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Helpful Hints For a Healthy Neck

August 25, 2010 by drburt

Standing and Sitting:

While standing or sitting keep neck drawn back and chin tucked in, not up.

A proper chair will support your arms and shoulders and help prevent strains of the neck due to forward thrust.

Reaching:

Don’t reach for a shelf higher than your head. Stand on a stool. Don’t reach or look up for any length of time.

Driving:

Don’t drive with the seat too far back or too low. If necessary, sit on a pillow or use a seat support such as Sacro-Ease to avoid stretching up and forward to see over the steering wheel.

Resting and Sleeping RDon’t lie on the sofa to watch TV: sit up or forward on high pillows while reading or watching TV.

Don’t sleep on your stomach. Lie on your side and adjust your pillow to maintain your head and neck in a neutral position. Keep your arms down.

If you sleep on your back, put a pillow under your neck, not your head. Use a bed board or a firm orthopedic mattress. A proper pillow is 3-4 inches thick, 6-7 inches wide, 16 inches long. If you have a neck problem, try an inexpensive contoured pillow, such as Jackson Cervipillo. Don’t sleep in a chair.

Exercises For Cervical Strain

August 23, 2010 by drburt

General Instructions:

Stretching exercises are important part of treatment to relieve discomfort in your neck. They help restore motion and relieve discomfort in your neck. They help restore motion and relieve pain associated with stiffness.

Follow the exercise routine prescribed by your doctor. These exercises are more effective when performed in the shower, after a shower or following application of hot, moist towels. Moist heat relieves pain by increasing blood flow to the muscles of your neck.

Gradually increase the number of times you repeat each exercise as your condition improves, but stop when fatigued. They may be done intermittently during the day, to help relax and relieve tension of the neck and shoulder muscles. Perform exercise #5 every two hours if you work at desk. Take an exercise break during your work day!

Exercises:

Stand under hot shower for five to ten minutes and perform the following exercises, twice daily if possible.

Stand erect. Turn head slowly as far as possible to the right. Return to normal center position and relax

Stand erect. Try to touch your chin to your chest, slowly. Raise head back-wards, looking up at ceiling, slowly.

Stand erect. Try to touch left ear to the left shoulder. Return to normal center position and relax. Try to touch right ear to the right shoulder. Return to normal center position and relax

Stand erect. Raise both shoulders as close to the ears as possible and hold as you count to five. Relax. Stretch your shoulders backwards as far as possible and hold, then relax.

Stand erect. With one hand grasp the thumb of the other hand behind the back, then pull downward forwards the floor. Take a deep breath, stand on toes, and look at the ceiling while exerting the downward pull. Hold momentarily, then exhale slowly and relax. Repeat ten times.

Lie on your back, knees fixed, with a small pillow under your neck. Take a deep breath slowly, fully expanding chest, then exhale slowly. Repeat ten times

Lie on your stomach with hands clasped behind back. Pull shoulders back and down by pushing your hands toward your feet, pinching shoulder blades together, and lift head from floor. Take a deep breath. Hold for two seconds. Relax.

Perform these exercises twice daily, preferably after a hot shower.

Question: Did you try these exercises? Were these exercises helpful?

Lower Back Exercises

August 20, 2010 by drburt

General Instructions:

Your muscles are the best back support available. Keeping a regular schedule for your exercises eliminates the necessity of a brace or corset. Supporting para-spinal musculature of the lumbar spine is all the support that is necessary and can be achieved by regular exercises.

Exercises:

Increase the frequency of your exercises as your pain level of discomfort level goes down. Do not continue if you your pain level has gone up or your muscles fatigued. If you have tight muscle take a hot bath or hot shower before you begin your exercises. Slight ache after exercises is a normal feeling.

Use soft cover on the floor – rug or mat. Use of a small pillow under your neck is beneficial. Do not wear shoes and use loose clothing. Stop exercises if they cause additional pain or discomfort.

Start slowly and gradually, increase speed and repetition. Don’t overdo it. Try to perform exercises daily. The important thing is to relax. Exercise on a rug or mat. Put a pillow under your neck. Dress comfortably: no shoes or socks. Stop doing any exercises that causes pain untill you have checked with your doctor.

Lie on your back with knees bent. Feet flat on the floor. Take a deep breath and relax. Press your back against the floor and tighten your stomach and seat muscles. This should cause the lower end of the pelvis to rotate forward. Hold for 5 seconds. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times

Lie on your back with knees bent. Feet flat on the floor. Take deep breath and relax. Grasp one knee with both hands and pull it as close to your chest as possible. Return to starting position. Repeat 5-10 times for each leg, alternating legs.

Lie on your back with knees bent. Feel the floor. Take a deep breath and relax. Grasp both knees and pull them as close to your chest as possible. Return to starting position. Straighten legs. Return to starting position. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times.

Lie on your back with knees bent. Feet flat on the floor. Take a deep breath and relax. Draw one knee to chest. Then point leg upward as far as possible. Return to starting position. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times, alternating legs. NOTE: This exercise is not recommended for patients with sciatic pain

Lie on side with knees bent. Take a deep breath and relax. Slide upper knee toward chest as far as possible. Return to starting position. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times on each side.

Lie on your stomach with your head on your hands. Take a deep breath and relax. Tighten your seat muscles. Hold for 2 seconds. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times

This exercise should not be started until the others have been done for several weeks. Lie on your back with knees bent. Feet flat on the floor. Take a deep breath and relax. Pull up to sitting position keeping knees bent. Return to starting position. Relax. Having someone hold your feet down can facilitate this exercise. Repeat 5-10 times

Lie on your back with your legs straight out, knees unbent and arms at your sides. Take a deep breath and relax. Raise legs one at a time as high as comfortable and lower to floor as slowly as possible. Repeat 5 times for each leg

Get down on your hands and knees. Take a deep breath and relax. Pull stomach in and curve back upward. Let head hang down. Now arch back and look up. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times

Stand with your back against doorway. Place heels four inches away from frame. Take a deep breath and relax. Press your back against doorway. Tighten your stomach and seat muscles, allowing your knees to bend slightly. This should cause the lower end of the pelvis to rotate forward (as in exercise 1). Press your neck up against doorway. Press both hands against opposite side of doorway and straighten both knees. Hold for 2 seconds. Relax. Repeat 5-10 times.

Helpful Hints for a Healthy Back.

Always sit all the way in a chair with your back erect. When you lift any object from the floor, bend your legs and keep your back straight, and make your leg muscles do the work. Sleep on a firm mattress or put a 3/4” plywood board under a soft one. If you sleep on your back, put pillow under your knees not under your head. Keep your knees bent when sleeping on your side. Don’t sleep on your stomach. When driving a car, keep the seat forward so your body is erect. On long trips, stop every hour or so and walk around to relieve tension and relax muscles.

When doing any work that requires standing, place one foot on a stool or bench. Be conscious of your posture and avoid “sway” back. Tuck the pelvis forward to straighten the back. Walk whenever you get the chance.

Once your backache is gone, get regular exercise and make a conscious effort to relax several times a day. If your back acts up, see your doctor immediately. Don’t wait until it gets worse.

Question: Did you try these exercises? Were these exercises helpful?

Chiropractic Rehabilitation and 4 Stages of Soft Tissue Healing

August 20, 2010 by drburt

The healing process is divided into four broad stages which are not mutually exclusive and overlap considerably.

1. Initial vascular reaction – Active Swelling

2. Inflammatory response – Passive Congestion

3. Proliferative phase – Repair

4. Remodeling

Wound healing refers to the body’s replacement of destroyed tissue by living tissue (Walter & Israel 1987). It comprises of two essential components whose differentiation is based on resultant tissue: Regeneration and Repair.

TISSUE INJURY CAUSES RESTRICTION OF MOTION DUE TO:

Inflammation & Swelling
Pain
Muscle Spasm

THE MAJOR GOALS OF CHIROPRACTIC CARE:

Relieve Pain
Promote Full Healing
Restore & Maintain Full Function
Reduce the Likelihood of Re-Injury
Prevent Accelerated Degeneration

Chiropractic Care Should Continue Throughout the Repair Stage. It Take Longer For Tissues to Heal & Normal Function to be Restored Than it Takes for Pain Relief. Pain Relief is not the Only Goal. Chiropractic Helps: