Chiropractic Benefits Archives - Page 12 of 37

What Is De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis & Can Emerald Coast Chiropractic Help?

February 15, 2018 by drken Leave a Comment

De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis, also called “washerwoman sprain,” is a condition of the hand that typically affects people who do continuous, fast, repetitive movements. The patient can experience a sudden onset of the condition or it can be gradual, beginning with tenderness in the thumb area and slowly progressing. It can restrict activity, but it doesn’t have to be a long-term disability. Chiropractic care can help relieve the symptoms of De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis and the hand can return to normal function.

What Is De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis?

De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is a condition affecting the thumb side of the wrist. It is a very painful condition that makes many everyday activities difficult or impossible. Many activities like playing golf, lifting a child, garden work, and racket sports can worsen the condition.

What are the Symptoms of De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis?

There are several distinctive symptoms of De Quervain’s tenosynovitis which include:

Pain near or at the base of the thumb
Difficulty moving or controlling the thumb and wrist when doing activities that involve pinching or grasping
Swelling near or at the base of the thumb
A “catch” or “sticking” sensation when moving the thumb

If the condition is allowed to progress or goes untreated it can involve the forearm and entire thumb, causing pain and swelling in those areas. The pain and symptoms can be exacerbated by movements that involve the wrist and thumb. The symptoms can last for a long time, weeks or even months.

What causes De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis?

The exact cause of De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis is not known, but the condition is commonly associated with chronic overuse of the wrist. There are tendons that connect the wrist and lower thumb, enabling movement like grasping, gripping, pinching, and wringing. The tendons slide through a sheath as they facilitate the movement. Over time, the sheath can swell and thicken which inhibits the amount of the tendon’s movement. When the movements are repetitive, it can cause irritation of the sheath, resulting in inflammation.

Who is at Risk for De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis?

Research has identified several groups that are at risk for developing De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis:

30 to 50 years of age with a higher concentration statistically around 40
Female
African ethnicity or descent
Pregnant
Caring for a child or baby
Works at a job that involves repetitive wrist and hand motions
Excessive text messaging on a smartphone or cell phone (can include younger

This condition has typically been considered to be one that affects people who are middle-aged. However, with the popularity of texting, many young people experience symptoms of De Quervain’s. In one study, more than half of students who texted extensively were labeled positive for De Quervain’s.

What are the Treatments for De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis?

Treatment for De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis include:

Resting the affected thumb and wrist
Bracing or immobilization
Ice to the affected area
Anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen and naproxen

If standard treatment is not effective it may be necessary to seek medical attention. If the condition is severe or chronic, the doctor may inject corticosteroid directly into the tendon sheath. Surgery for De Quervain’s is not common, but it may be deemed necessary in order to release the thumb. The speed of healing and degree of normal use of the thumb depends on the treatment chosen and if the activity that exacerbates the condition is stopped.

Can Chiropractic Help De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis?

A chiropractor may recommend rest, ice, and bracing for a patient with De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis. Upon reviewing the patient’s lifestyle and habits, he or she may also advise ergonomic changes, modification of activity, and reduce exposure to positions that exacerbate the symptoms. Soft tissue therapies may be used to quickly bring relief to the soft tissue, minimizing the inflammation and pain. As the pain decreases, the chiropractor will recommend specific strengthening and stretching exercises that involve the wrist, thumb, and forearm.

With regular care and modification to activities, the condition can be healed and full mobility of the thumb and wrist can be restored.

Baker’s Cyst: How Emerald Coast Chiropractic Can Help Alleviate Its Pain

January 23, 2018 by drken Leave a Comment

A baker’s cyst can cause pain, swelling, and limit the mobility in the affected knee. In some cases, complications can develop, causing serious problems with the leg. The problem with this type of cyst is that even if it is drained, if the underlying cause isn’t address, the cyst can return. Chiropractic can be used to treat baker’s cyst and help relieve the pain that it causes.

What is a Baker’s Cyst?

A Baker’s cyst, also known as a popliteal cyst, is a fluid filled lump behind the knee. Synovial fluid builds up to form the benign cyst. It starts inside the knee but eventually extruded through the back part of the knee and forms a lump. Many times there is no discomfort of pain from the cyst, although there may be some pressure on the back side of the knee. The pain that is often associated with a Baker’s cyst is usually caused by the underlying problem that causes it. In some cases, a Baker’s cyst can become large enough to inhibit movement which can impact mobility.

What Causes a Baker’s Cyst?

A Baker’s cyst is caused by overproduction of synovial fluid in the knee that leads to the fluid building up and forming a lump. There are several reasons that this can happen, including knee joint inflammation and injury to the knee. A meniscal cartilage tear or other cartilage injury of the knee can cause a cyst to develop. Certain types of arthritis in the knee, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can cause the excess fluid to accumulate. Knee arthritis, a common condition among older adults, can also cause the development of a Baker’s cyst.

What are the Potential Complications of Baker’s Cyst?

Sometimes the location or size of a Baker’s cyst can cause swelling in the back of the knee. The cyst itself can be as large as a golf ball. This can put pressure on the joint, making it difficult to bend the knee. This pressure can extend through the calf muscle. The patient may experience tenderness and pain after exercising.

In rare cases, a Baker’s cyst can burst, causing the synovial fluid to leak into the calf. This can cause swelling and knee pain that is sharp and can be intense. The patient may notice redness in the calf or experience the sensation of water running down the back of the calf area. Because symptoms of a burst Baker’s cyst can closely resemble a blood clot in the leg, the patient should seek immediate medical attention to rule out a more serious condition.

How is a Baker’s Cyst Treated?

Some no treatment for popliteal cysts and they go away on their own. If a form of arthritis is causing the cyst, treating that problem may resolve the cyst. The same goes for a cyst caused by an injury to the knee. Once the injury is resolved, the cyst typically resolves as well.

If the cyst does not go away or if it is problematic, causing intense pain or limits mobility, the patient may talk to their doctor about getting it drained. The doctor will use a needle, insert it directly into the cyst and drain the fluid. Steroid medications may also be prescribed to reduce inflammation and swelling. In very rare cases, surgery may be required to remove the cyst.

Chiropractic for Baker’s Cyst

Many patients choose to seek chiropractic care to treat a Baker’s cyst because it is noninvasive and does not use medications that can have unpleasant or harmful side effects. The chiropractor will assess the cyst and conduct diagnostic tests to determine the cause. This will help them decide the best course of treatment. Sometimes an old injury can continue to put stress on the joint, causing a lingering tension pattern. A chiropractor can address this, bringing the body back into alignment, thus alleviating the problem. This will help reduce the pain, inflammation, and swelling. Chiropractic is also an effective treatment for arthritis so if that is the cause of the cyst, regular chiropractic care can help considerable. Often, once the underlying condition is corrected, the cyst goes away on its own.

Low Back & Leg Pain: How Emerald Coast Chiropractic Helps Radiculopathy

January 10, 2018 by drken Leave a Comment

Low back pain affects millions of people each year and is the number one cause of disability worldwide. In the US, it is estimated that 31 million people experience pain in their lower back. It is prevalent and can be debilitating. As patients search for relief, they soon find that not all lumbar pain is created equal. There are many causes and treatments vary widely depending on the issue. Radiculopathy is a condition that can contribute to lower back pain, but chiropractic care can help patients better manage it.

What is Lumbar Radiculopathy?

Radiculopathy is associated with some of the most significant causes of chronic or acute low back pain. However, it is important to note that the condition itself does not cause the pain. Instead, elements of radiculopathy, such as disc herniation, nerve root impingement, and facet arthropathy are actually what cause the pain.

Radiculopathy is a condition of the spine that occurs when a nerve is compressed, causing pain, weakness, tingling, or numbness along the nerve’s course. In the lower back, that course is in the leg. While it is most common in the lower back, radiculopathy can occur in the cervical or thoracic regions of the spine as well.

Symptoms of Lumbar Radiculopathy

The symptoms of lumbar radiculopathy include pain, tingling, and numbness in the legs. Some patients experience extreme, painful sensitivity to light touch.

The nerves in the lumbar region of the spine supply sensations to the buttocks and legs as well as control muscles. So, when a nerve is compressed in the lumbar spine, those are the areas that are affected. The condition is often called a “pinched nerve” or sciatica because of the way that the pain radiates through the buttock and into the leg.

Causes of Radiculopathy

Irritation or compression of certain nerves are what causes radiculopathy, but it is worth looking at the causes of this irritation or compression to see the deeper cause of radiculopathy. These may include mechanical nerve compression due to:

Bone spur
Disc herniation from osteoarthritis
Thickening of surrounding ligaments
Infection
Tumor
Scoliosis

Degeneration or trauma can cause inflammation in the spinal nerves which can lead to pain.

Who is at Risk for Radiculopathy?

Certain people are more prone to radiculopathy based on the activities they engage in and their genetics. Patients who regularly engage in contact sports, heavy labor, or any activity that puts a repetitive or excessive load on the back are more likely to have the condition. Patients who have a family history of spine disorders, including radiculopathy are also more at risk of developing it.

Chiropractic for Lumbar Radiculopathy

A review published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine examined 162 patients with radiculopathy who were treated with chiropractic care. Of those patients, more than 85% not only experienced pain relief, but their conditions were resolved. This was done over 9 treatment sessions. Most of the patients saw improvement of their symptoms within 4 days of their first treatment.

There are a number of treatments for lumbar radiculopathy, including pain medication, epidural steroid injection, and surgery. However, chiropractic care is non-invasive and does not have the unpleasant, sometimes harmful of many pain medications. It is safe and effective, treating the entire body instead of just the part that hurts.

When treating lumbar radiculopathy, the chiropractor may use several techniques such as spinal adjustments as well as stabilization exercise and neuromobilization. They will also work with the patient to determine if there are engaging in any activities that increase their risk factor for the condition. In some cases, the chiropractor may recommend certain lifestyle and dietary changes to increase whole body wellness and a stronger, healthier spine.

Why Chiropractors Use X-rays As A Diagnostic Tool For Treatment

January 10, 2018 by drken Leave a Comment

Most healthcare providers use x-rays as a diagnostic tool to treat a variety of patient complaints, including chiropractors. They can help doctors identify the source of a problem or if there is something more going on. X-rays can also help chiropractors determine the best course of action for treatment. To understand more, let’s take a closer look at what they are and how they’re used in most chiropractic offices.

What are x-rays?

An x-ray is a very vigorous form of electromagnetic radiation which is usually performed at an imaging center with specialized equipment and an area specifically built to house and safely operate it. It is similar to radio waves, ultraviolet radiation, microwaves, or visible light that is used to view the internal composition of a person or thing. A beam is focused on a certain part of a person’s body, such as the back, it produces a digital image of the skeletal structure.

The beam passes easily through skin and other soft tissues, but is unable to pass through bone and teeth. Soft tissue that is denser, such as organs, ligaments, and muscles, will be visible, but will be captured in shades of gray. Areas like the bowel or lungs appear on the film as black.

The use of chiropractic x-rays

Chiropractic x-rays provide vital information that can affect how the chiropractor chooses to treat a patient. In some cases, chiropractic care or spinal manipulation may not be an appropriate course of action at that time and the patient may be started on a different, gentler therapy.

Other times, it can show the chiropractor how to best proceed in treating the patient. In short, patients are able to receive better, more well-rounded care which can better facilitate their healing and pain management.

Some of the benefits of chiropractic x-rays include:

Identify a condition or symptom, such as a spinal tumor or lesion, that would provide a medical reason that a certain course of care should not be done.
Obtain important biomechanical information that can aid in guiding treatment.
To stay apprised and maintain a record of a patient’s degenerative process.
Aid in identifying anomalies in the spine and joints that can affect treatment.
Allows patients to better understand their condition and treatment plan, allowing them to take ownership of the process and be more involved in their therapy and healing.

What does a chiropractor look for on an x-ray film?

When a Fort Collins Chiropractor takes an x-ray of a patient, they are looking for things in several very specific areas. The first thing they check is to make sure that there are no dislocations, fractures, cancer, infections, tumors, or other potentially dangerous conditions, try here if you want to learn more about how this treatment cam help you.

They then look for disk height and other signs of disk degeneration, bone density, bone spurs, joint spaces, and alignment. This allows them to identify conditions like scoliosis and other conditions that may require specific forms of treatment.

Many chiropractors prefer that the patient is in a weight bearing position when taking spinal x-rays. This differs from the majority of medical facilities which have the patient lie down.

The advantage of a weight bearing x-ray is that it allows for measuring such as with leg length deficiency, scoliosis, and the narrowing of joint space. It can also show that certain bones, such as the tibia and fibula, are separating which can be an indication of a torn tendon or problem with the joint. A non-weight bearing x-ray simply cannot provide the same perspective and vital clues to a patient’s condition may be missed.

The Lumbar Spine: What Emerald Coast Chiropractic Patients Need to Know

January 2, 2018 by drken 1 Comment

The lumbar spine, or lower back, take a lot of stress and strain throughout the day. The spine provides stabilization for the entire body and the lumbar spine bears the brunt of much of the movement and activity. This wear and tear shows up as lower back pain in many people. The American Chiropractic Association estimates that 31 million Americans have low back pain at some point in their lives. In fact, the leading cause of disability is low back pain – not only in the U.S. but worldwide.

What is the Lumbar Spine?

Located in the lower back area, the lumbar region is the portion of the spine that begins below the shoulder blades, about five or six inches, at the lordosis (where it curves in toward the abdomen). There are five vertebrae that make up the lumbar spine, L1 through L5 – which also happen to be the largest unfused vertebrae in the entire spinal column. The lower vertebrae bear more weight than the upper vertebrae so they are constructed to be sturdier, but are also more prone to injury and degradation.

The L5 vertebra meets the S1 (the sacrum) at the lumbosacral joint. It is this joint that provides most of the range of motion including rotational flexibility of the hips and pelvis, allowing them to swing during movement such as running and walking.

The spinal cord ends at around the L1 and many nerve roots that originate at the spinal cord form what is called the cauda equine. These nerves travel down the spine, branching out to the legs, buttocks, and feet. The appearance resembles a horse’s tail, hence the name. Because the spinal cord does not extend into the lumbar area, the chance of a problem with the lower back resulting in paralysis or damage to the spinal cord is very rare.

Lower Back Pain

The most common causes for lower back pain are soft tissue injuries and mechanical problems. Either of these can damage the intervertebral discs, compress the nerve roots, and inhibit correct function of the spinal joints so that they don’t move properly. Lower back pain is most commonly caused by a pulled or torn muscle or ligament, known as a sprain or strain. These injuries can have a number of causes, including:

Prolonged improper posture
Improper lifting of something heavy (without using your legs)
Sports injuries, particularly those where the player sustains high impact or where a lot of twisting is involved
Lifting while twisting the spine
A fall or movement that occurs suddenly and puts a great deal of stress on the lumbar area

Chiropractic Care for the Lumbar Spine

Chiropractic care is a very popular, effective treatment for lower back pain. A chiropractor can help patients manage their back pain through spinal adjustments and lifestyle advice. They may recommend supplements, exercise, and dietary changes. The whole-body approach to chiropractic makes it an optimal choice for many people, especially those who don’t want to take medications or undergo invasive procedures.

The chiropractic treatment itself usually involves spinal manipulation and mobilization. Spinal manipulation is the technique that most people think of when they think of chiropractic. It involves a short lever, high velocity arm thrust applied directly to the vertebra that is injured or is causing the pain. This technique typically relieves pain, improves the function of the spine, and restores the back’s range of motion. Mobilization is a low velocity movement performed by the chiropractor to manipulate the area, stretching and moving the joints and muscles.

These techniques typically restore range of motion and flexibility to the spine while reducing pain. For people with chronic lower back pain, chiropractic care can be a game changer.

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