Is it just a cold, or is it Sinusitis?

Sinus infections - or sinusitis - are very similar to a common cold, and because of this, can be hard to distinguish. Sinusitis is actually more likely to arise after contracting a cold and if your condition remains for more than seven days it is likely a sinus infection. Symptoms include mucous discharge and blockage, headache, fever, facial and teeth pain, bad taste in the mouth, and coughing to expel mucous. Sinusitis can also be caused by a virus, bacteria, or fungus, with each requiring a different treatment.

Some ways to manage symptoms include the following:
•Drink lots of fluids to thin mucous.
•Breathe steam through the nose to keep the nasal passages moist. This can be done in the shower or with a bowl of hot water.
•Place a warm cloth over your face to cover the nasal area to relieve pain and pressure. Hold the cloth for ten minutes and repeat throughout the day.
•Decongestant sprays or pills can help free up nasal passages, but excessive use can actually cause more congestion.
•Nasal cleansing - a neti pot and other similar devices flush out proinflammatory substances.
If these procedures do not help, perhaps antibiotics are necessary. You should ask a doctor if they are right for your condition, as they only treat bacterial infection and overuse can lead to antibiotic resistance.

Inflammation

Is all inflammation bad for you? No, some inflammation is necessary to heal your body. When you damage muscles, tendons or ligaments, you often see inflammation and reduced function in the affected areas. The inflammatory response allows tissue repair and limits further damage by restricting movement in the injured area. However, excessive or chronic inflammation prevents healing, and your body becomes more susceptible to disease. Besides joint related diseases like arthritis, inflammation can be a key contributor to heart disease, stroke, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, Alzheimer’s disease and chronic fatigue syndrome.

One main contributor to inflammation is free radical molecules. It is not possible to completely stop your body from producing free radicals because it is part of natural metabolic processes. In fact, every time you breathe, you create free radicals. However, you should know the steps you can take to limit the production of free radicals and reduce inflammation in your body.

Our environment and lifestyle can contribute significantly to the development of inflammation. Avoid exposure to pesticides by eating organic food. When it comes to diet, consume plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, kale and spinach. For protein rich sources, opt for fish over meat. Legumes and nuts are also good sources of protein. Exercise to keep your body in an appropriate weight range. Stress also promotes inflammation, so learn stress management techniques to keep it under control. Feel free to ask me for more tips on improving your diet and lifestyle.

Curing and Preventing Carpal Tunnel

Whereas traditional medicine tends to focus in the area of the pain, chiropractors consider the entire kinetic chain. Dysfunctional neurological patterns in the neck can cause abnormal firing patterns in different muscles, including the ones that lead into the wrist and hand. Therefore, it is important to consider the mechanics of your neck and upper back. Vertebral subluxations in these areas could be one of the main contributing factors to your CTS!

In addition, chiropractors also know how the alignment of the bones in your wrist and elbow could be the cause of your symptoms. When joints are not aligned properly, the resulting inflammation and pain can cause spasm of the muscles in the area of the subluxation, plus irritation of the surrounding soft tissues. This alone could be the cause of the swelling and irritation of the tendons in the carpal tunnel. Sometimes, just a quick and gentle adjustment applied to one of the bones in these areas can help relieve the pressure.

When it comes to carpal tunnel syndrome, like any other maladies in the body, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! You should always...

• Consider the ergonomics of your workstation. Repetitive movements are not the problem—it is repetitive movement when your muscles and joints are at a disadvantage, leading to repetitive strain and pain.
• Take regular breaks when your job requires repetitive tasks. During your break periods, a little bit of stretching (of the tight muscles) can go a long way.
• Seek help when the CTS symptoms are just beginning to show up. The earlier you attend to these aches and pains, the better the chances of coming to a quick resolution of this painful condition.

If you start to feel the symptoms of CTS, feel free to contact me. Chiropractic care can be a very effective tool to reduce the symptoms of CTS. I can conduct special tests to help determine the cause of the problem, and adjustments delivered right away can help prevent it from becoming a painful, chronic problem.

Identification of Carpal Tunnel

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common nerve entrapment syndrome. It is a painful condition caused by irritation or compression of the median nerve. Patient complaints are usually limited to the thumb and index finger, but in some cases may also involve the rest of the hand, the wrist and even the forearm.

This syndrome derives its name from the location where the nerve irritation/compression most often occurs—in the carpal tunnel of the wrist. Anatomically, the bones of the wrist are positioned in an arch-shaped arrangement that leaves enough space for nerves, tendons and blood vessels to pass to the hand and fingers—this area is called the Carpal Tunnel. If the passageway of this tunnel becomes crowded, the resulting pressure on the median nerve can result in any of the symptoms mentioned above.

One of the most commonly reported causes of CTS symptoms is inflammation of the tendons passing through the carpal tunnel. However, irritation of the median nerve can also be caused by displacement of one of the carpal bones, or irritation of the nerve at other locations—such as the neck, shoulder or near the elbow. Activities known to contribute to this type of syndrome are those associated with repetitive contraction of the small muscles of the hand: like typing, knitting or sewing.

Chronic Pain

A recent new patient has reminded me that many people consider their chronic pain as hopeless or even worse as normal. A frequent source of chronic pain are the muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons of the body. Once these areas are injured, they often heal with a greater concentration of nerves in the tissue. That makes them more sensitive than normal tissue. Healing of these parts called "soft tissues" is seldom perfect but in many cases it is very far from what could even be considered good. The degree to which this tissue becomes more normal again is the degree to which it will be stronger and produce less pain.

Fortunately, with appropriate chiropractic care, these tissues can be stimulated to remodel further towards normal. This will result in better mobility and less pain. In fact, that recent patient who had been believing her condition mostly hopeless was pleased to report (and I was pleased to hear) that she was feeling almost normal again after just a few weeks of treatment!

Thumbs Up

Again recently a patient has come in with a chief complaint of thumb pain. At first you might think, "do chiropractors even work on thumbs?" That is a common question but the answer is emphatically Yes! In fact, we can help many conditions involving the extremities such as the shoulder, wrist, hip, knee and foot. Also what I frequently see is that the person with these problems has usually had them for a long time. Perhaps they have been helped to some degree by other treatments but the patient has given up hope that they will get completely better. Thankfully, in most cases, we can clear up the problem completely. It usually boils down to a lack of correct motion in the joint. That is also what we are dealing with in the spine. Please ask us about your extremity problems and quit accepting that pain as normal.

March in Redmond

No, I'm not talking about a protest in the streets. It's March, spring is just around the corner even as the snowflakes still fly occasionally. It's also the time of year that people start thinking about their yards and doing more activities outside. It's really a terrific time because we need that fresh air and sunshine after a long winter. When you notice that the sun is out, make a special effort to go outside. Take a walk, do a little gardening or whatever. Your body will appreciate the break from your regular activities and you can start getting some vitamin D again. The sun is still pretty low which makes it harder to stimulate D plus it's still a bit chilly to be outside without a bunch of layers. But it's at least a beginning. Bring on the Spring!