Archive for June 2016

Golf season is in full swing: with the weather heating up, more people are taking to the course for a dose of relaxation and recreation. At Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center, we urge the many golfers of the Bay Area to take preventative measures against injury. Strict adherence to a warm up routine of stretching will keep you limber as you strive for perfection from tee to green. 

Stretching before the first swing: 

Shoulder stretching: Perform shoulder rotation by using an iron and holding it at shoulder level behind your head. Twist your torso each direction for as far as you can go and hold for 2 seconds on each side. Repeat this up to 5 times. 

The hamstring stretch: besides keeping you limber, this also adds leg strength. Sitting on the ground, with one leg fully extended and the other tucked behind you, reach for the big toe of the extended leg. Feel the stretch in the back of the leg and hold for 2 seconds, then switch legs. 

Hip rotation: Place an iron behind your back resting in the crook of your arms and twist slowly one direction until you cannot go any further. Hold for 2 seconds then return to neutral and repeat this stretch the opposite direction. 

Stretching is so powerful: it adds flexibility and power to your golf game while also preventing injury due to extreme rotation and jerking of the back during play. It makes me wonder why so many people forego 5 minutes of stretching and end up wrenching their back. At our office in Milpitas, we practice both prevention and rehabilitation. To add an extra element into your golf game, or to rehabilitate an injury you may have sustained on the course, call us at (408) 263-8025.

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C. 

Back pain is wide-spread: it will affect 80% (on the low end of estimates) of Americans at some point in their life, and quite often, the pain will be non-specific in nature. People who suffer back injuries usually suffer from an accumulation of symptoms that reach a breaking point rather than a specific trauma. So, it is worth taking a look at our habits to determine whether they could be contributing to our pain. Below, I have compiled a list of bad habits that don’t seem bad until they create a serious problem, such as low back pain. 

• Being overweight: Being overweight tends to shift your center of gravity forward which contributes to a bodily imbalance: besides the weight adding to the burden of a lower back, your core muscles must compensate to support the center of gravity shift, and they often become strained in the process. This ties directly into #2: 
• Not getting enough exercise (or none at all): Poor circulation, poor posture, low back pain, reduced range of motion, the list goes on. Accepting a lifestyle of little to no movement is the quickest way to let your body degrade. For back pain sufferers, the buck stops here: start moving and never look back. 
• Poor posture: No one wants to strain their muscles or put excess strain on the spine voluntarily. But this is exactly what we do when we spend our computer hours slouching or hunched over. 
• Lift correctly: It is time to stop ignoring the age-old adage to lift with your legs and not your back. It may be easier to bend from the hip and lift, but this is one of the most common actions that will push an intervertebral disc to its slipping point.

At Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center, we can help you reverse these habits and make them an exception to the rule. With a focus of beating back pain or preventing it, we work closely with you to ensure your spine is in the right shape to go after all the activities you can to improve spinal health.

Give our office in Milpitas a call at (408) 263-8025

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C. 

The core is one of the slowest regions of the body to show measurable gain. Crunches are perhaps the most thought of exercise when it comes to quickly, “getting a ripped stomach,” but there is so much more benefit the core has to offer than just great looks. Focusing on building the core for stability and strength as opposed to seeking a rock hard six-pack will improve your overall well-being. Here are some of the benefits to be reaped from a more stable core: 

• Better posture: helping you sit up and stand up straighter
• Better balance: the core stabilizes you and allows you to keep balance on any terrain
• Dealing with forces better: allowing your body to absorb and transfer forces without doing damage.
• Better resistance to injury from movement: twisting, bending, dipping and lifting all utilize muscles in the core. 
• Reduced low back pain
• Improved breathing

Everyday acts are made easier with a strong core. Whether you intend to rehabilitate an existing or recently-sustained injury, or simply seek to prevent damage to the back by building a resilient core, we can help you plan and implement your fitness goals. Every fitness plan should be unique to the individual and it can never hurt to have a professional opinion. Give our office a call to schedule an appointment today!

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C. 

 

 

Bed rest is no way to beat pack pain! Unless your pain is so severe that the slightest movement causes you pain, we will find a way that you can add stretching and exercise into your routine to heal quicker.

We will begin by instituting a walking regime to improve circulation and release endorphins, both useful in reducing the pain you experience. From this vantage point, we hope to get you moving into slightly more intense aerobic exercise, such as jogging or swimming.

Strengthening the core is another key way to ease pain. We seek to strengthen the core as a stabilizer: so that your body can limit and stabilize the movement it commences. In this way, it will be less vulnerable to damage from aggressive movements. Some great strengthening exercises include:

Straight leg raises

• Lay supine
• Bend 1 knee and straighten opposite leg
• Lift straight leg 6 inches off ground using abdominal muscles only
• Repeat 10 times with each leg.

Pelvic tilts

• Lay on your back with knees bent, hip-width apart
• Put your hand underneath your back to feel its natural curve.
• Press this curve into the floor.
• Hold for 5 seconds, return to starting position.
• Repeat 10 times.

Hip bridges

• Lay on your back with knees bent, hip-width apart
• Lift hips until you achieve straight line between knees and shoulders
• Hold 5 seconds
• Return to starting position slowly
• Repeat 10 times.

Back stretching: to lengthen the muscle fibers and improve circulation. “Staying limber,” will prevent you from straining muscles during your work out. Stay tuned to the next blog to find out simple stretches that can be used in tandem with these exercises.

All of these exercises and stretches can be done at home in under 30 minutes with no financial investment. When seeking to improve the condition of your back, you get out what you put in. Call our office in Milpitas to create a customized routine that will help you leave pain in the rear view.

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C. 

Just how much toll is the 9 to 5 schedule taking on your spine? The detriment can be hard to quantify until it is too late: millions of Americans take time off work each year to nurse sore backs, not realizing that as soon as they are back in front of the computer, their old habits will return to haunt them. 

Consider whether this pattern sounds familiar to you:

You start the day sitting up straight but, as the hours go by, you find your head creeping toward the screen. Your shoulders scrunch, eyes squint and the back rounds as you work harder and harder. Before you realize it, two hours may have passed without the slightest reprieve: the only muscles moving are in your hands and fingers. Your head is no longer balanced atop your spine; instead, it’s weight burden on the spine is magnified and muscles in the shoulder and neck are called upon to compensate. The tension in the upper back is palpable and muscle spasms begin. The pain these muscles are experiencing is then referred to the nerves in the head and you are left with a headache. 

As I have mentioned before, the workplace can be brutal for backs. Posture is a double-edged sword: it can be used to your great benefit or create severe obstacles in your life such as headaches. At Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center, we are here for the workers of the Bay Area, who may be suffering from work-related injuries. We can evaluate and care for your spine, and create a working plan for posture and ergonomics. 

Call our office in Milpitas at to schedule an appointment today

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C. 

Can you imagine the posture of your back while driving? For must of us, it would not make a pretty picture. Car seats are rarely engineered to support a healthy resting position, and they are often very conducive to just the opposite: putting unnecessary pressure on the vertebrae, spinal joints and muscles in the back. We usually view our commuting as a fleeting activity and thus, rarely give our backs the support they need in the car. As long as we can reach the pedals and steering wheel comfortably, we are good to go. At Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center, we would like to see people observe a posture code for commuting, even if you are only in the car for five minutes. 

• Always sit up straight with your butt touching the back of the seat.
• Further, keep the chin level and head centered over the spine; often this means resting your head gently against the head rest. 
• Hands at 9 and 3 and hips square, ensuring that the pelvis is not twisted toward one side

Obviously, it would be uncomfortable and impractical to hold this position for an 8 hour road trip. Any posture, when held for long periods of time can contribute to tight muscles and a stiff back. So listen to your body on drives that last longer than an hour: if needs be, pull over and shake your shoulders; give your back some gentle stretching so that you can arrive at your destination happy rather than stiff and out of sorts. 

For tips on posture throughout all phases of the day, or therapy for the damage that may have been caused from posture-related considerations, give our office in Milpitas a call at (408) 263-8025 and schedule an appointment today

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C.

For people who spend their working days seated and stationary, the amount of time spent sitting alone makes seated posture a top priority. Unfortunately, it is also the position that most often lends itself to poor posture. The natural inclination is to slouch into the chair, ensconced in the work being done on the computer. Hours build upon hours, days upon days and so forth creating muscular imbalances, poor curvature and structural degradation that can leave the spine in serious peril. 

True support for your spine during the workday requires a conscientious effort at sitting up, taking breaks and getting serious about ergonomics. When you are sitting and working for hours at a time make sure you observe the following good posture code:

• Head facing forward, to set the tone for the rest of your body. (This may require adjusting the monitor to match the height of your head)
• Head centered over spine, not lurching forward 
• Sitting upright, shoulders back and buttocks touching the back of the chair
• Supported lordotic curve
• Weight of torso distributed between the hips
• Legs at 90 degrees or slightly higher, supporting weight of torso without pressing on the feet too much 
• Feet flat on the floor. 

Posture and ergonomics overlap, and while your ergonomic set up should make proper posture easier, it is important to have a knowledge of what good posture actually looks like. Call our office in Milpitas at (408) 263-8025 to set up an appointment and start yourself on the road to a more health conscious back care lifestyle today.  

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C.

“Workplace ergonomics” is a fancy term for a simple concept: posture in the office. At Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center, we see the toll that office work is taking on spines all too often. It is not in a company’s best interest to provide you with a proper ergonomic set up because they are generally expensive: ergo you are sat with an unsupportive chair and an ill-fitting desktop set up. Fight back against this system of repression toward your back by using these simple tips:

• Bring in a pillow or roll up a jacket and place it between your chair and lower back where it is most comfortable. This encourages the lordotic curve which is essential to a natural resting position. 
• Adjust the height of your monitor so you are not craning your neck up or down. 
• Sit up straight in the chair against your improvised (or not) pillow
• Arms should rest on an armrest at 90 degrees, and shoulders should feel relaxed. 

The idea is to create an environment that is working for you rather than against you. If you come home regularly complaining of stiffness, aches and pains, let us evaluate your spine and provide you with the treatment that ensures your spine is aligned and your muscles in a state of balance and health. From there, it is up to you to do everything you can to positively influence your back’s health, including practicing proper posture. 

Call our office in Milpitas at (408) 263-8025 to schedule an appointment and find out how you can turn your office into a sanctuary for your back rather than a daily torment. 

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C. 

Sitting for a long time, even with excellent posture, will leave you feeling stiff. The monotony of a long day at the office can be broken by a conscientious effort at stretching and periodic movement. Make it your routine at the top of the hour: set an alarm or put a sticky note on the edge of your screen. Do whatever it takes to remind yourself to get out of the chair. 

Take a walk and grab some water and shake out your arms. Once you are back at the desk, you can use these stretches to reinvigorate your muscles and mind: 

• Put one leg over the other and gently twist your body in the opposite direction.
• Practice neck flexion and extension, moving your chin down toward the chest and then up toward the ceiling.
• Bring your ears down toward your shoulders until you feel the stretch in the opposing side of the neck. 
• Extend your arms outward and clasps your hands together with palms facing outward. Stretch by pushing your fingers against the backs of your hands. Repeat this same stretch overhead. 

If your boss says anything, you can tell him that a quick stretch resets the body and relieves tension, which makes all the systems in your body work better, including the brain. At Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center, we are concerned with the amount of tension that accumulates in a working day. If these stretches present a problem, or you feel like your range of motion is limited, give our office in Milpitas a call at (408) 263-8025.

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C. 

When was the last time you took a really good soak? Speedy lifestyles necessitate the ever-functional shower for a quick wash and refresh, but it is important to remember that one of the most relaxing things you can do for your body and mind is to soak. 

Benefits of soaking:

• Improve blood circulation
• Releases endorphins and makes you happy
• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Relaxes the body and prepares it for sleep
• Relaxes overworked or strained muscles. 
• Lowers blood pressure
• Reduces inflammation and supports joints
• Opens up blood vessels in the head that relieve headaches

Tips for soaking:

• Timing is crucial. Too short and you risk not reaping all the benefits mentioned above. But too long can leave you nauseous and dehydrated. 
• Focus on warm, not hot. For some people, the closer to scalding the better. But too much heat can quickly dehydrate you.
• Add some salts to provide an extra layer of relief for achy muscles and joints.
• Seek out a warm water pool where you can fully enjoy the suspension of gravity.

At Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center, we believe in holistic health care for the body and mind. Soaking is an integral piece of this health plan: most spinal dysfunctions can be improved by regular soaking. For more ideas on how to improve the health of your spine with easy, fun changes, call our office in Milpitas at (408) 263-8025 to schedule an appointment today.

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C.