Chapel Hill Clinic Offers New Innovative Approach to Sleep Apnea Using Alternative Methods Chiropractic Applied Kinesiology and Physical Therapy

The Chapel Hill Chiropractic Centre has a new approach to helping individuals with Sleep Apnea, particularly a type of Sleep Apnea called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), the most common form of Sleep Apnea that affects millions of people.

Chiropractic combined with innovative techniques utilized from Applied Kinesiology, massage, physical therapy, dentistry, and cranial manipulation create a powerful arsenal of treatment options that may make sleep apnea sufferers breathe a sigh of relief. This comprehensive approach evaluates the entire body, utlizing many methods which would be otherwise missed by a professional who specializes in one particular region of the body. Due to the widely varying causes of sleep apnea, specialists can often be too focused to be able to evaluate the "big picture". After all, the body is connected in every aspect.

With Sleep Apnea, individuals are forced to use a CPAP machine (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) to be able to breathe regularly and effectively throughout their sleep cycle because the airway is not remaining patent, or open. The typical method of diagnosis of this condition is performed at a sleep study clinic using Polysomnography. This testing can be useful but also disruptive because the person being studied has to sleep in an unfamiliar environment with different bedding.

An effective and simpler method of testing is done with oximetry often combined with pulse measurement, sometimes called pulsoximetry. This is a simple device that clips over the end of the finger during sleep, measuring the blood oxygen percentage while a person sleeps. Typical blood oxygen saturation levels should reach about 98-99%, yet can be often found as low as the 80's with sleep apnea. The co-morbidities of low oxygen saturation in the blood has many implications in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and blood/tissue related diseases.

Sleep Apnea patients often present to a chiropractors office with little awareness of their physical, neurological, and chemical imbalances. The reason for the visit is often neck, mid-back or low-back pain. Common physical and palpatory findings include an anterior head carriage, muscular strain to the SCM muscle, or Sternocleidomastoid, fascial shortening of the posterior neck extensors, a visible Buffalo Hump, External auditory meatus shifted anterior to the acromion process, loss of cervical spine lordosis or curve, TMJ palpatory pain, Temporalis muscle hypertonicity, Tooth wear from grinding teeth, and obesity.

From a chiropractic perspective, these typical Sleep Apnea patients generally sleep with several pillows stacked behind their heads which force the head and neck into flexion and reverse the natural cervical spine curve or lordosis. Other common causes of this type of subluxation, or misalignment is chronic poor posture and whiplash injuries to the head and neck. Often a 5MPH car collision is enough to create neck imbalances which can later lead to an airway dysfunction.

A reversed cervical lordosis or loss of the natural "C" curve in the neck creates a mechanical change in the opening of the airway and breathing passage, often resulting in breathing problems due to a narrowed airway in the glossopharyngeal region of the neck. Tightness in the TMJ or Tempormandibular Joint can further compound the issue by causing pharyngeal spasming. This is the primary reason that many well-informed dentists use a device called a Mandibular Advancement Splint to improve sleep apnea. The fact is, when the Temporomandibular Joint is opened inferiorly and translated anteriorly, the airway opens up. When the TMJ moves posterior and superior it closes the airway and makes it less patent, restricting the normal motions of the kinematic chain in the neck.

Chiropractic does the same thing, yet does not use the aid of a Splint to open the airway. Chiropractic treatment of the head and neck retrain the neck muscles and improve the neck and cervical spine posture. The significant difference between this and a mandibular advancement splint is that a proper chiropractic manipulation aids in correcting the joint imbalance by treating the temporomandibular joint and supporting muscles, ligaments, and tendons.

Both the chiropractic manipulation and mandibular advancement splint are an effective method of improving sleep apnea. The combination of these two methods is likely to be a match made in heaven for sleep apnea sufferers.

For more information, or to find out if Chiropractic and Applied Kinesiology is right for you, the Chapel Hill Chiropractic Centre schedules complimentary consultations as a courtesy to our patients.

TMJ Dysfunction is Treatable with Chiropractic and Applied Kinesiology

The Temporal Mandibular Joint, or TMJ, is likely to be the most complicated joint in the entire body. This region of your jaw can be a big problem-maker for the rest of the body too.

A specific diagnosis by a specialist may be necessary to determine if a person has a true dysfunction in their TMJ, yet where does this leave the patient when it comes to treatment?

An evaluation of the jaw, in relation to the entire body, reveals that the jaw does not function entirely by itelf. This means that the TMJ can be the Cause or the Result of a bodily symptom, primarily pain.

Pain upon opening or closing the jaw is most often associated with an overuse injury of the muscles that create this action, resulting in a strain or sprain of a muscle. Long term muslce imbalance can lead to entrapment of a cartilage material within the "hinge" of the jaw which can be excruciatingly painful. Other common symptoms of TMJ dysfunction are as follows: headaches, migraines, clicking, popping, grinding of the teeth, sleep apnea, neck pain, low back pain, acid reflux,heart burn, sinus congestion, facial pain, and poor balance.

Chewing gum is a primary example of a mis-use of the jaw, resulting in muscular strain.

Not only does it fatigue muscles and render them less efficient, the act of chewing also exhausts highly needed enzymes in the stomach and small intestine. The body will literally think that it needs to prepare for digestion of food because of the action created through gum-chewing.

The body has an intelligent design that is often interrupted by intellectual choices.

The second most common etiology of jaw pain is mal-alignment of the vertebrae in the neck, called the cervical spine. Numerous muscle attachments are found in the neck which connect directly to the TMJ. Whiplash injuries, head trauma (even from birth), and Stomach/Esophagus related dysfunction are also highly related injuries associated with Temporomandibular Dysfunction.

Since the cause of TMJ dysfunction can be wide-ranging and varied, it is suggested that an individual seek the consultation of a specialist that is trained to look at the entire body, not just the involved region of dysfunction. This type of doctor can distinguish common causes for jaw pain or dysfunction which may be entirely unrelated to the jaw itself. This approach is initially encouraged because of the risk potential related to having the jaw aligned using appliances or reconstructive surgery to the teeth or mandible.

Manual techniques focused on muscular support, exercises, and light joint aligment are very effective in treating many pain conditions. Myofascial release, cranial manipulation, Chiropractic adjustments, Activator Methods, Digestive Reflexology, Applied Kinesiology, and nutritional testing are useful approaches to diagnosis and treatment.

Doctors of Chiropractic, particularly trained in Applied Kinesiology or other forms of reflex testing, are capable of safely treating conditions affecting the head, neck, and jaw. Seeking consultation with a doctor of this type reduces the possibility for unwanted side affects or increased pain.