Weekly News & Insights

You’ve seen it used with professional football players and Olympic athletes, so what is it?

Kinesio® Taping gives strength and stability to your joints and muscles without affecting circulation and range of motion. It is also used for preventive maintenance, edema, and to treat pain.

We use Kinesio® tape to stimulate muscle spindles and Golgi tendons to promote and inhibit muscular function. I call it the Neuro-tape.

Kinesio® Taping is a technique based on the body’s own natural healing process. This Kinesio® Taping exhibits its efficiency through the activation of neurological and circulatory systems. The method stems from the science of Kinesiology (def.: the study of the principles of mechanics and anatomy in relation to human movement), hence the name “Kinesio.”

Muscles are not only responsible for body movements but also control the circulation of venous and lymph flows, body temperature, etc. Therefore, if the muscles don’t function properly, it causes a myriad of symptoms. Kinesio® Taping creates a different treatment approach for nerves, muscles, and organs.

The first documented use of Kinesio® Taping was for a patient with articular disorders. For the first 10 years, orthopedists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and other medical practitioners were the primary users of Kinesio® Taping. Kinesio® Taping was used by the Japanese Olympic volleyball team and word of its benefits quickly spread to other athletes. Today, Kinesio® Taping is used by medical practitioners and athletes around the world.

Kinesio® Tape is used for anything from headaches to foot problems and everything in between. Examples include: muscular facilitation or inhibition in pediatric patients, carpal tunnel syndrome treatment, alleviation of lower back strain/pain (subluxations, herniated discs). It’s also highly effective in treating knee conditions, shoulder conditions, hamstring, groin injury, rotator cuff injury, whiplash, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, patella tracking, pre- and post-surgical edema, ankle sprains and athletic preventative injury method, and is also used as a support method.

Conventional athletic tape was originally designed to restrict the movement of affected muscles and joints. For this purpose, several layers of tape were rolled around and/or over the afflicted area, while applying significant pressure, resulting in the obstruction of the flow of bodily fluids as an undesirable side-effect.

This is also the reason. Kinesio® athletic tape is usually applied immediately before the sports activity, and removed immediately after the activity is finished. Kinesio® Taping is NOT a supportive tape job, so the tape is highly flexible. It doesn’t prevent movement; it allows the muscles to go through their full range of motion.

It also allows the joints to bend and move, so it’s not supportive like an athletic training taping job. Kinesio® Taping is a neurologic taping technique that allows the muscles to function and over a course of one to three days, depending on how long the tape adheres, it helps train the human mind to understand what the body needs to do, and how it should be doing it.

Cheerleading is definitely a sport and is closely associated to many other sports. It is a strenuous physical activity that combines acrobatics and gymnastic moves, which stresses the body.

There was a sad incident that happened to a cheerleader in March, 2006. A young girl named Kristi Yamaoka, a student of Southern Illinois University, had a near-fatal fall from atop a human pyramid and sustained multiple vertebral fractures and internal damage in major organs. Fortunately, Kristi had a good recovery; it was a relief for everyone whose attention was focused on her during her treatment.

65% OF THE INJURIES SUSTAINED BY ALL FEMALE STUDENTS ARE INFLICTED DURING CHEERLEADING ACROBATICS.

Cheerleading involves potentially dangerous performances that are akin to stunts, i.e. forming multi-level human pyramids, somersaults, etc. Hence, the chances of injuring joints, bones, skin, etc. are very high, and Kristi’s incident shows that internal organs can suffer damage as well. Head, neck, vertebra, disk, and lower body injuries are all quite common in cheerleading.

HOW TO PREVENT CHEERLEADING INJURIES

For school age cheerleaders and sports players, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new guidelines to prevent cheerleading injuries. Now, coaches, school authorities, cheerleaders, and their parents, as well as youthful players must adhere to these guidelines. Below are the main preventive measures suggested by AAP.

• Cheerleaders must be provided with qualified coaches and medical staff.
• They must undergo pre-season physical and stamina building exercises conducted by qualified staff.
• Stunts and pyramids must be formed on a soft floor like foam, spring or grass.
• Pyramids must not be formed more than two floor levels, i.e. over two persons’ height.
• If any cheerleader is exposed to an injury, he or she can only be allowed back into the cheerleading activity with a clearance certificate from a medical expert.

There are specific and detailed guidelines for pyramid formations: the base supporter should stand still in direct contact with the floor, and the suspended cheerleaders should never rotate, invert or dismount from their positions carelessly. Similarly, when a cheerleader is tossed up in the air (flyer), at least four players should be attending to the flyer. The flyer is advised not to drop his/her head lower than the horizontal plane with his/her torso.

Overall, it is important to follow proper technique and focus on prevention. You must bear in mind that these and other preventative measures should never be ignored as they are meant to protect you from many negative effects. So, follow appropriate protocol and protect yourself.

Historical evidence shows that a game very similar to our present day version of soccer has been played in various cultures, from China to ancient Greece, for over 3000 years. With over 3.5 billion fans worldwide, soccer is the most popular sport on the planet. This international popularity has also made soccer the fastest growing team sport in the United States. This sport provides a great aerobic workout; helps develop balance, agility, coordination, and teamwork. Soccer players of all ages must be aware of the risks for injury. Injury prevention, early detection, and proper treatment can keep kids and adults on the field for many years.

Due to the tremendous amount of running, twisting and turning on foot, injuries to the lower extremities are the most common in soccer. These injuries may be traumatic, such as a kick to the leg or a twist to the knee, or result from overuse of a muscle, tendon, or bone.

Most frequently, we see:

• Sprains and strains of the knee and ankle
• Cartilage tears and ACL (anterior cruciate ligament)
• Over-use injuries (Shin splints, patellar tendonitis and Achilles tendonitis)
• Stress fractures (occur when the bone becomes weak from overuse. It is often difficult to distinguish stress fractures from soft tissue injury.)
• Wrist sprains, wrist fractures, and shoulder dislocations (especially in the position of goalie, from reaching and falling on the ball)
• Injuries to the head, neck, and face (cuts and bruises, fractures and neck sprains from collisions with other players)
• Concussions

Tips on Preventing Soccer Injuries

1. Have a pre-season physical examination and follow your doctor’s recommendations.
2. Use well-fitting cleats and shin guards.
3. Be aware of poor field conditions that can increase injury rates.
4. Use properly sized synthetic balls — leather balls that can become waterlogged and heavy and are more dangerous, especially when heading
5. Inspect and secure mobile goals that can fall on players (request fixed goals whenever possible)
6. Drink plenty of fluids to replace those lost through perspiration and intense exertion (see May issue of Weekly News & Insights for more resources on proper fluid intake).
7. Pay attention to environmental/weather conditions, especially in relation to excessively hot and humid weather, to help avoid heat exhaustion.
8. Maintain proper fitness (including the off-season) through activities such as aerobic conditioning, strength training, and agility training.
9. Avoid overuse and over-training injuries. Listen to your body and decrease training time and intensity if pain or discomfort develops.

Ben Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

From my viewpoint as a Chiropractic Physician who sees injuries daily, I think that statement is extraordinarily accurate. Wouldn’t you rather know how to prevent an injury than to deal with one after the fact, when you are in pain and suffering?

The purpose of the information I provide here is to help you to put a plan together for both the athletically inclined and for those who just want to get healthier. So, let’s analyze what is required to prevent injuries in different situations.

The risk of injury will be significantly reduced by completing an effective warm up consisting of exercises that increase your heart rate and get your pulse up, followed by sport-specific, dynamic stretches (stretches while moving).

To further reduce the risk of injury:

• Eat correctly for your body and your sport!
• Apply Neuro-Stabilization Training.
• Receive proper coaching.
• Take at least 1 day off per week from your particular sport activity to permit the body to recover from the stresses.
• Use the right gear. You need to wear proper protective equipment such as pads (neck, shoulder, elbow, chest, knee, shin), helmets, mouthpieces, face guards, protective cups, and/or eyewear.
• Build your muscles. Performing conditioning exercises before games and during practice strengthens your muscles that get stressed during the game.
• Improve your overall flexibility. Stretches before and after games or practices tend to benefit your body by increasing flexibility.
• Use proper playing technique. This must be reinforced during the playing season and coaches must enforce this for player longevity.
• Take breaks. Your body needs rest periods during practice and during games. These will reduce injuries and prevent heat illnesses.
• Follow safety rules. Certain sports have rules for safety including (but not limited to): no headfirst sliding (softball and baseball), spearing (football), and body checking (ice hockey).
• Avoid injuries from heat by drinking plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise or games.
• Decrease or stop practices or competitions during high heat/ humidity periods.
• Wear light clothing during brutally hot weather.

Above all, stop the activity if there is pain.

Prevention is something that all athletes can grasp because no one wants to get hurt. What will happen (hopefully) is that you will learn how to take care of yourself if you do get hurt and maybe how to make sure it doesn’t ever happen again. No matter what sport, activity or walk of life you work in, I think we can all agree on preparedness and care as beneficial toward prevention.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always felt that there needs to be a greater focus on injury prevention in high school and college athletics. As one who has coached others, I believe it would benefit coaches to utilize a more diverse set of resources to educate our young athletes. In youth athletics, there is a great need for health coaches; professionals trained to assess the health of athletes rather than performance coaches who are just focusing on the game. Without health coaching, young athletes can get hurt and those injuries can last a lifetime. In general, a curriculum with more injury prevention (discussions, films, and materials) as well as prevention assessments of the athletes themselves would prevent a lot of the injuries I see coming through my office.

As it stands today, the current athletic sports physical requirement for the State of Illinois, in my opinion, is poor and far too limited in scope to be of any value in evaluating the athlete for potential injuries. With the current standards, the physical examination does not assess instabilities in the knees, the ankles, or the integrity of the shoulders and spine. In actuality, the entire physical component of the athlete is not well evaluated at all.
Their exams do not lead to prevention of injury, but only assess the number of young athletes that might be at risk of severe asthma attacks or have heart conditions. Although these issues rarely happen, they are the stories that stand out in the media.

Still, as of today, no injury prevention mechanisms are in place and, there still need to be more detailed assessments. Because there do not seem to be any changes happening on that front in the near future, our organizations will continue applying pressure. This is such a serious issue that it cannot be ignored.

When treating structural conditions, my first goal is the elimination of the patient’s pain; however, just getting the patient out of pain is not the end goal. The end goal is for the patient to be fully functional, long term. To achieve this, an integrated approach is absolutely necessary. I recommend the following steps when developing a personalized treatment plan for structural and non-structural issues:

• A Non-Invasive Comprehensive History & Examination
• Progressive Objective Testing
• An Individualized Structural Health Care Program

Treatment may include any or all the following strategies in various combinations:

• Chiropractic Care
• Functional Neurology
• Health Coaching
• Physical Therapy
• Massage Therapy
• Functional Exercise Therapy
• Physiologic Modalities

The goal of implementing these strategies is the reversal or elimination of problematic structural and functional conditions.

A Structural Case Study
A 44-year-old gentleman, who had knee surgery about three months earlier was still suffering from chronic knee issues. He went to physical therapy, had his normal strengthening and stretching routines, but appropriate proprioceptive rehab was never established for him. During this time the gentleman was wearing orthotic devices.

Orthotics are customized foot devices that slip into the shoe allowing the foot to function and transfer energy throughout the system. There is something called the kinetic chain, which starts at the base of the heel, or the back of the heel during heel strike and ends at the opposite base of the skull. That is why we “cross-crawl” or when we walk. It’s the way energy transfers through our bodies as we walk or run.

When an orthotic is necessary, it allows the individual to transfer that energy correctly, so there’s no abnormal stress on the joints as they walk, run or stand. This patient’s orthotics were never reassessed after the knee surgery. The first step was to bring him in, reassess him, rebuild orthotics and give him an appropriate rehabilitation protocol.

After evaluation and treatment he was pain free in just two weeks, with no additional  complications from surgery. The moral of this story is to make certain you reset the neurological control around an injured area after surgery, and make sure it’s solidified through appropriate training and treatment.

Sometimes, first-time patients are a little nervous about getting an adjustment. They soon discover that it rarely causes any discomfort at all. In fact, it makes them feel much better almost immediately – at least for the majority of patients. On rare occasions, they might feel a mild sense of soreness, like an aching, following treatment. This is similar to how someone feels after an intense workout and this feeling usually fades within 12 hours or so.

At my clinic, I have a number of patients who come in with lower-back pain. Chiropractic care often becomes their primary method of treatment due to the immediate and positive results they get. We also treat patients with other conditions. In these cases, I use chiropractic adjustments to enhance or support medical treatment by relieving the musculoskeletal aspects associated with their particular condition.

EVALUATING THE PATIENT

I find the most effective method to begin a treatment protocol is to evaluate patients through clinical examination, laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging, and other diagnostic interventions to determine whether chiropractic treatment is right for the patient’s condition. Sometimes, I refer patients to the appropriate health care provider when I determine that chiropractic care is not suitable for their condition. Other times, the condition warrants co- management in conjunction with other members of our health care team and we manage all necessary services within our clinic.

The primary focus of my chiropractic treatment, and any other procedures that we perform in our clinic, is to use the right approach to alleviate the health issue. That’s it!

Getting healthier is definitely about lifestyle improvement and the chiropractic adjustment is a powerful tool, but just one of many. The practice of chiropractic manipulative therapy is the most powerful tool that can be applied to physical conditions and does a lot of great things. However, it is not the end all/be all of healthcare. It has to be incorporated and used appropriately when needed, the same way nutrition, rehabilitation, Kinesio® Taping, and anything else must be used to help a patient improve their health and well-being

B.E. H.E.A.L.T.H.Y. – Simple Steps to a Healthier You!

Be Engaged: Pay attention to your body and to the world around you

Eating: Certain Foods are inflammatory: Stay away from

Wheat, Dairy, Eggs, Corn, Sugar, Sugar Substitutes, processed foods, caffeine, NO SODA

Try this for a two weeks and see how you feel. You may not notice in the first couple of days but you would be amazed at the difference in the way you feel in two weeks. Give it time and you will feel a night and day difference.

Habits: Set your routine: We are creatures of habit, so make them good ones

Elimination: This pertains to metabolic waste as well as toxic aspects of your life, such as relationships, work environments, and excuses: There are a million excuses for why we can’t do something, but none of them are as good as the reason to do it

Activity: Stay in motion: We are not meant to be sedentary so get your butt moving! It doesn’t have to be 30 min 3X per week but it is about the discipline to stay in motion; conditioning will come with this habit

Liquids: This means water: Caffeine, juice, soda, alcohol do not count. Stay Hydrated:

Thinking: Link your thinking to your actions and your actions to your thinking:

1. Your body’s patterns of behavior are linked to the way you think and the opposite is also true.
2. If you’re not feeling great that day, go do something that makes you feel great, i.e.: hobbies, exercise or reading read a fun book

Heal: Let your body heal and rest. Take the necessary time off and take the time to rehab an injury correctly. Jumping back in too soon only leads to further injuries and less productive performance. Don't forget to get enough sleep: Sleep is the time when your body heals

Y: “Why” & Comply

1. Don’t just accept that you have an issue; ask yourself and your doctor why is this happening and what are we doing that is causing/has caused health issues to occur.
2. If you don’t get a satisfactory answer, fire your doctor! “Satisfactory” does not mean the answer you want to hear, by the way.
3. Comply! Once you have received your answers, follow through with the prescribed treatment plan. That is your obligation as the patient.

Hormone levels affect many aspects of our bodies, both emotionally and physically. Included in these aspects are irritability, weight gain, memory lapses, insomnia, depression and fatigue.

Women in particular need to be aware of how hormones affect their everyday lives. Our hormone levels change as we age and they can change significantly, even in the course of a single day. Some are higher in the morning, some at night. These fluctuations may lead to deeper issues that need to be addressed. I say this because many of my female patients have suffered for years with their symptoms prior to being seen only to find a simple hormone test uncovered easily treatable imbalances.

My office offers several different hormone tests, but I am partial to saliva testing as it measures your hormones throughout the day. It also measures the metabolites of hormones or more plainly, how much of the hormone is used by our bodies. A blood test on the other hand, is a snap shot of a single point in time. It measures the amount of a certain hormone and not what our body is actually using. To better explain, I’ll use the analogy of money. You can determine how much money you have overall, which is like what the blood test would measure for hormones, but it is not about how much money you have when the bills come due, it is how much you are spending. The saliva test, in comparison, is equated to how much your spending. That way we can determine the hormone demand on your body and fill in the gaps or overages.

A deeper dive would be a Comprehensive Female Panel that will determine if your hormones are functioning properly. In addition to what is in the Basic Check–Up panel, we include Estradiol, LH, Progesterone, FSH, and DHEA–S tests. A reliable practitioner should always have comprehensive testing like the ones I described to get an in depth view to your hormonal health.

As I stated earlier, hormones affect many aspects of our lives so knowing where you stand is a good step in getting better. Visit our office or talk to your health care provider to get more information on the link between your symptoms and hormonal health – it’s an important piece of your healthcare puzzle.

The nutrient demand on a simple musculoskeletal injury increases by at least 20 to 25 percent. An injured person will need to increase their proteins as they synthesize proteins to make immunoglobulins. With the correct type and quantity of nutrients, your immune system can actually work properly to break down the damaged tissue and/or repair tissue to a normal, healthy state.

Improper healing and remodeling of tissue would be considered scar tissue. Scar tissue does not have the same physical properties as normal tissue and, therefore, does not let the body perform in the same manner.

Trauma, whether it’s skeletal or otherwise, such as a sprained ankle, an injured back, a broken arm, or whatever it may be, imposes one of the highest load demands on energy utilization. So, without a doubt, you must increase energy production in all ways possible when you are injured.

During times of injury or trauma, our energy demands go up, and our need for cellular synthesis goes up as well. We must remove damaged tissue through waste elimination and replace it with new, healthy tissue.

THE TWO TO FOUR WEEK WINDOW

There is a two to four-week window, known as the acute/sub-acute phases. The acute phase (1st and 2nd week) is critical for removal of some injured tissue and for beginning of repair work for damaged tissue. During the sub- acute phase (3rd and 4th week), the body is repairing and remodeling new tissue that is to be used by the body for healing. If the injury is muscular in nature, the body remodels muscle tissue in this phase.

These first four weeks are clearly the most critical to the long-term injury outcome. This is why you should seek treatment immediately if you are injured. If you start to remodel muscle using scar tissue, your performance will decrease.

We’ve mentioned this earlier; scar tissue doesn’t have the same contractile force as muscle tissue. It doesn’t have the same stretch-ability or pliability, and you are liable to experience another injury while your performance continues to decline. This is why it is so important to address nutritional demands directly after injury. This acute/sub-acute phase is a critical time when the immune system clearly needs to be supported. The injury also needs to be treated properly and promptly to reduce the risk of the acute injury becoming chronic.