Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – What Are the “Warning Signs?”

12 Sep

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is caused by the compression of the median nerve as it passes through the wrist, which can result in pain, numbness, tingling, and in some cases, a weak grip.

At first, these symptoms are mild and infrequent, but over time can become more intense, frequent, and last longer. Most people don’t react to these initial warning signs, which is too bad because CTS is MUCH easier to treat in its early stages.

Risks for developing CTS include: 1) female (primarily due to hormonal shifts and smaller carpal tunnel size); 2) jobs requiring forceful gripping (carpenters, tradesmen) and/or fast repetitive work (line assembly, poultry/meat packing jobs, typists/transcriptionists); 3) illnesses (diabetes, hypothyroid, inflammatory arthritis); 4) pregnancy; 5) sports injuries (trauma); and more.

Non-surgical care from most doctors includes the use of a nighttime wrist splint to stop the wrist from bending during sleep and anti-inflammatory measures like ice. Methods unique to chiropractic include the above PLUS neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand manipulation, mobilization, and muscle release techniques. Exercise training and education is very important as well—all of which help chiropractic stand out when it comes to non-surgical care options.

Serious warning signs that indicate a more advanced case include: 1) A long-standing history of problems (often years). 2) Severe symptoms. 3) Muscle atrophy caused by prolonged nerve deficit from the pinched median nerve. (Look at the pad on the palm-side at the base of the thumb—if it’s smaller in size and “flaccid” or has less muscle tone compared to the other side, that’s a possible sign of muscle atrophy.)

So if you are having early warning signs of CTS, PLEASE consult with a doctor of chiropractic as soon as possible! It’s MUCH easier to achieve a successful outcome if you start treatment BEFORE muscle atrophy and severe, long-standing symptoms occur!

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs.  If you, a friend, or family member requires care for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, we would be honored to render our services.

 YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME!  FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 717-697-1888

Best Exercises for Chronic Low Back Pain (Part 2)

7 Sep

Last month, we reviewed studies that compared chronic low back pain (cLBP) exercisers to non-exercise control groups and examined how those in the exercise groups experienced significant improvements in pain and disability/function compared with those who remained inactive, regardless of the type of exercise. We also reviewed a few popular Swiss or gym ball exercises. This month, we will introduce some core stabilizing exercises that can be done on the floor.

There are benefits to Swiss ball exercises like balance or proprioception stimulation. In fact, five minutes of ball exercises equals 35 minutes of floor exercising when focusing on balance or proprioception. It is a well-known fact that as we age, we lose our “kinesthetic sense”, or balance skills, so incorporating balance into any exercise program is a good idea!

However, the “con” of Swiss ball exercises is convenience, as such a piece of equipment is less portable. We cannot easily travel with a gym ball, but we all have access to the floor regardless of our location. Also, with exercises performed on the floor, you can achieve stronger muscle contractions due to greater stability. Ideally, MIX the two together! Also, include a 20-30 minute brisk walk for aerobic benefits!

Here are some great floor core stabilization exercises (try holding for 5-10 seconds, repeating 5-10 times, whatever is tolerated):

  • Pelvic tilts – First, with the knees bent about 90° with your feet on the floor, flatten your low back against the floor by rocking your pelvis back.
  • Dead Bug – On your back with hips and knees both bent 90° (like sitting in a chair on your back), straighten out the right arm and left leg simultaneously and alternate sides SLOWLY.
  • Superman – Lay on your stomach with your arm and legs stretched our (like “Superman” flying). Raise one arm and the opposite leg (i.e. right arm/ left leg) and slowly alternate between the other opposing pair. Make it harder by raising BOTH arms and legs at the same time! NOTE: A pillow under the waist helps.
  • Bridge – Lay on your back with your knees bent. Lift the buttocks off the ground and push your heels into the floor. Do one leg at a time to make it more challenging.
  • Sit-ups – There are three leg positions to make it progressively harder (knees bent/feet flat on floor, knees & hips both bent 90°, etc.). Lift your breast bone towards the ceiling and alternate between coming straight up and left and right trunk twists.
  • Side Bridge (Plank) – If no shoulder problems exist, lay sideways propped up on an elbow and lift the hips off the floor to a straight body position.
  • Standing squats – Try a quarter, half, or full squat (knee pain dependant) with or without hand weights and with or without a ball squeezed between the knees. Lunges can be substituted or added, if desired.
  • 4-point Quadruped – Kneeling on all fours, straighten out the right arm / left leg and alternate. At the same time, suck in your belly (“abdominal hollowing”) to facilitate the deep transverse abdominis and multifidus muscles. Add a dynamic component by rotating the trunk and approximating your hand to the floor / opposite leg up in the air keeping the body in a straight line.

We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs.  If you, a friend, or family member requires care for back pain, we would be honored to render our services.

YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR LOW BACK PAIN! FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 717-697-1888

Why Most Diets Fail…

6 Sep

Dieting can be one of the most frustrating things ever.  You eat and exercise EXACTLY the way your friend does.  He or she loses weight and looks great—you gain weight.  How is this possible?  Many will say you must not have done the same things and that you were cheating on your diet or not working out as hard.  If you are doing the same things, you would get the same results…

Now researchers are saying this is probably not true.  New research indicates that individual genes play a role in what foods make a person fat. Dr. William Barrington, a researcher from North Carolina State University who conducted this work in the laboratory of Texas A&M University’s Dr. David Threadgill notes, “There is an overgeneralization of health benefits or risks tied to certain diets. Our study showed that the impact of the diet is likely dependent on the genetic composition of the individual eating the diet, meaning that different individuals have different optimal diets.” 

In the study, mice from different genetic strains all consumed one of several diets. For six months, the rodents received food equivalent to today’s Western diet, a traditional Japanese diet, a traditional Mediterranean diet, or a high-fat, low-carb Atkin’s-like diet known as a ketogenic diet. Additionally, some mice received standard mouse chow to act as a control group. The subjects could eat as much food as they wanted, but the researchers kept tabs on how much they consumed each day for later analysis.

They found that mice with different genetic backgrounds had different results from the same diet. Some gained weight, some did not. The researchers believe this is akin to two genetically different people eating the same diet and one getting fat and the other staying thin. Dr. Barrington adds, “We’ve largely viewed diet the same way for the last 100 years—assuming that there is one optimal diet… Now that we’ve identified that this is likely not the case, I think that in the future we will be able to identify the genetic factors involved in the varying responses to diet and use those to predict diet response in humans.”

Remember, we’re always here to help your body heal and maintain the pain free body you deserve.

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

Three Benefits of Dog Ownership You May Not Know About…

5 Sep

Many people already know that there are benefits to owning a dog, but our wet-nosed companions are more than just alarm systems, body guards, outing buddies, and members of the family. Here are three benefits to dog ownership you may not have known about…

  • Owning a dog may lower the risk of heart disease. An American Heart Association-sponsored study discovered a link between lower levels of heart disease and dog ownership. The group states that it is unclear whether dog ownership and cardiovascular health have a direct correlation, and it is possible that healthier people are more likely to be dog owners. However, having a dog meant that owners “engaged in more walking and physical activity than non-dog owners, and were 54 percent more likely to get the recommended level of physical activity.”
  • Dog ownership is good for people 60 years of age and older. Researchers at the University of Missouri concluded in a recent study that “Dog walking is associated with lower body mass index, fewer doctor visits, more frequent exercise and an increase in social benefits for seniors.” They added that seniors who have a strong bond with their dogs are more likely to walk their pets, which has the added benefit of socializing with other pet owners.
  • Benefits for children with autism. Children with autism spectrum disorder may benefit from contact with dogs. According to researchers, interacting with dogs can help children learn responsibility and provide stress relief and companionship in an environment of unconditional, nonjudgmental love.

Getting a dog can have many benefits, but it is important to remember that many of the rewards come from the development of a relationship. A person should be ready to provide a loving and protective home for a dog before bringing one home.

The Incredible Story of a Teenager Who Biked Six Hours in the Hot Summer Sun and Slept in a Tent Just to Start College!

31 Aug

In this day and age, when there seems to be more bad news than good, it’s not uncommon for older adults to say things like, “You know… I’m glad I had my kids when I did and they are all in their 20s now.  Because there is no way I would ever have children today.  Our society and the world has gone crazy.  It’s way too violent, and I’m really scared about what’s going on and what’s going to happen.”

Ironically, their parents would have probably said the same thing a generation ago. And their parents’ parents would have said something similar. So on and so on…

The good news is that if you honestly want to see the good in the world, then you don’t have to scroll very far down your Facebook newsfeed to encounter an inspirational story like that of Fred Barley.

For those who didn’t see the new stories about Fred Barley, he’s a 19-year-old college student who found himself without a home in the weeks before starting his next semester in college. Fred took a chance, packed all his belongings into two duffel bags, and rode a small bike six hours in the Georgia sun to try and get to campus before his fellow students in order to secure a job while he attended classes.

Since the dorms hadn’t yet opened, he slept in a tent at night on the campus grounds, thinking it would be a safe location to stay. It wasn’t long before two police officers happened upon Fred…

Once they had a chance to talk with him and hear his story, the officers decided to help Fred out by getting him a hotel room so he didn’t have to sleep in a tent. Soon enough, the story hit the local news and went viral.

A local woman befriended Fred and took him shopping to get new clothes. A stranger sent him a new mountain bike so he wouldn’t need to ride his small bike any longer. Debbie Adamson, the owner of a local Pizzeria even offered him a job. She told the local news, “I created a position for him before he walked in the door… I didn’t know his name. I didn’t know the color of his skin. I didn’t care. I’ve been there so I guess I have a soft spot for anyone that is that determined to succeed in life.”

Finally, a GoFundMe was set up for Fred and within three weeks, people had given him over $184,000.00 to help him cover his educational and living expenses—which he’ll need considering he wants to go to Medical School after earning his bachelor’s degree.

But perhaps the best thing Fred got out of this whole ordeal was the friends he made. He said, “Some of the gifts aren’t as important as the friends I’ve made… More important than everything – the clothes, the shoes – the relationships mean so much more to me.”

Watching this amazing young man struck an emotional chord deep inside many of the people who commented on and shared his story via social media.

While most people constantly complain about everything in the world, this kid saw the positive.  He took massive action, and against all odds, is making a better life for himself.

Maybe we should all try to be a lot more like Fred.  He is an amazing kid by all appearances, and it wouldn’t be difficult to imagine someone with his drive doing big things in the future. We can’t wait to hear more about his success.

We love helping our patients and their friends and relatives through their tough times and getting them feeling better! We are here to help you stay feeling better and looking younger! Don’t be a stranger. You really can afford Chiropractic care! Don’t wait until you can no longer move!

Study Shows the Source of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome May Be a Place Most Doctors and Sufferers Never Look…

30 Aug

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is brutal.  In fact, many sufferers describe the condition as debilitating.

According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one million Americans have CFS—that’s about one in every 300 or so people in the United States!

  • Chronic fatigue syndrome has eight official signs and symptoms:
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of memory or concentration
  • Sore throat
  • Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or armpits
  • Unexplained muscle pain
  • Pain that moves from one joint to another without swelling or redness
  • Headache of a new type, pattern, or severity
  • Unrefreshing sleep
  • Extreme exhaustion lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exercise

Possibly the worst part about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is that it has completely puzzled doctors and researchers.  To date, the cause is officially unknown, and many treatments are largely guesswork without great results. But a recent discovery may change everything…

Researchers Might Have Found the Cause

Now, a team of scientists from Cornell University think they may have found the cause of CFS in what many think is an unlikely place: the gut.

According to Science Daily: “Now, for the first time, Cornell University researchers report they have identified biological markers of the disease in gut bacteria and inflammatory microbial agents in the blood.

“In a study published June 23 in the journal Microbiome, the team describes how they correctly diagnosed myalgic encephalomyeletis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in 83 percent of patients through stool samples and blood work, offering a noninvasive diagnosis and a step toward understanding the cause of the disease.”

Dr. Maureen Hanson, the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell and the paper’s senior author writes, “Our work demonstrates that the gut bacterial microbiome in chronic fatigue syndrome patients isn’t normal, perhaps leading to gastrointestinal and inflammatory symptoms in victims of the disease… Furthermore, our detection of a biological abnormality provides further evidence against the ridiculous concept that the disease is psychological in origin.”

This is extremely important for a few reasons…

First – for many years, victims suffering with chronic fatigue syndrome were often ridiculed and called “lazy.”   Many were told it was all in their head.  If this research is accurate, then it is pretty clear this is not the case, and chronic fatigue is a real condition.

Even more important, doctors and researchers now have a great starting place to explore new treatment options and possibly find a cure!

Dr. Ludovic Giloteaux, a postdoctoral researcher involved in the study adds, “In the future, we could see this technique as a complement to other noninvasive diagnoses, but if we have a better idea of what is going on with these gut microbes and patients, maybe clinicians could consider changing diets, using prebiotics such as dietary fibers or probiotics to help treat the disease”

Here is something important to note…

Even though CFS puzzled most doctors and researchers, this finding appears to validate the claims of some doctors who have treated CFS patients for years.

For quite some time, many chiropractors and some medical doctors with extensive knowledge of nutrition have proposed that an imbalance of gut flora was responsible for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Moreover, the establishment often ridiculed these doctors for claiming to help chronic fatigue patients with nutritional counseling, prebiotics, probiotics, etc. Now it looks like their claims may have been validated.

While we are on the subject of “gut health,” here is more great news…

One of the important things the gut does is send signals that tell the brain it’s full.

In one study, researchers found that feeding rats a high-fat diet reorganized the gut-to-brain neural pathway and triggered inflammation in brain regions responsible for feeding behavior.

Because previous research has shown that a high-fat diet can dramatically affect gut microbiota composition, the researchers in another study tested if these resident microbes may be the connection between the diet and neural changes. They found that when gut flora composition was restored, the rats’ gut-brain signals and brain inflammation returned to normal as well. This resulted in the rats eating less and gaining less weight, even if they continued to consume a high-fat diet.

The research team concluded that the type of gut bacteria that thrive on a high-fat diet negatively affect the brain signals responsible for feeding behavior. In this study, the researchers had to use drugs to manipulate the gut flora of the rat subjects. But can food also do the trick?

According to Science Daily: “In a separate study, the researchers fed animals a high-fat diet and supplemented some of them with blueberry, a fruit packed with anthocyanins, a natural anti-microbial ingredient. Animals fed blueberries had a completely different microbiota profile, less inflammation, and more stable blood sugar levels. Thus, specific properties of bioactive foods may be used to target and improve the microbiota composition and overall health.”

There is no doubt, nutrition is one of the most important factors in health and often the most overlooked.

Inventor Thomas Edison once said, “The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”

Research like this brings us one step closer to Edison’s prediction.  What’s incredible is how the more technologically advanced we become, the more researchers discover the importance and power of the body’s own regulatory capabilities when given the correct nutrients and when freed from interference.

Don’t forget, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to us. Contact us with your questions. We’re here to help and don’t enjoy anything more than participating in providing you natural pain relief.

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