Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a common condition that causes pain, numbness and tingling in the hand and arm of the affected individual. It happens when the median nerve gets compressed as it travels through the wrist. The painful feeling may also result in a reduction of grip strength and hand function.
Some risk factors for CTS, include obesity, monotonous wrist activity, pregnancy, genetic heredity and rheumatoid inflammation. An estimated 4%-5% of people suffer from CTS worldwide with the most susceptible population being elderly individuals aged between 40 and 60 years. CTS is more prevalent among women compared to men. The management of CTS depends on the severity. In most circumstances, a trial of conventional treatment is encouraged on patients. This would include physical therapy, therapeutic ultrasound, corticosteroids and surgery if needed. Chiropractic is also a form of conventional treatment that can also be helpful for CTS. A study in 2019 looked at the management of CTS with multimodal therapy including a combination of manipulation of the cervical spine and wrist. 13 Carpal Tunnel cases were confirmed by electrodiagnostic tests and were treated with nonsurgical conservative care. Outcomes were tracked over 10 weeks using the Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire. This study suggests that a multimodal conservative care for CTS, including a combination of cervical and wrist manipulation, provided favorable outcomes. However, due to the study being limited, there needs to be further research to delineate the best conservative care for CTS. Reference:
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A lot of people seek chiropractic care for a multitude of reasons. An important time to consider chiropractic is when you or your partner falls pregnant. Whether you have symptoms to be addressed or want to maintain general wellness, chiropractic has been shown to help pregnant women feel better.
People often seek chiropractic only when they are in “pain” but is important to stray from this mindset and come to a wellness-based standpoint, especially in pregnancy. It can manage symptoms such as sciatica, low back pain and tension, round ligament discomfort, nausea, pelvic alignment, the labour process and preventing postpartum pain. It can also help you maintain a healthier and more comfortable pregnancy. Research shows that women who receive regular chiropractic care during pregnancy have 25%-31% shorter labour times. It is believed this is because of better alignment in the pelvic region which in turn decreased intrauterine constraint and allows the baby to pass through with more ease. Not to mention the effect chiropractic care has on the nervous system as a whole, potentially making mum and baby calmer.
Many people have experienced the annoying feeling that the eyelid is twitching. Eyelid myokymia is described as continuous and fine contractions that affect the lower eyelid mainly. The causes of this condition are not well known. It usually occurs in healthy persons and in studies is shown to be precipitated by fatigue, anxiety, stress, exercise, and caffeine consumption. (1). Female gender and cold weather are risk factors for chronic eyelid myokymia. (3)
The feeling is described as gentle, constant, rippling contractions that spread through the affected muscle. The orbicularis oculi is the most commonly affected muscle. These contractions are self-limited, periodic, and lasting seconds to hours. Occasionally, the contractions become chronic and continue for several days or even a few weeks before resolving (2). In rare cases, the same side of upper and lower eyelids involvement can occur together. (2) There can be other rare disorders that can cause this issue. A medical appointment is necessary if the condition persists more than a few weeks or if other symptoms appear such as dropping , swelling or twitching in other areas, or loss of control of the muscle (1). This would require a complete examination. How to help this condition. Rest, decrease or elimination of risk factors, such as alcohol drinking, smoking, and caffeine intake are effective ways to manage eyelid myokymia. In case of persistent myokymia for more than three months, more interventions may be necessary. (4) From a biochemical perspective B2, B3, Manganese and Zinc helps break down Acetylcholine that affects muscle contraction. This also may help manage eye twitching. References
Sprouting health chiropractic is not only a child friendly practice, we also look after older sprouts! One key area we look at especially is balance and fall risk! World Health Organization stated adults over 65 years of age suffer the greatest number of fatal falls.(1) Research pointed out that chronic musculoskeletal pain is associated with poor stability.(2) Poor stability is considered as a risk factor for falls as is very important for gait (walking)!(2) Chiropractors and other health professions use a sit-to-stand test to identify an individual’s ability to maintain balance, measure lower extremity strength, and assessment of fall risk.
Five Times Sit to Stand Test(FTSST) is a very easy test to try at home. All you need is a chair without arms, roughly 90 degree bend at the knee joint, and a stopwatch. Make sure someone is watching you while performing the test as a safety precaution. Simply cross your arms over your chest, sit up straight from a sitting position 5 times as quickly as you can, and measure the time on completion. The time exceeding the following can be considered to have worse than average performance: 11.4 sec (60 to 69 years), 12.6 sec. (70 to 79 years), and 14.8 sec. (80 to 89 years).(3) Research suggested further assessment if you excessed 12 seconds on completion.(4) Chiropractic care has a high level of evidence on chronic lower back pain management.(5) As well as a moderate level of evidence on other chronic musculoskeletal pain such as neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain, and lower extremities joint pain.(5) If you failed the FTSST, suffering from chronic pain, or generally have poor balance, talk to our chiropractors and see whether we can help manage your concerns, as there are other pathologies that may also affect your stability and balance. Reference 1. Organization WH. Falls 2018 [Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/falls#:~:text=Each%20year%20an%20estimated%20646,medical%20attention%20occur%20each%20year. 2. Kendall JC, Vindigni D, Polus BI, Azari MF, Harman SC. Effects of manual therapies on stability in people with musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review. Chiropractic & manual therapies. 2020;28(1):1-10. 3. Bohannon RW. Reference values for the five-repetition sit-to-stand test: a descriptive meta-analysis of data from elders. Perceptual and motor skills. 2006;103(1):215-22. 4. Tiedemann A, Shimada H, Sherrington C, Murray S, Lord S. The comparative ability of eight functional mobility tests for predicting falls in community-dwelling older people. Age and ageing. 2008;37(4):430-5. 5. Bronfort G, Haas M, Evans R, Leininger B, Triano J. Effectiveness of manual therapies: the UK evidence report. Chiropractic & osteopathy. 2010;18(1):1-33. One of the most common issues we see in our practice is low back pain. Often, these patients are presenting after a long struggle with low back pain and have invested their time and money into different modalities of care.
Chiropractic care has long been established as an effective nonpharmacological treatment for low back pain and is supported by several clinical practice guidelines. Opioid analgesic therapy is a commonly used prescription drug therapy for low back pain in older people. A recent study collected patient feedback comparing spinal manipulative therapy (as provided by chiropractors) and prescription drug therapy (as provided by medical practitioners) for the treatment of chronic low back pain in the older adult population. Generally, older adults who have received various treatments for low back pain report higher satisfaction with chiropractic care compared to medical care in the short term but there is less evidence for either type of care in the long term. A total of 195 older adults with chronic low back pain participated in a survey measuring patient satisfaction and health related quality of life. Of these participants, long-term recipients of spinal manipulative therapy had higher self-reported rates of health-related quality of life than the long-term recipients of prescription drug therapy. There still needs to be more research for this result to be conclusive but chiropractic care is an easily applicable method of care to aid in the management of low back without the use of pharmaceuticals.
Bruxism, also referred to as teeth clenching and grinding affects both children and adult populations worldwide. This can lead to a range of dental and general health problems when left untreated. To understand bruxism, it can be defined as the involuntary grinding, clenching, or gnashing of the teeth often occurring during sleep (nocturnal bruxism).
Symptoms of bruxism can include:
References:
Let’s look into what our feet do for us and how important they are to us. Flat foot in our society might be more prevalent than you think! Combining different study findings, the percentage of flat foot seen in children aged 2-6 is 21%-57% and up to 14% in adult populations.(1) The feet and ankle are important to support our daily activities. What could happen if you are putting extra stress into your lower limb joints every step when we walk or do exercise?
As its name suggests, flat foot is a collapsed foot arch when our foot touches the ground(stance phase) in gait. We can imagine the middle rock taken out from an arch bridge and it collapses. In most flat foot sufferers, one of our bone’s called the talus in our mid-foot is found to be shifted forward. This becomes mobile and unlocks the foot arch.(2) Studies have shown that people suffering from flat feet can expect to see excessive foot pronation (rolling in), knee rolling inwards, internal rotation of hip and compensatory back problems.(3) That is one reason why some people get pain in their heel and get tired quicker on their feet when shopping or walking. Another study found other comorbidities such bunions, calluses and arthritis in flat foot sufferers.(4) It is very easy to identify a flat foot! If you can fit one to one and a half fingers underneath your foot arch, you are not a flat foot sufferer! If you could not fit two fingers in your foot arch, it is a good idea to see a podiatrist, as well as musculoskeletal profession to check out your potential lower limb and back compensatory change! If you or your love ones failed the test, speak to our chiropractors in Sprouting Health and see how we can help manage your issues! References 1. Aenumulapalli A, Kulkarni MM, Gandotra AR. Prevalence of flexible flat foot in adults: a cross-sectional study. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR. 2017;11(6):AC17. 2. Van DB, Sangeorzan BJ. Biomechanics and pathophysiology of flat foot. Foot and ankle clinics. 2003;8(3):419-30. 3. Jahani MR, Jalalvand A. Effect of Flat Foot on Excursions of Lower Limb Joints during Running. SSU_Journals. 2020;28(2):2373-83. 4. Shibuya N, Jupiter DC, Ciliberti LJ, VanBuren V, La Fontaine J. Characteristics of adult flatfoot in the United States. The Journal of foot and ankle surgery. 2010;49(4):363-8. |
AuthorBlogs by the team at Sprouting Health Archives
May 2024
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