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...

Millions of people are injured in car crashes each year in the US, and many of these “minor” collisions result in long-term symptoms and disability. In fact, research shows that a significant number of people have pain from a crash even 10-15 years later. Chiropractic is one of the best ways to treat and heal from these types of injuries. Chiropractic works by restoring the normal function of your spine, allowing the tissues to heal and become pain-free. If you’ve been in a car crash, here’s how chiropractic can help you: 1. Chiropractic Reduces Inflammation During an auto collision, the ligaments and muscles that make up your spine can be stretched or experience micro-tears. X-rays or MRI scans usually aren’t sophisticated enough to diagnose these kinds of injuries, but this tissue damage causes the area to become inflamed. Many times, an auto injury patient won’t feel much discomfort immediately after the crash, but t...

Is there a “normal” or “best posture” out there? If so, what is it? Posture is largely inherited; however, there are also environmental, social, and other forces that can affect posture. Some say “good posture” is the position that places the least amount of strain on the body, particularly the muscles and ligaments that hold the body together. A common cause of poor posture is called forward head carriage (FHC), where the head sits forward of the shoulders, placing a greater strain on the back of the neck and upper back to hold the head upright. Looking at the spine from the side, the opening of the ear should line up with the shoulder, hip, and ankle. There have been studies that suggest every inch (2.54 cm) of FHC increases muscle strain in neck and upper back by 10 pounds (4.5 kg). That means a 5 inch (~12.7 cm) FHC adds an extra 50 pounds (~22.7 kg) of strain on the neck and upper back to hold the head upright. So what can we do to improve our posture? First, stay a...

Whiplash and headaches are a very common duo that frequently occur after motor vehicle collisions. The good news is that most headaches that arise immediately following a head injury (or shortly thereafter) usually improve after minutes or days. But unfortunately for some, these headaches may persist over the longer term and even become a permanent part of life. Researchers use the terms “post-traumatic” and “post-concussive” headache to describe long-term, intractable headaches associated with trauma. Given the back-and-forth, to-and-fro (and every combination in between) mechanism of injury in car crashes, it’s easy to understand why headaches develop. What isn’t so easy to appreciate is why most clear out while others don’t and become chronic. Mild brain injuries are essentially a concussion (also referred to as mild traumatic brain injury or mTBI). This is usually a brief disturbance of brain function causing loss of consciousness or transient difficulty in thought proc...