Friday, September 25, 2015

How You Can Help Prevent Spinal Cord Injuries in Football

The first day of fall is upon us, and with it comes America’s favorite past time—football. For the six-month off-season, we yearn for the smell of burning leaves; the sound of players cracking shoulder pads; and the thrill of the last-second hail Mary pass play.  And for football players, there is excitement in the air as they suit up to play the season.

Unfortunately, with the passion of competition, may also come the agony of injury.  For instance:
  • There were more than 1.35 million youths from the ages of six to 19 years of age that were injured severely enough to be sent to the emergency room in 20121.
  • Sport participation constitutes the fourth most common cause (approximately eight percent) of all spinal injuries2, but it is the second most common cause after motor vehicle crashes for those under the age of 30.3
  • From 1977-2012, there have been a total of 266 high school football players with incomplete neurological recovery from cervical cord injuries.4
  • Football has the highest number of cervical spine injuries of any high school sport.5
Although these statistics are alarming, precautionary measures can be taken to greatly reduce the risk of a serious spinal injury.  It is important that you do your part to ensure these preventative tips are followed to keep players as safe as possible.

Find and fit the right equipment
The first step to football safety is to find and fit the right-size protective equipment.  Although there is not a 100 percent solution to preventing spinal cord or brain injuries, football-equipment manufacturers like Ridell® continue to develop technology that dramatically reduces the likelihood of a serious injury.  These products include smart helmets, collars, shoulder and kneepads, and should always be worn and maintained according to manufacturers’ guidelines for maximum injury prevention.



Tackle the technique
Most of a football player’s safety rests within the six inches between his ears. Meaning, a player should never drop or tackle with his head. A player can also take more control of his safety on the field by learning and training the proper tackling and blocking techniques—again, again, again and again.

USA Football, a national governing body for the sport of amateur football, has a great website with videos that teach players, coaches and parents football fundamentals.  The organization has what it calls Heads Up TacklingSM techniques and other football-safety programs.



Get strong
Regardless of what position an athlete plays, strengthening one’s neck is vital to preventing serious spinal cord injury.  The stronger the muscles supporting the neck, the less likely an athlete will sustain a serious injury and have a safer, better and more fun football season.  Some of the exercises a player should complete on a regular basis with an instructor, trainer or physical therapist include:

• Flexion (chin to chest)
• Extension (eyes to ceiling)
• Rotation
• Lateral flexion (ear to shoulder)
• Shoulder shrugs

For more information about these exercises, watch this USA Football neck-exercise video.


We continue to see football injury statistics decrease year-over-year with recent developments in technology, better education and the right people involved in the sport. Whether you are an avid fan, parent, coach or player, it is our responsibility to keep this sport as fun and safe as possible for everyone.


This blog was provided by SpineOne.

About SpineOne
SpineOne is a leading-regional medical center for minimally invasive spine care and has treated thousands of people in Colorado and surrounding states for back and/or neck pain. SpineOne provides doctor consultations, MRIs and treatments all from the same facility for your convenience.  Same-day appointments are also available upon request.

Call 303.500.8611 or visit www.spineone.com today.




Sources:
1Ferguson RW. Safe Kids Worldwide Analysis of Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) data, 2013.
2National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. Spinal Cord Injury: Facts and Figures at a Glance, 2011. Birmingham: University of Alabama; 2011. https://www.nscisc.uab.edu/PublicDocuments/nscisc_home/pdf/Facts%202011%20Feb%20Final.pdf
3Nobunga A, Go B, Karunas R. Recent demographic and injury trends in people served by the model spine cord injury case systems. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1999;80(11):1372-1382
4Mueller FO, Colgate B. Annual Survey of Catastrophic Football Injuries 1977-2011. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina; 2012. http://www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi/FBAnnual2012.pdf.
5Mueller FO, Cantu RC. National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research: Twenty-Ninth Annual Report, Fall 1982–Spring 2011. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

What You Should Know About Back and Neck Pain Following an Auto Accident.


 What You Should Know About Back and Neck Pain After an Auto Accident.Out of the more than three million injuries reported after car accidents in the United States each year, trauma to the back and/or neck is the most common.
 
While better safety features have led to dramatic decreases in serious injury and fatalities, many crash victims still experience chronic neck and back pain shortly after an accident. This SpineOne infographic provides a snapshot of prevalent injuries, associated symptoms and statistics caused by auto accidents each year.
 
If you or any of your family members, friends or coworkers has recently been in a car accident, please be sure to be evaluated for any of these conditions.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Three Simple Exercises to Relieve Back Pain


Infographic: Three Simple Exercises to Relieve Back Pain
If you live with back pain, you’re not alone. At any given moment, up to 50 percent of Americans experience back pain. This condition is second only to the common cold as a reason why people call in sick to work. Surgery is a daunting prospect if you have back pain, but the good news is that most sufferers find relief with non-invasive methods such as exercise.

Exercise can be a powerful solution to back pain. The goals of exercises are to achieve pain relief and to strengthen the back to help prevent future bouts of pain. This infographic from our SpineOne illustrates three simple exercises that can treat back pain. Help all your fellow sufferers understand their options by passing along this useful information. 

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

What is Lumbar (Low Back) Spinal Stenosis?

According to the National Institutes of Health, back pain will affect eight out of every 10 of us at some point during our lifetimes. Lumbar (lower back) spinal stenosis—a narrowing of the spinal canal—is a common cause of this problem, and can occur as a part of the aging process. 

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Symptoms
Nearly all of us will experience some type of spinal condition, as we get older.  The level of deterioration and associated symptoms of spinal stenosis varies greatly from one person to the next. For example, some won’t notice any discomfort or back pain at all.  Others may complain of mild to moderate pain in the legs and/or buttocks, and some people afflicted with the condition won’t be able to stand or walk. Those whom suffer from severe spinal stenosis often notice leg, buttock and/or foot pain or weakness. Clumsiness may also be experienced while standing or walking. Numbness, tingling and loss of bowel or bladder control may also be telltale signs of more advanced spinal stenosis.

Spinal Stenosis Causes
There are many culprits that may lead to spinal stenosis including, but not limited to:

Watch this lumbar spinal stenosis causes, symptoms and treatment video:

 Spinal Stenosis Video

  • Arthritis
    As people age, changes occur in the soft tissues and bony structures of the lower back. The intervertebral discs, once hydrated to help absorb shock and support the vertebrae, can become dry and weak. These changes place undue stress on the joints of the spine, which can in turn lead to a degenerative condition known as osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease that occurs when the protective cartilage of a joint wears down and leaves the bony surfaces to rub painfully against one another. To help resolve this problem and support the weakening spine, new bony outgrowths may develop. These bone spurs can eventually grow into the spinal canal and cause the narrowing seen in spinal stenosis.
  • Disc Herniation
    In addition to playing a role in the development of arthritis, the intervertebral discs may also be involved in spinal stenosis through herniation. Disc herniation occurs when a crack or other vulnerable spot in the disc allows the jelly-like interior to escape. This substance can place pressure on the spinal cord or the spinal nerves.  Disc herniation may occur from an injury or blunt trauma to the spine.
  • Congenital Causes
    Then, there are those of us whom are just lucky. Some people are just born with a smaller spinal canal, have bone diseases, thickened spinal ligaments or excess bone growth around the nerves of the spine which cause stenosis.
Treatments
There are a variety of nonsurgical treatments available to help relieve the symptoms associated with lumbar spinal stenosis. To learn more about your treatment options, consider scheduling a consultation with the experts at SpineOne. Our medical team wants to help you improve your quality of life through advanced-nonsurgical options. 

Call our Denver-area practice at (303) 500-8611 or click www.spineone.com to schedule your appointment today!

About SpineOne
  • SpineOne offers same-day appointments.
  • SpineOne provides consultation from a board-certified physician, imaging and treatment all in one location. 

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Mobile Devices May Increase Your Risk of Permanent Neck Pain

We’ve all heard our parents say to us, “If you keep making that face, it’s going to stay that way!” While this was just mom’s and/or dad’s attempt to curb our obnoxious behavior, this may actually be a true statement for Americans who spend an average of 162 minutes a day (approximately 985.5 hours or 41 days a year) on their smartphones or tablets1.

According to research conducted in 2014 by Kenneth Hansraj, M.D. and published in the National Library of Medicine2 and in Surgical Technology International3, as one bends his or her neck forward and downward, the weight supported by the cervical spine exponentially increases.

Dr. Hansraj explains that the average human head weighs between 10-12 pounds, and as the neck bends forward at a 15-degree angle, the spine has to support about 27 pounds; at 30 degrees, 40 pounds; at 45 degrees, 49 pounds; and at 60 degrees, 60 pounds (Unless you are Peyton Manning—quarterback for the Denver Broncos—then it may be a lot heavier—sorry Peyton).




Figure 1: Kyphosis Illustration
So, what does this all mean?
Dr. Dean Fishman, D.C. of Florida coined the condition “text neck” (much like that of gamer’s thumb or carpal tunnel syndrome) to describe the widespread symptoms caused by prolonged use of one’s mobile device.

Text neck, if not prevented, may increase one’s risk of a more a more permanent condition called “kyphosis.” Kyphosis is a spinal deformity characterized by an abnormally rounded upper back (See Figure 1: Kyphosis Illustration).

When someone is diagnosed with kyphosis, his or her vertebrae bones collapse and the spine curves forward (50 degrees or more), creating the appearance of a hunched back.  

Watch this SpineOne video to learn more about kyphosis.




   Teenagers may be the ones most at risk for text neck 
   as they spend up to nearly 5,000 hours a year on 
  their mobile devices.
There are certain circumstances that may increase the risk of getting kyphosis, including poor posture from spending hours hunched over one’s mobile device (text neck) or slouching; trauma to the vertebrae; or congenital conditions such as osteoarthritis or spina bifida.

Text Neck Symptoms
Some of the telltale sings that you may have text neck are:
  ·      Persistent headaches
  ·      Upper back pain
  ·      Shoulder pain
  ·      Neck pain
  ·      More pronounced curvature of the spine
 
How to Prevent Text Neck
You may be asking yourself, “How can I avoid text neck for me and my family?” Here are some quick tips to help you prevent text neck and more permanent problems like kyphosis:

     ·      Do neck stretching and strengthening exercises
     ·      Take a five-minute break for every 15 minutes you use your device
     ·      Hold your device at eye level while using it
     ·      Be aware of your posture while using your device
     ·      Listen to your body and stop using your device if you experience neck, shoulder and/or neck pain


Treatment
If you or a loved one suffers from chronic neck pain caused by text neck or any other condition and is unable to find a solution, get help.  Don’t wait until it’s too late. 

SpineOne offers a comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment plan tailored to meet the pain management needs of each individual patient. The physicians at SpineOne practice minimally invasive procedures combined with other practices such as physical therapy to get you healthy and enjoying your life again. 

SpineOne provides Same-day appointments upon request and offers doctor consultations, MRIs and treatments all from the same facility for your convenience. 


Click www.spineone.com or call 303-500-8611 today!


1A study conducted by mobile measurement and advertising platform Flurry.