How does Craniosacral compliment other Medical Interventions?

Most Medical and Healthcare practitioners see CranioSacral Therapy as a gentle and non-invasive Complementary Therapy - it is considered as suitable for the co-treatment of a number of conditions.

Many medical professionals criteria for recommending  therapies is that if it is doing no harm, makes you feel good and does not cost too much then go ahead.

To answer the question more directly, I often receive new clients in the following situations:

·         They have been through formal medical channels.
Often in the case of back pain, stress related illness etc. clients feel they have exhausted all that formal medicine has to offer. This is ideal from my point of view as a full medical history has been built up and the individual's condition has been pre-checked by a medical practitioner.

·         The client wishes to complement formal medical treatment with another therapy.
Many of my pregnant clients and moms with infants and children are receiving formal medical care for their conditions and related complications. They typically continue with this care as they attend CranioSacral Therapy to further relieve symptoms or to reach the parts that they feel formal medical interventions cannot reach.

In summary, in my experience the answer is yes - CranioSacral Therapy can be used alongside formal medical interventions. 

As always, first check with your Healthcare practitioner.

Jeannette Raskin practices at Family First Chiropractic, 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer, Alberta.  403-347-3261. www.family1stchiro.ca. 

Repetitive Strain Injuries

Repetitive Strain Injuries

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) most commonly known as damage to nerves, tendons, tendon sheaths, muscles, joints of the wrists, forearm, elbow, shoulder and neck. Repetitive Strain Injuries can be confusing in that patients don’t understand the symptoms related and the causes or even more importantly how can it be treated.

Causes of RSI

Repetitive Strain Injuries occur through overuse, poor posture and/or poor technique particularly while using the hands. Repeated awkward or forceful tasks for sustained periods of time are major factors causing RSI. Workers do not make the connection between their aches and pains developing in the work place or in the field. Repeated vibrations, forceful impacts or compressions for periods of time cause microscopic tears in the tendons and muscles. Over time the sheaths around the tendons start to chafe causing tendons to become inflamed. Inflammation of the sheath compresses against adjacent nerves, which compromises the nerves nearby.

Symptoms of RSI

Symptoms of RSI can range from discomfort to excruciating pain. Symptoms occur in the fingers, palm, wrist, forearm, shoulders, and neck. Pain in one area of the body may radiate to other connecting parts. 

General symptoms include:

-Aching or shooting pain (May be strongest at night).

-Tingling and burning sensations.

-Clumsiness of hands (loss of ability to grasp items, impaired thumb and finger dexterity).

-Swelling of hand and wrist.

-Hands feel cold.

-Wasting of Muscles at the base of the thumb.

- Stiffness or restricted movement.

Common Types of Repetitive Strain Injuries

Tenosynovitis

Rapid, repetitive, and repeated twisting movement of the forearms and hands. Patients that do a lot of keyboard work, and/or using tools such as pliers can develop tenosynovitis. Tenosynovitis and tendonitis sound similar. The difference is that tendonitis is inflammation of the tendons. While Tenosynovitis is inflammation of the tendon sheaths usually in the hand or wrist.

DeQuarvain’s Syndrome

This is a type of tenosynovitis that is known as “trigger thumb” or “Washerwoman’s Sprain”. It also affects the sheath common to the two tendons of the thumb just above the wrist. This repetitive strain injury is caused by repeated trigger-like movement involving the wrist.

Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

Carpel tunnel is tingling, numbness and/or weakness in your hand due to pressure on the median nerve in your wrist. Carpel tunnel is the small space in your wrist that the median nerve and several tendons runs from you forearm into your hand.  The median nerve controls movement and feeling in your thumb and first three fingers. This area becomes compromised when there is repetitive finger movement, pinching and squeezing of fingertips, excessive use of the index finger, hand exertions with bending and twisting of the wrist, and overly tight grip for long periods of time.

Chiropractic for RSI

Chiropractic is an effective treatment option for RSI. Our Chiropractic physicians will conduct an interview, review medical history, and perform a thorough examination. If diagnosed with RSI, the Chiropractor will set up a treatment plan specific to your situation, and needs. So if you suffer from pain in fingers, hand, wrist, forearm, shoulder, neck, or back seek a chiropractic physician. The sooner you do, the better you will feel.

Dr. Elton Clemence practices at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness at 142 Erickson Drive.www.family1stchiro.ca

Call 403-347-3261 for a consultation today

Supportive/ Maintenance Treatment Works!

A paper presented at the European Chiropractors' Union (ECU) convention earlier this year underscores the advantages of regular chiropractic care. The authors, looked at how chiropractic maintenance care (MC) could prevent new episodes of nonspecific low back pain or minimize its impact. The purpose of their study was to "investigate the effect of MC as compared to symptomatic treatment on reducing recurrent and persistent LBP."

The multi-center, randomized clinical trial was conducted in Sweden, with patients provided with either treatment at regular intervals, regardless of symptoms (MC), or symptomatic treatment whereby patients were treated only when consulting for pain. The MC group was provided with chiropractic care at one- to three-month intervals.

This is an altogether familiar scenario, in that most patients only go for chiropractic care when they are in pain or when something is bothering them. Unfortunately, by the time a patient recognizes their pain, the problem may have been there for some time and damage has been done.  If only they would visit their chiropractor periodically, regardless of symptoms, a point study results make glaringly clear:

"The MC group consisted of 163 subjects who reported 19.3 fewer days with bothersome LBP over the 12 month follow-up compared to the 154 subjects in the control group. The MC group had an average of 7 visits during the study, compared to 5 visits in the control group."

Let's Do the Math

So, here's the math for the average patient. Two extra visits to your chiropractor each year will result in almost 20 extra days without back pain. For me, that works out to about $4 per pain-free day ... I'll take it!

While monthly chiropractic care can be very beneficial, it is clear that most people should be seeing their doctor of chiropractic at least every two months or so. We all need to understand a little regular scheduling could significantly improve our quality of life. Imagine how many days of pain could be eliminated if everyone enjoyed chiropractic at least every two months.

For my whole career I have emphasized regular treatments and not chase pain. Don’t wait for small problems to become big ones. The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is supported by these types of studies.

To schedule your first appointment or a maintenance treatment, please contact Family First Chiropractic and Wellness.

Dr. Stephen Kelly is a Chiropractor at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness with over 15 years of experience, located In Red Deer, AB 142 Erickson Dr., www.family1stchiro.ca

403-347-3261 to book an appointment.