, and maybe even sometimes a 1. I don’t think I’ve hit a 10 since I started regularly seeing a chiropractor.”

“If I had known how much chiropractic care would help me when I was a commander in Iraq and in the United States, I could have taken better care of my soldiers.”

There are two congressional bills that, if signed into law, could help veterans get expanded access to the help they need, according to the American Chiropractic Association. The first is H.R.921, the Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act. If signed into law, H.R.921 would require the VA to have a chiropractic physician on staff at all major VA medical facilities by 2016. In addition, there is S.422, Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act of 2013, which would also require the same as HR 921. Neither of these bills have yet been passed, but any citizen can contact their Congressman or Congresswoman to voice their support for those men and women who have served their country.

General Halstead herself sees this as a priority. “Until we’ve done that we have not fulfilled our leadership responsibility,” Halstead said. “If you want to help them, see a congressman and ask ‘aren’t our men and women getting these benefits?’

For High School Athletes, Sports-Related Back Pain Starts Early

For High School Athletes, Sports-Related Back Pain Starts Early

gridironPeople often assume that lower back pain (LBP) is just a problem just for the elderly, or for middle-aged adults who have a history of physical wear and tear. But this is simply untrue. The fact is that over 31 million Americans live with lower back pain on a regular basis, and a great number of them are adolescents.

Recent studies have indicated that many high school students who participate in sports programs are at high risk for developing lower back pain—and worse, few of them seek or receive proper chiropractic treatment. This is increasingly recognized as a legitimate public health concern: A 25-year-long study of adolescent risk factors for LBP, published in 2000, revealed that students who had lower back pain at age 14 were likelier to have back pain 25 years later than students who didn’t have LBP when they were teenagers. This study suggested that prevention of back pain in youth may contribute to the absence of back pain in adulthood.

14 years later, not much has changed. A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine examined Finnish teenage athletes participating in a variety of sports. Researchers looked at the experience of 464 male and female athletes representing 22 basketball, floorball (a type of floor hockey popular in Nordic countries), ice hockey, and volleyball teams. They found that 255 athletes (55%) had experienced lower back pain in the past year. 51 players (11%) had suffered for longer than four weeks, and 80 (17.2%) had pain so severe that they had to miss training. However, only about 73 of them (29% of those with back pain) had received any medical attention for LBP.

Another study of 12,306 adolescent soccer players found that a significant percentage of them were likely to suffer injuries that cause lower back pain, resulting in the loss of 10,265 training days and—more importantly—putting them at higher risk for LBP as they age. The study also concluded that the likelihood of injury resulting in LBP increased dramatically if a young athlete received no medical attention, then returned to play before the injury had healed.

Parents of teenage athletes should weigh all of this information carefully if their son or daughter begins to complain of lower back pain. Don’t let them ignore it and go back to playing without having the condition treated. Remember—“walking it off” today could have longer-term health consequences that go beyond the discomfort or pain they’re feeling in the moment. Parents should also know that other studies have found chiropractic care to be the safest, most effective form of LBP treatment. Your chiropractor can help relieve your child’s pain today and help prevent a lifetime of lower back pain in the future, without drugs and without surgery. Call or visit our office today to learn more.

Head-to-Head: Chiropractic Adjustments or NSAIDs for Acute Lower Back Pain?

Head-to-Head: Chiropractic Adjustments or NSAIDs for Acute Lower Back Pain?

???????????????????????Lower back pain (LBP) is so widespread that it was listed in the 2010 Global Burden of Disease report as being the single leading cause of disability worldwide. Over half of all working Americans have lower back pain symptoms each year, resulting in lost work time and enormous expense – Americans spend over $50 billion each year to treat their back pain.

So it’s not surprising that a great deal of research is being conducted to determine the most effective methods for treating acute LBP. Much of this research has sought to compare the effectiveness of spinal manipulation (the sort of adjustments performed by Doctors of Chiropractic) with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). While these studies have generally not produced definitive findings one way or the other, they have served to highlight potential safety concerns related to NSAIDs. For example, investigators in one study found that diclofenac (an NSAID commonly used to treat LBP) increased the risk of gastrointestinal complications by 54% and posed other risks to the kidneys.

Given the added concern about NSAID side effects, researchers and clinicians have had a renewed interest in learning whether drug-free manual therapies—chiropractic care, in particular—can really be just as effective, but safer. According to a recent study published in the April 2013 edition of the journal Spine, the answer is YES! In fact, the research team that conducted the study found that chiropractic adjustments were both safer and FAR MORE EFFECTIVE.

In this study, investigators divided a total of 101 patients suffering from acute lower back pain into three groups. One group received chiropractic spinal manipulation plus a placebo (sham) version of the NSAID diclofenac (meaning that the only treatment actually being offered was chiropractic care). A second group received sham spinal manipulation and real diclofenac (meaning that the NSAID was the only treatment being employed). And a third group received the same sham spinal manipulation plus placebo diclofenac (meaning that no treatment was actually being offered – this was the “control group”). All treatments were “blinded,” meaning that the patients did not know whether they were receiving real or sham spinal manipulation or real or placebo diclofenac. Outcomes were measured based on a combination of patient self-reporting, physical examination, missed work time, and the amount of rescue medication (paracetamol tablets) participants required over a 12-week period.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, about half of the participants in the “control” group receiving no treatment dropped out of the study because of intolerable pain. Comparing the remaining no-intervention subjects and the two remaining intervention groups, researchers found that the group receiving chiropractic high-velocity low-amplitude (HVLA) manipulation fared significantly better than the group being treated with diclofenac and the control group.

Researchers reported a clear difference between the two intervention groups: “The groups receiving spinal manipulation showed a faster and more distinct reduction in the RMS [root mean square, a standardized test of flexibility and mobility]. Subjects also noted a faster and quantitatively more distinct reduction in their subjective estimation of pain after manipulation.” They also found that the group treated only with the NSAID diclofenac required more rescue medication (paracetamol) than the spinal manipulation group, taking 3 times as many tablets and for twice the number of days. No negative effects were reported from the spinal manipulation group, but several negative effects were reported from the diclofenac group.

So, overall, this study indicates a clear “win” for chiropractic in the treatment of acute lower back pain. Not only does HVLA spinal manipulation avoid the potential safety concerns of NSAID medications such as diclofenac, it has been found to be far more effective. Remember this the next time you experience lower back pain, and consider seeing your chiropractor first. This one simple decision may help you recover more quickly and more completely while also helping you avoid the negative side effects of NSAIDs.

 

Can Chiropractic Care Really Reduce Your Sensitivity to Pain?

Can Chiropractic Care Really Reduce Your Sensitivity to Pain?

???????????Chronic back pain is a worldwide problem. According to the 2010 Global Burden of Disease report, it is the single leading cause of disability worldwide. In America, an estimated $50 billion is spent each year to treat back pain. And that figure doesn’t even take into account broader economic or societal costs that come with lower productivity and wages lost to work absences. As a result, chronic pain (whether it’s located in the back, neck, head or elsewhere in the body) and its treatment is an issue—either directly or indirectly—affects all of our lives.

Over the years, there have been tens of thousands of anecdotal reports from patients who found relief from their chronic pain as the result of chiropractic spinal manipulation therapy (SMT). There have also been a number of research studies that documented pain relief after receiving spinal adjustments, especially with regard to decreased sensitivity to pain. But critics have always been able to suggest that the pain relief experienced in these studies might be due more to the placebo effect and “expecting” relief than to the therapy itself.

New research from the University of Florida, published in the February issue of the Journal of Pain, provides demonstrable proof that the pain relief from spinal manipulation therapy is the result of the therapy itself, and not simply the result of patient expectations. In this study, researchers worked with 110 participants suffering from chronic back pain. They assigned them randomly to four groups. A control group received no intervention at all, the SMT group received real spinal manipulation therapy, a third group received placebo SMT (non-chiropractic manipulations designed to simulate treatment) and the fourth group received “enhanced” placebo SMT accompanied by instructions that said “The manual therapy technique you will receive has been shown to significantly reduce low back pain in some people.” Patients then received their therapies or mock therapies six times over a period of 2 weeks. Pain sensitivity was assessed at the start and the end of the experiment.

The study design was thus intended to determine how much of any pain relief experienced by the test subjects was due to the placebo effect. Patients in the real SMT group experienced much more significant reductions in their sensitivity to pain than the control group (as expected), but also more pain reduction than either of the placebo SMT groups, including the group that had been “implanted” with the expectation that it would relieve their pain. The researchers suggest that real spinal manipulation therapy created changes to central nervous system response or the processing of neural pain input that the placebo treatments did not. They attributed the pain relief to “the modulation of dorsal horn excitability and lessening of central sensitization. This suggests potential for SMT to be a clinically beneficial intervention.”

These results should not surprise either chiropractors or their patients, who have had first-hand experience with spinal manipulation for years and understand its potential to reduce pain sensitivity in patients. But it is useful information to those who still doubt chiropractic’s ability to provide real relief without drugs or surgery. The pain alleviation produced by chiropractic adjustments has been determined to be a real and valuable alternative to other types of treatment than may involve far more risk and expense.

 

Chiropractic Care and Postpartum Depression

Chiropractic Care and Postpartum Depression

???????????????Many research studies have confirmed the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy. The postural and hormonal changes a woman goes through during pregnancy are potentially debilitating, and chiropractic adjustments have been shown to alleviate many of the most common problems. Studies have indicated that regular chiropractic care during pregnancy helps to prevent breech deliveries, permits more unobstructed fetal development, and reduces birth trauma in the infant. For the mother, chiropractic adjustments often relieve back pain during pregnancy, reduce labor time and make delivery easier.

But several of the important benefits of chiropractic care only become apparent after the birth. The hormonal and postural changes of pregnancy, combined with the stress of delivery itself, often cause severe symptoms of postpartum depression after the baby is born. Chiropractic adjustments during this recovery period can help to reduce the likelihood of postpartum depression, quicken recovery time, and help new mothers to re-normalize their pelvic and spinal structures.

At least one 1975 study published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association indicates that “post-partum depression is a rarity in patients receiving…manipulative [adjustment] therapy.” And the first-hand reports from the new mothers seem to reflect this same finding—many cite regular post-delivery chiropractic care as being as important to their overall mental health as it was to their physical health during the pregnancy itself. Intuitively, you can easily understand why this would be the case. Not only is the new mother’s body trying to return to some semblance of “normalcy” after nine months of pregnancy and the stress of delivery, it’s doing so during a period when they are “new mothers.” They aren’t getting enough sleep, they are so busy taking care of their new babies that they often don’t have the time to eat properly themselves or get enough exercise, and their hormones are still going crazy.

Doctors of chiropractic can offer a great deal of support during this critical period, ranging from “hands on” adjustments, relaxation therapies, and massage treatments to nutritional, exercise, and lifestyle advice that help new mothers’ bodies grow stronger. And, of course, chiropractic does this the same way it addresses other problems – in a holistic manner, without drugs and without surgery, aiming at helping the body heal itself.

From a biomechanical point of view, your “post-partum” period lasts for a full year after giving birth. It takes that long for the hormone relaxin– so essential in facilitating the bone and connective tissue changes necessary to give birth – to leave the body. During this time, the hormone continues to affect your ligaments, spine, and pelvis. It can produce pain and feelings of instability that make it difficult to stand and walk normally. These physical changes are magnified emotionally, as your hormone levels change and you deal with the pressures of being a new parent.

So even if you didn’t take advantage of chiropractic care during your pregnancy, consider using it during this period after the baby has been born. It can help in many ways, and anything that helps to re-establish your normal sense of health and well-being is good for your baby, too.

Rediscovering Exercise After Years of Being Inactive? Take the SMART Approach

Rediscovering Exercise After Years of Being Inactive? Take the SMART Approach

Senior cycling groupArtists who work with glass or metal know that you should not try to bend or shape the material while it remains cold and brittle. Glass will shatter. Metal will break or quickly show signs of fatigue and damage. Our bodies also need to be warmed up to change. They need the tender, loving care of an artist to reshape them. You are that artist. And sculpting your new body takes time, patience and persistence. And yes, it takes hard work.

You can’t expect your body to react well at the beginning if you ask it to do too much after years of inactivity. Using the following SMART approach to exercise will help you get back into an exercise routine and allow you to reach your goals:

Specific—It’s most effective set exercise goals that are well-defined rather than vague. Say you want to be a trim, 165 pounds of muscle and vibrant energy. This approach to defining your goal not only gives you a specific weight to shoot for, but also describes the feeling you want to go with it.

Measurable—This makes your goal even more concrete and will help you see the progress you’re making in an objective way. Not every approach to measurement uses numbers, but numerical criteria are usually the easiest to work with. This goes for measuring activity as well as measuring the results. For example, a 30-minute, brisk walk is measurable. If you’ve only walked 25 minutes, you know you’re not done. Keeping a journal helps you compare these details later.

Action-oriented—You have to put your dreams into action, and exercise is all about physical movement. But don’t let repetitive exercise become boring. Add different kinds of action. In fact, sports medicine doctors recommend varying the activity between stretching, light endurance, vigorous strength and other types of exercise. This helps to prevent heart attacks, sprains and other maladies from pushing too hard, too fast. It also helps to keep things more interesting.

Realistic—Never let anyone tell you that something cannot be done. By the same token, it never makes sense to ignore reality. If you are not realistic in your goals, you are setting yourself up for failure. Set a few attainable short-term goals when you are starting out in a new exercise program so you are more likely to stick with it as time goes on. It will help give you more confidence and you will be more motivated to set your goals a little higher each time.

Time-related—Set deadlines. This helps to keep you challenged so you keep moving forward. Naturally, any deadline needs to be realistic (see above). You should not expect to be running marathons in one month after a couple of decades of desk work, in-car commutes and armchair quarterbacking.

How Chiropractic Care Has Helped Me: Introducing Jeff Gordon

How Chiropractic Care Has Helped Me: Introducing Jeff Gordon

jeff-gordon-200-300To any NASCAR fan, Jeff Gordon is a household name. His list of accomplishments on the track is impressive by almost any measure:

  • After winning 3 races, Gordon joined Hendrick Motorsports in 1993 as part of the Sprint Cup Series in NASCAR.
  • In 1998, Gordon was named to NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers” list.
  • In 2008, ESPN’s Terry Blount put him at #10 in a list of 25 all-time greats, and Fox Sports ranked him as #5 on its list of all-time best NASCAR drivers.
  • In 2009, Gordon became the first-ever NASCAR driver to achieve career winnings of $100 million.

After winning the Daytona 500 three times (1997, 1999 and 2005), and the Sprint Cup Series four times (1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001), Gordon had become a universally-recognized superstar in the sport. But things changed in 2008.

From 2008 to 2009, Jeff Gordon suffered from chronic back pain. An MRI performed half way through the 2009 season revealed what looked like an arthritic condition. He went through rigorous treatments that included physical therapy, stretching exercises and chiropractic treatments. Gordon noted that “there have been times, especially last year, but even this year, when I’ve been thinking about my back when I should be thinking about the car.”

All race car drivers experience tremendous G-forces on the track. This can wear on the health of the spine and create problems if not regularly treated. The pain experienced by drivers can be quite distracting and could shorten their careers if the distraction becomes too great to allow safe driving. NASCAR has a strictly-enforced drug policy that prohibits the use of pain medications that might otherwise alleviate some of the discomfort.

That’s what makes chiropractic such a perfect fit. Its therapies are non-invasive and drug-free. New York-area chiropractor, Dr. David Levine, DC, has discovered techniques that are particularly effective for the injuries suffered by athletes.

“The technique,” said Dr. Levine, “basically involves examining the patient and searching for muscle spasm, areas of pain and tenderness, restriction of motion, and inflammation. Once the treatment is completed, usually within 30 minutes, the patient will often begin to quickly notice relief.”

Jeff Gordon isn’t the only star athlete Dr. Levine has helped. His website contains testimonials from the NY Jets’ former All-Pro Linebacker Lance Mehl and numerous other NFL and NBA players. Dr. Levine’s specialized pain management chiropractic techniques currently have a 90% success rate helping athletes and injured soldiers overcome their debilitating pain.

Car Accidents and Delayed Symptoms: What You Need to Know

Car Accidents and Delayed Symptoms: What You Need to Know

rescue # 3Even if your recent fender bender didn’t seem too serious, there’s still a very real chance that you or your passengers may have been hurt. That’s because even the most minor car accidents can cause hidden injuries and delayed symptoms. And while damage to your car is likely obvious and easy to assess, evaluating damage to your body may be far more difficult. In fact, it’s not unusual for a driver or passenger to walk away from a collision with potentially serious musculoskeletal injuries (such as a concussion or whiplash), without knowing it.

Because of the stress response, right after an accident the body’s defenses are on high alert. Any pain may be masked by endorphins produced by the body during and shortly after this kind of traumatic event. Endorphins help the body manage pain and stress and can create a temporary euphoria or “high” feeling. When the threat of the accident is gone, endorphin production slowly disappears, allowing you to feel pain that may have remained hidden earlier.

Perhaps the most common delayed symptom is that of whiplash. Whiplash consists of soft tissue damage in the neck from the sudden acceleration and deceleration of the head, creating hyperflexion and hyperextension of the neck. This can not only cause damage to the muscles, tendons and ligaments of your neck, it can also occasionally fracture or dislocate vertebrae and cause any of the following symptoms to show up later:

  • Headaches
  • Reduced range of motion or difficulty moving
  • Slowed reflexes
  • Vertigo
  • Muscle spasms
  • Localized weakness or numbness
  • Stiffness in shoulders and arms

Every bit as serious as any broken bones or lacerations, a concussion can prove to be a grave threat to your health. Quite simply, a concussion is the result of the brain colliding with the inside of the skull from a rapid acceleration or deceleration. Not all concussions occur because of bumping the head. If the head is restrained in any way and the restraint suddenly stops or suddenly jerks into motion, a concussion may occur. Symptoms of concussion include the following:

  • Headaches
  • Bad temper
  • Nausea
  • Spasms
  • Loss of balance
  • Blurred or double vision
  • Disorientation
  • Confusion
  • Amnesia
  • Ringing in the ears
  • Difficulty concentrating or reasoning
  • Anxiety or depression
  • Tiredness, sleeplessness, or other problems with your ability to sleep

 

The key point with any of these symptoms is to know whether or not you had them before the accident. Someone who knows you or lives with you can help identify any changes in your behavior that may indicate a possible concussion. If you didn’t have a symptom that you’re now experiencing, see your doctor right away.

In addition to the health consequences of car accidents with delayed symptoms, there is also the insurance aspect to consider. Because many accident-related injuries don’t show up immediately, you may have to pay out-of-pocket for the medical expenses from any delayed symptoms if you settle with your insurance company right away. Therefore, consider waiting a few days before signing any release of liability so that any delayed symptoms have an opportunity to reveal themselves. Seeing a chiropractor for a medical evaluation as soon as possible after an accident is also a good idea, since he or she can help identify injuries and start treatment promptly. In many cases, seeking appropriate medical care soon after an accident can improve your chances of a more complete and more rapid recovery.

Top 5 Ways to Keep Your Knees Younger Longer

Top 5 Ways to Keep Your Knees Younger Longer

footballSome aches and pains are normal as we age, but there’s no reason why we should not try to keep them to a minimum. Knee health is important in keeping you mobile as you get older, and experts agree that the best way to keep them in good shape is (ideally) to avoid receiving a knee injury. Even old injuries to the knee that may have happened when you were in your 20s can come back to haunt you in your retirement years. You may not be able to go back in time and avoid the injury, but there are some things you can do to help keep your knees from being prone to injury. Following are the top 5 ways experts recommend to keep your knees younger longer.

Wear the proper shoes for your needs – If your feet are overpronated (roll to the inside) or supinated (roll to the outside), or if you have fallen arches, it can affect your knees. You can buy orthotic inserts for your shoes to help correct the problem and take the pressure off your knees. You should also avoid wearing high heels for long periods of time, as studies have shown that wearing them leads to an increased risk of knee osteoarthritis.

Don’t overdo it on the exercise – This can be a particular problem with “weekend warriors” who feel they must fit in as much exercise as possible over the weekend because they don’t have time during the week. This can contribute to an overloading of the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the knee that are not accustomed to regular exercise, leading to an injury or even micro-tears that may not show up immediately, but which increase over time.

Lose weight – Any high-impact activities are extra hard on the knees if you are overweight. If you are overweight, running and other sports that have great impact on the knees should be avoided until you have achieved a normal weight. Practice other forms of exercise in the meantime that take the pressure off the knee, such as swimming or cycling.

Increase strength and flexibility – Concentrate on stretching and strengthening the hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors and the vastus medialis oblique (VMO) muscles, as these provide the greatest support to the knees and ensure that the patella tracks properly. Women are especially prone to improper patellar tracking, which places more stress on the ligaments of the knee. This creates a popping or grinding sound when you bend the knee, often accompanied by pain. Yoga and pilates are good ways to keep the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the leg and knee strong and flexible.

Have regular chiropractic adjustments – If your spine or hips are misaligned, the stress your knees have to bear is much greater. Sacroiliac and lumbar misalignments can make one leg shorter than the other so your gait is not straight. A study of 18 people who had knee pain due to muscle tightness showed there was a significant improvement of the condition in all subjects after having a chiropractic adjustment to the sacroiliac joint. Regular chiropractic care can help keep excessive strain off your knees and increase range of motion.