Articles

Constipation: what can cause it and what to do about it

Articles - , , , , -

Constipation doesn’t just affect newborns and grumpy grandpas—constipation is a serious digestive issue that can significantly impact your health. Conventional medicine defines constipation as having hard stools with a bowel movement fewer than three times per week, and severe constipation as less than once a week. In functional medicine, however, good elimination is having one to three healthy bowel movements per day. Although harsh laxatives can override constipation, it’s best to address the underlying causes for lasting success.

Why constipation is hard on the body

Regular bowel movements are the body’s way of eliminating toxins, metabolized hormones, and waste from your body. When you’re constipated these compounds sit idle in the intestines and are absorbed back into the bloodstream for circulation. This can sap energy, make you crankier, hinder the ability of your body to function optimally, and increase health risks such as for heart disease.

Fecal matter sitting immobile in the digestive tract promotes an overgrowth of harmful bacteria and yeast. This creates inflammation in the gut and other digestive symptoms, such as gas, bloating, pain, allergies, and food sensitivities.

Constipation is also uncomfortable, if not painful. It makes people feel heavy and bloated, sometimes causing abdominal cramps, hemorrhoids, or anal fissures.

Nutrition and constipation

For some people, the cause of constipation is pretty straightforward and easy to address. They simply need to eat a whole foods diet rich in fiber and stay sufficiently hydrated. For people used to eating a diet heavy in fast foods, consuming plenty of vegetables and fruit can significantly improve bowel function.

Nutritional support, such as with essential fatty acids, vitamin D, and quality vitamins and minerals, can also promote healthy bowel function.

Probiotics are another powerful tool. Many people suffer from an overgrowth of harmful bacteria and not enough beneficial bacteria in the gut, which can contribute to constipation. Often boosting beneficial bacteria with probiotics or fermented and cultured foods can support healthy elimination.

Chiropractic and constipation

Constipation is a very common symptom of a vertebral subluxation – a condition, where one of the vertebrae in your lower back is misaligned. This put pressure on the nerves that run from the spinal cord, through the vertebrae to your gut and intestines. This in turn, slows down the body’s metabolism. A weekly trip to your chiropractor can ensure that your lower back is aligned properly and the nerves that run to your gut properly facilitate the movement of the fecal matter through your body.

Brain health and constipation

The digestive tract has a nervous system much like the brain’s, and the gut and the brain are very intimately connected. Many people suffer from an imbalance in neurotransmitters, chemicals that relay messages between neurons. These imbalances can not only affect mood, memory, and well-being, but also digestive functions and can play a role in constipation. Whenever a gut issue becomes chronic, one should take steps to investigate and support brain health.

Use of Intramuscular Stimulation

Articles - , , , , -

WHAT IS GUNN IMS?

Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS) is a total system for the diagnosis and treatment of myofascial pain syndromes (chronic pain conditions that occur in the musculoskeletal system when there is no obvious sign of injury or inflammation). Gunn IMS is a specialized physiotherapy service that PRI provides to our patients. It requires practitioners to have extensive physiotherapy experience before being admitted to training.

HOW DOES IMS WORK?

IMS is grounded in Western Medical Science, and uses acupuncture needles that are designed to penetrate deep within muscle tissue, specifically targeting injured muscles that have contracted and become shortened from distress.

IMS TREATMENT DESCRIPTION

IMS therapy relies heavily on a thorough physical examination of the patient by a competent practitioner, trained to recognize the physical signs of neuropathic pain. This physical examination is indispensable since chronic pain is often neurological as opposed to structural, and therefore, invisible to expensive X-rays, MRI Tests, Bone and CT Scans. Failure to recognize these signs will result in an inaccurate diagnosis, and thus, a poor starting point for physical therapy. The treatment involves dry needling of affected areas of the body without injecting any substance. The needle sites can be at the epicenter of taut, tender muscle bands, or they can be near the spine where the nerve root may have become irritated and supersensitive. Penetration of a normal muscle is painless; however, a shortened, supersensitive muscle will ‘grasp’ the needle in what can be described as a cramping sensation. The result is threefold. One, a stretch receptor in the muscle is stimulated, producing a reflex relaxation (lengthening). Two, the needle also causes a small injury that draws blood to the area, initiating the natural healing process. Three, the treatment creates an electrical potential in the muscle to make the nerve function normally again. The needle used in IMS, by stimulating muscle spindles, essentially becomes a specific and unique tool for the diagnosis of Neuropathic Muscle Pain.

CAN YOU SHOW ME HOW THE SPINE MAY BE INVOLVED?

The most common cause of nerve irritation and neuropathic pain is “spondylosis,” degeneration of the spine, which can result from normal wear and tear. Spondylosis irritates the nerve root and leads to neuropathy and muscle shortening.

WHAT IS THE GOAL IN USING IMS?

The goal of treatment is to release muscle shortening, which presses on and irritates the nerve. Supersensitive areas can be desensitized, and the persistent pull of shortened muscles can be released. IMS is very effective for releasing shortened muscles under contracture, thereby causing mechanical pain from muscle pull. IMS, in effect, treats the underlying neuropathic condition that causes the pain. When competently performed, IMS has a remarkable success rate, as proven by the amelioration of symptoms and signs, even for chronic back pain with root signs.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I HAVE IMS?

Treatments are usually once a week to allow time between treatments for the body to heal itself. The number of treatments you require will depend on several factors such as:

1. the duration and extent of your condition
2. how much scar tissue there is, (usually increased after previous surgery)
3. how quickly your body can heal depending on the condition of your nerves.

If the pain is of recent origin, one ims treatment may be all that is necessary. In published studies of patients with low back pain, the average number of IMS treatments required was 8.2.

IS IMS THE SAME AS ACUPUNCTURE?

IMS is comparable in some ways to acupuncture; however, there are a number of important differences. IMS requires a medical examination and diagnosis by a practitioner knowledgeable in anatomy, needles insertions are indicated by physical signs and not according to predefined, non-scientific meridians, while subjective and objective effects are usually experienced immediately.

If you have been injured athletically, at work or in an automobile accident and haven’t had success with traditional types of treatment, IMS may be worth trying.

NHL players rely on chiropractic

Articles - , , , , , -

The Leafs exciting run for the Stanley Cup, the coveted trophy may have been cut short by the Bruins, yet we still love them, support them all the way and appreciate all of the exciting moments they have given us in 2017/2018 season.

To get to the NHL level, professional hockey players must have incredible hand-eye coordination, have strength one would expect of a NFL linebacker and still be agile enough to not only keep their balance on a thin metal blade, but also change directions at incredible speeds. The combination makes them extremely tough, talented athletes.

The game is rough and injuries are not uncommon. Dr. Ted Carrick, a Chiropractic Neurologist who treats a number of NHL and NFL players says, “In professional hockey alone, there are more than 50,000 hits annually, and far too many of these are serious injuries to the head.” In the course of the game, players will collide with each other, be hit by skates, sticks and even pucks (which can travel up to 100mph) and be slammed against the wall. This makes concussion risk for players exceedingly high. Another common injury is knee sprain.

Gary Roberts was playing with the Calgary Flames when he suffered a major neck injury. With nerve damage and tingling in his arms that numerous surgeries and rehab did not improve, he thought his hockey days were over. “I couldn’t hold a steak knife to cut my food,” he recalls. “My career was over. I was a pretty lost soul.” Roberts then began receiving treatment from a sports chiropractor. He not only experienced relief from his symptoms, but also regained enough strength and mobility to return to the ice. He went on to play professional hockey for 13 more years!

Chiropractic has been used in professional sports, including hockey for years. Many teams, including the Predators, have a team chiropractor and some teams have multiple doctors of chiropractic (DCs) on staff. Chiropractors are included in the multi-disciplinary approach to help players heal faster, reduce repetitive use injuries and continue playing at optimal levels.

Chiropractic physicians are extensively trained in their minimum of seven years higher education, focus on conservative care and understand the biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system as well as how the movements of various sports affect the body. Chiropractic adjustments (spinal manipulation) and other modalities are used to reduce pain and improve flexibility.

Dr. John Theodoropoulos, an orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, states: “When athletes refer to their doctor, their doctor is usually a doctor of chiropractic.” The input of chiropractors and the services they provide to athletes can have a significant impact on the number of games lost to injury.

Professional athletes are not the only ones who benefit from chiropractic. Whether you are a professional athlete, an amateur athlete, or a weekend warrior, your doctor of chiropractic can assist you in healing from injuries, as well as help prevent future injuries.

Even if you are a “couch potato,” your doctor can provide you with stretches, exercise recommendations and nutritional information to help realign your health status and goals and then achieve them.

Opioid Epidemic Continues

Articles - , , , , -

Opioid medications were designed for extreme pain relief and are beneficial to some patients with extreme health issues such as end stage cancer. However, for the average population needing short term relief after an injury or surgery, they can have disastrous consequences which have been resulted in “widespread addiction, lower productivity, fewer workers in the labor market and a number of poor health outcomes.” The most tragic result is the unprecedented loss of life due to opioid-involved overdose.

Researchers are examining the various aspects of the opioid epidemic in hopes of finding a way to both treat pain while avoiding the added risk associated with opioids. Statistics suggest that the growth in access to prescription opioids was the beginning of opioid addiction. As the heart-breaking outcomes were recognized, numerous actions were initiated to reduce the usage of these medications. Educational awareness campaigns for both the public and medical professionals have brought the dangers of misusing prescription opioids to the forefront. Many states and provinces have initiated drug monitoring programs.

Officials began compiling overdose fatality data in 1999. The statistics paint a sobering picture of the opioid epidemic. From 1999-2010, opioid-involved overdose fatalities rose an average of 9.1% annually. From 2010-2016, opioid-involved overdose fatalities rose an average of 12.3% per year. Breaking it down by year, we see that the rate is actually increasing much more rapidly in recent years from a 15.5% increase in 2015 to a 27.7% increase in 2016. Moreover, in 2016, roughly 2/3 of all overdose deaths involved opioids.

Sadly, recent research shows that these statistics may actually be underestimating the number of opioid related fatalities. A report issued by the Society for the Study of Addiction found that opioid-related deaths may be as much as 20-35% higher than the CDC estimates.

Some point to economic reasons for the rise in opioid related deaths. However, research shows economics to be a minor factor. The more likely causes are related to availability and cost of the drugs themselves.

Around 2010, numerous efforts were initiated to reduce prescription opioids. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) began more aggressive investigations targeting wholesale companies that supplied “unlawful doctors and pharmacies that gave out pills in exchange for cash.” Prescription drug monitoring was a major factor in these investigations. The Ryan Haight Act of 2009 made online distribution illegal and established the requirement for doctors to see the patient in person prior to writing the prescription. Additionally, guidelines were issued by the American Pain Society, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense among others, urging doctors to prescribe fewer opioids.

The decline in prescription related opioid deaths was a short-lived victory. The total number of opioid fatalities continued to increase. The rise of heroin and synthetic opioids during the time of the prescription opioid decline suggests that the absence of sufficient affordable, effective addiction treatment led users to turn to “cheaper and more potent illicit opioids as a substitute.”

This is supported by data showing a rapid rise in overdose fatalities linked with heroin and synthetic opioids since 2010. “A 2013 study found that four out of five new heroin users started by misusing prescription opioids.” The transition to heroin occurred very quickly. In 2010, when prescription opioid deaths began to decline, heroin-involved overdose fatalities began to grow as much as 31.2% a year. In 2015, heroin related deaths surpassed prescription opioid deaths. By 2016, only a little over 1/3 of all opioid-involved fatalities were comprised of prescription opioids. There were nearly 1,000 more heroin-involved overdose fatalities than prescription-involved overdose fatalities that year.

As prescription opioid supply decreased, some users have turned to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanil. It has become very evident that the synthetics are even more deadly than either prescription opioids or heroin. “Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin,” and carfentanil is 100 times more potent than that making these 2 drugs very dangerous. As with prescription opioids, they do have legitimate uses. Carfentanil was designed to be a tranquilizer for large animals. It was never intended for humans. Fentanyl is used in the medical field in restricted amounts and closely monitored as a mere 2 mg is enough to cause death in an adult.

It is the illegally-made pure fentanyl that is being used and abused so widely. As fast as heroin-related opioid fatality rates rose, the rate for fatalities involving synthetic opioids rose even faster. From 2013-2016 the rate skyrocketed to 84.2% per year and by 2016, synthetic opioid related deaths outnumbered those of heroin and prescription opioids.

There are a number of factors that contribute to this staggering increase. First, they are often mixed in with heroin or formed into pills so that users do not realize what they are taking. Users and dealers are now mixing synthetics with other drugs, such as cocaine, as well.

Secondly, is the potency. They tend to be so strong that anti-overdose medications are not able to counteract the effects. So, while the advancements in overdose treatment can save many from a prescription opioid or heroin overdose, the same treatments have only “limited success” in treating synthetic opioid overdose.

With increased demand for heroin and synthetic opioids, TCOs have responded by providing an increased supply on the black market. It is so profitable that even cartels that had not previously dealt with these drugs are now transporting heroin into the US. Since synthetics are so potent, 1kg that costs between $3,000 and $5,000 to produce, can yield over $1.5 million for the cartels.

While efforts initiated in the last decade to reduce prescription opioids appear to have had a positive impact, the opioid epidemic is still going strong. Stopping it “requires a comprehensive approach.” Chiropractors across Canada are ready to assist in the efforts.

Don’t risk addiction! Realign your thinking! If you are in pain, chiropractic can offer pain relief without the risk associated with opioids or other invasive procedures. For those who are dealing with chronic pain, chiropractic can offer alternative pain relief to reduce or even eliminate the need for opioid medications. Chiropractic can even provide relief for unresolved pain after surgery. Chiropractors are also a valuable part of health care for those in addiction recovery as they offer safe pain relief during and/or after addiction treatment.

As always, prevention is the best medicine. Chiropractic care focuses on healthy lifestyle recommendations to stay pain free, stay healthy and reduce your risk of injury such as proper posture, nutrition, and wellness. Your chiropractor can also provide treatment and/or referral to another health care provider as is needed.

The Posture of Happiness

Articles - , , , , -

When someone’s unhappy, their posture shows it. Body language expresses our mood and attitude. It’s common-sense to know a friend is feeling down when their posture is slumping over. New research shows it’s a two-way street – How you hold your body affects your mental attitude and your state of mind changes how you hold your body.

Posture and Technology

Living with tech means posture can suffer as we sit, type and text for hours each day. Now researchers are finding some really significant health consequences, which is one reason posture is trending. Another is the explosion of ergonomic products from standing desks to upscale mattresses to vibrating shirts and apps to make us look and age better (or just avoid back and neck pain) by standing taller.

Doctors, chiropractors and therapists who treat muscle and joint pain call it an epidemic and say the problem and society’s slump are accelerating. More children are being diagnosed with back pain, and some professionals observe many kids with posture that’s worse than their parents, pointing to a risk for developing bodies. As well as developing minds.

Posture Research

Smart posture habits can make a big difference in mind and body. Studies show self-esteem and mood can be improved by sitting (or standing) tall, with head, torso and hips aligned. When people sit straight, their short-term memory is better, as is their reported alertness, self-esteem and energy level. Improving your body alignment can even energize you, as another study found people deprived of sleep could counter fatigue by holding their posture upright.

The Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry released a study concluding that even people who suffer with depression can improve their mood by improving posture. Hunched over posture is a diagnostic feature of clinical depression, as the person’s body literally folds in to withdraw from life. This postural breakdown with rolled in shoulders is also associated with negative emotions, anxiety, and using more “anger” words in conversation.

Researcher Elizabeth Broadbent and her team found changing people’s posture reduced their reported anxiety and negative emotions. The participants who were made to sit up tall used less negative words. And, they said the word “I” less frequently, which reflects an improvement in the directing of their attention outward.

Here is a good set of daily exercises (courtesy of PostureZone®) that you can follow on the daily basis to improve your posture:

The goal is to stand tall and align your head, torso and pelvis over your feet. As your focus shifts from the ground up, breathe slowly and let your breath guide the motion.

1- Stand Tall and relaxed. NOT STIFF. Relax, and pull your head to the ceiling. Breathe in and out, and then…

2- Ground your Feet: Slowly come up onto your toes, then down. Come up onto your heels and spread your toes apart, then back down. Roll your feet out, and then in. Now, press on all four ‘corners’ to ground your feet as you breathe in and out, and then…

3- Center your Pelvis: Arch your low back and breathe in, then pull your belly in, tuck your pelvis and breathe out. Keep your spine long and head tall as you roll your pelvis back to center. Repeat for another breath.

4- Open your Torso: Lift shoulders up and back as you breathe in, then keep them back as you lower them down and breathe out. Repeat for another slow breath, and then…

5- Lift and level your Head. Look straight ahead as you breathe in, then breathe out and lift the base of your head up (keep the head level and chin slightly tucked) to lengthen your spine. Repeat for another slow, deep breath.

Repeat. Focus on standing taller, as you breathe slowly for each step. Do this 2 or 3 times a day to relieve stress, unfold your posture and brighten your mood.

Apart from these daily exercises, a weekly visit to your chiropractor and physiotherapist can greatly assist you with improving your posture.

Lowering risk of Dementia

Articles - , , , , -

The numbers of people with dementia are expected to more than double in 30 years and outpace both heart disease and cancer in terms of cost. Because dementia can take root in the brain years or decades before symptoms appear, you can take action now to avoid becoming part of this skyrocketing statistic.

Today, nearly 15 percent of people aged 71 or older have dementia—almost 4 million people. Experts predict that number will more than double to 9 million people by 2040, costing the country more than $500 billion.

What’s worse is these statistics do not include mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or “pre-dementia,” which accounts for another 22 percent of people over 71.

How to lower your risk of dementia

Some experts say there is no way to prevent dementia, but studies show diet and lifestyle influence brain health. We can use that knowledge to lower the risk for dementia.

For instance, poor diet and lifestyle choices can cause inflammation throughout the body, which ultimately inflames the brain and accelerates the degeneration of brain tissue. It may cause symptoms such as brain fog or a gradual decline in cognition, but the average person will not connect this with an increased risk of dementia later in life.

The good news is you can slow the rate of brain degeneration and lower your risk of dementia with the following tips:

• Ditch the sugar, processed starchy foods, and junk foods. These foods lead to insulin resistance (pre-diabetes) and Type 2 diabetes. The link between a sugar-laden diet and brain degeneration is so strong some researchers call Alzheimer’s “Type 3 diabetes,” a totally diet and lifestyle driven disease. Sugars and processed starches and the insulin surges they create are devastating to brain health.

• Avoid hydrogenated oils (trans fats) found in processed foods, pastries, and many restaurant fried foods. The brain is mostly fat and the fats you eat play a role in its health. Hydrogenated fats are more like plastic than food and research shows eating hydrogenated fats leads to loss of cognitive function and smaller brain volume, evidence of degeneration. Eat healthy fats such as coconut oil, olive oil (never heated), and seafood, and get plenty of omega 3 essential fatty acids. Ask our office how you can do this to lower your risk of dementia.

• Exercise your body and your brain. Exercise has been well documented as a way to boost brain health and lower your risk of dementia. You should engage in both aerobic exercise and weight training for ultimate dementia prevention. You should also exercise your brain with mentally stimulating activities, such as learning new things, reading, writing, playing chess, etc.

For more information on how to lower your risk of Dementia, please see a nutrition and chiropractic specialists at the PRI clinic. This multi-disciplinary team is specifically trained to properly deal with this condition and allow your body to achieve a remarkable improvement in your lifestyle.

Keeogo for Stroke

Articles - , , , , -

A stroke is a medical emergency. Strokes happen when blood flow to your brain stops. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. There are two kinds of stroke. The more common kind, called ischemic stroke, is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. The other kind, called hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain. “Mini-strokes” or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), occur when the blood supply to the brain is briefly interrupted.

Symptoms of stroke are

•Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the body)

•Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech

•Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

•Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination

•Sudden severe headache with no known cause

If you have any of these symptoms, you must get to a hospital quickly to begin treatment. Acute stroke therapies try to stop a stroke while it is happening by quickly dissolving the blood clot or by stopping the bleeding. Post-stroke rehabilitation helps individuals overcome disabilities that result from stroke damage.

After stroke, various rehabilitative techniques help people regain function and lifestyle as much as possible. Your MD may offer blood thinners or other pharmaceutical interventions to help decrease the probability of further strokes from happening. Your physical therapist may offer specific rehabilitative exercises to assist you with regaining proper function of your arms and legs.

A recent technological breakthrough offers patients who suffered from stroke vast lifestyle improvements. Without the KeegoTM device, post-stroke patients had a difficult time moving their legs, had to stop when taking stairs from exhaustion, had a difficult time picking up objects from the floor, exerted strenuous effort, when getting up from a chair to walk down the hall. These same patients wearing a KeegoTM device were able to achieve much more fluid movement patterns during several clinical trials. These same patients were able to move quicker from one location to another, were able to promptly walk up or down the stairs, picked up objects from the floor with little effort, and were able to easily sit down, and get up from the seat without propping themselves up with their hands.

Chiropractic Helps Athletes Recover from Ankle Injury

Articles - , , , , -

Many professional and amateur athletes depend on chiropractic care to improve performance and assist in recovery. For instance, all 31 NHL teams and all 32 NFL teams have chiropractors on staff to help their players perform at their best, and over 150 chiropractors were at the recent Olympic games in PyeongChang to work with US and Canadian athletes. Professionals know that chiropractic works, and we see that every day in our Prescott clinic.

A small trial study from Sweden confirmed this by working with 19 female handball players who were recovering from an ankle injury. The athletes were randomly assigned to receive either chiropractic adjustments or a sham treatment for three weeks. By the end of treatment, the chiropractic patients had significantly better improvements in vertical jumping height.

In recently published research case studies, a 13-year-old, female, avid recreational soccer player presented to a clinic with ankles that would spontaneously invert during various inconsistent points in the weight bearing gait cycle, sometimes with acute pain or sprain to the ankle. No intervention was attempted prior to her entry to the chiropractic office. A 17-year-old male avid skate- boarder and snowboarder whose left ankle routinely “gave out” into inversion upon mundane weight bearing activity, usually with pain and with dependence on wearing an ankle support when skateboarding to lessen ankle pain. The patient had used an ankle support prior to seeking chiropractic care.

In both cases, high velocity, low amplitude chiropractic manipulative therapy was applied to the spine, pelvis and extremity joints was the primary intervention in both cases, with particular focus on the ankle. Other procedures used included taping and orthotics, but not before the manipulation effect was noted. In both cases, subjective and objective improvements were noted in ankle stability and sports performance.

Conclusion

High velocity, low amplitude chiropractic manipulative therapy to the spine, pelvis, and extremities, particularly at the ankle, should be considered when managing young recreational and professional athletes with functional chronic, recurrent, ankle inversion sprains.

Although further research is warranted to expand on these findings, these results show that chiropractic plays a role in recovering from ankle injuries.

Treating Whiplash-Associated Disorders with Intramuscular Stimulation

Articles - , , , , -

Trauma to the neck can cause acute pain. Chronic pain and dysfunction from such injury is called “whiplash-associated disorder” (WAD). WAD is a very common complication to people who were involved in a Motor Vehicle Collision. The Quebec Task Force [QTF] classified WAD severity. The key points of QTF are as follows:

• Whiplash is the most common injury associated with motor vehicle accidents and a major cause of disability and litigation.

• Whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) can be classified by the severity of signs and symptoms from Grade 0 to 4.

• Patients usually complain of neck pain and stiffness in the acute phase, with the majority recovering within 3 months.

• Depression, anxiety, and mood disorders are common in patients with chronic whiplash.

• Reassurance, early mobilization, simple analgesic, and physiotherapy are recommended in acute whiplash (WAD I–III).

• In chronic WAD, multidisciplinary pain clinic referral followed by cognitive behavioural therapy and cervical radiofrequency neurotomy plays an important role.

Although there are many treatment approaches to a whiplash injury, one study was able to specifically demonstrate the efficacy of treatment using intramuscular stimulation therapy.

In this study Forty-three (43) people accepted intramuscular stimulation therapy. They had pain and abnormal physical signs such as allodynia, trophedema, muscle knots, and limited range of motion. With treatment, twenty-nine achieved long-term improvement.

In an IMS treatment, when the needle enters, the muscle will ‘grab’ the needle and a deep, cramping sensation is felt. Once the muscle grabs it then typically will ‘reset’ itself and begin to relax. When the tight muscle relaxes, a decrease in pain typically follows. IMS is now being recognized and used by physiotherapists and doctors around the world to treat chronic pain of musculoskeletal origin.

Conclusion

The whiplash disorder symptoms were due to abnormal function of the central nervous system. Most subjects improved subjectively and their abnormal physical signs resolved. Such direct clinical evidence of benefit is clearly meaningful.

Keeogo for Spinal Cord Injury

Articles - , , , , -

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is the injury of the spinal cord which can occur anywhere from head to lower back as a result of compulsion, incision or contusion. The most common causes of SCI in the world are traffic accidents, gunshot injuries, knife injuries, falls and sports injuries. There is a strong relationship between functional status and whether the injury is complete or not complete, as well as the level of the injury.

The results of SCI bring not only damage to independence and physical function, but also include many complications from the injury. Neurogenic bladder and bowel, urinary tract infections, pressure ulcers, orthostatic hypotension, fractures, deep vein thrombosis, spasticity, pulmonary and cardiovascular problems, and depressive disorders are frequent complications after SCI.

SCI leads to serious disability in the patient resulting in the loss of work, which brings psychosocial and economic problems. The treatment and rehabilitation period is long, expensive and exhausting in SCI. Whether complete or incomplete, SCI rehabilitation is a long process that requires patience and motivation of the patient and relatives. Early rehabilitation is important to prevent joint contractures and the loss of muscle strength, conservation of bone density, and to ensure normal functioning of the respiratory and digestive system. An interdisciplinary approach is essential in rehabilitation in SCI, as in the other types of rehabilitation. The team is led by a physiatrist and consists of the patients’ family, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, dietician, psychologist, speech therapist, social worker and other consultant specialists is often necessary.

A recent technological breakthrough has allowed patients with SCI to expedite the lifestyle improvement process. Without the KeegoTM device, patients with SCI had a difficult time moving their legs, had to stop when taking stairs from exhaustion, had a difficult time picking up objects from the floor, exerted strenuous effort, when getting up from a chair to walk down the hall. These same patients wearing a KeegoTM device were able to achieve much more fluid movement patterns during several clinical trials. These same patients were able to move quicker from one location to another, were able to promptly walk up or down the stairs, picked up objects from the floor with little effort, and were able to easily sit down, and get up from the seat without propping themselves up with their hands.

Opening Hours


Days Hours
Monday - Friday 8.00 - 17.00
Saturday 9.30 - 17.30
Sunday 9.30 - 15.00

Search Form

Categories

Recent Posts

Recent Comments