Minimizing Back Pain While On Vacation
Houston Chiropractor Comments: Now that school is out, our thoughts turn to summer vacations and traveling. It can be an overnight camp for the kids, a trip to visit family, or a vacation to an entertaining location.
No matter where your travels take you, it means a new routine, a different bed and pillow, and carrying luggage. These things can lead to neck and back pain.
There are a couple things that you can do to minimize these pains. The first thing to do is to remember to do your stretches daily. Just because you are on vacation does not mean that you can skip your stretches. Remember to be as consistent with your stretches as you are with brushing your teeth. If you are driving, remember to take a break every 2-3 hours and get out of the vehicle and walk around for a minute or two. This will keep you from being in the same position for hours at a time while driving. If possible, take your pillow. Most hotel pillows are too thick. As discussed in a previous blog, your pillow should be as thick as your hand is wide. For most people it is 3-5 inches. Having the correct pillow will help you to achieve a more restful sleep. Finally, make sure to drink enough water. Eating out, drinking alcohol, and being more active can lead to dehydration. This increases your muscle soreness and discomfort. Making sure that you are staying hydrated with plain water will minimize those problems.
If you manage to hurt your neck or back while on vacation, contact your regular chiropractor. They can help you to find a doctor that will treat you with the same types of treatment. Different chiropractors can have very different styles of adjusting and types of therapies.
Take the time to take care of yourself so that you and your family can enjoy your well-deserved vacation.
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!
Are Chiropractors Good For Treating Herniated Discs?
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: Herniated discs can occur anywhere in the spine, with the neck (cervical) and low back (lumbar) being the most common. Usually, people will be complaining of pain or weakness either radiating down their arm or leg along with neck or back pain.
Just because you are having pain or weakness going from your neck or back down your arms or legs does not automatically mean that you have a herniated disc. You can have a radiculopathy (pinched nerve) or sciatica from irritation of the nerve due to arthritic degeneration or trauma that does not affect the disc.
Sometimes people have gone to their regular medical doctor, who ordered an MRI that stated that they had a herniated or bulging disc. They assume that since the MRI showed a disc complaint then that must be the cause of their pain. Well, 25% of the population has an asymptomatic herniated disc. The doctor needs to make sure that the herniation is clinically relevant. In other words, is the disc herniation on the same side as the problem and is it at the vertebral level where the symptoms are located.
With all of that said, chiropractors are very good for treating herniated discs, bulging discs, and disc protrusions. The only type of disc injury that chiropractors typically do not get good lasting results from are disc injuries with a sequestered fragment. These injuries usually only get temporary relief and require surgical co-management.
If the cause of your symptoms is a herniated disc, then chiropractors are the best non-surgical option. Most chiropractors will treat the herniated disc with physical modalities, stretches, and exercises, just like a physical therapist (PT). In addition, a chiropractor will include spinal manipulation to take the pressure off the herniated disc. The spinal adjustments will help to decompress the affected area. This combination of therapy and spinal manipulation gives the best lasting benefit. Most patients have relief of their pain in weakness in 4-6 weeks after 8-12 therapy sessions.
In our office, we will comanage the problem with your medical doctor if the pain is too great or if there is too much muscle spasm.
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!
Can A Chiropractor Help My Frozen Shoulder?
Houston Chiropractor Comments: Most cases of a frozen shoulder occur after a recent injury, especially after a fracture. During this time your arm is in a cast or a sling, and is immobilized. This causes you shoulder’s joint capsule to thicken with scar tissue subsequently causing shoulder pain and limiting the movement of the affected shoulder.
Several other factors can increase your risk of developing a frozen shoulder. It can be affected by your age, sex, and medical history. Certain medical conditions, such as a stroke, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and thyroid conditions such as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism appear to increase the likelihood of you developing a frozen shoulder.
The initial symptoms of a frozen shoulder typically get gradually worse over 2 – 4 months. The pain is typically worse at night, producing a dull achy pain. The range of motion of the shoulder is painful and limited. The next stage produces a stiffness with the range of motion severely restricted. This stage typically lasts 3 -12 months. The final stage shows the range of motion gradually improving with good and bad days. This stage usually takes 6 – 12 months.
Typically, x-rays are obtained to determine if there are any other medical conditions, and in some cases advanced imaging studies, such as an MRI, are obtained.
Most medical treatment involves using medication to control the inflammation and pain until the condition resolves in up to 3 years. In severe cases steroid injections are prescribed in the shoulder joint. Physical therapy is often prescribed to increase the shoulder motion and strength. In severe cases arthroscopic surgery will be performed to loosen the joint capsule or shoulder manipulation under anesthesia will be prescribed.
At my office we will examine the shoulder and surrounding muscles to determine the actual cause of the problem. We will treat the complaint with manipulation, physical therapy, and a specific exercise program designed for you to resolve the root cause and prevent future injuries. Most patients get relief in a couple weeks instead of a couple of years.
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!
How To Avoid Backpain While Breastfeeding
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: After the joy of childbirth comes the realization that taking care of an infant causes back pain. Suddenly you are carrying around a baby that only grows larger. You are bending over to change diapers and to place them in their crib or bassinet. You are also feeding the child several times a day.
One of the questions that I get regularly is “How can avoid backpain while breastfeeding?”
The most important thing is sitting correctly. You can even semi-recline on a couch or adjustable chair. Allow yourself to use pillows to support your baby while they are feeding.
Periodically you should change your position. This allows you to use different muscles and not overuse just one set.
You can try feeding the infant in front of a mirror. This allows you to see if you are in an awkward position.
Sometimes you can get up and walk around while feeding. Remember that movement is beneficial.
Other things that are beneficial to preventing backpain is staying hydrated by drinking enough fluids, getting some rest while the baby is sleeping (if possible), and getting some exercise so that you can use other muscles.
To help minimize any pain that occurs, remember to stretch, use a heating pad, or hot water bottle, and keep up with your regular chiropractic care.
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!
What Is The Best Chiropractic Technique?
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: From time to time, I will get a new patient that has been to another chiropractor at sometime in their life. Some of these patients will mention that I adjusted them differently than their previous chiropractor, but they still got relief with my care. They will then ask me “What is the best chiropractic technique?” I have to say that it depends on the doctor.
Chiropractic care is different than your typical care at your medical doctor. Our profession is much more hands on. We palpate the spine and examine the supporting musculature on each and every visit. This lets us know what area of the spine we need to treat with our chiropractic adjustments and what type of therapy we need to utilize or stretches to recommend.
There are a variety of different chiropractic techniques that are taught in our chiropractic colleges. Some techniques require specific instruments and some require specific tables to perform the adjustments.
The good thing is, they all work. Their patients get relief from their pain and the condition resolved. This is because the doctor took the time to master the specific technique. If it did not work, the doctor would not still be in practice.
But just because the technique worked and the pain was resolved that is not enough. As doctors our job is to get the patient well, with lasting relief, in the shortest amount of time as possible. Some techniques get quicker results on different types of patients.
This is why the best chiropractic technique is call diversified. The chiropractic colleges have taken the best forms of treatment from a variety of different techniques and created the diversified technique. With this technique you can find what gets the best results, in the shortest amount of time, for a variety of different patient types.
Being a doctor of chiropractic over the last 34 years has allowed me to work on over 10,000 patients. I have been able to see which techniques work the best with different patients and when I should expect results.
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 5 Reasons To See A Chiropractor
Houston Chiropractor Comments: A common question that I get from people that I meet is “How do I know when to see a chiropractor?” This is understandable, since most people are unaware of what conditions chiropractors treat.
Reason #1 The most common reason to see a chiropractor is for low back pain. This is the main condition that people associate with chiropractors. Patients are often amazed at how quickly they get relief with chiropractic care from their pain without the need for drugs or surgery. They usually get relief even if they have had prior spinal surgery or failed physical therapy.
Reason #2 The second most common reason to see a chiropractor is for neck pain. Most neck pain is caused due to poor posture. This is due to looking down at a phone or tablet, poor sleep position, or a poorly designed workstation. The poor posture leads to a loss of the neck’s natural curvature, with the head leaning forward. Chiropractors help to restore the natural curve of the neck, show you how to strengthen the muscles to support it, and then give you ideas on how to prevent the problem from reoccurring.
Reason #3 Headaches. Most headaches are due to muscular stress and tension. Chiropractic care allows the cervical (neck) joints to move freely and remove any adhesions in the joint. By gently adjusting the bones in the neck, the supporting muscles can relax. Chiropractors also help to ease the secondary support muscles in the upper back.
Reason #4 Tingling or numbness in the arms or legs. The nerves that go down the arms and legs originate in the neck and lower back. If the vertebrae (bone) in the neck or back is out of alignment, it can cause pressure on the nerves going down the arms or legs. A good example of this is sciatica. The pressure on the nerve can cause, tingling, numbness, weakness, or even pain. Through gentle chiropractic adjustments and therapy, a chiropractor can alleviate these symptoms and correct the cause.
Reason #5 A general stiffness and lack of energy. Remember the saying that “Movement is Medicine.” That is true here. As people age, they tend to exercise less and spend more time sedentary. Chiropractic care helps to keep the joints in the body moving and preventing nerve interference. If you do not move the joints in your body regularly, you tend to stiffen up. If there is nerve interference, you tend to be lethargic with a general lack of energy. In addition, chiropractors will show you stretches and exercises that are appropriate for your body to help keep you limber and vibrant.
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!
Do Not Be Offended…
Houston Chiropractor Comments: I still remember my patient saying that to me. It was followed by “But”… That never is going to end well. 😊
His whole sentence was “Do not be offended, but I think that you are a quack.” He was not trying to be mean or spiteful, but he did not have enough information to understand why he was wrong. He was a brilliant engineer who designed things for NASA and the space shuttle, but he did not understand the human body.
He went on to state that he had gone to his medical doctor and tried injections and physical therapy with no relief. A surgeon had told him that he required surgery to relieve his pain and fix his problem. A co-worker of his and his wife had both come to me and received excellent results. Because of this, his wife was pushing him to try chiropractic before undergoing the surgery.
After examining him and reviewing his x-rays and MRI’s, I believed that I could help him. After I explained my exam findings and treatment options, I told him that if he did what I suggested he should have a 30-50% reduction of his symptoms in 2 weeks and most of his symptoms should be gone in 8-weeks.
He then told me that he would hold off on the surgery and try my treatment for 2-weeks. If he was not better, he would know chiropractors were quacks and if he was better, he would finish the care and apologize.
Well, at the end of the treatment 2 months later he came in with his wife and apologized. Since then, he was referred over a dozen patients to me and become one of my most vocal supporters.
He has taken the time to learn what chiropractic can do and what its limitations are. He now understands what an informed decision is.
I mention this story because I see too many people being easily offended lately about a variety of things. Instead of being offended, take the time to understand their position and explain why you might think a different way. Give people enough information so that they can make informed decisions. Instead of being offended, you might make a long-term friend like I did.
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!
What is a Chiropractic Adjustment?
Clear Lake City Chiropractor Comments: Some of the confusion that people have about chiropractic healthcare is our terminology. Today I want to explain one of those terms, a chiropractic adjustment.
Patients will say that they are going to the chiropractor for an adjustment or to be adjusted. This is another term for a spinal manipulation. The adjustment is when the chiropractor uses their hands or an instrument to move a bone to improve motion and/or your body’s physical function. This is done by applying a controlled, sudden force to a joint causing the joint to move a very small amount.
Sometimes there is a slight “popping” noise as gas is released. Here is a video explaining that noise.
Most people comment on how good they feel after a chiropractic adjustment. Like a really good stretch, the neck and back feel much lighter and move more freely after an adjustment. In addition, the brain releases endorphins, which give us the feelings of pleasure and euphoria. These endorphins also block pain signals and stick around for a while to help us feel good.
These chiropractic adjustments are safe for any age patient following an examination. Once you understand the safety and positive benefits of a chiropractic adjustment, you can relax and enjoy the benefits of good health…naturally.
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!
Chiropractic Maintenance Care
Houston Chiropractor Comments: One of the most common questions we get from our patients is how do they keep from having their problem reoccur. When they are in pain or having problems, they have some symptom that tells them that they need to come in to the office for treatment, but what do they do when they are not having those symptoms.
When patients first come to my office in Houston, TX, I first tell them what I can do for them, what they can do for themselves, and anything that they should not do to aggravate their condition.
After the patient’s problem has been resolved, the hard part begins. People need to become proactive to help minimize the possibility of the problem reoccurring. The first thing to do is to perform some regular stretches and exercises of the problem area. We show patients how to get the maximum benefit from stretching in the least amount of time. Most areas of the body can be stretched in 3-5 minutes, if you do the correct stretches in the correct order. Then it is a matter of strengthening the muscles that support the previously damaged area.
The next thing to do for maintenance is to make sure that you are not doing things that can cause problems. This would be things such as having a poor mattress and pillow, having your computer at the wrong height, sleeping in an awkward position, or carrying a large purse / computer bag on one shoulder.
Finally, it is making sure that any spinal problems are fixed before they start causing symptoms. Most chiropractors recommend that patients are seen for some periodic maintenance care with one time a month being average for non-acute conditions. In addition to adjusting your spine to correct any developing problems, your chiropractor can make sure that you are performing your regular stretches and exercises correctly. They can also answer most medical questions that you might have.
If you take care of your spine and maintain your health, you can minimize future health costs and complications. Make sure to experience the pleasure of health.
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!
Movement is Medicine
Clear Lake City Chiropractor Comments: In my 34 years of being a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC), the main thing that I have learned about health, longevity, and recovering from injuries; is that movement is medicine.
When I first started treating patients in 1989, it was not uncommon for them to come to my office after being told to have a week of bedrest for their low back pain from their medical doctor. Their pain had not gotten any better and they were getting frustrated. What I noticed was that the sooner they started moving around, the sooner they started getting relief. By the early 1990’s we started seeing the surgeons and PT’s trying to get the patient moving as quickly as possible after surgeries.
I then started having my patients perform some stretches and exercises on a regular basis to prevent a reoccurrence of their problem. While it does not prevent a person from injuring themselves, it does make the recovery quicker and easier.
There are several ways to make sure that you are moving currently. A common thing nowadays is to have a fitness tracker that counts your daily steps. This challenges you to reach your steps goal every day. Several businesses promote taking walk breaks instead of coffee breaks. Taking a 10-minute break to walk around a building or office complex can greatly reduce your stress, improve your circulation, and give you mental clarity. It is common now for people to have standing desks or exercise ball chairs. These allow you to work on balance and core strength.
Find ways to increase your movement daily. This can be from taking the stairs instead of an elevator. Parking in the back of a car lot instead of up front. Sitting on the floor instead of a soft chair. Ride your bike when you can. Find any excuse to move just a little more. Your body will thank you later. 😊
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!
