Poor Posture and How It Affects Soft Tissue and the Spine

A good posture is not only necessary for your physical health but also your mental health. We need both mental and physical power to hold our body the right way while sitting, standing, walking, and sleeping. People tend to adapt poor posture because of the back pain caused by working for long hours. Lack of proper posture leads to neck pain, spinal cord injuries, and even chronic pains.

Warning Signs of Poor Posture

Here are a few signs of poor posture that you must lookout for if you want live a healthy lifestyle.

1.       Persistent back pain with varying intensity

2.       Pain that vanishes when you switch position, whenever you are standing or sitting

3.       At a specific time of the day or week, the back pain gets worse.

4.       Back pain caused because of a new office chair, new job, or new car.

5.       Pain that begins from the neck, and travels downwards to the upper and lower back.

Impact of Poor Posture on Soft Tissue and the Spine

Whether it is our lifestyle, injury, general health or aging – poor and unnatural posture can further cause soft tissue injury, spinal cord injury, degenerative conditions, and structural injury. The tendons, nerves, muscles, and ligaments are considered as soft tissues. Pain in these tissues occurs because of bad posture, stress, and injury. This can cause pressure on the spine. The pressure keeps moving depending on position of the person.

When a person is lying down on their back, the pressure on the spine is minimal at that point. The pressure travels upwards thrice, as the person stands up straight, and 4 times when they are in a sitting position. Similarly, if that person is lifting the weight of a medium sized box, the stress on the lower back increases up to 5 times. Therefore, when the poor posture and defective body workings mix together, the pain can augment up to 5 times. These movements can lead to mini-injuries and micro-trauma, particularly when they are recurring. The development of musculoskeletal symptoms is quite common too.

Hunchback, forward head, and rounded shoulder are postures that cause pain in the neck, shoulder, and back. Most of the time, it is because of prolonged sitting or sitting in an unnatural way for a long time. Misalignment in the spine also takes place because of slouching, which further leads to herniated disc. This is the spine problem caused in the lumbar region. The disc is a supportive cushion for the vertebrae. However, the herniation can cause the inner disc to push through the outer layer. In this condition, an individual will feel numbness and pain in the legs, arms, or back.

Chiropractic medicine is one of the natural ways to treat these disorders. There are no drugs or major surgery involved in this treatment. It can adjust the misalignments and restore performance, so you can adapt to healthy lifestyle with a correct posture.

Knee Injury Due to Motor Vehicle Accident

Everyday we hear about auto accident injuries occurring in Jacksonville and Orange Park, whether in the news, from a family member, our colleagues, or we fitness them firsthand. These accidents can cause serious injuries to a person, which at times stays with them for a lifetime.

Damage to the knee is one of the outcomes of vehicle accidents, which has the potential to completely immobilize a person. This is because walking requires the movement of the knee, which becomes restricted when it is injured. Claiming medical insurance becomes necessary when the injury is serious and requires surgery. In such circumstances, an attorney in Florida will help you get the right amount in compensation, while you recover from your injury. However prior to contacting an attorney, you need the proper medical care.

Symptoms of Knee Injury

If you are suffering from a knee injury, these are the symptoms you will most likely encounter.

1.       Variations in the range of motion, which hinders the extension of your walk or knee.

2.       Feeling pain when you are performing a task or even resting.

3.       Unsteadiness and weakness.

4.       Tingling sensation, and tenderness on the knee.

5.       Swelling and redness on the knee.

6.       Sticking out bone or any other deformity is the sign of fracture or break.

7.       Color changes because of the bruise or changes in temperature (fever or cold).

8.       The feeling of something ripping or popping in the knee.

9.       Locking or grinding of the knee bones indicates that bones are not at their right places.

Different Types of Knee Injury

You will get the insurance depending on the type of knee injury you have. It can range from subtle to acute knee injury. These include fractures, knee strain and sprain, anterior cruciate ligament, dislocation of the knee, medical collateral ligament, and posterior cruciate ligament.

There are three levels of knee sprain:

a)     Grade 1 Knee Sprain

At this level, the fibers of the knees are completely intact and stable, and only the ligament is stretched, which is causing the pain.

b)     Grade 2 Knee Sprain

In grade 2 knee sprain, there is a little bit of unsteadiness, which can be visible in some cases. There is also a partial tearing of the ligament fibers.  

c)      Grade 3 Knee Sprain

At this point, the situation of the knee is very serious and the ligament fibers are entirely torn.

Treatments of Knee Sprains and Strains

Physical therapy, joint elevation, application of heat and cold, limitation of physical activity, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and splints are the popular treatments present for knee strains and sprains. The time required for the knee injury to heal properly depends on the age and overall health of the person. In some cases, surgery is the only solution. Therefore, do not handle the matter of knee injury lightly as it can cause mobility problems in the future.

If you have injured your knee and need immediate assistance call Spinal Injury Centers today (904) 644-7034.

Shoulder Injury Due to Motor Vehicle Accident

Motor vehicle accidents are commonplace in the amount of traffic we see every day. These accidents can cause injuries to the driver and other passengers sitting in that vehicle. Shoulder injuries are one of the outcomes that victim suffers, especially the individual who is driving the car. Such injuries can cause serious impairments to the person for a lifetime, and can hinder their normal functioning.

There are some injuries that are discovered later on because of the initial adrenaline rush, shock, and denial. However, as soon as the person start feeling the pain, it is important to seek medical assistance from a licensed Chiropractor in Orange Park who has a specialization in handling shoulder injury cases caused by accidents. You also acquire legal help as some insurance companies deny help, because of  late claims. You can hire an attorney in Florida, who can help you with the case while you recover from a shoulder injury.

What are the Symptoms of Shoulder Injuries?

In the case of experiencing any of the following symptoms, you need to seek medical help as soon as possible.

1.       You are suffering from frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis, if you are feeling the loss of motion range or stiffness in your shoulder.

2.       If the ball pops out of the socket in your shoulder, it is the sign of a dislocated shoulder. This injury is cured by popping the ball back in the socket and let it heal through icing, sling or rest.

3.       Feeling a pinch in the shoulder is the sign of a cut or pressed nerve. This indicates numbness in the shoulder.

4.       Whether you are feeling dull pain, sharp pain, lasting pain or fleeting pain, inform your doctor so they can provide you with medical treatment accordingly.

5.       The shoulder injury can even require surgery, if it is serious, when ligaments holding the shoulder together tear. If you had experience falling on an outstretched hand or have taken a blow to the shoulder, it is better to get it checked.

6.       Swelling on the shoulder or the entire arm is also a sign of shoulder injury.

7.       If there is a change of color on your skin or if you experience coolness, it indicates a lack of blood supply to your arm.

8.       If you are unable to move your shoulder, because of the pain or torn muscle, it shows weakness in the shoulder.

What to Do in the Case of Serious Injuries to the Shoulder?

Before you figure out what to do in case of serious injuries, it is important to know what constitutes serious injuries. Tearing the labrum and rotator cuffs are two of the major shoulder injuries. They lead to surgeries such as Mini-Open Repair, Open Repair, and All-Arthroscopic Repair. The insurance company offer less reasonable settlement when the injury is serious. In that case, you must go see a doctor first, attorney second. They will not let the insurance company delay, deny or offer you a smaller offer, and get you the compensation you truly deserve.

If you have been injured your shoulder in an auto accident contact Spinal Injury Centers today for all of your Orange Park Chiropractic needs (904) 644-7034.

Florida's Law on Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

The Florida legislature’s changes in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) law due to take effect on January 1, 2013 were passed under the guise of preventing insurance fraud, but in reality hurt multiple non-insurance groups in Florida, including some medical providers and especially injured motorists. The Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is a program offered in only a few states of the US. The aim of this program is to make sure that the people injured in accidents have access to immediate money for their treatment. Even though this amount is set to be $10,000 in the start, the insured has a 14 day window to seek care from a medical professional to access the full $10,000 amount. If the insured does not seek treatment from a medical professional, they would only be able to use up to the $2,500 amount.

Let us go through some of the Personal Injury Protection laws implemented by the State of Florida.

A notification of the insured rights

 A form which will include the insured member’s right to their PIP benefits shall include information such as the benefits that the person receives from this program, the limitations on these benefits, and the due date of payments.

In addition to these, this form will also include any penalties over failure of payment including the rights that the involved parties have, in case there is any dispute regarding the benefits provided.

Application of No-Fault Law in Florida

According to the Florida Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law, an insurer must offer Personal Injury Protection as it is required by the law. In other words, this section is primarily concerned with the insured member’s coverage regarding the PIP law. It states that every motor vehicle insurer must provide the PIP benefits to each of its insured members.

The State also requires the policy holder to maintain the PIP insurance. In case a person fails to maintain it, then the State has full right to suspend that person’s driving license. Furthermore, the registration of that person’s vehicle will also be suspended.

Performance of another country or state

The PIP law of Florida states that certain information that is exempted from confidentiality can be disclosed to any other entity, be it a state, district, or a county. This will not require any request or even any copy of the crash report in case such information is needed by that particular entity in order to perform the duties that it holds.

Insurer’s right to reimburse

For instance, an insurer provides the Personal Injury Protection benefits on the private passenger vehicle of a person. Now if that person claims the PIP benefits as a result of an accident caused while he was inside a commercial motor vehicle, then the amount extended for the medical treatment (required as a result of that accident) can be reimbursed to the insurer.

The insurer also has the right to get the amount reimbursed if the accident is caused by a commercial motor vehicle while the insured member was not occupying a private motor vehicle.

Medical Benefits of PIP

According to the State of Florida, 80% of the expenses which include any surgical, chiropractic, rehabilitative, dental, nursing or X-ray services that are acquired within fourteen days of the accident will be paid by the insurer. These services also include an ambulance, in case it is necessarily required.

However, the insurer has the right to refuse coverage for the extended amount in case of any medical assistance that involves a physician, certain dentists, or a chiropractic physician in addition to several others.

If you have been injured in an accident learn your rights and call the Chiropractor Jacksonville FL residents trust for their injury needs (904) 644-7034.

Whiplash Injury Due to Motor Vehicle Accidents

There are a lot of different types of major as well as minor injuries that are caused by a motor vehicle accident. Whiplash is one of these kinds of injuries. It is caused when your head experiences a quick movement in either the forward, backward, or even sideways direction.

Whiplash injury can be caused by even the lightest of jerks from an accident. The thing about this is that not many people take it seriously. People often don’t go to a doctor after an accident, thinking it is just a muscle pain that will get better in a day or two. Unfortunately, ignoring this injury only makes it more severe. According to studies, most of the people claim to be suffering from whiplash even years after their insurance claims are settled.

Phases of whiplash

•          The first phase is the one where you get the whiplash by facing an accident. The back of your seat pushes you forward while your head goes in the opposite direction, creating a force on your neck.
•       The second phase is where your body has reached a greater acceleration than the car while your head is still in the opposite motion. This is the phase that is mainly responsible for most of the injuries related to whiplash.
•           In the third phase, your body starts losing the acceleration while your head is at its maximum acceleration. The application of the breaks slows your car down, making the neck injury even more severe.
•           The fourth stage of whiplash is one of the most damaging ones. Here, your body becomes stationary because of the seat belt worn whereas the head keeps moving forward freely. This forward motion of your neck results in the strained ligaments and muscles, torn fibers, and displacement of vertebrae. Even though this is severe, wearing the seat-belt saves you from far more damaging injuries by hitting your head against the steering wheel etc.

Symptoms of a Whiplash trauma

There are several different symptoms of a Whiplash trauma. Some of them are mentioned below.

Neck pain

Neck pain is the most common symptom when it comes to a whiplash injury. According to a study, ninety percent of the people who suffered from whiplash were undergoing pain in their necks. This pain moves from the neck to the shoulders and from the shoulders to the head, making every task very uneasy and painful to perform.

Headaches

The second most common symptom of whiplash injury is the headaches. The same study showed that eighty percent of the people suffering from whiplash reported severe headaches. It is not necessary though that headaches come as a result of whiplash only, they can also be a result of a brain injury.

Brain injury

People often think that a mild whiplash is nothing serious, which is completely untrue. Even a mild whiplash injury could result in a brain injury as a result of the phases of whiplash. This is because the forward and backward jerks cause the brain to hit the walls of the skull despite the cerebrospinal fluid protecting it. This could easily lead to bruising of the brain or any other type of damage.

If you have been injured in a Auto Accident in Orange Park or Jacksonville, call Spinal Injury Centers. Let us guide you through your treatment and let our network of Physicians help you through this traumatic time. Call us today (904) 644-7034.