You know what they say, “Growing old isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative.” But, if the aging process is causing you pain, you know that aging is no joke! As a Santa Barbara chiropractor, when it comes to musculoskeletal challenges, I see too many age-related conditions that probably would not have occurred if the original cause had been treated earlier. Poor posture, improper gait, and repetitive overuse frequently produce needless stress in the back, neck, hip, knees, and even the feet that can result in painful problems over time. If we only aware years ago how our aging body would feel today, eh? However, as they say, “hindsight is 20-20.”
back pain is number one on the list as the most prevalent musculoskeletal problem to develop as we get older. Age-related back pain is generally produced by a degenerative disorder known as Spondylosis (spine osteoarthritis).
Spinal osteoarthritis is caused by advanced deterioration and weight-bearing stress on the spine that, over time, does harm to the discs, joints, and surrounding ligaments. The area of the body and degree of the degenerative process of spondylosis varies from person to person. It may affect the cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back), or lumbar (low back) areas of the spine. Spondylosis symptoms are individual as well, depending on the severity of degeneration, and can extend from negligible pain and numbness to gross sensory loss and muscular atrophy.
Calcium is deposited in the tissues around the vertebrae as the result of repetitive stresses that abnormally affect the cartilage surrounding the joints Adjacent nerves, blood vessels, and soft tissue can be constricted by these calcific deposits, also called bone spurs. This type of compression is at the root of Spondylosis.
Regular chiropractic adjustments and overall chiropractic management is beneficial in significantly slowing age-related degeneration of the spine whether or not you are suffering from spondylosis. Even though “you can’t un-ring a bell” or “turn back the hands of time,” but it isn’t too late to give your spine the good treatment it deserves. Chiropractors are experts when it comes to treatment of the spine. See your Santa Barbara Chiropractor today, for the health of your spine.
I am aware from over twenty years experience as a Chiropractor in Wichita helping individuals suffering from the pain of sciatica that the condition can be extremely incapacitating. Those who suffer from sciatica are sadly all too familiar with the kind of deep pain that frequently radiates through the lower part of their body, persists during the day and interferes with almost all of their daily activities.
Here’s how you can ascertain if your low back pain is generated by sciatica. You are probably experiencing sciatica if your pain radiates from your low back, through one or both sides of your buttocks, down the large sciatic nerve in the back of your leg(s), and possibly penetrates into your knee(s). Moreover, sitting, as well as movement, can be painful. Commonly lying down will lessen, or perhaps even temporarily eliminate the pain. Even so, it’s important for you to be aware that sciatica will not go away without appropriate care.
Radiculopathy
A radiculopathy is a medical term used to describe a condition where a disc has protruded from its natural position in the spine and is creating pressure on the radicular nerve, or nerve root, that forms part of the sciatic nerve in the lower back. This kind of pressure is extremely painful.
Prolonged sitting, particularly in an awkward position, can create imbalances in the muscles enclosing the spine and increased pressure on the intervertebral discs. Usually, a specific event or injury doesn’t cause sciatica, more often sciatica has a tendency to develop over time due to general wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. After a while the lower spine can lose its normal functioning capabilities during everyday stresses.
Ultimately, the intervertebral disc incurs small fissures or cracks that then allow the soft nucleus to protrude the disc outward. Pain is generated as the disc pushes on sensitive tissues. This condition is frequently known as a ruptured, or slipped, disc. If the disc presses on the spinal nerve, sciatica is likely to develop. Fortunately, most disc challenges, including sciatica, can be significantly decreased with chiropractic manipulation and management that often includes postural exercises.
Periformis Syndrome
Another condition that creates 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 Along with chiropractic treatment, this type 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!
The “hottest” buzz word on the internet today is Social Media. For those of you who would like to explore Social Media marketing as part of your overall chiropractic internet marketing strategy, but aren’t really sure what all the buzz is about, let’s talk a little about the “Who, What, When, Where, and How” of social media and you, that’s “Who.”
Social media marketing may be very much like, and entirely unlike, any marketing strategy you’ve considered. In the “very much like” category, you wouldn’t try any sort of marketing plan without taking the time to understand what it’s about and what you want to get from it. It’s important to ask yourself, “What are my goals?” Once you know what you want, you’ll be more capable of using social media to your biggest advantage.
When you are ready to begin your social media venture, but before you start, it will be crucial for you to make certain that you “own your name” on all the social media outlets, that is to say, be certain that your name or your clinic’s name is attainable so that you can use precisely same name on every one of the social channels you desire to use. There is a free service to assist you with your search when you’re ready. That who is knowem.com. This service will find out where your name is and/or if it’s attainable or not on a substantial number of social media sites.
When you have secured all of your social media accounts, the next step is to choose where you would like to be active. Because you have a clinic to run and patients to see, in the beginning only a few social media sites is best and may end up being all you’ll need. That way you won’t get caught up in too many channels. So, how do you choose the best sites for you? The big ones (where most of the action is) are facebook, twitter, linkedin, and Youtube. What your social media activity goal should be is to build a real presence in your community. What is definitely ill-advised is for you to try to “sell” on your social media sites, which is to say don’t sell your chiropractic services, don’t sell products, don’t sell anything! The purpose of social media is for you to have an addition channel through which to network with the community. Of course, inform them about what you do, but do it by becoming a participant. There is really no difference between the way social networking works and the way you normally network offline. There is no getting around it, people on social media do not want to be sold to! Social media sites are a lot like a neighborhood backyard barbecue. People are standing around talking about who they are and what they do, and then someone asks you what you do. Or, perhaps you begin the conversation by simply saying, “Hello, I’m Dr. ____. With social media marketing, the same kind of interaction applies. “Work” your social media sites in the same way you’d work your offline networking communities, which is to say, answer the questions and concerns that get potential patients interested in the who that’s you!
As a Chiropractor in San Diego, I counsel many individuals who come to my clinic who want to lose weight. I know how hard it can be, and I also know how important it is to lose those extra pounds. Before you let out all the seams in your current wardrobe, there’s something you should know regarding those few extra pounds you may have gained. Over the years, those pounds can add up to a large number of health problems from heart and pulmonary diseases and diabetes to back challenges and joint degeneration. Extra pounds put harmful stress on organs, like the heart, as well as on joints in the low back, hips, and knees. Over half (62%) of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, according to recent studies. That is a very significant number and a truly gigantic national health issue (no pun intended).
It is likely no surprise to you to learn that the human body was not designed to transport additional poundage in the form of body fat. A mere excess of 20 or 30 pounds can veritably overload and even overwhelm the joints and muscles of the body. Extra weight in the belly, for example, requires that the body compensate (counterbalance the weight) by tilting the pelvis forward. This angle creates compression in the joints of the low back. Joint compression impedes nerve activity and causes painful inflammation. The majority of men and women that are overweightexperience low back pain caused by a compressed sciatic nerve or misalignments of the spinal column that constrict nerves as a result of weight-bearing stresses. If not addresses, misaligned vertebra in most cases develop into new arthritic changes in the spine over time, as well as continue to irritate the degenerative changes that have already taken place.
Are you wondering how chiropractic can help? Perhaps, it should go without saying that a healthy body weight is required in order for the musculoskeletal system to function in the way it is designed to. Chiropractic treatment can not only relieve pain caused by excess weight compensation, but it can aid in weight reduction. Here’s how. Chiropractic adjustments relieve nerve compression in the spinal column and help to get movement back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, particularly in the low back, hips, and knees. And, naturally exercise and physical activity will be a lot easier, and healthier for the body, when the spine is in alignment and the joints have good movement. Not only will exercise help with weight reduction, but it can actually slow the pace of degenerative changes as over the years.
healthcare professionals, like your chiropractor, can advise you regarding your diet and exercise options. In addition to caring for individuals suffering from back pain and joint inflammation, chiropractors offer qualified guidance regarding the particular lifestyle changes that can help an individual to stay healthier, more vital, and more active through the years. It isn’t a foregone conclusion that arthritis and immobility are an unavoidable part of the aging process. The structure of the human body is designed for an entire lifetime of pain-free movement.
So, if those extra pounds have been sneaking up on you, and they’ve turned into a surprising load of pain, as your San Diego chiropractor and someone who understands, I can help. Make an appointment today!
One of the most undemanding and the most workable ways to knock over blood sugar amount, eliminate the dangers of ìcardiovascular disease,î and perk up health and welfare in general is exercise.
In spite of that, in todayís inactive world where almost every indispensable job can be carried out online, from the ergonomic chair in front of a computer, or with a streaming line of messages from a fax machine, exercising can be a hard argument to win over.
The Weight of Exercise
Everyone should exercise, yet the health experts tells us that only 30% of the United States population gets the recommended thirty minutes of daily physical activity, and 25% are not active at all. In fact, inactivity is thought to be one of the key reasons for the surge of type 2 diabetes in the U.S., because inactivity and obesity promote insulin resistance.
The good news is that it is never too late to get moving, and exercise is one of the easiest ways to start controlling your diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes in particular, exercise can improve insulin sensitivity, lower the risk of heart disease, and promote weight loss.
Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes is on the rise. The number of people diagnosed with diabetes every year increased by 48% between 1980 and 1994. Nearly all the new cases are Type 2 Diabetes, or adult-onset, the kind that moves in around middle age. Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes include increased thirst, appetite, and need to urinate; feeling tired, edgy, or sick to the stomach; blurred vision; tingling or loss of feeling in the hands.
The causes of type 2 diabetes are complex and not completely understood, although research is uncovering new clues at a rapid pace.
However, it has already been proven that one of the reasons for the boom in type 2 diabetes is the widening of waistbands and the trend toward a more deskbound and inactive lifestyle in the United States and other developed countries. In America, the shift has been striking; in the 1990s alone, obesity increased by 61% and diagnosed diabetes by 49%.
For this reason, health experts encourage those who already have type 2 diabetes to start employing the wonders that exercise can do for them. Without exercise, people have the tendency to become obese. Once they are obese, they have bigger chances of accumulating type 2 diabetes.
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that over 80% of people with type 2 diabetes are clinically overweight. Therefore, it is high time that people, whether inflicted with type 2 diabetes or not, should start doing those jumping and stretching activities.
Getting Started
The first order of business with any exercise plan, especially if you are a ìdyed-in-the-woolî sluggish, is to consult with your health care provider. If you have cardiac risk factors, the health care provider may want to perform a stress test to establish a safe level of exercise for you.
Certain diabetic complications will also dictate what type of exercise program you can take on. Activities like weightlifting, jogging, or high-impact aerobics can possibly pose a risk for people with diabetic retinopathy due to the risk for further blood vessel damage and possible retinal detachment.
If you are already active in sports or work out regularly, it will still benefit you to discuss your regular routine with your doctor. If you are taking insulin, you may need to take special precautions to prevent hypoglycemia during your workout.
Start Slow
For those who have type 2 diabetes, your exercise routine can be as simple as a brisk nightly neighborhood walk. If you have not been very active before now, start slowly and work your way up. Walk the dog or get out in the yard and rake. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park in the back of the lot and walk. Every little bit does work, in fact, it really helps a lot.
As little as 15 to 30 minutes of daily, heart-pumping exercise can make a big difference in your blood glucose control and your risk of developing diabetic complications. One of the easiest and least expensive ways of getting moving is to start a walking program. All you need is a good pair of well-fitting, supportive shoes and a direction to head in.
Indeed, you do not have to waste too many expenses on costly ìhealth club memberships,î or the most up-to-date health device to start pumping those fats out. What you need is the willingness and the determination to start exercising to a healthier, type 2 diabetes-free life.
The results would be the sweetest rewards from the effort that you have exerted.
