Articles for Therapy Education

Health Benefits of Chiropractic Care Treatment

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:49:07 -0500

Chiropractic services are known for catering to alternative therapeutic practice. In fact, chiropractic is a health care discipline with emphasis on treatment, diagnosis and prevention of physical disturbances in the spine and musculoskeletal system

The theory on which chiropractic is based is that the mechanical disorders have an influence on the overall health through the nervous system.

According to traditional belief, chiropractic care assumes that the malfunction of the spinal joint interferes with the physical performance of the body.

The belief was further continued by the notion that the dysfunction affects the intelligence of the body. Primarily, chiropractic treatment includes manual rehabilitation by manipulating the spine, joints and the soft tissue.

Chiropractic care also consists of health and lifestyle counseling and physical exercise. Chiropractic services includes the most updated chiropractic care which has distinguished Lancaster chiropractic practitioners such as Dr. Paul Newhart broadening the gap from the rest of their ilk.

These chiropractic services comprise:

Making manual adjustments in the spine
complimentary therapies
Electric stimulation
Ultrasound
low level laser
Heat and ice
Nutritional therapy

Arrangements at Lancaster Chiropractic Clinics

Whether you are a senior citizen or an infant, it doesn’t matter as chiropractic treatments are available for one and all in this field.

If the patient needs a treatment and is clinically warranted for the same by the chiropractic experts, X-rays are ordered and read by doctors. Many are also read by a radiologist. Thus, you have two opinions on the matter, assured of the highest level of care. CAT scans and MRIs are suggested by doctors if they are deemed medically necessary. This helps in exact diagnosis and treatment. In fact, patients can even ask questions and clear their doubts regarding their overall well being.

Chiropractic care is the third largest alternative health care after medicine and dentistry. It is the job of a chiropractor to locate and solve problems relating to the nerves in the body (all of which pass through our spine) and ease discomfort.

The body is healed without medicine and surgery. With readjustment of the spinal integrity, the chiropractic uses his treatments to initiate adjustments in the body.

In fact, specialists are of the opinion that chiropractic care might help athletes improve their performance over 2 weeks. The subluxation chiropractic process helps sportspersons react faster, execute finer body movements, go for better coordination, and improve the overall fitness of the body. The top professionals in every sport resort to chiropractic care for enhancing the performance of their health.

Chiropractic Care For Alternative Therapy

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:09:19 -0500

Chiropractor services are widely sought after as they promise to provide quality
chiropractic care, spinal therapy, and physical and massage therapy to thousands of
patients in Pennsylvania. A lot of specialists out here offer patients chiropractic care and therapy. The primary aim of chiropractor experts is to enlighten
patients about chiropractic and related natural solutions for dealing effectively with
health problems. These will help you tackle physical and nerve related disorders for
maintaining and restoring your health. Chiropractic doctors such as Dr. Paul Newhart,
treat patients like family and exceed their expectations. Here are some of the areas
in the body where Dr. Paul Newhart’s chiropractic treatments are provided:
-Neck pain
-Low back pain
-Whiplash injuries
-Disc injuries
-Knee pains
-Shoulder aches
-Carpal tunnel syndromes
-Wrist injuries
-Sports injuries
-Tingling sensations and numbness in legs and arms

When chiropractic patients report of pain, chiropractors try and focus their
attention on making them feel better, thereby improving the quality of your life.
However, it is important for you to make an important decision regarding which
chiropractor you need to see. This is where the chiropractor comes in, as they provide professional services that work like no other.
Relief for Muscles and Bones
Chiropractics has been around for many years now, catering to a wide range of services for ensuring that patients receive mental peace and that your body obtains the best treatment and care possible. Often it is a case where patients recommend others to chiropractor services. Chiropractors offer the best solution to spinal care and the associated nervous system interference with wholly non invasive procedures that are also entirely free of medication as well as chemical requirements. Rest assured that
chiropractors are entirely accommodating with legal, health and safety as
well as other regulatory requirements.
In fact, it is more than just fundamental service that goes that entire extra mile for
delivering fast and effective results that are also safe and relieve you from pain.
Generally, the doctors are helpful with solutions that are cost effective and deliver
the best results. Experts are of the opinion that this treatment
stresses on the overall health of the patient. This is a natural, drug free as well as
non surgical process that relies on the inherent and recuperative abilities for restoring
the body. According to chiropractic beliefs, the factors that influence health are:
-Exercise
-Diet
-Rest
-Heredity
-Environment

Chiropractors follow a particular routine for treating and diagnosing patients. They
take into account the neurological, physical and orthopedic examinations of the
patient and accordingly order lab tests, X-rays and diagnose images to be done.
This is because the chiropractor emphasizes the spinal cord that is dealt with in a
specialized manner. If you have a musculoskeletal dysfunction, the chiropractor fixes
it by manually adjusting it. Some even use alternative medicines like therapies
pertaining to water, ultrasound, laser, electricity, heat and rehabilitative exercise.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:42:33 -0400

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?   Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when tendons or ligaments in the wrist become enlarged, often from inflammation, after being aggravated. The narrowed tunnel of bones and ligaments in the wrist pinches the nerves that reach the fingers and the muscles at the base of the thumb. The first symptoms usually appear at night. Symptoms range from a burning, tingling numbness in the fingers, especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers, to difficulty gripping or making a fist, to drop-ping things. Some cases of carpal tunnel syndrome are due to work-related cumulatsive trauma of the wrist. Diseases or conditions that predispose to the development of carpal tunnel syndrome include pregnancy, diabetes, and obesity.

Anatomy - The Median Nerve   Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a condition, which results when the median nerve does not work properly. Usually, this is thought to occur because there is too much pressure on the nerve as it runs into the wrist through an opening called the carpal tunnel. It may be easier to understand how this occurs if you understand some of the anatomy of the wrist.   The median nerve runs into the hand to supply sensation to the thumb, index finger, long finger, and half of the ring finger. The nerve also supplies a branch to the muscles of the thumb, the thinner muscles. These muscles help move the thumb and are very important in moving the thumb so that you can touch each of the other fingers. This motion is called op-position.  The carpal tunnel is an opening into the hand that is made up of the bones of the wrist on the bottom and the transverse carpal ligament on the top. Looking at a cross section of the wrist allows one to visualize the anatomy of the carpal tunnel. Through this opening called the carpal tunnel, the median nerve and the flexor tendons run into the hand. Looking a little closer, we see that the median nerve lies just under the transverse carpal ligament.   The flexor tendons are important because they allow us to move the fingers and the hand, such as when we grasp objects. The tendons are covered by a material called tenosynovium. The tenosynovium is very slippery, and allows the tendons to glide against each other as the hand is used to grasp objects. Any condition which causes irritation or inflammation of the tendons can result in swelling and thickening of the tenosynovium. As the tenosynovium covering all of the tendons begin to swell and thicken, the pressure begins to increase in the carpal tunnel because the bones and ligaments that make up the tunnel are not able to stretch in response to the swelling. Increased pressure in the carpal tunnel begins to squeeze the median nerve against the transverse carpal ligament - because the nerve is the softest structure in the carpal tunnel. Eventually, the pressure reaches a point when the nerve can no longer function normally. Pain and numb-ness in the hand begins.   One of the first symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome is numbness in the distribution of the median nerve. This is quickly followed by pain in the same distribution. The pain may also radiate up the arm to the shoulder, and, some-times the neck. If the condition is allowed to progress, weakness of the thenar muscles can occur. This results in an inability to bring the thumb into opposition with the other fingers and hinders one's grasp.   There are many conditions, which can result in irritation and inflammation of the tenosynovium, and eventually cause carpal tunnel syndrome. Different types of arthritis can cause inflammation of the tenosynovium directly. A fracture of the wrist bones may later cause carpal tunnel syndrome if the healed fragments result in abnormal irritation on the flexor tendons. The Key Concept to remember is that anything, which causes abnormal pressure on the median nerve will result in the symptoms of pain, numbness and weakness of carpal tunnel syndrome. Recently, physicians have begun to recognize that activities that involve highly repetitive use of the hands can result in carpal tunnel syndrome. This is thought to be caused by inflammation and swelling of the tenosynovium due to overuse.  Diagnosis  Evaluation begins by your doctor obtaining a history of the problem, followed by a thorough physical examination. Your description of the symptoms and the physical examination are the most important parts in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Commonly, patients will complain first of waking in the middle of the night with pain and a feeling that the whole hand is asleep. Careful investigation usually shows that the little finger is unaffected. This can be a key piece of information to make the diagnosis. If you awaken with your hand asleep, pinch your little finger to see if it is numb also, and be sure to tell your doctor if it is or is not. Other complaints include numb-ness while using the hand for gripping activities, such as sweeping, hammering, or driving. The major physical findings reflect that pressure is increased in the carpal tunnel. If more information is needed to make the diagnosis, electrical studies of the nerves in the wrist may be requested by your doctor. Several tests are available to see how well the median nerve is functioning, including the nerve conduction velocity (NCV). This test measures how fast nerve impulses are conducted through the nerve. This test is available in our NYC medical and Chiropractic practice and is covered by most medical carriers.

Cold Laser Therapy Treatment

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:07:24 -0400

Cold Laser Therapy Treatment
Cold Laser Therapy Treatment is an amazing, recently approved by the FDA, treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome. Dr. Newhart is one of the few Chiropractors in Lancaster County that uses Cold Laser Therapy and has had great success in treating carpal tunnel and many conditions.
What is a TRUE Laser?
A True Laser is fully compliant to the definitions set forth by those great men of science such as Bose and Einstein who predicted LASER in 1924 and the contemporary physicists Schawlow and Townes who brought LASER into the modern age. LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Light created in this way, is then culminated and directed into an intense beam of coherent light through the use of cathode and anode reflecting components in order to produce a single stable frequency. According to Webster's Dictionary, Lasers are coherent or marked by logical consistency. The Thor laser meets all the scientifically defined attributes of a laser and is therefore classified as a TRUE laser. We assure and maintain this classification, through our unique and patented process, which produces the emission of coherent light, generated at a precise and stable frequency, and in a focused direction.
What is low-level laser?
Unlike high power lasers that use heat and destroy tissue, low energy lasers affect the cellular energy of the underlying tissue. Hot lasers have a thermal effect and have an output of 1MW or above. Cold (or) Low Level Lasers do not have a thermal effect on tissue, lasers that stimulate biological function have an output below 10mw- milliwatts (ten- one thousands of a watt).
What is - Low Level Laser Therapy?
Low Level Laser Therapy refers to the modality of applying a "low" energy or "low level" laser to tissue that stimulates cellular processes and thereby enhancing biochemical reactions. For example, studies show that LLLT increases ATP production in the mitochondria of the cell. Since more energy is now available, the cell may utilize this fuel to function or operate more efficiently.
How does it work?
Many theories exist as to the mechanism of action for Low Level Laser Therapy but simply put, photonic energy is absorbed by the photo acceptor sites on the cell membrane which trigger a secondary messenger to initiate a cascade of intracellular signals that initiate, inhibit or accelerate biological processes such as wound healing, inflammation, or pain management.
What conditions can be treated?
Low Level Laser Therapy has been successfully used to treat many conditions such as acute and chronic pain reduction, repetitive use disorders like carpal tunnel syndrome, soft tissue strains and sprains, inflammation reduction, enhanced tissue wound healing, and cell regeneration.
Are there any side effects?
There are over 1500 published studies and not one of them mentions any negative side effects of semi-conductor diode lasers like the Thor Lasers. Low Level Lasers are safe, non-toxic and non-invasive; there has not been a recorded side effect in over 1700 publications. There are some necessary common sense precautions that need to be considered, such as avoiding pointing the laser beam directly into the eye and maintaining it there, which could prove to be damaging to the eye.
What makes one laser different from another?
A laser can differ in its wavelength, power source or whether it is a continuous or pulsed wave form. The first lasers were used to cut, cauterize or ablate tissue and were classified as "hot' lasers.”Cold", "Low Energy" or "Low Level" lasers are used to enhance metabolic activity at the cellular level through non-thermal reactions.
What is wavelength? And do the different wavelengths matter?
Light is measured in wavelengths and is expressed in units of nanometers (nm). Different wavelengths have different energy levels and can have various effects on tissue. For example, the Thor™ Laser is 810 nanometers, which is found within the "infrared" spectrum of visible light (400-800 nm) and has anabolic tissue effects, whereas, radiation that has a wavelength shorter than 320 nm (ultraviolet (UV), gamma rays, x-rays) has ionizing effects on cells and can be harmful even in small doses.
What is the difference between Lasers and LED's (light emitting diodes)?
Lasers are monochromatic (single color wavelength), collimated (non-divergent) and coherent (wavelengths in- phase) in contrast, LED's are neither coherent nor collimated and generate a broader band of wavelengths (multiple). In addition, a significant difference between the two is the power output. The peak power output of lasers is measured in watts, while that of LED’s is measured in milliwatts. Also, LED's usually have a 50% duty cycle, meaning that they are "on" 50% of the time and "off" 50% of the time regardless of what frequency (pulses per second) setting is used.
There are many light emitting products on the market today, claiming to be lasers that do not meet scientifically defined attributes for being a true laser. For example, products that use Light Emitting Diodes or LED's as they are more commonly known, do in fact produce light, however the light is not intense, producing very little energy and is non-coherent, similar to light produced by common household light bulbs. Non-coherent or non-culminated light is the result of photons moving in random directions at random times, generating random frequencies. The most common use of LED's is in electronic equipment, such as cell phones and VCRs, to inform the users that the item is ON. LED’s are cheap and easy to reproduce (Pontinen 1992). Obviously, these devices are NOT lasers. This misconception is in large part a by-product of marketing. Some sales professional use the word "laser" in order to describe a process such as in "laser pointers" which refers more to mankind's collective imagination than scientific comprehension.
How long are the treatments?
Treatments can vary in time from seconds to minutes depending on the condition. Research studies show that there may be a dose dependent response, so it may be more effective to treat at lower doses at multiple intervals then to treat a single time with a high dose.
How long does the treatment last?
A treatment plan may vary, depending on the condition. For instance, an acute soft tissue injury or open wound may require multiple short treatments initially then the interval between treatments will lengthen as the condition improves.
The Mechanisms of Low Level Laser Therapy
Although it is not very well understood many theories have been postulated about the mechanism of action for low level lasers. Much research has been done in the areas of pain management, wound healing, and nerve regeneration, but little is known about the exact mechanism of action and the physiological changes occurring at the cellular level. In the literature, the three most often encountered theories are:
Cellular oscillation theory - the laser beam carries electromagnetic oscillations of definite frequency. When it reaches the tissues the electromagnetic oscillations gradually "swing and excite" single cells. This is thought to eventually intensify the bionomical processes that ultimately regulate the performance of various vital organs. Soviet scientists go on to say that the cell itself begins to emit light similar to the rays of the laser, when the resonance sets in.
Biological field theory - connections between tissues and organs in the intact organism are not limited to humeral effects and nervous control mechanisms alone. Rather, there exist unique around every cell, tissue and organ and higher structural levels (organism, organ) exerting a normalizing influence on lower levels (tissue cells). The resonance effect of the low power laser is thought to restore the normal energetic status of the organism, that is, restore its normal physiological state.
Both theories share the basic premise that laser causes activation in the cell, which in turn leads to an intensification of the bionomical processes. It is within this context that the Arnat-Schulz law becomes important with respect to low power laser application. This biological law states that "weak stimuli excite physiological activity, moderately strong ones favor it, strong ones retard it and very strong ones arrest it."
Currently Cold laser is having amazing results with treating carpal tunnel syndrome and is being used after patients are treated with Spinal Decompression therapy. Other problems that respond well to Cold laser therapy include heel spurs, plantar fascitis, frozen shoulder syndrome and knee swelling, torticolisis.
The Cold Laser, or Low Level Laser Therapy, can be used for:
Inflammatory conditions such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Epicondylitis, Plantar Fascitis, and Bursitis with excellent results.
Pain management for Fibric Myalgia Myofscial pain, cervical neck pain, thoracic pain, and low back pain.
Connective tissue disorders such as sprains, strains, tendonitis, and tendon ruptures.
Joint injuries or disorders such as TMJ disorders, osteoarthritis, dislocations, and ligament injuries.
Muscle injury or disorders such as muscle bruises, contusions, muscle ruptures, and muscle shortening contractures like frozen shoulders.
Neurological injury or disorders such as prolapsed disc, ruptured or herniated discs, crush injuries, neuritis, and headaches.
The biological effects of how Low Level Laser Therapy has been shown to significantly accelerate and enhance the body’s natural defense and repair abilities when injured. By reducing the duration of inflammation as well as enhancing specific repair and healing process, Low Level Laser Therapy has been proven to provide pain relief, reduce damage due to the injury and loss of function. Low Level Laser Therapy enables the body to have a more rapid repair and stronger tissues once healed.
Results from Cold Laser therapy come from the ability to "bio-stimulate" tissue growth and repair. This results in accelerated healing and dramatic decrease in pain, nnd inflammation. Unlike all other treatment modalities, laser therapy actually "heals" tissue as well as providing a powerful non-addictive form of pain management.
Spinal Decompression with Cold laser therapy and whole body vibration is a effective treatment for herniated discs
Conditions that can be improved or eliminated with laser use, including:
* Pain Relief * Wound Healing * Arthritis * Migraine headaches * Lower back pain * Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI) * Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) * Tendonitis * Fibromyalgia * Sprains and strains

* Tennis Elbow * Golfer's Elbow * TMJ * Soft tissue injuries   Arthritis  Back pain  "Blackberry" Thumb Bunions Bursitis Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Cluster Headache De Quervien Disease Headache Herniated Disc Hip Bursitis Knee Pain Lower Back Pain Migraine Headache Osteoarthritis Plantar Fasciitis Rheumatoid Arthritis Scoliosis Shoulder Bursitis Sprained Ankle Stress Fracture Tension Headache Trigger Finger

Injuries of the Wrist Elbow and Shoulder

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:56:20 -0400

Click to down load a featured, full length article about common injuries to the wrist, elbow and knee, which are often associated with kickboxing.