All posts by Dr. Brad
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Tip
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) – Here Is Some Good Advise From Our Burlington Clinic Experts
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or CTS, typically causes pain,burning, numbness & tingling in the wrists, hands & fingers.
It is important to understand that CTS has 2 origins.
One is from a pinched nerve in the lower part of the neck.
Because these nerves go right down to your finger tips, they will result in CTS symptoms when they are pinched.
Anyone who works with their hands or sits at a computer or desk for extended periods is very prone to getting pinched nerves in the neck.
Chiropractic care is very effective in relieving these pinched nerves.
The 2nd origin is if 1 or more of the small bones in your wrist is misaligned.
This will irritate the nerves in the carpal tunnel resulting in those uncomfortable symptoms.
Again, anyone who works with their hands or spends a lot of time on the computer will be prone to structural problems in the wrist.
What you can do at home is freeze solid a styrofoam cup full of water.
Peel about ¼” off the rim all the way around so this much ice is sticking out.
Place your sore wrist on a towel on a table, sit on a chair & with your other hand rub the ice on the top & bottom of your wrist – 5 min each side.
Or have someone do it for you.
Place the cup back in the freezer & you can keep using it this way.
This will help reduce the painful inflammation but it is always a good idea to have your wrist examined by a chiropractor for any structural issues.
Spring Allergy Relief
“For Burlington Area Allergy Relief This Spring, Here Is Something To Consider”
Many people think that along with spring-time comes allergy season.
And with all the drug commercials advertising allergy remedies, it would not take one long to be convinced that they have allergies.
But ask yourself this question … if there really is an allergy season, how come everybody doesn’t suffer from allergies?
What is the difference between those who do & those who don’t?
Want to know? … the answer is their immune system.
Some work better than others.
Why?
It all depends on your spinal alignment.
If your alignment is poor, so will be your immune system.
If your alignment is good, so will be your immune system.
So, if you truly want to combat those allergies this year without taking toxic medications, try chiropractic care.
You will be pleasantly surprised.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad
Keeping Kids Healthly
“Here’s Why Our Burlington Clinic Has Super Healthy Kids”
Did you know that poor health almost always follows poor posture?
And did you know that poor posture most often is due to poor spinal hygiene (poor spinal alignment)?
Did you know that posture is the most over-looked aspect of a childs’ health even though it is the most important?
Have your kids stand comfortably in bare feet with their back towards you.
Put your hands on their hips – are they level? Put your hands on their shoulders – are they level?
Have them turn 90 degrees so now you are looking at them from the side ( it doesn’t matter which ).
Look at their head – is it sitting on top of & in line with their shoulders, or is it sticking way out in front of their shoulders? [if it is, this is called forward head carriage & is caused by computer use & playing hand-held video games ]
If your child’s hips &/or hips are not level, or if they have forward head carriage, run – don’t walk – to your chiropractor.
Their health is at risk!
Burlington Chiropractic Care will help you & your children maintain good & healthy posture.
Then & only then will you be truly healthy.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad
Whiplash Treatment
We Provide Whiplash Diagnosis And Whiplash Treatments To Our Burlington Patients
The term WHIPLASH is used to describe a type of neck injury that results when one is involved in a car accident.
But, you can also suffer a whiplash injury from other mishaps such as a bad fall, or a sudden blow to the neck area as one would suffer in a sports-related injury.
Look at the rising number of concussions these days that happen in football, soccer and ice hockey.
[flashvideo file=http://lifechiropractic.s3.amazonaws.com/19.04.2011.whiplash.brad-1.mp4 image=https://lifechiropracticcentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/whiplash.jpg width=500 height=300 /]
A concussion is when your brain gets bruised from a violent hit to the head or neck.
If the hit is violent enough to bruise your brain which is protected by the strongest piece of bone in your body (skull), do not think that you can escape having a whiplash type injury to your neck. It is virtually impossible.
The quick snapping of the head and neck during a whiplash injury will stretch and often times tear the supporting muscles, ligaments and tendons – the soft tissues that support the neck and the vertebrae that form the neck.
The sudden jolt will also result in significant misalignments of the spinal vertebrae in the neck.
These are termed subluxations.
Subluxations will irritate the nerve roots that reach out to other parts of the body.
This may cause immediate pain and stiffness or it may take hours, days or even weeks before the symptoms appear.
This is one of the hidden dangers of a whiplash injury aside from the fact that many people think that if they did not suffer any broken bones or lose any blood, that they are OK. Not to mention that emergency room physicians will most likely tell you that you’re OK and that any pain or stiffness will go away on its own or with the help of pain-killers, muscle-relaxers or anti-inflammatory drugs.
Wrong, wrong and wrong!
If you have suffered any type of injury to the head or neck, you NEED to have an examination by a spinal specialist –a chiropractor- to determine the presence of any injury ( or not ) , and; the extent thereof.
This is what we do.
This is our expertise and if you have suffered an injury we will help you to recover from your injuries before permanent damage results.
What do I mean by permanent damage from Whiplash?
…. scar tissue formation in your muscles, ligaments and tendons that support the vertebrae in the neck, and post-traumatic osteoarthritic degeneration of the cervical spine (neck). [ you can learn all about osteoarthritis elsewhere on this web-site and I strongly encourage you to do so.]
If you end up with any of this type of permanent damage in your neck, you will suffer for the rest of your life from things such as headaches, neck stiffness, neck pain and upper back and shoulder pain just to mention a few.
Do not let this happen to you.
You have a choice.
Do the right thing right away so that you do not suffer!
And the right thing is chiropractic care.
Healthy Shoulders
“How Our Burlington Clientele Can Keep Strong And Healthy Shoulders
Do your shoulders click or pop when you move them around?
Do you avoid lying on one shoulder when sleeping because it is too painful &/or causes your arm to fall asleep?
If you answered yes to either question or both, listen up ….
If the vertebrae in your neck are not aligned properly (pinching the nerves in your neck), this can cause shoulder pain &/or arm numbness.
And your shoulder is a complex mechanism of joints, muscles & ligaments & if these are not balanced & aligned properly, this will definitely cause popping or grinding in the shoulder, & pain & numbness in the arm.
Solution?
You have 3 choices …1) ignore, 2) medicate or 3) fix.
If you choose to ignore or medicate, good luck! These are the 2 worst choices out of the 3.
If you want to fix the problem responsibly, chiropractic is your best choice.
Our specialty is to keep all of your joints aligned properly so that they do not wear out, become arthritic (click & pop), pinch your nerves & cause you grief.
It’s your house, it’s your choice … do what is right to take ‘the weight off your shoulders’.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad
Motor Vehicle Accident Claim Processing
“Motor Vehicle Accident Claim Processing Burlington, Ontario”
If you have had a Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) and are seeking treatment for your injuries, we can help. We will be your guide, and the liaison for your care with the auto insurance company.
“What am I entitled to?”
Anyone who has valid auto insurance who has been in an MVA is automatically approved for $2200-$3500 worth of care within the Minor Injury Guideline (MIG). If the doctor determines your injuries are beyond what the MIG can provide, we will apply for more; which the insurance company has the right to approve or decline. Regardless, you are automatically approved for the amount of care the MIG can provide, so don’t deny yourself the care you need for fear the insurance company will not pay for it.
“When will I know whether or not I’m approved?”
The insurance company has ten days to reply to your request for benefits. During that time we can supply treatment to you at no cost. Upon receipt of their decision, we will determine with you how to proceed with your claim.
“What do you need from me?”
There are several documents that your insurance company requires in order to process your claim:
1) OCF-1: Application for Accident Benefits
2) OCF-2: Employer’s Confirmation Form
3) OCF-3: Disability Certificate
4) OCF-5: Permission to Disclose Health Information
5) An examination by the doctor to reveal the extent of your injuries will help us determine whether to submit an OCF-23 (to use the MIG) or an OCF-18 (to go beyond the MIG). This document is completed by the doctor, but will require your signature consenting to the recommended care.
“How will my accident claim affect my extended health benefits?”
We ask if you have extended health benefits through your employer, that you bring your claims prior to the accident up to date, as the insurance companies dictate we must use your existing benefits before they will pay the remainder of the claim. Any paperwork we need from you will have to be submitted to us upon beginning the claim. Once your extended health benefits have been exhausted, we will require a statement to that effect from benefits provider to send to your auto insurance company in order for your auto insurance to pay the remainder.
Chiropractic And Bed Wetting
” Did You Know That Our Burlington Chiropractic Adjustments Can Help Stop Bed-Wetting?”
Chiropractic has helped many children overcome wetting the bed.
No, it is not ‘normal’ and it is not something you should wait to ‘grow out of’.
Remember this—the nerves from your lower spine just above your waist supply all the organs inside your pelvis including your bladder.
If any of these vertebrae are not aligned properly, this will slow down (pinch) the nerves that supply the bladder.
The bladder will then become weak & not be strong enough to hold the urine especially when sleeping.
Now you may ask… “how can my kid have pinched nerves?”
Answer this …” how many times have you seen your kids fall & land on their tush?”
These are the types of seemingly incidental falls that are the beginnings of all spinal problems.
Chiropractic will re-align the vertebrae, light up the nerves, strengthen the signals to the bladder so that it regains its strength.
This will significantly help to improve bladder function.
And all without the use of drugs or medications.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad
Natural Cure For Ear Infections
” Burlington Chiropractic Tip Of The Week – A Natural Way To Help Cure Ear Infections”
Remember that the germs that cause ear infections are already in your body.
They are part of your body’s natural flora.
When tissues become weakened, the normal germs will multiply to beyond normal
levels & cause an infection/illness.
Tissues become weakened from having poor nerve supply & thus poor defences.
Poor nerve supply is the result of misaligned spinal vertebrae pinching the nerves.
When this happens in the neck, the ears will suffer because the nerves from the neck
supply the ears.
Spinal adjustments re-align the vertebrae, light up the nerves & the tissues become
strong again & are able to fight off infections.
If you or your children are suffering with ear infections, try chiropractic care.
No drugs or anti-biotics & you will be pleasantly surprised.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad
Tip Of The Week
“Osteoarthritis Pain Relief Facts – Burlington Chiropractic Tip Of The Week”
If you are suffering from the pain of OSTEOARTHRITIS and you are taking over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain relief,you may want to consider this bit of research information.
Some drug studies have revealed that some of the most popular over-the-counter drugs can actually accelerate the degradation of the cartilage lining of your joints.
This would actually make your joints more susceptible to pain as the cartilage lining is important to maintain healthy & smoothly gliding joints. Now, what you may have not realized is that degradation of the cartilage lining of your joints is part of the osteoarthritic process.
So the point here is that you are probably making your osteoarthritis worse by taking these types of drugs!
Most of the time, osteoarthritis is a function of mechanical stress on the joint & one of the sources of mechanical stress is joint mis-alignment.
This is where I have good news for you.
Chiropractor’s specialty is to re-align all the joints of your skeletal system including your spine. [ And yes you can get osteoarthritis in your spine.]
So, if you are looking for relief from your osteoarthritis, give chiropractic a try.
The treatments are all natural & gentle with no toxic side-effects.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad
Sciatica Treatment
“Burlington Sciatica Treatment Provides Natural Pain Relief”
Sciatica is a condition characterized by pain in the leg.
It can be relentless or intermittent, it can be mild or severe or fluctuate.
It can involve one leg or both or it can alternate.
It can involve the whole leg or only part of the leg & it can affect both young & old alike.
The young you ask?
But how?
Can you remember having growing pains
in your legs as a kid?
Can you remember being told when you were a kid that your legs were painful because you were going through a growth spurt?
Nonsense!
Since when did it hurt to grow?
And if that were the case, we as humans would be in pain all the time because our bodies are changing & growing all the time in one way or another.
Let’s learn where sciatica comes from because this is so important for you to understand otherwise you will be mis-led down the road of drugs and surgery. [ These are currently the most popular forms of treatment along with various forms of physiotherapy.]
The first thing you need to understand is that if you are suffering from sciatica, you have a definite problem with your lower spine; the part between your waist & the lowest ribs.
The next thing you need to understand is that you DO NOT have to have lower back pain to have sciatica or leg pain. The two are not mutually dependent. Some of the worst sciatica patients I have seen have never had a pain in their back a day in their life.
Think about this… the large nerve roots that exit your lower back form the sciatic bundle ( sciatic nerve ) which go down into each of your legs right to your feet. When any of these five vertebrae &/or your sacrum (tailbone) become mis-aligned, this will irritate the joints & the nerves which will result in pain.
The pain will follow the path of the nerve or nerve roots that are irritated & because these nerves go down your legs, this is how a lower back problem can result in leg pain or sciatica.
And yes you do have misaligned vertebrae in your spine.
Most everybody does.
Even if you are pain free you most likely have them.
Have you ever had a fall on your tail-bone ? Maybe a better question would be … how many times can you remember falling on your tail-bone? How about all those falls you had as a kid ? Do not think that they were without consequence.
You may have been told that young spines are soft & flexible & are resistant to all those bumps & bruises.
So not true!
Most adult problems I see can be traced back to some traumatic event(s) that happened during childhood.
And almost every adult sciatica patient that I have consulted with can remember having growing pains as a kid.
So now, you may be thinking that if you had growing pains as a kid it may have been because your lower spine was not healthy.
A much better supposition; especially if you were not one to practice good spinal hygiene habits on a regular basis right from childhood.
Tired of all the drugs?
Tried physio without much success?
Facing lower back surgery for your sciatic leg pain?
Maybe it is time to try chiropractic care.
You may be pleasantly surprised & greatly relieved.
Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad