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Pain is no one’s idea of a good time

We are in the business of helping you face down your back pain. The first step of any solution is to identify your particular risk factors. Are you prone to overeating? Do you overindulge in the punch, then find yourself sprawled on the couch? Do you feel extra sluggish during the holiday period? All of these things are hard on your spine. Weight gain causes extra pressure on the spine; alcohol contributes to inflammation; and inactivity allows for tension to accumulate in your muscles, pulling your spine out of alignment. If you struggle with chronic back pain, you need to be proactive about the health of your spine this holiday season. 

Doing something about back pain this holiday season

You have the power! Watch what you eat and drink, and take every opportunity to get up and move. Give our office a call to schedule an appointment before, during, or after the holiday season. Let’s make this the last holiday where your back pain has a prominent seat at the table with the rest of your family. 

Spinal traction: decompression designed for you!

Gravity is an ever-present force on our spines. And while the best thing for us all to do would be to float in space, the next best thing is spinal traction. In essence, mechanical traction utilizes a specialized table to reverse the compression of your spinal discs. This creates a negative vacuum of space in which discs are able to heal and the spine is able to align itself. People with the following conditions should consider spinal traction as a way to provide relief from their symptoms: 

• Bone spurs
• Degenerative disc disease
• Herniated discs
• Slipped discs
• Pinched nerves 

Spinal traction is a natural therapy for your spine

This is a non-surgical form of pain relief that comes with very few side effects comparatively. If compressive forces have taken their toll on your spine, we urge you to give our office a call and find out how spinal traction and its decompressive therapy can help you feel less pain today. 

We believe in being realistic with our eating goals during the holidays.

That’s why we came up with these tips for avoiding over-eating, but also not feeling too guilty if you do:

• Don’t guilt-trip yourself: chances are you are going to eat too much and not work out enough. Give yourself a break, but don’t overdo it past an acceptable extreme.
• Don’t be guilt-tripped: just because the recipe is family heirloom doesn’t mean you have to try that pie. But do try it and don’t feel guilt. Roll that wonderful morsel around your taste buds and enjoy, Remember each moment that the sensation of joy rushes through your mind because that is what it is to be alive!
• Monitor your appetizer intake: yes bite-sized appetizers are finger-lickin’ good. But they also burden your calorie counter before the main meal even takes place.
• Tummy tuck constantly: bring your belly button in toward your spine and hold it. This is core-strengthening 101 and it’s dead easy to perform while you’re at the dinner table. 
• Avoid drinking too much: it’s not only your dignity that is at stake. Alcoholic drinks, especially those holiday-inspired ones, are laden with calories that contribute to the famous holiday-bloating effect. 

Check-in at your chiropractor after the holiday season to ensure you are still on track with your fitness goals

At our office, we help make sure that your holiday habits haven’t taken a drastic toll on your overall health. If you want to keep your body balanced and on track for achieving all your fitness goals, give our office a call to schedule an appointment for after the holiday rush. Good luck and happy holidays! 

Running with the health of your spine in mind 

• Strike the ground with the middle of your foot rather than the heel: this technique, known as mid-foot running, is the most important stride for minimizing the shock factor to spinal joints. 
• Short strides that land directly under the hips also minimize impact and help to keep you upright and balanced.
• Upright posture: slumping forward with the shoulders and craning your neck forward puts the spine out of balance and leaves it vulnerable every time your foot hits the ground. Posture awareness is very important for runners.

This all combines to create a more natural running style that will, in the long run, benefit you greatly. Not only will it prevent injury, but it will also make you a more efficient runner

Keeping the damage in check with regular chiropractic care

No matter how careful you are about your running form, some level of impact is likely to reach your spinal joints. This jarring motion tends to move them out of alignment, creating compression on the nearby nerves which can result in dysfunction and pain. If you are interested in keeping your body in the best shape possible so you can keep running to your heart’s content, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Exercise snacking is sneaky holiday fitness

We know that every little bit of exercise counts. When it comes to the health of your spine, even a 10-minute walk can make a significant difference in the severity of back pain you experience. That’s because movement is the essence of life- going from zero to any form of exercise helps to relieve muscle tension and get your circulation flowing. This can be an essential lifeline during the holiday season. 

Exercise snacking is a concept developed by fitness trainers catering to busy people. Almost all of us are busier during the holiday season than during the rest of the year. Exercise snacking focuses on reaping the benefits of a full exercise program in smaller increments. The idea is to think small: what can you fit in in a 5, 10, 15, or 30-minute workout? Ideas range from simply walking, to purposeful stretching, bodyweight exercises, and high-intensity interval training. Whatever you choose, it’s going to be better than nothing!

Maintaining your health through the holidays

Don’t let the challenges of the holiday season turn you off from exercise. People who prioritize their health will persevere; exercise snacking is an excellent way to do just that. If you need more ideas on maintaining your health through the holidays, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today. 

How can nurses prevent back pain?

The main problem is with lifting; while most people wouldn’t think it, lifting is one of the main tasks a nurse is called upon to do. Between assisting patients in bed, moving them between table and gurney, and preventing falls, nurses are constantly called on to lift disproportionate amounts of weight at awkward angles. The frequent result is strain to the soft, supportive tissues in the back. And over time, all this damage compounds to cause more serious long-term injury. Here are steps nurses can take to prevent back pain: 

• Lift the way your parents taught you: with your legs, not your back when possible. 
• Wear supportive shoes: you are on your feet all day; shoes minimize the amount of impact your intervertebral discs will have to absorb. 
• Consider switching specializations: if possible, there are certain specializations that demand less in terms of lifting. 
• Find the healthcare provider that utilizes the latest technology, including ceiling lifts that take the necessity for lifting out of your hands.

Nurses can benefit from chiropractic care

It is a shame that health workers are the most at risk for back-pain-related conditions. We want to help nurses keep their backs in good health despite the demands of their job. If you or a nurse you know is suffering from back pain related to their job, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Shoulder Pain and Chiropractic

If you are unsure about the cause of your pain, give our office a call to schedule an appointment. We direct treatment to the specific cause of your injury to ensure that we are not just treating symptoms. In this way, we give you the best chance of beating pain, restoring range of motion, and preventing pain from recurring. We offer chiropractic treatment to address nerve communication to the shoulders, provide information and instruction on appropriate stretching and exercise, and other therapies to help improve conditions including: 

• Shoulder dislocation
• Bursitis
• Rotator Cuff injuries
• Frozen Shoulder
• Shoulder instability
• Referred pain 
• Arthritis
• Labral tears
• Ligament injury
• and other conditions

Give our office a call to schedule an appointment today!