Extremities Archives - Dr. Erik Reich

November 12, 2020November 12, 2020

Best Frozen Shoulder Treatment in Meriden Without Surgery

Have you been diagnosed with frozen shoulder / adhesive capsulitis? What are your frozen shoulder treatment options?

Pain with any shoulder movement?
Pain gets worse at night?
Very limited shoulder movement?
Moving your shoulder has become more difficult over time?
Trouble getting through your daily activities?

Three Stages of a Frozen Shoulder

Freezing Stage – Your shoulder has become painful and your pain is getting worse as your ability to move and use your shoulder decreases. This can happen slowly over several weeks or months, or rapidly, even overnight.

Frozen Stage – You can hardly move your shoulder at all. Your pain may have gotten better in this stage but movement causes the pain to roar back into your restricted shoulder. Daily activities may be excruciating. This can last for weeks or years, or may spontaneously resolve.

Thawing Stage – Your range of motion starts to come back. This may take years if left untreated. Pain is diminishing as your shoulder regains normal motion.

Woman holding her shoulder in pain in a blog about frozen shoulder by Dr. Erik Reich a chiropractor in Meriden, CT — Frozen shoulder can be debilitating and may not resolve without skilled treatment. Dr. Erik Reich has been successfully treating people with frozen shoulder for years.

What Causes Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen shoulder can be caused by trauma or repetitive stress injury. However, many times what causes the shoulder to lock is unknown. People between the ages of 40-60 are prone to this condition. Also, women and patients previously diagnosed with diabetes tend to experience more cases of frozen shoulder than the rest of the population. Therefore, it is important for you to see a health care provider such as a chiropractor who can take a history and perform a detailed examination of the shoulder to determine if the diagnosis of frozen shoulder is warranted. Furthermore, other tests such as x-rays, MRI, or ultrasound may be ordered. This is to rule out other causes of a painful and restricted shoulder. Conditions such as tendonitis, rotator cuff injury, or shoulder bursitis can be causing your pain and mimic frozen shoulder.

Treatment Without Surgery

People suffering with frozen shoulder respond incredibly well to gentle chiropractic care, which includes interventions such as stretching, guided exercises, and of course the chiropractic adjustment!

Typically, following a detailed history taking and physical examination, including review of any past imaging or special tests, a treatment plan is detailed between the doctor and yourself. To address frozen shoulder this typically begins with passive care such as heat and adjustments to relax the tissues, and progresses to active care including exercise, active stretching, lifestyle modification (ergonomic changes at work and home, smoking cessation, stress management, etc.) and education.

These treatments are very well tolerated by most people. There are a few side effects (most common is local soreness following exercise, stretching, or the adjustment) and typically frozen shoulder improves or is eliminated in one to six visits depending on the severity.

If you are suffering from frozen shoulder and searching for a chiropractor, you can see our Google reviews, and call or text the number below:

Call or Text ‪(203) 443-1901 ‬to schedule!

About the Author

photo of Dr. Erik Reich with his son on his shoulders — Dr. Erik Reich, Meriden chiropractor, and his son.

Dr. Erik Reich is a chiropractor in Meriden, CT. He practices at Omni Physical & Aquatic Therapy Center, Inc. located at 303 South Broad Street. Where he treats all types of patients from high school athletes, seniors, victims of trauma such as auto accidents, and desk jockeys. Spending time with his wife and son, and their Boston terrier, is something Dr. Reich also enjoys.

July 16, 2020July 16, 2020

Should I See A Massage Therapist Or A Chiropractor?

Massage and Chiropractic Care

If you have aches and pains or an injury, you have a lot of options. The marketplace for treatment of injuries and insult to the human frame is large. If you think of this marketplace like a real supermarket you might look at the aisles and see shelves stocked with medication, patches, doctors visits, massage therapy, homeopathic remedies, acupuncture, chiropractic treatment, physical therapy, vitamins and supplements, yoga, and the list goes on.

But let us take two items off of the shelf and unpack them a bit. Narrowing the choice down between massage and chiropractic care for your problem, which do you choose?

A doctor examines a painful shoulder, will massage and chiropractic help? — Which type of practice is better suited to help relieve pain or other symptoms?

Similarities

Massage and chiropractic care are both interventions where the practitioner uses their hands to affect positive changes to irritated or injured tissue. Also, both treatments are conservative in that they do not rely on drugs or surgery to make these changes. Furthermore, massage and chiropractic are both considered very safe and non-invasive, with the most common side effect typically reported being temporary soreness following treatment.

Differences

Chiropractic care is performed by a doctor of chiropractic and often entails a full history, physical examination, diagnoses, and treatment planning before any adjustment or treatment is started. The doctor may order special tests such as x-rays or blood panels as well, depending on the history and exam findings.

Treatment in a chiropractor’s office typically involves an adjustment (spinal manipulation) or a series of adjustments. This is what chiropractors are chiefly known for prescribing as the therapeutic intervention. However, many chiropractors are also knowledgeable about and prescribe physiotherapy, nutrition, heat, cold, or electric therapies, exercises, and other modalities which can fall within a chiropractor’s scope of practice.

The Adjustment

The adjustment is the most well known aspect of chiropractic care though. So what is the adjustment, and how is it different from massage therapy? An adjustment is a fast impulse delivered to a joint, typically in the spine but also useful in the extremities at times, which stretches the joint past it’s normal end range of motion and results in a cavitation (the popping sound you may be familiar with hearing when you crack your knuckles). This fast release of joint tension often improves feelings of stiffness in a joint, pain surrounding the joint or adjacent soft tissues, and may relax tight muscles or reduce muscular spasm.

So an adjustment is most often delivered to joints in the spine or extremities, whereas massage therapy typically involves the soft tissues of muscle and fascia.

Massage therapists are licensed professionals trained to manipulate soft tissue. There are many benefits to massage therapy including increased circulation, lymphatic drainage, stress reduction, and more. However, massage therapists are not doctors and cannot diagnose or order special tests. You should still make sure to inform your massage therapist of any medical conditions you are experiencing before receiving a massage.

Massage and Chiropractic – Chocolate and Peanut Butter

As a chiropractor I have referred many patients to massage therapists for treatment. I have also personally utilized massage services for my own health. I do not believe that chiropractic is intrinsically better than massage (despite myself being a chiropractor) and will admit that for certain people and conditions massage is clearly a better tool to address some injuries and patient concerns. In fact, many chiropractors employ massage therapists in their offices and it is one of the chief adjuncts to chiropractic treatment in the United States. This is because massage and chiropractic care are so complementary.

For example, a patient may present with a bad ankle sprain with decreased range of motion and pain at the ankle. A chiropractic adjustment to the ankle resolves much of the pain and improves the available motion, but there is still much swelling and some discomfort about the joint.

The doctor prescribes some stretching and exercises for the patient to perform at home, and gives a referral to a massage therapist to address the soft tissue component of her injury. A referral for massage helps reduce the swelling and eliminates the remaining pain, and the patient is able to perform her home exercise with more ease, and is happy with her outcome and the collaboration because she knows a team is working together to resolve her presenting complaint.

I hope this post helps illustrate how massage and chiropractic are similar but different, and how they can often complement each other. Thanks you reading!

About the Author

Dr. Erik Reich is a chiropractor in Meriden, CT. He practices at Omni Physical & Aquatic Therapy Center, Inc. located at 303 South Broad Street. Where he treats all types of patients from high school athletes, seniors, victims of trauma such as auto accidents, laborers, and desk jockeys. Spending time with his wife and son, and their Boston terrier, is something Dr. Reich also enjoys.

February 25, 2020February 25, 2020

3 Plantar Fasciitis Tips From Meriden Chiropractor

Plantar fasciitis is foot pain which is typically located on the sole of the foot. Also, this pain is typically the worst with the first step out of bed in the morning. There is debate over whether plantar fasciitis is truly an inflammatory condition of the fascia under the foot. However, pain at the bottom of the foot or under the arch, worse in the morning, and worse with activity, is termed plantar fasciitis.

Plantar Fasciitis Tips

Buy and Wear Excellent Shoes
Don’t Ignore the Calf Muscles
Begin Strength Training for Relief

Wear Excellent Shoes

There are many plantar fasciitis tips out there, most won’t matter if you wear bad shoes. Foot pain is easily exacerbated or made worse with poor footwear. Furthermore, if you are trying to reduce your symptoms and pain, paying close attention to the type of shoe you wear can have rapid benefits. A good quality running shoe that is well fitting is a must-have.

If you choose ill-fitting or non-supportive shoes such as flip-flops, flats, heels, slides, or dress shoes, it is highly likely your symptoms will be made worse, and the pain will not subside. A high quality sneaker which provides heel cushioning and improves your gait is your best option to combat plantar fasciitis pain.

Also, purchasing your shoes from a running store, even if you don’t run, can be a great choice as the staff can often evaluate your foot size, gait, and provide you with more and better information than a regular retailer.

Don’t Neglect the Calf Muscles

Secondly, although your symptoms may be local to your heel or underneath the foot, the calves often play an important role in plantar fasciitis pain. Two muscles primarily make up the calf. Gastrocnemius and soleus are their names, with “gastroc” being the larger of the two. These muscles combine into the Achilles’ tendon which inserts at the heel and is contiguous under the foot with the plantar fascia.

When the calf is tight and the muscles pull on the Achilles’ tendon, the extra tension can irritate and stretch the plantar fascia and tendon insertion at the heel, prolonged or repeated irritation can lead to pain and dysfunction at these sites. Often times stretching and soft tissue therapy is recommended for the calf muscles to reduce and eliminate this tension.

One popular method of relaxation to the calf muscles is to wear a night sock or splint while you sleep, putting the muscles and fascia on stretch through the whole evening. Many people get good results from wearing this type of support, but most people will still have some pain even with massage, foam rolling, icing, and splinting.

Passive interventions such as those previously discussed can all help. However, to have the biggest impact on your symptoms, a combination of treatments and interventions might work best. What I recommend to most patients is a multi-pronged attack plan. This includes a new pair of excellent shoes and some type of passive intervention. For example, calf massage or foam rolling. Also, joint mobilization or manipulation to any restricted joints of the foot or ankle. Then, and this is the most important aspect, gradual exposure to loaded exercise. Strength training of the affected leg.

Strength Training to Relieve Symptoms

Active interventions are those steps a patient undertakes to heal themselves. A great clinician will act as a guide to place the patient on the right path. When attempting relief from foot and plantar fascia pain, you can not ignore exercise. This tenet applies to many ills of the body, from headaches to lower back pain, sometimes the best medicine is to get moving.

In the case of plantar fasciitis, what needs to move is your lower leg, under load. Recent studies point to better outcomes with a simple progressive strength training routine of unilateral calf raises performed every other day.

Unilateral calf raise exercise is demonstrated with a towel under the toes. — This simple exercise may be the missing link to getting rid of your plantar fascia pain.

First, elevate yourself using a step or small platform. Then, roll a towel and place across the step where your toes will be located. This allows the toes to be in extension during the exercise. Lastly, with the rest of your foot hanging out in space, slowly raise and lower your heel for one repetition. Count to three on the way up, hold for a two count at the top, and then take another three seconds to lower your foot. That is one full rep.

Typically you would start a program by performing 3 sets of 12 repetitions every other day. As time goes on the exercise is progressed with added weight or increased reps and sets. Weight can be increased by wearing a backpack as you perform the exercise and gradually adding more items into the backpack each week.

Get Help for Your Symptoms

Hopefully these plantar fasciitis tips will provide you with real relief if you are a recent or long term sufferer. If you have tried these or other methods without relief, you may need a different approach. Don’t hesitate to reach out and get some help, because not every case responds the same.

About the Author:

Dr. Erik Reich is a chiropractor in Meriden, CT. He practices at Omni Physical & Aquatic Therapy Center, Inc. . Where he treats all types of patients from high school athletes, seniors, victims of trauma such as auto accidents, laborers, and desk jockeys. Spending time with his wife and son, and their Boston terrier, is something Dr. Reich also enjoys.

February 7, 2020February 7, 2020

Pain Between The Shoulder Blades

Do you experience pain between your shoulder blades? This type of pain can be a dull ache, burning between the shoulder blades, or it can feel like a hot poker is being thrust up under scapula. Pain between the shoulder blades is called inter-scapular pain. In fact, the scapula, or shoulder blade, is a common site of discomfort and pain. Also, this type of pain can have different causes ranging from mildly concerning to very serious.

A man being examined by a clinician, maybe a chiropractor, for shoulder pain. — Pain between the shoulder blades is a common symptom of muscle strain, poor posture or ergonomics at work, trauma such as a motor vehicle accident, and other underlying causes. Dr. Erik Reich is a chiropractor in Meriden who treats musculoskeletal conditions including pain between the shoulder blades.

Why Do I Have Pain Between the Shoulder Blades?

Some common conditions which can cause this type of pain are listed below:

Muscle Strain
Trauma
Herniated Discs
Arthritis
Overuse Injuries
Lack of Use
Nerve Entrapment
Acid Reflux
Scoliosis
Referred Pain

There are also more serious causes of pain between the shoulder blades such as:

Gallbladder Disease
Heart Attack
Thoracic Vertebra Compression Fracture
Shingles

In most cases this type of pain is easily identifiable by an experienced clinician. If you have shoulder blade pain which is persistent and has not responded to rest, a couple of days time, and maybe some hot or cold packs, it is probably a good idea to see a doctor and have your symptoms evaluated.

Furthermore, if you are experiencing shortness of breath, chest pain, or feeling lightheaded, and you suspect the cause of your pain to be serious or life threatening, don’t wait to call 911 and get urgent medical care. Trust your gut.

Can a Chiropractor Help My Shoulder Pain?

Many of the most common underlying causes of shoulder blade pain arise from the soft tissues. For instance, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, as well as nerves, bursa, and fascia can all contribute to shoulder pain. Therefore, because chiropractors are specially trained to treat soft tissue and joint dysfunction, a chiropractor may be an excellent choice of provider to evaluate and treat your shoulder pain.

In conclusion, it depends. However, a skilled clinician such as a chiropractic physician, who takes a thorough history and then performs an exam to rule out more serious causes of your pain, should be well suited to address the most common types of inter-scapular pain. Furthermore, the right doctor will make any appropriate referral if necessary. Such as for advanced imaging, special tests, or specialist provider.

A picture of a woman lying down prone being examined and treated by a chiropractor. — Chiropractic treatment for pain between the shoulder blades is gentle, non-invasive, and drug-free.

What is the Best Treatment?

Depending on what the underlying issue is, different treatments may be recommended.

First, patient education is vitally important in all cases. Because, patients who are well-informed make better decisions, experience less anxiety, and less apprehension about their symptoms.

For example, if the underlying cause of your pain is determined to be repetitive overuse such as from poor ergonomics at your job, the treatment may include activity and work station modifications and lifestyle advice to reduce stress on the involved areas.

By contrast, if your pain started following a slip or fall and you landed hard on your shoulder, first aid type treatment may include icing or applying heat to the area. Then, protecting the shoulder for the first couple of days, progressing to gentle mobilizations to the spine or scapula. Lastly, light exercise to increase blood flow to the involved tissues.

Next, as pain levels are reduced, patients are typically involved in more active treatments such as dynamic stretching and loaded exercises. Exercise improves blood flow to the muscles and other tissues, and improves and restores mobility and strength.

Seek Help for Shoulder Pain

If you or a loved on is experiencing shoulder pain or pain in the middle back between the shoulder blades, don’t neglect what your body is trying to tell you. Call for a professional to evaluate and diagnose what is causing your symptoms.

You may already know what the cause is in the case of recent trauma. But, you may also have no idea if the pain began without incident, “Doc, i just woke up in pain.” is something many patients tell me. So, whether you have a good idea why it hurts, or no idea at all, getting an evaluation and a working diagnosis is a good idea.

Also, getting an evaluation is an absolute imperative if you believe your pain is severe with red flags such as chest pain or shortness of breath. But most cases of shoulder pain are due to soft tissue injury or dysfunction, and can be treated conservatively without drugs or surgery.

About Dr. Erik Reich

Dr. Erik Reich is a Chiropractic Physician in Meriden, CT. He practices at Omni Physical & Aquatic Therapy Center, Inc. . Where he treats all types of patients from high school athletes, seniors, and desk jockeys with shoulder pain. Spending time with his wife and son, and their Boston terrier, is something Dr. Reich also enjoys.

October 17, 2019October 17, 2019

Why Do I Have Foot Numbness?

A person's bare right foot in green grass, with the cuff of one leg on a pair of jeans covering the lower right leg. This image appears on a blog post about foot numbness on the site of Meriden Chiropractor Dr. Erik Reich — “Chiropractic care may help reduce feelings of foot numbness, depending on the cause .” – Meriden Chiropractor Dr. Erik Reich

Sitting in a position that puts pressure on the blood vessels or nerves of the legs or feet can result in temporary foot numbness. This numbness or tingling is temporary and relieved by a change in position. You may experience longer lasting numbness with certain conditions, chronic numbness following surgery or with a metabolic disorder, or new numbness in the legs or feet following an injury such as a car accident.

What Causes Foot Numbness?

Foot numbness most people are familiar with involves sitting in an awkward position such as on the floor. Or with their legs crossed. This can restrict your circulation and/or compress nerves. Which then leads to loss of feeling in the toes and feet.

Longer term numbness in the feet is more likely caused by a medical condition. You may experience lasting numbness with lower back injuries such as a disc herniation. Metabolic disorders such as diabetes can cause numbness. Also, peripheral artery disease, autoimmune disease such as multiple sclerosis, tumor, and other conditions can lead to numb feet.

A proper history and evaluation is important to rule out red flags and come up with a diagnosis. A working theory as to why you are feeling numbness in the feet or legs is the first step. Because some of the underlying causes can be serious and even life threatening, even though less probable, prolonged or repeated bouts of loss of feeling in the lower extremities and feet should not be disregarded or ignored.

Treatment Options

Treatment is dependent on the underlying cause of the numbness. Symptoms stemming from posture or poor work ergonomics, sciatica, spinal disc or joint problems, lifestyle factors, and certain metabolic conditions can be well addressed in the chiropractors office through the taking of a careful history, examination, and any special tests such as imaging or blood work if warranted. Then, depending on the cause, an individual treatment plan can be discussed which may include education about the condition or conditions leading to the numbness, exercises or advice on lifestyle or diet modification, adjustments or joint manipulation to the spinal or extremity joints which may be affecting numbness in conditions such as lumbar facet syndrome or tarsal tunnel syndrome. Stretching and home exercise programs can be utilized to instill self reliance, independence, and confidence to try and overcome any flare-ups or recurrences of the condition you may experience.

Check the website and book an appointment. Call (203)235-0171 if you think your foot numbness should be evaluated by Dr. Erik Reich.