Category: Blog

whiplash
Blog Featured Articles • • By lifecare-admin 0 Comments

3 Shocking Mistakes People Make When They Have Whiplash

Being in an automobile accident can be a very traumatic experience. While the advanced safety features in today’s cars do a great deal to prevent fatalities, you can still sustain injuries. Whiplash is very common and is caused when the head and neck are forcefully propelled forwards, backwards or sideways. When this sudden force is applied to the neck and back, it generates microscopic tears within the fibers of muscles and ligaments. Inflammation gathers in the soft tissue, stimulating pain fibers, causing that sore feeling.

It’s easy to come out of an accident intact and think that whiplash will not be a problem for you. While it may be the case, as you are monitoring your condition immediately following your accident, here are three major mistakes you’ll want to avoid.

 

Mistake #1: Believing You Will Have No Pain

You may start out after an accident feeling stiff and sore, wondering whether you will ever fully recover and be able to return to your normal activities. For some, though, the adrenaline released by the body just after the accident blocks all or some of the pain. It also takes a while for the inflammation to build up in the tissue. In so many cases, people don’t believe they have any pain – until hours or even days after their accident, when they start feeling it. Monitor your body very carefully in the hours after an accident – and get treatment as soon as pain symptoms crop up so you can be on the path to recovery faster.

 

Mistake #2: Ignoring the Symptoms

You may think that your pain is minor and doesn’t warrant seeing a medical professional. But ignoring the symptoms of whiplash (neck pain and stiffness, loss of range of motion in the neck, headaches, and tenderness or pain in the shoulder, upper back and arms) or just covering up the pain with medication without any type of therapy can oftentimes lead to greater issues down the road, such as:

  • Migraines or tension headaches
  • Decreased mobility
  • Chronic pain
  • Degenerative changes in the spine

This is why it is important to get checked by a chiropractor after an accident – to fully heal and avoid any residual effects of the whiplash.

 

[Related: Why You Should Care About Neck Posture]

 

Mistake #3: Undertreating Your Condition

Finally, you may acknowledge your pain and do something about it…but it is not enough to give you true healing. For a typical accident, we find three types of therapy are needed:

  1. Chiropractic care to properly align the spine to reduce irritation within the nervous system
  2. Ultrasound and electric stimulation on the injured soft tissue to push out inflammation and reduce muscle spasm
  3. Gentle therapeutic exercise to strengthen and stretch injured postural muscles

Some of our patients also choose to add massage therapy to their treatment plan. This is only when recommended by the doctor and after it no longer hurts to be touched, though. Typical recovery time for most accident-related musculoskeletal injuries can be anywhere from 3 to 12 weeks.

 

Word of Caution: You May Have Issues Beyond a Sprain or Strain

While most people only experience a mild to severe sprain or strain, some patients suffer from more complicated issues, such as concussion, torn ligaments or herniated discs. At Life Care Chiropractic and Wellness, we are prepared to examine, diagnose and treat all of these types of problems.

We hate that any of you go through the experience of a car accident, or any other cause of whiplash: rough roller coasters/amusement park rides, bumper cars, hits/collisions in sports, kids rough-housing and pushing from behind, pillow fights, turbulence on a plane, etc. And, above all, we want you to avoid the mistakes many people make when they have a case of whiplash. Know that we are here to help with everything from understanding how to set up a claim with your insurance company to treating your whiplash with a thorough medical approach.

We strive to make your entire experience as stress-free as possible. We understan that the accident itself has already been a traumatic episode. As always, give us a call if you have any questions – we are happy to help.

common digestive problems
Blog • • • By lifecare-admin 0 Comments

How to Combat Pesky Common Digestive Problems

For most of us, talking about the little aches and pains in our bodies is no big deal. In fact, we kind of find it therapeutic knowing others may be having the same ailments. There are other bodily issues, though, that many people just suffer with in silence. One in particular is digestive issues. Not exactly a topic of conversation at dinner parties, but it can be on someone’s mind – a lot. Do you ever have constipation, acid reflux, excess gas or bloating? We all do from time to time. These common digestive problems can actually be symptoms, though, of a poorly functioning or unhealthy digestive system. Not to worry. As bad as your situation may seem, there are ways to improve your digestive health. It just takes some effort and discipline on your part.

Here are seven methods for improving or even resolving common digestive problems. Try one or a combination to see what works for you.

  1. Stay hydrated.

    Too little water slows down digestion and hardens stool. So, drink plenty of water each day. A quick way to estimate how much water you need is to divide your weight in half. That number is what your body needs in ounces of water daily. In fact, throw a slice of lemon in your water. Lemon helps to stimulate the secretion of gastric juices and the citric acid from the lemon also interacts favorably with digestive enzymes.

  1. Eliminate fatty or fried foods.

    Foods high in saturated fats and fried foods typically require a lot of work from your liver and pancreas to break them down. If you consistently consume a high-fat diet, over time you can exceed the functioning capacity of your liver and pancreas causing a build-up of fats. The backlog of fats can coat carbohydrates and proteins, interfering with their absorption leading to indigestion.

  1. Eat more fiber.

    Fiber keeps everything moving along the digestive tract and helps produce regular bowel movements. It also helps to maintain a steady absorption of sugar, reducing the future risk for diabetes. Read more about good sources of fiber in this WebMD article.

  1. Eat slowly.

    Chew each bite of food at least 20 times to break down the food as much as possible. This makes it easier for digestion to occur in the stomach and intestines, and promotes the absorption of nutrients.

  1. Eat real food.

    Processed foods and foods with refined carbohydrates, such as white flour and white sugar, contain toxic additives and can increase inflammation in the intestinal walls. If your intestines aren’t functioning properly, you’ll experience symptoms like loose bowel movements or diarrhea, and it will affect the absorption of key nutrients.

  1. Get a dose of helpful good bacteria.

    Good bacteria assist in digestion and disease prevention as well as the production of serotonin and GABA, which allow proper mood regulation. You can get good bacteria from a high-quality probiotic supplement or from eating fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, fermented vegetables, kimchi and kombucha.

 

Related: Gut Bacteria and Why You Should Care About It

 

  1. Try apple cider vinegar.

    Drink 1 to 3 teaspoons of organic apple cider vinegar mixed with water 15 to 20 minutes before a meal. The apple cider vinegar helps maintain healthy acids levels in the stomach.

 

Most people will experience a marked improvement in how they feel within two to four weeks. Your results may vary, but be patient with the process. Your digestive system didn’t become unhealthy overnight and it will take time to bring it back to a healthy state. When it is finally healthy and functioning efficiently, you’ll feel better, stronger, and happier… and you can focus on living life to the fullest!

If you would like help with your common digestive problems, give our office a call and set up an appointment. Your wellness is important to us and we’re happy to help in any way we can.