Safe, Gentle, and Effective

Month: June 2014

Spine and Joint Center News2014June
By Douglas Kellerman June 27, 2014 Services

Chiropractic for a Pinched Nerve

A pinched nerve can happen anywhere along the course of a nerve. It could happen in the wrist if we’re talking numbness in the hand, it could happen in the elbow, it could happen in the shoulder, but most commonly it happens in the spine.

The spine has a lot of movable components right where the nerve exits. The Central Nervous system is the brain and spinal cord. As the nerves branch off of the Central Nervous System they become the spinal nerves, and those are the nerves that actually get pinched usually.

In Chiropractic we work to adjust the vertebrae, where if the vertebrae is out of alignment, it actually impinges upon the nerve root. Chiropractic adjustments try to move and re-position and keep things in alignment, and then we work to rehabilitate so the spine can work properly again. This is how we treat for a pinched nerve and avoid back surgery.

by Dr. Michael Petrie, D.C.
Spine and Joint Center

By Douglas Kellerman June 20, 2014 Health Advice

How Do I Sleep When I’m in Pain?

As a Chiropractor a question I often get asked is how do I sleep when I’m in pain?

There are two simple and easy ways.

l. If you prefer to sleep on your back, lie down in bed and place a pillow under your knees to give you back support and take pressure off of your back, and place a thin pillow under your head.

2. If you prefer to sleep on your side, place a pillow between your knees to take pressure off your back and hips and place a pillow under your head right above the base of your neck so that your neck is supported.

That’s how to sleep on your side or back when you are in pain.

Dr. Douglas Kellerman, D.C.
Spine and Joint Center

Chiropractor Fort Lauderdale
By Douglas Kellerman June 19, 2014 Health Advice

Ice or Heat for an Injury?

“Ouch I hurt! Should I put ice or heat on it?”

Patients ask me this every day. It depends on how long you have had the injury. The book says for new injuries and acute injuries 48 to 72 hours use ice.  After two to three days apply heat.  The bottom line is muscles love heat, the nerves like ice.

How do you apply it?

It’s really simple. You don’t want it on bare skin typically. If you have a shirt on you can put the ice right over that. Or the heating pad – we actually have special blankets to put them inside. Apply it anywhere you want.

How long should you leave it on?

A hand is very different from the lower back.  Use 5-minutes for a hand, wrist, or elbow, 10-minutes for the neck or a shoulder, and 15-20 minutes for the lower back.  You can repeat once an hour as long as it gives you relief for as long as you want.

Dr. Michael Petrie, D.C.
Spine and Joint Center

By Douglas Kellerman June 10, 2014 Health Advice, Health News

Will an Aspirin a Day Keep the Doctor Away?

Will an Aspirin a Day Keep the Doctor AwayFor years we have heard about taking a low dose aspirin once a day for prevention of heart attacks. Major aspirin brands have even used this advice to market their medication, but is it really as effective as we’ve been told? If you have already had a heart attack the benefits may outweigh the risks for some people. However, for preventing a first heart attack the FDA now says that daily aspirin is not effective and the risks of serious adverse reaction may be greater than any possible benefit.

Recently the agency issued a statement saying that the evidence now does not appear to support the use of daily aspirin for prevention of heart attacks or strokes, adding, “There are serious risks associated with the use of aspirin including increased risk of bleeding in the stomach and brain.” Bleeding in the brain is called a hemorrhagic stroke, the worst type of stroke, accounting for over 13% of cases. It can also cause intestinal bleeding. Like many drug-treatment related issues in medicine, our understanding of the risks and benefits of daily aspirin evolves over time, but what remains true is that all drugs carry risks, especially with frequent use.

Healthy bodies generally don’t need daily doses of drugs, even over-the-counter drugs like aspirin, especially when the side effects can be dangerous. For relieving the occasional headache or other minor aches and pains, taking an aspirin or two carries minimal risk, but daily or weekly use for any reason can be dangerous even for healthy people. Think about the underlying cause of a problem; is it caused by the lack of aspirin? If not, then daily aspirin is probably not the best solution.

Healthy diet, exercise, and avoiding and reducing stress are all better and safer ways for most people to maintain heart health in addition to gentle drug free treatments like Chiropractic, Acupuncture, and Massage Therapy. If you have specific health conditions that you may have already been prescribed aspirin for, talk to you doctor before changing or stopping your aspirin therapy.

Dr. Michael Petrie, D.C.
Spine and Joint Center

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