Whiplash

Shoulder


Wrist

Knee

Neck


Elbow

Back

Shin, Ankle & Foot

The cause of cluster headaches is still unknown, but it is understood that the problem is due to the blood flow in the body.

Tension headaches are as a result of stress causing tense muscles in the back of the neck, due to many environmental factors.

What are the symptoms of whiplash
Neck pain is the most common injury from whiplash, which may be immediate or take up to 24 to 48 hours to appear. Sometimes pain may not occur until days or weeks after the injury. It depends on the type and extent of the injury.

How do we help?

The chiropractor identifies the damaged areas around the spine and uses gentle manipulation to repair the soft tissue damage. Stretching and deep tissue massage is also used for whiplash injury.

Cevical pillows and occasionally collar neck supports may be used, together with ice pack treatment, home exercise and vitamins

FROZEN SHOULDER
Frozen shoulder is the term commonly used to describe persistent shoulder pain and restricted movement. However, shoulder problems are often misdiagnosed and as with other joint problems, the success of any treatment depends on correct diagnosis and co-operation between patient and practitioner.

What is frozen shoulder?
Frozen shoulder refers to loss of arm movement at the shoulder joint combined with inflammation of the tissues within the joint capsule that surrounds the shoulder. These tissues become thickened and shortened and eventually 'stick' together, hence the medical term, adhesive capsulate.

What are the symptoms?
Initially, there is progressive limitation of all movements of the shoulder. This may follow a recent minor trauma, dislocation, prolonged immobilisation, heart attack (myocardial infarction) and sometimes neck problems (cervical radiculitis). Pain may or may not accompany this, although pain will be felt if you try to exceed the limited movement. This stage is sometimes referred to as the 'freezing' stage.

Treatment
When the cause of the shoulder problem has been established, the appropriate treatment can be initiated. This can range from chiropractic adjustments and mobilisation, icing, rest, modality use (ultrasound and interferential machines) and eventually exercise to improve movement and strength.

The spine is made of bones called vertebrae stacked one on top of the other to form a column. Between each bone there is a disc and facet joints link the sides of the bones. Many ligaments and muscles are attached to the spine and fan out from the neck to the shoulder blades and back. The muscles control movements of your head. The spine protects the spinal cord from outside damage but allows you to move your head in any direction.

At the level of each disc, nerves come out from the spinal cord through an opening in the spine. These are called nerve roots. The nerve roots in the neck join to form the nerve trunks that run into the arms. Impulses travelling through these nerves send sensations such as touch and pain to the brain and messages from the brain to the muscles.

The vertebral artery carries blood from the heart to the brain. It runs inside the bones of the neck and supplies the part of the brain that controls your balance.

What causes neck pain?
Many people develop a stiff and painful neck for no obvious reason. Often it disappears after a few days. It may happen after sitting in a draught or after a minor twisting injury, for example while gardening. The underlying cause for this type of neck pain is not fully understood, so it is called 'non-specific neck pain'. Having non-specific neck pain does not mean that your neck is damaged and often it happens in people whose necks would appear completely normal on x-rays. It is the most common type of neck pain.

• Hold the back of your hand level with the forearm so that your wrist is straight. i.e. Do not allow your wrists to drop lower than your fingers
• Do not pound on the keys - use a light touch
• Take lots of breaks to stretch and relax
• Eliminate unnecessary computer usage
• Massage forearms
• Pay attention to your body
• Evaluate other activities.

COMMON MISCONSCEPTIONS

I think I have slipped a disc!

• Discs do not slip out, they are firmly attached to the vertebrae above and below
• The disc consist of layers of strong ligaments surrounding the centre or nucleus which is a gel-like material. The nucleus can rupture and press onto the ligaments which have been damaged.

A disc herniation will improve with treatment but is more serious compared to a sprain and tends to take longer to improve. Some people who do not improve with treatment may require surgery to remove part of the herniated disc. Disc herniations are more common with recurrent back injuries, which is a good reason to seek treatment early.

I have a trapped nerve!
Entrapment can compress a nerve suddenly by a herniated disc or gradually by bony spurs developing from wear and tear.

Nerve injuries are normally associated with a feeling of 'pins and needles', numbness and radiating pain in one side, but you can have limb pain without the nerve being trapped. This is called referred pain.

I have back pain - I need rest!
Rest is important in the early stages of an injury but not inactivity! 'Active rest' including simple walking is the best way forward.

I need a hot water bottle!
Ice packs should be used if you have any inflammation in your back. You should not use heat over an area of inflammation. It may increase the heat and prolong the healing pain.

Heavy lifting and back pain!
It is a common belief that heavy lifting is often the cause of back pain, but most people hurt themselves when performing relatively simple tasks that they have done hundreds of times before e.g. sneezing, coughing, turning in bed or getting out of the car.

Posture!
The way we sit, lie, stand or move can have a big impact on the health of our spine. Good posture cannot prevent a bad back but it can help prevent problems. The chiropractor can teach you how to improve the way you move and how to move your muscles to support and protect your back, by giving you specific exercises.

Pain and healing!
Being pain free does not mean that there is not a problem with the back. Pain only develops if there is an injury, which is more likely to happen if there is a weakness. Back pain often becomes a recurrent problem from neglect. In the beginning the pain often goes away quickly but with each injury it takes longer to recover until one day it does not go away. Leaving treatment until this point requires a lot more effort to restore the normal function. The pain will gradually subside, but it does not mean normal function is restored. It can take as long as 6 - 12 months to restore to normal function.

HOW YOU CAN HELP YOURSELF

• Do walk regularly and briskly
• Do keep active
• Do ask your chiropractor about exercises in the future- they are an integral part of your care
• Do use ice for discomfort for 15 minutes and not more than once every hour.
  

Treating back pain has always been considered to be an enigma. Probably partly because the general understanding for how the back is constructed and how it works is poor. The recommendations from a national report to investigate the increasing problem of back pain and how it was treated were that back pain sufferers should have treatment, not bed rest and pain killers. Chiropractic was one of the preferred treatments, but you can help yourself by following the advise below, until you can get a chiropractic appointment.

SCIATICA

What is it?
It is the name given to a sharp pain in the area of the sciatica nerve which runs down the leg. When back problems put pressure on this nerve, the result is pain in the lower back, buttocks, hip and back of the leg and possibly all the way down to the toes. It also causes distortion of the pelvic joints.

Who it affects?
Most men experience sciatica more than women due to the fact that men carry their wallets in their hip pockets, the exact spot where the sciatica nerve is located in the buttocks. Sitting on the wallet can cause pressure on the nerve and sciatic pain. It also causes distortion of the pelvic joints.

Symptoms
Pain may be burning, tender, sharp, shooting, dull feeling, 'pins and needles' or an electrical sensation and usually occurs on one side of the buttocks and/or leg.

Prevention:

• Avoid sitting in one position for long periods
• Follow a regular exercise programme that includes gentle stretching e.g. yoga, pilates
• Sleep on your back with a pillow under your knees
• Ensure that your pillow is the correct height - not too low or too bulky
• Avoid continuous bed rest for a prolonged time as this slows recovery
• Have your shoes professionally fitted to avoid aggravation of back pain
• Ice packs should be used if you have any inflammation in your back.

SPORTS INJURIES

KNEE

RUNNERS KNEE: This is the softening of the cartilage of the kneecap. Portions of the cartilage may then be under either too much or too little pressure. This may result in cartilage deterioration at the inner part of the kneecap. Pain is usually also felt after sitting for long periods of time with the knees bent.

ILIOTIBAL BAND SYNDROME: This pain or aching on the outer side of the knee usually happens in the middle or at the end of a run and is often seen in runners who train only on a track or on uneven ground.

SHIN SPLINTS: Shin splints result from faulty posture, poor shoes, fallen arches, insufficient warm up, muscle fatigue, exercising on unyielding surfaces or poor running mechanics. They cause pain or discomfort on the front, the inside and/or the outside surface of the shinbones directly on the shinbone.

STRESS FRACTURE: These small fractures occur due to excessive stress (overuse of the bone) or increase in the intensity or distance running, resulting in gradual breakdown of the bone.

BURSITIS OR TENDONITIS: This is irritation of the bursa (a fluid filled sac which sits under the tendon) or tendons from friction, pressure, trauma or dysfunction. This causes pain and stiffness on movement with no visible swelling at first, but swelling as the condition worsens. Problem areas are knees and ankles.

ANKLE AND FEET

PLANTAR FASCIITIS : This is caused by stretching, tearing the foot connective tissue on the bottom of the foot where the tissue attaches to the heel and causes pain in a specific area on the bottom of the foot towards the heel. ACHILLES TENDONITIS: The achilles tendon is the connection between the heel and the most powerful muscle group in the body the calf. The biggest contributor to chronic achilles tendonitis is ignoring pain in your achilles tendon and running through the pain of early achilles tendonitis. ANKLE SPRAINS: Cross country running, trail running and stepping in a pot hole could all potentially lead to an ankle sprain. They should be immediately treated with R.I.S.E. R est I ce C ompression (gentle) E levation

TAKE MEASURES TO PREVENT RUNNING INJURIES

Running shoes should be regularly replaced as the shock absorbing capability will diminish gradually and may be inadequate after 350 to 550 miles. The upper part of the shoe may not show much wear but the shock absorption may still be gone. If you are running 20 miles per week you should be replacing your shoes between 4 and 8 months depending upon your shock absorption needs.

• Do not go just by size. Have your feet measured
• Visit the shoe store at the end of a workout when your feet are largest
• Wear the socks you normally wear when working out.
  

WHAT CAUSES SPRAINS?
Sprains occur when a joint is forced beyond its normal range of motion - the most common being ankles, knees and foot aches.

Causes are:

• Direct or indirect trauma that knocks a joint out of position and overstretches. In severe cases rupturing the supporting ligaments for example, landing on an outstretched arm, jumping up and landing on the side of the foot or running on an uneven surface
• Weak muscles and poor physical shape
• Poor stretching/warm ups before exercise
• Lifting heavy objects
• Hormonal problems e.g. during pregnancy.
  

WHAT IS A STRAIN?
Strains are injuries that involve the twisting, pulling or tearing of a muscle and/or tendon (fibrous cords of tissue that attach the muscles to bone).

What causes a strains?
Strains occur when a muscle is stretched and suddenly contracts as with running or jumping. Common muscle strains include hamstrings and groin due to:

• Overuse and prolonged, repetitive movements of muscles and tendons
• Inadequate rest breaks during intensive training
• A direct blow to the body, overstretching or excessive muscle contraction.