Cocoa Beach Chiropractic Orthopedist

During its 100-year history in America, chiropractic has gained steady acceptance for easing a wide array of physical ailments. The American Chiropractic Association describes chiropractic as a form of health care that focuses on musculoskeletal and nervous systems disorders and numerous studies support their assessment.  Chiropractic is common in sports medicine and many trainers will encourage it before, during, and after any physical performance. Let’s take a look at a few examples of how chiropractic has benefited the sports world. 1. Solid Body Maintenance in Professional Football It’s no secret that professional football is a beast of a game and injuries are frequent. Even if football players avoid serious injury, it’s a sure bet that stiffness and soreness are just par for the course. In a 2002 survey, thirty-one percent of football teams in the National Football League reported having a chiropractor on staff. Athletes reported using chiropractic care...

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) belongs to a group of disorders called “entrapment neuropathies” and as the name implies, it is caused by the trapping of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel of the wrist. There are MANY ways to treat CTS, with some of the most effective focused on reducing inflammation. Inflammation (from the Latin inflammatio) is commonly referred to as “swelling” and is a sequence of biological responses to harmful stimuli that include pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, damaged cells, and other irritants. It is a protective response to something abnormal that has occurred and involves our immune cells, blood supply, and more. Inflammation helps to eliminate the cause of cell injury, clean up necrotic or dead cells from area, and initiate the tissue repair process. The hallmarks of inflammation include heat, redness, swelling, pain, and loss of function. With CTS, inflammation can arise from multiple causes. One common cause is from the rapid, repetiti...

Most sprains and strains typically take six weeks to recover, provided the patient receives proper care, which may include self-management strategies. However, something is different about a whiplash associated disorders (WAD) injury in that many patients do not recover. At the Whiplash 2017 Symposium held in Australia, Dr. Michele Sterling stated, “Whiplash associated disorders are a costly burden to Australian society. Up to 50% of people who experience a whiplash injury will never fully recover. Whiplash is resistant to treatment and no early management approach has yet been shown to prevent chronic pain. We are hoping this study will provide a promising treatment for chronic pain.” Experts in the field presented important information about the development and prevention of disorders associated with a WAD injury such as chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression after trauma. The University of North Carolina’s Dr. Samuel McLean reported that app...

Did you know that between 50% of all pregnant women suffer from back pain? There are MANY reasons why back pain becomes an issue for women during their pregnancy. The first and most obvious reason is the displaced weight gain of 25-35 pounds (on average) resulting in pain in both the upper quarter (often from the increase in breast volume and weight) and lower quarter (from the growing baby). As the baby develops, an expectant mother’s center of gravity moves forward causing her to sway back, which can overload the lower region of the spine. The women most at risk for pregnancy-related back pain include those who are overweight prior to their pregnancy, those who perform physically strenuous work, and those with a history of  back pain . Another factor that can increase a woman’s risk for back pain during pregnancy is water retention. Not only does retaining water increase the load the body must carry, placing added stress on the musculoskeletal system, but water retention...

Obesity is one of the leading health-related problems facing the developed world. In fact, more than 1/3 (34.9% or 78.6 million) of adults in the United States (US) are obese. Obesity is linked to heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, and many preventable conditions that can lead to a premature death.  The estimated costs associated with obesity in the US topped $147 billion dollars in 2008 alone. Obesity is more common among middle age adults 40-59 years old (39.5%) than younger adults age 20-39 (30.3%) or adults over 60 (35.4%). When patients present for chiropractic care, their doctor of chiropractic will be interested in their total health needs even though their low back pain (or some other complaint) may have been the driving force behind making the appointment.  During the initial visit, he or she will take a thorough history as well as a review of systems to determine ALL of the patient’s issues. The chiropractor may also che...

The hip is a very unique joint. The depth of the socket, the strength of the muscles and ligaments surrounding it, and the way it functions in weight bearing activities is unlike any other joint in the body. The focus this month is on the relationship between the hip and the rest of the body. The hip joint is a synovial joint, meaning it moves freely. It is a ball-and-socket joint that is made up of the femoral head (the “ball”) and the acetabulum (the “socket”). The ball is largely contained within the cup or socket, though there are genetic and cultural differences with regards to the depth and shape of the hip joint in any one individual. The relationship between the hip and the surrounding joints is intimate in that each joint affects the next. For instance, ankle pronation—or the inward rolling of the foot and ankle—results in a knocked knee, which can then shift the hip outwards. The pelvis then drops down on that side, the tailbone or sacrum becomes unleveled or sl...