Tips for Headaches and Migraines

Article from Yahoo!...

There is no way to prevent migraine, but if you do suffer from migraine, figuring out your personal triggers and avoiding them is the best way to reduce the number of headaches you experience. Migraine prevention methods can also make headaches less severe and shorter when they do happen and prevent rebound headaches caused by taking too much acute-treatment medication.

Lifestyle Changes

If you are diagnosed with migraine, figuring out your personal triggers and avoiding them is a good way to prevent headaches. There are many ways to do this:

Stay on a Regular Sleep Schedule

Go to bed and wake up around the same time every day, even on weekends.

Eat Regularly

Missed meals and low blood sugar are migraine triggers.

Drink Plenty of Water

Dehydration can cause migraine headaches.

Avoid Food Triggers

These vary from person to person, but common ones include: 

• monosodium glutamate (MSG), found in many Asian dishes
• nitrates and nitrites, found in processed or cured meats
• sulfites, found in many dried fruits
• aged cheeses
• alcohol, especially red wine
• chocolate
• large amounts of caffeine

Exercise Regularly

During a migraine headache, exercise worsens pain, but otherwise, light to moderate exercise can relieve stress, another major migraine trigger.

Avoid Stressful Situations.

If you feel stress building, try to remove yourself from the setting and calm down.

Limit Estrogen-Containing Medications

The hormones in birth control pills as well as in hormone replacement therapy drugs used for menopause symptoms can cause migraine headaches. If you're taking one of these medications and experience migraines, your doctor may consider reducing your dose or stopping the medication altogether.

Stress Reduction

There are various techniques available to reduce tension and stress. Studies have shown the following to be effective in preventing migraine headaches.

Biofeedback

This system teaches people to monitor and control their physical responses, including muscle tension and even blood pressure. Biofeedback was once considered an alternative treatment, but many studies have proven its effectiveness, and it is now a common migraine treatment.

Relaxation Therapy

There are various techniques used to relax the body, including deep breathing, visualization, and progressive muscle relaxation (a technique of tensing and relaxing various muscles in a specific order).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a form of psychological treatment that teaches patients to recognize and cope with sources of stress in their lives.

Massage

This can reduce muscle tension, encourage relaxation, and improve sleep.

Drugs & Medications

Many different drugs used for other diseases have been found to prevent migraine headaches or reduce their frequency. These include blood-pressure drugs, antidepressants, and anticonvulsants (drugs used for epilepsy). Visit the Migraine Drugs section for more details.

Dr. Joshua M. Brooks

Chiropractor, Falls Church VA 22046

Management for Turf Toe

Article from VHI...

At time of review, only clinical commentaries (1-5) were included as no clinical trials were found. Reference 5 was not summarized due to overlapping content, but remains on the reference list as a resource for other types of sesamoid injuries.

Turf toe is an injury to plantar capsular ligamentous structures of metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint caused by excessive great toe extension (1-4). A common injury mechanism occurs in football when foot is fixed in equinus and an axial load forces MTP joint into hyperextension (4).

Artificial turf was introduced in 1965, and turf toe was first described in literature in 1976 with reported 5.4 injuries per yr among team of collegiate players (2-4). A 1990 study of 80 NFL players found that 45% experienced turf toe injuries with 80% of injuries occurring on artificial surfaces (2-4). In contrast, a 2004 study reported similar rates of injury among high school football players regardless of type of playing surface (4). A recent increase in incidence of turf toe points to more flexible footwear as possible factor (4).

Conservative treatment should include initial period of rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE), anti inflammatories, early passive ROM, exercise to strengthen great toe flexors and extensors, and gradual return to activity according to pain (1-4). Use of taping, stiff soled shoes, forefoot inserts, or an insole with Morton's extension is recommended to minimize toe extension during activity (2-4). Treatment by injury grade is described by Coughlin (2) and McCormick and Naderson (3, 4). While grade I injury may not need any time away from activities, grades III/IV may require several mos of recovery and/or surgery (2-4).

Conservative management of turf toe is initially recommended, with operative management typically reserved for those that meet specific criteria (e.g., capsular avulsion, sesamoid retraction) or when conservative care fails. Sample exercises from VHI PC-Kits have been provided based on recommendations from reviewed articles.

Dr. Joshua M. Brooks

Chiropractor, Falls Church VA 22046

Insight into RG3 rehab

article from the washington times...

Robert Griffin III might see his former Redskins teammate, linebacker Jonathan Goff, at the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine during his right knee rehabilitation in the coming weeks.

Goff, you'll recall, re-tore the ACL in his right knee during Redskins training camp practice on July 29. Dr. James Andrews revised the ACL reconstruction in Goff's right knee last August using a patellar tendon graft from Goff's left (healthy) knee. That's the same method with which Andrews revised the reconstruction of the ACL in Griffin's right knee on Wednesday morning.

Goff, 27, had ACL revision surgery and his meniscus repaired. He did not have any lateral collateral ligament damage, though, so he did not require the exact surgery as Griffin. However, five months removed from the same type of ACL revision, Goff knows a lot about what Griffin will experience while rehabilitating his ACL for the second time, as well as the healthy knee from which the graft was taken.

"You have to pay a little bit more attention to that leg," Goff said Thursday about the patellar tendon graft removed from his left (healthy) knee. "They're just taking out a chunk from your knee, so it's not the best feeling in the world. But since the beginning, it has been strong and sturdy. It's just that there's a fair amount of pain management and soft-tissue work that you got to do to keep it moving."

Goff has been at the Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze, Fla., for five months since his surgery. Griffin similarly is expected to stay in Florida for weeks to begin his rehab. The institute has good relationships with local hotels, which presents athletes with suitable housing options. Former Redskins running back Tim Hightower lived at a nearby hotel for an extended period in late 2011 and early 2012 after Andrews performed his ACL reconstruction surgery.

"They have a great staff down here; a great experience," Goff said. "They have got a great attitude as far as getting athletes back to where they need and want to be in order to pursue all their athletic endeavors.

"The facilities are great here. They've got a pool that you can run in and get your pool workouts in. They've got everything you could want and need to get back into playing shape."

Goff likes how he has worked with the same two trainers for the entirety of his rehab. That setup allows those trainers to measure his progress.

"I think that's pretty standard for what they do, so you see the same people every time," he said. "I think that helps them help you more."

A normal day for him consists of rehab sessions before and after lunch. There's a mental component to the rehab, too, especially going through the process for the second time. Goff believes his experience during his first rehab is benefiting him the second time.

"I wouldn't necessarily say it's easier, but knowing what to expect, I think, can put you at an advantage," Goff said. "You know that saying, 'It's not your first rodeo?' It's exactly that. You know what to expect. You have a really good idea of a lot of the things that you're going to be doing and also how far you can push yourself and know what is too much. You know the difference between working hard and overworking and working smart."

Goff has accepted the fact he'll have to manage his knee for the rest of his career.

"I wouldn't say it's mentally taxing or frustrating at all," he said. "As a football player, the longer you play, the more you're going to have to do in the offseason to keep yourself healthy throughout the entire season. And even then, with the NFL being a 100 percent injury rate, nothing is guaranteed."

No guarantees. That's important to keep in mind as Griffin progresses through rehab against the countdown to the start of the 2013 regular season.

As for Goff, he's a free agent. He hopes to catch on with a team and try out this summer. He expects to be cleared in time for the start of teams' offseason programs.

"Six to nine months," he said. "That's what they told me, and I'm on track for that."

Dr. Joshua Brooks

Chiropractor, Falls Church VA 22046

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/redskins-watch/2013/jan/11/former-redskins-lb-jonathan-goff-knows-what-rg3-sh/#ixzz2Hslzoc9O
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

Opening February 2013!

Brooks Chiropractic and Rehab
101 W. Broad St.
Suite 530
Falls Church, VA 22046
703-536-4800
brookschirorehab@gmail.com

Opening February 2013!