Your Body is Designed to Move

Your body is built to move. Every spinal disc and joint is designed to help you sit, stand, run and well...move! Your discs are soft enough to flex as you bend forward and back. The spinal facet joints slide as your turn and twist. The ligament-connected spinal bones keep you supported as your muscles push and pull. It’s an incredibly strong and resilient system when you stop and think about it.

New research has started to give us a glimpse at just how important movement is in our life. For example, movement of the spine has been shown to stimulate and accelerate the healing process. In fact, movement is so crucial in the healing process that even people who have spine surgery are encouraged to get up and to move as quickly as possible after surgery.

-All the bones, muscles, ligaments and joints of your spine are specially designed to support movement.

-Movement of the individual segments of your spine can affect how you heal.

-Blood flow, strength, and flexibility are all enhanced through movement.

I believe that encouraging healthy movement and activity is part of my job as your Chiropractor. If you have any questions about stretches, exercises or other ways you can pro-actively stay healthy, ask! Have you ever heard that old saying “you don’t get old then stiff, you get stiff then old?” We want to help you stay young by helping you keep your spine and body moving better!

Facet Joints: Gliding Your Way to Better Health

If you’ve had neck or back pain that you could pinpoint with your finger, or experienced sharp pains when you move, it may be related to the facet joints of your spine. It’s easy to think of your facet joints like the “knuckles”of your spine. They are small joints and have a capsule and cartilage pad that glides and slides, allowing your spine to move.

As you go through life and your spinal discs go through the aging process, your facet joints end up taking on extra load. Unfortunately, this excess stress and pressure can wear down your facet joints. What results is the beginning of the degenerative process,which means you can end up with adhesions, restricted motion, bone spurs and pain.

-The facet joints of your spine slide and glide as you move.

-Restrictions or adhesions in the facets can occur with age and injury.

-Chiropractic adjustments help the facet joints move freely and decrease painful restrictions in motion.

The facet joints of your spine love to move, and, in fact, movement helps them stay healthy and may even slow down the degenerative process. Chiropractic adjustments can help reduce adhesions on these joints ,allowing you to move more freely and with less pain. In our office, we believe that when you’re moving better, you’re feeling better, and we’re proud to be a part of the healthcare team that helps you stay active!

Slowing Down Degeneration

The dreaded degenerative disc disease. Well, it may not be so dreaded after all. You may be surprised to learn that degenerative disc disease is a part of the normal aging process. As we age, our discs lose some of their water content and become less supple. This makes them appears darker on an MRI. And when they appear darker on MRI, you guessed it; they are labeled as degenerative.

Just because all of us will experience degenerative disc disease as we age doesn’t mean that process is the same for everyone. Research has shown that by taking a pro-active approach with your spinal health, you may be able to slow down the degenerative process.

• Degenerative changes are part of the normal aging process due to the weight of gravity, injuries,and repetitive stress on your spine.

• Researchers have found a correlation between the amount of arthritis in the spine and the severity of degenerative changes.

• Stretching, exercising (regional motion) and chiropractic care (segmental motion) are thought to improve spinal biomechanics and may slow down the degenerative process.

New research has shown that degenerative changes accelerate on joints that aren’t moving correctly. We encourage you to take control of your spinal health with exercise, stretching, and even periodic chiropractic adjustments. By keeping your spine moving, you will have the best opportunity to slow down the aging process while feeling great every step of the way.

How to Keep Your Spinal Discs Healthy

Spinal discs are the shock absorbers between the bones, or vertebrae, of your spine. The discs have a tough outer ring and a jelly-like center. Their job is to help us move, bend, and twist while absorbing the weight of gravity. But, over time, our spinal discs can become degenerative. Injuries, aging, and the effects of gravity all contribute to disc degeneration. The good news is that degenerative discs rarely cause pain unless they bulge or herniate, placing pressure on the spinal nerves. So how you can slow down the degenerative process and keep your discs healthy?

Top research journals have recently discovered that movement and hydration are two important factors to keep your discs healthy. A well-hydrated disc can more easily adapt to movement and is less prone to injury. Many chiropractic techniques are designed to “pump” your spinal discs. This motion helps bring nutrients into the disc and pushes out inflammation and waste. That is a fancy way to say that chiropractic care can help keep your spinal discs healthy!

Here are the key takeaways:

-Your spinal discs act as small shock absorbers between the bones of your spine

-Movement helps bring nutrients into the disc and pushes out waste and inflammation; helping them stay healthy

-Torn, herniated, or bulged discs can cause pain by irritating the nearby nerves. Researchers have found chiropractic care to be one of the best ways to heal and feel better!

A combination of chiropractic care and staying well-hydrated are two ways to keep your spinal discs healthy and pain-free. But, don’t forget to stay active between your adjustments. And here is one more tip to slow down Father Time-daily exercise and stretching. Exercise and stretching will not only keep you fit and trim but can also potentially slow down the degenerative changes of your spine keeping you healthy and active for many years to come!

Finding Relief Without Drugs

With the opioid crisis affecting millions of people, it may come as no surprise that there’s probably someone in your circle of friends and family struggling with opioid misuse or addiction. For those people, it can feel nearly impossible to find a way out. That potent combination of pain relief and euphoria characteristic of opioids makes them so incredibly addictive to both the brain and body. However, while opioids were once the standard, recent research has given people struggling with addiction new hope.

Top clinical research facilities have started recommending a team approach to combat opioid dependence. A combination of medical and alternative care (and quite often chiropractic) are being used to provide people with a safe, natural path to recovery and pain relief. Here are a few key aspects shared by many successful opioid addiction treatment programs:

• The providers and patients are continually updating their goals and expectations.

• Reassurance of relief and reducing the fear of movement is important.

• Getting involved in social activities and hobbies has been shown to support pain relief.

Getting off opioids should never be attempted without the help of a medical professional. Our practice is happy to collaborate with other providers on your healthcare team to help you find the best evidence-informed care options. We’re here for you and look forward to helping you get your life back without drugs or medications. When you’re ready, give us a call. If you know someone who would benefit from this information, share it with them today.

The Healthcare “Secret” of Pro Athletes

Entering the arena of professional sports comes with high stakes. The slightest advantage can make all the difference between coming out on top or coming up short while competing. As a result, most high-level athletes are in tune with every nuance of their body and on the constant hunt to find ways to improve their performance. It might surprise you to learn that many athletes have been using chiropractic for decades. From Babe Ruth to Tom Brady, top athletes rely on chiropractic care as one of the “secret” ingredients to their success.

Whether we compete at the professional level or casually, it's likely that all of us are interested in achieving decreased pain, improved function, and increased strength. And new research indicates that chiropractic care may be able to help in all three of those areas.

• In a recent study, athletes demonstrated increased levels of strength up to 30 minutes after receiving an adjustment.

• Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to provide more pain relief than a commonly prescribed NSAID.

• People with moderate or severe pain have reported significant functional improvement while receiving chiropractic care.

Even if you aren’t currently competing to win a world championship, you probably have a few healthcare goals in mind. Maybe you're a weekend warrior, or constantly traveling for youth sports, or just looking to enjoy a higher quality of life. The point is, chiropractic care may be just what you're looking for, to achieve your goals and we would love become part of your “secret” to success. Chat with us today about your goals, and together, let's come up with a plan that works for you!