Some Common Conditions
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| Whiplash injuries affect the lives
of over 1,000,000 people in the U.S. every year, and experts estimate that
between 25-40% of these people will have chronic symptoms. Whiplash is a
huge problem.
The situation is made worse by the fact that insurance companies claim that whiplash is not a real condition. What the insurance companies don't want you to know is that the medical literature is quite clear that whiplash is real, and literally hundreds of articles have been published that help us understand what causes the condition, and what kinds of symptoms occur from a whiplash injury .Consider the fact that your head weighs about the same as a bowling ball and it sits on the slender, most flexible, and most fragile part of the spine. When whiplash occurs and you are struck by another vehicle, thousands of pounds of force are exerted on the neck and spine. In the first milliseconds of being struck from behind your auto is accelerated forward and your body sinks backward into the seat flexing the seatback backward like a diving board. When your body and the seatback can't go any farther, the seat and the torso are accelerated forward, but the heavy head is still going backwards relative to the auto causing the neck to be bent backward and damaging muscles, ligaments, discs and other soft tissues. Often the body "ramps" upward and the head goes over the top of the head restraint adding to the injury. Sometimes the occupant will hit the top of the car, jamming the neck. Finally the head and neck are accelerated forward with the "whiplash" motion, causing more injury. Lifesaving restraints such as seatbelts, shoulder harnesses, airbags, and head restraints can increase the forces delivered to the head and neck, causing more soft tissue injury. Autos today are designed to sustain minor impacts without visible
damage, but research has conclusively proven that the forces from even low
speed rear impacts can result in very significant occupant impulses and
injury.
Have you been in an Auto Accident? AUTO ACCIDENT INJURIES NOT TAKEN CARE OF The more you ignore it, the more painful it gets! I don’t know what your problem is. Maybe you’ve been in an auto
accident. Maybe you’ve experienced a whiplash injury. Even if you’ve already been examined by a trained professional, or emergency room, many of our patients come to us for a second opinion. I know that right now you might be in pain due to your injuries, or wondering what to do now. But you might be afraid to visit a doctor, or weren’t sure what to do as the next step. As a Chiropractor I’ve dealt with hundreds of patients with questions, concerns, and fears similar to your own. Hopefully you look to me as your consultant and caregiver during this period of your life. We’ve been very successful helping patients involved in every imaginable accident – from major auto accident collisions, to minor falls, and every day aches and pains. If your auto accident injuries are major or if you are in pain, call me today, at (310) 533-1070. If your injuries seem minor or you or if you feel like nothing’s wrong, it's wisest to have your neck checked anyway. Often, pain may not occur until a later date. Or: call us now to get a check-up exam to insure no serious injuries have occurred. You may have “silent” symptoms. Why wouldn’t you get it checked out? It can only help you. It is the people with so-called “minor” accident injuries that
scare me the most. They don’t see their problem as urgent. You see,
rarely do people do what’s most important. Instead their lives are a
rush of doing what’s most urgent, like a rat on the treadmill. If you
don’t see the need to come in and get a thorough examination from our
clinic, you’re doing what’s most urgent to you...not what’s most
important! |
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Sciatica
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BACK PAIN
About 57% of American women and about 53% of men will suffer at least one bad backache this year.
At least 70 million people this year will have low back pain sever enough to seek professional treatment.
Low back pain accounts for a fourth of America's lost workdays. Low back pain is estimated to cost some 15-20 billion dollars a year in lost earnings and doctor bills.
At some time during our lives 80 percent of us can expect to have "bad backs".
There's really nothing new about backaches. In fact, the potential for back troubles would almost seem to be built into the spine. As intricate and magnificent an engineering design as our backbone is, it is still better suited for a horizontal position than a vertical one. When humans stand erect, the downward pull of gravity causes pressure and wear-and-tear on the vertebrae and discs separating them. It also strains the back's abdominal muscles and the ligaments that hold the spine in position.
But we can't just blame gravity- we are primarily responsible for our back
troubles. Most of us don't get enough proper physical conditioning for our
spines. Too often, we exercise erratically (if at all) and without proper
warm-up. We gain too much weight and sometimes develop potbellies and swaybacks
that just put added strain on our backs. We sprawl on soft chairs and sofas. We
subject our backs to unnecessary pressures, twists, and jolts by bending and
lifting improperly. 
Thus, we injure weakened back muscles and sometimes throw off our spinal alignment. Sever stress can cause the actual tearing of muscles or ligaments, causing instant, acute pain. Even more frequent is the muscle spasm, which may "lock-up" the back and produce agonizing pain. Emotional stress, which causes muscle tension, also causes spasms in the back.
What Causes back pain?
Doctors of Chiropractic will tell you that the most common causes of low back pain- among more than 100 identified- are muscle and ligament injuries, injuries to facet joints, disc problems, and "vertebral misalignments" (described as "an abnormal function in a spinal joint with neurological and vascular involvement and often a structural displacement of a vertebra").
Facet joints help connect the vertebrae to each other, allowing the spine to move easily while keeping it from bending too much. Facet joint problems occur when the facets grind against each other or when they produce bony spurs, irritating nerves and causing pain.
"Slipped disc" is a misnomer for the "degenerative disc" condition we all face sooner or later. Spinal discs are positioned between vertebrae and provide cushioning shocks when we bend, twist, or receive a jolt. But gravity, aging, and wear-and-tear, may rob discs of some elasticity, causing them to become weaker and partially collapse or bulge out, impinging on a nerve root. In a very few cases they rupture.
Misalignments are spinal joints that don't move properly within their normal range of motion or are out of alignment,
How is Back Pain Diagnosed and Treated?
The specialized training and clinical experience of Doctors of Chiropractic qualify them to conduct a sharply focused physical examination that may include orthopedic or neurological tests, posture and gait analysis, static and motion palpation (examination by touch), and x-ray studies. This thorough chiropractic examination enables the doctor to provide a differential diagnosis, pinpoint the abnormalities causing the pain, and develop a blueprint for treatment.
Relieving the immediate pain is the first goal of chiropractic treatment. The second objective is to correct and normalize the spinal segment relationships and thus relieve the resulting nerve, muscular, and vascular disturbance. A third goal is to help prevent recurrence.
Doctors of Chiropractic use a unique type of spinal manipulation or adjustment as their primary treatment method. these precise, delicate maneuvers require a great deal of skill, training, and experience, and should only be performed by highly trained professionals. And spinal manipulation has proved effective in numerous scientific studies. In fact, spinal manipulation has been recommended as a first line of treatment for acute low back pain by the Agency for Heath care Policy and Research, and arm of the U/S Department of health and Human Services.
Using Your Back Wisely
When Standing- maintain a natural "pelvic tilt" posture with your head up, your back straight but relaxed (not ramrod), shoulders even, stomach tightened, buttocks tucked under, and knees slightly flexed. If you are standing for a long time, rest one foot on a box or step to prevent your lower back from sagging.
When Sitting- avoid low, soft chairs and sofas. Choose a chair that is fairly straight, supports the small of your back, and puts your knees slightly higher than your hips. An arm chair allows you to rest your arms, which will take additional pressure off the muscles of your back.
A specially designed backrest with lumbar support for your lower-back region may be needed. A pillow above your buttocks also works. A small footrest that boosts your knees higher than your hips is also helpful. When driving, move the car seat forward to accomplish this.
When Bending or Lifting- NEVER bend from the waist with locked knees. If you want to reach something on or near the floor, flex your knees and squat down slowly. Keep your back as straight and natural as possible. To lift something, squat down as close to the object as possible, gasp it firmly, and rise up slowly, letting your leg muscles (not your back) do the work.
When Playing- strengthen your back muscles with sports that
call for endurance and provide conditioning, such as walking, bicycling, and
most styles of swimming. Without proper conditioning and warm-up however, some
sports such as weight-lifting activities, "rotation sports" such as
tennis and golf, and back-arching sports, like basketball and some swimming
strokes can stress the spine.
When Lying Down- though a recliner or contour chair that puts your knees higher than your hips can be relaxing, if you have a backache, this can make it worse. Lying on the floor with knees flexed and a cushion under the head is great for the back.
Most mattresses and waterbeds work well, as long as they don't sag. The best positions for your back are on your side with knees slightly flexed or on your back, preferably with a pillow to elevate your knees. Sleeping on your stomach is not good for your back.
If your child has not had a chiropractor examine their spine, it would be wise to arrange that by the time they reach age 12. This would include a detailed physical examination, and if warranted, x-rays. In the meantime here are several things to look for.
Pay attention to any
symptoms your child reports such as "growing pains", fatigue, or back
or leg pain. Scoliosis may not cause any symptoms so a thorough chiropractic
examination may be required.
Chiropractic care maintains the mobility of the joints of the spine and allows the spine to develop normally. Proper treatment can prevent progression of the curve and may help reduce it. With scoliosis particularly, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
One third of Americans suffer from tension headaches. These headaches can be felt on both sides of the head as a dull, steady pain that often becomes intense at the end of the day. Unfortunately, traditional medicine has little to offer chronic headache sufferers. Pain medicine and muscle relaxants will ease the pain. Stress reduction, relaxation and exercise can improve wellness and perhaps prevent the occurrence of the headache.
A recent study has suggested, however, that chiropractic treatments can decrease the frequency and length of headaches as well as the number of painkillers needed for relief. Dr. Niels Nilsson of Odense University in Odense, Denmark, and Dr. Geoffrey Bove of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, have studied the impact of chiropractic treatment on headaches. They have found that chiropractic treatment can work, but accurate diagnosis of the headache is key to efficacy.
The diagnosis of tension headaches relies on very general symptoms. Unfortunately, these symptoms can mask a headache of a different nature: cervicogenic headaches. Dr. Nilsson estimates that 15-20 percent of all recurrent headaches are cervicogenic.
Cervicogenic headaches are characterized by pain on one side of the head with associated neck pain on the same side. A patient with these headaches perceives pain in the head, but the actual source of the pain lies in the cervical spine.
This distinction is important, because cervicogenic headaches improve upon chiropractic spinal manipulation. Dr. Nilsson says, "My 1997 study showed that a group of cervicogenic headache patients who received spinal manipulation and soft tissue therapy did significantly better than a similar group which received only soft tissue therapy. Spinal manipulation in itself has a significant effect on cervicogenic headaches."
The most recent study indicates that, in contrast to cervicogenic headaches that respond specifically to spinal manipulation, tension headaches respond to chiropractic intervention regardless of whether or not spinal manipulation was performed. Dr. Bove says, "This study shows that tension-type headaches do respond to hands-on therapy, but that cervical spinal manipulation is unlikely to be the factor that affects change."
Dr. Norman Harden, director of the Center for Pain Studies at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, believes the study was well designed. "All in all a very good study, considering the impossibility of blinding a chiropractic procedure. This study, a very vast amount of anecdotal and empiric evidence and now some legitimate studies such as this support the use of chiropractic treatment for tension-type headaches," he says.
Most chiropractic patients have yet to realize the contribution chiropractic intervention can make to headache improvements. Only about two percent of patients visit a chiropractor for headache relief.
Mary Crane is an example of the typical patient who turned to chiropractic treatment for her sore back. She was pleased to discover that the treatment could also eradicate her headaches. "I began to see a chiropractor for my back problems," she says. "During the treatment for back pain, I brought up the issue of my daily tension headaches. She recommended lifestyle changes and performed spinal manipulations. I haven't had any notable headaches now for five to 10 years."
| Spinal Discs are blamed for many painful
conditions and have a reputation for bringing little else but trouble.
Yet, were it not for these vital intervertebral "pads," we
could not move about with the ease and flexibility that we do.
Discs are cushions. There is one between each two vertebrae (bones) of the spinal column. They are the spine's shock absorbers, and when they are healthy they do a magnificent job. Discs have few nerves; they of themselves cannot be painful. It is only when they bulge or "slip" due to weakness or wedging, along with misalignment of the vertebrae above and below them, that they press upon the spinal cord or nerves, thus producing pain. A side view of a normal spine shows that it is not as straight as perhaps generally supposed. There are curves which give the spine additional shock absorbing properties. A jolt or bump to any part of the body is diffused to the spine and it is principally the discs which absorb the impact, even in such everyday jolts as those created by walking. |
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| Since a vertebra cannot become misaligned
without involving one or more discs to some degree, it is easy to see
why these innocent discs get blamed for causing trouble more often than
they deserve. Nature placed these cushioning discs between the spinal
segments for a most special and serviceable purpose. They act as hinges
between the vertebrae and it is their elasticity which gives the spine
whatever mobility it has.
BACK PAIN Yet even a healthy spine can succumb to unusual stress, accidents, or jolts; the damage to the spine, as well as to surrounding muscles and joints, can produce spinal misalignments, disc problems, back pain, and continuing back disorders. SLIPPED DISCS A common cause of such wedging-and one which can cause indescribable pain-is a sudden injury to the spine from a fall, an auto accident, whiplash, strain from lifting, a blow to the neck or back area, etc. The effects of disc injuries may be very extensive and painfully distressing. There may be limited motion with severe symptoms, or even organic dysfunction resulting from pressure* on the nerves that pass between the vertebrae and are adjacent to the disc, thus altering nerve supply to organs and parts of the body located away from the spine itself. *The word "pressure" is used for clearer understanding. The scientific term is "irritation" RUPTURED DISCS However, in severe cases a disc can actually rupture. Such conditions
are always extremely painful and are generally caused by one of the
following: When pathological weakness is present, complete recovery is not possible until the disc can regain its natural and normal toughness. Such pathological weakness is usually preventable or correctable through proper chiropractic care of the vertebrae and discs. DIAGNOSIS The average medical doctor does not have the specialized knowledge, training, and skill needed to properly analyze and treat back problems as effectively as a Dr. Greenberg can, though he may be thoroughly trained and qualified in other specialties. And surgical statistics factually report that up to 90% of all back operations fail to bring complete relief. Powerful drugs may relieve back pain, but they often cause other conditions to develop, and are dangerously deceptive. Pain-killing medication masks useful diagnostic symptoms and hides the signs of destructive processes which may continue unabated. Such drugs interfere with the body's natural recuperative processes and can cause harmful delay in proper chiropractic treatment to correct the underlying causes: usually misalignments of spinal vertebrae and discs, rather than a true ruptured disc. CHIROPRACTIC ANALYSIS AND CARE Your disc problem may be unique, but your symptoms will be similar to thousands of others because the general symptoms of most back disorders are similar. A simple label of "slipped disc" or "pinched nerve" is useless as a diagnosis unless the correct spinal and disc adjustments are given to solve the problem. Dr. Wilkerson diagnosis and analysis is designed to locate the real cause of your back problem. Dr. Wilkerson has the special knowledge, training, and skill to correctly find and eliminate the cause of back pain in probably 80% of disc conditions. Chiropractic is based on the sound and tested principle that "the nervous system controls and coordinates all organs and structures of the human body" (Gray's Anatomy, 29th Ed., page 4). This theory and practice is thereby corrected in the only way that really counts: chiropractic corrects the causes of "bad backs" and stops pain! PROTECT THOSE PRECIOUS DISCS The fact is that most back problems, including disc involvement, can be corrected through specific application of chiropractic spinal adjustment. Most medical treatment for this fairly common back problem consists of powerful and therefore dangerous pain-killing drugs, prolonged and repeated uncomfortable bouts of traction, generally while the patient is hospitalized, or disc surgery, usually involving the removal of the accused disc(s) and fusion of the involved vertebrae, thus rendering the patient permanently inflexible in that area of his spine. Even though these procedures may on rare occasions be necessary, absolutely no one should submit to this possibly paralyzing operation without first giving Dr. Wilkerson a very thorough opportunity to help! If you suspect, or have been told, that you have a disc condition, try Dr. Wilkerson first, drugs second, and then surgery only as a last resort. Tens of thousands of disc-problem patients have avoided drugs and surgery by first getting chiropractic treatments. You may very well be another! |
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The
jaw joint or TMJ is a common area of injury with whiplash. The most common
symptoms include popping or cracking in the joint that wasn't there before the
car accident, pain in the jaw with chewing, and headaches.
Most people have simple sprains of the ligaments in the joint. A lot of people have problems with the joint because of problems with posture. A forward head posture after whiplash is common because of straightening of the neck. When this happens, the muscles of the jaw that were designed for chewing, start trying to hold the head up! As you might imagine, this hurts!
Another common syndrome related to TMJ is weakness in the longus colli. These muscles help stabilize the neck on a segment by segment basis and are frequently injured in a whiplash injury. When they're weak, they cause the strap muscles and SCM in front of the neck to overwork and pull on the TMJ joint.
A very small number of patients have injuries to the disc inside the joint. When this occurs, it usually means longer term problems.
Treatment can include: a splint made by a dentist, pain meds, physical therapy focused on the jaw and upper part of the neck, chiropractic, acupuncture, trigger point injections, and posture exercises. The vast minority of patients require surgery. Get a second opinion before proceeding with TMJ surgery as the results can be everything from great to disastrous.
Carpal Tunnel
What the Patient Feels
Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common cause of
numbness, tingling and pain in the hand. Typically, they occur in the thumb,
index and long fingers. They occur off and on in the beginning but as time
passes, they become constant. The symptoms are aggravated at night as the wrist
tends to assume bent position in sleep. Keeping the wrist in a straight position
with a splint or a brace relieves the symptoms. Very often, but not always, the
pain radiates to the elbow, shoulder or the neck. The pain may be sharp, dull,
burning, hot or cold. Often the patient says that the hand and fingers feel
swollen, tight, like sand paper or like feeling the finger through gloves.
As the patient starts to lose sensation, things start falling out of the hand.
THE HAND IS NOW IN TROUBLE!
What the Doctor Does
The diagnosis is established in most cases with a simple
examination of the hand. Making a tight fist for one minute reproduces numbness,
tingling or pain. Bending the wrist fully for one minute also reproduces the
above symptoms. Finally manual pressure on the nerve at the wrist crease
reproduces the symptoms.
Numbness and tingling can be caused by pressure on the nerve along the nerve from the neck to the finger tips. The pressure is usually caused by a tight band of tissue called a ligament. The location of nerve pinching can be confirmed with an office test called nerve conduction test. It measures the speed at which the electricity flows in the nerve. It takes about ten minutes to do. No needles are used when the test is done with the modern machines.
Treatment
The first line of treatment is splinting and physical
therapy. If necessary two to three cortisone injections. The cortisone amount is
so minute that it does not cause any side effects. One need not worry about
gaining weight with injections. We try this for a month. If the symptoms are
distressing, surgery is the last resort.
The carpal tunnel is normally quite snug and there is just barely enough room in it for the tendons and one nerve that have to pass through it. If anything takes up extra room in the canal, things become too tight and the nerve in the canal becomes constricted or "pinched". This pinching of the nerve causes numbness and tingling in the area of the hand that the nerve goes to. The symptoms caused by the median nerve being pinched in the carpal tunnel are called the "carpal tunnel syndrome".
When a nerve is pinched it sort of "goes on strike". If that nerve provides feeling to the skin, that skin becomes numb till the pressure is relieved. For example, the sciatic nerve passes through your buttock to give feeling to your leg. I am sure you have had the experience of sitting on your buttock and feeling your leg go numb. That's from the pressure on this nerve. If you relieve the pressure on the nerve by getting off your buttock, the feeling in the leg returns in a few seconds. If you keep the pressure on the nerve a little longer before getting up, it takes a little longer for the feeling to return to your leg. In fact if you keep the pressure on your buttock long enough, you could cause enough permanent damage to the sciatic nerve that it may not recover completely when the pressure is relieved. That is what happens in some alcoholics who lie in stupor on top of their arm and can wake up with the arm paralyzed.
When the Median nerve in the carpal tunnel is pinched, it also goes on
strike, and you get tingling and numbness in the area that the nerve goes to.
That area is the three and a half fingers described above. Notice that it
does not include the fifth finger which is supplied by another nerve that does
no pass through the carpal tunnel.
The commonest cause of carpal tunnel is swelling in the tunnel itself and this can be caused by many different things. Inflammation of the tendons in the tunnel because of repetitive use of the hand and wrist causes the tendons to swell and can cause carpal tunnel.
So can fluid retention. For example, fluid retention occurs during pregnancy and it is common to have carpal tunnel symptoms develop during pregnancy. Contraceptive pills also cause fluid retention and so do many other medical conditions all of which can cause carpal tunnel symptoms.
Fractures around the wrist and hand can also cause swelling in the wrist and therefore carpal tunnel symptoms. Fractures can also cause carpal tunnel symptoms in another way because even very slight changes in the shape of the bones around the carpal tunnel as the bones heal can be enough to make the already snug tunnel become too tight for the nerve.
It is important to know that the carpal tunnel changes in size depending on the position of the wrist.. When the wrist and hand are straight in line, the carpal tunnel is at its widest size. When the hand is bent up or bent down at the wrist, the tunnel becomes slightly smaller. Therefore if the tunnel is getting tight for whatever reason, there will be the most room for the nerve when the wrist is kept straight. In this situation, keeping the wrist bent up or down puts more pressure on the nerve and brings out the numbness and tingling.
If the pressure on the nerve is relieved early enough, the symptoms rapidly disappear. If they are ignored too long, the continued pressure on the nerve can cause irreversible damage.. At that point relieving pressure on the nerve will not provide complete return to normal.
Preventive Exercises:
Extend and stretch both wrists and fingers acutely as if they are in a
hand-stand position. Hold for a count of 5.
Straighten both wrists and relax fingers.
Make a tight fist with both hands.
Then bend both wrists down while keeping the fist. Hold for a count of 5.
Straighten both wrists and relax fingers, for a count of 5.
The exercise should be repeated 10 times. Then workers should let their arms
hang loosely at their side and shake them for a couple of seconds.
Depending on the type of work, employees should also do a slow isometric and isotonic exercise for posturing and toning of neck and arms, Dr. Seradge said.
In addition to keyboard operators, factory workers, and typists, also at risk for carpal tunnel syndrome are workers whose jobs require holding actions, such as barbers and bus drivers.
In the long run, daily exercises, combined with job modification, will save employers money that they would have had to spend on carpal tunnel syndrome surgery for workers.
Exercises
(at the start of each shift and after each break)
Repeat exercise 10 times, then hang arms loosely at side and shake them for a couple of seconds. Total exercise time: 5-10 minutes.
The
injury known as "Whiplash" happens often in auto accidents.
Whiplash can happen even in minor accidents, but your M.D. might
not tell
you that it can have major, permanent effects on your life and your
health. Chiropractic
Physicians don't just look for a fracture or strained muscles, they are also
looking at you like an engineer would analyze a bridge...............
