Yesterday my oldest son Andrew and I (The entire roster of the Denver Chiropractic Center Triathlon team) competed in the Xterra Jade Mountain Virtual duathlon. It was a run-bike-run race. He did the running and I did the biking. I was actually a lot of fun and we look forward to the next one in a few weeks. Note- Coco the dog did not compete.
Denver
What You Need to Know About Delayed Pain After a Car Accident
Bottom Line:
If you can walk away after a car accident without any catastrophic injuries, you may consider yourself lucky! Even if you feel ok after exchanging information and speaking with the police, it’s always a good idea to see a Chiropractor following an auto accident. With your adrenaline pumping in the aftermath, your brain may not immediately register the pain signals coming from your body. Often only after you’ve had some time to calm down do you notice you may be struggling with aches and pains.
Why it Matters:
Ignoring a new ache or pain after a car accident and hoping it will go away is not smart. Even minor symptoms can be an indication of a more significant problem.
Receiving a complete and thorough evaluation is critical to discovering any injuries early on so that you can receive the best care and treatment to put those injuries in the rearview mirror as quickly as possible.
The following symptoms often have a delayed onset and may not appear for hours (or even days!) after an auto accident:
Next Steps:
Delayed onset of symptoms after a car accident is quite common. It doesn’t mean that you’re “making it up.” The stress of a car accident can make it difficult to truly assess how you feel minutes after the event. It takes time for swelling and inflammation to begin, and if you notice pain hours or days after your auto accident, don’t dismiss it. Get a proper evaluation as soon as you can. Doing so has the potential to make a massive difference in your quality of life! We can help you with a full exam (including Xrays), Chiropractic Care, Active Release Techniques and Targeted Rehab protocols.
Science Source(s):
Whiplash. WebMD. 2019.
A recent comment on our Facebook page prompted us to make this video. Here’s the comment: “Given so many people are currently working from home, with non-ergonomic work station set ups … would love to learn your recommendations on how to counteract that!”
Here’s another new video on strengthening the hips (and core and shoulders) with a banded side plank / clamshell. The band is from Insonder and can be found at various online retailers. As always use common sense, make sure this is right for you and check with a doctor first.. Click on the image below to watch it on our vimeo page
Dr. Samantha Leger and Dr. Glenn Hyman walk you through what you can do when you injure your shoulder. Dr. Samantha evaluates Dr. Glenn’s shoulder injury from a mountain bike crash and shows you how you can tell if you need immediate medical attention. The doctors also show you which rehab exercises you can start right after the injury. As always this is not a substitute for medical advice. Make sure this is right for you and use common sense.
Is There a Perfect Posture?
Bottom Line:
“Sit up straight and stop slouching!”You’ve likely heard this since childhood, but is there such a thing as perfect posture? The answer is a bit complicated. The latest research shows that it may be more important to think about a “balanced” or “dynamic” posture than perfect posture, and we’re also discovering that our ability to change positions and move may be more critical than our static position while standing or sitting.
Why it Matters:
Your posture is made up of a dynamic pattern of responses, reflexes, and habits,not a single position. Gravity, your work environment, and your anatomy all play a role. For instance, sitting for hours on end staring at a computer screen is a perfect example of an imbalanced and challenged posture as a result of ergonomics. Over time,this imbalance can lead to forward head posture, which can cause pain andeven degenerative changes inyour joints. Forward head posture affects millions of people who spend their days using computers. It places stress on the neck and shouldersand weakensthe supporting muscles.
Next Steps:
Strength and flexibility play a significant role in your posture. Having good core strength and balancing that strength with flexibility can help you dynamically adapt to your environment. While “perfect” posture may not exist, each one of us has an opportunity to improve our strength, flexibility, and ergonomics to reduce our likelihood of experiencing pain.
If you spend your days looking at a computer, let us know. We’ll be happy to recommend a care plan to help you balance the effects of all that screen time.
Science Source(s):Effects of Lower Trapezius Strengthening Exercises on Pain, Dysfunction, Posture Alignment, Muscle Thickness, and Contraction Rate in Patients with Neck Pain; Randomized Controlled Trial. Medical Science Monitor 2020
Today Meredith and I cover the plank walk out. It’s a great way to work the core, shoulders, back and arms. Make sure it’s right for you & check with a doctor first.
The Opioid Crisis: How Did We End Up Here?
Bottom Line: About 30 years ago, medicine changed how it looked at chronic pain. The number of people with chronic pain rose, and options to address the pain weren’t adequate.
As doctors paid more attention to assessing pain, they also paid more attention to treating pain. They prescribed opioid pain meds more often- frequently for chronic low back or neck pain. Up until then, doctors used opioids only for severe pain after surgery or in advanced-stage cancer. But, in the early 1990s, that all changed.
Opioid manufacturers promoted new formulas that they described as less addictive. Physicians prescribed these drugs far more liberally than before. Prescribing these drugs very quickly led to a variety of problems. First, patients rapidly adapted to the drugs, requiring larger and larger doses to achieve the same effect over time. Second, these drugs weren’t very effective at addressing chronic pain.
They provided short term relief, but as time went on, they seemed to become less useful for a lot of people. Finally, these drugs provided a euphoric feeling that quickly led to addiction. -Starting in the 1990’s, doctors were encouraged to prescribed opioids for chronic pain.-It’s estimated that 59% of opioids users report having experienced back pain.-In the US alone, there is an average of 130 deaths per day due to opioids.
Now 30 years later, we are consumed with the opioid crisis. Over 130 people die each day from opioids, and over 40% of those deaths are from prescribed opioids. If there is a silver lining to this crisis, it’s that we now realize that the answers and treatment of chronic pain is rarely found in a bottle. Many leading healthcare organizations now recommend non-pharmacological approaches to treatment of chronic pain, including chiropractic.
Our practice is always focused on helping you overcome pain without the use of drugs. It’s time to get your life back naturally!
Science Source(s): Understanding the Epidemic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2018
We are open this week (week of Monday, March 23)and will operate a normal schedule. We are here to help you and pledge to continue to be here for you during this Covid-19 / novel coronavirus crisis. Call us at 303.300.0424 to get in touch with us.
The 50 US State Chiropractic Boards, including the Colorado Chiropractic Board of Examiners (which falls under the control of the State of Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies) are in agreement that chiropractors are essential healthcare workers and therefore should remain open.
Barring a specific order from Governor Polis stating that chiropractic offices should close, we will stay open. We will continue to follow all safety and social distancing procedures that we’ve had in place for weeks now.
(Note: The recent order by Governor Polis that suspended elective procedures applies to surgical procedures or other such procedures that require ventilators, anesthesia machines, and personal protective equipment. This is to preserve such equipment for critical care. Since none of our procedures requires any of this equipment, this ruling does not relate to what we do in our office.)