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A fall on the buttocks can injure many different tissues. An injury to the superficial fascia and muscles can make small blood vessels bleed. If the skin isn’t broken the blood doesn’t have anywhere to go so it pools, forms clots, and changes the colour of the skin above the injury, like in the above photo. Harder blows tend to cause bigger red bruises which may be tender to touch and throb severely. As the bruise heals, the iron-rich substance in the blood, called haemoglobin, breaks down into other compounds, the bruise changes colour and the pain generally diminishes. Within a day or two, it turns purplish or black and blue. In 5 to 10 days, it may be green or yellow. In 10 to 14 days, it’s yellowy-brown or light brown. It should totally fade away and be pain-free in about 2 weeks. If you are lucky no treatment will be required.

If the pain persists for more than 2 weeks some residual soft tissue damage, like densification of the superficial fascia and/or trigger points in the muscles most likely exists. Both types of tissue damage may require professional therapeutic attention. The treatments of choice including: massage, instrument assisted soft tissue scraping and/or dry needling can be initiated once most of the bruising has subsided, 2 weeks after the injury. Our chiropractors and massage therapist, Jo Badenhorst, are skilled in identifying and treating soft tissue injuries of the spine and buttocks.

Beneath the superficial fascia and muscle are the bones, ligaments and joints of the hips, lumbar spine and pelvis. Any of the ligaments, joints or bones in the diagrams below can be sprained or bruised when someone falls on their buttocks causing significant persistent pain and disability.

If the fall causes a joint to lock or get stuck in a twisted position it will need to be unlocked and eased back into motion. Chiropractic manipulations and/or mobilizations are the most efficient way to restore joint mobility. They relieve the pain by taking the strain off the overstretched ligaments and joint capsules, which also relieves the reflex tension and tenderness in the superficial muscles. Depending on the severity of the injury, manipulations can be applied to the joints minutes to hours after the injury, even if there is superficial bruising. With the average case, 4-6 treatments, targeted to the tissues that have been injured, over a 3-4 week period will provide significant benefit.

If a fracture is suspected, however, an x-ray, CT scan or MRI should be obtained prior to initiating any treatment. Our Doctors of Chiropractic are highly skilled in the diagnosis and management of joint, bone and soft tissue injuries of the lumbar spine, hips and pelvis. We are ideally placed to be the first port of call for someone who has fallen onto their buttocks. For appointments, please call 07 3823 2282

While lying on your stomach may feel great, like getting a full body hug for as long as you want, it’s not good for your neck and can contribute to more than a poor night’s sleep. If you wake up irritable with neck pain, headaches or tingling in your fingers, keep reading.

In the early 80’s parents were advised to put their babies to sleep on their tummies to reduce their chance of choking on their vomit and dying in their sleep. While there is some truth to this wives’ tale, by the late 80’s researchers started flagging stomach sleeping as a risk factor in SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In 2022 stomach sleeping is definitely considered as a risk factor for SIDS, especially in the 1^st 1000 days of their lives. It is theorized that sleeping with your head and neck cranked to one side causes stress on the upper part of the neck and brain  stem, reducing respiratory rate and causing death in some babies. While some can get away with sleeping on their stomach into their 20’s or even 60’s, it eventually causes recurring neck pain, headaches, tingling in the fingers and a poor night’s sleep.

Notice, in the photo above, sleeping on the stomach involves rotating the neck to one side as far as it can go, and keeping it there for hours. The facet joints on the downside are stretched open and the facet joints on the upside are compressed together. The constant compression of the neck joints while sleeping is similar to the effect of taping a finger into full flexion while you sleep, night after night.

When to take the tape off in the morning you have a stiff and sore finger. You would not do that to a normal healthy finger so why would you do that to your neck?

I stopped sleeping on my stomach in my mid 20’s, which instantly and dramatically reduced the recurrence of my neck pain, the tingling in my fingers while sleeping and my need for chiropractic care. My dad, however, suffered more than he needed to and refused to stop sleeping on his stomach until he was 65. By then, unfortunately, he had developed arthritis in his neck.

Here are my top 3 tips to help stop stomach sleeping:

1. Buy a pillow that supports your neck properly while you sleep on your side or back. Have your chiropractor evaluate whether or not your pillow is right for you or prescribe you a better one.
2. Take your old pillow and hold it up against your chest while sleeping. It will give you the same full body hug feeling without straining your neck.
3. Have a chat with your subconscious mind while in the hypnotic trance state, when your body is asleep but your mind is awake, and ask it roll you on to your side or back if you happen to roll onto your stomach in your sleep. If you have this chat with your subconscious mind, you will notice yourself spontaneously rolling from your stomach to your side or back while you sleep.

Improving your sleep posture will not only give you a better night’s sleep. It will reduce the recurrence of neck pain, headaches and tingling in your fingers, and reduce your health care cost.

Breathing is essential for living yet 10-30% of the population have some degree of breathing dysfunction, a reduced ability to breathe appropriately and stabilize the spine relative to the level of activity. While the process of breathing is automatic and functional for most people, dysfunctional breathing has physical and psychological health implications causing pain and a loss of performance.

Breathing dysfunction can be caused by or can cause musculoskeletal problems. An obvious presentation of dysfunctional breathing is when someone feels sharp pain in the mid back with taking in a deep breath. Coughing, sneezing, pull starting a lawn mower, or an awkward or heavy lift may sprain a rib or spinal facet joint, triggering the pain. In these cases, an injury to the thorax has caused the breathing dysfunction. Getting a stitch in the side with running is another common symptom of dysfunctional breathing. In more subtle cases, low level neck, low back and  pelvic pain, tight hamstring muscles and/or incontinence may be symptoms of breathing dysfunction. Many people don’t realise that yawning, sighing, breath holding, mouth breathing, upper chest/thoracic breathing and an inability to take in a deep satisfying breath are signs of breathing dysfunction. By completing questionnaires and assessments below we can determine whether or not you have a breathing dysfunction worth addressing as part of your care plan.

Breathing Screen Questionnaire
Do you feel tense?
(0) never/ not true at all
(1) occasionally/ a bit true
(2)  frequently/ mostly true
(3)  very frequently/ very true
Do you feel a cold sensation in your hands or feet?
(0) never/ not true at all
(1) occasionally/ a bit true
(2) frequently/ mostly true
(3) very frequently/ very true
Do you notice yourself yawning?
(0)   never/ not true at all
(1) occasionally/ a bit true
(2) frequently/ mostly true
(3) very frequently/ very true
Do you notice breathing through your mouth at night?
(0) never/ not true at all
(1) occasionally/ a bit true
(2) frequently/ mostly true
(3) very frequently/ very true

Breathing Questionnaire Scoring: Red: Score 2 or 3 on any question, Yellow: Score of 1 on any question, Green: Score of 0
Functional Residual Capacity Lung Test: Breathe out normally, pinch your nose closed and see how long you can hold your breath.
Red: < 25 Seconds Yellow: 26 – 35 Seconds Green: > 35 Seconds

Total Lung Capacity Test:
Breathe in deeply, then out deeply. Breathe in deeply a second time, pinch your nose and see how long you can hold your breath.
Red: < 35 Seconds Yellow: 36 – 60 Seconds Green: > 60 Seconds

If you pass all the breathing screen questions and tests with green scores we are 89% sure you don’t have a breathing problem. Your breathing is optimal and you likely move very well. If you get a yellow score in some components you have some breathing deficits and further assessment is recommended. Some breathing retraining should be incorporated into your care plan and activities, and your progress should be monitored. If you fail the screen, get some red scores, further assessment is definitely required. Treating your breathing dysfunction needs to be prioritized and we advise against resistance training until your breathing dysfunction has improved. If you had any yellow or red scores, make an appointment for a more in depth breathing assessment and a breathing exercise prescription. By testing we can determine the cause and degree of your breathing dysfunction. By treating, with chiropractic care and breathing exercises in the: lying down, on hands and knees, tall kneeling and standing positions we can improve breathing function. By re-testing we determine when to progress to more advance and resistance training exercise. The ultimate goal: being able to breath efficiently and stabilizing the spine while doing advanced resistance exercises. If you don’t start to see improvements within 2 weeks of doing the exercises we recommend a medical consult.

If I told you that you could reduce the risk of ACL, anterior cruciate ligament, injuries by about 40% by doing some exercises 2x/week, would you be interested? If your knee buckles inward on a single leg squat, like in the photo below, you are at a high risk of developing knee pain and damaging your ACL and need to correct the way you move.

By examining your feet, knees and hips while squatting, standing, walking, running, and going up and down stairs we can determine the weak link in your movement patterns.  Local examination of the knee, foot/ankle, hip, pelvis and low back helps to further refine the diagnosis and corrective strategies.

The number one take home message for a knee rehab and/or injury prevention program: do not let the knee buckle inwards, valgus strain, during exercise.

The FIFA 11+ knee injury prevention program is geared for health young athletes who want to get fitter and prevent injuries. It is, however, too advanced for middle aged or older individuals that have knee pain and want to get better. For these people, make an appointment, get a proper diagnosis and follow the rehab advice of your Doctor of Chiropractic.