Upper Cervical Help Knoxville TN | "Slip And Fall" Injuries: Chiropractic Treatment Options

Our bodies have a miraculous ability to heal from injuries. chiropractors respect the body’s natural healing power and they work to treat the musculoskeletal and nervous system of the body which can be out of sync after injuries such as those sustained during slips and falls. After once being considered not a credible form of treatment, chiropractic care now enjoys widespread acceptance. General physicians will often recommend chiropractic treatments, and it’s also covered by many major insurance company policies. What is a “Slip and Fall” Injury? – Injuries from falls are one of the leading causes of accidents that cause injury. With well over 1 million injuries each year in the United States, slip and fall injuries can be caused by a whole host of things including a slick or rough surface, problems with shoes, and the mental and/or physical state of the person who took the fall. When a person suffers a slip and fall injury, they often suffer trauma to the bones, joints, muscles and ligaments along with the nervous system from the impact of the fall. This trauma can cause misalignments in the spine and interruptions in the signals within the nervous system. Chiropractic Treatments for Slip and Fall Injuries – A chiropractor’s work is to adjust the spine to correct those misalignments and remove the interference within the nervous system caused by the injuries. Once the interference is removed, the body is then free to heal itself and return to a state of health. Because chiropractors focus on correcting physical alignment to facilitate the body’s own healing mechanisms, they are very much involved in the area of personal injury treatment. They are adept at treating soft tissue injuries and sprains with drug-free, non-invasive, healing techniques. Chiropractors can order radiographs to discover if there has been any serious injury to the discs that make up the bone structure of the spine. If they discover a serious compromise they know that they must refer the patient to an orthopedic surgeon for treatment of that injury. Chiropractors are holistic healers who consider the entire body when diagnosing and treating their patients. Rehabilitation from Slip and Fall Injuries – After a slip and fall injury has healed sufficiently, the rehabilitation process consists of a series of exercises designed to return strength and flexibility to the area where the injuries occurred. In the beginning, the chiropractor may move the injured parts through their normal range of motion until the patient has healed to the point where they can perform the exercises on their own. Slip and fall injuries often occur with older people within their own homes. As we advance in age, if we do not remain active and continue to perform weight-bearing exercises to keep our hips and legs strong, supple and limber, we are more prone to developing brittle bones and weakened skeletal systems. Injuries can be prevented by walking for exercise for at least 30 minutes each day, being careful when walking at night or in icy conditions or other severe weather conditions. Keeping your body strong and healthy and keeping alert for hazards in your physical environment is an effective way to prevent slip and fall injuries. www.HealthSourceOfKnoxvilleWest.com

Comments

Neck Pain Help Knoxville TN | Using Physical Therapy To Treat Neck Pain

Sooner or later just about everyone experiences some type of neck pain. One of the most common complaints comes from something simple like sleeping in an odd position or straining at the gym. Typically in a day or two the pain subsides with basic home care; icing, over the counter medications and a better pillow. For some instances, physical therapy can be a major help. Proper Assessment – If you choose to see a physical therapist for your neck pain your experience should begin with a comprehensive physical exam. The therapist should assess your movement patterns, your flexibility and evaluate if the pain is localized or if you have numbness or tingling in your arms and hands. Your reflexes should also be evaluated through a number of non-invasive tests. The Treatment Experience – Once a thorough assessment has been completed, a treatment plan will be devised. These plans usually include stretching, strengthening and pain relief. The therapist may opt to use heat, cold or a combination of both. Electrical stimulation and ultrasound may be incorporated as well. The goal is to not only reduce your pain but also to prevent recurrences. A number of appropriate exercises and stretches will be taught to you by your therapist. These are to be performed daily, even when you don’t attend a therapy session during the day. Each week or two new exercises will be added as appropriate to continue your progress. Periodically your progress will be assessed and the treatment plan adjusted as needed. Expect to spend a number of weeks in therapy. Traction – Both physical therapists and chiropractors treat some sources of neck pain with traction. For bulging cervical disks traction can be an effective way to reduce pressure upon the disk. The intention is to increase the space between the vertebrae and reduce the pressure that injured disks may place upon nerves. Traction can be done continuously, where the pull remains constant over a period of time, or intermittently, where the pull occurs in cycles. Cervical traction can be performed at home with the proper equipment but it is best to see a practitioner initially and learn how to perform the procedure properly. Once you have learned the process you can add it to your daily routine between sessions. Cervical Collars; Questionable results – In days gone by you could expect to see people walking around wearing cervical collars on a regular basis. Today, very few people use them. It was discovered that the wholesale use of the collars didn’t do much to help heal injured necks, but defiantly cause neck muscles to weaken over time. Cervical collars are still used periodically, but more to remind individuals to maintain proper posture while healing an injury than as a routine part of neck care. Rigid collars, occasionally used for whiplash or skeletal neck injuries are uncomfortable and must be used with care. Neck pain, whether acute or chronic, can have a profound effect upon day to day life. Fortunately, between the sporadic nature of the complaint, in general, and the many treatment options, most people find acceptable solutions to their neck pain issues. healthsourceofknoxvillewest.com

Comments

Chiropractor Knoxville TN | The Most Common Car Related Injuries

We all know that cars are inherently dangerous.  In no other regards would we consider flinging a huge piece of metal down a path at high speed, but once we get behind the wheel we seem to think we are a race of supermen. 

Unfortunately for many people, that illusion is shattered when confronted with an injury.  From small to large, motor vehicle related injuries account for many lost work hours, hospitalizations and deaths.

Injuries in a Moving Car
Read-end collisions lead the pack, claiming nearly 2 million victims a year.  Side impact crashes aren’t far behind, resulting in just 100, 000 fewer victims.  Nearly a million accidents occur where a vehicle gets run off the road and collisions with animals account for another quarter of a million accidents.

The costs of motor vehicle accidents extend far beyond the money involved in fixing or replacing a damaged vehicle.  Assuming that those inside the vehicle survive their accident, the process of recovery can be long and painful. 

Whiplash injuries, the most common injuries in non-fatal accidents, can take months if not years to completely alleviate.  Back injuries heal no faster than whiplash and can lead to disk degeneration and herniation; both conditions can even lead to surgical intervention.

Legal expenses and lost work hours all add up, making car-related injuries painful, time consuming and difficult to deal with.

Non-Moving Injuries
You don’t even have to turn the key to get hurt in a car.  Many people manage to damage themselves before they get under way.  Believe it or not, the most common injury associated with vehicles is getting a finger caught in a slamming door. 

These injuries are generally minor, but if enough of the finger gets caught a break can occur.  If this has ever happened to you, you know just how painful this injury can be, even without serious damage.  Over 150,000 people get injured this way annually here in the United States.

About half as many people will get hurt themselves either by having a car drop off a jack or lift while they are working or when something drops off of a car.  A recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded that until recently, there had not been sufficient awareness of just how many people are injured by vehicles that aren’t even on the road. 

Injury Treatment
While motion therapies can’t deal with the expense and stress related to motor vehicle accents, they can help get you back on your feet and feeling better sooner than just sitting around at home.  

Chiropractics and massage are both very effective in dealing with back pain, neck pain and the results of whiplash.  Treatment plans can range from very simple to quite complex depending upon the type of injury and the degree to which the muscles have been damaged.

Physical injuries can really affect your quality of life.  Proper care and pain management are essential to complete recovery.  Consult with your physician or chiropractor to ensure that you get the best care possible.

Comments