August 2018 - Susquehanna Spine & Rehab

Joint pain

My uncle’s knee can better predict rain than the weather channel. Many of you may have noticed this past month that their joints have been a little off too. Joints that move are called synovial joints. Inside the synovial joints is synovial fluid, it’s similar lithium or bearing grease. The viscosity of Synovial fluid is sensitive to barometric pressure. As we age (it’s not always the model year, sometimes it’s the mileage) we lose fluid and our joint spaces will also start to shrink, compounding the problem. So grandma might not be all that crazy after all.

So what do we do?

We can either petition Moulder and Scully to find who’s controlling the weather, or take better care of our joints.

What is the best way to take care of joints?

Number one chiropractic adjustments create healthy joints. Make sure you eat an anti-inflammatory diet. Inflammation also affects the viscosity of synovial fluid. An anti-inflammation diet is high in vegetable proteins and Omega 3 fatty acids. Acupuncture can also be sued to reduce internal, systemic inflammation like. Cold laser is phenomenal in calming down aggravated joints. These are all great tools for joint all over the body. Joints of the spine are a little special as they have discs between them.

What is good for spinal joints affected by low viscous synovium?

Decompression traditionally is used to treat herniated, bulged, degenerative or torn discs and pinched nerves. It work by providing relief to severe back and neck pain sufferers by gently reducing the pressure within the spine creating a vacuum that reduces or reverses bulging, degenerative or herniated discs taking pressure off the joints and any “pinched” nerves. This vacuum also pulls much-needed oxygen, nutrients and fluid into injured and degenerated discs allowing the healing to begin. The treatment is computer controlled to provide gentle and painless oscillations. These oscillations also circulate synovium fluid keeping it operating at optimum temperature and pressure.

Coming soon…Coming in the next few weeks we are getting a new decompression table loaded with the newest protocols and algorithms. We are updating the older one too, so it’ll be up to date, and have room for your friends to come with. The newer table allows for many more treatment positions making it more comfortable and ergonomic for patients of all mobility and positional limitations and acute stages.

So if you would like to be surprised when it rains and turn off your body’s weather vain give our office a call on (443) 512-0025

DOT Physical

DOT Exams

Anyone that listens to me, so that excludes my wife, kids, dogs and employees; has heard me mention that along with Chiropractic & Physical Therapy, I am a Nationally Registered Certified Medical Examiner for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation (NRCME-FMCSA-DOT, obviously a government job with all those letters). Meaning, I do truck driver physicals or commonly referred to as DOT physicals.

dot exam center maryland

Who needs a DOT medical card?

Everyone that has a CDL, regardless of class must have a DOT medical card. In Maryland, because Maryland is Maryland; anyone who operates a vehicle over 10,000 lbs. for commercial purposes must also have a DOT card, regardless if you cross state lines or not. If you drive a F250 or similar vehicle you need a DOT card. If you operate any vehicle over 10,000 lbs. registered to a company, you need a medical card.

Why require a medical card?

The whole point of the card is to ensure those operating large vehicles do not have a medical condition that may lead to immediate incapacitate. The main goal is reducing potential for a truck to become an involuntary weapon of mass destruction.

There are strict federal regulations regarding who qualities for DOT cards. There are exclusions, federal exemptions, and releases from specials that may apply.

Few tips to make your DOT go smoother

If you’re on high blood pressure meds, take them. If you’re on metformin, take it. If you have a CPAP, use it; it’s all tested for. If you’ve ever had a heart attack, stroke or any type of cardiovascular surgery, there’s a wait period and you must provide documentation. Come with a full bladder because you WILL have to pee in a cup. And don’t lie, they’ll toss you in jail.

Chiropractic Care, Pain

They say Sitting is the New Smoking

They say sitting is the new smoking. I’m old enough that I remember smoking sections in restaurants and on planes that were nothing more than just the next aisle over. I’m probably even old enough that my mom’s OB told her which brand of cigarettes to smoke when she was pregnant (that’d explain my brother). While I don’t think that they’ll start instituting no sitting areas, make employees go outside in the dead of winter to have sit breaks; I do though think we should get off our rumps a bit more.

Sitting leads to forward head posture, elongation and deactivation of the spinal muscles, reduced hip flexion, deregulation of the glutes, short hamstrings, shoulder rotation and short pectoral muscles. All of which leads to about 1000 different physical ailments. Sitting also influences biomarkers of obesity, heart and other chronic diseases.

Try the following:

If when you look in the mirror and your posture appears to be “off” it’s time to take a trip to my office and get the professional help you need.

Pain

How was your Sleep last Night ?

One of the most common retorts I hear is “I must have slept wrong.” Well, let me put this to bed right now. Steps for sleeping not wrong: 1. Lay down 2. Close your eyes. That’s it. I don’t know what all you people are doing wrong to hurt yourself, but stop it. Now, it’s not covered by insurance and it’s creepy as all get out; but for a fee we’ll have Dr Hicky come over. He will watch you while you sleep and he can take notes on what you might be doing to get hurt. But here are a few pointers that might reduce your risk of injury from just lying there:

Mattress: At one point the thought was the harder the better. People would even put a door under their mattress to firm it up. But at one time your doctor used to recommend what brand of cigs to smoke too. The best mattress is the one that is the most comfortable. You want to Baby Bear it. Not too hard, not too soft, just right. You don’t have to buy the most expensive one on the market, but cheaper is not better either. With mattresses name brands are better. If you’ve never heard of it, you don’t want it. And no matter what they tell you, they don’t last as long as you think. Like tires, 40k mile tires are shot by 30, a 20 year mattress is only good for 15.

Pillows: If you’re throwing down 5 grand on a good quality mattress, you should invest more than $7 on a pillow. Pillows are specially made for either side or back sleeping. They don’t make stomach sleeping pillows because you should never sleep on your stomach. I’m sure they probably do make them, but they shouldn’t. It takes about 2 weeks to break in a pillow, and they last just a couple years, not decades. Pillows also come in sizes. If you are 5 foot and weigh 100 pounds your neck is not the same size as a 6 foot tall 250 pound person.

Now, if you have a good mattress, a good pillow and you didn’t over-indulge the night before; any pain or stiffness lasting more than an hour or two after rising isn’t because of the way you slept. It’s from one of the stressors (physical, chemical, emotional) in your life. And we can fix that. What is happening that you are suffering from micro injuries from the stressors in your life and that is the pain or stiffness you are feeling when you wake up.

Susquehanna Spine & Rehab
2105 Laurel Bush Rd #103
Bel Air, MD 21015

Phone: (443) 512-0025
Fax: (443) 512-8844

Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 8am – 1pm; 3pm – 6pm
Friday: 8am – 12 noon

Same day appointments available!

Call or Text: (443) 512-0025

Schedule an Appointment

SERVICES WE OFFER

Chiropractic Care
- Supplemental Services
- Spinal Decompression
- Dry Needling
- Cold Laser
- Hydro Therapy
Physical Therapy
Massage Therapy
Acupuncture
- TCM
- 5 element
- Scalp
- Auricular
Nutrition & Weight Loss
- Supplements
- Invisa-Red Weight Loss & Aesthetics
Employer / Employee Services
- DOT Physicals
- Drug Testing
- DOT Drug & Alcohol Testing
- Employment Physicals
- Worker’s Compensation