Ergonomically Yours

Archive for May, 2009

What Exactly is a Repetitive Stress Injury?

In addition to neck pain, back pain and headaches, my San Diego chiropractic office provides treatment for many patients with various types of repetitive stress injuries.  This post will carry on from the prior post and will describe what repetitive stress injuries are.
A Repetitive Stress Injury is a kind of catch all phrase for many conditions.  Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Tenosynovitis / DeQuervain’s Syndrome, Tendonitis, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Trigger Finger, Myofascial Pain Syndrome and Chronic Sprain / Strain are some of the actual diagnosis that are rendered in my office.  All of these conditions are serious and in many cases can cause great pain, permanent disability and sometimes loss of employment.
Repetitive Stress Injuries occur from repetitive movements involving a specific set of muscles and joints.  RSI injuries are the result of an accumulation of stress and strain that causes irritation, inflammation, and eventually pain or other disability.  A good analogy used to characterize the onset of RSI would be the “straws on the camels back” saying.
Initially, RSI affects the soft tissues of the involved joint(s).  Soft tissues include muscles, nerves, ligaments and tendons.  However, if left untreated for long periods of time, the involved joint can become arthritic and form bone spurs resulting in permanent damage to the joint.
While various occupations ranging from meat cutters to construction workers develop RSIs that result from the typical duties of their professions, the most frequent cause of these injuries involve computer work.  The constant demand of keyboarding and mousing combined with the postural stress of confinement in an office chair with one’s neck and back held in prolonged fixed positions has resulted in an epidemic of injuries that includes hand pain, wrist pain, arm pain, neck pain, back pain and shoulder pain.
I hope that you are finding this information helpful.  My next post will continue this series and will describe the basics of workstation ergonomic set-ups.

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Here’s To Your Health

Yours Ergonomically,

Dr. Jones

Economic Mouse Pad
San Diego Chiropractic
Pain Relief San Diego Chiropractic

(619) 280-0554

A mouse pad simply isn’t enough. Not even if it has a little gel support pad for your wrist. A mouse pad enhances the operation of the mouse but doesn’t do anything for your ergonomic situation.

I am a practicing chiropractor in San Diego California. Years ago I began to notice that most of my patients who were being treated for either Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, neck pain, shoulder pain or any of the other symptoms that are specific to stress imposed by long days at the computer had one common complaint.

That complaint was that extending their arm to reach for the mouse was one of their primary aggravating factors.

One of things that I have learned by treating injured people is that when they are in pain, activities that they perform without concern of postural stress when they are “healthy” suddenly become painful.

Reaching for the mouse is one of these activities. Reaching for your mouse in a way that forces your arm to assume any position other than hanging at your side while supported on your chairs armrest exposes your wrist, arm, shoulder, neck and upper back to postural stress.

With time, this ongoing postural stress will either cause a repetitive stress injury on its own or it will help contribute to one.

This mechanism of injury was the basis for the development of the Ergo Nav mouse platform. The Ergo Nav attaches to your chairs armrest in a way that places your mouse right at your finger tips allowing for stress free mouse operation.

Independently performed EMG studies show significantly less muscular activity in the neck, back and shoulder girdle with use of the Ergo Nav as compared to reaching to the desk for the mouse. These same results were shown regardless of whether or not the desk placed mouse pad had a gel pad wrist rest or not.

While there were mouse platforms already available, they were either non-adjustable (read not ergonomic) or they were adjustable and very expensive with bulky, impractical chair attachments.

The Ergo Nav allows for adjustment of the platform in several planes for true ergonomic adaptability while maintaining exceptionally low pricing compared to other mouse platforms.

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Here’s To Your Health

Yours Ergonomically,

Dr. Jones

Economic Mouse Pad
San Diego Chiropractic
Pain Relief San Diego Chiropractic

(619) 280-0554

My Chiropractic office is among the many all over the US that offers therapy for back pain and neck pain. More than just a solution for back and neck pain, chiropractic care may alleviate symptoms or improve many ailments.

Because back pain and neck pain can be early signs of a severe problem, you should see a medical professional quickly. Ignoring the discomfort in your neck and back might make for more complex medical problems.

There are a host of reasons people experience back pain and neck pain, including injuries, infections, accidents, and sometimes even turning or twisting. Muscles, joints, ligaments, and vertebrae can undergo considerable trauma and resulting injury from auto and other types of accidents.

When back pain occurs as a tight feeling along the spine or muscle spasms, overuse or lack of use of the back muscles is the most likely culprit. As we grow older, inflammation and swelling often develop in our joints and ligaments, especially in the cervical and lumbar areas.

When someone has a herniated disc, it is a result of the inner covering, the nuclear pulposus, emerging through a damaged area of the annulus fibrosis, which is the outer covering of the disc; this leads to compression of the nerve root. Because the cervical and lumbar areas of the spine have the greatest range of motion, the discs here have a greater exposure to injury and repeated stress. The lower two lumbar vertebrae is where ninety percent of disc herniations occur.

When the spinal canal becomes narrow, spinal stenosis can occur, making the spinal cord irritated and injured. Narrowing of the spinal canal, known as spinal stenosis, can result in damage or irritation of the spinal cord. As people age, some vertebral degeneration occurs, sometimes leading to spinal stenosis.

When something grinds or touches a nerve, causing irritation or the area to be inflamed, it is called radiculopathy, also known as a pinched nerve. Some causes of radiculopathy are bone spurs, herniated discs, fractures of the vertebrae, tumors, and a host of other diseases and conditions.

The specific type of radiculopathy that irritates the sciatic nerve is known as sciatica. The pain is felt along the big sciatic nerve, which goes from the lower back to the behind area and down the back of the leg.

A tumor that starts in the spine (primary tumor) or reaches the spine from a different part of the body (metastatic tumor) can press on the spine’s nerve roots and be very painful.

Ailments of the vertebrae (vertebral osteomyelitis), disc problems, spinal meningitis, or cerebrospinal liquid can put pressure on the spinal cord and cause severe neurological deterioration, if there isn’t a diagnosis or it isn’t treated quickly.

Facet joints exist where two vertebra abut to direct or guide spinal movements and are likely candidates for arthritis. As the joints deteriorate, they get out of alignment, and the cartilage and fluid that should keep our joints “greased” may deteriorate as well. It can be extremely painful when the bone rubs against another bone.

These are among the many causes for back pain and neck pain. Due mainly to mechanical causes, which can be readily addressed by a chiropractor, most cases of back and neck pain may be helped this way. This is the point; do not ignore the warning signal that is head and back pain.

Stand Up Straight – How Your Posture Affects Back Pain and Neck Pain

Chiropractor, neck pain, posture, chiropractic, back pain, ergonomic

Did you ever question why you can sit down all day long and don’t do any hard work and still your back or neck hurts? It is amazing that humans don’t sustain even more back pain and neck pain, given the structure of our bodies and the physical demands. In my California chiropractic practice, I frequently treat office workers who experience chronic and severe back and neck pain tied to easy-to-fix ergonomic issues in their workspace.

Anyone can experience back or neck pain at any time. I treat individuals regularly who experienced back and neck injuries from improper lifting, machinery usage, sports, falls, and auto accidents. These injuries would be classified by me as expected or typical types of injuries. Most people would be astonished to know that the most frequently seen injury in a chiropractic office does not result from a single, dramatic incident; it is instead the cumulative effects of long-term postural stress.

Spinal health can be jeopardized slowly and insidiously due to postural stress. Regardless of whether you sit or stand, postural trauma can ensue. Postural stress is felt whenever the natural curve of the spine is altered or if the spine moves past its natural balance point.

As you sit at a computer, hunched over the keyboard or peering at the screen, your neck experiences postural stress. Your body is reversed from the typical curve of your neck, as you extend your neck to the front of your body and forces your head forward of the normal balance.

If our posture puts pressure on our spines, the security that controls our structures when postural limitations are concerned is gone. Stress from the way we hold ourselves (either sitting or standing) opens our ligaments and muscles up to long periods of being stretched (perhaps incorrectly) which leads to muscle fatigue, irritation, inflammation, back and neck pain, and even arthritis over the long run.

A combination of therapies may be required to effectively treat back pain and neck pain from postural stress. When chiropractic treatment is combined with proper stretching and nutritional supplementation, full and smooth joint motion can replace the pain and stiffness. If you have endured pain for a long time or if your symptoms are particularly acute, the road to recovery will not be short or easy. Don’t expect a quick fix.

Along with chiropractic treatment, it is important to address origins of postural stress. Have your workstation analyzed to highlight any ergonomic issues that could cause postural stress. An ice pack placed on the affected area for twenty minutes can relieve neck pain and back pain.

Talking to your chiropractor is the first step in starting your treatment. Postural stress issues and the related neck and back pain that result from it are best dealt with by chiropractors, who are well trained in that area. At our chiropractic clinic in San Diego, we treat patients with a holistic approach using chiropractic care and enhanced with a regimen of stretching and exercise. Encouragement of the proper diet is made to facilitate the process of healing. You need to be aware of the importance of eliminating the source of the postural stress in addition to seeking treatment, regardless of which approach you take to relieve the pain of postural stress.

Applying Chiropractic and Exercise to Make Your Spine Healthy

I offer remedies for a lot of various injuries. Common injuries that cause neck pain, back pain, bad headaches and sciatica among other things, consist of vehicle accidents, injuries connected to work, being hurt while performing household chores, and occasionally just sleeping in a weird position.

I would estimate that over half of my patients suffering from back pain and neck pain have the same question, “What changes can I make to prevent this from occurring again?” Their concerns led to the development of this article and the points I address in my posting.

There’s nothing like intense back pain or neck pain to induce someone to take action about their health.

People in pain normally start being proactive about their health. It is common for people to ask what exercises or stretches they can begin to relieve symptoms. Many people are disappointed to learn that the best remedy for a new injury is the use of ice packs along with rest for the injured body area.

During more than 15 years of chiropractic experience, I have seen many clients not heed my advice, and wind up worsening their condition. Most of us should begin exercising and stretching our backs when it is not in acute pain.

The hardest thing I face in my practice is getting my patients to exercise and change their eating habits. In order to help to prevent or diminish the chances of developing back pain, exercise is one of those things a patient can do at home without seeking chiropractic care.

You should engage in exercise cautiously following an injury, making sure you feel absolutely no pain. You should start slowly with low intensity exercises, and gradually build up to more resistance only when you feel absolutely no pain.

You must keep in mind that your exercise routine needs to be sensible if you are recovering from a back injury. Make sure you stretch and exercise under the supervision of a health care expert. Necessary stability is provided to your spine by flexible and strong muscles which then support to your spine.

A routine of stretching and targeted exercises is almost always one of my first recommendations to a new patient. When you combine chiropractic care with stretching and exercising, you will have faster and more complete healing.

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Here’s To Your Health

Yours Ergonomically,

Dr. Jones

Economic Mouse Pad
San Diego Chiropractic
Pain Relief San Diego Chiropractic

(619) 280-0554