Whiplash or WAD (Whiplash Associated Disorder) is a serious condition that can affect an individual’s activities of daily living and their overall quality of life.  Most people associate whiplash with an automobile accident and that of course is the number one way to receive whiplash; however, whiplash (WAD) can also be from other accidents including: falls from ladders, roofs, horses, bicycles, skiing and diving accidents, etc.  The signs of symptoms of WAD can be very vague immediately following the accident.  Some sufferers don’t even seek medical care because their completely pain-free.  However, the hours following the accident and typically the next day, victims complain of increased pain in the neck, head, shoulders, headaches, pins and needles in their neck sometimes traveling down their arm into the hands, and even light sensitivity. 

Whiplash treatment

In Whiplash, the muscles and ligaments of the neck get stretched with the acceleration and deceleration and the tiny cervical spine bones can even fracture dislodging segments into free space.  This type of injury, called a tear-drop fracture is extremely unstable and must be treated with a hard cervical collar and possible surgery to correct.  In contrast, most whiplash cases are not severely unstable and can be treated through the use of Chiropractic care.  The Chiropractor will assess the extent of damage through palpation, range of motion evaluation, orthopedic testing, and x-rays if needed.  He/she will then establish a treatment protocol based on the severity of injury and whether it’s acute or chronic.  They will most likely apply some form of hydrotherapy and of course manipulate the cervical spine.  Massage therapy is also an excellent adjunct to treating Whiplash.  The anterior and posterior muscles of the cervical spine get stretched causing micro-tears within the muscle.  Once the patient is no longer in the acute stage, massage therapy may be administered in accordance to the severity of the whiplash and the patient’s pain tolerance.  The massage therapist may also incorporate stretching and trigger point release in order to further release tension.  A Whiplash of even five miles per hour can take a normal cervical spine and completely reverse the curvature.  When this is visible on x-ray, cervical mechanical traction should be introduced as soon as the musculature has had adequate time to heal.  Cervical mechanical traction stretches the deformed ligaments allowing the bones to move and the muscles to maintain in a normal stance.  Ligaments are elastic and very resilient to change; a ligament doesn’t even begin to stretch until six minutes of traction.  This is slowly increased in gradual steps to a maximum of twenty minutes. 

Do you ever wonder what exactly a Pinched Nerve is?  Well, a pinched nerve happens when a boney prominence puts added pressure on a spinal or accessory nerve.  This is also what happens sometimes with a spinal or extremity subluxation.  A subluxation is a mis-alignment of the spine and/or extremities that may or may not put pressure on a spinal nerve root or accessory nerve.  A pinched nerve will almost always cause local pain and inflammation.  In addition, a pinched nerve may cause the patient to suffer from reduced range of motion in the affected area. 

The Chiropractor’s Role

The Chiropractor will take a detailed case history and perform a through physical exam to obtain a diagnosis in order to deliver a tailored treatment plan accordingly.  The doctor will perform static and kinetic palpation to effectively determine the level of the subluxation and where the restriction lies.  After this, they will perform a HVLA (high velocity low amplitude) thrust to that particular segment in order to correct the mis-alignment.  They will re-check the segment post adjustment to see if the correction has indeed been made.  The Chiropractor may also choose to incorporate some physiotherapy modalities to further heal the pinched nerve and speed up the recovery process.  These modalities may include but not be limited to the following: electrical muscle stimulation to calm down spastic muscles, ultrasound (which is the deepest of the deep heaters working from the bone to the muscle interface), cold laser (this is also a deep heater modality), whirlpool bed, inter-segmental traction (this opens up the facet joints of the spine, taking the pressure off the nerves), and spinal decompression (this machine opens up the disc spaces allowing blood and nutrients to replenish the spine and promote healing to the disc and surrounding structures).  They may also choose to add acupuncture and/or massage therapy to add to the treatment plan.  Massage therapy will help to alleviate any muscle spasms, reduce pain and inflammation, and reduce or eliminate any tender or active trigger points found within the muscle belly or tendinous structures.  After the treatment plan has been sought out, the Chiropractor will perform a re-evaluation to notate the progression and see if the care should be altered, if the patient should be released from care, or if the patient should be referred to another health care provider. 

As we age, hearing loss (presbycusis) is extremely common.  According to the National Institutes of Health, it is estimated that one-third of all Americans between the ages of 65-75 and nearly half of those older than 75 have some degree of hearing loss.  Hearing Loss is primarily due to heredity and chronic exposure to loud noises over a period of time.  Another factor is excessive build-up of ear wax, or cerumen.  It is said by the medical profession that once the effects of hearing loss are noticed, it cannot be reversed. 

Signs and symptoms

These include the following: a muffled speech by the patient, the patient has trouble making out the words of another person especially when in a crowed loud room, repeatedly asking others to repeat their words more loudly, slowly, and clearer, needs to constantly turn up the volume on the television or the radio higher than other individuals, and they remove themselves from conversations and social situations frequently because of constant frustration and embarrassment due to the hearing loss.

How we hear

The ear is a complex structure composed of three main sections: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear.  When sound waves pass the outer ear they hit the eardrum.  The eardrum along with the three small bones of the middle ear-the incus, the malleus, and the stapes help to produce the vibrations as they further travel towards the inner ear.  Then, the vibrations pass through the fluid of the cochlea, a structure inside the inner ear.  Tiny hairs are located on the cochlea which helps to translate sound vibrations into electrical pathways which are directed to the brain.  The nerve cells help the person to distinguish the sounds. 

Chiropractic and hearing loss

Chiropractors work on the ever-important nervous system.  The nervous system is the most important system in the human body, controlling and coordinating every organ system and body part in the body.  Since nerves are involved in hearing, Chiropractors can influence the patient’s hearing capabilities as well.  The very first patient of Dr. D.D. Palmer was Harvey Lillard, a deaf man for seventeen years.  Upon examination, Dr. Palmer noticed that one of his vertebrae was out of mis-alignment, or subluxated.  After manual manipulation, Harvey Lillard was able to hear.  This is no coincidence; the nerves that supply the ear for hearing are affected by the spinal column and the nervous system.  If there is interference to the nervous system in any way, those structures will not function at 100%

What is that Popping Noise?

During a spinal manipulation, a patient may feel a crack or hear a pop in their back.  Research shows that the popping noise is caused from small pockets of air in the tissue fluid that surround the joint.  The air pockets ‘pop’ when the joint tissue is stretched during a spinal adjustment.  The procedure does not cause any serious pain, but the patient may experience sore or tight muscles after treatment.  After 2 to 3 more sessions, the patient will experience an improved range of motion in the spine and more movement in the lower back.  Pain will subside in the problem areas as sessions continue.  Many chiropractors will explain different exercises and techniques for bending to prevent pain from reoccurring.

Why Spinal Manipulation?

Chiropractic spinal adjustments have proven to be safe and effective for treating lower back pain. Patients can look to chiropractic treatment as a natural method of healing as opposed to prescription drugs or surgery.  The chiropractor will apply force with his or her hands to the subluxed part of the spine.  The manipulation will correct vertebral subluxations and decrease pain, inflammation, muscle spasms, and tension. 

It’s Built-In

The natural cervical curve of the spine or “cervical lordosis” has several functions. First and foremost it allows the atlas and axis (two topmost vertebrae) of the spine to support the head properly, as the skull rests on the two vertebrae. Secondly, its innate structure allows for shock absorption from normal movement of the body. The last operation that cervical lordosis performs is providing the greatest possible degree and positioning for the spinal cord to pass through the spinal column. With all these responsibilities, it is easy to see why maintaining cervical lordosis is critical to ones overall health.

Things That Adversely Affect Cervical Lordosis

Daily activity, genetics, and posture all play into a person’s cervical lordosis. If those three are bad, lordotic straightening (or “straight neck”) can occur. When this happens, the person loses the natural lordotic curvature of the cervical spine. This can range from a very mild onset to severe. As one could imagine, the symptoms that would ensue can include pain, loss of rage of motion, stiff neck, and instability of the spinal cord in the most severe cases. If you are concerned about the possibility of having this condition, get checked out by a chiropractor. Not only will they be able to determine if the condition exists, but you can receive immediate treatment for it if it does.

You don’t want to end up like this old man, therefore, if you have back, neck, hip or any other body problems you should see a chiropractor right away. He or she will diagnose and help you by adjusting your body to the correct form. If you have any questions, please let us know in the comment box.

Also known as spinal osteoarthritis, spondylosis is a degenerative condition of the spine that can include one of several pathologies and attack the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar regions. The first type of problem that can occur in spondylosis deals with the intervertebral discs. The discs themselves can degenerate, weakening the support structure of the spine. A disc can bulge in a weak spot, depressing spinal nerves. If the weak spot of the disc ruptures and the disc’s fluid spills out, it then becomes known as a herniated disc. The facet joints of the vertebra itself can degenerate and form osteophytes or “bony spurs.” The strength of the spinal ligaments may also reduce under spondylosis

Treatment

Since the majority of individuals with this condition are asymptomatic, (meaning they are not experiencing symptoms at the time) early detection for the best results is key. A visit to your local chiropractor will reveal any of these types of problems. Treatment for spondylosis may include medication, exercise regimens, and quitting smoking. For the lesser amount, surgery may be required.

Do you suffer from daily back aches and discomfort?  Nearly 90% of all Americans will experience at least one bout of back pain within their lifetime.  Back pain and discomfort is one of the most common reasons for work absenteeism.  Employers are now taking significant notice and supplementing ergonomically-correct chairs and workstations versus the standard office furniture that contributes to the source of the problem.  This furniture is significantly higher than the traditional but cut down on work absenteeism dramatically.  So what is spinal therapy?  Spinal therapy is any type of back therapy that decreases pain, inflammation, and restores range of motion to the spinal column.  Some forms include but are not limited to: chiropractic treatment, physical therapy, and massage therapy, physiotherapy such as ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation, cold laser treatments, acupuncture, and spinal decompression.  Many times a licensed Chiropractor will implement many of these treatments to produce faster results than only providing a single modality.  A Chiropractor treats the entire body, not just the symptoms arising.  They focus on restoring optimal function to the most important organ system in the human body-the nervous system.  The nervous system controls and coordinates every organ system and body part in the human body.  The brain is the most important organ relaying important messages, pain, hunger, thirst, touch, and conscious and unconscious thought processes.

Your first adjustment

Many times, individuals are extremely nervous about receiving spinal manipulation for the first time especially in the cervical spine.  They have been previously told by ignorant lay people that spinal manipulations to the cervical spine cause or having been linked to strokes.  This is not true in the least bit.  The reason why people have strokes is not due the spinal adjustment rather from the arteries.  An individual risks having more complications from taking an aspirin or prescription medication than they do from receiving a cervical adjustment.   

Symptoms and Causes

Radiculopathy may include symptoms such as tingling, pain and loss of muscle control in the legs and arms.  The cause of the problem could be a pinched nerve resulting in poor blood circulation, herniated discs that apply a lot of pressure to various nerves, and bone spurs. Patients that do manual work or play contact sports are more likely to develop radiculopathy than those who have little physical activity in their lives.  Those with a family history of spinal problems or radiculopathy are more likely to develop the condition.   

Treatment

Most patients can control and relieve their symptoms with natural treatment such as chiropractic care or physical therapy.  Patients response generally well to treatment and will often see positive results in about 6-12weeks.  If natural treatment doesn’t work correctly than the patient may benefit from an epidural steroid injection.  In order to determine where the injection will be placed the physician will take x-rays and inject the steroid between the spine and affected nerves.  If symptoms are severe there is always the option to have surgery.  The objective of surgery is to remove the decompression from the nerve.  Doctors may use a procedure called discectomy to remove a small portion of the herniated disc that causes pressure build up. 

Lower Back Pain

Lower back discomfort can be caused by many different factors, such as a muscle strain, overusing the muscle, aging, a herniated disc, or even spinal stenosis.  Lower back discomfort can become very unbearable if it is left untreated.  It’s important to get a thorough assessment by your doctor or Chiropractor if your symptoms don’t subside, as this may be a sign of a more serious issue. 

Symptoms

Patients who experience lower back pain can have a wide range of symptoms such as low back pain numbness, soreness, or weakness within the muscles surrounding your back.  Low back pain can truly restrict you from going on with your daily activities.  Patients may have difficulty lifting heavy objects, sitting, or standing for long periods of time.  Low back pain can also be caused from a lack of exercise or by simply living a very inactive lifestyle.   It’s important to get a thorough assessment. 

Treatment

During your assessment, your Chiropractor or doctor can provide detailed x-rays and tests to help identify any major injuries or causes of the lower back pain.  Patients that have acute lower back pain can be treated by Chiropractic adjustments, traction devices, physical therapy, and massage.  There are many different options available to patients, these options will vary with each patient’s need and pain levels.  Patients may be also asked to apply heat or cold packs to the lower back, as this helps to reduce inflammation within the lower back.  This helps the patient manage their pain and speed up the healing process.