What is bursitis and how it is treated?

What is bursitis and how do you treat it?

In our bodies, the bursa is a sac filled with lubricating fluid, located between tissues such as bone, muscle, tendons, and skin, which decrease rubbing, friction, and irritation. Bursitis is a painful condition that affects these sacs when the bursae become inflamed and is more common in adults, especially in those over 40 years of age. The most common locations for bursitis include the shoulder, elbow and hip, but you can also develop the condition in your knee, heel, and the base of your big toe.  The greatest symptom of this condition is pain, but if you have bursitis, the affected joint may feel achy or stiff, hurt more when you move it or press on it, and may look red or swollen.

What Causes It?

Bursitis is often caused by a repetitive, minor impact on the area, or from a sudden, more serious injury. Age also plays a role, because as tendons age they are able to tolerate less stress, less elasticity, and are easier to tear. Overuse or injury to the joint at work or play can also increase a person’s risk of bursitis. Examples include: throwing a baseball or lifting something over your head repeatedly, leaning on your elbows for long periods of time, extensive kneeling for tasks such as scrubbing floors, and prolonged sitting, particularly on hard surfaces. In addition, an abnormal or poorly placed bone joint can put added stress on a bursa sac, causing bursitis. Stress or inflammation from other conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis and thyroid disorders can also increase a person’s risk.

When to See a Doctor

 Consult your doctor if you have:

• Disabling joint pain
• Pain for more than one to two weeks
• Excessive swelling, redness or bruising in the affected area
• Sharp or shooting pain, especially when you exercise or exert yourself

How is Bursitis Treated with Chiropractic Care?

The purpose of treatment is resting the affected joint to protect it from further trauma. Treatment of bursitis can be difficult and so chiropractors can combine, apart from the core spinal/joint manipulation, several different alternative remedies to efficiently manage the condition. Bursitis can be treated in a number of ways. These include, but are not limited to manual therapy (massage or acupuncture), a stretching/rehabilitation plan, therapeutic taping, ultrasound, electric stimulation, nutritional advice or through a prescription for foot orthotics.

Disclaimer: This content is solely for informational purposes and should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. It is recommended that you seek professional advice by a licensed health care professional.

Scott Chiropractic and Wellness

Matthew Scott, DC

5080 Virginia Pkwy Ste 550

McKinney, TX 75071

(972) 540-5445

www.scott-chiropractic.com

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The Truth about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome 

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful and debilitating hand condition.  Sadly, it affects many people who use their hands repetitively or strenuously.

Do you have pain, tingling, numbness or burning sensations in your thumb and first three fingers?  Do you ever lose your ability to grip, pick things up, or control hand motions that require fine detail?  Carpal tunnel syndrome can cost people their jobs, hobbies, peace of mind and quality of daily living, not to mention hundreds and even thousands of dollars in lost wages.

If you have been diagnosed with CTS or suffer from one or more of those hand symptoms, please call our office to get checked out.

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway located within the wrist. There are 8 tiny bones in the wrist arranged in a curved, horseshoe shape. Those 8 bones form 3 sides of the carpal tunnel and the 4^th side is from the transverse carpal ligament that overlaps the tunnel. There is a large nerve (the median nerve) that runs through the tunnel. There are also 9 tendons that pass through the carpal tunnel. Due to repetitive movements these tiny carpal (wrist) bones can lose their healthy alignment causing them to collapse inward, pressing on the median nerve. As a result the median nerve becomes flattened and pinched leading to the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

One of the most popular ways to treat CTS is to have surgery. The surgeon will cut the ligament in an attempt to provide space for the median nerve and to relieve pressure. Unfortunately by cutting the ligament, the shape of the tunnel loses its healthy integrity as it flattens out slightly. This will often lead to wrist instability.

Patients may experience short-term relief following surgery, but over time their carpal tunnel can develop scar tissue from the surgery, and as a result they may encounter a return of symptoms in many cases. In fact post-surgical symptoms can be more severe than before having the surgery.

The most effective way to treat carpal tunnel syndrome is through specific gentle adjustments to the misaligned carpal bones. As opposed to being a painful process most patients report the adjustment as a pleasant experience. Unlike with surgery, there is absolutely no scar tissue related to this gentle carpal adjusting process.

Because of our unique focus on treating wrist and hand conditions we have helped many patients who suffered from conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Disclaimer: This content is solely for informational purposes and should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. It is recommended that you seek professional advice by a licensed health care professional.

Scott Chiropractic and Wellness

Matthew Scott, DC

5080 Virginia Pkwy Ste 550

McKinney, TX 75071

(972) 540-5445

www.scott-chiropractic.com

Tips to Jump Start 2016

4 Health Tips to Jump Start Your 2016

Many people are excited to set ambitious goals at the start of a new year, but the real celebration is when they actually accomplish those goals.  A key factor in achieving your goals is how well you maintain a productive and active lifestyle.  However people often fall short of reaching their goals due to a lapse in health and therefore a deficiency in their overall productivity.  Subtle health challenges, such as reduced energy, compromised mental capacity and general lethargy are often to blame.

Here are 4 simple, but yet valuable health tips to help you reach your New Year’s resolutions. 

1.  Eat breakfast every day

This may seem elementary, but recent surveys show that 15-20% of working adults regularly skip breakfast. If you fall into this category and you can just give yourself 5-10 minutes that a healthy breakfast will take, you have started 2016 DIFFERENTLY. Prepare a healthy shake or smoothie if that is all you have time for.  It doesn’t really matter as long as you eat something healthy soon after awakening. Breakfast will do more than give you the nutrition you need. It will give you a strong and more productive start every single day.

2.  Drink an adequate amount of water

Statistics show that nearly 75% of Americans are dehydrated. Even mild dehydration can zap your energy making you feel tired. If you find it difficult to get the fluids your body requires, start by drinking at least 2 or 3 glasses of filtered water each day. As you form a habit for drinking water regularly you can begin to incrementally increase your intake over time.

3.  Sleep well

Getting your 8 hours of zzz’s every night will help reduce stress, inflammation, weight, depression, and provide a myriad of other health benefits. People who sleep adequately are much more productive with their daily activities and mental capacity compared to when they don’t get a good night’s rest. If you feel like you don’t get enough sleep most nights, we recommend that you begin a new habit of retiring one hour earlier each night.  This may be a challenge at first and you may have to sacrifice your favorite late night TV show, but it won’t take long until you begin to experience the profound health benefits of a better night’s sleep. 

4.  Get adjusted regularly

Chiropractic care helps to restore and maintain balance within your body, leaving you better prepared to live life to its fullest. Getting adjusted helps you function at a much higher level of activity and productivity. Additionally, injuries are far less common, and when they do occur they are less likely to be serious, therefore allowing your body to heal at a significantly faster rate.

If it has been a while since your last chiropractic adjustment, you should consider calling us and coming in to get one this week.  Your body will thank you for it! 

Disclaimer: This content is solely for informational purposes and should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. It is recommended that you seek professional advice by a licensed health care professional.

Scott Chiropractic and Wellness

Matthew Scott, DC

5080 Virginia Pkwy Ste 550

McKinney, TX 75071

(972) 540-5445

www.scott-chiropractic.com