Month: June 2017

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5 Do’s and Don’ts to Reduce Neck Pain

Poor sleeping, texting and other routine activities can literally be a pain in the neck. Here are some tips to remember that can help you avoid neck pain.

DO: Choose a pillow that supports and maintains your neck’s natural curve. A pillow that is too soft doesn’t give your neck the support it needs, and pain can result.

DON’T: Bend your head down for any length of time to text or use another electronic device. Doing so can cause unnecessary strain and resulting pain.

DO: Perform regular strengthening and stretching neck exercises each day. We would be happy to provide you with some beneficial ones.

DON’T: Burden your back and neck with a backpack, bag or briefcase that is too heavy. Lighten your load.

One of the best ways, of course, to minimize neck pain is through chiropractic care.

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Infuse Your Dinners With Antioxidants

Ah, the delightful aroma of a leg of lamb roasting with sage or oregano roasted chicken. Or, perhaps you crave the taste of mouth-watering oven-roasted potatoes with rosemary.

While these herbs tickle the nose and infuse these dishes with terrific flavor, they also fill them with fantastic, anti-inflammatory antioxidants.

When we consume an inflammatory diet, which includes foods high in sugar, dairy, refined flour, artificial additives and saturated fats, we’re setting our body up to fail. Because our body doesn’t need these ingredients to thrive, it views them as an invader, going into defense mode and thus causing inflammation.

However, anti-inflammatory properties in herbs like oregano, sage and rosemary may help reduce the risk of certain diseases and conditions. As fresh and dry herbs contain an equal amount of antioxidants, use whichever type you prefer.

Fresh herbs can be grown quite easily and affordably, and tend to be more aromatic and flavorful.

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Natural Ways to Catch More Z’s

Just like nourishing food and pure water, sleep is essential when it comes to your health. Sometimes, however, it can be difficult to shut down and get the rest our bodies need. If reading a book and counting sheep haven’t helped you nod off to dreamland, consider these ways to induce sleep:

Soak in the tub – A warm bath helps to relax your mind and body, which can help to promote a good night’s sleep.

Sip herbal tea – While it’s a good idea to avoid caffeine consumption after lunchtime, enjoying a hot mug of herbal tea such as chamomile may help to induce sleep. Peppermint tea also has a calming effect as do lemon balm and passion flower.

Sniff and relax with aromatherapy – Diffuse lavender essential oil and you’ll be off to sleep in no time.

Regular chiropractic care also may promote better sleep.

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Everything You Need to Know About Neck Pain

When is a pain in the neck more than just a pain in the neck? When is it a sign that something more serious may be involved?

Typically, neck pain is caused by a muscle strain, and one side of the neck may experience more pain than the other. But when neck pain is accompanied by other symptoms, it may be cause for concern. Here’s why:

  1. Neck pain with vomiting and stiffness may indicate meningitis. If you cannot touch your chin to your chest and experience drowsiness, confusion and/or sensitivity to bright lights, call a medical professional right away.
  2. Neck pain with weakness in the arms and tingling in the fingers may indicate a herniated disc, which is pressure on a nerve root due to a narrowing of the spinal cord canal.
  3. Neck pain after a car accident is usually referred to as whiplash. When you’re in a car that is hit from behind, the neck tends to snap suddenly forward and then backward, causing what is known as cervical acceleration/deceleration (CAD) trauma or syndrome.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help

Most people experience neck pain at some time in their lives. As your chiropractor, William Trebing, DC is skilled in determining whether you have a relatively minor issue, or whether you require a referral to another type of practitioner. After examining you thoroughly, we’ll aim to restore normal feeling and function in your neck and other affected body parts, or make a referral to a practitioner who can help you.

Continued care will help ensure that the muscles and joints in your neck and back remain in optimal working condition to keep you living life to your fullest potential without restriction.

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Chiropractic Adjustments are Safe

The argument about safety concerns is an example of “junk science” and a perennial favorite by those who have an interest in discouraging people from seeking chiropractic care.

Because of the popularity of this tactic, year after year it has been the subject of countless research projects. The result of these studies show complications from neck adjustments, the supposedly “riskiest” chiropractic procedure, are exceedingly rare:

1972 – One death in several tens of million adjustments.1
1978 – One in 10,000,000 neck adjustments.2
1981 – One in a 1,000,000 neck adjustments.3
1983 – Two to three per 1,000,000 adjustments.4
1985 – One in 400,000 neck adjustments.5
1993 – One in 3,846,153 neck adjustments.6
1995 – One in 2,000,000 neck adjustments.7
1996 – One in 900,000 neck adjustments.8

The most recent in-depth review of the relationship between stroke and chiropractic care, was published in the February 15, 2008 issue of Spine Journal. It looked at 10 years of hospital records, involving 100 million person-years.

The verdict?

There was no evidence of an increase in vertebral artery dissection risk with chiropractic, compared with medical management. Based on this review, stroke, particularly vertebrobasilar dissection, should be considered a random and unpredictable complication of any neck movement, including cervical manipulation.

In other words, cases of serious injury are practically nonexistent. By comparison, it makes the deaths caused by over-the-counter-pain-relievers to be considerably more troubling! Although reports vary, annual deaths in the United States attributable to NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, ketoprofen and tiaprofenic acid) range from 3,200 to higher than 16,500 deaths and 76,000 hospitalizations.9

Even risk-adverse insurance companies recognize the safety of today’s chiropractic care. The premiums for malpractice insurance paid by chiropractors are a mere fraction of what medical practitioners must pay.

Chiropractic care is safe.

References

1 Maigne R. Orthopedic Medicine: A New Approach to Vertebral Manipulations. Springfield, Illinois, Charles C. Thomas. 1972; 155, 169.2 Cyriax J. Textbook of Orthopaedic Medicine. Vol 1. Diagnosis of soft tissue lesions (7th edition). London, Bailliere Tindall. 1978; 165.3 Hosek RS, Schram SB, Silverman H, Meyers JB. Cervical Manipulation. J Amer Med Assoc. 1981; 245:922.4 Gutmann G. Verletzungen der arteria vertebrailis durch manuelle therapie. Manuelle Medizin 1983; 21:2-14.5 Dvorak J, Orelli F. How dangerous is manipulation of the cervical spine? Manuel Med 1985; 2:1-4.

6 Carey PF. A report on the occurrence of cerebrovasular accidents in chiropractic practice. J Canada Chiropractic Association 1993 (June);37 (2): 104-6.7 Dabbs V Lauretti WJ. A risk assessment of cervical manipulation vs NSAIDS for the treatment of neck pain. J Manip Physio Ther 1995 (Oct); 18 (8): 530-6.

8 Klougart N, Leboeuf-Yde C, Rasmussen LR. Safety in Chiropractic Practice. J Manip Physiol Ther 1996 (Jul-Aug); 19 (6): 371-7.

9 Singh Gurkirpal, MD, “Recent Considerations in Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Gastropathy”, The American Journal of Medicine, July 27, 1998, p. 31S Wolfe M. MD, Lichtenstein D. MD, and Singh Gurkirpal, MD, “Gastrointestinal Toxicity of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs”, The New England Journal of Medicine, June 17, 1999, Vol. 340, No. 24, pp. 1888-1889.

Edward J. Frech and Mae F. Go, “Treatment and chemoprevention of NSAID-associated gastrointestinal complications”, Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, 2009, pp. 65-73

Fries James F., “NSAID Gastropathy: The Second Most Deadly Rheumatic Disease? Epidemiology and Risk Appraisal”, Journal of Rheumatology, 1991, (Supplement 28), Vol. 18, pp. 6-10

Bolten W., Lang B., Wagner A., and Krobot K., “Consequences and Costs of NSAID-Induced Gastropathy in Germany”, Akt Rheumotol, 1999, Vol. 24, pp. 127-134