Taking action to overcome your sciatic nerve pain

Sciatica is a blight on your everyday health. We are always surprised to find how long people let it linger before they seek help. The number one way to overcome sciatica is to address it as soon as possible; letting it linger only compounds the problem and makes the recovery process longer. Sciatica is usually an easy diagnosis; the simple leg-raise stretch can usually give us a good indicator as to the prominence and severity of your sciatica. A full physical examination will tell us exactly where the problem is originating and guide our course of action. 

Take steps to overcome sciatica today

Once we determine that sciatica is the true source of your lower back pain, we get you started on a four-step plan for overcoming it: 

1. Reducing pain. Providing chiropractic adjustments to restore spinal alignment and relieve the sciatic nerve from problematic compression.
2. Utilizing deep-tissue massage to encourage better circulation and catalyze the healing process. 
3. Using corrective exercise and stretching to further restore mobility to the region and prevent sciatica from recurring. A further focus is placed on conditioning the core stabilizing muscles to stabilize the lower spine. 
4. Teaching appropriate posture for normal and athletic activities that will further aid your lower spine in maintaining stability.

Enough is enough: calling time on sciatica in your life 

When you have decided that you’ve had enough of the sciatic nerve pain affecting your life, give our office in Milpitas a call. We are standing by to help you overcome sciatica or any other condition that is causing you back pain. 

Age-related muscle loss will affect everyone

Muscle loss due to age is known by the rather unsavory term sarcopenia. While the causes are not exactly agreed upon, we do know that age-related muscle loss contributes to:

• Less mobility
• Less ability to perform everyday tasks
• More vulnerability to injury
• Loss of independence 

Sarcopenia varies in intensity, but the most important determining factor is how much muscle you start with. If you are a relatively fit 40-something, the decline may not be as noticeable as if you have a weak musculature to begin with. As you move into your 50s and 60s the muscle loss accelerates until it supersedes the rate at which you can replace muscle; this deficit is what contributes to frailty in our elderly populations. 

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For people who sit alot, strengthening and stretching the core is imperative

Sitting puts the spine under more downward pressure than any other position, and when we pile consistently poor posture on top, we have set a course for spinal degradation that can be hard to reverse. This is because the more you sit, the weaker your core gets, and the harder it is for you to maintain good posture. Extricating yourself from this vicious cycle begins by taking breaks from sitting at least once an hour and focusing on the strength of your core stabilizing muscles. Below you will find three simple movements that can be performed from anywhere, designed to lower your risk for back pain. 

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Flipping the script: a new way to look at your back pain

If you knew that the traditional methods for treating back pain were considered only somewhat effective and that some could cause even more harm than benefit, would you continue prescribing these methods? Faced with overwhelming evidence that traditional methods are failing our community of back pain sufferers, the health industry has continued to push treatments which fail to provide effective pain relief. 

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Walking is one of the most powerful ways you can influence your spinal health

Measured by total number of steps, Americans walk less than most other developed countries which is a problem when you consider that walking more is linked with weighing less. And keeping the weight down is one of the best things you can do for your spine! Not only does walking affect weight, but it also contributes to improved circulation, more muscle and better range of motion. All of these things are part of a holistic-health lifestyle that prevent the onset of spinal problems. So here’s our health challenge to you: can you add 2 minutes of walking per hour of being awake to your daily schedule? Start small in five minute increments and see if you can eventually reach 30 minutes per day of walking and you will feel noticeably better. 

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Even seemingly innocuous activities contribute to back pain…

So much of life is blazed through in a haze of semi-consciousness; when you are sidelined by back pain, it is hard to scan through the past days, months and years to determine the cause of the pain. In all likelihood, the pain has emerged from a combination of malefactors which have culminated into a breaking point. If you are fortunate enough to be reading this from the vantage point of not having back pain, it is worth taking a look at our list of everyday habits that are hurting your spine to determine if you have room for improvement (we would wager that you do). 

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Compelling reasons to improve your core health

As an office of chiropractic, we focus on the spine as a foundation for wellness. An auxiliary to the spine’s health is the core: the network of muscles that extend from the lower stomach to the upper back and are involved in every motion we perform on a daily basis. Developing the strength and stability of your core is a key way of supporting the spine. Here’s are some reasons to improve core strength:

• Protect the nervous system: the spine is a key conduit of the nervous system, connecting brain and body. A stronger core prevents the compression which weighs down on our spines and puts spinal nerves under pressure. 
• Prevent injury: the core muscles facilitate and stabilize movement, ensuring that your spine does not suffer injury from excessive movement.
• Increase the longevity of your spine: the muscles of the core are your spine’s key ally in maintaining posture and strength. A lot of the weakness and degeneration inherent in our spines’ age can be mitigated by a stronger core. 
• Make yourself more attractive: and while this may appeal to our inner vanity, a stronger core helps us maintain a more upright posture, which not only projects confidence but contributes to better spinal health.

How we help improve core strength and spinal health at Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center

At our office in Milpitas, we believe that knowledge is power! The first step toward a stronger core and a more stable spine is awareness! We can help you determine when the way you use your core is letting you down. From posture to exercise and diet, we are committed to helping you improve your core health across the board. Chiropractic modalities maintain spinal alignment, increase circulation and improve nerve function throughout the core. From here, we focus on elongating the deep-lying muscles of the core and strengthening the phasic muscles which lend strength and support to the lower back. If you are interested in improving your core health to benefit the spine, give our office in Milpitas a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Your spine is the foundation of wellness

Keeping it healthy should be an essential health objective in our society. There is an accepted, albeit twisted, narrative that being old equates to having back pain, and little can be done about it. We’re here to tell you that this is not the case. Chiropractic is part of a preventive healthcare mindset that treats your spine as the basis for your physical wellbeing. Rather than the traditional reactive form of healthcare that predominates in Western medicine- the kind that treats symptoms after the fact- we focus on maintaining a high level of health for the spine to prevent problems from happening in the first place. 

Chiropractic is conservative care

And conservative care is especially effective when you consider it from a preventive angle. Chiropractic’s primary health objectives in a preventive sense are: maintaining alignment of the spine, contributing to the health and pliability of the muscles and soft tissues that support it, and improving core stability. The overall outcome of these three factors is:

• More fluid nervous system function
• Better range of motion 
• Less back pain 
• Ability to maintain better posture

And once injury does strike, chiropractic seeks and addresses the root cause rather than treating symptoms. Our bodies are amazingly adept at healing themselves, but sometimes they need a helping hand. Chiropractic is a conservative form of rehabilitation that seeks to augment the body’s natural healing abilities. 

Prevention is healthcare the right way around

At our office in Milpitas, we are concerned with helping you use spinal health to influence overall wellbeing. We would love to help you unlock the potential of your musculoskeletal being- if you are interested in improving spinal health to live a longer, less painful life, give our office in Milpitas a call to schedule an appointment today.  

Spinal curvature is essential for stability and mobility

There are four essential curves in your spine: the cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral, and each has a vital role to play in spinal health and thus, in your overall well-being. However, the four of them combine to provide your entire body with stability and resilience to injury and pain, as well as providing for the initiation and stabilization of all the movements we perform throughout the day. 

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Getting older means taking a more proactive approach to spinal care

Whether you like it or not, once we approach the quarter-life mark, (20-25 years), our spines need help. Gone are the days of resilience where our backs could withstand seemingly any twist, turn, and dip. The reality is that spines begin to stiffen as the constant downward compression of gravity compounds and begins to wreak havoc. It is therefore our responsibility to protect the longevity of our spines by taking decisive action now! Fortunately, your spinal care specialists at Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center are well equipped to help you do just that. 

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