Article Aggregator – Chiropractic

A majority of Americans have poor posture It’s especially prevalent among people who spend several hours a day sitting, which is increasingly common in the modern workplace.

Most people know that poor posture can cause or contribute to pain, and be a major contributor to chronic migraines. What is less commonly known, however, is the fact that it can also cause a whole host of other medical issues, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and depression.

There’s good news, though. Poor posture can be easily corrected, but the first step in doing so simple awareness. If you’re not mindful of how you’re sitting for hours at a stretch, you’re poorly positioned to do anything about it.

This is actually harder to do than it seems, because after all, you’ve spent a big chunk of your life sitting. Like tying your shoes, it’s one of those things you assume you’re already an expert at, and because of that, you don’t really think about it.

Start thinking about it. Pay attention to how you’re sitting, and make a conscious effort to set up straight, with your head level.

Another big contributing factor to poor posture, especially in the workplace, is the fact that your chair and the computer monitor you stare at may be too low or too high, which sees you sitting in a poor position as you work.

If your neck feels fatigued at the end of a workday, or you suffer from chronic headaches, both of these are signs that you need to make adjustments to the equipment you’re using. It’s amazing how effective those simple changes can be.

Finally, if you want to take it to the next level, consider doing some simple exercises. Positions that are especially good for improving posture are the “upward facing dog” yoga position and the standing forward bend. Both are easy to do from the comfort of home, and both can make a big difference if you commit to doing them every day for five minutes or so.

It’s a common enough question, asked by people who are interested in improving their health and flexibility. Both types of stretching are important, but of equal importance is knowing when to use them. This short piece will outline the best uses for both types of stretching.

Static stretching is done from a standing or sitting position. When you see people bending to stretch their hamstrings and holding the position for thirty seconds or so, they’re engaging in static stretching.

Unfortunately, most people use this before a workout, which is not the optimal time to use this form of stretching. Studies have shown that pre-workout static stretching will actually reduce your workout performance for about ten minutes after the stretching routine is completed.

Dynamic stretching, on the other hand, is ideal to use before a workout. The key differences are twofold:

First, dynamic stretching is so-named because it involves some element of motion. Second, whereas static stretches require holding positions for extended periods, dynamic stretches tend to be done in short-duration series.

There’s a catch, though. In order to get the full benefit, you need to tailor your dynamic stretch to the type of exercise you plan on doing. For example, if you’re planning to go for a run, you’ll want to warm up by doing a short jog to loosen the muscles you’ll be using the most and getting them prepped for the trial ahead.

The best time to employ static stretching is after your workout is complete. The reason is that if your workout is a strenuous one, your muscles are likely to be sore. Doing a few static stretches of those muscle groups will help ease any post-exercise pain you might otherwise feel. That’s not to say your muscles won’t still hurt (if you’re doing it right, they probably will!) The pain just won’t be as severe or as long lasting.

And now you know – you’re a stretching pro!

If you’ve ever spent time traveling by bus, train or plane, you know the dilemma. Sure, those modes of transportation get you where you need to be, but they can be a real pain, both literally and figuratively.

First, of course, there’s the issue of luggage. Hauling it around and moving it from one place to another can put major strain on your back, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Seating on trains and buses is bad, but the all-time worst seats are airplane seats. Too small for most people, and monstrously uncomfortable, a long plane trip can make your back feel tortured and abused.

Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do to reduce your risk of pain while traveling and minimize your discomfort.

The first thing involves your luggage. Most people grossly overpack. Don’t make that mistake, and you won’t find yourself having to lug a half ton of bags around during your travels.

Second, the way to cure those uncomfortable seats is to bring a small travel pillow, so you can place it at the small of your back and provide some badly needed lumbar support. Even better, bring two, so you can have a second one for neck support.

Those two things alone will provide a powerful one-two punch that will greatly reduce any travel-related pain you might feel, but a third step you can take is to be sure to take an hourly stretch break. This applies regardless of how you’re traveling. Just get up for a few minutes every hour and stretch those leg and back muscles to keep them from cramping up on you.

While it’s true that there’s no magic formula that can completely eliminate travel-related pain, these three simple steps can go a long way for minimizing it.

A herniated disc is one of the many potential causes of back pain, so the short answer to the question posed by the title of this article is yes. It is possible, and perhaps even likely, that it is the root cause of your back pain.

Before we talk about possible treatment options, it’s important to understand exactly what a herniated disc is.

The discs in your spine are made up of two primary components. An outer layer, called the annulus fibrosus, and an inner layer, which is of a spongey consistency, called the nucleus pulposus.

If the outer layer becomes damaged due to a fall or other trauma, it can crack. If it cracks, then the spongey/gelatinous center behaves as all liquids and semi-liquids do, and it will flow out of the crack.

This reduces the space between one disc and the next, which means that your vertebrae are no longer properly cushioned, and that’s what leads to back pain.

The only way to be sure if this is the root cause of your pain, of course, is to have a spinal exam conducted by your chiropractor.

In most cases, a herniated disc can be treated with regular chiropractic care, which involves periodic spinal adjustments. In some cases, however, other forms of treatment may be necessary.

Symptomatically, the two things you should be on the lookout for are incontinence, and problems with your reflexes or other motor functions. These symptoms indicate that the problem may have progressed beyond what chiropractic care can fix, and surgery or other treatment options may be necessary at that point.

The worst thing you can do is leave the condition untreated, as this can cause it to worsen and lead to other conditions like sciatica. If you’re currently experiencing back pain, it’s important that you take action right away!

If you’re like many people, the holiday season is a time of good cheer and great food. The first part is wonderful, but the second can be problematic.

During the holiday season, the presence of all that food can be a tremendous temptation, and many people suffer from weight gain, promising themselves they’ll lose weight at the start of the new year.

Unfortunately, if you’re in the habit of serial dieting and see your weight fluctuate wildly over time, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Those fluctuations in weight will literally rewire your brain. Any time you diet, your body will not interpret it as dieting, and instead will see it as a crisis. This will cause it to respond by hoarding every bit of energy it can, and of course, when your body hoards energy, it does so in the form of fat, which makes it harder for you to lose weight and keep it off.

The best way to shed those holiday pounds is to keep it simple. Here are some strategies for doing just that:

• Eat out of a smaller plate. This will fool your brain into thinking you’re eating more than you are. The plate is full, so your stomach is happy.
• Drink more water. Water is a fantastic dieting tool because it contains no calories and your body needs it anyway. Most Americans are dehydrated, and this is due in large part to our coffee obsession (coffee dehydrates you!), so odds are that you’re not getting as much water as you should be. There’s no such thing as too much water, and it will help make you feel full.
• Fool your brain about exercise – Let’s face it, nobody likes exercise, but there’s a simple trick you can use to fool yourself into enjoying it more. Just pick any activity that you’ve always wanted to try or currently enjoy and start doing more of it. The catch is that it needs to have a physical component. This could be anything from fencing to hiking or whitewater rafting to tennis. It doesn’t matter, as long as those conditions are met. You’ll be doing something you love, and you’ll get more exercise, which will help you keep those pounds off!

Here’s something that most people don’t realize. Most illnesses and most chronic pain have some type of inflammation at their core. The secret to keeping inflammation at bay is to keep your body’s acidity level down, and the secret to doing that is knowing what foods to avoid.

What foods are those, exactly? We’ll give you a short list now:

• Refined Sugars – We might as well get the worst of the bunch out of the way first. Most sugars are extremely bad for you, including the stuff you add to your coffee every morning, confectioner’s sugar, and brown sugar. That’s bad, because a) almost everyone loves sugar, and b) because it’s in just about every food item you buy that comes out of a box or jar. The only way to avoid, or at least minimize your sugar intake is to start reading labels. It’s annoying and can be frustrating, but it’s the only way to be sure.
• HFCS – This stands for “High Fructose Corn Syrup” and if you can believe it, this stuff is even worse than the sugars we mentioned just above. Not only does it have absolutely no nutritional value, but it’s essentially a slow-acting poison. Do you want to know why such a high percentage of Americans are overweight and saddled with a whole raft of health problems? HFCS is at the root of that. Unfortunately, like sugar, it’s in a lot of the processed foods we eat on a regular basis, so avoiding it altogether is extremely difficult. Read labels and keep your consumption to a minimum.
• Gluten – It’s a little known fact, but almost everyone has some level of gluten intolerance. Some people just have a more severe reaction to it than others. Gluten is found in most grains, and the people with the highest gluten sensitivity develop Celiac disease. However, long before you show symptoms of that condition, your body is suffering from varying degrees of inflammation, all courtesy of gluten.

Avoiding those three things can be a real challenge, but if you are successful, your pain level will decrease right along with the inflammation.

It can happen to the best of us. Studies have shown that as many as one person in five suffers from seasonal depression. Even if you don’t have full-blown depression, a mild touch of the wintertime blues is no fun to deal with.

Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do to shake off the blues and get out of the doldrums! Below are some helpful tips and recommendations.

Treat The Cold As An Opportunity!

When the weather turns cold and the streets and sidewalks get icy, even simple tasks like checking the mail can turn into daunting challenges. The best way to deal with those challenges is one bite at a time. Turn them into a game, and when you’re done, since they are games after all, treat yourself!

Indulge in a Netflix binge, or a steaming cup of coffee or hot chocolate by the fire. Pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read for the last several weeks and lose yourself for a while. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel.

Group Therapy

One of the catalysts of seasonal depression is isolation. It’s easy to become isolated when the weather turns cold, because everybody just wants to stay inside, so why not stay inside together?

Turn it into a party! Catch up with friends. Have dinners, or maybe a game night. Use the time as an opportunity to reconnect and deepen the bonds of friendship you have, rather than drawing away from people.

Get Up And Move

And finally, take the fun outdoors. When you were a kid, you probably built magnificent snow forts and had epic snowball fights, so why not relive those memories with your adult friends. Then, after the winter fun, head back inside for some hot soup and great conversation.

The bottom line is that wintertime doesn’t have to be a misery. You can make it fun!

It’s something that “everyone” knows. High heels are bad for your back. Unfortunately, as is often the case, the thing that everyone knows may not be completely true. In some cases, high heels may actually help back pain.

If that sounds counter intuitive to you, you’re not alone. After all, you’ve probably heard just the opposite at least a thousand times. The reality is a bit more complex. In some cases, high heels can actually put your spine into better alignment, which takes pressure off of the nerves, reducing pain.

This does not, however, mean that you should rush out tomorrow to buy several pairs of heels. While it’s true that it might help in some cases, those are pretty strong qualifiers. Further, wearing heels can cause other types of pain, or make them worse. Generally, this pain starts in your feet, and can spread to your calves, thighs, and hips. In addition to that, wearing heels for an extended period of time can cause “hammer toe,” which can be intensely painful.

If you suffer from back pain, chronic or otherwise, the best choice in terms of footwear is a flat shoe, unless there’s a specific need for a shoe with additional support. If you like high heels, consider them like your favorite dessert item. It’s okay to wear them once in a while, but consider it to be something of a “cheat day,” and not something you should wear all the time.

The other big thing to consider where shoes are concerned making sure they’re properly sized. Studies show that a shocking 88% of women knowingly wear a shoe that is too small, which can cause or worsen pain, and increase the likelihood of injury long term.

The bottom line is that high heels seldom directly cause or worsen back pain, despite what you may have heard. In some specific cases, they can actually be good for your spinal alignment, but because of the other problems they cause, they’re not recommended.

If you suffer from chronic back pain, driving is probably something you try to minimize, if not avoid altogether. It’s just not comfortable.

Sometimes, though, you can’t avoid it. It’s just something you’ve got to do. Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do to help minimize the pain that is so often associated with the simple act of driving. While the tips below certainly can’t be seen as a cure-all or a magic bullet, they’ll go a long way toward reducing your pain.

First, posture matters. When sitting behind the wheel, you want to adjust your seat such that your knees are at least slightly above your hips. Doing this will help take pressure off of your lower back, which will reduce the pain and discomfort.

Second, and this also has to do with posture, don’t recline the seat too much. You want it reclined some, but only just enough so that you can grip the steering wheel comfortably. More than that, and your sitting position is awkward, which will, in short order, increase your pain level.

Third, let’s talk about your wallet. Whenever possible, you should avoid sitting on your wallet, because it will cause you to sit unevenly, increasing pressure on your spin, and adding to your pain and discomfort. This is true when sitting behind the wheel as well. If nothing else, just place your wallet on the seat next to you when driving.

Fourth, consider lumbar support. This makes a huge difference. If your vehicle comes with lumbar support built into the seats, by all means use it. If it does not, then use a pillow or a folded towel at the small of your back. Use something to give you more support.

Finally, if you have to drive for an extended period, be sure to stop at frequent intervals to take stretch breaks, and be sure to move and keep your limbs and joints loosened up.

Taken together, these strategies will make a big difference in your pain levels, and at least make driving bearable.

Joints sometimes pop, all by themselves. This is something that happens to literally everyone. The most common type of joint popping, by far, is the kind you tend to do yourself. Namely, “cracking your knuckles.”

In the 1970’s, what appeared to be definitive research was published that indicated the popping sound you hear when your joints pop comes from bubbles popping. Fluid built up in your joints gets suddenly released and makes the popping sound.

Unfortunately, it now appears that this is not the case. It turns out that the opposite is true, as demonstrated by new research out of the University of Alberta. Lead researcher Greg Kawchuk describes it this way:

“It’s a little bit like forming a vacuum…As the joint surfaces suddenly separate, there is no more fluid available to fill the increasing joint volume, so a cavity is created and that event is what is associated with the sound.”

What’s more interesting is the fact that this theory of what causes the popping sound was originally proposed in the 1940s, but was rejected in preference for the research published three decades later. However, it appears that now we have a firm, definitive answer.

There’s more to be said on the topic, however. Another common myth is that cracking your knuckles can cause arthritis. This is actually not the case. To date, there has never been a research study that offered conclusive evidence, or even a correlation between knuckle cracking and the development of arthritis.

This is not to say that it’s a good idea. There have been scattered, but well-documented cases of chronic knuckle cracking causing an overextension of the ligaments of the hand, and there’s at least one documented case of a teenaged girl who developed knuckle pads, which are firm nodules that can form over certain joints, including the joints in your fingers.

And now you know!