Archive for headaches
Wichita Chiropractor: Curling Up With Your Laptop May Be Bad for Your Health!
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health problems due to bad posture occurs for many reasons and is nothing new to the spines of humankind. For thousands of years, men and women have hunched over their work, whether pounding rocks to make tools or pounding a keyboard on their computer. Fortunately, chiropractic was discovered in 1885 to remedy many of the problems occurring from bad posture! Since that time chiropractors like me, your Wichita Chiropractor, have been helping people to correct the musculoskeletal damage resulting from bad posture, as well as providing exercises, gait training, and lifestyle changes to improve posture and avoid problems in the future. Most of us already know that excessive computer use is unhealthy for the human body, so it may not come as a surprise that researchers are cautioning that the very design of laptop computers encourages bad posture among college students (and other heavy users) and can lead to headaches, muscle strain and debilitating neck, shoulder and hand injuries.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Medicine explained in a university news release that the “unified body construction” of a laptop, with its inseparable keyboard and monitor, makes it difficult for users to configure their equipment in a way that minimizes risk to their bodies. For instance, awkward positioning of the fingers and body can cause nerve injury to the wrist and prompt the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome, while poor neck position and shoulder posture can cause muscle strain and soreness in those areas.
Researcher, Dr. Kevin Carneiro, a physician in the UNC School of Medicine’s department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and his colleagues point out that laptop users can take specific steps to minimize their risk. So, listen up and heed the tips below:
- If you are working at a computer, your body should form 90-degree angles at the elbows, knees and hips.
- Use a docking station and cables to hook up to an external monitor and/or separate keyboard that are movable to encourage better posture.
- With the help of a docking station, position the computer so you can read the screen without bending your neck.
- Pay attention to the chair you sit in — look for one that is adjustable and comes with back support.
- Tilt the screen so you don’t need to bend your neck, and place the mouse so that your wrists are in a neutral position (one in which they are aligned with your arm and not raised above it).
- Take frequent short breaks every 20 minutes or so — this can help rest muscles and encourage position shifting. Do some shoulder shrugs, gentle forward head rolls, and shoulder scrunches to stretch your muscles.
- Stay hydrated — drinking plenty of water can help keep discs in your back lubricated.
In addition, be sure to watch out for warning signs, such as pain and tingling. These may mean you need to use better posture, take more breaks, or see your chiropractor in Wichita!
Drugs…Just in Case?
Posted by: | CommentsAs a chiropractor who believes in the human body’s ability to heal itself, often with the aid of natural, non-invasive, drug-free chiropractic treatment, I am always dismayed, but never surprised, at some of the pernicious claims and tenacious effrontery of drug companies when it comes to pain killers, in general, and the “treatment” of a number of conditions that don’t get any better with drugs or are made worse by them. And, as a chiropractor who has helped hundreds of headache sufferers not only get temporary, but permanent relief, when I read about a drug study for yet another pain med that will likely keep headache sufferers numbed to their pain, but in the process numb to the rest of their life as well, I feel like shouting from the rooftops: “Try chiropractic first!” But, today, when I read about a study, sponsored by Merck (who also makes the product), I really felt compelled to say that this particular study is shamefully playing to the fears of migraine sufferers when, in fact, the drug itself only offers “less severity” at best when it comes to a migraine headache.
The study, conducted by Dr. X. Henry Hu of Merck & Co.and colleagues, found that one in five migraine sufferers had “avoided” a work-related commitment because they were afraid of getting a migraine, while 27 percent reported canceling a work commitment for this reason, and round 28 percent said they had avoided or canceled social commitments due to fear of migraines.
I have treated many patients who told me how much they’d “feared” the onset of a migraine and limited their activities in life because of that fear, so I do understand how devastating the fear of migraines can be. And, yet, the only “solution” this study offered?
This study is “important,” said Dr. Hu, because the unpredictability of migraines could contribute to people’s anxiety and fear about them and early treatment with migraine drugs called triptans can help reduce headache severity. “Because of the lack of predictability of future migraine attacks, migraine sufferers may benefit from increased education on the importance of keeping medications available at all times,” he and his colleagues concluded.
My conclusion? If you suffer from migraines, give your chiropractor a call today!
SOURCE: Headache, published online March 25, 2010.
Your Wichita Chiropractor Can Help Relieve Your Tension Headaches and Migraines
Posted by: | CommentsDo you frequently suffer from tension headaches or migraines? If so, then you are painfully aware of their incapacitating impact on your life. Chiropractic treatment can help. Dr. Melody Shubert, your Wichita Chiropractor, understands the differences between the causes of tension headaches and migraines and she is an expert at treating both.
Tension headaches: Like it or not, life can be a pain, now and then, and result in a tension headache. Many people have suffered from more than one, and maybe you are one of them. If you are someone who’s had a tension headache, then you probably experience it as a dull, aching head pain that is sometimes accompanied by a sensation of tightness or pressure across your forehead or on the sides and back of your head. Occasionally, you might feel a tenderness of your scalp, neck and shoulder muscles, and at times you may experience a loss of appetite.
Tension headaches are generally characterized as mild to moderately intense. The severity of the pain varies from one individual to another, and from one headache to another in the same person. Tension headaches can happen occasionally or you may have them regularly. Your headaches are considered chronic if they occur fifteen or more days a month for at least three months. If tension headaches are disrupting your life, chiropractic care may be the solution.
Migraine Headaches: Migraine headaches differ from the average tension-related headache. For example, migraines more often than not occur on only one side of the head, according to the National Headache Foundation. They throb or pulsate and are accompanied by nausea or vomiting. Auras, visual disruptions an hour before a migraine attack, and symptoms such as pulsating light, lines or dots, are experienced by one-fifth of migraine sufferers.
Migraines have an upsetting, debilitating effect on a sufferers life. If you suffer from migraines, then unfortunately you already know from experience that, more often than not, standard over-the-counter medications are ineffective, and prescription drugs generally have alarming side effects. Yet, the pain of a migraine can incapacitate you for hours, days, even a lifetime. It’s time to finally get rid of the pain and get your life back! Chiropractic treatment has been shown to be highly beneficial in relieving and eliminating migraine headaches.
If you suffer from tension headaches and/or migraines, make an appointment today with Dr. Melody Shubert, your Wichita Chiropractor. She can help!
Your Wichita Chiropractor Warns: There Is No Such Thing as a "Minor Fender Bender"
Posted by: | CommentsChiropractors, like your Wichita Chiropractor, treat plenty of people who’ve been in major car accidents, but all too often, a check up after a minor car accident is overlooked by those involved. If you drive a big car and you’re in an accident, it’s easy to assume that you haven’t been injured if your car doesn’t look “hurt.” After all, isn’t that the purpose of driving a big vehicle? It’s for protection, right? Then you might be surprised to learn that research has revealed that occupants of vehicles, both large and compact, can be injured a lot more than might be predicted from a minor auto accident. In reality, as far as your body goes, there’s really no such thing as a “minor fender bender.”
Let’s face it, there are going to be repercussions when your body is forced to stop abruptly and without warning. You might be offered a clean bill of health by an emergency room attendant if you haven’t sustained any broken bones, and you may be given a prescription for drugs to relax the muscle spasms that you are no doubt experiencing as a consequence of the structural changes in your neck or lower back that you received from the impact. But, your problem could go from bad to much, much worse unless you’re treated for the bodily trauma you’ve sustained. In fact, quite a few individuals encounter problems years after a car accident due to the fact that they didn’t get the help they needed in the first place.
Your chiropractor in Wichita truly understands what your body experiences during a car accident. If you’ve encountered a minor auto accident, she knows that you are likely to need more repair than your car. Neck and back injuries are not only painful in the regions in which they happen, but they can also generate pain, tingling, and numbness in your arms and hands and create headaches days, weeks, even months after an accident occurs.
Chiropractic techniques include treatment for soft tissue injuries and spinal bio-mechanics dysfunction. chiropractic care offers a drug-free, natural road back to feeling good again. It can help to put the trauma of your accident where it belongs – in the past. Moreover, because Dr. Melody Shubert, your Wichita Chiropractor has experience communicating effectively with insurance companies and lawyers, not only will you undergo less physical stress, but less emotional stress, as well!
