Tag Archive for 'neck pain'

Is Your Pillow Causing Neck Pain

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on April 10, 2008
in Cincinnati Chiropractors, Neck Pain & Stiffness and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

The ideal sleeping position is lying on your back or on your side. No sleeping on your stomach! Having the right pillow however, will allow your spine to stay properly positioned, which will not only allow you to sleep deeply but will also prevent neck problems.

Below are a few tips when selecting a pillow:

  1. When choosing a pillow, be selective. When lying on your side, your head and neck should remain level with your mid and lower spine. When lying on your back, your head and neck should remain level with your upper back and spine. In other words, your pillow should not be so thick that it causes your head and neck to be propped up or angled sharply away from your body.
  2. Be wary of pillows that are made out of mushy foam materials. The weight of your head can displace this kind of foam, leaving little support. Choose firmer foam and materials that press back and support the head and neck.
  3. If you find yourself sleeping on your side with one hand propped under your pillow, that’s a clue that you’re not getting the support you need from that pillow.
  4. There is no such thing as a universal fit when it comes to pillows. We are all different! Find one that is consistent with the shape and size of your body.

If you currently have neck pain and find that you are doing all of the above correctly, I would advise you to give me a call to set up an appointment to be evaluated.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Gould

Pain at Work

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on March 30, 2008
in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Headaches and Repetitive Stress Injuries
. 0 Comments

ergo2.bmp

Since opening my practice in 1988, I have had the privilege of teaching many local companies both big and small, the importance of Work-Station-Fit. What do I mean by Work-Station-Fit? I teach people how to make adjustments to their work environment so that the work environment fits their body, instead of their body trying to fit their work environment. By making a few simple changes comfort and fatigue are greatly reduced. This is what Ergonomics is all about.

Regardless of what you do for a living, having a simple understanding of Ergonomics can prevent a lot of pain syndromes and health problems. Improper ergonomics can lead to a variety of problems. Here are the most common problems: headaches, neck pain, shoulder and arm pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, upper back and lower back pain, varicose veins in the lower legs.

I’d like to give you a brief simple lesson in body mechanics.

First of all, our body is very efficient when it comes to energy consumption when we maintain an ideal posture. This ideal posture has a name, it is called the Neutral Position. Our body is said to be in a neutral position when all the weight of our body is balanced on the boney structures of our body, allowing it to be transferred into the seat pan of a chair (if we are sitting) or into the floor (if we are standing).

However, when we deviate from this neutral position our energy consumption goes up due to our weight being transferred away from our bone to the muscle. Going from the sitting position to the standing position requires us to get out of the neutral position. Imagine trying to stand in a position that is halfway between sitting and standing. I can tell you you would not last long. Why? Your muscles are now primarially responsible for holding all of your body weight up, not your bones. The load gets transferred from the boney structures of your body to the muscles.

So now you understand why you should try to obtain this neutral postition. So what does the neutral position look like? Here are a few guidelines:

If you are standing…

Stand straight up. Legs and feet symmetrical. Your head is looking straight ahead. Your arms are at your sides or if you are working at a table your elbows can be bent at a 70 to 90 degree angle. If you are working with your hands and eyes the table top should be elevated.

If you are sitting…

As you sit down push your bottom all the way back into the back of the chair, that way when you straighten up a natural curve will form in your lower back. Your head should be looking straight ahead. Not looking up or looking down. Now position your monitor, so that if you brought it to your face the center of the screen would touch your chin. Remember the 90 degree rule, elbows and knees should be at 90 degrees. Your feet should be flat on the floor. The edge of the seat pan (the part directly underneath your knees) should not be putting pressure on the back of your legs. Pressure on this area prevents the blood from returning from the lower leg, this can cause varicose veins. If your chair allows you to make and adjustment, make the adjustment. If not, put something under your feet to eliminate the pressure on the back side of the knee. If you use a keyboard keep your hands and wrists straight. Any deviation from this can lead to carpal tunnel issues.

Below is a humorous example of both good and bad ergonomics. Pay attention and learn.

I hope this has been helpful.

Yours in Health!

Dr. Gould

Neck Pain & Stiffness

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on February 8, 2008
in Cincinnati Chiropractors and Neck Pain & Stiffness
. 0 Comments

neck-pain.bmpOur 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.

Whiplash Injuries

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on February 8, 2008
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.