What Is Torticollis?

18 Dec

Torticollis, also called wry neck or loxia, represents a category of neck conditions which exhibit a twisting position of the head and neck outside of a normal neutral position. There are many potential causes for torticollis from sleeping in a faulty position to an injury to the neck, like whiplash. However, it’s commonly labeled as “idiopathic,” which basically means, “We don’t know what caused it.”

Torticollis often occurs out of the blue with no obvious cause or history such as, “When I woke up, I couldn’t turn or move my head!” It can occur at any age and may disappear on its own in a few days to weeks, but in rare cases, it can persist for months or years.

Because it can be quite alarming, most people quickly seek healthcare services, which can include visiting a doctor of chiropractic. Once the more serious causes of torticollis are ruled out (such as a severe type of infection like a retropharyngeal abscess or bacterial meningitis, fracture, neoplasm, cervical dystonia, etc.), conservative care can proceed.

If a patient has a family history of torticollis, they may have a more serious form of torticollis called cervical dystonia. This usually begins between 31-50 years of age and if left untreated, it can become permanent.

Chiropractic care often includes stretching in which manual cervical traction, spinal mobilization, and myofascial release techniques help to restore the lost range of motion and faulty posture. Once enough motion has been restored, your doctor of chiropractic may utilize spinal manipulation, which often hastens the recovery rate of torticollis. Your chiropractor may also use physical therapy modalities and or provide instruction on home-based exercises and other self-management strategies.

This information should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all healthcare concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a healthcare professional who is familiar with your updated medical history.

Exercises for Hip Pain

14 Dec

There are two types of muscles that help facilitate motion in our hips and lower extremities: tonic and phasic.

Tonic (postural) muscles are always working or contracting to keep us upright. Therefore, these muscles tend to be tight and short. When we sleep, they contract or shorten and are taut upon waking and need to be stretched on a regular basis.  Examples of tonic muscles include the hamstrings and the iliopsoas or hip flexors muscles. Here are two great stretches for these muscles:

Iliopsoas stretch: 1) Stand and take a step forward with the left leg into a front straddled position.  2) Rotate the left side of the pelvis forward so that it becomes square with the right side of the pelvis. 3) Perform a posterior pelvic tilt by flattening the curve in the low back while rocking the pelvis forward to create a strong stretch in the left groin/front of the hip. 4) Lean backward to the right to further increase the left groin/hip stretch.  Hold for five to ten seconds and repeat this on the opposite side. Practice these stretches multiple times a day.

Hamstrings stretch: 1) Lie on your back and place the left leg on a door jam with the right leg flat on the floor extending through the opening of the doorway.  2) Push the left leg into the door jam and hold for three to five seconds and then scoot closer to the door jam to stretch the hamstring.  Hold for one to two minutes and repeat this on the opposite side, multiple times a day.

Phasic muscles, on the other hand, only work when needed and tend to be weak. These require strengthening, not stretching. Examples of phasic muscles include the abdominal and buttock muscles. Here are two great strengthening exercises for these muscles:

Abdominal strengthening: 1) Lying on the floor, place your hands behind your low back. Bend one knee/leg while keeping the other straight. 2) Lift your breastbone toward the ceiling one to two inches (2.54 to 5.08 cm) and hold for ten seconds. Repeat multiple times until the abdominal muscles are fatigued.

Buttocks strengthening: 1) Squeeze your buttocks together multiple times a day when sitting or standing. 2) Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Raise your buttocks so it lines up with your trunk while pushing your heels into the floor. Hold for ten seconds and repeat five to ten times.

Depending on the nature of your hip pain, your doctor of chiropractic may recommend further exercises that you can perform at home as part of your treatment plan.

This information should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all healthcare concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a healthcare professional who is familiar with your updated medical history.

The Most Important Principles for Staying Young: Avoid the Wild Bunch

11 Dec

Our basic premise is that your body is amazing.  You get a do-over. It doesn’t take that long, and it isn’t that hard if you know what to do.  In these notes, we give you a short course in what to do so it becomes easy for you and for you to teach others. We want you to know how much control you have over both the quality and length of your life.

Recently, one piece of medical news about diet and children’s learning grabbed our attention…

In Sam Peckinpah’s 1969 classic Western, The Wild Bunch, Pike (William Holden), Dutch (Ernest Borgnine), and Deke (Robert Ryan) were former members of a bank- and train-robbing gang in the late 1800s. But the Wild West changed. By 1913 Deke was a bounty hunter pitted against his old gang. Bullets flew when Pike and Dutch tried one last heist. A pretty wild bunch for sure. But why the animosity, Deke?

According to researchers in Germany, what we eat has a lot to do with how we interact socially. For instance, they found a breakfast loaded with refined carbohydrates and few proteins increases “social punishment behavior.” Well, a morning donut might explain why Deke went after Pike and Dutch for trying to rob a bank. Maybe the conflict between old friends was a consequence of a Wild BRunch.

This new insight into the relationship of diet and behavior highlights the importance of a well-designed meal for school-aged children. It’s why healthy food efforts that promote meals that are low in simple carbohydrates, high protein, and contain more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and only low-fat milk and less cheese and processed meat products should be championed, instead of challenged. Healthy meals are one way to help kids achieve productive social interactions, avoid conflicts, and display what the researchers called “fundamental expressions of cognition.”

 So, if you want you and your kids to have more positive social and cognitive interactions, ditch the wild brunch and go with a better lunch.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to send questions to AgeProoflife@gmail.com

Dr. Mike Roizen

 

PS: Please continue to order the new book by Jean Chatzky and myself, AgeProof: Living Longer Without Running Out of Money or Breaking a Hip.

 

 

 

NOTE: You should NOT take this as medical advice.
This article is of the opinion of its author.
Before you do anything, please consult with your doctor.
You can follow Dr Roizen on twitter @YoungDrMike (and get updates on the latest and most important medical stories of the week).  The YOU docs have two newly revised books: The patron saint “book” of this column YOU Staying Young—revised and YOU: The Owner’s Manual…revised —yes a revision of the book that started Dr Oz to being Dr Oz.  These makes great gifts—so do YOU: ON a Diet and YOU: The Owner’s Manual for teens.  
Michael F. Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer and chair of the Wellness Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. His radio show streams live on http://www.radioMD.com Saturdays from 5-7 p.m. He is the co-author of 4 #1 NY Times Best Sellers including: YOU Staying Young.

Treatment Option Comparison for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

7 Dec

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) results from the compression of the median nerve as it travels through the wrist. Classic symptoms associated with CTS include numbness, tingling, and weakness in the thumb, index, middle, and ring finger. In non-emergency situations, treatment guidelines recommend patients undergo conservative care before considering more invasive procedures, like surgery. This month’s article will look at the differences between standard medical care vs. chiropractic care to treat CTS.

In a case study series, researchers divided 91 patients with confirmed signs and symptoms of CTS into two groups: one receiving standard medical care utilizing ibuprofen and night splints; and one group receiving chiropractic care including manipulation of the upper extremity bony joints and soft tissues, as well as spinal manipulation. Researchers monitored improvement with self-reports, nerve conduction, and vibrometric sensation testing of the affected hand.

Both treatment groups experienced improvements in comfort, finger sensation, and nerve conduction; however, vibrometric sensation testing revealed greater improvements among members of the chiropractic treatment group (3.05 decibels vs. 1.37 decibels).

The authors of the study point out that chiropractic provides an alternative form of non-surgical care, and patients with CTS should be offered the option, especially for those who cannot take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) due to intolerance like stomach irritation or liver-kidney issues. Personal preference is also important in the decision making process for CTS.

Other CTS treatment options often offered by doctors of chiropractic include work modifications, ice therapy, and nutritional options such as ginger, turmeric, boswellia, bromelain, fish oil, and others. There are also CTS-specific stretching exercises that can be done multiple times per day at home and work. The treatment plan for the CTS patient will often include several of these options in order to achieve a satisfying outcome.

This information should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all healthcare concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a healthcare professional who is familiar with your updated medical history.

What to Do for Chronic Low Back Pain

4 Dec

Low back pain (LBP) is a very common problem that many, if not most of us, have had at some point in life. In fact, about 80% of adults experience LBP in their lifetime, and it’s the leading cause of job-related disability and missed work days. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 25% of adults have had a recent episode of LBP.

Men and women are equally affected by LBP, which can occur abruptly following a specific incident (such as over lifting), or it can develop slowly over time due to wear and tear. Studies show a sedentary lifestyle during the week can set the stage for developing LBP, especially when it’s followed by strenuous weekend workouts.

Although about 80% of acute LBP (lasting a few days to weeks) resolves with self-care or short-term management, about 20% of those with acute LBP will still have persistent symptoms after a year. So what can be done to manage chronic LBP and prevent disability?

One study looked specifically at maintenance spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) to determine its effectiveness in managing chronic LBP, which they defined as LBP that persists for more than six months. Researchers randomly assigned sixty patients to receive either 1) 12 treatments of sham SMT for one month; 2) 12 treatments of SMT for one month but no treatment thereafter; or 3) 12 treatments for one month followed by SMT twice a month for the following nine months.

The research team found that groups two and three experienced significantly lower pain and disability scores than the sham treatment group at the end of the first month. However, only the third group experienced more improvement in regards to pain and disability at the ten-month evaluation. In the absence of continued SMT, the second group’s pain and disability scores returned back to near pre-treatment scores. The authors concluded that SMT is effective for chronic nonspecific LBP, but to obtain long-term benefit, patients should continue to receive care on an ongoing basis.

This information should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all healthcare concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a healthcare professional who is familiar with your updated medical history.

Can Chiropractic Help Dizziness?

27 Nov

Many of us have had problems associated with dizziness from time to time and have not thought much about it. But when dizziness happens frequently, lasts a long time, or is severe, it definitely gets our attention and forces us to get it checked out.

BACKGROUND: To determine how common dizziness is and the personal burden it imposes on the population, a large-scale study examined 2,751 adults (aged 50+ years) using multiple measures for dizziness, hearing, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and quality of life. An alarming 60% reported some type of vertigo. Interestingly, the researchers observed an association between tinnitus and vertigo. Also, the participants with vertigo reported lower quality of life scores than those without dizziness complaints. This study highlights the significant burden imposed by dizziness/vertigo stating that this is an “important public healthcare issue” that must be studied further.

CAUSES: The most common causes include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), acute vestibular neuronitis or labyrinthitis, Meniere’s disease, migraine headaches, and anxiety disorders. Less commonly, reduced blood flow to the brain/head (“vertebrobasilar ischemia”) and retrocochlear tumors can cause dizziness. The risk also increases with age.

TREATMENT OPTIONS: Most vertigo sufferers do not require extensive testing and can be treated in the clinic.  Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and labyrinthitis are most often successfully managed by doctors of chiropractic with specific exercise to reposition the displaced “canaliths” or small stone-like material in the inner ear.

Treatment with a low-salt diet and diuretics (herbal options include: dandelion, ginger, parsley, hawthorn, and juniper) can also be helpful in resistant cases with fewer side effects than prescription vestibular suppressing medications. Consuming potassium-rich foods such as bananas, avocados, raisins, beans, squash, mushrooms, potatoes, yogurt, or fish is often wise when taking a diuretic. Chiropractors often provide nutritional counseling and can help guide you in this area as well.

 

This information should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all healthcare concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a healthcare professional who is familiar with your updated medical history.

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