When you are in pain, you will likely do anything in your power to help yourself feel better. But, sometimes, no matter how well-intentioned you are, you may do more harm than good when seeking treatment. Some home treatment options include anti-inflammatory medications or the use of ice or heat. 

Ice and heat can do a lot to help you heal, but they are not created equal and can be used at the wrong time. If you want to use ice or heat for your injury, it is crucial to know when to use each and how it can benefit your healing process. 

Our team at Elite Chiropractic wants you to understand when to use ice or heat for your injuries and how improper use may lead to more substantial problems. 

The Importance Of Heat

When you are in pain, you may reach for a heating pad to deliver some relief. When used for the appropriate injuries, heat can make a substantial difference. Heat stimulates blood flow toward the injury site. As the blood flows, it carries nutrients to the injury and helps promote healing. It also helps muscles unclench, making you more comfortable as you begin to heal. Forms of heat therapy that you can perform at home may include using heating pads, soaking in hot water, and steamed towels. 

The Importance of Ice

While heat is a great way to draw blood toward an injury to begin promoting healing, ice is a wonderful way to calm inflammation and irritation. It is especially common to utilize ice immediately following an accident or injury. Ice is a crucial part of the healing process, as it constricts blood flow, which can help quell edema, also known as swelling. The most common form of ice therapy is the use of an ice pack, though some may also utilize ice baths and coolant sprays at home as well. 

When To Use Heat Therapy

If you are looking for treatment to relax muscles and promote healing, you should seek heat therapies. If you are dealing with any of the following injuries, you may benefit from at-home heat therapies:

• Muscle stiffness and tension: If you are experiencing back pain as a result of muscle stiffness, heat therapies can help relax the muscles, relieving this discomfort. 
• Muscle spasms: Using heat while a muscle is spasming may help the muscle relax and prevent continued spasming. 
• Chronic pain: If you experience chronic pain from conditions such as fibromyalgia or arthritis, heat therapies may help improve mobility and comfort. 

While heat therapies are a great way to soothe discomfort, it is essential that you understand how to use them properly. Heat should never exceed 113°F, as excessive heat may cause more damage to injured areas. If you are using at-home heat therapies, the heat should only be applied for 15 to 20 minutes. Additionally, the heat should never have direct contact with the skin. A cloth or towel should be placed between the heat source and your skin to prevent burns. 

When To Use Ice Therapy

When seeking ice therapy, it is often most beneficial to an acute or new injury. Many of these injuries are followed by immediate swelling, which benefits most from ice. If you are experiencing any of the following injuries, you should consider using ice therapies to treat them:

• Wrist or ankle sprains: Ice can help reduce swelling of strained or sprained muscles, ligaments, or tendons that accompany these sprains. 
• Joint or muscle sprains: Whether the irritation is from sports injuries or arthritis, ice may alleviate some pain and inflammation. 
• Swollen body parts: Ice is especially helpful for swelling because it cools blood running through the injured body part. If your skin is hot to the touch, you should reach for ice. 
• Headaches or migraines: While this isn’t an external injury, it still benefits from ice’s healing properties. If you have a headache or migraine, ice may be able to soothe some of that discomfort. 

Ice therapies should be used immediately following your injury for them to be most beneficial. Like heat therapies, you should only use it for 15 to 20 minutes, and it shouldn’t come in direct contact with the skin. If the skin becomes pale or numb, ice should immediately be removed. If you are unsure whether to use ice or heat, you should reach out to your primary care provider. They can assess the extent of the injury and provide you with a proper healing plan. 

Can You Use Ice Or Heat At The Wrong Time?

It is important that you use ice or heat to help yourself heal from injuries; it is even more important to understand when each can do more harm than good. If you use ice or heat at the wrong time, you may deal with increases in swelling or slower healing times. Try to avoid heat therapies when dealing with swelling, acute injuries such as falls, or after activity. Ice should be avoided if you have muscle or joint stiffness. Whether you use ice or heat, remember to heed these warnings to prevent worsening the injury and extending the healing time.

Use Ice Or Heat With Chiropractic Care

While it is great to use ice or heat on your injury during the healing process, there is more that you can do to boost the healing process. If you are experiencing an injury that you are struggling to recover from, you should consider seeking the help of a chiropractor. At Elite Chiropractic, our team has years of experience that makes us confident we can help you through whatever injury you have. 

Our team helps patients with pain from auto accidents, pregnancy, sports injuries, and more. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment with our Elite Chiropractic team or would like to speak with us about the services and how they can help you heal while you use ice or heat on your injury, contact us today.

Back to school is upon us, and many parents may be worried about the effect their children’s backpacks have on their backs. Filled with books, folders, and school supplies, these everyday items can quickly become a heavy burden, causing joint and muscle pain. 

But your child’s backpack doesn’t have to be a constant source of pain. At Elite Chiropractic, we want you to know how your child’s backpack contributes to their discomfort and everything you can do to prevent back pain. 

Why Is Your Child’s Backpack Causing Back Pain?

As your child progresses through school, their backpacks become heavier and heavier, weighed down by larger textbooks and more substantial course loads. The average school backpack may weigh up to 30 pounds. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a child’s backpack not weigh more than 10% to 20% of their body weight. But how is the weight of the backpack causing back pain?

When your child wears a backpack, especially one that is too heavy, this weight is applied to the spine. As the weight increases and your child’s posture begins to suffer, they may experience herniated discs, neck and foot pain, sciatica, and chronic back pain. As your child’s back pain increases, their attempts to alleviate discomfort may cause more harm than good. Slumping to quell discomfort applies more pressure on the spine, creating even more substantial discomfort. 

You may not even realize your child’s backpack is causing back pain until they vocalize it. However, a few signs that your child is experiencing back pain as a result of the weight of their backpack include the following:

• They struggle to get the backpack on and off
• They slump while wearing their backpack
• They choose not to wear it, instead dragging it or carrying it in their arms

If your child exhibits any of these signs, you may want to consider taking action to prevent back pain before it becomes a more significant, chronic problem. 

1. Wear The Backpack Properly

Any excessive weight of a backpack is already bad for your back. But, if they are wearing their backpack wrong, the weight may cause even more substantial strain on your child’s back muscles. To prevent back pain from their backpack, ensure your child is wearing their backpack appropriately. 

The shoulder straps of the backpack should be adjusted so the bag sits in the middle of your child’s back. It should fit closely to their body and rest in the curve of the lower back. Their backpack should never rest any more than four inches below their waistline. 

2. Choose An Appropriate Backpack

Choosing the appropriate backpack is essential to prevent back pain. When selecting a backpack, choose one that is proportionate to your child’s height. The straps of the backpack should also be wide and padded to prevent them from sliding off of your child’s shoulders. 

You may also want to find a backpack with a padded back to protect your child’s back from being stabbed by any items inside. Finally, look for a backpack with multiple compartments. This will allow you to organize the bag more appropriately. 

3. Lighten The Load

While some items in your child’s backpack can’t be removed, there are some things they carry every day that can come out of their bag to help prevent back pain. You should recommend that they use a locker if it is an option to remove any unnecessary items between classes. You should also take any items out of their backpack that they don’t need to bring with them. 

If the school offers it, you should also consider changing your child over to electronic textbooks. A textbook can weigh between two and six pounds. With more than one in their bag, the weight can increase substantially. 

4. Wear The Waist Or Chest Strap

Some backpacks come with a waist or chest strap. If that is available, you should always recommend that your child wears it to prevent back pain. When they wear the waist or chest strap, it ensures the backpack sits as closely to their body as possible. 

With these straps, you don’t have to worry that your child isn’t wearing their backpack correctly. In addition to ensuring the backpack is worn properly, the straps help with weight distribution. The waist strap helps distribute weight to the hips, while the chest strap helps prevent swaying. 

5. Organize It Properly

Organizing your backpack appropriately plays a big role in the way the weight is distributed and how it may hurt your back. If you want to prevent back pain, there are a few organizational tips you should follow. The heaviest items in the bag should go firmly against your child’s back, while lighter items should go closer to the front.

These lighter items should also go closer to the bottom of the bag, while medium- to heavy-weight items should go closer to the top. By organizing your child’s backpack properly, you allow the weight to be distributed in a way that doesn’t place more stress on the shoulders and back. 

6. Ask A Chiropractor For Help 

If your child is dealing with chronic back pain that doesn’t go away, even after you’ve followed the advice above, you should schedule an appointment with a chiropractor. Your chiropractor may help alleviate pain by treating compression and tense muscles. 

The chiropractor may also assign exercises for your child to help build strength in their back muscles. By strengthening these muscles, you may also notice a substantial improvement in your child’s posture, allowing for less strain on the spine. These treatments, coupled with the assigned exercises, may even prevent back pain from returning.

Prevent Back Pain With The Help Of Elite Chiropractic

If you or your child is dealing with back pain from heavy backpacks, you should schedule an appointment with a chiropractor you can trust. At Elite Chiropractic, our team of expert chiropractors has years of experience, making us confident that we can treat and prevent back pain caused by heavy backpacks. 

In addition to treating back pain, we help patients heal from auto accidents, sports injuries, and more. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment to treat and prevent back pain or would like to speak with a member of our team, contact us today.

If you have recently gone through a traumatic accident, there is a chance you have a concussion. If you have recently been through a car accident or play contact sports, it is critical that you can identify the signs of a concussion to stay safe. Not knowing the symptoms of a concussion can result in longer healing times or increased chances of worsening the injury. 

If you are not feeling like yourself and are struggling to determine if the symptoms you are experiencing are signs of a concussion, having a reliable resource to rely on is crucial. Our team of experts has created a list of signs that you have a concussion so that you can seek adequate care for this head injury. 

What Is A Concussion? 

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury, ranging from mild to severe, that can impact brain function. You may have a concussion following a blow to the head or an accident that resulted in violent shaking of the head and body. 

You may also experience a concussion following a hit in a contact sport, such as football, soccer, or rugby. The hits these players take can be violent enough to cause persistent concussions. With a concussion, your brain either bounces or twists in your head. This movement can create chemical changes in your brain, as well as damage to brain cells. 

Signs You Have A Concussion

The signs you have a concussion will vary depending on the severity of your injury. The symptoms may start subtly and may not present immediately after the accident. They may also persist for several weeks following the accident. 

If you have a mild concussion, the symptoms may appear immediately following the accident. Symptoms of a mild concussion generally go away after a few weeks of light activity and care. Signs of a mild concussion include the following:

• Changes in your sleep patterns, including less sleep, more sleep, or difficulty sleeping
• Light and sound sensitivity
• Headaches, dizziness, and nausea
• Difficulty concentrating
• Emotional changes, including irritability, anxiety, or nervousness

Moderate to severe concussions can result in much more significant problems for those suffering. Moderate to severe concussions may follow a head injury resulting in temporary loss of consciousness or a coma. Because of the severity of the injury, concussions can result in long-term or life-long health problems. Signs of a moderate to severe concussion include the following:

• Difficulty communicating or understanding others
• Problems with vision and hearing
• Weakness in your limbs
• Extreme changes in emotions, including depression, aggression, or nervousness
• Personality changes, including trouble controlling behaviors

What A Chiropractor Can Do To Help

When you have a concussion, your doctor will likely advise you to take things easy. By that, they often mean no physically strenuous activity or sports and resting when the opportunity presents itself. You should avoid bright lights, watching television, reading, or looking at a computer screen. This rest period gives your head a chance to recover without irritation. 

You should also take anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, to relieve any headache or nausea you may be experiencing. This medication will also help with any other pain you experience following your accident. If you were in a car accident, you might have back and neck pain in addition to your concussion.

If this is the case, seeing a chiropractor can help you alleviate some of the pain you’re experiencing. There are many treatments a chiropractor may suggest when dealing with neck and back pain, including mobility and decompression treatments, as well as laser and vibration therapies. If you are dealing with any lingering body pain following a concussion, you should consider seeing a chiropractor. 

When To Seek Medical Attention

If you have a concussion, it is crucial that you know when to seek immediate medical attention. If you are an adult and have gone home following your initial consultation with your physician and are experiencing increased weakness, vomiting, seizures, or slurred speech, you should call 911 or head to an emergency room immediately. The signs that a child needs to see a medical professional are the same but also include not eating or nursing and being inconsolable. 

Treating Your Concussion With Elite Chiropractic

If you have a concussion and are dealing with lingering pain, it can feel like there is nowhere to turn. But our team at Elite Chiropractic is here to help you get back to everyday life. With years of experience, we are confident that we can help you feel more like yourself again. If you are looking for treatment following your concussion or would like to speak with a member of our team, contact us today.