Approaches to Subluxations

Chiropractic is a lot more than just pushing on someone’s back to make it feel better. At ACT Wellness Center in Woodbridge, we believe in putting the body in the optimal position to heal itself, using minimally invasive, non-addictive means. Part of that means using spinal adjustments to treat vertebral subluxation complexes, but those are more than just regular back pain. They’re misalignments in the spinal column that could become more severe if they’re not corrected.

 

The spinal column is made up of bones, called vertebrae, that are connected to each other by facet joints in back and spongy, shock-absorbing discs between their main bodies. The bundle of nerves that makes up the spinal cord runs through a canal made up of hollow spaces in the vertebrae behind their flat parts, and the nerves to the rest of our bodies branch out of the spinal cord through small holes in the vertebrae. A vertebral subluxation complex is what we call it when an injury causes a vertebra to move out of its usual position. This could compress the nerves exiting through it, causing them to experience pain, tingling, or numbness. It could also press down on blood vessels, prompt inflammation, and distort the shape of the spinal discs.

 

A subluxation may be painful, but the body can adjust to it. However, this would not be good for the spinal column’s overall integrity, and would likely further strain its supporting muscles and allow the affected area’s blood flow to remain restricted and its nerves to have difficulty relaying messages. A chiropractic adjustment is the most simple way of dealing with this. With a controlled, gentle amount of force, a chiropractor would return the vertebra to its optimal position. This would remove the impingement on the nerve and allow the body to heal fully. But it works better when the rest of the body hasn’t experienced wear from overuse due to compensating for a subluxation.

 

If you are experiencing back pain, visit Dr. Carmelino Caratozzolo at the ACT Wellness Center, 14111 Minnieville Road, Woodbridge, Virginia. Call 703-491-9355. We’ll help determine whether a vertebral subluxation complex is the cause and what your best course of treatment is.

Text Neck

Everything You Need to Know About Text Neck

As more and more teens are using social media, text neck is becoming an increasingly familiar term. Coined for the neck and back pain users gain while staring at a smartphone, the long-term effects of text neck syndrome on growth and development are unknown, but experts agree on the syndrome’s potentially detrimental effects on the spine. At ACT Wellness Center in Woodbridge, VA, Dr. Carmelo Caratozzolo offers tips and tricks to alleviate this condition. Here is everything you need to know about text neck syndrome and how you and your child can practice good habits while using your cell phone. 

What Are the Effects of Text Neck?

Text neck has only been studied in adults so far, but experts believe the phenomenon is more prominent in kids and teens—a tech-savvy group that logs more hours in social media, texting, and screen time than any other generation. The effects of text neck in adults include neck and back pain as well as soreness. Common symptoms also include reduced mobility in the neck, shoulders, and upper back, muscle spasms, shoulder tightness, and pain. This excessive strain on the spine not only ruins good posture but leads to long-term health problems and invasive procedures like spine degeneration and surgery. 

Exercise

One of the best ways to prevent or at least limit the damaging effects of text neck syndrome is something simple: staying away from your phone! Your Woodbridge, VA chiropractor advises exercising regularly, going outside, and moving around to prevent the neck and back pain that comes from staring at technological devices for too long. In a world where many are turning to their devices for entertainment, breaking this habit and being active together will serve as an investment for your family’s overall health and wellness.

Take Breaks

With everything online today, sometimes it may be inevitable to use a device for long periods. Generally, try to avoid being hunched over your smartphone for multiple hours, but if this is the case, take frequent breaks so your body doesn’t reap the negative effects of text neck. 

Maintain a Neutral Position

While you use your phone, it’s important to stay in a neutral position, which is refraining from a hunched back or moving your face forward towards the screen. Keep your device at eye level instead of bending your neck towards your screen to also be safe during cell phone use.

Stretch

Alongside breaks, remember to stretch. Take a few minutes to arch your back and neck to relieve any tension and sore muscles before going back to your phone. Arch your back and neck to relieve sore muscles and tensions.

To learn more, contact Dr. Carmelo Caratozzolo at ACT Wellness Center at 14111 Minnieville Road, Woodbridge, Virginia. Call 703-491-9355 today. 

Chiropractic Care for Bicyclists

According to People For Bikes, about 47.88 million Americans participated in bicycle riding in 2018. Cycling, a popular sport, and leisure activity is only growing with thousands of riders today. At ACT Wellness Center in Woodbridge, VA, many of Dr. Carmelo Caratozzolo’s patients are avid bicyclists. Here are five ways bicyclists benefit from chiropractic care.

Correct Posture

A biker’s position places more pressure on your neck and back. Your trusted Woodbridge, VA chiropractor evaluates your spine for misalignment and damage. Through a variety of spinal manipulations, we will correct your posture and provide different tips and tricks to maintain good spinal health the next time you get on a bicycle.

Relieve Joint Pain
Cycling places a strain on your joints, especially around the hip and knee areas. Using treatments like exercise and massage therapies, we loosen stiff muscles and strengthen your joints. 

Treat Injuries
Like any sport, biking has its fair share of accidents. At ACT Wellness Center, Dr. Caratozzolo is skilled in treating common bike injuries. This includes impact injuries, tendonitis, head and spine trauma, ruptured discs, and much more. 

Manage Shoulder & Neck Pain

One of the most common ailments bikers face is shoulder and neck pain. Hunching over your handlebars while trekking over long trails increases the tension on your spine. At ACT Wellness Center, we recommend spinal manipulations, acupuncture, or massage depending on the level of injury. 

Preventative Care

Even if you don’t suffer from injuries or biking-induced pain, we strongly encourage riders to visit our  Woodbridge, VA office today. We believe prevention is the best medicine for overall health. Our care improves mobility, flexibility, and strength, so you can enjoy bicycling free of pain and illnesses!

To learn more, contact Dr. Carmelo Caratozzolo at ACT Wellness Center at 14111 Minnieville Road, Woodbridge, Virginia. Call 703-491-9355 today. 

Upper Crossed Syndrome

When people hunch over, they tend to develop an ache in their backs, necks, and shoulders. And when they continue to hold that position, they may end up weakening some muscles and overdeveloping others. “Upper Crossed Syndrome” is a term chiropractors use to describe a particular pattern of deformity in the upper body that usually results from poor posture. At ACT Wellness Center in Woodbridge, we provide treatments for this condition that will help a patient return to health, but they’ll have to continue maintaining good posture to avoid a relapse.

 

The trapezius and levator scapula are muscles that connect from the vertebrae to the bones of the shoulders. When a person hunches forward, those muscles get stretched and swollen, while the muscles in front of the chest become tight. In contrast, the muscles on the sides of the neck and lower in the shoulder become small and weak. When seen from the side, a line drawn between the tight muscles and a line drawn between the weak ones would form an x. The practical consequence of this is that the neck will be curved too far inward and the upper back too far outward, resulting in pain from the head to the ribs.

 

There are many strengthening exercises a person could do to restore the alignment of their neck and upper thorax, although we encourage patients to ask our chiropractor, Dr. Carmelo Caratozzolo, for professional guidance on proper form. We can also determine whether a patient has incurred subluxations from the pressure being exerted on their vertebrae, and our chiropractic adjustments can help to gently stretch or relax their muscles in addition to realigning their spines.

 

Upper Crossed Syndrome is usually reversible, but treating it often requires lifestyle changes.  For help restoring upper body musculoskeletal health, schedule a visit to Dr. Carmelo Caratozzolo at the ACT Wellness Center, 14111 Minnieville Road, Woodbridge, Virginia. Call 703-491-9355.

 

Occipital Adjustments

If you’ve felt ringing in your ears, a tense jaw, and pain in your shoulders, the problem may be originating from in between them. “Cervicogenic” is the word we use to describe pain that radiates from the neck. Although it may sound scary, Dr. Caratozzolo at ACT Wellness Center is specially trained to perform occipital adjustments, allowing him to remove pressure in the neck. If this sounds like it could be the solution to your problems, read on.

 

Many nerves emerge from the spinal cord in the cervical region. The nerves leading to the arms branch out in the lower section, while the trigeminal nerve, which leads to the face and top of the head, branches from the top. When a person suffers whiplash, the soft tissues in their neck will likely become swollen from being frayed, and the person may even suffer a herniated spinal disc. This could compress one of the nerves at their root, or the other injuries may be painful in their own right.

 

Occipital adjustments use gentle, controlled force to adjust the top of the neck, where it meets the base of the skull. This will help to loosen the soft connective tissues, allowing blood to flow more freely and reducing swelling. Adjustments can also be done on the lower part of the neck to take pressure off the spinal discs and move them back into place. As the patient recovers, we will teach them neck flexibility exercises that will help them to prevent a relapse, and better postural techniques if we determine that something in the patient’s lifestyle may have strained their necks and made them more vulnerable to whiplash or chronic inflammation.

For a diagnosis of what’s causing your neck pain and expert occipital adjustments, schedule a visit to Dr. Carmelo Caratozzolo at ACT Wellness Center, 14111 Minnieville Road, Woodbridge, Virginia. Call 703-491-9355.

Stingers

Do you suffer from pain in your shoulder or arm? You may have a stinger. We don’t just provide assistance for people with back pain at the ACT Wellness Center in Woodbridge. As experts in caring for the musculoskeletal system, we also provide extremity adjustments. This means we are able treat pain in the limbs without drugs or surgery, so let’s take a closer look at how stingers work and what we can do.

 

Many nerves branch out of the spinal cord in the neck. The ones that travel to each arm bundle together in each shoulder into what is called the brachial plexus. When a person’s shoulder is pushed down and their head is pushed in the opposite direction, the brachial plexus on that side is compressed. A person may feel a sensation of shock or burning down their arm, and although the pain may disappear after a few seconds, it tends to get worse and last longer with each injury. Sometimes, pain from a stinger can last for days.

 

We’ll perform physical diagnostics and imaging tests to determine whether a patient has a displaced joint in their neck or shoulder that may be compressing the shoulder nerves. A chiropractic adjustment can be performed on shoulder joints, as well as the spinal column, relieving excess pressure on the nerves and muscles. As a certified chiropractic sports physician, Dr. Carmelo Caratozzolo can also prescribe stretches to restore the muscles’ strength and recommend specialized shoulder pads to keep them protected as they heal. We also offer pulsed electromagnetic therapy to reduce pain and inflammation, as well as low level laser therapy to stimulate the growth of new tissue.

 

If you’ve suffered an injury to your neck or shoulder, schedule a visit with Dr. Carmelo Caratozzolo at the ACT Wellness Center, 14111 Minnieville Road, Woodbridge, Virginia. Call 703-491-9355.

Chiropractic Approach to Whiplash

Whiplash is a scary name, and the syndrome can cause someone a lot of problems. Pain from damaged neck muscles and ligaments could radiate to the shoulder or to the head, and a person with swelling would also experience limited movement. We provide a variety of safe, complementary treatments at the ACT Wellness Center for people who have suffered whiplash, but because symptoms don’t always appear right away, we need for everyone to understand why seeking treatment is important.

 

Another name for whiplash is “cervical acceleration-deceleration syndrome,” because it affects the neck, or cervical region, and it is caused by the head being whipped back and forth. Most often, this kind of injury appears in people who have been in motor vehicle accidents. Small tears in the soft tissues of the neck cause a wide variety of symptoms; some people experience pain as constant and throbbing, others describe it as sharp and shooting, and some people experience tingling or numbness. Symptoms often aren’t felt for over twenty-four hours after the accident and may only be noticeable when a person makes certain movements, but they can get worse with time.

 

Keeping the neck completely immobile may allow the muscles to further atrophy. We’ll devise an individualized plan of treatment for patients after examining their range of motion and taking x-rays, but usually patients should expect their care to include chiropractic adjustments and prescribed stretches at home. The slow, gentle use of force delivered by an adjustment will put joints back in their proper place while stretching out tight tissues, and doing stretches regularly will keep the muscles strong and limber. We may also reduce inflammation by applying cold laser therapy and by providing nutritional advice.

 

If you have recently suffered whiplash, don’t delay scheduling a visit to Dr. Carmelo Caratozzolo at ACT Wellness Center, 14111 Minnieville Road, Woodbridge, Virginia. Call 703-491-9355.

10 Tips to Prevent Neck Pain

Neck pain happens, but that doesn’t mean you have to live with it forever. With some lifestyle adjustments, you can prevent neck pain altogether. We at ACT Wellness Center in Woodbridge, VA take pride in educating our patients about good spinal health. Since many of our patients experience neck pain, it's important to take a step back and see what causes it. Only then can you take the necessary steps to treat and ultimately prevent neck pain!

 

Prevent neck pain by:

 

- Sleeping on your back

- Drinking plenty of water

- Making sure you are using a comfortable and supported pillow

- Making sure your computer monitor is at eye level

- When texting, keeping your mobile phone at eye level, taking breaks, or using talk-text

- When making a phone call, using a headset or earpiece

- Stretching, exercising, and strengthening your neck muscles

- Carrying weight on your person so that it is evenly distributed

- Practicing a supportive posture (no slumping or hunching!)

- Holding your phone at a distance rather than right in front of you

 

It’s important to seek professional help if you ever experience numbness, tingling, and pain in your arms, or headaches and weakness. Ineffective pain medication is another indicator that you should see a chiropractor. Dr. Caratozzolo offers an array of therapies to help patients with neck pain.

 

Are you interested in treating your neck pain with chiropractic adjustments? We are happy to address any concerns or answer any questions you have! ACT Wellness Center is located at 14111 Minnieville Rd. in Woodbridge, VA 22193. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit actwellness.com or call the office at 703-491-9355.