Archive for April 2018
Chiropractic and Weight Loss Catalyze Each Other
When starting any new weight loss plan, it is important to stack the odds in your favor.
A good place to start is by being honest with yourself- you are less likely to exercise if you are in pain. Back pain is a key deterrent in any exercise regime- it makes you less likely to seek out physical activity in the first place, and much less likely to enjoy it. This is where chiropractic steps in: our job is to help reduce back pain, alleviate nerve impingement and reduce muscle tension in order to help your body feel more comfortable. The more comfortable you feel, the more likely you are to seek out the exercise which will then help you lose weight. A further goal of chiropractic care is establishing as close to full range of motion in the spinal joints as is possible given your level of fitness and the state of your spine. Full range of motion allows you to work out more comfortably and effectively, with a lower risk for injury and pain.
Cervical Decompression Done Daily
Say goodbye to your stiff neck
A sore, stiff neck is indicative of modern lifestyles that ask us to sit too much, move too little and all but sacrifice our spinal health for the sake of our jobs. Your head is the heaviest structure in the body which poses a challenge, especially to the cervical vertebrae, by sitting right at the top of the spine. Many of us then add poor posture into the mix by craning our heads forward to look at our computer and phone screens, unwittingly magnifying the weight of our heads and associated downward pressure on the spine. It’s no wonder that so many of us leave work at the end of the day with neck pain. This week, we have one simple exercise that helps to roll back this compressive effect on the cervical vertebrae and allows for an uptick in circulation in the neck which stimulates healing.
The Fascia Holds You Together But Can it Also Hold You Down?
First of all, what is the fascia?
The fascia is a lesser known layer of the human body. Made up of connective tissue (primarily collagen), the fascia encloses and stabilizes all of your organs and muscles while also connecting them. It allows for the free articulation of every part of your body by reducing friction between the muscles and other structures. It is hard to imagine what we would be without the fascia, but it is also not hard to imagine how the fascia causes pain.
The Loving Link Between Comfort and Sleep
Comfort is integral to sleep
It is one of the reasons that women with no history of sleep problems find that it suddenly poses a problem during pregnancy. The backaches, indigestion, headaches and breathlessness combine to cause a certain kind of insomnia that can be hard to shake during pregnancy. Now take away the pregnancy and imagine that one or more of these factors was present in your life- you can see how that would make sleep exceedingly difficult. One of our jobs at OFW Chiropractic is to make your body more comfortable so that falling asleep is easier. Because sleep is a cornerstone of wellness, we make it a priority in our holistic wellness plan. Comfort is what leads us to sleep in a preferred position each night but, as we will find, not all sleep positions are good for us.
Listen to Your Body When It Says: I Need to Stretch
It’s time stop ignoring your intuition
If you are like millions of Americans, you leave work at the end of the day with a stiff, sore spine. You may have associated pains in the neck and even headaches that stem from the nature of office work. Your spine is suffering the effects of compression- the downward force of gravity, combined with the added pressure of sitting and, possibly, poor posture. Your brain knows your body is in need of a stretch, so what are you going to do about it? Again, if you are like millions of Americans, you are going to ignore those signals and let the pain compound. This is how many of us end up with chronic back pain. So whether you are actually ignoring pain signalls, or you simply don’t know how to go about stretching to account for office-related back pain, it’s time to start being more proactive about caring for our backs.