Village Family Clinic Blog

Hi everybody, Dr. Miller here at Village Family Clinic. Today I want to talk to you about how to sit at your desk all day for eight hours without having back pain.

A lot of people have jobs where we have to sit all day. It's a big source of back pain. We have a chair here, so I'm going to do some demonstrations. A lot of people work at a computer desk, so, the first thing you want to do is to make sure you're standing up nice and tall. Get a chair with nice support. If it's real flat in the back and you kind of feel like you're slouching, a little good lumbar support will help that out a lot.

Another thing to do is you want to stand up sit up nice and tall. Keep your knees at 90 degree angles. That's going to drive your back forward. It's going to cause a lot of pressure in here so you want to bring your knees up. Keep them at a good 90 degree angle. You want to keep your arms also at a 90 degree angle so you want to have a good nice posture here.

I tell people always get up and walk around the office. If you want to, go get some water. Go chat with somebody. It doesn't take much time, just take a five minute break. I know it's tough when you're working a desk and you got a lot to do, you got deadlines, you really get stuck into a rut. You're really working, working, working, so what we want to do is get up move around a little bit.

There's also some stretches you can do. Uou just kind of rotate your back every once a while. Just hold that Stretch. The big point here is to keep moving. Get yourself up every once in a while. Don't always sit. If you're there for more than an hour at a time it's gonna cause problems of your lower back.

So there's some good tips here. I’m Dr. Miller at Village Family Clinic with some tips on how to keep yourself from getting back pain when you have to work at a desk all day long.

Neck pain is a common ailment reported by men and women from different age groups and backgrounds. Recurrent causes of neck pain include muscle strains, nerve compressions, whiplash, disease, injury, and worn joints. People who lift excessive amounts of weight, carry heavy bags on their shoulders, or have bad posture are most susceptible to experience neck pain. Smoking and poor sleep posture are other contributors to neck pain. The pain severity caused by neck pain varies. If the neck pain is not critical, the following preventative steps may reduce or dissipate the pain:

1. Take breaks: Whether you have a physically demanding or motionless job, it is a good idea to either take breaks and relax if your job requires strength and movement, or walk around and get the juices flowing if you work at a desk or sit around often.
2. Sleep posture: You should be getting around 7-8 hours of sleep a night. With that being said, sleeping takes up approximately one third of your day. It is important that you exercise healthy posture while you sleep to avoid neck pain and discomfort. The most beneficial way to sleep is on your side (for pregnant women, the left side) and placing a rolled-up towel or pillow between your knees to alleviate pressure on the hips. This sleeping position supports the natural arc of the spine and does not foster neck pain.
3. Avoid Phone-Tucking: Avoid as best you can tucking a phone in between your ear and shoulder. It strains the neck muscles, one of the common causes of neck pain.
4. Quit Smoking: Habits are hard to break but if you are experiencing neck pain, here’s another reason to quit smoking: it leads to neck pain, among other spinal ailments.
5. Use Good Posture: This point goes along with good sleep posture. Good posture in general is not only good for digestion, joint movement, and balance, but it also diminishes the probability of experiencing back and neck pain. Correct posture maintains the natural curve of the spine: The head should rest over the shoulders and the top of the shoulders should be over the hips.
6. Avoid Carrying Heavy Things: Carrying heavy bags or weights contributes to muscle strain and worn joints. If you can, avoid carrying heavy items repeatedly and do not lift weights that are too far above your ability.
7. Adjust Chair, Desk, and Computer: If you have to bend forward or arch your neck downward, it is a good idea to adjust the desk chair, desk and computer.

While these are helpful preventative steps, neck pain may require the care of a doctor. According to EveryDayHealth, “Chiropractic is an approach that manipulates the spine and joints to relieve neck and back pain. It’s a popular therapy that does not involve medication”. If you visit a certified chiropractor with neck pain, they will evaluate your condition and most likely perform a chiropractic neck adjustment called a cervical neck manipulation. This procedure loosens up the joints of the cervical vertebrae in the neck and alleviates tension and pressure in the spine that stimulate neck pain. Chiropractic is a safe, drug-free form of treatment that resets the natural alignment of the spine and neck and is hailed as one of the most successful and secure ways to treat neck and back pain.

Sitting at your desk for an extended period of time can eventually cause pain and discomfort. Studies show that back and neck discomfort that stem from poor sitting posture or substandard work environment can ultimately lead to unproductivity on the job. A chiropractic visit is beneficial in realigning the back, alleviating neck and back discomfort, and increase productivity; however, it may be necessary to adjust your work space and the way you interact with it in order to prevent future problems related to neck and/or back discomfort.

One of the biggest promoters of back pain comes from the lack of support in the low back. The following five steps are practical ways to better your work experience, support your low back, and mend back and neck pain.

1. Low Back: An adjustable and comfortable chair is a worthy investment. If you do not have an adjustable and comfortable chair, try placing a pillow between your back and the chair. If you are experiencing back pain often, try placing a heat pad or ice pack in between your back and the pillow.
2. Chair Position: If you are sitting at a desk writing or typing, your chair should be in a position that allows your wrists and forearms to rest straight and parallel to the ground. Your elbows should lay by your body and form an L-shape at the elbow joint.
3. Legs and Feet: Your feet should rest flat on the ground. This neutral position discounts the tendency to move around to find a comfortable position. In general, avoid crossing your legs as it may interfere with blood flow, put pressure on one of the hips, becomes uncomfortable after an extended period of time.
4. Computer: The computer should be at eye-level and an arms-length away. The keyboard is best positioned 4-6 inches away from you in order to keep with the aforementioned “L-shape.” If using a computer with a mouse, the mouse should be close to you and not demand any compromising position in order to reach for it.
5. Break Time: If you sit in a desk all day, it is vital that you get up every once in a while, (anywhere between 30-60 minutes of sitting) and walk around. Chiropractors suggest stretching during these breaks in order to get blood moving and to wake up muscles not used when sitting such as the glutes. Perform a few neck and shoulder rolls and check your posture before returning to your desk.

Unfortunately, neck and back discomfort may persist. Look into visiting a chiropractor who can perform a chiropractic adjustment and realign the spine, and offer helpful tips and advice specific to your condition and situation. Chiropractic focuses on the well-being of the whole body: chiropractors often recommend dietary modification and exercises that can promote rehabilitation in addition to an adjustment.

Hackettstown, NJ (August 8, 2018) Village Family Clinic invites old patients and new patients in for patient appreciation day on September 22nd from 10am to 1pm and is very excited to announce that we will also have a meet and greet with Doc Gooden the same day from 11am to 1pm.

Dr. James R. Fedich, clinic director at Village Family Clinic, has organized a meet and greet with Dwight “Doc” Gooden for Patient Appreciation Day to give thanks to the community for supporting his Clinic for over 14 years now. Dr. Fedich has Patient Appreciation Day annually and is really looking forward to everyone getting together and joining in on this fun event. Dr. Fedich explains, “This event really brings the community together and shows that our clinic really takes pride in ‘what we do’ and our patients. Without our patients and all the support that we get, we simply would not have this clinic today.” Patient Appreciation day recognizes our existing patients but also invites new patients as well. The more, the better! Village Family Clinic will have free food, free adjustments, free new patient exams and mini acupuncture exams too. Now let’s get to even more exciting news about this day, Saturday September 22nd!

We have a very special guest coming in for this wonderful event we are holding at our clinic, Dwight “Doc” Gooden. Dr. Fedich and his team brainstormed and thought, “What could really get people excited about stopping by our clinic besides all the wonderful free things we are having for Patient Appreciation Day? What could bring new patients into our clinic too?” After a lot of consideration and thought we got exciting news of someone who was interested in our event and wanted to have the Meet and Greet right here in our clinic, Doc Gooden! What you should know about Dwight “Doc” Gooden is that he is a former professional baseball pitcher who pitched for the New York Mets. Doc Gooden was one of the most sensational pitchers of his generation, gaining many of the highest accolades. The accolades that Gooden received are as followed, “NL Rookie of the Year (1984), 2x MLB Strikeout Leader (1984, 1985), 4x All Star (1984, 1985, 1986, 1988), MLB Wins Leader (1985), MLB ERA Leader (1985), NL Cy Young Award (1985), Triple Crown (1985), Pitched a no-hitter on May 14, (1996), 3x World Series Champion (1986, 1996, 2000), Silver Slugger Award (1992) and New York Mets Hall of Fame Member.” Through out Doc Gooden’s time he was able to achieve all the accolades that you see here so we couldn’t be any more excited about having him at our very own Village Family Clinic.

Patient Appreciation Day will be held at the Village Family Clinic in Hackettstown, NJ on September 22nd from 10am to 1pm as well at the Meet and Greet with Dwight “Doc” Gooden from 11am to 1pm. For more information, directions or an appointment, contact the Village Family Clinic at (908)813-8200, or visit them on the web at www.hackettstownfamilyclinic.com.

We get this question often from our patient’s, friends and relatives. Recently I read an excellent review article of a Danish Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) by John Orchard, MD a sports physician from Australia. Here is a synopsis of his article.

100 patients eligible for TKR; randomized to 50 getting TKR, 50 to conservative care

The group was followed for 12 months, 26% (13) patients crossed over from conservative care to TKR

Both groups showed similar improvements in decreased pain and improved function at 1 year

The authors could not rule out an additional surgical placebo effect over and above the non-surgery group

TKR group had a higher complication rate do to the intervention of 16% (this was expected) vs 2% for the non-surgical group

However serious adverse medical events not directly associated to the surgery over the 12 months was 48% for the TKR group and only 12% for the conservative care group.

TKR seriously challenges a patient’s general health to warrant warning patients about the increased risk

These findings can make the decision to undergo TKR more difficult for some patients. “Does the more likely improvements in pain and function of TKR outweigh the increased serious adverse risk?”

You may want to take this aspect into account

Current fitness level: Pain is subjective but fitness and activity levels are objective.

Low levels of activity are hazardous to long term health.

If your knee pain is preventing you from walking less than 6000-7000 steps a day (can be tracked with a fitness tracker or smartphone) it may be time to consider TKR.

Medical history: Pre-existing cardiac or renal disease, history of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) that requires blood thinners for control, diabetes and a history of smoking increase the risk of serious medical complications following TKR.

Recent cortisone or arthroscopic surgery : Studies found that having either or both procedures within 3 months of TKR increased the complication rates.

Did conservative care fail or was never attempted: Person was never sent for physical therapy, education /exercise classes. Did not have a trail of Hyaluron gel injections or a trial of a joint off loading brace.

Do not make the decision based on the following:

X-ray or MRI severity of OA: X-ray can help establish the diagnosis of knee OA. However, several studies have found poor correlation between X-ray OA severity and actual levels of activity and walking tolerance. (again think physical activity level capabilities vs X-ray findings)

The patient’s age: There is a tendency for surgeons to state the best age for TKR is 60-65 years old. They are considered young enough to do well and old enough that they most likely will not a revision (second TKR), within their remaining lifetime. Although there is some fact to this statement it should not be used to encourage a patient of 60-65 to have a TKR that is not needed. Conversely allowing a 40-50 year old who is extremely debilitated an unable walk more than a several thousand steps a day not being considered for TKR.

Hopefully this synopsis helps if you are currently considering TKR. In closing TKR is a good and viable surgical procedure for the right person done at the right time. If you have medical issues you may want to consider addressing them with your doctors and medical providers to help reduce your risk levels and get the best results following TKR. Village Family Clinic offers proven conservative care such as Physical Therapy, fitting of knee Off Loading Braces, Chiropractic care, Nutritional counseling and Acupuncture . If you are having TKR we offer prehabilitation to prepare you for surgery and postoperative TKR care to help you get back to the activities and life you want to have!.

Should you have any questions regarding this information please feel free to contact us.

Bob Scanlon, PT, Cert MDT, NJ Lic # 40QA00283600

According to two recent CBS news articles and a report published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, opioids are culpable for more than 115 U.S. deaths every day. The abuse of opioids, prescribed pain-relieving drugs, has increased dramatically and the search is on for a natural alternative to these drugs.

Ashley Welch, a CBS news writer, writes about the logistics involved in the opioid crisis in her article, “Opioid Overdoses Spike 30 Percent, Hospitals Report.” Welch writes that “Data from hospital emergency departments show a big increase in drug overdoses across the country.” The National Institute on Drug Abuse confirms this point as well as demonstrates the prevalence of general opioid abuse nationwide: “21 to 29 percent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them.”

Fortunately, there are alternative methods to treat pain and promote pain management that many people are unaware of. Dr. James R. Fedich, Chiropractic and director at Village Family Clinic discusses the healthy and natural forms to relieve pain and foster recovery and rehabilitation from injuries and accidents.

Fedich talks about the success he has had in relieving pain for patients suffering from a variety of injuries, accidents, or pains. “Our patients have diverse backgrounds and range in age. We treat patients that suffer from sports injuries, injuries from vehicular and falling accidents, and pains that stem from the natural wear and tear of life. Patient testimonials validate the effectiveness of the treatments we offer” such as adjustments, spinal decompression, and physical therapy.

If you are seeking an alternative method to treat pain and discomfort, call Village Family Clinic at (908) 813-8200 or visit http://wwwhackettstownfamilyclinic.com. Their team of chiropractors, physical therapists, a pain management doctor, an acupuncturist, and a nutritionist are trained to rehabilitate your body and relieve pain.

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Alemany, Jacqueline. “Trump to Roll out Plan to Combat Opioids with No Clear Funding Plan.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 18 Mar. 2018, www.cbsnews.com/news/opioid-epidemic-crisis-new-hampshire-donald-trump/.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Opioid Overdose Crisis.” NIDA, 6 Mar. 2018, www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis.
Welch, Ashley. “Opioid Overdoses Spike 30 Percent, Hospitals Report.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 6 Mar. 2018, www.cbsnews.com/news/opioid-overdoses-increase-across-us/.

By Dr. Tyler J. Carlock, D.C.

Did you know that even a minor fender bender can cause serious injury to your spine? Whiplash is a common word but not many people know exactly what it means. Whiplash occurs when you are in a collision with a car especially being rear-ended. When the collision happens, your neck rapidly extends backwards then flexes forward in a split second, which is traumatic to the ligaments and muscles in your neck. This can be very painful and cause decreased range of motion in your cervical spine (sometimes people don’t feel any pain until the next day). In most instances, the inflammation will irritate the spinal nerves which can cause sharp pains into your shoulder or down your arm which can cause decreased muscle strength or sensory changes. This is called a “radiculopathy.” In severe cases, fractures can even occur in the bones in your neck. According to a study, whiplash at even 5 mph can cause permanent damage to your cervical spine.

Whiplash is not the only injury one can sustain from even a minor car accident, low back pain and disc herniations in the lumbar spine can be very common as well. People may experience “sciatica” which is a sharp shooting pain down your leg. Most people will get sent to the hospital after a car accident, and if the x-ray is negative for fractures they will just be released with an anti-inflammatory or muscle relaxers. Most of the time this is not a sufficient treatment for the underlying cause of the injuries. Visiting a chiropractor for all of these injuries after an accident is a great way to deal and recover from the injuries. Taking pressure off of the nerves and getting you out of pain and increasing range of motion is the main goal of treatment. In most cases, the automobile insurance company will pay for all of the care you receive from a chiropractor for injuries due to a motor vehicle accident.

Hackettstown, NJ (July 11, 2018) Dr. Tyler Carlock, Chiropractic physician at Village Family Clinic explains the gravity of the damage a car accident can inflict on the spine and ways to promote recovery and rehabilitation.

Dr. Carlock defines whiplash, “a common word but [one that] not many people know exactly what it means,” as an injury that occurs most often during a collision. Specifically, with whiplash, the “neck rapidly extends backwards then flexes forward in a split second, which is traumatic to the ligaments and muscles in the neck” Carlock explains. Most often, the effects of whiplash materialize into “inflammation [that] irritates the spinal nerves which can cause sharp pains into the shoulder or down the arm which can cause decreased muscle strength or sensory changes. This is called ‘radiculopathy’.” The symptoms of whiplash may not be felt right away but could lead to issues in the future.

Carlock stresses the importance of visiting a chiropractor after even a minor car accident. Following a car accident, victims are sent to the hospital where they have x-rays that do not show inflammation and other symptoms of whiplash that many accident victims endure. Carlock indicates that “visiting a chiropractor for all of these injuries after an accident is a great way to deal and recover from the injuries. Taking pressure off of the nerves and getting you out of pain and increasing range of motion is the main goal of [chiropractic] treatment.”

If you have been involved in a car accident, however minor, a visit to a chiropractor can ensure a full recovery. Dr. Carlock points out that “in most cases, automobile insurance companies will pay for all of the care you receive from a chiropractor for injuries due to a motor vehicle accident.”

At Village Family Clinic, a team of chiropractors, physical therapists, and an acupuncturist are equipped to treat car accident victims and foster rehabilitation. For more information, a consultation, or treatment, call the Village Family Clinic at (908) 813-8200, or visit them on the web at hackettstownfamilyclinic.com.

Hackettstown, NJ (July 11, 2018) Village Family Clinic hosts their seventh annual Pet Food Drive at their office location in Hackettstown, NJ to collect pet food for local animal shelters August 20th through the 24th during office hours.

Dr. James R. Fedich, clinic director at Village Family Clinic, has organized a Pet Food Drive to support local animal shelters. Over the past seven years, Dr. Fedich’s team and their patients have collectively donated enough pet food to fill seven pick-up trucks. “Our Pet Food Drive has perennially benefited the local animal shelters and has allowed myself and our community to give back” Dr Fedich explains. “It also encourages new patients as well as beloved returning patients to visit the office.” In fact, Dr. Fedich is offering special services to motivate new and returning patients to donate pet food. If a patient, new or returning, donates just one 5lb bag of dog or cat food, he or she can choose to receive a free exam, free adjustment, or receive half off of one acupuncture session.

Dr. Fedich is excited about the opportunity to meet new patients: “Some people are hesitant that chiropractic, acupuncture, and other services offered at our clinic are what they need. The week of our Pet Food Drive is an opportunity for those people to see our office, meet and speak with the doctors, and save money by receiving a free exam, free adjustment, or half off an acupuncture session all for the cost of one 5lb bag of pet food.” During the Pet Food Drive, new and returning patients can save money on their treatment and play a part in giving back to the community by benefiting local animal shelters and the animals there. According to Dr. Fedich, the goal of this year’s Pet Food Drive is to collect enough pet food to fill one entire pick-up truck.

The Pet Food Drive will be held at the Village Family Clinic in Hackettstown, NJ the week of August 20-24, 2018, during office hours, 9am until 7pm. For more information, directions, or an appointment, contact the Village Family Clinic at (908) 813-8200, or visit them on the web at www.hackettstownfamilyclinic.com.

Hello everybody Dr. James Fedich, Clinic Director at Village Family Clinic in Hackettstown, NJ. If you don't know we are we're in Hackensack New Jersey and we are one of the area's largest health care providers. We havehave multiple chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, nutritionists, and medical pain management over here for all your healthcare needs.

In this video we're talking about sleeping. We see a lot of patients in the clinic with problems sleeping so we're gonna give you some sleep tips, tips to get you to sleep better, and some general tips about sleep positioning.

There's a lot of people with insomnia which means you're not getting enough sleep. There's a couple different problems. It's really kind of two major problems when we're having trouble falling asleep and/or we're having trouble staying asleep. So there's different problems in there this is a complex issue.

The number one reason people do not sleep well is actually muscle aches and pain. So you're waking up because your back hurts your neck hurts you're rolling on your shoulder. It is physical problems that is actually the number one reason why we're not getting good night's sleep. So if you have a physical problem, back pain, neck pain,headaches, shoulder problems, or anything like that give us a call at (908) 813-8200 and we'll fix that up for you.

There's some other good tips I'd like to give you today. Let’s talk general sleep problems versus a physical problem. Number one is electronics. We're all into iPhones iPads and computers. We had a guy in recently with trouble sleeping. It turns out he leaves his I pad on and it alerts when he's getting email alerts all night and of course it's waking him up multiple times. So rule number one in getting a good night's sleep is turning electronics off an hour before bedtime. Turn phones off, iPads off, no TVs in the room an hour before bedtime. All that light, it's gets complicated, but the light stimulating hormones in the brain and keeps you awake. The body thinks there's some light out there and wants to be awakened.

Rule number two. We don't want to eat or drink anything in our before bed as well. So if you were eating this midnight snack or drinking a big glass of water, then you got to get up and go to the bathroom. So it's no food or drinking at bedtime.

Your room environment is very important so a couple things in the general room for you to think about. A lot of us are sleeping way too warm whether it's in the summer or winter. Most of you are sleeping too warm. If you set sleep temperatures at 72 or 70, then you're under the blankets. You're gonna be 75 degrees in there as your body heat is all trapped in there. There's a lot of different strategies but the best thing for most is to keep the room a little bit cooler enough that you don’t need a thick blanket. Myself, we use something called the chill pad at home where it circulates water underneath you and it helps regulate your body temperature.

Next we’ll discuss sleep positions. A lot of people don't know how to sleep. Number one we never want to sleep on our stomach. There's just no good way to sleep on your stomach. It's gonna put strain on the neck and it's hard to breathe properly. For women out there they say gives you wrinkles quicker if you sleep on your stomach. So that's why I get my women patients to sleep on their back or sides. I found a change that happens to work. Get all those long body pillows at Target or some store like that. Just get one of those big long and inexpensive pillows and start putting it underneath you. Start gently turning off your stomach toward your side or back, either is okay, whatever it's better for you.

I know a lot of people have trouble snoring. If you're snoring a lot and your partner says you kind of stop breathing in the night you could have something called sleep apnea where you're waking up continually and which is actually a very serious medical problem. So if you have a severe snoring and your partner says that you're kind of not breathing in middle of night you want to get a sleep study done to evaluate you for sleep apnea.

One thing we recommend is one good pillow. So a normal pillow you are going to find at the stores are probably not going to give you enough support. One of the pillows that we have here is this water-based pillow. Basically what you do is you fill up water level based on how big you are. So you use just one pillow. A nice thing about the water pillow is that it's nice and heavy, doesn't slide around. So we use these at the clinic.

So, no food or drinking before bedtime, no electronics at night before bedtime, try to go to bed a little earlier, No electronics, no food, nothing else an hour before bed. Once in a nice calming relaxing bedroom, get the temperature down. Most of us are sleeping way too warm. Get it to 72 degrees in there and sleep a little cooler. Sleep positions, be on our back or a side. Use one good pillow. If you have a bad lower back, a sleep pill is ok and use a pillow or two underneath the knees to elevate them so that you can take some pressure off the spine. Come on in and we can delve into this a little bit more. Hopefully this helped you out a little bit. Check out our website hackettstownfamilyclinic.com or give us a call.