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World-Class Skiier Illustrates Sports Rehab Protocols

By On · Add Comment · In active release technique (ART), chiropractic adjustments, proprioceptive system, Resi Stiegler, ski injury, sports chiropractor, sports injury, sports rehabilitation, stabilizer muscles, yoga

This post isn’t really about ski racing, although it could be. Since I don’t know all that much about the sport, I won’t bore you with my version of its details. No this post is about something else that has caught my attention and has inspired me. A friend recently posted the video below onto facebook (thank you Tim V), and as I watched I observed the sports rehabilitative work that I am so familiar with because I do it everyday. Then I got to hear the words from the engaging athlete in the piece, and I became even more inspired. So this post is about something that gets my hairs standing on end. Hope you enjoy it too.

Resi Stiegler is a World Cup alpine ski racer from Wyoming and the daughter of Olympic champion Josef “Pepi” Stiegler of Austria. Forget that she is a member of my blood tribe, as my mother hails from Klagenfurt, Austria, but what she is striving to achieve, and what she must bounce back from to do it, including the path she’s taking to get there, are all sources of intrigue for me.

If you watch the video, you’ll see that Stiegler had a serious ski injury–leg fractures and ligament tears–laying her up for some time. Recall my recent article on rehabbing my friend from a major motorcycle accident. Unlike Stiegler, my friend had no ligament tears, yet the rehab was still a challenge. The skier, on the other hand, had a number of physical obstacles that she had to address in her rehab protocol, making it that much more challenging.

What really grabbed me about this video is the work Stiegler was doing to stimulate her proprioceptive system–a must in any sports rehabilitation program. Additionally she was challenging her stabilizer muscles by using the exercise ball, practicing yoga (although she makes no mention of it, she is doing a yoga asana in the video), and doing balance work with the additional challenge of playing catch with a medicine ball. She also mentions active release technique (ART), a powerful muscle treatment utilized by chiropractors and physical therapists. In my sports chiropractic practice, Stiegler would have also received a boost from regular chiropractic adjustments.

But her program seems to have worked wonders. Each one of the practices described above is powerful and were all likely contributors to her amazing comeback. Stiegler placed second in the World Cup slalom in Ofterschwang, Germany on Sunday–a career best for her.

Watch the video to see what gets me inspired about the world of sports rehabilitation (and please note some of the things she talks about at the end of the clip, which illustrates the crucial mental component, although she doesn’t talk about it in that way…she’s just living it). Bringing world-class athletes back from injury and competing again is a fulfillment to me like no other. And helping everyday folk get back to playing with their children, being productive at their jobs, and competing in their own hobbies is no less fulfilling. Watch the video to see what I love.

Curious Case of Crying Baby

By On · Add Comment · In birthing, chiropractic adjustments, crying, difficulty sleeping, eye drooping, infant, learning difficulties, malformation, occiput, refused breast, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

I had an interesting case come into my office this last week, a 3-month-old boy that was having difficulty sleeping and the inability to turn his head to the right.  When his parent tried to turn his head to the right, the child would start to scream and cry.  The parents reported that the boy had refused the breast from early on, and was therefore on formula, and also that his left eye drooped a little.

Upon examination I noticed that his right occipital bone (back skull) appeared to be protruding backward, yet he was turning his head toward the left, which was an oddity to me.  If, for instance, his occiput was rotated backward on the right, he would turn his head to the right, but not to the left.  This, of course, was not the case.

Not Child’s Actual MRI: for illustrative purposes

I realized that his right occipital bone was jammed into the first cervical vertebra, and rotated backward on the left.  But why did it appear as if he was rotated back on the right.  It was an optical illusion that was perpetuated by increased muscular tone on the left side of the back of his skull (see picture).  Further, I believe that because he was lying on his back (to prevent sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS), he might have caused a bit of flattening known as plagiocephaly, which should correct now that he is improving.

I guess I gave it away, but I treated him by lifting his occipital condyle off of the first cervical vertebra.  With a little left to right rotation, the infant was immediately turning his head to the right (see pictures).  For his eye drooping I did some light adjustments of his hand and foot digits on the opposite side (in this case the right), and sent he and his family on their way, with instructions to return two days later.

I saw the little guy again on Saturday, when his father told me that “whatever you did worked, because he slept that day like he hadn’t in weeks.”  His eye also seemed to normalize somewhat.  When I worked on him this time, he was giggling and cooing throughout the light chiropractic infant adjustments.  It was amazing!

On day three (today), he looks like a totally different kid.  His head was sitting straight, he was calm and his eyes seemed nearly fully symmetrical.  I believe that this condition is not that uncommon, as the birthing process can be tough on a baby.  Somewhere through the canal, his head jammed.  Although I am certain he would have adapted to the malformation, probably with an increased thoracic hump (hunchback), correcting the problem now prevents any neurological compromise or even learning difficulties that could arise from the deformity.

Cases like this make my work so rewarding.  I only wish more people would take their children in for regular chiropractic checkups.  Sometimes the fussing and crying some babies go through has to do with a structural deformity.  I can’t imagine having your occiput jammed into your spine feels good.  It sure didn’t for that little tyke, but he feels a lot better now.  And so do his parents.  God bless chiropractic.

Conservative Care First

By On · Add Comment · In chiropractic adjustments, herniated disk, low back pain, low back surgery, microdiscectomy, pain killers, sciatica

Low back pain is the fifth most common reasons for physician visits in the U.S.  One third of them report persistent back pain of at least moderate intensity one year after an acute episode, and 1 in 5 report substantial limitations in activity.

Sciatica–a painful nerve irritation–can accompany low back pain and can sometimes be present on its own.  Sciatica and low back pain together very often result from disc herniation, predominantly in the lumbar spine.

Several treatment options exist, but which ones are most effective?  A 2010 study set out to determine the efficacy of two of these treatments–chiropractic adjustments or surgery.  Forty patients were chosen through elective referral by primary care physicians to spinal neurosurgeons.  Patients were chosen on the basis that they had already failed at least three months of nonoperative management including treatment with analgesics (pain killers), lifestyle modification, physiotherapy, massage therapy, and/or acupuncture.

The patients were randomly split into two groups: those to receive chiropractic adjustments and those to receive microdiscectomy (surgical removal of the herniated disc–cool video here).  Crossover to the alternate treatment was allowed after three months.

Researchers found significant improvement in both groups.  Hmmm…so, by this study, chiropractic and disc surgery were better than pain killers, lifestyle modification, PT, massage and acupuncture to relieve chronic, stubborn sciatica.  Okay, I’ll buy that (well, I am a chiropractor, you know?).  But which one is better?  We’ve gotta have a ‘better’, don’t we?

The results showed that the two treatments came out exactly the same for all outcome measures for the majority of subjects one year post-treatment.  However, eight patients did crossover from chiropractic to surgery, while three crossed over from surgery into chiropractic.  The three that did not benefit from surgery failed to benefit from chiropractic as well.  The eight chiropractic-didn’t-work-for-me crossovers, however, did benefit from the disc surgery…and get this…they did so to the same degree as their surgery-first counterparts.  Dang–now that’s a good study!

Here’s the take home: When dealing with chronic sciatica due to herniated disc, try chiropractic first, period (authors believe first line should be drugs, physical therapy and lifestyle modification…but I don’t).  If the chiropractic doesn’t work, go ahead and get the surgery (although I still think I would try chiropractic, rehab and orthotics [if foot dysfunction present] seriously for at least one year before making that decision).  If you do it this way, you won’t hurt yourself  (at least within three months) by waiting on the surgery–you will still likely benefit as if you went surgery right away–AND if chiropractic works for you (as it did for a majority in the study), you’ll be better off physically and financially, because remember, you’ll never be the same or better following a surgery, and microdiscectomies aren’t cheap (unless, of course, you are lucky enough to live where there’s socialized medicine, and then somebody else will pick up the tab).

Finally, if you decide to get the surgery and it doesn’t work for you (10-20% failure rate), understand that there’s no going back–chiropractic probably can’t help you then.  Get it?  Good.

Los Angeles Chiropractor: Home Stretches to Relieve Neck Pain

By On · Add Comment · In chiropractic adjustments, chiropractor, chronic neck pain, levator scapula, Los Angeles sports chiropractic, neck stretches, upper back pain, upper trapezius

Last month, I posted twice on how to relieve neck pain.  Whereas the first post dealt with the anatomy of neck and upper back pain, and the second with techniques I do in my Los Angeles sports chiropractic office, this post describes things you can do on your own, at home, to take a proactive role in correcting your chronic neck problems.

In the video below I demonstrate two outstanding neck stretches that focus on the upper trapezius and levator scapulae muscles.  Although these two have similar attachment points and functions, they require slightly different movements.  It is important to follow the steps laid out in the video–miss one, and you won’t get the proper stretch.  If you have trouble getting down the nuances of each stretch, just do the basic stretch I show first–believe me it’ll do wonders.

If you have chronic neck pain, it would be wise to visit a chiropractor.  With chiropractic adjustments, massage and neck stretches, your neck problems should clear up nicely.  If you are in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills or West Hollywood, come get your neck pain relief at my sports chiropractic office–you’ll be happy you did.

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