Sitting in an ergonomic chair is highly recommended to prevent back pain that is the result of prolonged sitting or in an improper position. This type of “posture-improving” chair can commonly help prevent back pain from occurring or in relieving existing back pain almost right away. You may be wondering why. The answer is that an ergonomic chair puts your spine into proper alignment. Of course, this type of chair tends to be rather expensive. So, you might want to consider making a chair of your own using a Pilates ball. This sort of chair will generally cost around fifteen dollars, and the ball is available at many department stores in the exercise section.  A Pilates ball can do excellent things for your back!

Now, I highly suggest that you see a good chiropractor first because you need to get out of pain before you attempt to strengthen your back! Through the gentle adjustment of your spine, as an experienced Portland Chiropractor, I can help to realign areas that have been tugged and pulled, and relieve stress on muscles that have been working overtime while you’ve been working nine to five! Once you are feeling pain-free, then it’s time to do a few simply things for yourself (for your back’s sake) to stay that way!

So, let’s get back to talking about that “do-it-yourself” but “just-as-effective” posture-improving chair. Sitting on a Pilates ball whenever you’re working at the computer is an excellent way for you to get your back into shape.  First of all, it forces you to sit properly and to adjust your posture so that you are not slouching and putting your spine into an unnatural curve.  Secondly, it assists in building up your core as you maintain your balance on the Pilates ball throughout your work day.

As a Portland Chiropractor, I stand by this motto for better back health: “Straighten, then strengthen.” Let me help get your back in action! Call today!

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What does that theme have to do with you? Well, the focus will be on how chiropractors, like me, can help you to stay healthy and injury free while toting the gadgets you love, or if you work long hours in front of a computer. Did you know that excessive use of mobile devices, and incorrect posture while using smart phones (and other gadgets) or while sitting in front of a computer can lead to neck, back, wrist, and even thumb pain? In fact, the problem is becoming so widespread that earlier this year a spokesperson for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said that musculoskeletal injuries remain one of the biggest workplace health and safety problems in American industry.

Chiropractic care, of course, can treat these conditions naturally, but your chiropractor can teach you how to take breaks, to stretch and exercise to prevent pain and injury, and how not to maintain the same stooped-over posture for long periods of time or to repeat the same motions endlessly.

Your chiropractor knows a lot about the musculoskeletal system and how modern day technology can often affect it in painful, and sometimes debilitating ways. Don’t wait for October. If you’re experiencing neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, wrist pain, or even thumb pain, see your chiropractor today! It’s time to learn how to use modern technology and stay pain-free at the same time.

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But, there are one or two ways to tell the difference between poor posture and scoliosis even before calling for your consult with your Grand Rapids chiropractor. If you were to look at an individual with scoliosis in a standing position, you would probably notice that one shoulder is higher than the other, and that the scapula (shoulder blade) is raised or more prominent. You would likely see a wider space between the arm and the body on one side if the person’s arms were hanging loosely at his or her sides. Additionally, one hip may be higher or more pronounced than the other. And finally, the head will not look as if it is in plumb with the pelvis.

Scoliosis symptoms can be mild; however, if the curve and rib rotation are dramatic enough, both pulmonary and cardiac functions can be restricted. The cause of scoliosis in 85 percent of cases is unknown. This type of scoliosis (Idiopathic) tends to run in families and is considered to have a genetic component.

Idiopathic Scoliosis commonly develops during adolescence when the body is completing its last major growth spurt. This type of scoliosis is most frequently found in girls. A scoliotic curve, if found, should be monitored for any progression. Your chiropractor in Grand Rapids will not only provide periodic examinations, but will suggest standing x-rays if needed.

Because most scoliotic curvatures are mild to moderate, a brace is unnecessary. Therefore, regular chiropractic care, in these cases, is therapeutic in both in decreasing and adjusting any compensatory musculoskeletal conditions that can take place.

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There are moments, even for chiropractors, the success of chiropractic treatment and its superiority in helping people get rid of pain and get their life back again can seem, well, almost miraculous. I feel gratified when I read the variety of testimonials given by chiropractic patients who have not only experienced pain relief through chiropractic treatment, but also experienced more energy and vitality, stress reduction and peace of mind, and a greater ability to sleep at night.

Still, sometimes I come across something, like this particular research article I read in the scientific periodical, Journal of Pediatric, Maternal and Family Health, and I am moved to a new level of admiration for my profession. The research detailed the case of a severely disabled 16-year-old girl experiencing spasticity and sleep disturbances due to Cerebral Palsy. It was her inability to sleep through the night that caused her family the most distress. To compound the young girl’s condition,when she was seven years old, surgeons fused metal rods in her spine, from neck to base.

The mother of the girl hoped that chiropractic treatment could correct her daughter’s spinal subluxations and ease her often horrendous pain. One can only imagine that the examination was difficult. Fortunately the chiropractor was able to determine that there were several subluxations that could be safely corrected. The chiropractor treated the girl twice per week. By her sixth adjustment, the girl was sleeping normally through the night. By her ninth visit she showed an improvement in her muscle spasticity as measured by specific instruments.

Yet, even though complete recovery was not expected, the authors of the research article noted that “the patient and her family were able to return to a normal sleep schedule as well as enjoy improved quality of life.”

Improved quality of life. Who could ask for more from any type of health care?  No one! But, do you want to know something? More chiropractors experience just that with their patients than medical doctors do.

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Wichita Chiropractor

As a Wichita Chiropractor for more than twenty years, I have assisted many people suffering from sciatic pain, so I’m truly aware from experience just how incapacitating sciatic pain can be. Sciatica sufferers are unfortunately all too familiar with the kind of deep pain that often radiates through the lower part of their body, persists during the day and restricts almost all of their daily activities.

Are you concerned that your low back pain could be generated by sciatica? If your pain travels from your low back, through your buttock(s), down the large sciatic nerve in the back of your leg(s), and possibly penetrates into your knee(s), you probably have sciatica. In addition, not only movement, but even sitting can be painful. Often lying down will reduce, or occasionally even temporarily get rid of the pain. But, you should be warned that sciatica cannot be corrected without proper care.

Radiculopathy

One of the clinical diagnoses of sciatica is called a “radiculopathy”, a medical term that means simply that a disc has protruded from its natural position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the radicular nerve, or nerve root, in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve. This type of pressure is extremely painful.

Added pressure on the intervertebral discs, as well as imbalances in the muscles encasing the spine, can occur during and after extended sitting, specifically in an improper position. A particular event or injury isn’t usually the cause of sciatica, more often sciatica is likely to progress over time due to everyday wear and tear on the vertebrae of the lower spine. After a while the lower spine can lose its ability to function normally during everyday stresses.

Ultimately, the intervertebral disc undergoes small fissures or cracks, which then allow the soft nucleus to protrude the disc outward. If the disc pushes on sensitive tissues, it generates the pain that is frequently called a ruptured, or slipped, disc. If the disc presses on the spinal nerve, sciatica is likely to develop. With chiropractic manipulation and management, which often includes postural exercises, the majority of disc problems, including sciatica, can be totally alleviated.

Periformis Syndrome

Another cause of sciatic pain is periformis syndrome. Periformis syndrome occurs when the periformis muscle, for whatever reason, goes into spasm and irritates the sciatic nerve, is superficial to the nerve In combination with chiropractic manipulation, this kind of sciatica can be significantly relieved by sciatica stretches that your chiropractor can recommend.

If you are experiencing sciatic pain, it is crucial for you to seek chiropractic attention. If you are in the Wichita area, as your Wichita Chiropractor, I look forward to helping you to get out of pain and get your life back!

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Cincinnati Chiropractic

At my Cincinnati Chiropractic Clinic I treat many elders who are affected by balance problems. In fact, nine percent of adults, aged 65 and over, experience dizziness, “wooziness,” and other balance-related conditions. Good balance is extremely important, of course, in aiding seniors in remaining independent and to avoid falling down and incurring injuries that are frequently very serious or even fatal. But, it may surprise you to know that falls produce a large percentage of work-related injuries for adults younger than 65 years of age, including individuals in their twenties and thirties. That’s right! Balance problems can happen at any age. In fact, those who work at “dangerous heights” like construction workers, roofers, oil platform employees, windows cleaners, or anywhere else where a ladder is required are far more likely to sustain serious injury if their balance isn’t good.

The essential capacity of good balance is to assist us in managing and maintaining our body position, whether we are standing still or moving, and whether we are on the ground or high up on a platform. Good balance assists us in walking without faltering, arising from a sitting position without tottering, and in climbing stairs without slipping. In other words, good balance is crucial to our health and well-being.

What is commonly surprising to some people is that they could have a balance dysfunction without any idea of how serious it is. Often times someone is able to “shake off” a dizzy feeling and the sensation may not come back for a while. However when precipitous dizziness occurs at a consequential moment, it is too late to shake it off and a fall is most likely certain.

The feeling by some individuals that they, personally, are spinning or that objects around them are moving is known as “vertigo.” About 40% of individuals in the U.S. will have at least one experience of dizziness that is serious enough to seek out help from a health professional, like your Chiropractor at Cincinnati Chiropractic. That said, if you work at any of the jobs listed above, it is a highly beneficial idea for you to have a chiropractor check your balance prior to a sudden episode of dizziness, instead of as a response to such an episode. Why? Because as a chiropractor, I can not only check your balance, and make corrections if needed, but can assist you in maintaining good balance in the future. And, of course, having good balance may save you from serious injury or worse.

Balance disorders at any age are serious. If you believe that you may have a possible balance disorder, it is crucial for you to be evaluated and treated without delay. In fact, if you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions, even if the experience is seldom or infrequent, you should discuss the symptom(s) with a chiropractor as soon as possible:

• Have you experienced a feeling of being “unsteady?”

• Has the room seemed to spin around you?

• Has there ever a time when you felt as if you were moving when you knew you were standing still?

• Have you lost your balance and/or fallen down?

• Have you ever felt as if you were falling?

• Has your vision ever become “blurred?”

• Have you ever felt disoriented, or lost a sense of time, place or identity?

It is important for you to remember that balance problems are not confined to a particular age group. From the time we learn to walk until we take our final step, our falling down is possible. All the more reason to have your balance checked if you work in a job that makes your falling down a “critical” issue. Don’t wait until you sustain a work injury! If you’re in the Cincinnati area, give Cincinnati Chiropractic a call today!

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Corona Chiropractor

When it comes to hip pain relief, your chiropractor in Corona provides highly effective non-invasive, drug-free treatment. Hopefully, it goes without saying that surgery should be a last resort whenever possible. Therefore, before you schedule a surgery to replace that hip, ask yourself the following questions: Is it impossible for you to get a good night’s sleep because your hip pain wakes you up at night? When you get out of bed in the morning, and/or when you get out of your car, are you stiff and do you find it initially hard to get your legs moving sufficiently? Do you feel pain in one or both hips when you cross your legs or rotate or twist your hips? If so, you may have imbalances and alignment problems in your lower extremities that are not only causing your hip pain, but can over time lead to osteoarthritis in your hips if not treated. The good news is that whether or not degenerative changes have already taken place, chiropractic treatment can help!

It may be true that you’re getting older and your hip joints just aren’t what they used to be. But, are you aware that your hip pain and related problems, which normally signal age-related degenerative conditions, may not actually be created by osteoarthritis? That’s right. In fact, instead of being the original source of your condition, osteoarthritis of the hip joint is more often than not the outgrowth of a earlier injury (or injuries) to your hips.

More often than not, hip problems have to do with asymmetry or imbalance when you are in motion, as when you are walking. If you tend to walk “pronated” like a duck, with your toes pointing away from your body, sooner or later you will develop pain in your hips as a result of the asymmetrical pressure on your hip joints and your body’s efforts to compensate. However, you can learn to correct your gait pattern at any age, and your chiropractor in Corona can help you to do it.

Additionally, you may have had gait changes as the result of an ankle sprain or knee strain, and since “the knee bone’s connected to the hip bone,” these biomechanical accommodations create pain in the hip(s). Naturally, if not remedied, your hip joints will suffer further consequences, namely, the wear and tear that produces degenerative changes.

Other circumstances that can occasionally injure the hip joints are starting a new job or beginning a new sport that requires you to move your body in unfamiliar ways. Also, transporting a child (or grandchild) on one hip can cause hip pain. Even the way you sit or driving for long periods of time on a regular basis can cause hip injury and pain.

See? Not every pain is caused by “old age,” even though we may suffer from more pain as the result of the progressive capacity of untreated injuries.

As part of the chiropractic management of your hip problem, along with your adjustments, your Corona Chiropractor will recommend appropriate rehabilitative exercises that include gentle muscle stretching and strengthening, and will also evaluate your gait and may suggest simple pattern changes.

Your hip pain won’t vanish by itself. Hip pain means that something needs correcting. If left untreated, it is very likely that at some point you will require that hip replacement surgery. So, don’t wait until it’s too late. Your chiropractor in Corona can get you out of pain, get your body back into balance, and help you get to back to enjoying your life again!

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Oxnard Chiropractor

Dr. Donald Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, knows that allergy symptoms can make your day-to-day life  difficult. A stroll in the park, a play date with Kitty, a seafood pasta, or merely something as tiny as a nut is likely to produce such miserable complaints as itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, or a skin rash.

But unfortunately, now and again an individual’s allergic reactions can go from just plain annoying to acute and life-threatening as the air passageway starts to tighten and breathing becomes strained. This kind of progression of difficulties can frequently produce a state of acute anxiety coupled with a trip to the emergency room.

Allergies can, without a doubt, end up as an exceptionally serious disruption and make you feel sidelined and not able to participate in life. In fact, if you are one of those unfortunate individuals who have allergy symptoms, it may perhaps seem to you that, on occasion, your environment is a extremely antagonistic space and that the world all around you is, literally, out to get you!

You might ask yourself why it is that other people seem to be so unaffected by the exact same environmental stresses that send your body into overwhelm. Other people seem either unaware of or plainly`totally unresponsive to the would-be irritants that lurk at each and every turn, while your body reacts, or rather overreacts, to them. Why you? A good question. The answer is that some men and women, such as yourself, have a hyperactive immune system that basically “goes wild” whenever you come across common substances like pollen, dander, shellfish, or nut products.

Can your Oxnard Chiropractor help you in gaining a lasting reduction in your allergy symptoms? Fortunately , the answer is a unquestionable “Yes,” and the explanation will possibly surprise you. A great many chiropractic patients have noticed that they experience freedom from their allergy symptoms after a chiropractic treatment, even though chiropractic care doesn’t essentially directly address allergies, per se. The scientific explanation for the decline in allergy symptoms is because of the fact that chiropractic adjustment affects your whole nervous system, including the autoimmune system, and that is at the root of your allergic responses. Every time there is a disruption within the nervous system, coupled with other challenges, the autoimmune system, whose job it is to enable you to adjust and react appropriately to your surroundings, may become under-active or overactive. Where your allergies are concerned, the breakdown is the latter (it becomes overactive).

In view of the fact that chiropractic adjustments are meant to reduce or even totally do away with disturbances within the nervous system and bring back balance and tranquility to the complete body, in addition to a variety of corrections, the treatments impart homeostasis to the autoimmune system at the same time. A sound immune system reacts appropriately to so-called allergens in the natural environment.

So, as pointed out previously, your Oxnard Chiropractor doesn’t necessarily apply treatment to allergies, nevertheless that doesn’t suggest your allergies won’t get better or go away. On the other hand, you could say, instead, that relief from your allergies is simply the “side-effect” of your rebalanced nervous system. If you would like to get back into a balanced relationship with your surroundings as soon as possible, call Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, today. He can help you get your life back!

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It may surprise you to know that chiropractors like me, your chiropractor in Dallas, treat almost as many patients with knee pain as we do patients with back problems. However, I’m convinced that we, chiropractors, would see fewer knee problems if more men and women came in sooner for back care. That’s right! Taking care of your back can help prevent knee pain!

What does your back have to do with your knee? The answer is that the musculoskeletal system of the body operates in a compensatory, “chain-reaction” manner. Which is to say that when one area of the musculoskeletal system isn’t functioning correctly, the rest of the body shifts and tilts in order to compensate for the problem.  For instance, pain in the patella (kneecap), also known as Patella Femoral Syndrome (Knee Cap Pain) is often caused by imbalances in the quadriceps muscles of the thigh that attach to and move the patella. These imbalances frequently start in the lower spine, most often in the sacroiliac joint. It’s not unlike the old song, “…the knee bones connected to the thigh bone…”. From our head to our toes, we are one, whole, organic structure. That is why challenges are never isolated. So, now you know that your back can affect your knees, but it’s not always the culprit! For example, reduced foot mechanics due to foot pain generally causes painful knee problems as well. In addition, poor knee tracking due to improper gait patterns, such as pronation (walking like a duck with toes pointed out rather than straight ahead), can cause stress on the knee joints and extreme pain over time. And, lastly, excess body weight and, not to bum out the ladies, but the wearing of high heels on a regular basis can cause knee problems over time.

Happily, chiropractic treatment can reestablish healthy muscle balance, restore appropriate movement to the patella and other knee joints, and adjust subluxations of the sacroiliac joints or bones of the foot. Knee replacement surgery in an attempt to relieve knee pain should be a last resort!
It it vitally important that you never disregard knee pain, or “play through” knee pain, or continue walking in those lovely Jimmy Choo heels when your knees are aching. Pain is the body’s way of alerting you to the fact that something is wrong. If knee problems are left untreated, the tissues of the knee joint, particularly the cartilage, will continue to degenerate. And, changes, such as bone spurs, can occur if the bones begin to rub on one another.

Musculoskeletal problems, such as knee pain and degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis), generally increase as a person ages. However, no matter what your age is today, right this minute you are younger than you will ever be again. See your Dallas Chiropractor today…for tomorrow’s sake!

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