Posts Tagged "Acute Injuries"

Preventing Injury on the Slopes

Posted by Dr. Wirtz on Jan 24, 2012 in Blog, Free Exam, Health Tips, Uncategorized | 0 comments

I have been hearing from more and more patients about hitting the slopes! Ski and snowboarding season is truly upon us. That means fresh air, lot of fun and exercise. Unfortunately for some, it also means injury. Many a chiropractor are kept busy during the winter months treating skiing injuries and boarding injuries. I would like to help you stay injury free this ski season. As such, here are 6 easy tips to keeping ski injuries away.
Six Tips to an Injury Free Ski Season:

1. Professional Instruction. Don’t be cheap. Yes, a day at the slopes is expensive, but if you are new to skiing or it’s been a while don’t scrimp on the lessons. You’ve got a friend who’s a really good skier and promises to “show you the ropes?” Being good at something doesn’t mean you’re a good teacher. You need to know what you’re doing on the hill or you’re just asking for trouble.
2. Know your limits. You’ve had your lessons and you know how to ski or board. Nothing can stop you! You’re friends are encouraging you to try the black diamond run, saying it’s “easy.” It’s best to know your limits.Tackling a run that’s above your ability is a god way to get in trouble.
3. Warm up. Sounds basic, doesn’t it? Yet most people don’t do it. Cold muscle is less flexible. Make a quick turn and you can tear the muscle or it can pull on your joint. Wear appropriate clothing. Do some basic stretches before you head up and do a couple of easy runs before you tackle a more technical run.
4. Core Stability. Skiing and boarding require a lot of torsional (twisting) movements to your body. This is not an action that most people do in the gym. Think about it. On all those cardio machines we keep our bodies straight. When lifting weights we keep our bodies straight. Then we head out to the hill and twist our bodies and wonder why our back hurts when we’re “in such great shape.” You need to do some core stability work before and during the ski season. Join a yoga class, a pilates class or one of your gym’s core stability classes. Find which one you enjoy the most and stick with it.
5. Pay attention to fatigue. It’s a familiar story in our chiropractic clinic. You’ve been out all day having a blast and decide to go for one last run. That’s when the injury happens. As your muscles fatigue, they do their job poorly. Balance, agility and stability are affected. To remedy this, take regular breaks and keep hydrated /eat through the day. Be honest with yourself, when you’re tired you should be done for the day.
6. Chiropractic. You didn’t expect a chiropractor to not write about chiropractic, did you? Chiropractic is not only a big part of injury treatment, it can also be an important part of injury prevention. Lack of joint mobility puts the body at risk of injury. Before you head out to the slopes, come by our office at Heuser Chiropractic for you free spinal exam to make sure your spine is mobile and ready to ski or board!

Vitamin D Helps Muscle Injuries

Posted by Dr. Wirtz on Jan 17, 2012 in Blog, Free Exam, Health Tips | 0 comments

I’ve come across a new research study that I wanted to share with you. This study looked at Vitamin D levels and the NFL players that have lost time to muscle injury. As part of their pre-season routine examinations, 85 NFL football players had their Vitamin D levels taken. Normal levels are considered to be 32 ng/mL or higher. Then, the amount of time each player lost to muscle injuries was tracked throughout the season. The study found that the athletes that suffered a muscle injury had an average vitamin D level of only 19.9 ng/mL!

Now, let’s look at this to figure out what it means. First of all, I’m shocked that a highly paid professional athlete would have dietary deficiencies at all.  But working with olympic athletes in my past tells me it’s the little things they don’t worry about, like drinking plenty of water or maintaining the appropriate vitamin levels. But that aside, does it mean that low vitamin D levels mean you are more likely to see injuries? Maybe. The study didn’t mention if their were any other dietary deficiencies, but it’s certainly possible that if the athletes were low in vitamin D they may have been low in other nutrients. Should we make sure we have adequate vitamin D levels? Absolutely!

Some vitamin D facts:

• It’s important  for bone density (preventing osteoporosis)
• Normals levels prevent heart attack and make it more likely to survive one if you do have one.
• Colon, breast and ovarian cancer have been linked to deficiency
• Good levels of vitamin D have been linked to a stronger immune system.
• Alzheimer’s patients have lower vitamin D levels (unknown if this is a cause or result of the disease)
• Good vitamin D levels result in less falls in the elderly.
• Has been suggested to be linked to mood, depression and cognitive function.

Wow! With all those benefits, we certainly should make sure you get enough. So where do you get vitamin D? In the summer, your skin will make vitamin D when exposed to the sun.  Milk, and most soy and rice milks, are fortified with vitamin D so you may be getting your requirements there. Dietary sources include oily fish (cod, salmon, tuna), eggs and liver. Unfortunately, you would have to consume large quantities of these foods to meet your requirements. I’m in favor of getting good nutrition through food, not tablets, but if you must supplement do some research abuout the brand before you buy to insure it’s a high quality supplement.

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that you must follow recommendations when taking vitamin D supplements. The recommended daily dose for an adult is 600-800 IU/day. 4000 IU/day is considered the upper tolerable limit for this vitamin and you will see the effects of toxicity above these levels.

Remember, good nutrition and chiropractic adjustments is a key to injury prevention.  If you have a muscle injury come in for you free spinal exam as soon as possible!  Get adjusted!

What Causes A Spinal Subluxation?

Posted by Dr. Wirtz on Dec 13, 2011 in Blog, Drug Free Treatment, Free Exam | 0 comments

Recently I have had so many patients ask me how their spine got to be so out of place or what caused the “subluxation” happen.  So, I did some research and found this great article on chiro.org about the cause of spinal subluxations.  Most people don’t realize that the first trauma they probably had in life was as a baby when they were born.  So, not only should adults be seen by a chiropractor…..children should too!  So make your appointment today for a free exam and start getting your adjustments to get rid of spinal subluxations to keep you healthy and prevent disease!

General Causes of Spinal Subluxations

Several authorities describe the general causes of vertebral subluxations (a bone out of place) as including mechanical irritation, overt trauma (eg, blows, whiplash, lifting, falls, birth injuries), chronic spinal strain or sprain, somatosomatic and viscerosomatic reflexes, IVD protrusions and distortions, postural tension due to balance faults (eg, scoliosis, pregnancy, visceroptosis) and the stress of bipedism, chemical and toxic irritation, and psychologic or environmental stress all which may result in asymmetric muscle spasticity leading to articular malalignment and/or fixation. Susceptibility is thought to increase in states of chronic fatigue, anemia, erosive arthritides, systemic toxemia, and hereditary predisposition because of anomalous development.

Many spinal subluxations have more than one immediate cause and effect. For example, a developmental abnormality may be complicated by degenerative joint disease, retrograde changes, inflammation, or muscle splinting. The effects may be direct upon blood vessels and nerves, reflex in nature, etc. Therefore, a complicated and far-reaching series of interacting and interdependent changes occur that may be designated as a subluxation syndrome.

The extent of dysfunction of a bony segment within its articular bed may vary in effect from a microtrauma to one that is macroscopic and quite readily discernible. It is always attended to some degree by articular dysfunction, neurologic insult, and stressed muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Once produced, the lesion usually becomes a focus of sustained irritation from which a bombardment of impulses stream into the spinal cord where internuncial neurons receive and relay them to motor and/or sensory pathways. The muscular contraction that provoked the subluxation originally is thereby reinforced, thus perpetuating both the structural subluxation and the pathophysiologic processes involved.

Priority subluxations are often specific positional errors originating from alterations in the integrity of the paraspinal supporting tissues of the involved joint itself. As such, they are beyond the capacities of the muscular system to correct by its own functional adaptations.

Precipitating Factors of Spinal Subluxations

Vertebral subluxations may be either causes or effects, and the immediate causes may be divided into two major categories: the unequal or asymmetrical muscular efforts upon the joint structures and the inequality in the supporting tissues of a particular joint such as the cartilage, IVD, ligaments, etc. Some form of internal or external stress is usually necessary to produce a fixation to a degree sufficient to cause a state of dysfunction.

An inequality in muscular balance (ipsilateral weakness and compensatory contralateral contraction) may be initiated by:
(1) trauma,
(2) postural distortion phenomena,
(3) psychomotor responses,
(4) somatic and visceral responses, and
(5) paralytic effects.

Hot pack vs Ice pack

Posted by Dr. DeVries on Oct 10, 2011 in Blog, Drug Free Treatment, Health Tips | 0 comments

One of the most frequently asked questions we hear is: “Should I use hot or cold on my back?” To determine which therapy is best suited for a particular condition we must first determine the nature of the complaint. Some conditions respond more favorably to one as compared to the other. How long has the complaint been present? Was there a specific incident that created the complaint or has it been a long standing problem. These are just some of the considerations that must be taken into account when determining the proper use of Hot or Cold therapy.

Ice/Cold therapy is best suited for the treatment of acute injuries. Strains and sprains such as a twisted ankle or overuse injuries where there is swelling will be better treated with what has been called I.C.E therapy. (Ice, Compression, Elevation) When using Ice the timing is variable. Each of us reacts to ice differently. That is why rather than a time patients are told that when Ice is place on the body they need to pay attention to what they feel where the ice is being placed. There are 4 stages to look for with the use of ice: 1) It will feel cod when first applied. 2) As time progresses it may feel like there is a burning sensation. 3) The next sensation is an aching feeling in the area of application.   4) The final stag is numbness. Once the numbness sets in the ice has had it maximum effect. It is at this time that the ice should be removed. Allow the area to rest for at lest 30 minutes before re-applying the ice. ALWAYS USE A LAYER OF CLOTH BETWEEN THE SKIN AND THE ICE.

Heat therapy is best used in chronic cases where there is no active inflammation. Heat will also increase the circulation to a region and must be used with caution to prevent increased swelling. When using heat moist heat is more effective than dry heat.  One can purchase these type pf hot packs in a store or make one. A moist hot pack can be made with a wet towel warmed in a microwave. This wet towel is then wrapped with a dry one to prevent burning. Allow the area to rest for at least 30 minutes before re-applying the heat ALWAYS HAVE A LAYER OF CLOTH BETWEEN THE SKIN AND THE HEAT SOURCE.

Both of these home therapies are considered First aid and as such should not be used for more than 48 hours. If any pain or symptoms persist or worsen contact a physician as soon as possible. If the symptoms persist for more than 48 hours there is another cause for your pain aside from the musculature. Chiropractic physicians work with these types of conditions on a daily basis and as such are an excellent first choice for helping to resolve the underlying problem.

Symptoms of Spinal Injury Following an Auto Accident

Posted by fseblog on Jul 4, 2011 in Auto Accident, Blog, Drug Free Treatment, Free Exam, Free Treatment, Insurance, Personal Injury | 0 comments

Were you recently in a car accident? Are you unsure if you should seek further treatment?  Are you wondering what the long term effects of your accident may have on your spine and body?  Are you wondering what a chiropractor may be able to do to help?    If so here are a few things that may help you answer these questions and speed your recovery from any injuries you may have suffered.