When people want to start exercising more, one of the first muscles they want to work on is their chest. Most people have heard of large muscle pectoralis major but seem to forget about pectoralis minor. Both need to work together in order to function at their highest capacity.

The pectoralis major muscle is a large muscle in the upper chest, fanning across the chest from the shoulder to the breastbone. The two pectoralis major muscles, commonly referred to as the “pecs,” are the muscles that create the bulk of the chest. The pectorals are predominantly used to control the movement of the arm and also play a part in deep inhalation, pulling the ribcage to create room for the lungs to expand. Six separate sets of muscle fibers are identified within the pectoralis major muscle. This enables each portion of the pectoralis major muscle to be moved separately by the nervous system.

The pectoralis minor is a thin, flat muscle found...

We have all heard the symptoms of a concussion in young athletes; loss of consciousness, confusion, dizziness, nausea, and so on. But did you know a Second Impact concussion could cause devastating and permanent injury?

Second Impact Syndrome is when a second concussion occurs before a first concussion has properly healed. This causes rapid and severe brain swelling and often catastrophic results. Second Impact Syndrome can result from even a very mild concussion that occurs days or weeks after the initial concussion.

Many young athletes are eager to return to their sport but it is imperative to allow their developing bodies adequate time to heal. Respiratory failure, permanent brain injury and even death are a reality if athletes don’t fully recover from a concussion before incurring another.

It is imperative following a concussion that you avoid all external stimulation from touchscreen phones, computers, ipads and televisions.  You must report to your doctor any...

VCD-EILO also know as Vocal Cord Dysfunction-Exercise Induced Laryngeal Obstruction is often being misdiagnosed as asthma. VCD-EILO is a type of vocal cord dysfunction that is triggered by exercise. Rather than opening, the vocal cord and laryngeal tissue close, affecting the athlete’s breathing pattern, stress level and performance. The apparent symptom is shortness of breath which may relate to asthma.

The best way to diagnosis VCD-EILO is to have an endoscopic study to monitor the vocal cords when they are in the height if exercises. If this can not be done then the physician will make the diagnosis if the athlete meets the parameters of vocal cord dysfunction. Early recognition or early suspicion can be helpful to refer to the appropriate expert. 

VCD-EILO Symptoms                Asthma Symptoms

Breathing sounds high pitched, grating        Breathing sounds like wheezing

Struggle...

The Difference Between a Strain and a Sprain

A strain is a slight stretching or complete rupture/tear of muscle fibers.  This injury usually occurs between the muscle belly and the tendon of the muscle.  This can occur within muscle fibers when the fibers become over stretched or when the muscle generates more forces than it can stand.  There are three degrees for muscles strains:

• First-degree: involves over stretching of some of the muscle fibers which can cause point tenderness in the involved area, mild swelling, and pain with muscle contraction.

• Second-degree: involves some of the muscle fibers actually tearing. Some of the symptoms include point tenderness to the involved muscle, swelling, bruising, and pain with muscle contraction.

• Third-degree: involves a complete rupture/tear to the muscle fibers and blood vessels. Symptoms for this include pain, loss of function, evident defect where the muscle ruptured, swelling, and bruising.

A sprain is a slight...

Over the years we’ve seen numerous women throughout and following their pregnancy.  Many of these women bring their newborns in for treatment as well.  As we check in with mom we always check in to see how their babies are doing.  Are they sleeping enough?  Are their cries satisfied with changing or being fed? Are they pooping enough or too much?

As simple as these questions are, there are many times the answers are no to more than one of the above questions.  When a baby is struggling, the first question has to lead to diet of baby and mom.  If our patient is breast feeding, then we need to address her diet to find out where the babies distress is coming from.  

There are many foods that infants prove to be sensitive to causing symptoms such as colic, sleeping difficulties, diarrhea, constipation, digestive distress and gas.  Every patient is different, but the first foods to remove from the diet include:

• Beans
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• ...