Dr. Krieger's Health Tip of the Month

If it's good for my business it is bad for your health. The word doctor means teacher and it is a part of my job as a doctor to educate you about good health. The month of September marks the beginning of the school year. Most students from kindergarten all the way to college students carry a back pack . I am often asked how much weight should you carry in a back pack, well, the answer is 15% of your body weight as recommended by the American Pediatric Association. Unfortunately many children carry well in excess of this recommendation. For example a 75 pound child should only be carrying 11.25 pounds!! Imagine carrying more than the recommended weight for 12 years of schooling. Then at age 25 this person shows up in my office with mid back or lower back pain and they don't know where the pain came from. Please consider using a back pack that has wheels. In addition if the back pack has a waist belt, use it as this transfers weight to the hips instead of the back. Check the weight of your pack and try to lighten the load.

Purses don't come with wheels but maybe they should. If you are carrying a purse weigh it. If it weighs more than 10 pounds and you have " knots " in your neck we can point to the purse as the cause. The weight pulling on the muscles on one side will damage the muscles, stretch the ligaments out which can injure the cervical spine. The vertabrae will not slide and glide normally resulting in pinching of a nerve in your neck. The pinched nerve in your neck can cause headaches, neck pain, tight muscles and even pain radiating to your arm. Try a fanny pack, switch shoulders or lighten the load.

Wallets can cause problems as well. I have measured wallets in the back pocket of some patients and have found them to be 2 inches thick. If I asked you to sit with a 2 inch piece of wood prop up your kitchen chair on one side, I am sure you would be uncomfortable in minutes. Imagine what your spine feels like if you have a desk job and you sit for 8 hours per day. Imagine if you drive in a vehicle all day. This uneven posture can lead to lower back pain, pelvic muscle imbalance and sciatic pain. There is a story of a salesmen who went to the chiropractor for left sciatic pain, he was treated and his chiropractor told him to take his wallet out of his left back pocket. 3 years later he shows up with right sciatic pain. If possible put your wallet in your front pocket or your coat. We have available smaller bill folds to be carried in your front pocket. If not try to lighten the load.

When an injury occurs please contact our office for an appointment. When the body undergoes repititive strain as described above the fibers of the muscle and ligaments undergo microscopic tears. These tissues normally restrain motion, stabilizeor move the vertabra of the spine. When these tissues fail your body begins to inflame the area and normal motion changes. The combination of the swelling, neural reflexes and loss of normal motion irritates the nerve endings in the area. After a case history and exam we would begin palliative care to decrease your pain. This would include icing the region, soft tissue massage and spinal adjustment. When the symptoms diminish I would recommend stretching and exercise in addition to spinal adjustments and soft tissue massage. The rehabilitation aspect of care is very important as it prevents scar tissue formation. Scar tissue causes a weak link in the chain which allows the area to become injure again. Our office participates with Community Blue, Independent Health, Medicare, Univera, United Health, No Fault and Worker's Compensation.

You do not need to be off of work to recieve workers compensation benefits as long as your injury occurs at work.

Who is Jack LaLanne?

a.) godfather of fitness b.) chiropractor c.) 93 year old who exercises every day d.) all of the above (answer below)

IN PAIN CALL Dr. Krieger at 633-6044 or docbillchiro@juno.com

The first Chiropractic adjustment was delivered to a deaf janitor named Harvey Lillard by DD Palmer on September 18, 1895. The janitor regained his hearing. This was the beginning of the Chiropractic profession.

Good News Good News Good News

After years of trying I am proud to announce that I have been accepted to the Independent Health panel of Chiropractors. This defines me as a participating provider. Effective 6/25/07, you will need a referral from your MD for your visits. Please make sure you bring a current ID card with you. I look forward to serving the patients of Independent Health.

William L. Krieger DC

5225 Sheridan Dr.

Williamsville, NY 14221

Website: Kriegerchiropracticofwny.topchiro.com

IN PAIN CALL Dr. Krieger at 633-6044

. the correct answer is d.) all of the above