Cocoa Beach Chiropractic Orthopedist

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...

Can receiving spinal adjustments make a person healthier? If so, how would you measure it? Treating patients with chronic, long-term disabling back pain is truly a challenge. A commonly utilized medical approach to treating these patients (after the initial less invasive course of treatment has failed) is the use of opioid pain relievers (OPR). Opioid pain relievers are commonly used when treating patients who experience long-term pain. This group of medications includes oxycodone, methadone, hydrocodone, and others. Guidelines published on the treatment of chronic low back pain are clear: ALL other less dangerous approaches should be used first (and for obvious reasons). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that in 2007, nearly 100 people died DAILY from drug overdoses in the United States, with most caused by prescription medications. This is three times more than the rate calculated in 1991! Also, there was a 98.4% increase in Emergency Room (ER...

Whiplash can result from a number of causes, not just from motor vehicle accidents. A fall on the ice or a slippery floor, a sports-related injury, or even one of those rides that throws you around at the county fair can result in the same type of injury. Whiplash occurs when the head is literally “whipped” either forwards and backwards or from side to side. It can include hitting the head but often does not. Symptoms vary considerably and therefore the term, “whiplash associated disorders” or WAD has been adopted, based on the clinical presentation of the patient and on the specific tissues injured. Common symptoms include neck pain, loss of motion, headache, and sometimes arm pain or numbness resulting in difficulty driving, working, sleeping, and concentrating. Spinal manipulation of the neck has been found to be highly effective in the treatment of whiplash or WAD, and hence, Chiropractic is often the recommended first order of treatment for patients suffering fro...

Whiplash pain can be much different from other types of injuries. When a car accident is severe, the pain will come on right away. If the injury produces a mild or moderate sprain, sometimes it takes a few days for the pain and inflammation to reach its maximum extent. Sometimes it is stiffness that is the prominent symptom and the patient notices this in the first few weeks after the accident. A delay in pain is often seen in low speed collisions where typically there is very less damage to the vehicles. There are a lot of factors that determine the extent of injury following a low speed whiplash. One of these is the neck posture prior to impact. Was the head turned? This can occur if the patient was looking at the rear view mirror during the collision. Low speed collisions can occur in parking lots. If the patient was turned to see if a space was clear, this can make a simple trauma result in a significant injury. Besides the position of the patient prior to the coll...

Help for your aches, pains, creaks and strains Mystified by chiropractors? You’ve got a lot of company. Many people don’t understand what a chiropractor does. “Think of a chiropractor as a doctor who cares for any kind of muscle, joint or bone pain,” advises  Andrew Bang, DC , from Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine. It’s important to inform your primary care physician about any pain you’re experiencing, whether recent or  chronic  (lasting more than three months). Your primary care doctor can rule out potentially serious problems that need treatment. Chiropractors can complement the traditional medical care you receive. Here are three things you should know about what they do — and don’t do: 1. Chiropractors don’t prescribe medication “Chiropractors do not prescribe medication; this allows us to think outside the box,” says Dr. Bang. “Many people would rather take a pill than change a few  lifestyle habits , but I see...

Even though whiplash or whiplash associated disorders (WAD) is very common, it remains poorly understood. Recent studies report that up to 60% of people may still have pain six months after their injury. Why is that? Investigations have shown there are changes in the muscle and muscle function in the neck and shoulder regions in chronic WAD patients. Symptoms often include balance problems as well as increased sensitivity to a variety of stimuli including pressure, light vibration, and temperature. Interestingly, this hypersensitivity not only occurs in the injured area, but also in areas away from the neck such as the front of the lower leg or the shin bone. This can only be explained by some type of neurobiological processing of pain within the central nervous system, which includes the spinal cord and brain. It’s not surprising that when pain continues for lengthy time frames, people with these symptoms may also experience psychological distress. The confusing thing...