2020 - Susquehanna Spine & Rehab

I Want Candy

I Want Candy…. (Please see the video on Facebook for a good laugh.)

Do you need it though? How many of us have turned to overindulgence and got the COVID 15 from the COVID-19? More sweets, more take out, more snacks, more of everything. What started as a way to help and support local businesses nearly turned into borderline overdoing it to cope. Needing a little help to unwind now and again isn’t a big deal or even a deal at all. However, When a little used to do it, but a little got more and more, even if you trying to get a little better than before; you’ll end up dancing with Mr. Brownstone. Not sure what Guns N Roses has to do with it, except not seeing them this past summer was one of 2020’s many victims.

Except for maybe Jeff Bezos and shareholders, 2020 hasn’t been kind to anyone and trends show it. Alcohol consumption is up. Sugar consumption is up. Junk food consumption is up. I’m not going to talk about dependency or weight gain. But we will discuss inflammation. I know we talk about inflammation a lot but it is important. In excess (not INXS, another ’80s great) overdoing it leads to the formation of chemicals that can “supercharge” any inflammatory process you already have. They can also create de novo inflammation that can turbocharge any physical or disease process that we may have going on. So, to feel better mentally, overconsumption can physically make you feel worse.

Sitting in front of a laptop at the kitchen table for 8 hours a day is already bad enough. No need to eat a headache or drink a herniated disc. If we keep our ‘medicine’ to no more than 10% of our daily calories (the ones we are supposed to consume, not necessarily the ones we are); we are good. If you think you might need help with chemical dependency or mental health-seek help. If you don’t know who or where we can help with resources.

You want to know what is a not just good but great coping mechanism? Massage so is acupuncture. If you’re looking for a way to deal with 2020, give us a call and give it a try.

Back Pain, Chiropractic Care, Disc Pain, Neck Pain, Spinal Decompression, Uncategorized

Summer is Over

Summer’s over, schools ‘started’ and the autumnal equinox is among us. God forbid your allergies cause a cough or sneeze under that mask. The air is getting cooler and the days are getting shorter as we begin to finalize this trip around the sun, but this one’s been a doozy.

One constant this year has been herniated discs. Herniated disc can cause back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, arm & leg pain, foot & ankle problems, numbness, burring, tingling, weakness, sciatica, and carpal tunnel depending on which disc is having issues and there are 23 of them. Herniated discs are sometimes referred to as slipped, bulging or degenerating.

Why does the disc cause so many symptoms? The disc is the jelly stuff between the vertebra. There is not a lot of space for much else however remember your nerves are there too. When a disc is bulging or herniating the jelly protrudes out and bothers the nerve. The symptoms you will feel will be based on how bothered the nerve is and what nerve is being affected.

What can be done to help a herniated disc? In these cases, spinal decompression that uses computerized sensors to perform small stretching actions on the spine and promote healing. It can be uniquely effective by creating a scenario in which the disc tissue is able to move back into place and heal, not just alleviating the pain. Think putting the jelly back inside a jelly donut.

How does it work? The therapy itself works to stretch the spine, using a spinal decompression table to create negative pressure space, essentially a vacuum, within the disc to allow disc fluid to move back into place. This creates an environment in which the disc can receive more nutrients and therefore heal itself. Healing herniated discs is possible but it’s not a quick fix.

Not to be the COVID guy, but…we’ve seen way more bad herniated discs lately not directly because of COVID; but because all the lifestyle changes and impediments to care brought on by COVID. The moral of this story-get up and move and don’t be afraid to come in.

Uncategorized

It’s Fine, I’m Fine, Everything is Fine

“As we prepared the girls ‘office’ to get ready for this ‘school year’ some things came to mind.”

The world is a little nuttier than normal and everyone’s stress level is ramped up a bit even if everything is ‘fine’. Stress and how we process stress causes changes in the body that build and cause injury and disease. Many of you have heard me say that stress is more than just a bran muffin, 2 cups of coffee, and the 3 left lanes of 95 closed down. These days you could say that stress is more than getting chastised for going down the up aisle at Wegmans, or being stuck in the house during a TP shortage, or your 3 kids going beyond stir crazy and trying to teach them geometry when you probably slept through the difference of perpendicular and parallel (and don’t get me started on social media).

People often only think of stress as an emotional issue however stress manifests in the body on a physical and chemical level. And they are all out of control. Kitchen tables are made for eating, not 6 months of 60-hour week office work. Laptops are erroneously named. They’re not made for laps outside 20 minutes at the gate before a flight. Diet and drinking? Fuggedaboutit!

We’ve been seeing an uptick in ergonomic based generated pain these days because not only have our lives been turned upside down, so has our body mechanics. We’ve all been hit with a double whammy. Stress and poor ergonomics and dynamics. A triple whammy even for those of us motivated enough to hurt themselves getting to those DIY projects we’ve been putting off till now.

Life ain’t normal right now. Not sure when it will be. But we need to act like it is where we can. Get up at your pre-COVID time, get dressed, set up a real desk, a useable workspace, and a real chair. Exercise. Eat well. Keep the booze to 1 or 2 NORMAL sized servings a day 5 days a week. And remember to make your appointments! We follow all CDC and Maryland DOH guidelines for safety and sanitation.

Massage, Staying Healthy

2020 Wins the most Stressful Year Award

massage

Are you good? Things have been a bit off the chain lately. I think we can all agree 2020 wins the award for the most stressful year. Stress is the body’s response to a threat, real or perceived. Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system (think fight or flight) to help you respond or defend to the issue at hand.

However, chronic stress can have physical and mental complications including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, reduced immune function, thyroid disorders, alcoholism, diabetes, anorexia nervosa as well as depression. The top five leading causes of death have all been linked to stress: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide. Therefore, therapeutic techniques that reduce the harmful consequences of stress and facilitate effective coping mechanisms are essential to healthy living.

That’s why for years now experts (real ones. Not just the ones on TV), have touted massage and its ability to fight stress. Massage stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system facilitates the return to homeostasis after an emergency by reversing some of the physiological systems activated during the stress response; resulting in relaxation and recovery from stress.

SPECIAL OFFER!

To help you recover from the stress of 2020 we’re offering massages for only $55. Between now and July 15, purchase as many as you want for you or a friend and use them by December 31^st. Call or stop in today!

Uncategorized

You are do nothing wrong

These last few weeks we’ve seen a huge uptick of people getting hurt from doing nothing. The problem

is, you’re doing nothing, wrong. Not that you’re not committing a faux pas, your faux pas-ing wrongly. That made much more sense saying it, but you know what I mean.

Ergonomics out the window

With most people working and studying from home, we’ve seemed to have thrown ergonomics out the window. Laptops are erroneously named. They’re not for laps. They’re not for laying in bed, on the trampoline, in the front yard etc. etc. etc. They’re made for desks or the kitchen table with proper chair and positioning in a pinch. While they may HAVE been designed for lap use, that’s just plain wrong. Same to be said for books and phones and tablets.

Get up and Move

Now on to nothing. For those who aren’t able to work from home, just sitting around doing nothing isn’t the answer. As anyone with children under the ‘sleep & Netflix, all day’ demo knows; 3-year-old’s don’t like not moving. Neither does your body. Move. Don’t have to go anywhere, but don’t sit there.

Mask injuries; I’m waiting for them. I’ve been straining my neck to keep it from falling below my nose. That and my depth perception is messed up with all this action in my periphery. I’m sure I’ll fall soon; you probably will too. I know I’ll get adjusted after, you should too.

We’re still here

And so yes, we’re still here. As per the Executive Order, a visit is essential if it would keep you from visiting a medical facility where other sick people would be (we aren’t a sick care operation), you’d go to a pharmacy, not coming would be detrimental to your health and well-being; or you’re in pain. Also, tele-health is available for those not venturing out.

Uncategorized

Find new ways to do things…

This is kid #3 she is bored and tired of being cooped up inside, so she decided to move her desk to the trampoline.

While we are not seeing all our patients there are things we can do to help.

In-office: We are seeing acute cases. If you are hurt and would like to come in we can make that happen. We are limiting numbers and the waiting room has been moved to your car.
Telehealth: We can provide telehealth or video visits. While we can not do a chiropractic adjustment, we can assess your condition, offer advice, and even do a PT visit. This is a covered service from your insurance and self-pay options are available.
Activity: Too much or too little. Spring is a time where many people reinjure themselves by exercising too much too soon or cleaning out their garage. So please get out and do things but be careful about getting hurt. However, it’s a double-edged sword. What I mean by that is if you are now working from home or less active than normal sitting causes injuries too.

Nutrition and Wellness, Staying Healthy

Coronavirus: Protect yourself from germs

Many of you might not know, but previous to my career as Chiropractor Extraordinaire, I was a virology researcher at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research. Some of my long-term fans might have heard me say this before in regards to SARS, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, etc., etc., etc… There is absolutely NO reason to fear Coronavirus. Yes, it’s a serious virus that has infected, by the time you read this, almost 100,000 and will have killed 3000; but all in a region of the world with very different standards of public health, hygiene, and sanitation.

Every year, despite vaccination that provides between 10-30% protection depending on the year, the regular ol’ influenza flu will infect up to 5 million, killing nearly 10% of that. Yet all without the same amount of hysteria and media fanfare.

Given the nature of our global village, yes, I’m sure that there will eventually be cases of Coronavirus here in Maryland before the pandemic dies down. In comparison, as of St. Valentine’s Day, there were 70,000 cases of flu here in the Old-Line State alone.

We should take precautions, but caution isn’t paranoia. Standard infection control protocols (that provide up to twice the protection from influenza as vaccines) stand:

Wash your hands
Keep hands away from your eyes, nose or mouth
Avoid unnecessary human and even animal contact
Avoid areas of sub-standard hygiene, food safety, air quality, and sanitation
Clean your house, clean your car, clean your kids
If you are sick stay home
If your kids have a fever keep them home until they are fever-free for 24 hours

Boost your immunity through eating nutrition-rich foods, sleep 7 hours a night, drink plenty of water, moderate alcohol intake, don’t smoke, exercise, take vitamins D & C, engage in marital relations AND GET ADJUSTED!

Chiropractic Care, Services

Reboot Required

I typically don’t really notice trends. Be it fashion, culture or sequences. However lately, I am believing in the rule of 3. So far this month we’ve seen 3 patients with Thoracic Outlet syndrome, 3 with Costochondritis, 3 POTS, 3 Frozen Shoulder, 3 Tachycardia and 3 with nervous ticks. Some people would be a bit taken back by such a list; others wouldn’t.

Most people think of Chiropractic as being mostly a solution for low back pain or sometimes neck pain. It is, but that’s not all it is. Chiropractic is about making joints (not just spinal) that aren’t working correctly, work right again. Doesn’t matter which it is or where it is located. All joints are supposed to move in a very specific manner. But because of life, that may stop. They get, ‘locked up’ let’s say. Chiropractic unlocks them. It’s also more than that.

Chiropractic just isn’t making joints work right again, it’s also about stimulating the nervous system. All aspects of the body are controlled by the nervous system. It’s our bodies, electrical supplier. Sometimes the nervous system will misfire. How many of you have called tech support and spent hours trying to troubleshoot a computer for them to tell you just reboot it? A chiropractic adjustment essentially reboots the nervous system. This causes ailments related to the dysfunction nervous system to abate. This is often why patients who are not experiencing pain can be helped by chiropractic care.

If you or someone you know has something weird going on, give us a call.

health, Uncategorized

Scars might be cool, but scar tissue is not.

Scars might be cool, and while chicks dig them, they’re as functional as a Florida snowplow. Scars caused by cuts or burns are not only on the surface; there is also scar tissue below the surface. Scars can also be caused by blunt force or any type of trauma. Here is how it works:

After an injury, the inflammatory process signals fibroblasts to lay down new, protective tissue in the form of scars. Tissues in the body are normally aligned in a very orchestrated manner. While normal tissue is orchestrated in fine, functional parallel lines like a symphony, fibroblasts are free-form jazz – no rules, no true pattern to follow. Think of it like a neighborhood where everyone has a meticulously manicured lawn, then the new family moves in down the street and not only do they never mow or weed; they have a toilet in the front yard. It brings down the property value. Anywhere you have a scar, that tissue has less “value,” and reduced functionality.

Nowhere is this truer than in the core muscles. Any disturbance in the pelvic & abdominal area from trauma, surgery (biggest being C-sections) and/or pregnancy causes scar tissue not just on the outside, but the inside too. Scars are like icebergs. There’s much more of them under the surface than above. These adhesions screw with the functionality of the core and thwart its ability to provide counter pressure to the spine leading to back problems, worsening back problems, etc.

We have not only seen first hand how working on scars helps our patients but Mini Spine #2 is currently coming back from elbow surgery.

All scars, core, and non-core need manual therapy to prevent contracture, adhesions and to treat/prevent loss of function. Core scars need the same, plus core re-training to support the spine.

Services, Uncategorized

New Years Changes

New year, new decade, new benefits. Just as time is an artificial construct of man, so are insurance maximums. January is a time of renewal. That includes your health insurance benefits and HSA funds. If you barely dragged yourself to the end of the year, now is the time to get fixed.

We have lots of ‘New’ going on around here.

New equipment to lessen your wait.
New equipment that will dramatically enhance healing and treat previously untreated disorders.

We’re now offering High Output, 60W laser, shockwave therapy and TPA services for DOT drivers. And soon, we’ll have some new team members. Amanda’s family is expanding and we will be hosting interns from Harford Tech’s Sports Science program.

So, here’s to hoping the New Year finds you well. If we can be of any help, if you should need any Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Acupuncture, Massage, a DOT exam, drug or alcohol testing or just need a second opinion about anything if you think we can help or not (we actually probably could); give us a call.

I Want Candy

Summer is Over

It’s Fine, I’m Fine, Everything is Fine

2020 Wins the most Stressful Year Award

SPECIAL OFFER!

You are do nothing wrong

Find new ways to do things…

Coronavirus: Protect yourself from germs

Reboot Required

Scars might be cool, but scar tissue is not.

New Years Changes

SERVICES WE OFFER

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP