Short North Accident Injury Care

Archive for October, 2009

How Does Your Posture Affect Back Pain and Neck Pain?

Chiropractor, neck pain ,posture ,chiropractic ,back pain ,ergonomic

Have you ever wondered how it can be that you can sit around all day doing nothing strenuous and develop back pain or neck pain?  When you start to examine the structure of our bodies and apply some simple rules of physics, the fact that we don’t suffer from more frequent or intense back pain and neck pain is a wonder.  In my chiropractic office in Columbus, California, I see office workers on a regular basis that have significant back and neck complaints related to simple ergonomic issues.

Back pain or neck pain can affect anyone at any time.  I see patients that have injured their backs and necks from lifting, operating machinery, sports injuries, auto accidents and falls on a daily basis.  I would classify these injuries as typical or expected types of injuries.  Many non-chiropractic patients or new chiropractic patients would be surprised to find that the most common type of injury that I see in my office is not from lifting heavy sacks of concrete but from the long term consequences of postural stress.

Postural stress is the “silent killer” when it comes to our spinal health.  Postural stress occurs during both seated and standing positions.  Postural stress occurs any time that your spine looses its’ natural curves and / or moves forward beyond its neutral balance point.

An example of a posturally stressful position for your neck would be when you are sitting at the computer leaning your neck and head forward while keyboarding, mousing or viewing the screen.  Assuming a posture in which your head and neck are extended out in front of your body reverses the normal curve of your neck and shifts your head forward of its balance point.

When we assume postures that cause stress on our spines, the stability that is inherent in our structure when postural boundaries are respected is lost.  Postural stress exposes our ligaments and muscles to prolonged periods of stretching which results in fatigue, irritation, inflammation, back pain and neck pain and eventually arthritis.

Treating neck pain and back pain that has resulted from postural stress requires a multifaceted approach.  Chiropractic care combined with stretching and nutritional support will relieve the pain and stiffness and restore normal, full joint motion.  This part of your recovery may take several treatments or a lengthy treatment program based on the length of time that you have been in pain and the severity of your symptoms.

In addition to chiropractic care, you must eliminate or modify the causes of the postural stress.  A workstation analysis can reveal ergonomic issues that are instigators of postural stress.  Ice pack applications to the specific areas of neck pain and back pain in twenty minute sessions are also helpful.

The best way to begin your care is discuss your issues with your chiropractor.  Chiropractors are well trained in dealing with postural stress issues and the neck pain and back pain that result from it.  At my Columbus based chiropractic clinic we use a complete approach that utilizes chiropractic care supported by specific stretches and exercises.  We also encourage the proper nutritional support to facilitate the healing process.  Whatever approach that you take to relieve the pain of postural stress, please be aware of the importance of eliminating the source of the postural stress in addition to seeking treatment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

Why do I have back pain?

Being a chiropractor in my Short North, Columbus, I hear this question all the time. Back pain and neck pain are the two most common complaints that my patients have. The fact that my practice is in Columbus probably decreases the frequency of these complaints. People in Columbus tend to be more active which actually lowers the incidence of low back and neck pain.

Over fifteen years ago when I first started practicing chiropractic care in Columbus, most of my low back pain patients and neck pain patients for that matter were not related to office work. Most of the cases that I had when I first started practicing were do to injuries like car accidents and falls or heavy work.

In the mid to late nineteen nineties, I started to see a trend in injury mechanisms among my patients. They were starting to attribute their pain to long hours of sitting at the computer.

Sitting all day at the computer not only causes back pain but it also causes neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and various arm problems.

Lower back pain is primarily due to poor sitting posture. When we are standing up with good posture, our lower backs have a sweeping forward bowing curve that resembles a stretched out letter “c”. This shape distributes our bodies weight evenly throughout the spine. When we sit, this curve reverses, greatly increasing the stress on the joints and discs in the spine.

With time, this postural stress results in irritation and inflammation resulting in pain and muscle spasms.

Once the low back has reached a point of pain and spasms, chiropractic care is necessary to relieve the pain, improve the bio-mechanics of the spine and relax the muscles.

In addition to chiropractic care for back pain, the patient must seek out an ergonomic chair and have it adjusted properly for their body. In many cases, I suggest a complete workstation analysis to help prevent future problems with other computer related stresses.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

In My Short North, Columbus, Chiropractic Office I treats many individuals for neck pain, back pain and headaches.  In many cases, the causes of these symptoms are related to auto accidents or other types of personal injury.  More often than not, the auto accidents in question occurred years earlier and the initial symptoms were not taken seriously by the patient.

Most people don’t take the time to seek treatment for themselves yet they scramble to get their cars fixed.  This thought process extends into other scenarios as well.  I ounce had an acquaintance who smoked but proudly proclaimed that she didn’t smoke inside her car because she didn’t want to ruin it!

I don’t know why so many of us carry these kinds of thought processes.  In the case of auto accident injuries, the little bit of neck pain or the headaches or the low back pain is often overlooked or dismissed and minimized as being un-important.  This is flawed thinking.  Imagine if we treated other health conditions with such disregard.

The injury mechanisms in whiplash type accidents are complex.  Muscles are stretched and torn, ligaments can sometimes partially tear or rupture, intervertebral discs can become herniated and spinal fractures can occur.  These injuries can lead to a vast number of symptoms that can cause neck pain or back pain that ranges in intensity from a slight irritation all the way to severe disability.  Back pain and neck pain are bad enough in the short term and much worse in a long term chronic situation.

While the mechanism of injury in whiplash cases is complex, the typical resulting spinal injuries follow a well established path.  Initially, the muscles and ligaments in the injured area are irritated.  This irritation leads to inflammation.  Inflammation is not only responsible for many of the initial symptoms that you experience but it is also responsible for scar tissue formation which can make your symptoms permanent or chronic.

Statistically, approximately 25% of auto injury victims will suffer from some ongoing symptom related to their accident.  I see this statistic come to life in my Columbus chiropractic office.  Chiropractors are experts in dealing with the types of neck pain, back pain and headaches that occur as a result of auto accidents.  The best way to insure that you are not a member of this group of 25% that never fully recover from their auto accident injuries is to get an examination and possibly treatment, if recommended by your chiropractor.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio

Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

In my  Short North, Columbus Office, “When the rains begin to fall, we know to expect calls from our regular patients and new referrals to address pain stemming from car accident injuries. When roads are slick and slippery, it is around 4 to 5 times more likely for an accident to occur when compared to calm weather. In the last decade and a half, my Chiropractic office in Columbus has seen hundreds of car accident and personal injury victims.

Whiplash is the classic neck injury that is most commonly caused by automobile accident”

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North. Columbus, Ohio Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

In my  Short North, Columbus clinic, I provide treatment for many types of injuries. Typical injuries that result in neck pain, back pain, chronic headaches, sciatica etc., include auto accidents, work related injuries, injuries caused by domestic chores and sometimes things as simple as sleeping in an awkward position.

Of these patients suffering from neck pain, back pain and other injuries, I would say that at least 50% of them ask, “what can I do for myself to make sure that this doesn’t happen again?” This question served as the inspiration for this article and I will address in this post.

To begin with, neck pain and back pain are great motivators.

When people are in pain they take a proactive approach to their health. People often inquire about what kind of stretch or exercising that they can start right away. Unfortunately, the best thing that you can do while your injury is new is to apply ice packs to the injured area and rest.

Over my 16 plus years in practice I have seen a large percentage of enthusiastic patients ignore this advice and end up giving their conditions a major set back. The time to start exercising and stretching your back for most of us is when it is out of its acute stage of pain.

My biggest struggles in practice have been dealing with my patients exercise and diet habits. Exercise is one of the few things that a patient can do at home, outside of chiropractic care, to help prevent or diminish the chances of developing back pain.

After an injury, you should approach exercise cautiously – almost to a point where the exercise that you are performing feels like it is doing nothing. If you can get through a few low intensity exercise sessions like this without aggravating your condition, you should slowly add resistance, allowing you to build confidence and strength at the same time.

You have to remember to incorporate a sensible approach to exercising after a back injury. Be sure to exercise and stretch under the advise of a health care professional. Strong and flexible muscles add strength and support to your spine and will provide much needed stability.

I have always tried to help the patients of my Columbus Chiropractic office with their neck pain and back with stretches and exercises. The combination of chiropractic care with stretches and exercise allows for quicker, more complete healing.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North, Columbus, Ohio Call

614 299 9797

to make an appointment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio

Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

In my  Short North, Columbus, based Chiropractic Clinic we provide treatment for those patients involved in auto accidents on a regular basis.  The most common injury resulting from car accidents is whiplash.

Whiplash is most frequently associated with rear-end auto accidents in which the heads of those in the front car are suddenly snapped backward and forward by the acceleration caused by the impact.  The more descriptive medical phrase used to convey this type of injury is cervical acceleration/deceleration (CAD) trauma or syndrome.  CAD accurately describes the rapid movements that can injure the vertebrae of the neck and the muscles and ligaments that support them.

Anyone can be subjected to whiplash at almost any speed, even in a minimal-force auto accident at speeds as low as 5mph.   Incidents that cause whiplash can also be related to other incidents or mishaps in which the head is pushed or jerked beyond its normal range of motion.  Whiplash commonly causes serious and chronic neck pain, as well as back pain, headaches blurred vision, ringing in the ears, nausea, numbness and dizziness. More serious injuries such as bruising of the brain can sometimes occur in auto accidents.

The sudden accident that caused the initial whiplash injury may fade into memory, but the physical and psychological damage of whiplash can become chronic, severely eroding the victim’s quality of life.

Chiropractic techniques are particularly well-suited to relieving the neck pain and other debilitating effects of whiplash because they can
• restore movement lost after the accident,
• overcome muscle weakness and enhance muscle tone,
• speed recovery, and
• diminish chronic symptoms that can persist or recur over many years.

Chiropractic adjustments and supportive treatment have proved successful for many thousands of patients. Chiropractic care significantly reduce patients’ distress and allow them to return to their normal activities.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio

Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.