Saturday, December 31, 2022

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Other Tips : Industrial Back Safety

Industrial safety specialists strive to help employers provide a safe and productive environment for their employees. They analyze information about people, tasks, equipment, and workspace in industrial settings found in manufacturing, engineering, and construction. Although industries differ, some tasks may be similar to work performed elsewhere. Lifting and material handling are such tasks that are common to many types of industries such as automobile manufacturing or bridge building.

Industrial Jobs can be Demanding Physically

Jobs in an industrial environment are usually physically demanding and require workers to lift, push, pull, and handle heavy loads. Some individual tasks are repetitious and require the worker to stand or sit for extended time periods. Many industrial work environments involve lifting and material handling. Common causes of back and neck injury related to these tasks include lifting a heavy object from above the shoulders or below the knees, twisting the body while lifting, carrying an object to one side of the body, and bending over at the waist.

When manual lifting, carrying, and lowering are necessary, consider these suggestions:

Step 1: Assess the Situation

A) Assess the load and the situation by testing the weight by lifting one corner. If the object is too heavy, over-sized, or an awkward shape ask for a co-worker's help. If help is not available, consider using a mechanical lift or a hand truck.

B) Consider the following before lifting:

  • When lifted, will the object obstruct your view?
  • How far will you have to carry the object?
  • Is the destination pathway clear?
  • Is the pathway floor flat, slanted, cracked, uneven?
  • Will curbs, stairs or doorways be encountered?
  • Is there adequate height and width clearance in aisles?
  • Does an area need to be cleared to receive the object?

C) Wear gloves to help grip the object and protect your hands.

Step 2: Lift, Carry, and Lower with Care

  • Position yourself on center and close to the object.
  • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep feet flat on the floor.
  • Tighten your stomach muscles to help support the back.
  • Grip the object and hold it close to your body.
  • Bend your knees, keep the back straight, and lift using leg strength. The muscles in the legs are stronger and more powerful than your back muscles.
  • While lifting, do not twist the body. Lift straight up smoothly - do not jerk the load.
  • Look straight ahead, hold the load close, and walk toward your destination.
  • Instead of twisting to change direction, turn the feet (e.g. pivot).
  • Know where you plan to set the object down. Have a plan in mind.
  • To lower and set the object down: keep the load close to your body, bend your knees, and let your leg muscles do the work to lower the object. Remember to keep your back straight and do not twist.

Article reprinted from Spine Universe

707-429-4861
258 Sunset Ave
Suisun City, CA 94585

Sunday, December 25, 2022

**Award Winning** CGI 3D Animated Short Film "Hey Deer!" by Ors Barczy |...


Hey Deer! Short Animated Film about an adorable, cocoa-drinking deer who is eager to tidy and shoveling in front of his house every day. However, there is a suspicious earthquake every night which causes the mess day by day and make unbearable our fella’s life. Between two cups of cocoa the amazing truth reveals which changes the deer’s life forever…

Merry Christmas to you ALL.

707-429-4861
258 Sunset Ave
Suisun City, CA 94585
Website

Sunday, December 18, 2022

Other Tips : Preventing Workplace Injuries

Many of workplace injuries can be minimized, if not prevented by remembering, the simple A-B-C's.

  • A - Awareness/Adjustments
  • B - Body Mechanics
  • C - Care/Conditioning

A - Awareness/Adjustments

Many injuries are due to repetitive movements and fatigue resulting from natural stresses and strains on the body. Posture that is maintained for too long are exposed to cumulative stresses and strains. Poor posture can place these stresses and strains in areas of the body that are weak, resulting in pain and excessive wear.

B - Body Mechanics

Once again, posture is a key in proper body mechanics. Pretend that there is a board in the front and one in the back of your body. In other words, try to keep your back as straight as possible at all times. This is done by remembering the basics of - head up, shoulders back, chest out, stomach and rear-end in and back straight! Poor posture and incorrect body mechanics are two of the leading causes of back and neck pain and injury.

When lifting heavy objects widen your feet, squat from your hips and not your waist. Do not twist especially while bending and tighten your stomach! One's legs are a great deal stronger than one's back. Your abdominals (stomach) attaches to the front of your back, therefore when you pretend that you are about to be punched and still breath - you protect your back because of using your abdominals. Use common sense, use the stronger muscles - use your legs when lifting. 

C - Care/Conditioning

Eating, sleeping and exercise are vital when preventing injury and keeping a healthy body. Dietary habits are addressed every day. The basics - fruits, vegetables, protein and low fat help keep the body happy and healthy. Sleep should be approximately 8 hours with good sleeping posture. The neck should be neither bent or extended, it should be gently supported. The legs should also be supported with either one or two pillows. If you think: "I can't sleep like that - I move around too much!", that is OK, the first hour is the most important. The center of the spine (the nucleus) depends solely on absorption from surrounding structures - kind of like a sponge. It absorbs 80% of its nutrition in the first hour of sleep. When the legs are supported, it opens up the spinal segment to allow for maximal absorption.

Also remember to stand up - stretch - and walk around at least once an hour. You will be surprised how easy this is to do and how much better your body will feel when practicing these simple suggestions.

In summary, common sense is the best practice on the job. Remember the A-B-C's and if you have a specific problem or injury, don't suffer in silence. Dr. Pazdel is just a phone call away.

Article reprinted from Spine Universe

707-429-4861
258 Sunset Ave
Suisun City, CA 94585

Monday, December 12, 2022

Other Tips : Osteoarthritis, Degenerative Spinal Joint Disease

Osteoarthritis is a disease of the joints. Also know as degenerative joint disease, it is the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 20 million American adults. It should not be confused with rheumatoid arthritis, which is not the same as osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is caused by a breakdown of cartilage, the substance that provides a cushion between the bones of the joints. Healthy cartilage allows bones to glide over one another and acts as a shock absorber during physical movement. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage breaks down and wears away. This causes the bones under the cartilage to rub together, causing pain, swelling and loss of motion of the joint.

What Causes Osteoarthritis?

Most cases of osteoarthritis have no known cause. Risk factors include:

  • Age – osteoarthritis affects more people over the age of 45
  • Female – osteoarthritis is more common in women than in men
  • Certain hereditary conditions such as defective cartilage and joint deformity
  • Joint injuries caused by sports, work-related activity or accidents

Obesity

Diseases that affect the structure and function of cartilage, such as rheumatoid arthritis, hemochromatosis (a metabolic disorder), Paget's disease and gout

Signs and Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis usually begins slowly. Early in the disease, joints may ache after physical work or exercise. Often the pain of early osteoarthritis fades and then returns over time, especially if the affected joint is overused. Other symptoms may include:

  • Swelling or tenderness in one or more joints, especially before or during a change in the weather
  • Loss of flexibility of a joint
  • Stiffness after getting out of bed
  • A crunching feeling or sound of bone rubbing on bone
  • Bony lumps on the joints of the fingers or the base of the thumb
  • Steady or intermittent pain in a joint (although not everyone with osteoarthritis has pain)

Which joints are affected by Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis can occur in any joint but most often occurs in the spine, hips, knees or hands.

How do I know if I have Osteoarthritis?

No single test can diagnose osteoarthritis. However, if you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, see your doctor. Most doctors use a combination of tools to determine if you have osteoarthritis, including: History, Tests and Physical Examination.

Treatment of Osteoarthritis

Even though there is no cure for osteoarthritis, its symptoms can be treated. Osteoarthritis treatment generally includes the following: Pain Control, Exercise and Weight Control.

Spine surgery (in severe cases) may be necessary to relieve chronic pain in damaged joints.

One of the most important things you can do is to take care of yourself and adopt healthy lifestyle habits. People with osteoarthritis can enjoy good health despite having this disease. Research shows that patients who take part in their own care report less pain and make fewer doctor visits. They also enjoy a better quality of life. The best way to start is what you are doing right now – learning as much as you can about osteoarthritis. Talk to your doctor about programs that you can join that are designed to help you manage your condition and develop a healthy lifestyle.

Article reprinted from Spine Universe

707-429-4861
258 Sunset Ave
Suisun City, CA 94585

Friday, December 9, 2022

Can Chiropractic Help Prevent Sports Injuries?

Sports Injuries and Chiropractic

Whether you are a weekend athlete or a professional, there are a few things that all athletes have in common. They want to have the best possible performance in their chosen sport, and they both can get injured.

Let's take the weekend athlete, or for that matter, anyone who enjoys exercising. Injuries happen, pure and simple. While they can be minimized, they cannot be totally avoided. If a person participates enough in any physical activity, eventually that person will get hurt to some degree. The way in which one treats his injuries determines how fast one recovers and how quickly one can get back to the activity he enjoys.

Athletes may ask themselves why they get injured? They stretch out, and feel like they are in pretty good shape. Usually there is a very simple formula. In most cases, we play too hard, too long, or too fast. In the case of household duties such as spring cleaning, do any of us warm up before carrying those boxes into the crawl space of our ceilings? This may not seem like a sports injury, but in fact, overuse syndromes or playing full speed before we are really warmed up are the major causes of sports injuries. Simple household chores, while done cold, can mimic a sports injury to some extent.

If an athlete gets hurt, what can be done to get him back on the field? Rest is usually a good thing, but by itself, can take a very long time.

Chiropractic offers a balanced approach to the treatment and the healing of sports injuries. By using the chiropractic adjustment to return spinal segments to their normal mobility and by using physical therapy to help the supportive tissues (muscles, tendons, & ligaments), chiropractic physicians help the injured areas return to normal function. Combined with some rest to help the healing process, athletes will find their way back on the court. Afterward, better strategies for exercise and stretching will be discussed with the athlete to help him stay on the straight and narrow path to better enjoyment of his chosen sport.

Many professional athletes are utilizing chiropractic care more and more because they realize that it helps them maximize athletic performance. Articles continue to appear in major newspapers and magazines citing such stars as Arnold Schwartzeneger, former boxing champ Evander Holyfield, and football stars such as Emmit Smith and Joe Montana proclaiming the benefits that chiropractic has meant for their careers. More and more professional and college teams are utilizing care for that same reason.

If you can remember that the whole premise of chiropractic health care is to restore spinal health so that the body has the best opportunity to maximize proper function, it is not hard to understand why the Pros enjoy what chiropractic has to offer.

Article reprinted from American Chiropractic Association.

707-429-4861
258 Sunset Ave
Suisun City, CA 94585

For more information on services provided, visit our website.

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

How do vitamins work? - Ginnie Trinh Nguyen


Vitamins are the building blocks that keep our bodies running; they help build muscle and bone, capture energy, heal wounds and more. But if our body doesn’t create vitamins, how do they get into our system? Ginnie Trinh Nguyen describes what vitamins are, how they get into our bodies -- and why they are so crucial.

Lesson by Ginnie Trinh Nguyen, animation by The Moving Company Animation Studio.

707-429-4861
258 Sunset Ave
Suisun City, CA 94585
Website

Saturday, December 3, 2022

What Is Whiplash And How Can Chiropractic Help?

What is whiplash?

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.

Injuries to the neck caused by a sudden movement of the head, backward, forward, or sideways, is referred to as "whiplash." Whether from a car accident, sports, or an accident at work, whiplash or other neck injuries warrant a thorough chiropractic checkup. The biggest danger with whiplash injuries is that the symptoms can take years to develop.

The resulting instability of the spine and soft tissues can result in headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, pain in the shoulder, arms and hands, reduced ability to turn and bend, and even low back problems. As the body attempts to adapt, symptoms may not appear for weeks or even months later.

Chiropractic Care Can Help

The sudden accident that caused the whiplash in the first place may fade into memory, but the physical and psychological damage of whiplash can become chronic, eroding a victim's quality of life. Chiropractic techniques and chiropractors' skills are particularly well-suited to relieving the neck pain and other debilitating effects of whiplash because they can:

  • Restore movement lost after the accident
  • Overcome muscle weakness and enhance muscle tone
  • Speed recovery
  • Diminish chronic symptoms that can persist or recur over many years

Repeated and effective chiropractic adjustments have proved successful for many thousands of patients. Chiropractic can, in many cases, significantly reduce patients' distress and allow them to return to their normal activities rather than seeing themselves as invalids--as so many whiplash victims do long after their accident

The chiropractic approach to these types of injuries is to use specific chiropractic adjustments to help return spinal function. If caught early enough, inflammation can be reduced and scar tissue can often be minimized.

Talk to Dr. Pazdel about other ways to improve your lifestyle. Doctors of chiropractic are trained and licensed to treat the entire neuromusculoskeletal system and can effectively treat the tissues injured during a whiplash incident.

707-429-4861
258 Sunset Ave
Suisun City, CA 94585

For more information on services provided, visit our website.