Ask Dr. Ingham

Below you will find answers to some of the most common questions our patients have had regarding their ailments and the chiropractic treatments available at Advanced Sports and Spine Care. At any time, please feel free to call our friendly staff and schedule a free consultation!

Hip Pain

What can a chiropractor do for PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME and how long for results. Should I be going 1 or 2 x’s a week?

Proper functioning and positioning of the pelvis, namely the sacroiliac joint, can relieve Piriformis syndrome. As far as the frequency of visits, this depends on the individual and the severity of the condition, age of the patient, etc. It is not uncommon to see patients 3x’s per week for a few weeks depending on the condition. Good luck and remember correct the problem, as your chiropractic doctor for a corrective care plan not just relief care.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

What Can Cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
In carpal tunnel syndrome, the median nerve is compressed as it passes through the canal made by the wrist bones and the ligament of the wrist. The nerve may be compressed or trapped in its path due to joint changes in rheumatoid arthritis or other systemic diseases. In most cases, however, inflammation of the tendons and tissues of the wrist which causes the syndrome is not associated with systemic illness.

What Can I Do To Ease the Pain Temporarily?
Place the hand in the neutral non-flexed position and avoid bending the wrist.

If you have pain that may be associated with this syndrome, applyan ice pack or cold compress to the wrist to help reduce any inflammation and thereby decrease the pain. Use the compress for 20- to 30-minute periods with at least a 30-minute interval between each application.

If you have chronic pain, apply moist heat to the wrist. Use the heat for 20-minute periods with at least a 30-minute interval between each application.

How Can I Tell If I Have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
The majority of patients affected by this syndrome are middle-aged women. The usual symptoms are pricking numbness and pain which is most prominent in the first three fingers, the thumb, and the palm. This pain comes on especially during the night and is relieved by shaking the hand. Aching may accompany the numbness and extend up the arm. In late cases, there may be wasting of the hand and finger muscles innervated by the median nerve.

What Can the Doctor of Chiropractic Do to Help?
Doctors of chiropractic are educated and trained in the detection and care of musculoskeletal problems, particularly the joints ofthe spinal column and extremities (shoulder, arm, wrist, etc.). Your chiropractor can provide you with a complete examination and recommendations for care appropriate to your case.

He/she will seek to differentiate local problems from spinal referred pain. Since the median nerve originates in the neck, the doctor of chiropractic will examine the neck area.

In addition, some musculoskeletal problems affect the nerves and blood vessels in the arm and may mimic carpal tunnel. The doctor of chiropractic may perform some orthopedic tests in an effort to detect interference with blood flow through the arm or changes in sensation if distant problems cannot be found. He or she will examine the local wrist area for deformities, swelling, fixation or movement dysfunction of the carpal bones in the wrist.

If your condition should require examination by another health care specialist however, your chiropractor will refer you.

What Is The Carpal Tunnel?
Carpus is the medical term referring to the wrist. The carpal tunnel is the passage for the major nerve in the wrist (the median nerve) and the tendons in the wrist formed by the ligament of the wrist and the carpal bones. The median nerve passes through the carpal tunnel to innervate the hand and fingers.

Headaches

What Can I Do to Help Prevent Headaches?

Maintain good posture to help reduce misalignments in the bones of the neck.
Seek to avoid situations of pressure and tension that can bring on a headache. If you can’t avoid pressure, try to learn to cope with it more effectively.
Find time to take periods of rest to relax, close your eyes, breathe some fresh air and even take a brisk walk.
Avoid getting overtired to the point of exhaustion.
Exercise regularly to stimulate the circulation of blood to the head and to maintain neuromusculo- skeletal flexibility.
Avoid too little or too much sleep, which can be contributing factors to headaches.
Don’t sleep on your stomach. Either sleep on your side with your head supported so that it is level with your spine, or on your back with a small pillow or rolled-up towel supporting your neck rather than your head.
Don’t overindulge in food or drink, and don’t smoke.

Can Headaches Be Serious?
A headache is no stranger to most people. One estimate is that headaches occur in 9 out of 10 people. Some are mild but annoying, localized pain that may be attributed to one or more of a variety of causes. Chronic, recurring headaches, which can be the most serious, are of two major types – migraine and tension. These may be frequent and intense, and may involve the severe throbbing, nausea, irritability and sensitivity to bright light common to the mi- graine or “sick” headache. These headaches can be debilitating. They can affect the vision and bodily functions, bring on pain and sensation elsewhere in the body and even change moods and personality. To find relief – if only temporary – the American public pours out millions of dollars a year for headache remedies.

What Can the Doctor of Chiropractic Do to Help?

Your Doctor of Chiropractic is primarily concerned with helping correct any neuromusculoskeletal (nerves, muscles and bones of the body) source of your headache. He or she will perform a special spinal examination to determine whether the symptoms may be alleviated by chiropractic care. The examination can determine whether the headache may be caused, or aggravated, by any misaligned vertebrae in the spine – a condition known as a subluxation – which may be creating undue nerve interference.

Chiropractic care may help prevent unnecessary tension and/or irritation in the neck and head. In some instances, chiropractic adjustments (specific spinal manipulations) can provide immediate relief for headache victims. A study of 87 headache victims who were treated with chiropractic adjustments over a two-year period revealed marked improvement. Common migraine had ceased altogether or was much improved in 85 percent of the females and 50 percent of the males. For those with classical migraine, the improvement rate was 78 percent in females and 75 percent in males.

Every headache victim is an individual case and may require special instructions or recommendations from their chiropractor. If your condition requires the attention of other health care specialists, your chiropractor will refer you to them.

What Can Cause a Headache?
Headaches occur for a reason. A headache is your body’s way of signaling you that something is not right. Some of the milder headaches are the result of occasional “morning after” problems brought on by excessive smoking, drinking or eating. Others may be the indirect symptom of eye strain, improper diet, hunger, poor lighting, excessive noise, constipation, foul air, daily pressures or infection, to name a few. In rare cases, headaches can be attributed to organic conditions such as brain tumors or diabetes.

Doctors of Chiropractic recognize that a headache is the body’s warning alarm that pain may also be attributed to muscle tension and irritation of the nerves and blood vessels in the neck. The seven cer- vical vertebrae (spinal bones) can become misa- ligned from excessive physical and emotional stress. This misalignment can irritate the nerve roots in the neck and may even cause minor constriction in some vessels which supply blood to the brain. When this happens, a headache can strike … once, twice, again and again. If not cared for, more serious symptoms may develop.

What Can I Do to Ease the Pain?
People often consume over-the-counter pain pills to alleviate headaches, but you may be able to help relieve pain without medication by applying some simple common-sense methods. Consider these guidelines for possible temporary relief:

Apply an ice pack or cold compress to the affected area which may numb and help alleviate the pain.
Apply heat to the shoulder and/or neck muscles to help relax the muscles.
Gently massage the back of the neck periodically to help reduce stress and discomfort.
Lie down to rest in a quiet atmosphere with a rolled-up towel or small pillow supporting the neck without pushing the head forward.
Immediately avoid bright lights and noise.

Too often individuals have become accustomed to self medication which may mask potentially dangerous conditions. Indiscriminate use and/or over-reliance on pain medications in lieu of a proper examination and diagnosis is not recommended. Early examination and diagnosis are essential to proper care and treatment. Consult your Doctor of Chiropractic for an evaluation and/or referral to another health care specialist.

Neck Pain

What Can I Do to Prevent Neck Pain?

Don’t sleep on your stomach because this can cause harmful stretching and twisting of the neck muscles.
Don’t stack several pillows – or even one very thick pillow – under your head and neck when sleeping; by doing so you can put stress on the upper back and neck.
Don’t watch television or try to read while lying down because this can contort the neck; always sit upright.
Take frequent breaks or change positions when doing work which requires you to bend your neck downward or face the same direction for long periods.
Don’t use purses or bags with a shoulder strap because the weight can pull on the neck and disturb the nerves that supply the shoulders, arms and hands. Instead, tie a knot in the shoulderstrap and carry the purse or bag in your hand.

What Can Cause Neck Pain?
Some neck pain may be job related. Individuals who sit in the same position and face the same direction for long periods, such as secretaries and wordprocessor operators, may experience neck stiffness and/or muscular spasms. Other jobs, such as those involving the repetitive motions which are common in industry, may also lead to neck pain. Workers who operate a drill press, power equipment or continous assembly-line operations may feel fatigue and soreness in the supporting head-and-neck muscles. These and similar situations can bring on muscle tension and irritation of the nerves and blood vessles in the neck.

Strains to the cervical vertebrae are another common cause of neck pain. Strains can be brought on by a forceful movement of the neck, strenuous lifting, swinging or pulling motions of the arms, or a fall. One of the most frequent of neck ailments – whiplash – can produce mild or severe reaction, even resulting in debilitating, permanent damage.

A degenerative disease of the bones and joints – osteoarthritis – can also be a source of neck pain. Sometimes called “wear and tear” disease, it can be the result of a lifetime of physical traumas (shocks) or even poor posture. Slumping, rounded shoulders, and even a straight military posture can be harmful. Osteoarthritis occurs when the discs become thin – pulling the bones closer together and producing grinding sounds. This leads to pain and nerve disturbances, and may eventually cause the vertebrae to fuse together.

Still other causes of neck pain may include osteoporosis, swelling of tissue, irritation of joints, damage to the nerves or spinal cord, fracture of a vertebra, tumors and cancerous conditions, and less obvious sources such as referred pain from a heart attack.

What Can the Doctor of Chiropractic Do to Help?
Doctors of chirpractic are educated and trained in the detection and care of problems of the spinal column and in maintaining the delicate balance of the neck and spine. Your first visit to the chiropractor will include a complete chiropractic examination. X-rays may be ordered to screen for possible underlying pathologies and to reveal extreme distortions in your spine.

If your chiropractor feels that chirpractic care is appropriate in your case, you may be given your first adjustment at that time. This manual procedure will help reduce the misalignments and ease the pressure on the spinal nerve roots. In addition, your chiropractor may advise you on therapeutic exercises, job safety, work-related posture, dietary information and a complete program of chiropractic care.

What Can I Do to Ease the Pain Temporarily?

If you have reason to believe that you have a whiplash injury, immediately stabilize the head so that it cannot be exposed to further injury.
Apply an ice pack(s) to the area to help reduce inflammation and swelling and thereby decrease the pain. Use the ice pack(s) for periods of 20 to 30 minutes with at least a 30-minute interval between each application.
If you experience neck pain other than whiplash, do not stabilize the head because you may further stiffen the neck, reduce the range of motion and cause increased immobility. Keep you neck active and flexible.
If you have insidious, recurring pain, apply moise heat to the back of the neck and shoulders. Use the heat for periods of 20 minutes, with at least a 30-minute interval between each application.

A word of caution: these are temporary remedies and not a substitute for seeking immediate professional care.

Can Neck Pain Be Serious?
Your neck is the vital passageway through which the spinal cord passes to connect the brain to the arms and legs and key bodily organs and tissues. The brain and spinal cord, with its important spinal and autonomic nerves, control and coordinate almost all body functions.

The seven cervical vertebrae (spinal bones) in the neck have highly mobile joints so that you can bend your head forward and backward, tilt it to either side and rotate the head an neck. Since the neck is exceptionally flexible, it lends itself easily to injury and pain.

Depending upon its severity, an insult to the head or neck may injure the supporting muscles, tendons and ligaments of the neck and perhaps interfere with essential circulation to the head and brain. A neck injury may even disrupt the functioning of the spinal cord and the autonomic nerves distributed by the cervical vertebrae. This can result in serious interference with the life-support communications network of the body.

Stress

How Can Stress Affect My Health?
Stress is associated with the “fight or flight response” and consequent rises in the levels of stress-related hormones. Growing evidence suggests that these hormonal changes may contribute to both physical and psychological health problems. It is thought to be a factor in various diseases, including heart disease, ulcers and other digestive disorders, psychological problems, asthma, high blood pressure, migraine, arthritis and diseases affecting the immune system and the body’s ability to fight infections.

People under significant stress are also at high risk of alcohol or drug abuse, overeating and smoking, other potentially self-destructive behavior, depression and other mental illness.

What Can I Do To Help Prevent and Cope With Stress?
Prevention and management of stress, like stress itself, is a very individual matter. In general, people benefit most from the technique for which they are best suited psychologically. Some may wish to talk at length to another individual to help them understand the root of their problem. Others may wish to seek the support of group therapy which may be valuable in providing needed social support. Two major coping techniques have been identified:

1. Refusing to accept the notion that a situation is irreversible;
2. Endurance by seeking and gaining the support of others.

What Can Cause Stress?
In today’s fast paced, ever-changing society, many factors or stressors are believed to contribute significantly to our most serious health problems. Individual perception of stress varies from person to person, but most often stress is related to situations in which you are forced to adapt to in a way that is difficult or unpleasant.

Many life events and the ability to cope with them are closely related to stress-related health problems. Some stressful events are the death of a loved one, alienation of affection, geographical moves, decline in self-esteem, or change in job status. Threats to marital, family or social status, to health or security may also be particularly stressful. Patterns of change, both for better or worse, can also cause stress.

Particular kinds of work seem to cause special stresses related to the nature of the work or imposed irregularities, For example, rotating shift work which disturbs the normal sleep cycle, produces chronic stress by repeatedly upsetting daily rhythms that control specific hormones and other responses. Jobs that entail little variation but close attention, such as assembly-line work involving dangerous machinery, also seem particularly stressful. People in high-stress jobs often view their situation as controlling: too much to do, too little time, unstimulating and no way to escape.

Much has also been written about the role of personality and stress-related conditions, particularly heart disease. Individuals who are very tense, impatient, highly competitive and seem to be driven by time and the need to succeed (Type A persons) seem to be at a higher risk for stress-related diseases than others who are more relaxed and less competitive.

What Kind of Techniques Can I Learn To Reduce Stress?
There are also several teachable coping techniques designed specifically to reduce stress:

Relaxation training, which if practiced regularly can produce benefits well beyond the prescribed relaxation periods.
Aerobic exercise programs, which have been found to reduce the levels of stress-related hormones as well as promoting heart conditioning and weight control.
Biofeedback training, a somewhat controversial technique which involves learning to control normally involuntary body functions, such as slowing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and halting vascular or muscle spasms associated with certain pain syndromes.
Social support programs, the value of which cannot be overemphasized in times of stress.

Remember, stress has many causes and serious effects. Your doctor of chiropractic can provide you with a complete examination and specific recommendations for reducing stress and its potential health consequences in your case. Should stress-related health conditions require evaluation by another health care specialist, your chiropractor will refer you.

Arm and Shoulder Pain

What Can Cause Arm and Shoulder Pain?
Pain and other symptoms in the arm and shoulder may be due to injury of the neck or cervical spine. The seven cervical vertebrae (spinal bones) in the neck have highly mobile joints so that you can bend and tilt your neck. Since the neck is exceptionally flexible, it is susceptible to injury and pain which can be referred to the shoulder and the arm. (It should be noted, however, that pain in the arm and shoulder may be due to other conditions not related to the cervical spine such as frozen shoulder, strain/sprain syndromes, osteomas, etc.)

The vertebrae are separated by discs, which are stiff jelly-like pads that act as elastic cushions between the spinal bones. Neck, shoulder and arm pain may be caused by an abnormal bulging or protrusion of a disc in the cervical spine, The disc may impinge on the spinal nerve roots or irritate the spinal cord itself. This is also known as a herniated or slipped disc.

Cervical disc lesions that can cause arm and shoulder pain can be acute or chronic. For example, sudden and severe pain (acute torticollis) can result from lying too still for too long, on a pillow too thick or too thin, or in a position that keeps the neck in a sideways position for a long period.

What Can the Doctor of Chiropractic Do to Help?
Doctors of chiropractic are educated and trained in the detection and care of problems related to the spine. Your first visit to the chiropractor will include a complete chiropractic examination. X- rays may be ordered to screen for possible underlying pathologies and to reveal extreme distortions of the spine.

If your doctor of chiropractic feels that chiropractic care is appropriate in your case, he/she may give you an adjustment to help reduce the misalignments and ease the pressure on the spinal nerve roots. In addition your chiropractor may advise you on therapeutic exercises, job safety, work-related posture and dietary information.

What Can I Do to Prevent Arm and Shoulder Pain?
Your doctor of chiropractic cannot correct pain in the arm and shoulder without your help. These steps can help:

Don’t sleep on a stack of pillows, or even one thick pillow. By doing so you can put stress on the upper back and neck.
Don’t read or watch television while lying down. This can contort the neck. Always sit upright.
Don’t carry heavy purses or bags with a shoulder strap. The weight can pull on the neck and shoulder causing further pain.
When doing work that requires you to bend your neck downward or face the same direction for long periods take frequent breaks.
Be strict in following good postural habits when standing, sitting and walking.
Follow a regular schedule of appropriate exercises to help strengthen your back and neck. Your chiropractor can recommend the best exercise program for you.

What Can I Do to Ease the Pain Temporarily?

Apply an ice pack(s) to the area to reduce inflammation and swelling and thereby decrease the pain. Use the ice pack(s) for periods of 20 to 30 minutes with at least a 30-minute interval between each application.
If you have insidious, recurring pain, apply moist heat to the back of the neck, arm and shoulders. Use the heat for periods of 20 minutes with at least a 30 minute interval between each application. A word of caution: these are temporary remedies and not a substitute for seeking immediate professional evaluation and care.

Subluxations

What is a subluxation?
The word “subluxation” comes from the Latin words meaning “to dislocate” (luxate) and “somewhat or slightly” (sub). A subluxation means a slight dislocation (misalignment) or biomechanical malfunctioning of the vertebrae (bones of the spine). These disturbances may irritate nerve roots and blood vessels which branch off from the spinal cord between each of the vertebrae. This irritation may cause pain and dysfunction in muscle, lymphatic and organ tissue as well as imbalance in the normal body processes.

What causes a subluxation?
A fall, injury, sudden jar, trauma, or sometimes an inherited spinal weakness can displace a vertebra. Other causes include improper sleeping conditions or habits, poor posture, occupational hazards, incorrect lifting practices, obesity, lack of rest and exercise, and stress. The word “subluxation” comes from the Latin words meaning “to dislocate” (luxate) and “somewhat or slightly” (sub). A subluxation means a slight dislocation (misalignment) or biomechanical malfunctioning of the vertebrae (bones of the spine). These disturbances may irritate nerve roots and blood vessels which branch off from the spinal cord between each of the vertebrae. This irritation may cause pain and dysfunction in muscle, lymphatic and organ tissue as well as imbalance in the normal body processes.

How is a subluxation corrected?
Doctors of Chiropractic are specialists in neuromusculoskeletal conditions. They are trained to restore the misaligned vertebrae to their proper position in the spinal column. They do this manually, utilizing the chiropractic procedure known as “spinal adjustment.” Your chiropractor, in most cases, will use his or her hands in applying corrective pressure to the spine in a specific direction and location. The manual force or thrust helps restore the alignment and mobility of the vertebrae. In some cases, the chiropractor may use instrumentation to detect subluxations and adjust the spine.

How will the adjustment help me?
Chiropractic adjustments by themselves do not actually heal the body. When any of the 24 moveable spinal vertebrae become misaligned, a basic imbalance or disruption can occur in the nervous and blood vascular systems, which may contribute to stress in the body. Chiropractic adjustments help eliminate that imbalance or disruption so that the body can function at its true potential.

Does the adjustment hurt? Under normal circumstances, chiropractic adjustments are painless. In cases of recent trauma, such as whiplash, mild discomfort may be experienced due to inflammation. It is also common to feel a brief sensation in the extremities immediately following an adjustment due to the sudden decompression of the affected nerve root.

Pregnancy

How does chiropractic care help the pregnant woman?
Because of the additional weight and stress on the framework of the body in pregnant women, chiropractic adjustments can help lower the incidence of pain in the low back and legs, and between the shoulder blades. In some cases, fewer headaches and problems with nausea and elimination may also result. Many chiropractors care for expectant mothers in the regular course of their daily practices. It is wise, however, to first inquire about the experience of your chiropractor in caring for pregnant women and what he or she recommends for you.