In this icy weather, know what to do in case of an accident!

We have been having one snow storm after the other, and while we might like to just hibernate until spring comes around, occasionally we will have to get out there on the roads! Today they were predicting ice, this is one time i'm glad the weather man was wrong :)  

I hope you stay safe on the roads but if you or someone you know does have an accident there are a few things you should think about. Very often, severe traumatic injuries require the intervention of a surgeon especially when there are broken bones, damaged internal organs or when the soft tissues are severely torn. Those patients usually end up directly in the emergency room. Frequently however, for patients who have been in minor to moderate traffic accidents, there can be severe pain with little immediately apparent structural damage. Especially in the case of motor vehicle accidents, symptoms may show up later and may not even be directly correlated to the recent accident. In a lot of these cases, physical medicine methods are the best solutions.

My own fender bender brings to mind a patient that I had once who was in a reasonably serious traffic accident. We all dread that moment when someone, completely unknown to us slams into our car and changes our lives forever. Well this case was no exception, well…except that my poor patient had his two daughters in the car with him! As a parent, I can tell you truly, when he sat in my office with his two beautiful girls and told me everything that had happened I genuinely empathized (and this was before my own accident!) Thank goodness, everyone had been wearing their seat belts, but everyone was banged around pretty badly. 

They had gone to the emergency room where the ER doc had suggested that the dad see his regular doctor. After consulting his attorney about the accident, he and the chicas were sent to us. Dad did very well in a short time with the usual 3 step treatment system that we employ in practice. His main concern for the girls was that they were in severe pain that was not well managed by Tylenol, but he was uncomfortable giving them the more advanced analgesics that had been prescribed and he was looking for a drug free option. Children are great patients. They approached the rehabilitation exercises with greater enthusiasm than I have ever seen in my adult patients. Within 2 weeks of modalities, joint and soft tissue manipulation and rehabilitation exercises, the girls were pain free and back to participating in their pee wee sports teams as if nothing had happened.

Here are some suggestions for what to do in the unfortunate event of an accident:

1) If you have the opportunity to go to the ER or to see your doctor, do so as soon as possible

2) Sometimes there is severe pain but no overt evidence of damage. If that is the case, go in to see your chiropractor or physical therapist as soon as possible

3) Symptoms of whiplash do not always show up immediately so monitor how you are feeling and if you notice symptoms see your health care provider sooner than later

4) Physical symptoms are not the only ones to be concerned with. Many patients who have had accidents suffer from a form of post traumatic stress. Seeing a mental health professional after an accident is often an excellent idea

Please be safe out there.

Regards in health,
Dr. Shepherd

Baby's first visit to... (yes you guessed it,) the chiropractor!

I'm in our Bristol office today and I'm in the best mood. Every day in practice, several times per day I am reminded of why I love being a chiropractor. Today one of my favorite moments has been seeing one of our youngest patients. You have probably heard me say before that in our practice we treat the whole family: from newborn babies to grandparents and everyone in between. When I say that, people can generally get their heads around the fact that we treat children with injuries and teens who play sports but many cannot wrap their heads around babies going to the chiropractor! Well, here's the deal: not only do we see babies, but we absolutely love treating babies! This may in fact be the high point of our days!

So I know what you are thinking: Why would babies need a chiropractor? Well as usual you have great questions and I'm so happy you asked. If you asked a baby (assuming in this made up scenario that the baby could answer you,) especially a newborn, they would tell you that for the past 40 weeks or so of their life they have been in relatively cramped quarters. True story: there is not very  much room to move around in there! Do you remember the last time you were stuck sitting in a meeting, or had to drive or fly for a long time without being able to change your position much? I bet you absolutely wished to see your chiropractor after that ordeal. Babies often can develop "back problems," from difficult delivery or birth trauma. Sometimes the way we hold, pick up and even the way we carry and burp our babies can cause problems.

You may be thinking right now of some baby you have known who seemed fussy and seemed to cry a lot for no reason. You are also probably thinking that you are not sure that there is anything a chiropractor could do to help this poor little baby. The truth though, is that the chiropractor would most likely help this little angel significantly. If you have been reading our column for a while, you probably know that I love studies and research and evidence, so may I please share with you the results of a study that was done looking at 316 colicky infants? Colicky infants: you know the ones who seem otherwise healthy, but cry for several hours per day for at least 5 days per week and who do not respond to the traditional methods of soothing such as hushing, changing diapers, feeding etc? Yes, those are the ones of whom I speak. Anyway, in this study, the infants were treated over a 2 week period. Improvement was seen in 94% of the babies. 94%! For most of the babies, improvement was seen in as few as 3 visits. Please note also that in this study there were ZERO side effects. Now I ask you: how often do you see a study showing 94% efficacy with ZERO side effects?It's also interesting to note that as many as 20% of American babies have a diagnosis of colic.

For those of you who have been to a chiropractor (or for those of you who have heard stories of visits to the chiropractor,) your next question is probably: "Surely you are not suggesting cracking baby's back?" Well, you are absolutely correct. Adjusting patients in our practice is generally very gentle. In addition, adjusting babies is very different from adjusting adults. That clicking sound sometimes heard with adult adjustments (that crack that people speak of,) is absent when adjusting babies. As for the babies, they tend to tolerate adjustments very well. My little patient gave me the most beautiful smiles during our examination and treatment today. It has been my experience that babies seem to love being adjusted.

There is a saying that nobody's happy if Mamma Isn't happy. Well, as a mamma myself, I can assure you, If baby's not happy, mamma is not happy at all! Let's keep our babies happy and well adjusted. If you have questions or concerns, do talk to your health care provider and of course your local neighborhood chiropractor.

Regards in health,
Dr. Shepherd