Holiday Spinal Havoc
Houston Area Chiropractor Comments: As the song goes, this is the most wonderful time of the year! We get to decorate our house and office. We go to parties and travel to see our family. We go shopping and carry large bags and boxes. Unfortunately, this sometimes causes us to eat too much, not exercise and forget to stretch.
While taking the time to enjoy your friends and family, make sure to take the time to not overeat or drink to excess, make the effort to continue your exercises and continue to do your daily stretches. By making the effort to continue to do the correct things now it will minimize the chance of having any spinal pain return.
Enjoy the holiday season, but remember to take care of your spine at the same time.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Disability vs Impairment
Clear Lake City Chiropractor Comments: One aspect of my practice is to perform independent medical examinations (IME’s). These examinations can be for workers compensation or for personal injury cases. Usually, as a part of my examination report, I will be asked several questions. One the questions that is frequently asked usually involves determining if the person has an impairment or a disability. For most people these seem like the same thing, but they are different.
The most commonly used definitions for disability and impairment in Texas come from the AMA’s “Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment” 4th Ed. In that guide, impairment is defined as “an alteration of an individual’s health status. The impairment becomes permanent when it has “become static or stabilized during a period of time sufficient to allow optimal tissue repair, and one that is unlikely to change in spite of further medical or surgical therapy”. An impairment will interfere with a person’s activities of daily living (ADL’s). A specific numerical value will be given to show what percent of the person has been permanently impaired.
A disability is defined by the same guide as being “an alteration of an individual’s capacity to meet personal, social, occupational demands or statutory or regulatory requirements, because of an impairment.” The disability is the relationship between a person’s impairment and their life requirements, especially their occupation. In short, a disability is the difference between what a person can do and what they want or need to.
Using these as definitions, a person can be impaired, but not disabled. If a concert pianist loses his hand, he is impaired and disabled since he can no longer play the piano. If a business manager loses her hand, she has an impairment, but she is not disabled since she can still perform her job.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
When Should I Stretch?
Houston Chiropractor Comments: I was asked this question earlier today and I had to explain my answer. I view stretching a muscle and passively taking a joint thru a motion as different. Stretching of the muscle is best done after the muscles are warmed up. I tell my patients that the best time to stretch is after your exercise is over. This is the time that I spend 5 – 20 minutes taking the muscles that I have just used and stretch them out. Some of the stretches are passive, some are active and sometimes I use machines or rolling devices. When doing these stretches remember to change up your stretching routine. You do not want to do the same motions every single time. Mix it up.
Taking a joint thru motion is different in my opinion. Long term patients know that I am a fan of taking joints thru motion when I first wake up in the morning. I do this before I even get out of bed. Since it is being done lying down, we have taken gravity out of the equation. The motions allow the little “kinks” that occur while you are sleeping to release. It also allows your body time to wake up completely. This allows you to get out of bed with the “creaks and groans” that come with age. The muscles are awakened and you minimize the risk of falls or imbalance.
Try doing both of these every day. You will find yourself energized with a decrease in muscle soreness. In addition, flexibility will help to prevent occurrences of back or joint pain and minimize the times that you need to see me. 😉
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Best Exercise to Prevent Back Pain
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: One thing that I have learned from being a chiropractor for almost 30 years is that if the stretches and exercises that you give people take more than a few minutes, they will not do them. I have covered the stretches in previous blogs as well as in my YouTube videos, but I haven’t discussed the best exercise to prevent back pain. Doing the stretches and exercise will greatly reduce the likelihood of you having your back pain return.
The best exercise is the plank. The easiest form of the plank is to get in a push-up position, but rest on your forearms instead of your palms. Ultimately you want to be able to hold this position for 1 minute. If you can not do 1 minute yet, hold it for 10 seconds and the rest for 5-10 seconds. Then hold it for another 10 seconds and keep repeating until you reach 1 minute. This is an exercise where proper form matters more than the length of time. If you have poor form and allow your back to sag it can actually aggravate your back pain. If you get bored with doing the simple plank there are a variety of modifications that you can do to challenge you.
The key thing is to just do it. Don’t do the plank periodically. Everyday you should stretch, plank and brush your teeth. 😊
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Helping To Stop The Opioid Epidemic
Clear Lake City Chiropractor Comments: When I was in Chiropractic College 30 years ago, I remember my professors stating that for the treatment of back pain it should be; chiropractic first, medication second and surgery last. The intent was to see if a drugless surgery free solution could be found to get the patient out of pain and back to enjoying their life. If chiropractic did not resolve the problem then we would look at co-managing the patient’s problem with their medical doctor with the appropriate medication. Finally, if chiropractic and medication did not help, then we would look for a surgical solution.
As people started having less time to fix and maintain their problem with proper exercises and stretches they started looking for the “quick fix” of taking drugs for pain relief. They have surgeries for problems that could have been resolved without surgery. They don’t do the follow-up exercises and stretches after their rehabilitation. Unfortunately this does nothing to fix the cause of the pain and eventually they need more and stronger drugs.
Opioids are some of the strongest drugs available to reduce pain, but unfortunately they carry serious risks and side effects. Overdoses on these drugs were 5 times higher in 2017 than in 1999, with 70,000 drug overdoses in 2017 of which 68% involved opioids. Currently 130 people die every day in America from an opioid overdose.
Take the time to fix the problem first instead of masking the symptoms with drugs. Remember to do chiropractic first, drugs second and surgery last. If you have to have surgery, remember to continue with your exercises and stretches.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Does Chiropractic Treatment Require A Referral From My MD?
Does Chiropractic Treatment Require A Referral From My MD?
Houston Chiropractor Comments: This question does not get asked much now as it did 30 years ago when I started my chiropractic career. As chiropractic care has become more mainstream people now know that a doctor of chiropractic does not require a medical referral, unlike going to a physical therapist who needs a referral from a medical or chiropractic doctor to be treated in Texas. We are portal of entry doctors for most musculoskeletal complaints and can be seen by anyone. The only time that a patient requires a referral from their medical doctor to a chiropractor is for certain insurance HMO’s to be reimbursed.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Why Should I Not Crack My Own Neck?
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: This is a fairly frequent question that I get from patients. I will also have parents ask me to tell their kids the danger of “cracking” their own neck, especially after the parents have witnessing them doing it.
While chiropractic adjusting is a safe procedure when performed by a trained professional, it can have risks when performed by the untrained. Before a chiropractor adjusts a neck, they take a history and perform an examination. During the examination they palpate the spine to see where the joint is subluxated, or partially out of alignment. This tells them what direction the joint needs to be adjusted, or “cracked”. This is different than when you grab your own head and twist it hoping to hear the “cracking” noise. You don’t know which way to properly adjust it and that is why 20 – 30 minutes later you feel the urge to do it again. Usually you are actually manipulating the joint above or below the one that is actually causing the problem.
Sometimes there can be a vascular problem and the “cracking” can cause some tingling or numbness. The chiropractor can check to see if any underlying vascular issues are present before causing a problem.
The tightness or discomfort might also be due to tight muscles and not a joint problem. In this case, there is no need to adjust your own spine. The problem can be resolved by doing the correct stretches and exercises.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Vertigo…Cuando el mundo sigue girando.
Quiropractico en Houston Comenta:
Un par de veces al año atendere un paciente que ha desarrollado recientemente sintomas de vertigo que por lo general causa un resultado que puede ser debilitante .En ocasiones el paciente describe como si el mundo girara a su alrededor y otras veces como si fuera el,quien gira alrededor del mundo. Los mareos pueden ser leves o lo suficientemente severo como para no permitirme conducir un auto o simplemente llevar a cabo nuestras funciones diarias.Estos episodios de mareos pueden durar unos pocos minutos,varias horas o ser intermitentes.
Lo primero que necesitamos hacer, es entender que el vertigo es simplemente un sintoma y no una enfermedad por si sola. A causa de esto debemos encontrar la causa del vertigo. Si la causa es mas central (viene del sistema nervioso central) o si es periferal (inicia en lo profundo del oido.). Una examinacion nos revelara la causa.
Posibles causas del vertigo es el vértigo postural benigno,que también se denomina vértigo postural paroxístico benigno,(VPPB). La causa de este occure cuando pequeñas particulas de calcio (canaliths) se acumulan en el oido interior del canal y se movilizan cuando hay movimientos repentinos.
Otra posible causa es la Enfermedad de Meinere. Esta enfermedad incrementa la presion y los liquidos en el oido que da como resultado el vertigo y una especie de zumbido dentro del oido (tinnitus).
Vertigo tambien puede ser causado por la neuritis vestibular. A causa de una infeccion viral que causa inflamacion en los nervios dentro del oido podemos experimentar vertigo.Otras causas que pueden causar vertigo son ciertos medicamentos,un derrame,un tumor,deshidratacion o un golpe en la cabeza/cuello.
El tratamiento que utilizaremos sera determinado de acuerdo a la causa. Para VPPB lo mejor es la maniobra del reposicionamiento canalicular mejor conocida como la Maniobra de Epley o seguir los lineamiento estipulado por la Academia Americana de Neurologia.
Subire la proxima semana un video demostrando las diferentes series de movimientos designados para lograr un reposicionamiento correcto canalicular que he encontrado da un resultado positivo en la gran mayoria de casos y asi aprender como hacer estos ejercicios en casa.
Algunos pacientes requieren rehabilitacion vestibular que consiste en una terapia designada en mejorar el sistema vestibular que se logra cuando se mejora el balance y la estabilidad logrando asi la disminuicion de los mareos y la estabilidad en la mirada. La manipulacion en la columna ayudara si ha existido una historia de traumas/golpes en la cabeza o cuello. Medicamentos o suplementos son de benficio para minimizar el acumulamiento de liquido en el oido interno o para aliviar las nauseas. Si la causa es un tumor o derrame en ese caso se referira al medico mas apropriado para su caso.
Dr. Ward Beecher ejerce en Beecher Chiropractic Clinic localizada en 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. Haga su cita ya con el mejor quiropractico en Houston llamando al (281) 286-1300. Si tiene alguna pregunta escribala en el area de comentarios.
What is an Impairment Rating?
What is an Impairment Rating?
Bay Area Chiropractor Comments: I was in Austin last week doing a worker’s compensation examination on a lady when she asked me, “What is an impairment rating?” This was one of the questions that I was being asked to determine by the state in addition to; could she return to work (RTW) and was she at maximum medical improvement (MMI). The question reminded me that a lot of the terminology that doctors take for granted can be confusing to patients.
Impairment is an alteration of an individual’s health status. To determine a permanent impairment rating, the impairment must be static and stable, sufficient time must be allowed for optimal tissue repair and it must be unlikely to change in spite of medical or surgical therapy.
In Texas, there are approximately 450 doctors (medical, osteopathic and chiropractic) certified to be a designated doctor for worker’s comp patients to determine questions such as “What is the impairment rating?” To do this, the state of Texas mandates that we utilize the American Medical Association’s “Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment” 4th edition. The guides evaluate if any surgeries were performed, is there a decrease in the range of motion (ROM) of a joint, is there a decrease in strength or sensation, has there been an amputation or fusion. The doctor then takes these values and places them in several tables, charts and figures to determine what the patient’s impairment is. Usually this number is less than what the patient thinks it should be. This is because in most cases pain is not rated. Since it cannot be measured, it cannot be rated.
Impairment ratings can be used for other examinations as well such as following any type of accident where an impairment value needs to be given to determine the effect of an injury.
Now to answer the lady’s original question of “What is an impairment rating?” it is a number value to show what percentage of your entire body (whole person) was permanently impaired as a result of the accident or injury.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Beware of The Summer Heat!
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: As we enter the summer, it is important that we pay attention to the heat and humidity. Whether we are working in the yard, playing sports with our friends or just lounging by the pool, we need to stay aware of the weather conditions. More importantly, we need to pay attention to how our body is reacting to the heat and humidity.
Heat emergencies have three stages: heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke. All three stages of heat emergency are serious. It is important to treat these emergencies quickly so that they don’t progress to heatstroke, which can have lifelong consequences.
Heat cramps is the first stage. During heat cramps Heat cramps are the first stage of heat emergency. They usually happen when you’ve been physically active in the heat, but they can also occur if you haven’t been active. Heat cramps are especially likely in the elderly or small children, overweight people, and people who have been drinking alcohol. Muscle pain and tightness are symptoms of heat cramps. It is typically treated by moving out of direct sunlight and into a shaded area. You should drink cool non-alcoholic beverages without caffeine and gently massage and stretch the muscles.
Heat exhaustion has many symptoms. Some of these symptoms include muscle cramps, dizziness, mild confusion, increased heart rate or breathing, a headache, irritability, extreme thirst, nausea or vomiting, pale skin, heavy sweating or fainting. Treatment is everything listed in heat cramps plus loosening your clothes and having someone gently fan your body.
Heatstroke will have all of the symptoms of heat exhaustion plus a body temperature of 104°. The person can also have confusion, dry skin, seizures, hallucinations, rapid shallow breathing and rapid weak pulse. Heatstroke can be fatal or cause lifelong complications. Call 911 or go to the emergency room if heat illness is causing vomiting, seizures, or unconsciousness. For heat stroke you should remove any sweaty clothes and place ice under the arm pits, wrist and groin if available. If not, place cool wet towels on the chest and face.
To help prevent these problems remember to take periodic rests, drink plenty of water, wear loose fitting light colored clothes and avoid alcohol or caffeinated drinks.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
