Whiplash – What Can I Do To Help?

Whiplash occurs when the neck is suddenly and forcefully jerked, and is typically associated with car crashes.  The speed at which the neck is forced upon impact is faster than we can contract our muscles in attempt to stop the forceful movement.  This results in muscle, tendon, and/or ligament over-stretching, even tearing.  Symptoms include stiff and painful neck movements, weakness or, the head “feels heavy” making it challenging to “hold up” as well as headache, and sometimes dizziness, ear noises, TMJ or jaw pain, and “mental fog.” What should be done if a whiplash injury occurs?

The amount or degree of damage to the soft tissues – that is, the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and disks of the neck — will be the deciding factors as to how much rest vs. activity should be initially performed.  If there are no fractures, dislocations or other injuries resulting in an unstable cervical spine (neck), studies have shown rest and a soft collar is actually harmful when compared to early return to activity and exercises.  Chiropractic treatment, which essentially exercises the joints of the neck, has been shown to speed recovery when performed sooner rather than later after a whiplash injury.  A handy way to classify the injury includes four categories: 1) Pain with no significant abnormal clinical findings; 2) Pain with mild clinical findings and range of motion loss; 3) Pain with neurological injury (resulting in radiating arm pain); and 4) Pain associated with fracture and/or dislocation.  Those suffering with category 1 or 2 injuries should minimize rest, collar use, proceed with life’s activities and not be afraid to do desired activities.  More aggressive exercise and, utilizing chiropractic adjustments as soon as possible is very effective in the first two categories of injury.  Category 4 (fractures and dislocations) injuries require the use of a rigid collar usually for 4-6 weeks as rest/protection is imperative. Category 3 demands careful monitoring by your chiropractor as neurological problems like arm pain and numbness, muscle strength weakness, must be watched during the healing process.  The use of ice is helpful with all four categories of injury and exercise training is important and can be started sooner in the first two categories of injury.

What can you do if you sustain a whiplash injury?  The first order of self-help is the use of ice.  This is a much better choice over the use of heat as ice reduces swelling and pain while heat can increase swelling because it brings in more blood flow into an already swollen area.  The heat may feel good during its use but most patients report the pain either returns shortly thereafter or feels worse.    The good news is that you will never hurt yourself by using ice but, you can make it hurt worse by using heat too soon so, when in doubt, use ice!  The next, very important, recommendation is to utilize exercises to stretch and strengthen the neck and upper back region. The “general rule” of exercise is slow repetitions staying within “reasonable” boundaries of pain.  That is, a good, stretch type of pain is encouraged while avoiding sharp pain.  We have discussed several very practical neck stretches and strengthening exercises previously and we will again address this in the future. Posture correction and keeping your head back over your shoulders is very helpful as well. We realize that you have a choice in where you choose for your healthcare services.  If you, a friend or family member requires care for whiplash, chiropractic care is a logical first choice and we would be honored to offer our services to you.

YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR WHIPLASH!
FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 262-251-8306

Can Chronic Back Pain Shrink the Brain?

If you’re one of the millions of people with chronic back pain, scientists say your brain may age up to 20 times faster than normal.

In the first study of its kind, researchers from Northwestern University have found that chronic back pain actually shrinks the brain by as much as 11%. Specifically, it shrinks the gray matter, which makes up the part of the brain responsible for memory and information processing.

It is well documented that chronic back pain negatively impacts quality of life and increases anxiety and depression, but it has been assumed that any brain changes revert to a normal state after the pain stops. This is according to researcher A. Vania Apkarian who has an article in the Nov. 23, 2004 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

Apkarian and colleagues compared 26 healthy volunteers with 26 patients who had chronic back pain in the lower region for more than a year. Some patients’ pain radiated through the buttock, thigh, and leg — a sign of sciatic nerve damage, or sciatica. The source of the pain was not considered.

MRI brain images and other sophisticated imaging tests, which measured gray matter size, were performed on all patients. After adjusting for age and gender factors, scientists found that, overall, chronic back pain patients lost about 5%-11% of gray matter a year — about the same as 10 to 20 years or normal aging, the researchers say. Typically, normal aging results in only about 0.5% of gray matter loss each year, they add.

Those with chronic back pain with sciatica had the largest decrease in gray matter. In addition, the more years someone has chronic back pain, the more brain loss they suffered.

What’s Behind the Brain Shrinkage?

By definition, chronic back pain is a state of persistent pain with associated negative mood and stress, says Apkarian. Therefore, one possible explanation for the decreased gray matter is that nerve cells are working overtime.

The researchers hypothesize that as chronic back pain persists, it may become more irreversible and less responsive to treatment due to these brain changes.

The good news is that chiropractic has been found to be a very effective and long lasting treatment for chronic low back pain.  The elimination of chronic pain now, may prevent future problems of anxiety, depression and dementia.

For more information on how I treat chronic back pain log on to www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com or visit my website at www.painfree-greatposture.com .

Can Food Improve Your Mood?

Most of us underestimate how food can affect our moods.  The brain reacts quickly to food- both good and bad- depending on what you feed it.

Although you may feel sugary candy gives you an energy boost, you expose yourself to erratic fluctuations in your blood sugar levels.  After the “sugar rush” effect wears off, your mood gets bad.  (This can make you want to eat more and more sugar !)

Caffeine is not much better, as it eventually makes you feel jittery and anxious.  A better approach is to feed your brain the right nutrients so you can expect good moods to consistently dominate over bad moods.

Eating right does take some time and planning.  Unfortunately, in our rushed, stress-filled lives, we frequently turn to quick fixes like fast food.  But these quickie meals are often nutrient deficient and heavy with ingredients that make you feel sluggish.

Select carbohydrates like fruits and whole grain products.  Fruits that are lower in sugar are the best option;  these include berries, apple and kiwi.  If you’re not able to get these fresh or in season, choose frozen fruit.  (canned fruit usually has sugary syrup in it)  And, choose whole grain breads over highly-refined baked products.

Vegetables that are low in starch and high in fiber are excellent sources of brain nutrients.  Try spinach, kale, tomatoes, asparagus, cucumber, carrots and cauliflower.  Fresh vegetables are better than frozen, but frozen is better than canned.

When cooking food, opt for olive oil or macadamia nut oil.  Stress can cause inflammation in your body.  The inflammation affects how your brain functions, making you more prone to anxiety and depression.  These oils are filled with oleic acids which are anti-inflammatory compounds.

And, don’t forget to drink plenty of water.  Keeping your body well hydrated keeps you from feeling tired and irritable.

If you suffer from low moods look closely at your diet.  If you are being treated for anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder it is especially important for you to follow and good consistent diet.  You will be surprised at how good you can feel.

For more information on nutrition and a variety of other topics log on to my web-site www.painfree-greatposture.com.

Why We Hurt?

A book I highly recommend to anyone who deals with chronic pain is called Why We Hurt by Dr. Greg Fors.

He wrote the book after his daughter was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  He is a doctor of chiropractic and he was broken hearted watching his daughter crawl up the stairs to bed because she couldn’t walk.  He thought “how could this be ?  She has eaten nothing but organic food her whole life and she has been receiving good chiropractic care.  Why would she have this problem.”

So, he did a lot of studying.  He learned from some of the best experts in the country.  He was able to find out what was wrong with his daughter and cure it.

What was the problem ?  She had a claustidium infection in her small intestine that was spilling toxins into her system.  The toxins caused her to hurt all over like she had the flu.  Once the infection was treated properly, the pain went away.

The book is a great read.  The information in it is fantastic for both patients and doctors.  Though it is written for patients.  It outlines many different testing procedures that are helpful in finding out what is wrong and how to fix it.

Due to an arrangement I have with Labcorp Labs and Genova Diagnostics, I am able to order and analyze all the blood, urine and stool tests outlined in the book.  Because I have taken seminars with Dr. Fors, I have access to him if I have any questions, which is a huge help.  He’s a great guy.

If you are suffering from chronic pain, fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue, then this book would be a great thing for you to have.  You can get it at Amazon.com.

To find out more about how I treat chronic pain, log on to www.stopyourfibronow.com or go to my web-site www.painfree-greatposture.com.

What Many People Don’t Know About Chiropractic And What We Can Do For YOU*

*Especially if you have back pain

In just a moment I’m going to tell you some very interesting information about Chiropractic that most people do not know – but more importantly – what it can do for you and how it might even change your life.

This is really good stuff… especially if you have back pain now or have ever had back pain in the past.

But first, there is something else you should know about.  I think you’ll really like it.

Did you the use of Aspirin dates all the way back to around 400 B.C.?  It’s true.  The father of medicine, Hippocrates, who lived sometime between 460 B.C. and 377 B.C., left historical records that included the use of the bark of the willow tree to treat fever, headache and various pains.

It wasn’t until 1829 that scientists started figuring out what was going on.  That’s when they discovered a compound called salicin in the willow plant was responsible for the pain relief.

In that same year, scientists were able to turn salicin into salicylic acid.  The problem was that salicylic acid was very rough of the stomach and mouth… which limited its use.  Then, in 1853 a German scientist named Charles Frederic Gerhardt buffered (neutralized) the harshness of the acid by coating salicylic acid with sodium and acetyl chloride.  Although it worked, it was time consuming and Gerhardt stopped working on it because he didn’t think it was worth it.

OOOOPS!

In 1897 a German pharmacist working for a German pharmaceutical company Bayer, started looking for a solution for his father’s rheumatism.  His name was Felix Hoffmann and he “re-discovered” Gerhardt’s work and in 1899 patented a “new” pain reliever under the name Aspirin.

As a quick and interesting aside: During that same month, Hoffmann synthesized heroin by accident.  His discovery of heroin obviously didn’t end up working out as well as aspirin!

But, one of the truly remarkable thing about all this is:

Scientists did not have a clue how aspirin worked until 1971!  In that year, John Vane theorized how it worked for which he was awarded a Nobel prize in 1982.

Today, over 70 million pounds of aspirin are produced annually all over the world making it the world’s most widely used drug… and scientists still theorize about the exact mechanisms of aspirin.

So what’s all this have to do with Chiropractic and your back pain?

Here’s what:  Believe it or not – Chiropractic and aspirin have many things in common.

First — they can both be traced WAY back in history.

In fact, Hippocrates, who used a form of aspirin back in 400 B.C., also used a form of spinal manipulation.… and so did ancient Egyptians and many other cultures.

But, it was not until 1895 that D.D. Palmer invented “Chiropractic.”   Chiropractic was new and different because Palmer theorized the nervous system controlled every function of the body and Chiropractic adjustments (specific spinal manipulations) removed interference to blocked or pinched nerves.  This, in turn, not only relieved pain… it helped the entire body function better and heal from all sorts of illnesses and diseases.

Just like willow bark and eventually aspirin, spinal manipulation got results and became very popular… but the mechanisms were not understood.

But here’s were Chiropractic & Aspirin differ – in a very big way…

Doctors and scientists had no clue how aspirin worked – but it was hailed by the medical community as a wonder drug and mass-produced.

Doctors and scientists were not sure how Chiropractic worked – so it was branded unscientific and quackery.

Seems a little unfair – don’t you think?

Thank goodness in many areas, research has finally caught up with Chiropractic!

For example, Chiropractic’s ability to help relieve back pain is well researched.  It is a safe, effective and cost-effective way to relieve back pain.

How Does Chiropractic Work?…FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK:

Many times when you have back pain it is caused by a spinal joint sprain – or “subluxation.”  Ligaments hold two bones together to form a joint and a sprain occurs when a ligament is injured by over stretching it.

This can happen due to small micro traumas over several years or one acute event like a car accident, sports injury or slip and fall.  When the ligament becomes stretched and injured joints do not function properly, delicate nerve fibers can be injured.

Over time, even if untreated, pain can go away even though the spinal joint is not functioning properly.  This can lead to flare-ups in the future and degeneration as the joint moves improperly and wears out.  This is why something small – like bending over to pick up a pencil – can cause severe back pain.

Chiropractic adjustments and treatments are designed to normalize spinal motion as much as possible.  This allows the spinal joints to heal better.

Here’s a simple way to look at it:

If you broke your arm and didn’t get the bone set properly – it would heal out of place and crooked.  The pain might go away in the short term – but there would most likely be big problems in the future.  The best thing to do is put everything in place and then let it heal properly.

Chiropractors are experts at getting your spinal bones and joint “in place” and working properly so they can heal correctly.

Chiropractors are also experts at keeping spines functioning properly to minimize future problems – much like periodic Dental check-ups and cleaning prevent tooth decay and loss down the road.

So, if you have back pain, you might want to try something that has a history starting in 400 B.C. with the father of medicine – Hippocrates – and has been practiced, improved and proven to help back pain.

If you do, just give us a call at 262-251-8306 and we will help you in any way that we can; conservatively and affordably!

I hope you found this information interesting and helpful.

For more information about how I treat back pain log on to www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com