We have been getting a lot of practice members who now have “cell phone neck pain.” I was sitting at a restaurant the other day observing my surroundings, and to my amazement I witnessed half the restaurant eating while looking at their phones or tablets. In addition, we have an increasingly large amount of jobs that require long hours sitting at a computer. I think there was even a video of a lady walking into a fountain at a mall she was so distracted by her cell phone. All kidding aside, what we have lost is the ‘arc of life.’ This arc, better know as the curve in your neck, should be a lordotic or reversed curve, however, while looking down, we reverse our curve. This reversal or kyphosis causes pressure to increase at the level of the brainstem. In fact, when we lose the curve in our spine, we increase the pressure 300% which takes a ten-pound head and makes it feel as though it weighs 30 pounds. Even worse it can cause a spinal condition called vertebral subluxation where the bone goes out of position creating nerve pressure and affecting surrounding organs. It is no wonder we have so many people with neck and shoulder tension each and every day.
Well, you can’t quit your job; we aren’t stopping the overflow of communication devices anytime soon. I have even seen restaurants with mobile tablets at the table for customers to order their own food. The question is what can we do about it to counteract some of the challenges this can cause our health. Losing the curve in your spine not only increases the downward force on your neck and shoulders, but also affects the brainstem and can be linked to headaches, blood pressure, allergies, sinus problems, and immune challenges to name a few. If you work at a desk, it is vital to stretch before, during and after work. One of my strategies for our practice members is drink the proper amount of water so you must go to the bathroom once an hour to ensure you move around. We can strengthen our spine with proper ergonomics while you sit, use an exercise ball to sit on, create a standing work station, just to name a few strategies. This arc of life is essential to allow proper spinal development, posture, and overall health. A reminder, ‘as the twig is bent, so grows the tree.’
The main difference between wellness care and standard medical care is that wellness care seeks to turn on the natural healing ability. Wellness care does not add something to the system, instead it removes anything that might interfere with normal function. Wellness care trusts that the body would know what to do if nothing were interfering with it. Standard medical care, on the other hand, seeks to treat a symptom by adding something from the outside – a medication, a surgery or procedure.
One of the most common types of patients seen by a chiropractor are those who suffer from headaches. While tens of thousands of chiropractors know the huge positive impact chiropractic care has on providing headache relief, researchers recently reviewed all controlled clinical trials published through August 2009 to identify studies conducted on chiropractic care and headaches, and their outcomes. Their findings included the recommendation of spinal manipulation (the most common form of treatment utilized by chiropractors) for the management of episodic or chronic migraine headaches. Additionally, another common type of headache, the cervicogenic headache, also benefited significantly from spinal manipulation therapy. If you’re suffering from headaches, consider the safe and effective care offered by chiropractic at Our Burnaby Chiropractic and Wellness Center. Research has shown it effective for many headache types and unlike drugs and surgery, it’s completely natural and non-invasive. Call 604-294-2663 today and book your consultation.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) has become one of the most widespread occupational health problems we face today. It affects millions of people a year, and with our growing reliance on computers there seems to be no end in sight.The syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve just above the wrist. Pressure on this nerve can be caused by an injury or sustained use from common activities like typing, chopping, hammering, or pushing. Symptoms of CTS range from wrist pain, numbness, tingling, burning, weakness or loss of grip strength, and loss of sleep due to discomfort.
There are a number of different ways to treat this condition. In most cases, a chiropractic adjustment to the affected area is an extremely effective solution. In some cases, a misalignment in either the back or neck can cause this condition, and chiropractic manipulation of the neck and/or spine can also serve as an effective treatment option. Our team of Chiropractors, Massage therapists and Acupuncturists in Burnaby use various treatments, along with physical therapy, stretching, and strengthening exercises to effectively alleviate and eventually eliminate the symptoms associated with CTS. Contact us today at 604-294-2663 for your free consultation!
At Chiropractic First & Wellness in the Burnaby has been helping patients with whiplash and related soft tissue injuries for almost 10 years now.
The term Whiplash is used to describe the sudden jerking backwards and forward of the skull that occurs from a rear-end auto accident or motor vehicle collision (MVA).
The symptoms that occur from whiplash trauma vary from patient to patient. Some of the more common whiplash injury symptoms include neck pain, back pain, headaches, shoulder pain, arm pain, weakness of grip, night pain, insomnia, loss of memory, vertigo, and TMJ.
Soft tissue injuries sustained from whiplash trauma are a primary cause of chronic headaches, as well as back, neck and shoulder pain. In fact, according to statistics, 40-50% of all people with chronic neck pain trace the problem back to a previous whiplash injury.
When it comes to whiplash injuries, time is of the essence. Permanent damage can occur and scar tissue can develop very quickly without proper treatment in as little as 48 hours.
Sometimes right after a car accident, a whiplash victim feels no symptoms at all. What happens is the adrenaline is flowing and we are worried more about our car, or the other occupants, or missing work. But then the next day the whiplash symptoms kick in…and they kick in hard. This is actually very common.
The best thing to do if you are rear ended or involved in any kind of a motor vehicle collision/auto accident, is to get yourself to a chiropractor’s office as soon as possible.
At Our Burnaby Chiropractic and Wellness Center we are experts treating whiplash injuries. We will help you every step of the way. We have onsite massage therapists as well as Acupuncturist services that spend all day helping patients with soft tissue injuries. We also use advanced treatment methods and technology such as
Active Release Technique(ART),
Deep Tissue Therapeutic Laser and
Nonsurgical Spinal Decompression that can accelerate soft tissue healing and help reduce pain.
We can fill-out any reports your auto medical (med pay) insurance may need to process your claim, and we can help you find a personal injury attorney if you need one.
We are conveniently located at the Embarcadero Center in downtown San Francisco and we validate parking. We are open Monday to Friday 9-6pm and Saturdays 9-1pm.
Car accident back injuries can be sustained in many types of motor vehicle accidents. Whiplash is one of the most common types of car accident back injuries. Whiplash accounts for more than one million car accident back injuries each year. Ten percent of these car accident back injuries lead to long term disability. This type of car accident back injury occurs most often in rear end collisions and can also occur when a vehicle strikes a non-moving object or gets broad-sided by another vehicle.
Whiplash is sustained when a victim’s head is violently hurled forward (hyperextension) and then backward (hyperflexion). Whiplash injury can cause serious injury to the joints, discs, muscles, nerves, and ligaments of the neck and is most serious when a victim’s head is turned to the side during impact.
Whiplash car accident back injuries, though common, are sometimes difficult to diagnose.
Symptoms of these car accident back injuries can include muscle spasms in the neck and upper back area, increased neck pain with movement, and increasing pain in the base of the neck. There are a variety of other symptoms that a doctor can Car accident back injuries can also result in a lumbar or lower back sprain or strain. These car accident back injuries result in serious and sometimes debilitating pain in the larger muscles of the lower back. These car accident back injuries can also be difficult to diagnose or may be misdiagnosed if there is an underlying disc injury that has not been identified. Pain from these car accident back injuries can occur on one or both sides of the lower back, may worsen with activity, or may cause nighttime muscle spasms.
Car accident back injuries also include spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord car accident back injuries can be caused by different kinds of trauma including bruising (contusion), excessive pressure (compression), lacerations, and specific damage to the corticospinal tracts in the cervical spinal cord area. Spinal cord car accident injuries can cause serious nerve damage resulting in paralysis, loss of feeling in certain areas of the body, loss of reflex function, and autonomic disturbances. Spinal cord car accident injuries can be very debilitating and can lead to secondary medical problems including infection, sexual dysfunction, muscle spasms, loss of bladder control, and centralized hypersensitivity or pain in certain areas of the body. Chiropractic can help with all these injuries so do something before thay become chronic unsolvable problems. Call Chiropractic First and Wellness to book your appointment @ 604-294-2663
What Are Muscle Spasms?
You reach for a towel on the top shelf of the linen closet and your back wrenches in pain as a muscle goes into spasm. The pain is excruciating and you can barely move. How could something as simple as reaching for a towel produce such pain?
The answer is – it didn’t. Reaching for the towel overextended a muscle that was already strained. This made the muscle stiffen and go into spasm to protect it from any further harm. Muscles can become strained due to repetitive movements or habits, such as poor posture, heavy lifting, swinging a baseball bat or sitting in front of a computer.
Often, when muscles have been strained for some time, all it takes is one sudden movement (i.e., one stretch for a towel) for an already strained muscle to go into spasm. When this happens, all the muscle fibers contract at the same time. Muscle contraction cuts off blood supply, which creates even more muscle pain, which causes the muscle to contract even further. This is an all too common occurrence for some people who lie immobilized on the floor for hours because the muscle doesn’t relax with movement.
It can take several weeks for a muscle spasm to subside. Rest, application of ice/heat and massage therapy can help to relieve pain. Since a lack of magnesium, calcium and water are thought to provoke muscle spasms, increasing your intake of all three may help as well.
Of course, chiropractic care can help to alleviate the cause of muscle spasm once it is present; it can also help to prevent the spasm from occurring in the first place! Proper nerve function is essential to proper muscle function, and chiropractic adjustments locate and correct areas of the spine where there is nerve dysfunction.Call Your Chiropractic First and Wellness Center @ 604-779-4770 to schedule your Consultation today.
We live in very stressful times. A world-wide economic crisis, declining home values, job losses, financial insecurities, an uncertain future… these and other “real life” events cause a lot of people a lot of stress. And that stress is responsible for all types of health problems, including high blood pressure, strokes, insomnia and an increase in the number of people experiencing back pain.
Chronic stress (emotional, physical and chemical) can affect your nervous system’s ability to function correctly, leading to an increased risk for illness and pain. And… when you’re under stress, your muscles get tense and tighten, especially the muscles in your neck and back.
So what can you do about stress-related back pain?
- Learn how to relax muscles through stretching, take “stretch” breaks at work, walk around your building during break or lunch• Exercise to release stress and endorphins, those “feel good” brain chemicals – brisk walking, cycling, swimming – anything that increases your heart rate and gets you moving is beneficial
- Eat healthy meals – avoid empty calories, sugary snacks and comfort foods that pack on the weight and offer little in terms of nutrition
- Write down your thoughts or talk to a professional counselor – getting the stress out, on paper or in person, helps to relieve stress
- Treat yourself to a massage to ease tense muscles• Learn to say “no” to anything that will further complicate your life, causing additional stress
- Get plenty of rest – it’s hard to deal with the stress that causes chronic back pain when you’re not well rested
And by all means, make sure you’re staying up to date with your chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic care helps to “reset” the nervous system so you are better able to fight the negative effects of stress. At our North Burnaby Chiropractic and Wellness Center, we certainly see an increase in stress-related back pain as a result of these uncertain times. We want to help you to weather these times, feeling healthy and pain free, so you can deal with whatever comes your way.
If you notice that you feel tired a lot, it may not simply be that you’re working long hours. Many people who feel fatigued, or have “low energy” mistakenly attribute this to the stress of life. Well, there may be something else to it.
Did you know that your brain expends considerable energy just maintaining muscle tone? If it didn’t, you wouldn’t be able to stand. There is a constant flow of nerve signals to your muscles, especially those around your spine and legs. These muscle groups must have the precise amount of nerve tone in order for you to stand and move efficiently, and the brain sees to that.
Now, imagine having bad posture; like a high hip, rotated torso, or high shoulder. These spine and muscle imbalances put a greater demand on your brain, requiring it to “work extra hard” to keep you standing and moving. When your brain is tired, your body will feel tired.
So, if you feel like you have low energy, check your posture and flexibility. Do you have a hunched back and forward rolling shoulders? Can you bend your spine in all directions, equally? If not, make sure to get checked. Chiropractic adjustments can help restore proper spinal movement and alignment.There are other factors that can contribute to fatigue, namely not getting enough exercise (cardio and strength), not getting proper nutrition, and not getting enough water. And of course, medical conditions like hypothyroidism can be a factor. Make sure that you are addressing all possible causes of fatigue–you can overcome it if you make the effort.
Till next time,
Your All in One Team at Chiropractic First and Wellness Center
With the summer around the corner, sports injuries become more and more common. At Our Burnaby Chiropractic and Wellness Center, protocol for sports injuries combines Chiropractic, Acupunture and Massage therapy for effective treatment and recovery . Massage and Acupuncture are extremely powerful treatments to combine with Chiropractic care for sports injuries. Having been active in running, and various recreational sports, we have had first hand experience with sports injuries.
These are very common injuries that we can treat effectively:
1. Rotator Cuff Tears
A very common sports injury, with tears of the supraspinatus tendon being the most common. We will assess the severity of the tear with a full examination. Severe tears may need to be surgically repaired, but most tears respond well to conservative treatment and rehabilitation.
2. Shoulder Impingement Syndrome
Another very common shoulder problem, which can almost always be treated with a combination of Chiropractic/Acupuncture/Massage along with exercises. Rehabilitative exercises are mandatory to resolve this condition, however, it will not resolve without strengthening the shoulder rotator cuff muscles. This condition is very common in baseball pitchers, football quarterbacks, swimmers and any other athlete who repeatedly raises the arms overhead.
3. Shin Splints (Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome)
A very common problem which many people think is very difficult to treat. However, when treated properly,
it responds quickly. Chiropractic manipulation to the the lower back, hips and lower extremities along muscle stimulation/Acupuncture/ice to the shins will stop the pain and inflammation quickly. Custom-made arch supports will stabilize the knee and ankle to prevent future occurences.
Please call us today @ 604-294-2663 to schedule your appointment, get back to feeling well once again!
