A Heavy Head From Smartphones

We all know we are supposed to stand up straight.  We've been told since we were kids.  We've all seen the hunchback in fairy tales and horror movies.  Yet we continue to slouch.  It's a fact that the force of gravity pulling us down, makes it much easier to just let our necks and upper backs just hang forward.  Now a new scourge has been set upon us that rivals gravity's effect on our posture:  The Smartphone.

According to CBS News (see article here), a new study is going to be published in Surgical Technology International by the chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, showing the effects of flexing (bending forward) your neck to look at the little screens.  As we increase the angle our cervical spine (neck) flexes forward, we increase the amount our head weighs, relative to our spine holding it up.  Wait, what?  Well, due to the pull of gravity, the further forward you lean, the harder the muscles in your neck need to pull.  So, according to the study, flexing forward 15 degrees (which is a relatively small amount) more than doubles the force the muscles must pull.  If we flex our neck forward 60 degrees, the amount of force goes from 10-12lbs (the actual weight of our head) to an astonishing 60lbs.  So as far as the neck and upper back muscles are concerned, its like walking around with a 50lb hat on. 

Some of the the most common complaints we see in our office are neck pain and headaches.  Most of the time the pain is not coming from a pinched nerve or migraine, but from tight muscles and trigger points (hyperactive small bands of a muscle) behind the head and along the neck.  You know those big, tight muscles along your shoulders, the ones that tense when you shrug?  Those are your upper trapezius and one of the biggest culprits.  As you would expect, adding to the amount of weight the neck muscles must hold contributes to, if not causes, all this tension. 

The human body has developed over many years to be upright.  Smartphones are trying to reverse what our parents have tried to instill in us.  We must not let that happen.  Trying to limit the amount of usage is the first line of defense.  Try and only answer the most important emails from the cell phone.  When you do use it, try and hold it up higher, as to limit the amount of neck flexion.  Lastly, try this stretch, doing it periodically throughout the day acts both as a reminder to watch your posture as well as helping to strengthen your upper back and neck muscles.  As always, if you notice pain from the stretch discontinue and call your health care provider.  For additional exercises and stretches, as well as the correct way to set up your computer, visit us at www.peyserchiropractic.com.

Move Your Wallet

Does your wallet look like this?  As Jerry accurately pointed out to George, his low back pain was likely coming from sitting on the giant wallet in his back pocket.  While most of us don't have wallets that size, even a smaller one in your back pocket can create a weight imbalance that will offset the alignment of your pelvis.  This is why it is best to keep your wallet in your front pocket.  As an added bonus it will help keep you safe from pickpockets in case you happen upon a gypsy community.  This can be a tough habit to break but once you move it you won't be able to sit with a wallet in your back pocket ever again.  Keep your back happy and maybe you can make this the "Summer of George".  For more info on back pain and proper sitting posture, especially while at your desk visit www.peyserchiropractic.com.

Sit Up Straight!

We have all heard it from mom and dad.  We know we're supposed to but we don't.  Whether it's because we sit at the computer too much or are just lazy, we all slouch.  The fact of the matter is, it's much easier for us to slouch because of the "age old" phenomenon known as gravity. 

The force that keeps us all attached to this Earth makes it much harder to hold our head up above our shoulders.  Every inch your head moves forward of the neutral position it adds the weight of an additional head (relative to what your muscles need to hold).  So if you are neutral your head weighs about 8 pounds, 1 inch forward it now weighs 16 pounds, 2 inches equals 24 pounds and so on.  So what is neutral?

Neutral is, when looking from the side, the hole in your ear lines up with the front 1/3 of your shoulder.  That's tough to see on your own so ask a friend, "hey, where is my ear hole relative to my shoulder?".   Ok, you may get some funny looks so why not just assume you are like the rest of us and your head and shoulders are forward of where they should be.  Now let's work on fixing it.

What we need to do is both stretch the muscles that are tense and strengthen muscles that are under utilized and weak.  Luckily there is a great exercise that does both.  Basically, what it does is over-accentuate normal posture.  You hold it for 5-20 seconds, then when you relax, you fall into "good" or neutral posture and try and stay there, instead of slouching again.  This should be done throughout the day, not just once a day, like most exercises.  You do it when you notice you are slouching, or when you have been sitting at your desk for half an hour, or in the car, or you realize that you haven't done it for a while. This is supposed to be part of your new routine.

Ok, ready to go?  Here it is.

As always, go to www.peyserchiropractic.com for more info on this and other great health tips.

Office Ergonomics

Told you so...

www.peyserchiropractic.com

Core Stabilization

Everyone knows they need to strengthen their core to prevent low back pain, but what does this mean?  Most people assume if they do crunches and back extensions they are covering their bases, however this is not true.  There are smaller stabilizing muscles attaching directly to the spine that also need to be strengthened.  These are difficult to isolate as the larger muscles do most of the work with the above mentioned exercises.  There is a group of exercises for strengthening those smaller muscles.  It is important to master the first of these (abdominal hollowing) before moving to the next.  If you are not performing the abdominal hollowing properly then the next steps will not be effective.  A little hint; you should be able to keep a steady respiration rate while doing these exercises, if you can't you are probably just sucking your stomach in, not engaging the muscles.

Click here to see the exercises, they are listed in order, as numbers 1 through 4 under low back and pelvis exercises.

Doctored

The new documentary "Doctored" explores the current medical establishment and how and why
alternative medicine, such as chiropractic, is underutilized.

www.doctoredthemovie.com

Here is a review of the movie from the L.A. Times


Go to www.peyserchiropractic.com for more information on chiropractic the types of conditions treated and techniques utilized.

Dangers of Flip Flops

Each summer there seems to be a significant increase in the frequency of foot ailments, especially a growing malady called "Plantar Fasciitis".  It is inflammation of the thick tissue on the bottom of the foot. This tissue is called the plantar fascia. It connects the heel bone to the toes and helps create the arch of the foot.  The most common complaint is pain and stiffness in the bottom of the heel. The heel pain may be dull or sharp. The bottom of the foot may also ache or burn.  (Click here for more info on plantar fasciitis)

 

Why do we see such an increase in the summer?  One reason may be that joggers tend to increase the amount of running that they do.  But I find in my practice the injury is more often related to the wearing of flip flops.  

 

Studies have proven that lack of dorsiflexion (pointing up of your ankle/toes) is associated with plantar fasciitis.  Did you ever notice that any pair of even moderately worn flip flops have the indentations of your toes in the front?  That is because in order to prevent the flip flop from falling off you must point your foot down and curl your toes as you stride forward.  Not only does wearing flip flops lead to foot pain, but can also lead to back, knee or ankle problems due to favoring  the injured foot.

 

Chiropractors are specially trained in dealing with these foot injuries as well as the secondary injuries associated with the altered gaits.  We utilize myofascial release techniques along with joint manipulation to regain normal function  But the first step is to "trash those flip flops".  

For more information on plantar fasciitis and how chiropractors can help visit www.peyserchiropractic.com.