Catalina Medical Center: Blog

Sprains and strains are common injuries that share similar signs and symptoms but involve different parts of the body. Adults and children who play contact sports such as soccer, football, wrestling, and hockey are put at risk for sprains and strains. So are folks who play sports that feature quick starts, such as running races or marathons. Regardless of the type of injury you encounter, at Catalina Medical Center, our doctors can treat it. But first, we’d like to let you know what the difference is between a sprain and a strain. A sprain is a stretching or tearing of the ligaments – the tough bands of fibrous tissue that connect two bones together in your joints. The most common location for this type of injury is your ankle. A strain is defined as a stretching or tearing of a muscle or tendon. A tendon is a fibrous cord of tissue that connects muscles to bones. Strains have the tendency to occur in the lower back and in the hamstring muscle on the back of your thigh. Treatment for t...

Electrical Muscle Stimulation is an exceptional way to help the body in the healing process. If there is a spasm in the back or neck muscle, this therapy is ideal for relaxing the muscle and allowing it to bounce back to its natural state rather quickly. At Catalina Medical Center, we utilize electrical muscle stimulation to alleviate nerve pain, muscle spasms, and other musculoskeletal conditions. Electrical Muscle Stimulation Devices (EMS) has been advertised to increase muscle strength. This is accomplished by placing electrodes on the skin that send a very small electrical current into the affected soft tissue injury or muscle spasm. Electrical Muscle Stimulation therapy utilizes this current in an effort to help reduce swelling, as well as inflammation and releases, trigger points that may have the muscle locked up. It does this by helping the body to release natural relievers of pain often referred to as endorphins. If you have questions or concerns regarding chiropractic care or...

Whether you work nine-to-five in a cubicle, or perform heavy lifting on the job, following proper ergonomic principles can improve your overall health, prevent musculoskeletal disorders, and most importantly, keep you safe in the workplace. Poor ergonomics is not only a hazard to your posture, but it can affect your productivity levels as well as increase your risk of work injury. Our doctors at Catalina Medical Center urge you to avoid injury through these ground rules. All work activities should permit the worker to adopt several different, but equally healthy and safe postures. Where muscular force has to be exerted it should be done by the largest appropriate muscle groups available. Work activities should be performed with the joints at about mid-point of their range of movement. This applies particularly to the head, trunk, and upper limbs. No matter what the job is, the goal is to make sure that you are safe, comfortable and less prone to work-related injuries. If you have quest...

The staff at Catalina Medical Center offers a variety of treatments for chiropractic issues. We recommend cold laser therapy for patients experiencing acute or chronic muscle pain in the neck, back, or shoulders. If you have acute or chronic muscle pain and chiropractic adjustments haven’t helped you, cold laser therapy could be the solution for you. Cold laser therapy is a non-invasive, drug-free solution with no adverse side effects.  This therapy can be practiced almost anywhere on the body to promote healing and alleviate pain. Patients suffering from sprains, arthritis, and tendonitis are often recommended this treatment because it also helps reduce inflammation. The laser is a small handheld device placed directly on the skin in the affected area. It uses light to stimulate affected muscle tissue, and has the ability to penetrate two to five centimeters below the skin. The laser is applied to the affected area for anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes at a time. Treatments ...

Cupping is one of the oldest methods from traditional Chinese medicine that we utilize at Catalina Medical Center.  Cupping therapy is performed by placing cups on the skin to create suction. The treatment can be used to treat respiratory conditions, arthritis, gastrointestinal disorders, and is recommended for sore muscles. The cups can be made of a variety of materials, and are most commonly glass. During a cupping treatment, glass cups are warmed using a cotton ball or other flammable substance soaked in alcohol and placed inside the cup. Burning a substance inside the cup uses all the oxygen it contains, which creates a vacuum on the skin. The suction of the cups mobilizes blood flow to promote the healing of a broad range of medical ailments. Cupping therapy helps release rigid soft tissue, lifts connective tissue, and brings blood flow to skin and muscles.  Depending on the patient and their condition, cups can be left in place for between 5 and 10 minutes. To learn more about c...

Chiropractic care is typically sought out by people seeking relief from neck or back pain.  The staff of Catalina Medical Center is also skilled in treating extremities like the knees, elbows, and the shoulders. The shoulder joint is the body’s most mobile joint. It is surrounded by nerves, tendons, bursa, and other tissues which can all experience irritation and cause pain. This complex structure means that shoulder pain can have many causes and may require your chiropractor to assess your overall health and condition to target the root of the problem.  Whether pain began after an injury or has increased over time, chiropractic treatment is a safe and effective way to treat damage to both hard and soft tissue.  When shoulder pain is caused by joint irritation, relief can often be achieved through an adjustment.  Pain in the muscles can be addressed by massage or stimulation therapy, and your chiropractor will recommend exercise and stretches if needed.  If you are suffering from pain ...

If you’ve recently been experiencing weird muscle cramps, or you feel exhausted for no reason at all, you may be lacking magnesium. At Catalina Medical Center, our doctors want you to feel your best each minute of every day, which is why we want to explain how important magnesium is to the human body. Dubbed the “invisible deficiency” because it can be hard to diagnose, magnesium deficiencies can be dangerous because every organ in the body needs the mineral. Magnesium is used as a component of several enzymes that contributes to bone structure and helps to transport calcium and potassium in a way that keeps your heart beating and your muscles contracting. People who don’t eat enough vegetables and whole grains may not be getting enough magnesium in their diet, but few are likely to have obvious symptoms. Some foods that are rich in magnesium include green leafy vegetables, like spinach, as well as legumes, pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds. Early signs of magnesium deficiency inclu...