Posts Tagged "headache"

Pregnancy and Chiropractic.

Posted by Marc Croker | 0 comments

One of the most common symptoms that women suffer during pregnancy is back pain. So much so, that if you mention that you are suffering lower back pain during pregnancy to a doctor or an obstetrician they will reassure you that it is a normal symptom of pregnancy. However back pain is not normal. Pain is a sign that something is inflamed and with appropriate treatment your pregnancy can be wonderfully free of lower back pain.

The difference with lower back pain in pregnancy is just that there is extra weight on the joints of the lower back. Once the inflamed joint has been identified and treated the pregnancy can continue without the lower back pain.
The major concern for pregnant women is that chiropractic treatments might have an adverse affect on the unborn baby. Chiropractic manipulation can be safely performed on all levels of the spine throughout pregnancy. This is especially true if you have had chiropractic treatment prior to being pregnant, as your body is already used to being treated and the treatment should only involve a little fine tuning to keep the spine healthy and mobile. If your body has never had any treatment before then it will take time to adapt and respond to the manipulation. Whilst this is not a contraindication to manipulation during the first trimester many women choose to wait until they are past the first three months before beginning treatment. In many cases though your body will be much better for having had treatment and this can only be of benefit to mother and baby.

Pubic symphysis pain and headaches are common symptoms of pregnancy and these symptoms often continue for weeks to months after the baby has been delivered.  The forces applied to the pubic bones can cause misalignment of the pubic bones and even separation of the pubic symphysis.  Recurring headaches are common to women after delivering their baby.  It is not uncommon for the headaches to persist until the pubic pain has subsided.  There are a number of effective chiropractic treatments for misalignment of the pubic bones.

Another common pain during pregnancy is pain around the lower rib cage in the region of the kidneys.  This is often due to pressure from the pregnancy on the lower rib cage towards the end of the pregnancy.  Sore ribs can manifest as either a constant localised ache or it can be sharp catching pain that hurts when breathing.  Certain movements will also cause this pain.

Apart from pain relief during pregnancy, chiropractic manipulation also has the benefit of freeing up restriction in the joints of the pelvis and lower back. This may aid in providing a less stressful delivery as the pelvis is more flexible than it would have been without manipulation.

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Tinnitus

Posted by Marc Croker | 0 comments

A 54 year old man presented to this clinic in October 2010 complaining of a high pitched ringing sound in his ears.  He had been suffering with this tinnitus for the last eight months.  His GP could not find any medical reason for the tinnitus.  He found that the tinnitus was aggravated by certain neck movements and also by putting pressure on his head.  Thinking that it might be coming from his neck he decided to give chiropractic a chance to alleviate his symptoms.  He had previously seen a chiropractor 20 years ago.  In the last two years he had also suffered from a headache on a weekly or fortnightly basis.  The headache was accompanied by some blurry vision and loss of balance.

The short movie below shows how the middle ear works.

On examination it was found that the tinnitus was aggravated by all movements of his neck and by compression of the cervical spine.  It was found that there was acute inflammation of the C12 facet joint on the right side of his neck and there was muscle spasm and pain in his suboccipital muscles.  He also had acutely inflammed ribs on both sides at the level of T34.  Otherwise the rest of his spine and musculoskeletal system was unremarkable.

An upper cervical adjustment was performed on the initial consultation and there was an immediate relief of the tinnitus in the right ear.  There was no change in the tinnitus in the L ear.  By the third consultation there was a definite improvement in the tinnitus in both ears.  By the fifth and final consultation the patient reported that there was no longer any tinnitus, and that he had complete relief of his headaches.

This patient suffered from subjective tinnitus and the most common cause of this disorder in the absence of any ear pathology is inflammation of the upper cervical spine or inflammation of the tempero-mandibular joint.  It is thought to be the result of abnormal neuronal activity caused by inflamed structures immediately adjacent to the ear canal.

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Neck spur and MVA

Posted by Marc Croker | 0 comments

In November 2002 a 55 year old woman suffered a car accident on the way home from work. She was sitting in the rear of a stationary car with her head turned slightly to the right. The car was rear ended and she had to have the next three weeks off work as she was experiencing neck pain and severe headaches. Her headaches were felt around her forehead on both sides and she had some light-headedness. She saw a physiotherapist three times a week for the next six months.

In May 2003 this woman started to feel severe pain around her right shoulder blade and pain into her right arm. She reported a tingling sensation in the 4th and 5th fingers and numbness in her right index finger. She was unable to turn her head fully to the right and was starting to get some lower back pain and pain in her right hip. She was still suffering from neck pain and headaches.

She presented to this clinic seven months after the accident. On examination this woman could not turn her neck to the right hand side and felt pain in her arm whenever she tried. The examination revealed that she had inflammation of the facet joints of C23, C67, T23 and the rib on the right at the same level, and L5S1. She had limited movement of her neck in all directions together with neck pain and pain in her right arm on most movements.

X rays and CT scans revealed disc degeneration at C45, C56 and C67 with bony narrowing of the foramina where the nerves exit the spine at C56. There were large bone spurs narrowing the spinal canal, the lateral recesses and the exit foramina on both sides. She had recently been told that an operation was needed to remove one of the spurs in her neck.

Chiropractic manipulation was initially performed on the joints below the level of the degeneration, at C67 and some soft tissue massage was also utilised. Her treatments were initially 2-3 days apart and after 6 visits this patient reported feeling pain free for the first time in 7 months. After 11 visits she found that the pins and needles and numbness also went away and that she did not feel the need to have an operation to remove the spur in her neck. Her treatments at this stage were only once per month and incorporated treatment for her upper neck pain and headaches which also subsided quickly.

This woman has continued her chiropractic care for the purpose of good spinal health and to prevent any recurrence of symptoms that may arise due to the degeneration in the lower neck. As of her most recent visit in May 2010 she continues to do well without any of the symptoms that she had sustained from the car accident.

It is important to note that having degeneration or arthritis anywhere in your spine is not necessarily a contra indication to having chiropractic treatment. In many cases the degeneration is not severe and can be successfully treated. In severe cases the arthritis is not the level of the spine causing the pain. It is often a level above or below the level of the arthritis responsible for the symptoms as the degenerated level is simply not moving at all and not capable of being strained. This is unlike the levels above and below that are now working harder than they should be to compensate for the arthritis. It is a common experience for a patient to present with lower back pain without any evidence of arthritis in their lower back but have severe arthritis in the neck without any neck pain.

In summary arthritis should give you a sense of stiffness or a lack of ability to move fully in one or more directions but it shouldn’t be painful. If there is pain associated with spinal arthritis then the painful joints can be treated with manipulation and the patient returned to a pain free state. Joints can only be inflammed if they still have some function left in them.

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Headaches

Posted by Marc Croker | 1 comment

Headaches and neck pain are two of the most common conditions that people go to chiropractors for…and we have become very good at getting rid of these debilitating conditions. Most types of headaches respond very well to chiropractic manipulation and massage.

In the majority of cases (excluding serious brain pathology / head trauma) headaches are a referrred pain condition from inflammation of cervical facet joints and spasm of neck and cranial muscles.  That is to say that treatment of inflammed and restricted upper neck joints and massage of the muscles around the base of the skull often provide relief from headache pain within a couple of visits.  As a result most headaches will completely resolve very quickly with treatment.

Headache pain can be localised to the upper neck or it can refer anywhere in the head, forehead, eyes or face.  A lot of patients complain of pain in and around their eyes and often around the forehead. It can be a general all over the head referral of pain or it can be specific to one spot on the skull.

Headaches, and especially migraines, can present with a range of neurological symptoms such as dizziness, blurry vision, light sensitivity, pins and needles, numbness, or simply pain (which can be dull and persistent, sharp and specific, or throbbing with visual and auditory symptoms). They can give nausea, vomiting, tiredness, vertigo, tinnitus, or the inability to think clearly. And they can make you very grumpy.

Headaches can often be related to problems lower in the spine. Pelvic tilt/rotation and/or spinal scoliosis will ultimately work its way up to the end of the spinal column and strain the neck. Thus long term correction of headaches must address the integrity of the entire spinal column.

Dehydration is a major cause of headache. This can be from lack of fluids, excessive physical activity, too much alcohol, or too much caffeine. Correcting spinal joint dysfunction must be combined with appropriate dietary considerations in order to be effective in the long term. Some people also suffer from food intolerance which can cause headaches.

Stress is a major player in causing headaches. This usually takes the form of too much work in too short a time frame. It is not necessarily difficult work or difficult circumstances. It can also result from emotional stress from family or relationship problems or financial problems. Stress management techniques need to be learned to prevent health problems.

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Preventative Care – Treat yourself

Posted by Marc Croker | 0 comments

The thing that is becoming most apparent to me when treating pain syndromes is that a lot of the conditions that people present with can easily be prevented. As treatment providers we are constantly correcting non traumatic acute injuries that are the result of long term muscle shortness and stiffness, and joint restriction. The most common cause of an injury is a strain/sprain injury. This is the result of too much muscle and joint tension. The treatment for these injuries involves massage, stretching and manipulation to minimise the tension and hence reduce the strain on an area.

So rather than waiting until an injury develops you can do a lot to prevent acute strain/sprain injuries. A general stretching program will go a long way to maintaining and improving flexibility and preventing injury. This can be made very specific to your body by having your chiropractor identify areas of muscle tension, muscle weakness, and joint restriction and giving exercises appropriate for your particular condition. Here at Parramatta Chiropractic we offer a ‘Length and Strength’ assessment to identify muscle weaknesses that should be strengthened and muscle shortness that needs stretching. Pop in today for a check up and a full musculoskeletal assessment.

In the meantime it is worth knowing the best stretches to prevent some common injuries.

1. Calf stretches.
   A lot of people suffer from plantar fasciitis, heel pain or knee pain.  Tightness of the calf muscles is a major contributor to these painful conditions.  Tightness builds up in the calf muscles as a result of standing and walking and causes tendonitis in the foot, heel, and knee.  The best stretch for the calf muscle is to stand with one heel on the ground in front of a step and the ball of the foot on the edge of the first step.  Then lean forward so as to bring the pelvis over the ankle.  This stretch can be done with the knee straight (tension develops higher up the calf muscle) and the knee bent (tension develops lower down the calf muscle).
2. Hamstring stretches.
   Tightness in the hamstrings will often develop with standing, walking and running, and will result in knee and lower back pain.  The easiest and safest way to stretch your hamstrings is to stand with one foot on a low bench.  Ensure that the raised leg is slightly bent and that the lower back is straight (this is achieved by lifting the head and bringing the chest forward).  Lean forward without bending the lower back and feel the tension develop in the back of the leg.  If any back pain is experienced cease the exercise and consult your chiropractor.
3. Adductor stretches.
   The adductor muscles are your groin muscles – those inner thigh muscles.  These muscles are hardly ever stretched.  Tightness in these muscles are responsible for a lot of knee injuries and groin strains.  The adductor muscles run down the inside of the thigh and cross the knee joint.  In so doing any tightness in the adductor muscles creates excessive force on the knee joint and is largely responsible for arthritis in the knee.  The best way to stretch the adductor muscles is to stand with the legs about 3-4 shoulder widths apart.  Then lean the torso to the left and to the right so tension develops inside the thigh on either side (on the left when leaning to the left and vice versa).
4. Quadriceps and hip flexor stretches.
   The quadriceps and hip flexors are the muscles of the front of the thigh.  These muscles often get short in people who sit a lot.  Tightness in the quadriceps is a common cause of lower back pain as the hip flexors cross the pelvis and joints of the lumbar spine.  The most common symptom of tight hip flexors is that the person will get pain in the front of the hip or groin area when standing from a sitting position, and they will find it hard to fully straighten up.  The best way to stretch the quadriceps is to stand with something to lean on for support.  Bend the knee and reach behind you taking your foot in one hand.  Pull the foot so that it approaches your bottom.  Ensure that your bent knee is close to the standing knee and that the torso is upright and not leaning forward. Tension should develop down the front of the thigh.  Stop the stretch if you experience pain in your knee or lower back. The hip flexors can be stretched by performing a deep lunge so that the shin of the front leg is vertical and the knee of the same leg is almost at 90 degrees.  Lean the torso backwards so that tension develops in the front of the hip and groin on the same side as the back leg.  Stop the stretch if you experience pain in your lower back.
5. Gluteal stretches.
   Tight hip muscles commonly cause hip pain and some thigh pain.  These muscles are used for standing, walking, running, lifting, and getting upright.  The best way to stretch these muscles is either to lie on your back and pull one knee to the opposite shoulder or to sit with one foot on the other knee and then bend your nose to the toes of the elevated foot.  In this sitting stretch do not push down on the elevated knee and bring the chest forward rather than rounding the lower back.  This stretch should be felt in and around the back of the hip.
6. Rotator cuff stretches.
   The rotator cuff muscles are the stabilisers of the shoulder joint and are used a lot of the time when active. They are responsible for a majority of shoulder injuries.  The easiest way to stretch the rotator cuff muscles is to use one hand to pull the opposite elbow across your face, stretching the back of the shoulder.  A more challenging stretch for these muscles is to place one hand in your back pocket of your trousers with the palm facing backwards. Using the other hand reach around and pull the elbow forward, stretching the back of the shoulder. These two stretches will prevent most non traumatic shoulder injuries.
7. Neck muscle stretches.
   Neck tension develops largely as a result of stress, working on computers, and any activity in which the arms are held in front of the body in an unsupported fashion.  This will lead to neck and shoulder pain, headaches, and even arm pain.  The neck muscles most in need of stretching are the scalene muscles and the levator scapular muscles. Generally speaking stretching your neck from side to side and turning it as far as you can to the left and the right is sufficient to alleviate some neck tension.  If this is insufficient in alleviating the tension or if you are suffering from neck pain or headaches it is best to see a chiropractor to get more specific help.

These stretches form the basis of a good general stretching program.  Once you are comfortable with these exercises consult your chiropractor or other qualified health professional for deeper, more specific stretches.

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