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San Leandro Chiropractor

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) and Chiropractic

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CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROMECarpal tunnel syndrome happens when there is a compression of the median nerve in the wrist formed by the carpal bones and the transverse carpal ligament – a strip of tendon that supports the wrist from the bottom. The Carpal Tunnel is a narrow passageway in the wrist where tendons and nerves pass through to control the hand. These nerves and tendons are covered with a sheath of fluid that protects it. When a person uses the hand repetitively, swelling can happen due to the irritation of the chamber. As it swells, there’s no more space to accommodate the swelling thus the nerve is being compressed which results in  numbness and tingling in the hands, primarily the thumb and thumb pad, index, middle, and inner half of the ring fingers.

When a person uses their hands on a repetitive motion, like for example when typing, there is a tendency that it can result in carpal tunnel syndrome. There’s no known real cause for the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as it’s an idiopathic condition but those that are more prone to suffering from this syndrome are women and those with diabetes. Around 80% of cases of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome are women and studies are still being conducted to understand why majority of cases are females.

The symptoms of CTS are usually experienced at night and are most likely caused by the sleeping position of the patient. As the patient unknowingly bends the wrist during sleep, the pain would then flare up. In cases of patients suffering from pain at night due to carpal tunnel syndrome, the patient can use a brace or a splint to keep them from bending their wrist and compressing the nerves while sleeping.

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be treated through a chiropractic treatment. The patient must first undergo a series of examinations such as a physical examination and  x-ray to properly diagnose the patient’s case.  Since carpal tunnel syndrome is considered an RSI or a repetitive stress injury, the usual chiropractic treatment for this is by manipulation of the elbow and wrist and also with the manipulation of the patient’s cervical spine. Aside from this, the patient also has to rest the affected arm and to apply a cold compress to prevent further inflammation. A brace or a splint may also be advised for the patient to wear.

Spinal and arm manipulation is not the only chiropractic treatment available for treating carpal tunnel syndrome although it is the most common. An ultrasound therapy may also be conducted. In this type of therapy, a device that emits either high or low energy sound is used to the affected area. These energy sounds produce sound waves that penetrate into the skin and tissue thus relaxing the muscles and reducing the pain and inflammation. Cold Laser by Erchonia PL 5000 is another effective modality that will help to expedite the healing process and control the pain.

Chiropractic treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome is non-invasive. There’s no need for medications or surgery if you choose this treatment. Based on studies, the chiropractic treatment is also just as effective as the allopathic treatment for repetitive stress injury or RSI.

While I was doing research for this article I have come across a really interesting article on Eioba.com The title is: Kevin’s 52 Tips On Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Wrist Pain. This article covers every angle on how to prevent CTS and RSI. It is a must list for everyone who has wrist pain. Thumbs up Kevin for this information. I am also providing a list of exercises intended to help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome. Remember doing a quick five minute exercise warm-up before starting work, just as runners stretch before a run, can help prevent work-related injuries.

In conclusion I would like you to watch this excellent 3D video by Christopher Travers. It will help one to better understand about the patho physiology of CTS.

Question: Waht kind fo treatment did you or someone you know have for CTS?

Insomnia and 14 Tips on How to Cope with Sleep Problem

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INSOMINAInsomnia is a symptom which can accompany several sleep, medical and psychiatric disorders, characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep and/or difficulty staying asleep. Insomnia is typically followed by functional impairment while awake.

Most adults have experienced sleeplessness at one time or another in their lives. An estimated 30%-50% of the general populations are affected by insomnia, and 10% have it as a chronic condition. Sleepless is a quite common problem but when it starts to become chronic, it becomes a big burden. Our body needs 6-8 hours of sleep. The older we become the longer hours of sleep recovery our body needs from every day’s stress.  My teacher Dr. Denofrio used to say: “Sleep is your weapon.”  If we are sleep deprived, we can’t function well and we easily get irritated and can’t concentrate.  Insomnia is most often caused by stress, illness, a change of the sleeping environment and many other factors.  There are five types of insomnia: Primary, Co-morbid , Transient, Short-term, and Chronic.

Patients who are suffering from insomnia for over a month are considered to have chronic insomnia. There are 3 divisions for chronic insomnia and they are as primary sleep disorders, secondary insomnia and idiopathic insomnia.

Primary insomnia is usually experienced by people suffering from stress or anxiety and is categorized as transient insomnia. It can also be caused by alcohol and coffee. This type of  insomnia will go away on its own as long as the root of the problem is cleared. Secondary insomnia, on the other hand, is caused by a psychiatric or medical problem as well as with extensive use of alcohol and drugs. Idiopathic insomnia has no known cause but sleeplessness still occur. Primary sleep disorders are caused by sleep syndromes and circadian rhythm disorders among others.

Patient who suffers from lack of sleep can find a relief from this condition with chiropractic care. Combination of chiropractic adjustments and deep tissue massage will help to facilitate the neurological impulse flow  from your brain – central nervous system (CNS) to the peripheral nervous system (PNS). CNS and  PNS control the function of every single organ in our body. Deep tissue massage will help facilitate the blood flow to your musculoskeletal system (MSS), thus help to  repair micro damges that your body sustained throughout the day. The process is happening while one is asleep. The balance between CNS -PNS and MSS will allow  your body to have a chance to  rejuvenate.  Pleas take a look at this video I found on Youtube by Shannon Scarlett. This is a perfect example of how much information our CNS is processing every day.

But, it is too general to say that chiropractic care would help in all cases of insomnia.  There are different cases of insomnia that requires different approach. A medical professional would offer the advice to the patient as he/she can diagnose the root cause as to why the patient is suffering from insomnia.

Nonetheless, chiropractic care and other treatments are available for the patient to see what works for them. But, these treatments would work optimally if the patient also makes lifestyle changes and avoid as much stress as possible. Below are 14 tips on how to cope with Insomnia:

1. Take warm bath before going to bed

2. Get a Massage

3. Listen t a Sothing, Soft Music

4. Drink Herb Tea – Camomile, catnip, anise or funnel

5. Eat  a Bedtime snack

6. Avid Coffeine, Alcohol and Tobacco

7. Sleep in Well-Ventilated Room

8. Get Some Cardiovascular Exercises During the Day

9.  Keep Regular DedTime Hours

10. Don’t Sleep In

11. Get Up Early In the Morning

12. Avoid Illuminated Bedromm Clocks

13. Keep room Dark

14. Avoid Exercises 3-4 Hours Before BedTime

Question: What Other Techniques Did You Use in Order to Help Yourself to fall Asleep?

Car Accident Injury and Chiropractic

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People who got into a car accident and survived should consider themselves very lucky.  Some  injuries caused by a motor vehicle accident can cause lifetime damage to the body and no amount of treatment could get one back to one old self at 100% copacity. Still, by getting the right treatment, you could get back as much motion and sensitivity to the damaged body part than none.  

The severity of the car crash injury varies from the impact and the passenger’s safety while inside of the car, but the most common car accident injuries are on the face and head, brain, neck, arm and shoulders, back, foot, leg and knee as well as with the psychological injury or post traumatic stress disorders. Of course death is also a possible result of a very traumatic car accident injury. For those who had injuries that are non-life threatening, there are many treatments that will help in reducing the pain and swelling as well as for rehabilitation to gain back movements and senses. Such treatments include physical therapy as well as chiropractic treatments.  

Whiplash is a very common injury suffered during car accidents where there is a sudden neck distortion. In fact, it’s one of the most common injury when two vehicles collide. Whiplash car accident injury was not easily detected in the past because soft tissue injuries were hard to detect using x-rays or radiographs. Now with MRIs, ultrasounds and CT scans, such injuries are now detected. All of the car insurance companies cover Whiplash injury rehabilitation. However, in the past it was considered as a fraud or a lie when patient complain of pain where no bones were broken.  

Chiropractic rehabilitation is a great choice of treatment to remedy whiplash and accident related injuries. Many patients suffering from whiplash reported faster recovery and less pain with the help of chiropractic treatment.  

Whiplash  injury is evident when the patient feels pain in the neck, shoulders, lower back , jaw, headache, anxiety and fatigue. Chiropractic treatments help the patient by helping in the restoration of the movements of the spine as well as by reducing the muscle spasm, pain, iflammation and avoid fabrotic tissue foramtion. Chiropractic treatment also heals the ligaments and tendons that had been affected by a car accident injury. The chiropractic treatment don’t only relieve the patient of pain but it also helps in preventing any long term effects from the autombile collision.  

Please take a look at this High Impact Rear-End Collision – Neck Injury VIDEO:  

  

Most of the time, in order to get the best possible result, chiropractic treatment is combined with other specialists and modalities. After a course of chiropractic rehabilitation a patient can rereferred for therapy sessions of  Physical Therapy, Acuputnure and Medical Doctor.  In my office each treatment consists of chiropractic manipulation and physiotherapy modalities in the form of menual traction, moist heat, electrical muscle stimulation, ultrasound, Erchona PL5000 laser and myofascial release for the relief of muscle spasm and pain.  

Car Accident Statistics –  

Car Crash Stats: There were nearly 6,420,000 auto accidents in the United States in 2005. The financial cost of these crashes is more than 230 Billion dollars. 2.9 million people were injured and 42,636 people killed. About 115 people die every day in vehicle crashes in the United States — one death every 13 minutes.

In 2003 there were 6,328,000 car accidents in the US. There were 2.9 million injuries and 42.643 people were killed in auto accidents.

In 2002, there were an estimated 6,316,000 car accidents in the USA. There were about 2.9 million injuries and 42,815 people were killed in auto accidents in 2002.

There were an estimated 6,356,000 car accidents in the US in 2000. There were about 3.2 million injuries and 41,821 people were killed in auto accidents in 2000 based on data collected by the Federal Highway Administration.

Neck Pain and Chiropractic Treatment in San Leandro

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neck pain chiropractic treatment in san leandro

Neck Pain and Chiropractic Treatment in San Leandro

Experiencing neck pain is really annoying and can take the focus off your work or activity that you should be paying attention to. It can be a little nuisance no matter if it’s mild or not. It is quite a common problem that many people experience at some point in their lives. Neck pain intensity can be mild to severe and the causes for the pain vary from just a muscular strain to a spinal misalignment (subluxation) or injury. The neck plays a vital role as it connects our head to the upper back. Since it supports the head so it won’t wag down, there are 3 top joints in the neck that provides flexibility and movement for both our neck and head. These joints support the head and if they get affected, the muscles tightening will cause the pain. Of course this is just the most common reason why a person experiences the neck pain. If a patient experiences neck pain, it would be best to consult a health care professional to figure out what caused the pain to begin with. It can just be a symptom and not the actual problem. It can be a referred pain caused by upper back problems or by an acute coronary syndrome. There are different available treatments out there depending on the severity of the neck pain. For many, a conservative treatment of chiropractic is their preferred choice. Chiropractors won’t proceed with chiropractic on the patient without initially diagnosing what caused the problem. A patient’s medical history is important as well as physical examination to test the movement of the patient’s neck ROM as well as to examine the muscles and testing of the nerves, in other words orthopedic and neurolgical examination. Chiropractic treatment may sound scary to some as twisting of the neck may mortify them and fear for the worst that could happen. However, licensed D.C. don’t just twist the neck or snap, one actually performs gentle manipulations of the cervical spine to improve the overall biomechanics which is quintessential to return the motion of the joints to normal. Chiropractors are well-trained and before they get their license, they are already equipped with the right knowledge to do the job well so you are assured that you won’t jeopardize your life if you try the treatment. In fact, you will greatly benefit from it. If the neck pain is caused by an injury, it would be best to have chiropractic rehabilitation along with physical therapy modalities (ultrasound, electrical stimulation and heat, Cold Laser – Erchonia PL 5000), deep tissue massage and possible pain medication. Medications can be prescribed to the patient by a medical doctor depending on the level of pain suffered by the patient. If after 1 or 2 weeks of  chiropractic rehabilitation the pain level goes down to a tolerable level, the patient can stop taking pain medications. Allopathic physician and Doctor of Chiropractic would know what’s best for you, so do ask for the suggestions. Question: What was your neck pain like? What kind of treatment did you choose for your neck pain?

About Dr. Burt
Dr. Burt