A Painful "Crunch"

  A "crunching” in your knee when you crouch or squat may signal that you have the start of a degenerative condition called chondromalacia patella, a form of arthritis. 

This is a condition of abnormal wear-and-tear, and Is commonly caused by aberrant tracking of the patella, or kneecap. The kneecap is embedded in the tendon of the quadraceps (quads) muscles, and every time you bend your knee back or forth, which activates these muscles, the kneecap slides in a grove in the bone underneath.

Misalignment of the patella causes it to rub too far sideways in that groove. What causes this misalignment? Commonly, it is uneven action in the quads.

My treatment is two-fold---correction of the patellar misalignment with the Activator instrument, and teaching the patient how to do daily exercises to correct the action of their quads.

Whiplash Side Effects

 An acceleration / deceleration neck injury, aka whiplash, is not only painful, but can also result in weakness in the neck, loss of normal cervical curvature, hypertonic muscles, and impingement of nerves that exit the spine in the cervical region. 

This nerve impingement may manifest as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS), with symptoms including pain traveling down the arm, alteration of sensation in the arm and / or hand such as numbness, tingling, and lack of normal perception of touch---hypoesthesia (diminished sensation) or hyperesthesia (accentuated sensation) in the upper extremity.

Symptoms may not be immediately noticeable, but may appear slowly following the injury, and often take a while to resolve.

Proper treatment, including precise, gentle adjustments with the Activator instrument as soon as possible after the injury; rest; a neck brace if needed; ergonomic counseling; anti-inflammatory soft tissue therapy, including ice & topical arnica; and appropriate introduction of gentle stretches + exercises will assist healing and recovery.

A Painful Snap! at the Elbow

  Disturbance of the upper part (head) of the radius, the outermost bone in the forearm, where it attaches at the elbow, can cause a sudden sharp pain with movement of the forearm or hand.

The upper end of the radius is encased by, and rotates within, an annular ligament, which encircles it and holds it snug against the joint complex at the elbow. 

Misalignment of the head of the radius causes painful stress at this joint, and can cause abnormal wear & tear on the annular ligament.

Careful assessment and precise adjustments with the Activator instrument will re-align the bone, relieve the abnormal stress and ease the pain. A compression band should be worn just below the ligamentous attachment to protect the area as it heals. 

Tips to Stay Healthy / COVID-19

Include ORGANIC, UNREFINED COCONUT OIL in your diet---coconut oil is loaded with lauric acid, which is effective against viruses, as well as being anti-bacterial. Use it when sauteing vegetables, put it in your coffee or tea, use it in soups or stews.

QUERCETIN is a plant pigment that is an antioxidant, & it has anti-viral properties. The best way to get it is to eat foods high in quercetin. Foods high in quercetin include:

Red Onions—BEST source

Organic apples, grapes, and tomatoes

Dark berries like cherries, blueberries, and blackberries

Taragon, chives, coriander, and dill

Spinach and kale 

 AVOID SUGAR in all forms. Sugar suppresses our immune system.

---The amount of sugar in one soft drink suppresses immune function for up to 12 hours.

---There is a 50% decrease in the effectiveness of your white blood cells to fight infection for up to 4 hours after eating just 2 teaspoons of sugar.

---Read labels; divide the number of grams of sugar by 4 to tell how many teaspoons of sugar a product contains.

VITAMIN D is a key nutrient for supporting immune function. Your body makes Vit D  when you’re exposed to natural sunlight, so try to spend some time outdoors. You can supplement with Vit D---4,000 or 5,000 iu (international units) is recommended per day. Have your Vit D status checked if possible, and in the meantime get it in foods rich in Vit D, such as fatty fish (tuna, salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel), egg yolks, and mushrooms.

Rib Cage Distortion

  Distortion, or twisting, of the entire rib cage is something I see quite often in my practice. The subaxillary (under the arm) ribs on one side become stressed inferiorly, while the opposite subaxillary ribs are stressed superiorward.

Patients who present with this distortion, or torquing, of their rib cage range from youngsters who are active in sports, those who do active work with their upper bodies such as housecleaners, carpenters, plumbers, food service workers, etc., to those who may have reached too far or fast for something, twisted to grab something in the back seat of their car, or may have been securing a small child in a carseat. 

Regardless of the biomechanical cause, I correct the distortion quickly, gently, and comfortably with the Activator instrument.

Toe Cramps

  Ever had one or more of your toes start to cramp while walking or hiking?

This is often caused by overly enthusiastic “toe-off” during the gait cycle. “Pushing off” a bit too hard as one moves from one foot forward to the other when walking can stress a toe or toes, and start a cramp.

Try easing back on the force with which you use your toes to propel you as you walk. If you do get a cramp, take off your shoe, give your foot a rest, and massage the involved toe(s).

If the problem persists, I’ll be happy to check and adjust your feet, including your toes. Precisely and gently correcting misalignments may be necessary for the issue to completely resolve.

 

Nerve Impingement in the Neck

  Our shoulders, arms, and hands have sensory nerves that originate in the neck. These nerves exit the spine and pass through openings, called foramen, between the vertebrae on each side, then travel down through the shoulder and upper extremity all the way to the hand.

Numbness, tingling, pain, altered sensation (hypoesthesia, which is a decrease of normal sensation, or hyperesthesia, abnormally heightened or pronounced, sensations) are signs that the nerves originating in the neck are experiencing interference, or impingement.

Impingement of nerves may to due to physical encroachment such as  pressure, abrasion, or stretching, and can be caused by abnormal misalignments of cervical vertebrae or by degenerative changes in spinal structures.

When patients present in my office with these problems, an appropriate course of conservative Activator Chiropractic care, including gentle, precise, directional adjustments with the Activator instrument, ergonomic and postural counseling, prescribed stretches and exercises, and sometimes application of gentle traction, is often the solution.