Treating Facet Syndrome Related To Back And Neck Pain In Wexford With Chiropractic Care

Besides a "Blown Disc", facet joint syndrome is the most common cause of low back pain in our patients. Facet syndrome is an arthritis-like condition caused by degenerative changes to the joints between the spinal bones. The cartilage (marked in red below) inside the facet joint can break down and become inflamed, triggering pain signals in nearby nerve endings. This causes pain that starts in the low back and may go all the way down to the knee, but not beyond it. Luckily, consistent chiropractic adjustments can help to keep the facet joints from impacting each other and reduce the frequency of symptoms as well as slow down future degeneration.

Facts VS Myths On Concussions

Despite increased media focus and education in recent years, sports concussion myths are still very common. Foundation Chiropractic takes a look as some of these myths and sets the record straight.

 Causes of a Concussion

 Myth: A concussion only occurs as a result of a direct blow to the head.

Fact: A concussion may be caused by a direct blow to the head, face, neck, or elsewhere on the body if the force of the impact is transmitted to the head.

Myth: It takes a really hard hit to result in a concussion.

Fact: Concussions occur from blows to different parts of the head and of varying magnitude. A relatively minor impact may result in a concussion while a high-magnitude hit to the head may not. There is therefore no way to know for certain whether a particular blow will lead to a concussion.

Myth: Concussions only occur as a result of a straight-on hit.

Fact: Concussions are caused by two types of forces: linear (a straight-on force) and rotational (a twisting motion). On virtually every hit to the head, both linear and rotational accelerations are present.  Experts believe that, of the two, rotational forces are more dangerous because they cause a rapid “spinning” of the brain.

 Signs You Have a Concussion

 Myth: A concussion occurs only when an athlete experiences a loss of consciousness (LOC).

Fact: Concussions can occur with or without LOC. In fact, the vast majority of concussions (more than 95%) in a recent study of concussions among high school athletes do not result in LOC.

Myth: A player who gets “dinged” or has his “bell rung” (e.g. suffers a hit which results in a stunned confusion state that clears up within minutes) hasn’t suffered a concussion.

Fact: This is one of the biggest concussion myths. There is no acceptable amount of head contact young athletes can receive without potentially causing a serious brain injury. The fact is that a stunned confusion state is still considered a concussion even though the symptoms may only seem to last for a very short time. Because the signs and symptoms of concussion may not be apparent until several minutes or hours later, with delayed onset of symptoms more common in athletes under age 18, it is essential that a player who has gets dinged be re-evaluated frequently to check to see if a more serious injury has occurred, especially during the first three hours, with a follow-up clinical evaluation and symptom checklist performed at 24 hours post-injury.

Myth: The signs and symptoms of concussion are always apparent immediately after injury.

Fact: While signs of concussion (those characteristics that can be observed by people other than the athlete) and symptoms (experienced by the athlete him or herself) are often present or observable at the time of injury, they may not appear until several hours or even days or weeks later. In fact, delayed onset of signs and symptoms is more likely in younger athletes. Athletes, parents and other caregivers need to be alert to the occurrence of such delayed signs or symptoms or deteriorating mental status, which may signal the presence of a serious, life-threatening brain injury such as subdural hematomas (bleeding on the brain).

Myth: Most athletes know when they have suffered a concussion and report them to their coach, athletic trainer or team doctor.

Fact: Many athletes do not understand precisely when they have suffered a concussion (many still think that it requires a loss of consciousness), and wouldn’t tell the coach even if they knew they had sustained one. The macho culture of sports, particularly in such aggressive contact and collision sports as football, hockey, and boys lacrosse, puts athletes under significant pressure to “shake off” a concussion or “take it like a man” – pressure that coaches and parents often exacerbate, either directly or indirectly or subtly, in their desire for team and individual success – which results in a drastic and chronic underreporting of concussions and can lead to serious harm.

Athletes need to understand the signs and symptoms of a concussion as well as the range of negative consequences of not reporting a concussion, from predisposition to future concussions to long-term cognitive (e.g. memory) and emotional difficulties (e.g. depression), to development of a neurodegenerative condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that mimics early Alzheimer’s, to catastrophic injury (e.g. second impact syndrome).

When to Return to Play

 Myth: It is safe for a player to return to the same game or practice if he suffers only a brief loss of consciousness.

Fact: A player who suffers ANY signs or symptoms of concussion should NOT – and indeed, under the laws of almost all states, MUST not – be allowed to return to the current game or practice no matter how quickly symptoms may clear. By law in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, high school athletes (and, in some states and municipalities, athletes in middle and elementary school and playing for private sports organizations which use public facilities) are now prohibited from same day return to play if a concussion is suspected, with no return to play without written clearance from a medical professional with specialized knowledge of and expertise in concussion evaluation and management.

Myth: It is safe for a player to return to the same game or practice if, after suffering a concussion, he is symptom free within 15 or 20 minutes, both at rest and with exertion.

Fact: A player under age 18 who suffers ANY signs or symptoms of concussion should NOT be allowed to return to the current game or practice no matter how quickly symptoms may clear.

How to Treat a Concussion

 Myth: Parents with a child whose concussion symptoms last for more than a week should continue to wake them up throughout the night to check on them.

Fact:  Once a professional has diagnosed a child with a concussion and determined that there is no further risk of a more serious brain injury, parents should let their child sleep.  In fact, they should be encouraged to sleep very early on because it helps the brain heal faster. Waking a child up throughout the night more than a week after concussion does more harm than good.

Myth: After a diagnosed concussion, parents should make sure their child refrains from any physical activity.

Fact: While children should avoid activities that put them at risk for further injury, they should not be completely sedentary, especially a week after injury. Gentle aerobic exercise like walking the dog, easy hiking or riding a stationary bicycle is actually good for them, as staying active helps improve their mood, takes their mind off their symptoms, and restores a sense of normalcy.

Myth: If a child’s concussion symptoms persist for more than a week, parents should take away a child or teen’s electronic devices, including cell phones.

Fact:  Children in general, and teenagers in particular, are most comfortable when they socialize. Social isolation can lead to problems such as depression, anxiety, and changes in appetite. It is important to ease them back into their social circles quickly.  A recent study found that a group of children with concussions who were prescribed complete rest, avoid screen time, and to only report their symptoms, actually reported more symptoms than a group told to rest for a few days and then back into a normal schedule.

How to Prevent a Concussion

 Myth: Mouth guards prevent concussions.

Fact: There is no good clinical evidence that mouth guards prevent concussion. A properly fitted mouth guard, regardless of type (boil-and-bite or custom-made), should nevertheless be worn because of its value in protecting the teeth and preventing fractures and avulsions that could require many years of expensive dental care.

Myth: All football helmets reduce the risk of concussion.

Fact: While helmets have been shown to protect against skull fracture, severe traumatic brain injury, and death, and while biomechanical studies have shown that the use of head gear and helmets can reduce impact forces to the brain and provide more protection against some of the forces that may lead to concussion, there is very little evidence that a particular brand of helmet reduces the incidence of concussion.

Myth: Brand-new football helmets provide more protection against concussion than older helmets.

Fact: According to a new study, the risk of sustaining a concussion in high school football is not affected by the brand or age of the helmet (as long as it has been properly maintained and reconditioned) or by the type of mouth guard worn.

General Facts to Know

 Myth: Only athletes in aggressive contact sports like football, hockey and lacrosse suffer concussions.

Fact: While football has the highest number of concussions, and concussions are common in hockey, lacrosse and wrestling, concussions also occur frequently in boys’ and girls’ soccer and basketball, and cheerleading.

Myth: All concussions are essentially the same.

Fact: No two concussions are identical. The symptoms can be very different, depending on a variety of factors, including the degree of force and location of the impact, the degree of metabolic dysfunction, the tissue damage and recovery time, the number of previous concussions sustained by the athlete, and the time between injuries. They do, however, share certain characteristics.

Myth: Concussions suffered by athletes under the age of 18 are managed the same way as concussions suffered by adult athletes.

Fact: Concussions in athletes under age 18 should be managed more conservatively than concussions in college-age and professional athletes, even if the same medical resources are available, and an elite athlete is the patient. It also appropriate to extend the amount of time after the concussion symptoms of an child or adolescent athlete clear before he is allowed to begin practicing and returns to play.

 Myth: Only athletes that suffer concussions run the risk of suffering adverse long-term health consequences.

Fact: Recent studies establish that not only can concussions lead to post-concussion syndrome and increased risk of long-term cognitive, emotional, and behavioral problems, and have been linked by some experts to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, but emerging research suggests that repeated sub concussive blows may lead to the same problems.

If you, family member or friend is experiencing a head injury, contact Foundation Chiropractic for an assessment and/or physical therapy evaluation, so you can get your life healthier and more comfortable today!

Why You Should Visit a Shadyside Chiropractor

Shadyside Chiropractors is a locally owned and operated family business that is committed to providing quality chiropractic care to our patients in Shadyside, Pennsylvania. They offer individualized patient care, unmatched customer service, and a friendly environment. It's time to schedule your appointment today! We have convenient hours in our office to provide you with relief when you need it. Whether it is your neck, your back or another injury you have sustained. We can help you deal with the pain.

3 Reasons Why You Should Visit a Wexford Chiropractor

Interested in improving your life and living pain-free and injury-free? You may want to make an appointment at Wexford Chiropractic and Massage. Our specialists are dedicated to relieving the pain and discomfort of their patients. We specialize in spinal adjustments, massage therapy, and spinal decompression therapy. Wexford Chiropractic and Massage is located at 3122 N. Western Ave.

Is It Dangerous to Hold Your Urine?

We hope you enjoy this article written by Amber Tresca that has also been medically reviewed.

Going to the bathroom is a necessity for everyone, but that doesn’t mean a place “to go" is always available. In most cases, holding it for a short time when you feel the urge to go is not going to be harmful. However, holding pee for a long period of time and ignoring the urge to go might increase the risk of certain problems, such as urinary tract infections. For those reasons, it's important to not hold it for any longer than is necessary.

This can be a challenge when there’s not a private or sanitary place to urinate, but emptying the bladder on a regular basis is part of good health and can help avoid discomfort.

How Long Can You Hold Your Pee?

While the human bladder typically holds between 1.5 and 2 cups of fluid,1 the perception of feeling full varies from person to person. How fast the bladder fills depends on a number of factors, and therefore, there’s no hard and fast rule about how long people can go between bathroom trips. In most cases, however, people can go for 3 to 4 hours between bathroom visits.

Of course, this will also vary based on how much and type of liquid a person is drinking; taking in a lot of water over a short period of time or drinking beverages with caffeine might cause a greater urge to pee.

Some people have an issue where they are using the bathroom often, and only actually voiding a little at a time.2 This could be due to a medical condition such as a urinary tract infection, especially if there’s discomfort while urinating. When there are problems going to the bathroom too much or being uncomfortable, it’s important to see a doctor to rule out a disease or condition that could be causing the problem.

For some people, ignoring the urge to urinate for a time could be part of a process of bladder retraining. If there’s no reason found for the frequent urination, a physician might recommend holding the pee to retrain the bladder and reduce bathroom visits. In general, this might include waiting for at least 15 minutes when the urge to pee hits, to see if it’s truly necessary to go right away or if it can wait.

Health Risks of Holding Urine

In most cases, holding in urine for a short period of time until there is a time and place to go is not going to be harmful. However, holding in urine is associated with a small increased risk of urinary tract infections. This is because the urine standing in the bladder can increase the bacteria growth there. Taking in a lot of fluids and voiding them regularly is the best way to avoid this bacteria overgrowth, which may lead to an infection.

When It Is Finally Time to Go

It is important, once it is time to go to the bathroom, to completely empty the bladder. Take it slow and wait an extra minute or so after having the sensation of being “done.” There might still be more urine in the bladder and it’s better to make sure everything is out, otherwise, there will be another bathroom run a few minutes later.

Things That Might Help You Hold Your Pee

For those times when you need to know how to hold your pee for a short period of time, use one or more of these distraction techniques:

1. Move into a comfortable position. Putting pressure on the abdomen and especially the bladder may make the sensation of needing to go even more uncomfortable. Try sitting or standing with legs crossed or pressed together and keeping the back straight in order to reduce pressure on the bladder. Pushing on or leaning against something that compresses the belly may increase the discomfort.

2. Change your temperature. Being too hot or too cold may make some people feel like they have to go to the bathroom. In most cases, being too cold is what increases that feeling of urgency to use the bathroom, so warming up with a blanket may help for a time.

3. Think about the bladder being closed off. To prevent leaking, it may help to imagine that nothing can come down the urethra. Squeezing the muscles in that area may help avoid any urine leaking out. Practicing isolating these muscles and squeezing them when not in urgent need of a bathroom can help in the longer term when dealing with the need to go to the bathroom without a toilet readily available.

4. Stay still. Bouncing, jiggling, jumping, or shaking could increase the sensation of having to go to the bathroom and may even cause leakage for some people. Decreasing movement could help reduce the feeling of a full bladder.

5. Meditation or visualization. Practicing meditation, visualization, or deep breathing may help in distracting from the discomfort of a full bladder for a short time.

6. Mental distractions.3 Talking to someone, playing a game, or reading might all help in taking the mind off the feeling of having a full bladder.

Things That Won’t Help

Things that can make it harder to hold your urine include:

1. Drinking more. If the bladder is already full and there’s nowhere to go, drinking even more fluid is only going to make the problem worse.

2. Letting out a little pee. Trying to pee only a little likely won’t work and might backfire because once the stream starts it’s difficult to stop it. Don’t start peeing until the bladder can be fully emptied.

3. Moving around. Bouncing, jiggling, jumping, or shaking could increase the sensation of having to go to the bathroom. Staying still could help reduce the feeling of a full bladder.

4. Caffeine and alcohol. Drinks that contain caffeine can also irritate the bladder and increase the urge to go to the bathroom, so those should be avoided.4

5. Eating spicy, acidic foods. These can irritate your bladder, as can drinking alcohol.

6. Coughing, sneezing, and laughing. When the bladder is full, a sneeze or a laugh could make the situation more uncomfortable or even cause some leaking.

7. Swimming or bathing. Warm water or going into a pool could increase the sensation of needing to use a toilet and it might be more difficult to hold in the urine.

The Pelvic Floor and Kegel Exercises

An important aspect of good bladder health is the strength of the pelvic floor.5 The muscles in the pelvic floor are important in reducing symptoms of incontinence and in being able to go longer between trips to the bathroom. Learning how to isolate those muscles and exercise them to make them stronger can be an important part of bladder retraining.

The physicians that might be involved in treating women with pelvic floor disorders are urogynecologists and urologists. Bladder retraining, pelvic floor exercises, biofeedback, and medication might all be used to help treat frequent urination.

Changes in Bladder Function With Age

There’s a perception that bladder problems are inevitable as people age, but this is not the case. While there are some small changes in bladder function that come with aging, frequent urination, pain when urinating, and leaking urine are not typical. In some cases, making some adjustments to bladder habits can help compensate for the changes that occur in bladder health with age. However, extreme discomfort or difficulty in urinating should be discussed with a physician to make sure there’s not a more serious condition that’s causing the symptoms.

A Word From Verywell

While holding in urine isn’t necessarily a health risk, it’s best to have healthy bladder habits and to consider bathroom accessibility when drinking fluids. Staying hydrated is important, but being uncomfortable because there’s no bathroom in sight is also a consideration when taking in fluids during the day.

For those who find that the bladder feels really full even though there’s not much in it, it could be time to seek help to make sure there’s not an underlying medical condition. For some, retraining the bladder by going less or doing some pelvic floor exercises may help in being able to go longer between bathroom breaks.

Combine Good Taste and Good Nutrition

Make plants the main attraction

A substantial amount of research shows that people who eat a plant-based diet — mainly fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes — live longer and enjoy better health than people whose diets consist mainly of animal-based foods like meat.

Many cultures developed their cuisines around plant foods out of necessity. Traditionally, animal protein was expensive, so limited quantities were available. Mediterranean, Latin American, and Asian cultures are known for pairing healthy plant foods with lean protein (fish, chicken) and monounsaturated fat (olive oils, nuts).

These diets can have substantial health benefits. For example, a Mediterranean-style diet has been found responsible for:

• longer life expectancy

• reduced heart disease

• relief from rheumatoid arthritis

• lower rates of Parkinson's disease

• lower rates of Alzheimer's disease

Here are three tips to get creative with your plant-based meals:

1. Follow the motto "If it grows together, it goes together." For example, try the Spanish sauce called romesco over grilled vegetables. It's made from roasted red peppers, olive oil, and nuts.

2. Make olive oil really shine by matching a bold olive oil, such as a Tuscan varietal, with other bold flavors, such as rosemary and pine nuts.

3. Complement a milder olive oil, such as a French varietal, with subtly flavored foods.

Eat locally

Locally grown foods may be fresher and have higher nutrient content. Since they spend less time being shipped and handled, they may look and taste better.

Spice it up

Despite the lack of research on their health benefits, spices, herbs, and aromatics (any plant, herb, or spice that adds lively scent to a beverage or food) make other plant foods mouth-watering treats. And they are definitely a healthier option than piling on the salt. Unlike salt, spices have not been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, or stroke.

Here are four ways to ensure the quality and flavor of your spices:

1. Buy them in small quantities and in their whole form to ensure freshness.

2. Store them in a cool, dry space.

3. Grind them right before use.

4. Toast them dry in a hot skillet or stir-fry them in oil over medium-high heat (both for just 10-20 seconds).

Get excited about whole grains

Rich in fiber, vitamin E, and magnesium, whole grains (such as whole-wheat bread or pasta, or brown rice) are far better nutritionally than refined grains (such as white bread or white rice). And they make you feel fuller longer. Because the starch inside of them is absorbed more slowly, they're less likely than refined grains to quickly be stored as fat. Regular consumption of whole grains also reduces the risk of:

• diabetes

• cancer

• heart disease

• stroke

• diet-related depression (usually associated with very low-carbohydrate diets)

Here are five ways to incorporate different types of whole grains into your diet:

1. Use whole-grain bread, pasta, and brown or wild rice.

2. Try grains from around the world such as teff, spelt, farro, kamut, and amaranth.

3. Blend whole grains with colorful vegetables, spices, and olive oil.

4. Eat whole-grain cold or hot cereals, adding fruit, low-fat milk, or nuts.

5. Season whole grains with sweet spices like nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, and masala spice.

Go a little nuts

In a large trial of men and women, eating nuts five times a week or more lowered diabetes risk by 27%. In another large study, women who ate nuts just about every day lowered their risk of heart disease by 32%.

However, since a one-ounce portion of nuts can pack 160 calories or more, eat them in moderation to help prevent weight gain. Two tasty suggestions: toasted pine nuts sprinkled over whole-grain pasta, or almonds on cereal.

Following the above advice will not only make your meals nutritious, but will also allow you to enjoy some of the most delicious food you've ever eaten.