Do Cervical Collars Really Help?

You see them on people all the time – those big stiff collars that keep someone’s head from moving. Usually people wear them after a car accident, a sports injury or a fall, for ‘whiplash” or a soft tissue injury to the neck. They look uncomfortable. More and more of us are questioning whether they should be used at all!

'I’ve been in an accident' but if they’re used for too long they can impede proper healing.

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Many believe that short-term use of a soft cervical collar can be beneficial in the initial acute phase of an injury. However, continued usage causes the muscles in the neck to weaken because the collar is actually taking the place of those muscles. Some studies have even shown that the use of a cervical collar may actually prolong the recovery process.

So how should you treat a neck injury?

• Get in to see us! The sooner proper spinal, muscle and joint function are restored, the better. Waiting lengthens recovery time.
• Try to keep you neck moving in as normal a fashion as possible; this helps keep the muscles from stiffening.
• If you’re inclined to use a cervical collar, limit its use to less than a week.
• Perform stretching exercises that help support the neck muscles/joints.
• Continue with your normal daily routine and activities; don’t “baby” the injury.

Whiplash injuries can also affect the normal curve in the neck. A chiropractic exam can determine the amount of damage. While pain relievers and muscle relaxers may make you feel better, they won’t heal damaged ligaments, muscles and tendons. And a cervical collar can’t return the natural forward curve to the neck.

If you know someone wearing one of these fashion accessories, encourage them to call our office for a consultation. We promise to give them the same high quality care you’ve come to know us for.

Dr. Steven Murdoch Chiropractor:

Chiropractor Kitchener Dr. Steven Murdoch is the proud owner of Fairway Chiropractic Centre in Kitchener, Ontario. He offers family chiropractic care at his Chiropractic office.

For more information visit our Website: http://www.fairwaychiropractic.net

Oh My Aching Head!

    

It’s back again – that dull steady pain that starts at the back of your head and moves forward, making you feel as though your head is being squeezed in a vice. Sometimes it lasts for a half hour, other times it may last for weeks on end. Tension headaches, also known as stress headaches, affect nearly 40% of all adults and teenagers, making them the most common type of headache.

Tension headache causes include stress, hormones, depression, fatigue, dehydration, holding your head in the same position for long periods of time (i.e., working at a computer, performing research using a microscope, and other types of “close” work), anxiety, TMJ, and spinal conditions, such as degenerative disc disease or arthritis.

So what do you do when you experience this type of headache? Do you pop a few pain relievers and go to bed? Grin and bear it? Take a prescription pain pill? Do you realize that these so-called solutions to your pain only address the symptom (the pain) and not the cause of your headaches? Do you realize that chronic pill popping can actually cause more headaches (known as the “rebound effect)? Are these “solutions” really working for you?

Headaches are the most common condition for which patients seek help in our practice. Why? Because chiropractic has shown impressive results in reducing both the number and the duration of tension headaches.

A recent study, conducted by Dr. Niels Nilsson of Odense University in Denmark, and Dr. Geoffrey Bove of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, examined the impact of chiropractic treatment on headaches. The researchers found that chiropractic adjustments often decrease the frequency and length of headaches as well as the number of painkillers needed for relief.

Chiropractic care seeks to discover the cause of your headaches; it doesn’t just address symptoms, hoping that they’ll go away. Tension headaches are often the result of muscle tension in the neck, and chiropractors are trained to locate and correct this muscle tension which can wreak havoc on your nervous system, causing problems throughout your body.

If you or someone you know is tired of “solutions” for tension headaches that do nothing more than treat symptoms, let us know! We have many patient testimonials that praise the safety and success of chiropractic care in our practice.

Dr. Steven Murdoch Chiropractor:

Chiropractor Kitchener Dr. Steven Murdoch is the proud owner of Fairway Chiropractic Centre in Kitchener, Ontario. He offers family chiropractic care at his Chiropractic office.

For more information visit our Website: http://www.fairwaychiropractic.net