Frozen Shoulder can be painful without proper treatment

Today, we going to discuss something called "frozen shoulder," something that few people have heard about unless you’ve experienced it. But if you'v had frozen shoulder or know some who has, you know it can be very debilitating.


A frozen shoulder is a shoulder joint with significant loss of its range of motion in all directions. The range of motion is limited not only when the patient attempts motion, but also when someone attempts to move the joint fully while the patient relaxes. A frozen shoulder is also referred to as “adhesive capsulitis.” It actually affects more than 9 million people annually – about 2 percent of the population.

Ask a dozen people what causes frozen shoulder and you will probably get a dozen answers. They could all be both right and wrong at the same time. Meaning that what caused the condition in one person may not be the same cause in another person.

 

Some of the various suspected instigators of this disease are previous injury to the general shoulder area, Hormonal imbalances, especially in the thyroid gland, Repetitive motion or strain without proper stretching and rest, Frozen shoulder is the result of inflammation, scarring, thickening, and shrinkage of the capsule that surrounds the normal shoulder joint. Any injury to the shoulder can lead to frozen shoulder, including tendinitis, bursitis, and rotator cuff injury. Frozen shoulders occur more frequently in patients with diabetes, chronic inflammatory arthritis of the shoulder, or after chest or breast surgery. Long-term immobility of the shoulder joint can put people at risk to develop a frozen shoulder. There are more, but you get the idea.

Earlier, I stated that frozen shoulder pain is one of the most common shoulder conditions and one of the most disabling. It owes its name to the fact that the sufferer has the affected shoulder range of motion severely limited. Typically the person affected has trouble reaching up for cupboards, shampooing, steering the car wheel and so on. This is made even worse by the long recovery times to regain full range and mobility.

 

While the cause of frozen shoulder pain is largely debated among various health professionals and lay people, there is agreement of the progression.

• Stage one: A freezing phase; Symptoms being acute pain, tending to be worse at night making sleep hard if not impossible. Range of motion has not yet become restricted much, if at all.
• Stage two: A frozen phase; Symptoms being lowering pain levels but with your range of motion becoming severely limited. Most people find this to be the hardest phase to cope with.
• Stage three: A thawing phase; Symptoms being as the name implies, a gradual diminishing of the remaining pain along with a freeing up of movement again.

Before we discuss treatment; it’s very important for people with a frozen shoulder to avoid reinjuring the shoulder tissues during the rehabilitation period. These individuals should avoid sudden, jerking motions of or heavy lifting with the affected shoulder.

Now to treatment. We have had tremendous success with Graston Technique. Graston is an innovative, patented form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization that enables clinicians to effectively break down scar tissue and fascial restrictions. The Technique utilizes specially designed stainless steel instruments to specifically detect and effectively treat areas exhibiting soft tissue fibrosis or chronic inflammation. For patients, this means:

• Decreases overall time of treatment
• Fosters faster rehabilitation/recovery
• Reduces need for anti-inflammatory medication
• Decreased pain and increased function
• Improves or completely resolves chronic conditions thought to be permanent

Since the metal surface of the instruments does not compress as do the fat pads of the finger, deeper restrictions can be accessed and treated. When explaining the properties of the instruments, we often use the analogy of a stethoscope. Just as a stethoscope amplifies what the human ear can hear, so do the instruments increase significantly what the human hands can feel.

 

On the average, we have nearly a 75 percent success rate with a 15-week treatment, twice a week.

 

Sleep disorders can be alarming

Today, I’m going to discuss a valuable commodity that everybody needs and most of us can’t get enough of – sleep. 

As a general rule, adults need between six and nine hours of sleep a night. Most adolescents and teens do best with at least nine hours a night. There are, of course, exceptions. Some people can function well on less than six hours and others need more than nine.

Generally, there are a few things that affect your sleep requirements, including illness, emotional stress, and the time of year (some folks need more sleep during winter months). If you’re pregnant you might require more sleep, especially during your first trimester.

So, how do you know if you slept enough? The easy answer and the best answer is you feel tired when you first wake up, you probably aren’t getting sufficient sleep. It’s best to observe how you feel immediately upon awakening rather than after you’re up and moving around.

Those first few moments of wakefulness, before your mind fully kicks into gear, are a better measure of how your body is feeling.

Here are some tips for getting a good quality night sleep:

• Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. This will raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you might wake up and not be able to fall back asleep.
• No TV right before bed. Even better, get the TV out of the bedroom or even out of the house, completely. It is too stimulating to your brain and it will take longer to fall asleep. 
• Wear socks to bed. Your feet will often feel cold before the rest of your body. A study has shown that wearing socks reduces night waking.  
• Get to bed fairly early. Our systems, particularly our adrenals, do a majority of their recharging or recovering during the hours of 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.  
• Keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70 degrees F. Many people keep their homes and particularly the upstairs bedrooms too hot.  
• Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed. This can provide the L-tryptophan need to produce melatonin and serotonin.  
• In order to get the highest quality sleep, you need to be in a room that is dark as possible. Even the slightest bit of light can disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm and production of melatonin and serotonin, two hormones vital to your health. Many people are not aware that exposure to the smallest amount of light at night will cause your body to shut down further.

For most people who don’t sleep well, it has become a pattern and not just an occasional night of restlessness. A chronic lack of high-quality sleep simply cannot be recovered. You can’t stockpile a supply to use later, nor can you pay your body’s sleep debt back. You may feel rested and sharper after sleeping in, but the benefit is temporary and can be compared to depositing money in your account then withdrawing it again a day or two later. Most sleep is lost forever, and persistent lack of sleep has a cumulative effect when it comes to the havoc it can wreak on your health.

Sleep deficit can have serious and far-reaching affect on your health. A single night of sleeping only four to six hours can impact your ability to think clearly the next day.

· Good sleepers and poor sleepers experience about the same number of daily minor stressful events, but good sleepers are less disturbed by them. Poor sleepers experience life events as being more negative than do those who sleep well.

· Sleep deprivation can cause changes in your brain activity similar to those experienced by people with psychiatric disorders.

· Sleep deprivation puts your body into a pre-diabetic state, and makes you feel hungry, even if you’ve already eaten.

· Interrupted sleep can dramatically weaken your immune system 

Exposure to light while your body is trying to sleep activates your stress response and weakens your immune system, which is why irregular sleep cycles can lead to stress-related disorders including:

· Constipation

· Stomach ulcers

· Depression

· Heart disease

A disrupted body clock can wreak havoc on your weight. Losing sleep raises levels of two hormones linked with appetite and eating behavior. Sleep deprivation reduces leptin, a hormone that tells your brain you’re satiated, and increases ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger.
 
Lack of sleep can also destroy your memory. If your internal clock isn’t functioning properly, it causes the release of too much GABA, the brain inhibiting neurotransmitter. According to the results of s study, an excess of GABA inhibits the brain in a way that leads to short term memory problems and the inability to retain new information.

Most often, you can tell people do or don’t sleep well just by looking at them Sleep deprivation ages you. Lack of sleep interferes with metabolism and hormone production in a way that is similar to the effects of aging and the early stages of diabetes. Chronic sleep loss may speed the onset or increase the severity of age-related conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and memory loss.
 
We adults aren’t the only ones with sleep problem. There is a lot of evidence that younger people also have sleep disorders. According to a 2007 survey of 12-to-16 year-olds, 25 percent fell asleep with the TV, computer, stereo, iPod headphones or other electronic gadgets on. The same survey revealed these teens only received four to seven hours of sleep each night.
 
The hormone melatonin is produced later at night for teens, which can make it hard for them to fall asleep at an earlier hour. This temporary adjustment in their body clocks is one of the reasons young adults don’t get the amount of sleep they require. In addition to a shortage of rest, the quality of sleep these kids get can be very poor.
 
Chiropractic care is great for patients who have sleep disturbances. Spinal adjusting takes pressure off the nervous system and reduces spinal pain which will increase comfort and restore a patient's normal sleeping pattern. It's not uncommon for patients who will begin care with headaches or lower back pain to comment that they sleep much better since they‘ve been getting adjusted.
 
Melatonin and fish oil are also great supplements to help with disturbed sleep.

I also recommend meditation or relaxation techniques to help quite your mind. Many people try to go to sleep with a thousand things floating through their head. Stress about the work day, plans for the weekend or how your kids are getting to baseball practice are things that can keep the brain awake and not allow patient's sleep. It's important to learn how to shut off the brain when it gets to be too active.

Dealing with Childhood Stress

As providers and caretakers, adults tend to view the world of children as happy and carefree. After all, chirldren don't have jobs to keep or bills to pay, so what could they possibly have to worry about?


Plenty! Even very young children have worries and feel stress to some degree. Stress is a function of the demands placed on us and our ability to meet them. They understand and feel the stress of their parents – relationships, separation and financial.

Sources of Stress

Pressures often come from outside sources (such as family, friends, or school), but they can also come from within. The pressure we place on ourselves can be most significant, because there is often a disparity between what we think we ought to be doing and what we are actually doing in our lives.

Stress can affect anyone who feels overwhelmed — even kids. In preschoolers, separation from parents can cause anxiety. As kids get older, academic and social pressures (especially the quest to fit in) create stress.

Many kids are too busy to have time to play creatively or relax after school. Kids who complain about the number of activities they're involved in or refuse to go to them may be signaling that they're overscheduled.

Talk with your kids about how they feel about extracurricular activities. If they complain, discuss the pros and cons of quitting one activity. If quitting isn't an option, explore ways to help manage your child's time and responsibilities so that they don't create so much anxiety.

Kids' stress may be intensified by more than just what's happening in their own lives. Do your kids hear you talking about troubles at work, worrying about a relative's illness, or fighting with your spouse about financial matters? Parents should watch how they discuss such issues when their kids are near because children will pick up on their parents' anxieties and start to worry themselves.

World news can cause stress. Kids who see disturbing images on TV or hear talk of natural disasters, war, and terrorism may worry about their own safety and that of the people they love. Talk to your kids about what they see and hear, and monitor what they watch on TV so that you can help them understand what's going on.

Also, be aware of complicating factors, such as an illness, death of a loved one, or a divorce. When these are added to the everyday pressures kids face, the stress is magnified. Even the most amicable divorce can be a difficult experience for kids because their basic security system — their family — is undergoing a tough change. Separated or divorced parents should never put kids in a position of having to choose sides or expose them to negative comments about the other spouse.

Signs and Symptoms

While it's not always easy to recognize when kids are stressed out, short-term behavioral changes — such as mood swings, acting out, changes in sleep patterns, or bedwetting — can be indications. Some kids experience physical effects, including stomachaches and headaches. Others have trouble concentrating or completing schoolwork. Still others become withdrawn or spend a lot of time alone.

Younger children may show signs of reacting to stress by picking up new habits like thumb sucking, hair twirling, or nose picking; older kids may begin to lie, bully, or defy authority. A child who is stressed may also have nightmares, difficulty leaving you, overreactions to minor problems, and drastic changes in academic performance.

Reducing Stress

How can you help kids cope with stress? Proper rest and good nutrition can boost coping skills, as can good parenting. Make time for your kids each day. Whether they need to talk or just be in the same room with you, make yourself available.

Even as kids get older, quality time is important. It's really hard for some people to come home after work, get down on the floor, and play with their kids or just talk to them about their day — especially if they've had a stressful day themselves. But expressing interest in your kids' days shows that they're important to you.

Help your child cope with stress by talking about what may be causing it. Together, you can come up with a few solutions like cutting back on after-school activities, spending more time talking with parents or teachers, developing an exercise regimen, or keeping a journal.

You can also help by anticipating potentially stressful situations and preparing kids for them. For example, let a child know ahead of time (but not too far ahead of time) that a doctor's appointment is coming up and talk about what will happen there. Keep in mind, though, that younger kids probably won't need too much advance preparation. Too much information can cause more stress - reassurance is the key.

Remember that some level of stress is normal; let kids know that it's OK to feel angry, scared, lonely, or anxious and that other people share those feelings.

Books can help young kids identify with characters in stressful situations and learn how they cope. There are many different resources that you can find at your local library or online.

Most parents have the skills to deal with their child's stress. The time to seek professional attention is when any change in behavior persists, when stress is causing serious anxiety, or when the behavior is causing significant problems in functioning at school or at home.

If you need help finding resources for your child, consult our office or website, other mental health professionals, or the counselors and teachers at school.

H1N1 - The Sequel

Does anyone remember the big H1N1 flu scare? Of course. Who could forget? The hype, though not the flu, reached epidemic proportions. Although we are far removed from H1N1 of the winter or whatever the flu outbreak prediction of the upcoming winter will be, I thought my readers might like a little recap of events gone by.


The drug companies and the government did a great job of frightening people into buying a flu shot, telling us that we were all going to die from the H1N1 flu. Depending on what you read, we can all remember the estimates of a hundred thousand to several million people were going to die because of this flu pandemic.

The Reality

Updated Estimates from April 2009 – March 13, 2010

Using that same methodology, the Centers for Disease Control recently updated the estimates to include the time period from April 2009 through March 13, 2010 ..

• CDC estimates that between 43 million and 88 million cases of 2009 H1N1 occurred between April 2009 and March 13, 2010. The mid-level in this range is about 60 million people infected with 2009 H1N1.

• CDC estimates that between about 192,000 and 398,000 H1N1-related hospitalizations occurred between April 2009 and March 13, 2010. The mid-level in this range is about 270,000 2009 H1N1-related hospitalizations.

• CDC estimates that between about 8,720 and 18,050 2009 H1N1-related deaths occurred between April 2009 and March 13, 2010. The mid-level in this range is about 12,270 2009 H1N1-related deaths.

Even if these estimates were accurate, this would still, according to their own statistics stating that the flu kills 36,000 Americans a year, put us squarely in the middle of the mildest flu season in recent memory.

How was the determination made that someone actually had H1N1? Well, the BinaxNOW antigen test.

How many people do you know that were diagnosed with the H1N1 flu that actually had this antigen test performed? Most people that I spoke with said they been diagnosed with H1N1 by symptoms alone. The symptoms of the flu are:

• A fever or feeling feverish/chills

• Cough

• Sore throat

• Runny or stuffy nose

• Muscle or body aches

• Headaches

• Fatigue (feeling very tired) and diarrhea

In reference to the above statistics and question the fact that 88 million people got this diagnostic test to prove that they had H1N1.They certainly did not. The CDC hospitals all just estimated by looking at patients and deciding they had the flu and randomly called it H1N1.

And of course relating to the deaths, were they actually caused by the H1N1 flu? Were they caused by the regular flu? How many people were already in a “de-conditioned” state and this was the final thing that caused them to die?

By de-conditioned state, these would be patients who are possibly the elderly, have pneumonia, have cancer, have progressive diabetes or other serious health concerns who get infected with a virus that is called the flu. This is the final thing that causes them to pass away when in reality they have a lot of health concerns that can certainly contribute to their death.

The World Health Organization (WHO) changed the definition of a pandemic to get it to the ultimate level of what they call a “level six” pandemic. Apparently, there are six different levels to a pandemic and when it gets to a level six, it’s supposed to be the most dangerous and deadly. Level six is when most countries had automatic supply orders set up with vaccine companies to be filled by the billions. What we didn't find out until later is that many of the people who sat on the World Health Organization were basically in bed with vaccine manufacturers and got millions of dollars in kickbacks for changing the pandemic to a level six so the vaccines had to be made.

They had no evidence or indication that they needed to move this to a level six pandemic. The vaccine manufacturer literally made the billions of dollars worth of H1N1 vaccine that went around the world. The excess vaccine still exists now throughout the world. In the United States, we literally have millions and millions of dollars worth of on H1N1 vaccine left over.

Prediction

I would like to predict what is going to happen this fall and this winter. I’m going to look into my magic crystal ball and try to explain what might happen. The date today is May 6, 2010, and I predict one of two things is going to happen;

Number one. The experts are going to tell us that the H1N1 scare is still a significant threat and they are going to recommend that everybody get the H1N1 flu vaccine from last year. Especially are elderly, pregnant women and children.

Or number two. The medical community will urge those of you who got the H1N1 vaccine to get a “booster” as the effectiveness may have diminished.

Or number three. They are going to come up with any new virus/flu threat that is going to kill intensive thousands are hundreds of thousands of people, perhaps an H2N2 flu bug. As you know, they had the bird flu, then the H1N1 flu and now they’ll have to come up with another flu. It will scare the daylights out of us so the vaccine manufacturers can make more money off of us and our government, and make a entire new supply of more worthless vaccinations.

Stay tuned.