What does the word, “vertigo, ” mean? Vertigo is a name for the dizzy disturbance that a person suffers within a stationary setting. The perception is that the external world is tilting or spinning. Vertigo may be quick and short- lived or constant. However, either way, the precise cause of vertigo must be defined and the proper therapy undertaken.
There are numerous reasons for the problems of Vertigo. An inner ear ailment, known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, can sometimes arise as the aftermath of a sustained head trauma or serious cold. Often this particular vertigo may be the result of the aging process. The root cause, nevertheless, often is unknown. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is a wordy diagnosis, but it characterizes perfectly this non- progressive condition that is caused by, as its name implies, a sudden change in head posture. The symptoms are often unpredicted and varied.
It is beneficial to look at the operation of the inner ear in an attempt comprehend what creates the frequently incapacitating discomforts of this sort of vertigo. The brain senses changes in position and keeps balance utilizing the fluid contained in the inner ear. Also in the inner ear are tiny calcium carbonate crystals, known as otoconia. These crystals will float in the inner ear fluid if dislodged. As the crystals strike against the responsive nerve endings in the inner ear, they bring about the difficulties of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV.
The good news is that chiropractic treatment can eliminate the manifestation of BPPV very quickly and effectively employing a technique that is known as the Epley maneuver. Through the use of this method, a chiropractor rotates the head of a BPPV sufferer into a number of the different positions, letting gravity move the calcium carbonate crystals into a space of the inner ear that is away from the nerve endings where they will be the source of no further wooziness.
Your chiropractor has aided hundreds of individuals for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo using the Epley Maneuver technique. Generally, with only one treatment most patients no longer suffer from dizziness. chiropractic Santa Barbara can help. Make an appointment today!
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Knee X-ray
A new study conducted by Tufts University School of Medicine has determined that patients that are at least 65 years of age or older who suffer from knee osteoarthritis (OA), and who practice Tai Chi, increased their physical function and experienced decreased pain. Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis that causes an erosion of joint cartilage. Chiropractors help a large number individuals who suffer with OA in a number of areas of the body, including the joints of the knee. Knee pain and disability is one of the most commonplace dysfunctions of the musculoskeletal system, second only to spinal abnormalities. In fact, an extraordinary 4.3 million US adults over age 60 have been diagnosed with knee OA, according to the CDC, and it conjectures that half of the people in America may suffer from symptoms of OA in at least one knee by age 85. The consequences of knee osteoarthritis are pain, immobility, functional disabilities, and a diminished quality of life.
Why do so many adults develop OA? As with nearly all of the musculoskeletal conditions that we develop as we age, inappropriate stress to a joint over time is a major element. That is why as people get older they are more at risk for developing OA in their joints, including the knees. Incorrect function of the knee, irregular gait, compensatory foot mechanics as the result of foot pain, and overload of the knee joint all cause undue stress on the knees. Consequently arthritic changes in the knee joint occur. Many chiropractors suggest such natural, drug-free practices as Tai Chi, in combination with their chiropractic management. Tai Chi (Chuan) is a traditional style of Chinese martial arts that features slow, rhythmic movements that generate peace of mind, as well as an enhancement of balance, an increase in strength, and more flexibility.
In otherwise good health, the 40 men and women with confirmed OA that were picked for the Tufts study were, on average, 65 years of age and overweight. Patients were chosen at random to engage in 60-minute “Yang style” Tai Chi sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks. Each session included a 10-minute self-massage and a review of Tai Chi principles, 30 minutes of Tai Chi movement, 10 minutes of breathing technique, and 10 minutes of relaxation.
Tai Chi practice involves the kind of range of motion, flexibility, muscle conditioning, and aerobic workout that is in harmony with with contemporary exercise advice for osteoarthritis. Furthermore, researchers found that the “mental aspect” of Tai Chi encouraged a sense of well-being, life satisfaction, and impressions of health that aided the participants in dealing differently with chronic pain. Compared with the control group, the group practicing Tai Chi experienced a considerable decrease in knee pain.
Full findings of the study are published in the November 2009 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.
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Chiropractic Santa Barbara knows that you probably have many questions about your body during your pregnancy, and you may be wondering if it is a good idea to get your spine checked while you are pregnant. The answer is a big, healthy “Yes!” In fact, it’s a wise decision to not only get your spine checked, but to get adjusted while you are pregnant.
You’ve probably noticed that your body is going through many changes, and these changes will continue as your pregnancy progresses. One change that goes basically unnoticed is your body’s increased production of the hormone elastin. This hormone is designed to relax the tendons in the pelvis. This relaxation allows the pelvis more flexibility during the birthing process to make delivering the baby easier.
This process, despite the wonderful benefit of assisting the mother during labor, can create a lot of back pain in the months leading up to the birth. As your pregnancy advances, more elastin is released, which makes your pelvis increasingly more unstable. Add to this process the gradual increase in the size of your baby and uterus, and you have the formula for severe low back pain. As a chiropractor I see many pregnant women in my clinic for a variety of symptoms, but usually it is for their low back pain.
A bonus to seeing a chiropractor routinely during your pregnancy is that there is proof that it can actually decrease labor time. Why do chiropractic adjustments help? Simply put, if the pelvis is aligned properly, the muscles contracting during the labor process are more efficient and won’t have to strain against misaligned joints.
Not only can chiropractic help you with your low back pain and other associated symptoms, such as heartburn, nausea, swelling, etc., but it is safe for both you and your baby. In addition, should the need arise, a trained chiropractor can assist a mother who has a breached baby. This is done by using the Webster Technique, a low force technique to manipulate the uterus and get the baby into the proper presentation for delivery. A simple Google search on the Webster Technique can give you much more information.
To summarize: Not only is chiropractic safe for pregnant women and their baby, it is also very beneficial in helping with the symptoms associated with their pregnancy. If you are pregnant, I highly recommend that you go to see your Santa Barbara chiropractor. Chiropractic care can make you feel a lot more comfortable during your pregnancy, and make your labor process easier.
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chiropractic Santa Barbara knows that sciatica is an extremely painful condition. If you suffer from sciatic pain, you are, unfortunately, all too acquainted with the deep pain that accompanies your waking hours and inhibits your daily activities.
Sciatic pain generally travels from your low back, through the buttock(s), and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of your leg(s). Often, the pain may even travel into your knee. Sitting, as well as motion, can produce pain. Sometimes lying down will decrease, or perhaps temporarily get rid of the pain. But, sciatica cannot be corrected without proper treatment.
“Radiculopathy,” the medical term for the clinical diagnosis of sciatica, means simply that a disc has protruded from its usual position in the vertebral column and is placing pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve. Such pressure is extremely painful.
Added pressure on the intervertebral discs, as well as imbalances in the muscles encompassing the spine, can happen during and after prolonged sitting, especially in a awkward position. For the most part, a specific event or definite injury doesn’t produce sciatica, but, on the contrary, it tends to come about over time as a consequence of commonplace wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. Over the course of time the lower spine loses its capacity to function normally during everyday stresses.
The final result is that, the intervertebral disc develops small fissures, or cracks, which then allows the soft nucleus to extend the disc outward. If the disc presses on sensitive tissues, it generates the pain that is frequently referred to as a slipped disc. If the disc presses on the spinal nerve, an individual can develop sciatica.
With chiropractic adjustments and management, which often includes postural exercises, most disc problems, including sciatica, can be corrected. If you are experiencing sciatic pain, it is essential for you to seek help from your chiropractor.
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Chiropractic Santa Barbara wants you to know that a minor car accident could add up to a major injury, such as whiplash. If you’ve been driving around in a big tank-of-a-car and you’ve been in an auto accident, it’s easy to assume that you haven’t been injured if your car doesn’t look “hurt.” After all, isn’t that the purpose of driving a big vehicle? It’s for security, right? Then you might find it a bit disturbing to learn that research has shown that occupants of vehicles, both large and compact, can be hurt a lot more than might be predicted from a minor auto accident. In reality, as far as your body goes, there’s really no such thing as a “minor fender bender.”
Let’s face it. There are going to be repercussions when your body is compelled to stop suddenly and unexpectedly. An emergency room attendant may hand you a clean bill of health because you haven’t broken any bones, and you may be given a prescription for drugs to ease the muscle spasms that you are doubtless experiencing due to the structural changes in your neck or lower back that you encountered from the impact. But, your condition could go from bad to much, much worse unless you’re treated for the injuries you’ve received. In fact, some people encounter problems years after a car accident as the result of their not getting the help they required in the first place.
Your chiropractor truly knows what your body undergoes during an auto accident. Chiropractic care includes treatment for soft tissue injuries and spinal bio-mechanics impairment. And when it comes to rehabilitation strategies, your chiropractor is an expert
If you’ve been in a minor auto accident, although your car may not require much repair, no doubt, you do. Neck and back traumas are not only painful in the areas in which they happen, but they can also produce pain, tingling, and numbness in your arms and hands and cause headaches days, weeks, even months after an accident occurs.
Chiropractic care will provide you with a drug-free, natural road back to feeling good again. It will go a long way in putting the trauma of your accident where it belongs – in the past. Moreover, because your chiropractor has experience communicating effectively with insurance companies and lawyers, not only will you undergo less physical stress, but less emotional stress, as well!
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chiropractic Santa Barbara offers exceptionally beneficial treatment if you are suffering from hip pain. Do you experience pain in one or both hips whenever you twist them or when you cross your legs? Does the pain wake you up in the night and make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep? When you arise in the morning, or when you get out of your car, are you stiff and do you find it hard, at first, to move your legs? If any of these symptoms sound familiar, then it is likely that you have imbalances and alignment problems in the lower part of your body that, in addition to causing hip pain, can over time bring about degenerative hip joint disease if not treated.
Even though hip pain and related problems regularly point to age-related degenerative conditions, particularly osteoarthritis of the hip joint, osteoarthritis isn’t always the culprit. In fact, rather than being the original source of the problem, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be the end result of injury to your hips at a previous time.
Gait changes caused by biomechanical problems such as an ankle sprain or knee strain, can produce hip pain. Also, if you change jobs, alter the way you sit, take on a new sport or activity, or start driving for long periods of a regular basis, your gait may alter to compensate for these new changes.
In addition, gait imbalances can be caused by leg length dissimilarities, foot pronation conditions, even carrying a baby or small child on your hip. The point is, anything that produces an asymmetry or imbalance when you are moving can bring about painful hip problems.
Along with your adjustments, as part of the chiropractic management of your hip problem your chiropractor may prescribe orthotics. Your chiropractor will also offer suitable progressive rehabilitative exercises that include muscle stretching and strengthening.
Hip pain won’t disappear on its own. hip pain is an indication that something needs to be remedied. Your chiropractor can help to get you out of pain, get back into balance, and get your life back!
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chiropractic Santa Barbara has found that a common source of neck pain is the type of pillow people use while sleeping. Hence, it is very important to use a well-made orthopedic pillow that is designed to stop neck pain. If your pillow is too flat or too puffy, then it might result in aches or tense muscles.
Often our morning begins with neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain or foot pain. You may also face issues such as snoring, insomnia, neck stiffness, or numbness in the hands and arms after you sleep on an uncomfortable pillow that has improper back or neck support.
Pillows also ought to be renewed every so often as a result of the breakdown in materials. Some brands of pillows will last longer than others, but you generally pay more for the pillow that will last a longer period. Pillows become uncomfortable because they deteriorate over time. Cervical pillows are specifically engineered to take care of neck and shoulder problems and give support to the natural c-shape curve of the neck. A cervical pillow cradles the head, aligns the cervical vertebrae in a neutral position, supports the head, and allows better shoulder movement.
There are individuals who use several pillows, and that elevates their head to a height that results in uneven joint pressure or irritation from muscle tension.
Fortunately, there is a solution to all these issues. You can get a good quality orthopedic pillow, even if it may be priced a little higher than a regular pillow. But, you would gain all the comfort for which you have been searching for such a long time. A good quality cervical pillow, whether the pillow is down feathered, a foam-type, or poly-filled, it will provide you with beneficial comfort and support. This will allow you to have a good night’s rest and a pain-free morning.
The quality of an orthopedic pillow may be ascertained by its capability to provide support to the neck’s natural curves and posture. But, the most efficient way to find the proper neck pillow for you, is to consult with a health care professional, like your chiropractor. The pillow should shape itself to support your neck and head in the appropriate posture even if you sleep on your back or side. It is very important to ensure that the orthopedic pillow you purchase provide you with support on both your side and back postures.
You may want to also think about your sleeping tendencies when purchasing a pillow for yourself. If you are in the habit of sleeping on your back, then you will need select a pillow that has been specifically manufactured to provide neck and upper back support. If you are a side sleeper, then you will want a bit higher pillow that will give you a good deal of room for your shoulder position. When you are sleeping on a proper cervical, it should provide enough resistance to restrict your head from going sideways, or rolling and tilting unnaturally.
Get yourself a good quality cervical pillow and end your neck pain suffering at last!
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Chiropractic Santa Barbara wants you to know that you’re not alone if you’re suffering from low back pain. Low back pain affects a large majority of people, an astonishing 80% in fact, making it second only to the common cold in its pervasiveness. However, in contrast to the common cold, waiting for your back pain to “run its course,” and taking prescription or over-the-counter remedies while you wait, is not the solution. Generally most back pain won’t go away by itself. More often than not, if your pain lessens, it is most likely because your body has compensated for the problem and, consequently producing new challenges. Low back pain is nothing to sneeze at! If you want to resolve your back pain for good (and who wouldn’t?), it is important for you to consult a back pain specialist, like your chiropractor.
Many times back pain is a mystery to many of the people who experience it, and chiropractors are experts at solving their puzzlement. Why is it that nearly all back pain sufferers have not undergone any trauma, accidents, or major injuries prior to the onset of their pain? The answer is that the cumulative effects of improper sitting posture, bad work habits, improper lifting, lack of routine exercise, and other unhealthy lifestyle-related factors produce most back pain.
These factors add up over time and cause stresses and imbalances on the spine creating subluxations that can turn into serious back conditions. The process is not unlike the front end of your car being out of alignment. When you insist upon driving anyway, there is disproportionate wear and tear on your tires. If you didn’t get the problem fixed, the situation could worsen until a tire “blew.” When the spine is misaligned, the function of the spine is jeopardized. It’s not only a problem waiting to happen, so to speak, it’s a problem waiting to get worse. And then, something as easy as bending over to pick up a piece of paper can be the “final factor” that generates back injury. The surrounding back muscles go into spasm when thisoccurs in order to stabilize the stressed or injured tissues of the back.
When it comes to problems of the spine, chiropractors have more education, training, and experience than medical doctors. They provide highly qualified diagnosis and effective treatment for all muscular-skeletal problems. In addition to offering welcomed relief if you are suffering from back pain, but they are aware of what will help you to avoid further back pain. Your chiropractor will not only provide you with effectual adjustments and other productive chiropractic therapies but, in addition, will design an individualized exercise strategy and give advice about other beneficial lifestyle changes that will aid in keeping you well-adjusted and pain-free in the future.
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If you periodically, or even frequently, experience tension headaches or migraines, chiropractic Santa Barbara can assist in eliminating their disabling effects on your life.
Tension headaches: Like it or not, life can be a pain, sometimes, and end up as a tension headache. Most of us have experienced more than one. If you’ve had a tension headache, then you know that it often feels like a dull, painful ache in your head that is sometimes accompanied by a sensation of tightness or pressure across your forehead or on the sides and back of your head. Occasionally, you might feel a tenderness of your scalp, neck and shoulder muscles, and periodically you may experience a loss of appetite.
Tension headaches are usually characterized as mild to moderately intense. The severity of the pain varies from one headache to another in the same individual, as well as from one individual to another You may develop tension headaches quite frequently or they may occur from time to time. Your headaches are considered chronic if they happen fifteen or more days a month for at least three months. If tension headaches are interferring with your life, chiropractic management may be the answer. Make an appointment with your chiropractor today.
Migraine Headaches: Migraine headaches are different from the typical tension-related headache. For example, migraines frequently take place on one side of the head only, according to the National Headache Foundation. The throbbing or pulsating pain is accompanied by nausea or vomiting. Auras, visual symptoms an hour before a migraine attack, and symptoms such as pulsating light, lines or dots, are experienced by one-fifth of migraine sufferers.
Are you someone who suffers from migraines? If you are, you know the upsetting, disabling effects that this kind of affliction can have on your life. Unfortunately, you probably know from experience that typical over-the-counter medications are ineffective, and prescription drugs all too frequently have alarming side effects. Yet, the pain of a migraine can incapacitate you for hours, days, even a lifetime. It’s time to eliminate the pain and get your life back! Chiropractic treatment has been shown to be highly effective in relieving and eliminating migraine headaches. Call your chiropractor today!
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