Chiropractic for Zumba Injuries?!

Chiropractors warn dancers to take care after spike in Zumba related injuries

- Chiropractors see spike in Zumba injuries
- "There is a tendency to get carried away"
- At risk: Hips, knees, ankles, lower-back

ZUMBA may be the latest exercise craze, but busting a move could cost you more than the class fee.

Chiropractors in New South Wales have reported an increase in Zumba-related injuries as people jump on the Latin-American style dance bandwagon.

Injuries include hip, knee and ankle joint pain, muscle soreness across the shoulders, tightness in the calves and hamstrings and lower-back discomfort, the Chiropractors Association of Australia NSW says.

Dr Kerein Earney said large Zumba class sizes and a less structured format meant people were giving it a go without individual guidance and may not realise they're performing a move incorrectly until they wake up with a sore shoulder, back or knee the next day.

"Zumba is fun, fast paced and energetic, which is great to get the heart pumping, but does increase the risk of sprains and strains. So people should keep in mind their current fitness levels and any pre-existing injuries," she said.

"Because people are dancing to modern music away from the gym environment, there is a tendency to get carried away and push the body beyond its limitations."

Health Club operator Fitness First said it hadn't seen an increase in injuries with Zumba.

But Fitness First Zumba instructor Rachel Kalwy said people should be aware of their existing fitness level and health before starting a new activity.

"If you're beginning your fitness journey it's advisable before starting any exercise program to consult your doctor before you begin," she said.

"Always be sure to attend a Zumba class conducted by a fitness professional and if it's your first time, you should let the instructor know."

Here at Rosa Chiropractic of Alexandria I continue to see more and more patient's entering my office with Zumba injures. It is very important to receive treatment when you injure yourself when exercising. Pushing through the injuries to stay in shape will further progress your injury, and therefore make it more difficult to treat while taking more time to heal.

Chiropractic > Drugs for Back Pain

Hands-on, mind-body therapies beat supplements

A new survey of subscribers to Consumer Reports found that prescription drugs generally performed better than alternative therapies for 12 common health problems. But hands-on treatments such as chiropractic care and deep-tissue massage, as well as mind-body therapies such as yoga and meditation, held their own, especially for certain conditions. Far fewer said that dietary supplements helped a lot.

Prescription drugs helped the most for nine of the conditions we asked about: allergies, anxiety, colds and flu, depression, digestive problems, headache and migraine, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, and osteoarthritis.

But chiropractic care performed better than drugs for back pain, and deep-tissue massage beat drugs for neck pain. Massage was as also as good as drugs for fibromyalgia. Those hands-on therapies also scored near the top for osteoarthritis as well as for headaches and migraines.

Mind-body therapies such as meditation, deep breathing, and yoga are being used to treat a range of conditions. Since our last survey on alternative therapies in 2005, there appears to be a modest up-tick in the use of meditation as a treatment for depression and anxiety. And for those two conditions—as well as insomnia—it seemed to help some people a lot: 42 percent said that for anxiety, 36 percent for depression, and 24 percent for insomnia.

Dietary supplements generally did not perform very well. But about a third of people who took probiotics for digestive problems (35 percent) or irritable bowel syndrome (31 percent) said it helped a lot, as did 26 percent of those who took zinc for the colds and flu and 25 percent of those who took glucosamine, chondroitin, or both for osteoarthritis.

-Joel Keehn

Chiropractic for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

When people think “chiropractic,” they often think of back and neck problems. But chiropractic has many applications beyond these typical uses, and it can improve quality of life for a broad range of health conditions. One such condition is carpal tunnel syndrome, a repetitive stress injury (RSI). Chiropractic can be a beneficial treatment for patients seeking noninvasive relief from this ailment that has become all too common in the modern world.

How Does a Chiropractor Treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a repetitive stress injury (RSI). This category of injuries is caused by repetitive motion, such as typing or assembly line work, which causes pain and injury over time. The earlier that an RSI is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome can be. Diagnosis includes physical examination and possibly x-rays. Typically, the chiropractic treatment for RSI includes manipulation of the affected wrist and elbow, as well as manipulation of the upper spine. A spinal manipulation involves applying controlled pressure to a joint. The chiropractor may also advise the patient to rest the affected arm, apply cold to reduce inflammation, perform appropriate exercises, or wear a splint or brace to immobilize the area.Some common treatments chiropractors use for carpal tunnel syndrome include:

• Manipulation of the wrist, arm, and upper spine: Misalignment in the spine could contribute to symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) perform adjustments (also called spinal manipulations) that aim to correct improper alignment in the spine. The chiropractor typically performs an adjustment using his or her hands, but sometimes devices are employed. Chiropractors may also adjust and treat other areas of the body as needed, including the wrist and arm.

• Ultrasound therapy: This therapy uses either very high-energy or low-energy sound, both of which are outside the range of normal human hearing. The chiropractor uses a device that emits focused sound waves that penetrate deep into body tissue. Sound waves can relax muscles, alleviate pain, and reduce inflammation.

• Wrist supports: Wrist supports seek to keep the wrist in the proper alignment and can be used to treat or prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.

What Can Be Expected During the Healing Process?

Chiropractic is generally a relatively safe practice and is a noninvasive treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, especially compared to treatment involving medications and surgery. Studies have shown improvement in symptoms of repetitive stress injuries (RSIs), including carpal tunnel syndrome, as a result of chiropractic treatment. Some research has concluded that chiropractic can be just as effective as allopathic care for RSIs.

What Is Chiropractic?

As with any medical treatment, prognosis for resolution of a Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) can vary from patient to patient, based on such factors as the nature and severity of the RSI, the age and overall health of the patient, and simultaneous use of other therapies. But in many cases, chiropractic treatment has helped patients struggling with carpal tunnel syndrome. So although carpal tunnel and other RSI patients must face the realities of modern-day society with its risks of conditions like RSI, chiropractic can provide hope for managing this condition.

Chiropractic subscribes to the belief that the body’s structure is related to its function. More specifically, the profession focuses on the structure of the spine and how that affects the state of health and the functioning of not only the neck and back but other areas of the body as well.

It holds to the philosophy that misalignments of the spine affect the body’s ability to function and can contribute to health problems. These misalignments need to be, and can be, corrected through chiropractic therapy. The nervous system, including the spine’s nerves, affects the flow of energy throughout the entire body. Another foundational belief of chiropractic is that the body has a powerful ability to heal itself. Chiropractic aims to stimulate that ability.

What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (RSI)?

Carpal tunnel syndrome, a repetitive stress injury (RSI), was named as such because the anatomical structure of this form of injury. The bones in the wrist (called carpals) form a tunnel, and the median nerve travels from the forearm to the hand through this carpal tunnel. Carpal tunnel syndrome is, therefore, an injury to this area of the body. Often, the dominant wrist is the injured one, but in some patients, both left and right wrists are involved. Symptoms include pain and numbness in the index, middle fingers, and thumb, tingling in the hand(s), weakness, and pain shooting up the arm.

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused and worsened by repetitive motion and tasks, whereby the tendons in the carpal tunnel become swollen, which contributes to a pinched nerve in the carpal tunnel. Examples of repetitive motion include using a computer for long periods of time, performing a job on an assembly line, and using hand tools. Patients suffering with this condition are more often female than male. Middle age is the most common time in life for carpal tunnel syndrome to occur.

Many of the patients who seek chiropractic treatment for repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) do so because it is not nearly as invasive as other, more allopathic, treatments, which often rely on treatments such as medications.

Rosa Chiropractic Uses Diagnostic Ultrasound

What is Ultrasound Imaging of the Musculoskeletal System?

Ultrasound imaging involves exposing part of the body to high-frequency sound waves to produce pictures of the inside of the body. Ultrasound exams do not use radiation (as in x-rays). Because ultrasound images are captured in real-time, they can show the structure and movement of the body’s internal organs, as well as blood flowing through blood vessels. Ultrasound imaging is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions by providing images that show normal and abnormal muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and soft tissue structures throughout the body.

What are some common uses of the procedure?

Ultrasound images are typically used to help diagnose:

• Shoulder: rotator cuff injuries, tendonitis, bursitis, impingement
• Elbow: medial epicondylitis (golfer’s elbow), lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
• Knee: meniscal tears, ligament strains, Baker’s cyst
• Hip: bursitis, tendonitis
• Ankle sprains
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Stress fractures

How does the procedure work?

Ultrasound imaging is based on the same principles involved in the sonar used by bats, ships and fishermen. When a sound wave strikes an object, it bounces back, or echoes. By measuring these echo waves it is possible to determine how far away the object is and its size, shape, and consistency (whether the object is solid, filled with fluid, or both).

How is the procedure performed?

For most ultrasound exams of the musculoskeletal system, the patient is seated on an examination table or a swivel chair. For some ultrasound exams, the patient is positioned lying face-up on an examination table.

A clear water-based gel is applied to the area of the body being studied to help the transducer make secure contact with the body and eliminate air pockets between the transducer and the skin. The ultrasound technologist or physician then presses the transducer firmly against the skin in various locations, sweeping over the area of interest or angling the sound beam from a farther location to better see an area of concern.

During the examination, Dr. Rosa is able to point out problem areas in real-time (big difference compared to MRI). This ultrasound examination is usually completed with in 15-30 minutes, but may occasionally take longer.

What will I experience during and after the procedure?

Most ultrasound examinations are painless, fast and easy.If scanning is performed over an area of tenderness, you may feel pressure or minor pain from the transducer. The technologist or physician may ask you to move the extremity being examined or may move it for you to evaluate not only anatomy but also function of a joint, muscle, ligament or tendon. Once the imaging is complete, the gel will be wiped off your skin.
After an ultrasound exam, you should be able to resume your normal activities immediately.

What are the benefits vs. risks?

Benefits

• Performed quickly in-office
• Non-invasive
• Comfortable
• Exam is performed in real-time with dynamic motion
• Can be easily compared to the non-injured side
• Instant results
• Differentiates between new and old injuries
• Cheaper than an MRI
• Can be used for guided injections directly into a problem spot

Risks

• For standard diagnostic ultrasound there are no known harmful effects on humans

What are the limitations of Ultrasound Imaging of the Musculoskeletal System?

Ultrasound has difficulty penetrating bone and therefore can only see the outer surface of bony structures and not what lies within. For visualizing internal structure of bones or certain joints, other imaging modalities such as MRI,CT, and plain xrays are typically used.

At Rosa Family Chiropractic of Alexandria and Fairfax, we utilize diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound on both the upper and lower extremities to rule out or diagnose your injury.