Your Oxnard Chiropractor Offers Important "Pillow Talk"
Posted on 06. Aug, 2009 by admin in neck pain
Dr. Donald Bolt, your Oxnard Chiropractor, is wondering if your pillow might be contributing to your neck pain. If your neck pain is making your days miserable, chiropractic treatment can brighten your days, and bring tranquility to your nights, by eliminating your neck pain at its source. Once you are out of pain, Dr. Bolt will likely provide exercises to help you to strengthen your neck, as well.
However, in addition to the neck pain relief you’ll receive by your Oxnard Chiropractor by day, there is something important you can do for your neck at night. Neck pain is commonly exacerbated by sleeping on an inappropriate pillow. That’s why it’s so important to use a good pillow, one that is designed to support your neck. Some pillows are just too hard, while others far too soft, and others are just plain too flat. If you sleep on a pillow that has inadequate neck support, you will probably wake up with neck pain, and possibly back pain and shoulder pain as well.
Cervical pillows are specially designed to take care of neck and shoulder problems and offer support to the natural lordosis (curve) of the neck. An orthopedic pillow supports the head, aligns the neck vertebrae in a neutral position, supports the head, and allows better shoulder rotation.
Even a good pillow, however, needs to be renewed periodically due to the breakdown in materials. Although some brands of pillows cost more, they frequently last longer. A good quality orthopedic pillow, whether it’s down feathered, a foam-type, or poly-filled, will offer you needed comfort and support.
A good, cervical pillow should form itself to support your neck and head in the healthiest position whether you sleep on your back or side. Support on both your side and back positions is extremely important, and you will want to consider your own personal sleeping habits when choosing a pillow. If you are in the habit of sleeping on your back, then you will need to select a pillow that has been especially designed to provide neck and upper back support. If you are a side sleeper, then you will want a bit higher pillow that will supply enough room for your shoulder position. When you are sleeping on a proper orthopedic, it should provide enough support to inhibit your head from going sideways, or rolling and tilting unnaturally.
The most effective way to find an orthopedic pillow that is appropriate for you is to consult with a health care professional, Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard.
Your Oxnard Chiropractor Asks: Is Your Computer a Pain in the Neck?
Posted on 25. Jun, 2009 by admin in neck pain
Your Oxnard Chiropractor, Dr. Donald Bolt, knows that neck pain is serious business. If you sit for extended periods at a computer, you may be experiencing neck pain, and upper and lower back pain back pain as well, symptoms that may also radiate down one or both of your arms generating additional pain, pins and needles, or numbness. Neck pain and shoulder pain are, in fact, the most common upper-extremity musculoskeletal problems among computer users. In a 2002 study tracking 632 computer users newly hired at major Atlanta companies, Dr. Fredric E. Gerr, an occupational medicine physician and ergonomics investigator at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and colleagues observed that roughly 60 percent developed neck or shoulder pain in the first year, though the study did not track how long symptoms persisted.
Younger generations growing up in the digital age are also joining the ranks of the “typing wounded.” Surveys at two universities found that 40 to 50 percent of undergraduates experienced upper-extremity pain from using their computers. Colleges do not build dormitory furniture to be ergonomically adjustable, said Dr. Benjamin Amick, scientific director of the Institute for Work and Health in Toronto, who was a co-author of those studies. “They build it to be indestructible.”
In addition to repetitive stress problems, sitting at your computer too long places your upper back in a sustained, stressful posture, especially if you tend to lean forward when you’re working. This also puts your neck at an unnatural and strained angle. Lower back pain, in addition to being generated by simply sitting for long periods of time without getting up and moving around, is aggravated by bad posture.
Problems caused by extended computer use can not only lead to an inability to perform your work duties, but can keep you from enjoying the rest of your life, too. Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, can assist in eliminating the neck pain, and/or upper and lower back pain that you are currently experiencing. After that, it is important for you to become mindful of your body as you sit at your computer, and to give your body what it naturally needs. You can cultivate the habit of both sitting straight in your chair (as opposed to slouching) and relaxing your shoulders. This will help to relieve tension in your lower and upper back and neck. Take time to stretch periodically to ease muscle tension and encourage healthy blood flow. If your work station permits, sitting on an exercise ball can not only aide in keeping you in a beneficial posture, but can help to strengthen your core muscles as well. (Make sure that the ball is the right size so that when you are seated on it your arms are at a ninety-degree angle to your keyboard.)
Dr. Bolt offers these tips: Good posture for ease of movement, variety in the motions that you do, and short breaks to relax and stretch will go a long way in keeping your computer work (or play) pain-free.
Partial source: The New York Times, health Review, June 22, 2009
