East Bay Chiropractic Wellness P.C.

Dr. Martin Marmorale

Benefits of Massage Therapy After a Car Accident

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Many people underestimate the physical health benefits of massage, focusing instead on the mental health benefits. However, after an accident or injury, especially a car accident, chiropractic massage can be one of the best ways to promote healing and speed up recovery.

The problem might be that some people simply don’t understand the “therapy” part of massage therapy. According to the Mayo Clinic, a massage therapist “rubs and kneads the soft tissues of your body. The soft tissues include muscle, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, and skin.” This is an integrative part of medicine.

Is Chiropractic Massage Safe After a Car Accident?

Chiropractic massage is used in conjunction with chiropractic care and can be not only safe, but also beneficial after a car accident or work-related injury. In many car accidents, the primary damage is caused by whiplash. This sudden force can move your spine out of alignment, and a chiropractor will assess the safety of adjusting the spine before doing so.

However, once the spine is back in alignment, there may also be damage to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that help the body stabilize the spine. That’s where the massage therapist enters the picture.

The National Institutes for Health say that the research on the benefits of massage are in the preliminary stages, but “massage therapy may be useful for some pain conditions such as low-back pain and chronic neck pain.”

In general, research indicates massage is useful for many of the issues related to injuries after a car accident, including:

  • Increasing range of motion (ROM)
  • Decreasing pain
  • Assisting in healing a client with low back pain (LBP)
  • Enhancing recovery for sciatica symptoms
  • Speeding up overall recovery

How Long Do You Stay Sore After a Car Accident?

Pain after a car accident is different for everyone, but one of the first things to understand is that your pain may not show up immediately after the event. Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is muscle soreness and aches caused by muscle injury. While frequently discussed in relation to exercise, the same thing occurs when you injure a muscle in an accident.

Most people do not feel the damage done in a less serious accident for 12 to 48 hours after the accident. That’s because the body’s adrenaline response masks pain and muscle injuries are not always immediately apparent to the untrained eye. That’s why it is important to get a medical evaluation after any accident. Your body may be more injured than you realize.

Healthline points out that 6.4 million car accidents happened between 2016 and 2020, and the most common symptom of injury reported was lower back pain. That trauma to your back may cause lingering issues for months, so massage therapy is an important part of addressing the issue and promoting healing.

Massage therapy promotes healing by gently stretching and kneading the muscles, encouraging blood flow to the area. Blood flow is necessary for the muscle to begin to repair itself.

Massage therapy has also proven to be excellent at decreasing pain as it helps force the muscles to relax. After a forceful injury, muscles will often tense up and not relax, causing extreme pain to the body. This can also lead to misalignment in the spine, so working with your chiropractor is an important part of the healing process.

Another valuable treatment for injuries related to a car accident is the Graston Technique®. This chiropractic treatment method uses specialized tools to treat soft tissue injuries, such as muscle adhesions and adhesions that can develop after spinal trauma. By treating the adhesions early, they do not become chronic, proper range of motion is maintained, etc. By combining the Graston Technique® with massage therapy, the healing time after a car accident or other injury can even be shortened.

The East Bay Team Can Provide the Right Treatment for Your Injuries

When you are in a car accident, it’s important to get evaluated by your chiropractor as soon as possible to evaluate the extent of the damage to your body and the best treatment plan. Here at East Bay Chiropractic and Wellness, we can help provide the right care for you. Contact us today to start healing.

What Is Holistic Chiropractic?

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There are many terms that the layman may find confusing when looking into chiropractic care, and chief among them is one that denotes a specific style of care, that of the holistic chiropractor. Chiropractic care is used to restore normal movement and range of motion by reducing pain and inflammation throughout the body. How is holistic care different, if at all?

Holistic medicine takes a comprehensive approach, addressing mind, body, and social factors and often combining traditional medicine with alternative approaches such as acupuncture. It aims to address the fundamental, underlying causes of the problem instead of simply treating the obvious symptoms.

Do Chiropractors Take a Holistic Approach?

Most general chiropractors focus on the problem area generating the pain or discomfort. In general chiropractic practice, spinal health is the primary objective and is prioritized as being fundamental to overall health. A truly holistic approach involves a more extensive array of treatment methodologies and examination of areas outside of the immediately painful ones.

What Do Holistic Chiropractors Do?

A holistic chiropractor does treat the immediate pain symptoms, but they don’t stop there. Sustainable recovery is the goal, which can involve working with multiple areas of the body and multiple treatment modalities.

Among the various treatments that a holistic chiropractor might employ during treatment include:

In addition, self-care and education are also important elements of a holistic approach. Combining appropriate modalities allows a holistic chiropractor to create a refined and individualized treatment plan addressing the root cause of your issue in order to prevent it from arising again.

Do Chiropractors Do the Same Thing Every Time?

In the sense that they find and correct misalignments, yes. However, due to the natural variations from one individual to the next, both of these tasks can require different adjustments or techniques depending on the specifics of the case in question. No two cases are the same, which is precisely why we adopt the holistic approach.

East Bay Chiropractic Care & Wellness – A Holistic Approach

Since 1986, East Bay Chiropractic Wellness has stayed at the cutting edge of chiropractic care, and I was certified in the Graston Technique® in  2008. My expert staff and I tailor our treatment plan to your specific needs, using the most appropriate methodologies for the case in question. Contact us at East Bay Chiropractic today and start your journey to a pain-free life!

Common Workplace Injuries That Can Be Treated Using the Graston Technique®

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Now that we’re weeks into the new year, we’re getting fully immersed back into our work with few holidays in sight. While many of us are getting back into the swing of things and keeping our noses to the grindstone, it’s important to also be watching out for our own health and safety.

For many, the holidays can result in a break from regular exercise and other precautions we take to avoid injury, and those habits can be difficult to reintegrate into our schedules if we aren’t proactive about it. In fact, studies have shown that workplace-related injuries jump 23% from December to January, with the highest rates of workplace-related injury occurring in the summer months.

So, with that in mind, what workplace injuries are the most common, and how can they be treated?

What Are the Most Common Workplace Injuries?

There are several common workplace injuries, but they really depend on the job. For example, any job that requires lifting heavy items regularly can lead to a workplace injury if the proper care isn’t taking place throughout the lifting process, and sometimes even if you are. These injuries include:

  • Strains
  • Sprains
  • Pulled muscles
  • And slipped discs

When it comes to office work utilizing computers and similar products, one of the most common injuries is repetitive strain injury, or RSI. Repetitive motions cause this injury due to typing, gripping tools needed constantly for a particular job, and using a mouse. These can also result from the repetitive motion of scanning items as a cashier or repetitive motions as part of being on an assembly line. These injuries can manifest as carpal tunnel syndrome, rotor cuff tendonitis, bursitis, and more.

Which Of the Most Common Workplace Injuries Can Be Treated with Chiropractic Care?

Repetitive strain injuries such as those listed above are readily treated by chiropractic care and the Graston Technique®. By using specifically designed tools, this technique helps to break up adhesions and the damaged tissue around your muscles, tendons, and nerves to restore your range of motion, alleviate your pain, and give your body the ability to heal properly. Other forms of chiropractic care, as well as deep tissue massage, can also be beneficial.

East Bay Chiropractic Wellness P. C. Can Help You Recover from Injuries Faster

Workplace injuries are more than an inconvenience; they can greatly reduce your quality of life if not properly treated. For more than 35 years, East Bay Chiropractic Wellness P.C. has provided a wide range of chiropractic services to fit your needs. We can work with you on pain management and restoring the range of motion in your neck and back through massage, stretching exercises, spinal adjustments, and the Graston Technique®, which has been shown to facilitate faster and more successful rehabilitation. Schedule your appointment today to be evaluated and determine your best options to restore your quality of life.

What to Expect After Your First Chiropractic Adjustment

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If you’ve never had a chiropractic adjustment, you might wonder how you will feel afterward and if there’s anything you need to do or avoid. While so much depends upon the individual patient, you should know some essential things before your first adjustment.

What Happens After Your First Adjustment?

After your first adjustment, you may experience immediate relief and even a feeling of mild euphoria. This may lead to minor aches, soreness, and tiredness for 24-48 hours. Some individuals also feel a little weird or “off” for a day or two due to the release of toxins from the joints. Remember that your body has been out of alignment. It may take a few days to feel better and more than a single session to fix the issue. For many patients, subsequent adjustments cause fewer aftereffects.

Why Do You Need to Rest After Chiropractic Adjustment?

After a chiropractic treatment, your body is in a state of healing and adjustment. To support this process:

  • Rest briefly before leaving the chiropractor’s office.
  • Stay active, but avoid heavy lifting and jerky, strenuous movements.
  • Get adequate sleep and stay hydrated.
  • Avoid stressful activities that could cause muscle tension and misalign your spine.

How Long After Chiropractic Adjustment Do You Feel Better?

How long it takes to feel better depends on the patient. Some individuals feel immediate improvement, while others may require ongoing treatment. Chiropractic care is holistic, and it works on multiple levels with a variety of treatments.

The initial goal of a chiropractic adjustment is to relieve pain without the use of drugs. This helps the patient function better in their daily life with less discomfort. Continued treatment will involve getting to the root of the problem and correcting it. In addition to adjustments, this phase of treatment could include complementary therapies like massage or acupuncture, as well as lifestyle and exercise coaching.

How Do I Know if My Chiropractic Treatment is Working?

The primary signs that your chiropractic treatment is working are reduced pain levels, improved range of motion, and greater ease in completing your daily tasks. Over time, and with proper chiropractic care, you should feel better overall, with an increased sense of well-being. Your sleep may become more productive, your energy levels higher, and your immune system more robust.

Is One Chiropractic Adjustment Enough?

While a single adjustment may bring immediate relief, it typically takes time to realign, retrain, and strengthen your body. Chiropractic treatment is an ongoing, holistic process, and its effects are cumulative. We look forward to working with you to create a treatment plan to help you achieve your health and wellness goals.

Schedule an Appointment at East Bay Chiropractic Wellness P.C.

Our team at East Bay Chiropractic Wellness P.C. is here to answer any questions you have about chiropractic treatments. With more than 35 years of experience in a full spectrum of chiropractic treatments, we guarantee you’re in capable hands. Contact us online or call us at (516) 679-2225 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Teachers

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As a teacher, your day is busy enough that you might not notice your physical exertion until long after the school day is done. Reaching for an ice pack or an over-the-counter pain medication may seem like it’s the thing to do. However, there are many benefits to chiropractic care that can help alleviate the pain stemming from the deceptively physically demanding teaching career.

Roughly 35% of the 22 million Americans visiting chiropractors each year are seeking relief from back pain, neck pain, pain in the limbs, and headaches. Those looking for alternatives to surgery or medication for back pain relief often turn to chiropractic treatments.

Why Does My Back Hurt After School?

If you experience soreness or back pain at the end of a day molding young minds, you might not even realize the strain you place your body under. Activities common to teachers that lead to back pain include standing for long hours, a head-down posture (as if looking down at a desk, grading papers, or leaning over to help a student), or even the repeated lifting of school supplies.

How Can Chiropractic Care Help Teachers?

Spinal manipulation has been associated with moderate improvements in back pain. There’s even some evidence that chiropractic manipulation may help slow the progression of arthritis by improving cartilage, bone, and the joint capsule.

Grading papers and all the other work that can lead to one hunching over a desk can result in a poor hyperkyphosis, or hunchback, posture. Chiropractic treatments can be a boon to improving posture and providing pain relief in the head and neck.

Realigning your spine can ease the tension in your neck muscles to reduce pain and improve posture. The Graston® technique is another treatment that helps with chronic pain, improves posture and function.

People who experience chronic pain are often given prescription pain relievers to help manage their pain and discomfort. Receiving chiropractic treatment may eliminate or lower the reliance on pain medication.

Why Do Teachers Have Back Pain?

The average person doesn’t realize how easily teaching can contribute to or even cause back pain. Teachers of lower grades might sit on the floor or on child-sized chairs to be closer to their students. Teachers also spend long hours standing without a break. Bending over to help students and even sitting with their necks and possibly shoulders slumped forward while grading papers will also cause or contribute to back pain.

To make things worse, Teachers may avoid drinking water to minimize bathroom breaks or consume diuretics like coffee or tea. Since well-hydrated muscles are more pliable, dehydration can worsen back pain.

Lower back pain is the second most common reason for doctor visits in the U.S. For teachers, it can mean a diminished quality of life, functional impairment, frequent sick leaves, and even early retirement. Addressing lower back pain promptly may prevent the need for more invasive treatments such as surgery or injections.

There is evidence that early intervention with physical therapy or chiropractic care can lessen treatment costs and reliance on more expensive health services. The official Oregon State website references the “economic burden of low back and neck pain” and cites a peer-reviewed study demonstrating the effectiveness of chiropractic care for these conditions.

Both chiropractic care and physical therapy are often more effective than non-pharmacological treatments for lower back pain, with chiropractic services generally costing less than physical therapy.

Talk to East Bay Chiropractic Wellness About How Chiropractic Care Can Improve Your Life

For more than 35 years, East Bay Chiropractic Wellness P.C. has been providing a wide range of chiropractic services to Long Island residents, treating a wide range of conditions that impact day-to-day life. We can work with you on pain management and restoring a normal range of motion through spinal adjustments, massage, stretching exercises, the Graston Technique®, and much more. Schedule your appointment today.

How Long Does the Graston Technique® Take to Work?

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Similar to the goals of any physical therapy, the overall goal of the Graston Technique® is to reduce a patient’s pain and increase function and mobility. When tissue is damaged, it often heals in a haphazard way that may look dense under a diagnostic ultrasound. Compared to non-damaged tissue, it may appear too thick or irregular, resulting in a restricted range of motion or pain.

By utilizing a specialized form of cross-friction massage in concert with the Graston® tools, adhesions are addressed to initiate and promote positive healing of the affected soft tissue areas. Treatment is done along a kinetic chain, so a patient being treated for back pain may also receive treatment to their hip flexors, abdomen, hamstrings, shoulders, and other regions of the body. These areas may seem unrelated but are actually connected through the body’s fascial network.

How Long Should a Graston® Session Last?

After scanning for areas needing treatment, your Graston® practitioner will apply chiropractic scraping to each area for 30-60 seconds. A full session can take anywhere from about 20 minutes to just under an hour, depending on your body’s needs.

It is perfectly common for patients to experience mild discomfort while experiencing Graston® massage. The overall process, however, leads to greater freedom of movement, better range of motion and less pain.

How Often Should You Get Graston® Done?

Depending on your condition and particular injury, you should wait at least 48 hours between sessions to allow your tissues to heal properly. When getting Graston® treatment sessions, most people schedule two visits per week for about five to six weeks.

Does Graston® Break Up Scar Tissue?

The Graston® tools are typically six pieces that come in a narrow band of shapes designed to work on areas of injured fibrotic tissue. They’re used to break down adhesions and fascia restrictions found in the soft tissue areas affected by trauma. The goal is to stretch and rearrange tissue to reduce restrictions on the treated areas.

What Is the Success Rate of the Graston Technique®?

The Graston Technique® website claims the method has “positive outcomes in 75-90 percent of all conditions treated.” It also purports to be equally effective among pre- and post-surgical patients, maintaining optimal range of motion, and restoring function to acute and chronic injuries. There have also been some studies that claim spinal manipulation can be of help with migraines as well as other pain.

How Many Graston® Sessions Do I Need?

As patients need to give their bodies time to heal correctly from their previous sessions, it can generally take up to five or six weeks with two sessions per week. Many people experience positive results starting around their third week of treatment.

It’s important you discuss any treatment options with a healthcare provider who can work with you and understand, based on your individual circumstances, what plan works best for you and your body.

East Bay Chiropractic Wellness Specializes in The Graston Technique®

At East Bay Chiropractic Wellness, P.C., we have over 30 years of experience in treating patients not just chiropractic care but also the Graston Technique®. Find out how we can treat your condition, alleviate pain, increase your range of motion, and more. Give us a call at (631) 679-2225 or fill out our online form to book an appointment.