Posts Tagged ‘chiropractic’
What does the term, “vertigo, ” mean? Vertigo is the name for the dizzy disturbance that a person suffers within a stationary environment. The perception is that the external world is tilting or perhaps spinning. Vertigo may be abrupt and short- lived or unceasing. But nevertheless, either way, the specific root of vertigo must be defined and the correct professional therapy undertaken.
There are many causes for the disorder of Vertigo. An inner ear affliction, known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, can oftentimes take place as the aftermath of a sustained head injury or severe cold. Many times this particular vertigo can be the result of the aging process. The root, though, oftentimes is not known. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is a wordy diagnosis, but it characterizes perfectly this non- progressive problem that is the result of, as its name tells us, a unexpected change in head position. The difficulties are as a rule unexpected and varied.
It is usually helpful to look at the functionality of the inner ear in an attempt fully grasp what provokes this frequently incapacitating discomforts of this kind of vertigo. The brain senses motion and maintains balance utilizing the fluid within the inner ear. Also in the inner ear are minute calcium carbonate crystals, called otoconia. The crystals are able to float in the inner ear fluid if dislodged. As the crystals strike against the delicate nerve endings in the inner ear, they trigger the symptoms of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV.
The good news is that chiropractic therapy can relieve the difficulties of BPPV very quickly and effectively using a technique which is called the Epley maneuver. By means of the use of this approach, a chiropractor turns the head of a BPPV sufferer into a number of different positions, letting gravity shift the calcium carbonate crystals into a zone of the inner ear that is away from the nerve endings where they will bring on no subsequent vertigo.
Your chiropractor has helped innumerable persons for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo employing the Epley Maneuver technique. Generally, with only one treatment most patients no longer suffer from dizziness. Your Orland Chiropractor can help. Call today!
Knee X-ray
New research coming out of Tufts University School of Medicine had concluded that patients 65 years of age and over who suffer from knee osteoarthritis (OA), and who practice Tai Chi, increased their physical capability and experienced less pain. Osteoarthritis is a general form of arthritis that causes a wearing away of joint cartilage. Chiropractors help a large number men and women who have developed OA in a number of regions of the body, including the knee joints. Knee pain and disability is one of the most widespread conditions of the musculoskeletal system, second only to spinal abnormalities. In fact, an astounding 4.3 million US adults over 60 years of age have been diagnosed with knee OA, according to the CDC, and it conjectures that half of the people in America may suffer from symptoms of OA in at least one knee by age 85. Knee OA causes pain, immobility, functional disabilities, and a diminished quality of life.
Are you wondering why so many adults develop OA? As with nearly all of the musculoskeletal conditions that we develop as we get older, undue stress to a joint over the years is a major determinant. Therefore, as people age they are more at risk for developing OA in their knees, as well as other joints. Improper function of the knee, improper gait, compensatory foot mechanics as the result of foot pain, and repetitive use of the knee joint all produce undue stress on the knees. Eventually arthritic changes in the knee joint develop. Most chiropractors advocate such natural, drug-free practices as Tai Chi, in addition to their chiropractic management. A traditional style of Chinese martial arts,Tai Chi features slow, rhythmic movements that produce mental relaxation, as well as an enhancement of balance, an augmentation of strength, and enhanced flexibility.
Though in good health otherwise, the 40 men and women with confirmed OA that were chosen for the Tufts study were, on average, 65 years of age and overweight. Participants were selected at random to participate in 60-minute “Yang style” Tai Chi sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks. Each session included a 10-minute self-massage and a review of Tai Chi principles, 30 minutes of Tai Chi movement, 10 minutes of breathing technique, and 10 minutes of relaxation.
Tai Chi practice incorporates the kind of range of motion, flexibility, muscle conditioning, and aerobic workout that is consistent with contemporary exercise protocols for osteoarthritis. Furthermore, researchers found that the “mental aspect” of Tai Chi encouraged a sense of well-being, life satisfaction, and perceptions of health that assisted the participants in dealing differently with chronic pain. Compared with the control group, the group practicing Tai Chi experienced a considerable decrease in knee pain.
Full findings of the study are published in the November 2009 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.
Does hip pain keep you up at night and make it hard to get a good night’s rest? When you get out of bed in the morning, or when you get out of your car, are you stiff and do you find it initially difficult to move your legs? Do you feel pain in one or both hips whenever you rotate or twist them or when you cross your legs? If you answered “yes” to any or all of the previous questions you are likely suffering from imbalances and alignment problems in your lower extremities that, in addition to causing hip pain, can in the course of time produce degenerative hip joint disease if not taken care of.
Though hip pain and related problems can frequently be traced to age-related degenerative conditions, particularly osteoarthritis of the hip joint, osteoarthritis isn’t always the perpetrator. In fact, rather than being the original cause of the problem, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be the end result of injury to your hips earlier.
Damage as the result of biomechanical issues, such as an ankle sprain or knee strain, can generate changes in your gait that create hip pain. Also, if you change jobs, alter the way you sit, take on a new sport or activity, or start driving for long periods of a regular basis, your gait may alter to compensate for these new changes.
In addition, gait asymmetries can be caused by carrying a baby or small child on your hip, leg length discrepancies, or foot pronation challenges. In other words, anything that generates an asymmetry or imbalance when you are in motion can develop into painful hip problems.
As part of the chiropractic management of your hip problem, along with adjustments, your chiropractor may prescribe orthotics. Your chiropractor will also offer applicable progressive rehabilitative exercises that include muscle stretching and strengthening.
Hip pain won’t diminish on its own. Hip pain is a signal that something needs correcting. Your chiropractor can help to get you out of pain, get back into balance, and get your life back!
Attempting to keep up with an active five-year-old can feel tiring at times. If you’ve been around an active child of this age, or if you have one of your own, you may have found yourself hoping that the kid would just “veg out” for a little while. But, new research is recognizing the long-term health benefits of this whirlwind of activity. In fact, according to a new University of Iowa study, instead of making an effort to slow these little ones down, five-year-olds should be encouraged to be as active as possible. Why? “Because it pays off as they grow older,” said Kathleen Janz, lead author of the study and professor of health and sport studies in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Being active at age five helps kids to avoid excess fat as they get older even if they don’t stay as active later in childhood. “We call this effect ‘banking’ because the kids benefit later on, similar to having a savings account at a bank. The protective effect is independent of what happens in between,” Janz went on to say.
The UI team tested the body fat and activity level of 333 kids at ages five, eight and eleven using a special scanner that accurately measures bone, fat and muscle tissue, and an accelerometer that measures movement every minute. Rather than depending on kids or parents to track minutes of exercise, the kids wore accelerometers to record their activity level for up to five days.
Even when controlling for their accumulated level of activity, the study (published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine) indicated that kids who are active at age five end up with less fat at age eight and eleven. The average five-year-old in the study got thirty minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day. For every ten minutes on top of that, kids had one-third of a pound less fat tissue at ages eight and eleven.
Although further investigation is necessary to determine what happens to the active kids’ bodies that keeps them in better shape down the road, Janz said that it could be that the active 5-year-olds didn’t develop as many fat cells, improved their insulin response, or that something occurred metabolically that provided some protection even as they became less active.
Nonetheless, as exciting as this study is, weight moderation is not the only benefit of early exercise. As a chiropractor I have observed in my own practice that active kids don’t have as many ordinary childhood health issues, like catching colds and the flu. chiropractic care is, of course, particularly beneficial in helping kids to stay healthier. But, in addition, the stimulation to the brain that takes place during activities, especially those that necessitate “cross pattern” motor movements of the larger muscles, i.e., right hand/left leg and left hand/right leg, such as crawling, running, climbing, and skipping, also boosts the autoimmune system and keeps kids healthier.
Too many children today are overweight and unhealthy. Though part of the problem is an inappropriate diet, inactivity is also a major contributing factor. If you have a five-year-old who chooses to watch television or play video games rather than participating in more active play, help your child to get up and get moving into healthier activities. Moderate to vigorous activity will not only benefit your child now, but will assist in building a healthier future. You can bank on it!
We all know that movement is good for the whole body, right? From our head to our toes, our good health is determined by how much physical activity we get on a regular basis. So, why do so many people suffer from aches and pains in their feet? After all, aren’t our feet made for walking? Yes, but they weren’t designed for abuse. The average, healthy person takes 3,000-5,000 steps each day, not including activities such as running and aerobic exercise. But, often those steps are made by people walking incorrectly, with poor gait patterns and bad posture. In addition, a large number of people wear badly-designed, poorly-fitting shoes. Moving the body through space incorrectly on feet that are inhibited from functioning correctly cannot help but to cause aches and pains not only in a number of places in our feet, but in other parts of our body. For example, if an individual over-pronates (walks like a duck) in a pair of poorly made or unevenly-worn shoes, or in a pair of high heels, that person is not only likely to develop foot and ankle problems, but will probably experience problems of the back, knees and legs.
One of the most well known foot problems is Plantar Fascitis (heel pain), which is usually caused by inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a wonderful, multi-tasking band of connective tissue that encircles the muscles on the bottom of the foot, adheres the heel bone to the ball of the foot, supports the arch, protects the foot, and absorbs shock.
There are many factors that contribute to the development of Plantar Fascitis. One such factor is short and tight calf muscles. When calf muscles get short and tight they exert a strong pull on the back of the heel bone, producing undue stress on the smaller and weaker plantar muscles and fascia. How do calf muscles get short and tight? In addition to running and jumping activities such as aerobics, volleyball, running, basketball, and tennis, the wearing of high heels can cause the problem.
Other factors that contribute to Plantar Fascitis include sudden strenuous activity after a period of prolonged inactivity, abnormal walking patterns (such as over-pronation), improper footwear, walking on hard or uneven surfaces (especially barefooted), and obesity.
Once an individual develops Plantar Fascitis, the condition is frequently not easy to manage and can become intensely painful and persistent. If you are suffering from heel pain, your chiropractor will be able to determine the cause of your problem and what chiropractic management is best suited. Such care might include ultrasound therapy, laser, joint manipulation, muscle stretching and strengthening exercises, special taping and, in some cases, orthotics.
Allergies can turn our everyday life into misery. Unwelcome symptoms like itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, or a skin rash can be the consequence of a simple walk in the garden, a play date with Fluffy, a shellfish stew, or even something as small as a nut. But, occasionally our allergic reactions can progress from just plain irritating to dangerous and life-threatening as our air passageway begins to close and we have a difficult time breathing. If you have allergies, it may seem that, from time-to-time, your environment is a intensely hostile place and that the world around you is, truly, out to get you!
You may question why it is that other people appear to be so unaffected by the environment, while your body reacts, or rather overreacts, to it It’s a valid question. The answer is because some people, like you, have a hyperactive immune system that actually “freaks out” when they are confronted with ordinary substances such as pollen, dander, shellfish, or nuts.
Can your chiropractor help with your allergy symptoms? You may be surprised by the answer. Many individuals have noticed that they experience relief from their allergy symptoms after chiropractic treatment, even though chiropractic care doesn’t actually treat allergies. The reason for this is because chiropractic manipulation affects the complete nervous system, including the autoimmune system. When there’s an impedance in the nervous system, along with other problems, the autoimmune system, whose job it is to assist us in adapting and responding appropriately to our environment, can become under-active or overactive. The problem is the latter when it comes to your allergies. Because chiropractic manipulations lessen or remove disturbances in the nervous system and bring the body back into balance and harmony, the treatments provide that same balance and harmony to the auto-immune system as well. A healthy immune system reacts appropriately to supposed allergens in the environment.
So, as pointed out above, your chiropractor doesn’t actually treat allergies. You could say, instead, that relief from your allergies is simply the by-product of a well-adjusted nervous system. Make an appointment, today, to see your chiropractor and get back into harmony with your environment.
You may have heard that chiropractors treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Well, that’s not entirely accurate. Even though chiropractic care can definitely help children, and adults too, who suffer from it, chiropractors don’t really “treat” ADHD. The reason that chiropractic treatment is effective is that ADHD is a neurological disorder. chiropractic manipulations not only effective in reducing nervous system disruptions in general, but an adjustment can be intentionally directed to stimulate under-active areas of the brain and calm over-active areas as well. Quite a few parents are choosing chiropractic care over the conventional medical practice of giving children Class 2 psychotropic drugs that often have intense side effects including personality changes and permanent alterations in the brain. The chiropractic approach to ADHD is natural and drug-free. Nearly all of parents who’ve looked to chiropractic treatment for their children have noted extraordinary behavioral changes as a result.
Due to the differences between the manner in which boys and girls employ the left and right hemispheres of their brain, ADHD seems to happen to more boys than girls and, additionally, is frequently more obvious and easily discernible in the behavior of boys as opposed to of girls. Evident symptoms include a hard time concentrating and sitting still, inability to control impulsive thoughts and behaviors, easily distracted by noises and activities, incessant movement of fingers, hands, arms, feet, or legs.
Many children who manifest ADHD symptoms are hypersensitive to particular foods, such as dairy or gluten products, and sugars and artificial sweeteners. Additionally, they routinely have a hypersensitive reaction to additives in foods, herbicides and pesticides used to grow non-organic fruits and vegetables, and laundry products such as detergents, fabric softeners, and other chemicals. As a general rules, the exclusion of these environmental factors can do a lot to reduce ADHD symptoms.
Determining the presence of spinal anomalies and particular responses to specific neurological tests are included in the thorough examination given by your Orlando Chiropractor.
You may be able to help your child to get his or her life back in balance through natural, safe chiropractic care. Before taking drastic pharmaceutical measures, if your child exhibits the symptoms of ADHD, make an appointment with your chiropractor for a complete evaluation. For a healthier, happier, more well-adjusted child, call today!
If you drive a big car and you’re in an accident if your car looks “uninjured,” it’s easy to assume that you are not hurt, either. After all, isn’t that the reason you’re driving a big vehicle? It’s for safety, right? Well, research has revealed that occupants of vehicles, both large and compact, can be hurt a lot more than might be expected from a minor auto accident. In reality, as far as your body is concerned, there’s really no such thing as a “minor fender bender.”
When your body is compelled to stop suddenly and without warning, there are going to be reverberations. You might be offered a clean bill of health by an emergency room attendant if you haven’t sustained any broken bones, and you may be given a prescription for drugs to ease the muscle spasms that you are doubtless experiencing as a result of the structural changes in your neck or lower back that you received from the impact. But, unless you’re actually treated for the bodily trauma you’ve sustained, your problem can go from bad to far worse. In fact, many people experience problems years after an auto accident because they didn’t get the help they needed in the first place.
Your Orlando Chiropractor unequivocally understands what your body undergoes during an auto accident. Chiropractic techniques include treatment for soft tissue injuries and spinal bio-mechanics dysfunction. And your chiropractor is an expert in rehabilitation strategies.
If you’ve experienced a minor auto accident, even if your car may not require much repair, more than like you do. Neck and back injuries are not only painful in the regions in which they take place, but they can also generate pain, tingling, and numbness in your arms and hands and result in headaches days, weeks, even months after an accident occurs.
You can get back on the road to feeling good again with drug-free, natural chiropractic care. It will assist in putting the trauma of your accident where it belongs – in the past. Moreover, because your chiropractor has experience dealing with insurance companies and lawyers, not only will you undergo less physical stress, but less emotional stress, as well!
If you’re experiencing low back pain, you’re not alone. Low back pain bothers a large majority of people, a surprising 80% in fact, making it second only to the common cold in its frequency. But, in contrast to the common cold, waiting for your back pain to “run its course,” and taking prescription or over-the-counter remedies while you wait, is not the remedy. Generally most back pain won’t leave on its own. Many time, if your pain lets up, it is routinely because your body has compensated for the problem, thus producing new conditions. Low back pain is nothing to sneeze at! If you intend to get rid of your back pain for good (and who wouldn’t?), it is necessary for you to see a back pain expert, like your chiropractor.
Oftentimes back pain is a mystery to many of the people who suffer from it, and chiropractors are proficient at solving their conundrum. They want to know why it is that they have not had any trauma, accidents, or major injuries prior to the onset of their pain? The answer is that the cumulative effects of unsuitable sitting posture, bad work habits, incorrect lifting, lack of regular exercise, and other unhealthy lifestyle-related determinants produce most back pain. These factors eventually add up and cause stresses and imbalances on the spine producing subluxations that can become serious back afflictions. The process is not unlike the front end of your car being out of alignment. When you persist in driving anyway, there is uneven wear and tear on your tires. If you don’t get the problem fixed, the situation would, no doubt, get worse until you “blew” a tire. The stability of the spine is jeopardized when your spine is misaligned. In other words, it’s not only a problem waiting to happen, it’s a problem waiting to get worse. And then, something as effortless as bending over to pick up a piece of paper can be the “final factor” that produces back injury. The surrounding back muscles go into spasm when thishappens to stabilize the stressed or injured tissues of the back.
Chiropractors have more education, training, and experience than medical doctors regarding knowledge of conditions of the spine. They offer expert diagnosis and competent treatment for all muscular-skeletal dysfunctions. In addition to providing welcomed relief to those suffering from back pain, but they are aware of what will assist you in avoiding further back pain. Your chiropractor not only will provide you with effectual adjustments and other productive chiropractic therapies but, in addition, will design a personal exercise strategy and give advice about other beneficial lifestyle changes that will aid in keeping you well-adjust and pain-free in the future.
Today’s moms and dads are more concerned than ever about the adverse effects pharmaceuticals have on their children. Parents want to know if there is anything else that they can do for their child than to give them pharmaceuticals.
Parents are disinclined to just mask symptoms with pharmaceuticals, and they are concerned about side effects. Their goal to attain a state of true health for their children has encouraged moms and dads to find health care opportunities that assist their child’s own inherent ability to be healthy.
Chiropractic care is that option. All children are healthier with 100% nerve function. The immune system is controlled by the nervous system. When it is operating at its peak, children stay healthier. As far as a child’s health is concerned, “the best offense is a good defense.” Everyday, children are exposed to massive amounts of airborn, food-born, and contact bacteria. So many bacteria, in fact, that it would be unfeasible to immunize them against them all. Your Orlando Chiropractor is very familiar with colds, sore throats, ear infections, fevers, colic, asthma, tonsillitis, allergies, bed-wetting, infections, pains, falls, stomach-aches, and the hundred and one little (and big) things children go through as they grow up.
A chiropractor is committed to helping keep your child healthy and strong so that the complaints that appear to be an unavoidable part of childhood, either won’t affect your child as intensely or won’t affect them at all. chiropractic adjustments aids in removing interferences to the innate healing power that runs through your child’s body. When that power is released, the healing results that take place quite frequently are profound.
Furthermore, a child is lesslikely to be injured at play or in sports when his or her spine is in alignment. In addition, children who are brought in regularly for chiropractic care don’t seem to experience as many “growing pains” as other children.
Each day at your Orlnado Chiropractor we have happily noticed that more and more parents are bringing their children to our clinic to help to take care of the questions and concerns they have about their children’s health. All children are deserve the right to manifest their fullest potential. Chiropractic care for children at your Orlando Chiropractor is safe, gentle and effective.