Difference Between Sprains and Fractures

You can distinguish the difference between a sprain and a fracture depending on the physical pain that you feel. A sprain refers to stretched or torn tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels around a joint and can be caused by an accident, fall, or blow. A fracture, on the other hand, is a break or crack in a bone that can be caused by the same types of injuries, but instead, you might hear a snapping sound as a bone breaking. Here at Health 1^st Chiropractic and Rehabilitation, no matter what type of injury you have, our staff is here to treat it.

Sprains are defined by the kind of tissue –bone, ligament, or tendon – that’s damaged. Meanwhile, a fracture describes a break in one or more of the bones. Injuries are the most common causes of foot and ankle sprains and fractures. Many fractures and sprains occur during sports, which is why warming up prior to physical activity can prevent ankle sprains and fractures and so can wearing proper shoes.

If you’ve recently suffered an injury, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. To schedule an appointment in any of our Triad locations including our Greensboro, NC office, call us at 336-543-2231 or visit the Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation website, www.hstriad.com. 

Get More Out of Your Run

At Health 1^st Chiropractic and Rehabilitation, our staff supplies numerous treatment methods to help get your joints and spine in line. When joints are misaligned, they cannot flow through the full range of motion. Therefore, if you’re a runner, chiropractic care can help improve your coordination, increase your balance, amplify your precision and may even give you a better reaction time.

Gone are the days when chiropractic care was needed just for aches and pains. Nowadays, for runners, chiropractic care can be used for injury prevention because it emphasizes proper alignment of the spine and pelvis. If the pelvis is misaligned, it can not only cause wear and tear your joints, but it can put a strain on one particular body part. Runners can specifically benefit from chiropractic adjustments that will improve your overall performance over time.

If you are a runner and think you may benefit from chiropractic treatment, please give us a call. To schedule an appointment in any of our Triad locations including our Greensboro, NC office, call us at 336-543-2231 or visit the Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation website, www.hstriad.com. 

Self-Care for Back and Neck Pain

Almost everybody who experiences tight shoulders and neck accompanied with tension headaches knows how unpleasant the pain can be. Here at Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation, we offer a variety of treatments to treat your back and neck pain. However, when you can’t make it to the office, here are some self-care tips to keep your discomfort under control.

1. Take it easy – contrary to popular belief, studies on acute back pain actually show that a few days of restricting your activity, and taking the appropriate over-the-counter medication, is all that many people need to allow the strained muscles to relax and unwind.


2. Ice, then heat – Ice and heat can alleviate local pain that comes from muscle and ligament strain. Ice slows swelling and inflammation and using heat afterward increases blood flow to the deep tissues and relaxes muscle spasms.


3. Massage -- if you have a willing companion, gentle massage may provide some relief by stretching tight muscles and ligaments.

If you are suffering from back and neck pain, give us a call to discuss your treatment options. To schedule an appointment in any of our Triad locations including our Greensboro, NC office, call us at 336-543-2231 or visit the Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation website, www.hstriad.com. 

Goals of Therapeutic Exercise

Therapeutic exercise is defined as a bodily movement prescribed to correct impairment, improve musculoskeletal function, or maintain a state of well-being. At Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation, if you suffer from shoulder pain, back pain, neck pain and hip pain, we guarantee to have an exercise method that will heal you in no time.

Therapeutic exercise seeks to accomplish the following goals: enable ambulation, release contracted muscles, tendons, and fascia, mobilize joints, improve circulation, improve respiratory capacity, improve coordination, reduce rigidity, improve balance and promote relaxation. In addition, therapeutic exercise helps improve muscle strength and exercise performance. No matter which types of exercise may be needed to remedy a patient’s specific condition, the final goal of rehabilitation is to achieve an optimal level of mobility by the end of the treatment procedure.

If you think that you can benefit from therapeutic exercise, give us a call. To schedule an appointment in any of our Triad locations including our Greensboro, NC office, call us at 336-543-2231 or visit the Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation website, www.hstriad.com. 

Principles of Ergonomics

Believe it or not, ergonomics can make your job easier and keep your workforce safer. Simple things like sitting up straight while typing or lifting heavy objects with your legs instead of your back can save you a great deal of pain. Here at Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation, we can treat you if you’ve been injured on the job. However, we’d rather you follow these ergonomic principles to reduce the risk factors that lead to discomfort.

• All work activities should permit the worker to adopt several different, but equally healthy and safe postures.


• Where muscular force has to be exerted it should be done by the largest appropriate muscle groups available.


• Work activities should be performed with the joints at about mid-point of their range of movement. This applies particularly to the head, trunk, and upper limbs.

If you have questions about ergonomics, please give us a call. To schedule an appointment in any of our Triad locations including our Greensboro, NC office, call us at 336-543-2231 or visit the Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation website, www.hstriad.com. 

Benefits of Receiving Chiropractic Treatment

If you have stiff joints, a pain in the neck, arms, legs, or if you suffer from frequent headaches, then you are immediately a chiropractic candidate. Our doctors at Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation use hands-on spinal manipulation and other alternative treatments to revitalize proper alignment of the body’s musculoskeletal structure, particularly the spine, without surgery or medication. The benefits from this type of treatment are endless.

Most people are unaware of all the benefits of keeping your spine and nervous system healthy. Chiropractors don’t just crack your neck and send you on your way. In fact, they do much more than that. In general, proper chiropractic treatment of your body's lumbar, or lower back, region, involves very little risk and the rewards can be significant. It may sound silly, but with regular chiropractic care, you can improve your mood, your quality of sleep, and your energy levels, all without hospitals or medicine.

If you think you may benefit from chiropractic treatment, please give us a call. To schedule an appointment in any of our Triad locations including our Greensboro, NC office, call us at 336-543-2231 or visit the Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation website, www.hstriad.com. 

Tips for Safe Summer Yard Work

Warmer weather and sprouting gardens often mean yard work! This summer, be sure you know how to keep your back safe through all that work. Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation in Greensboro, High Point, Burlington and Winston Salem, NC want their patients to be mindful of their back. Keep reading for some tips!

• Know how much you can handle. Stop when you get tired or feel your back has had enough. Even taking small breaks throughout the day can help.


• Know how much you can lift. Use proper lifting techniques and do not attempt to lift, push, or pull something that you know is too heavy for you.


• Find ways to make tasks easier on yourself. Bring tasks up to your level so you do not have to crouch or hunch over them. Using a workbench is a lot of relief on the back. Another tip is watering the soil to make any digging or pulling weeds easier.


• Utilize garden tools. They are made to make tasks easier. Some of these helpful tools include kneeling pads, straps, and spades.

Yard work can be tough on the body if the proper precautions are not taken and prevention is the best medicine! To learn more about Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation in Greensboro, NC, give our office a call at (336) 543-2231. Our other locations may be found on our website, www.hstriad.com. 

Proper Sleeping Posture

While you probably know that posture is important while sitting and standing, did you know that it is just as important while you are sleeping? Sleeping is meant to let your body rest and recharge. With an out-of-line spine, there are disrupted messages to and from your body and brain. At Health First Chiropractic and Rehab in Greensboro, NC, we want all of our patients to know proper sleep posture.

The first thing to know about sleep posture is that there are two preferred positions to sleep in and one that is not recommended. Sleeping on your back or your side is best. Sleeping on your stomach is not recommended because of the pressure it puts on your neck and lower back. However, we will give you tips for each position to help you rest comfortably and effectively.

 

Back and Side Sleepers

For those who sleep on their back or their side, thicker pillows are best for supporting your head and neck. When your head is hanging too low, a kink in the neck develops and disturbs the nerves. Make sure the pillow allows your head to rest at a level that keeps your cervical spine in line with the rest of your spine. Thicker pillows are usually best for these positions. In addition, side sleepers may want to place a pillow between their knees and back sleepers may want to place a pillow under their knees for extra back support.

 

Stomach Sleepers

For people who cannot sleep unless they are on their stomach, this is for you. Choose a very thin pillow or even use no pillow at all. This is so that your neck is not bent upwards while you are sleeping. Also, to take pressure off the rest of the spine, place a pillow under your pelvis/ stomach area.

 

Posture is important even when you’re sleeping! To set up an appointment at Health First Chiropractic in Greensboro, NC, call our office at (336) 543-2231 or visit our website, www.hstriad.com to learn about our other locations.

Allergies and Chiropractic Treatment

Summer has arrived, but if you suffer from allergies you may not be all that thrilled. Even though chiropractic care is not a specific allergy treatment, our doctors at Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation would like to explain why patients may find allergy relief from chiropractic care. The goal of chiropractic treatment focuses on optimizing the overall health function of the nervous system in your body. When the body becomes optimized, the body begins to function as it should. Because of this, your immune system develops a “boost” and decreases allergy symptoms.

Chiropractic adjustments release the pressure on the nervous system allowing the immune system to work more effectively. Since the beneficial effects of this treatment are very well documented, it’s no surprise that many chiropractic patients report of a reduction of allergy symptoms. Receiving regular adjustments realigns the spine and allows the body to heal itself and function at its highest performance. If you suffer from allergies, you may want to consider chiropractic as a treatment option.

If you suffer from allergies and think you may benefit from chiropractic treatment, please give us a call. To schedule an appointment in any of our Triad locations including our Greensboro, NC office, call us at 336-543-2231 or visit the Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation website, www.hstriad.com. 

Reaching a Diagnosis

At Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation, it doesn’t matter if you’re suffering from back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, or have recently been injured in a car accident, because we are here to provide you with relief whatever the cause. Once you schedule an appointment with one of our doctors, they will need to assess what is causing you strife. Each one does this by classifying your injury into one of three categories. These categories of chiropractic diagnosis include: 

• Potentially serious: tumor, infection, fracture, major neurological problem, local open wound or burn, prolonged bleeding, artificial joint implant problems, pacemaker problems, joint infection


• Nerve problem: when the nerve root in the low back is pinched or compressed, causing a radiculopathy (sciatica). Typical causes of nerve root pinching include a lumbar herniated disc, spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis


• Non-specific: mechanical back pain in the lumbar spine. This type of lower back pain is the most common presentation and includes pain for which there is no identifiable cause.

If you think you may benefit from chiropractic treatment, please give us a call. To schedule an appointment in any of our Triad locations including our Greensboro, NC office, call us at 336-543-2231 or visit the Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation website, www.hstriad.com. 

Headaches and Chiropractic Care

Headaches can be very disruptive, especially if they are reoccurring. Here at Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation of Greensboro, NC, we treat patients who are suffering from frequent headaches. You do not have to live with the pain.

Headaches can be a result of many different conditions, which is why it should be treated with a whole-body approach. The chiropractic care approach is based on the body functioning as a whole and not separate sectors. Our body systems all work in sync with one another and are all connected through our spine.

Chiropractic care for headaches may involve spinal adjustments. These will make sure that the spine is in perfect alignment so it can function at its peak level. When there is a misalignment in the spine, commonly called a subluxation, there is pressure on the nerves which disrupt messages to and from the brain. Posture is a very important part of keeping an inline spine. We also will be sure that your lifestyle promotes health.

If you are constantly on the sidelines because of a headache, we may be able to help you. To schedule an appointment with us or to learn more, contact Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation of Greensboro, NC. To schedule, or to find our other locations, call (336) 543-2231 or visit our website, www.hstriad.com. 

What is a Subluxation?

The term “subluxation” is used by doctors of chiropractic to depict the altered position of the vertebrae and subsequent functional loss, which determines the location for the spinal manipulation. Subluxations can be caused by a wide range of issues ranging from a minor slip to something as serious as a car accident or sudden trauma. At Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation, we believe the body is an amazing machine. Therefore, if yours is causing you pain, visiting us can only help improve it.

In very basic terms, a subluxation is when one or more of the bones in a person’s spine move out of position creating pressure on or irritating the nerves in their spine. As time goes by and subluxation remains untreated, the spine and surrounding features such as discs can begin to degenerate. This degeneration becomes more difficult to reverse as time goes by as the surrounding muscles, nerves and bones begin to adjust to the new shape. Subluxation symptoms can vary depending on the person, but if you are experiencing any type of spine or nerve pain, please give us a call.   

To schedule an appointment in any of our Triad locations including our Greensboro, NC office, call us at 336-543-2231 or visit the Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation website, www.hstriad.com.  

Sacroiliac Joint Pain

Have you ever felt an unexplained pinch in your lower back and/or hip that becomes irritated when you move from the sitting-to-standing position? If so, then you may be experiencing sacroiliac joint pain. The sacroiliac (SI) joints are formed by the connection of the sacrum and the right and left iliac bones. The function of this joint is to transfer weight and forces due to movement of your upper body through the pelvis, to your legs and vice versa. When this joint becomes injured and/or moved out of place, our doctors at Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation can fix the problem.  

The primary role of the sacroiliac joint is to provide stability for the pelvis and to bear the upper load of the body. It acts as a shock-absorbing structure and does not have much motion, but it can cause pain once it’s moved out of its groove. While it is not clear how the pain is caused, it can develop because of too much movement or too little movement. If you feel inflammation in this area, the longer you wait to find relief, the longer it will take to correct the problem.

If you think you may benefit from chiropractic care, please give us a call.  To schedule an appointment in any of our Triad locations including our Greensboro, NC office, call us at 336-543-2231 or visit the Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation website, www.hstriad.com.  

Chiropractic Adjustment Goals

A chiropractic adjustment, also known as a chiropractic manipulation, manual manipulation, or spinal manipulation, is a common therapeutic treatment for lower back pain. To complete the adjustment, one of our doctors at Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation will apply pressure to the vertebrae that have abnormal movement patterns or fail to function normally. In addition to relieving your back pain over time, people have reported that chiropractic adjustments benefit headaches, ear infections, neck pain, joint pain, and arthritis.  

At Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation, we pride ourselves on taking a natural, drugless approach to helping our patients reach their health goals. Essentially, the basic principle of chiropractic itself is that the body has the amazing ability to heal itself (under proper conditions). The objective of a chiropractic adjustment is to reduce the subluxation with the goals of increasing range of motion, reducing nerve irritability and improving function.

If you think you may benefit from a chiropractic adjustment, please give us a call. To schedule an appointment in any of our Triad locations including our Greensboro, NC office,  call us at 336-543-2231 or visit the Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation website, www.hstriad.com. 

Your First Chiropractic Visit

When suffering from some type of pain, a majority of us are often stubborn about seeking treatment. If you’re finally fed up with living in discomfort and decided that it’s time to do something about it, then our staff at Health First Chiropractic would like to welcome you to our office. Your first visit will focus on getting to know our doctor and discussing your history, current condition and the goals you wish to obtain.

In many regards, a chiropractic examination is very similar to standard examination procedures administered by all healthcare providers. Your first visit will consist of three parts: a consultation, case history, and a physical exam. During the consultation, our doctors will discuss your duration and frequency of symptoms, areas of pain, what makes the pain better and what makes it worse. He will then ask about your family history, dietary habits, as well as past history of other treatments. Finally, the doctor may utilize a variety of methods to determine the spinal segments that require chiropractic treatments. Together, you will come up with a plan of action which will begin when you are completely satisfied and ready to move forward.

If you think you may benefit from chiropractic treatment, please give us a call. To schedule an appointment in our Greensboro, NC office or to check out our other locations, call us at 336-543-2231 or visit the Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation website, www.hstriad.com. 

Cold Laser Therapy

Pain can slow you down, make everyday tasks seem difficult, and it can even lead to depression. At Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation, we work to find a solution to relieve your pain and heal your body. We utilize cold laser therapy for patients who are in pain, chronic or otherwise.

Cold laser therapy can relieve pain, heal injuries faster, reduce swelling and spasms, and increase functionality. This quick procedure involves emitting non-thermal light through the skin and into the tissue that is affected. The light reacts with elements in the cells and creates a photosynthesis-like reaction. It creates energy and events in the cells that lead to faster healing, reduced pain, and reduced inflammation. It actually triggers the regeneration of cells. The cold laser can react with all types of cells, so it is beneficial for many conditions.

Some of the conditions that can benefit from cold laser therapy include arthritis, tendonitis, neck pain, and back pain. In addition, soft tissue injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, and fibromyalgia are also able to be treated.

If you are living in pain, it is time to see if cold laser therapy can help you. To schedule an appointment in our Greensboro, NC office or to check out our other locations, call us at  (336) 543-2231 or visit the Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation website, www.hstriad.com. 

What is a Herniated Disc?

A herniated disc can be painful and it can cause numbness, pain, and tingling in extremities. Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Center in Greensboro, NC can diagnose and treat patients with herniated discs so that they can get back to their life. Keep reading to learn about what a herniated disc is and what problems it can cause.

A spinal disc is a cushion that is between all the individual vertebrae in the spine. It helps with movement and it absorbs shock. Discs are rubbery, disc-shaped, and have a softer center. A herniated disc is when some of that softer center part bulges out through a small tear in the tougher, rubbery outer layer. The pain associated with herniated discs happens when the bulging part pushes up against a nerve.

The pain will radiate from that area and will also travel to wherever the nerve leads. This can lead to numbness, tingling, and pain in legs and arms. For example, if the sciatic nerve is pressed on, it can send pain shooting through your hip all the way down your leg. The symptoms of a herniated disc can range from nothing to severe pain.  If you are experiencing numbness or weakness to a limb, you should seek medical attention immediately to rule out any life-threatening causes.  Chiropractic treatment may include adjustments, physical therapy, and spinal decompression, among other forms of therapy. Patients usually find relieve quickly.

To learn more about herniated discs or to schedule an appointment with Health First Chiropractic and Rehabilitation in Greensboro, NC, call us at (336) 543-2231. Our other locations may be found on our website, www.hstriad.com.