Archive for neck pain
Your Wichita Chiropractor: Neck Pain Can Make You One of the "Typing Wounded"
Posted by: | CommentsYour Wichita Chiropractor, Dr. Melody Shubert, knows all too well that if you sit for extended periods at a computer, you may be experiencing neck pain, as well as lower back pain, upper back pain, and pain that radiates down one or both of your arms with accompanying pins and needles or numbness. Neck pain and shoulder pain are, in fact, the most common upper-extremity musculoskeletal problems among computer users. In a 2002 study tracking 632 computer users newly hired at major Atlanta companies, Dr. Fredric E. Gerr, an occupational medicine physician and ergonomics investigator at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and colleagues observed that roughly 60 percent developed neck or shoulder pain in the first year, though the study did not track how long symptoms persisted.
Younger generations growing up in the digital age are also joining the ranks of the “typing wounded.” Surveys at two universities found that 40 to 50 percent of undergraduates experienced upper-extremity pain from using their computers. Colleges do not build dormitory furniture to be ergonomically adjustable, said Dr. Benjamin Amick, scientific director of the Institute for Work and Health in Toronto, who was a co-author of those studies. “They build it to be indestructible.”
In addition to repetitive stress problems, sitting at your computer too long places your upper back in a sustained, stressful posture, especially if you tend to lean forward when you’re working. This also puts your neck at an unnatural and strained angle. Lower back pain, in addition to being generated by simply sitting for long periods of time without getting up and moving around, is aggravated by bad posture.
Problems caused by extended computer use can not only lead to an inability to perform your work duties, but can keep you from enjoying the rest of your life, too. Dr. Shubert can assist in eliminating the neck pain, and lower back pain and/or upper back pain that you are currently experiencing. After that, it is important for you to become mindful of your body as you sit at your computer, and to give your body what it naturally needs. You can cultivate the habit of both sitting straight in your chair (as opposed to slouching) and relaxing your shoulders. This will help to relieve tension in your lower and upper back and neck. Take time to stretch periodically to ease muscle tension and encourage healthy blood flow. If your work station permits, sitting on an exercise ball can not only aide in keeping you in a beneficial posture, but can help to strengthen your core muscles as well. (Make sure that the ball is the right size so that when you are seated on it your arms are at a ninety-degree angle to your keyboard.)
Dr. Shubert, your Chiropractor in Wichita, offers these tips for pain-free computer activity: good posture for ease of movement, variety in the motions that you do, and short breaks to relax and stretch. These will go a long way in keeping your computer work (or play) pain-free.
Partial source: The New York Times, Health Review, June 22, 2009
Why Decide on Chiropractic Treatment? Your Wichita Chiropractor Has the Answer!
Posted by: | CommentsDid you know that chiropractic therapy has been increasing in popularity for a long time and that it’s continuing to increase annually as the favored healthcare option for many people? As a Wichita Chiropractor, I can confidently tell you that individuals are choosing chiropractic treatment because of the many positive aspects that such care offers. No other medical practice is less invasive to the body and, at the same time, is able to stimulate the body’s organic capacity to heal itself, instead of masking symptoms with medicines.
Let’s face it, where there’s a musculoskeletal structure, as in the human body, there is the chance of musculoskeletal dysfunction such as low back pain and neck pain, pain in the shoulder, elbow, hip and knee joints, and ankle and foot pain. No one is immune from misalignment of the spine and joint inflammation, though a large number of problems can be the consequence of sports injuries, accidents, and the aging process. Regardless of the cause, any kind of motion on a traumatized area of the body can not simply add to pain or suffering, but will result in inactivity. And, certainly, specific musculoskeletal challenges, if left untreated, can lead to irreversible incapacitation.
It has been claimed of chiropractic treatment that its “many benefits exceed” merely eliminating a specific challenge. And, though correcting a particular problem is fantastic, in and of itself, in actual fact, someone who comes in to see a chiropractor for lower back pain, for instance, not only profits from pain alleviation, but also from increased circulation, a reduction or elimination of lactic acid, smoother travel of oxygen and nutrients within the body, more flexibility, less everyday pain and soreness, quicker recuperation time, a more comfortable sensation, and the deterrence of future harm! Is it any wonder that chiropractic care has become the treatment of preference for so many people?
Besides providing specialized musculoskeletal care, chiropractors also include education and guidelines as it pertains to strengthening your complete health and wellness. Chiropractors are well aware that in order for you to get healthier and remain that way, it is important for to decide on a naturally healthy lifestyle that includes drinking enough water to keep the body well-hydrated, following a nutritious diet program, and developing a basic stretching and exercise routine.
Chiropractic treatment doesn’t exactly work “miracles, ” but it can come fairly close in a considerable number of areas that may perhaps surprise you. For example, chiropractic treatment can help pregnant women deliver more easily. It can strengthen developmental abilities of babies, such as better motor skills, and it can often eliminate scoliosis. Chiropractic adjustments for kids may help relieve asthma complaints, ear infections, and even bed-wetting. Along with the positive aspects just stated, routine chiropractic management can help adults to feel more vital and dynamic, which consequently improves productivity and life enjoyment. And, finally, for maturing baby boomers and the growing senior population, not only can chiropractic therapy aide in reducing age-related problems and keep an individual more active in later years, it can reduce the balance problems that all too often end up in critical injury from falls.
If you’re already visiting a chiropractor, good for you! You have no doubt experienced many of the plus points mentioned above. If so, have you thought to enlighten an associate, friend, or family member about chiropractic? Don’t let someone you care about, who may be living with pain, fall victim to the sort of misinformation regarding chiropractic care that could keep them from living their life more actively. Tell the people you care about to call your Wichita Chiropractor. She can help and they’ll thank you!
Your Wichita Chiropractor, Dr. Melody Shubert, agrees with the majority of people: Sometimes life can be a pain in the neck! Unfortunately, though circumstances in our life may change quickly, neck pain can linger and, often, get much worse. Neck problems, in addition to causing pain in the immediate area of the neck, can cause pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness down the arm and into the fingers. Neck conditions can contribute to both tension headaches and head pain. Finding the reason for your particular neck pain will require a thorough examination and evaluation by a proficient chiropractor, like Dr. Shubert.
Why do so many people suffer from neck problems? There are many causes for neck pain and associated symptoms. The neck might sustain trauma from an accident causing strained muscles, sprained ligaments, and spinal joint injuries. Postural stress can occur from sitting at a computer for long periods and/or performing repetitive tasks. Such stress creates muscular tension and inflammation in the neck and upper back. Poor spinal mechanics and weak or overdeveloped muscles can add to postural stress. Other causes of neck problems are “slipped,” herniated, or ruptured cervical discs, and general aging that produces degeneration of the spinal joints and discs creating inflammation of soft tissues leading to chronic pain.
A chiropractic approach offers a natural and unique mechanical approach to a wide range of cervical problems. Chiropractic treatment results in pain relief, decrease in tension, and increase in motion.
Dr. Melody Shubert, your Chiropractor in Wichita, is an expert when it comes to knowledge of the spine and musculoskeletal system. She will be able to determine the reason for your neck pain and treat it at its source. chiropractic care can give you the neck pain relief you’ve been looking for. Give Dr. Shubert a call today!
