Falls on Ice
The colder weather brings with it an increase in incidents of falls on the back, the hands and knees or the base of the spine. Such falls are traumatic and often leave us bruised and aching. Some pain is expected after such a fall, and it usually subsides with time as the bruises heal. Often, sprains are treated with rest or physical therapy and the incident is quickly forgotten.
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Unfortunately, one of the results of such falls may be misalignment of the pelvic joints, or the vertebrae in the spine and even in the neck. The damage may result directly from the fall or result from muscle spasms following the injury. Because the spine can compensate
for such imbalances, once the ligaments and muscles heal, we are usually unaware that there is a residual problem. With time, however, spinal problems will make themselves felt as back pain, neck pain, or other painful syndromes and eventually they may lead to degenerative changes in the spine. Many problems seen in adults had their origin in childhood falls on the tailbone. Murphy’s law can be applied to spinal problems as well as other aspects of life. In this version of Murphy’s law, any problem in the spine left untreated will tend to reoccur, will come back more often, will be worse each time, and will take longer to heal.
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If sprains and strains seem to take a long time to heal, or if you feel tired and run down for a long time following a fall, this may be due to spinal imbalances that you aren’t aware of.
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Whenever you suffer a fall, your spinal alignment and joint movement should be checked as soon as possible. Doctor Mattern may be able to diagnose and correct spinal problems before they cause any pain or discomfort. For more information, contact our office.