Posture

Canada’s Pain Crisis

~ Dr. Robert Speirs DC ~ Leave a comment

In a nation of only 36 million people, over 5 million people turned to opioid use for their pain despite the availability of better options. Opioids should never be the first step in pain management; preventing overuse takes education of both the public who are using and the professionals prescribing these drugs.

At Aberdeen Chiropractic we are proud to be part of the solution to Canada’s opioid crisis by providing safe, effective care for back pain, neck pain and headaches. Our goal is to assess, correct and prevent your pain with a variety of interventions including Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Laser, Exercise Rehabilitation and Trigger Point Therapy.

 

Pain Crisis

The Hip Cycle

~ Dr. Robert Speirs DC ~ Leave a comment

 

Meet the Hip Cycle. A great way to activate those pesky hip stabilizers and get your lower limb ready for squatting, running, sports or even just walking.

 

You can thank me later.

 

1. Side lying with back and shoulders against a wall so you can’t roll back.

2. Bend your bottom leg and put the sole of your foot against the wall to be more stable.

3. Start position is with your foot directly in line with your hip. Do not let it get any lower than that. The highest point of your foot needs to be the bump on the outside of your ankle.

 

Do 5-10 reps of each of the following without rest between exercises twice a day. The goal is 20 reps each.

 

a. 6″ leg raises in abduction
b. Knee up to chest (90* knee and hip)
c. 12″ leg raises into abduction
d. Bicycling (knee up to chest, extend knee and sweep back to start with leg straight)
e. Clockwise circles
f. Counterclockwise circles

 
Good luck.

How does my neck cause headaches?

~ Dr. Robert Speirs DC ~ Leave a comment

Cervicogenic

 

Headaches can arise from many different causes. A partial list includes stress, lack of sleep, allergies, neck trauma (particularly sports injuries and car accidents), and more. In some cases, the cause may be unknown.

 
A unique common denominator of headaches has to do with cervical spine anatomy, in particular the upper part of the neck. There are seven cervical vertebrae, and the top three (C1-3) give rise to three nerves that travel into the head. These nerves also share a pain nucleus with the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V), which can route pain signals to the brain.

 
Depending on which nerve is most irritated, the location of the headache can vary. For example, C2—the greater occipital nerve—travels up the back of the head to the top. From there, it can communicate with another nerve (cranial nerve V or the trigeminal nerve), which can refer pain to the forehead and/or behind the eye.

 
When C1—the lesser occipital nerve—is irritated, pain travels to the back of the head, while irritation to C3—the greater auricular nerve—results in pain to an area just above the ear. When a nerve is pinched, the altered sensation can include pain, numbness, tingling, burning, itching, aching, or a combination of these sensations.

 
These are classified as cervicogenic headaches (CGH), and as the name implies, the origin of pain/altered sensation arises from the neck.

 
A 2013 study reviewing the literature on CGH found that manipulation and mobilization improved pain, disability, and function. The most effective approach included manipulation combined with neck-upper back strengthening exercises.

 
But what about migraine headaches? Migraines are vascular headaches, and some (but not all) are preceded by an aura or a pre-headache warning that may include blurry vision, tingling, strange olfactory sensations, etc. One study of 127 migraine sufferers reported fewer attacks and less medication required by those who received chiropractic care.

 
The good news is that spinal manipulation is very safe, and a trial is often very rewarding for many types of headaches.