Blog
A Calm Christmastime Thanks to Chiropractic
Establish body balance and discover mental quietude this holiday season
This holiday season, give yourself and your family the best gift possible by taking control of your wellness. Holidays are the best time for you to focus on wellness factors like reducing stress by increasing the amount of time you spend with family and friends. But on the opposite side of the coin, the holidays can actually increase stress as we worry about finances and social commitments on top of an already busy schedule. Balance, as ever, is of essential importance. Balance is at the core of chiropractic theory and we want you to benefit from our expertise.
Focus on Strengthening Your Back Muscles
It’s one of the of most important things you can do for your whole life
Strengthening your back muscles supports you in the here and now and goes a long way toward mitigating future discomfort from back pain. At our office in Milpitas, we focus on strengthening the back muscles as a means of supporting the spine, especially the segment in the lower back which is responsible for weight-bearing activities. Focusing on strength here allows you to minimize the toll that compression takes on your spine.
Osteoporosis On the Rise
With an aging population, osteoporosis rates are likely to rise.
Osteoporosis is a reality we all have to contend with: at some point in our thirties, our bones begin to lose mineral density and weaken. At first, this condition doesn’t have any outward symptoms; however, if we don’t take action, our weakening bones will leave us vulnerable to serious injury.
The first time many people find out they have osteoporosis is when they break a bone. In this way, osteoporosis doesn’t actually hurt- but the broken bones it causes do hurt, and they can lead to long term health impacts.
Understanding the Severity of Your Spinal Injury
Spinal injuries can have long-term ramifications
Remember that football tackle in high school that left you on the sidelines for a few weeks with a sore, stiff neck? Your resilient young body may have been able to overcome those symptoms in the short term but that does not mean that they were permanently resolved. High-impact sports injuries, car and bike accidents are among the most common causes for whiplash- the injury in which your neck is whipped back and then forward, resulting in soft-tissue injury. The human body is a capable healer- if your injury is limited to whiplash, then it will probably be resolved in a matter of days, weeks or months. But what if there was another injury that was never diagnosed?
Ingenious Back Pain Remedies
If you have chronic back pain, managing your condition will be a daily struggle
You must choose to rise and meet the challenge! Coordinated therapy between your primary care physician, chiropractor and other spinal health care specialists should provide you with the comprehensive care you need to live your a good life despite your condition. However, it is always helpful to be armed with easy-to-remember, at-home remedies for combating back pain during flare-ups.
Swimming With Back Pain: What Strokes to Avoid
Swimming is great for back pain sufferers
Depending on the type and severity of your back pain, it may be one of the only advisable activities for maintaining fitness without causing further stress to your spine. Swimming is a low-impact, aerobic exercise that tones the entire body without causing stress to the spinal joints. Therefore, we often recommend swimming as a primary exercise for our patients with back pain conditions that are looking to improve spinal range of motion and reduce pain.
A Friendly PSA: Remember How To Lift
We despair at the number of spinal injuries which could have been avoided
Case-in-point: the simple act of lifting. We all know to lift with our legs and hips rather than our backs, yet so many of us persist, out of sheer laziness or ignorance, in bending over and lifting with our backs. But take it from back pain sufferers: bending forward (flexion) is one of the most painful motions to begin with, and when you add the lifting of weight into that scenario it can be downright impossible. It increases the amount of overall compression on our spines and strains the supportive musculature to the max. This should tell us that we need to be careful when lifting. In case you forgot, here’s how to lift properly:
Runners Suffering With Lower Back Pain
Running can be detrimental to the spine
As good as it is for aerobic fitness, endurance training and overall wellness, you have to know when your running habit (for some, read: addiction) is causing a problem for your spine. Running is a compression-heavy sport: every footfall creates a compression for the joints and discs of your spine. This repetitive compression creates a wear and tear that can be hard to bear for people with back pain. For others, running can actually create spinal health problems or aggravate previously unseen ones. Know that we are not trying to deter you from running; instead, we want to keep you aware of the dangers of running and therefore stay ahead of injury.
Postpartum Chiropractic: Rehabilitation Begins
Postpartum life is a rollercoaster
It starts in the first 6-12 hours after delivery, which constitute the acute postpartum phase; the next 2-6 weeks are known as subacute; and the delayed period can last for up to 6 months after that. It is going to be a struggle, and you are going to need allies on your side to help you through. The brutal reality is that over 75% of women report at least one health-related problem during the postpartum phase. These problems range from simple physical discomforts to feelings of depression and alienation from both yourself and your newborn child. All women deserve a helping hand through the postpartum period, as they attempt to rehabilitate their bodies and minds, and get used to life with a new child!
Our Problem with Poor Posture
Posture is the first safeguard against pain
But it is a double-edged sword; because it is also one of the main causative factors in spinal pain. The fact is poor posture translates immediately to poor mobility. Once mobility in the spinal joints is reduced, we move less effectively, and leave ourselves open to spinal degeneration and the resulting pain and dysfunction. That is why posture forms a key part of our wellness management here at Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center. We know that posture is the frontline for spinal healthcare. So how can we help?