The end of a year brings with it reflection on the past year as well as hopes for the new year. Health is probably something we all hope for. As I look back on the year in blog form I have written about a range of health issues that came up in clinical practise:
- Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction, a weight bearing issue, typically affecting women in pregnancy, however the problem can be involved with a bad back or bad hip.
- Facet Syndrome is a collection of symptoms that commonly would collate toward a bad back anywhere along the spine, including the neck
- Chiropractic Adjustment is the primary intervention utilised by Chiropractors to help with muscles and joints. An adjustment is based upon the idea of an impulse force.
- Whiplash following a bump in the car was touched upon as those with chronic neck pain attribute their neck pain to a previous whiplash incident.
- I covered both Sciatica and Disc injuries as to whether surgery was always required
- Shoulder issues such as Impingement and sub-acromion pain syndrome were mentioned
- Leg pain that is a sciatica variant was included here
- Muscular trigger points were discussed as to what they are and why they become painful
- A stable spine was found to be a balancing act here
- Back pain and body inflammation were hot topics late in the summer
- Tension with its multifaceted meaning and how it relates to muscular discomfort was part of Octobers clinical queries
- The value of MRIs at being able to help, ‘see’ the problem and how it may or may not relate to our experience of pain was discussed in November.
- The 2023 year was rounded off with pain, not referred pain but interdependent pain. A term from Physiotherapy that’s called dysfunction in Chiropractic.
Being Healthy in 2024
Looking forward to the new year I sincerely hope you get to sleep well, keep a mostly good mood, limit your sugar level spikes and troughs, maintain good blood pressure, avoid smoking and maintain your valued friendships. 2024 will be a busy year !! Look after yourself on these factors and you’ll be doing your best to fight all the risk factors for Dementia (1) development. We all think it won’t happen to me!
In medicine things have a habit of being cyclical, eg take those hours of commuting that have been saved through COVID, a respiratory disease, and add in how those hours of avoiding traffic fumes could benefit respiratory (and eye) health (2). Inadvertently making us stronger to resist respiratory problems! Around we go again..!!
Maintain your health and your Spine in 2024…!
References:
- 10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.6279 Journal of the American Medical Association
- 10.7326/M23-1309 (Annals of Internal Medicine)