Chiropractic Care

Children are naturally playful. If you don’t keep a close eye on them, even if they are just playing inside the house, they might encounter accidents that may cause serious harm and injury. To make your house a safe place for your children, here are some guidelines that you need to follow and keep in mind.

1. Ensure that your property is free from pests and other bugs that may bite and sting your children. Getting a pest control service can help eliminate pest infestations inside and outside of your house.
2. Install safety latches on dangerous items that will be likely explored by your children, including refrigerator, oven, kitchen cabinets, and cupboards. If you still have babies or toddlers roaming around the house, make sure to childproof these furniture pieces and keep appliances away from them to avoid any accidents.
3. Keep hazardous objects away from reach of children, including knives, scissors, hammer, heavy pots, pans, as well as alcohol, detergents, and soaps. Store breakable products and items that can light a fire out of their reach, too.
4. Keep all electric cords neatly coiled and away from your child’s eyesight and reach. You may also use outlet covers to be extra cautious.
5. For the stairs, install safety gates at its top and bottom, handrails along its length, and if possible, carpet or anti-slip rugs to prevent your child from slipping.
6. Make sure all heavy pieces of furniture, such as bookshelves and cabinets are secured to the wall and inaccessible to children.
7. Use door stops and door holders to prevent injuries to fingers and hands. Moreover, do not close the door of a room with only children inside. They might lock it with keys inside the room, not enabling you to enter again.
8. Unplug appliances when not in use, and keep electrical cords neatly coiled and out of your child’s reach to prevent electrocution.
9. Do not leave your child alone in the tub as he can drown with even a few inches of water.
10. Finally, make sure that you give them proper instructions about staying safe at home. Remind them every time so that these safety reminders get instilled in their minds and they will remember them as they grow up.

As they say, prevention is always better than cure. By following these safety precautions for your children at home, you are helping them prevent injuries, accidents, and bad health conditions.

Older people are the ones more prone to injuries and accidents. Not only do they have weaker eyesight and hearing, they are also starting to lose their balance, flexibility, and body coordination. Because of this, it is very important to keep your home safe, especially if older people are visiting or staying with you.

Whether you are moving into a new house or are already residing in one with one or more leders, it is best to ensure that your house comes with safety features to ensure that your home is safe and accident-free for older people. Below are some tips on how to make your house safe for elders.

1. Have handicap bar grabs installed in the bathrooms of your house. These bars are bathroom bars specifically designed to provide support and maintain stability primarily to elders and disabled users. They help bathroom users get up and sit down on toilet seats and stand properly on shower areas, preventing further injury and other accidents. They are easy to install, use, and clean, making them beneficial to elder users or people with disabilities
2. Opt for safety bed rails. Safety bed rails are safety devices designed to be installed at one or all sides of the bed to protect a child or an elderly and prevent him from falling off the bed while he is sleeping. They serve as small walls that secure the person in his bed. They are especially useful for individuals who constantly turn around or move in different positions while sleeping. Every household with children and/or elders should have bed rails to ensure their safety at all times.
3. Check all electrical wirings and ensure that no loose wires are reachable. Make sure that outlets are covered so they cannot be touched by the finger or any pointed object.
4. Deal with loose rugs, mats, wires, and hose that could trip old people, or anything else that could pose a safety hazard. Install comfort and safety devices in the bathroom, including non-slip tub mats, shower seats, and non-skid rugs to prevent older people from tripping over them.
5. Install night lights in bedrooms and hallways to help elders see in the dark and lessen the possibility of them tripping or falling. Make sure that pathways are clear of extension cords and other hazards.

These are just some ways on how to build and customize a house that is safe for older people. By following these safety precautions, you are preventing them from suffering from falls, injuries, and other health hazards.

The bathroom is often the most used room and has the highest traffic among all rooms in the house. Why not? Everyone just needs to go to the bathroom several times a day. However, this also means that most accidents happen inside the bathroom, with it being relatively small, dim, and wet most of the time. While accidents may happen to anyone, elderly people are the usual victims of bathroom accidents.

People who have less mobility need to have an easy access to the bathroom. This is true among the seniors who need to maintain their quality of life by means of simplifying the most common tasks. One of these tasks is taking a bath. A senior may find it difficult to go into the bathtub or sit on the flush toilet. This is why it is very important to that bathrooms should be designed to prevent seniors from getting into accidents and acquiring injuries, especially when one of your family members needs to conveniently access the bathroom to maintain proper hygiene.

Here are some smart ideas on how to make your bathroom more elder friendly.

1. Anti-slip floors: One of the most common accidents that seniors experience is when they slip on wet tiles. Hence, it is very important to check your tiles and see if they do not cause any accident. In case you have budget constraints, you can make your tiles anti-slip by using nonskid mats. If your beloved senior uses a walker, the best action is to install low-pile carpeting.

1. Well-lighted bathroom: Elderly may have blurred visions, and a dim bathroom may cause accident to happen. Make sure that the whole room is properly lighted by installing more fixtures or getting your lights replaced with a brighter lighting structure.

1. Doorknobs or levers: Levers are a better choice when it comes to creating elder-friendly bathroom. When the senior has a painful case of arthritis, every movement becomes painful – including the simple task of turning the door knob. Thus, levers can make life easier for them. You may want to consider using lever on faucets, as well.

1. Adding grab bars: Grab bars are helpful, especially when the elder has to stand-up from the bathtub. It prevents slips especially when there is no one to assist the elder after taking a bath. Grab bars need to be installed near the flush toilet, bathtub, and shower rooms.

These are just some of ideas for accident-free bathrooms which do not require huge investment, just a little amount of effort to show that you truly care for your loved ones.

Kids’ natural playfulness usually causes injuries to their bodies that can sometimes be irreversible. It is commonly believed that losing an already permanent tooth is undoable. However, in reality these lost teeth are capable of being implanted back with proper knowledge and skill.

Here are some first aid tips that you may want to know in case of emergence that may cause tooth dislodgment.

 

1. Pick the tooth up. Make sure that you pick it up as gently as you can. Also, do your best to avoid having contact with the root. What you can do instead is to hold it by its crown, which is the visible part of it outside the gum.

1. Wash the tooth gently and lightly under running water. You can also use milk. Do not scrub the tooth. A light rinse would be just fine.

1. Try and place it back in your child’s cavity in order to preserve the nerve ends and avoid its expiring. If you cannot put back the tooth in its cavity, ask your child to keep it his mouth, between his cheek and his gums. The goal is to allow the saliva to do its work, which is to keep it alive and disinfected. However, if your child is unconscious do not place the tooth in his mouth for he may accidentally swallow it and at the same time foreclose any hopes of salvaging it.

1. If your child is unconscious and you are prevented from placing it in his mouth, what you can do is to place the tooth in a small bowl filled with milk.

1. Upon doing all of these, rush your child to your dentist, but do not forget to bring his tooth with you. Remember that the sooner that you get to the dentist, the greater the chance that the tooth will be restored. The ideal period for tooth re-implantation is about thirty to sixty minutes so make sure that you have someone who can call and set an emergency appointment with your child’s dentist as you are traveling.

A child may feel some pain or none at all. If his nerve has been exposed, surely he will be screaming because of the pain, in which case, he could be given a pain killing type of medication to relieve the intense pain he is experiencing.

Also, in cases of tooth loss, there may or may not be loss of blood and their gravity may also vary for each kid. Some may bleed severely, while others may just shed a few drops.

Car accidents are never fun and healthy. They often lead to stress, injuries, as well as traumatic experiences for serious accidents. One of the most common injuries brought by vehicular accidents is whiplash which is a serious neck injury.

Accidents in the road happen during the most unexpected times. Often, these occur when vehicle drivers are not concentrated on the things happening around them or when they are intoxicated while driving.

As much as possible, when driving to a certain destination, make sure that you are physically, mentally, and emotionally fit to do so. Otherwise, you or an innocent pedestrian may be injured and your car may be damaged. Here are some ways on how to stay safe on the road.

1. Stay alert on the road and wear your seatbelt at all times. Always keep your eyes on what’s ahead of you and, at the same time, feel what’s happening around you. Avoid staring at billboards, houses on the side, other vehicles, and your mobile phone, most importantly. When you change the direction of your eyes, even for just a moment, you may hit or get hit by another vehicle on the road and who knows what might happen next?

1. Strictly follow traffic lights and road signs at all times. Unless you are driving an ambulance, no one in exempted from these road rules. Beating the red light, illegal counter-flowing, and impulsively changing lanes are the most common causes of road accidents. Stay calm and collected while driving. Even if you are running late for an appointment, it is still better to arrive late than injured, isn’t it?

1. Make sure that your car is perfectly fit to travel. Before starting its engine, check major parts and accessories if they are all functional and well maintained. Check for flat tires and wheel pressure. Check oil and water in the engine. Check if you have sufficient fuel, as well. If your car is in good condition to travel, you will have fewer worries about experiencing problems or accidents on the road.

Being a responsible driver will reduce your risk in experiencing road accidents and injuries such as whiplash. Remember to always stay safe on the road. Your safety is still more important that any meetings, appointments, or movie schedule. So drive safely at all times.

If you have children in your house, you have to take extra precautions and observe additional safety measures to ensure their safety and security. Accidents may happen inside or outside the house, that’s why it is best to create a safe living environment for them.

Here are some essential ways on how to keep your children safe inside or outside the house and prevent them from getting into accidents, troubles, or mishaps.

1. Monitor and watch over your kids at all times. If they want to play outside, allow them but be sure that an elderly comes along with them to watch over them. If you have to install several CCTV camera systems around your house, do so, in order to monitor your kids 24/7.
2. Cover all electrical outlets that are within the reach of children. For children, electrical outlets are attractive decorations in the wall which easily catch their attention.
3. Keep sharp objects out of reach and out of sight. Keep knives, scissors, forks and pointed objects in cabinets, boxes or in high places where they cannot be reached and where they have little tendency of falling.
4. Teach your children to never talk to strangers and let them inside the house. If someone knocks on the door, instruct them to call you instead so you will be the one to open the doors and entertain the guest.
5. Keep the floor and other surfaces clean and dry. Make sure that there are no broken glasses, nails, sharp stones, and dirty items or food scattered around. These may cause minor accidents of children.
6. Keep a close watch. Avoid leaving your children alone. Let them play but watch what they are doing and always be prepared in case something happens. Keeping a close watch will also ensure prompt action in case an accident in fact occur thus remedying the situation earlier and preventing the situation from worsening.

No matter how busy you are, always monitor your children and their activities inside and outside the house. These safety guidelines will help your children stay safe and away from any harm and accidents.

More than forty muscles, thirty bones, and fourteen primary nerves comprise the arm, making it dexterous, adaptable and diligent, more than any tool that man has developed.

Arm pain serves as a warning signal. They should be given serious attention as they may be caused by an injury or they may be indicating there is a more severe underlying issue. Chiropractic care can help with injuries of the arm and arm pain. A chiropractor can examine your spinal vertebrae to identify any potential interference that may be contributing to nerve compression.

Chiropractors see two different sources of pain in the arm. They are arm injuries that directly relate to the arm structures and referred pain coming from injuries to joints, muscles and ligaments in the neck.

Arm Injuries that Chiropractic can Treat

Chiropractors encounter and deal with the following common arm injuries and conditions:

• Brachial plexopathy. Issues with the arm, shoulder, and hand can often be linked to brachial plexus, a nerve group in these areas. These nerves, which run from the base of the neck through the top of the shoulder area, allow the movement and sensation for the shoulder, arm and hand. Any damage to the nerve in the brachial plexus can cause loss of sensation and mobility and pain. Direct injury to the nerve, birth trauma, stretching injury, and other problems like inflammatory conditions can result to this damage.
• Arthritis. Osteoarthritis, particularly, is a way for the body to try to bring stability to unstable joints. Many reasons can cause the joints to become unstable, including overuse and trauma. If the joints continue to be unstable, they tend to fuse, which will make everyday activities to be difficult to perform. Although osteoarthritis affects the hips, spine and knees, the major joints that bear weight for the body, first, the wrist and hand get often affected too.
• Tennis elbow. Also called lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow is pain that is felt on the elbow’s outer side. It is caused by overuse and repetitive movement of the muscles and tendons of the arm, forehand and hand. Overuse can occur with various activities but it is more common with sports movements like in tennis, badminton and other sports using racquet.
• Golfer’s elbow. It is also called medial epicondylosis. As in tennis elbow, it is caused by overuse and repetitive movement of the muscles and tendons of the arm, forehand and hand that results to pain, but in the inside part of the elbow. Although this injury is common to golfers, it can affect anyone who overuses the said muscles and tendons.
• Cubital tunnel syndrome. It is caused by the compression of the ulnar nerve at the elbow resulting to numbness and tingling in the hand and fingers.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome. It is an inflammation in the nerve in the wrist that causes pain in the hand and fingers and other symptoms. It is caused by compression of the median nerve in the arm that passes through the carpal tunnel. Typing and other work are common activities that cause carpal tunnel syndrome but it can also occur from fractures of the wrist, acute trauma and other factors that can lead to compression in the area of the wrist.
• Radial tunnel syndrome. Although commonly misdiagnosed as tennis elbow, this condition affects the forearm area below the elbow. Symptoms include pain or numbness that occur along the forearm. It is typically accompanied by weakness in the hand or arm. The condition is due to the compression of the radial nerve located in the forearm.
• Tendinitis / tendinosis. Tendons and ligaments in the hand and arm can be injured or inflamed, causing this condition.

Chiropractors can use different techniques and methods based on the underlying cause of these arm conditions. Chiropractic adjustments is the primary method used although the chiropractor can also employ soft tissue therapy, physical therapy, passive and active stretching, electrical stimulation and instrument-assisted soft tissue manipulation (IASTM). Most patients with arm injuries find these techniques effective and very comfortable. But as we all know the best way to treat injuries is of course to prevent them.

 

Pain is a major problem in the United States and elsewhere. According to the National Institutes of Health, more Americans suffer from pain than from heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined. Data from the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine show that Americans who suffer from chronic pain number approximately 100 million. Back pain, headaches, musculoskeletal pain and arthritis pain top the list of chronic pain conditions. While these conditions are very common, they are certainly not normal. Fortunately, chiropractic care can help with all these and other pain conditions. Chiropractic treatment helps with many issues related to the spine, and that is what many people know. Chiropractic also provides effective treatment for problems with the extremities.

Symptoms of Arm Pain and Problems

Common symptoms of conditions of the arm may include the following: pain, pins and needles, numbness, decreased mobility, stiffness and weakness. The pain symptom can be burning, sharp, dull or throbbing. These symptoms may be mild to severe in intensity. Although symptoms may come directly from the arm itself, more frequently, symptoms perceived as emanating from the arm and even elbow, are referred from a condition in the neck or in the shoulder, actually.

Chiropractic Care for Arm Pain

Chiropractic therapy is a very viable option for arm pain.

During the initial chiropractic consultation, a thorough assessment will be conducted to determine what may be causing your symptoms. A personalized treatment plan specific to your conditions and needs is developed so that the treatment can be started immediately. The goal of chiropractic care is restoring your body’s balance, lost function and mobility and to get you pain-free in the earliest possible time, in a natural way – without using drugs and invasive surgical means.

Chiropractic care has worked for arm pain cases with the following common conditions:

• Acute problem from sports injury involving strained sore muscles, or a tear in the rotator cuff
• Chronic condition, such as rheumatism or neuralgia that you have suffered a long time from
• A condition that gets worse over time, which includes carpal tunnel syndrome or frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis
• Referred pain not originating from the arm but from a problem in the upper back or neck.
• Conditions resulting from various causes

The chiropractic assessment consists of a series of diagnostic tests to zero in on the exact cause of the condition. This procedure is vital in the successful treatment of your arm problem. The treatment plan will be different from other treatment plans, even if your symptoms are apparently similar to another patient’s symptoms (read more on this here). While most arm pain conditions can be treated well with chiropractic, you may be referred to another specialist for more appropriate care should your chiropractor determine that the cause underlying your arm pain is not suited for chiropractic treatment.

In the course of the chiropractic treatment, your chiropractor will use gentle, effective and safe techniques to relieve you of pain and get you mobile again quickly, all according to the treatment plan that has been developed specifically targeting the cause for your problem. The treatment will most likely include chiropractic adjustments. Other techniques your chiropractor may utilize are soft tissue therapy that can include myofascial release, physical therapy, active and/or passive stretching, IASTM or instrument assisted soft tissue manipulation and electrical stimulation. In addition, your chiropractor may give you advice on lifestyle habits and posture that trigger recurrence, to prevent your condition from developing again in the future.

Unlike some medical options in the treatment of arm pain and injuries that mask the condition’s symptoms and leaving their source untreated, chiropractic treatment treats the root cause while producing quick relief from the symptoms. It is effective, safe and conservative.

Arm pain refers to any type of discomfort or pain in the arm. It usually includes pain emanating from the joint of the shoulder to the joint of the wrist. It is usually the result of an injury, infection, inflammation or irritation of the skin, bones or joints or muscles in the arm. Arm pain does not necessarily have to originate in the arm. Sometimes the pain arises in the neck or upper back. The conventional treatment to manage arm pain often includes rest, splint or sling, elevation, elastic wrap, cold compresses, heat therapy, over-the-counter painkilling medications, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and surgery.

Whether the pain originates in the arm directly or is transferred from the neck or upper back, chiropractic care can help alleviate the pain and the other symptoms.

It is believed that less than 5% of all arm pain that are caused by irritated or pinched nerve actually requires surgery. That means most of the cases can be healed using conservative treatment like chiropractic.

Chiropractic Treatment for Arm Pain

A comprehensive approach is taken by chiropractors in the diagnosis and treatment of arm pain. Arm pain may be caused by a great variety of factors that is why your chiropractor will perform a careful and thorough examination to determine the specific structures causing your pain. In this process step, all the structures in what chiropractors describe as the kinematic chain from the neck down to the fingers, will be evaluated to pinpoint the specific structures that are in pain and where exactly that pain comes from. This chain also includes the shoulder, elbow, and the wrist. The neurological factors will be checked. And so will the structures in the arm – the muscles, tendons and soft tissues. The neurological structures will definitely be looked at as well.

Diagnostic tests like x-ray and/or MRI may be requested to more accurately diagnose what is causing your condition. Conditions like arthritis, stenosis or herniated disc may likely cause nerve pain that drives down the arm. These conditions can often be successfully treated through chiropractic. As you receive treatment and with continued careful examination every visit, a referral to an orthopedist or neurologist may be done by your chiropractor if it is deemed that you need a more specialized evaluation for your condition.

Your chiropractor will likely recommend to you necessary lifestyle changes in the areas of ergonomics and postural issues.

On top of the precise spine adjustments, your chiropractor may also perform adjustments to the joints of the extremities, including shoulder, wrist and elbow to make sure that they all function well as a unit.

Let’s take the chiropractic treatment of tennis elbow as an example. Tennis elbow is pain in the outside part of the elbow. The pain is caused by tendon inflammation resulting from the rubbing action between the tendon and the bony protrusion of the elbow. The chiropractor performs adjustments that can realign the upper spine and the neck, reducing the pressure on elbow ligaments.

Another example is the chiropractor’s treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful condition of the hand and arm. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a result of a pinched nerve in the wrist. Several factors can contribute to this condition that includes wrist anatomy, patterns of using the hand and certain underlying health issues. The chiropractor isolates the cause of the condition and performs upper back and neck manipulations and adjustments to assist in the treatment of carpal tunnel condition.

Your chiropractor may opt to include and use other therapy modalities during the chiropractic sessions. This may include heat or ice , cold laser, ultrasound, gentle stretching and exercises to strengthen or stretch the structures around the arm, shoulder and neck.

Chiropractic care is compatible to most conditions involving arm pain. Chiropractic care is effective and safe and gets into the root of the pain, ensuring that the underlying cause is addressed and reoccurrence is prevented.