As the summer months come into full swing I’d like to take a moment to talk about something that everybody gets exposed to – the sun. Mild sun exposure is actually good for your health, but it is also important to prevent things like sunburns and heatstroke. Here are some things you can do to help your body heal if you do end up with a sunburn.
We often have people that come into the office saying that their neck hurts and their hands are going numb. Numbness and tingling, sometimes called paresthesia can be caused by a pinched nerve in the neck. (1) This is typically called cervical radiculopathy, and it can also appear with muscle weakness.
Our bodies continually get bombarded with highly reactive molecules called free radicals. (2) Eating sugar and highly processed foods as well as exposure to environmental toxins is ultimately a chemical attack on the body because we must process everything we eat down to a non-damaging state.
Headaches are a common reason people come to my office. Up to 47% of the general population suffers from headaches (1). It can be generally defined as pain in the head or face, and sometimes also includes pain in the neck. It can feel sharp or dull or sometimes throbbing, (2) and can last anywhere from minutes or hours to days. (2) Although pain is the main feature of most headaches, some can have other symptoms including nausea, light or sound sensitivity, watery eyes, or changes in vision. (3) Each individual’s case is different and requires a thorough evaluation before a proper course of care can be determined.
Research shows, and the American Chiropractic Association agrees, that a conservative approach to managing low-back and spinal pain may be more effective than acetaminophen or other medications. Studies show that acetaminophen offers only a minimal short-term benefit for relief of pain. Chiropractic care offers a more conservative approach to treating the symptoms and offer relief from low-back pain.
Today’s subject is posture. Since the pandemic has caused so many people to be working from home, posture is a hot topic in my clinic. Most complaints about pain from working from home are due to lack of workspace or sitting slouched on the couch with a laptop to one side, but looking down while on your phone, carrying a heavy bag, or using too fluffy of a pillow at night can also be to blame.
According to data from NCMIC, less than 1 in 2 million chiropractic neck adjustments may produce a serious adverse effect. (1) Tylenol overdose accounts for nearly half of acute liver failures in the U.S. (2) and if you drive about 8 miles each way to get to your chiropractic appointment, you have a statistically greater risk of a car accident than of having a serious complication from your treatment.” (1)
This is to give you a little insight into why things feel the way they do. Your brain is the master computer for your body. It tells your body what to do by sending electrical impulses through your spinal cord and nerves. The bones of your spine are put together beautifully like puzzle pieces, they wrap around the spinal cord, to protect it. When the bones are seated properly there are spaces between those bones for the nerves to exit and go out into the body. If something shifts a bone out of place it can pinch the nerve root and cause pain or dysfunction in the distribution of that nerve.
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Monday-Tuesday: 8:30am-5pm
Wednesday: 8:30am-4pm
Thursday: 8:30am-5pm
Friday: 8am-12pm
Address: 405 E Omaha St Suite D, Rapid City, SD 57701
