Computers and phones are part of every day for the majority of people. A new phenomenon, aptly referred to as “tech neck”, neck pain resulting from constantly staring downward at phones and laptops, is becoming increasingly prevalent. Improper posture is all-too- common, especially in office/desk jobs where the majority of your day is spent staring at a screen. There are steps you can take to improve your posture and mitigate neck and back pain caused by technology use. Eye-Level One of the worst things you can do is spend 8+ hours per day planted in an uncomfortable chair, hunched over a computer screen and every so often looking down at your phone. Over time, this will lead to back pain, neck pain, nerve issues, injury to the vertebrae, tension headaches and more. A simple fix you can implement is to keep your computer screen(s) at eye-level. Put your laptop on top of something or get a raisable desk. This way, you aren’t hunched over, shoulders rolled forward all day. Stretch and Walk Every hour or so, take just 2 or 3 minutes to stand up, stretch, and perhaps go for a little walk. Move around a bit to get the endorphins flowing and to relieve tension and muscle soreness. In a recent blog post, I covered some simple daily stretches that are doable at your desk — they’re guaranteed to improve your spinal health. Read about them here. Don’t Play Games with Your Throne Your desk chair is like your throne. You’ll spend the majority of your work hours in it, so it’s not an expense to skimp out on. Invest in a supportive chair that won’t harm your spinal health. Keeping your head and neck flush with a chair’s headrest is an easy way to ensure that you’re maintaining good posture while you work. Sit up straight and tall at a height that allows your elbows to bend ninety degrees, relaxed, while typing on your keyboard and using your mouse. If you start feeling pain, tingling or numbness in your limbs, back or neck, it’s time to see a chiropractor. They’ll help relieve current pain and will consult with you to improve your lifestyle, avoiding future pain. I focus on a results-oriented, modern approach to chiropractic care and can help with a myriad of problems. Schedule a consultation today to take the first steps in improving your health.
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The vast majority of people will suffer from headaches at some point in their lives. For many, their first instinct is to go pop a few aspirin to relieve the pain, but for chronic headaches, repeated drug use is very unhealthy. Luckily, there’s a way to save your liver AND relieve the pain — chiropractic care. Depending on the type of headache, multiple causes could be at large: sedentary lifestyle, stress, lack of exercise, vitamin deficiencies, vertebrae unable to support the head, and especially muscle tension in the neck are all some of the main ones. Cervicogenic (aka tension) headaches are the most treatable with chiropractic, since they’re most commonly caused by misalignments in the neck. A chiropractor will begin with an initial examination, determining the causes of your headaches and finding their source. If, indeed, they are being caused by subluxations (misalignments of the vertebrae), they will design a treatment plan that’s tailored to your needs. Typically, they’ll give nutritional advice, recommending some dietary tweaks and possible natural vitamin supplements. Additionally, they’ll do some massage therapy and spinal manipulation to help relieve joint pain, stress and tension within the upper back and neck muscles. Your chiropractor will also assign stretches and posture exercises for you to practice — muscle strengthening takes consistency and isn’t only limited to your appointments! Much like anything else, practice makes perfect. Not only will this treatment help relieve pain, it will also prevent future pain and headaches by strengthening and retraining your muscles. Every patient is different, so relief can either be immediate or it may gradually get better over the course of a few days. I specialize in many different areas of chiropractic care and shun the “one size fits all” approach — I take care to customize a regimen to work most effectively for you. If you’re sick of chronic headaches and don’t want to pop more pills, schedule an initial consultation today. Daily Stretches to Improve Your HealthMany injuries can be avoided by staying flexible and limber. Sure, stretching before and after working out or playing sports is very important — but doing stretches every day, even for just a few minutes in the mornings, is an underrated and highly effective way to improve flexibility and maintain spinal health. Here I’ll go over some easy, essential stretches that will make you more limber and preserve your posture. Shoulders Back Stand with your legs shoulder length and interlock your fingers behind your back. Slowly lift your arms behind your back, maintaining the interlocked fingers. Raise them until you can’t any longer without lifting your shoulders and hold that pose for 10 seconds. Spinal Extension Lay face down on the floor/mat. Place your hands palms down on the floor next to your shoulders. Slowly press down on the ground to lift ONLY your upper body off the floor, arching the spine and lifting the head. Hold this pose for 10 seconds. Runner’s Stretch Sit on the ground with one leg stretched out and the other leg tucked underneath it. Lean forward and try to touch the toe of the outstretched leg. You’ll feel the stretch in your hamstrings and lower back. Hold this pose for 10 seconds, then switch legs and repeat. This stretch is great for the lower body and back. None of these stretches require any equipment, so they’re easy to do whenever you have some down time! Do them before and after work — especially if you have a sedentary office job. You can even do the stretches while at work whenever you get the chance. For more advice or to schedule a consultation to improve your posture and spinal health, give me a call or visit my website. How to Improve Recovery After SurgeryChiropractic care has reduced the need for back surgeries by becoming a very popular, non-invasive way to treat pain and maintain spinal health. However, if injuries are severe enough or if untreated spinal conditions worsen, surgery might be in the cards. This doesn’t negate necessity of chiropractic care as a supplement to the surgery. On the contrary — post-surgery chiropractic can expedite the healing and recovery process. Depending on the exact procedure, the patient and the surgeon, recovery time to full mobility and function can vary from a few weeks to a year. Some of the more intensive procedures, such as spinal fusion surgeries, may require the body to naturally heal for quite some time before chiropractic care can begin. A chiropractor will help realign the muscles and vertebrae that may have been disrupted during the procedure. Light exercise is good for the spine to heal during this period, so the chiropractor will assign stretches and range of motion exercises in addition to the massage therapy and spinal manipulation. Patients who underwent spinal fusion surgery in particular will often experience chronic pain after the fact and chiropractic will help relieve those symptoms. The Journal of the Academy of Chiropractic Orthopedists published a 2009 study in which spinal fusion patients received continuous chiropractic care during and after their healing process. They noted that the patients who received spinal manipulations and massage therapy had great reductions in pain levels. Chiropractic care, at its core, is all about preventative maintenance. With consistent treatment, it can help you avoid going under the knife in the first place. But in extreme cases where surgery is necessary, massage therapy and spinal manipulation is an effective supplement. When a patient comes in for their first 2 appointments, I conduct a thorough examination of what the problems are and develop a customized treatment plan for the individual’s needs. If you or a loved one has recently had back surgery, schedule a consultation today. I’ll administer effective, drug-free and non-invasive methods of pain relief for your recovery process. Every year, the US sees an increase in high school athletic participation. According to the last census taken by the National Federation of State High School Associations, 7.8 million young adults currently play a sport for their school. It’s important that high school athletes stay in shape and take proper care of their bodies. Most athletes will experience sports-related injuries at some point in their lives. This is where chiropractic care comes into play. Many sports injuries are caused by overuse, improper stretching/warmup, repetitive motion and impact. Tackling the problem as early as possible is the easiest solution to avoid problems in the future. Much of the chiropractic practice is actually “preventative maintenance” for your body, meaning regular chiropractic care will help avoid injuries just as effectively as it’s used to treat already-existent ones. It enhances and restores balance and joint function, promoting faster injury recovery and improving resilience. I am a former high school athlete and have personal ties to the importance of chiropractic in this area. After a football game in my sophomore year, I experienced severe back pain. The pain made it difficult for me to sit, stand, and walk. After a few days of struggling with the pain I went to a chiropractor, and it changed my life. Through chiropractic care the pain was relieved and I was able to function at my highest level. This life-changing event rejuvenated my dreams of playing college basketball — which I went on to do. Now I use my knowledge and expertise in this field to help my patients live their dreams, too. Give me a call to schedule a consultation. Children are constantly exploring, soaking up the world around them, learning and having new experiences every day. But sometimes they act like it’s their mission to injure themselves. Their charming mischievousness during this time of rapid cognitive and physical development will inevitably lead to them injuring themselves at one point or another — whether it’s simply exploring their environment or horseplay with another kid. Chiropractic care benefits your child greatly and will make both their life and yours much easier. Why Chiropractic? Your child has a spine just like you do, so why shouldn’t they also benefit from chiropractic? In fact, it may be even more beneficial to them. They develop quickly during the first few years and it’s crucial to ensure that there are no misalignments in their spine that would be exacerbated down the road. Yes, treating their injuries is important, but taking preventative measures is equally, if not more important. It will not only ward off future complications, but have many immediate short-term benefits. Chiropractic helps by strengthening the spine and, by proxy, central nervous system, easing many ailments including, but not limited to: allergies, sleep issues, sports injuries, asthma, chronic ear infections, digestive problems and even bedwetting. When Should I Bring In My Child? There is no age limit — even newborns can be assessed to ensure everything is in the right place after birth. Chiropractic is a safe, non-invasive and drug-free approach to bettering your child’s health. Your child doesn’t have the capability to walk into a practitioner’s office complaining about back pain, so it’s entirely up to you to give them the best care possible. Major developmental milestones (such as learning to walk) and physical ailments are good place to start considering regular chiropractic visits for your child, if you haven’t already. My practice is family oriented — I’m trained to treat toddlers, young children, teens, and adults. Everybody can benefit from chiropractic care, but the earlier you begin the care, the better. Your child benefits from it just as much as you do, and then some because of their rapid physiological growth, and I’ll make sure everything runs smoothly. Call for an initial consultation today to better your child’s development. Since chiropractic care is natural, non-invasive and drug-free maintenance of the spine, it only comes naturally that it’s good for pregnant women. The body goes through many rapid transformations during pregnancy, so it’s vital that the proper care goes into ensuring a healthy baby, an easy birthing process, as well as a smooth 9 months for the mother! These are just a couple of reasons why you should receive chiropractic care if you’re expecting. As a note: always inform your chiropractic physician if you’re pregnant, since they will need to adjust treatment techniques accordingly. Bye Bye, Side Effects! Common pregnancy side effects such as nausea, dizziness, and even morning sickness are due to pinched nerves caused by your shifting vertebrae. As the body gains natural weight during the next 9 months, it can affect the lower spine that controls muscles responsible for these side effects. Spinal manipulation will often ease or eliminate them, making for an easier pregnancy. What a Pain in Your Back Your new baby belly and pelvic shifts will inevitably cause changes in the way you carry yourself, affecting your posture and spine in the process. Expecting mothers often complain about back pain, but proper chiropractic care will help ease and even prevent that pain. Good Fetal Positioning: Proper maintenance of the spine and pelvis will optimize the proper development of the fetus, avoiding eventual improper positioning (breech, posterior position, etc.) of the baby. This will also eliminate the need for C-section births. Optimal positioning for the baby avoids many complications, which of course, leads to: Easier labor/birth: The last thing you want is to be in prolonged labor or need to go through a C-section or other complications during the actual birth. As mentioned above, chiropractic care will help to properly position the baby. It will also ensure that your hips and pelvis muscles are strong, healthy, and properly aligned, leading to shorter labor times and a smoother birthing process. Chiropractic care is all about preventative maintenance on the body. As bodies change and grow, extra care is needed to ensure their integrity — and pregnancy is one of the most rapid transformations your body can go through. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation, visit my website. As you may expect, pediatric chiropractic adjustment is essentially chiropractic care for children. Just like anyone else, kids also benefit from spinal manipulation and chiropractic care — in fact, they may benefit from it even more than adults do.
The spine develops very quickly in a child’s first 10 years and you want to be sure that it develops correctly. Misalignments, also referred to as subluxations, in a child’s spine can materialize in vastly different ways including bed wetting, scoliosis, asthma, and many other joint/back pains. Seemingly innocent activities are commonly done during the child’s spinal development that are detrimental to their health. Things like wearing backpacks every day, sports injuries, and continual computer usage are some of the leading causes of poor posture and can eventually bring damage to the nervous system. Ensuring that the spine is growing properly is crucial to a child’s development. When Should I Consider Chiropractic for my Child? Realistically, the sooner the better. Chiropractic care is a safe, effective, non-invasive and drug-free method of ensuring good health. In fact, each year more and more parents are turning to chiropractic medicine to help their children. According to the American Chiropractic Association, “In 2000, a survey found that there were about 30 million pediatric visits to chiropractors; by 2009, that figure had more than doubled, to 68 million. The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners’ most recent practice analysis, issued in 2010, found that about 17 percent of chiropractic patients were under age 18 — approximately 7.7 percent aged five years or younger and some 9.4 percent between ages six and 17.” As a family-focused center, I am well-trained in administering these services to infants, children, and teenagers. To ensure safe and healthy spinal development, give me a call and schedule a consultation. I’m here to help, and your child’s current and future well-being is of the utmost importance. During the course of pregnancy, many changes will occur throughout the body. It’s important to know what to expect and how to manage these changes correctly. According to the American Pregnancy Association, going to a chiropractor during early pregnancy can help you avoid future damage to your body and relieve current aches and pregnancy pains. But how? I’m here to answer that. First and foremost, if you are pregnant and already see or plan on seeing a chiropractor, let them know immediately! He or she will eventually need to take special precautions and use alternate methods/equipment to avoid putting pressure on the abdomen as your pregnancy progresses. Maxin’ and Relaxin During your pregnancy, the ovary and placenta secrete a hormone called relaxin, which, true to its name, loosens ligaments in the pelvis and cervix, widening the birth canal. The flipside to this is that it also causes misalignments in the body’s structure, leading to nerve pain, muscle spasms and in extreme cases, damage to the spine. Proper chiropractic care will fix or even prevent these misalignments in the first place; early pregnancy care is more preventative maintenance than anything, after all. The Pelvis is Key A misaligned pelvis causes complications in your well-being and even in your eventual delivery. Issues such as nausea and back, neck or joint pain are quite common, yet reducible during pregnancy. With a constantly shifting and developing body, it’s important to keep everything structured. Ignoring issues may make birth intervention methods such as C-Sections a necessity. With a properly aligned body, the baby will have minimal effort getting into proper birthing position when the time comes. In essence, proper chiropractic care will reduce complications for the course of your pregnancy and eventually lead to safer and more efficient births. This is a very complex subject and since every body is different, it’s my job to deliver you a customized regimen during your pregnancy. Get in touch for an initial consultation and I’ll help make your pregnancy and eventual delivery easier and much less painful than it needs to be. Your feet are the foundation that hold up the rest of your body and if they are not supporting you correctly, they can cause pain throughout the rest of your body. Orthotics or inserts can be used to help correct different foot problems and provide comfort. So, how do you know if orthotics are right for you? Check out our guide.
Do you have pain in your body? If the answer is no, lucky you. Looks like you are fine without orthotics and you may be lucky enough to have flat foot which means your body is perfectly supported and your weight is properly distributed throughout your whole foot. If the answer is yes, that leads us to our next question. Where is the pain? Above the waist. Orthotics can help with posture and solve part of the problem. Orthotics may not be of too much help here because there may be another cause to this pain. Contact us to get more information. Below the Waist. When you go about your daily activities and find pain occurring in areas below the waist, orthos can help. In some cases, generic inserts will do the trick. However, if you have supinated feet (you walk on the outside) or pronated feet (there is an arch downwards) your joints are misaligned. Over time, this can lead to degeneration. But, customer orthotics can be created to correct this problem. Also, high arches can be a problem that cause fatigue in the feet and damage to the soft tissue over time. Custom orthotics can help provide support in this situation and relieve some of that pain while also preventing further problems. |