INDUSTRY INSIGHT
CHIROPRACTIC
SPONSORED CONTENT
CHIROPRACTIC AND CONCUSSIONS:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
After what seems like the longest winter imaginable, we have finally welcomed spring and warmer temperatures! This welcomed change in the seasons also means people will, once again, be heading outdoors, becoming more physically active in recreational sports such as soccer, baseball, football, and volleyball, and hitting the road for summer vacations. This increased level of activity also comes with an increased risk of injuries that can include mild traumatic brain injuries or concussions.
Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries( mTBI) can happen in an instant and change the way the brain functions by decreasing its function. These brain injuries do not require direct external blows to the head— rather the injury involves a rotational component of the head, causing the brain to twist, which will damage not only the outer parts of the brain but also the more central and primitive brain structures near the brain stem. While advanced imaging studies like MRI and CT will depict normal structure and physiology, symptoms like brain fog, memory loss, headaches, unexplainable head pressure, confusion, dizziness, nausea, and delayed reaction times will persist. mTBI causes the body to respond differently to external and internal stimuli.
Chiropractors are trained to deliver adjustments to the spine, which fires mechanoreceptors in the body to increase brain activity. In the early phases of healing mTBI, adjustments can be less productive and potentially more harmful as they can overstimulate the brain, leading to an increase in concussion symptoms.
Treating mTBI should always be performed by experts who have the capability to customize every facet of treatment to the individual, since no two brain injuries are the same. Additionally, treatment should begin at the most center part of the brain and continue to upregulate the function and activity of the more lateral parts of the brain, since that is the way the brain grows and develops in infancy. Treatment should also be performed within the individual’ s metabolic capacity. While muscles typically respond well to overstimulation to build and grow more muscle cells, the brain works very differently. The brain functions best within a certain metabolic rate and when this rate is exceeded, the heart and pulse rate begin to climb, the pupils will begin to constrict unevenly as the sympathetic nervous system— the“ Fight or Flight” reaction— will take over to preserve basic life functions. This can cause further down regulation and decreased function of the brain.
This Industry Insight was written by Dr. Timothy B. Skraitz, DC.
Dr. Timothy B. Skraitz, DC, has been in practice for 34 years and has extensive post-doctoral certifications including Whiplash Associated Disorders, Childhood Developmental Disorders, and Brain Injuries and Rehabilitation. Dr. Skraitz is a Board- Certified Chiropractic Functional Neurologist. For more information about his practice, please visit www. skraitzchiropractic. com or call 724.746.1740.
At Skraitz Chiropractic, Dr. Timothy B. Skraitz, DC, has studied and excelled in the treatment of mild Traumatic Brain Injuries and Rehabilitation and he is a Board-Certified Chiropractic Functional Neurologist. Every patient he treats for mTBI undergoes an extensive neurologic examination that pinpoints exactly what central brain structure is damaged so that rehabilitative treatment can begin to restore normal function.
Additionally, at Skraitz Chiropractic the team provides a multifaceted approach to mTBIs to include cognitive rehabilitation, speech and language therapy, and improvement of memory and cognition skills through a partnership with Waterdam Academy, run by Vicki Skraitz who holds a master’ s degree in Speech and Language Pathology.
RESTORING HEALTH NATURALLY WITH OVER 30 YEARS COMBINED CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
We specialize in the treatment of:
• Headaches / Backaches
• Sports Injuries
• Pregnancy and Postnatal related conditions
• Infant and Pediatric conditions including Torticollis, Colic, and Acid Reflux
• Advanced Brain Based Concussion Treatment
• Whiplash injuries
CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT TODAY! NOW SEEING PATIENTS ON SATURDAY MORNINGS 724.746.1740 Skraitzchiropractic. com
COME SEE OUR NEW LOCATION! 2476 Washington Rd, Canonsburg
PETERS TOWNSHIP ❘ JUNE / JULY 2018 61