Why does tightness in the hip flexors matter?

A less thought of factor when it comes to back health, the hip flexors can play a crucial role in the presence of back pain. When we sit for long periods of time, or pursue activities such as cycling or even jogging, the muscle complex in our hip flexors can tighten and create a pull on the front side (anterior) of the pelvis. 

A microcosmic portrait of muscular imbalance with tight hip flexors and weak glutes

More commonly known as anterior pelvic tilt, this altered posture encourages your body to use the gluteus maximus less, creating a muscular imbalance that is a perfect recipe for back pain. Pain can often develop at a local level- that is, in the hip flexors themselves, because an overused muscle is prone to painful spasms, while weakness in the glutes will contribute to instability in the lower back.

What can I do about overly tight hip flexors? 

We have a plan for releasing tight hip flexors, thereby making good posture easier to achieve and reversing the muscular imbalance that has occurred. We begin by releasing the muscle spasms which have accumulated in painful trigger points. We then focus on static hip flexor stretches to increase range of motion and focus on negating the anterior pelvic tilt to establish good posture as your norm. We are movement specialists and you can begin the process of releasing tight hip flexors by calling our office to schedule an appointment today!

Water is spinal therapy

Floating in water is the closest we can approximate to suspending gravity within the earth’s atmosphere. By immersing yourself in water, the downward force of gravity is greatly mitigated, which means that the near-constant compression of your spine is also reduced. If you are suffering from back pain, it is worth considering taking a trip to the pool in order to experience the pain relief that comes when the pressure is taken off your spinal joints and bones. 

The rehabilitative effects of swimming

Exercising in the pool has numerous benefits that exercising on land just can’t match:

• Reduced compression of the spinal joints
• Natural resistance of the water means that every movement is strengthening
• Warm water provides therapy to joints

One major limitation for people looking to overcome back pain is that the pain itself limits motion. Your back pain is holding you back from performing the exact motions which help you prevent the pain in the first place. Enter the water and this vicious cycle begins to unwind. You can focus on strengthening and stretching the muscles and joints that matter for keeping pain at bay at whatever level of intensity you choose. 

How we help you get in the water

Our primary goal at our office is to get you in conducive shape for whatever kind of exercise you like most. After all, moving is what matters! If you want to get into the pool, we can help you overcome back pain through spinal adjustment that aligns the spine and improves your overall range of motion. Furthermore, chiropractic adjustment has been shown to reduce inflammation and improve circulation, boosting the body’s healing response. That means you can get in the water and reap the therapeutic benefits of buoyancy without the fear of hurting yourself further. If you are interested in overcoming back pain in a natural manner, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today. 

What defines a high-impact sport?

Even running can be considered high impact. From a chiropractic perspective, “high-impact” refers to any sport that causes excessive shock to the joints of the body. Sports such as football, rugby, and even basketball and soccer put athletes at risk for injuries including sprains and strains, ligament injury, and damage to the neck and spine. Are you one of these athletes? Read on to find out how we protect your body against the dangers of your sport. 

Adding an extra layer of support to your joints

While high-impact sports help your body build stronger joints and stronger tissue to surround them, it is important to give them an extra layer of protection and support; that extra layer comes from chiropractic. Through chiropractic adjustment and other hands-on modalities, we help high-impact athletes maintain the strength and mobility of the joints and muscles that are used most. 

When it comes to injured joints, chiropractors apply a manual force to restore joint mobility and increase circulation to damaged tissues which may be contributing to the loss of motion. Chiropractic treatment reduces inflammation and pain and facilitates the healing process.

Keep moving your best with chiropractic care

Athletes will benefit from the chiropractic care provided at our office because we are experts in musculoskeletal form. We keep your nervous system free of interference and ensure the proper alignment of your spine to keep your body ahead of potential injuries. If you are interested in adding an extra layer of protection and optimization to your athletic repertoire, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Sleep and chronic back pain don’t mix

And while chronic back pain obviously prevents people from sleeping, the lack of sleep feeds back into chronic pain by heightening stress levels and preventing the body from getting the rest it needs to fortify itself against chronic pain in the first place. Once chronic pain starts to invade on your sleep life, it can feel like there is nowhere left to go.

Finding a way to sleep with chronic back pain

Chiropractic is an art of problem solving. Where more traditional treatment methods fail, chiropractic looks deeper, asks questions, and demands answers of your musculoskeletal form: what exactly is causing your chronic pain? We believe that the most powerful way to change your relationship with sleep and chronic pain is to manage it naturally. And while it may take more work than using opioids to manage pain, or sleep-inducing drugs to find sleep despite the pain, we believe that between chiropractic treatment and lifestyle adjustments you can find serious pain relief and the sleep you need. The upside is greater and the list of side-effects is much smaller.

Chiropractic to help you sleep with chronic pain

Our modalities, whether it be spinal adjustment, decompression therapy, massage or trigger point release, help our patients experience a dramatic reduction in pain and an improvement in range of motion. Many of our patients report that they have had their best nights’ sleep in memory, purely on the strength of one visit. Imagine how you can feel with consistent chiropractic treatment, combined with lifestyle adjustments including managing your diet and sleep environment? The potential is great; if you are interested in sleeping better today, give our office a call to schedule an appointment. 

Chronic joint pain is a drain on quality of life 

Joints are the workhorses of the human body; they are the structures where bone meets bone, providing the functions of range of motion and shock absorption. As an office of chiropractic, a set of joints we treat on a regular basis are the facet joints. Facet joints, of which there are two in every spinal motion segment, allow for stable articulation between the vertebrae. They are small and, because they are so often used, they are frequently injured.

Facet Joint Syndrome is a common cause of back pain

Each facet joint is encased in a joint capsule filled with synovial fluid, the lubricating material that contributes to joint health. This capsule is covered by hyaline cartilage and the overall role of the entire structure is to stabilize the spine- to prevent damage from occurring due to excessive motion. When damage occurs to the joint capsule, whether due to acute injury or repetitive trauma, back pain, swelling and inflammation is a natural result. Most instances of FJS will heal themselves within a 6 week time period, but chiropractic helps to empower your body to heal quicker and prevent the injury from recurring. 

Chiropractic is effective at healing Facet Joint Syndrome

A chiropractic examination can determine whether your back pain may be caused by FJS. If so, we proceed with a dynamic plan for treatment including conservative methods for empowering your body’s ability to heal. These include:

• Chiropractic adjustment to align the spine and re-hydrate the facet joints.
• Lifestyle adjustments to account for your injury.
• Decompression therapy including manual and instrument-assisted traction to open up space between the vertebrae. 
• Advice on posture and diet to help support the healing process.

If you suspect you may be suffering from Facet Joint Syndrome, give our office a call to schedule an appointment and speed up the healing process today.