Chiropractic Manipulation: A New Study Regarding Headaches
March 17, 2010
Headaches are a common complaint in patients presenting for professional care, including chiropractic management. Patients with headaches seek chiropractic care because they find manipulation or adjustments applied to the cervical spine and upper back region are highly effective in reducing the intensity, frequency and duration of the headache pain. This is because the cervical spine / neck, is often the origin of the headache as the three nerves in the upper neck (C1, 2 and 3) pass through the thick, overly taught neck muscles in route to the scalp / head. When the muscles of the neck are in spasm, the nerves get “pinched” or squeezed by the overly tight muscles resulting in headache pain. Each nerve runs to a different part of the head and therefore, pain may be described as “…radiating over the top of head (sometimes into the forehead and eyes),” or, into the head and over the ear, sometimes reaching the temple. Also, an area located in the back and side of the head is the area where the C1 nerve innervates, so pain may also be reported in that location. When more than one of the C1-3 nerves is pinched, the whole side to the top of the head may be involved.
In the October 2009 issue of The Spine Journal, Western States Chiropractic College, Center for Outcomes Studies, reported benefits are obtained with the utilization of spinal manipulation in the treatment of chronic cervicogenic headaches. The word “chronic” means at least 3 months of headache pain has been present. This new study compared 2 different doses of therapy using several outcome measures including the pain grade, the number of headaches in the last 4 weeks and the amount of medication utilized. Data was collected every 4 weeks for a 24 week period and patients were treated 1-2 times/week and separated into either an 8 or a 16 treatment session with half the group receiving either spinal manipulative therapy or a minimal light massage (LM) control group.
The results of the study revealed the spinal manipulation group obtained better results than the control group at all time intervals. There was a small benefit in the group that received the greater number of treatments with the mean number of cervicogenic headaches reduced by 50% in both pain intensity and headache frequency.
The importance of this study is significant as there are many side effects to medications frequently utilized in the treatment of headaches. Many patients prefer not taking medications for this reason and spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) offers a perfect remedy for these patients. Couple SMT with dietary management, lifestyle modifications, stress management, and a natural, vitamin/herbal anti-inflammatory (such as ginger, turmeric, boswellia) when needed, a natural, holistic approach to the management of chronic headaches is accomplished.
We are proud that chiropractic care has consistently scored the highest level of satisfaction when compared to other forms of health care provision and look forward in serving you and your family presently and in the future.
Dr. Chludzinski has been treating neuropathic conditions for the past 5 years. He is the founder of Hudson Center for Spinal Care located in Bayonne and Scotch Plains, New Jersey. In preparation for his career, Dr. Chludzinski attended St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, NJ, graduating in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Science. He continued his studies at Life University School of Chiropractic in Marietta, Georgia, graduating in the class of 2002 as a Doctor of Chiropractic. Dr. Chludzinski services all of Union and Hudson counties, including Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Harrison, Kearny, Newark, Elizabeth, Westfield, Clark, Fanwood, Plainfield, Watchung, Mountainside, Berkeley Heights and South Plainfield.
Connection of Body, Mind, And Spirit with Whiplash
March 3, 2010
The term “whiplash” refers to an injury to the neck muscles, the muscle attachments (tendons), ligaments, and sometimes the disks that lie between the vertebral bodies of the spine. In a rear-end collision, the cause of whiplash occurs from a sudden, rapid acceleration of the body and neck as the car is pushed forwards. In these first 50-75 milliseconds following impact, the head remains in the same place while the body is propelled forward. This is followed by a “crack-the-whip” movement of the head and neck when the muscles in the front of the neck stretch like rubber bands and suddenly spring the head forwards, all occurring in less than 300 msec. The force on the head and neck is further intensified if the seat back is too springy, or angled back too far. Also, if the headrest is too low, the head may ride over the top and more injury can result.
The treatment of whiplash varies from “watchful waiting” to a multidisciplinary team approach that includes neurology, physical therapy, chiropractic, psychology, and possibly surgery (rare). In a recent article published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (2009, March Vol. 88, No. 3, pp 231-8), the relationship between clinical, psychological and functional health status factors was investigated in a group of patients with chronic whiplash-associated disorder (WAD). A total of 86 patients with chronic WAD participated in the study and outcomes were tracked using questionnaires that measure pain, disability and psychological issues including depression, anxiety and catastrophizing. Physical examination factors included measuring the cervical range of motion. An analysis of the degree of neck disability and the relative contribution of physical vs. psychological factors revealed catastrophizing and depression played greater roles than did cervical range of motion. This suggests psychological factors play an important role in the outcome of whiplash.
The importance of this is that more than just the physical factors like range of motion should be focused on when treating chronic whiplash patients. Answering the patient’s questions, explaining the mechanism of injury and how that relates to their specific condition, and addressing depression, anxiety, coping, and other psychological issues is very important. Discussing treatment goals with patients is also very important. For example, making light of the injury by stating something like, “…you’ll be fine after the treatments,” may harm the patient as anything short of “fine” may be interpreted as failed treatment by the patient. It is also important not to paint too dismal of a picture as that can have negative psychological effects as well, as this may suggest that they will never improve. Explaining the difference between “hurt” and “harm” is of great value to the chronic whiplash patient as they are often told, “if it hurts, don’t do it.” This sends an unfortunate message to the patient that any activity where an increase in pain occurs is “bad” when in fact, that activity may help the patient get better in the long run. This can make or break an acceptable outcome as many may feel like they shouldn’t do anything and this can lead to unemployment, boredom, and the many psychological issues previously described. The best advice is to remain active and try to ignore discomfort by staying within “reasonable activity boundaries.” Reasonable activity tolerance is learned as time passes and trying different activities for different lengths of time. This type of coaching should be at the center of chronic whiplash management rather than over focusing on physical factors such as range of motion.
Dr. Chludzinski has been treating neuropathic conditions for the past 5 years. He is the founder of Hudson Center for Spinal Care located in Bayonne and Scotch Plains, New Jersey. In preparation for his career, Dr. Chludzinski attended St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, NJ, graduating in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Science. He continued his studies at Life University School of Chiropractic in Marietta, Georgia, graduating in the class of 2002 as a Doctor of Chiropractic. Dr. Chludzinski services all of Union and Hudson counties, including Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Harrison, Kearny, Newark, Elizabeth, Westfield, Clark, Fanwood, Plainfield, Watchung, Mountainside, Berkeley Heights and South Plainfield.
Peripheral Neuropathy and the Nervous System
March 1, 2010
Peripheral neuropathy is the term used to describe damaged nerves of the peripheral nervous system. The most common form, called (symmetrical) peripheral polyneuropathy, mostly affects the feet and the legs.
People suffering from neuropathy frequently describe weakness, loss of muscle and fine muscle twitching as symptoms. However, other more specific symptoms may vary. These symptoms vary because they depend on the types of nerves that have been damaged and where the damage has taken place in the body. For example, common symptoms of a damaged motor nerve are muscle weakness, cramps and spasms. While symptoms associated with damage to the sensory nerve are tingling, numbness and pain. The sensory nerve produces pain that can be described as burning, freezing, electric or extremely sensitive to touch. Damage to the autonomic nerve can result in abnormal blood pressure and heart rate, incontinence and sexual dysfunction.
Neuropathy is a progressive disorder meaning the damage it causes to the nerves progressively gets worse over time.
The majority, about 70%, of the patients treated for neuropathy at Hudson Center for Spinal Care (HCSC) have developed it as a result of nerve damage due to having diabetes. The other 30% varies in the origination of their neuropathy. Some have spinal injuries such as herniated discs or spinal stenosis. Others developed it after radiation treatments for cancer or from chemotherapy.
Though situations vary, most of the patients explore other available treatments prior to walking through the doors of HCSC. Many have tried various pain medications to help alleviate their pains symptoms. Others have tried prescription drugs, such as Neurotin, which help calm down the hypo/hyper sensitivety of the nerves in hopes to relieve the numbness and pain they experience. Physical therapy is also a common path taken. Unfortunately, many neuropathy patients have limited or temporary success with these treatments.
It is usually after these failed attempts to find comfort and rid themselves of their neuropathy symptoms that they come to HCSC. The treatments here are different from the others because they are painless and non-invasive. Depending on the particular case, patients receive low-light laser therapy, vibration therapy and specified chiropractic and physical therapies. In most cases, patients experience relief with just one treatment.
The severity of each case is different. To find out if you are a candidate for treatment at HCSC, a comprehensive examination and consultation would be necessary. Call one of our two New Jersey locations and set up an appointment. For our Bayonne location call 201-339-8889 or for our Scotch Plains location call 908-490-1800. Just tell them you read this article and you will receive our complimentary in-office evaluation (a $245 value). During this time the examination and consultation will be offered all of your questions will be answered.
Article by Dr. Eric Chludzinski, DC
Dr. Chludzinski has been treating neuropathic conditions for the past 5 years. He is the founder of Hudson Center for Spinal Care located in Bayonne and Scotch Plains, New Jersey. In preparation for his career, Dr. Chludzinski attended St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, NJ, graduating in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Science. He continued his studies at Life University School of Chiropractic in Marietta, Georgia, graduating in the class of 2002 as a Doctor of Chiropractic. Dr. Chludzinski services all of Union and Hudson counties, including Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Harrison, Kearny, Newark, Elizabeth, Westfield, Clark, Fanwood, Plainfield, Watchung, Mountainside, Berkeley Heights and South Plainfield.
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