Cervical Area
Headaches & Migraines
If you have a headache, you’re not alone. Nine out of 10 Americans suffer from headaches. Some are occasional, some frequent, some are dull and throbbing, and some cause debilitating pain and nausea.
What do you do when you suffer from a pounding headache? Do you grit your teeth and carry on? Lie down? Pop a pill and hope the pain goes away? There is a better alternative.
Spinal manipulation is an effective treatment option for all different types of headaches, even migraines.
Patients with migraine headaches commonly report the following attributes:
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75% report associated neck pain
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70% have a family history of migraine headaches
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50% report known triggers, like changes in weather, stress, lack of sleep, alcohol consumption, and eating certain foods
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46% report nasal congestion
Chiropractic adjustments are not only great for helping reduce the severity of migraines, but regular chiropractic care can also help reduce the frequency of these migraines as well. What many people don’t realize is that their poor posture can actually contribute to their migraines. When you spend the whole day hunched over a phone, tablet or computer screen, you start putting some serious strain on your neck and back muscles, which can increase chances of getting subluxations and a migraine.
Whiplash
How does Whiplash Occur?
Whiplash is a very common condition and is most often associated with car accidents, but can be caused by a variety of different activities such as contact sports, amusement park rides or head-banging to heavy metal music. There are a variety of factors that can predispose a person to a whiplash injury, such as vertebral subluxations, osteoporosis, arthritis, as well as prior whiplash injures.
There is some controversy surrounding how much force is needed to cause a whiplash injury, however it has been documented that a car accident occurring at 5 mph can pack enough force to cause one.
What are the Symptoms?
The symptoms of a whiplash injury can vary greatly in terms of onset and severity, but some common symptoms associated with it are the following:
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A loss or reduction in ability to move the neck
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Neck stiffness and pain
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Pain in arms and hands
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Muscle spasm
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Dizziness and/or vertigo
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Fatigue
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Blurred or altered vision
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Ringing in ears
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Sleep disturbances
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Numbness/pins and needles in arms and hands
Neck Pain
Our neck, also called the cervical spine, begins at the base of the skull and contains seven small vertebrae. Incredibly, the cervical spine supports the full weight of your head, which is on average about 12 pounds. While the cervical spine can move your head in nearly every direction, this flexibility makes the neck very susceptible to pain and injury.
Here are some of the most typical causes of neck pain:
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Injury and Accidents: A sudden forced movement of the head or neck in any direction and the resulting “rebound” in the opposite direction is known as whiplash. The sudden “whipping” motion injures the surrounding and supporting tissues of the neck and head. Muscles react by tightening and contracting, creating muscle fatigue, which can result in pain and stiffness. Severe whiplash can also be associated with injury to the inter-vertebral joints, discs, ligaments, muscles, and nerve roots. Car accidents are the most common cause of whiplash.
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Growing Older: Degenerative disorders such as osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, and degenerative disc disease directly affect the spine.
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Osteoarthritis, a common joint disorder, causes progressive deterioration of cartilage. The body reacts by forming bone spurs that affect joint motion.
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Spinal stenosis causes the small nerve passageways in the vertebrae to narrow, compressing and trapping nerve roots. Stenosis may cause neck, shoulder, and arm pain, as well as numbness, when these nerves are unable to function normally.
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Degenerative disc disease can cause reduction in the elasticity and height of intervertebral discs. Over time, a disc may bulge or herniate, causing tingling, numbness, and pain that runs into the arm.
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Daily Life: Poor posture, obesity, and weak abdominal muscles often disrupt spinal balance, causing the neck to bend forward to compensate. Stress and emotional tension can cause muscles to tighten and contract, resulting in pain and stiffness. Postural stress can contribute to chronic neck pain with symptoms extending into the upper back and the arms. (most common)
Here is a lesson from Dr. Kleinman!
Sinus Problems
Our chiropractors hear from patients who suffer from seasonal allergies and sinus congestion and are desperate for any remedy that can provide relief. Natural chiropractic care for those with sinus issues has proven to be very effective without over-the-counter or prescription drugs. A specific custom treatment regimen that addresses each client’s symptoms and underlying issues produces the best results. Sinusitis causes inflammation of the tissues surrounding the sinuses, which are eight hollow cavities in the skull. Sinuses are located in the cheekbones, in the forehead, between the eyes, and behind the nasal cavity. Approximately 37 million Americans suffer from at least one episode of sinusitis each year. The most common form of sinusitis, acute sinusitis, occurs when fluid blocks the tissues lining the sinuses and often leads to a bacterial infection.
Chiropractic care of sinusitis includes primarily symptomatic care with sinus drainage techniques such as facial and cranial bone manipulation; instruction in self-stretch of the sinuses (such as an outward pull of the cheek bones and different positions of the head.)
Arm & Shoulder Pain
As chiropractors, we see many different types of conditions walk into our office. Arm pain, pain radiation into the arm, arm or hand weakness and numbness and tingling into the arms and hands are very common conditions that we treat successfully.
Most arm pain originates from the cervical (neck) region of the spine. There are a series of 5 nerves that form what is called the brachial plexus that originate from the neck. There are several potential causes of arm pain or radiation into the arm:
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If the spine misaligns or develops a subluxation in one of these areas, pressure from that misalignment can cause arm pain.
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Disc degeneration
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Osteoarthritis
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Disc herniation
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And any combination of the above!
It is definitely concerning to have arm pain because it is usually an indication of direct pressure on a nerve in the neck. Most of the time when arm pain develops, the underlying cause of the problem in the cervical region of the spine has been progressing for many years. Most people who come in with arm pain do not know they had problems developing because only 10% of the nervous system feels pain.
Here is a brief description of the treatments we may use to help manage your problem.
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Joint Manipulation
Your chiropractor has found joints in your body that are not moving freely. This can cause tightness and discomfort and can accelerate unwanted degeneration i.e. arthritis. Your chiropractor will apply a gentle force with their hands, or with hand held instruments, in order to restore motion to any “restricted” joints. Sometimes a specialized table will be used to assist with these safe and effective “adjustments”. Joint manipulation improves flexibility, relieves pain and helps maintain healthy joints.
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Therapy Modalities
We may apply electrotherapy modalities that produce light electrical pulses transmitted through electrodes placed over your specific sites of concern. These comfortable modalities work to decrease your pain, limit inflammation and ease muscle spasm. Hot or cold packs are often used in conjunction, to enhance the effect of these modalities. Another available option is therapeutic ultrasound. Ultrasound pushes sound vibrations into tissues. When these vibrations reach your deep tissues, heat develops and unwanted waste products are dispersed.
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Myofascial Release
Overworked muscles often become tight and develop knots or “trigger points”. Chronic tightness produces inflammation and swelling that ultimately leads to the formation of “adhesions” between tissues. Your chiropractor will apply pressure with their hands, or with specialized tools, in order to release muscle tightness and soft-tissue adhesions. This will help to improve your circulation, relieve pain and restore flexibility.
Here is a quick lesson from Dr. Jarl KLeinman about arm pain!
Ear Infections
What are Ear Infections?
Ear infections are caused by inflammation and excess fluid in the air-filled space behind the eardrum. The inflammation and fluid cause an increase in pressure resulting in considerable pain and discomfort. Typically, bacterial or viral infections are the root cause of otitis media. These infections are often the result of other illnesses that cause congestion and swelling of the nasal passages, throat and eustachian tubes. Common illnesses that cause these conditions include colds, flu’s and allergies. Otitis media is often caused when the small tubes in the ear, known as eustachian tubes, become inflamed, swollen or filled with mucus. The inflammation, mucus or swelling blocks the opening of the tubes and prevents fluid from draining.
Bacteria is the most common cause of ear infections and the narrow and horizontal position of children’s eustachian tubes make them more prone to infections than adults. The size and position of the tubes make it more difficult for the ear to drain properly and cause a buildup of fluid and increased pressure. The adenoids, two small pads of tissue located near the opening of the eustachian tubes, are believed to play a significant role in the development of ear infections. When the adenoids become inflamed or enlarged, they can block the opening of the eustachian tubes and cause a buildup of fluid. Children have relatively large adenoids, and when they become inflamed the adenoids are likely the block the opening that allows fluid to drain from the ear.
Common Signs of an Ear Infection
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ear pain
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difficulty sleeping
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excessive crying
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irritability
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difficulties hearing
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loss of balance
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fever
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mucus draining from the ear
While ear infections are most common in children, adults are susceptible to the illness as well. The signs and symptoms of adult ear infections are virtually the same as those found in children. If ear pain is severe, symptoms of an ear infection last more than a day, or there is a discharge of fluid from the ear you should seek medical treatment.