Pregnancy | Osteoporosis | Growing Pains | TMJ Disorders | Arthritis | Infantile Colic
PREGNANCY & BACK PAIN
If you experience back pain during your pregnancy, you share the problem with almost half of all pregnant women. In a recent study of 950 women, 49% complained of back pain. These results emphasise the importance of developing and maintaining a healthy back before you become pregnant.
Causes: During pregnancy a woman's body changes dramatically. These changes cause the spine to undergo compensatory changes. The most common postural changes are due to the bulk of the growing baby, the enlarging breasts and the secondary weight gain as the body prepares to nourish the new baby.
Due to the growth of the abdomen, the lower spine is pulled forward, causing women to throw their shoulders back and their heads forward to compensate for these changes. This often results in backache and tension headaches associated with the pregnancy.
Symptoms:
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Low back and pelvic joint pain and discomfort
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Pain in the ribcage and shoulder girdle
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Neck and shoulder ache
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Headache and migraine
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Pain and numbness in arms and legs
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Heartburn, caused by poor posture or foetal size.
Prevention :
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Is Chiropractic safe during pregnancy?
Yes Chiropractic is the diagnosis and treatment of musculo-skeletal disorders.
Pregnant women are perhaps more prone than normal to back pain and other musculo-skeletal problems. Obviously the treatment of a heavily pregnant women is tailored to her needs and is often very different from treating someone who is not pregnant. Our chiropractors however will never take x-rays of a pregnant women which is why, if any females are x-rayed, they are required to give us written assurance that they are not pregnant. Chiropractic is very useful in pregnancy, as there is often very little else that is on offer to women who suffer significant periods of back pain, especially during their last trimester.
OSTEOPOROSIS
What it is?
Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and are more likely to fracture. If left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks.
All bones can be affected, but hip and spine fractures cause the most concern.
Risk Factors:
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Being female
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Thin and/or small frame
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Advanced age
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A family history of osteoporosis
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Post menopause, including early or surgically induced menopause
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Abnormal absence of menstrual periods
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Anorexia nervosa or bulimia
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A diet low in calcium
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Use of certain medications, such as corticosteroids and anticonvulsants
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Low testosterone levels in men
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An inactive lifestyle
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Cigarette smoking
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Excessive use of alcohol.
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Prevention:
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Eat a well balanced diet, rich in calcium and vitamin D
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Do weight-bearing exercises daily e.g. walking, golf, tennis
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Have a healthy lifestyle (no smoking or caffeine and moderate alcohol)
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Ask your GP about bone density.
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INFANTILE COLIC
Infantile colic is the term commonly used to describe persistent and most often violent crying for no apparent reason in otherwise healthy and thriving young infants.
How common is colic?
If your baby experiences colic, he or she shares the problem with 20% of all infants. This means that you are not alone in experiencing sleepless nights and irritable, inconsolable infants but chiropractic treatment can help to improve the symptoms of colic.
Symptoms of colic:
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Crying incessantly
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Infants aged between 2-52 weeks
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The infant will have at least one violent crying spell per day lasting at least 1½ hours and occurring at least 5 out of 7 days
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Frequent knee bending to their stomach
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Arching of the head and back
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During colicky spells, the infant cannot be comforted by cradling, feeding or nappy changing
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Apart from colic, the infant should be otherwise healthy.
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GROWING PAINS
Does your child complain of growing pains?
There are many causes of 'growing pains', especially scoliosis. Scoliosis refers to curvature of the spine and is often mistaken for growing pains.
Untreated scoliosis can often give rise to problems in later life, such as pain and deformity. However early detection and treatment can prevent long-term effects.
When could your child have scoliosis?
Scoliosis can develop during infancy or in adolescence. In infants, 90% of scoliosis of no known cause, spontaneously disappears in the first year, but if it develops after 3 years it will most likely remain.
Ages 7 to 10 are the least risk when the spine is growing at a much slower rate compared to the 10 to 15 years age group. Girls are at greater risk as they can inherit it from their fathers.
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What you should do to help?
Scoliosis hasn't any warning signs, which again emphasizes the importance of 6-monthly chiropractic screenings during the susceptible years. However, you may notice that your child's skirt or trouser length is hanging unevenly. Buy your child a rucksack! Avoid heavy bags that may be carried on one shoulder; discourage children from playing board games on the floor; and ration their times for playing 'game-boys' and watching television.
Don't allow your children to sleep on too soft a bed and encourage lots of physical activities!
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TMJ DISORDERS
TMJ (Temporo-Mandibular Joint) is the joint between your lower jaw and your lower skull. This joint allows you to open and close your mouth and chew from side to side. It is not surprising that a TMJ problem can lead to muscles getting tired and going into spasm.
Causes:
| Headaches |
Facial Pain |
| Neck Pain |
Ear Pain |
| Shoulder Pain |
Dizziness |
| Back Pain |
Tinnitus |
Are commonly associated with TMJ dysfunction. This diagnosis may be missed. Pain or clicking in the jaw or grinding of the teeth, recurrent dental problems such as loose or broken teeth and decreased jaw movement are more likely to be attributed to jaw problems because of the more obvious association.
Symptoms:
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History of trauma or recent dental work
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Jaw clicks
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Reduced or painful range of jaw movement
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Teeth fail to meet properly
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Grinding or clenching of teeth
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Tenderness around TMJ or surrounding muscles
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Biting of tongue, cheeks or lips
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Swallowing problems.
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ARTHRITIS
Many people have been told they have "arthritis" and nothing can be done for their backs. Osteoarthritis is 'wear and tear' and is considered normal after a certain age. That does not mean that nothing can be done to help get rid of the pain and dysfunction of previous injuries.
The majority of patients over the age of forty have signs of osteoarthritis. There are of course other types of arthritis, so called inflammatory arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis and gout, but they are fortunately rare in comparison.
Does the environment affect arthritis?
Although we all have to learn about the effects of the environment on health, it is suggested that there may be a connection between arthritis and the environment.
This form of arthritis may particularly arise from chemicals associated with tobacco smoke, pesticides, perfume and even hair spray. Other offenders include house mites, dust and moulds.
How can we help?
Regular Chiropractic treatment is considered to be more effective in the long run, and can prevent further development. Regular treatment can even prevent osteoarthritic changes from occurring in the first place. A Chiropractor adjusts the affected joints to provide pain relief and slow the progression of arthritic change. |
©2008 Shaw Chiropractic Clinic
