In a whiplash injury, the long ligament that runs down the front of the neck is often sprained when the neck is snapped back. However, the most damaging effect of a whiplash injury comes from the deceleration phase. This is when the head rebounds and snaps forward and the long ligaments that run up the back of the vertebrae (neck bones) are usually sprained (torn.) Other ligaments, especially the capsular ligaments between each vertebra, are also usually damaged during this action. Damage may also commonly occur to the muscles of the neck and in some cases, the discs may become damaged or herniated.

Collision studies have shown that the greatest degree of stress in a whiplash injury occurs between the 4th and 5th vertebrae when the neck is snapped back and between the 5th and 6th vertebrae when the neck snaps forward. If the neck was turned to one side, the extent of the injury is usually worsened, as shear force and torque (rotational force) is added.

The degree of injury from a whiplash accident is determined by a variety of factors. The types of vehicles involved, speed, seat and headrest construction, whether the vehicle from behind applied the brakes before the collision (decreases the force) whether the vehicle in front had the brakes applied when it was struck (increases the force) are just a few of these factors. Also, each injured person’s height, age, and current state of health (including any prior injuries to the neck) all play an important role in determining the extent of the physical damage.

The full effect of the damage from a whiplash injury may not be experienced until one to three days after the accident. This is primarily due to two known factors. The first factor is adrenaline. Large amounts of a hormone called adrenaline are released into the body when an accident occurs. The affects of adrenaline and the effects of shock may make many people initially unaware of a neck injury. The second factor is that for the first 72 hours, the body responds to the injury with a barrage of chemicals. These chemicals create swelling and in the presence of swelling comes stiffness, and pain. This is why it is important not to state “you are fine” immediately after an automobile accident that snaps you head about. It is important to seek care immediately and have yourself examined for a whiplash injury.

Early treatment is essential to help control the swelling process. Preferably, care should be obtained within the first six hours after the injury. If you have been in an automobile accident and were not taken to a hospital, you should request an emergency appointment from your Doctor of Chiropractic. Your chiropractor can instruct you on the proper use of ice, rest, and other measures to reduce the swelling immediately. Ultrasound treatments or therapy with passive range of motion to the cervical spine may be started after a diagnosis of cervical sprain and strain (whiplash) is obtained.

With early chiropractic treatment, several advantages are gained. For the first 24 – 72 hours, a natural swelling process occurs. Treatment during this phase reduces the amount of swelling. This improves your chance for a more rapid and better recovery. Corrective measures are also easier to apply if the initial phase of swelling is handled properly through early treatment.

There are long-term advantages to early treatment as well. One major advantage is the decreased risk of arthritis forming in the joints. Joint arthritis in the neck, called degenerative joint disease, can occur if the swelling in the joints remains too long or if the tissue damage cannot be adequately repaired.

Chiropractors treat thousands of neck injury cases each year. Your chiropractor can help determine the extent of your neck injury through examination and x-ray. A course of treatment can then be outlined to help in the recovery process. Chiropractic treatment can help reduce the initial swelling, aid in the removal of metabolic products that are created when tissue is injured, and help restore proper function to the cervical spine and neck muscles.

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Direct trauma to the knee from falls, motor vehicle accidents, and other sources also lead to acute knee conditions. Poor alignment, over-use, genetic weakness, disease, and malignancy lead to chronic knee conditions. With both chronic and acute knee conditions, a Doctor of Chiropractic can be an invaluable resource in the diagnosis and treatment of your knee condition.

Knee problems can develop in and around the knee joint and can be caused by dysfunction or disease in the patella (kneecap) meniscus (knee joint) or in the surrounding ligaments or tendons. The muscles that attach to the knee may also experience problems. For instance, a quadriceps strain (the big muscle that runs down the front of the leg) can cause difficulty and pain when bending the knee joint.

A knee will experience undo stress when the joint is unable to glide in a nearly straight line. Over time, excessive side to side motion (shearing force) can cause serious joint problems. One of the more common problems from improper knee tracking is called Runner’s Knee. The over-use stress and jarring of routine running activities coupled with a poor tracking ability of the kneecap will wear down and inflame the knee joint cartilage. The result will be pain, swelling, and dysfunction. Left untreated, these inflammatory knee disorders will lead to arthritis.

Your Doctor of Chiropractic can determine how your knee is tracking while watching you walk or run. In addition, a measurement called the Q-Angle can be made to help determine how much tracking stress is being exerted on a knee joint. The Q-Angle is measured as the deviation that exists from an imaginary line drawn made between the hip, the knee, and the ankle. The more inward or outward the kneecap is in relation to the hip and ankle, the greater the tracking stress on the knee joint will be.

Knee alignment can be improved though therapeutic measures. Such measures include joint manipulation as well as stretching and to strengthening the muscles that support the knee. In addition, proper footwear with special attention to arch support, cushioning, and hyperpronation reduction (rapid turning in of the foot while walking or running) may greatly improve a knee condition.

As just mentioned, hyperpronation of the foot can contribute to your knee joint problem. A simple check to see if a foot is hyperpronating can be easily done as follows: Simply examine the heels of your shoes and look for patterns of wear. If a heel is worn off excessively at the outside edge, hyperpronation is evident. This excessive heel wear is caused from exaggerated rolling in of the foot. After the foot comes down normally on the outer edge the foot should gradually begin to roll inward to disperse the shock of heel strike. This is normal pronation. When the foot rapidly rolls in, hyperpronation is present. This rapid rolling in effect sands off the outer edge of the heel, which gives the uneven wear appearance when your shoes are examined. Hyperpronation of the foot translates to poor tracking of the knee joint and may result in the onset or contribute to the worsening of a knee condition.

Whether a knee condition is acute (injury related) or chronic (wear and tear related) the importance of getting a good diagnosis and receiving the proper treatment cannot be understated. Although analgesics can help relieve some pain and swelling, it takes proper corrective measures to address the underlying cause of the problem. A Doctor of Chiropractic is specially trained to treat these types of conditions at this level. A consultation with a chiropractor could help you determine just how much you can do to improve the condition of your knees.

The post Knee Pain Relief in Denver first appeared on Performance Sports Medical Center.

There are many causes of lower back pain but the most common cause is mechanical stress. Mechanical stress can be considered the action of movement under the presence of weight. For instance, when you bend forward with the knees straight, pick up an object, and twist while lifting that object, you apply a great deal of mechanical stress to the lower back. This is especially true if you lift the object with your arms away from your body.

Anyone who has ever suffered an acute episode of lower back pain is also acutely aware of how mechanical stress (movement) affects the lower back. For instance, some back pain sufferers will notice it hurts more when sitting than while standing. This is because sitting actually places 50% more weight on the lower back and more weight (pressure) equals more pain. Other back pain suffers notice an increase in pain from mechanical stress due to bending, stooping, lifting, or even from coughing or sneezing.

Performance Sports Medical Center in Denver helps many patients with mechanical types of back pain, which usually presents as when the bones of the spine, called vertebrae, are out of alignment. This misalignment between vertebra creates a mechanical stress that causes inflammation to the area that surrounds the nerves. When the nerves of the back become irritated, pain and dysfunction are the end result. We help provide low back pain relief.

Lower back pain comes in many forms. Pain can range from mild stiffness or the difficulty or inability to move, bend, sit, or walk. Back pain can be constant or intermittent (come and go.) The pain can be dull and aching or sharp and stabbing. There may also be numbness, tingling, a sensation of heat, or weakness in one or both of the legs. In some cases, leg symptoms will present with or without back pain. This is due to a specific type of irritation to the sciatic nerve, called sciatica.

A disc bulge can cause back pain and may be accompanied by symptoms of pain, tingling, burning, or numbness down a leg. Sometimes a disc bulge will only cause the leg symptoms. A disc acts like a shock absorber and a pivot point between the two vertebrae. When a disc gets overly stressed or injured, it begins to bulge. In the lower back, a disc bulge in the side of a disc is more likely to cause leg pain as the predominant symptom. A disc that bulges more to the middle is more likely to cause back symptoms, rather than leg symptoms.

Although back pain is most often caused from a mechanical stress, it could also be caused from other problems such as genetic conditions of the spine (conditions you are born with), nutritional disorders (osteoporosis), malformation of the vertebra (improper bone growth), infection, or even malignancy (cancer).

No matter how back pain presents, if it persists, you should seek professional help to find out what is causing the pain and why it will not get better. However, if your pain happened due to an injury, you should seek attention as soon as possible. As with most any health condition, treatment outcome can be greatly improved by early treatment of the injury. Here are our treatments.

There are many types of treatments for back-related pain. For those of us who would like to avoid taking medication, which only masks the symptoms, there is a leading alternative choice of treatment called chiropractic care. The Doctors at Performance Sports Medical Center are highly trained in the diagnosis of back conditions. Through careful history, examination, and the aid of imaging such as x-rays, CT (computerized tomography), or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) a Doctor of Chiropractic can often determine the cause of your back pain and begin a course of corrective treatment. We also offer the most advanced back braces with the latest technology to aid recovery and provide low back pain relief.

We commonly adjust (manipulate) misaligned vertebra (the bones of the spine) to provide low back pain relief. When the alignment of the vertebrae is improved, the stress on the soft tissue and nerves in the surrounding area is relieved. This allows the natural healing process in each of us to overtake the adverse effects of the misalignment. Continued treatment, good posture, proper rest, and exercise will help the healing process continue. Disc problems have also been successfully treated with manipulation or by specialized chiropractic treatments with flexion-distraction (a mild traction technique that helps to reduce both disc bulges and small disc herniations.) Advances in the chiropractic care of disc cases has given many back pain suffers a desirable alternative to costly back surgery. PSMC Denver may also utilize physiotherapy such as massage, acupressure, moist heat, ice, or ultrasound, to help facilitate healing and ease your discomfort.

You may be advised to avoid certain activities that could hurt your recovery. You may also be advised to do back-strengthening exercises, to help prevent re-injury. (A little known fact is that injured tissue heals first as a glob of fibers that patch the injured area, but over a two-year period of time, with the proper care, strengthening, and stretching exercises, this patch can be organized into tissue that is almost as good as new.)In addition to helping your body through a physical approach, Performance Sports Medical often help their patients further by providing qualified nutritional advice, which can promote healing and result in over-all improved strength of the back and entire body. If you are one of the many whom suffer from back pain, you may want to consider the benefits of modern chiropractic treatment and take the first step towards putting your back pain behind you.

The post Low Back Pain Relief first appeared on Performance Sports Medical Center.

We’re proud to introduce Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, or BHRT, to our suite of available treatments. If you suffer from exhaustion, weight gain, sleep disturbances, low T, anxiety or depression, hot flashes, or other symptoms, you may be experiencing a hormonal imbalance. This hormone replacement therapy is used to help correct those symptoms. It’s custom compounded to each patient’s unique physiology. This allows our clients to gain the most out of BHRT benefits as possible.

We use BioTE Medical’s pellet therapy as our preferred method of treating hormonal imbalance. This method has helped hundreds of thousands of women and men achieve hormone stability. These pellets help minimize the negative side effects that are sometimes found with synthetic hormones. The BHRT pellets we utilize allow for the consistent administration of the necessary hormones when your body most requires it. Creams and pills can often spike hormone levels when applied or ingested. Our pellet therapy avoids that by an even distribution of hormones catered to each individual.

To learn more, please visit BioTE

And please check out our other new treatments

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One of the symptoms of ITBS, often known as “Runners Knee” is a pain or ache on the outer side of the knee. It can be at its worst in the middle or toward the end of a run. Because of its location, and because of the associated swelling and pain, runners with ITBS often think they’ve got a knee injury. One way to tell is to bend your knee at a forty-five-degree angle. If there is pain on the outside of the knee, it is probably ITBS.
There are several things you can do on your own to treat ITBS. One is to cut back on your running, increase your stretching times, or stop altogether.

You can also try side stretching. From a standing position, put your injured leg behind the non-injured leg. Lean away from the injured side toward your good side. Be sure there’s a table or chair beside you for balance. Hold the stretch for seven to ten seconds, and then repeat.
Another home therapy is gentle foam rolling, which is a self-massage using a cylindrical foam roller.

IT Band Syndrome treatment is often difficult to tackle on your own with home therapy, or stretching. Depending on how severe your inflammation is, you may risk a more severe injury by trying to treat yourself.  Inflamed ligaments and the resulting discomfort can often linger for much longer than necessary if not addressed by a professional.

Dr. Casey Schmitz, one of our top physicians at Performance Sports Medical Center in South Denver, has treated many cases of ITBS. He examines each patient to see exactly what the problem is, and then determines the best course of therapy on an individualized basis.

The post Lateral Knees Pain – IT Band Syndrome first appeared on Performance Sports Medical Center.

How it Works

Ever whack your shin, rub the injury and suddenly realize you feel better? When properly placed on the skin, RockTape interferes with painful signals directed toward the brain, helping you place your focus less on the injury and more on where it truly belongs: the healing process.

RockTape, alters the signals arriving at the brain, creating an interference that mitigates, if not eliminates, the sensation of pain. When this technologically-advanced kinesiology tape is properly applied, pain often becomes an afterthought. Many of our customers, in fact, call this effect “magic”. Some even think their injury has disappeared almost immediately.

RockTape works to change how your body interprets the pain of an injury. In essence, it turns down the pain “volume” that your body hears.

Decompressing Areas of Swelling and Inflammation

When RockTape is applied to the skin, a microscopic lifting effect takes place underneath the skin, as well as between its many layers. This allows the by-products created by inflammation to be removed more quickly.

Delaying Fatigue

Research has shown that RockTape kinesiology tape works to attenuate muscle fatigue. In rehab, this is very important, not only for the parts of your body that are currently in pain, but also for the surrounding areas. These other areas often pick up the slack for muscles that are currently not working well.

Normalizing Muscle Tone

When someone is injured, fatigued, sick, or inflamed, the symphony of muscle action that normally takes place often falls out of tune. Your injured muscle loses its natural harmony, creating potential problems elsewhere. This can happen all over the body.

Research has shown that people with ankle sprains tend to experience altered activity of the nearby hip muscles, an often unexpected result of the original injury. To combat this, RockTape works to bring dormant muscle back to life, and help calm the overactive muscles. It helps your body coordinate movement as if it weren’t hurt, providing the opportunity for the affected area to heal properly.

Distributing Physical Stress

Unlike conventional taping, which tends to prevent movement, RockTape allows full movement of the treated area. Through both its elastic properties and quick recoil ability, it can help distribute forces to other nearby areas through the fascia, ligaments, and bone structure.

Performance Sports Therapy is one the few Denver area chiropractic clinics to specialize in this form of taping. Contact us to schedule an appointment and experience firsthand how RockTape can help your pain, recovery, and performance.

Source: www.RockTape.com

The post RockTape: Promoting Healing by Taking Pain Out of the Equation first appeared on Performance Sports Medical Center.