Dr. Kevin G. Bradley, Chiropractor

03/02/2022

Happy 22nd birthday to Griffin Bradley. Great picture from before the holidays. If you're a golfer, this is a really good set-up to hit a golf ball a long long way!

02/04/2022

Tuesday, March 29th 2022 will be my last day to see patients in my Eufaula private practice office.

I have been honored to have had the opportunity to serve the many thousands of patients that we've been blessed to care for in my Eufaula private practice over the past 25+ years.

I will continue practicing full time and be available to the patient base of the Muskogee Creek Nation Department of Health - Eufaula Indian Health Center (MCNDH EIHC) Monday's through Friday's per the MCNDH EIHC schedule. The MCNDH EIHC contact number for Chiropractic/Physical Medicine is: (918) 618-4413. If you are a patient of the MCNDH, you should be utilizing the EIHC for my services. It's a wonderful benefit and something that is currently underutilized.

For patients in my private practice that have been seen as an active patient over the past five years - that aren't able to see me through the MCNDH EIHC - you may request a copy of your records from us M-F, 7 am to 12 pm at (918) 689-2424. We need advanced notice to pull your file, copy those records and make them available to you. Additionally, I have a chiropractic physician that I will recommend to you should you need chiropractic care in the future. We'll be happy to provide you with that contact information upon your request.

Thank you for the trust and confidence you have put in me and in my staff over the years.

Dr. B :>)

09/24/2020

This injury (broken ribs) was reported to have happened one week earlier. Ask yourself this medical ethics question: Should an athlete be allowed to play a contact sport with an injury like this before it's completely healed? Follow-up question: Should you cover your check engine light with electrical tape while driving your vehicle on a long trip?

Tyrod Taylor sat out Sunday's game against the Chiefs after the Chargers said the quarterback "experienced difficulty breathing."

08/16/2020

In full bloom.

08/16/2020

My goal this summer was to have all of my hibiscus in bloom at the same time. Today is the day.

08/16/2020

Thought I'd share a few pics of some of my hibiscus in bloom this morning. Enjoy.

04/18/2020

On this day in 1987 my best man (Brent Kondritz) and myself were sitting on the first base side of home plate between home plate and the Cardinals dugout about 15 rows up..... It is my understanding that Major League Baseball changed their give away policy AFTER this incident. Watch till the end and enjoy. We may or may not have tossed ours and many others that were raining down on us from the upper deck onto the field. KB :>) I'm missing Cardinals baseball!

4/18/87: Tom Herr's walk-off grand slam leads to fans throwing souvenirs onto the field on Seat Cushion Night Check out http://MLB.com/video for more! About ...

01/24/2020

The first time this information was brought to my attention was in 1990 from my organic chemistry professor. If you drink diet drinks and/or consume products artificially sweetened with aspartame, give this a very close read. Chewing gum and breath mints are also commonly sweetened with this product. I care about your health and I spout this information verbally all the time. Ask my kids about reading labels so as to avoid any product containing this chemical. In life, we sometimes have to pick our battles, this is one that I picked in 1990 and I stick to it to this day. Dr. B :>)

It hides behind brand names such as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure, but its makers cannot mask the fact that it accounts for 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Know the chemicals it contains, its recorded side effects, and how this health decep...

01/21/2020

Nice short bit of good advice on winter hydration. Don't forget to take a gender specific multi-vitamin to ensure you're receiving the vitamins, minerals and phyto- nutrients your body HAS to have to maintain running at 100% of YOUR potential. We have the gender specific supplements here at the office. Don't waste your money on the supplements at the big box stores, most of those products are junk. The supplements we recommend at the office are safe, effective and inexpensive. Have an informed day. Dr. B :>)

The likelihood of dehydration is accelerated when you train in cold weather—and at higher altitudes.

11/25/2019

Pretty good short article about rest for athletes. This is always on my mind as area high schools end their football seasons and the kids are expected to go immediately into another high impact sport. This is a transitional period of the year where I see injuries in conditioned athletes as they go abruptly into their next sport. Let the kids rest for a week or two. One thing this article leaves-out is the importance of a routine chiropractic adjustment. The best athletes in the world get adjusted frequently to ensure that their spine and nervous system is working at its maximum potential. KB :>)

Find out which factors matter in deciding optimum recovery time after a tough workout.

10/07/2019

SO, 3rd & 11 - 7 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, Rudolph gets sandwiched between two Ravens defenders, the player in the front made contact with the left mandibular area on Rudolph's lower face mask, and boom boom boom, out go the lights. Any time a loss of consciousness occurs, the injury MUST be treated as guilty until proven innocent. I am in complete disbelief that the Steelers medical staff allowed him to sit-up and then stand-up.... they did remove his face mask and leave the helmet on and they had the EMS on the field with backboard etc (following proper protocols)..... then they deviated from the standard of care and let him move his head and neck when he was allowed to sit-up and eventually stand-up. Just FYI, deviating from the "standard of care" in a situation like this constitutes willful and wanton negligence.... and remember if the injured athlete is under 18 years old and you don't have written or implied consent, putting your hands on the kid is also considered "assault". If you have a professional license and you aren't there in an "official" capacity AND/OR it's a player for the other team and you haven't received verbal consent befor the game began, you might not be protected under Good Samaritan Law either..... ALWAYS treat a loss of consciousness as guilty until proven innocent. The other problem with this incident is that two of his team mates placed hands on him giving him a little shake to try to wake him up... another HUGE no no... teach your athletes to keep their hands off an injured team mate .... as hard as that is to do .... I can show a BUNCH of video's of paralytic football hits where the team mates rolled-over their injured buddy and potentially made the injury MUCH worse. Hands-off! medical staff will be out there ASAP, until then, hands off! This reminds me of the "6 P's" which I actually teach... If your team doesn't have procedures and professionals in place to handle these injuries and/or doesn't practice and drill to handle these types of injuries, we provide this basic training. Give me a shout and we'll get arrangements made to get your adult coaches some knowledge and skill sets to make sure something like this doesn't turn into a tragedy. Dr. B :>)

The NFL is reportedly looking into why a cart could not be used to help Rudolph off the field, which drew criticism from the NFL Players Association.

09/23/2019

Most of my posts lately have been the result of great calls, texts etc. that I get from coaches and parents and athletes about sports injuries. Had a good one last evening. Is there a difference between a fracture and a broken bone? The question was from a coach who always asks me great questions (this coach is constantly wanting to learn and expand on his sports injury knowledge, which I appreciate and respect tremendously). This coach has a kid with a diagnosis of a "fractured" bone in his hand. The issue is, it's only a fracture and NOT a broken bone, will he be able to return faster.... nope. Fracture and broken bone are the same thing, interchangeable words that are commonly confused as two different things. There are many different types of fractures/broken bones and the type and location of this injury will determine the time required to heal.... other factors are age, diabetic/not diabetic, bone density status, overall health status.....

After having this talk with this specific coach, he laughed a little and told me that while we were talking, he had received a text from the athlete in question and learned that when the injured kid went to be checked by a health professional (Saturday) that he did NOT receive x-rays to make the diagnosis.... the athlete told the coach that the health care provider looked at the injured hand, acknowledged not knowing much about sports injuries and said it was "probably" fractured and he'd be out for 3 to 6 weeks, put it in a soft splint and ...... whala. This is a great example of the importance of having sports injuries evaluated by providers that know what to do with physical medicine issues, hat includes the initial work-up. The coach texted me later and said he spoke with the parents and they were taking him to a different provider today to get x-rays and a more accurate diagnosis.

Can you imagine having a tooth ache and going to the dermatologist for the examination? It serves to reason that the dentist would be a more logical choice....yet I see this same type of mistake with sports injuries...

"Common sense isn't that common." - Ben Franklin

KB :>0

09/21/2019

The "morning after" plan for your student athletes should include: rest, food, hydration and ice to areas of pain and bruising. The players in the NFL aren't having full contact practice on Monday morning after the Sunday game. You want your student athlete to get up and around, but not train for the 2020 Olympics!

The best athletes in the world ....... wait for it ....... rest. The best athletes in the world also ...... wait for it ....... get adjusted regularly from their chiropractor.

Next day, high impact workouts don't make these athletes tougher, they create additional inflammatory cascades in the soft tissues and this is a set-up for injury.

Common sense should be the game plan for the day after so the athletes can recover and heal.

Have a safe and smart weekend.

Dr. B :>)

09/20/2019

Had GREAT question last evening about KT Tape or as it's better known Kinesio Tape. The question was: can I use KT tape to tape a sprained ankle for football practice and play? The short answer is yes, but I explained that the KT tape provides nearly ZERO immobilization properties....it won't hold a body part together and protect the underlying soft tissues. KT tape should NEVER be used to "brace" or "immobilize" a body part. That isn't what it's intended use is.

KT tape and the Kinesio Taping techniques we know today were developed by a chiropractor named Kenzo Kase in the 1970's (I met him years ago at a sports injury seminar). I always laugh when I listen to a health professional or a media outlet tell about this new process .... it's been around for decades.

KT tape is designed to lift the layers of skin ever so slightly so as to decompress the subcutaneous fascia planes thereby allowing a better route for lymphatic drainage. There is a very specific set of KT tape patterns that must be closely followed in a specific order or it does little more than look weird on an athlete. On a related side note, the spandex compression clothing that is popular among athletes, does the polar opposite in compressing the skin layers and compressing the subcutaneous fascia planes and actually hampers lymphatic drainage (helps to produce muscle cramping in my 25 years of side line experience)..... but what the heck do I know, the kids think it looks cool .... just FYI.

There are many brands of KT tape and most all of it is garbage. I am a big fan of the pre-cut pattern KT taping kits. It can be properly applied faster and without mistakes. The good stuff is expensive and there's a reason for that.

The skin must be properly prepared to receive KT tape, and again, most of the time it isn't and the KT tape is doing little more than looking weird on an athlete.

If you have KT tape questions shoot me an email at dockevin@sbcglobal.net.

Have a great weekend.

09/11/2019

OK, why this concept is difficult for some coaches just blows my mind. So I am posting a couple of pics to prove my advice on this topic is spot on. When you have an athlete that has ... say ... a shoulder injury... successful programs don't punish the injured athlete for being hurt! They have a plan in place so that the athlete doesn't miss practice, still gets a heck of a work-out and protects the injury allowing it to heal. When you don't have a plan in place to deal with these issues, the kids are punished for being hurt by NOT being allowed to play when they are released etc... it breeds hiding injuries from the sports medicine team and the coaching staff. This isn't rocket science and currently, this issue is the #1 phone call i'm getting from parents and injured athletes in eastern Oklahoma. If your program is interested in having an "in-service" training on how to implement these protocols, give me a call.... it's literally one of the things I do to make a living. I consult with a BUNCH of championship programs in these regards. Dr. B :>)

08/24/2019

Sports medicine topic for this week. So, we're predictably starting to see fall sport athletes with injuries ..... somewhere down my FB page is a lengthy explanation on ice vs heat for athletic injuries. Please take a second to scroll down and read those recommendations. NEVER use heat on acute inflammation..... aka, an injury that is less than 72 hours old! It doesn't matter what body part it is, the physiology and inflammatory cascade is the same. No one in their right mind would plunge a freshly sprained ankle in a bucket of hot water for 3 hours! Yet, I still get calls and visits from athletes and their parents where the injury was to a low back or neck and the athlete was instructed to go straight to the heating pad because it was their back...... NEVER use heat on a fresh injury!

Point number two..... if your child's athletic program doesn't have a system in place that allows your athlete to modify their practice routine so as to allow the injury to properly heal, they're doing it wrong! When the check engine light is on in your car, you don't drive it as fast as you can to Dallas and back hoping to "drive" the check engine light off! Yet, I see athletic programs that literally punish your child for being injured - by forcing them to do extra work for not being able to practice while they're hurt ........ I know, it doesn't pass my smell test either. No successful program operates like this.
There are all types of practice modifications that allow your athlete to BE at practice, doing SOMETHING productive while protecting the injured body part allowing it to heal.

Common sense and solid advice from a health care provider with formal knowledge and experience in dealing with SPORTS INJURIES are the most important factors in dealing with early season injuries to ensure we aren't talking about the same injury in December. Dr. B:>)

08/06/2019

It's that time of the year to remind my FB friends about proper hydration for your school age: athletes/band kids/cheer/color guard/softball etc. Heat related death is the #1 preventable athletic fatality in the U.S. It happens every year, and every time folks seem surprised. The State of Oklahoma has extreme heat management laws in place that cover the kids from K through 12th grade at school related events AND non-school related events! The adults in charge of these activities are required by Oklahoma Law to: check the heat index (there are several smart phone ap's) prior to the activity and log that number in a written form each day before the activity begins. There is a heat index chart available from the Oklahoma Department of Health web site that shows the cut-off when an outdoor activity MUST cease. The adults in charge are required to have open water policies so your kids can get a drink anytime they need to. The adults in charge are required to have a cooling station where an overheated participant is able to be rapidly cooled-off. This usually looks like a shaded area with water sprayers, a new plastic trash can or water trough with 100 lb of ice and a couple feet of water in it so an overheated participant can be placed in the tub and rapidly cooled. The adults in charge MUST have a written Emergency Action Plan in case emergency services need to be activated for a heat illness. Minutes count in these situations. If your kids outdoor activities don't include the info I just provided, the adults in charge are breaking the law in Oklahoma and a bad outcome could be the result. Stay hydrated and be aware this is a potentially dangerous time of the year for outdoor activities. Dr. B :>)

06/07/2019

So I had a great question today. This post is for you Trevor... The question was this: Is popping or cracking your joints (like your knuckles) bad for you or harmless? The short answer is no. Let me do some "splaining" though.

Almost all of the joints in your body have a fluid-filled membrane around them. The membrane is called a joint capsule and the lubricating fluid inside this joint capsule is called synovial fluid. The synovial fluid is rich in dissolved oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. When a joint is "cavitated" meaning it is moved to the end of its normal range of motion, sometimes the dissolved gasses in the synovial fluid "release" and make a "popping" sound. Other times, the noise you hear is simply bifurcated tendons quickly moving over a rounded joint.... like around the little joints in your fingers and toes .... sort of like tightly pulling two leather straps together quickly.

So the "popping" sound is usually dissolved gasses being released inside a joint capsule and it's harmless... it is also interesting to note that some people have joints that make more noise than other people.

The chiropractic manipulation administered to a dysfunctional joint will many times produce the "cavitation" of the joint capsule surrounding the dysfunctional joint and as a byproduct, cause the "pop" noise we have all experienced. Not all joint manipulations will produce the "popping" sound and the presence of the noise should never be used as the benchmark for a successful manipulation.

I hope this short and simple answer is informative. Next post will be about how these fluid-filled joint capsules are thought to be the source of older folks with arthritic joints being able to predict impending weather changes..... Dr. B :>)