Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Thumb Arthritis

A Solution for Thumb Arthritis

There is a tiny bone in the carpal (wrist) area known as the trapezium. The trapezium is directly above the first metacarpal (the long bone for the thumb), where the thumb connects to the wrist. This joint is known as a “saddle joint” because it has a unique shape similar to a horse’s saddle. The saddle shape provides this joint a much greater range of motion compared to the other thumb and finger joints. It is at this joint where thumb arthritis occurs.

This thumb joint is the most common joint in the entire body to become arthritic in the greatest number of people.

Because there is such broad motion at this “saddle joint”, it gets the heaviest workout. We use our thumbs to grip and hold most objects, and the thumb is always opposing the four fingers.

The fingers oppose the thumb four against one.

After a period of time the thumb may lose its healthy alignment where it connects to the carpal region. This misalignment will irritate the joint and cause the cartilage surfaces to become worn. This wearing of the cartilage is referred to as degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis.

It is a common misconception that arthritis cannot be treated through chiropractic. Practically every patient we treat has some form of arthritis. If you break the word down to its root meaning, arthritis means “joint inflammation”. When two bones become misaligned relative to each other, the joint at which they connect becomes irritated and inflamed.

Adjusting the small wrist and hand bones will restore healthy alignment and function to the irritated joints. In addition to pain relief patients often experience increased strength, range of motion and greater ability to grip objects for longer periods of time without pain and fatigue.

Arthritic pain and dysfunction can be helped with chiropractic care. If you or someone you know is dealing with arthritic pain, we recommend a chiropractic evaluation to determine if there is a solution that can provide relief and restore healthy function to their hand.

***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

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Three Important Fall Health Tips

As cooler weather begins to set in it is vitally important to focus on better health and a stronger immune system. We’ve included three important health tips that your family will benefit from this time of year.

It’s also the time of year when more patients start to experience thumb pain and symptoms related to thumb arthritis and/or overuse. You will be pleased to know that you don’t have to learn to live with a painful thumb. This month’s article on solutions for thumb arthritis will provide you the education you need to make an informed decision, for improving the health of your hands.

Enjoy the seasonal changes we’re about to experience, and thank you for sharing our Full Body Chiropractic Newsletter with your friends.

Three Important Autumn Health Tips

Heading into the cooler months there are three very important health tips that come to mind. If you follow these three tips your chances of an enjoyable fall season will increase substantially. Here are those three health tips:

1. Trade sweets for healthy snacks: Studies show that one teaspoon of sugar will reduce your immune system’s function for up to six hours. Those sodas and sugary snacks will provide you with short-term bliss; however they will also hamper your body’s ability to ward off contracting the cold or flu.

If cutting out all sweets seems to be too much of a challenge, you should consider reducing your intake by one-half. So if you’re used to two sodas, two cookies and a handful of chocolates, you may want to trade a bottle of soda for a glass of water, a cookie for an apple and a few chocolates for some veggies with dip.

Although it may not be easy at first, the noticeable health benefits you gain will certainly make up for the sacrifice.

2. Stretch before activities: Cold weather can do serious damage to your joints, ligaments and tendons. Where you might be able to get away with a brisk morning run during the warmer months without stretching, it can cause much havoc to your body if you don’t warm up during cooler months.

Your stretching routine doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out process. Even five minutes of pre activity stretching can make a world of difference. If you’re simply going for a jog you may be fine with stretching your calves, hamstrings and quadriceps. On the other hand if you’re going to play tennis or some other racquet sport you may also want to include upper body stretches for your shoulders and arms.

Also keep in mind that it is just as important, if not more important, to stretch your muscles after your workout as a cool-down technique.

3. Receive your chiropractic wellness adjustment: The testimonials we receive from our patients speak loud and clear the health benefits of getting a regular chiropractic checkup.

Many of our patients bring their entire family in for a routine chiropractic adjustment. They do this because they have found that having a periodic wellness adjustment will keep their spines and other body areas “fine-tuned” and functioning at its optimal potential.

Periodic chiropractic wellness adjustments will also help reduce your family’s medical expense. Good alignment promotes a healthy nervous system, allowing your body to consistently function at its peak performance, thus helping to prevent a major breakdown in health.

Matthew Scott, DC

5080 Virginia Pkwy Ste 550

McKinney, TX 75071
972-540-5445

scott-chiropractic.com

Monday, September 14, 2015

Heel Spurs and Heel Pain

Heel Spurs & Morning Heel Pain

Some people experience sharp, stabbing foot pain immediately upon awakening and getting out of bed. Heel pain first thing in the morning is a sign that you may have a heel spur.

The morning foot pain associated with a heel spur normally lasts about 10 minutes or less before it begins to calm down; however the pain pattern may become worse over time until it eventually becomes constant.

Each foot has 26 movable tarsal bones which are arranged into a network of arches. However when you lose the healthy alignment of one or more of those bones you may begin to develop foot pain.

Two of the most common foot conditions that develop as a result of misalignments are plantar fasciitis and heel spurs.

Plantar fasciitis is a condition in which the soft tissues on the bottom of the foot (the plantar fascia) become overstretched, irritated and inflamed. The classic symptoms associated with plantar fasciitis include pain on the bottom of the heel and sometimes into the arch of the foot.

Attaching from the heel to the five toes, the plantar fascia spans the entire plantar surface of the foot. Due to misalignments of the tarsal bones and altered foot function, this tissue becomes overstretched and develops micro-tears near its attachment at the heel bone.

If the tarsal bones aren’t realigned in a timely fashion, the foot will begin to develop a bony heel spur near the attachment site of the plantar fascia.

It’s important to note that a heel spur does not cause pain by itself. Rather it’s the irritation, micro-tearing and inflammation of the connecting plantar fascia that results in heel pain.

As plantar fasciitis remains untreated and is allowed to progress into a chronic condition, a heel spur may develop and continue to become larger and more prominent over time. Common symptoms associated with plantar fasciitis accompanied by a heel spur, includes morning heel pain first thing upon standing up.

Specific chiropractic adjustments to the foot bones will correct the underlying mechanical problem, improve foot function and ease tissue stress. Getting your feet adjusted is an effective, non-surgical solution for alleviating the pain associated with plantar fasciitis and heel spurs.

Matthew Scott, DC

5080 Virginia Pkwy Ste 550

McKinney, TX 75071
972-540-5445www.scott-chiropractic.com

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Can Chiropractic Help Broken Bones?

People who have suffered an injury in which they fractured a bone, will often say something such as, “I broke my wrist so chiropractic can’t help me.” However in actuality the exact opposite is often the case.

While it’s true that chiropractors don’t adjust fractures, it is vitally important to have the nearby joints checked for misalignments. If a trauma was significant enough to break a bone, that means there was more than enough force to cause misalignments at its neighboring joints.

For example, let’s assume that you fell and used your hand to brace your fall, and as a result you broke your forearm. In addition to the fractured forearm, you will also likely have suffered a misalignment at the wrist, elbow and possibly even the shoulder.

Of course the immediate treatment should be to stabilize the fracture and have it casted or braced appropriately by a medical expert; however, as soon as the healing process permits you should have the wrist, elbow and shoulder joints checked for misalignments. It’s even possible that such a fall could cause injury or misalignments in spine as well.

It’s interesting that many patients will normally seek chiropractic care immediately following an injury that didn’t involve a broken bone, but wait several months before getting adjusted if the injury involved a fracture.

You should rest assured that it is completely safe to be checked and adjusted shortly after having suffered a fracture. While we may not be able to adjust the actual bone that broke if that fracture hasn’t yet fused, but we would most likely be able to address the adjacent areas.

Every case is unique as to whether or not we would be able to adjust the area adjacent to the fractured bone. In the unfortunate event of an injury that results in a fracture, we recommend that you schedule to have an examination here at this clinic to rule out potential misalignment problems, and to determine your options in having those misalignments corrected.

Matthew Scott, DC

5080 Virginia Pkwy Ste 550

McKinney, TX 75071
972-540-5445
www.scott-chiropractic.com

Monday, August 31, 2015

Backpack Safety for School Age Children

Just like children, backpacks come in all shapes and sizes. That's why we've created an easy to follow list when selecting the appropriate backpack.

1. Choose size over style.

If your child wears a backpack that's too large for their frame, chances are they will haul around more than is safe for their spine.

Use your child's back as the tape measure. The top of a backpack should not go above your child's shoulders and the bottom of the bag should sit 1 to 2 inches above their beltline. The width of the backpack should reach shoulder blade to shoulder blade.

2. Don't over pack.

The first step in correctly packing a backpack is getting the right size bag as discussed in point number one. A bag larger than a child's back is too easily overstuffed with sports equipment, toys, science projects, snacks, and if there's room, the all important books.

Make sure the backpack weighs no more than 15-20% of your child's total body weight when full.

Begin packing the backpack by laying large, flat items at the back of the bag so they lay flat against your child's back. Then layer smaller books and items on top. Don't forget to utilize small pockets and compartments to better distribute the weight. Show your child where each item is so they can re-pack properly after school.

3. Use both straps.

Adjust both shoulder straps so the backpack fits snug against your child's back, but make sure it isn't too tight or cutting into their shoulders. As impossible as it may seem, make sure your child uses both shoulder straps. It's the best way to avoid spine or back injury. Your child should be comfortable carrying a fully packed bag if it is adjusted and worn correctly.

If your child's backpack fits improperly or isn't worn correctly, it can lead to poor posture and eventually childhood back problems. Make sure you select the best-fitting bag for your child to help protect their spine.

We encourage all parents to bring their children in periodically for chiropractic care. Chiropractic is safe and effective for kids of all ages and it will help to maintain optimal spine posture and overall health.

Matthew Scott, DC

5080 Virginia Pkwy Ste 550

McKinney, TX 75071
972-540-5445
www.scott-chiropractic.com

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Self Massage Technique for Hand Pain

Easy Self-Massage to Alleviate Hand Discomfort

If you experience stress or fatigue in your hands it wouldn’t be uncommon for most to deem it unnecessary to call in for a checkup, however it could be an indicator of an underlying hand problem.

In the meantime I’d like to give you a simple self-relaxation technique you can use to relieve your hand tightness and fatigue. Keep in mind however these relaxation techniques will not correct the underlying problem, rather it will merely provide short-term relief to help you better cope with hand symptoms.

To apply this self-massage technique you will use one hand to massage the other. To avoid any confusion I will guide you through this simple technique for massaging the right hand. You may do this on yourself as you read the instructions using your left hand to massage your right hand.

There are two major areas of the palm that we will focus on: Hand Massage Technique

The fleshy muscle pad on the thumb side of your hand (aka thenar pad)
The fleshy muscle pad on the pinky finger side of your hand (aka hypothenar pad)

There are several small muscles that make up these two prominent muscle pads on the palm surface of your hand. Massaging these two fleshy pads periodically throughout the day can help keep your hand relaxed and functioning as you continue to work.

You should use the thumb of your left hand to gently stroke the thenar pad on your right hand. One of the best methods to work this muscle group is to stroke from the crease at the central portion of your hand (known as the palmar crease) outward toward your thumb.

Massage the thenar pad area for approximately 30-60 seconds and then take a short break.

Now you should perform a very similar process to the hypothenar pad on the pinky side of your right hand. Again you should work the muscle group by starting near the palmar crease and stroking outward toward the edge of your hand. You may also massage by starting near the wrist and stroking outward toward the pinky finger.

Keep in mind that these massage techniques are not supposed to cause pain. They also are not meant to diagnose or treat any hand condition you may have. These gentle massage techniques are merely to help you temporarily relax your stressed and fatigued hands.

Again if you have been suffering with hand symptoms (even mild symptoms) we highly recommend that you schedule for a hand evaluation at our clinic.

Matthew Scott, DC

5080 Virginia Pkwy Ste 550

McKinney, TX 75071

(972) 540-5445
www.scott-chiropractic.com

Monday, August 3, 2015

Neck Pain

Neck pain can affect many aspects of your daily life. It can be painful, limiting, and even debilitating. Knowing the common causes and treatments of neck pain can help improve the life of someone with neck pain and inspire others to be aware of the wear and tear your neck can go through.

How Is Neck Pain Caused?
Injury, age, and daily wear can affect your neck. When the cervical spine goes through sudden force, the vertebrae can become misaligned. This is referred to as a subluxation. This can be caused by anything from a minor slip to a car accident. Another common neck injury in a car accident is whiplash. In this scenario, the cervical spine is forced forward and then pulled back in a fast motion. The whipping motion strains the spine and the supporting tissues of the neck and head.
As we age, degenerative disorders can develop that affect the spine. Osteoarthritis causes deterioration of the cartilage. When cartilage deteriorates, the bones respond by developing bone spurs, boney projections that irritate surrounding tissue. Spinal stenosis is another condition that can cause neck pain. Spinal stenosis causes nerve passageways in the vertebrae to narrow, trapping nerve roots. Another condition, degenerative disc disease reduces the height and elasticity of intervertebral discs. This can cause the discs to bulge or herniate, causing pain amongst themselves and their surrounding areas.
Daily life and personal habits can also cause neck pain. Poor posture leads to the build-up of scar tissue around the spine and associated muscles, which cause the neck to stay that position. Obesity and weak abdominal muscles also contribute to the neck being pushed forward in an unnatural position. Stress can cause muscles in the neck to contract, causing pain and tightness.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help Neck Pain
When you first see your chiropractor, he or she will ask questions about your neck and the pain you are feeling. Physical and neurological exams will be performed, and if needed, a CT scan, an MRI, or an EMG may be performed. For misaligned joints in the neck, your chiropractor can perform neck adjustments. These adjustments are performed by hand using quick, precise movements to shift the neck back into line. This will decrease the pressure that the misalignment is causing and provide pain relief to the area. In addition to adjustments, your chiropractor may want to implement massage, mobilization, or exercises. Treatment type and duration will depend on what is causing your neck pain and the severity of the case.
If you have a stiff, swollen, or painful neck, schedule an appointment to see your chiropractor. Do not let neck pain keep you from living your life.

***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