Bottom Line:

Shoulder pain or pain around the shoulder is very common after a car accident or work injury. The shoulder is considered an unstable joint which means that it has a tremendous range of motion but not much stability. The combination of fantastic mobility and limited stability makes it extremely susceptible to injuries as a result of an impact.

Why it Matters:

 The shoulder is a ball and socket joint with 3 primary bones: the upper arm (humerus), collarbone (clavicle) and shoulder blade (scapula). These bones are held together with an intricate pattern of muscles, tendons, and ligaments. If your rotator cuff is injured, you may notice severe pain and limited range of motion. Left untreated, rotator cuff injuries can eventually result in a “frozen” shoulder, shoulder pain, and months worth of treatment to re-establish a full range of motion.

 

• Your shoulder is a mobile joint that is held together with a complex network of muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
• The incidence of whiplash + shoulder pain and injury after a crash is estimated to be nearly 22%.
• Holding onto the steering wheel during an accident can cause damage to the rotator cuff or initiate impingement syndromes, as can your seat belt.

 Next Steps:

Shoulder pain and injuries can sometimes mimic other injuries. Pain down into your arm due to nerve entrapment, or even referred pain up into your neck and head could be coming from your shoulder, as compression on the shoulder by a seat belt during an accident can injure the nerves that travel to your arm and hand. If your shoulder or arms feel restricted, sore, or painful after an accident, we recommend having it evaluated so you can get the proper care to start healing better, faster.

 Science Source:

Injury mechanisms in supraclavicular stretch injuries of the brachial plexus. Hand Surgery and Rehabilitation. 2016. Whiplash injury of the shoulder: Is it a distinct clinical entity? 2005

Bottom Line:

The term whiplash is the term used to describe the injuries that result from a rapid back and forth motion of the neck. These injuries can occur during a car crash, sports accident, or during a slip and fall. The most common symptoms of a whiplash injury are neck pain, headaches, and radiating pain into the shoulders, arms, and hands.

 

Why it Matters:

 Pain after whiplash happens when the delicate ligaments supporting your neck have been damaged, and new research indicates that even low-speed crashes can create the force necessary to cause pain and injury. Whiplash can also cause damage to your facet joints and spinal discs by stretching them beyond their normal range of motion. Depending on the type of accident, we may choose to take x-rays or an MRI of your neck to evaluate your injuries better.

 

• Over 1.5 million whiplash injuries occur each year, many from low impact collisions.
• Whiplash can cause neck pain and headaches due to injuries to the facet joints, spinal discs, ligaments, tendons, and muscles.
• Chiropractic adjustments and massage have been recommended at effective treatment for the management of neck pain after whiplash.

Next Steps:

A stiff neck after an accident is a good clue that a whiplash injury may have occurred. Keep an eye out for swelling and bruising, which can take up to 24 hours to develop. In some cases, the partial tearing of the muscles, tendons, or ligaments around your spine can take several months to heal. Remember that getting an evaluation, and the proper care early on can help you reduce your pain and heal better and faster. Know that we’re here to support you on your road to recovery.  Call 507-345-1926 today or

 Science Source:

Are manual therapies, passive physical modalities, or acupuncture effective for the management of patients with whiplash-associated disorders or neck pain and associated disorders? An update of the Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders by the OPTIMa collaboration. December 2016. The Spine Journal. Neck Injury (Whiplash/Neck Sprain). National Health Service (UK). 2017. Human subject rear passenger symptom response to frontal car-to-car low-speed crash tests. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. 2011.

A car accident can be a frightening and life-changing event.  Dr. Shawn Andrews has helped hundreds of people over the years get over their car accident injuries.

Bottom Line:

Your body wasn’t designed to deal with the forces that occur in a car accident. Even though modern cars have an array of safety features, the damage from an accident can range from small aches to life-changing injuries. The force that both your vehicle and body absorb while driving along the road is known as kinetic energy. Your vehicle has been carefully built to displace the (kinetic) energy that occurs during an accident. However, no matter what type of car you have, your body will still absorb some of the impact.

Why it Matters:

 The powerful forces during impact can cause injuries to your body. A few of the most common injuries that occur after a crash include:

 

• Whiplash: when your car is rear-ended, your neck gets thrown back from the impact and then rebounds by flexing forward. Whiplash commonly injures the tendons and ligaments in your neck and can cause severe pain, and it’s estimated to occur in over 25% of auto accidents.
• Head Impact: your head may collide with the headrest (during whiplash) or even the steering wheel or airbag. Concussions, headaches, and other symptoms may show up after an accident.
• Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Bracing for an accident can often cause a shoulder injury. It’s also not uncommon for your knees to hit either the door or dashboard during an accident.

Next Steps:

If you’ve been in an automobile accident, the most crucial first step is to be evaluated by a medical professional. At the scene of the crash, your adrenaline is pumping, and you may not feel any pain or discomfort because of a state of shock. However, many people wake up the next day, experiencing the full brunt of their injuries. Call us today or click here if you’ve experienced pain as a result of a crash. We would be happy to provide a full evaluation and help you take the first steps on the road to recovery.  Don’t become one of those people that say they are never the same since that car accident.  We will help you with a personalized and specific care plan to get you back to better than before your car accident.

Science Source:

Human subject rear passenger symptom response to frontal car-to-car low-speed crash tests. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. 2011.

Making New Year’s resolutions is a waste of time.  I am all for setting and achieving goals, but resolutions not so much.

They never work.  Ever.

If you need any more proof than your own failed history (I’ve failed plenty of times too.) with resolutions compare the attendance at any gym in January with attendance in that same gym in February.  Why do we fail with resolutions you may ask.  We fail for two main reasons.

First of all, you need to set SMARTER goals, something I learned from Michael Hyatt.  Here’s what that stands for:

Specific. – If you say you want to lose weight that isn’t specific enough.  Instead, you should say you want to lose 25 lbs.

Measurable – Weight loss should be a wonderful goal to achieve because it fits well into this framework.  Do you want to know how you are doing?  Just step on a scale.  Want to know why you aren’t losing weight?   Measure how many calories your consuming and taking in.

Action Oriented –  Your goal should start with an action verb.  It should be something you do and have to act on.

Risky – Some people say the R should stand for realistic.  Mr. Hyatt says it should stand for risky and I agree.  If you don’t have to stretch yourself to achieve a goal, it’s going to be a lot easier to blow it off.  If you are overweight is it more exciting to lose 20 lbs or 5 lbs?  Which one is easier and there for less risky?

Time Keyed –  You have to have a deadline, or many deadlines in order to achieve a goal.  We as humans are master procrastinators.  If there isn’t a deadline, it won’t get done.

Exciting –  This ties into the risky segment.  I find it helpful to write down the key motivation(s) behind why I want to achieve my goals.

Relevant –  You have to set your own goals.  If you are losing weight because your spouse wants to, but you really aren’t motivated it probably won’t happen.  Also, goals have to be relevant to your specific situation.  If you have a baby in the house, you probably won’t be able to get up at 5:30 am to workout and have an extensive morning routine.  You just aren’t in the right season of life.

The second big reason that people fail to achieve their goals is that chronic pain and health issues get in their way.

A lot of goals in the New Year revolve around health and wellness.  Pain can get in the way of achieving those goals.

We are your trusted healthcare advisors.  We can help you get out of pain so you can achieve all your goals in 2019.  Give us a call at 507-345-1926 or click here to get started.

 

BLT’s are bad for your back.  Bet you didn’t know this, did you?  This piece of advice is not only based on years of experience as a chiropractor and years of schooling to become a chiropractor but on my own painful experience.

The old saying goes that doctors make the worst patients is so very true for me.  About 10 or 12 years ago I was helping move my fiance into a house she was renting.  The house was 150 years old.  If you have ever been in a house that old you know how the stairs are constructed:  narrow and very steep.

This isn’t a major issue until you are trying to move a full-size box spring up those stairs.  After a few minutes of pushing and pulling it was obvious to everybody in the room, except me, that it was physically impossible to move that box spring up those stairs.

I could tell that we were only 1/2 an inch away from success.  So I did my best Hulk impersonation and bent down, twisted a little to get a good grip, and lifted with all my might.  The box spring didn’t budge.  The stairs didn’t budge, but my L5-S1 disc sure did.  I felt a pop and crippling low back pain.

 

I did recover.  It took a long time, and I also re-injured my low back a few years ago.

So don’t be like me.  Don’t pretend to be the Hulk.  This experience has taught me several things including a handy guide I tell all of my patients, especially my low back pain patients.  It involves a tasty sandwich.

I tell my patients to avoid what I call the chiropractic BLT.  Bending, lifting and twisting.  You need to avoid especially combining those motions like I did when I was trying to be the Hulk.  Here’s an excellent Youtube video that shows what I mean:

So you see the headline wasn’t misleading, you were just thinking of the wrong BLT.  If you couple this lifestyle adjustment with regular chiropractic adjustments you will be amazed how good your back can feel, and how much more mobility and health you will have for the future.  Call our office at 507-345-1926 to schedule an appointment today!

In this video Dr. Shawn Andrews, a Mankato chiropractor explains how chiropractic care is often able to help patients suffering from acute or chronic vertigo.