Tag Archive for: neck pain

Denver kidney donor to be first to run Leadville 100 & This Week’s 1-Page Newsletter

On National Donor Day, Dr. Jeff Stripling announced his goal to run 100 miles on behalf of all living organ donors. What follows is a recent press release from the American Transplant Foundation, and then This Week’s 1 Page Newsletter…

(DENVER, CO) – Being a living kidney donor will not stop Denver chiropractor Jeff Stripling from running 100 miles. In fact, it is what drives him forward

Dr. Stripling donated a kidney to his father in 2009. Today – National Donor Day – he announced his goal to be the first known living organ donor to run the Leadville 100 Mile Ultramarathon in August “on behalf of all living organ donors.

“Running 100 miles through the high Rockies will be tough, but that’s no because I’m a kidney donor. I want to shatter the misconception that you are limiting yourself if you donate an organ,” said Dr. Stripling.

“Being a live donor has proved to be the proudest moment of my life, and has enabled me to see my father healthy and enjoying retirement. Many people thought I would be limiting my own quality of life, but since I donated, my quality of life has only improved.”

To help other people become living donors, Dr. Stripling plans to raise funds for American Transplant Foundation’s Patient Assistance Program, which awards financial grants to offset expenses for living donors, such as travel costs to the surgery or time away from work during their recovery.

“We want people to understand that living organ donation is a viable option, and that it’s critical to reduce the transplant waiting list, especially for those who need a kidney,” said Kyle Pietari of the American Transplant Foundation. “Over 90,000 Americans are waiting for a new kidney. Most people don’t realize that the medical complication rate for live kidney donors is less than 1%. We are proud to work with Dr. Stripling and other living donors to raise awareness about this. They are truly heroes.”

“As a doctor, I understand that my body only needs one kidney. I can still workout, play sports, and attempt to run 100 miles. My father needed the other kidney much more than I do,” said Stripling.

The American Transplant Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that works to increase the donation of organs and tissue to reduce the growing list of men, women and children who are awaiting a lifesaving transplant.

Here’s this Week’s 1-Page Newsletter…

Mental Attitude: Emotions Not On My Sleeve? Contrary to what many scientists think, all people do not have the same set of biologically “basic” emotions and those emotions are not automatically expressed on the face. People do not scowl only when they’re angry or pout only when they’re sad. For example, people do a lot of things when they’re angry, sometimes they yell and sometimes they smile. Current Directions in Psychological Science, Jan 2012

Health Alert: Ten Ways To Decrease Cancer Risk 1.) Max BMI of 25; 2.) 5 or more servings of fruits & veggies daily; 3.) 7 or more portions of complex carbs daily; 4.) decrease processed foods & refined sugars; 5.) limit alcoholic drinks to 1/day for women and 2/day for men; 6.) limit red meat to no more than 3 oz daily; 7.) decrease fatty foods, particularly animal fats; 8.) limit intake of salted foods & use of salt in cooking; 9.) eliminate tobacco use; 10.) practice sun safety/recognize skin changes. American Cancer Society.

Diet: Soy And Hot Flash. According to a placebo-controlled study, daily doses of a soy germ-based nutritional supplement containing S-equol decreased menopausal symptoms 59%, including significantly reducing hot flash frequency after 12 weeks. It is believed that S-equol, produced from the isoflavone daidzein during the fermentation of soy germ, interacts with specific estrogen receptors to promote the improvement in menopausal symptoms. Journal of Women’s Health, Jan 2012.

Exercise: Colds And Exercise. Different levels of exercise can significantly increase or decrease your chances of catching a cold. If you tend to be a couch potato, then you will catch 2-3 colds per year, on average. Regular moderate exercise can reduce the risk of catching cold-like infections by 33% (this effect has been shown to be the result of the cumulative effect of exercise leading to long-term improvement in immunity). Prolonged strenuous exercise, such as marathons, can make an individual more susceptible to catching colds. We are constantly exposed to viruses, but it is our immune system that determines whether we get sick or not. Association for Science Education Conference, Jan 2012

Wellness/Prevention: Cancer Rates Dropping. In the last 20 years, one million deaths from cancer have been avoided. From 1990-2008, death rates dropped 23% in males and 15% in females. A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Jan 2012

Quote: “There are no rules here – we’re trying to accomplish something.” ~Thomas A. Edison

Weekly 1-Page Newsletter for the week of 1/30/2012

Mental Attitude: Do Video Games Enhance Cognitive Abilities? In a recent study, it was demonstrated that there is little solid evidence that games enhance cognition at all. On the other hand, it may be the people who have these enhanced abilities are more likely to play video games. Frontiers in Psychology, Dec 2011

Health Alert: Diabetes Worldwide! There are 366 million diabetics worldwide and 4.6 million die each year from the disease. In the US, 8.3% or 25.8 million children and adults have diabetes, with 79 million having prediabetes. Diabetes Atlas, Nov 2011 & American Diabetes Association, 2011

Diet: Remember Cholesterol. High cholesterol levels may be associated with a greater incidence of brain plaques, a marker for Alzheimer’s disease. Neurology, Sept 2011

Exercise: Wide Waists Trim Lifespan. Since the mid-1970s, when Harvard published “The Nurses Study,” we’ve been told women with waists over 40 inches raised their risk of early death by 40% vs. women who maintained waists in the 26-27 inch measure. Pounds add up. Studies show that obesity is starting earlier than ever. 18% of children ages 12-18 are reported as being obese and 66% of baby boomers (81 million born between 1946-1964) are either obese or overweight. New England Journal of Medicine, Sept 2011

Chiropractic: Chiropractic and the NFL. All 32 teams in the National Football League offer their players and personnel chiropractic physician services for both managing and preventing injuries. Most have Active Release Techniques providers. Professional Football Chiropractic Society

Wellness/Prevention: Too Much Booze, You Lose. Men are more likely to binge drink than women. Research shows that drinking even a small amount of alcohol increases cancer risks, though moderate amounts of alcohol can show cardiovascular benefits that outweigh such risks. Men can play it safe by having no more than two alcoholic drinks per day. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Nov 2011

Quote: “A revolution is coming – a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough – but a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character, we cannot alter its inevitability.” ~ President John F. Kennedy

The Neck & Shoulder Pain Relationship

In our hectic lifestyles of driving, hunching over computers, talking on the phone, not to mention stress arising from multiple sources, the muscles in the neck, upper back and shoulders seem to tighten up and hurt at the same time. The question is, between the neck and the shoulder, which one is the “chicken” and which is the “egg?”

The neck gives rise to the nerves that innervate the head (C1-3 nerve roots), the shoulders (C4-5), and the arms (C5-T2). Hence, there are 8 sets of nerves in the neck, 12 sets in the thoracic (middle back region), and 6 sets in the lumbar or low back region and 5 sets in the sacrum, all of which travel to a specific destination allowing us to move our muscles and to feel hot, cold, sharp, dull, vibration and position sense.

When these nerves get pinched or irritated, they lose their function and the ability to feel, making it challenging to button a shirt, thread a needle, or pick up small objects.  It can also make it difficult to unscrew jars, squeeze a spray bottle, or lift a milk container from the refrigerator. Hence, the nerves arising from the neck, when pinched, can have a dramatic effect on our ability to carry out our desired activities in which the shoulder, arm and hand use is required.

On the other hand, when the shoulder is injured (such as a rotator cuff tear or strain), this can also result in neck problems. There are several ways pain from the neck affects the shoulder and vice versa. When the shoulder is injured, pain “information” is relayed to the brain starting at the nerve endings located in the area of the shoulder injury, transmitting impulses between the shoulder and the neck, and finally from the neck to the sensory cortex of the brain. That information is processed and communication to the motor cortex prompts nerve signals to be sent back to the shoulder through the neck and to the injured area (in this case, the shoulder).

A reflex muscle spasm often occurs as a result, serving as kind of an “internal cast” as the muscle spasm tries to protect the injured shoulder. This can become a “vicious cycle” or never-ending “loop” until the reflex is interrupted (perhaps by a chiropractic adjustment). Another means by which both areas become injured has to do with modifications in function. We tend to change the way we go about our daily chores when an injury occurs to the shoulder, such as putting on a coat differently by leaning over to the opposite side.

These functional changes can also give rise to neck pain. Because of this reflex cycle, as well as the close anatomic relationship between the neck and shoulder, not to mention the “domino effect” of soft-tissue injuries which seem to change the function at the next joint level, it’s not surprising that both the neck AND the shoulder require simultaneous treatment for optimal treatment benefit. However, the good news is, regardless which one is the “chicken or the egg,” your treatment at Denver Chiropractic Center for shoulder injuries will almost always include the neck and vice versa.

We use a unique combination of Active Release Techniques Soft Tissue Treatment, adjustments, and physical therapy exercises. Research shows that this combination is best. We realize that you have a choice in where you get your healthcare services.  If you, a friend or family member requires care for neck pain, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Sleeping

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and noticed your hand sleeping to the point where you had to get out of bed and shake or flick your fingers to alleviate the numbness? If the numbness was primarily on the thumb-side half of your hand, it may have been carpal tunnel syndrome that woke you up. So, the question is, why is it such an issue at night?

To properly answer this question, let’s get familiar with the anatomy of the wrist.  There are 2 bones that make up the forearm – the ulna (on the pinky side) and the radius (on the thumb side). Just beyond that, there are two rows of four bones each called the carpal bones for a total of 8 small bones that make up the wrist joint. These carpal bones are arranged in a horseshoe or tunnel shape. When you look down at your wrist and wiggle your fingers quickly, you can see all the movement that occurs on the palm side of the wrist.  That’s a lot of movement!  You can also see the muscles on the upper half of the forearm moving rapidly as the fingers wiggle.

There are 9 muscle tendons that travel through the carpal tunnel, as well as some blood vessels and most important, the median nerve sits on top of all those moving tendons. Just beneath the floor of the tunnel is a ligament called the transverse carpal ligament. The tendons inside the tunnel are surrounded by lubricating sheaths that make it easier for the tendons to slide back and forth as we wiggle our fingers, grip to open a jar, type on a computer, play a musical instrument, or so on. Without the tendon sheaths, the friction between the rubbing tendons would quickly build up heat, resulting in swelling, pain and numbness.  However, in spite of the lubricating function of the sheaths, when we work our fingers and hands too much, swelling and inflammation does occur.

So, why do we have numbness at night when we aren’t working, gripping and moving our fingers repetitively? The answer lies in how we sleep. Since we are asleep, we cannot control where we position our hands and wrists. Most of us curl up in a ball and tuck our hands under our chin or someplace cozy.  Normally, when we bend our wrists, the pressure inside the carpal tunnel doubles. However, a carpal tunnel patient already has a higher level of pressure in their wrist. So, when a carpal tunnel patient bends their wrist in the exact same way, the pressure goes up even more – that is, 3, 4, 5, or more times than a normal person without their wrist bent. That is why a wrist “cock-up” splint works so well at night!  It keeps the wrist straight so you can’t bend it.  Often, this allows the CTS patient to sleep through the night instead of waking up 2, 3, or more times with numbness, tingling, and/or pain on the thumb half of the hand.

At Denver Chiropractic Center, we have extensive experience using Active Release Techniques to treat carpal tunnel syndrome. We release scar tissue in the muscles adjacent to the nerve, and can take the symptoms away by relieving the pressure of that nerve (the Median Nerve). Call us today to schedule your initial exam where we’ll tell you whether you’re a candidate for our treatment approach. 303.300.0424

We realize you have a choice in where you get your health care and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs.  If you, a friend or family member require care for CTS, we would be honored to render our services.

Low Back Pain & Scoliosis

Low Back Pain & Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine that is shaped like a “C” or an “S” when looking at the person from behind. I’m sure you’ve noticed when you’re at a beach, at a swimming pool, or walking in an airport, some people have a high shoulder, walk with a bit of a limp if one leg is short, and may have a shoulder blade that sticks out more than the other. Scoliosis often develops for unknown reasons (hence the term, “idiopathic”) during the adolescent age range between 10 or 11 years old and can progress, not change or less often, improve up to age 16 to 18. During these 4-6 years, the time when the adolescent is growing quickly, the curve often worsens without any intervention but few studies have looked at what types of treatment or combinations of treatment work the best, especially non-surgical methods.

A recent study was conducted that looked at the response to non-surgical treatment using conventional medical treatment (MT) vs. conventional MT plus chiropractic, as well as conventional MT and “sham” (fake) chiropractic treatment.  This is a pilot study using a small population of patients in order to determine if a larger scale study would be important to run (which was determined to be the case).

The conventional medical treatment approach included two groups – observation (a “wait and watch” approach) in a braced group verses a non-braced group. The chiropractic treatment group received spinal manipulation using “diversified technique” which is widely used where the patient is treated while lying on their stomach, sides, and back and the type of manipulation used was the thrust type where the “cracking” sound occurs (which is caused by the release of gas from the joint capsules and is technically called cavitation). This was applied to the regions determined by the chiropractor as requiring the treatment by using palpation (touch) methods, postural examination, range of motion, and x-ray and all chiropractors involved had 6-hours of training to assure consistent and similar approaches were used. Treatments were administered (determined by a survey of many chiropractors) at 3x/week for a month, 2x/week for a month, 1x/week for a month, and 2x/month for 3 months or as needed for a total of 6 months. The “sham” or fake chiropractic treatment used the same treatment frequency and similar positioning of the patient but purposely did not obtain a joint cavitation or “crack” but still seemed “real” to the patient.

The primary outcome used to determine “success” was a reduction of the scoliosis curve measured on x-ray at a 6-month point. Using the standard medical model, those with curves of 20-25 degrees require careful observation, curves 26-40 degrees are potential candidates for bracing, those greater than 40 degrees are potential candidates for surgery and, an increase in curve by more than 5 degrees measured twice a year or every 6-months is considered failure.

The results are interesting. Of those receiving only conventional medical treatment, none improved and one failed. The same occurred in the conventional MT plus sham/fake chiropractic. NO ONE failed and one improved in the chiropractic treatment plus MT group making it the only successful non-surgical treatment approach in the study. The preliminary findings from this study are huge! Chiropractic treatment in this group of adolescent children was determined to be THE ONLY non-surgical approach that had the ability to maintain (not allow the curve to progress) or even better, improve the curve!

At Denver Chiropractic Center, we work with many patient who have scoliosis. We combine Active Release Techniques to release tight soft tissues, chiropractic adjustments to increase spinal mobility, and physical therapy exercises to help retrain the nervous system. Call us today to see how we can help. 303.300.0424

We realize you have a choice in where you get your healthcare services.  If you, a friend or family member requires care for low back pain, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.

Denver Chiropractic Center Weekly Health News For You

Have you ever noticed that you seem to drag during November and December? Well, there’s a reason for this. As the days get shorter and you get less time in the sun, your brain produces less Serotonin, the feel good brain chemical. The result is usually a little fatigue, less energy than normal, and the annoying urge to eat sugar. This is why many of us gain weight this time of year.

The best defense is to essentially go with the flow. Cut yourself some slack, try not to totally cave in to it, and know that soon the days will start getting longer (December 22). Try to get outside for a walk or run at least 3 times a week, even if it’s just for 20 minutes. Try getting to the slopes or going out for some Nordic fun – snowshoeing or cross country. Open up those blinds and let the daylight in. It’ll help.

Mental Attitude: Commuting To Work Is Bad For Your Health! Spending hours each day behind the wheel or crammed in a public train or bus, commuting to and from work is bad for your health. Those who commuted reported more everyday stress, exhaustion, missed work days and generally poorer health. Those with longer commutes reported even worse health. Duke University, Oct 2011

Health Alert: Under Construction! Nearly all construction workers will experience one or more work-related injury or illness over a lifetime, plus a greater risk of premature death. Over a 45-year career, a construction worker has a 75% chance of a disabling injury, and a one in 200 chance of being fatally injured on the job. An individual who begins construction work at the age of 20 has a 15% chance of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and an 11% chance of developing dust-related parenchymal chest X-ray changes. Center for Construction Research and Training, Oct 2011

Diet: Strawberries & Stomach Ulcers. Scientists discovered strawberry consumption might help reduce and or slow the formation of stomach ulcers caused by alcohol consumption, viral infections and nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory medications, like aspirin and ibuprofen. Plos One, Oct 2011

Exercise: Good Reasons. Exercise helps speed recovery from chemotherapy treatments, increases the ability to supply blood to the skin for cooling and increases the thickness of the cartilage in your joints. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

Wellness/Prevention: Cranberry Juice vs. Cranberry Extracts. Cranberries have been recognized for their health benefits for years, especially in preventing urinary tract infections. However, it was found that drinking actual cranberry juice is much more effective in preventing a Urinary Tract Infection than simply consuming cranberry extracts. Food Science and Biotechnology, Oct 2011

Active Release: Posture and mobility. Do you ever catch yourself all hunched over, briefly horrified by your won bad posture? Recent research by Gray Cook from Functional Movement Screens points to poor posture and mobility of the thoracic spine as a contributing source of many problems- from hamstring injuries to back pain to headaches. We can help you with that. Active Release, spinal adjusting and rehab can all be used to improve posture and spinal mobility. If you have chronic back pain, we can help you. Give us a call: 303.300.0424

Thanks For Reading!

Denver Chiropractic Center

303.300.0424

Dr. Glenn Hyman

Dr. Jeff Stripling

Why my wife deserves a medal and this week’s Health News For You…from Denver Chiropractic Center

First off, I want to congratulate my friend and triathlon coach Cody Waite for finishing 39th at the Xterra Off-Road Triathlon World Championships Sunday (10/23) in Maui. Great Job Cody! Maybe next year I’ll be there (doing ART).

And speaking of congratulations, I hope you don’t mind if I congratulate my wife and myself on our 9th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe it was 9 years ago that we were saying our I-do’s on a beach in Hawaii. Next year will be #10. Maybe that is a good excuse to go to Maui.

Here’s this week’s brand new Health News For You:

Mental Attitude: Don’t Look At Me! Depressed people tend to avoid eye contact in social situations and in

experimental settings, whereas happy people actively seek eye contact. Sad people avoiding eye contact may lead to them

shunning certain social situations. Although this may reduce anxiety caused by the situation itself, it may actually increase social isolation and deepen their already depressed mood. British Journal of Psychology, Sept 2011

Health Alert: Hospital Staff Carry MRSA Superbug. 60% of doctors’ and 65% of nurses’ uniforms carry dangerous bacteria. In a 2009 report, rates of postoperative sepsis, or bloodstream infections, increased by 8%; postoperative catheter-associated urinary tract infections increased by 3.6%; and rates of selected infections due to medical care increased by 1.6%. 1 in 5 security cards carried by hospital doctors were contaminated with a variety of pathogenic bacteria, including the superbug MRSA, which kills thousands every year. Health and Human Services Department, 2009

Diet: Ginger Extract. Whole ginger extract has promising cancer-preventing activity in prostate cancer. Ginger extract had significant effects in stopping the growth of cancer cells, and inducing cell death in a spectrum of prostate cancer cells. Animal studies revealed the extract did not show significant toxicity to normal tissues, such as bone marrow. Research showed tumor regression up to 60%. Humans would have to consume about 3 1/2 ounces of whole ginger extract a day to get the benefits. British Journal of Nutrition, Aug 2011

Exercise: Good Reasons. Exercise reduces vulnerability to various cardiac dysrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms), improves the likelihood of survival from a myocardial infarction (heart attack), and helps overcome jet lag. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

Active Release: What A Headache. “Cervical migraine is the type of headache most frequently seen in general practice and also the most frequently misinterpreted. It is usually erroneously diagnosed as classical migraine, tension headache, [or] vascular headache. Such patients have usually received an inadequate treatment and have often become neurotic and drug-dependent.” Ragnar Frykholm, Neurosurgeon, 1972 (Note: Active Release, in our experience over the last 13 years, is very effective in patients with neck-related headaches.)

Wellness/Prevention: Fish Oil For A Healthy Mind. Researchers found positive associations between fish oil supplements and cognitive function, as well as differences in brain structure between users and non-users of fish oil supplements. The findings suggest possible benefits of fish oil supplements on brain health and aging.

International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease

Quote: “A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” ~ Harry S. Truman

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Ergonomics

The word, “Ergonomics” is thrown around a lot when it comes to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). The term ergonomics comes from the Greek ergon, meaning “work”, and nomos, meaning “natural laws.” By definition, ergonomics means, “…the study of efficiency in working environments.” Wikipedia describes it as, “…the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, and its cognitive abilities.” The International Ergonomics Association offers this definition: “Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.”

The study of ergonomics is not new as it dates back to Ancient Greece with substantial evidence that, in the 5th century BC, ergonomic principles were applied to tool design, jobs and workplaces. Examples include Hippocrates giving surgeons recommendations on how to arrange their table and tools during surgery.

Some ergonomic concepts you can employ on a daily basis include:

  1. Take frequent breaks, every half-hour if possible, but at least every 60 to 90 minutes. Get up, stretch and walk around. If nothing else, perform stretches while sitting in your work chair.
  2. Maintain “good posture” (tuck in the chin and hold the retracted position).
  3. Evaluate your workstation: proper sitting position, how you hold the phone, keyboard/monitor positions, type & position of the mouse, reaching requirements, avoid twist/bending the wrists.
  4. When grasping/gripping, use the whole hand – not just the fingers or thumb tips alone.
  5. Keep cutting instruments sharp (scissors, knives, etc.) and maintain locks on hinged knives.
  6. Consider modifications if tools are too heavy, buttons too high, too much required force, etc.
  7. Stay in shape as obesity is a risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome.
  8. Rotate job tasks rather than continuing with one task until finished (less repetition)!
  9. Communicate with your supervisor and HRO person about improving the workplace.

At Denver Chiropractic Center, we’ve been treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with Active Release Techniques since the year 2000. By releasing scar tissue in the muscles around the nerve, we can often get rid of this debilitating condition. Our success rate is around 90%, with no side effects. If you’re considering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome surgery, we urge you to give us a try.

We realize you have a choice in who you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing Active Release Techniques at Denver Chiropractic Center or those needs.  If you, a friend or family member require care for CTS, please call us today at 303,300,0424

What Denver Chiropractic Center’s doctors do to workout in the winter & This week’s health news for you…

WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE

Week of: Monday,  October 17, 2011

Courtesy of: Denver Chiropractic Center

Now that everyone on our staff is done with races for the year, it’s time to focus on winter conditioning (despite the fact that it’s 76 degrees out as I write this).

For Dr. Hyman, it’s a mix of P90X and Kettlebells. For Dr. May, it’s Kick boxing. Dr. Stripling is a Cross Fit guy and just got his Kettlebell Certification, so you can bet he’ll be swinging some Russian Iron around this winter. Who knows, you may even see us show up for some snowshoe races (really).

If you have any questions about your off-season or winter-season exercise program, we’d be happy to answer. Dr. Hyman and Dr. May are both Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists, and as noted above Dr. Stripling is a certified kettlebell expert. So ask away!

Without further delay, here’s this week’s Health News For You…

Mental Attitude: Don’t Worry Be Happy. The more you stay positive and happy in life, the better chance you have of avoiding a stroke. Optimistic people have a healthier immune system, faster wound healing, and a lower risk of heart disease. So don’t worry, be happy. Journal of The American Stroke Association and The Mayo Clinic, Aug 2011

Diet: Prune Power? In the US, 8 million women have osteoporosis because of the sudden cessation of ovarian hormone production at the onset of menopause. In the first 5-7 postmenopausal years, women are at risk of losing bone at a rate of 3-5% per year. In a study, the group of women who consumed dried plums had significantly higher bone mineral density in comparison with the group of women who ate dried apples. This was due, in part, to the ability of dried plums to suppress the rate of bone resorption, or the breakdown of bone, which tends to exceed the rate of new bone growth as people age. British Journal of Nutrition, Aug 2011

Exercise: Good Reasons. Exercise reduces your anxiety level, helps control blood pressure in people with hypertension, and protects against “creeping obesity” (the slow, but steady weight gain that occurs as you age). Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

Chiropractic: Happy Patients! In this study, the average intake pain rating of patients cared for by Doctors of Chiropractic was 6.2 of 10, and the average discharge score was 1.9 of 10. 95% of the patients rated their care as “excellent.” Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics, Feb 2011

Wellness/Prevention: Ancient Bugs. When they were developed less than a century ago, scientists were surprised at how fast bacteria developed resistance to antibiotic drugs. Recently, researchers discovered antibiotic resistant genes in bacteria recovered from 30,000-year-old permafrost. This shows antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon predating the modern clinical antibiotic use. Nature, Sept 2011

Quote: “Anything that won’t sell, I don’t want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success.”

~ Thomas A. Edison

Active Release Techniques: Pain Between the Shoulder Blades. One of the most common complaint that new patients bring to Denver Chiropractic Center is pain between the shoulder blades. This is almost always caused by poor posture. Chronically tight muscles start to build scar tissue and become painful. Using Active Release, adjusting , and corrective exercises we can break up the scar tissue and help you correct your posture. If you have pain between your shoulder blades, give us a call at 303.300.0424.

Yes, Denver Chiropractic Center treats whiplash cases with Active Release Techniques- when getting better faster matters to you…

Whiplash Facts

In whiplash research, many articles have been published that conflict or contradict each other. The goal of this blog post is to report the “facts” about whiplash.

  • It is more common to have a delay in the onset of whiplash symptoms. Symptoms may start about two hours after the initial injury or it may take days, weeks, or months before you feel anything.
  • For whiplash caused by car accidents, the severity depends on the force of the impact, the way you were seated in your car, and if you were properly restrained using a shoulder and seat belt.
  • Tests show the soft tissues in your neck sustain injury at a threshold of 5 mph. That means if you’re rear-ended at 5 mph or slower, you have a lower chance of getting whiplash. However, most rear-end car accidents happen at speeds of 6-12 mph.
  • If you’ve been in a car accident, it’s a good idea to be evaluated even if your car didn’t get damaged and you don’t feel any pain.
  • Although whiplash is most often associated with car accidents, you can also get whiplash from sports such as snowboarding, boxing, football and gymnastics.
  • The concept of “no car damage = no injury” is COMPLETELY false. Most cars can withstand collisions of up to 10 MPH and as pointed out above, only in collisions < 5 MPH are you less likely to be injured. Collisions that occur between 6-12 MPH cause the highest percentage of whiplash injuries (which is below the threshold of car damage in most cases). Also, the energy of the impact is transferred to the contents inside the car when there is no vehicular damage (that means you).
  • Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) can occur in motor vehicle collisions even if the head does not hit an object inside the car, although it’s more common when there is a head strike. The symptoms associated with MTBI are often referred to as “Post Concussive Syndrome.”
  • Approximately 10% of whiplash injured patients become totally disabled.
  • Of the studies published since 1995, over 60% of whiplash patients required long-term medical care.
  • Risk factors for long-term symptoms associated with WAD include: rear impacts, loss of the cervical lordosis curve, pre-existing degenerative arthritis, use of seat belts & shoulder harness (low speed impacts only), poor head restraint position or shape, non-awareness of the impending collision, female (especially long slender neck), head rotation at impact.

We realize you have a choice in where you go for your healthcare services.  If you, a friend or family member requires care for whiplash, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing us and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future. We believe that our unique combination of Active Release Techniques, adjustments, and physical therapy gets accident victims out of pain and back to their lives much more quickly that the standard approach.

Active Release Technique (ART) targets the soft tissue, which are the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that bear most of the damage in whiplash injuries. Adjustments, when used properly after soft tissue work (never without it in our office) helps make sure the spinal joints don’t stiffen up – which research shows is a precursor of arthritis. And physical therapy, when used with ART and adjustments can help restore full functional ranges of motion.

If you’ve been in a car accident, or have suffered some other whiplash injury, call us at 303.300.0424 to schedule an initial exam and start your road to recovery. We  accept Med Pay and most major insurance plans.