Archive for July, 2009
Chiropractic Management Can Help Elbow Pain
Tennis Elbow, the familiar name for elbow pain emanating from the outside, or lateral side, of the elbow happens when one or more tendons of the forearm muscles become irritated or inflamed. These tendons connect to the bony protuberance close to the elbow joint, called the lateral epicondyle, ergo the medical name, “lateral epicondylitis,” in essence inflammation of the epicondyle. If the condition is located on the inside, or medial side, of the elbow it is frequently called Golfer’s Elbow or medial epicondylitis. This, though, is not as prevalent as lateral epicondylitis.
Tennis and golf are not the only activities that may cause epicondylitis. Any activity that demands repetitive gripping of objects can bring about the problem. Many people develop “tennis” or “golfer’s” elbow from other activities like prolonged carrying of heavy bags, knitting, chopping food, and/or computer work using improper wrist and arm posture. With sports, the problem comes up when someone, who is new to a specific game, uses an improper technique, tries out new rackets or clubs, or adds to the intensity or duration of exercise without the appropriate preparation.
Epicondylitis can occasionally start farther up the arm or even in the neck. If a person has a disc complication or spinal subluxation, the nerves that control the forearm muscles may become irritated making the muscles tense and putting heightened strain on the tendon attachment(s). In these circumstances, it predisposes someone to elbow pain from any of the above-mentioned causes. If ignored, joints of the elbow can become subluxated further, and even arthritis can be a development due to the condition. Assessment and adjustments by a qualified chiropractor, such as your Mount Laurel Chiropractor can remedy the condition and assisting in avoiding future complications.
Appropriate treatment is essential because epicondylitis seldom, if ever, resolves on its own. A qualified professional such as a chiropractor can determine the exact cause of the problem and initiate the proper care and treatment. This might include modalities such as ultrasound, electro-therapy, massage, hot and cold therapies, bracing, and home stretching and exercises. Mount Laurel Chiropractic adjustments have proved, in the majority of instances, to be extremely beneficial in the most thorough management of this affliction.
Sports Injuries and Chiropractic Care, The Perfect Solution
Not too long ago sports injuries were mostly limited to professional athletes, young people participating in school sports programs, and the occasional male “weekend warrior. Today, men and women of all ages participate in regular sports and fitness activities. As a whole, most people are involved in sports like golf and tennis, and/or other healthy activities like running, aerobic classes, and weight training. Sadly, risk of injury is certainly possible with any sports activity.
Most injuries can be divided into two fundamental types: injury from trauma such as a slip, fall or collision, and injury as the effect of overuse or repetitive stress.
Traumatic Injuries
As the name implies, this kind of injury creates the sort of incapacitation and debilitation most frequently associated with trauma. Nearly all traumatic injuries are to the ligaments, the tissue that connects bone to bone, and to body muscles, though fractures and dislocations do occur at times, particularly with contact sports. A strain is any injury to either a muscle or its tendon, and a sprain is an injury to ligaments. The most common parts of the body for these sorts of injuries are the ankles, knees, and shoulders, but other areas can be affected including the low back and neck. Because the spinal cord and/or spinal nerves can be affected, injury to the neck and low back can be extremely serious.
Traumatic injuries can range from a mild “muscle pull” or ankle twist to a serious problem requiring surgery. It all depends upon the amount of tearing of the tissues, the area of the body, and the age of the person. Almost all sprains and strains are related to some degree of swelling and on occasion with internal bleeding, especially with injury to the ankles and knees. Strains and sprains need proper attention, particularly during the initial stages of an injury, to assure correct healing and guard against future disability. Attention from a competent health-care professional, such as your Santa Barbara chiropractor, is highly advisable.
If you’ve sustained an injury, the best course of action is to see a professional. Until assistance is attainable, remember the acronym, PRICE:
P Protect injury to prevent further damage
R Rest the injury
I Ice injury to lessen swelling, bleeding, muscle spasm, and pain
C Compress injury with a specialized support or elastic bandage to support injured tissues
E Elevate the injury, expressly when dealing with ankles and knees
Of course it is necessary to get the injury appropriately assessed by a chiropractor, or other competent health professional, to determine the degree of damage. Most of these injuries can heal, though they do require knowledgeable care during the various stages of healing. If not managed correctly, some sprains and strains can result in long-lasting problems such as joint instability, painful or weak joints and muscles, and lack of mobility. A chiropractor that is trained in the care of sports injuries can give the proper advice and treatment you’ll want to have to insure that your injury will recoverl in the best possible way. If you have sustained a traumatic injury, call your Santa Barbara chiropractor.
Overuse or Repetitive Strain Injuries
These injuries are becoming more prevalent, especially among people going out for sports such as golf, tennis, bowling, and any other activity that demands the same activity over and over (repetitively). Even running, particularly on a treadmill, can produce such afflictions.
Basically, overuse or repetitive stress injuries occur when an individual is performs a repetitious activity that causes a tiny strain to tissues, particularly tendons and muscles, that by itself would not generate a problem, but performed many times has an accumulative effect. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is one of the most frequent kinds of overuse injuries. Over time the muscle or other affected tissue develops changes that no longer allow it to function properly, resulting in pain, stiffness and disability. Certain factors predispose a person to these types of injury. Some are “intrinsic,” that is to say, the factor is found within a person’s own body. Other factors are “extrinsic,” which is to say that the factors are external and can frequently be changed or controlled by the individual.
Some of the most common intrinsic factors for injury
Age is the mostgeneral intrinsic factor for injury. The older a person is, the easier it is for that person to get injured. Congenital abnormalities are another factor. There are those who are born with joint or muscle problems. And, ultimately, previous injuries are a factor as they often keep the joints or muscles from functioning normally.
Extrinsic factors for injury
Extrinsic factors are plentiful. A wrong grip size of a tennis racket, worn-out running shoes, an uneven treadmill surface, or a too-hard surface for soccer are all instances of insufficient sports equipment that can cause problems. Improper technique, like an incorrect golf grip or swing, can create stress and strain injuries. An additional factor is poor conditioning. Quite a few individuals are injured because they aren’t in shape. Added frequency or prolonged duration of an activity, without building up slowly, can create the circumstances for injury. Insufficient flexibility can cause injury if someone is too stiff to do an activity properly. Lack of warm-up, like stretching and suitable preparation, is a frequent factor in injuries. And, finally, but perhaps surprising to some, stress is a factor. Being tired or stressed can produce tense, inflexible muscles that are too tight for most activities.
There are a number of factors that are extrinsic and, therefore, within a person’s control. Before beginning a new sport, or as a way to prevent injury in a current sport, it’s a good idea to get an assessment of your overall body condition. If you’ve been injured, it is vital to seek out a qualified professional, like a chiropractor, to determine the nature of the injury and create a plan of therapy. If left untreated, sports injuries can greatly affect a person’s life and limit a favorite activity. Treatment such as joint manipulation, massage, bracing, and specific exercises is often necessary to stabilize the condition. A chiropractor is and excellent source of help. Call a chiropractor if you’re either thinking of beginning a new activity, you’re feeling pain related to a current sports activity, or you’ve sustained a sports injury. Your Santa Barbara Chiropractor has years of experience helping people just like you.
In What Ways Can Chiropractic Help During Pregnancy?
Are chiropractic adjustments safe during pregnancy Well, first off, yes it is highly advisable to get adjusted while you are pregnant. Obviously, your body is going through many changes, and these changes will continue as the pregnancy progresses. One change that goes basically unnoticed is your body’s increased production of the hormone elastin. This hormone is designed to relax the tendons in the pelvis. this easing gives the pelvis more flexibility during the birthing process to make delivering the baby easier.
This process, despite the fact that its function is to assist the mother during labor, can create a lot of back pain in the months leading up to the birth. As the pregnancy advances, more elastin is released, which allows the pelvis to become increasingly more unstable. Add to that the gradual increase in the size of the baby and uterus, and you have the recipe for severe low back pain. As an Oxnard Chiropractor I see many pregnant women in my practice in my clinic for a variety of symptoms, but as a rule it is for their low back pain.
One side benefit of having your spine and pelvis checked by a chiropractor regularly during your pregnancy is that it has been shown to actually decrease labor time. How can it do that? Simply put, if the pelvis is where it needs to be, the muscles contracting during the labor process are more efficient because they don’t have to fight past misaligned joints.
In answer to the second question above, most assuredly chiropractic care during your pregnancy is safe. Not only can chiropractic help you with your low back pain and other associated symptoms, such as heartburn, nausea, swelling, etc., but it is safe to both you and your baby. In addition, should the need arise, a trained chiropractor can assist a mother who has a breached baby. This is done by using the Webster Technique, a low force technique to manipulate the uterus and get the baby into the proper presentation for delivery. A simple Google search on the Webster Technique can give you much more information.
In summation, not only is chiropractic safe for pregnant women, it is also very beneficial in helping with the symptoms associated with their pregnancy. To any pregnant women out there reading this, please go to see your local chiropractor, or if you live or work in the area, look up your Oxnard Chiropractor. We can make you feel a lot more comfortable during your pregnancy, and we can even make the labor process easier.
Can Chiropractic Management Eliminate Balance Challenges?
Santa Barbara Chiropractor: 10 Most Frequent Questions
Controlling and keeping body position while staying still or moving is the essential function of good balance. Good balance helps a person to walk without wobbling, arise from a sitting position without tottering, and to climb stairs without slipping.
Balance challenges are regularly reported by 9 percent of adults, aged 65 and older. Good balance is essential in assisting an older person to stay independent, and implement daily chores and activities. Dizziness, “wooziness,” and problems with balance are experienced by a large majority people as they grow older.
The sensation by many that they, themselves, or objects are spinning is known as “vertigo.” About 40 percent of people nationwide will experience dizziness that is serious enough to go to a doctor. And, among older adults, falls are the prevailing cause of extreme injury and deaths.
Balance and Inner Ear Problems
Three types of balance disorders that are most prevalent are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, labyrinthitis, and Meniere’s disease, but there are quite a few other kinds of balance disorders. Of these three, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most prevalent. Its symptoms involve a brief, intense experience of vertigo with a change in head position, when rolling over to the left or right in bed or when getting out of bed, or when looking up for something on a high shelf. This problem is more likely to happen in persons 60 and older, but it can also take place in younger individuals.
The reasons for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo are diverse. Inner ear infection, head injury, or simply aging can cause the problem. Frequently times a simple Epleys procedure can eliminate the condition, though it can be linked to other disease processes. Your Santa Barbara Chiropractor has many years of experience in this procedure.
Labyrinthitis is an infection or iirritation of the inner ear that creates dizziness and loss of balance. It affects adults of any age and the cause is unknown.
Ménière’s disease is a balance disorder that produces vertigo, hearing loss that comes and goes, tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ears), and a “full feeling” in the ear.
Age is not the only reason these conditions arise, but older individuals are more likely to experience balance disorders. Depending on the reason for the balance disorder, treatment will vary. A chiropractor is highly skilled in discovering and treating a large majority of the causes. On occasion, even simple exercises for vestibular rehab can be the solution to balance challenges. Call a health care professional, such as your Santa Barbara Chiropractor, if you have encountered, or are currently experiencing, dizziness, vertigo, or other challenges with balance.
Not every balance disorders are created by complications in the inner ear. Some may be associated with other areas of the body like the brain or heart. Other components, in addition to aging and ear infection, may involve head injury, certain medicines, challenges with blood circulation, upper respiratory infections, viral infections, stress, fatigue, smoking, alcohol use, stroke, high or low blood pressure, and heart disease.
Balance disorders created by high blood pressure can normally be managed by less sodium intake,maintaining a healthy weight, and exercise. To assist in making the symptoms of dizziness less intense, generally eating low-salt or salt-free foods, and staying away from caffeine and alcohol, will help.
Balance disorders are serious. It is the number one cause of falls and fall-related injuries in older people. It is extremely important to have a possible balance disorder analysed and treated as soon as possible.
If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, you should discuss the symptom(s) with your chiropractor:
• Do you have the feeling of being “unsteady?”
• Does the room seem to spin around you?
• Is there ever a time when you feel as if you are moving when you know you are standing still?
• Do you lose your balance and/or fall?
• Do you feel as if you are falling?
• Does your vision ever become “blurred?”
• Do you ever feel disoriented, or lose a sense of time, place or identify?
Don’t wait until it’s too late! Call your chiropractor today.
Fat in the Front Can Mean Pain in the Back
There are plenty of men and women today in a daily struggle to lose weight, especially excess weight around the middle. But, the need to lose weight is, quite frequently, more than merely a cosmetic issue. The fact of the matter is, if people are lugging around too much weight in their midsection, their back is going to be in pain as an outcome.
Most men and women who are overweight experience moderate to severe back pain. The reason for this is because the spine was not made to haul anything that weighs more than the body is at its naturally healthy weight. As a human being puts on extra poundage, the spine starts to unduly stress and to compress, causing a lot of pain and discomfort. In addition, it can have an impact on the pelvis, tilting it forward and possibly compelling it to pinch the sciatic nerve. This is a primary reason why those who are overweight tend to have problems with their lower back. The suffering is due to either sciatica or the distorting of the spinal column.
If this situation sounds painfully familiar, and it’s your desire to get out pain, certainly the thing to do is to take off the extra weight that you are carrying around, and your spine will immediately respond and reestablish its regular position. Unfortunately, weight loss isn’t easy and it can take time, even with the best of intentions. The good news is you don’t have to live with back pain as you lose the weight. A Costa Mesa chiropractor can assist you in getting the pain relief you’ll need as you shed the extra pounds.
Even so, you will still need to lose the extra weight, and not having back pain will actually help you do it. Losing the extra weight naturally and healthfully is necessary, and there are two (simple but not easy) things that can’t fail: Get some kind of exercise every day, even if it’s just a small amount, and make sure that you take in fewer calories than you burn! Sure, you’ve heard about these two things before. But, now that you’re aware your back is depending on you, it definitely time to get truly motivated.
Start exercising slowly, especially if you’re having problems with back pain. And, most importantly, be sure to seek out Costa Mesa chiropractic care so that you don’t make the mistake that many people do, which is to exercise into the pain. That will only make matters worse. Exercise, though occasionally uncomfortable, should never be painful or cause pain. That’s why it’s essential to see a chiropractor if you’re having difficulties with back pain.
Do simple stretching exercises and also concentrate on your core abdominal body muscles. Strong stomach muscles aid in relieving back pain. Your chiropractor will be able to offer exercises that are best for you, individually. Within just a week or two of dedication to shedding the pounds that are creating your back pain and possibly other health difficulties as well, you should begin to notice a significant difference in the way that you feel.
Can Chiropractic and Acupuncture Approaches Relieve Your Back Pain?
If you are experiencing back pain looking to a conventional healing method may not necessarily be the solution for you. As a matter of fact, many times when medical science is ineffectual in helping a person overcome pain, some natural techniques have been found to be highly effective. Medical approaches, by their nature, tend to treat the symptoms of pain, not the source. Whereas, natural methods seek out the underlying root cause of the symptoms. If you’re looking for natural methods that have been confirmed to be potent in relieving back pain and a number of other afflictions, you need look no further than chiropractic and acupuncture.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture has been performed for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine. It is gaining in popularity in other parts of the world and for a very good reason: A vast number of people have felt relief from their back pain and a number of other afflictions by going to see an acupuncturist on a routine basis. Pursuant to traditional Chinese acupuncture therapy, small needles are put into the body at distinct points that are known to affect a number of different areas of the body. Traditionally, only the needles are used, however on occasion and in particular today, minute electrical currents are sent through the needles into the body. Despite the fact that it may seem as if it would hurt, it rarely ever does and, moreover, many people feel tranquil and pleasurable sensations whenever they are undergoing acupuncture treatments.
Chiropractic
For over one hundred years, chiropractors, such as a Honolulu chiropractor, (also called doctors of chiropractic) have been treating individuals experiencing back pain and other health problems. A chiropractor offers therapy to those who are experiencing musculoskeletal and nervous system challenges. Chiropractic medicine treats the misalignments of the vertebral column that inhibit the operation of the nervous system. These misaligned vertebra can reduce resistance and immunity, thus causing new health problems. An effectual chiropractor has excellent observational and diagnostic skills that aid in discovering physical anomalies and joint problems. Many chiropractors perform neurological tests and orthopedic checks. Some will analyze the posture of someone in an effort to identify postural irregularities, and in addition may study someones gait to determine faulty movement patterns. Chiropractic management non-surgical, drug-free treatment and in addition will offer advice and provide education concerning the benefits of individual lifestyle changes, such as in exercise and nutrition.
So, if you are experiencing back pain, headaches, neck pain, hip pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, balance challenges, or arthritis, and you’ve tried a number of other things and and you’re still suffering, it could be time for you to try chiropractic and acupuncture. The only way that you’re going to be able to tell is to visit a good chiropractor or acupuncturist, and to let them to tell you precisely what they can do for you. More than likely you will experience some relief from your pain even after only one visit. With subsequent visits, you will continue to make improvements, and it is likely that you will find that these natural treatments work best for your back pain.