Archive for the 'Conditions & Treatments' Category

Arm and Shoulder Pain

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on January 13, 2011
in Arm & Shoulder Pain and Conditions & Treatments
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Arm and Shoulder painArm and shoulder pain have a variety of causes. There are traumatic causes (automobile accidents, sports injuries & falls) and more insidious causes (over-use syndromes). Both however, share several common symptoms which include pain, swelling, changes in mobility and disruption of lifestyle.

Due to the complexity of the structures involved, it is very important to have a thorough examination to determine the exact cause of the pain. Typically, the pain will get worse and spread over time due to neighboring areas trying to compensate for the problem area.

Spinal problems (subluxations) in the neck and upper back can irritate the nerves that go into the shoulder and arm. Mildly irritated nerves may cause tingling in the shoulder, arm and hand. Severely irritated nerves may cause numbness, burning or weakness in the affected shoulder and arm.

Frozen shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis)

This is very painful. The onset is usually gradual. Like all other joints in the body, the shoulder joint is surrounded by a capsule. The capsule wraps completely around the joint… encapsulating it. When the capsule develops adhesions the motion in the joint will become reduced due to discomfort. In the acute phase, the discomfort ranges from a constant dull ache to pain only with movement. As more adhesions form, the pain becomes more intense, waking them at night if they roll over on that shoulder. Combing or brushing their hair becomes impossible due to the pain. These people automatically start reducing the amount of movement on their own which leads to disuse atrophy. This type of problem needs to be evaluated and treated immediately.

Bursitis

Can be caused by both work and play, if you overuse or repetitively stress your body’s joints, you may eventually develop a painful inflammation called bursitis. Most people are unaware that they have over 150 bursae in their body. These small, fluid filled sacs lubricate and cushion pressure points between your bones and the tendons and muscles near your joints. They help your joints move with ease. Bursitis occurs when a bursa becomes inflamed. When swelling or inflammation occurs, movement or pressure is painful. Bursitis often affects the joints in your shoulders, elbows or hips. But you can also have bursitis by your knee, heel and the base of your big toe. Bursitis pain usually goes away within a few weeks or so with proper treatment, but recurrent flare-ups of bursitis are very common.

Rotator Cuff Problems

Your rotator cuff consists of several muscles and tendons in your shoulder. Four major muscles subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus and teres minor and their tendons connect your upper arm bone (humerus) with your shoulder blade. They also help hold the ball of your upper arm bone firmly in your shoulder socket, as if holding a golf ball on a tee. This combination results in the greatest range of motion of any joint in your body. Rotator cuff injuries are fairly common. Causes of the injury may include falling, lifting and repetitive arm activities, especially those done overhead (painting or wall-papering ceilings). Other activities may include throwing a baseball, reaching up to work on a car on a rack or placing items on shelves above your head. The injury is also common among people whose jobs or hobbies include heavy demands on their shoulders, such as athletes, archers and people in the construction trades. Poor posture, especially as related to your shoulders hunched forward, also can contribute to rotator cuff injury. Obesity can cause this also. As you get older, your risk of a rotator cuff injury increases.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis is inflammation or irritation of a tendon — any one of the thick fibrous cords that attach muscles to bone. The condition, which causes pain and tenderness just outside a joint, is most common around your shoulders, elbows and knees. But tendonitis can also occur in your hips, heels and wrists. Some common names for tendonitis are tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, pitcher’s shoulder, swimmer’s shoulder and jumper’s knee.

I have successfully treated many individuals in the Greater Cincinnati area that have had arm and shoulder pain. Most of these people at the completion of treatment are amazed how much better they feel and disappointed that they did not get the proper treatment to begin with.

Cell Phone Elbow

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on January 3, 2011
in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Cell Phone Elbow, Cincinnati Chiropractors and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

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

Neck Pain & Stiffness

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on August 12, 2010
in Cincinnati Chiropractors and Neck Pain & Stiffness
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Our neck or cervical spine has quite a job to do. It holds our head up and gives us incredible mobility allowing us to look all around. However, with all this mobility comes vulnerability. There are a variety of reasons that the neck becomes painful and stiff. Below are just a few.

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.

Whiplash Injuries – It’s surreal… One moment you are stopped at a red light. The next moment you hear screeching tires, you look up into your rearview mirror and immediately feel the impact. You have just been involved in an accident. Within moments a policeman taps on your window to ask if you are okay… You move around a bit and much to your surprise, you feel fine, other than feeling a bit anxious. Two days later however, you cannot lift your head off your pillow and your body feels like it has been beat up. How can this be? You feel okay immediately after the accident but with 48 to 72 hours you feel miserable. I’m always asked this question… Doc, I felt fine right after the accident, why do I hurt so badly now? A quick anatomy lesson will help here. It is all about blood supply. Tissues that have a good blood supply swell quickly after an injury. Tissues that have a poor blood supply swell slowly after an injury. There are several things that are significant about this. Not only does a poor blood supple delay the onset of pain, it also significantly increases healing time and in some cases healing outcomes. Properly treating this type of injury is critical. Left alone, improper healing can occur leaving the individual with chronic pain for the rest of their life. We all know people like this. I have been treating whiplash injuries since 1988. If you live in the greater Cincinnati area and have been in an auto accident, call me and set up an appointment to be examined. The sooner treatment begins the better the outcome.

Poor Workstation Ergonomics – For years I would do Ergonomic walk through and lectures at companies throughout the greater Cincinnati area. I was amazed that companies would spend thousands of dollars on adjustable furniture, yet 99% of the people had the furniture adjusted improperly. A thousand dollar chair is useless unless you know how to properly set it up. So what exactly is the point of ergonomics in the work place? Simply put… a properly set up workstation fits the individual’s body allowing it to stay in a relaxed, low energy consuming neutral position. Unfortunately, what I found was the opposite at most companies I visited. If you feel like your workstation is not set up correctly have it checked or give me a call.

Sleeping Posture – Any posture that is held for a prolonged period of time can cause the spinal segments to misalign or become subluxated… sleeping 4 to 6 hours definitely falls into this category. If you wake up with a stiff painful neck on a regular basis you need to evaluate your sleeping posture(s) and you should also have your spine checked for subluxations.

Slips & Falls – Cause a rapid motion in the neck. This can cause muscular, ligamentous and disc injuries. Just like a whiplash. If you have recently slipped or fallen you should have your spine checked immediately.

Loss of Spinal Curve – All of the above can cause a loss of the curve in your neck or cervical spine. Below are some of the consequences of a loss of curve in your neck:

• Spinal Cord Tension – As the neck straightens out the spinal cord gets pulled taunt. This cord tension can cause symptoms throughout the body.

• Headaches
o Migraine Headaches – Vascular in nature.
o Tension Headaches – Muscular in nature.

• Cervical Brachial Syndrome – Neck pain that refers into the shoulder and arm.

• Degenerative Disc Disease – Also known as Osteoarthritis.

Back Surgery Should Be Your Last Resort!

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on August 4, 2010
in Drug-Free Approach, Low Back Pain and Sciatica
. 0 Comments

Back Surgery

The facts are that four out of five adults experience back pain at some point during their lives and low back problems are the most frequent cause of disability in people under the age of 45 years of age. However, the unfortunate truth also is that while there are an estimated half million surgical procedures done each year on the back, most are either not needed or are unsuccessful in overcoming the health problem.

According to guidelines issued by the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, a federal agency, only two percent of the people require surgery for back pain in the acute stage.

That’s why health authorities recommend that you explore “every option” before considering surgery. In this respect, Chiropractic Care, which incorporates spinal manipulations, is recognized as a highly effective method for treating back problems, without harmful drugs or potentially dangerous surgery.

It’s smart to be conservative when it comes to your health.  I’d be glad to answer any questions you may have regarding Chiropractic as an alternative to surgery.  If you would like a second opinion please call me.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Gould

Headaches

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on July 15, 2010
in Conditions & Treatments and Headaches
. 0 Comments

headache.bmpAlthough the International Headache Society lists 129 different types of headaches, the general categories are Tension, Cluster and Migraine with associate pain being described as sharp, stabbing, dull, throbbing and vice-like. Migraine with or without aura is the most common form of acute recurrent headache in children.

Different types of physical, chemical and emotional stress— including fatigue, worry, noise, fluorescent lights, travel, improper sleep, smoke and food additives such as MSG and nitrates, often trigger headaches.

Although these things may trigger a headache, the actual cause of the headache is often a series of traumatic or repetitive micro-traumatic events—including motor vehicle accidents, contact sports, postural habits, whiplash and occupational tasks. Headaches and other symptoms may take weeks, months and even years to manifest.

It’s estimated that 25% of the population has a headache right at this moment. Headaches have many causes. Some of which are benign others not so benign. Because of this, it is crucial to get a thorough workup. Once all the examination and diagnostic findings are correlated the appropriate treatment can begin or a referral is made.

A frequently overlooked cause of many types of headaches is structural. Structural problems are due to misaligned spinal bones (subluxations) in the neck and upper back. When the vertebrae in the spine, lose their normal position (become subluxated) this sets in motion a variety of events that ultimately leads nerve irritation, changes in blood flow, muscle spasm and PAIN! If you live in the greater Cincinnati area and are suffering with headaches and are tired of the pain, call me.