Ergonomics at a Home Office

A few months ago, we advised our patients on how to keep their backs comfortable while in the office. Since then, a lot more people have been working at home, where they may not have an ideal set-up. We’re taking precautions at Kosak Chiropractic in Fairfield to limit the spread of the coronavirus. But to prevent back pain relapses among people continuing to work from home, we thought it would be a good idea to say a bit more about how to set up a workstation.

Ideally, a computer screen should be at eye-level, with the keyboard and mouse easily reachable by holding the arms straight outward. Unfortunately, this is often not possible with laptops. People should still try to avoid looking downward by elevating the laptop, and may need to look into getting a wireless keyboard. People should keep their feet flat on the floor while typing and try to make sure they’re not resting their wrists on anything that might compress their undersides, which would put them at risk for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

If you don’t have an ergonomic office chair, you’ll need to practice the same protocols you do when sitting in a car for a long trip. Try to support your lower back with a cylindrical cushion or rolled up towel if your chair isn’t giving you back support when you sit up, and make sure you have sufficient padding. You’ll need to stretch every half hour and make sure you’re getting up and moving around at least every ninety minutes. Lastly, make sure you’re listening to your body. If something hurts, don’t assume you’ll get used to it in time; change your workstation so you don’t have to stay in that position.

Kosak Chiropractic is located at 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, Fairfield, CA, 94533. To schedule an appointment, visit Kosak Chiropractic online or call 707-426-1111.

Cervicogenic Headaches

If you frequently suffer from headaches, the problem may be in your neck. As experts in musculoskeletal care, we at Kosak Chiropractic are happy to assist people suffering from blockages in the cervical spine. But many people are unaware of how this may be able to relieve pain ranging from their lower jaw to the top of their head, which is why we wanted to explain what cervicogenic headaches are and how chiropractic can combat them.

Sensation in our faces comes from the trigeminal nerve. It emerges from the cervical spine, or neck region, and branches off to the eyes and forehead, maxilla, and mandible. If there is a compression in the cervical spine, pain may be referred to the trigeminal nerve and we would call it "cervicogenic." Compression could be due to swollen muscles, a herniated disc, or dislocated facet joints, among the more common reasons, and is often the result of whiplash. Pain may also radiate to a shoulder or arm, but will usually be limited to one side of the body.

Although whiplash is the most common cause of cervicogenic headaches, people who work with their heads down, such as hair stylists and craftsmen, and people who have bad posture while typing also risk straining their neck muscles. We’ll use manual examinations, range of motion tests, and imaging scans to determine whether a headache could be cervicogenic. If it is, we may employ chiropractic adjustments of the neck, which use gentle, controlled force to stretch the neck muscles and correct the position of the joints. We will also recommend therapeutic exercises that will strengthen the neck muscles to better support the spine and become less vulnerable to fraying.

Kosak Chiropractic is located at 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, Fairfield, CA, 94533. To schedule an appointment, visit Kosak Chiropractic online or call 707-426-1111.

Common Whiplash Treatments

Whiplash is a common kind of neck injury. It can take many forms, but it is often painful, and the pain may radiate. We offer several safe, complementary therapies for whiplash at Kosak Chiropractic in Fairfield, and are available for our patients during the coronavirus outbreak. But we need you to understand why if you may have suffered whiplash, you need to take it seriously.

 

You may have heard whiplash referred to as cervical acceleration-deceleration syndrome. That is because it is characterized by the microtears the soft tissues of the neck incur when a person’s head is whipped back and forth, as frequently happens during car crashes. Small tears in the muscles, ligaments, and spinal discs will cause the tissues to become inflamed and stiffen, limiting the neck’s movement. The pain may be throbbing, or it may feel like pins and needles and come and go. It may also travel along the neck muscles into the shoulders or up to the head.

 

We will diagnose the extent of a person’s whiplash injury through imaging and range-of-motion tests. Resting injured muscles too much risks that they will further deteriorate, which is why we will use the information we learn during the diagnosis to prescribe gentle stretching exercises, instead. We may also reduce stiffness by gently adjusting the neck and administering therapeutic massages. Whiplash symptoms may take a while to develop, but they respond better to treatment when caught early. If you’ve been in a vehicular crash or similar accident, schedule an appointment with us right away.

Kosak Chiropractic is located at 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, Fairfield, CA, 94533. To schedule an appointment, visit Kosak Chiropractic online or call 707-426-1111.

Stiff Neck Muscles

Neck pain is scary. If you feel your neck muscles gradually becoming more fatigued, you may wonder whether you’ll be able to go about your normal activities, or whether you’re going to be in too much pain to move. Fortunately, help is available. At Kosak Chiropractic, we provide fast, non-invasive treatments for a variety of musculoskeletal problems, including those in the neck. But we also want patients to know how to avoid relapses, so let’s take a closer look at neck stiffness.

Any muscle can stiffen when it’s strained and kept in the same position for too long. The neck contains several complex muscles, but the ones likeliest to suffer from wear and tear are the levator scapulae. These muscles, one on each side, connect the backs of the upper cervical vertebrae to the back of the shoulder and are responsible for moving both. They are at particular risk for wear when a person hunches forward in front of a computer or while looking at a mobile device. They can also be overused by repetitive motions, such as swimmers turning their heads to the side with each stroke, or by a person sleeping on their front, forcing their head back and sideways.

Sometimes, neck pain is caused by a herniated disc compressing a neck muscle. Our office can assist patients with herniated discs by providing chiropractic adjustments, but for people who are simply suffering strain, we can provide therapeutic massages. We will also teach neck stretches that will restore the flexibility of the levator scapulae and other muscles. Lastly, we help patients to identify areas in which they can adjust their lifestyle to keep better posture. Remember, keep your monitor at eye level and raise your phone instead of bending your neck.

Kosak Chiropractic is located at 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, Fairfield, CA, 94533. To schedule an appointment, visit Kosak Chiropractic online or call 707-426-1111.

Do You Have a Pinched Nerve?

Have you ever accidentally contorted your body in a way that resulted in a sharp pain that decreased mobility in your neck or arm? If so, you might have experienced a pinched nerve. Pinched nerves can occur anywhere along the spine, including the upper, mid, and lower back. They can even happen in any joint of your body. We at Kosak Chiropractic know all about the dreaded pinched nerve and how painful it can make doing the simplest tasks. Sometimes the nerve can move back into place naturally. However, if the pinched nerve is severe enough, you will need spinal adjustments to correct it.

Symptoms of a pinched nerve include:

- Lower back pain

- Numbness, tingling, or burning sensation in your arms, legs, fingers, or toes

- Pain radiating along your spine

- Severe headaches or migraines

- Pain that shoots down your arm or leg

- Neck pain

A pinched nerve can be caused by subluxation, disc degeneration, osteoarthritis, or disc herniation. These are silent afflictions in their beginning stages, which is why it’s important to see a chiropractor regularly. Your Fairfield, CA chiropractor will re-align your spine in an effort to correct your pinched nerve but also prevent one from happening again in the future. 

Do you have any questions or concerns? We are happy to help. Kosak Chiropractic is located on 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, in Fairfield, CA 94533. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit kosakchiropractic.com or call us at 707-426-1111.

 

Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS)

Nowadays there are many different treatments help alleviate aches, pains, and injuries of the body. One such treatment is called Electrical Muscle Stimulation. EMS involves special technology to help reduce pain, swelling, and recovery time. We at Kosak Chiropractic are committed to offering our patients different treatments and technologies to help them feel their best, which is why we are proud to offer EMS in the Fairfield area. 

EMS works great for muscle spasms, soft tissue injuries, and athletes who are looking for a quicker workout recovery time. EMS is popularly used on the back and neck muscles, and has been successful in relieving acute and chronic pain. EMS is a simple treatment that only takes a few minutes to perform. Electrodes are placed on the affected area and an electrical current is transmitted into the soft tissue or muscle. The strength of the current depends on the type of injury, its location, and how deep the therapy is going to be. The muscles experience small but quick contractions, which may make the patient feel a prickly or tingling sensation.

EMS is a great option for patients suffering from:

- Arthritis

- Nerve inflammation

- Cancer-related pain

- Dysphagia

- Fibromyalgia

- Muscle injury from trauma

- Back pain

- Spinal cord injury

- Stroke recovery

- Muscle injury from disease

- Urinary incontinence

- Poor muscle strength

- Surgery recovery

Kosak Chiropractic is located on 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, in Fairfield, CA 94533. To find out if EMS is right for you or to schedule an appointment, please visit kosakchiropractic.com or call us at 707-426-1111.

 

Sleep Positions

Since we ideally spend about a third of our time asleep, it makes sense that our sleep positions will have major implications for how our backs feel. We provide a variety of noninvasive pain relief treatments at Kosak Chiropractic, including adjustments for misaligned spines. But for lasting relief, patients may have to make changes to their lifestyle, including how they sleep.

Stomach sleeping is recommended against for most patients. Besides leaving the lumbar region unsupported, it forces the head backward and sideways, often leading to neck pain in the morning. Side sleeping can keep the neck in alignment if it is done with a firm pillow, and misalignments it creates between the pelvis and legs can be prevented by sleeping with a pillow between the knees. But this position still leaves the lumbar region unsupported, so patients who do it are advised to alternate which side they sleep on. People with wide hips may need a softer mattress to allow their hips to remain even.

The best position for most patients is on the back. With small, cylindrical pillows under the neck and lower back as needed, this position keeps the whole spine aligned. It’s only major downside is that it may be difficult for people with obstructive sleep apnea, but back pain at night can also cause a sleep deficit, and for patients receiving proper treatment, the neck pillow can provide more support and prevent cervicogenic headaches.

Kosak Chiropractic is located at 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, Fairfield, CA, 94533. To schedule an appointment, visit Kosak Chiropractic online or call 707-426-1111.