It’s the dead of winter, so maybe the last thing you’re thinking is what to do for less obvious forms of exercise that get you outdoors. Or, maybe you’re an outdoor enthusiast who doesn’t let the fickle seasons dictate whether or not you get your daily dose of mother nature.

Get Outside While Being Good to Your Back

If you engage in certain activities safely, you can benefit your spine and back at the same time. We’re not talking about bungee jumping or hang-gliding when we say outdoor activities, either (neither of which are good for your spine).

Here are some activities that incorporate spine health into your routine.

Cycling

Cycling is a great activity, as long as you’re not riding on uneven or rocky surfaces. Notice how we didn’t say mountain biking, which will often put a lot of undue stress on your back and your discs. Keep your back straight and make sure your seat is at the proper level.

Swimming

Swimming we highly recommend because there is no impact whatsoever. Sure, there will be a little bit of pressure on your bones, joints, and muscles, but your movements underwater will help build muscle and increase flexibility. There’s a reason why many physical therapists have their patients swim during recovery.

Hiking

Stay mindful of rocky surfaces. Make sure you get a good stretch in before you hit the trails. Use a backpack that is designed for support, wear the right hiking boots, and incorporate any protective equipment you might need (walking poles, gloves, etc.).

Stay mindful of rocky surfaces. Make sure you get a good stretch in before you hit the trails. Use a backpack that is designed for support, wear the right hiking boots, and incorporate any protective equipment you might need (walking poles, gloves, etc.).

These are 3 great ways to stay active, to avoid the humdrum of the gym, and to set your spine up for success. We’d like to give an honorable mention to paddle boarding, which is great for your back and core, and low-impact at that! 

If you’re ever having trouble with your back, or if your spine is keeping you anything less than active, contact Barton Chiropractic Clinic today.

Chiropractic care and pregnancy go hand in hand.

One of the strongest connections that chiropractic care has with health maintenance during pregnancy is the fact that it relieves conditions of the spinal column and treats compromised discs, related nerves, and bone geometry — all without drugs or surgery.

Of course while we’re pregnant we want to stay away from drugs and toxins for the sake of the baby, so it makes sense that if you experience leg, back, or neck pain due to pregnancy that you would seek the care of a doctor of chiropractic.

All Chiropractors Are Trained to Work with Pregnant Women

Any chiropractor worth their salt has experience working with women in every stage of pregnancy. Some chiropractors will even take a special interest in prenatal and postnatal care, seeking additional training whenever possible. Investing time into infusing pregnancy wellness into our practice has served our patients well at Barton Chiropractic Clinic.

Look for your doctor chiropractic to have certifications and designations. Here’s a few:

• DACCP

• CACCP
• Member of ICPA reflecting a special interest in pregnancy wellness
• (special training to work with pelvic balance during various stages of pregnancy)

Benefits of Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy

So now that we know chiropractors can work with you during pregnancy, what benefits do you stand to gain?

You’ll be able to maintain a healthier pregnancy You’ll feel better knowing you have an experienced ally on your side. We can help you control symptoms of nausea; we can help you relieve back, neck, and joint pain, as well as prevent potential cesarean deliveries.

Contact Barton Chiropractic Clinic to schedule your consultation today. If you’re pregnant and feeling less than 100%, we can help.

When it comes to chiropractic care, most people have their own set of preconceived notions. The thing about preconceived notions is that they aren’t reliable, because they are not founded on empirical data. Today, Barton Chiropractic Clinic would like to shed some light on a few myths about the chiropractor near you that you might be harboring, to put any misgivings you might have to rest.

Myth #1: Chiropractic care is expensive.

More than one study has proven this false. The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics actually asserts that back pain treated by a doctor of chiropractic is actually 20% cheaper than the same treatment initiated by a medical doctor. Seeing a chiropractor also serves as preventive medicine, helping you avoid costly spine surgeries down the road.

Myth #2: Children shouldn’t get chiropractic care.

This myth is especially heartbreaking, should parents subscribe to it, because this means a child is experiencing unnecessary pain that can be avoided. Growing pains are one reason a child can benefit from a visit with the chiropractor. Not only that, kids are just as susceptible in this life to injury as adolescents and adults, perhaps even more so.

Myth #3: Chiropractors don’t have the same level of schooling as other doctors.

This is fervently untrue. The average chiropractor has 4 years of pre-med college education, then 4-5 years of study at an accredited college of chiropractic care. This includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of study.

It’s time to learn for yourself the benefits of chiropractic care in Homewood, IL.

We could spend all day going over unfortunate myths that stigmatize the chiropractic trade and craft therein. The honest truth is, chiropractic care is good for your back and so much more. Seeing the right chiropractor can help you relieve a wide range of symptoms and conditions, like headaches, leg pain, neck pain, and compromised hearing and vision.

We don’t just stop with your back, either.

Barton Chiropractic Clinic offers a wide range of treatment programs suited to each patient’s unique needs. We provide chiropractic care, taking a holistic approach to human physiology and lifestyle, helping our patients live active, healthy, optimized lives.

Barton Chiropractic Clinic would like to go over some great exercises for you back, since we’ve already discussed activities that aren’t great for your back in a previous blog (apologies for being self-referential).

Are you feeling back pain at the moment? If you think bed rest is the best remedy, you may be mistaken. Sometimes exercise is a really great way to get rid of back pain. Maintaining a healthy exercise routine will also keep your back pain from coming back in the future.

Exercise for Back Health and as a Remedy

Doesn’t matter if you’ve experienced an injury or you live with a degenerative disease (like osteoarthritis), more and more conclusive studies find that incorporating a regular exercise program will cut down on back pain, so you can live an active life again.

Here are some great exercises for your back for your consideration:

• Tai Chi — This is a great exercise because it incorporates the mind and body. You’ll quickly find once you start doing Tai Chi regularly that it’s a meditation of sorts. Tai Chi relieves pain and strengthens the muscles while improving stamina.
• Cycling (stationary for safety purposes) — Biking doesn’t necessarily incorporate your core as much as it does your leg, but it still helps alleviate lower back pain.
• Climbing — Physical therapists are just now beginning to explore the benefits of therapeutic climbing. It’s best to climb in a controlled, indoor environment, especially as you just start out.
• Resistance Exercises / Band Training — As long as you practice good form and don’t go crazy with the weight, resistance and band training are great for your back. There are specialized exercises that incorporate your core.
• Yoga — We talk about yoga a lot, so we’ll spare you here.

Experienced Chiropractor in Homewood, IL

We hope some of these exercises help in either relieving back pain or preventing back pain. At the very least, if you’re fortunate enough not to suffer from back problems, these are some creative ways to get a good workout in. If you experience back pain that none of these exercises can remedy, it may be time to call your local chiropractor. Contact Barton Chiropractic Clinic today to schedule your consultation.

Leg pain can put a real damper on anyone’s day. Most of us take our legs for granted every day, only realizing how delicate the balance of our body is when it gets thrown out of whack.

If you’re experiencing leg pain, it could be due to a problem with your back, as a matter of fact.

Barton Chiropractic Clinic runs into many cases where our patients experience pain that is not limited to just areas of their back or spine. The sciatic nerve is actually the largest nerve in the entire human body. Problems with the sciatic nerve happen to be the number one cause of leg pain.

Sciatica and Leg Pain

Sciatica is believed to be caused by nerve dysfunction, which is likely caused by compression of one or multiple lumbar or sacral nerve roots brought on by herniated disc (when the disc’s liquid center swells and bulges). These bulging discs push against external ring fibers, making contact with the spinal canal, compressing the nerve root against the lamina or pedicle of a vertebra.

Sciatica can extend all the way down to the foot. Patients often experience numbness, tingling, even burning or pricking sensations.

Radiculopathy is So Not Radical

Radiculopathy is another condition that can result in leg pain caused by nerve root problems. It can be caused by direct pressure from herniated discs or degenerative conditions in the lumbar spine. Irritation and inflammation occurs.

Herniated Disc and Pinched Nerve

Herniated disc and pinched nerve can also result in leg pain. Discs can not only bulge, they can rupture or even tear. This also results in leg pain that can happen while walking, or when immobile.

We think we’ve made our point. Leg pain can mean there’s a lot more going on than just problems with your legs. If you’re experiencing leg pain, maybe it has something to do with your back. Don’t accept living in pain. Schedule your consultation with Dr. Diane Barton today. During your initial visit we’ll discuss our wide range of treatments and solutions that will increase your quality of life.

We know you’re likely planning a big Super Bowl soiree for the big game this coming weekend. Luckily, you won’t have to step foot on the gridiron and risk doing damage to your back and spine, like every football player who decides to take part in the sport in fact does.

The Heart Wants What it Wants, But Your Back Needs TLC, Too

It is in the spirit of sport that Barton Chiropractic Clinic would like to go over some of the most risky athletic endeavors when it comes to back and spine health. Of course we would never tell someone they can or can’t do something. But we can, however, strongly urge against it. So, the next time you find yourself with the prospect of taking part in one of these sports, maybe you will think twice, or, at the very least, take strong precautions to ensure your safety and the safety of others. That can mean doing a stretch routine to get your body ready before the contest, or it can also mean playing by the rules and looking out for your teammates and your opponents as well.

Common Sports that Make Your Back Cringe

Football — Sorry to say it, but what some call “the sport of kings” is understandably a serious risk to your spine. You might see dramatizations of quarterbacks losing the ability to walk after getting hit in the big game — Varsity Blues, and Friday Night Lights (the series) come to mind. There are cowboy collars available that can provide support and protection for your neck, but there really isn’t anything that protects your spine.

Rodeo — Rodeo riding is just bad for your entire body. Check out this study to take a look at the aftermath of a rodeo career. As if it’s not enough that you’re going to get thrown from the bull,  you also could get trampled or gored. Nobody wants that.

Cheerleading — Believe it or not, cheerleaders need to watch out for the well-being of their spine. That might mean the gal at the top of the pyramid who could fall and injure herself, or the male cheerleader holding her up, suffering from a bulging disc.

Hockey — Hockey is one of the most brutal sports out there. Refs let these guys fight each other for entertainment; it doesn’t get much hard-core than that. Getting hit on the open ice, or getting checked against the boards can have serious adverse effects on your back and spine.

So be careful out there, folks. And be extra careful this Super Bowl weekend. Barton Chiropractic Clinic would like to issue a word of caution to be safe and drive safe over the weekend and always. If you’re experiencing back or spine pain, contact us right away.

(3 Engaging Ways to Exercise Your Body’s Stabilizer Muscles)

If you’ve heard fitness gurus talk long enough, chances are the word “core” will come up. Said fitness gurus tend to recommend that you “engage” your core in the gym or in your select extracurricular activities — that also happen to be healthy exercise (hopefully you have at least one) — in order for your body to reach its full potential.

What Does Your Core Include?

Your core includes the traverse abdominis (also referred to as your TVA), erector spinae, obliques, and your lower lats). In normal people terms, your core has to do with your back, hips, pelvis, and lower abdomen. If you’re not into doing burpees, squat, and trunk rotations at a sweaty, smelly gym, then we’d like to give you some options that suit your lifestyle. If you do enjoy the gym, Active.com has some ideas for you, of course. Otherwise, here are a few outdoorsy activities that will keep your mind engaged while you work your body.

Lifts Your Core will Thank Your For

1. Paddle Boarding — this is a fun summertime activity that will definitely burn fat at the same time (which is also healthy for your back). Take a friend or a date for a memorable time, take in scenic fews, just make time to stretch before and after.
2. Skiing or snowboarding — try cross country for an extra beneficial workout. Even downhill skiing is a great way to engage your hips and legs. It’s also a great way to tone your stomach and activate your body’s stability muscles. Again, it’s vital to stretch before and after skiing or snowboarding. Make sure you practice perfect form as well.
3. Outdoor circuit training — outdoor hollow rocks, side plank hip raises, butterfly sit-ups, and outdoor mountain climbers are all great ways to engage your core, work up a sweat, and you don’t have to worry about those pesky monthly gym fees.

So no you don’t have that handy excuse of not knowing any fun ways to get your core involved in your fitness activities. As we advance in age, it’s more and more important to take care of our bodies through exercise and routine maintenance. If something gets pulled out of place during your fitness routine, be sure to call Barton Chiropractic Clinic today. It happens to the best of us.

Exercises and Activities that Put the Most Pressure on Your Back and Body

Record numbers of us are packing into the gym this month, some due to New Year’s Resolutions, some due to wanting to get a head start on that beach body before the summer months saunter in. At any rate, people will be hitting it hard in the gym and in their extracurricular fitness activities, and we just wanted to issue a word of caution to our patients and readership. Barton Chiropractic Clinic believes in providing excellent chiropractic care for a variety of patients from all walks of life, but we also believe in patient education and preventive medicine, which sometimes is something as simple as knowing the difference between a positive activity for your back and a risky one.

Stay Away from These Lifts at the Gym

Here are some exercises you might want to think twice about doing in the gym, especially if you’ve recently experienced a back injury or are living with any degree of back pain:

• Straight-legged Deadlift — we don’t really know many folks who actually relish performing this workout, so it’s usually a pretty easy compromise. This is a lift that requires perfect form. Some like it because of its old-school, blue collar appeal, but how many of those old powerlifters do you see having active lives in their advanced years? If you perform this lift wrong, you risk rounding out your spine, making it do all the heavy lifting.
• Behind-the-Neck Lat Pulldowns — we really don’t like this lift. It’s actually considered poor form in this day and age to go behind the back. You’re not Magic Johnson in the gym, so don’t try to be. Bringing the bar behind the neck puts pressure on your shoulders, so much so that you risk tearing your rotator cuff. There’s a simple solution here. Just pull down the bar in front of your body, down to your nose or thereabouts.
• Torso Twists — these might seem like an awesome idea, and you might feel the burn in your obliques, but your spine is going through a ton of stress. You might end up causing nerve damage with this lift. Instead, opt for side plank oblique crunches.

Take Care of Your Back with Barton Chiropractic Clinic

If you’ve been hitting it hard in the gym and your back isn’t holding up the way you’d like, schedule your consultation with Dr. Barton today. We have the personnel, the expertise, and provide the compassionate care you need to get back on your feet and into the game.

When people think of the chiropractor, they usually associate it with those of middle and more advanced age. But the truth is, many children require chiropractic care as well. In numerous cases chiropractic care is an essential part of a child’s wellness plan in an overall sense. As a matter of fact, 17% of chiropractic patients are under the age of 18, as reported by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners.

Given that each year in the US 38 million children play organized athletics, it’s easy to understand that kids might need to see a chiropractor just due to injury alone. This competitive athletics enthusiasm results in 3.5 million medical visits annually. It’s not just up to your kid, either. 52% of coaches questioned in a survey conducted by SafeKids.org said that there is an acceptable amount of hard contact. 1 in 3 kids surveyed in the same study said that they would continue to play hurt, despite being injured. Injuries aren’t limited to game time, either — 62% of injuries happen while your child is at practice.

Why Pursue Chiropractic Care?

Even if your child isn’t experiencing symptoms related to their back or spine, chiropractic care could relieve or vastly improve symptoms associated with ADD/ADHD, colic, torticollis, ear infections, chronic bed wetting, allergies, gastrointestinal problems, asthma, seizures, and more, according to the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.

These problems can amount to:

• Pain / Discomfort
• Anxiety
• Decreased Mental Clarity
• Lack of Sleep / Insomnia
• Immune / Digestive System Dysfunction

Your Body is Complicated, No Matter Your Age

Doesn’t matter if you’re five or fifty five, your nervous system is complicated. Your brain, spinal cord, and nerves are all inextricably linked. Misalignments (also called Subluxations) in the spine can cause miscommunication from brain to body.

Don’t wait for your child to experience an injury. Even small traumas like bumps and bruises can accumulate, resulting in pain and discomfort, which can affect school performance and overall well-being. Think of us as a family practice here at Barton Chiropractic Clinic. We treat back and spine problems for you and your loved ones in Homewood, IL, providing quality chiropractic care from infancy to advanced age.

It’s the new year, which means New Year’s Resolutions galore. You might have found evidence of this at the gym, where foot traffic will be the most congested it will get all year. That means newbies hogging the machines, half marathons being ran on the treadmill, and everything in between to make things extra inconvenient.

But persistence is key. It’s unfortunate that many times we get caught up on weight because of aesthetic reasons, which is what drives us to change. How we look plays a big role into why we start rigorous diets and training programs to shed unwanted pounds. Many of us don’t think about the overall health benefits we glean from losing excess fat; we only think about how good we’re going to look in a bathing suit. But losing weight sends wellness reverberations throughout your entire body and mind.

Do it for Your Back

SpineUniverse.com offers up some great ideas for losing weight for the sake of your back. Having a protruding belly can cause undo stress on your back due to carrying excess weight around. Try carrying around a 10 pound weight with you all day; you’ll quickly find that it gets heavy, and it starts to put pressure on certain areas of your body more than others — your back and spine, for instance.

Think of being overweight as being in a jam-packed car. Think of all that pressure being put on the struts and shock absorbers of the automobile. That’s exactly what’s happening to your intervertebral discs. This can accentuate spinal curvature and increase injury risk.

Exercise with Your Back in Mind

Certain exercises and working in a yoga practice a few days a week can actually help you manage and alleviate your back pain in addition to helping you lose weight. Finding a workout buddy will also help motivate you to get to class on time and on schedule, too.

We hope some of this advice helps. If you have back pain in 2018 that persists in the face of losing weight, exercise, and diet change, then schedule a consultation with Barton Chiropractic Clinic today and we’ll put you on the path to lasting recovery.