Car accident injury!

Hey this is Dr. Nick from Quintessential Chiropractic in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Being in a car accident is scary. Most of us consider ourselves lucky if we escape unharmed.  I talk to people all the time who tell me they were in an auto accident and have no injuries. this may be true if you were traveling less than 3 MPH , and so was what ever you hit.  Think of it this way. Your body was designed for a max speed of approximately 4-5 MPH. Hitting your head at that speed can and often does knock you out.  Your head is roughly the weight of a bowling ball. That bowling ball is sitting on top of a stick (your neck) once the car stops suddenly, your head keeps traveling in whatever direction it was already heading. Your muscles cannot react fast enough to undo this.. When one of my patient says car accident, no injury, I ask how fast was the combined speed of the vehicles, if its over 10 MPH, guaranteed muscle injury.  Many of these folks say it happened years ago, I can tell them what their x-ray will look like before we take them, I ask them to point out where the damage is when looking at their own x-rays, they almost always can because it is that obvious. If you get in a car wreck, go see a chiropractor!  www.portsmouthchiro.com

One-sided low back pain? Spatulated transverse process?

If you have back pain that seem to be very low and noticeably more on one side than the other, you may have a congenital variant called a spatulated transverse process (TP).  This is a radiographic finding in which the bone that protrudes latterally from both sides of a lumbar vertebrae grow irregularly and instead of forming a normal TP the bone is flattened and shaped more like a pancake or a spatula.  This is not a problem in itself but if the bone makes contact with the adjacent ilium this can cause significant pain. Chiropractic adjustments may be good for adding motion to the area but they may also intensify this pain.  This is why its a good idea to have x-rays taken when back pain is otherwise unexplained.

Arthritis.

Arthritis is when bone grows on the margins/edges of your bones. Arthritis usually develops in areas that have insufficient movement. Keep your joints moving properly to impede the progress of this painful condition. Stretch  exercise, do yoga, and get adjusted to keep joints moving properly throughout your life.  A rolling stone gathers no moss.

Optimal Health!

What is it? How do we get it?  It is different for every person. Optimal health for an 80 something is different than that of a teenager. Different still for a normal healthy teenager and an athlete.  It really means that your body is communicating with your brain and vice versa in the best way it can.  That the process is not inhibited by bad food, lack of sleep or bio-mechanical problems.

How do we get it? Simple but not easy. The correct diet. (Mediterranean Diet) At least 6 hours of real sleep per night. And, make sure that the frame for you nervous system is free of bio-mechanical problems, i.e. go to a chiropractor and get your spine checked. It will probably reduce your pain, but more importantly it will allow you nervous system to function at its highest level. This means greater health for you.
Thanks for reading.
Dr.Quinn

Stenosis!

Stenosis is a condition in which the spinal canal actually shrinks.  Bone grows inward and puts pressure on the spinal cord. Patients come in with symptoms such as leg pain, inability to extend their backs, and generalized back pain. Stenosis feels better when leaning forward.  If you are in the grocery store in and you see someone walking around with both elbows on the cart the entire time, there is a good chance s/he has stenosis.  Stenosis is most common in the low back, but can happen in the neck and midback as well.  Chiropractic can provide relief to people with stenosis if they are affected mild to moderately. Severe cases should be evaluated by MRI.

Disc 1.wmv

Disc herniations lead to back pain, sciatica, altered function, numbness, etc.

Back Pain?

Subluxation = a bone out of alignment. Pain results from the body trying to correct itself. The muscles spasm, the joint dysfunctions.