Stiff Necks & When They're Dangerous - RI Chiro Article

Learn how to identify symptoms of the 3 main causes of a stiff neck and when neck pain requires immediate medical attention.

http://www.spine-health.com/blog/3-reasons-you-may-have-stiff-neck

Don't Use Your Phone in Bed!

Do you use your phone in bed? Here are two reasons to avoid this harmful practice if you suffer from neck pain.

http://www.spine-health.com/blog/2-reasons-avoid-phone-use-bed-if-you-have-neck-pain

Neck Pain Causes Stress

There’s no question that tension and stress can manifest itself in the body. Whether it’s a headache or tight muscles, psychological factors can take a toll on our physical body.

http://www.spine-health.com/blog/how-relieve-neck-pain-caused-stress?source=3tab

C-SPINE PAIN - Chiropractic Treatments

Chiropractic manipulation can address a number of causes of neck pain. It is not a treatment for every type of neck problem, but on the other hand is also considered a first line of treatment for many. Two typical causes of pain that originate in the neck and may be treated by manipulation include mechanical neck pain and disc problems.

http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/typical-cervical-problems-treated-chiropractic

View this on our Facebook Page

Spinal Disk Pain

When back pain is caused by a spinal disc problem, the source of the pain is either from a nerve being irritated by a protruding disc, or it is from the disc space itself.

http://www.spine-health.com/blog/my-back-pain-caused-pinched-nerve-or-degenerated-disc

VIDEO: Best Pillows for Sleep

Patients with neck pain often ask "which is the best pillow to use?" and the truth is there’s no one pillow that works for everybody. This video reviews the advantages and disadvantages of different types of pillows.

http://www.spine-health.com/video/best-pillows-neck-pain-or-back-pain-video

Spinal Manipulation is a Safe Effective Pain Reliever

Scientific evidence has indicated that spinal manipulation is a safe, mild-to-moderate pain reliever for lower back pain, neck pain and headache, and recent health care guidelines have listed it as a viable treatment option for symptoms that do not respond to self-care.

http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/evolution-chiropractic-medicine-health-care

Is Chiro Adjustment a Good Pain Reliever?

Scientific evidence has indicated that spinal manipulation is a safe, mild-to-moderate pain reliever for lower back pain, neck pain and headache, and recent health care guidelines have listed it as a viable treatment option for symptoms that do not respond to self-care.

http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/evolution-chiropractic-medicine-health-care

Sources of Whiplash Pain

When the cervical spine (neck) is subject to whiplash, there is usually a combination of factors that contribute to whiplash pain in the neck and back, and ultimately need to be addressed individually by a chiropractor, who maintains a "holistic" view of the patient's whiplash pain. This article explains how chiropractors approach treating neck pain, back pain, and/or other whiplash symptoms, and help patients prevent chronic whiplash pain.

Whiplash Pain Management for Joint Dysfunction

Joint dysfunction from whiplash occurs when one of the joints in the spine or limbs loses its normal joint play (resiliency and shock absorption). A chiropractic technique called motion palpation gently moves the joint in different directions and assesses its joint play. When a joint develops dysfunction, its normal range of movement may be affected and it can become painful.

Muscle Dysfunction from Whiplash Injuries

When joint dysfunction develops, muscles are affected by becoming tense and overactive or inhibited and underactive. In either case, these muscles can develop trigger points that may necessitate whiplash treatment involving muscle relaxation or stimulation.

Trigger points are areas of congestion within the muscle where toxins accumulate and can irritate the nerve endings within the muscle and produce pain. This whiplash pain can occur in the muscle itself or can be referred pain (perceived in other areas of the body).

The muscle can also send abnormal neurological signals into the nervous system, which can then cause disruption of the ability of the nervous system to properly regulate muscles in other parts of the body, leading to the development of faulty movement patterns.

Faulty Movement Patterns and Whiplash Pain

It is thought that the intense barrage of pain signals from a traumatic whiplash injury to the cervical spine can change the way the nervous system controls the coordinated function of muscles.

The disruption of coordinated, stable movement is known as faulty movement patterns which cause increased strain in the muscles and joints, leading to neck pain and back pain. They can involve the neck itself or can arise from dysfunction in other areas of the body such as the foot or pelvis.

Instability is also considered part of faulty movement patterns. There are two types of instability that can occur in whiplash:

- Passive—the ligaments of the neck are loosened, making it more susceptible to whiplash pain; and

- Dynamic—the nervous system disruption causes a disturbance in the body’s natural muscular response to common, everyday forces.

Instability can cause even mild, innocuous activities difficult to perform as they often exacerbate the
whiplash pain.

Whiplash Pain from a Herniated Disc

The force of whiplash can cause injury to the discs between the vertebrae, and small tears can develop. If the gelatinous middle of the disc seeps out, it can irritate the nerve endings in this area. This is known as disc derangement.

Occasionally, the gel can seep all the way out and press on a nerve root exiting the spinal cord behind the disc, known as disc herniation.

A herniated disc may involve whiplash pain in the neck as well as sharp, shooting pain down the arm and possibly neurological symptoms such as numbness, tingling and muscle weakness.

Chiropractic Treatments for Whiplash

Each case of whiplash is different so it’s not possible to generalize about the chiropractic whiplash treatment.

Chiropractors commonly employ different chiropractic treatments for whiplash, often including:

- Manipulation
- Muscle relaxation and/or stimulation
- Various exercises
- Ergonomic and lifestyle changes.

Preventing Chronic Pain from Whiplash

After sustaining whiplash injuries, it is fairly common for people to suffer from chronic neck pain. Chiropractors can detect certain factors in a patient’s history and chiropractic exam to better determine patients who may be more susceptible to chronic pain from a whiplash injury. This process will identify when aggressive preventative measures should be taken for patients who may be at a greater risk of developing chronic neck pain from whiplash injuries.

Learn more about whiplash and its treatment at http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/neck-pain/what-whiplash

Neck Strain: Causes and Remedies

Neck muscle strain (or other soft tissue strain or sprain, such as ligaments or tendons) can result in a stiff neck and/or pain in a shoulder muscle. How can they best be prevented and remedied? Learn more...

Neck Soreness and Mobility Issues - See your chiropractor!

Soreness in the neck and difficulty moving the neck is usually a short-term issue, but may be a symptom of a more serious problem. This video explains the reason why the neck becomes stiff, when this is a serious symptom. Schedule time with chiropractor to have your stiff neck evaluated.

http://www.spine-health.com/video/video-what-causes-a-stiff-neck

Knowing Your Medication Options for Back Pain Relief

There are many over-the-counter and prescription medications that can help during an episode of acute back pain or for longer-term pain management. Careful attention to pain management is a critical component of your relief and recovery. Learn more about the wide range of medication options for back pain, including common uses, benefits, and potential risks.

Featured Article:
Medications for Back and Neck Pain

Like Dr. Jardon on Facebook
Like Spine-health on Facebook
Become a fan and get the most up-to-date back and neck pain information. You can share your thoughts and stories on our page, plus connect with our passionate back and neck pain community.

Manual Material Handling to Prevent Back Injury

Any job that involves heavy labor or manual material handling may be in a high-risk category. Manual material handling entails lifting, but also usually includes climbing, pushing, pulling, and pivoting, all of which pose the risk of injury to the back. Learn more...

Narcotic Pain Medications

Narcotic Pain Medications

For severe episodes of neck pain or low back pain, narcotic pain medications may be prescribed. Narcotic agents are strong and potentially addictive forms of medication, so they should be used with caution and usually for short periods of time. Learn more...

Pain Medicine for Lower Back Pain - Best Pillow to Use?

It may be easier and less time consuming to take pain medicine to help your lower back pain, but a recent study shows that spinal manipulation may be more effective.
http://www.spine-health.com/blog/chiropractic-manipulation-or-medication-low-back-pain

Patients with neck pain often ask "which is the best pillow to use?" and the truth is there’s no one pillow that works for everybody. This video reviews the advantages and disadvantages of different types of pillows.
http://www.spine-health.com/video/best-pillows-neck-pain-or-back-pain-video

Chiropractic can be an effective nonsurgical treatment option for many types of low back pain, including those associated with facet joint or sacroiliac joint dysfunction and disc problems. Chiropractic manipulation is a common therapeutic treatment designed to increase function and decrease pain and nerve irritability. Here's a video explaining what it looks like and how it works.
http://www.spine-health.com/video/chiropractic-adjustment-lumbar-spine-low-back-video

Spring Forward into Spring Cleaning

With March comes the start of spring...and spring cleaning.

Household chores can come with unwanted pain if not done carefully. Bending and/or twisting at the waist is a common cause for upper and lower back pain. From washing dishes, to vacuuming, you'd be surprised to know that having a proper technique can prevent you from experiencing back or neck pain. 

Back-Saving Tips for Chores:

• When you wash dishes, open the cabinet beneath the sink, bend one knee and put your foot on the shelf under the sink. Lean against the counter so some of your weight is supported in front.


• When ironing, raise one foot a bit. Place it on a small stool or a book to take some strain off your back.


• To vacuum, use a "fencer's stance." Put all your weight on one foot, then step forward and back with the other foot as you push the vacuum forward and back. Use the back foot as a pivot when you turn.


• Use a cold pack if your back begins to hurt. Wrap an ice pack in a towel moistened with warm water. The warmth gives way to gradual cold, which likely will alleviate the discomfort. (No ice? Try frozen veggies instead.)


• If pain persists for more than a day or two or if you experience numbness after doing chores, tingling or weakness in your arms or legs, see a doctor of chiropractic.

Degenerative disk disease - Spinal manipulation techniques - Neck bone spurs causing headaches?

Degenerative disc disease refers to any condition where the spinal discs are degenerating or degrading, often causing back pain. This interactive video provides information on spinal anatomy and how degenerative disc disease affects the vertebrae and spinal discs. It also gives an in-depth overview of symptoms associated with degenerative disc disease.
http://www.spine-health.com/video/degenerative-disc-disease-interactive-video

Spinal manipulation techniques
There are well over 100 types of adjustment techniques used by chiropractors throughout the world. Typically, chiropractors will focus on and utilize 8 to 10 different approaches in their practice.
http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/spinal-manipulation-techniques

Bone spurs in the neck could be causing your headaches:
http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/neck-pain/cervical-osteophytes-bone-spurs-neck

Chiro history, exercise and joint cracking! - overviews

Since its inception in 1895, chiropractic has provided treatment for patients with back pain, neck pain and headache. Learn the more chiropractic history from Spine-health.com
. http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/american-chiropractic-history-treatment-back-pain-and-neck-pain

Exercise and chiropractic care go hand in hand as part of a comprehensive treatment plan to back or neck recovery.
http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/exercise-and-chiropractic-therapy

Sometimes joint cavitation or cracking does not occur during a chiropractic adjustment. Why not? And what are the chiropractors next steps?

Chiropractors as Primary Spine Specialists

By Dr. Brandon Manson
For Columbia-Greene Media 

Spine related disorders (SRDs) are one of the most common and costly health problems in society, affecting almost every person at some point in life. These disorders encompass a group of conditions directly related to the spine: back pain, neck pain, many types of headache, radiculopathy or referred pain, and a variety of other symptoms.
Recent statistics indicate the cost to the United States health system is huge, and growing. Well over $100 billion is spent annually on SRDs. Yet despite the fact that between 1997 and 2005 expenditures for back and neck pain alone rose by 65 percent (inflation adjusted), patients with SRDs are now worse off than ever. In fact, measures of physical functioning, work productivity, school and social activity, and mental health among patients with SRDs all declined during the same period. Clearly, the dramatic increase in health care costs for diagnosis and medical treatment of SRDs has failed to improve the health of patients. Instead, chronicity and disability related to these disorders continues to steadily rise.

So, you might be saying, “This is just another example of the health system not working… what’s new?” Because spine related disorders account for a significant drain to our health system, it would make sense for policy makers to look at ways that these disorders can be better managed.

In the late 1990s this is exactly what a group of health economists from the University of Ottawa did. They were commissioned by the Ontario government to examine ways to reduce the financial costs of SRDs to the province’s health system. The researchers reviewed every study, every trial, every government inquiry and every scrap of evidence done to date related to treatment of back and neck associated disorders.

What these researchers found was profound: by transferring the care of back pain alone from medical doctors to chiropractors, the government health system would be able to save an estimated 12 percent of its annual health budget annually. The savings could be significantly higher if care of other spine related conditions, such as neck pain and various forms of headache, were also transferred to chiropractic doctors. The researchers showed that the benefit would be not only financial. They concluded that chiropractic care for these conditions was not only significantly more cost effective than medical care, it was more effective (better outcomes) and safer. Numerous studies on patient satisfaction have underlined this conclusion: patients are about three times more satisfied with chiropractic care for back pain than medical care.

Clearly, the time has come for a major change in our management of spine related disorders. It is time for policy makers to get serious about this crippling problem and begin to do what is best for patients and the health system: take steps to establish chiropractic doctors as “primary spine care specialists”.

Chiropractic manages pain naturally

“Almost everyone can benefit from chiropractic,” says Dr. Nancy J. Trimboli, owner of Trimboli Chiropractic with offices in Munster and Cedar Lake, about managing pain. “Every person on the planet has had a fall, has done sports, and has been involved in a vehicle crash of some type, however minor. These bumps and bruises of life cause spinal misalignments which irritate or interrupt normal joint function and nerve function. If left uncorrected, this will definitely lead to problems. Chiropractors correct those misalignments, allowing the body to heal and function normally. It’s a simple concept yet the ramifications are huge.”

According to Trimboli, chiropractic care has shown through individual patient cases and published research to be not only highly effective for long term back—and other--pain resolution, but to be highly cost effective.

“We have helped countless numbers of people over the years avoid surgery,” she says. “Back surgery obviously should be a last resort. You should do every treatment possible prior to surgery. That should include Chiropractic, massage therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture, even yoga and other exercise. There are specific reasons to have back surgery and pain is not on that list. This is because you most certainly will have pain after back surgery from the surgery itself.”

But that doesn’t mean surgery isn’t totally off the table in certain cases.

“If someone has a progressive muscle weakness or loss of sensation that does not improve with conservative care, they may need a surgical intervention,” says Trimboli. “Also, you need to remember that most people have multiple issues creating their discomfort. Sciatic type pain can be caused from the nerve as it exits the spine, or from disc issue, from a pelvic misalignment, from a muscle spasm, or adhesions on the nerve itself. Chiropractic can address all of these issues, where surgery may only address one of them.”

This approach to pain management has long been a goal for Trimboli who knew from a young age she wanted to work the in medical field. Despite achieving high grades, after completing her undergraduate studies in pre-med, Trimboli decided attending med school was not for her. When a friend’s mother suggested she talk to a chiropractor, it didn’t take long for Trimboli to realize that was the field for her.

“Even when I was 18 I knew there had to be a different way,” she says. “I wanted to study a style of healing that was different than drugs and surgery.”

Choosing chiropractic school, Trimboli spent the first three years taking the same courses and using the same books as medical students. It was then that chiropractic and medical studies began to differ. That divergence formed the foundation for her work. Her mission, she says, is giving to people, young and old, the power and knowledge of chiropractic, so that they may get their greatest enjoyment out of life.

“We offer low force chiropractic adjustments for infants, children and adults,” says Trimboli noting that means there is ‘no popping’ when adjustments are made. “To help us in our work, we have 15 massage therapists on staff that do therapeutic massage, myofascial release, lymphatic drainage, and cranial sacral therapy. Our trainers teach our patients effective at-home exercises to stretch and strengthen spinal muscles. Modalities, such as cold laser therapy, help patients to feel better more quickly and heal more completely.”

It’s also important for people to work at keeping their spines remain flexible and functional including doing specific stretches at home on a routine basis to alleviate or prevent pain.

“Exercise by doing something you enjoy,” says Trimboli. “Challenge your balance and strengthen your core with a yoga, tai chi or Pilates class. Ask for help when lifting things or doing heavy work that you don’t often do. Watch your diet and avoid foods that inflame the spinal joints, which for everyone is sugar.”