Why do we need the oxygen to flow?

When you take a breath, what does your body do with all that, “air.” Because most cells in the human body are only able to perform aerobic respiration, they need a constant supply of refreshing oxygen to create energy out of glucose; this is the energy needed to maintain and improve health.  

Blood circulation is important because it cycles oxygen to cells throughout the body that provide for the functioning of all our organs and essential systems. So we know oxygen is important, but how do we ensure it is getting where it needs to go? 

Chiropractic ensures your muscles are getting the oxygen they need

Fortunately, chiropractic care can make breathing easier so that you can get more oxygen into your bloodstream; chiropractic then helps you to circulate the blood more effectively. Targeted adjustment to the cervical vertebrae can help improve function in the diaphragm, helping you draw breath more effectively.

Through chiropractic adjustment, mobilization and decompression, as well as massage modalities including active release, myofascial release and trigger point therapy, we increase blood flow to muscles that are in need of repair. This brings them the essential oxygen and nutrients they need to perform the rehabilitation. 

Chiropractic helps you make the most of each breath

Because oxygen is a cornerstone of our life, we want to help you get the most out of every breath you draw. If you are interested in optimizing your body for breathing, as well as learning how to breathe more effectively, give our office in Milpitas a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Nutrition absolutely plays a role in tense muscles

Here’s a simple fact: your muscles need the right nutrients in the correct amounts to keep them in a state of health, to keep them repairing and rebuilding. You also need optimally functioning blood vessels to facilitate blood flow to the muscles, bringing them the oxygen and nutrients they need to perform all their essential functions. Diet plays a role in all of the above, so let’s start harnessing the power of nutrition to make a difference in our muscle tension. 

Let’s put the spotlight on nutrients that affect muscle tension

We begin with foods that benefit the circulatory system, that keep the channels clear and the blood flowing. Healthy fats, most coming from plants, are important for this as well as soluble fiber. Other ingredients at the top of our list include:

1. Calcium: ever had a muscle cramp? Calcium deficiency is a common contributor to the occurrence of muscles seizing in a contracted position and causing a sharp, stabbing pain. 
2. Magnesium: a complimentary mineral to calcium, magnesium helps stimulate many processes in the human body, including nerve transmission, blood circulation and muscle contraction. 
3. Too much caffeine: creates mental stress and erratic nerve activity, in which the nerves which control your muscles are overactive, causing the muscles to contract and stay that way. The diuretic effect of caffeine also causes your body to lower its levels of calcium and magnesium. 

How we help resolve muscle tension in Milpitas

We treat many people suffering from chronically tight muscles. We utilize chiropractic adjustment to relieve nerve compression and stimulate the body’s circulation. When blood moves to the muscles, the extra oxygen allows them to facilitate the release of lactic acid which is a signal contributor to knots of muscle tension. We use trigger point therapy to release these knots and instrument-adjusted myofascial release to treat muscle pain throughout the body. If you are interested in turning your back on chronic muscle tension, give our office in Milpitas a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Athletes put their bodies under stress, it’s up to us to help mitigate the damage

In the pursuit of specialization that many athletes enter in preparation for their sport, they put their body through all kinds of motions that can cause injury. Even though you are doing your body a great service by building muscle and improving cardiovascular function, (among many other things), your body is likely taking on more impact than a person who takes no exercise. This impact varies in degrees, especially depending on the sport, but all impact is likely to cause degradation. We seek to limit the degree of degradation and therefore, lower your likelihood for injury.

All that being said, athletic injuries do still occur in MIlpitas

The most common injuries to befall an athlete are sprains, strains and tears that result from trauma, whether forceful or repetitive in nature. Here is how we help treat the injuries: 

• Chiropractic adjustment: restoring alignment to the spine, alleviating nerve impingement, restoring function to spinal joints. 
• Spinal mobilization: low-force adjustments target a spinal segment to improve range of motion.
• Myofascial release: reducing pain allows you to focus on stretching and strengthening, an integral part of rehabilitating an injury.
• Improving circulation: circulation brings the necessary nutrients and oxygen to an injury which facilitates the repair process.
• Ice and heat: further improves circulation and facilitates the healing process. 

Treating athletic injuries with chiropractic in Milpitas

Ideally, we would begin helping before the injury occurs! In support of preventing injuries in the first place, we evaluate the body to determine spinal imbalance that can also affect muscles and detect points of tension in the musculature that can leave you prone to injury. If you want to find out how chiropractic can optimize your athletic life, give our office in Milpitas a call to schedule an appointment today. 

The bridge could be one of the most important movements you’re not doing 

When it comes to back pain, one stretch-cum-exercise stands above all as offering you some kick-ass treatment for your tender back. The bridge, in its many forms, can be used to reverse many of the problems associated with sitting too much, poor posture, and repetitive trauma injuries that are coming to define life in the 21st century technological world. 

Benefits of the bridge for people with back pain in Milpitas: 

• Elongating the spine
• Stretching every muscle in the back
• Targeting muscles that directly support the spine
• Opening up hips and shoulders
• Toning the glutes and hamstrings
• Improving circulation

When you sit for the majority of the day, many of these muscles fall by the wayside, weakening and contributing to limited range of motion. This is a dangerous proposition for you and your spine: with weaker supportive muscles, you are more prone to injury from simple daily movements. It is important to focus on undoing the tightening and weakening that you put your muscles through when sitting at your desk all day; it is important to do a bridge after a hard day of sitting. 

Bridge for back pain in Milpitas

There are many different types of bridges and we are sure that one of them will suit you. However, it is always a good idea to speak with a health professional when you are considering adding a movement like the bridge into your health care routine. Give our office in Milpitas a call, where we can show you how to bridge effectively to account for your particular spine. 

Why is core stability important?

Core stability may as well mean spinal stability, which is why it is important to develop your core as more than just a nice looking six pack. There is a whole network of muscles here that work together to support your spine and prevent injury from daily movement. Weakness in the core muscles is one of the most culpable elements for spinal dysfunction and back pain. A strong core will: 

• support your spine
• allow you to perform daily motions without incurring injury
• contribute to good posture
• keep you upright and pain free as you get older 

So what are the muscles within the core that are so important? Let’s meet one set.

Milpitas, meet your erector spinae muscles, an important set of muscles for stability in the lower back

The erector spinae muscles run from the base of your skull down to the sacrum, comprising the core muscles along the way. They support your spine from top to bottom as well as your head, allowing for lateral trunk flexion but more importantly trunk extension. If you have ever sat up straight in your chair after slumping for an extended period of time, you have experienced the sensation of activating your erector spinae muscles. Weakness in the erector spinae muscles puts your back at risk for strain and thus, is often present when people complain of indiscriminate back pain.

How we help establish core stability and reduce back pain in Milpitas 

Exercises such as deadlifts, and back extension exercises performed with different equipment are important for adding strength the erector spinae- but there are stretches and strengthening movements that can be done without gym equipment as well. If you suspect that weak core muscles are contributing to your back pain, give our office in Milpitas a call to schedule an appointment today. It is always a good idea to converse with a health professional before starting any new regime for strengthening muscles that support the spine. We can ensure your spine and supportive muscles are balanced and ready to receive the benefits of exercise as well as advise you on which exercises will benefit your body best. 

Trigger points are a great source of pain, but what exactly are they? 

The fascia is a layer of tissue that covers the muscles and spreads uninterrupted throughout the body. Following injury to a muscle, there is often an accompanying epicenter of sensitivity. This is called the trigger point; the important distinction is that trigger points are not areas of scar tissue within the muscle, but rather an area of increased sensitivity that causes discomfort and pain when pressurized. Often this pain can be felt in other parts of the body, seemingly unrelated to the injury, in what is known as referred pain. 

Chiropractic treatment for trigger points and myosfascial pain in Milpitas

Trigger points can develop in any skeletal muscle, (those that provide stability and movement to joints and bones) and because of referred pain, it is important to know exactly where the pain is originating from. Because myofascial pain does not show up on X-rays, MRIs or CT scans, we use a more hands on approach to detect trigger points. At our office in Milpitas, we use manual pressure to search for trigger points in the muscles that correspond to your pain. From here, we use treatment methods including:

• Myofascial release
• Active Release technique
• Heat and Ice
• Electric stimulation and ultrasound
• Specific stretching and strengthening

Are you suffering from recurrent trigger point pain in Milpitas?

Trigger points also develop due to deficiencies in lifestyle; repetitive trauma, poor posture and high levels of stress contribute to heightened muscle tension which often translates into trigger points. We help you identify behavior that leads to heightened muscle tension and give you ways to dispel it in the moment. Give our office a call to find out more about what we can do to help detect and defeat your myofascial pain. 

Shoulders are among the most active joints in our bodies

The glenohumeral joint is the ball and socket joint between the scapula and humerus; it is the joint most people are referring to when they say the word, “shoulder.” This particular joint interacts with three other joints to make up the entire shoulder complex and there are a host of muscles, tissues and other ligaments that go into supporting the shoulder, keeping it stable and providing for its range of motion. 

What is shoulder instability?

Shoulder instability is most often the result of structural compromise in the glenohumeral joint; when the fine tuning between joints and muscles fails and the ball separates from the socket, you can definitely argue that there is some instability happening. A partial separation of the ball from the socket is called a subluxation, while a complete unjoining of the joint is called a dislocation. Instability, subluxation and dislocation are all underlying causes for a host of symptoms related to shoulders including pain, dysfunction and limited range of motion. If you feel that something is amiss in your shoulder, it is important to get an assessment to determine the true cause of your dysfunction. Athletes who use their shoulders a lot, including throwing sports or swimming, need to devote extra attention to the health and strength of their shoulders. 

How chiropractic can help people suffering with shoulder pain in Milpitas

Chiropractic treatment for shoulder instability begins with a thorough assessment and medical history to determine the specific cause of your dysfunction. Chiropractic adjustment and mobilization are effective at maintaining spinal alignment and proper nerve signalling to the shoulder region. A conditioning program will then be put in place to strengthen the muscles, tendons and ligaments which create the supportive network around the joint. If you suspect something isn’t quite right with your shoulders, or you have been suffering from instability related pain, give our office in Milpitas a call and let’s start correcting this today.

Extension-based pain results from an overextension of the spine.

It is the opposite of flexion-based intolerance; rather than being cause by bending over, this kind of pain is caused when your spine becomes extended past normal. It is most present in people who spend the majority of their days standing; often, these people will develop anterior pelvic tilt which contributes to an accentuated curve in the back and causes pain. Going around with a hyperextended (or, if your prefer, over-arched) spine, leaves you vulnerable to conditions such as:

• Facet joint syndrome
• Spondyloisthesis
• Spinal stenosis

Do yourself a favor and lie down for a second, with a normal curve in your spine. Now press your back flat to the ground- does this position feel better for your spine? In that case, you may have extension-based back pain. 

Treating extension-based back pain in Milpitas

At Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center, we have myriad experience helping people lessen and even completely overcome extension-based back pain. Because the problem is, at its most basic, postural, we want to start by helping you identify when your spine is hyperextended. For example, a normal curvature in the spine is considered, “extended;” anything past this is over-extended. We can help you reverse this postural deficiency by working on neutral pelvic tilting and strengthening the core stabilizing muscles. 

Leave back pain behind with chiropractic therapy in Milpitas 

At our office in Milpitas, we are your back pain specialists. We want to help you overcome flexion-based back pain through a coordination of chiropractic therapy, postural awareness and corrective exercise.

Your spine is not designed for too much flexion 

Flexion-based pain is the most ubiquitous back pain of our age- the kind related to being hunched over computers and cell phones; the kind related to sitting more and doing less. Whatever your reason for sitting so much, flexion based back pain results when the spine remains flexed for too long. With flexion occurring all the time, the back slowly wears down, resulting in degenerative conditions such as disc herniation, spinal stenosis and, more generally, back pain. 

A test for flexion-based intolerance

Simply bend over. If you experience pain while reaching for your toes, or your pain gets worse in this position, there is a good chance you have flexion intolerance. Another key question is whether you experience pain while sitting and does the pain disappear when you stand up or walk? 

Relieving flexion intolerance and pain

At our office in Fremont, we frequently treat people with flexion intolerance. Our goals to help you break out of this pain are as follows:

•  to limit motions that cause you pain,
• help you recognize when you are in a flexion dominant position and how to limit your time spent like this throughout the day
• Restoring neutral posture
• Strengthening the core stabilizing muscles 

In order to do this, we will use chiropractic adjustment to address any misalignment of the spine that has thus far occurred and to encourage healing of conditions such as herniated discs. We then prescribe a course for strengthening that takes into account your level of fitness and pain. 

Exercises to avoid for flexion-intolerant persons include: 

• Dead lifts 
• Back Squats
• Situps
• Crunches

Give our office in Milpitas a call so we can get you back on track in spite of any flexion-based intolerance you may be suffering!

Running is an injury-prone activity

For such an innate human movement, more and more runners find themselves sidelined by injuries ranging from pulled muscles and shin splints to runners knee and tendinitis. It is a jarring sport that affects the joints of the knees and the shock absorbing intervertebral discs in the spine. But it is worth noting that many of these common overuse injuries can be avoided completely by applying proper technique and adding a little variety into your running routine.

Preventing running injuries 

• Evaluate your stride: an efficient stride helps to minimize the chance for injury and maximize your chance for maintaining good posture. Aim to strike the ground under your hips rather than in front of your body 
• Check your cadence: 180 steps per foot per minute is an ideal cadence 
• Analyze your posture: staying upright is critical to preventing injury. 
• Change up your running surface: move from concrete to trail, to rubber track and back again. Concrete is the most jarring on your joints. 

If you are running regularly, it is worth placing a premium on minimizing repetitive stress. The above tips along with regularly replacing your running shoes can help you to minimize damage to your joints. Another way to minimize your risk for injury is by strength training the muscles which support you on your run. At Family Chiropractic & Natural Healing Center, we have years of experience helping runners adjust their body mechanics to avoid injury and stay on their feet. Give our office a call to schedule an appointment today.