Why is neck pain such a common symptom after a car accident?

by SoFloChiro | Jan 7, 2023 | Car Accident, Chiropractic care, Chiropractic Education, Pain

Why is neck pain such a common symptom after a car accident?

If you experience neck pain after a car crash, don’t worry; this condition is not unusual. Neck pain is a common condition after an auto accident, which we see frequently.

It is not surprising that neck pain is the most common symptom experienced after a car crash. Of course, your head is rapidly thrown back and forth, even in a car wreck. Neck pain is the most common this type of injury in an impact.

Your neck is exposed to very high forces during a car accident, so it’s not surprising that neck pain is so familiar from this type of injury. During a low-speed car crash, your head is exposed to rapid acceleration. The force exerts a severe strain on the tissues of the cervical spine.

The bones of your spinal column are held together with strong bands of tissue called ligaments. These provide stability for your neck.

The cervical spine comprises seven vertebrae that range from the skull’s base to the shoulders’ top. The smallest within the entire spinal column, vertebrae provide:

Support for the head
Protecting the spinal cord
Giving the neck structure
Supporting head and neck movements

What causes neck pain after an auto injury?

The ligaments in your neck can be sprained during a car crash, just like an ankle sprain. A sprain means that the ligaments are stretched or torn.

When you experience a sprained ligament, the damaged area becomes inflamed and sore after a car crash.

Chiropractic helps by increasing flexibility in the injured area, which allows the tissues to heal and helps reduce scar tissue.
The uppermost part of the spinal column, the cervical spine, is a complex structure of bones, discs, muscles, ligaments, nerves, and tendons.

Both solid and delicate, the cervical spine is an incredible structure that carries the weight of your head (9-13 pounds).

It protects the spinal cord, supplies blood to the brain, and allows a wide range of motion, supporting your head and neck movements, such as nodding, turning your head from side to side, and looking up and down.

The cervical column comprises seven bones (C1 to C7) uniquely shaped to protect the spinal cord that descends from the base of your skull and the spinal nerves or root that exit the spine between each set of bones.

Can lower back pain be related to your neck?

The neck (cervical spine) is part of the spine and encloses and protects the cervical spinal cord. Neck pain, therefore, is often a response to similar conditions that cause other back pain. Also, like back pain, neck pain may cause referred symptoms, or radiation, along your arm into your hand.

How can chiropractic care help you heal?

Let’s look at how a crash causes neck pain and how Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida can help you.

First, we will look into the root cause of neck pain after an accident. The key to recovering from neck pain caused by a crash is understanding its cause and how chiropractic care can help.

Your chiropractor can be beneficial in diagnosing neck pain and creating a treatment plan that will get you back to yourself and healthy again.

What does the cervical spine do?

Spinal cord protection. Nerves of your spinal cord pass through the vertebral foramen. It runs the center of your vertebrae — beginning at the base of your skull, and running through the cervical and thoracic vertebrae. It ends between the first and second lumbar vertebrae.
Head support and range of motion. The average weight of your head is between 9 to 13 pounds. The cervical spine supports your head. Let your neck and head tilt forward and backward, turn from side to side (rotation), or bend from side to side.
Safe passageway for vertebral arteries. The cervical spine is the only section of the vertebrae that contain holes. The holes give a protective pathway from C1 to C6 for vertebral arteries to carry blood to your brain.

What other muscles and soft tissues are in the neck?

Sternocleidomastoid. This muscle runs from behind your ears to the front of your neck.
Trapezius. These two triangular muscles extend down your cervical and thoracic spine from the base of your neck to your shoulder blades.
Levator scapulae. This muscle is attached to your first four cervical vertebrae to the top of the scapula (shoulder blade).
Erector spine. Several muscles make up this muscle group. The muscles help with neck rotation, posture, and the extension of neck backward movement.
Deep cervical flexors. The muscles run down the front of your cervical spine. They allow you to bend your neck forward and stabilize your cervical spine.
Suboccipital muscles. These four muscles connect the top of your cervical spine from the base of your skull. They allow you to rotate and extend the head.

What are the ligaments of your cervical spine?

Three ligaments in your cervical spine connect bone to bone to help to keep your spine stable.

The anterior longitudinal ligament extends from the base of your skull down the front of the cervical vertebra. It stretches to resist backward neck motion.
The posterior longitudinal ligament starts at C2 and extends down the back of your cervical vertebrae. It stretches to resist forward neck motion.
Ligamentum Flava ligaments line the backside of the inside opening of each vertebra where your spinal cord passes. These ligaments cover and protect your spinal cord from behind.

What do discs in the cervical spine do?

Cervical disks are the “shock absorber cushions” that sit between each vertebra. A total of six disks are positioned between the seven cervical vertebrae (one between two vertebrae).

In addition to cushioning against stresses placed on your neck, the disks allow you to flex and rotate your head more easily during activity.

Nerves in the cervical spine

Eight nerves exit through small openings of your spine between every vertebra of your cervical spine. They are labeled C1 through C8 and stimulate the muscle movement in your neck, shoulders, arms, and hands and provide sensation.

Cervical nerves C1, C2, and C3 control your forward, backward, side head, and neck movements. The C2 nerve provides sensation to the upper area of your head. The C3 gives a feeling to the back of your head and the side of your face.
Cervical nerve 4 controls your upward shoulder motion and is one of the nerves that control your diaphragm (muscle at the bottom of your rib cage that helps you breathe). C4 provides sensation for parts of your neck, shoulders, and upper arms.
Cervical nerve 5 controls the deltoid muscles of your shoulders and your biceps. C5 provides sensation to the upper part of your upper arm and your elbow.
Cervical nerve 6 controls the extensor muscles of your wrist and is involved in the control of your biceps. C6 provides sensation to the thumb side of your forearm and hand.
Cervical nerve 7 controls your triceps and wrist extensor muscles. C7 provides sensation to the back of your arm into your middle finger.
Cervical nerve 8 controls your hands and gives sensation to the pinky side of your hand and forearm.

How can chiropractic care help you heal?

Let’s look at how a crash causes neck pain and how Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida can help you. First, we will look into the root cause of neck pain after an accident. The key to recovering from neck pain caused by a crash is understanding its cause and how chiropractic care can help. Your chiropractor can be beneficial in diagnosing neck pain and creating a treatment plan that will get you back to yourself and healthy again.

How can chiropractic care help you heal?
Let’s look at how a crash causes neck pain and how Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida can help you. But first, we will look into the root cause of neck pain after an accident.

The key to recovering from neck pain caused by a crash is understanding its cause and how chiropractic care can help. Your chiropractor can be beneficial in diagnosing neck pain and creating a treatment plan that will get you back to yourself and healthy again.

Chiropractic care is an effective way to treat neck and back pain. Let our professionals at Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida, with seven convenient locations, help you. An injury or any pain not taken care of can become an overwhelming issue down the road.

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What is the Difference Between Bulging Disc and Herniated Disc?

by SoFloChiro | May 3, 2022 | Backpain, Chiropractic care, Pain

What is the Difference Between Bulging Disc and Herniated Disc?

Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida has Your Answer and Treatment.

You’ve probably heard the terms bulging disc and herniated disc before. And, chances are, you know they both have to do with something in your spine. But do you know both can be painful but are they the same?

In a word: Nope.

While they both affect the discs in your spine, bulging discs and herniated discs are not two terms for the same condition.

What’s the difference? Here’s what you should know about bulging discs vs. herniated discs.

What Are the Key Differences Between a Bulging Disc and a Herniated Disc?

Your spine comprises bones (called vertebrae) and rubbery discs stacked on top of one another, forming the spinal canal.

The bundle of nerves (called the spinal cord) runs down the spinal canal’s length.

The discs in your spine function like shock absorbers in a car, but they are between the vertebrae.

These discs are made of two components: a softer center (called nucleus pulposus) surrounded by a tough elastic-like band (called annulus fibrosus).

We will explain by going back to the car scenario. When you have a bulging disc, it resembles letting the air out of the car’s tire. The disc is intact, but it sags and bulges out from the spine’s structure.

With a herniated disc, the out sac or lining of the disc has a hole or a tear in it. It causes the nucleus pulpous (jelly-like cent of the disc) to leak into the spinal canal.

How Can I Treat a Bulging Disc?

Like most things in life, the disc deteriorates and bulges downward when the body ages, so age-related degeneration is usually the culprit of a bulging disc. With degeneration, there is usually a progressive, gradual onset of symptoms.

It can cause pain in the buttocks, legs, or back. Thus, affecting your ability to walk and stand for long periods.

It is prevalent for bulging discs to affect multiple discs. This condition develops over time and can cause other disc degeneration-related issues, such as lumbar stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal).

Luckily, there is a broad spectrum of treatment options. Short-term treatment can mean taking anti-inflammatory medications, especially during flare-ups.
Steroid injections are another option if there is significant nerve pain.

Long-term treatment usually involves a self-directed exercise program that you start with a physical therapist and then transition to doing at home.

If the pain due to the bulging discs has caused lumbar stenosis and those symptoms affect your quality of life, surgery (called lumbar decompression) is an option for those who have suffered and led to a deterioration of life activities.

The procedure is very patient-specific and is based on the type and level of stenosis and can require months of recovery of which is not conducive for many people.

Most patients shy away from having surgery or invasive procedure; that is why chiropractic care is a primary option for patients who periodically suffer and require continuous care.

If bulging disc pain is causing you to miss out on your routine, active lifestyle, check out our team of doctors dedicated to a more conservative set of treatments.

Our team provides physical therapy, massage therapy, and minimally invasive procedures that may help you find relief from neck and back pain.

How Can I Treat a Herniated Disc?

Most of the pain from a herniated disc comes on abruptly and usually affects one individual nerve root.

An acute injury sometimes causes herniated discs.
This could result from a car accident, slip and fall accident, or a work-related accident.

As with bulging discs, there are several options to treat herniated discs.

First, suppose you’ve experienced symptoms for less than six weeks and have no nerve damage.

In that case, anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, medical massage therapy, and steroid injections (if needed) can possibly help resolve the issue in 6 to 12 weeks.

Unfortunately, for most people a herniated disc will require lifetime treatment and education from a chiropractor that works dually with many orthopedic physicians.

What Makes Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida different than other Chiropractors?

Chiropractic care can be a great way to manage and relieve swelling and pain caused by a neck or back pain. Chiropractic Care of South Florida takes pride in our many facets of care such as Massage Therapist, Physiotherapy team, and Spinal decompression.

Massage increases the body’s supply of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles, which help release waste from the muscle tissue.

Physiotherapy aims to maximize the quality of life through a range of treatment techniques designed to restore movement and function within the body. It aims to help individuals develop, maintain, and restore maximum movement and functional ability. Typical treatment consists of modalities (such as ultrasound or laser) and exercise and stretching advice. Physiotherapy is used to treat almost all muscle and joint conditions.

Spinal decompression works by gently stretching the spine over a period of several treatments. The idea is that the spinal decompression technique changes the force and position of the spine. With this it changes the pressure off the spinal disks by creating negative pressure in the disc. As a result, bulging or herniated disks may retract, taking pressure off the nerves and other structures in your spine. This in turn, helps promote movement of water, oxygen, and nutrient-rich fluids into the disks so they can heal while reducing your overall pain. It is advised by most physicians to utilize nonsurgical spinal decompression to treat back or neck pain or sciatica, bulging or herniated disk, degenerative disk disease, worn spinal joints, and injured or diseased spinal nerve roots.

We have been in business for years and we take pride in helping individuals recover from traumatic injuries. Transportation is never a problem and can be provided if you or someone in your family has difficulty in getting to one of our clinics.

With seven convenient locations in the South Florida region including Kendall, Miami Airport, Miami Lakes, North Miami, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, and West Palm Beach finding a place to recover is near your home or work.

Regardless of if your neck or back pain involves a personal injury such as a slip and fall, an automobile accident, boating accident, trucking accident or due to negligent security, degeneration due to age advancement our offices are suited to help you receive the treatment you deserve.

Treating Whiplash: What Patients Need to Know

by SoFloChiro | Aug 6, 2021 | Chiropractic Education, Pain

Treating Whiplash: What Patients Need to Know

Car accidents. Falls. Sports injuries. Amusement park accidents. Each of these can lead to immediate injuries. However, they can also lead to longer-term conditions– like whiplash. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines whiplash as “a soft tissue injury to the neck.” Whiplash can compromise a variety of underlying conditions, but neck sprains or neck strains are typically the main culprits.

While you may receive accident care on the scene or in an emergency room, a whiplash injury may not present symptoms immediately. While it’s essential to get timely medical care for your injuries, issues from conditions like whiplash may continue for days or weeks after the incident. Therefore, if your whiplash pain continues, you should consider seeking other treatment options, such as chiropractic care.

In this article, we’ll review the basics of whiplash, including what it is, how it may occur, and how best to treat it.

What is Whiplash?

As we mentioned earlier, whiplash is a soft tissue injury to the neck, often caused by sudden, jerking movements. The NIH says whiplash is generally accompanied by neck injuries that occur due to the “sudden flexion and extension” of the neck.

Approximately two-thirds of the cases of whiplash occur due to motor vehicle accidents. In addition, sports injuries, work injuries, falls, and other incidents may also result in whiplash. The symptoms of whiplash typically develop anywhere from 2 to 48 hours after the incident.

In most cases, patients with a whiplash injury may complain of stiffness and pain of the back. Whiplash patients may also complain of pain extending to the shoulders, arms, upper back, and even upper chest. Two-thirds of patients suffer from headaches, typically stemming from the base of their skull. Patients may also experience nausea, blurred vision, difficulty swallowing, and dizziness.

After an accident of any kind, especially a motor vehicle accident, it is important to be looked at by a doctor. While whiplash may seem minor at the moment, symptoms could continue to affect you for years to come.

Whiplash: What are the Most Common Symptoms?

Whiplash is most often the result of car accidents, high-impact sports or sudden falls. According to an article published in Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine, up to 83% of car accident collision victims suffer from whiplash.

However, as we mentioned earlier, whiplash can also result from more unique situations, such as amusement park rides. If you’ve experienced a high-speed injury, it’s important to look for whiplash symptoms following trauma of any kind.

Common whiplash symptoms include:

Neck stiffness or pain
Loss of range of motion (ROM) in the neck
Blurred vision
Extreme fatigue
Difficulty concentrating
Vertigo or dizziness
Memory problems
Tenderness in the arms, upper back, and shoulders

How is Whiplash Diagnosed?

Once you notice symptoms and visit a doctor, they will ask questions about the event and your symptoms. The doctor will want to know how well you are capable of performing everyday tasks. During the exam, the doctor will touch and move your neck, head, and arms. The doctor will typically check things such as the:

Neck and shoulders range of motion (ROM)
Tenderness in your neck, shoulders, or back
Reflexes, strength, and sensation in your limbs
Degree of motion that causes or increases your pain

After the exam, your doctor will do some imaging tests. While evidence of whiplash won’t generally be revealed on these tests, your doctor will likely order one to rule out other conditions that could be making your neck pain worse. These imaging tests include

X-RAYS: To identify fractures, dislocations, or arthritis in the neck
CT: Produces a cross-sectional image of the bone to show possible damage
MRI: In addition to bone injuries, this can detect soft tissue injuries like damage to the spinal cord, discs, or ligaments

What are the Most Effective Treatments for Whiplash Symptoms?

Experienced chiropractors, such as our expert team at Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida, can relieve pain and encourage healing in affected areas. Chiropractors typically use a few different treatment techniques to help patients relieve the aches and pains of whiplash. These include:

Chiropractic Adjustment: The primary treatment for joint dysfunction caused by whiplash is spinal manipulation. This involves carefully adjusting the joint by moving it carefully into a different position. Spinal manipulation may be done using both short thrusts and slower movements. This helps create mobility and encourages healing.
Muscle Relaxation and Muscle Stimulation: Muscle relaxation and muscle stimulation is one of the core methods a chiropractor will typically use to treat whiplash. A relaxation and stimulation protocol will focus on treating muscle dysfunction via light stretching and contractions (when appropriate). For very tight muscles, a chiropractor may use a more strenuous stretching protocol. When possible, however, chiropractors will generally use light touches to specific pressure points in order to relieve intramuscular tension.
McKenzie Exercises: The McKenzie Method is a highly effective, time-tested series of physical therapy exercises specifically designed to treat back and neck pain. Fortunately for patients, McKenzie exercises are also effective at reducing whiplash-related disc derangement. Disc derangement occurs when a disc is irritated or out of place, but is not yet fully herniated. The McKenzie technique typically involves an initial session in your chiropractor’s office. Your chiropractor will then teach you how to perform most of the exercises at home.
Ergonomic and lifestyle changes: Not all whiplash treatment options involve directly manipulating the spine. Instead, some types of treatment involve making changes to a patient’s daily lifestyle and posture in order to speed up their body’s natural healing process. Many individuals regularly engage in dysfunctional movement patterns at home, at work, or during their free time. An experienced chiropractor can teach you how to use your body more safely and effectively. They may also teach patients stress-reduction techniques to reduce overall muscular tension and promote additional healing.

What are the Most Common Ways to Treat Whiplash?

In general, the objectives of whiplash treatment include controlling your pain, restoring the normal range of motion (ROM) in your neck, and getting you back to your normal activities. To manage your pain in-between visits, your doctor may recommend:

Rest. If an injury is severe, 24-48 hours of rest is often ideal. However, resting beyond this may weaken the muscle and impair blood flow, hindering a patient’s recovery.
Heat or Cold. Either heat or cold can be applied to the neck for 15 minutes every three hours to help relieve pain and muscle aches.
Over-the-Counter Pain Medications. OTC pain relievers, such as Tylenol (acetaminophen), or Advil/Motrin IB (ibuprofen) can often control whiplash pain.
Prescription Medications. In more severe cases, patients may be given certain antidepressant drugs that have been shown to relieve nerve pain.
Injections. Lidocaine (Xylocaine) injections can often be used to help numb particularly painful areas. Lidocaine is especially effective used to decrease pain so that patients can do physical therapy more easily.

Every patient’s accident and medical history is different, so it’s essential to take an individualized approach to each and every case. That’s why we at South Florida Chiropractors develop highly specific treatments for each patient. For instance, some patients may benefit more from traditional chiropractic adjustment, whereas others may benefit most from muscle stimulation and heat/cold treatment.

However your whiplash presents itself, rest assured that our chiropractors have whiplash treatments that are tailored just for you. Call our chiropractic clinics to schedule a pain consultation today at 877-881-4878 (HURT). We have 7 locations throughout South Florida in Pompano Beach, North Miami, West Palm Beach, Hollywood, Miami Airport, Miami Lakes, and Kendall. We are ready and waiting to help you on your road to recovery today.

Can Chiropractic Care Help with Arthritis?

by SoFloChiro | Feb 1, 2021 | Pain

Can Chiropractic Care Help with Arthritis?

Many people suffer every day when it comes to Arthritis of which can be a debilitating disease. The majority of us who seek medical treatment for arthritis, find different kinds of medications that will be prescribed to alleviate pain but also to treat the symptoms and prevent your disease from progressing into further joint damage. Some of the pain medications can be habit-forming or come with an array of unpleasant side effects. If you are looking to find a safe, natural treatment to manage the painful symptoms of arthritis, a chiropractic approach can be an option.

A common misconception when people think of chiropractors is that they just “crack” the back and neck, however, it is much more than that. Chiropractors are trained to use many techniques to help ease pain and tension that can be specific to your needs, including arthritis. The main goal in chiropractic care is to alleviate pain by making adjustments in the spine and skeleton to relieve stress and correct alignment and balance within the body.

Let us begin by talking about arthritis and how it wreaks havoc on the body. For millions of people of all ages, the inflammation that is associated with this disease can be debilitating and can appear suddenly or develop over time. The most common symptoms that are associated with Arthritis are pain, swelling, and reduced range of motion in the affected area. Two of the most common types of arthritis are Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis both typically worsen with age. Osteoarthritis causes cartilage which is the hard, slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones where they form a joint- to break down. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the immune system attacks the joints, beginning with the lining of the joints. Autoimmune and systemic imbalances result in uric acid crystals that present themselves and are predominant due to underlying diseases such as Lupus or Psoriasis that contribute to the progression of arthritis.

Osteoarthritis:

The joints of cartilage wearing down due to weight-bearing such as the spine, knees, and hips but also appears commonly in the fingers. If the damage to the cartilage is severe enough, it can cause the bone to grind directly against another bone, resulting in extreme pain. This happens to be the most common type of arthritis and it affects people in their 20’s or 30’s. If you have a job that involves repetitive motion or if you are an athlete, you have a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative form of arthritis and wears down the joints over time, typically due to age. The cartilage between our joints experiences wears and tear that leads to this form of degenerative disease. With less cartilage, our joints may rub together, causing friction which leads to stiffness, swelling, and pain. Losing weight, staying active, strengthening muscles, and applying hot or cold therapies can help for a time, but they are simply short-term solutions. Chiropractic care from Chiropractic Clinic of South Florida aims to treat musculoskeletal issues such as arthritis, along with other common health concerns. Because osteoarthritis is a problem that lies in the joints, chiropractic care can restore alignment to the spine and other joints, as we address cartilage and lubricant deficiency due to central nervous system problems. It can help ease the pain as well as restore proper nerve communication to improve overall health and wellness.

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis:

This type of arthritis is due to an autoimmune disorder that involves the immune system attacking the body’s tissues. Arthritis affects the lining (synovial membrane) of the joints, eventually wearing down the cartilage and bone which can cause joint erosion and deformity. The joints that are held together by tendons and ligaments are weakened and cause them to become loose and they no longer can keep the shape and alignment. Unbeknownst to many if left untreated it can cause damage to other parts of the body such as the skin, eyes, or internal organs. The decrease in joint tissue or fluid results in friction that leads to inflammation and pain. Misalignments of the spine can further exacerbate inflammation in the joint and will reduce the amount of healthy blood and fluid going these joints, only worsening the problem. Gentle adjustments from Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida will restore nerve communication so the body can function properly. This, in turn, reduces inflammation and decreases painful arthritis symptoms.

Some of the risk factors that accompany arthritis are:

Family history: Some types of arthritis run in families, so you may be more likely to develop arthritis if your parents or siblings have the disorder. Your genes can make you more susceptible to environmental factors that may trigger arthritis.
Age: The risk of many types of arthritis- including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout- increases with age.
Your sex: Women are more likely than men to develop rheumatoid arthritis, while most of the people who have gout, another type of arthritis, are men.
Previous joint injury: People who have injured a joint, perhaps while playing a sport, are more likely to eventually develop arthritis in that joint.
Obesity: Carrying excess pounds puts stress on joints, particularly your knees, hips, and spine. People with obesity have a higher risk of developing arthritis.

While any reputable chiropractor will say that every patient is different and will require a different type of care, for the most part, they will focus on realigning the parts of the body that have been impacted by arthritic pain, and relieve the tension that has built up over time. Some of the benefits of chiropractic treatments for arthritis include:

Reduced inflammation throughout the body caused by arthritis
Improved ability to move and better joint flexibility
Reduced pain across affected areas and reduced referred pain in other parts of the body
A better quality of life and ability to perform physical tasks

It is very common for chiropractic care to use a wide range of treatments for arthritis patients, depending on their needs and the severity of their case. Some patients might benefit greatly from traditional chiropractic adjustments to reduce pain and readjust their body, while for others swelling in the joints might make ultrasound therapy the better choice.

Ultrasound therapy is utilizing vibrations to release heat and energy around muscles and joints, helps to reduce pain and tension caused by arthritis. It is then followed directly by a chiropractic adjustment which allows the use of controlled force to adjust the position of the bones and joints. This can be extremely helpful in improving mobility in the body and reducing pain. Arthritis in one area of the body can also cause issues in other parts, for example, knee pain causing a limp with lead to back pain. Chiropractors can help treat these areas of secondary pain and misalignment, reducing the overall suffering of the patient.

Chiropractic care has been known to slow down or even stop the progression of arthritis. You will see the benefits with the decrease of pain and the Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida and our 7 locations across South Florida are here for your arthritic needs. For more information on our chiropractic treatment options for chronic pain, contact us at 877-881-4878 (HURT) or click on Make An Appointment to schedule a consultation with Dr. Garrett Weinstein.

Working from Home can be a Pain in the Back

by SoFloChiro | Nov 1, 2020 | Backpain, Chiropractic care, Pain

Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida are Experts on How to Control Pain After a Car Accident

Over the last nine to ten months the times have changed for us all. Regardless if it is a car accident, slip & fall, or just being granted the opportunity to work from home. SOFLO has seen an increase in patients experiencing new aches and pains. Ergonomics in the office are important as you spend hours a day working away mostly from home. Just because you are not working from your office does not mean your workspace should not be spine friendly. Here are some wonderful ways to prevent back pain while working from your spare bedroom, living room, or kitchen, turned to an “office”. This can even apply to your children who are adapting to do schoolwork in an environment that does not allow for as much movement because of virtual learning time scheduled regimens. It has been estimated that during the COVID-19 pandemic came into our lives that roughly 1 in 6 U.S. workers, some26 million people, worked either partly or fully from home. Now as of November that number has grown to a significant amount. Although we are incredibly grateful for the ability and the income, we must adapt within our home schedules, routines, and most of all the well-being of not only our emotional status but our physical stature as well. If you and your family are one of the ones who are adapting to the changes you might be noticing new aches and pains that you did not experience at the office or your children did not complain about while attending school.

The pain usually starts very subtly with the symptoms being as minor as the ache you feel will entice you to have the need to get up and move around or to reposition consistently the back, shoulders, hips, or stretch out the lower back and neck. Unfortunately, once the pandemic has passed, remote working is likely to remain the norm for millions of workers, as companies learn that certain jobs do not require the in-office hours they once did. If you are already feeling the physical strain, the bad news is that you may be on the road to a potentially debilitating musculoskeletal injury, such as a bad back. Sore neck and shoulders, carpal tunnel syndrome or even a deep vein thrombosis, a condition in which blood clots form in the veins deep in your body primarily in the back of the knees that as a result return to the heart.
So, the question at hand is what do we do to prevent back, neck, shoulder, hip, and wrist pain as well as prevent life threatening conditions? The answer really is quite simple and actually is more conducive because we work from home and are not on a schedule as rigid as working in an office.

Keep Your Neck Straight

Regardless if you are viewing your screen or reviewing documents, what you are looking at should be at a comfortable viewing height. If you have your screen at too much of an angle, you will have to twist your neck to work and will end up with neck pain from the swiveling. Being that you are working from home you probably will not have the same set up that is provided for you at the office, but there are many solutions that do not require you to purchase anything such as taking a stack of books or paper to get your screen up to eye level. And the same goes for reading documents- if you keep your papers flat on the table, your head will constantly be moving up and down, and that after a short period of time will cause pain from muscle strain. Attempt to find a way to “prop up” your paper in a vertical position with a document holder or stand and keep it next to your screen for easy viewing.

Place Your Mouse and Keyboard at a Comfortable Height

Never look down at your screen and your keyboard should allow your shoulders, elbows, and wrist to be at a 90-degree angle of which is very beneficial for all previously mentioned, but will assist in lowering your neck and thoracic back (middle back) pain as well. You might have to be a little creative in what you can choose around the house to lift up the computer screen, laptop, or keyboard but we are more concerned about preventing injuries to our bodies while working rather than what our workstation looks like.

No Soft, Squishy Wrist Rest as well as Use a Voice Input

You might think that utilizing a wrist rest will provide stability to your hands and wrist but this quite the contrary for it adds compression on the finger flexor tendons and on the median nerve, which can increase the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. The majority of phones, computers, and laptops come with the option of voice recognition software. This is a useful tool that is good for most emails and text. This will allow your hands, wrists, and arms time to have a rest all while still allowing you to work effectively.

Sit with Your Feet Flat and Sit Back in Your Chair

Sitting like a humped over turtle is not a good idea due to it results in your lower back to curve in toward your belly. This is called lordosis, and it the most relaxed posture for the lower back and as a result it puts the least amount of pressure on the intervertebral discs in that region. The opposite of that when you have kyphosis, which is when you lean forward the lumbar spine bends out, and that puts a lot of pressure on the intervertebral lumbar discs. The optimal way of sitting in all the way back in your chair with your feet flat on the floor of which supports the natural lordotic curve of your lumbar spine and therefore supporting your back. If you are unable to sit all the way back a lumbar support would be a great choice even if you have to improvise with a cushion or a rolled-up towel behind your lower back. This is a great alternative to having to spend the extra money on an ergonomic chair. To promote blood flow in the legs it is best not to let your feet dangle and try very hard not to pull your feet under the chair because it puts added pressure under your thighs and restrict blood flow to your feet and lower legs thus increasing your risk of deep vein thrombosis. The best idea if you do not have an adjustable chair is to put a stool or a stack of books under your feet while seated.

Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida, our goal is to help you achieve true health and wellness. Whether it is relieving your body of new aches and pains from working at home, getting your spine back in proper alignment, or helping you improve your health and wellness, chiropractic care comes with many benefits. For more information on our chiropractic treatment options for chronic pain, contact us at 877-881-4878 (HURT) or click on Make An Appointment to schedule a consultation with Dr. Garrett Weinstein.

Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida are Experts on How to Control Pain After a Car Accident

by SoFloChiro | Oct 1, 2020 | Car Accident, Chiropractic care, Pain

Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida are Experts on How to Control Pain After a Car Accident

Dr. Garrett Weinstein who practices at 7 locations and is the pioneer of Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida realizes how busy we all were before COVID-19 with family and community obligations, but times have changed. We question where and why we are leaving the house and is it very important that we take a risk? The answer is YES because while we leave our security of home and being quarantined, there are times we must maintain our own wellbeing in order to take care of our responsibilities as well as our families. Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida respect the time you leave the safety of your home and family; however, if you are involved in a car accident during the COVID-19 you need extra special attention and the ability to get as a victim of someone else’s negligence with an attorney office that makes previsions to help you get the treatment you need to recover from your accident in a timely fashion. The attorneys of many local, regional, and statewide firms depend on a chiropractor’s office that takes quarantine seriously, which would be Chiropractic Centers of South Florida. The bottom line is that after a car accident you need to be able to receive treatment and still feel safe so that you can heal and get back to your normal way of living.

When you are in a car accident, the forces from the crash cause your body to experience more stress than usual. This additional stress can result in a number of soft tissue injuries, such as sprains, strains, contusions, tears and fractures, dizziness, headaches, vomiting, neck pain, mid and lower back pain, pain and numbness down the arms and feet, shoulder pain, knee pain, wrist pain, and hip pain. The symptoms of these injuries are sometimes obvious right after an accident. Other times, they may take a while to appear.

Regardless if you feel immediate or delayed pain, it is important to see a chiropractor after a car accident as soon as possible, this will help prevent further injury and allow you to quickly begin treatment. It also minimizes the risks that come with not seeing a doctor after a car crash. If you don’t see a doctor right away, insurance may not cover the expenses associated with your injury, you might wave the right to personal injury coverage, you may be unable to pursue legal action, or you might have health complications.

Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida provides several treatments that can help manage the pain that is a result of your car accident:

Physical Therapy – Physical Therapy (PT) is a form of treatment and care that aims to ease pain and help you function, move, and live better. Physical therapy sessions are designed to help you perform exercises and stretching that assist to strengthen your muscles and help in relieving pain. This is especially useful to help ease pain without medications, injections, or surgery. Physical therapy can shorten recovery time. It can strengthen your muscles and improve range of motion. Fortunately, with Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida can provide physical therapy in the same facility that you receive other facets of treatment listed below.

Chiropractic Treatment – After an accident, it is quite common to seek the help of a chiropractor. A chiropractor places an emphasis on treatment through manual adjustment and/or manipulation of the spine. Sudden impacts from auto accidents can cause misalignments of your spine and affect the nerves and muscles, which can cause severe pain. The adjustments that we provide help reduce pain and inflammation in order to decrease your recovery time. We ensure your vertebrae and extremity joints are aligned and able to function correctly. One of the techniques we use to do this is spinal decompression that works by gently stretching the spine over a period of several treatments. The idea is that the spinal decompression technique changes the force and position of the spine. This change takes the pressure off of the spinal disks by creating negative pressure in the disc, resulting in the bulging or herniated disks that may retract, taking pressure off the nerves and other structures in your spine. This in turn, helps to promote the movement of water, oxygen, and nutrient-rich fluids into the disks so they can heal while reducing your pain.

Hot and Cold Pack – This is an easy treatment that can be utilized from just about anywhere. Surprisingly, the effects of hot and cold packs work wonders for fractures, sprains, soft-tissue injuries, swelling, and many other conditions. Ice is the initial recommended treatment for acute injuries, however, it is very beneficial during your recovery because after you receive therapy, regardless if it is physical therapy or a chiropractic adjustment because it is the best way to reduce swelling and control pain without medications. Moist heat is followed after receiving ice because it increases circulation and raises skin temperature.
Massages- Massage therapy in our offices use a variety of techniques to manipulate your joints and soft tissues to improve your body’s overall health. It involves manipulating the soft tissues of the body. Most chiropractors use massage therapy as a part of their practice. Massage therapy can relieve muscle pain and improve blood circulation.

Exercise – Although we know on a daily basis exercise is important for everyone’s health and well-being but can be especially useful when dealing with accident pain. As you heal, our chiropractors may recommend certain exercises and stretches that will build strength in injured muscles and improve your flexibility. Regardless if you are someone with a regular exercise regime or not, it is never too late to begin or improve on what activity you do. You should remember to start slowly and discuss any new activities with our dedicated and knowledgeable staff.

Our team of highly trained Chiropractors will work hand in hand with you, in order to provide you with all the necessary help you need during your accident recovery. Any serious accident injuries should be cared for before insurance or chiropractic care is considered. After emergencies are taken care of, it is best to notify your insurance and get to a chiropractor right away. The sooner you see one of our experienced staff of chiropractors in an office near you the better. Call us today at 877-881-4878 to schedule an appointment with our chiropractor, Dr. Garrett Weinstein, DC.

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