Pain and lack of mobility are classic symptoms of a frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis. One of the least understood shoulder conditions; it’s characterized by a persistent pain in the shoulder joint that gets worse over time and limits your mobility.
Exact cause perplexes medical professionals. What is known is that it primarily affects women over 40 and leaves you unable to carry on everyday activities easily. It also affects those with diabetes and a recent shoulder injury more than not.
In many cases, it starts as a persistent pain in the shoulder and over a period of several months, gets worse to the point that you lose the ability to rotate your arm or stretch it out. Eventually, it will “thaw” but it can take months.
Can You Prevent Frozen Shoulder Syndrome?
Gentle exercise can help prevent stiffness in your shoulders. Start small if you’re experiencing pain. For example, you can try raising your shoulders to your ears and back. If you can do that without pain, then try gentle shoulder rolls.
Simple movements like these can help keep your shoulder mobile and you can do them daily.
If you suffer from chronic neck pain do you know the reason why? Millions of Americans suffer from neck pain for all kinds of reasons from whiplash to spending too many hours hunched over a digital device.
You might be surprised at the way you can find neck pain relief. From gentle exercises to massage therapy and chiropractic care, there are a lot of options. However, to find pain relief and manage it well, you’ll want to get to the source of the pain.
Do you know why you have frequent neck pain?
One of the most common reasons you may suffer with neck pain is because you spend the majority of your hours hunched over a computer. If that’s the case, you may need a better ergonomic setup.
Another technological pain in the neck is “text neck”, looking down at your phone for long periods. If so, trying lifting the phone (and your head) so the device is eye level.
Is your head causing your neck pain? And no, I don’t mean you “made it up.” Merely, your head is heavy. It weighs between 10-12 pounds so if you’re bending it forward for hours at a time, that’s a lot of stress on both the tiny bones in your neck and the surrounding soft tissue. No wonder your neck aches!
3 Common Reasons for Neck Pain
Computer/devices (being bent over all the time stresses your neck and upper body as you can see above.)
Sleeping on a pillow that doesn’t support your neck. It can require a few different tries to find one that works for you but many people like the memory foam type pillows.
Poor posture contributes too. By now you may be seeing a pattern in the hunched shoulders with the head jutting forward problem. If you can train yourself to stand up straight, you’ll improve your posture and even your breathing since oxygen will be able to circulate easier in your body.
Let’s face it, a lot of our habits can contribute to on-going neck pain and sometimes it only takes a few simple tweaks to find relief.
For example, by adjusting your computer monitor to eye level and improving your posture, you’ll reduce some of the strain on your neck. Ice and health therapy can help too. Use ice for the first 24-48 hours followed by heat therapy. A heating pad or one of those microwaveable rice-filled pillows will work.
If you find yourself seeking neck pain relief often, then come in for a chiropractic evaluation. Chiropractic care can relieve neck pain and we can help you assess the source. If you’re in Doylestown, Pa, McQuaite Chiropractic can help. We offer consultations and take most insurance.
Just about everywhere you look people are staring at their smart phones, iPads, laptops, you name it. But a Doylestown chiropractor says the constant strain on your neck could be causing major damage.
According to Pew Research Institute, more than half of Americans own a smart phone. Then there are all of the laptops, e-readers and tablets. Bottom line: we are looking down a lot.
According to Dr. Jeff McQuaite he often sees patients with aches and pains that turn out to be related to their technology. His neck pain patients said that they were playing on their iPads for hours on end, looking down at a computer seven hours a day at work, texting or responding to emails on their phones and, reading on their Kindles.
“I am seeing it a lot, especially in teenagers and even older patients,” he says. “We’re so into our electronic devices, and what we’re doing is holding the device at chest- or waist-level, and looking down at the device. It’s causing neck muscles to be shortened and tightened, and shoulders to be rounded forward.”
When you’re texting, you’re turning your whole spine forward. While the head is angled forward, the ligaments and tendons in the neck and back become overstretched. This overexertion can lead to an inflammation of the muscles and can cause mild to severe neck and back pain. There are increasing reports of “text neck” causing lower back pain, which is often chronic.
Any kind of neck, shoulder, or back pain requires some sort of attention, he says. You can stretch at home, get a massage see a chiropractor or by simply holding your phone higher when you look at it can make a considerable difference.
You deserve to feel good. If you’re in Doylestown, PA, we can see you at McQuaite Chiropractic and help you feel better.
Chronic wrist pain affects thousands of Americans. Generally, it’s chalked up to carpal tunnel syndrome and is caused by repetitive tasks like sewing and cleaning. Wrist pain can even be caused by playing sports like bowling. This is where sites like Skilled Bowlers provide advice on how to prevent this by using bowling wrist braces. It is important though to understand that there are ways to care for the pains. When it comes to using the computer, if you spend the bulk of your time typing, you may also feel wrist pain.
According to the American Chiropractic Association, it’s “most expensive of work-related injuries” with workers losing an estimated $30,000 medical bills and lost work time.
Plus, it’s painful.
It can also affect your non-work activities. Simple household tasks like cooking or opening jars might become more difficult leaving you to wonder if you can ever be pain-free again.
How Does Chronic Wrist Pain Develop?
Thirteen small bones make up your wrist and there’s a median nerve that runs down your forearm and into your wrist. Along with the bones are tendons, nerves and tissue.
There are a variety of reasons wrist pains like carpal tunnel can develop. Smaller wrist size leads to smaller carpal tunnel which can compress the median nerve. In other cases, it’s due to an injury, poor ergonomics and even diseases like diabetes.
Simple Exercises to Help
Some simple exercises can help alleviate your pain such as circling your wrists first one way and then another. Another exercise is to lift your arms and open and close your fists ten times. You can do these whenever you feel you need a break.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help Wrist Pain
However, chiropractic care can also help. A recent study appeared in the Annals of Vertebral Subluxuation Research, December 2014 which says spinal manipulation combined with ice, cold laser and exercises helped at least one participate improve.
A typical chiropractic visit will include spinal and perhaps wrist manipulation. This re-aligns the spine, neck and all the other bones within your body to alleviate pressure so your pain disappears.
Practicing good ergonomics will help prevent wrist pain. You can also wear a splint or a soft brace to keep your wrists straight while working.
Are you achy after sitting at your desk all day? Does your back hurt? How about your wrists? Is your neck stiff?
Sitting takes a toll on your body.
In fact, current research shows it’s as bad for us as smoking. One option is to stand more and there’s a trend in standing desks sweeping forward thinking offices across the country.
Though whether you choose to sit or stand or opt for both at different times throughout the day, things like monitor height and distance still matter.
So, here’s what you need to know.
Ergonomic Monitor – When your monitor is positioned at the right distance, your eyes don’t strain and you don’t sit for hours hunched over it.
According to OSHA, the ideal height for the top of your monitor is at eye level or just below it when you’re sitting or standing in an upright, yet relaxed position. That way, your neck can stay balanced on top of your shoulders evenly, without jutting forward which strains your upper body area.
If you use more than one monitor, keep them as close together as you can to eliminate neck “craning” which can cause neck pain and upper body stiffness.
Keyboard – Ideally, your keyboard is only 1-2 inches above your thighs. This may mean you need to use a pull out keyboard slider. This height helps keep your wrists still and straight which will alleviate wrist pain by relieving pressure on your carpal tunnel nerve in your wrists and forearm.
Chair – Your chair—and how you sit in it—is important. You may want an ergonomic chair such as the steelcase leap or aeron chairs to help your back. Practice sitting in your desk chair with both feet on the floor. If your feet don’t reach the floor comfortably, adjust your chair height or use a foot rest. If your chair doesn’t have one, you can improvise with an old phone book or an actual footstool.
Once your feet are flat on the floor, notice your posture. Can you sit up straight, with relaxed shoulders and keep your feet in place?
If you’re suffering with neck or back pain, you may benefit from chiropractic care.
