by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Healthcare Providers, Work Related Injuries
Prolonged standing and walking for healthcare workers can cause or aggravate previous health complications and soft tissue injuries and its effects can usually become instantly noticeable. An abundance of individuals often experience swollen or painful feet or legs, bunions or bony bumps that develop on the joint at the base of the big toe, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, varicose veins, knee complications, low back pain, neck and shoulder stiffness, poor posture and the effects that follow, restricted blood flow, heightened risk of knee or hip arthritis and, muscle soreness and fatigue.
Through many healthcare jobs, as well as with other types of jobs, standing is frequently a normal component within a healthcare worker�s day but, when the physical layout or work practices of a task require individuals to reach across wide surfaces in uncomfortable positions or repetitively participate in tasks without breaks, individuals may be at a higher risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries or conditions. Additionally, standing can be much worse when the individual has limited space to move around or while working on hard surfaces and/or wearing unsuitable footwear.
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T’s insight:
For many individuals, standing for extended periods of time is a major part of the job. Standing for a large part of the day is a well-known story for cashiers, bank tellers, restaurant servers, mail sorters, and retail salespeople, but most commonly, healthcare workers.�Overall health is important for everyone and prevention is the key for ultimately achieving complete well being especially for healthcare providers who wholeheartedly focus on treating and helping�others. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.�
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by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Healthcare Providers, Personal Injury, Work Related Injuries
According to a recent Public Citizen Report, the healthcare workplace is one of the most common industries where injuries or illnesses occur, with 653,000 nurses, aides, orderlies and others, become injured or fall ill every year. Approximately 45 percent of all workplace incidents in the United States which result in lost workdays occur in the healthcare sector. Among attendants, orderlies, and nursing aides in a 2011 study, the incidence rate of injuries requiring days off work was 486 cases per 10,000 employees, over four times higher than the national average for all workers.�
More musculoskeletal injuries are suffered by orderlies, attendants, nurses and nursing aides than workers in any other industry. Back injuries in the healthcare industry are estimated to cost over $7 billion every year.
Although healthcare workplaces are considered to have a higher risk of injury or illness than any other type of workplace, OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) offers a few inspections of healthcare facilities. The authors of the report additionally explained that when OSHA does find safety problems, there�s often not much they can do as a result of the absence of much needed safety standards.
In 2010, there were 152,000 workplace injuries and illnesses in the manufacturing sector in comparison to a massive 653,000 in healthcare.
OSHA is attempting to better address the injury rates among nursing home workers with a National Emphasis Program (NEP), which will focus on addressing ergonomic stressors, falls, trips, slips, and workplace violence, as well as tuberculosis and blood borne pathogens.�In conclusion, the report recommends for OSHA to considerably increase its number of inspections of healthcare facilities as well as pursue binding standards in order to ensure that workers are protected from the risks of developing musculoskeletal injuries and/or disorders and other types of threats that could greatly affect the overall wellbeing of healthcare workers.
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T’s insight:
Healthcare workers are constantly helping individuals with both their physical and emotional complications requiring medical attention. While patients are recovering from their injuries or illnesses, healthcare providers can occasionally experience issues at the workplace. In fact, injuries and illnesses among healthcare workplaces are relatively higher than those in other workplaces. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.�
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by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Chiropractic
Fibromyalgia is one of the most common chronic pain conditions presently affecting many individuals. According to the American College of Rheumatology, approximately 1 in 50 Americans currently suffer from fibromyalgia. The condition can be challenging to properly diagnose and it can cause chronic symptoms which can last up to several months and even years. Fibromyalgia is commonly characterized by widespread body pain which may usually develop tenderness that can cause pain with the slightest amount of applied pressure.
Individuals who�ve been diagnosed with the condition have a variety of traditional and alternative treatment options available. Managing the symptoms of fibromyalgia through traditional approaches include anti-inflammatory prescriptions, sleep medications, and muscle relaxers. Many individuals generally prefer to use natural remedies instead of or in addition to traditional medications, such as vitamin therapy, acupuncture, and meditation. But, one of the most common treatments that people with fibromyalgia seek is chiropractic care. Chiropractic treatment offers many benefits towards relieving the condition and its painful symptoms.
The most challenging complication pertaining to individuals who suffer from fibromyalgia involves the constant and persistent pain, which can often affect the entire body for weeks or months. Despite initially seeking care for their symptoms, many individuals receiving chiropractic care for their fibromyalgia pain may experience overall health benefits as well.
Through chiropractic treatment, a chiropractor will focus on adjusting the spine and improving the body�s natural alignment by also providing a variety of soft tissue manual manipulations. Chiropractors can help individuals with the condition in order to reduce the painful pressure points usually associated with fibromyalgia. A variety of people diagnosed with fibromyalgia look for relief through chiropractic treatment options and find a decrease in the tender spots.
Chiropractors are also able to restore an individual�s natural range of motion by adjusting the body�s joints and helping them reduce their body�s stiffness as a result of the condition.�By working with a chiropractor to loosen the joints and manage the tender areas, individuals suffering from the condition can gradually begin to enjoy deeper sleep and stay asleep longer.�A treatment regimen should be built on a case-by-case basis designed to the specific needs of an individual.
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T’s insight:
It�s important for individuals who are diagnosed with fibromyalgia to learn that there are many treatment options available to them for pain management. Chiropractic care is a valuable tool for treating the symptoms of fibromyalgia. For individuals who commit to their treatments, they will be able to experience the benefits of less pain, greater mobility, and better sleep. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.�
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by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Chiropractic
Pain, stiffness, tenderness, and swelling in joints. Osteoarthritis most often affects the knees, hips, hands, and spine. Rheumatoid arthritis usually begins in small joints in the hands and feet, then spread to larger joints. In addition to pain and swelling, rheumatoid arthritis can cause fever, tiredness, and weight loss. If you have a type of knee arthritis in which the wear and tear is harming the middle of your joint � called medial-knee arthritis � special insoles could help. Lateral-wedge insoles are thinnest at your instep and yours widest at the outer edge of your foot, realigning your feet and your lower legs in a way that can reduce some of the twisting that wears down knee joints. Your doctor can tell you which type you have. Everything from genetics to joint injuries to age-related changes in cartilage-protecting enzymes plays a role. But there�s plenty of evidence that you can cut your risk significantly with the simple, proven strategies here.
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T’s insight:
Pain, stiffness, tenderness, and swelling in joints. Osteoarthritis most often affects the knees, hips, hands, and spine. Rheumatoid arthritis usually begins in small joints in the hands and feet, then spread to larger joints. In addition to pain and swelling, rheumatoid arthritis can cause fever, tiredness, and weight loss.��If you have a type of knee arthritis in which the wear and tear is harming the middle of your joint � called medial-knee arthritis � special insoles could help. Lateral-wedge insoles are thinnest at your instep and yours widest at the outer edge of your foot, realigning your feet and your lower legs in a way that can reduce some of the twisting that wears down knee joints. Your doctor can tell you which type you have. Everything from genetics to joint injuries to age-related changes in cartilage-protecting enzymes plays a role. But there�s plenty of evidence that you can cut your risk significantly with the simple, proven strategies here.
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by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Veterans
�Healthcare in the U.S. and the VA has operated on a �find it, fix it� reactive disease model,� Gaudet said in a recent interview. �What we�re undertaking is truly a paradigm shift that promotes health and wellness.�
As compared to initiating with a patient�s suggested complication or attempting to identify a condition early in its development, Tracy Gaudet believes healthcare providers should begin by understanding the veteran and their ambitions. She explains that medical staff at the VA shouldn�t be asking, �what�s the matter?�, rather, they should be asking, �what matters to you?�. The goal of complete health at the VA is to assist all veterans in order to determine their basic health achievement goals and desires and to also help them focus on all the areas of their lives that affect their health and don�t allow them to reach those goals.
�It�s not just a �feel good� program,� Gaudet noted, �but an approach informed by evidence that makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches as well as emphasizing self-care at all points along the spectrum of health and disease.�
This approach often takes veterans out of the clinic. The nine-week, peer-to-peer program emphasizes on guiding veterans through various questions to encourage them to discuss why they want to be healthy, what they want to accomplish and the kinds of relationships they want to have. According to Tracy Gaudet, the results have been astounding. Many veterans have found meaning and purpose in their lives again and connected to healthier lifestyles through these new programs being available at Veterans Affairs clinics. Veterans can then follow through with other available programs to help them reduce stress like meditation or they can increase their overall fitness levels. Additionally, as their health improves, the cost of caring for them drops. The complete health approach encourages veterans to make continuous changes in their health and life which may involve working on their closest relationships.
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T’s insight:
Many medical staff members at the Veterans Affairs Medical Clinics, such as Tracy Gaudet, MD, have been inspired to change their approach to medicine as well as transform the way they handle care to best provide veterans and active duty service members with the best possible benefits and opportunities to improve their health. The VA now focuses on granting veterans the ability to enhance their overall wellness and achieve their goals for well being. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.
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by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Chiropractic, Integrative Functional Wellness, Integrative Medicine
Lt. Col. Scott Griffith, MD, and Army�s pain management consultant, quoted in a recent interview, �Chronic pain can be very challenging so we focus a lot on their functionality, being able to restore their function as well as bringing their pain down to the extent that we can. Even for people who cannot have their pain eliminated, many of them can have an improvement in the quality of their life.�
For military healthcare providers, managing acute and chronic pain has become a tremendous problem than ever before. In a June 2014 report in JAMA Internal Medicine, of 2,597 evaluated individuals, researchers found that 44 percent of troops experienced chronic pain symptoms after being deployed for combat while 15.1% of those individuals reported regularly using opioids. Furthermore, Veterans Affairs administrators gave a testimony before a Congress hearing that chronic pain was among the most common medical complication in veterans returning from the last decade of conflict. The frequent cause for chronic pain is due to musculoskeletal injury, which is usually unrelated to battlefield wounds. Causes for musculoskeletal injury include training and job performance with the use of increasingly heavy protective equipment as well as sports and recreation.
The challenge for federal medicine providers still lies on relieving chronic pain symptoms among active duty military members and veterans while also decreasing the chance of opioid addiction and abuse among individuals. In 2003, the Defense & Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (DVCIPM) was established to support and regulate pain research and education as well as improving pain management methods. Six years later, the Army surgeon general organized a pain task force membership that included representatives from military services, TRICARE and VHA, to give guidance and approval for a comprehensive pain management strategy. That same task force distributed a report in May 2010 recommending the military to use a holistic, multimodal and multidisciplinary approach to pain management, including complementary and alternative medicine.
Through the project, the VA will analyze the extent and cost-effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine utilization among veterans being treated at the Veterans Affairs Medical Clinics for musculoskeletal disorder-related pain and other related conditions. On a wider spectrum, changes in drug development are giving clinicians other means to helping active-duty service members and veterans as well as others avoid opioid addiction.
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T’s insight:
Both acute and chronic pain relating to trauma from an injury, have constantly been a common complication among troops. Fortunately, in recent years, efforts by the United States Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs officials to solve the issue of pain among active duty service members and veterans have started offering a larger variety of non-drug alternative methods. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.�
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by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Chiropractic
Fibromyalgia symptoms are presumed to occur subsequently from physical or emotional trauma where there�s been considerable psychological stress, after surgery, or as a result of an infection. In several cases, the symptoms can also progressively accumulate over time without a single event to trigger them. The widespread pain that most frequently accompanies fibromyalgia sufferers can be described as a continuous, dull ache which has lasted for a minimum of three months.
Other symptoms for fibromyalgia include fatigue, where the individual awakes feeling tired despite sleeping for long periods of time, restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea as a result of an interrupted sleep, cognitive difficulties, and other complications, such as depression, headaches and pain or cramping in the lower abdomen.
For years, traditional pain relievers such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the opioids like Morphine, have been used as a form of treatment for fibromyalgia but due to the drug�s high probability of dependency as a source for pain and symptom relief, especially over long term use, opioids are not recommended by any current guidelines for the treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms. Fibromyalgia is not a fatal or terminal disease but its symptoms of chronic pain where the pain can recur throughout an individual�s lifetime can often be a common reason for drug abuse and addiction.�Despite the absence of recommendations and studies that prove the benefit of opioids in fibromyalgia, currently about 30% of Canadian and American patients with fibromyalgia report to using opioids for pain relief.�
Studies have shown that individuals who use and abuse opioids tend to have more severe pain, a more severe impairment in daily functioning as well as the presence of mood disorders compared to those who did not use opioids.�Several alternatives for treating the symptoms of fibromyalgia include physical therapy and chiropractic care to relieve chronic pain naturally.�
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T’s insight:
Fibromyalgia is a well-known condition characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain that usually follows with fatigue as well as sleep, memory and mood complications. While there are currently no known causes and no known cures for the condition, many individuals who suffer from this painful disorder can often be misunderstood. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia heightens pain sensations by altering the way the brain processes pain signals. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.
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by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Chiropractic
The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) outlined the inclusion of chiropractic services by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a portion of the standard medical benefits package which has been provided to all eligible veterans for approximately 10 years. Researchers from the VA Connecticut Healthcare System published a study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, conducted to demonstrate the substantial growth in the utilization of chiropractic services and the chiropractic workforce in the VA within a decade. According to the new study, the annual number of chiropractic visits increased by roughly 700 percent, indicating that more veterans have increased access to chiropractic care then ever before.
The lead author of the study, Anthony J. Lisi, CD, Director of the Veterans Affairs Chiropractic Program and Chiropractic Section Chief at the Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, stated, �Our work shows that the VA has steadily and substantially increased its use of chiropractic services each year following their implementation in late 2004.� He added, �VA chiropractic care evidence-based, patient-centered treatment options that are in demand by veterans and referring providers. VA continues its efforts to ensure appropriate access to chiropractic care across the whole system, but as this study shows, the progress to date has been remarkable.�
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T’s insight:
For about a decade now, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has included chiropractic services as a part of the standard medical benefits package for eligible veterans. Annually, there’s been a recorded increase in the number of chiropractic visits, suggesting the VA values chiropractic treatment as a portion of their treatment options available to many veterans and active duty military members alike. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.
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by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Chiropractic, Veterans
Many clinicians at the VA frequently argue whether chiropractic treatment methods, such as spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, are actually effective towards improving injuries and conditions causing chronic back pain. A new research was conducted to determine the effects chiropractic care had with chronic pain symptoms. While the study concluded that spinal adjustments and manual manipulations were similarly as effective as placebo for pain relief, the study did find that individuals demonstrated an increased improvement in disability at 12 weeks after receiving consistent chiropractic treatment, according to a report published in the journal, �Geriatric Orthopedic Surgery & Rehabilitation�.
With the contribution of Paul Dougherty, DC, a staff chiropractor at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center in upstate New York, the authors of the study described that the almost identical improvements between the individuals of the different study groups suggested the presence of a non-specific therapeutic effect from the treatments.
For the study, researchers classified 136 veterans, 65 years old or older, with lower back pain whom had never received chiropractic treatment. The individuals were then divided into two separate groups, with 69 of the veterans receiving spinal adjustments and manual manipulations.
Dougherty explained, �spinal manipulative therapy, or SMT, is where you take a joint to its end range. When you crack your knuckles and squeeze them together, you hear the pop. That pop is the joint changing pressure. SMT is basically doing that, taking a joint that isn�t moving enough and trying to maneuver it to where it moves normally again and changes pressure.�
The other 67 veterans participating in the study were enrolled in a procedure known as sham intervention, where a water-based ultrasound gel is spread across the lower back while the individuals lay face down, followed by the chiropractor rubbing a detuned ultrasound machine across the affected area for approximately 10 minutes. The ultrasound machine made noise but did not transmit any sound waves.
Additionally, the participating veterans from both groups were given an educational pamphlet from the Arthritis Foundation on different varieties of back pain and other symptoms.
After four weeks of twice-a-week treatment, the individuals were evaluated on the fifth week to rate their pain on a standardized scale. Both groups showed comparable pain improvement. Paul Dougherty explained that pain is perception-based, originating equally from the mind as it does from the body, but that disability is a better measure of effectiveness. Dougherty quoted, �Twice a week for four weeks, we met with these patients. We talked to them about their pain. They were touched in a caring and meaningful way. It comes down to this: If people believe they�re going to get better, it changes the way they thing about pain.�
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T’s insight:
For many veterans, since the introduction of chiropractic care as a part of their Medical Benefits Package, their disabilities caused by injuries or conditions as a result of their military service have been effectively improved through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations. In a recent study, chiropractic treatment demonstrated an improvement in veterans disabilities after consistent treatment. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.�
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by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Auto Accident Injuries, Chronic Back Pain
Back Pain: The worst injuries are the invisible ones. Even a slower impact collision can result in serious whiplash that last for weeks, months, or years. Similarly, the most minor tweaks of the back can result in lasting pain for years. The accident does not need to be a traumatic rollover or a head-on collision; a severe back injury can result from a rear ender, of which there are 1.7 million rear end accidents each year, according to the Washington Post.
As we all know, back injuries can occur from an afternoon of chopping wood, a game of touch football, or simply by sitting at a desk for too long. It is no wonder, then, that incredibly severe injuries occur regularly for victims of auto accidents. Often, the back injury may be overlooked, as other, more pressing injuries require medical attention first, such as broken bones, lacerations, or a traumatic brain injury. What began as a stabbing, acute pain can transform into chronic, lasting pain even if the patient is treated right away.
This can result in a serious disability that hurts everything from home life to your work. If you have been injured in a car accident and have developed chronic or acute back pain, contact an experienced El Paso, TX.� car accident attorney at once for legal guidance.
Short-Term Acute Back Pain
Back pain that lasts less than three months or up to half a year can be described as acute back pain, according to Spine Health. It is directly caused by tissue damage (muscles or ligaments) and the symptoms include stabbing pain, aches, stiffness, decreased range of motion, and difficulty standing up as straight as you once did. The lower back is more susceptible to injury and acute pain than the upper back, and is the second most likely reason that Americans see their doctor. It is important to take care of acute back pain as soon as possible, because the longer it lasts, the more likely it will develop into chronic pain. Not only does long-lasting acute pain ruin a person�s mood and attitude towards their injury, it also increases the neurological pain signals even when the tissue damage is no longer present.
Long-Term Chronic Back Pain
The two types of chronic back are identifiable and non-identifiable pain sources. The first, identifiable, results from muscle, ligament, or spinal disc damage. A herniated disc, loss of disc fluid, or spinal stenosis all cause pain by putting extra pressure on the spinal cord. Spinal decompression surgery may offer relief for patients suffering from these types of spinal compression injuries. The second type of chronic back pain stems from no identifiable generator. This chronic �benign� back pain is caused by a neurological pain pathway that was created when the original injury occurred, and has lasted when the tissue or disc damage went away or was repaired. Now, the pain is the problem itself, not the injury, which can be incredibly frustrating for those seeking a cure. If your back has been injured in an auto crash, contact an El Paso, TX. car accident attorney today.
The post Chronic and Acute Back Pain From a Car Crash appeared first on Chester Law Group.
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T�s insight:
Back pain that lasts less than three months or up to half a year can be described as acute back pain, according to Spine Health. It is directly caused by tissue damage (muscles or ligaments) and the symptoms include stabbing pain, aches, stiffness, decreased range of motion, and difficulty standing up as straight as you once did. The lower back is more susceptible to injury and acute pain than the upper back, and is the second most likely reason that Americans see their doctor. It is important to take care of acute back pain as soon as possible, because the longer it lasts, the more likely it will develop into chronic pain.
If I can help do call 915-850-0900 Dr. Alex Jimenez Chiropractor El Paso, Tx
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