Category: Blog

With cold temperatures and inclement weather, winter can be a real pain! If you are like many people, you feel more aches and pains in the winter than in the summer. Cold weather can make your joints feel stiff and sore; slipping on the ice can wrench your muscles and falls can cause painful musculoskeletal injuries. Even colds and flu can make you feel miserable.

Fortunately, chiropractic care can help you beat common winter ailments in your body to help prevent illness and injury, or to help you overcome the aches and pains that often come with the season.

Chiropractic Care in the Winter

Chiropractic care can help you overcome the perils of winter, including aches and pains, slips and falls or sports injuries, and even illnesses from colds and flu.

Fight Aches and Pains

Cold weather can cause the elastic tissue in your joints to stiffen up and become achy. Stiffness is a special problem if you have arthritis, which often flares up when you first start moving in the morning. A sedentary lifestyle can also cause stiff joints; cold temperatures and inclement weather can often delay exercise and increase sedentary behavior. Achy joints might also discourage you from exercising.

Chiropractic care can help you overcome aches and pains associated with cold weather, including stiffness and discomfort associated with arthritis, to help you stay active throughout the season.

Aide Recovery from Winter Sports Injuries, Slips and Falls

Skiing, skating, and other winter sports are fun, but they can be dangerous. Common winter sports injuries include spinal injuries, knee problems, ankle sprains, and more. Sledding is the most common cause of sports injuries during winter, but skiing, ice skating, hockey, and snowboarding can also cause sports injuries. The ice and snow of winter make slips and falls more likely. Emergency departments treat more than 2.8 million older people for fall injuries each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Injuries from slips and falls can be serious, causing broken bones and other injuries. In many cases, slipping and falling causes sprains strains and muscle aches.

Chiropractic care for sports injuries, slips, and falls include stretching for increased flexibility, chiropractic adjustments to address joint tightness, and muscle work to break up scar tissue.

Improve Posture

Chiropractic care can help you improve your posture, which helps you keep your balance as you walk on slippery surfaces.

Immune System Support

A strong immune system protects your body from contagious illnesses, such as colds and flu. Adults usually get two to three colds each year, according to the CDC, and children can catch even more because they have weaker immune systems.

Spinal adjustments can cause beneficial changes in the nervous system. Research shows that there is a strong connection between the nervous system and the immune system and that chiropractic care that includes spinal adjustments can help improve the overall health of an individual.

Boost Your Mood

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that tends to worsen in the darker days of winter. Research shows that chiropractic care can lessen anxiety and other symptoms of depression by decreasing pain, melting muscle tension, improving mental clarity, and providing a boost in physical energy.

Beat your winter ailments this year with chiropractic care! Spinal adjustments, massages, posture screenings, and muscle training can help you avoid injuries and illnesses during the cold season.

Schedule an appointment with Get Well Chiropractic of Northville today!

One of the most common injuries resulting from trauma, such as a car crash, is whiplash. Whiplash is a neck injury that occurs when a person’s head is violently snapped forward then backward, putting their spine and the muscles in their neck through extreme stress. After suffering whiplash, a patient may experience acute neck pain, prolonged difficulty moving their neck, shoulder/back pain, numbness, and/or headaches.

Diagnosing Whiplash

Though common, whiplash is sometimes difficult to diagnose given that there are a number of other causes for a whiplash-like symptom, including stingers and pinched nerves. Oftentimes, a person who has been in a traumatic accident may experience problems such as these in addition to whiplash.

During your initial visit, we will work with you in order to accurately and thoroughly diagnose the cause of the symptoms you are experiencing. This includes evaluating your spine as a whole and looking for areas where movement is restricted. They may use touch to locate areas of tenderness as well as observe your walk and posture in order to take note of your spinal alignment.

In addition to a physical examination, we may also order an x-ray or an MRI of your spine. Most often, these procedures are meant to identify any spinal issues that may have existed before your trauma that could compound your symptoms.

After a thorough examination of the injured area and your spine as a whole, a diagnosis will be made and treatment may begin.

Treating Whiplash

The treatment plan for whiplash varies depending on the severity of the injury as well as any other issues that may be compounding it. Most often, a chiropractor treating a whiplash injury will start by reducing the inflammation in the muscles in your neck. This is done using a variety of techniques such as stretches, ice packs, massages, and ultrasounds, and the goal is to reduce any pain and stiffness you may be experiencing.

After the inflammation and pain in your neck muscles have been reduced, your chiropractor will perform gentle spinal manipulation procedures in order to restore your full range of motion in your neck. Depending on the severity of your injury, these procedures may take a number of forms. In every case, though, the goal is to restore a complete range of motion and eliminate any pain and stiffness.

In most cases, patients who are suffering from whiplash can expect a full recovery if the right measures are taken.

Conclusion

Whiplash is a painful condition that sometimes won’t go away on its own. If you are suffering from prolonged neck stiffness and pain or any other symptoms resulting from trauma to your neck, we hope that you will contact Get Well Chiropractic of Northville today to schedule an appointment. We are ready to get you on the road to recovery.

The human body functions most efficiently when it is in balance. A balanced state occurs when the body is free of any illness or injury that causes one or more of its parts to function abnormally. This results in pain, inflammation, and general discomfort. Musculoskeletal imbalances can occur within the muscles or within the skeleton. These imbalances are often the result of an injury or a chronic condition like arthritis or fibromyalgia. Chiropractic adjustments from us are just one way the delicate balance within the body can be restored, eliminating pain and inflammation.

The Balance Between Bone and Muscle

When an injury occurs and bone or connective tissue is forced out of place or damaged, it causes the soft tissues that surround it to become inflamed and subsequently alter its natural position. The delicate balance between the bone and the soft tissues is disrupted. If both aren’t addressed, the area will begin to heal abnormally resulting in chronic pain and discomfort. A chiropractic adjustment from us addresses both abnormalities. Not only does it allow the bone to move back to its original position, it releases the muscle, allowing it to relax and support the skeletal structure as it normally would. While a single adjustment may work to correct a mild abnormality, you may need several adjustments to restore proper balance and maintain it during the healing process.

Restore Physical Balance and Improve Your Health

Chiropractic adjustments from us are effective at restoring more than just structural balance to the body. When muscles hold inflammation, toxins and contaminants begin to build up within the body. Chronic conditions that affect the joints, like arthritis, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome can begin to weaken the body if not addressed effectively. A chiropractic adjustment allows the inflammation to gradually dissipate, restoring blood flow to the area and flushing away toxins and contaminants. As the toxins are flushed away, fresh oxygen and nutrients are brought in to take their place. The tissues now have what they need to begin the healing process.

Balance within the body affects many things. It affects both form and function. When the form is out of balance, the function of the body suffers and vice versa. Through the use of a nutritionally sound diet, regular exercise, and adequate amounts of rest, you can maintain this positive balance. Chiropractic adjustments and other treatment methods like massage therapy and physical therapy can be used as part of an effective treatment plan to help restore balance and maintain good health.

Chiropractic care works to improve balance throughout the entire body. It works by adjusting both Chiropractic care of the bones as well as the soft tissues, allowing them to return to their natural position without pain or discomfort. By releasing the muscles that hold the bone out of position, the adjustment creates a shift within the musculoskeletal system that is both restorative and balancing. With continued treatment from us, the body will stay in balance for longer periods of time encouraging healing and reducing your pain and discomfort. To set up an appointment, contact Get Well Chiropractic of Northville today!

With the arrival of fall, many of us will find time to explore the great outdoors or indoor exercise activities. For those who have experienced swelling or pain in their joints, muscles, or back, an appointment with us is highly recommended before making any substantial changes in your exercise program.

Exercise Fundamentals

Develop an exercise regimen that suits your interests and abilities. Start slowly and move forward gradually. If a person has limited mobility and areas of pain, trying to walk 5 miles or do 50 sit-ups on the first day will be ineffective. Remember the 4 parts of a workout:

• Warm-up: Start with about 5 to 8 minutes of light aerobic exercises in your comfort zone, giving your body time to increase blood supply to the muscles so that they have greater flexibility.
• Stretching and Extending: Take some time to stretch your muscles. For those with a history of pain or under chiropractic care, talk specifically with the doctor about beneficial exercises and those that should be avoided. Stretching after your warm-up reduces the chance of injury.
• Aerobic Activity: Plan on reaching a goal of at least 20 minutes of exercise during this session, three times a week. When starting out, set the number lower–maybe 5 to 10 minutes of continuous exercise–and be sure not to cross any pain thresholds. Slow down if you feel tired or discomfort. Add a little time each week. The goal is to improve the frequency, duration, and intensity of your exercise over a period of time.
• Cool-down: Bring the intensity down rather than coming to a complete stop. Perform simple stretches after doing your aerobic session. If you notice any aches that persist, tell your chiropractor.

Finding the Right Balance and Staying on the Plan

Successful exercise plans require commitment. Start simple and increase your capacity to do longer aerobic sessions. If possible, find an exercise partner who can offer support. Build exercise sessions into your calendar so that other they become a part of your schedule. Even someone with a very busy routine should have the ability to schedule some stretches or lighter aerobic time. Take the stairs if you are able.

By parking a little farther away, you reward yourself with a few extra minutes of exercise.

Start with shorter sessions and track your activities. If you keep an exercise log, focus on positive accomplishments. Make it more than a place to record your weight. Have your workout clothes or the gym bag waiting in the car or by the door so they can motivate you.

Remember that your chiropractor is part of your support team. Before starting a new routine, schedule an appointment to discuss the best way to move forward. Be sure to get in touch with your chiropractor if you notice any pain or soreness.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Get Well Chiropractic of Northville today.