Vacations: “Necessity” or “Luxury”

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on May 19, 2013
in Cincinnati Chiropractors and Wellness 101
. Closed

amazing structuresWhy take a vacation?

Taking time away from the stresses of life will give you a well deserved break.  By doing so, you will return to your life feeling refreshed and better equipped to handle whatever comes your way.  Sadly, many people have forgotten what it is like to have a few uncluttered days to relax and regroup.  Below are some reasons why regular vacations are a good idea.

  • Vacations Stave Off Burnout: Workers who take regular time to relax are less likely to experience burnout, making them more creative and productive than their overworked, under-rested counterparts.
  • Vacations Can Keep Us Healthy: Taking regular time off to ‘recharge your batteries’, thereby keeping stress levels lower, can keep your immune system functioning at a higher level.
  • Vacations Can Strengthen Bonds: Spending time enjoying life with loved ones can keep relationships strong, helping you enjoy the good times more and helping you through the stress of the hard times. In fact, a study by the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services found that women who took vacations were more satisfied with their marriages.
  • Vacations Can Help With Your Job Performance: As the authors of the above study suggest, the psychological benefits that come with more frequent vacations lead to increased quality of life, and that can lead to increased quality of work on the job.

Those of you that have forgotten the joys of being on a vacation.

Please click on the below video and enjoy!

YouTube Preview Image

I hope you have enjoyed this post.

Bon Voyage!

Dr. Gould

Vicoden, steroids and muscle relaxants did not impact my pain

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on May 17, 2013
in Testimonials
. Closed

Dear Dr. Gould,

It is amazing to me the progress that I have made since I started seeing you in May. What started out as a little back pain in March, ended up being a lot more than anyone expected. Three weeks into this minor problem, the pain became incredibly intense and I finally went to see my primary care physician. He took x-rays, the results came back normal. The spacing of my vertebra appeared to be normal and intact and there was no reason to suspect any kind of infection. He thought that I probably strained a muscle in my lower back. Over the weekend following my initial visit to him, the pain increased to a new level and I did not know how to make it go away. The medications he had given me, which included Vicoden, steroids and a muscle relaxant did not seem to have any impact on my pain. I had been taking them and the pain continued to increase.

As of the following Monday, he added an additional muscle relaxant and we set up an MRI to be completed on my back. Tuesday I went for the MRI. By Thursday, I was ready to go to the hospital because the results of the MRI had not come back and the pain had become unbearable (little did I know it would get worse). By this time, I had missed almost a full week of work. When I tried to return to work I would have to leave early due to the pain. To further my distress, I had to miss a lot of class and the new quarter had just begun. It was almost noon on Thursday when the doctor’s office called. The MRI report came back… everything was normal. I am not a doctor, but I knew when pain shoots down both your legs, everything is not normal. However, I took my doctors advice and started physical therapy. He was certain I was just having muscle spasms, even though the pain was extending from my lower back completely down the back of my legs.

I went to physical therapy three times a week and was there for two hours each visit. We did mobilization exercises and traction. At the end of each visit he put electrical stimulation on my lower back. So I felt good for roughly 20 minutes after I left, but then the pain returned. At this point I was struggling to walk because the pain was unbearable.

Once again, I contacted my primary care physician and he sent me to Christ Hospital for a bone scan. When the results came back, everything once again was normal. It was at this point that my primary care physician referred me to an orthopedist. I went to see the orthopedist a week later (all the while continuing physical therapy) who agreed with my primary care physician that it was only muscle spasm. He told me to continue with the physical therapy and to come back and see him in three weeks. However, at this point I left his office crying because I was upset at the lack of concern for the pain that was shooting down both my legs as far as my Achilles tendon. I would come home crying at night, the pain was so bad and the physical therapy was only making it worse.

Finally I gave up and was willing to try anything to get better. One of the ladies my mother works with highly recommended you, and even though I was the most skeptical person about chiropractors, I will never regret seeing you. My initial examination led to the discovery of a compressed disc as a result of my hips being misaligned. The one thing you did differently than everyone else was you took weight bearing x-rays. All of the other x-rays had been performed while I was lying down, but when I was standing up the picture was completely different and even I could see the problem.

I started seeing you three times per week and after the first week I noticed a difference, although the pain was still extreme. After two weeks I could walk comfortably and the pain in my legs now only went down to the knees. And now I only see you once a week, after two months of treatment, the pain is gone and I can function normally. We still have some strength to gain, but if it weren’t for you, I would still be suffering.

Dr. Gould, thank you for giving me my life back.

Sincerely,
Ashley N. Eddington

What is Torticollis?

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on April 22, 2013
in Baby Boomer Issues, Cervical Brachial Syndrome, Cincinnati Chiropractors and torticollis
. Closed

Torticolles

Torticollis (Wry Neck)

A person with torticolles typically enters my office with his head tilted to one side and is able to turn his head in one direction but not the other. The pain initially is mild but becomes intense as time passes. This can actually happen at any age. Some people are born with it. Torticollis usually has an insidious onset. Sleeping funny or having your head turned to one side for a prolonged period of time. In fact, initially most people think they just have a crick in their neck.

The problem in the majority of cases begins at the spinal joints or facets. When the spine is put into rotation for a prolonged period of time, this causes the affected spinal joints to separate. This separation causes the capsule to stretch. As the spinal joint surfaces get pulled apart, the surrounding capsule can be pulled into the joint due to a negative pressure. Once this occurs, the joints are now able to “pinch” the capsule. This pinching in turn causes the muscled that cross that joint to go into spasm which causes more pinching. This in turn causes more spasm. This is why the pain tends to spread over time and is always on one side. Warning: Get this treated ASAP.

I hope this post has been helpful.

Yours in Health, Naturally!

Dr. Gould

Cell Phone Elbow

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on April 2, 2013
in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Cell Phone Elbow, Cincinnati Chiropractors and Wellness 101
. Closed

Cell Phone CarTingling & Numbness

Have you noticed tingling or numbness in your pinkie and ring finger? Do you typically hold your cell phone to your ear using that same hand? If you answered yes to these questions, you are probably developing Cell Phone Elbow!

I knew that it was only a matter time, before chronic cell phone users would begin damaging an essential nerve in their arms by bending their elbows too tightly for too long. When cell phone users hold the phone to their ears, they stretch a nerve that extends underneath the funny bone and controls the smallest fingers. When they talk for long periods of time in that position, it chokes the blood supply to the nerves. It makes the nerves m-a-l-f-u-n-c-t-i-o-n. The next thing you know, there’s tingling in the ring and small finger.  People who have this condition, which is technically called Cubital Tunnel Syndrome, can feel weakness and clumsiness in their hands.

Blue ToothMy best advice is simple, if you have Cell Phone Elbow or you feel you are developing it, buy a Blue Tooth device, note example to your right. They fit behind your ear and are simple to use.  Within days you should notice the tingling in your fingers fading away.

I hope this post was helpful.

Dr. Gould

Low Back Pain

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on March 19, 2013
in Aging, Cincinnati Chiropractors and Low Back Pain
. Closed

The causes of low back pain are many.

Low Back PainFinding the actual cause is very important. Typically, people do things that simply “numb” the problem. Numbing the problem however, with various medications only allows the problem to continue, ultimately causing more pain, disability and degeneration. A thorough history and examination with the appropriate diagnostic workup is necessary to find the actual cause of low back pain.

Below are several causes of low back pain:

• Poor Posture – Causes an improper loading of the spine. Improper spinal loading, forces weight to be placed on structures that were not designed to carry weight. This type of compensation ultimately causes pain. In the majority of cases, poor posture is a symptom of years of inadequate exercise and improper sitting postures both at home and at work. Watch your posture. Watch your children’s posture. I tell patients all the time that proper posture in children is critical. I have a saying I use all the time… As the twig is bent the tree shall grow.

• Disc problems – See Disc Problems

• Facet Syndrome – See Facet Syndrome

• Lumbar Subluxations – Misalignments or subluxations are the true enemy of the disc and spinal joints. When your spine becomes subluxated the disc’s normal pumping motion is reduced or in severe cases, completely eliminated due to loss of motion. This pumping motion is needed to pull in nutrients and eliminate waste in both the joints and the discs.

• Osteoarthritis – If the subluxation is not corrected, degenerative processes begin leading to osteoarthritis. This is a degeneration of both the disc and the spinal joints at that same level. Once this happens, the areas above and below the affected area have to compensate for the osteoarthritic area. Over time these areas will begin to become problematic also.

• Pelvic Problems – The pelvis is actually made up of three separate bones. Two side bones or iliums and a center bone called the sacrum. These bones come together and form joints. There are actually three joints in the pelvis. There is a single joint in the front of the pelvis and two in the rear. These joints allow motion to occur when we move and walk. On occasion these joints become misaligned or subluxated. When this happens the lower back can respond by tightening muscles, shifting vertebrae which in turn can cause a stretching of spinal joints. All produce pain.

Eight out of ten people in the Cincinnati area will experience back pain during their lifetime. There are really only two choices of treatment when it comes to back pain. 1) If you choose to treat the symptom you are allowing the problem to get worse. Remember… Eliminating the pain with drugs does not eliminate the problem. 2) If you choose to treat the cause you will be working on eliminating the problem for good. A large percentage of my practice is made up of people that have had low back pain.