Ferndale and Macomb Township Chiropractors Chris McNeil, Frank Norton and Peter Anderson Diagnose and Treat Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Auto Accident Patients

When people are involved in an auto accident there are a lot of different injuries that can happen.  The most common injuries that are treated at Metro Detroit Chiropractors auto injury clinics in Macomb Twp and Ferndale MI are: neck pain, back pain, disc injuries, sciatica, headaches and numbness.  However, there is a common injury that is often undetected and undiagnosed for many injured in an accident, and it can have devastating effects on a person’s life.  This injury is called traumatic brain injury or TBI.

During an auto accident there can be a rapid acceleration and deceleration. A rapid acceleration can occur when you are sitting at a red light or stop sign and you suddenly get rear ended. This causes your body to rapidly accelerate in milliseconds.  A rapid deceleration happens when you are driving and suddenly the traffic in front of you stops and you come to a crashing halt.  During a rapid acceleration or deceleration the forces on a body are extreme. “Not only can these forces cause ligament sprains, muscle strains, disc bulges and herniations, but they can also cause damage to one’s delicate brain tissues,” said Dr. Frank Norton at Macomb Twp Chiropractic.

As the body and head whip around during the impact the brain bounces around inside of the skull.  The delicate brain tissue is easily damaged which can cause a multitude of symptoms. Some of the common symptoms associated with a traumatic brain injury are: memory loss, headaches, dizziness, balance problems, vision disturbances, speech problems, ringing in the ears, sleep disturbances, problems focusing or concentrating, anger, anxiety and depression.

“After an initial diagnosis of TBI our doctors can refer the patient to a specialist for further diagnostic testing and treatment” says Chris McNeil, Chiropractor and Macomb Twp and Ferndale Chiropractic clinic director.  A neurologist can perform an EEG or order an MRI to determine if a brain injury occurred. The neurologist may also prescribe medications to help relieve some of the symptoms the patient may be experiencing.  A neuro-psychologist can perform a cognitive assessment to find deficits in brain and cognitive function.  Physical or Occupational therapy can be prescribed to perform cognitive, speech and balance therapy.  Neuro Quant MRI performs volumetric analysis and can be ordered to determine if any brain atrophy has occurred over time as a result of the TBI. Lastly, chiropractic treatments can help reduce headaches and other symptoms.

“Patients suffering from a TBI can have different levels of severity, from simple forgetfulness to stabbing headaches and disorientation” said Dr. Peter Anderson of Metro Detroit Chiropractors in Ferndale MI.  From lost sleep to inability to work and care for themselves or their family members, the many symptoms associated with TBI take a hearty toll on ones life.  Often time’s people with traumatic brain injury are need of a medical case manager to assist the patient in scheduling transportation and doctor’s appointments. The case manager can also gather records from different doctors and provide them to the insurance adjuster or to the patients attorney. In severe cases of TBI the patient may even need to live and an assisted living facility staffed with nurses and occupational therapist to assist with rehabilitation and the activities of daily living.

Traumatic brain injury is very common and should be taken very seriously. Unfortunately, going to the wrong doctors can cause a missed diagnosis which could lead to a permanent brain injury.  

Contact the nearest www.MetroDetroitChiropractors.com  clinic to schedule an appointment if you believe you or a family member has a TBI that  is not getting the proper testing and care.

On Saturday January 28th 2017, from 10am – 2pm, Macomb Twp. Chiropractic , located at 48866 Hayes Road in Macomb Township. MI,  will be hosting their annual PATIENT APPRECIATION DAY.  The event is held at the Macomb Twp. Chiropractic Clinic to give appreciation and to give back to their patients. 

     At the patient appreciation day there will be free food, door prizes, free massages, free chiropractic treatments and a chance to win Red Wings tickets.

     For the family and friends of current patients who may be suffering with neck pain, back pain, headaches or disc injuries, the clinic is offering  a detailed consultation, an orthopedic exam, 2 x-rays and a treatment for only $50.  “All of those services can normally be up to $200.  Plus, every time our patients refer a family member or friend they are entered to win the Red Wings Tickets,” says Dr. Frank Norton Lead Chiropractor. 

     The new patient offer is also available to the public, but there are only 16 spots available for new patients, so you must RSVP right away to reserve your spot.  “Call the office right away so you don’t miss out” says Dr. Chris McNeil Macomb Twp. Chiropractic Clinic Director. 

     If you’re suffering with neck pain, back pain, headaches or disc related pain, call the office at 586-566-2273 to reserve your spot and to enjoy the festivities at the Macomb Township Chiropractic Patient Appreciation Day.

Neck or back pain caused by a bulging, herniated or degenerated discs can be a life changing and debilitating condition that often leads harmful medication, injections or spine surgery. Thankfully, the chiropractors at Metro Detroit Disc Decompression Therapy Clinics offer a non-invasive, non-surgical alternative that may be able to help disc pain sufferers get out of pain, avoid surgery and get their life back.

The spinal discs are located in between each on the spinal bones (spinal vertebrae) in the neck, mid-back and low back. The most common types of disc injuries are a bulge, herniation or disc degeneration (spinal arthritis). “Disc injuries usually occur because of a major trauma such as an auto to accident, fall or sports injury, or a minor trauma caused by repetitive actions over a long period of time.” says Dr. Frank Norton of Macomb Township Chiropractic.

Common symptoms associated with a disc injury are back pain, leg pain, sciatica, neck pain, arm pain and numbness or weakness in the hands or feet. The pain can be dull and achy or can become severe causing stabbing and shooting pain. Many people suffering with a pinched nerve caused by a disc bulge or herniation often complain of an electrical shock type of pain into their arms or legs. “The pain can become so debilitating that people suffering with disc injuries may have trouble sleep, bathing & showering or even getting dressed. Some people also are disabled from work or can no longer do house & yard work, enjoy time with family or recreation,” said Dr. Chris McNeil, Macomb Twp. Chiropractic Clinic Director.

Disc injuries are typically diagnosed through orthopedic testing, MRI or x-ray films. When a disc injury is detected by a medical doctor they often prescribe pain medication or anti-inflammatory drugs. “Medication cannot fix a disc injury but simply covers up the symptoms associated with the disc injury or decrease the inflammation caused by the disc pressure,” said Doctor Peter Andersen of Metro Detroit Chiropractors in Ferndale MI.  If the pain persists the doctor may then prescribe chiropractic, physical or massage therapy, which can help decrease the pain and increase strength, but these types of physical treatments often do not fix the disc injury. The next step before disc surgery is usually epidural injections. Once again, this is only a temporary patch to the problem and many people have to have disc surgery.

Disc decompression therapy is a type of traction that uses sophisticated software to gently separates the bones of the spine pulling the disc material back into its proper place. Its non-drug and non-surgical and it has no side effects un-like drugs and surgery. In fact, many people who have neck or back surgery have to have another surgery or their pain just comes back. The doctors at Metro Detroit Decompression Therapy Clinics have great success with helping injured discs to heal which may prevent neck or back surgery.

Visit www.MetroDetroitDecompression.com and call the nearest disc decompression therapy clinic in Macomb Township or Ferndale Michigan, and one the spinal disc decompression therapy doctor’s therapy can help to determine if this treatment can help you to get out of disc pain, avoid surgery and get your life back.

Metro Detroit Auto Accident Doctor Uses Dynamic MRI Technique to Detect Hidden Disc Herniation’s

Auto accident injuries can cause a host of health issues. The most commonly treated injuries following an auto accident are called soft tissue injuries. A Soft tissue injury is damage to the muscles, ligaments, tendons or spinal discs throughout the body.  Although soft tissues injuries to the muscles, ligaments and tendons in the neck and back can be painful, disc injuries caused by an auto accident can lead to lifelong pain and permanent impairment.

Ferndale and Macomb Township Chiropractor Dr. Chris McNeil says “Disc injuries can impair you to the point where you can no longer work, perform house and yard work and enjoy recreational activities. That’s why it’s imperative to get the proper diagnosis and treatment immediately following an auto accident.”

For this reason the doctors at  Metro Detroit Chiropractors Auto Injury Clinics use state of the art MRI techniques to help to identify and diagnose hidden disc injuries. One such technique is called Dynamic Cervical MRI.  This is a simple yet grossly underutilized diagnostic technique in which the cervical spinal MRI (neck MRI) is performed in not only the neutral supine laying position, but an MRI is also taken with the patients head and cervical spine stressed in the flexed position and also stressed in the extended position. This is also called “STRESS” MRI.

“When you are laying on your back getting an MRI done, you do not have the normal stresses and weight placed on your body compared to if you were standing, moving and dynamic. Sometimes a disc injury won’t even show up on an MRI if you are just lying flat and still. However, if you are putting the normal stresses on the body, like when you are standing and bending, you may see a disc injury. That can make the difference between a patient getting the care they need and benefits they are entitled to or not,” says Wayne and Macomb County MI Chiropractor Chris McNeil.

Dr. McNeil has even performed a case study with a local MRI facility on one of his auto accident patients who came to his office with MRI results from a doctor and MRI facility that did not have dynamic MRI’s done.  “After examining the patient it was clear to me that she definitely had significant disc injuries. However, the MRI she brought in showed no disc pathologies. So I ordered Dynamic Flexion and Extension MRI’s at one of the MRI facilities we send to. Sure enough the results showed disc herniation’s. We now  were able to get her the proper treatment for her neck & arm pain with hand numbness. Plus her lawyer had some fire power to fight her auto insurance company, which cut her off because their IME doctor said she had nothing wrong with her. Thanks to this simple test the patient was able to get the care she needed to recover and her lawyer had the information needed to win a big settlement.”

Contact: Dr. Chris McNeil
Email: metrodetroitchiropractors@yahoo.com
Address: 10575 Morang Dive, Detroit MI. 48224
Organization: Metro Detroit Chiropractors

In this straight talk Chiropractic pod cast Macomb Township Chiropractor Dr. Chris McNeil Discusses how Presidential the presidential candidates have POOR posture. Specifically how Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz all have forward head posture. Forward head posture can cause neck pain, upper back pain headaches, pinched nerves and numbness as well as arthritis and disc injuries.

Macomb Twp. Chiropractic is part of the www.MetroDetroitChiropractors.com group who also has an office in Ferndale MI. Both offices also treat conditions like: Low Back pain, Sciatica and Disc Herniations.

Macomb County Michigan Chiropractor Dr. Chris McNeil Chiropractic podcast details the 3 most common types of headaches and treatments for Macomb Township residents.

How To Prevent Back Injuries This Fall

When the seasons change, particularly from summer to fall, there is a lot of housework, yard work, and fall cleanup to do. Oftentimes, we get patients coming into the offices who have injured their back from doing different activities around the house and in the yard related to fall cleanup. Here are some different types of injuries and tips to help show you how to prevent these injuries by the clinic director and chiropractor Chris McNeil.

Whether the injury happened indoors or outside; Macomb Twp Chiropractor Chris McNeil wants to make sure that you get some relief.

 That’s why Chris McNeil, the clinic director at Macomb Township Chiropractic and Metro Detroit Chiropractors recommends visiting one of our clinics as soon as possible to get checked out.

Thanksgiving Food Drive promotion

In our clinics, we love to give back to the community. That’s why, starting in November, Chris McNeil, Macomb Township Chiropractic and Metro Detroit Chiropractors’ Clinic Director, will spearhead a special promotion that is called the Thanksgiving Food Drive. With this Thanksgiving Food Drive promotion, we are going to try to help as many people in the communities we can with neck pain, back pain, headaches and arthritis pain. With a non-perishable donation of at least 5 canned or boxed food items, you can receive a consultation with the doctor, a detailed examination, a massage, bed treatment and some therapy.

When we have a promotion like the Thanksgiving Day Food Drive promotion, we typically start to spread the word to our current patients in the office and hand out flyers. We'll have the office plastered in flyers about the promotion and decorated for fall. We put out a press release by Chiropractor Chris McNeil to try to stir up a buzz for this promotion. There will also be a Chiropractic podcast by Dr. Chris McNeil for Macomb County MI residents. The more people we can get in the office who are suffering with neck pain, back pain, headaches, or arthritis pain, who receive the free consultation exam, massage, bed treatment and therapy, the more we can give back to those who are less fortunate and in need in our community, since the food donations are going to be given to a local food bank.

If you have a friend or family member suffering with neck pain, back pain, headaches or disc injuries, you can go to www.MetroDetroitChiropractors.com to find the nearest office to call and book the appointment.

 Hi, this is Dr. Chris McNeil Chiropractic Clinic Director from Metro Detroit Chiropractors. We have three locations – Macomb Township Chiropractic, Ferndale Chiropractors and East Detroit Auto Injury Clinic.

Today in this podcast I would like to talk about a new technology that can help many people with the relief if neck pain, back pain, headaches, disc injuries, auto accident injuries and many other injuries.  This new technology is called the therapeutic laser.  The therapeutic loser has been around for some years but is much more widely used and utilized in therapeutic settings today. The therapeutic laser uses different wave lengths and frequencies of laser light to stimulate the body's tissues and healing response. In essence, the therapeutic laser will help to speed up the healing process of the body. Now how does the therapeutic laser help to speed up the healing process of the body? The therapeutic laser uses the natural powers of the body, enhancing cellular metabolism, increasing oxygen absorption, increasing waste elimination of your cells. So wherever the laser is shined on and used it will help to increase the healing speed of that tissue.

Now there are essentially two different types of lasers that we use in a clinical setting to assist the body in the healing process. The first kind of therapeutic laser is called the cold laser.  The cold laser can be different wavelengths but essentially the cold laser is 500 miliwatts or less in power. Typically in the office we use a 800 nano meter down to 600 nano meter range therapeutic laser and this laser that is under 500 miliwatts it's called the cold laser. It works phenomenally to help flush out inflammation in injured tissues, to help decrease pain, to help increase strength and it is a part of our treatment program in many instances.

Now another type of laser we use in the office is called the hot laser.  This laser is called the hot laser because it is powered at 500 milliwatts or above, excuse me I should say above 500 milliwatts. So a milliwatt is a half of a watt, 1000 milliwatts is one watt. So any therapeutic laser that is over half a watt, that's considered a hot laser. And why is it called a hot laser? Well if you hold it in one place on the skin it can heat up and really be uncomfortable.  So with the hot laser we have to continuously move the laser over the tissue that is injured.  But for the cold laser we can set it on that area and let it sit there and absorb that laser light.

Here is a great analogy of how the therapeutic laser works. Just as our body absorbs the ultra violet light that is given by the sun and creates vitamin D, uses that light to create a beneficial outcome in our body, the therapeutic laser does the same thing. So how do we use the therapeutic laser in the clinical setting? Well for people who are suffering with neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, wrist pain, hip pain, leg pain, knee pain, ankle pain. Pretty much where ever there is a joint, we can shine the laser in the painful, damaged area and that will begin, increase the healing speed of those tissues.

I have a great testimonial for the laser myself. A couple years ado I was mountain biking and I flipped over the handlebars and I had my arm outstretched and I actually broke my wrist right next to the thumb, so I broke my arm next to the thumb and I started using the therapeutic laser daily, several times a day.  Now how do I know my wrist was fractured? Well I actually had it x-rayed and a CT scan that confirmed that I did have a fracture. So after frequent use of the laser the healing speed was so rapid that after only three weeks I was back to riding my mountain bike again. So that is just a great testimonial.

What else can we use the laser for? We have patients that suffer with facial pain, tick de la rue or trigeminal neuralgia that can really help with nerve problems. People who have numbness and tinglings and burning sensations any where in the body. We can also use it in areas where there needs to be extra healing don, burns and abrasions.  Well we don't use that in the office for burns and abrasions. Originally that's what they were using that type of therapy for to increase wound healing. One of the really great  uses for therapeutic laser that we use in the office is in conjunction with our disc decompression therapy. So many times we have patients that come into the office suffering with disc injuries such as disc bulge, disc herniation or degenerative disc disease which is arthritic discs and we have a special treatment which is called disc decompression therapy which gently separates the bone in the spine creating a negative suction to help increase nutrient absorption and actually pull the disc matter back into place which is bulging or herniated. So when we use this therapy in conjunction with the therapeutic laser it significantly increases the speed of recovery. So people who have excruciating back pain or neck pain, the disc can cause sciatic pain. The disc can cause weakness in the legs or feet, or weakness in the arms or hands. Disc injuries can cause numbness, tingling or burning in the arms, legs, hands or feet.  So that's a great modality to assist or physical medicine in the office to help increase the healing speed of the body.

Now before we ever use the therapeutic laser on any patient we always do a detailed consultation with the patient discussing their health matters, how they were injured, how long it's been there. Typically we see two ways that a patient's been injured. Either through a major trauma like an accident, a fall, sports injury, trip and fall, things like that, or it's a minor trauma and it's a repetitive injury over time, like working on the line repetitively, working at the desk, always looking one way or twisting one way all the time or always looking down at your computer, or always looking down at your phone or your books at school. 

So that's a minor trauma, or a micro trauma a repetitive trauma and that can wear on the body and end up causing neck pain, back pain, disc injuries and all kinds of other problems. So once we do the consultation and we determine how long the condition has been there, then we'll do9 our examination, we'll do orthopedic tests, neurological tests, we'll do range of motion studies, we'll take an iPad posture picture and then determine what condition the posture is in. Because if that posture is out of alignment that can cause excess nerve tension and disc pressure and joint pressure and that can cause pain.  A lot of time we'll get x-rays and that will determine if there is any mis-alignments in the spine which could also tell us if there is any nerve tension, disc pressure or joint pressure.  And when we do do the disc decompression therapy during the consultation, if we are doing a consultation for disc therapy we definitely want the prospective patient to bring in their MRI or CT results whether it's the MRI report or the disk, we can look at that and then that will help us determine how severe the problem is and how long it could take to fix. Obviously, the longer something has been there the worst it is, the longer it's going to take to fix, but the good news is that we do have new, advanced treatments like the therapeutic laser to speed up the healing process and help get people back to sleeping through the night; help get people back to being able to bathe and shower and getting dressed without pain, and getting back to doing house and yard work without pain and actually back to work without pain, or the recreational activities and sports and things that they like to do for fun, and of course time with the family and friends; getting back to those things.

So today's podcast, Dr. Chris McNeil, Chiropractor, Chiropractic Director for Metro Detroit Chiropractors.com. Come to the website and call the nearest office and schedule your free consultation and we'll help you determine if the therapeutic laser is the treatment of choice for you. I hope you enjoyed this podcast. Be well.

 Chiropractor Chris McNeil Talks Chiropractic Remedies

for Migraines in Latest Podcast

More than 28 million people suffer from migraines in the United States each year.  That means that at least one person in every family will suffer from migraines in their lifetime.  Finding relief from the debilitating suffering that goes hand in hand with migraines can literally mean the difference between life and a living death.  Chris McNeil of Macomb Township Chiropractic, Ferndale Chiropractor and East Detroit Accident Injury Clinic recently addressed this topic in his recent podcast where he describes the ways of diagnosing issues that can lead to migraine pain and various treatment modalities that have been effective in the treatment of patients who visit the practice in search of help.

“I wanted to do a podcast on migraines since it was something so many of my patients had come to me with,” says Chiropractor Chris  McNeil.  “It's incredibly heart-breaking to hear people talk about days spent in their rooms with the windows drawn, their eyes covered, and no sound at all—just bare isolation and pain.  I wanted with my podcast to explain that there are treatments that work for a lot of people that don't include the types of tolerance-inducing drugs that so many people around here in Detroit are being given.  I encourage anyone who is experiencing migraine pain, from adults to children, to at least give chiropractic remedies a try.”

The Metro Detroit Chiropractors starts with a complete consultation examination, involving X-rays and a posture picture, and then analyzes the information for any type of therapy that can give patients some  relief right away.  That could include heat packs on the neck, inter-segmental traction and massage to help open up the joints and relieve muscle spasms, or instrument adjusting which stimulates the nerves that helps the muscles relax.  Ice is also used to help reduce the muscle spasms and decrease the inflammation that could be in the neck related to the misalignments, nerve tension, joint pressure and disc pressure. The approach is about testing the patient's response and then adjusting until they find what works. 

For those that are interested in finding out more about Dr. Chris McNeil Chiropractic Clinic Director offices, or schedule a free consultation visit the website at: MetroDetroitChiropractors.com.