Mobility is more than moving from one place to another. It�s freedom and independence.
Whether you have a back or other condition that impacts how you walk, or your body doesn�t move as effortlessly as it once did, decreased mobility impacts a lot of people. But, if you notice changes early on, you and your doctor may be able to work on a plan to keep you moving comfortably for longer.
To see some red flags that may signal a decline in healthy mobility. Do any sound familiar?
Short Walks Become Long Walks
How do you feel after walking a quarter of a mile? Is it painful or taxing on your body?
Unless you have a spine condition or other disease that limits your ability to walk, you should be able to walk your entire life. If it�s challenging to complete short walks, that�s a red flag your mobility is at risk.
Changes In Gait
It�s not just walking distance that foreshadows a decline in mobility�how you walk is just as revealing.
Gait is the medical term for how you walk. While gait changes are a typical part of aging, some gait characteristics aren�t normal. For example: If you walk in a shuffling, unsteady, or cautious manner, you should see your doctor. He or she will help assess your gait and hopefully find the reason for it and ways to improve your movement.
Your �Get Up & Go� Is A Bit Slow
Another way to test your mobility is by doing the �get up and go� test.
You�ll need a friend to time you during this task. First, start by sitting in a chair. When your friend says �go,� get up and walk 10 feet in a straight line, then turn around and walk back to the chair and sit down. Most people who have healthy mobility can complete the exercise in 10 seconds or less.
While speed is an important part of this exercise, think about how you feel afterward. Do you feel any pain in your back muscles or in your legs or joints? If so, you should talk to your doctor to find ways to ease these movements� impact on your quality of life.
Golf & Chiropractic Care
Daily Tasks Aren�t So Routine
Is cooking a meal or taking a shower an ordeal when it used to be just a typical part of your day? Do you have work-arounds for tasks that were once easy?
One can overlook how a once simple part of your daily routine has slowly morphed into a challenging task. You may adjust your lifestyle to accommodate a decline in mobility (like putting a seat in the shower), but that�s a sign it�s time to see your doctor.
Your doctor can get to the bottom of your movement problems and suggest ways to help, such as using an assistive device, like a cane or walker, so you can move easier.
You Don�t Travel Far From Home
This isn�t about getting on a plane�you don�t travel to the other side of town. Avoiding going away from home, even if it�s a grocery store a few miles from your house, could be a sign your ability to move is declining.
Think about it: Running errands across town for an hour or two takes physical endurance. If you feel mentally and physically exhausted over the thought of completing a few errands, that�s a red flag your mobility health is at risk.
The Best Way To Improve Mobility
Want to keep walking well into your later years? The answer is simple: Stay active.
Physical activity is excellent for your heart, lungs, muscles, and spine, and helps preserve your independence. It�s never too late to start exercising.
Caring for your mobility is essential�not just for spine health but for your total health.
The Atlas Orthogonal chiropractic technique is a healthcare system utilized to help adjust misalignments, or subluxations, along the cervical spine, most commonly in the uppermost vertebra, or the atlas. The Atlas Orthogonal treatment program was first developed specifically to help treat spinal complications along the upper back or neck region, particularly among the vertebrae which connect to the skull.
The use of special radiographic views and/or X-rays are essential to determine the extent and direction of a patient’s spinal misalignment. Furthermore, information from X-rays or other radiographic views can help determine how a healthcare professional will adjust the segment of the spine.
The actual adjustment is performed with an Atlas Orthogonal Percussion Adjusting Instrument. The instrument functions by percussion, or a sound wave, in order for the spinal column bones and joints to be gently restored to their original position and alignment.
Another well-known example of percussion is Newton’s Cradle. The device conservation of momentum and energy using a series of swinging spheres, where when one ball on the end of it is pulled and released, the balls in the middle stay put while the ball on the end bounces away.
The Atlas Orthogonal Percussion Adjusting Instrument functions in the same manner as this principle. In the adjusting head of the instrument, a solenoid that strikes a stylus can be found. The stylus doesn’t move but it allows momentum and energy to be transmitted through the tip. The tip is placed within the side of the vertebra and the percussive force moves the vertebrae in the desired direction based on the coordinated set by the healthcare professional, such as an Atlas Orthogonist, a specialist in the Atlas Orthogonal chiropractic technique.
What is an Atlas Orthogonist?
An Atlas Orthogonist is a healthcare professional within the chiropractic field, who is qualified and experienced with training in the structure, function and bio-mechanics of the upper cervical spine. The human body is capable of maintaining structural balance through the proper and precise interaction of the muscles under the control of the nervous system, allowing the bones and other structures of the body to move and flex in a relatively unrestricted manner. A majority of the complex network of nerves are protected by the spinal vertebrae. Unfortunately however, spinal misalignment, or subluxation, and other spinal complications can often be the underlying source of pain, loss in sensation and mobility. The spine must be able to support its own shifting weight as the body runs, walks, lifts and bends, largely because the human body functions more effectively in an upright position.
The normal curvature of the spine is designed to comfortably maintain the body’s center of gravity aligned over its supporting lower extremities. Spinal complications caused by spinal misalignments, or subluxations, resulting when the vertebra slip from proper alignment, even by the smallest degree, can affect the overall health and wellness of the entire body, if left untreated. This can be true when misalignments occur in the cervical spine or neck.
Chiropractors specialize in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of injuries and/or conditions associated with the musculoskeletal and nervous system, helping to provide optimal and improved function of the body through spinal health. For many patients, correcting spinal misalignments, or subluxations, results in the individual’s overall health and wellness. Regardless of the cause, when the critical alignment of the spinal column is disturbed, nature tries immediately to repair and heal the damage but chiropractic care can help enhance this process.
Atlas Orthogonist Diagnosis and Treatment
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Cervicogenic Headache and Chiropractic
Neck pain associated with whiplash-associated disorders resulting from an automobile accident are reportedly the most prevalent cause for discomfort along the cervical spine. The sheer force of an impact from a rear-end car crash or other traffic incident can cause injuries or aggravate a previously existing condition. While neck pain is commonly the result of damage to the complex structures of the neck, cervicogenic headaches may also result due to neck issues. Chiropractic care can help carefully restore the alignment of the cervical spine to relieve headaches and neck pain.
The UTEP track and field program received multiple Mountain Region awards for this season announced by the USTFCCA (U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) on Monday.
Emmanuel Korir and was named male Mountain Region Track Athlete of the Year, Tobi Amsuan was named female Mountain Region Track Athlete of the Year, men�s assistant coach Paul Ereng was named the Mountain Region Assistant Coach of the Year, women�s assistant coach Lacena Golding-Clarke was named the Mountain Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
Korir showed incredible talent during the season. He ran the second fastest 800m in collegiate outdoor history (1:43.73). The freshman is just one of three athletes in the world to have run sub-45 in the 400m and sub-1:45 in the 800m. Korir set the school record in both the 400m (44.53) and the 800m (1:43.73).
Korir clocked 1:45.88 at the West Region Preliminaries to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The Kenya native will run on Wednesday in the 800m semifinal starting at 7:45 p.m. MT on ESPN2.
Ereng, in his 15th year with the program, has guided an impressive 1-2 punch in the 800m with Emmanuel Korir and Michael Saruni clocking 1:43.73 and 1:45.82, respectively this season. Korir�s time is the second-fastest in collegiate history and a 44.53 in the 400m, along with a 43.34 4x40m relay split as landed the freshman on The Bowerman watch list. His athletes scored three Conference USA crowns this season.
Amusan set an NCAA Division I West Prelims record in the 100m hurdles with a wind-aided time of 12.57, a time that doubled as the sixth-fastest time in the world in the event on the season. The native of Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria, totaled 24.5 points to help lead the Miners to the program�s first ever outdoor conference title.
The sophomore makers her return to the NCAA Championships after placing runner-up last year. Amusan will compete in the semifinals for the 100m hurdles on Thursday at 6:32 p.m. on ESPN2.
Golding-Clarke, in her sixth year with the program, guided Tobi Amusan to an NCAA Division I West Prelim victory in the 100m hurdles with a wind-aided time of 12.57. Amusan also totaled 24.5 points at the C-USA Championships to help the Miners claim the team title, thanks in large part to Golding-Clarke�s guidance.
Both coaches were important to helping seven individuals and the men�s 4x400m relay team qualify to the NCAA Championships held at Hayward Stadium in Eugene, Ore., starting June 7-10.
For live updates and breaking news be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram.
As a psychologist, Stacey Lee understands the impact social media images can have on a person�s self-worth.
�One of the recurrent themes I treat in my profession is body image and its effect on self-esteem,� the Melbourne-based fitness influencer posted on Instagram on Monday. �Self-esteem is defined as confidence in one�s own worth. ?However, when that worth is tied to an image, a number on a scale, the size of clothes, the smoothness of skin, the smallness of a waist, the bigness of a butt, the definition on your abs or the gap between your thighs, your worth will never be measured correctly.�
Lee says using those factors to define our self-worth is especially damaging when we hold ourselves to the unrealistic ideals set by images that have been photoshopped.
�We are shown images every day which are not realistic � even the small changes to photos or advertisements make a difference,� she says. �They send subconscious messages saying that you aren�t enough, and never will be.�
Lee decided to decrease her exposure to manipulated images by unfollowing certain social media accounts.
�As soon as I stopped following accounts that used photoshop, professional images, constant filters and altered their images, my self-esteem improved,� she said. �?Being able to see real women share their real bodies [�] gave me the confidence to work for my realistic goals, and to measure my progress on a REAL measuring stick.�
To illustrate her point about subtle manipulations to photos, Lee showed how minor edits can make a big difference in the way a person�s body looks.
�?The point of this image is to show that when something that is already �good� is altered to be �better,� it teaches people that your �real� isn�t good enough,� she said. �?I don�t want to ever perpetuate or encourage that twisted notion. So I post these photos to combat that idea and to raise awareness of the damage it can have.�
UTEP Basketball 2017-18 Season Tickets are now on sale.� Miner hoops fans can�get on board for an action-packed campaign with Omega Harris, Matt Willms and the Miner men, or the UTEP women under the direction of first-year head coach Kevin Baker.
Fans who renew their season tickets (men�s or women�s) by Aug. 4 will be entered into a drawing to win one of four fabulous prizes.� The earlier the renewal, the greater the opportunity to win!� Payment plans are available.
The UTEP men return five of their top six scorers from last year�s squad that charged to a 13-4 record in its last 17 games and tied for third place in Conference USA.� Buoyed by the addition of a top-flight recruiting class, the Miners are looking to contend for the league title in 2017-18.��UTEP will feature a potent inside-outside combination in�seniors Harris (17.0 ppg), a�1,000-point scorer, and Willms, who ranks�ninth in school history with 98 blocked shots.
The Miners� non-conference home schedule features matchups with arch-rivals NM State and New Mexico, as well as Pac-12�squad�Washington State.
With the third-best winning percentage among all schools in the state of Texas since 2007, the UTEP women�s program has established itself as a proven winner. �The task on continuing that run of success now falls on Baker, who was announced as the eighth head coach in program history on April 24.
Baker has an outstanding track record, setting school records for wins at every stop of his career. �He is an eight-time coach of the year. �Baker has a combined college coaching record 122-30, including 50-14 in two seasons (2015-17) at Angelo State University. �Overall he is 344-131, which included 10 years as a high school head coach at four schools in Texas.
�Raise the Pick� is a MAC initiative focused on generating the necessary financial support to provide UTEP student-athletes a first-class athletic and academic experience.
Three ways YOU can �Raise the Pick�:
Current season ticket holders can add to the donation portion of their season ticket.
As a suggestion, your donation increase could be 10%/20%/30% that you can add towards your invoice.
New donors donating this year towards student-athlete scholarships. (Minimum $100).
Refer a friend to join the MAC for the first time. (Minimum $100).
By joining the �Raise the Pick� initiative you will receive a special invite to the �Raise the Pick� appreciation pre-game basketball dinner in the Larry K. Durham Center. [Date TBD]
For any questions or more information please call the Season Ticket Office at 747-6150 or go online.
There are many types of headaches. Is yours the dull pain that comes from a tension headache, or is it the forceful pounding, throbbing, and nausea from a migraine? Getting good headache treatment starts with identifying which type of headache you have.
Types Of Headaches
There are three main types of tension headaches -type, cluster, and migraine.
Many structures changes, and sense pain, particularly tension in muscles. However, the brain itself has no pain and also you have a headache as the surrounding tissues report their discomfort.
Tension headaches result from straining muscles that cover your skull, or your face or neck muscles. They might also occur when the blood vessels that circulates in your mind, face, and open. Exercise stress, and medication are a few things that could make your blood vessels open and provide you with a short-term tension headache.
Headache pain from tension headaches comes on gradually, and after that clears up in a number of hours. Just in case your tension headaches are severe or occur, you should see your doctor. Most headaches are just a part of life and no cause for concern.
Should you experience a cluster headache, the pain certainly will occur, and that’s sharp concentrate behind one eye. Headache experts attribute these headaches that are sudden and problems using a part of your brain called the hypothalamus.
Migraine Headaches And Their Symptoms
More than 60 million American adults report experiencing a migraine, and they affect women in a rate 3 times higher than men.1 Most people with migraines experience their first migraine as an adult, but children and teenagers can fall victim to them, too.
A pounding, deeply or pulsating throbbing aching headache, nausea, and pain which is immobilizing are the main symptoms of migraine headaches. Other common symptoms may include:
One-sided blind spots and blurred vision
Sensitivity to light, noise, or odors
Fatigue and confusion
Feeling sweaty or cold
A stiff or tender neck
Light-headedness
About 20% of people with migraines experience an aura lasting 15 to 20 minutes in front of the onset of the actual migraine.1,2 The most common aura is visual where people experience blind spots, flashing lights, and glowing zigzagging forms. Auras involve other senses, such as for example a tingling feeling or numbness. They confuse the migraine victim and may affect speech.
Causes Of Migraines
Medical experts aren’t sure what causes migraines. Shifting levels of serotonin together with other chemicals in the brain may provoke migraines, but brain scientists and neurologists admit that people have a great deal to learn before we understand the cause completely.
The list below covers a selection of migraine causes; learn more about what causes migraines in our detailed migraine and headache causes article.
You will discover a number of migraine triggers. And meaning you should consider avoiding food can often triggers migraines:
alcoholic beverages
caffeine
legumes, pea pods, lentils, beans, nuts, and peanut butter
pickled and fermented foods such as pickles, soy sauce, sauerkraut, and olives
bologna, ham, herring, hot dogs, pepperoni, sausage, and aged or cured meat
meat tenderizer, seasoned salt, bouillon cubes, and monosodium glutamate (MSG)
buttermilk, sour cream, and other cultured dairy
aged cheese
the artificial sweetener aspartame
avocados
onions
passion fruit and papaya
coffee cake, donuts, sourdough bread, and other items containing brewer’s yeast or fresh
chocolate, cocoa, and carob
figs, plumbs that are red, and raisins
Other common migraine triggers include:
fumes and strong odors
stress
bright lights
loud noises
fatigue
depression
weather changes
poor sleep
interruptions for example missing a meal, in your diet
certain medications
hormonal changes
smoking
exercise, sex, and other activities that are intense
In the event you live with migraine headaches, avoiding triggers may help you reduce the number of episodes you will need to endure.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .�
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Cervicogenic Headache and Chiropractic
Neck pain associated with whiplash-associated disorders resulting from an automobile accident are reportedly the most prevalent cause for discomfort along the cervical spine. The sheer force of an impact from a rear-end car crash or other traffic incident can cause injuries or aggravate a previously existing condition. While neck pain is commonly the result of damage to the complex structures of the neck, cervicogenic headaches may also result due to neck issues. Chiropractic care can help carefully restore the alignment of the cervical spine to relieve headaches and neck pain.
Chiropractic treatment is based on the principle which allows the body to heal itself naturally through the use of basic techniques. This natural healing controlled by the nervous system. Nerve impulses flow down from the brain to the spinal cord and out through spinal nerves, known as the peripheral nervous system, which then flow into the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and vital organs.
A misalignment in the spine can potentially result in the compression or impingement of the central nervous system. Interference in the nervous system due to spinal complications may often lead to disease and other conditions. These can affect the optimal structure and function of the body.
What is the Atlas Orthogonal?
Atlas Orthogonal is a healthcare program for the spine, initially developed by Dr. Roy Sweat in the late 1960’s based on scientific and biomechanical procedures. Dr. Sweat is considered by many to be one of the world’s foremost authorities regarding injuries and conditions associated with the cervical spine. After years of extensive research and studies, Dr. Roy Sweat developed a non-invasive, precision instrument to restore the original structure of the vertebrae along the cervical spine. The percussion instrument achieves postural restoration without the use of manipulation or the practice of surgery. This precision treatment helps reduce symptoms caused by misalingments along the cervical spine.
The Atlas Orthogonal chiropractic technique has been described by many patients as a gentle, effective and proven treatment, many reporting a decrease in their discomfort and improved function after an adjustment has taken place. The Atlas supports the head and is the top vertebrae of the spine. Orthogonal means at right angle. When the Atlas is not square to the head and spine, or it’s subluxated or misaligned, subsequently, the alignment of the head and spine in relation to the Atlas may be improper. Essentially, the spine cannot be straight in the event the head isn’t on straight. The resulting stress from the misalignment, or subluxation, may cause discomfort to the back, shoulders, pelvis, hips, knees and ankles.
A normal Atlas is aligned with both the skull and the spine. A subluxated or misaligned Atlas is not square. The adjusting instrument is a safe, gentle, and precise method of correcting a misaligned (subluxated) Atlas vertebrae, without the need for physical manipulation. The instrument utilized for the Atlas Orthogonal chiropractic technique delivers a precise impulse to the exact area needed as determined by the patient’s X-rays.
As with chiropractic adjustments utilized to help ease neck pain, back pain and muscle aches, the Atlas Orthogonal chiropractic technique can help relieve many of the similar symptoms. The Atlas Orthogonal Spinal Correction can help the body naturally heal a variety of health problems. This misalignment can block the communication between your brain and body, causing pain, stress and tension. The tension, stress and pain associated with complications along the cervical spine can affect all, even mental and physical activity of the body. Correction of the Atlas may relieve many painful symptoms.
What is the Activator Method Technique?
The Activator Method technique utilizes specific procedures to detect body mechanics problems, analyze leg length inequality, detect spinal joint dysfunction and test neurological reflexes. With one of the unique analytical tools, healthcare professionals can restore your overall spinal balance. An instrument called the Activator is used by many chiropractors to address spinal joint dysfunction. This unique hand-held instrument was scientifically designed to give you a very specific, “low force” adjustment. The Activator instrument delivers a thrust that is fast, light and controlled, without causing undue strain. Activator adjustments are controlled and quick, allowing to get an exact and precise adjustment.
About the Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractic Technique
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Cervicogenic Headache and Chiropractic
Neck pain associated with whiplash-associated disorders resulting from an automobile accident are reportedly the most prevalent cause for discomfort along the cervical spine. The sheer force of an impact from a rear-end car crash or other traffic incident can cause injuries or aggravate a previously existing condition. While neck pain is commonly the result of damage to the complex structures of the neck, cervicogenic headaches may also result due to neck issues. Chiropractic care can help carefully restore the alignment of the cervical spine to relieve headaches and neck pain.
IFM's Find A Practitioner tool is the largest referral network in Functional Medicine, created to help patients locate Functional Medicine practitioners anywhere in the world. IFM Certified Practitioners are listed first in the search results, given their extensive education in Functional Medicine
How do you feel after walking a quarter of a mile? Is it painful or taxing on your body?
It�s not just walking distance that foreshadows a decline in mobility�how you walk is just as revealing.
