Patients' often ask "Is it okay to crack my own neck or back?" Stretching is recommended but self adjusting or popping your own back or neck is not a good idea and invites more injury. When someone feels like they need to pop their own neck or back it is an indicator that something is wrong. It usually indicates that there is some restricted motion in your neck and back that needs to be addressed by a trained chiropractor. The reason you should NOT self manipulate is that restricted motion at a specific location in your back cannot be isolated by doing a general twisting maneuver. 1. Chiropractors find the specific areas to treat, isolate them with specialized technique and attempt to restore NORMAL motion not hyper mobility that would result from self adjusting. 2. Most realize that self popping does not resolve the problem and then a patient will repeat 2-3 times per day or more. This equates to 20 or more improper maneuvers per week.... creating a bigger problem. 3. Most of the time it's easier to move one side than the other, resulting in a gradual rotation of the spine combined with hyper mobility. Do yourself a favor - come in and see one of our Roseville Chiropractors, get a proper treatment, stop "cracking yourself" and start feeling better with combined exercise, stretching, good posture and experienced advise.
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Headaches are very frustrating and one of the most difficult pains to deal with on a day to day basis. Much is know about headaches but we still have much more to learn. We know that most headache pain in caused by constriction of the blood vessels in the brain. Drugs that open (dilate) the blood vessels are helpful for the treatment of headaches. For example, caffeine can dilate blood vessels and is found in many over the counter medications for headaches including Anacin, Exceedrin and others. Prescription medication also contain caffeine and other chemicals that will dilate blood vessel. What to expect from chiropractic treatment... Most patients find that treatment by a chiropractor will help manage their headaches. While some have no headaches following treatment with a chiropractor, most find the treatment will reduce the intensity (how bad they are) of the headaches, reduce the frequency (how often they occur) and the duration (how long they last). This is true of "tension headaches", "migraines", "cluster headaches", and others. Chiropractic treatment will help to dilate the blood vessels, relax the muscles in the neck and head and help the patient take less medication which may prevent rebound headaches and potential liver/kidney damage from frequent use of medications. Our Roseville Chiropractors would be happy to help you in any way we can. Why see a chiropractor for rib pain, costochondritis or a "rib out"? Each of your thoracic vertebrae (mid back) are attached to a set of ribs. If injury, lifting, twisting or each sleeping in an awkward position causes rib pain in the back, side or even the chest or sternum (breast bone) you may have a "rib out". This really isn't a rib out of place, it usually results from twisting in the mid back which puts pressure on the pair of ribs attached at that same level. Pain can increase with sneezing, coughing or laughing. If the irritation continues the cartilage that creates a bridge between the ribs in the front and the sternum may become very painful, this condition is called "costochondritis" or inflammation of the rib to cartilage joints. Rule out heart conditions or a lung injury and then consult our Roseville Chiropractors or Acupuncturist for treatment. We can help reduce the twisting and irritation and help you feel better within a short period of time. Did you know Torticollis or other wise known as wryneck can be treated with chiropractic care? Many people get moderate to severe neck pain with difficulty turning in one direction compared to the other. This is often caused by tightness in your sternocleidomastoid muscle or SCM muscle for short as it is an important muscle to help with neck movement. Torticollis is often caused by trauma such as during a car accident or other traumatic event. Many of the patients that I have seen in my 30 year career as a chiropractor in Roseville develop torticollis from an unknown onset. Usually they describe waking up with this severe neck pain, muscle tightness, and lack of movement after an other wise decent night sleep.
Luckily your Roseville chiropractors can help you get out of pain. Light chiropractic manipulation or adjustment to the cervical or neck area, muscle work on the SCM and other surround muscles, ultrasound and light traction are very effective. We have seen hundreds of patients with torticollis in Roseville and know exactly what to do to help them get better. With chiropractic treatment the condition will resolve in about 3 days. Without chiropractic treatment it will take 2-3 weeks. If you need help dealing with torticollis give us a call at our Roseville office. Our number is (916) 784-2727. Additional treatment that can be done to help torticollis are icing tight muscle, chiropractic treatment, and light massage. These can help to gently restore motion and reduce the pain and muscle spasms associated with this painful neck condition. |