How Long Does It Take To Get Better With Chiropractic?
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: One of the common questions that I get as a chiropractor in Houston … sometimes the 1st question that I get … is “How long until I’m better or out of pain”? Usually, they ask this question before I even examine them. 🙂
This is actually a hard question to answer. There are a lot of variables to consider. One variable is how long has the problem been
there. Someone who slept wrong and awoke with neck pain might respond well with one treatment, while someone who slipped and fell a year ago and has gradually increasing low back pain might take a couple weeks to get relief. The longer that a problem has been present, the more the tissue and muscles around the problem have adapted to the change of the joint.
A second variable is the age or health of the patient. Typically I have found that the younger patients and healthier patients tend to respond quicker. The elasticity of the tissue in young people tends to allow them to respond at a faster pace. The health of the patient also needs to be taken in to account. People with arthritis and connective tissue disorders as well as diabetes tend to have a slower response to care. Special care has to be taken to prevent irritation of the joint or tissue while removing the cause of the pain.
The final variable is the fitness and follow thru of the patient. On some of the conditions, having good muscle tone and body awareness makes it easier to strengthen muscles that have become weak and to support the correction. I like to give my patients home-based exercises and stretches to aid in the correction and speed up the pain relief. Having a patient with flexible and pliable muscles makes it easier to manipulate the body. The patient benefits from following thru on the stretches and exercises on their time and not just performing them while in my office.
We will always try and alleviate your pain as quickly as possible, but not everyone heals at the same speed. You may also heal quicker or slower from a previous similar injury that you might have had. Your body changes every year.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Keeping Cool When The Weather Is Hot
Clear Lake City Chiropractor Comment: As the temperature gets in to the upper 90’s and the heat index is well into the 100’s, the weather goes from being uncomfortable to deadly. Working or exercising in hot weather puts additional stresses on your body. The activity, temperature and humidity can all increase your core temperature causing serious health problems.
When you get hot, your body brings more blood to the skin which leaves less blood for your muscles which will increase the heart rate. When the humidity is high, your sweat doesn’t evaporate which also drives up your core temperature. Normally, your blood vessels, skin and perspiration level adjust to the heat. But these natural cooling systems may not work if you’re exposed to high temperatures and humidity for too long, you sweat heavily, and you don’t drink enough fluids. The result may be a heat-related illness.
The most common heat-related illnesses are heat syncope, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat syncope is the lightheaded feeling or fainting that occurs after exercise, standing for a long period of time or arising quickly from a seated position. Heat cramps are typically exercise induced causing the muscles to feel firm, but typically with normal temperature. Heat exhaustion is when your core temperature elevates up to 104° causing cold, clammy skin with associated nausea, vomiting, headache or weakness. The final illness is heat stroke. This is a life threatening condition. In this case the temperature is above 104°. Typically your skin will be dry with associated confusion, irritability, heart rhythm issues, vomiting or nausea. Immediate medical attention is necessary to prevent brain damage or death.
If you have a heat related illness, promptly begin cooling yourself off and hydrating. Cool wet towels or an ice pack on the head or under the armpits helps as does spraying water on your-self. You need to stop exercising or working and get into the shade.
Just remember to acclimate yourself to the heat, drink plenty of fluids, watch the temperature and dress appropriately.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Positional Vertigo Treatment – Epley Maneuver
Dr. Beecher shares some techniques for dealing with Vertigo.
Vertigo… When The World Keeps Spinning Around
Houston Chiropractor Comments: A couple times a year I see a patient who has recently developed signs of vertigo and the result can be debilitating. Sometimes it feels like the world is spinning around you and sometimes you are spinning around the world. The dizziness can be mild or severe enough that you can’t drive or function. It can last a few moments, a few hours or it can just come and go.
The first thing that needs to be done is to realize that vertigo is a symptom not a specific condition. As such, we need to determine the cause of the vertigo. Is the cause more central (ie. from the central nervous system) or peripheral (ie. from the inner ear)? A proper examination will help immensely.
Possible causes of vertigo are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). This occurs when little calcium particles (canaliths) clump together in the inner ear canal and move around during sudden motions.
Another cause is Meinere’s disease. This is a disease that increases the pressure and fluid in the ear resulting in vertigo and ringing in the ear (tinnitus).
The vertigo can also be caused by vestibular neuritis. This is usually due to a viral infection causing inflammation in the nerves of the inner ear.
Additional causes of vertigo are certain types of medication, a stroke or tumor, dehydration or head/neck trauma.
The type of treatment rendered will be determined by the cause. For BPPV it is bets to use a canalith repositioning motion, such as the Epley maneuver or the guidelines by the American Academy of Neurology. I will post a video next week showing a series of head motions designed to get the canaliths in the correct position that I have found to work and can be taught to do at home. Some patients require vestibular rehabilitation which is a therapy designed on improving the vestibular system by improving ones balance and stability and minimizing dizziness and gaze instability. Spinal manipulation will help if there was any incidence of head or neck trauma. Medication or supplements are beneficial to help minimize any inner ear fluid buildup or secondary nausea. If the cause is from a tumor or a stroke then the appropriate medical referral should be made.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
What is that Cracking Noise During Adjustment?
One of the most common questions we get during a chiropractic adjustment is; “What is that cracking noise?” Watch the video below to learn more.
The Feet Are The Foundation Of The Body
Lower back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide. When you’re running make sure to wear proper shoes to help reduce your chances of back pain. If you’re suffering, call us today to schedule an appointment and find out how chiropractic care can help.
Pain Free Living: How You And Your Chiropractor Can Work As A Team
Houston Chiropractor Comments: There are a lot of reasons that people go to see a chiropractor, but getting rid of pain is the most common. As a trained orthopedic chiropractor I have several ways to help make the pain go away, but the key is to do the things that keep the pain away.
The first thing to do is to become aware of is your posture and your positions. Posture will include things like sitting/standing up straight and not slouching. Position will be things like your work station, how you sleep or the number of pillows that you use.
The second thing is doing the appropriate stretches. Most chiropractic problems are associated with muscle tightness. This comes either from improper biomechanics (body movement) or muscle guarding. It is important that the associated muscles be properly stretched in the correct order. For each injured area, there is a correct sequence to get the maximum benefit.
The third thing to do is to break up and prevent future fibrotic adhesions. The 3 main ways that I show patients to do this is via a foam roller, a rolling stick and a small spike ball. The roller is very useful for large muscle groups such as the back and legs. The stick is good for smaller areas such as the IT band, forearms and lower neck. The ball is beneficial for areas around the shoulder and deep buttocks.
The final thing is to do the correct exercises to stabilize the area and balance the opposing muscle. The exercises can be as simple as building up the core strength to challenging specific areas of individual muscles.
As you can see, there are some things for me to do and some things for you to do. As a team we can work to find a way to correct the problem and maintain the correction.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Treatment After Auto Accidents
Houston Chiropractor Comments: Unfortunately there are more than 6 million auto accidents every year. Of these 6 million accidents, 40,000 people will be killed and 2 million will have some form of permanent injuries. The most important aspect of treatment is being seen by a doctor who regularly treats these types of injuries. The best treatment is knowing what to do and, just as important, knowing what not to do.
The best treatment is to begin with what is called “passive” therapy. These are therapies that are done to you and don’t require a doctor or therapist in attendance. This would be things such as ice, electrical stimulation or manual traction. These treatments are rendered to help reduce inflammation, ease muscle spasms and help minimize your pain. This type of care will typically be used for the first week or two before the patient is transitioned to the second type of care, called “active” care. Active care is care that is done with the assistance of a doctor or therapist. This would include therapeutic exercises, massage, mobilization, rehabilitative exercises, cold laser or ultrasound. These are usually done for the next two to 6 weeks to strengthen the muscles and minimize scar tissue. At the end of care the patient should be given home care exercises and stretches to help prevent any re-occurrences of pain and give them the tools to maintain their corrections.
What not to do is just as important. The patient should not be told that all accidents lead to permanent pain or that they will be disabled for life. The patient should be told that pain after an accident is normal, but it will go away. The patient should not be told to put heat on the painful area as this will only increase the swelling around the damaged tissue. The patient should not have an MRI performed during the first couple weeks unless they are having bowel or bladder issues. It is quite common to have referred pain down the arms or legs that are not related to any disc damage. This pain will typically go away in 1-2 weeks with the correct treatment. Often patients will get an MRI of the neck or low back that shows a bulging or protruding disc and the doctor will tell the patient that it was caused by the accident and that they need spinal injections or surgery. Unfortunately, these discs are quite common and found in large portions of the population that don’t have back pain or were not involved in an accident. The patient now thinks that he/she is permanently injured with a “blown disc” and they limit their activities and become “mental cripples”. Too scared to do any activities for fear the pain will return.
After being a doctor of chiropractic for 30 years and treating approximately 10,000 patients, I have found that with the proper treatment most patients involved in auto accidents are symptom free after 2 to 8 weeks. If they are given the correct home based exercises and stretches to perform after they are discharged, and they do them, they rarely have any future problems associated with the accident. It is a matter of the proper treatment and having the patient’s best interest at heart.
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!
Top 3 Benefits of Chiropractic Care
There are numerous benefits to chiropractic care, but here are 3 of the most beneficial to patients.
Tips To Improve Your Posture
Bad posture can have more than just a negative effect on your joint and spine health, it can also effect how you feel overall. A chiropractor can help to correct bad posture habits and provide exercises to improve and strengthen spinal health. Call us today to find out how chiropractic care can help.
