Chiropractic Treatment of Whiplash Injury: What Can a Chiropractor Offer?

Each year approximately 2 million Americans suffer a whiplash type injury. Chiropractic care can be extremely beneficial in these cases. A Chiropractor can help assist patients with both the short and long term effects of whiplash associated injuries. Before we consider the numerous unique benefits offered by Chiropractic care in the treatment of whiplash, let's briefly discuss what exactly a whiplash injury is.

What exactly is whiplash? Surprisingly, the name "whiplash" isn't an official medical term at all. Rather the term "whiplash" is a non-medical term commonly used to describe a sprain and strain injury to the soft tissues of the neck. Whiplash is considered an acceleration-deceleration type injury and occurs when the cervical spine, or neck, is abruptly forced to stretch and move beyond its normal range of motion. This typically involves the neck suddenly extending backward and then flexing forward beyond the normal anatomical range of motion. This results in an overload injury due to excessive forces being placed on the cervical spine. The initial injury is actually thought to be tearing of muscle and ligament fibers within the neck. Although predominately an injury to the muscles and ligaments, whiplash may also include injury to the intervertebral joints, discs, and nerve roots. The degree of injury can range from minor to severe.

As if the initial injury weren't bad enough, the response of the body post injury can further complicate matters. After the injury muscles in and around the area respond to by contracting in spasm to splint and stabilize the area. This limits movement of the head and neck and is the body's well intentioned efforts to prevent movement and further injury. Essentially the body attempts to make its own soft collar to limit motion of the head and neck. Unfortunately this can eventually lead to chronic pain, inflammation, stiffness and loss of range of motion.

Whiplash is usually associated with an automobile accident, but it can occur in many other instances. Whiplash can also be caused by things such as a fall, or an impact or collision in a sporting event or recreational activity. Some examples are a fall from a horse, a collision in football, or an impact experienced in basketball, boxing, or hockey.

What are some of the symptoms of whiplash? Headache is a frequent symptom of a cervical strain. In addition to headaches and neck pain, other symptoms of whiplash may include:

- Neck stiffness

- Dizziness

- Shoulder pain

- Back Pain

- Changes in vision

- Abnormal sensations in the neck, hands and arms (such as burning, pins and needles, numbness, or tingling)

Surprisingly, symptoms are not always an accurate indication of whether or not a patient has whiplash. Contrary to common misconception, whiplash isn't always obvious at the time of injury. Many victims of whiplash related injuries often do not consult with a health care provider because they do not have neck pain at or immediately near the time of the accident or injury. This is a mistake because symptoms of a cervical sprain and strain can take time to manifest themselves. Generally speaking, the onset of symptoms is much faster in more severe injury. A severe case of whiplash injury may cause pain and symptoms immediately or within hours. In a more mild case of whiplash symptoms may not occur for weeks or months.

Many victims of an automobile accident do not seek medical or chiropractic attention because their accident occurred at a low speed. There is a misconception within the general public that high speed impacts are needed to cause whiplash. This couldn't be further from the truth. Studies show that the soft tissues in your cervical spine have an injury threshold of 5 mph. In other words, an impact of 5 mph or greater can theoretically cause damage to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the neck.

The likelihood of developing whiplash in an automobile accident depends on a multitude of factors and speed is just one variable. The position of the head and neck at the time of impact, the direction of impact, the position of vehicle headrests, whether or not a seatbelt was worn, and whether the occupants saw the impact coming are just some of the additional factors involved.

It is obvious that any impact or collision should be taken seriously. A victim of a car accident or other impact would be wise to consult with a healthcare provider as soon as possible afterward, even if no symptoms are present. A Chiropractor is a great choice.

Few health care providers are as well educated on the anatomy of the cervical spine or as well prepared to address the musculoskeletal effects of whiplash related injuries as a Chiropractor. Chiropractors receive extensive training in the normal structure and function of the cervical spine. They are also equipped to recognize and treat both the acute and long term effects of whiplash injury.

Chiropractic care can be of great value to a patient in the acute phase of a whiplash injury. During the acute, or early, stage of whiplash a Chiropractor will place an emphasis on controlling and minimizing inflammation, muscle spasm, pain, and symptoms. During this early phase of care a Chiropractor focuses on gentle treatment. Application of ice and cold therapy is common to control swelling and inflammation and to help alleviate pain. A Chiropractor may also use special forms of therapy such as electric muscle stimulation or therapeutic ultrasound to relax muscles and help reduce pain. Cold laser therapy, acupuncture, trigger point therapy, massage therapy, gentle stretching and joint mobilization techniques are also common early treatment techniques available to many Doctors of Chiropractic.

As a whiplash injury heals, symptoms often progress from pain to stiffness and inflexibility. A Chiropractor is equally beneficial to patients at this point. As you progress from the acute phase of care a Chiropractor will focus on correction, flexibility, and prevention. At this point a Chiropractor may begin to utilize more intense forms of therapy. These treatment options will include things such as chiropractic adjustments to restore proper spinal alignment and nerve function, along with prescribed stretches and strengthening exercises.

So what makes Chiropractic care different from conventional medical care? Most often conventional medical care focuses on the alleviation of pain and symptoms. This is usually done primarily through the use of drugs and medication. While getting a patient out of pain is certainly important, it is only part of the clinical picture. The long term effects of injury, rehabilitation, and prevention of future injury are all areas that need to be addressed as well. The focus of Chiropractic care extends well beyond the treatment of pain and symptoms.

A Chiropractor works with patients long after pain and symptoms have decreased or subsided. In addition to symptoms, a Chiropractor is also concerned with treating posture, spinal alignment, and any abnormal spinal biomechanics. Even after a whiplash injury has healed, a Chiropractor can continue to offer a great deal of benefit to the patient. A Chiropractor can provide a patient with ergonomic advice, home exercises, and a stretching and strengthening program to restore normal range of motion and help prevent further injury in the future.

Another benefit of Chiropractic care for whiplash patients is the fact that a Chiropractor is trained to evaluate and treat the entire spine. The spinal column is one large kinetic chain. It consists of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. The effects of forces and impacts exerted to one area of the spine are not isolated to that area. Injury to the cervical spine can, and does, impact the middle back and low back areas as well. The ability to examine and treat the entire spine is just another unique benefit offered by a Chiropractor

Yet another benefit is the fact that a Chiropractor is also educated to recognize how spinal misalignment can affect the overall health and wellness of a patient. A Chiropractic health care provider views injury and treatment from a different point of view than the most of the traditional medical community. However, Chiropractors also recognize the unique limitations and advantages of each health care profession and will refer to, and work in cooperation with, medical providers as needed.

In conclusion, whiplash type injuries are a common occurrence within American society. Research has shown Chiropractic care to be effective in the treatment of pain and the musculoskeletal effects of whiplash. A Chiropractor is armed with the knowledge, tools, and skills necessary to address cervical spinal dysfunction and the related effects. If you or a loved one feels they may suffer from whiplash, be sure to seek the advice of a qualified health care provider as soon as possible. A Doctor of Chiropractic just might be the ideal choice!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Laura_Vernallis/770226

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6342033

How to Have Perfect Posture at Work | Chiropractic Care

As a chiropractor, I think a lot about posture. And one of the activities that seems to cause a lot of stress in most people's bodies is spending prolonged periods of time at a desk or computer. So I spend a lot of time talking to people about how to have proper posture at their desk or work station. So here is the skinny. You want to sit in a chair where your sacum, or your low back, touches the back of the chair. It's best to have a chair where you can really have good back support. You want a chair that's designed for your body. So that the seat is not too deep for you, or not too shallow. You want your knees to come close to the end of where the edge of the seat is. And you want your feet to be able to touch the ground.

Most of us sit on chairs with our feet up on the rung. Or tucked up under us. And we want to make sure that the feet are actually on the floor. So adjust the height of your chair so your weight is on two feet, and two (?). That'll really distribute the weight properly through your entire muscoskeletal system, and put the least amount of strain on your body.

So let's talk about keyboards. Many people put their keyboard on a desk. Either because they're using a laptop, or that's just where they put the keyboard tray. But it's really important when you're at a keyboard, that your shoulders are dropped. So this is how you should set it up. Your shoulders should be completely dropped. And your elbows should be dropped and resting at your side. You want a right angle at your elbow. And no break at your wrist. This means that your keyboard should be about the height of your elbows.

Most people have their keyboard a little bit higher. And you might think, well what's the difference? It's just a few inches higher. But the difference is that when you have to start using the mouse, you end up engaging the elbow and the shoulder muscles. And this causes isometric contraction in those muscles. And that can really add up to a lot of pain by the end of the day.

I recommend that people get keyboard trays. The kind that screw on under your desk. You can slide them out. Get a wide one so you can put your mouse on it too. This way when you don't need your keyboard you can slide it under your desk, but when you need it you can adjust it just for the height you need for your body.

Now let's talk about the screen. The middle of the screen should be exactly at eye level. Or maybe an inch below. Many of us are putting laptops or computers on desks and the screens are a little too low. And that means that we're flexing our head forward all day. And that puts enormous strain on our neck and our shoulders. So raise your screen up a little bit. So that the middle of the screen is right at eye level. You'll be glad you did it. It'll make a really big difference.

Why Chiropractic Care? 5 Reasons To See A Chiropractor

If you have not tried Chiropractic care yet, it might be because your first choice when you need medical care is the status quo. You probably don't know much about chiropractic care and what it can offer you. Like most people, you probably call your general practitioner for an appointment no matter what is wrong with you. Headache, backache, joint aches, allergies... You call your normal physician without giving it any thought at all. But the truth is you can get a lot of expert care from your chiropractor.

Here are five reasons to go to a chiropractor.

Chiropractic care costs less - Americans suffering from back pain spend over 60 billion dollars a year trying to seek relief, most of it unproductive. Several workers compensation board studies found that chiropractic care reduced medical costs by almost 30% compared with conventional care for back pain. Studies by Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) show that more of the money you spend with a chiropractor goes to patient care.

It works - Studies show that chiropractic care for back pain is less expensive and more successful than other forms of treatment. In addition, chiropractors can get you back to work faster by avoiding drugs and surgery. Studies show that for long term relief from pain, chiropractic care works better than drug therapy without the side effects and chiropractic does it faster.

More than backs - Aside from back pain, you can get medical attention for headache, joint pain, allergies, smoking cessation, nutritional counseling, and overall wellbeing. Many chiropractors can do sports physicals and general employment physicals for less than you can get them done with your general practitioner. Chiropractors look at the whole picture, not just one symptom to find a treatment that will work best for you.

Avoids invasive procedures - Chiropractors do not like invasive procedures so we seek to treat a patient in such a way as to avoid surgery. The fact is, surgery doesn't work as well as you might think it does. Surgery costs a lot of money and caries a risk of infection, side effects and other unsavory problems. Chiropractors seek to fix the origin of the problem, rather than treat only the symptoms.

Health insurance often covers it - Fortunately, many chiropractic procedures are covered by your health insurance. We all know that insurance companies like to find reasons not to pay for something so the fact that insurance companies see the value in chiropractic care is more assurance that chiropractic care is effective.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wendy_D_Butler

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6287822

Why Come To Pazdel Chiropractic?

Dr. Bejan Pazdel casually talks about what sets them apart and besides the goal of achieving more wellness, he thinks of his patients as family.

See more at http://www.PazdelChiropractic.com

Chiropractic - A Great Treatment for Back Pain

Chiropractic deals with improving the functioning of joints and the spine to treat illnesses. It relates to the theory that our body is controlled by the nervous system, so it is important to maintain your spinal cord and make sure it stays in the best condition. Chiropractic is a form of medicine that helps one improve their health. There are two underlying beliefs in chiropractic. First is that the body is structured in a way that it heals itself. Second is that there is a direct link between the structure of our body and its functions. It has been observed that every structure has its own functions and should be treated accordingly.

Chiropractic is a science that helps cure any hurdles in the flow of nerve transmissions. The spinal cord is the main pathway that carries sensations from our nerves to the brain.

Chiropractic is a helpful treatment for back pain, dizziness, headache, neck pain, sprained ankle, and scoliosis. It is also very effective for knee, elbow, upper leg, and foot and rib pain.

Some common treatments by chiropractors are listed below:

Chiropractic treatment for back pain

Back pain is a very common complaint among people. It can happen to people of any age group, 30 plus being the obvious. The pain comes from different kinds of body parts surrounding the spinal cord, such as muscles, bones, joints and nerves. Lower back pain is the most common form of back pain and is one of the primary reasons when people seek chiropractic treatment.

Chiropractic treatment for neck pain

Neck pain is also one of the very common problems whose occurring rate is high among women. Its treatment is drug- free and involves spinal adjustments. The treatment solely involves a chiropractor's hands to treat the subluxations which happen when a vertebra is moved out of position. This results in intense irritation and pressure near the spinal nerves. Once the spinal adjustment takes place, it cures the subluxation and gives relief from severe pain and also increases the circulation and of blood by speeding up the nervous system.

Chiropractic treatment for a sprained ankle

Tripping and twisting your ankle sounds very familiar. Sometimes you keep wondering what caused your ankle to twist when there wasn't any irregular surface or any stone in the way. It takes several days for you to recover until your ankle gets back to normal. Bringing back your ankle to its normal condition requires some proactive therapy. Chiropractic treatment is helpful if pain is caused by weakness in the calf muscles.

Time required for chiropractic treatment

Time for the treatment is evaluated once the chiropractor examines you. He then decides how much time will be required, but usually it takes around two to three sessions a week. These sessions don't last for more than 20 minutes. Once the treatment starts progressing and you start improving, the sessions will shorten.

Chiropractic treatments are more effective compared to conventional medical treatments. It has been observed in different surveys that the ratio of chiropractic patients improving quickly is higher than that of medical patients.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Chriss_Warner/992507

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6109425

Chiropractic Care - History and Origin

Most people would probably think that the chiropractic field is a relatively new method of health treatment compared with conventional medicine. Very few know the actual history of chiropractic, but the truth is that it began long ago and has been successful in improving patients' ailments for thousands of years.

Definition of Chiropractic Care
The term chiropractic comes from the Greek "chiro" meaning hand, and "practic" referring to practice or operation. And in its early days and still today much of chiropractic care involves "hand treatments" to manipulate the spine back into its proper position.

Chiropractors focus on the connection between the alignment of the spine and the functioning of the surrounding muscles and nerves. They emphasize the practice of only noninvasive and natural health care methods.

The Ancient Days
Using the hands and other methods to manipulate the spine dates back all the way to ancient China and Greece. During the time period of 2700 B.C. To 1500 B.C., records were made documenting the use of such chiropractic care by physicians of the day.

And later, around 400 B.C., two Greek contemporaries, Hippocrates and Herodutus both employed the practice to cure their patients. In some of his writings, Hippocrates said, "Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases."

Daniel David Palmer
Little was heard of chiropractic care in the Western world until 1895, when a man named Daniel David Palmer founded the modern chiropractic profession in Iowa. Palmer had been in the business of magnetic healing until September of 1895 when he had an interesting encounter with a janitor at his office.

The janitor had been deaf for several years. He told Mr Palmer that his hearing loss occurred suddenly one day after he had bent down in an awkward position, and heard a "pop" in his back. Palmer felt the man's back and found a vertebra grossly out of position.

"I reasoned that if that vertebra was replaced, the man's hearing should be restored," Palmer recorded in his notes."With this object in view, a half hour's talk persuaded Mr. Lillard to allow me to replace it. I racked it into position by using the spinous process as a lever, and soon the man could hear as before."

Soon after this "miraculous" success, Palmer took on a new role, as the first American chiropractor, using spinal realignment techniques to improve everything from the flu to migraine headaches to epilepsy to heart problems.

Palmer once said of his discovery, "I am not the first person to replace subluxated vertebrae, but I do claim to be the first person to replace displaced vertebrae by using the spinous and transverse processes as levers... and to develop the philosophy and science of chiropractic adjustments."

In 1898, he began the Palmer School & Infirmary of Chiropractic to help others take on the role of chiropractor. Since that time, chiropractic care has become one of the largest branches of the medical field with hundreds of new chiropractors graduating each year from accredited colleges and universities.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Andrew_Stratton/83489

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1847190

Is Chiropractic a Good Choice For Back Pain?

The spine is a very complicated structure. It is composed of twenty-four moveable bones (the vertebrae), five layers of music, nine common ligaments, the central and peripheral nervous systems, and various connective tissue. The vertebrae offer protection to the spinal cord. They are moveable and can twist and bend in a variety of positions. While this freedom of motion allows us to locomote and move our bodies in a variety of configurations, it also can set the stage for injuries. Joints that are pushed too far can suffer sprains and strains. Joints that don't get enough motion can get stuck. Abnormal gravitational loading on the joints and soft tissues cause degenerative changes such as arthritis and disc disease.

Chiropractic is the philosophy, art and science of natural healing. It is concerned with the integrity and function of the spine and nervous system. A doctor of chiropractic (D.C.) is a physician who is an expert at evaluating, diagnosing and treating problems with the spine. The process starts much like it would when visiting any other doctor.

There is some paperwork that is completed (including a description of the problem and a medical history). Then the chiropractor will have a consultation followed by an examination to discover the cause of the problem. In the examination, the chiropractor will do a variety of orthopedic and neurological tests. Following this, there may be diagnostic tests (such as x-ray, MRI, etc.). Then the chiropractor will diagnose the problem, give the patient a prognosis and present a treatment plan.

How does a chiropractor help to eliminate back pain? The prescribed therapies may vary greatly from doctor to doctor. These therapies may include chiropractic adjustments, physical medicine therapies (including ice, heat, decompression, massage, acupressure, ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation, diathermy, infrared, traction, acupuncture), active care rehabilitation (stretching, exercises for strengthening and stabilization), and nutritional therapies (such as professional strength supplements designed to reduce pain and inflammation at the chemical and cellular levels).

The chiropractic adjustment is concerned with restoring normal joint motion, re-aligning the vertebrae, relieving pressure on the nerves (which may be pinched due to vertebral misalignment), eliminating muscle spasms, and of course eliminating pain. The doctor of chiropractic has four years of specialized training in the art of delivering adjustments. The adjustment is a low-force correction in which the chiropractor gently slips the bone(s) back into their normal position while restoring normal joint motion. Adjustments are almost always pain-free and result in an incredible sense of relief and well being.

Many people have never been to a chiropractor. They may not have ever even considered going to a chiropractor. They may have thought that chiropractic is a new concept or experimental and unproven. But what they didn't realize is that spinal manipulation is nothing new. It has actually been around for thousands of years. Hippocrates (the father of medicine) himself said "look to the spine as the source of all disease". While bone setting has been around for millennia (as opposed to traditional western medicine which has only been around for 300 years), chiropractic as a profession started in 1895. Today there are over 70,000 chiropractors in the United States. It is a science-based form of health care that has become mainstream and accepted by the medical and scientific communities.

Not only is chiropractic extremely effective and all natural, it is also the safest form of health care known to humankind. Chiropractors pay the lowest malpractice premiums of any doctor. The reason for this is clear - they don't injure people. There have been hundreds of research studies done to investigate the risk associated with chiropractic adjustments. And the results came back that chiropractic is safer than drugs and surgery. One research paper showed that a patient has 100 times greater likelihood of being injured from taking a Motrin than from getting a chiropractic adjustment. So if your back is hurting, give chiropractic a try. You have nothing to lose but the pain.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dr._Kevin_Smith/429729

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4689945