Let’s face it. Life is rough…

On your back!

As we grow from children into adulthood, we take a lot of chances; risking our bodies in many ways; like playing sports, in the playgrounds, on the fields, or just running down the alley from your parent’s back gate to the street.

In fact, most all Americans are faced with back pain or injury as some stage of their lives. Some people get really unlucky and suffer severe back pain, and/or end up with a spinal disease they’re forced to live with on a daily basis.

When you look at the data, it’s no wonder back problems are such a drain on our health care system.

So how can we avoid back pain and spinal injuries?

5 Ways To Protect Your Back

Number 1.) Take regular walks: I know, I know…you’re sick of hearing about how great walking is for your health, and you might be a person who doesn’t enjoy walking. If that’s you, try this:

Step outside your home and walk only one block. Stop, take a deep breath and walk back home. The next day do the same thing. After many days of doing this, try walking two blocks. Then stay at two for awhile.

Then keep progressing. What happens here is you make walking a habit. Getting changed, putting on your shoes, and breathing in fresh air will become something you’ll look forward to.

By starting off slow, you’re removing the fear of discomfort that comes from taking a long walk when you’re out of shape.

Number 2.) Keep your weight down to a dull roar: This is why walking was number 1 on our list. If you gain too much weight your spine can develop a tilt and start absorbing your weight unevenly. This can lead to many other issues, such curvature of the spine, disc problems, etc.

Number 3.) Make sure you lift properly: This can’t be overstated, and that’s why you’ve been hearing this mantra your entire life. If you lift anything heavy always make sure you’re wearing foot wear that has traction, you’re not a on a slippery surface, and never twist as you’re lifting.

Your humble narrator ended up with a prolonged back injury (herniated disc) from changing a heavy tire break on a 737. The floor was slippery with oil, my boots were old and worn, my back was in a hunched position, and I twisted around with the 140 pound break and slipped. Basically, I did everything wrong you can think of…

…and I paid the price. Still paying the price somewhat, and it’s now 20 years later. Like I mention at the bottom of this post, be careful out there.

Number 4.) Never sit with bad posture: The torque load on your spine and discs is much higher when you’re sitting. This is why the age-old mantra of “sit up straight” is so common. Watch to make sure you never sit with poor posture, and if you have to sit for extended periods of time, be sure to get up and move around at least every 45 minutes (if you can).

If you’re traveling long distances this may not be possible, but whenever you can find a moment, get up and stretch out your legs and body.

Number 5.) Strengthen your core muscles: There are many different exercises you can do to strengthen your core (stomach) muscles, and some of them are even fun and relaxing.

Just be sure that when you do these core strengthening exercises you do them correctly and safely. If you don’t take care when exercising your core muscles you could end up hurting your back. Not helping it.

Be Careful

And there is one more very important method of protecting your back and spine that I’ve rarely ever seen published online; and it’s very simple.

JUST BE CAREFUL!

Yes. I know that sound contrite, but the sooner in life you realize that you need to be mindful, and careful with your body, the better off you’ll be.

Just a few examples:

• Don’t climb ladders that look dodgy
• Don’t work on a roof if you’re not in good shape
• Don’t sit in a position if it’s causing you pain.
• Don’t drink too much alcohol as it impairs your balance
• Don’t be hero on moving day – get help

I’ll give you an example. I had a friend who was always rough on his body. He over-worked and over-played all the time. Eventually he had to get knee surgery, and these are the first two things he did after healing:

1. he learned how to skydive
2. he jumped off the back of his truck

The jump from the truck destroyed his new knee, and he spent over a year trying to recover. They did multiple surgeries, and he had to fight off a dangerous out-of-control infection as well. He never did fully recover, and he has a permanent limp (not to mention daily swelling).

So like the old sayings go…

Take it easy, and take care!

And always, before I go, I just want end leaving you with my very biased opinion that my boss Dr. Fredrick is one of THE best chiropractors in Florida. A bold statement I know, but it’s fact I believe to be true. 😉

A car accident has the potential to cause immense trauma and distress to all parties involved. The confusion in the aftermath of any car accident can leave you perplexed over what exactly you should do and how you should do it.

Luckily, you are not alone. While it is disheartening to know that car accidents happens often, the frequency of confusion over what to do after an accident has given insight over the best course of action to take in the aftermath of an accident.

Should you find yourself in an accident be sure to take the following steps.

• Remain calm
• Get out of danger to safe location
• Call 911
• Check on any passengers in your vehicle  
• Take pictures of all property damage
• Take pictures of any injuries you or your passengers sustained
• Exchange driver’s information through the police officer

What Should I Do Next After a Car Accident?

Emergency Room vs Urgent Care  

After a car accident it is imperative that you seek medical care as soon as possible. This important task is often accompanied by the question of where exactly should someone seek medical care.

Depending on the severity of your injuries, an urgent care facility or hospital emergency room may be more suited to your needs although most find the benefits of urgent care over an ER more appealing. Such benefits include:

• Urgent care is usually significantly cheaper than emergency rooms. An urgent care facility treatment that would cost several hundred dollars could easily cost thousands at a hospital ER.
• Urgent care facilities have employees that are as trained or experienced as ER staff.
• In an ER, you most likely will be seen by a nurse practitioners and not a doctor. Hospitals are utilizing nurse practitioners more commonly due to the fact that it’s a lot cheaper since nurses practitioners can perform many of the same duties as a doctor at a fraction of the cost.  
• Hospitals are a business and are driven by the bottom line, not patient care or successful outcomes.  
• Urgent care usually has a doctor on staff.
• Urgent care usually has a quicker wait time compared to an ER that can take hours.

Where Should I go for Further Treatment for Car Accident Injuries?

Other common places to seek further medical care after sustaining an injury in a car accident include:

• Chiropractic Clinics
• Physical Therapy Clinics  
• Orthopedic Surgeon Centers
• Hospital Rehab Centers

Chiropractic Care – What is it all about?

People seeking back pain relief alternatives often will look to chiropractic options for help. About 22 million Americans visit chiropractors annually. Of these, 35% seek relief from back pain due to various causes like car accidents, sports injuries, and muscle strains. Chiropractors can also help with injuries and pain in the neck, arms, legs, and with other issues such as headaches.

What is Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractors use hands-on spinal manipulation and other alternative treatments to treat pain and injuries. The theory behind chiropractic treatment is that proper alignment of the body’s musculoskeletal structure, particularly the spine, will enable the body to heal itself without surgery or medication (or with limited amounts of these less safe options).

Hands-on manipulation is used to restore mobility to joints restricted by tissue injury caused by a traumatic event, such as a car accident.

Chiropractic treatment is primarily used as a pain relief alternative for muscles, joints, bones, and connective tissue, such as cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. It is sometimes used in conjunction with conventional medical treatment.

Chiropractic care has become so popular that hospitals have recently begun promoting treatment of auto accidents injuries with their own chiropractic facilities.

Physical Therapy Clinics – What do they do?

Your doctor might suggest this type of treatment if you’ve had an injury or illness that makes it hard to do daily tasks. Physical therapy (sometimes shortened to PT) is care that aims to ease pain and help you function, move, and live better. You may need it to:

• Relieve pain
• Improve movement or ability
• Recover from a sports injury
• Prevent disability or surgery
• Rehab after a stroke, accident, injury, or surgery
• Manage a chronic illness like diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis
• Recover after giving birth
• Adapt to an artificial limb
• Learn to use assistive devices like a walker or cane

The Negatives of Orthopedic Group Treatment

Historically, a treatment center would refer a patient to an orthopedic specialist for evaluation; however, today they seem to want to run the entire process. Is this a good or bad process? Well looking through the eyes of the insurance company and opposing counsel, it doesn’t look good.

In fact, it could hurt your auto accident legal case. Why? Because the opinions offered will be clearly biased to support whatever findings and treatments they determine medically necessary. With more people looking at what they can get, it muddies the water of what’s the right thing to be done for the patient.

The key is to be objective and document all clinical findings. If someone isn’t a specialist, they may be leaving out important information that could negatively affect your case. In the medical and legal fields, if it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.

The Ideal Accident Injury Care Clinic

The most effective type of clinic would be an integrative clinic. It would include skills and knowledge from many specialized medical fields. That way each patient is getting a complete and effective approach for the treatment of their injuries. Orthopedists and hospitals will try to incorporate things from both disciplines but with a higher cost.  

How Long Can Treatment With Kingdom Chiropractic Take?

• Treatment timelines with Kingdom Chiropractic can vary from issue to issue.
• At Kingdom Chiropractic, we like to get everyone seen for an EMC exam within the first 14 days after an accident. Contrary to popular belief, this isn’t a requirement. We simply prefer to do things as early as possible in our clinics.
• Visit frequency depends entirely on the patient’s injuries and needs. It can range from one to four times a week. Each person heals differently.  
• It’s a good idea to get radiology done early on in your case, especially if your symptoms aren’t subsiding at a normal pace. Usually we will order radiology in the first 30 days post-accident. This gives the body a chance to heal and for the inflammation to subside a bit which allows for better imaging.  

If your accident injuries have left you with pain that has become difficult to manage then don’t hesitate to contact Kingdom Chiropractic about starting treatment.

You can reach us by:
Phone: 813-434-1045
Email: info[at]kingdomchiropractic.com
Or through our Contact Form

Auto Injury Chiropractor Tampa Bay

There are nearly 20,000 car accidents in Hillsborough County Florida every year making Tampa one of the most dangerous cities in which to operate a vehicle. In most cases our clients were not the party at fault.

Tampa Auto Injury Chiropractor Fredrick Williams treats patients every day for auto related injuries, providing some of the best Chiropractic care in all of Tampa Bay. His knowledgeable staff is fully qualified and trained to facilitate accurate insurance billing on your behalf.

Being in a car accident is a very difficult situation on a number of levels. Your pain is sometimes secondary to the aftermath of having your car at the mechanic as well as the stress of dealing with your insurance and potentially missing work.

While you are in a hurry to get your car fixed and back to normal activities, make sure to see your chiropractor before you make any major decisions. There could be underlying injuries that a minor stiff neck are not allowing you to uncover. A car accident is a major event and the trauma that come from them could be significant.

An Auto Injury Chiropractor specializes in soft and hard tissue problems including the results that could come from the trauma from a car accident.

Auto accidents can turn your life upside down. Our staff is friendly and accommodating during these difficult time. We offer complimentary transportation to the office. Often times the vehicle gets totaled, and rental care process can take time take effect. We offer early hours and late hours to accommodate most schedules. Staff are bilingual. Locations throughout the bay area.

For more information on the chiropractic services we offer please contact us.

1-844-FL-SPINE 24/7 Injury Helpline

(1-844-357-7463)

info[at]kingdomchiropractic.com

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“They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Mark 16:17-18