Our Winnipeg Harvest Day on December 17th was a Great Success...
...because of YOU. Your generosity and desire to help others has had a wonderful impact upon our community.
Colleen McVarish, the Development Manager at Winnipeg Harvest sent us the following letter:
Jan 13, 2011
Spectrum Health Centre 677 Portage Ave Winnipeg, MB R3G 0M5
Dear Friends of Harvest,
Thank you for supporting Winnipeg Harvest. At you Open House, Spectrum Health Centre collected and donated $1500.00 for the food bank. Your generosity will go a long way towards helping those less fortunate in the community. For every 1 dollar donated, Winnipeg Harvest is able to levee $20.00 worth of food.
Your donations will go into hampers that will help Winnipeg Harvest feed more than 57,000 people each month, half of those being children. On behalf of the entire team at Winnipeg Harvest, thank you for helping us fight hunger and feed hope in Manitoba.
We look forward to working with you again in the future. If I can ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone or email...
Yours truly Colleen McVarish Development Manager Winnipeg Harvest Inc.
I'd like to thank YOU - because without you this would not have been possible. So, from the bottom of my heart, Thank You for your help in making this a better community.
If you'd like to donate to Winnipeg Harvest, you can contact them at:
Happy 2011, folks. It seems another holiday season has come and gone but winter is going nowhere fast... Snow, ice, frigid temperatures, dead batteries, window scraping, slippery streets, and fender benders - all things Manitobans have become used to as part of our daily lives. I don't have any good advice for avoiding the trials and tribulations of winter, however, I may be able to help you avoid the injuries caused by the fender benders and collisions that seem to be so common in Manitoba during our long winter season. Having completed the Whiplash and Brain Injury Traumatology program with theSpine Research Institute of San Diego, these injuries, and their prevention, are of particular interest for me.
First of all, when I say fender bender I mean car accident or, as it is sometimes called, a motor vehicle collision or MVC. It used to be called a motor vehicle accident (MVA), but it was felt that 'accident' referred to something unavoidable so the term was changed to collision. Makes sense to me, I guess.
There are many types of MVC's, the most common being the low speed rear impact collision (LoSRIC) or, as we know it, the rear-end fender bender. This can happen at places like stop lights, stop signs, in traffic, and in parking lots and can occur at as little as 10km/hr or about the speed of a person running (Castro, et al., 1997). Actually, it is not the speed that matters as much as the change in velocity (speed and direction), scientists call this delta-v. When a moving car stops very quickly (for example by hitting another car) or when a stopped car moves very rapidly (for example by being hit by another car) the difference between the velocity before impact and the velocity after impact is the delta-v. The greater the change in velocity, or delta-v, the greater the risk of injury.
When this happens, a complex series very rapid movements occur in the spine that create a significant risk of an injury called WHIPLASH. The term healthcare providers use for whiplash is Whiplash Associated Disorder (WAD) or Cervical Acceleration-Deceleration disorder (CAD) - not particularly clever names, but I'm just thankful they are not in Latin. To help prevent this type of injury, it is important to know how it happens. Whiplash is caused by a rapid speeding up (acceleration) and stopping (deceleration) of the head and neck (cervical), followed by a reversal of the movement. Although the neck is the most common area injured, other spinal areas may also be involved. If one is rear-ended a series of events happen in the spine.
First, as the collision occurs the person is pushed back in their seat. The occupants foot may come off the brake pedal, which further increases the acceleration of the rear-ended car. As the seat becomes more stiff and stops the occupants upper back, their head and neck slide back, the torso lifts up compressing the spine, then the neck tilts back very quickly. The further back the head and neck go, the greater the likelihood of injury. These very rapid movements - they occur in under a second - will stretch tissues in the front of the neck and compress tissues in the back of the neck.
Then the movements reverse, the head is pressed down on the neck, again compressing the spine, then the body is propelled forward followed by a 'whip-like' motion of the head and neck as they are flung forward and down. This compresses the structures in the front of the neck and stretches the structures at the back of the neck.
It is the extent and speed of these movements that is associated with the degree of injury. By minimizing these movements we can significantly decrease the risk of injury. So, you're probably wondering, "How do we do that?"
Well, there are a few things we can do. Although wearing your seat belt won't prevent whiplash, it does prevent more serious injuries, including fatalities. Step one, every time, should be ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT!
The middle of your head should be at or near the bottom of the blue zone
The next important thing to consider is the 'backset', or the distance from the back of the occupants head to the head restraint. Backset is one of the most critical elements in whiplash (Zuby & Lund, 2010; Ivancic, et al., 2009). It is extremely important to set your head restraint properly. Notice I said head restraint, not head rest - it is not to rest your head on but to restrain your head in the event of a collision. To set it properly, raise the restraint until the head restraint is at or above the top of the head. If your seat is leaning back quite a bit, you may also notice your head is poked forward and away from the restraint. Ensure your seat back is up enough so that your head is as close as possible to the head restraint.
If your car is equipped with a head restraint that can be brought forward, make sure it is about 2cm from the back of your head. By properly setting your head restraint, you will decrease the movement of your head and neck in the event of a rear-end crash.
Here are two examples of the way to set your head restraint if you've always wanted whiplash...
...and here are the correct ways to set your head restraint if you'd rather just avoid whiplash altogether
Here's kind of what I just said in a short clip...
A myth I often hear is, "If you're going to be in an accident, go limp so you don't get injured". We've all heard this one. The problem with this is that when you 'go limp' your neck structures are allowed to move a lot further and more freely - not a good thing in the case of whiplash. A better strategy, believe it or not, is to look straight forward and tighten up as much as possible before the collision. This decreases the amount of head and neck movement and your chances of getting whiplash.
Now, we don't always see it coming so we may not be able to prepare ourselves for the impact. If we decrease the change in velocity (delta-v) we will also decrease the risk of injury. One way to do this is to keep you foot firmly on the brake when at a stop. If your foot is lightly on the brake it is more likely to come off the pedal during the collision, thus speeding up more, then slam back on the pedal afterward, thus slowing down more. This will increase the delta-v and your risk of injury. Keeping your foot firmly on the brake will help prevent this.
In this same line of thinking, good winter tires will prevent sliding more than all season radials or worn out tires. Good tires will keep you from speeding up too much when hit from behind as well as stop sooner to help prevent the crash in the first place. Make sure you pay attention to wear the rubber hits the road.
Finally, if you are in the market for a new car, pay attention to the safety details. They may not seem important when compared to the colour or interior fabrics and quadraphonic sound of the stereo, but believe me, if you are in a collision you will appreciate the safety elements more than the new car smell.
The adjustability of the head restraint is important. When evaluating head restraints in a new car, you should ask yourself, "can this head restraint be adjusted to decrease the amount of backset?" Here is a rule of thumb: backset (head to restraint distance) should ideally be about 2cm and never above 8cm (Ivancic, et al., 2009) - the less the backset distance, the greater your protection from whiplash.
As well, many new cars are designing anti-whiplash seating systems and head restraints. Be sure to keep this in mind when considering a new car purchase. Here are some things to think about...
Remember, everything I've mentioned applies to the driver AND the passengers, including children. Back seat head restraints and child seat restraints are just as important (some may even say more important) as the driver's head restraint.
However, sometimes despite our best efforts things happen. If you are in a motor vehicle collision and are having problems - don't suffer with the pain - Chiropractic can help...
Spectrum Health Centre
677 Portage Ave.,
Winnipeg, MB R3G 0M5
(204) 772-7700
We are open Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 5pm, and Saturdays 9am to 1pm.
This November has dropped more snow on us than any other November since 1996, which was the November before the flood of the century. Unless you wait until next spring, this snow won't get rid of itself. So you're going to have to get rid of it somehow. You have a few options to do this...
You could call someone like Marcel at Chevrefils Greenhouse in Pine Falls (204-367-1492) to plow the snow for you...
You could get into urban snowshoeing ...
You could melt the snow with an blowtorch (but this is not recommended. Really, it's a bad idea.)...
or you could learn to enjoy walking on a small hard-packed trails.
If none of these options appeal to you, you will have to find someway of getting rid of the snow for yourself. This usually means shoveling or snow blowing. Both of these can lead to discomfort, but by different means.
Snow blowing has the undeniable benefit of making your shoveling neighbours jealous while at the same time looking pretty cool and quite manly. But there are two aspects of snow blowing that can lead to problems, vibration and posture.
Vibration has been linked to problems like carpal tunnel syndrome, white finger syndrome, numbness and tingling in the hands and arms. An easy solution for this is to wear thick, warm mitts or gloves. This isn't usually a problem here in Manitoba. When you wear thick mitts or gloves the vibration from the snow blower is absorbed by the mitts and not by your hands.
The other issue is your posture while snow blowing can give you a sore back. As with vacuuming and lawn mowing, while snow blowing it is quite common to be continually leaning forward.
When leaning forward, the large back muscles - called the erector spinae - are activated more that usual. Just like anytime you use a muscle more than it is accustomed to, you can get pain. This is typically not a big deal and it generally doesn't last longer than a day or two. If it lasts longer, or feels like it is getting worse, or you can't handle the pain - come in and we can have a look. Otherwise, a nice warm bath or shower should help.
Being a snowblowerless Manitoban, I know the trials and tribulations of using a snow shovel. However there are enough of makes and models of snow shovels to make a polar bear weep gently to himself during those long winter nights. Here are a few I found recently....
Curvy ergo-shovel
Robot shovel
Push-type shovel
Plastic shovels
Crazy-wheely shovel
Collapsible metal shovel
Two wheeled shovel
I have some ground breaking news...there are no perfect shovels. But there are a couple of rules of thumb when choosing a shovel:
Lighter is better, so plastic is usually better than metal.
Use a larger shovel for light fluffy show and a smaller shovel for hard or heavy snow.
Make sure the handle is long enough. Short handles make you bend over while shoveling.
Robot shovels are awesome, unless they become self-aware and use humans as a source of energy.
Make sure the shovel is in good shape - no broken or rounded edges, no broken handles, etc.
Remember to use the right tool for the right job.
Like snow blowing, you may get a bit of a back ache after shoveling. Here are some ways to help lessen this or avoid it all together:
Like any physical activity or workout it makes good sense to warm up and stretch a bit first. Simple movements like walking on the spot, light hamstring stretches, shoulder stretches and basic movements for a minute or two is usually sufficient. Don't just roll out of bed then start shoveling... If you want some specific stretches or warm-up exercises, let me know. I'd be happy to help.
When lifting or throwing the snow, try to keep your back relatively straight (or as chiropractors like to call it 'neutral posture') and use your legs rather than your back. Although you will use more energy when using your legs, stiff legs are usually less bothersome than a stiff back.
Have a plan. Where are you going to put the snow? How long do you think it will take? Really, just think about it a bit first, it will save you problems later.
Don't be a hero - hero's get hurt.
Don't overestimate how much you can or should lift.
Switch sides often. Don't hold the shovel the same way all the time, alternate power and pivot hands.
Take breaks, you don't have to do it all at once. Breaks will give your body time to recover and lowers your chance of feeling sore afterward.
Like snowblowing, your back may be a bit stiff and sore afterward - THIS IS NORMAL. However, if the discomfort/stiffness turns to pain, or is different than anything you've previously experienced, or doesn't go away after a couple of days come on in and I'll have a look.
If you are experiencing chest pain/shortness of breath/radiating arm pain during or after snow clearing get this checked right away.
And like always, if you have questions I'd be more than happy to answer them if I can, or point you in the right direction if I can't.
I'm moving from Goulet Chiropractic Centre to Spectrum Health Centre at 677 Portage Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
So, that's why I started this blog - to help you make the best choices for your spinal healthcare needs, to help give you good, evidence-based information on chiropractic, your spine, and your health, as well as give you tips that can help you help yourself.
If you have questions or something that you were wondering about, I'd be happy to hear it. If I can help you I will, if not I'll try to point you in the right direction.
If you need help now, let me know.
Spectrum Health Centre
677 Portage Ave.,
Winnipeg, MB
t| 204 772-7700
