High School Athletes and Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

High school athletes are a neglected population that will experience lifelong, disabling injuries due to the biomechanical faults they bring to the playing field.

Typically, the athletic physical entails examining the heart, lungs, eyes, ears, nose, and throat but totally ignores a biomechanical examination. The number of young athletes participating in sports with moderate to severe biomechanical problems is staggering and it’s all because an examination of the muscular, neurological, and skeletal systems is not performed in a typical athletic examination.

High school athletes usually do not have a biomechanical examination until after they are hurt. At Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy a more proactive approach is taken by performing a biomechanical examination in an effort to identify the faults that will lead to injury. 

 This proactive approach works in preventing injury and establishes a lifetime of attention directed toward health leading to less degeneration and osteoarthritis formation when the individual reaches adulthood.

If your young athlete is taking to the field make sure they see a competent doctor of chiropractic to have a biomechanical examination before they needlessly suffer injuries that could have been prevented. It will pay big dividends over the course of the athlete’s career.

Growing Pains at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

Growing pains are a phenomenon that most parents just ignore and hope they “go away.” The pain of this condition may “go away” but the structural consequences of this situation are only going to worsen over time.

Growing pains is a unique situation that can appear anywhere but we will use one specific area of the body as an example. In this example, the lumbar vertebrae of the low back are growing rapidly (growth spurts occur at night while asleep and a youth can grow up to ¼ inch per night) and the fascia (fascia is thick, fibrous tissue) and muscles cannot grow fast enough to keep up with the quickly growing bones.  When this combination occurs in the low back area it results in the fascia and muscles pulling the vertebrae into unnatural and painful positions.

During this stage of life the tissues are very supple and elastic so maintaining proper structural alignment will pay off in good spinal development with less spinal problems when the adolescent reaches adulthood.

Growing pains should not be ignored because the resulting structural deformity may plague you for your entire life. Seek professional care and help your body grow straight and pain free. 

Athletic Back Injuries at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

Low back injuries are not common in young people unless they play sports. Athletic back injuries occur in 10 to 15 percent of players and have been recorded as high as 50 percent in football linemen. Such injuries may occur in one single traumatic event or can be an accumulation of microtraumas caused by small repeated injuries to joints occurring over long periods of time. Microtraumatic injuries are the type commonly found in sports such as gymnastics, diving, and dance.

At Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy it is common to see people who have participated in gymnastics, cheerleading, or dance that have injured themselves while playing these sports, did not seek care in a timely manner, and are continuing to experience pain many years after abandoning their athletic careers.

People who have participated in sports are strongly advised to have their spines checked by a Doctor of Chiropractic who is well versed in the types of injuries that could have occurred to their spine even if they are not currently experiencing pain. Prevention in these cases pays big dividends over the years if degeneration or osteoarthritis is prevented from occurring or is stopped from progressing. Often, long-forgotten injuries do not hurt until the degeneration is well advanced and permanent. Get your spine checked before this condition becomes permanent.

Athletic back injuries are nothing to ignore whether they occurred yesterday or 20 years ago.

Sacral Pain and Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

Sacral pain is a common condition we encounter at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy. Sacral pain may present just like so many other types of low back pain that it must be properly diagnosed otherwise the correct treatment cannot be administered. That is why an initial evaluation is so important in treating these types of problems.

All too often we hear that a person’s family doctor, therapist, or friend tells them it is “probably arthritis… just learn to live with it.” But that is poor advice because you do not have to live with this condition. As a matter of fact, just the opposite is true. If this condition is not properly diagnosed and corrected osteoarthritis can form because of your neglect and then you have a permanent problem that is much more difficult to manage.

Early diagnosis and treatment is paramount for your health and well-being. Soft flexible orthotics to stabilize the pelvis along with gentle chiropractic techniques and physical therapeutic modalities usually yields good results within a relatively short period of time. Don’t let sacral pain ruin your life.

Perry Hall Chiropractic & Physical Therpay uses Spinal Decompression in Perry Hall Maryland

Here at Perry Hall Chiropractic & Physical Therapy, Spinal decompression is just one of many treatments we use to help people with back pain, leg pain, numbness, and tingling in the legs and feet.  As well as neck pain and numbness and tingling in the arms and hands. 

How Does Non-Surgical Decompression Work?

The Triton DTS non-surgical spinal decompression allows patients to achieve relief from severe back pain by gently reducing the pressure within lumbar discs. The vertebrae of the lumbar spine are slowly and specifically separated using the state-of-the-art DTS Spinal Decompression Unit. As the bones are separated, pressure is slowly reduced within the disc until a vacuum is formed. This vacuum “pulls” the jelly-like center of the disc back inside thereby reducing the disc bulge or disc herniation. By reducing the disc bulge, we are able to reduce pressure off the spinal nerves which are so close to the disc. This process drastically reduces pain and disability. The “sucking” vacuum also pulls much-needed oxygen, nutrients and fluid into injured and degenerated discs allowing the healing to begin. Because the process is non-surgical, no tissue is actually cut in order to reduce pressure.  The whole process takes anywhere from 8 to 17 minutes depending on your condition. 

So if you are suffering from neck or back pain with numbness and tingling, why not give Perry Hall Chiropractic & Physical Therapy a call for a Complimentary Consultation.  Just mention this blog when you call. 

Dr. Dennis Travagline

Low Back and Leg Pain at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

It is interesting to note how many patients don’t put two and two together and realize that their history of knee and/or hip area pain may be related to their low back pain. Simply, when you see low back pain with either concurrent or previous pain in the legs, hips, knees, feet, or ankles you should suspect that the cause of the problem is in the feet.

The feet are the foundation for the rest of the body. The legs, spine, and head all rest upon the foundation the feet have established. Plenty of problems can occur if that foundation is not solid and level.

Do you have low back and leg pain? Stop taking drugs to cover up the pain and get a proper examination to determine if your feet are the cause of your agony.

Exercise and Stopping Pain at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

In a typical chiropractic or physical therapy office it is common to hear a patient say, “I’d love to exercise but it hurts!”

People exercise, or at least say they want to, for any number of reasons. Maybe they want to lose weight. Or maybe they want to “get in shape” so they can enjoy that long awaited vacation. They could even be in midst of realizing that “motion is life” and if they do not begin to get their body moving they are on the fast track to rapid aging and disability.

Often the pain they experience when attempting to exercise emanates from their arthritic knees, hips, or spine. These arthritic joints have simply worn out before their time because of excess wear and tear. That’s the bad news. The good news is that much can be done to restore proper motion to those damaged joints to return them to full functioning.

A comprehensive treatment plan that includes evaluation and correction of the feet (the feet usually cause knee, hip, and spinal arthritis to begin and worsen) combined with chiropractic care, physical therapy modalities, slowly strengthening weak muscles, gently stretching “tight” muscles, and embarking on a gradual but progressive walking program can greatly improve your ability to walk and exercise.

Upper Leg Pain in Young Athletes and Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

Upper leg pain in young athletes is not as uncommon as you would imagine and such pain should be investigated immediately by a properly trained doctor.

The danger in delaying a proper diagnosis is that serious conditions such as ischemic necrosis (death of the bone and growth plate in young people) as well as a slipped femoral capital epiphysis (a displaced growth plate in the hip joint area) must be ruled out. If such a condition is discovered after a proper examination then appropriate measures must be taken as soon as possible to avoid long term injury with the potential for disability.

If these problems have been ruled out with X-ray examination then the most likely cause of upper leg pain in young athletes involves problems with flat feet (as determined by foot scan and not your naked eye) along with knee, hip, and pelvic misalignment.  To be able to properly diagnose the cause of upper leg pain in young athletes takes a doctor with extensive experience in this aspect of health care.

At Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy the doctors are well schooled in treating as well as preventing athletic injuries.  Few people consider that chronic injuries may be caused by a correctable problem. An example of this type of situation is chronically sprained ankles or knees that may be caused by the same foot problems we discussed above. So, see a doctor that knows how to treat or prevent athletic injuries and enjoy your sports instead of always being in pain.

Activator Methods at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

Activator Methods chiropractic technique is painless in most cases and can be used on everyone from newborn infants to elderly adults.  It is the most thoroughly researched chiropractic technique in the world.

This revolutionary chiropractic technique was developed in the 1960s and has grown to be the most widely used and researched “low-force” technique available.  Of course, there are many other techniques available at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy including “old fashioned” diversified chiropractic technique but Activator is one of the most popular.

An adjustment with an Activator Methods instrument delivers a very fast yet delicate thrust to correct spinal joint dysfunction. With such a fast and delicate adjustment your muscles do not have time to tighten thus allowing a very comfortable adjustment to restore your health. Everything from foot and ankle pain to headaches responds well to Activator Methods chiropractic adjustments.

So, if you or anyone you know has been avoiding the chiropractic care you want and deserve because of an unfounded fear now you know there is a gentle and painless technique available to meet your needs.

When your Head Aches and Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

When your head aches you are miserable. 

One of the first things you must realize is that it is not normal for your head to ache. That doesn’t mean having a headache every six months is OK because it is so infrequent. It means that something is wrong because you should never have your head ache. If you suffer from this malady with even one headache per year you should seek help from your Doctor of Chiropractic.

Why seek chiropractic care?

You want to seek chiropractic care because it has been shown to be effective in relieving headache pain in approximately 80% of migraine headache sufferers. 

Why take pain medication if it is unnecessary and you can correct the problem causing your head to ache? Doesn’t it make sense to correct the problem instead of only covering up the pain with pain medication? Yes, it does make sense to avoid needless medication because medications can affect your kidneys and liver leading to serious health consequences and other unwanted side effects.  

If your head aches and you want to see if chiropractic can help you, call and request a free courtesy consultation so the doctor can sit face-to-face and discuss your situation with you. If you suffer another day with headaches it is only because you failed to act now.  

Life Force at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

Your body is fascinating in that it is in constant motion, even when you are resting. Your heart is constantly beating, you are constantly breathing, your blood is constantly flowing, and your guts are constantly digesting. There are always cells dying and cells being created to replace them. 

Health can be defined as your body being able to replace the lost cells normally and consistently every time a cell is replaced.  So many cells are replaced that your body is basically a new structure every year even though you look the same.  You look the same because healthy cells are replaced very consistently time after time after time.

An unhealthy body cannot replace dying or damaged cells with a new cell that is exactly the same as the one it is replacing. When it becomes evident that cells have changed it is known as cancer.  That is definitely unhealthy.

All cells of your body must be controlled by a life force to perform these vital functions. Doctors of Chiropractic call this life force “innate intelligence.”

Innate intelligence flows from the brain to all your cells as well as all the organs and systems functioning within your body.  If innate intelligence surges uninterrupted from your brain to your cells you stay healthy. When it does not flow smoothly you become unhealthy.

What can interfere with the smooth flow of innate intelligence, the life force, throughout your body?

Subluxations in your spine can interfere with the flow of innate intelligence impeding your life force.  Your Doctor of Chiropractic can find and correct subluxations allowing innate intelligence to flow unimpeded throughout your body thereby helping you to stay healthy.

And who doesn’t want to stay healthy?

Spinal Degeneration and Osteoarthritis at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

Degeneration and osteoarthritis are the same condition under two different names. Regardless of what you call it the process involves the joint wearing out and the results are the same: pain, stiffness, and an inability to function normally. Spinal degeneration is not fun.

The bad news is that many of the people who suffer from spinal degeneration could have prevented its occurrence. The good news is they can still reduce the pain and suffering associated with it.

How can degeneration of joints be prevented?

To fully understand how joint degeneration can be prevented you must understand how it begins. Degeneration begins from acute trauma which causes damage to the joint or from micro-trauma (many small traumas) over a long period of time.  Micro-trauma does not hurt so you may not know it is occurring with the most common cause of micro-trauma coming from what Doctors of Chiropractic call “subluxations.”

Examples of acute trauma are a knee injury (commonly from sports) or falls that injure the joints with the low back often involved in these types of injuries. An auto collision can cause such damage to joints in your neck or back. A traumatic injury is made worse by the repeated micro-trauma occurring as that injured joint is used in everyday activities over the years.  

That’s why it is dangerous to ignore even minor pain in the mistaken notion that “it will go away.” Pain is only an overt symptom of the degenerative process and often goes away… but the degenerative process continues and will result in permanent pain and disability if the cause is not corrected.

Pain from injuries may disappear in a short period of time but the damage to the joint has been done and degeneration will occur later unless corrective care is taken by a qualified doctor (usually a Doctor of Chiropractic who specializes in preventive care). 

Prevention takes place when you have your spine regularly checked by a Doctor of Chiropractic. Remember, you may not be in pain but you should have your spine checked anyway so the doctor can determine if subluxation (a lack of proper joint motion) is taking place and causing micro-trauma that can lead to degeneration. 

What is micro-trauma?

Micro-trauma is the small, repeated injuries that occur many times a day that eventually cause a joint to wear out. Micro-trauma can be from something as simple as your knees, hips, or spine being out of alignment.  By aligning your spine, hips, and knees your Doctor of Chiropractic is able to stop or at least slow down the rate of degeneration in these areas by establishing smoother movement in your joints.

Much can be done to alleviate the pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis (or spinal degeneration, if you prefer to use that term) but it is up to you to seek the help from qualified professionals who understand this problem and can provide the care you want and deserve.

Chiropractic Proof for Low Back Pain

In 1993 the Ontario Ministry of Health commissioned a Canadian research program that showed chiropractic to be more effective than other forms of treatment for low back pain. Important findings in the study were that chiropractic care for low back pain was safer than medical management and that injured workers were able to return to work faster. Based on these studies, the researchers recommended that chiropractic services should be fully covered under the Ontario government’s health care plan.

Findings such as these are common and should be an indication to anyone thinking about seeking care for low back pain.

Additional information can be obtained by visiting the Ontario Chiropractic Association website and looking under the "Manga Study" performed by health economist Pran Manga. The name of the study is, "The Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of Low-Back Pain."

Children at Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

In New Zealand, children are labeled as a "special class" under their national health care system because children respond so well to chiropractic care. It is with children that the true "preventive health care" nature of chiropractic can be seen and experienced.

Ear aches, scoliosis, insomnia, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, bed wetting (enuresis), asthma, allergies, and many other conditions respond very well to chiropractic care. It also has to be remembered that children suffer headaches and back pain the same as adults. When a child is always suffering from a cold, flu, or ear ache it may be a warning sign that more serious conditions are present and that a Doctor of Chiropractic should be consulted. Preventive care works well at all ages but especially in young people. Don't wait until a problem is irreversible when it could have been handled conservatively by an early visit to your chiropractor.

Low Back Pain and Heat

One of the worst things a person can do when they have low back pain...or any pain for that matter...is to put heat on it. Heat causes an increase in swelling and inflammation which increases pain levels. Ice decreases swelling and inflammation so should be the first choice when pain is an issue. At Perry Hall Chiropractic and Physical Therapy we always suggest ice used for a half-hour every hour. Just remember to put a light cloth between you and the ice pack to avoid frostbite. You don't need more problems!

Headache and Sleep Position

After seeing a 31 year old female patient this morning who has been having headaches daily for many years the importance of asking about sleep position was once again brought to my attention. The chiropractic care she had been receiving at our office was working great for headache relief but when her headaches returned it was always in the morning when she awoke.

I asked if she was sleeping on her belly which is a known factor in morning headache occurrence. No, she was not sleeping on her belly. Then I asked if she was lying on her side but leaning half way toward sleeping on her belly. Yes, was her reply.

I knew immediately this may be a factor in the occurrence of her morning headaches. After discussing how she could alter her sleep habits by simply hugging a pillow to her chest to keep her straight up and down on her side the occurrence of morning headaches stopped. 

Sometimes chiropractic care alone is not enough to stop headaches from occurring even though chiropractic care has been shown to be the answer for approximately 80% of headaches of all types. In the more difficult cases some good old fashioned detective work will reveal the answers...if you know which questions to ask!