It seems that for the next few months, a lot of us will be homebound where we will inevitably find ourselves sitting in front of the computer more whether it is for school, work or entertainment.

Along with this can come some health issues such as eye strain, headaches, neck and shoulder tension, jaw tension, lower back ache, postural collapse and even weight gain.

Today we are going to talk about carpal tunnel syndrome or CTS.

CTS is a common problem in people who use their hands a lot; either on a computer or working with hand tools.

Sign and symptoms of CTS include pain, numbness and tingling in the fingers and thumbs, a burning sensation that seems to start in the hands and travel upwards into the arm, wrist pain at night especially when sleeping, swollen wrists and fingers in the morning with or without numbness and weakness of the forearm and hand muscles.

You would notice this as a loss of grip strength (you frequently drop things).
 
Two things that would predispose you to developing CTS; one is blockage of the nerves in the lower neck.

These nerves travel from your neck all the way down to your finger tips and control the entire upper limb. Secondly, the nerves can be blocked in the carpal tunnel which is in the wrist itself.

Here are a few tips for you on how to prevent CTS.

First of all, make sure to sit with an upright, healthy posture when at your computer. And make sure to take a 60 sec posture break at least once every hour. A stand-up desk is even better.

Secondly, be sure to stretch your hands and forearms frequently throughout the day.

For hands, open and close hands/fingers 10 to 15 times.

And for forearms, hold your arm straight out from your shoulder and with your other hand, gently pull your fingers back to stretch the bottom forearm muscles.

And then gently push your fingers down to stretch the top forearm muscles. (See video for demonstration.)

And be sure to hold these forearm stretches for a minimum of 30 seconds.

Here is another one of my favorite patient stories from the past year.

Patient testimonials are an excellent way to learn about the benefits of chiropractic care and what conditions it may help.

And this one is more for all the dads out there because we all know some men are stubborn and don’t like going to a doctor of any kind.

“I would like to thank Dr Brad for giving me my life back. You have given me pain-free days.

I had trouble going for walks. But now I can go on long walks with my family. I should have come to see him years ago. He has really helped me with my back problems.”

So how many “years ago” was it for this patient?

When his spouse started care with me, they had 2 young children. Now they have 3 grown kids and 4 grand-kids; all three generations of this family were under my care at one time or another.

So it took 25 years, constant coaxing from his spouse and a nasty episode of lower back pain before he decided to go to the chiropractor. And he really did dodge a bullet with his back because it was touch and go for a few weeks.

A couple of months ago he mentioned to me during his regular checkup that he had recently gone for a 40 minute bike ride.

Something he hadn’t been able to do for 20 years. So even though he is long through the crisis, he is still noticing improvement in his activities of daily living.

Prevention is always a far better approach, but sometimes it does hold true that it’s better late than never.

Here is another one of my favorite patient stories from this past year.

This as written by a teenaged girl….

“One morning I went to yawn and extended my mouth open a little too much. My jaw got locked open and after 20 minutes of massaging my mouth and attempting to close it ourselves, we decided to call the chiropractor.

Normally I see Dr Lynne, however she wasn’t in. Dr Brad said to come in as soon as possible. He did an initial attempt to close my mouth, however there was too much swelling at the joints for him to continue.

He sent me home with an ice pack, instruction on what to do, and to come back that afternoon. After several hours at home icing, we went back to see Dr Brad. He was able to manipulate my jaw and get the right side back in place.

He advised we ice and wait another half an hour before he went back into my mouth. After that, he was able to get the left side unlocked. He gave advice on what I could drink, how to prevent this from happening again and shared his ideas as to what this could’ve been caused from (tech-neck).

I don’t know what I would’ve done without him!”

Jaw dislocation can be a very frightening thing. You cannot speak, chew food, it’s very difficult to swallow and you can imagine it can be very quite painful.

Problems with the TMJ or jaw joint are a very common side effect of forward head posture or tech-neck. Most kids have been interacting with technology from a very early age which is one of the major causes of tech-neck.

And this stress on the jaw all through those developmental years can result in jaw problems such as this young lady experienced.

So parents, please remind your kids that when they are interacting with technology of any kind (cell phone, tablet, computer etc.), they always have eyes up, chin up and they are looking directly ahead at the screen.

This will take a whole lot of stress off of the jaw joints.

BONUS 

Signs and symptoms there are issues with your TMJ;

A testimonial as written by the mother of a 6 year old boy.

“I started my chiropractic sessions due to a tennis elbow in my right arm. At first I was hopeless, but Dr Brad changed my mind; I could see a big difference after 2 weeks.Since then my arm and the pain have gotten better week after week. I also decided to give it a try for my autistic son. Dr Brad did alignment on my son who is 6 years old.After 2 months my son is calmer, he pays more attention to what’s around him and slowly his words are coming more and more. Before this therapy, my son was hyper and totally non-verbal. Thank you Dr Brad for what you have done for us!”

I would like to mention also that this mom was skeptical when I recommended chiropractic care for her son.

But it wasn’t until her pediatrician suggested to her one day that chiropractic care can be beneficial for autistic children and this is when she decided to give it a try.And I need to clarify so that there is no confusion; I am not saying that chiropractic care is a cure for autism.

What I am saying is that it has been my clinical observation (and her pediatrician) that chiropractic care can be beneficial for autistic children. On the other hand, chiropractic care is a proven and effective treatment for tennis elbow

The past 2 weeks we have been discussing insomnia and what it is that may be preventing you from getting a good night’s rest.

We’ve already talked about things that may be over-stimulating your brain before bedtime and also the effects of mental/emotional stress.

Today we are going to learn about the structural issues that may be interfering with your sleep.

Structural issues are things like your own postural alignment (are you straight or crooked?), your mattress (is it soft and saggy and unsupportive?), your sleeping posture and even the pillow that you use.

Before I give you some helpful hints regarding these, I want to make you aware of the five signs/symptoms that there may be something structurally wrong.

Here they are …your sleep is interrupted by lower back pain or leg pain (sciatica) or restless leg syndrome (Jimmy Legs) or snoring or sleep apnea. Any one or any combination of these can eventually lead to insomnia.

Now here are a few helpful hints for you…

Regarding your mattress, it should meet the following criteria; you should be able to sleep comfortably and uninterrupted for 7 to 9 hours and when you awaken, you should feel refreshed, well-rested and not sore, stiff or achy.

The worst sleeping posture is sleeping on your stomach.

This can irritate the spinal joints in your neck and your back resulting in neck pain and lower back pain. It is far better to sleep on your side in the fetal position or on your back.

If you choose to sleep on your side, your pillow should fill the gap between your cheek and the tip of your shoulder so that your head and neck are perpendicular to your shoulders. And if you choose to sleep on your back, the pillow should elevate your head and neck 10 -15 degrees only.
 
For those who snore or who have sleep apnea, a contour pillow or an anti-snoring pillow has worked very well for many people. So this is something you may want to consider.

Next time we are going to talk about one more thing that could be the magic bullet to helping you solve your sleep issues and insomnia, so please be sure to check in with us next week.

The past few weeks we have talked about insomnia and what it is that may be keeping you from getting a good night’s sleep.

Today we are going to touch on mental-emotional stress.

And before we get into some real-life current stressors, you also need to know that mental-emotional stress can also cause the following; headaches, achy and tight muscles in the neck, upper back and lower back, anxiety, depression, anger, irritability, loss of appetite, digestive upset, eating disorders, fertility issues, bed-wetting in kids and even substance abuse.

Since December of 2020, a huge source of mental-emotional stress has been a difference of opinion about the jab.

This has strained and destroyed countless relationships; familial, personal, romantic, professional, business and too many friendships to even count.

What is an even greater source of mental-emotional stress currently is all those people who have been fired or will be fired from their job or career because they have chosen or choose to exercise their right to informed consent about an experimental medical procedure.

I have heard such gut-wrenching stories every single day since December of last year.
My purpose here today is three-fold;

First of all to make you aware of the most common signs and symptoms of mental-emotional stress. To increase your awareness.

Secondly, that you are not alone and there are many local support groups ( you can find them on social media) for children, parents and those who have been terminated or will soon be terminated from their job and/or career.

And finally, if you are struggling and cannot cope (or any of your kids) and you know you need some professional help, please reach out to me and I will provide you with a reputable referral right here in Burlington.

Back pain, irritability, anxiety, depression, difficulty paying attention, difficulty learning, poor memory, daytime fatigue, increased errors and/or accidents, hypertension, poor immune function and weight gain.

What do all of these have in common?

The answer is INSOMNIA.

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it hard for you to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, it may cause you to wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep.

Thirty percent of Canadians suffer from some sort of sleep disorder such as insomnia.

And I would guess that with everything that is going on out there these days, that it is way more than 30%.

In fact, almost every new practice member lately has indicated they have difficulty sleeping when they fill out their intake forms.

The more disturbing thing however is that 1 in 3 kids have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, and 1 in 5 kids have difficulty staying awake during the waking hours.

Now if this sounds like you and/or your children, I would suggest that you follow me over the next few weeks.

I am going to discuss possible causes of your sleep disorders such as insomnia and I am also going to share with you some solutions that may help you and your kids get a better nights sleep.

So what is it that can keep you from getting a good night’s sleep?

Is has been my experience that there are 3 main reasons for this which I am going to share with you over the next few weeks.

And if you have trouble sleeping, I suggest you do a self-assessment as we proceed.
Because it could be one, any two or possible all 3 of these.

The first one is … are you over-stimulating your brain tissue before bed-time?

Secondly, are you overwhelmed with mental-emotional stress?

And finally, are there any structural issues such as your spinal alignment and/or your sleeping posture?

Today we are going to talk about the first one and when it comes to over-stimulating your brain tissue, here are the biggies …

Firstly; TV, cell phones and computers. It is highly recommended that you do NOT interact with any form of technology for at least 1 hour before bedtime.

You need to give your brain tissue some time to unwind and relax because chances are it has been subjected to electronic stimulation and electro-magnetic frequencies all day long.

It is also highly recommended that your bedroom is a wifi-free zone especially if you are a fan of 5G.

Secondly; alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and sugar are all stimulants. After your dinner time meal avoid alcohol, coffee or caffeine in any form and sugar (fruit juices, soft drinks etc.). It is also recommended not to use any nicotine for at least an hour before bedtime.

A glass of warm milk or a cup of relaxing, soothing, calming tea will serve your sleep habits far better.

And finally, if you need a little snack after your dinner time meal and before bedtime, avoid the sweet, sugary treats. These are the worst! Instead have a small protein shake or a cup of oatmeal.

These will not mess with your blood sugar and they will not cause insulin spiking creating a much more harmonious internal environment for your body to rest and repair.

Next time we will be talking about mental-emotional stress.

Over the past month or so we have learned about 3 specific posture distortions that you should keep an eye out for in your own children.

One was forward head posture or tech neck, the second was thoracic hyper-kyphosis or humpback and the third was abnormal spinal curvature or scoliosis.

In these short videos, I explained the health implications associated with each of these posture distortions and I also gave you some tips on how to check for these at home.

And if you have not seen these videos yet, you can scroll down and check them out right here.

Now what do you do if you are unsure about something or you have a legitimate concern with one of your kids?

 For example you do the toe-touch test and you notice one of your child’s shoulder blades is poking out and is sitting higher than the other one. (This being a strong indicator of scoliosis.)

This is where I can help you because as with any posture distortion, a more thorough investigation is in order.

We start with a postural assessment and then I will be able to determine if I can help as a chiropractor or if an orthopaedic consultation would be a better way to go; especially in the case of scoliosis.
 
If you would like me to check your child or all of your kids for that matter, all you need to do is call our office and set up an appointment for a postural consultation.

The phone number to call here in Burlington is 905 335 5433 (LIFE).

And please use our voicemail if no one answers the phone (clearly leave your first name and phone number) and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

So what is it that affects teenaged girls more than teenaged boys?

It is the same thing that can affect spinal development, self-esteem, athletic performance and even lung capacity, digestion and fertility.

And what I am talking about is scoliosis or an abnormal spinal curve. Instead of a straight spine (normal), the spine is shaped like an ‘S’.

If you have children at home, females especially, I am going to give you 3 things you should look for to check for spinal curvature.

Recently, we have talked about thoracic hyper-kyphosis or humpback. And if you haven’t seen any of those video yet, you can scroll down and check them out.

Thoracic hyper-kyphosis (humpback) frequently accompanies scoliosis so this is one thing you can look for.

Another thing; are their shoulders level or un-level?

Put one hand on each of their shoulders while they are standing and check if your hands are level. This is best done from behind. If your hands are un-level, then their shoulders are un-level. This is another indicator of a spinal curvature.

And finally, does one shoulder blade seem to poke out more than the other?

The best way to check this is to have them bend over to touch their toes while you stand behind them and observe.

Do both shoulder blades lie equally flat on their ribcage?

Or does one seem higher or seem to poke upwards?
 
If it is the latter, then this is another indicator that they have a spinal curvature.

If any of your kids (males included) have any of these symptoms or signs, a deeper investigation is a must.

We will talk about what it is you can do about this next time.