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. 

Should I Use Ice or Heat?

One of the most common questions we receive regarding pain is “should I be using ice or heat?”.  This is actually a very good question with no easy answer.  

There are some conditions where the answer is black and white; they either benefit from ice or heat.  On the other hand, there are many times where the stage of injury is the determining factor.  As a good rule of thumb the acute stage of an injury (the first few days after the onset) is the time to ice.  When the injury moves to the chronic stage (after a month or more depending on the nature of the injury) heat may be the more beneficial modality.  This is variable depending on what type of injury it is.  Ice is especially important after a traumatic injury like spraining your ankle or whiplash from a car accident. 

When using ice always put some type of barrier between the ice and your skin.  The barrier should be at least a paper towel sheet thick.  When using a heating pad make sure it is wrapped in a towel (unless it is a disposable pad meant to be applied directly to the skin, see package directions if unsure). 

***Note: If ice or heat increases your symptoms discontinue immediately and contact your health care provider. 

If you are unsure which to use you can contact us.  www.peyserchiropractic.com

Avoiding Opioid Pain Relievers

A recent study released by the CDC reported that there were more than 20,000 deaths due to prescription drug overdoses in 2008 and nearly 75% of those deaths were due to overdoses of opioid pain relievers (OPR) such as Vicodin and Oxycodone.  The report also indicated that during the period of 1999--2008, overdose death rates, sales, and substance abuse treatment admissions related to OPR all increased substantially. Public health interventions to reduce prescription drug overdose must strike a balance between reducing misuse and abuse and safeguarding legitimate access to treatment. That being said, it certainly makes sense to take advantage of natural types of healing such as that utilized by a chiropractic practice.  Chiropractic is the nation's largest natural healing profession.  Chiropractors do not prescribe drugs that simply mask the pain, but seek to get to the cause of a person's problem and correct this problem without the use of medicine or surgery.

Utilizing chiropractic treatment to resolve one's pains will certainly eliminate the possibility of accidental overdose or addiction to OPR prescription drugs.  For more information about alternatives to OPRs visit http://www.peyserchirorpactic.com/.

People Are Becoming All Scrunched Up

A recent edition of "The Costco Connection", the consumer warehouse giant's monthly magazine, reports that 15% of 5 year-old boys still wet their bed and one in 4 people have a case of undiagnosed mental illness.  Both of these are staggering statistics, if you believe that they are true and not some periodical's sensationalism.  I tend to think that most health related statistics are highly inflated, usually skewed towards making individuals anxious.

But one statistic that I am certain is real and may be under reported is the incidence of back pain.  The reported incidence of back pain is 85%.  This includes all spinal related pain, including neck pain.  Considering how our society has gone so immobile and has increasingly poor posture, our spine is put under constant stress. 

Our bodies evolved over millions of years (or thousands depending on how you look at it) to be upright and active.  Our ancestors spent very little time sitting as most of the day was devoted to hunting, gathering, farming and building.   It is only in the last century that this has changed.  Think about what sitting all day at a computer does to your spine.  Most of us sit forward without proper back support, crank our neck forward to get closer to the monitor, tuck the phone under our neck so we can talk while we type or use the mouse and when given a break, sit scrunched up on our IPhone. 

Chiropractic adjustments free up the spinal misalignments and compressions that these positions impose upon your spine.  Chiropractors prescribe specific exercises utilize additional physical therapeutics and explain proper ergonomics.  See your chiropractic physician to be sure that you are one of the 15% that don't suffer back pain.  For more information visit www.peyserchiropractic.com.

Tommy John Surgery for Kids?

An article appearing on CNN.com about Tommy John’s legacy as it pertains to medicine got me thinking about how this relates to youngsters.  “What’s your train of thought there?” you might ask.  Well let me explain.  Tommy John’s surgery is a procedure in which doctors replace the ulnar collateral ligament (which is the ligament on the inside of the elbow) by taking a ligament from a different part of the body.  The action that most commonly injures this ligament, necessitating surgical repair is throwing of a baseball, most often by pitching, but can be any position player.  It has become a common surgery in high school athletes due to them throwing the ball faster as well as different types of pitches, like curve balls, at too young of an age.  Little league baseball has placed limits on how many innings and how many pitches a pitcher can throw to minimize overuse injuries.  Once kids are old enough to play at higher levels the rules are not as strict and the chance of injury increases.  These injuries are known as repetitive stress injuries and are not limited to the elbow.  The rotator cuff of the shoulder is another common site of injury due to repetitive stress, also most commonly from throwing.

This brings me to my concern of youngsters’ injuries.  It is obvious that a greater emphasis is being placed on youngsters to perform at higher levels when they should just be out there enjoying the sports.  These emphasizes are from parents and coaches alike.  We live in a very high stress, highly competitive society that places “winning at all costs” as a primary goal.  Most kids will not earn their livelihood at sports so competitive athletics should teach sportsmanship, teamwork and learning to cope with disappointments rather than just to beat the heck out of your body to win.

Those involved in youth sports should be made aware that repetitive stress injuries to the musculoskeletal system can lead to lifelong injuries and or disabilities.   

Study On Neck Pain

A recent study published in the prestigious, Annals of Internal Medicine compared chiropractic care, medication and home exercise as potential treatments for acute (new) and subacute (not quite as new) neck pain.  The study, by Bronfort et al, is titled “Spinal Manipulation, Medication, or Home Exercise With Advice for Acute and Subacute Neck Pain”.  It showed that 32% of patients undergoing chiropractic care for neck pain were pain free after 12 weeks of treatment and 30% of those utilizing home exercise as being pain free after 12 weeks.  Only 13% of those who were prescribed 12 weeks of medication were pain free. 

This really speaks volumes to what we, as chiropractors, already know, and that is that most garden-variety neck pain is mechanical, meaning joint/muscle/ligament related.  Dysfunction of one of the structures has a great impact on the others.  If a muscle becomes tight it puts additional stress on a joint.  When that joint becomes restricted due to the pull of the tense muscle the ligament that holds the joint together adapts to its “new” restricted motion and becomes shorter and less elastic.  This will in turn put more pressure on the joint and its cartilage. 

The treatment for this type of condition should address the lost mobility, not the pain itself.  Once the different structures are moving normally and less pressure is being put on them, the pain will diminish and often does so very quickly.  The medication just masks the pain.  It is really a breath of fresh air to hear a journal like the “Annals” publishing reports like this.  For more information on what chiropractors do for this condition and to view examples of neck exercises visit www.peyserchiropractic.com.

Pain Free Gardening

With spring comes the blossoming of our gardens.  With the bloom of the season comes the heavy lifting, frequent bending and shoveling that is necessary to tend your garden.  And thus comes the aches and pains associated with all repetitive and strenuous activity.  Here are a few helpful tips to keep you outside enjoying your gardens and not doing it through a window while lying down.

Pre-Gardening

        Treat gardening like any other exercise and prepare like you would for the gym.  Light stretching and a warm up period will keep your muscles nice and limber.  A 10 minute walk around the block or even around the house, making a gardening plan can go a long way in getting your heart and muscles warmed up. 

Gardening Posture

           It is important you maintain good posture while gardening (or doing any activity, for that matter).  Improper posture can increase the amount of weight your joints must bear and this can lead to new pain or exacerbate old problems. 

            One of the most common ways people injure themselves is by using improper lifting techniques.  Click here for to see the proper way to carry the large bags of mulch and fertilizer.  If you will be carrying these bags more than a few feet make sure to use a wheel barrow. 

            Another common way to injure yourself is the repetitive bending over to pull weeds or digging with small tools.  It is better to sit down to do these tasks or kneel on one knee.  Always remember to keep your back as tall and straight as possible.  Also make sure you are taking breaks from bending.  If you weed one area, move on to something else before weeding the next section. 

            Lastly, try using shears and clippers that are spring loaded to open automatically to avoid putting strain on your wrist, forearm and shoulder muscles. 

Post-Gardening

           Stretching after your workout (gardening in this case) is often times more important than stretching before.  So make sure you have some sort of cooling down routine for when you are done.  Repeating your stretches and a nice 5 minute walk to look at all the progress you made is a great idea.

           

Its always a good idea to put ice on any area that may feel sore after you are finished.  Remember DO NOT USE HEAT!  Put ice on the area for 10-15 minutes each hour for about 3 hours.  If the pain persists beyond 48 hours it would be a good idea to give us a call and we can advise you on the best ways to try and alleviate it.

As always, if you have any questions or want more information contact us through our website at http://www.peyserchiropractic.com/

Happy gardening!

Welcome

Welcome to the new Peyser Chiropractic blog.  We have set this up to be a place where we can share important and helpful information that can help you live healthier and happier lives.  We will be providing synopses of current health care topics as well as original posts based on questions we are commonly asked in the office.  If you have specific questions you would like us to address please feel free to contact us via our website, http://www.peyserchiropractic.com/.