Perhaps you've heard of the new trendy diagnosis; text neck. In this age of electronic devices, your smart phone may indeed be the cause of your pain in the neck. Smart phones are trending to take over the cell phone market: 58% of American adults have smart phones and their usage has almost doubled since 2011. So how can something which weighs no more than 4 or 5 ounces cause so much strain on your neck? Are you looking for a [...]
Many spine problems can improve without anyone's help or with non-surgical treatment. But there are some problems and symptoms which may represent emergencies, and some spine conditions will only worsen when left untreated. This blog post will provide you with some guidelines for what to do for each common symptom. PAIN RADIATING INTO THE ARM: Pain that radiates into an arm below the elbow can be a symptom of a disc herniation in the neck. That being said, many times radiating [...]
Laptop computers are first and foremost designed with portability in mind. Laptop ergonomics are not a major consideration for most manufacturers. My MacBook Pro is a mere 14 inches wide, and has vastly more computing power than the computers which landed men on the moon a mere 4 decades ago. But portability and ergonomics are at odds with one another; if I position my screen at the correct ergonomic height, then my keyboard is too high. If my keyboard is in [...]
How many times have you heard someone say, "I have a pinched nerve in my neck and I have to have surgery." There are certainly cases where surgery is required, but surgery should ONLY be considered after ALL non-surgical treatment approaches have been tried first (and they have failed). Paul C. McAfee, MD states that "lumbar spine fusion surgery is generally not recommended until a patient has tried 6 to 12 months of adequate non-surgical care." It is alarming to me [...]
A question that I always ask my patients during my first few visits has to do with sleep position. Why does this matter? Well, how you sleep can affect your spine health. A poor sleep position can cause back pain, stiffness in your neck or neck pain, issues with digestion and even premature wrinkles! Below are the 5 best and the 3 worst positions in which to sleep. 5 Best Sleep Positions These are the five best sleeping positions. Note that there are some [...]
Don't "Believe" In Chiropractic? That's Okay. You Don't Have To. Here's Why... For years, chiropractors have been treating back pain patients as well as, if not superior to, other health care professions. In fact, all of the guidelines published around the world have recommended manipulative care as an initial or first step for the treatment of low back pain and more recently, for neck pain. So why are there still some people who say things like, "I don't believe in chiropractic," [...]
These "Weekly Health Updates" are exclusively for the friends and patients of Dr. David Mruz "A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier." ~ Tom Stoppard Mental Attitude: No Interruptions Please. Short interruptions (such as the few seconds it takes to silence that buzzing smart phone) have a surprisingly large effect on one's ability to accurately complete a task. Interruptions of just three seconds can double your chances for making errors. Journal of Experimental Psychology: [...]
Whiplash is a term that describes an injury to the neck that occurs after a motor vehicle or car accident. The most common type of car accident is the rear impact, and most typically the occupant in a vehicle which gets “rear-ended” is at the greatest risk of injury, including the injury termed whiplash. Until recently, the cause of the pain resulting from a whiplash injury was poorly understood. Also, as a [...]
Moderate and acute neck pain is one of the most common reasons why people visit their family medical doctor. In many cases, pain and stiffness occur without any obvious cause, and treatment at a medical facility may involve the use of NSAID's, or even narcotics. A new study from The Annals of Internal Medicine revealed something that doctors of chiropractic have experienced in their practices for many decades. In one of the few head-to-head comparisons of the various treatments for neck [...]
As a chiropractor, my goal is to help my patients become pain-free. My desire, however, is to see my patients understand the reasons for why their pain began in the first place and to teach them how to correct those underlying causes. In the past, I have concentrated on educating patients about posture and illustrating home care maneuvers and exercises that would balance their supportive muscles. But even the most well-intentioned patients get sidetracked by their busy lives and no habit [...]