It’s that time of year when everyone starts losing their mind over a little snow and every other news segment or blog entry is about how to safely shovel snow. Well, I’m not going there. In over 16 years of treating patients on the East Coast the amount of people that I’ve seen hurt themselves shoveling snow is very small compared to those who hurt themselves vacuuming, doing dishes, tying shoes, sneezing, slip n sliding, running down the stairs on Christmas morning in fuzzy socks and busting their backside.
Why is that? Most people do not have the time or patience to recover when they hurt themselves for minor or major injuries. They ignore that pain or “walk it off .“ The pain will subside and stiffness becomes the new norm. The area has not 100% healed and it is now altered. Irritation and iinflammation build and weakens the area. Stress from daily activities can also cause irritation that your body ignores since it has been conditioned to do so. It keeps building until you sneeze or vacuum or bend down to tie your shoes. The sneeze did not cause the injury; it was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Anytime there is stiffness, pain, irritation, decreased range of motion this means there is an injury that needs attention. The smaller the irritation the easier it is to heal. So getting treatment early is wise. Pain is the most motivating reason people call our office but pain is only a symptom of the real injury and only the first step of the process.
IF you hurt yourself, call us right away on (443) 512-0025
https://susquespine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Susquehanna-Spine-and-Rehab_340x156px_REV1-300x138.png00BCwebDev48https://susquespine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Susquehanna-Spine-and-Rehab_340x156px_REV1-300x138.pngBCwebDev482018-01-12 06:37:252018-01-12 06:37:25Tis the Season for Snow
Back in my day, if we got hurt playing ball; we were promptly examined and diagnosed by a highly trained professional. And by highly trained professional I mean the equipment manager. Our treatments alternated between ‘ice it down’ and ‘walk it off’.
Most of the patients we see are suffering from the long term effects of people who just tried to “walk off”
Old sports injuries
Auto injuries
Lawn care injuries
Sitting at the desk too long injuries
“Here, hold my beer” injuries
“Well, there was this girl/guy” injuries and so one
You’re not made of wine or cheese. More like milk; it won’t get better with just time. Let’s face it every athlete will have an injury at some point in time. But it is important to not just let injuries heal, but HELP them heal. My kids sometimes get injured too.
Example 1: Last season my youngest fell on stage and broke her arm having to get pins to allow it to heal correctly. She came back in 6 weeks from this injury but only because she did rehab. She was cleared by the orthopedic surgeon with no instructions; however she had restricted range of motion. Because her wrist was immobile for weeks she did not have any flexibility. She slowly did exercises to gradually increase the range of motion and the strength in the muscles in the affected area. Then as her arm became stronger she was able to do weight bearing tricks such as a hand stand, cartwheels, round offs and then she built up her strength until she could do a back hand spring. She is 100 % healed with no restrictions and more importantly no pain or restricted motion.
Example 2: My middle daughter was practicing jumps on a concrete floor. Not the best plan but she’s a kid. She bruised her heals. She was even having difficulty walking. Her instructions from Dr. Dad were to wear tennis shoes at ALL times. She was mortified. She even wore tennis shoes to dance. We also used cold laser and manual therapy. She argued and fought so we told her choices were to sit out or dance in tennis shoes for 2 weeks AND do her rehab. She chose my option and her feet healed right up and it has not returned.
Other common injuries that need HELP to heal:
Ankle sprains
Shoulder injuries
Shin splints or pain
Pain caused by common kid deceases such as
Severs ( heal pain )
Osgood-Schlatters
But what can you do as a parent?
The first thing we can do is not do what our first inclination is to do-nothing. Sometimes we think that kids are just “belly-aching” to get out of something. Best rule-immediately ice the injury and have them sit the rest of the day. If there’s still any pain, swelling, deformity, complaints, altered function; if they’ve ‘lost a step’ or anywise not 100% the next day. Bring them in. Remember braces for knees ankles, etc. are not a long term solution.
Why is chiro a good choice for athletes?
We’re not just “back crackers.” We chiropractors (ok, me, can’t speak for everyone) are experts in the biomechanics of the ENTIRE human body. Which means we know if something ain’t right and how to make it right? Look to college and the pros most teams have a team chiropractor on site!
Facebook feelers
– What to do when your kid gets injured
– Chiropractor as a choice for athletes
– Does your kid have Severs?
– Does your kid Osgood sclatters
– My child was released by the orthopedic but they do not have the strength or the range of motion they did before
– My kids seems to always have shin splints
– my kid wears an ankle brace all the time for an old ankle sprain
– my kid wears knee brace for an injury whenever they play
https://susquespine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Susquehanna-Spine-and-Rehab_340x156px_REV1-300x138.png00BCwebDev48https://susquespine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Susquehanna-Spine-and-Rehab_340x156px_REV1-300x138.pngBCwebDev482017-09-01 07:26:022017-09-01 07:26:02Playing Through the Pain Part 2
pro·pri·o·cep·tion (prō’prē-ō-sěp’shən) noun. The unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body itself.
What does that mean really? It is the body’s ability to sense the relative position of the parts of the body. We use proprioception training to build core strength which in turn strengthens and stabilizes the back.
Why is this important? Building core strength and the protecting the back is key to preventing injuries. It also aids in your everyday body movement. Think about going down the stairs or getting in and out of the car. You balance your body on one foot while the rest of your body swivels around. Without proprioception, you’d land flat on your face, or rear. Many adults have poor balance (Don’t think so? Try standing on 1 leg with your eyes closed, arms to your side without flailing about). This really comes into effect as we age but balance is important at any age. Proprioception can be affected by injuries to the back, abdomen or from any and all disorders that affect the nerves and muscles (no officer, I haven’t been drinking, I have disc bulge affecting my proprioception).
How often are you on one foot? When we ask people this question they say never. However, you are on one foot every time you take a step across the room and each time you use the stairs. We incorporate proprioception training into all of our physical therapy programs. We want to help our patient’s bodies become as strong and balanced as possible to not only heal present injuries but to prevent future ones.
https://susquespine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Susquehanna-Spine-and-Rehab_340x156px_REV1-300x138.png00BCwebDev48https://susquespine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Susquehanna-Spine-and-Rehab_340x156px_REV1-300x138.pngBCwebDev482017-03-10 10:39:252017-03-10 10:39:25One Step at a Time
As many of you know, I grew up in Texas. Many of those years were spent right on the Gulf Coast. Galveston Bay is awash in blue crabs. Most of them are boxed up and shipped to Maryland. The ones that remain are used as bait for red fish, or get cut up and boiled; yes, you read that right, boiled. No surprise then when Texas based Joe’s Crab Shack didn’t make it here in Bel Air. Yet, they are famous for their phrase: “Love All, Serve All.”
Next Monday is Martin Luther King Jr Day. Despite this being a Federal Holiday, we will be open. Why? When I first moved to Maryland I was an associate doctor for the very first, and longest running Chiropractic clinic in Baltimore. It started in the 1920’s during segregation. I was told stories of how the office had separate entrances, hours and days for not only different races, but for Hasidic patients as well. Even more, one of the first patients I ever treated; his grandmother was born a slave.
I’ve had the unfortunate privilege of dissecting multiple anatomy cadavers. Everyone’s herniated disc looks the same. White, black, gay, straight, Christian, Jew; headaches are headaches, TMJ is TMJ, rotator cuff injuries are rotator cuff injuries.
On Monday, and everyday, all are welcome. Even Steeler’s fans.
https://susquespine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Susquehanna-Spine-and-Rehab_340x156px_REV1-300x138.png00BCwebDev48https://susquespine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Susquehanna-Spine-and-Rehab_340x156px_REV1-300x138.pngBCwebDev482017-01-12 23:39:072017-01-12 23:39:07Our Doors are Open!
While we were traveling a few weeks ago, my computer bag slipped off my shoulder and I caught it on my arm right below my elbow. No big deal -my arm was a little sore. I chose to ignore the small injury and went on with my life. I didn’t think anything of it. Last week I noticed that my wrist is a little sore. But again a little soreness isn’t much, so I didn’t do anything about it. Now a few days later my wrist is really sore! It hurts to rotate my arm, it hurts to type and use the mouse and I have no strength to hold anything in my hand.
Don’t Ignore Small Injuries
Thanks for the dry needling Dr. Lee!
Lesson #1: Don’t ignore small injuries; they usually snow ball into something bigger. Ignoring slight pain is like putting a post-it note over the check engine light on your car. Ignoring the light doesn’t make it go away nor does it fix the engine; it just makes it worse.
Lesson #2: The location of the pain or symptom is not always the location of the injury or cause. Pain and injuries can be like earthquakes in that there’s an epicenter, but the shocks can be felt miles and miles away. There is no actual injury to my wrist, but the wrist and hand are connected to the elbow by muscles, tendons and ligaments – and pain usually travels down.
I’ve been taught this and lived this before, but I’ve yet to really learn my lesson. (Don’t tell Dr Lee, it’ll go to his head.) So today I am rocking the kt-tape, which my daughter decorated for me. I am getting my wrist and elbow adjusted, following icing directions; using Bio Freeze, having Dr Lam do muscle work and not ignoring the signs that something is wrong.
Whether it’s an old injury that you have been ignoring, or a new one, we can help! Make an appointment for a consultation today.
inflammation build and weakens the area. Stress from daily activities can also cause irritation that your body ignores since it has been conditioned to do so. It keeps building until you sneeze or vacuum or bend down to tie your shoes. The sneeze did not cause the injury; it was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.
