Sports Spine Specialist Chiropractic Team: Athletes strive to achieve their body’s maximum performance by participating in numerous training regimens consisting of strenuous exercises and physical activity and ensuring they meet all of their body’s nutritional requirements. Through proper fitness and nutrition, many individuals can condition themselves to excel in their specific sport. Our training programs are designed for athletes that look to gain a competitive edge in their sport.
We provide sport-specific services to help increase an athlete’s performance through mobility, strength, and endurance. Occasionally, however, the excess workouts can lead many to suffer injuries or develop underlying conditions. Dr. Alex Jimenez’s chronicle of articles for athletes displays in detail the many forms of complications affecting these professionals while focusing on the possible solutions and treatments to follow to achieve overall well-being.
You hear many people talk about the benefits of walking but may not know how it applies to you. Walking regularly can be exceptionally helpful if you have back pain by providing the spine with added support and increased blood flow. These three spinal health benefits of walking should be enough to convince you.
Walking Aids in Rehydrating Your Spinal Discs
Gravity is not your friend. Well, not when it comes to your back. From the time you get out of bed until you lay down again at the end of the day, the pressure of gravity compresses your spine. When your spine is compressed, that means your spinal discs are too. These fluid-filled discs provide a cushion for your vertebrae, but the constant compression that occurs throughout the day due to regular activity squeezes the fluid out of them.
Dehydrated discs can cause back pain and structural problems. That is why restful sleep and staying hydrated are essential for spinal health.
Walk because it increases circulation throughout your body, including your spine. This increased blood flow helps to rehydrate your discs that improve your spinal health. It also helps keep your spine younger, staving off the effects of the aging process.
Walking Relieves Back Pain and Reduces Stress to the Spine
Walking provides an excellent low impact aerobic workout, and it increases blood flow which helps improve mobility, flexibility, and range of motion. When you incorporate stretching, you can reap even more of the benefits of a healthy spine.
The human body is made to move. When you don’t move or are sedentary, your muscles become stiff and inflexible. Moving prevents that, but even if you are experiencing some stiffness, walking, stretching, and movement can help you regain that flexibility.
You will also find that walking regularly also helps with stress relief. Lower back pain is a prevalent stress symptom, but walking combats its effects by encouraging dopamine release.
When you are stressed, your pain sensitivity increases, you feel pain more acutely, and it is more challenging to manage. By reducing your stress level, you also make your pain more manageable but, at the same time, minimize lower back pain.
Walking Improves Posture
When you don’t use your muscles, they become weak and inflexible and cannot do their intended job. The back forces are designed to provide support to the spine, and when they are not used, they can atrophy and weaken, resulting in stooped or other improper posture.
Poor posture causes back pain by putting more pressure on the spine, leading to pain, soreness, tension, and headaches. Without the necessary support, it can also lead to misalignment of the spine, which can cause problems.
Walking strengthens the supporting muscle groups so that your back muscles get more robust, and your spine gets the structural support needed. As your back muscles get stronger, your body will naturally begin to adopt a correct posture. The benefits of good posture include improved organ function, reduced pain, less fatigue, and easier breathing.
Walking is good for your whole body as well as your mind. When you walk to reduce back pain, you are also doing great things for your body. If you have any questions about proper form or achieving a better, healthier posture, your chiropractor can help you. The spine is such an essential part of the body; it does so much. Please do your best to protect it and keep it in good health. In return, it will save you from moving for a long, long time.
Now in the heart of the school year � new shoes, haircuts, homework, and their bulging backpacks. Think about the backpack your child is carrying. Sure, they load them up with books, but did you know that wearing a heavy backpack for a long time can actually hurt your child? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has provided some helpful guidelines for choosing a backpack for your child and avoiding the injury that can result from one that is too heavy.
What are the health risks of a heavy backpack?
Wearing a heavy backpack can strain the shoulders, back, and neck. As the child�s body tries to compensate for the extra weight, such as leaning forward, it can adopt positions that put the spine out of alignment. It can also cause the muscles to fatigue and weaken. This results in poor posture and a misaligned spine.
The longer he or she carries the extra weight, the worse it gets. Over time, the child can experience pain, stiffness, and problems with flexibility and range of motion. This can significantly increase the child�s potential for injury. The effects may include backache, sore or stiff neck, sore shoulders, and headaches.
How heavy is too heavy for a child�s backpack?
According to the AAP, a child�s backpack should weigh less than 10 to 20 percent of his or her body weight � and no more. However, a Consumer Reports survey showed that the lower end of the range, around 10 percent or less, is preferable. In short, the lighter the backpack, the healthier it is for your child. A good rule of thumb is to observe your child wearing the backpack. If they are stooped or leaning forward, it is too heavy.
Children who are shorter, as well as girls, may be more prone to back pain caused by carrying heavy backpacks. This means that for these children you need to aim for even lighter weights. Children who are overweight may also be at risk for injury. The excess weight already puts a strain on their joints and muscles; the heavy backpack exacerbates the situation.
Children who wear their backpack over one shoulder also increase their risk of injury. This puts all the weight on one side, causing the child to bend or lean in an effort to compensate for the off-kilter weight. This can strain the shoulder and back, eventually causing injury and pain.
Helping your child avoid carrying a heavy backpack.
If you notice that your child cannot stand up straight while wearing the backpack, then it is too heavy. You should inspect your child�s backpack on a regular basis to test the heaviness. When purchasing a backpack, aim for wide, padded straps that are adjustable. It should fit the child well and to be too big. The straps should not be too loose. You want it to fit close to your child�s body and should come to just below the waist � but not too far. Don�t allow your child to carry the backpack on one shoulder, encourage them to wear it on both shoulders. This distributes the weight more evenly.
If your child is carrying a heavy backpack, you may need to talk to their teacher to see what is necessary for him or her to carry daily, and what can be left at home or at school. Work together to find ways to lighten the load and avoid injury. Also, keep in mind, your child may not bring your attention to the fact that their backpack is too heavy. It is up to you to observe and intervene for them.
Imagine a world where clothing feels like sandpaper, light is excruciating, or sounds make you feel like your ears are going to bleed. That is what it�s like for someone with sensory processing disorder�or SPD.
Approximately 1 in 6 children have SPD (some reports say 1 in 20, but this appears to be based on earlier research). It is unclear how many adults are affected; it is typically seen in children with autism and ADHD. There is very little research on adults with these issues at this time.
There are not many treatments for SPD or ways for people with it to get relief. Cutting tags out of clothing and laundering it multiple times before wearing (so it is soft) can help with tactile issues. Precision tinted lenses can help with photophobia, and earplugs can help with auditory issues. However, chiropractic has been found to help.
What is Sensory Processing Disorder?
SPD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs because the brain is unable to process and integrate common sensory information that is received from one or several of the five senses (taste, touch, smell, vision, sound) as well as two other senses, the proprioceptive system,�and vestibular systems. The proprioceptive system extends throughout the spine and joints. When there is a problem with this system, it can cause problems with motor skills, learning, behavior, and emotional and social development.
The vestibular system is located in the cerebellum (base of the brain), the cervical spine, and inner ear. It regulates all sensory information that the body takes in and of the sensory systems in the body, is the most important.
The result is an inability to tolerate certain types of stimulation including being touched, eating certain foods, and hearing certain noises. It can also affect other seemingly unrelated issues like sleep problems, uncoordinated or clumsy, balance issues, and difficulty writing or reading in cursive. This can make life very difficult because the individual essentially lives in a world that they were not built to tolerate. They may feel depressed, anxious, frustrated, or afraid as a result. Parents may feel helpless because they don�t know how to help their child cope in a world that often feels scary and painful.
How is SPD treated?
There are several ways that treatment for SPD is approached. One very effective treatment is chiropractic for SPD.
Another popular treatment for SPD is therapy. Children work with a specially trained, licensed therapist in a sensory gym. The goal is to help them better adapt to their environment.
Diet is an important aspect of SPD treatment, particularly gut health. A clean diet (no processed foods, all natural and organic) is a very good start. Some doctors recommend a gluten-free diet.
Whatever the case, it must be well balanced and provide the necessary vitamins and minerals needed for good health. Magnesium and Omega 3 fatty acid supplements may also be advised. This works very well with chiropractic as it also addresses the root of the problem.
How does Chiropractic Help Sensory Processing Disorder?
It is the primary role of the spine to protect and contain the fragile nervous system. The nervous system is what controls how we process our environment. Its function is to respond and adapt to internal and external environments.
Structural shifts caused by injury, habits, even a forceps birth can affect the alignment of the spine. This creates neurological stress that hinders the processing and flow of information. By bringing the spine into alignment, chiropractic can help ease the neural stress, improve neural processing, and facilitate better flow of information and neural firing. This, in turn, helps to alleviate the symptoms of sensory processing disorder.
Chiropractic care is a safe, natural treatment for people of all ages, and senior citizens can benefit from it. It is far more preferable than many other options, including pharmaceuticals with unpleasant and even harmful side effects and surgery. Several studies have also shown that regular chiropractic treatment benefits geriatric patients and can help keep them out of long-term care facilities and nursing homes. In short, seniors who get chiropractic regularly are healthier and enjoy these great benefits.
Reduced Risk of Degeneration of the Joints (Including the Spine)
When the spine is not aligned, it can cause wear and friction on the joints, resulting in damage. Regular spinal alignment keeps the spine in the correct position so that the body is balanced. It reduces the risk of spinal degeneration and certain types of arthritis by decreasing the amount of stress on the spine and bringing it into a more normal, natural alignment.
Improved Range of Motion
As a person gets older, their range of motion decreases. This is especially true of sedentary people or those who have sustained an injury that kept them confined to a bed or wheelchair for a long time.
Helping improve a person’s range of motion is one of the best benefits of chiropractic. While there are certain levels and each person has a goal for how much range of motion they want, a chiropractor can help them get as close to those goals as possible.
Better Coordination and Balance
Most of the coordination and balance problems seniors experience come from degenerative changes or injuries that affect the cervical spine. The backside of the cervical spine joints houses mechanoreceptors responsible for providing the brain with vital information that regulates coordination and balance. When that area is compromised, their function is hindered. By stimulating the mechanoreceptors, a chiropractor can help restore or improve the condition.
Decreased Risk of Falls
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in the United States, some older adult falls every second of every day. Among Americans aged 65 and older, there are 850,000 bone fractures each year, and falls are the cause of 90% of them. A chiropractor can stimulate the mechanoreceptors which reside in the cervical spine, normalizing them and helping to restore the patient’s balance and coordination.
Stronger Immune System and Better Health
When the spine is properly aligned, the body is better able to function as it should. This includes the digestive system, respiratory system, and even the heart. Neural impulses can be transmitted and received more efficiently and effectively.
This strengthens the immune system making the patient less susceptible to illness and disease. Regular care can provide better health and wellness while improving the patient’s quality of life.
More Effective Pain Management
Chiropractic has been proven time and again to be one of the safest, most effective methods for treating pain, particularly those that involve the spine. Chiropractic helps correct the problem that is causing the pain and helps heal the soft tissue structures around the area. Where pain medicine, muscle relaxants, and anti-inflammatory medication are little more than band-aids that treat the symptoms while ignoring the cause, chiropractic gets to the root of the problem and begins treatment there.
In addition to spinal adjustments, the chiropractor will typically recommend stretching and special exercises, lifestyle changes, and diet modifications. Elderly patients benefit from the whole body, holistic approach to health care at the heart of chiropractic. The result is better health and a better quality of life.
James Hill came to Injury Medical & Chiropractic Clinic after his daughter Madison suffered a sports injury. Through a variety of chiropractic treatment methods and techniques, Dr. Jimenez helped Madison find relief from her ankle pain so she could return-to-play as soon as possible. Madison regained the confidence she needed with Dr. Jimenez�and is recovering properly. James Hill and Madison highly recommend Dr. Alex Jimenez as the non-surgical choice for sports injuries. Chiropractic treatment is an�alternative treatment that works through rehabilitation procedures.
Sports Injury Chiropractic
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If you are in your 40s, and you measured your height, chances are you would not be the same height that you were in, say, high school. It’s true. As we get older, we tend to shrink. A French study in 2010 measures more than 8,000 women who were over the age of 60. They then asked each woman to estimate her own height. Nearly all of the women in the study overestimated their height. Some overestimated by as much as 2 inches. This is not wishful thinking on the women’s part; they recalled their tallest height. Shrinking in stature is a normal part of the aging process, but there are ways you can stop it or at least slow it down.
What Causes People to Shrink?
There are several reasons why a person may lose some height as they age :
A condition like osteoporosis can cause loss of bone density, leading to a compression fracture which is essentially a collapse of the vertebrae
Flattening of the feet. As we age, our arches flatten out, and this can take inches off our height
Dehydration of the discs that lie between each vertebra. Dehydration can cause the discs to compress.
A stooped posture caused by loss of muscle in the core or abdomen
Getting Shorter by the Numbers
It is estimated that the average person will lose about to inch every decade after they turn 40 (although some estimates say 30 and others say 50). Women are also more prone to height loss than men. The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) found that between 30 and 70 years of age, women lost, on average, 2 inches while men lost around 1 inch of height. By the age of 80, women had lost a little more than 3 inches while men lost 2. However, with all of the varying factors, some people will lose more and others will lose less, and some don’t shrink an inch.
Health Implications of Height Loss
It is important to know that height loss can be an indicator of a problem. Probably the most concerning of the conditions is skeletal problems, such as a compression fracture.
Such a condition can be debilitating, causing back pain and mobility problems. Muscle loss can also cause pain, as can compressed discs. It is important to stay on top of it, get ahead of any potential problems.
Height loss can also be a symptom of other problems that are physiological or metabolic in nature. It can also indicate inadequate nutrition or poor health. In short, if you experience height loss, it may be in your best interest to pay attention and talk to your doctor.
Combating the Shrinkage
While genetics does play a large part in certain conditions that can cause you to lose height, there are some things you can do that may help. If you are still below the threshold age, start taking care of yourself, get the proper nutrition, exercise, get enough sleep, and drink plenty of water. The better the foundation you build when you are young, the better you will be as you age.
Older people may be able to slow the shrinkage by eating a healthy diet rich in calcium, doing weight-bearing exercises, staying hydrated, and avoiding unhealthy practices such as drinking alcohol and smoking. Study after study shows that exercise works, so that should be a priority. Hydration is also key. In the end, the better you take care of your body when you are young, the better care it will take of you when you are older.
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There has been an increasing number of professional athletes and athletic teams in recent years that have chosen to use chiropractors to treat their injuries, help manage their pain, and help keep them at the top of their game concerning performance and stamina. Top athletes like Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Vernon Davis, and Aaron Rodgers recognize that value in good chiropractic care and have incorporated it into their overall health and wellness programs.
One of the biggest draws is chiropractic�s whole-body approach to health care. A chiropractor will not just treat the symptoms of a problem (such as pain), he or she will work to uncover the cause of the problem and recommend lifestyle changes that will help the athlete not only eliminate their pain, but resolve the issue causing the pain, and take steps to help prevent the problem from recurring.
The NFL Chooses Chiropractic
The National Football League (NFL) has long kept chiropractic care as a standard treatment for its players. The Professional Football Chiropractic Association estimates that the average team chiropractor for the NFL will perform anywhere from 30 to 50 chiropractic adjustments or treatments a week during the football season.
When you consider that the NFL teams employ around 35 chiropractors, that adds up to about 27,000 adjustments in that short 16-week span, but it�s worth it to keep the players in tip-top shape, and many continue chiropractic care even after they retire.
The PGA Chooses Chiropractic
Many top golfers in the Professional Golfers� Association (PGA), such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Phil Mickelson see chiropractic care not only as a necessary element in their wellness routines but also as a playing a vital role in their success.
Many use it to enhance their athletic performance, help prevent injuries, help heal from injuries, manage pain, and improve their overall health. Some golfers, like Masters Tournament winner Jordan Spieth, have a chiropractor who travels with him on a full-time basis and provides treatments several times a day.
Olympic Teams and Chiropractic
At the Olympics, the best of the best compete � and put their bodies through a lot of stress and punishment in the process. Most Olympic teams have two chiropractors who travel with them in an official capacity.
After practice or competition, they will get treatments to keep their bodies at optimal performance level. If any of the athletes sustain injuries, the chiropractors can help to manage pain and help heal the injury. Studies show that most injuries that are treated with chiropractic care heal faster and more complete.
The MLB, NBA, and NHL Choose Chiropractic
Most of the teams in the NHL, NBA, and MLB either have a chiropractor they refer to that is outside, or their organization or they have one on staff. This means that not only are chiropractors treating athletes, but they are also treating some of the best athletes in the world.
These people make a living based on how well their bodies perform so it stands to reason they would not turn to just any type of treatment or trend. They choose to reap the benefits of the tried and true chiropractic care.
Chiropractic for Athletes
Athletes know the many benefits that they can get from regular chiropractic care. Some of the top include:
It is drug-free and non-invasive.
It is very effective in pain management.
It can reverse the punishment that the body undergoes while participating in sports.
If you play sports, even if you enjoy a game of touch football on the weekends, you might benefit from chiropractic care. If it�s good enough for the pros, it�s good enough for you!
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