Archive for category: Medical Treatment Guide

The Emergency Room & Trauma Center

This article discusses the basics of the emergency room and trauma center, focusing on the particular types of treatments one can receive there.

What is the Emergency Room?

Always call 911 if someone needs medical assistance immediately. 911 personnel will assist you on the phone and will be able to direct you to go to the emergency room or stay where you are based on the injuries or illness. If you or the injured person cannot get to the Emergency Room (ER), paramedics will take you in an ambulance. The ER is defined as “a hospital room or area staffed and equipped for the reception and treatment of persons requiring immediate medical care”. The immediate care that people need usually consists of acute (bad, difficult) illness or injury. The emergency room is open 24 hours a day because illness and injury that need immediate care can occur at any time of the day or night. Medical staff, including nurses and doctors, are ready to treat patients with immediate medical assistance. Nurses in the ER are trained to manage many of the injuries and illness; they are the ones to usually determine what kind of care the patient needs – surgery, medicine, etc. If someone goes to the ER, they will most likely see a medical nurse and an Emergency Medical Specialists or ER Doctors. If the patient needs emergency surgery, the ER doctor will more than likely refer them to a Trauma Surgeon, who usually is already in the ER.

What is a Trauma Center?

The Trauma Center (TC) is similar to the Emergency Room (ER), but the types of injuries the TC treats is different. The TC is usually located in the ER, so going to the ER is a must when immediate medical care is needed. The medical staff, including nurses and doctors, will refer the patient to the TC if they need specific care for a traumatizing injury or illness – the patient is usually referred to the TC if they need emergency surgery. The medical personnel in the TC are trained in many of the same areas as the ER; they are trained for specific traumatic injuries and illnesses as well.

What types of injuries does the Emergency Room treat?

There are several types of injuries that medical personnel in the ER treat. These include (but are not limited to):

• Broken bones
• Fainting
• Poisoning
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Stomach and bowel pain
• Breathing issues
• Burns

The ER is the default place to go to when someone needs immediate medical attention. The Dixie Regional Medical Center has an excellent trauma center.

What types of injuries does the Trauma Center treat?

There are several types of injuries that medical personnel in the TC treat. These include (but are not limited to):

• Deep cuts
• Traumatic car-crash injuries
• Gunshot/stab wounds
• Major burns
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Blunt trauma

What types of treatment does the Emergency Room / Trauma Center provide?

The medical staff that sees the patient as soon as they arrive in the ER perform ‘triage’  (evaluating patients to determine who needs the most help urgently). This helps with efficiency in the ER and allows the patient to receive the best care for their injuries or illness. ER Doctors treat patients with medicine and immediate procedures, test for blood pressure, begin blood transfusions, order testing, etc. Both the ER Doctor and Trauma Surgeon have the same goal: to save lives and prevent long-lasting pain/damage to patients. The ER Doctor usually stabilizes the patient, while a Trauma Surgeon operates immediately when the ER Doctor determines the severity of the patient’s illness or injury is critical.

What if I can’t get to the ER myself?

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s), or paramedics, usually determine where the patient will be taken for care (most of the time it is the ER). However, the patient can choose which hospital they will be taken to if there is more than one closeby. EMT’s are trained to stabilize patients if needed. Some patients are unconscious when paramedics arrive, so they must decide where the patient must go for the quickest and best medical care.

The Emergency Room & Trauma Center

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Chiropractor

This article discusses the basics of the chiropractic profession, focusing on the particular types of treatments a chiropractor offers.

What is a chiropractor?

A chiropractor is a healthcare professional who specializes in diagnosing the spine, neck, and muscles, with the addition of treatment for such diagnosis. A chiropractor’s focus is to treat pain and discomfort in the spine and neck; which focus is primarily to balance of the spine and nervous system. All chiropractors must go to a Chiropractic School and graduate. Also, in many states, these graduates must pass a national test in order to begin their practice. A chiropractor uses their hands for manipulation of the spine and neck; manipulation of the spine can result in a ‘popping’ sound, which is a change of pressure and the release of gas in the joint.

What Injuries do they treat?

The injuries that a chiropractor treats can vary depending on the person. Some of the injuries that a chiropractor treats include but are not limited to:

• Back/Neck pain
• Headaches and Migraines
• Injuries from Sports
• Auto Accident Injuries

Most of the injuries that a chiropractor diagnoses and/or treats are related to the neck, spine, or muscles. They can diagnose or treat many other illnesses or pain.

What treatment do they use?

The treatment a chiropractor uses can vary depending on the chiropractor’s preference, or how they were trained in chiropractic school. There are some common techniques for treatment, including but not limited to:

• Decompression of the Spine – this helps with herniated discs in the spine.
• MiRX Nasal Spray – this is supposed to relieve headaches and migraines.
• Spinal Adjustment – this helps realign the spine and help with pain
• Massage Therapy – this helps blood flow in the muscles and range of motion

The treatment that chiropractors use on their patients is mostly natural.

Practicing

Typically, a chiropractor will open up their own clinic, or join one or a few other chiropractors in a clinic. Chiropractors have one common goal: to help their patients with pain and discomfort. The way they do that is through treatment mentioned above.

Coverage

Since chiropractors services are medical, insurance can cover visits, with a common co-pay. Subluxation is an illness where the discs in the spine become swollen or irritated and the joint becomes inflamed. Medicare covers the correcting of the spine due to subluxation. What is not covered by Medicare is massage therapy, acupuncture, or X-Rays.

Is it safe to visit a chiropractor?

No health treatment is free of negative effects on the body, but a chiropractor uses natural remedies to treat illness and pain, and are known as some of the safest and non-invasive therapy choices for musculoskeletal illness and pain. Migraines and headaches can be treated via neck manipulation by a chiropractor help increase mobility in the neck and is very safe.

Massage Therapy

There are several types of massages to treat injuries including but not limited to:

• Sports – focuses on the treatment of sports-related muscle injuries.
• Deep – focuses on a slower, more focused massage for deeper layers of muscle.
• Swedish – focuses on relaxation and energy muscle therapy.
• Trigger Point – focuses on a targeted area to help relieve pain and discomfort.

The massaging of the muscles for therapy is quite useful for the treatment of muscle pain. Some chiropractors use massage therapy for treatment. However, some chiropractors will refer patients to a massage specialist if their condition is confined to muscles only. Massage therapy focuses on the blood flow of the muscles, as well as the tightness and soreness of the muscles. Massage therapy can be very relaxing. It can be very beneficial for patients because the massage therapist is able to address any muscle tension directly. Pain relieving medicine temporarily relieves pain, while massage therapy focuses on addressing the pain directly and permanently.  

Children

Children can benefit from chiropractic care, and it is safe to do so. Many children are active and as a result, some children get injured. When an injury results in back/neck pain, or even muscle spasms or discomfort, a chiropractor would be beneficial. A chiropractor adapts their treatment to each individual patient.

Aftermath/Soreness

Because of the nature of the treatment from chiropractors, some soreness may be present after your appointment. The spine, neck, and muscles may not be used to this sort of treatment. This soreness usually means that the treatment is working, but when your body changes it needs to adjust.

Chiropractor

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