Could "Text Neck" Be the Cause of Your Pain?

Computers, screens, tv's, tablets, and especially cellphones surround us in our everyday lives.  All of this technology puts unnecessary strain on our eyes and brains, but in particular smartphones can cause serious and permanent damage to our back and neck.  Adolescents and young adults are particularly susceptible due to the number of people using these phones for a constant virtual connection with others.
When we look down at our phones, our neck tends to bend forward or hunch over, and this posture can have a serious impact on our health and wellness.  Prolonged tablet and smartphone use has been shown to cause changes in the joints in our neck that control our balance and posture.
A recent study of healthy individuals of young adult ages showed that use of a smartphone created a flexed cervical (neck) posture, which then resulted in a disturbance in neck proprioception.  The above chart explains that as the head and neck are brought forward and down by degree of curve, it adds weight to the neck and spine, causing damage.  At a 15 degree curve there is an added 27 pounds to the cervical spine.  At 45 degrees angulation an added 49 pounds happens!  Repetition of this posture can lead to several symptoms such as neck and back pain, dizziness, difficulty sleeping, arm and hand numbness or tingling, headaches, mood imbalances, sensory processing imbalances, nausea, decreased reflexes, shoulder discomfort, and even has an effect on the way our digestive system breaks down our food.  Text neck even has shown to alter how the brain perceives our environment!
The above chart also lists just a few of the things that a long term forward head posture can cause such as muscle and nerve damage, disc compression, arthritis, and loss of lung volume capacity!  How do you prevent long-term damage from forward head posture and text neck?  Start by lifting the phone to your face instead of face to the phone or tablet.  Secondly, limit screen time.  Although difficult to decrease our desires to constantly be connected to others, the constant use of tablets, computers, and phones can have detrimental health effects.  Lastly, visit your chiropractor! Especially an upper cervical specialist doctor who can help save the curve in your cervical spine that prevents long term damage.  Specific, gentle, cervical adjustments restore balance and curve to your neck and back.  All children should visit their chiropractor regularly as a normal part of their healthcare.  We cannot avoid the use of these technological advancements, however we can control how our bodies respond and adapt to the constant use of screen time.  Want to learn more about text neck?  We are  here to help!
mtnislandchiro.com
704-394-8556


Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV



Mousavi-Khatir R, Talebian S, Toosizadeh N., Olyaei GR, Maroufi N. Disturbance of neck proprioception and feed-forward motor control following static neck flexion in healthy young adults.  Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. 2018;41:160-7.

Help With Neuropathy

Living with chronic pain can be debilitating, frustrating, and just plain stressful for our minds and bodies.  Pain is your body communicating to yourself that something is wrong and needs attention.  A common cause of chronic pain is a condition called neuropathy.  There are several different types of neuropathy, including diabetic, peripheral, chemotherapy-induced, and small fiber among others.  Neuropathy is in short, nerve damage.  Causes of nerve damage can be wide-ranging, but most symptoms show as numbness or tingling especially in the arms, hands, and feet.  Symptoms also include muscle weakness or loss, burning sensation in extremities, sensitivity to touch, stabbing pain, bladder or bowel control issues, coordination difficulties, and loss of balance.  Because of the decrease in sensation in the hands and feet, long-term neuropathy sufferers often can have serious injuries to their extremities including wounds, infection, and fractures of the bones.
Although at first our instincts may tell us ignore pain to see if it just goes away, preventing nerve damage from chronic pain is an important thing to remember.  Medications simply cover the symptoms of pain, numbness or weakness but does not address the underlying cause of these symptoms.  Chiropractic care can help with all types of neuropathy.  Chiropractic targets the body as a whole unit, bringing all systems into alignment and regulation, including the nervous system, which can eliminate the condition itself instead of just the pain and numbness that accompanies it. When the body is being treated with its overall health in mind rather than just one problem area, symptoms of many problems or conditions can be reduced or eliminated at once.
A recent study was published following a male patient who had been suffering from chronic low back, leg and foot pain, along with associated neuropathy in the lower extremities.  He had been under physical therapy for 13 months and his condition had worsened.  He sought chiropractic care and found that not only did he have several subluxations (misalignments in the neck and spine), but his hips were so uneven that his legs appeared to be two different lengths.  His body had been under such stress for so long that instead of being distributed throughout the body, the subluxations were placing all stress on certain areas and they eventually became overworked and you have neuropathy as a result.  After just 2 adjustments, the patient reported improvement in sensation in the legs and feet and less pain.  Amazingly after just 4 adjustments this patient reported almost complete pain relief and was able to return to normal activities and reported an overall improvement of enjoyment of life!  Thanks to chiropractic care and working to uncover the root of the problem the body was able to heal itself.   

Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV

Russell, D., BSc (Psych), DC, Cert TT, & Doyle, M., BSc (Neuro). (2018). RESOLUTION OF LOWER LIMB NEUROPATHY AND IMPORVED PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING IN AN 18-YEAR OLD MALE CRICKETER RECEIVING CHIROPRACTIC CARE: A CASE REPORT. Chiropractic Journal of Australia. 46(2), 162-171.

The Gut-Brain Relationship

Did you know there are more microbia in your gut than there are cells in your body?  Your gut keeps a constant communication with your brain regarding both the quality and quantity of this bacteria.  For example, if there is an overgrowth of one particular bacteria in your colon, the digestive tract senses this overgrowth and sends a message directly to your brain to interpret and diagnose this message.  The brain determines the appropriate response and sends messages to your immune system, endocrine system (your hormones), cardiovascular system, and digestive system.  This entire communication process takes place every single day in our bodies.  This 2-way communication axis occurs mostly via the vagus nerve.  The vagus nerve or cranial nerve 10 (X) is the longest cranial nerve stretching from your brain stem through the atlas bone at the base of the skull all the way into your abdomen.  The close proximity of the vagus nerve to your atlas bone means that the slightest subluxation or misaligment of the atlas bone can potentially have huge implications for disease or disruption of the body.
Current research is shedding light on how important this 2-way communication between the gut and brain is.  In Frontiers of Neuroscience, a detailed research article explained the possible effects of interference of the vagus nerve may have on all areas of the body.  Specifically they looked at how abnormal function and flow of the vagus nerve can result in various types of digestive dysfunction such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel disease, crohn's disease, chronic diarrhea and chronic constipation.  Furthermore, the article shed light on the fact that because the vagus nerve controls anti-inflammatory responses that when someone experiences emotional stress with a dysfunctioning vagus nerve it can result in full body inflammation!
Chiropractic care influences the health and wellness of the vagus nerve by removing structural interference of the vertebrae.  Specifically, upper cervical chiropractic care focuses on the all important atlas bone and its alignment.  Gentle, specific, upper cervical adjustments focus to keep the nervous system functioning at its fullest potential.  The key to healing your gut abnormalities may lie in the health and wellness of your spine!  Chiropractic adjustments along with diet and exercise could be the combination to never dealing with gut issues again.  Want to learn more about the gut-brain axis?  Call or schedule online for a consultation.  We can help!
Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV


Bonaz B, Bazin T and Pellissier S., (2018) The Vagus Nerve at the Interface of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis. Front. Neurosc. 12:49. doi:10.3389/fnins.2018.00049

Urinary Incontinence or Bladder Leaking? We Can Help

There are several different types of urinary incontinence including stress, urge, overflow, blockage, or temporary incontinence.  Did you know that chiropractic can help with some of these types of urine leakage?  No one wants to admit that urinary leakage is more common than we think.  In children, bed wetting is a common ailment that we assume kids will "grow out of" although there is scientific proof that chiropractic adjustments can halt bed wetting during the day and nighttime.  As adults, a common time for women to experience urinary incontinence is after having a baby.  Their bodies have just undergone a major change, and trying to find comfort in that new body can be difficult when you have the stress of leaking urine that you never experienced before!  For these women, it can be frustrating and embarrassing to feel out of control of their bodily functions.  Often times kegel exercises are recommended for postpartum moms, although recent studies show conflicting evidence about the effectiveness of kegels.
Often times women can experience urine leakage during coughing or sneezing, exercising, or even laughing!  These incidences are in the stress or urge types of incontinence.  As much as it may seem odd to relate your bladder to your brain, these types of bladder leakage can be helped with simple chiropractic adjustments.  Our brains send signals through nerves and the spinal cord (the central nervous system) down to our bladder and sphincter muscles located at S2, S3, and S4.  These signals allow our bladder (smooth muscle) to relax to allow the passage of urine.  When there is interference or a subluxation present in the neck and spine, these passageways are partially blocked, resulting in mixed signals to the S2, S3, and S4 and leakage or incontinence can occur.
A 2018 study followed a young mom who after having her first baby 3 years prior with severe perineum tears after delivery was still experiencing urine leakage. This patient experience urine leakage with little to no bladder fullness during daily activities such as coughing or sneezing, as well as without any triggers whenever her bladder felt about half full.  She also complained of lower back pan which is what initially brought her to the chiropractor after delivery.  Her doctor found several vertebral subluxations of the sacrum and lumbar spine (near her tailbone).  These subluxations were not only causing her back pain, but because the nerves were experiencing interference due to the vertebral subluxations, these misalignments were also the cause of  her bladder leakage and incontinence!  After only a few weeks under chiropractic care, this patient no longer experienced urine leakage when sneezing or coughing.  Her back pain was relieved as well and after 3 long years she could be comfortable and confident that her urinary incontinence had been eliminated!  Chiropractic care is an extremely important and useful part in postpartum care for women.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV


Davis, A., DC. (2018). Resolution of Chronic Postpartum Urinary Incontinence Following Chiropractic Care for Vertebral Subluxation. J. Pediatric, Maternal, & Family Health, 2018(1), 49-52.

Are You Living With Post-Surgical Pain?

 

Surgical procedures put our bodies under a tremendous amount of stress.  It is becoming more common for patients to have repeat surgery or "exploratory" surgery to try and cover up symptoms that arise after the initial procedure.  Pain is the number one post-surgical symptom that appears and can stay long after the recovery period.  This can be so frustrating for patients who turned to surgery for pain relief in the first place.  It is estimated that over 500,000 Americans undergo  back surgery each year, and some research has numbers projecting that back surgery to relieve pain has only a 30% success rate.  Other project that number to be even lower.  Often times surgeons refer their patients to other surgeons to look for a possible other "cause" of their pain but often times end up creating more symptoms by putting patients on more medications with dangerous side effects, or even worse, having a second unsuccessful surgery.
When we think of pain, our first goal is to resolve the symptoms for relief.  Relieving pain symptoms although fantastic, doesn't necessarily fix what the cause of the pain is.  There are little to no underlying symptoms without a cause.  By correcting the cause, the symptoms will dissipate.  Chiropractic care is a useful and noninvasive way to correct the underlying cause of back pain without drugs or surgery.
A recent study followed a 62-year old man who had chronic neck and back pain, along with numbness and tingling in his arm, and weakness in his arm as well.  He had 2 previous back surgeries over 25 years prior.  The patient had been experiencing these symptoms since 1991!  He constantly missed work as his profession was a mechanic, and finally sought alternative treatment after not being able to stand his symptoms any longer.  His chiropractic examination showed a forward head carriage that was not allowing his nervous system to function properly.  After 52 total visits of chiropractic adjustments, his neurological condition, pain, and neck dysfunction showed significant improvement, and he could return to work symptom-free!  Even after a 2.5 year follow-up to the initial study, his results were maintained with regular chiropractic adjustments.  His quality of life improved and he could live his life pain-free!  Although 52 visits may seem like a lot of visits, when looking at the fact that he had been in pain for over 25 years, that time of healing doesn't seem like much at all!  It is even a shorter time period than his previous surgical recovery periods 25 years prior.
Even after surgery, chiropractic adjustments can provide relief for those suffering with post-surgical complications and frustrations.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV






Harrison, D., Oakley, P., & Betz, J (2018). Anterior head translation following cervical fusion-a probable cause of post-surgical pain and impairment: A CBP case report. J. Physical Therapy. Sci., 30 271-276.

Whiplash...Correct the Injury Now to Avoid Long-Term Effects

A whiplash injury occurs between 4-10 G's of force to the head and neck.  The number one cause of whiplash is automobile accidents, however we may experience whiplash injury without necessarily knowing it.  Other causes of whiplash are riding a roller coaster, falls during water sports, contact sport collisions, or even hitting your head during a daily activity.  Although you may not experience full symptoms after a whiplash injury, research is showing the long-term damage that an injury sustained years before can lead to.  

Some patients experience neck pain, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, headaches, ringing in the ears, nausea, pain or numbness down the arms and hands, and even low back pain.  If not treated, symptoms can last for several weeks, even years after the initial injury!  Damage done to the muscles, ligaments, tendons, discs, nerves and vertebrae of the neck is the result of sudden hyperextension and hyperflexion of the neck. When a patient experiences a sudden force that moves the neck forcefully backward then forward, the ligaments and tendons that hold the vertebrae in correct alignment are damaged, causing the vertebrae to change their position and irritate the adjacent nerve roots. This in turn can cause impairment of the function of the body parts that are controlled by these nerves.  A car accident experienced in your teen years if not corrected will impact your spinal health for several years to come, and you may not even experience symptoms until adulthood.  

Chiropractic care helps the body to heal the injury by delivering specific, gentle adjustments to the neck, spine, and extremities.  These adjustments remove interference to the nerve allowing the inflammation and irritation to calm, and the ligaments and tendons to heal back to their "normal" state.  A 2018 study in the Journal of Physical Therapy and Science followed a 46-year old male who had experienced symptoms post whiplash injury for 2 years!  2 years this man lived with neck stiffness, dizziness, ringing in his ears, heart palpitations, lower back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, and spots in his vision.  This patient reported a 90% reductions in all symptoms while under chiropractic care.  This study shows that even an older injury can be corrected with chiropractic adjustments.  It's never too late to help correct an injury.  Chiropractic adjustments remove interference to allow the body to heal itself and return to its proper function.  We see patients every single day who've experienced whiplash injury from as little as one day ago to 15 years ago and they all see relief with chiropractic care!  Could whiplash be the cause of some of your symptoms?  

Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV

 Fortner, M. O., Oakley, P.A., & Harrison, D. E. (2018). Alleviation of posttraumatic dizziness by restoration of the cervical lordosis:A CBP case study with a one year follow-up.  Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 30(5), 730-733. doi:10.1589/jpts.30.730.

Pediatric Concussion Recovery

Sports can be risky at any age, but especially to children as their bodies are growing and changing daily.  Injuries sustained can affect the way their bodies develop and have the potential to become chronic issues if not cared for properly at the time of the injury.  Prevention is the key to best protect themselves against injury.  There was a staggering 70% increase in emergency room visits for traumatic brain injuries between 2001 and 2010.  Research studies are currently showing us that injuries not given much thought previously actually may have long-term effects.  However, upper cervical chiropractic care has been shown to treat and heal these hazardous brain injuries acquired during sports.
According to a recent case study, chiropractic care following a concussion to three different pediatric patients had phenomenal results.  Three different patients aged 11, 15, and 16 all had similar symptoms.  These included headaches, neck pain, dizziness, difficulty focusing, drowziness, and overall not feeling well.  All three pediatric patients received gentle, specific chiropractic adjustments within 3 days of their concussions.  As a result, they no longer experienced headaches and neck pain was relieved.  Their subluxations were corrected and therefore the body was allowed to heal itself after the traumatic concussion.  Although chiropractic care cannot prevent a head injury, it is a necessary tool in the healing process. 
It may surprise a person to learn that the brain is highly dependent on the correct alignment of the top two bones of the neck in order to function properly. A misalignment of either the C1 or C2 vertebrae can lead to a variety of problems within the body. The reason for a misalignment in this area can often be traced back to a concussion, even if it happened many years ago.  Especially in children, where healing tends to occur at a faster rate, upper cervical chiropractic adjustments corrects these misalignments to the C1 and C2 vertebrae allowing the body to function at its highest capacity.


Yours in Health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." JV


Olson, H., DC CCSPS, ICCSP, Tunning, M., DC, ATC, & Lindholm, S., DC. (2018). CHIROPRACTIC MANAGEMENT OF THREE YOUNG ATHLETES WITH CONCUSSION. Chiropractic Journal of Australia, 46(1), 30-48.