Chiropractors Correct Joint Instability To Relieve Chronic Pain

MN chiropractors are trained to evaluate the mechanics of the spine and all joints of the body.  By mechanics we mean how the joints move-do they move the way they are supposed to?  Mechanical instability is when things are not moving the way they were meant to.  Think of a ladder that is propped up on uneven ground.  You climb up the ladder and start to feel it wobble.  That's mechanical instability.

Ligaments are like duct tape in our body-they keep us together

In the body, it's the ligaments that hold bones together.  In the knee for instance there are several ligaments that attach the femur to the tibia.  These ligaments stabilize the knee when we stress it mechanically, for instance when we're running.  The muscles around the knee also work to stabilize it and give it mechanical stability, but right now I'll just talk about the ligaments.  When there is too much stress to a ligament, it tears.  This is what we call a sprain. 

If the stress to the ligament isn't too much, the injury heals and afterward the knee moves just like it should--the joint is still mechanically stable.  But if the mechanical stress to the ligaments was too much, the ligament will over stretch so much that it remains overstretched after the injury heals. 

Ligaments can be overstretched like the plastic that holds a six-pack of soda pop together

You can think of the plastic that holds a six pack of cans together.  If you just pull the can out, the ring of plastic remains the same size.  You could push the can back into the ring and it would hold the can.  If you pull hard on the plastic ring you can stretch it out of shape.  Then when you try to put the can back in, it won't hold.  Ligaments are the same way. 

The ligament damage caused by a whiplash injury is a good example of mechanical instability that causes chronic pain

A type of injury we all have heard of is "Whiplash".  The jolt of an auto accident whips the head back and forth.  Researchers who first studied these injuries used the analogy of cracking a whip.  With the jolt of the crash our head snaps back and forth like the end of a whip.  This whipping motion can overstretch and injure the ligaments that hold the bones in our neck together. 

And in fact, in whiplash there is often a tearing of the deep ligaments of the neck that hold the bones together.  In the example of the knee joint we just talked about we were speaking of just one joint.  In the neck were talking about eight bones and sixteen joints.   If the healing process is not optimal, then the same type of instability that we saw in the knee can develop in the neck.

The neck X-rays of people who have been in an automobile accident and suffered a "whiplash" injury show the mechanical instability that results.  Often after such an injury, the normal curve in the neck flattens or reverses.  This is because the overstretched (injured) ligaments can no longer hold the bones of the neck in their proper position.

X-Ray movies are a good way to actually see mechanical instability in joints

Motion X-rays reveal even more.  These special X-rays are X-ray movies of the neck.  They are taken while the person bends his head backward and forward, side to side and rotates left and right.  It is astonishing to see how the bones in the neck wobble and slide over each other excessively after whiplash ligament injury in the neck.  

As a result of the loose ligaments not holding the bones together as tightly as they should, there is excess friction in the joints of the neck.  The excess friction causes inflammation which is constantly aggravated (because the friction keeps on).   It can be as little as one millimeter of excess movement-the thickness of a dime-that causes enough extra friction, so that the person always has tenderness and soreness in the neck.  This results in chronic inflammation in this area, and the chronic pain. 

When the joints in the upper neck have excess friction and consequently inflammation, it often creates headaches as a result.

Mechanical instability can also cause pain in the low back and other joints of the body

Mechanical instability can be mild or severe.  Chiropractors maintain all mechanical instability is a cause of health problems, and is often a source of pain.  In my experience traditional medicine tends to dismiss this type of low level mechanical instability as insignificant. 

In chiropractic we call them subluxations, and understand them to be the cause of a lot of problems also because they tend to disrupt nerve communications.   In traditional medicine severe joint instability is usually treated surgically.  Ligaments are tightened, bones are fused together or clamped together with steel rods and plates.

Repairing mild mechanical instability  

Chiropractors specialize in correcting mechanical instabilities of the spine and all of the joints of the body.  Chronic neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, back, hip, knee, ankle and foot pain often improves quickly when the mechanical instability of these joints is corrected. 

It's an obvious solution.  Imagine your car having the front left wheel not bolted tightly to the axel.  When you drive, the wheel wobbles.  The wobble further stresses the bolts which loosen even more, until the tire comes off.   The analogy works this far-it highlights the importance of correcting a mechanically unstable moving part before things get worse.  For the car wheel, you simply tighten the bolts and the problem is solved.

Chiropractors specialize in the correction of mechanical instabilities of the spine and other joints of the body.  When these instabilities are identified early, problems such as joint pain, muscle tightness and spasm and arthritis can be reversed or prevented.   When they are allowed to remain, the increased friction in the joints accelerates deterioration of the joint.  This can result in degenerative arthritis of the joint.

By correcting mechanical instability of joints, MN chiropractors reduce joint friction.  Lessening joint friction helps resolve inflammation of the joints.  When inflammation ceases, pain also stops. 

What to Do When Your Doctor Says It's Time to Replace Your Knee

In my experience, nobody likes to hear they need surgery. Surgery is scary. It's dangerous-or at least it sounds dangerous. The recovery is often difficult, and the whole process is painful.

That's a lot of reasons not to want surgery. It's also why responsible doctors usually turn to surgery as a last resort. But, under the right circumstances, surgery can be a good choice. Some discomfort in the short term can lead to a higher quality of life in the long term.

This is particularly true of knee surgery.

Why Knee Surgery? Why Now?

The two most common reasons that your doctor will recommend knee surgery are because of an injury or arthritis. In either circumstance, damage to the knee joint makes movement painful and mobility difficult.

Many knee injuries will heal themselves over time. Your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes, physical therapy, glucosamine supplements, or anti-inflammatory medications to help speed healing. These same steps can also help slow damage from arthritis.

Sometimes an injury doesn't heal as hoped or arthritis gets worse over time. When your pain is severe and unrelenting, bothering you whether you're moving around or resting, your doctor may recommend knee surgery. There are three common methods: arthroscopic, a partial knee replacement, and a total knee replacement.

Arthroscopic surgery uses a small camera, inserted into a small incision. The doctor uses the camera to assess the damage and then uses additional small incisions to go in and make repairs. Using the video camera as a guide, the doctor is able to repair a torn meniscus, minor arthritic damage, damaged ligaments, or misaligned kneecaps in a less invasive way. Recovery from arthroscopic surgery usually takes four to six weeks.

A partial knee replacement is done when the cartilage is so damaged that bone is rubbing against bone within your knee joint. During the surgery, an implant is placed in the knee to provide cushion to the joint.

A total knee replacement is done when more than one part of the knee is damaged and can't be easily corrected with the other procedures. The doctor will open your knee, cut away the damaged areas and implant a prosthetic joint to restore pain-free function. Clearly, this is the most invasive option when it comes to knee surgery.

The recovery time for partial and total knee replacements varies and depends a great deal on your commitment to doing the prescribed physical therapy. Once you do recover, you won't have quite the same range of motion you once did and you'll have to avoid high impact activities, but you'll be able to move pain free in your day-to-day life.

Make Your Knee Surgery and Recovery Go As Smoothly as Possible

The key to the smoothest surgery and quickest recovery possible is open communication with your doctor.

When getting ready for the surgery let the doctor know weeks ahead of time what prescriptions and supplements you take. Then follow his advice on whether or not to discontinue use leading up to the surgery. Cut smoking (hopefully you don't smoke!) and drinking to a minimum in the week before your surgery. And ask your doctor what exercises you can do before hand that will make recovery easier.

Once the surgery is complete, the most important part of your recovery is physical therapy (PT). In most cases, you'll begin PT within 48 hours of the surgery. You may need to wear an immobilizer to keep your knee stable while it's healing. Ask your doctor and physical therapist about a continuous passive motion device. These machines work your knee joint while you relax and can speed up your recovery.

Remember to be patient while you're healing. It's a painful and uncomfortable process, but it's worth it. Eventually, you'll be able to go through your everyday life pain free, and you can't beat that.

Could My Knee Pain Be Caused by My Gallbladder?

Knee pain, problems and injuries make up a significant amount of the cases that we see in the clinic these days. Arthroscopes and knee replacements are some of the most common surgeries performed today. Yet in many ways our lifestyle today is less active and gentler on our knees than ever before, so why the huge number of knee problems?

There are no doubt many contributing factors, but one that we have found to be important in a large percentage of the cases we see in the clinic is a hidden underlying reason...a connection between the function of the gallbladder and an important muscle in the knee called popliteus.

It sounds unlikely at first, but the gallbladder and the popliteus muscle are connected by the gallbladder acupuncture meridian. This connection has been scientifically confirmed by muscle testing using Applied Kinesiology, a form of chiropractic.

When the gallbladder is under stress or not functioning properly, it causes the popliteus muscle to become "switched off", or neurologically inhibited. This means that the muscle does not fire properly and has only a fraction of its normal strength.

The resulting weakness has a devastating effect on the stability of the knee joint. Popliteus is a small muscle in the back of the knee that is involved in the "screw home" mechanism of the knee. This is the small amount of rotation (only 5 degrees) that occurs when we fully straighten our knee, which allows us to "lock" the joint. When popliteus isn't working properly it really destabilizes the whole knee joint.

This muscle weakness affects both knees, but it most commonly shows up as symptoms in one knee... usually the dominant one or the one that gets used the most. It can cause knee pain in all positions, but one of the most classic signs is knee pain that is worse walking downstairs than upstairs (or worse downhill than uphill). The pain is most often felt under the kneecap, even though the muscle responsible is at the back of the knee. Another sign of this problem is that often the muscle will be very tender if your press in behind the centre of the knee.

So what causes the stress on the gallbladder which "switches off" the popliteus muscle?

Well, the function of the gallbladder is to store and concentrate the bile, which is then ejected into the intestines to help break down any fats that we have eaten. This means that if we are eating a fatty diet, the gallbladder has to work harder to perform its function.

This is the reason why someone's knee can feel "up and down", or better one day and then worse again the next. People are often confused by the fact that how their knee feels doesn't seem to relate to their level of activity....in fact it is more dependent on what they have eaten that day.

The gallbladder also has a role to play in detoxification, as all fat-soluble toxins in the body are broken down by the liver and excreted in the bile. This means that if the body is particularly toxic the gallbladder can again be placed under stress, causing the knee problem to show up again.

Unfortunately, a fatty diet and toxic environment is a very common combination of factors in our Western society....perhaps the reason why we are seeing more and more knee problems?

If you have a recurring knee problem, get it checked out by a chiropractor who practices Applied Kinesiology...you may just find the hidden reason why it keeps coming back!

Improving High School Defense Suggestions

Conditioning: Quick step crossing

Reaction is as skill that players need to develop through conditioning and drills. This drill will help players quickly change directions on the field. Start out by placing the player on any crossing lined area on the field, anything like a small for square area. Once a players positions themselves in one of the corners they will proceed to jump from one corner of the area to other in either a patterned function or randomly. Coaches should encourage one foot jumping to increase further strength and reactions on the field.

Constant motion drill to increase ball handling skills

This drill is used to increase player's ball handling skills on the field. Players will move the football from one hand to another hand around differing parts of their body. The drill starts by having players hold the football above their head and start to pass it around their head, moving to the chest, under the arms, around the waist, knees, and completing with passing it through the legs.

In this drill the coaches responsibility is to observe the smoothness of the drill, and to also shout commands of body positions to move the ball around, and also to reverse the direction of the football. This change of motion will keep players from falling asleep, and ensure that you are developing handling skills and not just muscle memory.

At the very end of the drill the players will do several simple drops. The player will drop the ball and quickly pick it up again. They also should rotate which hand they are using to pick it up so that you can increase ball handling with both.

Protecting the football as you run

You can't run with the football until you have learned some basic ball security measures. There is nothing worse than almost getting a first down or even a touchdown and fumbling the ball, for this reason there is a great need for ball security. Basic ball security can be broken down into four steps. The claw position is the first point, meaning that you grab the football clawing at the point of the football with your fingers. The second point is making sure that your forearm is wrapped tightly on the outer rim of the football. Third point is to have the ball held tight against the bicep to prevent defenders from punching up through from behind. Fourth, pull the football up and tight against your ribcage closing the gap on the football from all four sides. Run a couple of drills were the ball carrier runs through a pack of defenders to practice. By reducing the risk of a fumble you will increase the offensive strength in effectively driving across the field and scoring touchdowns.

Practice can help turnovers

The faster your defense is at getting the ball back into the offensive's hands the more likely you are to win a game. Win your games by training your defense to use a strong tackle that strips the ball from the opponent. Practice dislodging the football on the field in pairs of players. The defender will practice stripping the ball by bringing his hands up quickly with a clenched fist to grab the opponent and as he does so to aim to knock out the football. Practice these movements slowly to start muscle memory and to correct bad habits.

Athletic Knee Support - Top 3 Benefits of Braces For Your Knees - Special Report

Athletic Knee Support

Do you enjoy to participate in sports, but your knees are giving you problems?

Does the pain or instability create enough of a problem for you that you can not turn the cheek anymore?

Introduction: Knee pain and instability problems can really keep you from participating in sports, at the level you want to. This might be obvious to you, and now you are looking for knee pain relief or improved support for an unstable knee joint. If you are looking to reduce your pain or increase your knee stability, it is time to look into a well designed knee brace. They do not have to be really big and heavy to be useful anymore! This free information was created to illustrate the benefits of support and you can make your choice after having read through the article, to see if you agree or not...

Top 3 Benefits of Braces

1.) Pain Relief

The great things about well designed knee braces is that they can be used before, during or after an activity or sport to help reduce your pain. You may be thinking that rest and ice can be used to help reduce your pain, but nothing is quite like the use of knee support. Ice will fall off your leg and rest immediately stops the moment your activity starts. This is what makes knee supports so unique, and this is why we like them. They can really make a big difference for someone in your position.

2.) Improved Stability

Another great benefit of knee supports is that they can improve your stability. Many times, when people injure their internal knee structures, they will tell you that their knee feel like it will "give out from underneath" them. Knee braces really help to combat this problem due to the meaningful support that they provide.

3.) Knee Protection

Once your doctor has cleared you to play sports again, that is great! If you have hurt or injured your knee then you might now think twice about how you approach your sport. The internal knee structures that you have, whether it is your ligaments, meniscus, tendons etc, all can benefit from improved support. A well designed knee brace will help you because it can restrict certain painful movements that might perpetuate your injury. Many times they also come with pads that will also help to protect you from impact as well.

(* This is helpful health information, but remember to speak to your doctor for medical advice.)

Basketball Shooting Tips and Advice

When it comes to the subject of shooting, there is a lot of basketball advice out there. It can be overwhelming for young players to absorb all the information they come across and then implement it when they get on the court. For this article I have tried to simplify the topic as much as possible and cover the key elements of good shooting.

Positioning of Feet and Body

The best shooters will start by shooting just 2-3 feet from the basket when they begin warming up. If you are trying to obtain a new shot, this is the best way to learn it. Start from 2-3 feet, not the 3 point line. Get directly in front of the basket, don't start from the side or try banking shots. Start from directly in from because you'll want to swish each shot. We start from the feet up first and that is by getting your feet shoulder width apart with your knees flexed a little bit. I put one foot slightly ahead of the other. I am right handed so it's my right foot I place forward. If you are left handed it would be the left foot that you would place in front. As we move up to our shoulders, make sure that your shoulders are in balance or squared to your hips. If I am raising my arms to shoot the ball, I need to make sure that my body is in balance and aligned. I don't want to be tipping to a side or tipping too far forward. I need to be in balance with the weight of my body on the balls of my feet.

Hands

This is something that isn't taught as well as it should be. Players are usually decent at the legs and shoulders, but terrible when it comes to the hands. You might have read about me referring to players as thumb shooters in other articles. These are players that use their off hand thumb to help propel the ball toward the basket. These players are typically very streaky in their shots because the shot rarely repeats the same release. Take the ball with one hand at first and shoot from 2-3 feet away but don't use your off hand to help yet. Make sure that you are keeping your elbow in and getting the proper rotation on the ball. For practice, make sure that you are shooting the ball from the logo on the ball so you can see the rotation you should be getting. The ball should be shot from your pointer finger and middle finger. If the ball is coming off the last three fingers then you need to do some adjusting before you bring up your off hand. Once your release is solid, then stay at the 2-3 foot range and bring up the off hand. Your off hand elbow should stay in as well and only guide the ball. Make sure that the rotation stays the same by using the guide hand. If you notice the rotation is different or the ball is coming off your shooting hand different, then stop and start over without the guide hand. Nothing should change by using the guide hand.

Aim

This is a great debate as some coaches say to aim for the back of the rim and others on the front of the rim. I believe that is best to aim at the back rim. In my opinion it is better to miss long because throughout the game you will get tired and the ball will be there when you need it. The important thing is to have a spot that you are aiming for and focusing on. Don't think about missing it. Think about making the shot and having a positive attitude. Remember that shooting is like golf in that you would rather miss long than short, you want to give the ball a chance to go in. When you leave it short, it has zero chance of going in.

Jump Shots

The jump shot is one of the most basic fundamentals in basketball. It differs from a set shot in that the player jumps in the air before releasing the ball. For a young player, this is very awkward to accomplish. Don't start too young to shoot these if you aren't ready. I believe that a jump shot started at too young of an age can lead to poor mechanics. What happens is kids aren't strong enough yet to get the ball to the basket from far away and because they have to strain themselves they develop poor habits that are hard to get rid of. A good jump shot is learned from inside the free throw line, not at the 3 point line. One of the prettiest shots I've seen in a long time is from JJ Redick. He obeys all the correct rules. Balanced feet, square shoulders and his off hand is strictly used just to guide the ball. He gets excellent rotation on the ball and shoots the ball above his head where he can see the basket with both eyes. Other great shooters, like Larry Bird followed those same principles. Bird's shot wasn't as pretty as Redick's, but his release was flawless. It came off the right part of the hand and he could see the basket with both eyes. It was simply amazing to watch up close. I say this a lot, but if your elbow is straight when you shoot the ball will probably go straight. Let's not make it any more difficult than it already is.

Lay-Ups

I was horrible at lay-ups growing up. I cost myself hundreds of points because I couldn't make one. I felt it was important enough to cover some of the fundamentals of a solid lay-up.

When I was 12 years old, I went to a basketball camp where the coach filmed us driving in for a lay-up. I was just getting over my lay-up phobia and was OK with being filmed as I thought I was the man. When we watched the tapes we were all amazed at a simple flaw some of us were doing. When we would come in for the lay-up we would bring the ball to the other side of our bodies before we brought it up to shoot with the correct hand. I was worse than everyone at this. By doing this, I was giving the defender the opportunity to slap the ball away or simply knock it away from me. I learned also that this was a major reason I was so bad at lay-ups in the previous years.

When you are shooting a lay-up make sure you are concentrating on using proper footwork. If you are on the right side, typically you will use the left foot to jump off and vice versa from the other side. For younger players this is honestly a major challenge. Young players don't be alarmed if this isn't natural for you right away. Lastly, don't take off too far away from the basket or too late. This can only be learned by practicing and knowing what your personal limitations are. I've recently learned that my limitations have changed as I've gotten older. No fun.

Arthritis Treatment: The Three Types of Tendonitis That Cause Knee Pain And How to Treat Them

Knee pain (KP) is a common malady often seen in a rheumatologist's or orthopedic surgeon's office. Multiple causes exist including trauma, arthritis, bursitis, neurological conditions, genetic issues, and so on.

One type of medical problem causing KP that is frequently ignored... or not considered is tendonitis. There are at least three major types of tendonitis that can cause significant KP.

The first is quadriceps tendonitis. The quadriceps tendon connects the quadriceps muscle in the thigh to the patella (kneecap). While relatively uncommon, certain factors can cause quadriceps tendonitis to rear its ugly head. These include trauma, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, steroid therapy, kidney disease, and the use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics. The latter cause is an important one because fluoroquinolone antibiotics are frequently used to treat respiratory tract and urinary tract infections. These antibiotics can cause not only tendonitis but can also increase the likelihood of tendon rupture.

Quadriceps tendon rupture is devastating and can be recognized when a patient who has had symptomatic quadriceps tendonitis cannot straighten their leg, and there is a gap between where the tendon should insert into the kneecap and the quadriceps muscle. This is a surgical emergency.

Patellar tendonitis is another type of tendonitis that causes KP. It is fairly common, particularly in athletes who engage in running, jumping, and kicking. Patellar tendonitis is often referred to as "jumper's knee". Pain, tenderness, and inability to straighten the knee are usually present. Like the quadriceps tendon, this tendon can also rupture.

Both forms of tendonitis present with pain either above or below the knee cap. Treatment involves the use of rest, ice, anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy, stretching, and platelet-rich plasma. Platelet-rich plasma or PRP is an ultra-concentrate of blood containing many platelets. Platelets are blood cells that enable clotting and also contain many healing and growth factors. Multiple studies have demonstrated that ultrasound guided platelet-rich plasma injection can significantly shorten the healing cycle.

Another type of tendonitis that can cause knee pain is hamstring tendonitis. Although hamstring injuries in athletes are frequently due to hamstring muscle strain, hamstring tendons can also cause pain. The hamstring muscles originate at the back of the pelvis. They end in tendons that insert at the back of and along the inside part of the knee. When they become inflamed or injured, they cause significant pain and disability.

Treatment includes, rest, ice, anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy, gentle stretching and ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma injections.