Are You Suffering from Smartphone Slump?

By Dr. Dave Edenfield

You see them every day, walking with head down, oblivious to the world around them.  Or you spy them sitting in their cars at stoplights leaning forward as they frantically try to compose themselves before the light changes.  I’m not talking about road rage here.  I’m talking about texting.  While gen xers are particularly prone to partake in this practice on a nearly manic level, I have seen my fair share of baby boomers who have adopted what I have come to refer to as the Smartphone Slump.

While some of the habits of this practice are obvious, others are not. A spin-off of a topic I covered in an earlier blog that detailed the occupational hazard that every man, woman and child is subjected to as we surf the web.

“If you spend a significant portion of your day staring at a computer screen, this is known to lead to forward head and shoulder posture which can cause pinched nerves and degenerative disc disease.  If your monitor sits flat atop your desk, this necessitates that you lean your head forward to read the screen.  Doing this day in and day out sets up a domino effect of sorts caused in part by the pull of gravity on your head.    This head down posture puts strain on the vertebrae of the lower neck, which in turn causes the muscles of the upper back to work overtime in order to compensate.  Over time, the lower cervical vertebrae may slide forward, further curving the spine until sufferers of this syndrome begin to suffer neck pain, tingling or loss o

f feeling in the fingers and persistent muscle ache as the muscles and tendons become tight.” 

http://eliminatepainnow.blogspot.com/2013/06/occupational-hazards-may-be-at-roof-of.html

Smartphone Slump can also be the initiator for head forward posture, which is an unhealthy forward curvature of the neck and shoulders that makes those afflicted seem far older than their age.  Worse still, if left unchecked, this self-inflicted condition can result in much more than poor posture.  Over time everything from loss of balance to nerve damage.  Some sufferers get to the point where it is difficult to keep their chins from coming to rest on their chests.  As a result, everything from neck pain to a loss of mobility can result.  This makes everyday tasks like walking and driving not only arduous, but hazardous.

To determine if you have Smartphone Slump do the following:

1.      Put down the phone.

2.      Stand with your back flat against the wall.

3.      Note whether the back of your head is touching the wall.

If your head does not touch the wall without forcing it to do so you most definitely have Smartphone Slump.  That is the bad news.  Over time your neck muscles have weakened from repeatedly maintaining a head down posture such as that necessary to text.  (People with head forward posture find it extremely difficult if not painful to straighten their neck so that the back of the head touches the wall.) 

The good news is that this is an easily treatable condition.  If you suspect that you or any one you know suffers from this condition, tell them to consult a chiropractor right away.  Not only can a chiropractor correct this problem, they can also show sufferers a number of exercises that are designed to alleviate the muscle strain that this condition can cause before it leads to more serious problems down the road.

There are also a number of exercises that you can perform for a few minutes every day that can help stretch the muscles that become overworked and tight as a result of prolonged periods slumped either in front of a desk or a smartphone.  Below are several that can help correct the situation if done regularly.

  

Corner Stretch

A basic exercise that is important for stretching the chest and shoulder muscles is the corner stretch. It is performed in the corner of a room.

This neck stretch is done as follows:

·         Patients stand approximately two feet back from the corner, facing into the corner.

·         Feet should be together.

·         Forearms are placed on each wall, and elbows are a little below shoulder height (Figure 1).

·         Lean in as far as possible without pain. Patients will feel a stretch in the front of the shoulders and chest (Figure 2).

·         Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds to a minute.

http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/neck-pain/neck-stretches

The Slouch Overcorrect Procedure

 This exercise helps you find your correct sitting posture. 

      1.   Slouch completely

·           2.   Sit up and accentuate your lumbar lordosis as far as possible. (Hold this posture for a few seconds.)

·          3 Release the strain.

http://www.drsarasolomon.com/oxygen-magazine-blog-if-you-are-slouched-in-your-chair-then-sit-up-straight-and-read-this-by-dr-sara-solomon/

While we are all forced to deal with the demands of an ever more wired world, remember that when it comes to your health, the human body is decidedly old school.

Dr. Dave Edenfield  and Dr. Steven Warfield are part of the team of doctors and therapists at http://chiropractic-jacksonville-fl.com and http://endyourpain.org who are dedicated to helping you and your family lead  healthier, happier and pain-free lives. 

Above the Curve – How the US spends its healthcare dollars on spinal treatment

By Dr. Steven Warfield

While it’s common knowledge that healthcare costs in the US have skyrocketed during the past few years, most people have no idea how these costs break down for care associated with back and neck conditions.  While from 1999 to 2008, the costs of healthcare rose an astounding 95%, annual expenses for chiropractic care when adjusted for inflation were relatively stable.  This is a good thing, since more than 50% of adults will experience a back or neck injury during their lifetime.  In fact back pain is the second most common reason that adults in the US seek medical care.  (Upper respiratory infections top the list.)

While it’s hard to put an exact dollar figure on the costs associated with spinal issues, it is widely accepted that somewhere in the neighborhood of $90 billion will be spent this year alone on the diagnosis and treatment of back and neck pain.  Everything from x-rays and MRIs, from surgery to physical therapy are attributable to back and neck injuries.  Not to mention prescription and over-the-counter pain killers.  (Don’t even get me started there.) However, these costs do not include the $10-$20 billion in earnings that will also be lost due to missed days at work while convalescing.  When you add everything up, this brings the total cost for spinal treatment at well over the $100 billion mark.

While these numbers seem alarming, so is the incidence of spinal injury.  While slip and fall or automobile accidents are responsible for a significant amount of back and neck problems, these are by no means the only culprits.  Everything from overdoing it at the gym, to playing golf, tennis or some other sports-related activity can result in spinal pain.  So too can activities around the home or work.  In fact, one of the most common ways to throw your back out is to simply lift something the wrong way.  Puttering around in the garden is also another way in which to injure your back.

Kid’s Stuff

If you are a parent, caring for young children can present something of a minefield.  Whether it’s tripping over toys, or simply the strain of picking up your child, when it comes to back and neck strain, childcare is not kid’s stuff.  Even during play time, many times adults will overdo it in their zeal to compete with or corral a tot.  Not to mention the fact that toting baby paraphernalia slung over one shoulder is sufficient to cause spinal wear and tear that can ultimately result in a trip to the chiropractor.

Other than covering yourself in bubble wrap and refusing to get off the sofa, what can the average person do to enjoy an active lifestyle while avoiding back and neck strain.  (Let me count the ways.)

1.      Make sure your bedding provides sufficient support for your back and your neck.  This means checking everything from your mattress to your pillows. 

2.      Chair Check – Does your office chair have an adjustable lumbar support and more importantly is it properly adjusted?  If you routinely find yourself slouched behind your desk then it is time to either adjust or replace your chair. 

3.      Your computer is not your friend. Especially if you spend all day sitting in front of one.  Most desktop computers and all laptops and tablets force the user to lean forward to type while viewing the screen.  My advice is to get an external monitor for your laptop and to raise the level of the monitor at least a foot above the desktop.  This will allow you to sit upright and avoid the condition called shoulders forward that is primarily caused by the modern workplace.

4.      Lift with the legs as opposed to the back.  If you must lift something off the ground, the correct way to do so without straining your back is to squat down, grasp the item and then stand straight up. Do NOT lean forward, grasp the item and then straighten your back.  This is the surest way I know to strain your back.

5.      Hire a Coach – If you haven’t been to the gym in ages, or played a round of golf or game of tennis in more than a year, the last thing you want to do is go at it full bore.  Especially if you are over forty.  At least not without supervision.  Today there are scads of professional trainers who make their living by evaluating and supervising sports-minded people.  (Another person to consult regarding exercise would be your chiropractor, since he or she has been trained in everything from stretching routines to nutrition.) 

6.      Don’t let your green thumb turn you into a dead duck.  Aside from the fact that many garden implements can be considered lethal weapons, just the act of digging, pruning and/or planting is a hotbed for back and neck strain.  (So is shoveling snow, although we don’t have that problem here in sunny Florida.)  The secret to getting the most out of your gardening is to take it a little at a time, make sure you stay hydrated and be extra cautious around tasks that involve climbing trees and operating power tools.

While health costs in the US are predicted to do little but rise, that doesn’t mean that with a little common sense you can’t enjoy good health and save yourself an unnecessary trip to the doctor.  That in itself is priceless. (Or failing that I can probably get you a good price on bubble wrap.)

Dr.’s Steven Warfield and Dave Edenfield offer the most advanced treatments for back pain, sciatica, neck pain, whiplash and headaches. They also treat auto accident victims with state-of-the-art technologies.  For more information visit http://endyourpain.org 

or http://chiropractor-jacksonville-fl.com

Making the Pain Go Away

By Dr. Dave Edenfield

Living with pain is no easy task, especially if it reduces mobility or interferes with one’s livelihood.  Unfortunately for all too many people, chronic pain has become a way of life.  In order to get through the day, many people rely on painkillers to make the pain go away, if only for a few hours.  While a short term fix, these products only mask the problem.  They don’t alleviate the underlying issue.  Plus, the use of prescription pain killers can do more harm than good in the long run, causing the user to exacerbate the injury, become dependent upon painkillers or worse.

English: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Druid Hills CDP in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia as seen from Emory University (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A recent report by the Center for Disease Control stated that, “An unknown number of patients were given potentially contaminated steroid injections, with a rising number of those injected now showing symptoms of fungal meningitis, While no original source of the outbreak has been 

found, the CDC has determined that all infected patients identified thus far have received preservative-free (PF) methylprednisolone acetate (80mg/ml) from among the three lots voluntarily recalled by the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Massachusetts, on September 26, 2012."

While the threat of tainted medications is bothersome to say the least, there is an even a bigger threat to public health, that is the fact that during the past twenty years the use of prescription painkillers has risen dramatically. 

Increase in U.S. Retail Drug Purchases, 1997-2005 (Amount Sold in Grams)
Drug	1997	1999	2001	2003	2005	Change*
Oxycodone	4,449,559	9,717,597	19,947,287	26,655,149	30,628,971	588%
Methadone	518,736	965,389	1,893,322	3,683,878	5,362,813	934%
Fentanyl base	74,085	107,158	186,082	317,197	387,926	423%
Morphine	5,922,870	6,804,933	8,810,755	12,303,954	15,054,842	154%
Hydrocodone	8,699,309	12,102,623	15,597,209	21,106,646	25,803,541	197%
Hydromorphone	241,806	292,585	400,639	579,370	781,284	224%
Source: Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Automated Reports and Consolidated Orders System. Revised Aug. 1, 2007.  * Percentage change in amounts sold from 1997 to 2005.

What most people do not realize is that the best route to reducing or eliminating pain in their daily lives is to treat the problem and not the symptoms.  Masking the pain can lead to even greater damage that could ultimately lead to a surgical solution.  However, there are non-surgical chiropractic treatments that can both reduce discomfort while working to reduce or even correct the underlying causes of chronic pain. 

Chiropractic treatments typically focus on, but are not limited to, care of:

·         Mid and lower back pain

·         Neck pain

·         Joint pain in the arms and legs

·         Headaches

@chiropractic I Voted (Photo credit: planetc1)

Chiropractors typically treat conditions involving back pain and/or neck pain through “hands-on” adjustments of the spine and surrounding structures.  They believe that as a result of overuse the spinal column can become stressed.  This results in imbalances that can lead to pain, dysfunction and disease. 

 Employing spinal manipulation along with other proven forms of therapy, chiropractors can also bring other tools to bear to alleviate pain, such as electric muscle stimulation, ultrasound and even laser therapy. 

Laser Therapy uses red and infrared light for the relief of pain, to accelerate healing and decrease inflammation. When the light source is placed against the skin, the photons penetrate several centimeters and get absorbed by the mitochondria, the energy producing part of a cell. This energy fuels many positive physiological responses resulting in the restoration of normal cell morphology and function.  Unlike many physical therapy treatments that mask pain or only address the symptoms of disease, Laser Therapy treats the underlying condition to promote healing. This means that the treatments are effective and the benefits of laser Therapy are long lasting.

If you or someone you know is experiencing chronic pain, feel free to show them this blog and let them know that there are other remedies available that will do more to make the pain go away than simply using medications to mask the symptoms.  Through chiropractic care there is hope for long term pain relief.

Dr. Dave Edenfield is part of the team of doctors and therapists at http://www.lakewoodchiropracticjax.com/who are dedicated to helping the public lead a healthy, pain-free life. 

Related articles

• Is Your Back Healing Ok?
• Get Straight: The Benefits of Chiropractic Care
• Headaches: Causes and Treatment
• Preventing Low Back Pain
• Low Back Pain and Subluxation