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San Leandro Chiropractor

Exercises For Cervical Strain

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General Instructions:

Stretching exercises are important part of treatment to relieve discomfort in your neck. They help restore motion and relieve discomfort in your neck. They help restore motion and relieve pain associated with stiffness.

Follow the exercise routine prescribed by your doctor. These exercises are more effective when performed in the shower, after a shower or following application of hot, moist towels. Moist heat relieves pain by increasing blood flow to the muscles of your neck.

Gradually increase the number of times you repeat each exercise as your condition improves, but stop when fatigued. They may be done intermittently during the day, to help relax and relieve tension of the neck and shoulder muscles. Perform exercise #5 every two hours if you work at desk. Take an exercise break during your work day!

Exercises:

Stand under hot shower for five to ten minutes and perform the following exercises, twice daily if possible.

 

Stand erect. Turn head slowly as far as possible to the right. Return to normal center position and relax

Stand erect. Try to touch your chin to your chest, slowly. Raise head back-wards, looking up at ceiling, slowly.

Stand erect. Try to touch left ear to the left shoulder. Return to normal center position and relax. Try to touch right ear to the right shoulder. Return to normal center position and relax

Stand erect. Raise both shoulders as close to the ears as possible and hold as you count to five. Relax. Stretch your shoulders backwards as far as possible and hold, then relax.

Stand erect. With one hand grasp the thumb of the other hand behind the back, then pull downward forwards the floor. Take a deep breath, stand on toes, and look at the ceiling while exerting the downward pull. Hold momentarily, then exhale slowly and relax. Repeat ten times.

Lie on your back, knees fixed, with a small pillow under your neck. Take a deep breath slowly, fully expanding chest, then exhale slowly. Repeat ten times

Lie on your stomach with hands clasped behind back. Pull shoulders back and down by pushing your hands toward your feet, pinching shoulder blades together, and lift head from floor. Take a deep breath. Hold for two seconds. Relax.

Perform these exercises twice daily, preferably after a hot shower.

Question: Did you try these exercises? Were these exercises helpful?

Lower Back Exercises

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General Instructions:

Your muscles are the best back support available. Keeping a regular schedule for your exercises eliminates the necessity of  a brace or corset. Supporting para-spinal  musculature of the lumbar spine is all the support that is necessary and can be achieved by regular exercises.

Exercises:

Increase the frequency of your exercises as your pain level of discomfort level goes down. Do not continue if you your pain level has gone up or your muscles fatigued. If you have tight muscle take a hot bath or hot shower before you begin your exercises. Slight ache after exercises is a normal feeling.

Use soft cover on the floor – rug or mat. Use of a small pillow under your neck is beneficial. Do not wear shoes and use  loose clothing. Stop exercises if they cause additional pain or discomfort.

Start slowly and gradually, increase speed and repetition. Don’t overdo it. Try to perform exercises daily. The important thing is to relax. Exercise on a rug or mat. Put a pillow under your neck. Dress comfortably: no shoes or socks. Stop doing any exercises that causes pain untill you have checked with your doctor.

Lie on your back with knees bent. Feet flat on the floor. Take a deep breath and relax. Press your back against the floor and tighten your stomach and seat muscles. This should cause the lower end of the pelvis to rotate forward. Hold for 5 seconds. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times

Lie on your back with knees bent. Feet flat on the floor. Take deep breath and relax. Grasp one knee with both hands and pull it as close to your chest as possible. Return to starting position. Repeat 5-10 times for each leg, alternating legs.

Lie on your back with knees bent. Feel the floor. Take a deep breath and relax. Grasp both knees and pull them as close to your chest as possible. Return to starting position. Straighten legs. Return to starting position. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times.

Lie on your back with knees bent. Feet flat on the floor. Take a deep breath and relax. Draw one knee to chest. Then point leg upward as far as possible. Return to starting position. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times, alternating legs. NOTE: This exercise is not recommended for patients with sciatic pain

Lie on side with knees bent. Take a deep breath and relax. Slide upper knee toward chest as far as possible. Return to starting position. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times on each side.

Lie on your stomach with your head on your hands. Take a deep breath and relax. Tighten your seat muscles. Hold for 2 seconds. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times

This exercise should not be started until the others have been done for several weeks. Lie on your back with knees bent. Feet flat on the floor. Take a deep breath and relax. Pull up to sitting position keeping knees bent. Return to starting position. Relax. Having someone hold your feet down can facilitate this exercise. Repeat 5-10 times

Lie on your back with your legs straight out, knees unbent and arms at your sides. Take a deep breath and relax. Raise legs one at a time as high as comfortable and lower to floor as slowly as possible. Repeat 5 times for each leg

Get down on your hands and knees. Take a deep breath and relax. Pull stomach in and curve back upward. Let head hang down. Now arch back and look up. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times

Stand with your back against doorway. Place heels four inches away from frame. Take a deep breath and relax. Press your back against doorway. Tighten your stomach and seat muscles, allowing your knees to bend slightly. This should cause the lower end of the pelvis to rotate forward (as in exercise 1). Press your neck up against doorway. Press both hands against opposite side of doorway and straighten both knees. Hold for 2 seconds. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times.

Helpful Hints for a Healthy Back.

Always sit all the way in a chair with your back erect. When you lift any object from the floor, bend your legs and keep your back straight, and make your leg muscles do the work. Sleep on a firm mattress or put a 3/4” plywood board under a soft one. If you sleep on your back, put pillow under your knees not under your head. Keep your knees bent when sleeping on your side.  Don’t sleep on your stomach. When driving a car, keep the seat forward so your body is erect. On long trips, stop every hour or so and walk around to relieve tension and relax muscles.

When doing any work that requires standing, place one foot on a stool or bench. Be conscious of your posture and avoid “sway” back. Tuck the pelvis forward to straighten the back. Walk whenever you get the chance.

Once your backache is gone, get regular exercise and make a conscious effort to relax several times a day. If your back acts up, see your doctor immediately. Don’t wait until it gets worse.

Question: Did you try these exercises? Were these exercises helpful?

Chiropractic Rehabilitation and 4 Stages of Soft Tissue Healing

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The healing process is divided into four broad stages which are not mutually exclusive and overlap considerably.

1. Initial vascular reaction – Active Swelling

2. Inflammatory response – Passive Congestion

3. Proliferative phase – Repair

4. Remodeling 

Wound healing refers to the body’s replacement of destroyed tissue by living tissue (Walter & Israel 1987). It comprises of two essential components whose differentiation is based on resultant tissue: Regeneration and Repair.

TISSUE INJURY CAUSES RESTRICTION OF MOTION DUE TO:

  1. Inflammation & Swelling
  2. Pain
  3. Muscle Spasm 

THE MAJOR GOALS OF CHIROPRACTIC CARE:

  1. Relieve Pain
  2. Promote Full Healing
  3. Restore & Maintain Full Function
  4. Reduce the Likelihood of Re-Injury
  5. Prevent Accelerated Degeneration 

Chiropractic Care Should Continue Throughout the Repair Stage. It Take Longer For Tissues to Heal & Normal Function to be Restored Than it Takes for Pain Relief. Pain Relief is not the Only Goal.  Chiropractic Helps:

  1. Restore Normal Motion, Function & Biomechanics
  2. Improve Alignment of New Connective Tissue
  3. Prevent Shortening of Scar Tissue & Chronic Stiffness
  4. Restore & Maintain Flexibility of Ligaments & Muscles
  5.  Restore Normal Muscle Tone
  6. Promote Quicker, More Effective Healing
  7. Restore & Maintain Normal Sensation
  8. Reduce the Risk of Re-Injury and Degeneration 

STAGES OF SOFT TISSUE HEALING

 

STAGE I: ACTIVE SWELLING

  1. Swelling Occurs for 12 to 72 hours
  2. Motion is lost and pain increases 

Goals of Care: Minimize pain and swelling

Care:

  1. Rest & Support of Injured Area
  2. Ice to Block Swelling, Pain, and Spasm 

STAGE II: PASSIVE CONGESTION   

Fluid trapped in tissues restricts motion, causes pain, & delays healing. Begins by second to fourth day

Goals of Care for Passive Congestion:

  1. Remove fluid
  2. Pain Relief
  3. Begin to restore range of motion 

Care:

  1. Chiropractic Adjustments Help
  • restore motion
  • block pain
  • restore normal sensation
  • relax tight muscles
  • remove swelling
  • accelerate healing
  1. Heat and Cold to Remove Fluid
  2. Controlled Motion Exercises
  3. Physical Therapy helps in Some Cases
  4. Acupuncture Can Help With Pain Control 

STAGE III: REPAIR

Beginning 5 days after injury, scar tissue is made for up to 6 weeks. 

Lack of motion causes excess scar tissue in dense patterns disrupting normal function causing:

  1. Excess Scarring
  2. Chronic Stiffness
  3. Limited Range of Motion
  4. Poor Biomechanics
  5. Chronic Pain
  6. Weak Muscles & Ligaments
  7. Loss of Normal Sensation
  8. Poor Nutrition
  9. Increased risk of Re-Injury
  10. Accelerated Degeneration 

If Motion is Restored & Maintained, Tissues Heal in a Much More Functional Way.

Coals of Repair Stage:

  1. Restore Normal Range of Motion
  2. Restore Sensation
  3. Promote Full Healing
  4. Relieve Pain 

STAGE IV: REMODELING 

Connective tissue remodels for better strength & flexibility. This often takes 3 to 14 week but may take up to 1 year with severe injury. 

Chiropractic Helps Achieve these Goals:

  1. Improve & Maintain Motion & Flexibility
  2. Restore & Maintain Function
  3. Reduce Chronic Pain
  4. Reduce Risk of Re-Injury & Degeneration

This Post was based on Dr. Malik Slosberg’s Research.

Questions/Answers #1-#5

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#1 Falling asleep on arm numbness?

Lately I have been waking up just about every night with a tingling, numb arm because I have been falling asleep on it. I figure it becomes like this because the circulation is cut off. Can this be potentially dangerous or hint toward something of greater significance and severity?

Answer:

Thank you for visiting and asking a question. Sleeping for a prolonged period of time on your arm will cut-off a blood circulation to your upper extremity. As a result you will experience symptoms such as: tingling, numbness and loss of sensation. Central Nervous System (CNS – Brain) has a unique defense mechanism. When it senses that your body is in danger it will alarm you automatically. In your particular case your CNS sent you a wake up message. This is not dangerous if it happens only because of the sleeping position. You have to try to change sleeping positions and patterns and the problem should go away on its own. However, if you have something like TOS (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) misaligned Clavicle and even Subluxated Vertebrae in the early stage, the symptoms you experience could be because of these conditions. Please have yourself checked by a local chiropractor when you get chance. Hope you feel better.

#2 My ankle is the size of a softball. Help?

Today at camp I rolled my ankle pretty bad in one of my games. It hurts so bad when I stand on it for even a second :/ What are some tips and pointers you can give me to ensure a speedy recovery? And have you ever sprained an ankle really bad before??? Your help will be greatly appreciated thank you!! 🙂

Answer:

Hello,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The severity of your injury depends on how badly you have hurt the soft tissue that supports your ankle. From you description it sounds like it is pretty severe due to the size of the swelling you have described. At this point and time I would use ice – 15 minutes on and 45 minutes off every waking hour. This will help to keep inflammation under control. Pick up your phone and make an appointment with your orthopedist or local chiropractor. Most likely your doctor of choice will have XRAYS done on your ankle and order MRI. XRAY will help to rull out a potential fracture and MRI will help to see how sever is the sprain/strain of your ankle. When diagnosis is established you should start rehabilitation process. Assuming you did not rapture your ligaments or tendons I would recommend the following – PT modalities such as Erchonia Cold Laser PL 5000, Ultrasound, and Electric Muscle Stimulation followed by deep tissue massage from CMT.

If your tendon or ligament has severe tear arthroscopic surgery is inevitable.

#3 I thought I pulled a muscle but….?

A couple of weeks ago I was at the gym as usual running on the treadmill, towards the end of my session, I started to feel a pain which is centered on my left buttock. Since then I have not been able to run at all as it is too painful & sometimes I can feel a discomfort just walking around normal or sitting.
At first I thought i pulled a muscle but since it’s now been two weeks… I think it is probably something else.
Thanks

Answer:

From your description it sounds that you have Sacroilliac Joint (SI) misalignment. When SI joint is subluxated symptoms will get worse upon walking. The reason why pain level goes up is because SI joint plays a very important and active biomechanical role in a walking process.

You can self diagnose if your SI joint is misaligned. Stay in front of the mirror with your eyes closed and march in one place for 5 seconds. When you are done marching open your eyes and look at your – 1) ear level, 2) shoulder level, 3) hip level. If one side of your hip is higher than the other your SI joint is misaligned. An even better way is to have someone else take a digital photo of yourself with your eyes closed. You will be able to see it for yourself how the shoulders and neck compensate for your SI joint problem. I would suggest to see your local D.C. and fix the problem in a couple of sessions.

#4 A Fourth Sprained Ankle?

I sprained my ankle twice in the past year. One time I slid on ice and sprained on side in late February and then in March sprained the other side as well as the first side. During June I wore an ankle stabilizer so I would not injure it again in PE but in July the pain came back and went away in a few days. Now I can’t really walk that great on it. I told my Mom but she says it’s fine. After injuring it in Feb and March I was prescribed physical therapy but it isn’t covered by insurance unless it follows a surgery. Does anyone think I may have injured it for a fourth time??
~~~Sorry for the long description.~~~

Answer:

Most likely you have a flare up of an old injury that has never been properly rehabilitated. Weak ligaments and tendons are very easy to injure again. Post traumatic soft tissue fibrosis makes your soft tissue less elastic. Since you do not have insurance I would suggest to find local CMT get some deep tissue done on your ankle. MRI of your ankle would tell the entire story, but it is very expensive. Also Cold Laser therapy by Erchonia PL 5000 and Ultrasound will be able to get some good results. Those modalities should be available in your local D.C. office.

#5 Should I still work if I have a herniated Disc in my back?

I just had an MRI done and found out not only do i have a disc protrusion in the lumbar section of my lower back, I also have chronic arthritis in my spine and degenerative disc disease. Is it good for me to continue at a job that I have to lift heavy objects repeatedly?

Answer:

Repetitive heavy lifting will accelerate the degeneration of your lumbar disc and osteoarthritis. As a result it will cause more pain and your ability to perform Activities of Daily Living. It would be great if you could find a different place of employment that does not require repetitive lifting. You can also ask your employer to provide a modified duty for you if such is available.