Tampa Chiropractor

If you sit for extended periods at a computer, you may be experiencing lower back pain, upper back pain, and/or neck pain that also radiates down one or both of your arms generating additional pain, pins and needles, or numbness. Neck and shoulder pain are, in fact, the most common upper-extremity musculoskeletal problems among computer users. In a 2002 study tracking 632 computer users newly hired at major Atlanta companies, Dr. Fredric E. Gerr, an occupational medicine physician and ergonomics investigator at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and colleagues observed that roughly 60 percent developed neck or shoulder pain in the first year, though the study did not track how long symptoms persisted.

Younger generations growing up in the digital age are also joining the ranks of the “typing wounded.” Surveys at two universities found that 40 to 50 percent of undergraduates experienced upper-extremity pain from using their computers. Colleges do not build dormitory furniture to be ergonomically adjustable, said Dr. Benjamin Amick, scientific director of the Institute for Work and Health in Toronto, who was a co-author of those studies. “They build it to be indestructible.”

In addition to repetitive stress problems, sitting at your computer too long places your upper back in a sustained, stressful posture, especially if you tend to lean forward when you’re working. This also puts your neck at an unnatural and strained angle. Lower back pain, in addition to being generated by simply sitting for long periods of time without getting up and moving around, is aggravated by bad posture.

Problems caused by extended computer use can not only lead to an inability to perform your work duties, but can keep you from enjoying the rest of your life, too. Your Tampa chiropractor can assist in eliminating the lower back pain, upper back pain, and/or neck pain that you are currently experiencing. After that, it is important for you to become mindful of your body as you sit at your computer, and to give your body what it naturally needs. You can cultivate the habit of both sitting straight in your chair (as opposed to slouching) and relaxing your shoulders. This will help to relieve tension in your lower and upper back and neck. Take time to stretch periodically to ease muscle tension and encourage healthy blood flow. If your work station permits, sitting on an exercise ball can not only aide in keeping you in a beneficial posture, but can help to strengthen your core muscles as well. (Make sure that the ball is the right size so that when you are seated on it your arms are at a ninety-degree angle to your keyboard.)

Good posture for ease of movement, variety in the motions that you do, and short breaks to relax and stretch will go a long way in keeping your computer work (or play) pain-free.

Partial source: The New York Times, health Review, June 22, 2009

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Headaches and Chiropractic Care

Headaches or migraines are commonly associated with dysfunction of the cervical spine. When the cervical vertebrae lose their normal position or motion, sensitive nerves and blood vessels that are connected with structures in the head are stretched or agitated thus causing symptoms from a dull ache to throbbing pain. Trigger points, the tight knots in the muscles of the neck, can also refer pain to the head.  Many other factors are connected with headaches such as toxic fumes, certain foods, additives such as MSG, alcohol, caffeine, and stress. Nevertheless one must always look at the tissues and alignment of the neck when contemplating the basis for headaches and migraines. chiropractic care has been shown to singularly valuable in the treatment of headaches. As a Colorado Springs Chiropractor I can give you further information regarding treatment and pain relief.

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When a person wakes up in the morning with a stiff and painful neck the tendency is to blame the condition on one’s pillow, bed, or sleep position during that night. Other times a person can move their neck suddenly and feel sharp pain thinking that something suddenly slipped out of position or is pinching a “nerve”. It is important to understand that most neck problems are seldom caused by a single incident but by the cumulative affect of improper sitting posture, poor work and living habits, lack of proper exercise and flexibility and other lifestyle-related factors. Of course some neck problems are due to traumatic events such as a whiplash accident, a fall or a sports injury.

Anatomy

To understand neck pain it is necessary to understand the anatomy of the spine. The spinal bones or vertebrae of the neck consist of posterior joints called facets that link vertebrae to one another and serve to guide the motion of the spine. The intervertbral discs connect the bodies of the vertebrae and are composed of a form of tough cartilage that encases a soft material in the centre called the nucleus. The primary function of the disc is a shock absorber and a spacer between the vertebrae. Ligaments are tough, non elastic bands that hold the bones together and muscles are the tissues that contract to move the body. For more information please feel free to visityour Tampa chiropractor. In a canal located between the body and the facets of the vertebrae is the spinal cord. The spinal nerves exit the spine between the vertebrae and provide the energy to make the muscles and other organs of the body function. The spinal nerves also carry impulses from the body to the brain regarding pain, touch, position, temperature as well as other senses. The nerves from the neck are responsible for the entire upper extremity including the shoulder, elbow and hand as well as structures of the head and neck. The neck has a natural forward curve viewed from the side that helps properly balance the weight of the head as well as to decrease stress.

Risk Factors for Neck Pain

More and more people are now making their living sitting at a desk. The use of computers have risen astronomically and many of us spend eight to ten hours a day slumped over the keyboard and staring at the monitor. When we sit with our head in a forward bent position, the posture that most desk workers assume, the ligaments that hold the facets together and the muscles in the neck are put under tremendous strain. In addition the normal forward curve of the neck becomes reversed causing more stress upon all the surrounding tissues of the neck. All of this can lead to spinal problems including disc herniation and subluxations, which are the main causes of spinal nerve irritation. Besides pain, spinal nerve irritation in the neck can cause symptoms including headaches, eye problems, giddiness, arm and hand pain and paraesthesia, as well as shoulder pain.

Whiplash

Many people are involved in car accidents during their lifetime. By far the most common auto accident is when one car collides in to the rear-end of another car. During such an accident, the passenger in the front vehicle gets their head forcefully jerked backward and then forward causing injury to the structures of the back and front of the neck. This type of injury is often called a whiplash. Even at low speeds, the amount of force generated by such an accident is very strong and can cause trauma to the ligaments, muscles, facet joints, discs and the spinal nerves. Besides neck pain and immobility, symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vertigo, arm and shoulder pain, tingling in the hands and fingers and weakness of the arm and hand are associated with whiplash injury. It is very important to get immediate evaluation and x-rays to rule out the possibility of fracture. However in most cases, the injuries are usually to the soft tissues and joints. Proper management is essential to recover from the pain and symptoms of whiplash and to prevent future disability. Tampa chiropractors are educated to understand whiplash injury and manage the case from beginning to end.

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