Is Your ‘Neck Pain’ Really Serious?

October 30, 2012 by

Is Your ‘Neck Pain’ Serious?

   When is a pain in the neck more than just a pain in the neck?

When is it the sign that something more serious may be involved?

   Typically, neck pain is caused by a muscle strain, and one side of the neck may experience more pain more than the other. But when neck pain is accompanied by other symptoms, it may be cause for concern.

For example, neck pain with vomiting and a stiff neck may indicate meningitis. If you cannot touch your chin to your chest and experience drowsiness, confusion and/or sensitivity to bright lights – call a medical doctor right away.

Neck pain with weakness in the arms and tingling in the fingers may indicate a herniated disc, which is pressure on a nerve root due to a narrowing of the spinal cord canal. Call my office immediately, we can help you here at Richter Chiropractic.

Neck pain and trouble moving your head without pain? This could signal fibromyalgia, a condition that causes pain in your muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons. It could also be a symptom of rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder that affects your joints, particularly those in your feet, knees and hands.

Neck pain after a traffic accident is usually referred to as “whiplash,” because the neck, when you are in a car that is hit, tends to snap suddenly forward and then backward, causing what is known as cervical acceleration/deceleration (CAD) trauma or syndrome. Again call my office in El Cajon immediately following an accident, no matter how minor.

Most people experience neck pain at some time in their lives. I’ve received training that helps me to locate the causes of your neck pain, restoring normal mobility in your neck and other affected body parts.

In addition, I’ll determine whether you have a relatively minor issue, or whether you require a more intense treatment plan. Please advise us regarding any neck pain you are experiencing, whether or not the pain is severe. Your pain may start out SMALL, but it can get really bad, and this usually happens late at night or on the weekends, so CALL ME NOW if you have pain or some of the symptoms I mentioned.

After you call, I’ll examine you thoroughly. I try to restore normal feeling and function in your neck and other affected body parts as quickly as possible. Continued care will help ensure that the muscles and joints in your neck and back remain in optimal working condition to keep you living life to your fullest potential, without restriction. Pain is something that you never want to cover up before you find out what’s causing it.

Disc lesions are serious. If you have neck pain or any other types of pain, call my office now. Chiropractors are experts at being able to distinguish different types of neck problems, so make that call or give this to a friend that needs assistance. We are here in east county San Diego for one thing: To help you.

So Call Today! 619-670-7500

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Pillow Talk

January 19, 2012 by 30 Comments

How’s Your Pillow Treating You

and

Is That a Major Problem For You?

Headaches and neck pain been bothering you? Believe it or not, you spend up to 1/3 of your life sleeping; shouldn’t you think about giving some serious thought to whether or not you have the RIGHT pillow, considering your head spends about 8 hours every night laying on it. Your pillow is pretty important, don’t you agree?

Do you know how to pick the proper pillow? Do you think it’s just a matter of what feels the most comfortable? Or is it about your ability to “scrunch it all up” with your hands to make it what Goldilocks would call, “just right”! From a chiropractic standpoint, here’s what’s important about selecting a pillow:

* When sleeping on your side, your pillow should support your head so that your head, neck and shoulders are INLINE with your middle and lower spine. Side sleepers may also want to use a spacer pillow between your knees for maximum spine alignment. 

* When sleeping on your back, your head and neck should be aligned with your spine.

* Pillows that are too thick or too thin generally do not support the head to maintain proper spinal alignment. Foam materials that mold to your head and “spring back” often provide good support.

* Your pillow should also support different sleep positions because you don’t remain in the same position all night! You should, however, avoid sleeping on your stomach – this is the worst sleep position for your neck and spine.

* Make sure the pillow is made of hypoallergenic (non-allergic) materials.

If you have any problems with your neck or headaches I recommend the use of cervical pillows, usually made from foam or memory foam, which have a concave middle and are raised in the area where your neck lies. These pillows support the head and neck properly and help to alleviate neck pain. 

Regardless of the type of pillow you use, keep one thing in mind – just as mattresses don’t last forever, neither do pillows! Over time, pillows become breeding grounds for dust mites and they get lumpy or flat and are less supportive as a result. Is it time to go pillow shopping? If so, please ask us what we recommend to get the optimal support and pain relief you need! Remember, it’s not about symptoms, it’s about prevention.

 

Dr. Mace Richter, Chiropractor in El Cajon, CA

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El Cajon Chiropractor’s View on Dizziness

January 6, 2012 by 3 Comments

Dizziness

Dizziness is not a disease, it is an indication that there is something wrong somewhere in your body. The dizzy spells are your body’s WARNING system that tells you, something is interfering with the proper function of your body’s organs, nerves, glands, or muscles.

Dizziness is a SYMPTOM, not a disease.

As a chiropractor we know the relationship between your upper neck bones and that spinal misalignments can cause vertigo, which is a fancy medical term for “dizziness”.

REMEMBER: All of the functions of your body are under control of your nervous system. Your nervous system originates in your brain where nerve energy is transmitted down through the spinal cord inside your spine and branches out between the vertebrae as spinal nerves.

Often, something causes your spine to twist or move the wrong direction. You can just fall asleep on the couch and cause this. This twist creates a misalignment of your spinal bones which can put pressure on your delicate, super sensitive nerves in your body, which interferes with the transmission of nerve energy at 100%.

After ruling out other causes, such as caffeine and aspirin sensitivity, we diagnose the problem as a spinal misalignment. Through gentle aligning techniques, we can relieve the pressure on these sensitive spinal nerves, allowing your body to heal itself.

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Getting Rid of Your Headache

December 19, 2011 by 2 Comments

If you have a headache, you’re not alone. Nine out of ten Americans suffer from headaches. Some are occasional, some frequent, some are dull and throbbing, and some cause debilitating pain and nausea. What do you do when you suffer from a pounding headache?

 Do you grit your teeth and carry on? Lie down? Pop a pill and hope the pain goes away? There is a better alternative.
New research shows that an adjustment, just like the one you receive at this office – is an effective treatment option for tension headaches and headaches that originate in your neck.

A report released by researchers at the Duke University found that a Chiropractic adjustment resulted in almost immediate improvement for those headaches that originate in the neck, and had significantly fewer side effects and longer-lasting relief of tension-type headache than a commonly prescribed medication.

But to get to the bottom of the problem, you first need to find out what is causing your pain. 

Headaches have many causes, or “triggers.” These may include foods, environmental stimuli (noises, lights, stress, etc.) and/or behaviors (insomnia, excessive exercise, blood sugar changes, etc.).

Ninety-five percent of headaches are primary headaches, such as tension, migraine, or cluster headaches. These types of headaches are not caused by disease. The headache itself is the primary concern.

“The greatest majority of primary headaches are associated with muscle tension in the neck,” What Can You Do? If you spend a large amount of time in one fixed position, such as in front of a computer, on a sewing machine, typing or reading, take a break and stretch every 30 minutes to one hour.

The stretches should take your head and neck through a comfortable range of motion.

 Low-impact exercise may help relieve the pain associated with primary headaches. However, if you are prone to dull, throbbing headaches, avoid heavy exercise. Engage in such activities as walking and low-impact aerobics.

 Avoid teeth clenching. The upper teeth should never touch the lowers, except when swallowing. Last but not least, drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day to help avoid dehydration, which can lead to headaches and try to avoid caffeine.

 Foods such as chocolate, coffee, sodas and cocoa contain high levels of the stimulant.

 I have had great success in getting rid of constant splitting headaches in my chiropractic office in El Cajon so wanted to share this information.

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