Customized physical therapy may be a useful way to ease low back pain, which affects an estimated 31 million Americans a new study says. Researchers from La Trobe University observed that ‘many patients with low-back disorders persisting beyond 6 weeks do not recover.
Whiplash injury occurs when the body reacts to a deceleration or acceleration force by hyperflexion or hyperextension of the neck. Pars Health Clinic specializes in treating whiplash injuries, auto accident injuries and bicycle accident injuries. Whiplash injuries are very common in car accidents. Whiplash injuries occur, in part, due to the fact that the muscles do not have enough time to brace themselves.
If you have been involved in a car accident, whiplash injuries need to be taken very seriously. Because symptoms of a whiplash injury can take weeks to manifest, it is easy to be fooled into thinking that you are not as seriously injured as you really are. Symptoms from a car accident and whiplash can include anything from radiating pain into the shoulder, elbow pain, wrist pain, hand pain, lower back pain, headaches, jaw pain and more.
Whiplash injuries can manifest themselves in a wide variety of ways, including neck pain, headaches, fatigue, upper back and shoulder pain, and low back pain. Due to the fact that numerous factors play into the overall whiplash trauma, such as direction of impact, speed of the vehicles involved, as well as sex, age and physical condition, whiplash symptoms commonly have a delayed onset, often taking weeks to become evident.
A number of conditions those who have suffered from whiplash trauma experience include:
Neck pain is the single most common complaint reported by our patients who have experienced whiplash trama. Often the pain radiates across the shoulders, up into the head, and down between the shoulder blades. Whiplash injuries tend to affect all of the tissues in the neck, including the facet joints and discs between the vertebrae, as well as all of the muscles, ligaments and nerves. Take the time and get treated by either us or a chiropractor near you!
Disc injury is also a common cause of neck pain, especially chronic pain. The outer wall of the disc can be torn during a whiplash trauma.
After neck pain, headaches are the second most common complaint from those suffering from whiplash injury. While some headaches are actually the result of direct brain injury, most are related to injury of the muscles, ligaments and facet joints of the cervical spine, which refer pain to the head.
A less common, but very debilitating disorder that results from whiplash, is temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ). TMJ usually begins as pain along with clicking and popping noises in the jaw during movement. Our chiropractor at Pars Health Clinic is specially trained to treat TMJ problems.
Most people consider whiplash to be an injury of the neck. However, the lower back is also commonly injured as well. In fact, low back pain is found in more than half of rear impact-collisions in which injury was reported, and almost three-quarters of all side-impact crashes. This is mostly due to the fact that the low back still experiences a tremendous compression.
Chiropractic care utilizes manual manipulation of the spine to restore the normal movement and position of the spinal vertebrae. It is by far, the single-most effective treatment for minimizing the long-term impact of whiplash injuries, especially when coupled with massage therapy, trigger point therapy, exercise rehabilitation and other soft tissue rehabilitation modalities by our chiropractor at Pars Health Clinic.
The musculoskeletal system is made up of a person's muscles, bones, joints, cartilage, and tendons. It supports a person's body, allows them to move, and protects their organs.
Traditionally, chiropractic was based on the belief that problems with the musculoskeletal system caused disease through the central nervous system. This belief is no longer officially part of the practice.
This article explores chiropractic manipulation and the scientific evidence available to support its effectiveness. It also considers safety and what to expect at a chiropractic adjustment appointment.
The word chiropractic comes from the Greek words cheir (hands) and praxis (practice). As the name suggests, it is a hands-on therapy.
Chiropractic manipulation is the application of pressure to a person's spine or other parts of their body by a qualified chiropractic doctor, or chiropractor. This pressure allows a chiropractor to adjust and correct alignment.
Chiropractic manipulation aims to reduce pain and improve mechanical function, or the way a person moves.
Modern chiropractic is based on a spinal care model. But chiropractic manipulation has its roots in less scientific theories.
Historically, chiropractors believed that a misaligned spinal column could cause disease. This was thought to happen via the central nervous system and something called "innate knowledge".
The theory was called "vertebral subluxation complex". Early practitioners believed 95 percent of diseases were caused this way. They believed that chiropractic manipulation would correct problems in the musculoskeletal system and, in turn, cure disease.
Skeptics and scientists found this belief to be lacking in scientific basis. Early chiropractors also rejected the germ theory of disease and immunization. As a result, chiropractic lacked legitimacy in the eyes of the scientific community.
Chiropractic theory has since evolved. It is becoming more accepted as a treatment for musculoskeletal pain.
Although the chiropractic profession has evolved, there are still some chiropractors that believe in unscientific theories.
Chiropractors who hold on to beliefs that the rest of the profession has left behind are referred to as "straights".
Before making an appointment with them, it is a good idea to find out whether a chiropractor takes a modern or straight approach. This way, a person can make an informed decision about the sort of treatment they are due to receive.
People with musculoskeletal problems may also want to consider:
It is always a good idea to discuss treatment options with a doctor before deciding which route to take.
When a person first visits a chiropractor, they may ask questions about musculoskeletal pain.
The chiropractor will then examine the person physically, focusing on their spine. The chiropractor may also perform other tests, such as X-rays, to determine the necessary treatment.
If treatment is needed, the chiropractor will develop a treatment plan. Treatment normally involves using the hands or a device to quickly apply controlled force to a joint. The aim of this is to improve the quality and range of physical movement.
Other treatments the chiropractor may offer include:
There is growing evidence to suggest that chiropractic manipulation may be an effective treatment for:
Neck pain: Chiropractic workplace interventions may reduce self-reported mechanical neck pain among office workers.
Lower-back pain: study found moderate evidence that chiropractic care may be as effective for lower back pain as physical therapy. Review has found that spinal manipulative therapy was associated with modest improvements in pain and function for those with lower-back pain.
Chest pain: Study found chiropractic care to be more cost-effective than self-management for chest pain. It can be seen as a good primary care approach for those with non-specific chest pain.