Numb Hands in the Mornings?

Do you frequently wake up at night because your hands and lower arms have gone numb or “asleep”? You may find that it happens when you are sitting at a desk or even when driving long distances. This is commonly caused by compression of the nerves and blood vessels that enter the arm. The technical term is referred to as “thoracic outlet syndrome”.

The neck portion of your spine, the cervical spine, has seven vertebrae. Passing inside of vertebrae is the spinal cord. Originating from the spinal cord, there are eight nerves. These nerves exit the spine between each of the vertebrae and combine together into a large bundle of nerves. The bundle of nerves then pass under the chest muscles, through the shoulder and down the arm. The primary function for most of these nerves is to control pain or touch sensations and the contraction of the muscles of the arm.

When someone sleeps with their arm under their pillow or over their head, the bundle of nerves can become mildly stretched. When this happens, the nerves cannot perform their job as well. For example, if a water droplet hits your hand, a message from the hand is sent through the nerves to the spinal cord and then to the brain. Your brain then consciously tells you that your hand is being touched. So, if the nerves become stretched, they cannot communicate their message to the spine properly. This will eventually make your hand and arm feel numb and weak. This can also happen to those of you that prefer to sleep curled up into the fetal position. Your arms are likely curled up tight in front of your chest. This position causes compression of the nerves as they pass through the shoulder and into the arm area. The resulting numbness in the arm and hand will occur again for the same reason. Also, if you spend too much time at the computer or drive for long distances, the muscles in the chest and shoulder can become very tight. This can also compress the nerves as they pass through the shoulder and give the same result of numbness. If these muscles are only mildly tight but not enough to cause numbness, the overall space that the nerves have to pass through is still less. If you combine this scenario with your arm in the previously mentioned sleeping positions, you are even more vulnerable to experience the numbness.


So how stop the numbness? First of all, avoid sleeping with your arms over your head or curled up in front of you. To alleviate the potentially tight muscles in the chest and shoulder, a simple stretch has been shown. Avoid a slouching posture, as the shoulders will roll forward and further decrease the available space for the nerves to pass through the shoulder and into the arm. If you are experiencing numbness into the arm or hand, you should also have your neck properly examined by a Chiropractor because all of these nerves pass through this area. Problems in the neck can cause symptoms very similar to Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.

Next week I will discuss proper sleeping positions. If you have any questions about neck pain or a topic for my next blog, email me at landrumdc@gmail.com or visit my website, http://www.landrumdc.com

It’s Time to Rake Leaves!

It’s Time to Rake Leaves!

Get your rakes out! It’s time again to get your rakes and blowers out of your sheds and spend your weekends picking up those colorful extracts from your trees

It is very surprising how many people end up calling the office early Monday mornings because of the acute low back pain they have earned while raking. This is usually due to raking in the incorrect posture for too long at one time. The weight of the leaves or needles is not usually the culprit. The most common cause of the low back pain is the repetitive twisting motion that many people do as they pull the rake towards themselves. Our backs are not designed to handle repetitive twisting motions, especially if lifting is involved.

Commonly, you don’t even notice the pain while raking. It often builds up during the night when your back is no longer moving. During this time, the inflammation or swelling accumulates and the joints become stiffened. You then jump out of bed thinking your raked your whole yard and got off pain free when the acute muscle spasm and pain hits you. You might even have a sharp pain that may or may not travel down to the leg or buttocks.

The best treatment for this condition is to restore normal joint movement of the area and keep it that way long enough for it to heal. Chiropractors receive good results in my office by doing adjustments of the effected joints to restore their mobility. By having good mobility in the swollen and sore joints, the swelling can be flushed out, the circulation inside the joint is improved, and the joints heal much faster with less pain. It is important that people understand that only your body will heal the injury and that the chiropractor is just making that system work more efficiently and at a faster rate. Applying ice packs or even frozen peas for ten to fifteen minutes at a time, two to three times per day, will help decrease the swelling around the nerves and joints. In the unfortunate event that something more serious has occurred, such as a herniated disk, the chiropractor is trained to identify and conservatively treat it. If conservative therapy will not work, the appropriate referral to a specialist can be made. This is usually done in conjunction with your medical doctor.

Of course, the best cure for low back pain is prevention. When you are raking, keep your back straight and pull the rake directly towards your body. Do not pull the rake to your side, as this will automatically encourage your back to twist. It is also important to not try to rake the entire yard in one day. Spread the job out over a few days. Some may laugh at this, but it is recommended that you actually warm up and stretch before starting to rake. Go for a light ten-minute walk and do a few repetitions of stretching for the low back before starting. Lastly, an emerging trend in the leaf extraction business is with leaf blowers. Leaf blowers help decrease the amount of bending over and twisting that you would normally have to perform and even speed up the process. Regardless of which method you take, it’s time to get started! Leaf removal starts November 1 (Hopkinsville, KY)!

If you have any questions about back pain or a topic for my next blog, email me at landrumdc@gmail.com or visit my website, http://www.landrumdc.com

Whiplash

Whiplash can be defined as any injury to the neck caused by a sudden movement of the head, backwards, forwards, or sideways. Whether from a car accident, sports, or an accident at work, whiplash or other neck injuries warrant a thorough chiropractic check-up. The biggest danger with whiplash injuries is that the symptoms can take from months to years to develop. Too often people don't seek treatment until more serious complications develop. Even after whiplash victims settle their insurance claims, some 45% report they still suffer with symptoms two years later.

In the past a typical whiplash injury, where no bones were broken, were hard to document. Soft tissue injury didn't show up on normal x-rays/radiographs and insurance companies would deny coverage. Literally adding insult to injury, the patient's real pain was sometimes considered to be a fraud, a liar, or at best a hypochondriac. Today’s imaging devices (CAT Scans, MRI and Ultra Sound) now show soft tissue injuries with much greater detail.

Whenever someone has a whiplash injury, there are typical symptoms that one may experience.

When there are no bones broken and the head doesn't strike the windshield, the following symtoms are the most common:


62% to 98% complain of neck pain, which typically starts two hours up to two days after the accident. This is often the result of tightened muscles that react to either muscle tears or joint sprains.

66% to 70% of those suffering from whiplash complain of headache. The pain may be on one side or both, on again off again or constant, in one spot or more general. These headaches, like the neck pain, are often the result of strained, tense muscles trying to keep the sprained cervical joints of the neck stable. They pain of these headaches are often felt at the back of the head, forehead, temples, and behind the eyes.

Shoulder pain often described as pain radiating down the back of the neck into the shoulder blade area, may also be the result of tensed muscles.

Muscle tears are often described as burning pain, prickling or tingling.

A more severe injury, such as disc damage or herniation, may cause sharp pain with certain movements, with or without radiation into the arms, hand and fingers, which are relieved by holding your hand over your head.

The following is a list of other symptoms that one may feel after a whiplash injury:

Blurred vision

Difficulty swallowing

Irritability

Fatigue

Dizziness

Pain between the shoulder blades

Low back pain and/or stiffness

Nausea

Ringing in the ears

Vertigo

Numbness and tingling

Pain in the jaw or face


If you experience any of these symptoms, play it safe and get a chiropractic check up. To see a chiropractor in regards to any type of related injury, you do not need a referral from your medical doctor. Once a proper examination is performed and an accurate diagnosis is made, safe and conservative chiropractic treatment can commence.

If you have any questions about your back pain give me an email at landrumdc@gmail.com or visit my website http://www.landrumdc.com

Snow Shoveling can be a Pain in the Back!

As the white stuff begins to accumulate on our sidewalks and streets, we will
have the wonderful task of getting out there and shoveling it. As with every year when
we receive a good dump of snow, I will be anticipating the rush of patients into the office suffering with acute low back pain.

Most people are not use to a long stint of physical work that requires a lot
of low back movement and strength. So, when they challenge themselves too much,
problems often arise. The most common scenario involves an average person just like
you that may not even have arthritis or an old injury that would predispose you to having
problems. However, you may have mildly stiff joints and muscles in your back but not
enough to cause pain or restrict any regular daily activities. This means that your lower back
may have only 80% of its potential mobility and strength and you do not even know it.
This would not interfere with your work or day-to-day activities and you would not even
be consciously aware of it. However, when you go out and shovel that heavy wet snow
for an hour and demand the full 100% of your back’s potential….it cannot handle it.

At first your back may just feel a little stiff and perhaps weak. Then, after sitting down or
relaxing for a while, the ache begins as the inflammation in the joints accumulates. If
you are unlucky enough to have the inflammation around or near a nerve, the pain will
become worse. Once the nerves are irritated, they begin to fire at a greater become “over stimulated”. Then, whatever the nerve is responsible for controlling, such as the muscles, will also function at a higher level of intensity and become “over stimulated”. This is where the muscle spasms originate. They feel like waves of sharp pain that can hit you even during the smallest of movements. You may also experience pain or tingling down one leg, commonly termed “sciatica”. At this point, it may even hurt to cough, laugh, sneeze, or to do just about anything. If you are stubborn, you will stall a day or so “waiting for it to go away”. It is then that most people slowly walk into my office. The joints in your low back would now be extremely stiff and sore.

For any joint in our body to heal properly once it is injured, it must be able to
move properly. When it comes to restoring the proper range of motion of stiff, sore, and
inflamed joints, no health care practitioner is better trained to do it than a chiropractor.
Only when the mobility of the joints is fully restored and maintained will they heal
naturally, completely, and at a much faster rate. By restoring the normal functioning of your spine, it is able to heal faster and more efficiently. An even better treatment for low back pain from shoveling snow is prevention ofthe injury in the first place.

The technique you use to shovel the snow is very important. Push the snow shovel in front of you. Don’t push the snow at the side of your body in a sweeping motion. This will make your low back twist repetitively and you will be forced to lean to one side. If you use this improper motion, you are just asking for a sore back. If the snowfall is deep and heavy and you have a large area to do, don’t try to shovel the entire driveway at once. The remaining snow will still be there the next day still waiting for you.

If you have any questions about your back pain give me an email at landrumdc@gmail.com or visit my website http://www.landrumdc.com/

Set Up Your Computer Properly!

Whether you are “Cyber Monday” shopping at home, watching Youtube at work or sitting at your computer desk naked looking for a new car it is important to have your computer station set up properly. As you may have noticed, occupations in today’s workforce that require physical labor are decreasing in number. In turn, they are being replaced by faster and more efficient computer based equipment. Due to this, the average employee is spending much more time sitting in front of a computer screen. Also, as the number of households that have computers increases in leaps and bounds every year, people are spending even more time at home in front of the computer. Many repetitive strain injuries such as shoulder/arm tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck pain, headaches and upper back pain are directly related to an improperly set-up computer workstation.

To start with, make these quick changes to get the ball rolling:

1) In regards to the monitor, the height of the screen is important. The top level of the written text should be at eye level. If it is too low, stack something like old books under it to raise it to eye level. If the monitor is too low, it will cause stiffness in the neck and possibly headaches.

2) The distance between your eyes and the screen should be about an arm’s
length 18-24 inches. Being too close or far away will cause eye strain.

3) If your keyboard is at the proper height, you should be able to type without bending the wrists backwards (dorsiflexion). If your wrists are bent backwards, put a spongy support under the wrists to help keep your wrist neutral. These can be purchased at any office supply store. You can also fold in the little legs that are under the keyboard. This will level out the keyboard and maintain the wrists in a neutral position. If the wrists are kept in an improper position, tendonitis of the forearm or carpel tunnel will likely arise.

4) When using a mouse, be sure your wrist is not angled left or right. This will cause tendonitis or carpal tunnel if done incorrectly.

5) If you are typing while reading from a piece of paper or book that is lying on your desk, do not have it placed too far to the left or right. It should be in an upright position and relatively close to you. When you have your head turned too far one way for a prolonged period of time, the neck will inevitably get sore.

6) Be sure you are using a quality chair. The backrest should give good lumbar
support and be angled 95 to 110 degrees. If the chair has armrests, they should support the elbows lightly. The elbows should be bent at 90 to 110 degrees. The shoulders should be in a comfortable position and hanging loosely, not in a shrug position. Do not let the shoulders roll forward, as this will allow the back to slouch. A good lumbar supports should help correct many of these issues.

7) Never sit for periods longer than 45 minutes. Get up from your seat and go get some water or act like your doing something important. It’s not a good idea to keep the ligaments and tendons it a stretched position for long periods of time.

Try to make these changes to your computer workstation. You will notice a difference immediately and it will help prevent the chronic problems such as tendonitis or carpal tunnel syndrome. Chiropractors are treating many patients with neck, wrist, forearm, shoulder, and upper back problems that are mostly related to how their computer workstations are set up. As I have mentioned before, the best cure for these problems is prevention.

Common Overlooked cause of Low Back Pain

There are many different instigators of pain in the lower back. Two of the most common ones are the joints of the spine (facet joints) and a degenerated/herniated disk. Both of these can cause irritation of the nerves such as numbness, tingling and produce a referred pain further down the leg (sciatica). However, another very common one that is often misdiagnosed by some practitioners is the sacroiliac joint. It is actually the joint between the “sacrum” and “ileum” bones located at each side of the pelvis and not in the spine at all.

Back not too long ago, it was thought that this joint did not move at all and was not a potential source of pain. A recent study has disproved this theory. The researchers in this study injected “freezing or anesthetic” specifically into this joint in people with low back pain. They used x-rays to be sure the needle was actually inside of the “sacroiliac joint”. Once the anesthetic was given time to take affect, the low back pain was significantly better and then the pain returned when the anesthetic wore off. Although it was not a cure for their back problem, it clearly demonstrated that the sacroiliac joint should be added to the list of possible causes of acute and chronic low back pain.

Problems with the sacroiliac joint are one of the most common causes of acute low back pain that I see in my office. It can occur in the absence of any heavy lifting or accidents. When sore, you will feel the pain two to three inches to one side from the middle of the low back. It can even occur on both sides at the same time. The nerves that control pain in this joint can cause pain to be referred to the hip, groin, and leg. As well, strong and painful muscle spasms can accompany the pain in the joint.

Research has also shown that the fastest way for any joint to heal, particularly in the low back and pelvis, is to restore the movement or mobility of the joint. All the joints in your body are designed to nourish themselves, remove swelling, and heal after injury. But, for this to occur, the joint has to be able to move properly. In cases of low back pain, the joints become very “stiff or jammed”. It is the job of the chiropractor to do “adjustments” to restore and maintain this movement, allowing it to heal.

If you have any questions about your back pain give me an email at landrumdc@gmail.com or visit my website http://www.landrumdc.com/

Forward Head Posture

The next time you go to Wal-mart for your weekly outing, try to notice how other people’s heads are positioned. Sound weird? Probably. But if you know what to look for, you can see which people likely have headaches and neck problems. When someone is standing with their arms at their sides, look at them from the side. Their ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle should be in vertical alignment. In other words if you drop a piece of string from their ear it should pass through all of those points.

Did you know that for every inch a person’s head is positioned "forward", that gravity is pulling their head even further forward, equal to a pull of 10 pounds?! It’s true! As far as the muscles in your upper back and neck are concerned, they have to work even harder than normal in order to keep the head (chin) from dropping forwards onto your chest. This forces the muscles that raise the chin or pull the head back to remain in constant contraction, putting pressure and tension on the joints, muscles, and eventually the nerves of the neck and upper back. As an example, if a person’s head is tipped forward two inches, it would be similar to hanging a 20-pound watermelon from the front of his or her head? It is no wonder that people who do this consistently end up with tension headaches, upper back pain, and neck pain.

When your head is held in a forward position, the mobility of the joints in the upper four vertebrae of the neck will be significantly restricted. All of our joints need to move and be positioned properly to remain healthy. If these joints have abnormal pressure on them due to improper positioning and are not allowed to glide freely, degeneration of the joints and discs in that area will eventually occur.

To prevent forward head posture from happening in the first place, practice good posture and keep the muscles of your neck strong and flexible. If you have had forward head posture for some time, see your chiropractor so that the mobility in the joints and flexibility of the muscles within and around the neck can be restored. He or she can also show you some simple exercises to help strengthen and release the chronic spasm of the muscles involved. Once your treatment protocol is complete, your postural habits are improved, and you either commence or continue to exercise regularly, your persistent neck pain and headaches will be a thing of the past.

If you have any questions about your back pain give me an email at landrumdc@gmail.com or visit my website http://www.landrumdc.com/

Note Homer's excellent head posture