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What Emerald Coast Chiropractic Patients Want To Know About Bell’s Palsy

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bells palsyPeople with Bell’s Palsy usually have limited treatment options. Because the condition affects each person differently, there is no one-size-fits-all treatment. The steroid prednisone is often prescribed to treat patients, but there are many harmful side effects. Massage and physical therapy may also be used, but the results. Chiropractic care is a noninvasive, medication free way to treat Bell’s Palsy and there are several studies that prove it.

What is Bell’s Palsy?

Bell’s Palsy is a condition that is marked by temporary facial paralysis due to trauma or damage done to the nerves in the face. The facial nerve, called the 7th cranial nerve, resided in the skull, traveling through the Fallopian canal (a bony, narrow canal in the skull) and extending from just under each ear to the muscles that are located on either side of the face.

This nerve is mostly in a hard, bony shell with just small portions that are exposed, allowing it to move the muscles on each respective side of the face. The facial nerve controls the mouth (smiling, forming words, etc.), closing the eyelids or blinking, frowning, and similar movements. It also transmits nerve impulses to the saliva glands, tear glands, taste sensations, and the muscles of the stapes (small bone located in the middle ear)

Bell’s Palsy affects the facial nerve, disrupting its function so that messages from the brain cannot reach the associated muscles. This results in facial paralysis or weakness.

This condition is not related to stroke, although some people may mistake it for a symptom of stroke. It usually only affects one side of the face. Incidences of Bell’s Palsy affecting both sides of the face at the same time is very rare.

Symptoms of Bell’s Palsy

Bell’s palsy symptoms can vary widely from patient to patient, depending on severity. Some common symptoms include:

  • Paralysis on one side of the face
  • Weakness on one side of the face, may range from mild to severe
  • Muscle twitching in the face
  • Drooping of one corner of the mouth
  • Drooping on the eyelid on one eye
  • Drooling
  • Dry eye
  • Dry mouth
  • Excessive tearing that occurs in only one eye
  • Impaired sense of taste
  • Discomfort of pain behind the ear and around the jaw
  • Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) – can be one ear or both
  • Sound hypersensitivity on the side that is affected
  • Headache
  • Impaired or slurred speech
  • Difficulty drinking or eating
  • dizziness

The symptoms usually come on suddenly and progress fairly rapidly, reaching their full effect within about 48 hours. It can leave the face very distorted during the time that the patient is experiencing a flare up or symptoms.

Bell’s Palsy Treatment

Milder cases of Bell’s Palsy are typically not treated and the symptoms will subside on their own in 10 to 14 days. More serious cases may require medical intervention such as medications like the steroid prednisone, acyclovir, and even ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

In severe cases where the eye is affected, the patient may not be able to close the eyelid so protecting that eye is a necessity as is keeping it from drying out by using lubricating eye drops. Facial massage, physical therapy, and acupuncture may also be used. Surgery for Bell’s Palsy is very rare due to its controversial nature.

What Causes Bell’s Palsy?

The cause of Bell’s Palsy is not known. Doctors do know that it is the result of the facial nerves becoming inflamed, swollen, or compressed, but why this happens is still a mystery.

Some researchers speculate that a viral infection could be the culprit. The theory is that an illness like the common cold sore virus or viral meningitis causes the nerves to become inflamed and swell in the Fallopian canal. This causes pressure on the nerve, cutting off the oxygen and blood supply to its cells.

Some common conditions that Bell’s Palsy has been associated with include:

  • Chronic middle ear infection
  • Sarcoidosis
  • Lyme disease
  • The flu or illnesses that are similar to the flu
  • High blood pressure
  • Tumors
  • Headaches
  • Diabetes
  • Facial injury
  • Skull fracture

Chiropractic for Bell’s Palsy

Case studies show that chiropractic for Bell’s Palsy is very effective. In some cases, the patient sees results almost immediately.

The chiropractor traditionally will deliver a chiropractic adjustment to the cervical spine. It is a safe treatment and generally works faster than other Bell’s Palsy treatments, including medication.

Heavy Backpacks: Their Negative Effects & How Your Kids Can Avoid Them

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Summer is ending and the school year is starting. Time for new shoes, haircuts, homework, and backpacks. As you do your back to school shopping, think about the backpack your child will be carrying. Sure, they load them up with books, but did you know that wearing a heavy backpack for a long time can actually hurt your child? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has provided some helpful guidelines for choosing a backpack for your child and avoiding the injury that can result from one that is too heavy.

What are the health risks of a heavy backpack?

Wearing a heavy backpack can strain the shoulders, back, and neck. As the child’s body tries to compensate for the extra weight, such as leaning forward, it can adopt positions that put the spine out of alignment. It can also cause the muscles to fatigue and weaken. This results in poor posture and a misaligned spine.

The longer he or she carries the extra weight, the worse it gets. Over time, the child can experience pain, stiffness, and problems with flexibility and range of motion. This can significantly increase the child’s potential for injury. The effects may include back ache, sore or stiff neck, sore shoulders, and headaches.

How heavy is too heavy for a child’s backpack?

According to the AAP, a child’s backpack should weigh less than 10 to 20 percent of his or her body weight – and no more. However, a Consumer Reports survey showed that the lower end of the range, around 10 percent or less, is preferable. In short, the lighter the backpack, the healthier it is for your child. A good rule of thumb is to observe your child wearing the backpack. If they are stooped or leaning forward, it is too heavy.

Children who are shorter, as well as girls, may be more prone to back pain caused by carrying heavy backpacks. This means that for these children you need to aim for even lighter weights. Children who are overweight may also be at risk for injury. The excess weight already puts a strain on their joints and muscles; the heavy backpack exacerbates the situation.

Children who wear their backpack over one shoulder also increase their risk of injury. This puts all the weight on one side, causing the child to bend or lean in an effort to compensate for the off-kilter weight. This can strain the shoulder and back, eventually causing injury and pain.

Helping your child avoid carrying a heavy backpack.

If you notice that your child cannot stand up straight while wearing the backpack, then it is too heavy. You should inspect your child’s backpack on a regular basis to test the heaviness. When purchasing a backpack, aim for wide, padded straps that are adjustable. It should fit the child well and to be too big. The straps should not be too loose. You want it to fit close to your child’s body and should come to just below the waist – but not too far. Don’t allow your child to carry the backpack on one shoulder, encourage them to wear it on both shoulders. This distributes the weight more evenly.

If your child is carrying a heavy backpack, you may need to talk to their teacher to see what is necessary for him or her to carry daily, and what can be left at home or at school. Work together to find ways to lighten the load and avoid injury. Also keep in mind, your child may not bring your attention to the fact that their backpack is too heavy. It is up to you to observe and intervene for them.

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How Safe Is Bottled Water?

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bottled water

Drink more water. Stay hydrated. Water is good for you. These are the messages that we hear over and over as we pursue a healthy lifestyle, strive to lose weight, study the advantages of yoga vs pilates or overcome many chronic conditions. It seems that water is a vital part of life – and it’s accurate. The problem is, it seems every “expert” has a different opinion of just what is the best way to get this life sustaining substance. There are many different messages out there about what is the best water, the best source – what’s healthy and what isn’t. How do you cut through all the hype and get to the truth? The answer isn’t as cut and dry as you might think.

The importance of staying well hydrated.

Water is essential for our very survival. It keeps our organs functions properly, is a vital component of digestion, and it even helps us have a healthy spine. It helps to regulate body temperature and lubricates the joints. In fact, you may not realize it, but most of your body is composed of water:

  • Lungs – 83%
  • Kidneys and muscles – 79%
  • Heart and brain – 73%
  • Skin – 64%
  • Bones – 31%

The average adult female requires around 2.2 liters of water per day, while the average adult make requires around 3 liters. Most of this comes from drinking fluids, but some comes from food that is consumed. Dehydration is a serious condition and can cause serious damage to the body. Severe and prolonged (about 3 days) dehydration can be deadly.

The truth about bottled water.

There has been a lot of debate about bottled water in the past few years. At the center of the controversy are two main issues: much of the bottled water is said to be nothing more than tap water, and in the US alone, more than 60 million water bottles find their way to landfills every single day. Those are some pretty serious issues.

The truth is, judging by the best water softener studies, it’s clear to see that almost half (around 40%) of bottled water is just tap water. So, what’s the big deal about tap water? It is largely known to contain chemicals that are not only toxic to humans, but many are also linked to certain cancers. Chlorine, arsenic, and fluoride are some of the more common chemicals found in tap water. Things aren’t looking good for tap water, but if so much bottled water is tap, then what can you do?

And then there’s those plastic bottles.

Before we explore the safer water options, it is worth taking a look at the plastic bottles that are used. The materials used to make water bottles are widely known to contain deadly, cancer causing carcinogens like Bisphenol A (BPA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and phthalates. Each of these pose significant risks to your health.

Even if you choose a bottle that is BPA free (like PET bottles) you could be exposing yourself to other hazardous substances. For instance, PET bottles are made of a soft plastic that is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to clean. This can leave some unsavory residue like food, saliva, and even fecal matter to contaminate your water. The more the bottles are reused, the greater the risk of these and other contaminants making their way into your water.

What is a safer, healthier alternative to bottled water?

Actually, tap water is the safer, healthier alternative to bottled water – but not straight out of the tap. All tap water should be run through a high-quality water filtration system before you use it. Without the filtration, you run the risk of consuming contaminants like harmful chemicals, bacteria, and even heavy metals. So, what should you do?

Ditch the plastic bottles and choose glass or stainless steel instead. Next, filter your tap water using a high-quality carbon filter. Purchase a water filter and keep in contact with the water softener maintenance. Store your water in a ceramic or glass container. Do not heat or cook food or water in anything made of plastic or Styrofoam. In fact, avoid drinking or eating from plastic altogether. If you must though, do not cut into the plastic while you are eating or drinking and do not expose the food or water to a microwave, high heat, or the sun.

Drink your water, but make sure you are doing it in the healthiest way possible – on tap and filtered!

Sprain vs Strain: What’s the Difference?

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strain sprain

You are out hiking and twist your ankle. It hurts, but you make it back to your car without much problem. You notice you have some swelling and it is sore, so you head home for some good, old fashioned R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation). You pass it off, saying, “Oh, it’s just a sprain.” However, when your doctor checks you out the next day, he tells you that it is “strained.” Sprain vs strain, what’s the difference?

While many people use the two terms interchangeably, they are not the same. There are some distinct differences although many of the symptoms are almost identical. In short, when a ligament is injured it is called a sprain. When a muscle or tendon is injured, it is called a strain.

What Exactly are Sprains and Strains?

Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect two bones as they sit in a joint. For example, the tibia and fibula come together to fit in the ankle joint. Tendons join those two bones together to keep the ankle stable. A joint sprain occurs when these ligaments are torn or overstretched. The ankle is the most commonly sprained joint.

Tendons are cords of tissue made up of a dense network of fibers. They connect the muscle to the bone. A joint strain occurs then the tendons or muscles tear or overstretch. The lower back and hamstrings are the most common areas for muscle strain.

Both injuries are very similar so it stands to reason that the symptoms of the injuries are also almost identical. This is why they are so commonly confused.

Symptoms of Sprains vs Strains

The symptoms for each condition is very similar, but there are some differences.

Symptoms of sprains include:

  • Pain around the area that is affected
  • Bruising in the affected area
  • Swelling in the immediate area but can expand to encompass more area
  • Limited range of motion
  • Decreased flexibility

Symptoms of strains include:

  • Pain at the site of the joint that is affected
  • Muscle spasm
  • Swelling in the immediate area but can expand to encompass more area
  • Limited range of motion
  • Decreased flexibility

As you can see, the symptoms of sprains and strains are very close. The primary differences though are that bruising may occur with a sprain while a strain may elicit muscle spasms in the muscle that is affected.

What Causes Sprains and Strains?

Experiencing a sprain or strain every once in a while, is not out of the ordinary. We put our bodies through a lot in a day. However, there are certain activities that can make you more susceptible to movements that can lead to these injuries. They include:

  • Exercise or athletic activities, especially those that are high impact
  • Walking
  • Repetitive motion for a long period of time
  • Overexertion
  • Jogging or running
  • Slipping or falling
  • Standing or sitting in an unnatural or awkward position
  • Walking or running on unstable surfaces, like rocks or ice
  • Lifting objects that are too heavy

The most common areas for these injuries include:

  • Back
  • Ankle
  • Wrist
  • Knee
  • Thumb

How to Avoid Sprains and Strains

Sometimes injuries just happen and there’s nothing you can do about it. However, in most cases, you can take proactive steps to minimize your risks. These are some of the most common risk factors:

  • Being in poor physical condition
  • Using proper form when exercising
  • Failing to warm up before activities like exercising
  • Not using the right equipment for your workout or sporting activity.
  • Maintaining a hazardous environment at home such as clutter on the floor or things you can trip over or slip on.
  • Fatigue or overly tired
  • Failure to avoid hazardous areas like floors that are wet and slippery or sidewalks that are iced over and slick.

If you have a sprain or strain and notice that the swelling has not subsided or if you still have pain after a week or so, you need to follow up with your doctor for Sports Medicine Care and to make sure you don’t have a more serious injury.

What Are Dermatomes and Myotomes?

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dermatomes myotomes

The spinal cord and brain make up the central nervous system while the spinal nerves (branching to the spinal cord) and cranial nerves (branching to the brain) make up the peripheral nervous system. There are 31 sets of nerves that extend out of the spinal cord and are connected to it by the nerve root. Each nerve branches out about a half inch from the spinal cord before dividing into smaller branches. The dorsal rami are on the posterior side of the branch while the larger ventral rami are on the anterior side.

The dorsal rami provide nerve function for the skin of the trunk and posterior muscles. The ventral rami from T1 to T12 provide nerve function to the skin of the trunk as well as the lateral and anterior muscles. The anterior divisions that remain for plexuses, networks that provide nerve function to the body. Each plexus has specific areas on the body for skin sensitivity as well as certain muscles. Their point where they exit the spine determines how they are numbered. The four primary plexuses are:

  • Cervical plexus, C1 – C4, innervates the diaphragm, shoulder and neck
  • Brachial plexus, C5 – T1, innervates the upper limbs
  • Lumbar plexus, T12/L1 – L4, innervates the thigh
  • Sacral plexus, L4 – S4, innervates the leg and foot.

These spinal nerves have two sets of fibers: motor and sensory. Motor fibers facilitate movement and provide nerve function to the muscles. Sensory fibers facilitate sensitivities to touch, temperature and other stimuli. They provide nerve function to the skin.

What are Myotomes and Dermatomes?

A group of muscles that is innervated by the motor fibers that stem from a specific nerve root is called a myotome. An area of the skin that is innervated by the sensory fibers that stem from a specific nerve root is called a dermatome. These patterns of myotome and dermatome are almost always identical from person to person. There are occasionally variances, but that is rare. Often first identified by doctors specializing in dermatology and sometimes nerves and/or pain, this consistency allows doctors to treat patients. If a certain area is hurting, they know that it is attributed to a certain myotome or dermatome, whichever the case may be, and its corresponding nerve root. Problems with nerve damage is often the result of stretching the nerve or compressing it. When the nerves are injured in specific areas like the lumbosacral or brachial plexus, it presents as sensory and motor deficits in the limbs that correspond to them. Myotomes and dermatomes are used to assess the extent of damage.

How are Myotomes and Dermatomes used to Assess Nerve Damage?

When a doctor tests for nerve root damage in a patient, he or she will often test the myotomes or dermatomes for the nerves assigned to that location. A dermatome is tested for abnormal sensation, such as hypersensitivity or lack of sensitivity. This is done by using stimulus inducing tools such as a pen, paper clip, pinwheel, fingernails, cotton ball, or pads of the fingers. The patient is instructed to provide feedback regarding their response. Some of the abnormal sensation responses include:

  • Hypoesthesia (decreased sensation).
  • Hyperesthesia (excessive sensation).
  • Anesthesia (loss of sensation).
  • Paresthesia (numbness, tingling, burning sensation).

A myotome is tested for nerve damage in the muscles which presents as muscle weakness. This grading scale, which assigns a rating to the degree of muscle weakness, is often used:

  • 5 – Normal – Complete range of motion against gravity with full resistance
  • 4 – Good – Complete range of motion against gravity with some resistance
  • 3 – Fair – Complete range of motion against gravity with no resistance, active ROM
  • 2 – Poor – Complete range of motion with some assistance and gravity eliminated
  • 1 – Trace – Evidence of slight muscular contraction, no joint motion evident
  • 0 – Zero – No evidence of muscle contraction

During a typical chiropractic exam, your chiropractor will assess both dermatomes and myotomes for potential neurological problems. This gives him or her additional insight on how to treat your condition, whether it’s related to a subluxation of vertebral bodies or other other disease processes.