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Whiplash Injuries

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on June 18, 2010
in Whiplash Injuries
. 0 Comments

Crash DummyIt’s surreal, one moment you are stopped at a red light. The next moment you hear screeching tires, you look up into your rear view 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 absolutely 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 supply 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.

Cell Phone Elbow

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on June 15, 2010
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

Cycling & Burning Fat

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on June 14, 2010
in Cincinnati Chiropractors, Fitness and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

armstrong-_7.bmpOne of the wonderful things about living in the Cincinnati area, are all the available bike trails. Two of my favorites, the Loveland Bike Trail and the Lunken Bike Trail.  Cycling is an ideal exercise because it’s easy on the knees and lower back. Of course, I’m excluding mountain biking in this conversation.

Cycling allows you to use the large muscles in your legs which create a significant demand on the heart and lungs.  Over time, if you understand proper training techniques, you can greatly expand your aerobic capacity, plus it is a wonderful way of Burning Fat!

Simply put, your body has two fuel choices, sugars and fats.

I’d like to teach you the secret of burning fat.  To burn fat you have to get your heart rate into a range that is specific for YOU! Ones size does not fit all.  Everybody is different!

So how do you figure this out?  There are several ways, this I have found to be the easiest.  220 – (your age) X 70%= Your Target Heart Rate.  Let’s say you are 30 years old.  Here is how the calculation would go 220 – 30 X 70%= 133.  So if you were 30 years old, your target rate would be 133 beats per minute.  This is basically 70% of your maximum heart rate for your age.  When your heart is beating in this zone your body’s chooses fat as a fuel.  When your heart rate exceeds this your body chooses sugar as a fuel. We do not want this!

Ideally, you would slowly bring (over a period of 5 to 10 minutes) your heart rate up to your target rate.  Once you achieve your target rate, the longer you stay there the better.  Start out slow maybe 12 minutes.  Over time work up to 15 minutes.  Soon you will be doing 45 minutes to an hour.

I always advise my Wellness Clients to buy a Heart Rate Monitor. In my opinion Polar Heart Monitors are the best.  The heart monitor becomes an invaluable tool. I call it my coach.  It will let you know when you are above or below your target rate.  It also helps you to create a target zone.  Bottom line, it makes doing this EASY!

If you are looking to burn fat I’ve just given you the recipe.  If you have questions or would like more information please leave a comment below or e-mail me.

Helping you to be all that you can be!

Dr. Gould

Postpartum Headaches

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on June 12, 2010
in Conditions & Treatments and Headaches
. 0 Comments

migraine0.bmpOn a daily basis, I see and treat a variety of health problems. One of my more interesting cases began with a phone call from an Internist, located in the Kenwood area of Cincinnati.

The conversation went something like this, Doc, I have a 43 year old female that just gave birth several days ago. She was in labor for almost 3 days. While in labor, she developed a severe migraine headache, which she has had ever since. Here is my dilemma, she is determined to breast feed and because of that fact, I cannot give her any narcotics for her pain.

An MRI study of her head was completed, a vasculature study of her head was completed and x-rays of her neck. It’s a mystery, we cannot figure out what is causing the headaches. Would you take a look at her for me? I agreed and told him to send her immediately to my office.

When she arrived at my office, she was crying due to the unrelenting pain. She looked absolutely exhausted. I had her sit down on my examination table, then I asked her several questions. She described her headache and said that it was so painful she could hardly sleep, think or function.

I examined her paying particular attention to her upper neck area. I had suspected that her top vertebrae in her neck (C1 or Atlas) had gotten displaced while she was in labor. I was correct it had. After explaining what I had found and pointing it out to her, she was eager for me to try to help her.

After carefully positioning her on my adjusting table, I adjusted her atlas or the top vertebra in her neck. I then told her to go home and try to sleep and to return to my office the next morning.

I was working on another patient the next morning when she walked in. She walked past the room I was in and smiled at me. No tears just a smile. I knew she was better! I finished up with the patient that I was with and then went in the other room to see how she was doing. She was amazed that she was 95% better. I rechecked her Atlas it was barely out, I re-adjusted it and told her to call me in two days to let me know how she was doing. She did, her headache was completely gone.

Do you suffer with headaches?

If you do and you have never had your spine, specifically your upper spine, chiropractically evaluated you should. You may find that it’s the solution. Strong medications and narcotics never get at the true cause. They only treat the symptom and leave you dealing with side-effects. If you live in the Greater Cincinnati area and you are suffering with headaches call me.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Gould

Lower Back & Leg Pain

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on June 11, 2010
in Cincinnati Chiropractors and Sciatica
. 0 Comments

It all started with lower back pain

I thought the pain would go away. Then over time, the pain started radiating down into my buttock and lower leg. Does this describe your problem? If so, know that you are not alone. This is one of the most common complaints I hear from patients while taking their history.

Pain relief is a phone call away. Call - 513-791-8110So why does this happen?

There are a variety things that can cause this. However, in each case, it is due to nerves being irritated or compressed. In the majority of instances this type of a problem begins as a mechanical problem. What do I mean by a mechanical problem? Simply put, our spine and pelvis are made up of many parts. Parts that not only fit together in a very specific way but also allow movement. Each part is connected to the other by ligaments. The ligaments not only hold everything together but allow a certain amount of motion. On occasion, due to trauma, repetitive activities or simply weakness due to a poor fitness level the parts of our spine and pelvis can shift outside of their normal position. When this happens, the ligaments become inflamed and due to their proximity to neurological structure put pressure on these structures. Where this happens will determine a patients pain pattern. In the leg, pain can occur on the front, side or back. It can occur in the upper leg, lower leg and foot. In fact, the term sciatica is often used for pain that radiates into the leg. Sciatica is actually graded due to severity. Pain into the buttock is called primary sciatica. Pain that continues through buttock into the thigh area, is called secondary sciatica. Pain that continues through the buttock and thigh area and into the lower leg and foot is called tertiary sciatica. As a general rule, the further down the pain goes in the leg the more serious the case.

Is this problem correctable?

In the majority of instances the answer yes! The first thing we need to do is to find out exactly where in your spine the problem is originating from. Once we find the problem area, we work on correcting the faulty position and mechanics. As you begin to heal, you will notice the pain will begin to retrace. I tell my patients it’s like playing the movie backwards. The last pain you had to show up will be the first thing to go away. Example: A person starts out with lower back pain that eventually goes into their buttock and then down the back of their leg to just above the knee. Once I begin treating them the pain will move up until it is no longer in the leg. Then it will move out of the buttock and only in the lower back. Finally, the lower back pain will be gone.

If you are suffering with lower back and leg pain and live in the Cincinnati area give me a call. Life is too short to be encumbered by pain.

I hope this post was helpful.

Yours in health,

Dr. Gould