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By Dr. Borgardt Chiropractic , , , , , , , , ,

Text Neck | Upper Crossed Syndrome | Weekly Wakeup

Text Neck; Why it's important? Who cares if you look down when you walk or talk or don't look people in the eye - Right?

More importantly, it is called 'Upper crossed syndrome' and as most of my patients know, I have a thing for talking about very weird things like embryology, physiology, and anthropology. So, i'll keep this one short, the symptoms of upper crossed syndrome can include shoulder pain, upper back pain, neck pain, rounded shoulders and a hunched posture, and headaches.

If you have a desk job, go to school, and/or spend lots of time in front of the computer or TV every day, then the answer is statistically YES you might have this thing called 'Text Neck'. In fact, the two most common problems I’ve encountered in my practice are low back pain and headaches, both of these items can be caused by text neck / Upper Crossed Syndrome. It is essential to be aware of compensation patterns within this system as it can often lead to injuries.

Do you have good posture?

A couple of things to consider:

  • Does your chin protrude forward in the mirror if you look at yourself in pictures?
  • Do you have a problem looking up?
  • Do you have headaches at the end of the day and notice that you spend more than 1 hour a day on your phone?
  • Have you ever looked at your phone usage and realized you spend way too much time on it?

Can you fix it without chiropractic care?

You might want to consider the basics, proper exercise and stretching. One of the best combination workout regiments is the downward facing dog. It works on all the things you want it too and its very easy. If you have tight hamstrings we will talk about that later, however just getting to work on this part of the spine, includes the shoulder muscles especially the posterior and serratus muscles within the shoulder complex that are very important for the health of your shoulders and your neck.

If you try to modify this posture to add a little tension in the spine in a positive direction you may want to consider tucking your chin in and lifting your head almost 'retracting' your spine back and up. In this posture you will feel the tension set by hours of your text neck behavior and honestly it's a great workout!

Can chiropractic care help?

100%. Just look at the studies listed below:

CONCLUSION:

This study demonstrates that a single cervical manipulation is capable of producing immediate and short-term benefits for

2016 Jun;39(5):319-329. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2016.03.003. Epub 2016 May 12.

 

CONCLUSION:

Sensorimotor function and multisensory integration associated with fall risk and the physical component of quality of life improved in older adults receiving chiropractic care compared with control.

2016 May;39(4):267-78. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2016.02.003. Epub 2016 Apr 2

 

CONCLUSION:

In this study, the physical examination findings between preadolescents with neck pain and/or headaches and those who were symptom free differed significantly in one of the parameters measured. Cervical joint dysfunction was a significant finding among those preadolescents complaining of neck pain and/or headache as compared to those who did not.

2009 Oct;32(8):625-34. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2009.08.025.

By Dr. Borgardt Chiropractic, Medication , , , , , , , , , , ,

Narcan vs Chiropractic

Being ignorant of our opioid epidemic is not an excuse, but the solution by our Surgeon General to go buy Narcan is completely ignorant. If you have not been paying attention their is an opioid crisis underway. A large portion of the addictions we see today did not start off as addicts. They just wanted to be pain free, not needing to get high.

Yet, the Surgeon General just thought it was a good idea to , "urge more Americans to, purchase, an antidote those that overdose accidentally": Narcan.

I can not tell you how angry this makes me. As if the solution wasn't a completely horrible option. Now the answer to the the solution for the solutions issues is another thing you and I have to buy? I know I am not supposed to show, or talk about this in a manner that makes me seem as if I am an angry, irrational person. However, I admit, this makes me an angry, irrational person.

My family and friends often help me through these times. Again, they have some good advice.

Control the things you can. Conservative Management of pain through chiropractic care is what I can do about this problem.

The prescription painkiller epidemic vs chiropractic care:

Opioid dugs only mask the pain. They do not fix or treat the problem. They make the pain less so you can do more. That being a huge problem because doing more when its a physical issue causes more issues. This misunderstanding can lead to a huge delay in your healing process and often lead to permanent problems that will never go away.

Drugs given by their associated profession for back pain: [1] [2]

Primary care MD:  28%.8

Internists:  14.6%

Orthopaedic Surgeons:  7.7%

Chiropractic Physicians:  0%

Yet to our amazement, a research paper written and published in the British Journal of Medicine back in the 90's was the most eloquent of them all:

Conclusions: " At three years the results confirm the findings of an earlier report that when chiropractic or hospital therapists that patients with low back pain as they would in day to day practice treated by chiropractic derive more benefit and long term satisfaction that those treated by hospitals" [3]

 

  1. Practice analysis of chiropractic 2015. NBCE.
  2. The Opioid Epidemic: Impact on Orthopaedic Surgery. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic surgeons, 2015; 23 (5): 267 10.5435/JAAOS-D-14-00163.
  3. Randomised comparison of chiropractic and hospital outpatient management for low back pain: results from extended follow up. BMJ 1995 Aug 5; 311(7001): 349–351.
By Dr. Borgardt Allergies, Chiropractic, Medication, Studies, Weekly Wakeup , , , , , , , , , ,

Allergies & Medications

According to a new study by the Journal of the American Medical Association, they have associated those children and adults that develop allergies in their life to be directly linked to acid-suppressive medications and antibiotic use as an infant. [1]

Yet another perfect reminder, unless it’s an emergency, use conservative management methods before you reach for a magic pill solution. Throughout chiropractic, medicine, or other forms of clinical management of any patient the primary goal is to do no harm. Unless its an emergency, conservative management of any patient needs to be the first step to fixing our overall prospective in our health care system. Especially when we observe the expected need for medications rather than education and self improvement is considered.

 

Contact Flathead Chiropractic for a consultation if you have any questions about you or your children's health!

 

  1. Use of Acid-Suppressive Medications and Antibiotics During Infancy and Allergic Diseases in Early Childhood. JAMA Pediatr. Published online April 02, 2018. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.0315