Author: melissa

This is a great question we get on a regular basis from the patients we see.  Unfortunately, the answer to the question is yes.  Time takes its toll on the human body.  That’s true no matter how much you exercise, or how healthy your lifestyle is. Many of the impacts your body suffers as you get older makes you more fragile.

Here’s a quick overview of what you have to look forward to:

• In your spine, over time, you’re likely to see the growth of bone spurs. Your vertebrae will begin to lose minerals, making them thinner.  Between each of your vertebrae, you have a disk that serves as a kind of cushion.  As you get older, these disks lose fluid and become thinner, making it more likely that you’ll begin to suffer chronic back pain.
• Just like your vertebrae begin to lose their mineral content, the same thing happens to every other bone in your body, making them thinner, more brittle, and thus, more easily broken.
• As you age, you begin to lose muscle mass which also serves to make you increasingly frail and fragile. The muscle mass you have remaining is also less toned, and as these problems worsen, you’re simply not able to move around with the freedom you once did.
• The joints in your body are lubricated by fluid, and like the fluid in the disks in your back, this slowly drains away, which can lead to pain and stiffness caused by increasing levels of inflammation.

Unfortunately, there’s no cure for old age.  It’s coming for all of us, so while there are things you can do to postpone the effects described above, at this point, there’s simply no way to stop it from happening.  Old age isn’t for the faint of heart!

As you may know, sitting has been called the new smoking, and the dangers of prolonged periods of sitting have made headlines all over the web in the past couple of years.  A new study looks at a very different problem and highlights the dangers of too much time spent standing.

We often hear how just about everyone these days has a desk job, so it may surprise you to know that almost half of all workers worldwide are standing for up to 75 percent of their work day.

Unfortunately, standing for that length of time can lead to a variety of problems, including:

• Leg cramps
• Fatigue
• Back ache

Even worse is the fact that these problems are not simply painful, but also negatively impact that worker’s productivity.  Worst of all, you can’t just get used to standing for extended periods.  The damage to your body will only worsen over time, leading to progressively more severe pain that could become both chronic and acute.

The research studied the impact of long-duration standing on both young and old workers alike, and on both men and women.  It revealed that even when the workers studied were allowed to take regular breaks, significant long-term fatigue followed their five-hour (simulated) working day.

Of particular interest, younger study participants (those aged 18-30) were just as likely to show signs of long-term fatigue as workers aged 50 years or older.

The researchers note that “…long-term fatigue after prolonged standing work may be present without being perceived.” and “…current work schedules for standing work may not be adequate for preventing fatigue accumulation, and this long-lasting muscle fatigue may contribute to musculoskeletal disorders and back pain.”

It’s something to be mindful of if you have to stand for extended periods of time in the conduct of your job, and at the first sign of pain, be sure to see your doctor or chiropractor.

Are you a side sleeper?  A stomach sleeper?  An all over the map sleeper?  It could be at least part of the reason your back hurts.

A study conducted in 2015 by the National Institutes of Health indicated that a staggering 25 million American adults deal with chronic pain on a daily basis, so if you have an aching back, you’re certainly not alone.  What you may not have realized is that how you sleep may be playing a major role in that.

Here’s a quick overview of the problem:

If you sleep on your side, you might get away with it for years without incident, but side sleeping puts stress on the hip and shoulder you’re putting your weight on, and over time, it can cause pain in those areas. Not to mention the pain in the neck it can give you.

It gets worse though.  If you sleep on your right side, it could aggravate any heartburn you might be having.

If you think side sleeping is bad though, stomach sleepers have it even worse.  That’s because sleeping on your stomach puts pressure on your entire body. Your spine just wasn’t meant to support your body in that position.  Long term, it can lead to numbness or tingling all over.

Also, inevitably, stomach sleepers will have to turn their head to one side or the other in order to breath.  Unfortunately, doing that increases your risk of neck, muscle and joint pain.

Although back sleeping is the best and healthiest option, only eight percent of people sleep in that position.  The good news is, you can train yourself to do so.

The simplest way to retrain your body is to flank yourself with pillows before you sleep.  That should keep you from turning over during the night.  If that doesn’t cut it, start wearing a tee-shirt to bed, and sew a tennis ball into the lining.  When you try to roll over, the discomfort will ensure you roll back onto your back.

Give it a try.  Your back will thank you for it!

 

Although the research on the matter is divided, ask just about anyone and they’ll tell you that cold, damp weather makes their joints ache, and causes their arthritis to flare up.

True, there have been some studies that have been able to validate what so many of us feel in our aching bones. However, the results have been spotty, which is why the scientific community is divided on the matter.

While we all wait for the science to confirm what so many of us feel in our bones, here are a few tips to enjoy a pain free autumn and winter this year:

• Stay active! This is one of the best and most important things you can do. Although as the weather starts to turn warmer, you’ll almost certainly want to do your exercising indoors.  Just as the important as the exercise itself is to remember to stretch both before (a good warm-up) and after (a cool down).
• Stay warm – this one should be obvious, but it bears mentioning anyway. If the cold weather is making your joints ache and causing your arthritis to flare up, do everything you can to stay warm.  Bundle up.  Layer your clothing as needed, and of course, keep moving.
• Try Glucosamine – Although scientific opinion is divided on the effectiveness of Glucosamine, some people who have taken the supplement have reported that it has helped to ease the pain in their joints and improve their range of motion. There’s nothing to lose by giving it a try, and potentially quite a lot to be gained.

Let’s say the supplement doesn’t work, you’re not able to bundle up enough to stave off the cold, and you’re not able to stay active. At that point, all you can do is grin and bear it, knowing that spring will arrive before long to chase the cold weather away.

This, however, should only apply in a very few cases.  The overwhelming majority of people will find comfort in one of the solutions offered above.

Is your clothing a little on the tight side?  If so, it could be causing health problems for you.  If it isn’t yet, it may well in the future.

Consider the story of a 35-year old Australian woman who spent four days in the hospital because of her “skinny jeans.”

The day before she was hospitalized, she had done an extensive amount of squatting helping a friend move.  That led to circulation problems, which reduced the blood supply in her legs.  That, in turn, led to swelling later the next day.

The swelling incapacitated her, and she spent several hours lying on the ground before she was found and rushed to the emergency room, where the attending physician had to cut the jeans off of her.  It sounds funny to hear about it, but it truly was a life-threatening situation, and not the only one caused by clothing that’s too tight.

Men who wear ‘tighty whities,’ for example, face significantly increased risk of suffering from twisted testicles, UTIs (urinary tract infections) and general bladder weakness.  Doctors have described women’s thong underwear as being “subway cars for transporting bacteria from the back end to the front.”

The solutions to these kinds of issues are as straightforward as you’d imagine them to be.

Wear cotton undergarments, which are more breathable than synthetic materials.  For women, be sure you’re wearing a bra that fits properly to reduce breast pain and back strain.  Men, believe it or not, your necktie could put you at increased risk of blindness, at least according to a study published in 2003.

Shoes are another potentially problematic item, especially flip flops and high heeled shoes.

As anyone who has ever worn flip flops can attest to, these convenient summertime shoes offer no support whatsoever, and wreak havoc on your feet.  The same can be said of high heeled shoes, which place significantly more pressure on your feet than loafers and cause you to walk differently , and can lead to posture problems in the long term.

The bottom line is, during any given day, the average person is exposed to a tremendous number of dangers.  We’re not doing ourselves any favors by intentionally exposing ourselves to even more, simply by making poor clothing choices.

 

You may not even be familiar with the term “plantar fasciitis,” but you’re almost certainly familiar with the condition. It’s one of the most common orthopedic complaints that doctors and chiropractors hear about.

The name is drawn from the plantar fascia ligaments in your leg that support the arch of your foot, acting as a kind of shock absorber when you walk or run. As you might expect, these ligaments get daily workouts, and as such, experience a lot of wear and tear over time. Sooner or later, there’s bound to be a problem, and that problem expresses itself in the form of sharp, shooting pain in your heel or in the middle of your foot.

While anyone can develop the condition, it’s most common in people who are overweight, or people who jog or run regularly. It also occurs regularly in people who have very active jobs that see them on their feet for several hours of each day. Finally, although this does not describe a huge percentage of people, if you have high arches or flat feet, you are more likely to develop the condition.

If you experience sharp, shooting pain in your heel or the middle area of your foot, especially first thing in the morning when you get out of bed and take your first steps, odds are good that you have it. Although, you should consult your doctor or chiropractor to be certain.

It can be treated at home by staying off your feet as much as possible and applying ice for up to twenty minutes at a time, three to four times a day. Adding stretching to your morning routine can help, as can wearing arch supports in your shoes. For pain relief, Ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil or Aleve (NSAIDS) work best to reduce the inflammation in your ligaments.

If the pain is severe, your doctor or chiropractor can offer additional forms of treatment, but in the vast majority of cases, the home remedies mentioned above will get the job done.

Moving is one of the most stressful events in a person’s life, ranking comparably with marriage, divorce, or the death of a loved one.

While those other events can cause more intense emotional stress, moving also causes emotional stress. It is also very likely to result in personal injury in ways that those other stressful events typically don’t.

Fortunately, there are a few simple strategies you can employ to minimize your risk of injury during the move, which will result in less stress for you overall.

1. Planning Is Essential – Your moving plan should be flexible enough to ensure that you’re not moving in the pouring rain, during a severe snowstorm, in the middle of the night, and the like. If you find yourself having to move under these conditions, odds are that not enough planning went into the move. The simple truth is that moving a house full of heavy objects is dangerous under even the best of conditions. Moving in the conditions described above magnifies your risk many times over.

2. Don’t Do It Alone – Even if you feel a bit like Superman, you’re not, and if you try to lift really heavy objects (furniture or heavy boxes) on your own, you’re more likely to get hurt. Speaking of boxes, too often, people fill a box to capacity regardless of its total weight. Don’t make that mistake. Even if it takes you a few additional boxes, be sure that each container isn’t so heavy that you’ll strain something trying to lift it. The big lesson here though, is that moving is never a solo job. Get help. Enlist family and friends as needed so no one person is having to do too much.

3. Body Mindfulness – This one should go without saying, but it bears repeating anyway. Even when you have adequate help, practice good posture and proper lifting procedures. Lift with your legs, not your back!

Moving is stressful and there’s not much that can be done about that. At the very least though, you can keep your risk of injury to a minimum!

Last year, the smartphone replaced the personal computer as the primary means people use to access the internet.

The King may be down, but he’s certainly not dead. Every day, tens of millions of us use our PCs to work and access the internet for entertainment, but there’s a problem. Using your PC for extended periods of time can be a real pain in the neck, both literally and figuratively, and it can cause a variety of other aches and pains. Here are a few simple tips for avoiding the most common types of computer-related injuries:

Posture, Posture, Posture!

The most common type of computer related injury is pain in the neck and shoulders. Invariably, this is caused by poor posture when sitting for hours at a time in front of your computer. In addition to simple mindfulness, there are a number of fixes for this, including:

• Making sure that your monitor is at a proper height, so you’re looking at it straight on, rather than down.
• Investing in an ergonomic chair
• Buying an extra lumbar support cushion, even in cases where you have an ergonomic chair

It’s also important to keep your legs out in front of you and feet on the floor, and make sure your chair is properly height adjusted. Those ergonomic features only work if you take those steps, after all.

Padding

Wrist strain and carpal tunnel are two other commonly occurring injuries. Here, your best friend is a wrist pad that sits just in front of your keyboard, giving your wrists a comfortable cushion to sit on. Also, if you don’t already know how to type properly, practice that skill. Learning to type will ensure that your hands are in a position that will minimize your risk of injury.

Take Frequent Breaks

Leg and back pain are also commonly reported injuries, and here, the easiest way to prevent them is regular stretching. Every hour, make it a point to get up, stretch, and move around. Pro tip: If you drink lots of water while you’re at your computer, Mother Nature will tend to take care of this detail for you!

The bottom line is, while computers are glorious inventions, they can also lead us to harm. Fortunately, avoiding that harm is easy to do, so long as you’re mindful of it.

It’s back to school time, and as any ER doctor will tell you, that means lots of spills, falls, injuries and accidents.

The first week back to school is among the busiest times of year for Emergency Rooms and chiropractors alike.

Here are the most common types of accidents to watch out for, and how you can keep your kids safe:

1. Falls – Most of the falls that occur happen either in the school building or on the football field. While there’s no way you can protect your child from accidents in the school halls, you can stress the importance of mindfulness and being careful. Many falls inside the school itself are caused by distraction, with use of a smartphone and/or ear buds being one of the most common forms of distraction. If you feel that taking these things away from your child is too much, at least consider sitting them down and reminding them how dangerous it can be to get distracted.
2. Biking Injuries – Every year, innumerable scrapes, bruises, strains and sprains are caused by tumbles while on a bicycle. Stress safety, and if you’re especially concerned, insist that your child wear a helmet. While it won’t prevent the spills from occurring, it will mitigate the damage done.
3. Crossing The Street – The injuries that can occur when a child crosses the street tend to be the most serious for obvious reasons. A good rule of thumb is not to allow children under ten to cross the street unsupervised. Older children should be reminded of basic safety protocols (look both ways, observe and obey traffic signals, and walk facing traffic!)

Accidents can be traced to a variety of other sources, but if you keep the big three in mind, you’ll go a long way toward keeping your child safe as the new school year gets underway.

If you’re like most people, you do what you can to eat healthy. You might think that where fresh fruits and vegetables are concerned, since they’re all good for you, there’s no such thing as too much.

Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple.  Nutritionists broadly agree that ideally, you want to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, and try not to bulk up on too much of any one type.

In simplest terms, that’s because fruits and vegetables have different nutrient makeups.  Eating too many of just one thing can cause imbalances in your body.  Perhaps the most extreme form of this can be seen if you binge on foods high in beta carotene. Beta carotene is the pigment found in foods like sweet potatoes and carrots that give them their orange color.  Eat too many of them and your skin will actually take on an orange hue.  Fortunately, that goes away as soon as you cut back on your intake.

Another problem is this:  Some fruits and vegetables are loaded with fiber.  Too much of that will not only inhibit your body’s ability to absorb other nutrients, it will also lead to gas and bloating.  Not good.

It’s not just fresh fruits and vegetables you have to be worried about either.  Eating too much lean protein like fish or chicken can strain your kidneys and liver.

The lesson here is simple.  Moderation is the key.  If you eat a wide variety of fresh foods with a heavy emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables, you won’t even need to take a vitamin and mineral supplement.

Don’t bulk up on too much of any one type of food, and you should be just fine.