Nvidia Supercomputer At Forefront of Autonomous Driving Taxis

Nvidia Supercomputer At Forefront of Autonomous Driving Taxis

As my blog followers are already aware I am a Baltimore Chiropractor with two clinics where we focus on acute musculoskeletal rehab. We see patients with typically axial spine pain – headaches, neck pain, and back pain. More and more of our patients coming in have been injured as a result of motor vehicle collisions and Baltimore auto accidents. While I appreciate the opportunity to take care of injured citizens, it is becoming clear that we need to cut down on the number of injuries that we see. The roads are getting more and more congested each day with drivers. When you factor in human error, mechanical error, and distracted driving its no surprise that we are seeing more Baltimore auto accidents than ever before. In fact, on the way to work I was nearly hit twice along my twenty minute commute. Its scary out there!

Many technology companies are eager to solve this problem by creating semi-autonomous vehicles. Computer chip company Nvidia hopes to take it one step further by next year. They recently unveiled a new supercomputer codenamed Pegasus that it claims is capable of handling all of the complex calculations necessary to create a level 5 autonomous vehicle. To be clear, this means that there would be no need for a steering wheel, foot pedals, or mirrors. A truly “Jetsons” like experience where the car reacts in real time to all of the other vehicles on the roads.

Uber has been toying around with this technology with various degrees of success. You can read more about that in past blog posts. The difference here is that in the uber vehicles, the entire trunk is filled with servers and sensitive hardware to detect obstacles and other vehicles. Nvidia’s Pegasus is only about the size of a license plate and is expected to be able to handle 320 trillion calculations per second! What’s more is it isn’t expected to require the degree of power that the current technology is using, making fleets of vehicles that are more fuel or electrically efficient than ever before.

Its way too early to know for sure if this Pegasus card can deliver on its promises. In addition to use in robo-taxis and in other ride share applications, other companies can supposedly use this technology for package delivery. A UPS driver could walk down the street with packages in hand for three buildings and then at the end of the block his vehicle could be waiting for him, ready to deliver the next block’s packages.

This technology if perfected and safe could change not only the way we drive but the way we receive consumer goods. It could be truly revolutionary. But is it safe? Will laws catch up with technology to allow for it to become ubiquitous? What you get behind the wheel of a vehicle you couldn’t operate? Who would be responsible if there was a malfunction?

If you, or someone you know, has been injured as a result of a Baltimore auto accident, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to get you back on the road to recovery!

Dr. Gulitz

Traveling for the Holidays? Tips for Sleeping on an Airplane

As my avid blog readers are already aware, I am a Baltimore Chiropractor with two clinics in Baltimore. We will soon be announcing the location and grand opening of our third location – more details to come in a few short weeks! Its only 18 days until I’m set to get married and as as result I’ve been busier than ever trying to keep the clinics growing and preparing for my wedding and honeymoon. If you’re anything like me you probably don’t sleep well on airplanes. From the tight cramped quarters, to the uncomfortable seats and the turbulence it can be difficult to get some good quality shut eye on a plane. I was doing some research for myself as I prepared for my honeymoon and I figured I’d pass along some good tips that I came across in my research.

• The first tip is an obvious one. If you can afford first class/business class accommodations by all means do so. The seats are wider, they recline more (in some cases completely flat), and you can stretch out more comfortably with typically only two people per row. If those aren’t in your price range, try and get on the plane first to get emergency exit row seating. They typically offer a few extra inches of leg room.
• Leave plenty of foot room under the seat in front of you. Don’t cram the space with bags. Stretch your legs as much as you can and as often as you can to help promote proper blood flow during long flights.
• Walk around – Once the captain has removed the seat belt sign don’t be shy about walking about the cabin. The walking helps to promote blood flow and prevent clots. For any flight over 3 hours you should get up and use the restroom at least once to make sure you don’t put yourself in harms way.
• Use pillows to prevent muscle fatigue. Whether it be a neck pillow (that look like soft horseshoes), or lumbar support, try to make yourself as comfortable as possible.
• The best choice for sleeping is the window seat. Unlike the middle and aisle seats you won’t have to get up during the flight to move if someone else has to use the restroom, which will allow you to sleep more peacefully. Also, there will be a wall you can lean against if you crumple your jacket or bring a pillow.
• If you have to choose between leaning forward and sleeping on the seat-back tray or reclining backwards you should always recline backwards.This decreases pressure on your neck and back when you sleep so you can awake refreshed.
• Be prepared to sleep – You can easily purchase a sleeping mask and/or earphones to help drown out airline noise. While they look silly they can distract you enough to help you get some rest.
• Don’t drink too much alcohol or take any sedatives. While these substances may work short term they rob you of restorative sleep which can make you groggy. You should do your best to get sleep as close to your natural sleeping habit as possible.

While this is in no way an exhaustive list of the do’s and don’ts of how to get better sleep on an airplane there are a lot of good tips here. Typically this time of year between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year we see lots of patients who don’t take this advice and they arrive in Baltimore with neck and back pain. Don’t become one of them! Review these tips prior to your departure to help ensure a more comfortable flight and a pain-free trip.

If you, or someone you know has neck or back pain, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic. We would be happy to help!

Dr. Gulitz

I Got Injured At Work…Now What?

As my avid blog followers are aware I am a Baltimore Chiropractor with two chiropractic clinics in Baltimore. We focus on treating and rehabilitating acute musculoskeletal disorders. Typically we see a lot of trauma in our offices. Patients have either been hurt while participating in sports, while working, or while driving. A lot of these acute injures require treatment immediately following the injury. Often times patients come to ask questions about what rights they have following an acute injury. What steps should they be taking to protect their rights? Who will pay for their needed care? What is the process outlined from start to finish?

In our everyday lives we have a decent understanding of the process when it comes to using health insurance. That is, we go to the doctor when we are sick. Then, tests are ordered, results reviewed, and treatment and/or medications are given. We understand that process because we’ve been through it in our lives countless times. But what happens if you are hurt at work? What steps do you need to take to make sure your rights are protected? Of course this goes without saying – but I am not an attorney and none of what I’m writing should be considered legal advice. If you have specific questions about a specific case please contact us and we can do our best to refer you to a qualified worker’s compensation attorney who can answer your questions.

So you were injured at work – now what? The first thing you need to do is to inform your employer of the injury. They need to document what you were doing at the time of your injury. They may send you to an urgent care or emergency room for evaluation and treatment. By all means you should head there even during your current shift for prompt diagnosis and treatment. There they can do any blood work, diagnostic testing, and or x-rays, CT scans, and MRIs that may be needed depending on the extent of your injury. The treating provider can either place you on work restrictions (i.e. restricted activity or light duty work responsibilities) or total disability if your injury precludes you from working.

The next step is probably the most important. You need to make sure to make a claim with the Maryland Worker’s Compensation Commission. We’ve had plenty of patients over the years say that they don’t want to open to claim because their employer is “a nice guy” or that “they’ve agreed to pay all the bills.” If I had a nickel for every time I heard that one! Ultimately by filing a claim with the WCC you are protecting your rights as an injured worker – you are not necessarily suing your employer. Since it is legally required for all employers to carry worker’s compensation insurance it is not a big deal to open a claim, as your employer will have coverage already.

Here are some common questions and answers regarding worker’s compensation injuries in Maryland:

1. Do non-citizens and non-residents have rights to file worker’s compensation claims? – Yes they do. Citizenship or lack thereof does not preclude any injured worker from filing a claim. This is the same for motor vehicle collisions (auto accidents) in Baltimore as well.

2. Why should I file a claim? – You want to file a claim to protect your rights as an injured worker. If you do file a claim, you have the right to receive medical treatment. You can choose any provider you want to see. You do not have to go to treatment with a doctor that your employer or their worker’s compensation carrier sends you to. It is your choice where to go. You have the right to be paid 2/3 of your salary during the time that you are not able to work. If you have received permanent impairment such that you might not fully recover, you are entitled to compensation for that injury’s lifetime value. You are also entitled to future medical care if your injury requires it for the rest of your life. But again, the only person who knows how to protect your rights in these scenarios are worker’s compensation attorneys.

3. Can I be fired for opening a worker’s compensation claim? – No you can not. If you are fired for having opened a claim you may have other options and would need to speak to an employment lawyer.

4. Should I use my own health insurance to pay for care during treatment of my worker’s compensation injury? – No you shouldn’t. The Maryland worker’s compensation system is set up in such a way that there should be no out of pocket costs for injured workers. Having to attend chiropractic care and/or physical therapy alongside other medical doctor follow up visits can be costly and time consuming. If you were to use your own health insurance you’d have to come out of pocket for all applicable copays, coinsurances, and deductibles. Even if you did pay out of pocket, once the health insurance company realized that your injuries were the result of a worker’s compensation injury, they’d reject all bills and ask you to pay them back for everything they’ve already paid out on your behalf. So again, its best that you protect your interests by speaking with a worker’s compensations attorney who can advice you of your financial responsibilities if you are injured.

5. Do I need to hire an attorney to handle my Maryland worker’s compensation claim for me? Technically speaking you do not need to. If you were well versed in the proceedings and your rights, then by all means you can represent yourself. However I’ve found that most people are woefully under-prepared to handle their own worker’s compensation proceedings due to filing deadlines and commission hearings. Nearly every commissioner at the Maryland Worker’s Compensation Commissions advises unrepresented injured workers that they should consult with an attorney. These attorneys are specifically trained in handling worker’s compensation claims. There is no cost to hire one on your behalf and they only get paid if and when you receive an award for your injury. So like anything else – the cost of NOT having an attorney may well surpass the cost of having one when you factor in their expertise.

Being injured at work and suffering from a work-related injury is a terrible event. However, getting you back on your feet and back to work does not need to be such a difficult process. If you, or someone you know, has been injured while working and you require rehabilitation for these injuries please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We have two convenient locations in Baltimore and we can see you today to get you started on the road to recovery. If you have questions about your rights we can help refer you to a worker’s compensation attorney that can answer your questions and protect your rights.

Dr. Gulitz

Driver Injured While Working – Is it a Personal Injury or Worker’s Compensation Claim?

As my avid blog followers are already aware, I am a Baltimore Chiropractor with two Baltimore chiropractic clinics. In my clinics we focus on treating acute musculoskeletal injuries. We routinely treat patients with acute headache pain, acute neck pain, and acute back pain. While in some instances these presentations are insidious – meaning that the patient does not know where they come from, in many cases these injuries arise from trauma. Sometimes it is lifting a heavy bag of fertilizer while gardening and straining the lower back, in some instances it is a sports injury while play flag football causing neck stiffness, and in many cases it is acute trauma caused by a car accident in Baltimore. After nearly 10 years of practicing as a chiropractor both in Las Vegas, NV and Baltimore, MD I still enjoy the acute rehabilitation of traumatic injuries.

An issue came up late last week in my Fells Point clinic that I thought might serve as a good blog post. We had a new patient come into the office who reported to have injured while driving an errand for her boss at work. She reports that during her regularly scheduled work hours she used a company car to go to a hardware store and pick up supplies. On the way to the hardware store while stopped at a red light her work vehicle was suddenly rear-ended. To make matters more complicated, her vehicle was pushed into a vehicle in front of hers at a light.

My front desk staff is well trained to ask the appropriate questions of incoming new patients. We want to get all of the appropriate information gathering out of the way as quickly as possible so that the injured patient can focus on recovery from their injuries. In this instance, one of my newer staff members asked me if this type of injury would be considered a worker’s compensation injury or if it would be considered a car accident injury. It’s a good question, obviously, since it involved a car accident while working.

The answer is fairly straight forward – in this case, it is both a personal injury and a worker’s compensation injury. That is, when it comes to getting their injuries paid for, this patient has rights both under a personal injury (auto accident) claim and a worker’s compensation claim.

This patient had numerous questions. Which forms should she fill out? With which insurance company? Who should she talk to? Who shouldn’t she talk to? What are her timelines for filling out paperwork? The list went on and on…

I’m not in the business of giving out legal advice since I am not an attorney. We recommended that the patient speak with an attorney to discuss her particular situation. Interestingly, she told us that she had an attorney that she had represent her for an auto accident injury several years in the past. When she called and spoke to this office about her new injuries she was told that the lawyer did not want to represent her since it was both a worker’s compensation claim and a personal injury claim and the law office did not handle worker’s compensation claims. I was able to give her a few names of practices locally that handle both areas of law regularly and the patient decided to schedule a consultation with one for early this week.

Ultimately the practices of personal injury (auto accident) law and worker’s compensation law are complex and ever changing. While I am pretty familiar with both I wouldn’t presume to advise a patient on what to do. In this case we were able to find someone who could answer her questions and make her comfortable so that she could start on the road to healing.

If you, or someone you know, has been injured as a result for an auto accident whether or not you were working, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help you start feeling better today.

Dr. Gulitz

Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic

Celebrates 5th Anniversary

As my avid blog followers are already aware I am a Baltimore Chiropractor with two Baltimore Chiropractic Clinics. We focus on treating acute injuries such as Baltimore auto accidents that result in whiplash, headaches, neck pain, and back pain. We also treat patients with chronic neck and chronic back pain.

Some may remember that I left a successful practice in Las Vegas, Nevada at the end of 2011 to embark on a journey to create a great practice in the Mid-Atlantic region. I moved to Baltimore without any friends, without any patients, and without any referral resources. Heck, I didn’t even have an office or any equipment! Yet I was clear in my mission and somehow I knew we’d get this far.

I am pleased to announce that we at Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic are celebrating our 5th anniversary in Baltimore. We’ve come along way since the company consisted of me and an office manager. We have blossomed into a 2-location office with 15 employees. We are one of the fastest growing chiropractic/rehab offices in the great Baltimore region. We continue to rank #1 on google and Yelp! for Chiropractic services in Baltimore. I am humbled by the outpouring of support and encouragement from this great community.

I think the next five years will be better than the first five. Be on the look out for additional clinics (announcements coming soon!) and more clinical offerings as we strive to continue to stay at the forefront of chiropractic/rehab in the Mid-Atlantic region.

So once again, sincerely, thank you to everyone who has made this dream possible. My life has been forever changed for the better. I will continue to pay it forward.

Dr. Gulitz