Top Chiropractor in San Leandro, CA

San Leandro Chiropractor

Heart Attack or Thoracic Outlet Syndrome ?

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TOSToday’s post is about real case that have treated on Friday. I saw this patient over a year ago for severe neck pain and headaches. Patient’s problem was resolved with very good results. This morning patient’s husband calls and asks me to see his wife today as an emergency visit because she has numbness in her left upper extremity, loss of temperature in that extremity, and shooting pain. Over the phone he explained to me what has happened couple of days ago.

He took his wife to a near by Hospital Emergency Room suspecting that she had a heart attack. She had severe shooting pain in her left upper chest and shooting pain down her arm. In a Hospital medical Doctors performed a complete check up, including laboratory test and fancy CT- Scan diagnostic. After numerous hours they found nothing wrong with his wife and discharge her home with some pain medications. She was not very happy with an outcome since the symptoms were still there even with pain medications.

This morning I performed my examination and was trying to figure out what was wrong with this lady. First off all she always carries her heavy bag on her left shoulder with her belongings and belongings for her two young kids. That was a first sign that the problem was mechanical in nature and something was compressing her arteries and nerves. Her intercostal muscles between first and second ribs were extremely painful. Her left clavicle (look at the picture on a left) was out of alignment and did not have any movements during passive and active range of motion. Both of her rhomboid major and rhomboid minor muscles were very sore as well.

My Solution to This Problem:

I have diagnosed this lady with TOS. The first procedure was the electrical stimulation and moist heat. I used electrical stimulation on PAIN and CONSTANT settings for 15 minutes. Two pads were placed on her first and seconds intercostal spaces and two pads were placed around rhomboid major and minor muscles. Moist heat pack was placed in the same area for 15 minutes as well. Next, my massage therapist worked on her tight muscles for about 20 minutes or so. My CMT has informed that her entire left side is completely out of balance. Muscles were tight and patient was guarding during the massage which made her job a bit more difficult. But she got it done. After the massage I have performed full spine Chiropractic Adjustment ( that included cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine) and I have adjusted her first rib and clavicle on the left side.

I have called later on today to follow with this patient. Patient has informed me that she did not feel any pain since I saw her this morning. She has also informed me that she felt wave of heat coming into the left side of her body and left upper extremity.

The moral of this case: – please carry your heavy bags on both shoulders if you have too. Make sure that your kids’ backpacks are not too heavy and they carry them on both shoulders as well. Let’s start 2011 with a healthy habit.

Happy New Year !!!

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Wellness Chiropractic Care or Symptom Based Care

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Wellness or PainThis month I have seen my three old patients who have not received chiropractic care for a very long time. The treatment gap varies for each of them. For one patient it was a year and a half, for another nine months, and for the third one it was six months gap. All three patients made an appointment to see me because their pain symptoms got so bad that none of them could function properly on day to day bases. Their quality of life has gone down to the point that it was basically a painful existence.

I have asked all of these patients the same question.  “Why would you wait for so long that your pain level has gone to the point that you can not enjoy your activities of daily living?” The first patient told me that He felt good for a long time since he saw me last time and gradually his symptoms reappeared and got worse. This gentleman has to seat in his office chair for 10 hours a day six days a week. When he walked in to my office his posture looked like a question mark.  Pretty scare stuff. He was crying like a baby when my massage therapist was working on his soft tissue. The second person was a patient who had a sport injury while skiing. Her neck and mid back were in pretty bad shape. The worse symptom was her eye site. She was loosing it very rapidly. Prescription glasses had to be replaced every other month. About twelve sessions of therapy brought her eye site back to normal, to the point where she did not need to wear any glasses. Neck and mid back pain has disappeared. Good results in a relatively short period of time. Third person had a bad case of TMJ. After several sessions utilizing SOT technique and some other tools his problem was resolved and he was very pleased with the results.

My advice to all of these three patients was to come back once a month for maintenance cares. I like to compare our bodies to a vehicle.  Everyone changes oil in their vehicle every 3000-5000 miles depending on the oil they use. After certain mileage we change tires, rotate them and balance the wheels. Tune up is a must for every car and changing brake pads is an inevitable process. Human body needs the same thing.

Every day stress creates micro injuries in our bodies. These micro injuries turn into more serious problem over time. For some it takes longer for some it takes much faster. Maintenance or Wellness care is the same thing as the tune up for your vehicle, oil change, and brake pad replacement. Without these basic things the vehicle will not run properly, and eventually will brake down. The same thing will happen to our bodies in a form of pain and eventually disease. My question is:  “Is it better to have a healthy quality of life or to live in a miserable existence.” Choice is always yours.

Healthy Neck and Ergonomic Office Chair for a Professional

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bad postureMillions of people all over the word wonder how to eliminate their neck problems. Many people ignore the basic principle of a good posture, thus inviting stiff cervical spine pain which slows down productivity and degrades the quality of life. Individual won’t even realize how often he or she will be slouching during a day or sitting wrong. For those of you where living depends on sitting for prolonged hours in front of the computer, chronic neck pain due to strain and overuse of  muscles is inevitable. It is important to catch yourself slouching and prevent doing it in the future. If you find yourself in the situation where pain during working hours in front of the computer becomes a daily occurrence, stretches and exercises for your neck is a must. Additional exercises such as Isometric Neck Exercise would be a great addition to keep your spine healthy.

Another great way to keep your neck healthy is by using an ergonomic desk chair. An ergonomic desk chair should help increase back and neck support to help improve posture and prevent slouching. Employees frequently experience back pain because they sit in their chairs for long periods of time. This increases stress in the spine, neck, arms, shoulders, and legs as well as in various muscles. A chair that isn’t ergonomically friendly can also aggravate existing conditions. READ MORE…

If you get to the point that exercises and stretches do not help to coop with pain and work productivity it is time to visit a health care professional who specializes in soft tissue rehabilitation. Local Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, Physical Therapy and CMT comes to mind.

Pain is a warning sign that there is something wrong with your neck or other body part that is hurting. Ignoring the warning signs can be the cause of the osteoarthritis in your vertebral joints. Osteoarthritis is irreversible condition that will only get worse when a person ages. Overuse of neck muscles can aggravate neck arthritis, take ample rest. Check these simple but a very helpful charts – Helpful Hints For a Healthy Neck and Exercises For Cervical Strain.

Question: if you have any additional tips and advices please feel free to leave them in our comment section.

Chronic Lower Back Pain and 6 Natural Ways to Fix It

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low back painMillions of people suffer from excruciating and immobilizing lower back pain form all over the world. It almost seems like world wide epidemic. A large percentage of these people have to go to work every day and concentrate on their tasks with agonizing and boring back ache. There are many different treatments available for lower back pain varying from modern medicine to great alternative therapies.

Chronic lower back pain causes:

Cancer, Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis, Fibromyalgia, Biomechanical Misalignments, Unbalanced Musculature are the main reasons for lower back pain. Work or sport related injuries or automobile accidents could be the serious cause of lower back pain through out people lives. It can debilitate them for a very prolonged period of time. Sometimes even minor postural abnormalities, sudden jerks or movements, improper exercises and minor falls can be the result of chronic lower back pain

Natural Ways to Counter Severe Chronic Lower Back Pain:

Change Your Posture:

The spine, same as our feet, gets the hardest job in our body as it is used in practically every movement we make and it takes pressure from other body parts such as from the neck, shoulders, head and our arms. As we walk, stand, sit, carry a heavy object or dance, our spine takes the pressure to keep our body erect but at the same time it also has to have the flexibility to make other kinds of movements while keeping our balance.One of the following can be noticed when one has a bad posture: high shoulder, a forward stooping head, a rotated trunk (torso), a hunch back, a high hip, and a side-bent neck and one of the feet will be externally or internally rotated.  Abnormal  posture can result from trauma (like a car accident or fall), repetitive movements (turning your neck towards the monitor), and certain bad postural habits  (sleeping on your stomach). READ MORE …

Get a Good Mattress:

Many patients have been asking my professional advice on which mattress they should buy. There is not a definite answer for every patient. Every single one is going to need a different one in order to get a good night sleep for years to come. Below are some tips and tricks that you can use when buying a new mattress.A mattress should provide uniform support from head to toe. If there are gaps between your body and your mattress (such as at the waist), you’re not getting the necessary support that your body requires. READ AND WATCH MORE …

Get Good Pillows:

When we expect a good night sleep, the majority of us consider mattress characteristic and features, room temperature, room illumination, and noise. Hardly ever we will think about our pillows. There are a lot of options available nowadays. It is important to know that our cervical spine alignment is an important feature of our general well being. Selecting a head support which is equally comfortable to sleep with as well as be able to improve the quality of good night sleep, has to be a necessary foundation for a good nigh sleep. READ AND WATCH MORE …

Use Legs Not Back:

Normally when we lift a weight we put great pressure on our back. Instead, keep your lower back in arched position and lift the load. Bend the knees and put the pressure on your leg muscles. An upright torso while lifting weights can always avoid the risk of chronic lower back pain. READ MORE …

Exercise Routines:

Inclusion of a strict exercise regime for 30 minutes to one hour, everyday can alleviate chronic pain and prevent the occurrence of the same. If you are suffering from chronic lower back and hip pain, it is imperative that you take the advice of a fitness expert. Only a fitness expert can help you with an exercise routine, according to your body condition and physical ability. Body alignment exercises, Bowen therapy and exclusive exercises for the lower back can strengthen the back and abdominal muscles. MORE ABOUT EXERECISES …

Choose Comfort Over Style:

Ladies today choose stylish footwear that are high-heeled like stilettos. They can definitely accentuate your presence but they can damage your back, irreparably. A sturdy shoe and flat footwear can definitely look good on you and save you from many an endless chronic lower back pain treatment. You can stop chronic lower back pain by being cautious and rational.  READ MORE …