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San Leandro Chiropractor

What is spinal disfunction and how can the doctor of chiropractic help?

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Most spinal injuries either micro-damage (small repetitive movements over time) or macro-damage (trauma) can insult the discs, cartilage, tendons, muscles and ligaments that hold the bones of the spine together. When soft tissue injuries occur, the movement of the spinal joints is changed. This change, or dysfunction, may cause some joints to move too little and others to move too much.
Pain is not always obvious when spinal injuries occur. Many times the pain that comes after a minor injury goes away by itself in a few days. The injury, however, often causes the spinal joint dysfunction that remains long after the pain goes away. Most people think everything is all right if there is no pain. A person with spinal dysfunction usually doesn’t know there’s a problem unless something happens again to cause swelling in the weakened area.
The spine works as one long chain with many moving links. Every change in movement in one joint of the spine will affect another. Therefore, pain that comes from the spine in one area may actually be related to silent problems elsewhere. Many people that seek care for spinal problems have specific complaints of pain or other symptoms. Your chiropractor will likely examine and x-ray your full spine to give you the proper care (usually a specific adjustment) and manage your condition completely.

Doctors of chiropractic are educated and trained in the detection and care of musculoskeletal problems, particularly the joints of the spinal column. However maintaining the health and integrity of all the joints in the body are important since each structure is related to one another along a delicate biomechanical chain. Aberrant movement even from a small joint in the foot can offset other structures in the body. Everything is connected, and nothing is isolated. Most spinal injuries either micro-damage (small repetitive movements over time) or macro-damage (trauma) can insult the discs, cartilage, tendons, muscles and ligaments that hold the bones of the spine together. When soft tissue injuries occur, the movement of the spinal joints is changed. This change, or dysfunction, may cause some joints to move too little and others to move too much.

Pain is not always obvious when spinal injuries occur. Many times the pain that comes after a minor injury goes away by itself in a few days. The injury, however, often causes the spinal joint dysfunction that remains long after the pain goes away. Most people think everything is all right if there is no pain. A person with spinal dysfunction usually doesn’t know there’s a problem unless something happens again to cause swelling in the weakened area.
The spine works as one long chain with many moving links. Every change in movement in one joint of the spine will affect another. Therefore, pain that comes from the spine in one area may actually be related to silent problems elsewhere. Many people that seek care for spinal problems have specific complaints of pain or other symptoms. Your chiropractor will likely examine and x-ray your full spine to give you the proper care (usually a specific adjustment) and manage your condition completely.

What is Whiplash?

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Personal injury is a term often used to describe an injury most commonly caused by a car accident. It may also include other types of injury such as a slip or fall. Whiplash is most commonly associated with rear-end car collisions in which the heads of those in the front car are suddenly snapped back and forth by the impact. It is more accurately called cervical acceleration/deceleration (CAD) trauma or syndrome, which describes the rapid movements that can injure the vertebrae of the neck and the muscles and ligaments that support them.

whiplash2

Who suffers from whiplash?

Anyone can be subjected to whiplash, even in a low-force car crash at speeds as low as 5mph. But injuries associated with whiplash can also result from other mishaps in which the head is pushed or jerked beyond its normal range of motion. Whiplash most commonly causes serious and lingering neck pain, but there may also be back pain, headaches and dizziness. As much as bruising of the brain can sometimes occur in auto accidents. Severe cases of whiplash, may include symptoms such as blurred vision, ringing in the ears, nausea and numbness.
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Taking the Sting out of Whiplash

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whiplash1For many people, the term “whiplash” conjures up a fairly uncomfortable image: being rear-ended by another car and having your head suddenly snapped back and forth by the impact. Despite innovations in automotive design, whiplash injuries have become increasingly frequent in the past 30 years. Symptoms of whiplash can include serious and lingering neck pain, back pain, headaches and dizziness; no single effective treatment has been identified to deal with this chronic, frustrating condition.

But help may be on the way. A recent study in Spine suggests that early, active treatment is most effective for managing whiplash symptoms. In the study, “active” treatment consisted of repetitive motion exercises performed at home (10 times every hour, beginning within 96 hours of injury); “standard” treatment involved home exercises performed only a few times each day, starting two weeks after injury.

Results showed that 38% of patients receiving immediate, active treatment reported “no pain” at six-month followup, compared to only 5% of patients receiving delayed standard treatment. The authors note that this type of active home treatment is an “ideal form of rehabilitation” because it expends only small resources within the health care system.

It’s time to whip whiplash! If you or someone you know is suffering from whiplash, schedule an appointment today with a doctor of chiropractic.

Reference:
Rosenfeld M, Gunnarsson R, Borenstein P. Early intervention in whiplash-associated disorders. A comparison of two treatment protocols. Spine 2000: Vol. 25, No. 14, pp1782-87.

The Chiropractic Answer to Whiplash

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whiplashWhiplash is an all-too-common consequence of the more than one million rear-end collisions that take place in the United States every year. Although the classic symptoms of whiplash (headache, dizziness, neck, shoulder, jaw and/or arm pain) may subside after a few weeks of appropriate care, it¹s estimated that nearly one in four cases will become chronic, resulting in long-term discomfort and disability.

Chiropractic may offer the best opportunity for relief from the pain of whiplash, according to a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Medicine. Ninety-three patients with chronic whiplash symptoms were divided into three groups based upon the nature and severity of their symptoms. All 93 patients received an average of 19.3 chiropractic adjustments over the study period (about four months).

Results showed that two of the three groups (patients with neck pain, restricted neck range of motion and/or neurological symptoms) improved under chiropractic care, with 85.5% reporting “some benefit,” 33.5% improving by two symptom grades, and 31% being relieved of all symptoms.

If you or a loved one is suffering from whiplash, make an appointment with a doctor of chiropractic. As the authors of this study conclude, when it comes to treating whiplash,”chiropractic is the only proven effective treatment.”

Reference:
Khan S, Cook J, Gargan M, et al. Asymptomatic classification of whiplash injury and the implications for treatment. Journal of Orthopaedic Medicine 1999: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp22-25.