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Facet Syndrome
Posted on October 24, 2019 by admin
Facet joints:
Facet joints are sets of synovial joints between two adjacent vertebrae. There is a pair of facet joints on each vertebra. The joint’s main function is to guide and limit movements and motions such as rotation. Lumbar facet joints also have some minor impact on limiting the range of motion of side bending.
Definition and symptoms of facet syndrome:
Facet syndrome is defined as the unilateral or bilateral backpain that originates from the facet joint and/or its capsule. Though it might not be common, the pain could radiate to one or both buttocks, the sides of groin and/or the thigh, and usually stops above the knee; but in most cases, the pain is localized which helps practitioners easily located its source. Patients would experience more pain when they extend their back (bend backwards) than when they flex (bend forward).
Diagnosis:
Physical examinations and diagnostic facet joint block detect and indicate facet syndrome, but false positive rate for both diagnostic methods are high. Interventional radiology such as MRI is a more accurate way to detect the syndrome.
Treatment:
Chiropractic adjustments are great ways to treat facet syndrome; the syndrome responds to standard chiropractic treatment procedures like heat and modalities really well. Trainings that can improve time of response and proprioception help with the pain as well.
Plantar Fasciitis
Posted on October 3, 2019 by admin
Plantar Fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. When the plantar fascia, the flat band of tissue connecting your heel bone to your toes, is strained, it gets inflamed and swollen, and causes pain at the bottom of your foot or at your heel.
Most people with Plantar Fasciitis experience pain when they take their first step after sitting for a long time or getting out of bed. The stiffness and pain might reduce after a few steps. Some might also feel painful after climbing stairs and standing for a long time.
To treat Plantar Fasciitis, you have to give your foot a rest. Cut back from exercises and activities that make your foot hurt. You can also try to put ice on the affected area to ease the inflammation. Toe stretches, calf stretches and towels stretches are excellent stretching exercises to do to relief the pain. It’s always a good idea to get yourself a pair of orthotics to adjust how your shoes fit you.
Start your treatment soon! With the right treatment, you will experience much less pain in a few weeks, but it usually takes at least a few months to a year for the pain to go completely.
Text Neck
Posted on September 3, 2019 by admin
Excessive texting or mobile device use can cause stress injury to the neck, commonly known as the text neck. Symptoms associated might include pain in the neck, upper back and/or shoulder, forward head posture, rounded shoulders, headache, increased pain when neck flexion and reduced mobility.
A lot of extra pressure is put on your cervical spine when our head is bent. The unnatural posture can lead to stresses on the spine and surrounding supportive soft tissues.
Here are some tips to avoid text neck:
- Raise the phone to eye level to minimize bending of neck
- Take breaks from time to time while using your phone
- Stretching exercises during breaks to release tension in the neck and to ease muscle pain
If neck pain keeps returning or is accompanied by severe headache, one should seek medical attention for the right treatment.
Sprain Vs. Strain
Posted on July 30, 2019 by admin
Many people confuse these two words or use them interchangeably, but there is a difference between a sprain and a strain.
To understand the differences you would need to also understand what a tendon and a ligament is. Ligaments are fibrous tissues that connect bones to bones whereas tendons are fibrous tissue that connect muscles to bones.
A sprain is a stretch or tear in a ligament and strains are stretches or tears in a muscle or tendon. The most comment injury is an ankle sprain, for example when you roll your ankle when you stepped on an uneven surface. Strains are most common in contact sports or overworking the muscle. Both are accompanied by swelling, redness and pain. It is important to ice the area and see a doctor if symptoms persist or worsen or you can’t bear weight.
Achilles Tendinopathy
Posted on June 26, 2019 by admin
Achilles tendinopathy is an injury to the Achilles tendon is some way. Different types of Achilles tendinopathy are:
- Achilles tendinitis: this is the acute inflammation of the Achilles tendon
- Achilles tendinosis: this is when no inflammatory cells are presen, collagen fibers in the Achilles tendon are scarred and disorganized. This is usually the cause when people have pain in their Achilles.
- Achilles tenosynovitis: inflammation of the Achilles tendon sheath. This causes fibrosis and scarring that restricts the motion of the tendon within the sheath, in other words, the tendon becomes stiff.
Isometric vs Isotonic Exercisesas
Posted on May 22, 2019 by admin
- Isometric exercises are when the muscle contracts without changing in length, like when you are flexing. An example of this type of exercise would be wall sits or planking.
- Isotonic exercises are when the muscle changes in length. there are 2 types of isotonic movements:
a. Concentric: this is when the muscle is shortening. Example, the upward motion when you do a bicep curl.
b. Eccentric: this is when the muscle is lengthening. Example, moving your arm back to straight from the bicep curl.
Isometric exercises are less stressful than isotonic exercises, so when individuals are recovering from an injury, they should start with isometric exercises and gradually move on the isotonic exercises.
Components of Fitness
Posted on April 23, 2019 by admin
There are 5 components of fitness:
1.Cardiovascular Endurance
2.Muscular Strength
3.Muscular endurance
4.Flexibility
5.Body Composition
Some may call it the 4 components of fitness as they combine muscular strength and muscular endurance.
Preventative Medicine
Posted on March 25, 2019 by admin
1.Primary prevention
To prevent yourself from getting injured, living a healthy lifestyle is a form or primary prevention. Warming up before you exercise, eating healthy, and exercising prevent injuries and illnesses.
2. Secondary prevention
If you do get injured, secondary prevention prevents further damaging the injury and trying to recover. This can be done by rehab, antibodies, bracing etc.
3. Tertiary Prevention
This level of prevention is for catastrophic injuries that people cannot recover from and return to their pre-injury condition. These people will work to to improve quality of life
BMI
Posted on February 18, 2019 by admin
Body mass index (BMI) is a tool we use to compare our weight to height by using a chart. It can be calculated by the equation BMI= (weight/height²), where weight is in kilograms and height is in meters. Many assume that this number can accurately depict a human of being overweight, underweight or at a health risk. BMI is a good indicator for the overall population but not for an individual. Someone could be categorized as obese in the BMI chart but that doesn’t mean this person is obese or unhealthy, they could just have a lot of muscle, for example a bodybuilder. For a BMI rating to accurately describe an individuals body composition it must be accompanied by the waist circumference.
| Below 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5–24.9 | Healthy |
| 25.0–29.9 | Overweight |
| 30.0 and above | Obese |
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Posted on January 21, 2019 by admin
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a chronic condition in the wrist area that can affect the arm and hands. An individual with CTS may experience numbness, tingling, and weakness in the affected hand. CTS is caused by the compression of the median nerve due to inflammation which runs through “carpal tunnel”. The carpal tunnel consists of the carpal bones (wrist bones) which create the base of the “tunnel” and the transverse carpal ligament that creates the roof.
Compression of the median nerve can be caused by many different aspects, most commonly due to the overuse of the wrist in an overextended position. Many individuals spend most of their time typing on the computer either due to work or gaming, the position the wrist is in when typing is in this overextended position and are more at risk for CTS. It is important to take notice of your hand position and make sure there aren’t long periods of time in the overextended position. If you are in this position due typing, ergonomic keyboards or rests for your wrist can help with the positioning.