Archive for July 2018
Overcoming Herniated Discs with Cox Flexion/Distraction
The varying degrees of herniated disc injuries
While no one in their right mind would disagree that herniated discs are a serious injury, it must be said that there is quite a range of severity within the same injury. Most herniated discs will heal themselves given time, rest and rehabilitation. But others evolve into a chronic condition that can cause debilitating pain and discomfort for a lifetime. Part of preventing the latter from becoming a reality is taking action once you have suffered injury: getting a proper diagnosis and getting started on a proactive treatment plan. At Hayes Family Chiropractic, we want to give your body the best chance at making a successful recovery- to us that means, no pain, full range of motion and a lower chance of reinjury. How do we go about this?
The Effectiveness of Common Chiropractic Techniques
What makes chiropractic care so effective?
We could say our focus on the spine and nervous system as the root of dysfunction and pain; or it could be the fact we specialize only in musculoskeletal disorders; finally, it could be how our techniques focus on correcting problems at their source rather than treating the surface symptoms. Of course it is a combination of all of these things, but we like to think that the one thing that really makes chiropractic so effective is our understanding of your lifestyle. When you come to see us at our office in Dunedin, we use conversation, physical examination and diagnostic analysis to help paint the most accurate picture of your condition and the way it affects your life. This is before any treatment occurs, and it is crucial to determining the way we will proceed. Most likely, once we have a good understanding, we will proceed with one of the techniques listed below:
Relieving Sciatica During Pregnancy
No your baby is not pressing on your sciatic nerve
This is a misconception that was invented to explain a higher incidence of sciatica during pregnancy. While pregnancy does not translate directly into sciatica, it does create a boiling pot of factors that can leave you vulnerable to developing this dreaded condition. Less activity, poor posture, a shifting center of gravity, the growing weight of the baby and loosening ligaments in the pelvis all set the stage for sciatica. You know you have it if you feel a shooting, burning pain in one side of your lower back, or a pain that spreads to the lower extremities; tingling and numbness are further symptoms of sciatica. So what can we do about it? At Hayes Family Chiropractic, we have a plan for relieving sciatica during pregnancy.
What Would Your Chiropractor Say? Getting Rid of Unhealthy Habits
When it comes to spinal health habits, do you really know better?
As humans, we are good at avoiding what’s good for us, and even better at embracing unhealthy habits. Now, we are not equating laziness with human nature but it seems that despite our best intentions we often fall short; and when we fall short by ignoring a healthy habit, we sell our spines and bodies short in the process. Now we definitely agree that you are what you eat, but your body is also determined by the way you behave. Below, you will find a list of the most common and egregious behaviors that are harmful for the spine. Actively living a lifestyle that includes these behaviors is setting yourself up for failure in the long wrong- failure that can have serious ramifications on your musculoskeletal health. If you want to be a mobile, active old person, you need to start acting in the here and now to keep your spine strong.
The Connection Between Stress and Chronic Pain
When chronic pain emerges in the absence of a definable condition
We most often treat chronic pain that stems from conditions including injuries, degenerative spinal conditions and autoimmune disorders like osteoarthritis. But chronic pain doesn’t have to have a definable cause; it can also come about due to stress and anxiety. While people are used to the physical manifestations of stress like headaches, digestion problems and other physical complaints, we are less familiar with the way stress can cause chronic pain. Let’s take a look at the link between stress and chronic pain, because it is not as tenuous as it may seem. And its prevalence is on the rise.
Chiropractic is Frontline Healthcare for Chronic Pain Management
Chiropractic is first-line pain management and general wellness care
At Hayes Family Chiropractic, we believe that living well means living without pain. Or at least, living with as little pain as possible given the circumstances. Chronic pain is defined as pain that last for more than 3 months, which makes for a very broad category. Chronic pain could evolve from a seemingly innocuous acute injury, or it could be a symptom of a debilitating condition like spinal stenosis or arthritis. Perhaps inevitably, once it rears its ugly head, it seems that chronic pain has come to stay. It makes aging uncomfortable and makes you less able to enjoy your life.
Face to Face with Hypermobility: When Excess Range of Motion Causes Pain
Are you more mobile than most people?
While lack of range of motion has become ubiquitous in society, the health world places a lot less focus on people who have hypermobility. Hypermobility, known more commonly as loose joints or double-jointedness, occurs in about 10% of the population. Often genetic in nature, it comes down to a factor known as congenital, or ligamentous, laxity: essentially, But the problem is that hypermobility often coincides with instability- and for this reason, hypermobility can contribute to pain and dysfunction in the joints; in extreme cases, and often as the individual gets older, this pain can become chronic. At this point we call it hypermobility syndrome, a condition that is treated most effectively by focusing on adding in stability through sustainable strength training.