6 Sacroiliac Joint Tips: Dos and Don'ts

6 Sacroiliac Joint Tips: Dos and Don'ts

Sacroiliac Joint (SIJ) dyscfunction is becoming more frequent than ever.
Dr Simon suggests the following tips to avoid opening the sacroiliac joints and/or stressing the sprained ligaments of the SIJ:

1) Do Not Bring the Knee Across the Midline. For example, crossing the legs while sitting by placing the knee of upper leg on the opposite leg. However, crossing the ankle or lower leg over the opposite knee while sitting is okay. Also, while lying in bed; do not let the knee of the upper leg touch the bed. Rest the upper knee either on or behind the lower knee or, better yet, place a pillow between your knees.

2) Follow the 90 Degree Rule. The prohibited actions will cause the sacral base to rotate forward and the ilia to rotate relatively backward, opening the SI joint.
* With knees straight, do not flex the trunk to, or past, a 90 degree angle
with the legs.
* With knees bent, do not flex the knees closer than a 45 degree angle
between the legs and chest:
o When tying shoes do not bring knee to chest. Both arms should go
inside of knee.
o Bringing the foot up to the trunk is okay if they bring the knee out
to the side.

3) No Trunk Twisting Past 25 Degrees or to the point where mild tension is felt
in the low back. This action causes the sacrum to rotate away from the ilia.

4) No Hanging by the Arms or Feet. No lumbo-pelvic traction, with the exception of the Sacrotrac because its pull is from the sacrum. Hanging and conventional lumbo-pelvic traction pull the ilia and spine apart, stressing the SI ligaments.

5) No Extending the Back Past Neutral. For example, you can do back strengthening
exercises, but you should not bend backwards at the waist past neutral; this
action causes both the sacral base and ilia to rotate forward, but the
lumbo-sacral area becomes compressed, and this causes the sacral base to go
farther than the ilia, opening the joint.

6) No Heat on the Low Back. Ice is fine at 20-minute-intervals every hour for
three hours or more.

What (not) to say in an Auto Accident

When making an insurance claim, what you say can mean the difference between a fast payment check and a nightmarish process. Insurance companies are sensitive to certain words and using them incorrectly could result in a claim delay or even denial. Of course, lying to your insurance company or misrepresenting facts is fraud -- and your claim will surely be denied if the insurer finds out.

But using the right words to accurately describe your problem is important.
"What you say initially can affect the outcome of your claim," says Allan Sabel of Sabel & Associates, a Bridgeport, Conn.-based adjusting firm.
Here are common "wrong words" that could slow down or scuttle an otherwise legitimate insurance claim. For insurers, these words often conjure up images of a claim that should be denied.


IN MY OPINION ...
Don't offer your opinion. Stick to the facts. For example, following a car accident, people can rarely provide an accurate estimate of the rate, speed and flow of traffic, says Pete Giancola, owner of Pete Giancola’s Insurance Agency Inc. in Deephaven, Minn.
For example, it's common for drivers to announce the speed at which they were traveling when the accident occurred. But, as Giancola points out, "unless you were staring at the speedometer, you don't know." Also, don’t estimate distances -- like how far other vehicles or objects were in relation to your car before the impact. Your estimate could turn out to be false -- "unless you jumped out of the car and measured it with a measuring tape," Giancola says. If you estimate such things and get them wrong, it could later be used against you. Giancola has seen clients give recorded statements about distance and be found "at fault" because the distance they estimated should have given them plenty of time to avoid the crash. However, be prepared for an insurance adjuster to try to finagle these estimates out of you.
"The insurance adjuster will try to ask you that same question in 14 different ways," Giancola says. "Stay away from it. Just give the hard, cold facts ... don’t say 'I think,' 'I feel,' 'I felt.' No touchy-feely stuff."

SORRY
Without sounding insensitive, try to avoid saying "I'm sorry" because it can be interpreted as an admission of fault. In most car accident aftermaths, all the facts are not immediately known. Do not interpret the situation and theorize about who's at fault. Don't use words like "it's my fault," "it's not your fault," "I made a mistake" or "I'm not sure what happened." Describe what happened to the best of your ability. If you're not sure about how something happened, let the authorities and insurance companies figure it out. Don't assume anything.
"But when you talk to your insurance company and you are not at fault, then tell them you are not at fault," says Pete Moraga, spokesperson for the Insurance Information Network of California.
It's a good idea to check with your own insurance company about how you should handle communications with the other party's insurer. Don’t give a recorded statement to anybody until you speak with your insurance company first.
"Ask [your insurance company], 'If the other party calls me, should I talk [to them]?'"

Whiplash
Whiplash and whiplash-associated disorders represent a wide range of injuries to the neck caused by a sudden distortion of the neck.
Insurance companies often associate the term with exaggerated or fraudulent claims, so saying "I have whiplash" could delay the payment process.
Refer to your injuries in medical terms if you can, or wait until your chiropractor makes a diagnosis.

Plus: What Not to Do After a Car Accident
Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company. It can be used against you later on. You want to control your case and the release of information. Insurance companies must ask you for your permission in order to record an interview.
Do not make friendly conversation with the adjuster. Stick to business and only tell them the "who," "what," "when" and "where." Don't even tell them the how at this point.
Do not give out any information about your family. Do not give out the names of your doctors.
Do not sign a medical release. Federal law protects your medical records. The insurance companies may use this release to dig through all your medical history, even things not related to the car accident.
Lastly, please talk to your auto insurance agent about MED PAY coverage. It covers you and your passengers for injury related expenses including deductibles (an ambulance ride alone can run over $3,000 dollars per person). With rising health ins deductibles and It is cheap and will save you protect you from additional liability .Please don’t wait for a collision to do this.

Whiplash – What is the Best Type of Treatment?

Whiplash usually occurs when the head is suddenly whipped or snapped due to a sudden jolt, usually involving a motor vehicle collision. However, it can also occur from a slip and fall injury. So the question on deck is, which of the health care services best addresses the injured whiplash patient?

This question was investigated in a published study titled, A symptomatic classification of whiplash injury and the implications for treatment (Journal of Orthopaedic Medicine 1999;21(1):22-25). The authors state conventional [medical] treatment utilized in whiplash care, "is disappointing." The authors’ reference a study that demonstrated chiropractic treatment benefited 26 of 28 patients with chronic whiplash syndrome. The objective of their study was to determine which type of chronic whiplash patient would benefit the most from chiropractic treatment. They separated patients into one of 3 groups: Group 1: patients with "neck pain radiating in a 'coat hanger' distribution, associated with restricted range of neck movement but with no neurological deficit"; Group 2: patients with "neurological symptoms, signs or both in association with neck pain and a restricted range of neck movement"; Group 3: patients who described "severe neck pain but all of whom had a full range of motion and no neurological symptoms or signs distributed over specific myotomes or dermatomes." These patients also "described an unusual complex of symptoms," including "blackouts, visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting and chest pain, along with a nondermatomal distribution of pain."

The patients underwent an average of 19.3 adjustments over the course of 4.1 months (mean). The patients were then surveyed and their improvement was reported:

group 1
24% Asymptomatic
43% Improved by Two Symptom Grades
13% Improved by One Symptom Grade
6% No Improvement
group 2
38% Asymptomatic
43% Improved by Two Symptom Grades
13% Improved by One Symptom Grade
6% No Improvement
group 3
0% Asymptomatic
9% Improved by Two Symptom Grades
18% Improved by One Symptom Grade
64% No Improvement
9% Got Worse

These findings show the best chiropractic treatment results occur in patients with mechanical neck pain (group 1) and / or those with neurological losses (group 2). The exaggerated group (group 3) was the most challenging and, the only group where a small percentage worsened. The good news is, the number of cases that responded well to chiropractic treatment (groups 1 & 2) far out number those that don’t (group 3). Hence, most patients with whiplash injuries should consider chiropractic as their first choice of health care provision.

If you, a loved one, or a friend is struggling with whiplash residuals from a motor vehicle collision, you can depend on receiving a multi-dimensional chiropractic assessment and therapeutic approach at this office. We sincerely appreciate your confidence in choosing our office for your health care needs!

If you suffer with chronic or acute pain, Please give our office a call at 480-860-6890 for a FREE Consultation!!

COMMON CHIROPRACTIC QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

WHAT CAUSES THE NOISE OF AN ADJUSTMENT

That’s a loaded question because not all adjusting techniques that chiropractors use produce the popping noise we associate with “cracking our knuckles.” In fact, some chiropractic adjusting techniques use little force and make no sound. Others may use adjusting tables with drop sections which make so much noise that any sound from the patient’s spine can’t be heard. But many chiropractors do use techniques that create in many instances the popping sound of a spinal “release”.

The Noise, what causes that? A few years ago the mystery may have been solved. A British research team took X-Ray Movies of a person “popping” his knuckles and found that gas (80% carbon dioxide) rushes in to fill a partial vacuum created when the joint surfaces are slightly seperated. It is this displacement of joint fluid which some believe to be the cause of the noise.
(References: Kirkaldy-Willis, WH.(ed) Nanaging Low-Back Pain (2nd edition), Baltimore and London: Williams and Wilkins.
1988, Imrie, D. and Barbuto, L., The Back Power Approach. Toronto: Stoddard Publishing, (1988)

IS IT BAD TO “CRACK” YOUR NECK OR BACK A LOT?
This question is often asked of chiropractors because people associate the cracking or popping of one’s neck with a chiropractic adjustment. The two are not the same thing. If a person has a desire to pop his neck or back it’s usually because a part of his spine is fixated or jammed causing another part to move to much and pop a lot, sometimes by itself. It’s the jammed or fixated part that must be properly adjusted by a chiropractor so that the rest of the spinal column will stop being so movable and noisy.

When you crack or pop your neck you’re relieving tension for a litle while, but not giving yourself an adjustment. After a whle the urge to or crack reappears because the jammed vertebrae hasn’t been corrected.

Old wive’s tales say popping or cracking your joints causes arthritis or makes your knuckles get bigger. There isn’t any research supporting that, but if tension keeps building up in the joints because of spinal imbalance it may not be the popping or cracking that’s bad for you, but the spinal stress and imbalance causing it.

CAN YOU TELL IF YOU HAVE A SUBLUXATION ON YOUR OWN?

Generally, no.

A subluxation or spinal nerve pressure can be likened to a dental cavity: you may have one developing for a long time with no noticeable symptoms. That’s why perioidic spinal examinations by a chiropractor are so often recommended.

However after a period of time under chirorpactic care some people become much more spine conscious and can actually be able to tell when they’ve lost their adjustment. Often times the effects of spinal nerve stress are gradual and slowly eat away at your well-being in tiny increments, little noticed until they’ve accumulated for a while. It’s been said that although it may be possible to know when you have spinal nerve stress, it is rarely possible to be sure you don’t have any. For that reason, an occaisional spinal check-up by a chiropractor is advisable.

HOW LONG DOES A SPINAL ADJUSTMENT TAKE?

Usually just a few minutes to a quarter hour (more or less) after the chiropractor is familiar with the patient’s spine. It all depends on the adjusting technique the chiropractor is using. Sometimes it takes a few hours or even a few days of evaluation and spinal analysis for a new patient to get an initial adjustment. Other times it may only take a relatively brief initial visit, case history and evaluation which can be done the same day.

CAN CHIROPRACTIC PREVENT BACK SURGERY?

In a majority of cases the answer is a resounding “yes”!

CAN A PERSON WHO HAD BACK SURGERY SEE A CHIROPRACTOR?

Yes.
Many people who have had various kinds of spinal surgery ofter discover a return to their same back problems months or years later. There are so many of these people around that the condition has a special name. “Failed Back Surgery Syndrome.” These people can usually receive chiropractic care without worry. Usually the Chiropractic care will save them from future operations. It’s best to check with your chiropractor on a case-to-case basis.

IS CHIROPRACTIC CARE ADDICTIVE?

If only it were (Just a little)! There’d be a lot less sick people running (or lying) around and we chiropractors wouldn’t get patients who last saw a chiropractor “A few years ago when my spine went out”. It is possible to get used to feeling more “Balanced”, less stressed, and more energetic as a result of periodic chiropractic care. And you may become more sensitive to your body and know when you’ve “lost” your adjustment. But if that bothers you, no need to worry: stop getting your spine checked, and in time those feelings will fade away.

CAN I GO ONLY ONCE?

Of course. Once is better than never. And sometimes a spinal problem may be due to nothing more than a slight spinal misalignment rather than long standing spinal nerve stress (Vertebral Subluxations). In that case one visit may be allthat’s needed.

But chiropractic is really more than a glorified aspirin. It’s best to ask your chiropractor.