5 Reasons You Need a Sit/Stand Desk
Those of us who work at a desk all know the neck and shoulder pain that can go with it, sitting all day is not only bad for your health, it’s bad for your neck/spine/head. Years ago sitting all day was the only real option for certain kinds of work, the good news is there are several options for being able to sit or stand at work. Taking breaks from sitting during the day is vital, being able to take breaks from sitting and still get work done is not only good for you but your work as well. If your boss isn’t set on getting you a standing desk just let them know of all the benefits it can have on the health of their employees. If you do sit all day and suffer from back or neck pain call our office today and we can help you feel better!
4 Ways to Improve Your Posture
Poor posture: most of us have it, few of us understand exactly how damaging it can be to our overall health. According to Harvard Medical School, poor posture can lead to everything from back and neck conditions to incontinence, constipation, heartburn, and slowed digestion. Surprising? It is for most people. When you think about it, though, the spine acts as the foundation of the human body. Home to some of our most critical neural pathways, it’s not a surprise that jamming our spines into unnatural shapes or slouching for 9 hours a day can create some serious problems. Don’t worry, though. It doesn’t have to be your reality. Here’s a breakdown on how to improve your posture and avoid the dangerous health conditions that come with slouching. The Definition of Posture Most of us understand, anecdotally, what posture is. If you’ve ever wondered how the pros define either, though, here’s your answer, from the American Chiropractic Association (ACA): “Posture is the position in which we hold our bodies while standing, sitting, or lying down. Good posture is the correct alignment of body parts supported by the right amount of muscle tension against gravity. Without posture and the muscles that control it, we would fall to the ground.” In our everyday lives, most of us don’t overthink about our posture. As such, we neglect it, allowing the muscle groups that are primarily responsible for it to go unused and atrophy in the process. While this can make it harder to develop good posture and it’s still far from impossible. Why Bad Posture is so Damaging Slouching: it might seem inconsequential, but it has some surprising health effects. First of all, slouching puts excess stress on your spine. It also strains your bones, muscles, and joints, and makes it more difficult for you to hold your body in the correct position. As it turns out, bad posture isn’t just bad for your spine – it also does a number on your internal organs. Constant slumping smashes your internal organs together, making it harder for your lungs and intensities to do their jobs optimally. Over time, that can impact your digestive function and make it difficult for your body to get enough air when you breathe. How to Improve Your Posture: 4 Chiropractor-Approved Recommendations Want to look better in pictures? Get rid of that persistent pain in your lower back? Feel better and more active every day? Try these simple posture-improving tips: 1. Practice Some Light Yoga If you’ve been sitting all slumped-up for a few years, the first step in improving your posture is training your spine to fit into new shapes. With this in mind, incorporate some simple yoga poses into your daily life. Child’s pose, for example, is a great place to start. To get into child’s pose, follow this step-by-step: Sit on your shins with your knees pressed together gently and the insides of your big toes touching. Splay your heels to the side slightly to alleviate strain on the knees. Lengthen your back, keeping your spine straight, and fold forward at the hips, extending your hands in front of you, palms down. Sink your hips back down toward your feet. If you need extra support or this motion creates pain, place a pillow or a folded blanket between your hips and your calves. Place your forehead on the floor. Alternately, you can turn your head to one side, resting your cheek on the ground. Breathe deeply, drawing breath into the back body and chest. Hold this pose for five minutes or as long as you are comfortable. This pose lengthens your spine, undoes some of the jams lousy posture may have created, stretches your hamstrings and glutes, and releases tension along the neck and lower back. Forward fold is another great yoga pose to adopt. To complete this pose, stand upright with your big toes touching and your heels separated slightly. With your hands on your hips, hinge forward at the hips, releasing your hands down toward the floor. Don’t worry if they don’t touch the floor yet – they will eventually. Keep your back straight, bend your knees slightly, and relax at your hip joints. Stay in this pose for 5-10 breaths to allow your spine to relax fully. 2. Fix Your Desk Posture Our desks are a virtual minefield for our posture. Between improperly-aligned computers, low-quality chairs, and common workday fatigue, most of us harm our spines while we work all day. To avoid this, make sure your desk setup is as ergonomic as possible. Here are some tips: Adjust your chair so you can sit upright with your feet flat on the floor and your back and shoulders against the back of the chair Invest in a computer stand to raise your computer screen to eye-level, if it’s not already there Use a headset to avoid holding your phone between your shoulder and ear as you type 3. Wear Supportive Shoes Heels might look great, but they should be used sparingly. Because heeled shoes thrust the base of your spine forward, they create an unnatural arch in your back, harming your posture and leading to complications. Instead, wear supportive, low-heeled shoes with plenty of arch support. Ask your chiropractor for some recommendations, if you’re not sure where to turn. 4. Get Enough Exercise One of the best ways to improve your posture? Improve and enhance the muscle groups responsible for it. Well-designed workout plans, which focus on incorporating cardio and strength training, with a focus on the back, core, and legs, will help your spine feel great for years to come. Better Posture Starts Here If you’re concerned about improving your posture, these four tips are an excellent place to start. By improving your environment, focusing on making your body stronger, and wearing shoes that support your spine, you can enhance your posture and feel better every day. Need some additional support to improve your posture? Contact our office and book your first
4 Things Athletes can do to Prevent Injuries
Each year, athletes throughout America suffer a collective 8.6 million sports injuries. These injuries range from easy-to-treat sprains and strains to career-ending concussions and broken bones. On the one hand, being an athlete involves the inherent risk of getting hurt. On another, there are ways athletes can take proactive measures to protect themselves in the course of their sport and to ensure that they’re not undergoing more sports injuries than they need. Here are a few of our top recommendations for avoiding injuries during intense play. 4 Smart Tips for Athletes Who Want to Avoid Injury Regardless of whether the sport in question is soccer or pickleball, these injury-avoidance tips work to help keep bodies healthy and injuries at bay: 1. Stretch First It’s far too easy to get injured as an athlete if you don’t take the time to warm up before you start your session of play. Today, upwards of 30% of injuries in sports medicine clinics take place in the skeletal muscles. When you warm up and stretch before you hit the field, you do a few essential things: You improve the flexibility and range of motion in your muscles, reducing the risk of strain and making them less susceptible to injury You prepare your body’s other systems for the stress and impact of activity, reducing shock and stress hormones If you’re not accustomed to warming up before you start a game, build it in slowly. Spend ten minutes stretching your major muscle groups, for example, or go for a slow walk/jog before you start playing. For maximum effectiveness, be sure to start your warm-up at least 15 minutes before you begin your exercise. Be sure, also, to include a variety of dynamic and static stretches. Static stretches are fixed positions you hold for a long period, while dynamic stretches are stretches you do while moving. 2. Fuel Early, Fuel Often To operate at maximum efficiency, your body needs ample fuel and water. If you’re allowing yourself to become dehydrated or suffer from low blood sugar during a big game, you’re not doing your body any favors. Even a simple thing like dehydration can make your muscles more prone to sprains and strains, for example, and contribute to exhaustion that will lead to sloppy form and dangerous habits. Instead, keep your electrolytes high during high-impact activity. Drinking a sports drink or adding an electrolyte tab to your bottle of water is a great option. You should also fuel up on carbohydrates and proteins as you play. To-go packets of almond butter are a great example of a nutrient-dense, easy-to-eat snack. As you experiment with nutrition, find a few go-to snacks that you can toss easily into your pack. Keep these with you as you work out. 3. Evaluate Suspicious Pains Came down on your ankle wrong during the last game? Don’t ignorer thee twinge that flares up when you run. Instead, get yourself to a PT or sports therapist and have it evaluated. A chiropractor is also an excellent resource for assessing sudden pains or injuries, and for helping you take steps to avoid making them worse. Many sports injuries arise from something that could have been inconsequential, if only it were treated early. Not all pains are severe injuries. In some cases, they need rest and a few days off. If you push these little tweaks, though, you put yourself at risk of making a mountain out of a molehill. With this in mind, recognize injury when it happens. You can’t demand a huge amount from your body unless you’re willing to maintain it, in return. When you take care of your body, it will take care of you. 4. Be Dedicated to Rest Days Every hardworking body needs rest. If you’re trying to meet fitness goals or incorporate more activity into your routine, it can be challenging to slow down. Instead of seeing a rest day as an inconvenience, though, start viewing it as a necessity. When it comes to athletic injuries, overuse injuries are some of the most common. According to StopSportsInjuries.org, “Training errors are the most common cause of overuse injuries. These errors involve rapid acceleration of the intensity, duration, or frequency of activity. Overuse injuries also happen in people who are returning to a sport or activity after injury and try to make up for lost time by pushing themselves to achieve the level of participation they were at before injury. Proper technique is critical in avoiding overuse injuries, as slight changes in form may be the culprit. For this reason, coaches, athletic trainers, and teachers can play a role in preventing recurrent overuse injuries.” To avoid this, you need to avoid overtraining. When you overtrain, you not only damage your performance, but you put excessive strain on your body systems, causing muscle and tendon damage and decreasing the energy stored in your muscles. This fatigue puts you in a prime position for injuries. To avoid this, incorporate rest days into your routine. Take Care of Your Body and It Will Take Care of You Being involved in active esports is an excellent pastime as far as your fitness and cardiovascular health are concerned. When it comes to your skeletal and soft tissue system, however, active sports do present a significant risk. That’s no reason to stop playing, though. If you’re concerned about injury, it’s wise to take a few preventative steps to avoid sports injuries and keep your body healthy. By incorporating rest days into your routine, fueling your body with plenty of water and nutrition, paying attention to pain signals your body is sending you, and starting a warm-up and stretching routine, you can make your everyday play safer, healthier, and more fulfilling. Want to develop a spinal care routine to help you stay active? Contact our offices today to book your first appointment.
Top 5 Recreational Activities to Combat Stress and Prevent Back Pain
Today, back pain is one of the most common disorders to affect adults. In fact, about 80% of the U.S. population will experience back pain at some point in their lives. That’s a startling statistic, and it gets even worse when you consider that back pain can affect people of all ages, creeds, and demographics and that severe cases of back pain can limit the quality of life and even make it difficult for people to work. So, what’s the solution? How do we protect our spines and cut down on the rate of back pain in our everyday lives? The answer is simple: self-care. By focusing on things like diet and routine chiropractic care, as well as taking part in some spin-supporting activities like the ones listed in this post, you can keep your spine healthy and happy for years to come. Let’s dive in. The 5 Best Recreational Activities to Support Your Spine Some activities aren’t great for the spine (heavy weight-lifting, for example) or long-distance running. Others, however, can go a long to support your spinal health and keep you limber and pain-free for years. Here are a few of our top recommendations: 1. Yoga Yoga has long been touted as the activity of choice for bendy people. For a good reason, though. Yoga, which focuses on combining breath with deep, purposeful movement, is one of the best activities for building and maintaining muscles and promoting proper alignment. Don’t believe us? Take Science’s word for it. According to a 2017 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, yoga can work wonders to reduce or eliminate mild to moderate back pain. Here’s an excerpt from the study: “Study participants were randomly divided into three treatment groups. One group received 12 weekly yoga classes designed specifically for people with chronic back pain; one received 15 physical therapy visits over 12 weeks; one was given an educational book and newsletters about self-care for chronic low back pain. The researchers then continued to track the participants for an additional 40-week maintenance phase. During this phase, people in the yoga and physical therapy groups were randomly assigned to either continue to practice at home or with a professional—at yoga classes or physical therapy sessions. The researchers found that all three groups reported improvement in physical function and pain reduction. However, people in the yoga and physical therapy treatment groups were significantly more likely than those in the education-only group to stop taking pain relievers after one year. These findings suggest that a structured yoga program may be a reasonable alternative to physical therapy for people with chronic low back pain.” If you’ve never tried yoga before, don’t be afraid to start. Most gyms and local fitness centers offer introductory “gentle yoga” classes, designed to familiarize newcomers with the movements, and ease the body into flexibility. 2. Walking Walking is a simple yet powerful approach to resolving back pain and cutting down on stress. Today, lots of lower back pain is caused by a lack of movement and the subsequent fusing of the lower spine. Most of us sit at desks or in chairs all day, and the muscles and bones in our lower back lose movement and mobility because of it. When you take up walking, though, it promotes gentle movement throughout the spine, breaking up blockages, promoting healthy alignment, and restoring range of motion. Walking also boosts the body’s endorphin levels, leading to enhanced mood, less stress, and better sleep. Even better? Walking doesn’t require any complicated equipment or a pricey gym membership. Just grab a comfortable pair of shoes, some clothes you can move in, and a pair of headphones and get out there! 3. Swimming/Water Aerobics Swimming is an excellent activity for anyone suffering from pain, as it’s gentle on the joints and non-weight-bearing. When you swim, you involve your entire body in the movement, simultaneously activating your abdominals, glutes, hamstrings, arms, and back muscles. If you’ve been suffering from back pain, take a swimming class, or see if your local gym offers water aerobics in a warm water therapy pool. Both activities will help strengthen and repair your back muscles without adding additional strain. 4. Tai Chi Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art that, like yoga, combines breathing and movement. Unlike yoga, however, Tai Chi focuses on slow movements meant to improve balance and reduce chronic pain. While yoga might have you contort yourself into a pretzel, Tai Chi focuses on movements made standing up. Tai Chi has been shown to reduce stress, improve sleep, and promote weight loss, as well. 5. The Elliptical Machine If you’re looking for low-impact cardio activity, spend some time on the elliptical at your local gym. While the movement of the elliptical mimics running, the paddles soften impact and create a “gliding” motion that’s easy on your joints. This is an excellent option for anyone who wants to sweat but doesn’t want to torque their back in the process. Additionally, since the elliptical helps build the muscles in the hips and low back, using it regularly can help you keep your back in alignment and prevent problems from cropping up down the road. Working out for Better Spine Health If you thought physical activity was the wrong thing for your spine health, think again. While some activities will do a number on your spine, others are excellent for strengthening the muscles throughout your lower back, promoting proper alignment, and keeping everything exactly where it should be. Even better, these activities help combat the stress of your daily life, promote better sleep, help you trim down, and enhance your mood across the board! As always, remember to talk to your chiropractor or healthcare provider before adding a new exercise regimen to your life. If you have questions about these activities, or you want to learn more about how to ensure a healthy spine, contact our offices today!
5 Essential Oils for Back Pain – Ridgefieldchiropractic
When back pain hits, it can turn a perfectly good day into an uncomfortable nightmare. Between the aching, the shooting pain, and the limited mobility, back pain can bring you to a screaming halt. This is especially true for lower back pain, which happens to be more prevalent during the back-to-school period than other time of the year. When you’ve been walking and running and moving all summer, your back may naturally protest a bit when you start sitting at a desk all day. Unless you find a way to create some relief, it’s likely you’ll live with this back pain all school year! Don’t worry, though: this isn’t your only option. In fact, there are dozens of things that can help your lower back pain fade off into a distant memory. Between chiropractic care and mobility work, you can regain some of the flexibility your active back saw all summer long. If you want to add another care option, there are a few essential oils worth considering. While many people dismiss essential oils as a hippie remedy that doesn’t offer anything real to consumers, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Produced naturally and designed to work quickly, essential oils can target orthopedic and muscular pain and provide the relief you need. Here’s what you need to know. Pain Relief Without a Prescription If you’re a victim of ongoing back pain, you might know that one of the most common methods used to treat said back pain is opioid painkillers. Powerful and potent, opioids have exploded into a near-epidemic in recent years. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine: “Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the US, with 52,404 lethal drug overdoses in 2015. Opioid addiction is driving this epidemic, with 20,101 overdose deaths related to prescription pain relievers, and 12,990 overdose deaths related to heroin in 2015.” As prescription painkiller use has become more popular in recent years, more people have begun to realize its dangers and take steps to seek out alternative pain management options. Essential oils lend themselves naturally to this effort. When combined with hot- and cold therapy, massage, chiropractic care, and topical ointments, essential oils can limit lower back pain and help people curb their prescription medication intake. 5 Benefits of Essential Oils for Pain There are dozens of advantages to using essential oils for back pain, and many stretch beyond back pain and into overall wellness. Here are a few of the most prominent benefits: 1. A Sense of Peace If you’re in pain all the time, it’s hard to feel relaxed or peaceful. Essential oils, however, can help make this a reality. By soothing both the body and the mind, essential oils can promote a sense of peace and tranquility. This, in turn, reaches out into all sections of your lie and can promote enhanced wellbeing and happiness, both at school and out in your life. 2. Better Sleep Did you know that essential oils can promote healthier sleep? By soothing back pain and relaxing the nervous system, essential oils are incredibly effective at promoting wellness and comfort, and ensuring that you can move into your day rested and happy. 3. Reduced Inflammation This is where essential oils shine. Certain essential oils offer powerful anti-inflammatory properties that reduce both inflammation and irritation. This is a compelling benefit that can promote overall wellness in a number of ways. 4. A Stronger Immune System Many essential oils have powerful antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal properties. These properties can help the immune system work optimally, and may prevent certain illnesses or diseases. This means that essential oils can help you keep back pain at bay while also keeping you away from the common cold. 5. Reduced Skin Irritations If you’re suffering from any skin irritations, essential oils can help promote healing. When applied topically, essential oils promote fast absorption and healing at deep levels of skin and muscle tissue. 5 Exceptional Oils to Heal Back Pain Ready to start using essential oils to heal back pain? Here are five to try now: 1. Marjoram Essential Oil Marjoram essential oil is a natural pain reducer that is ideal for anyone who has overextended or strained their back muscles. Without any unwanted side effects, this simple essential oil is a nice addition to any back pain treatment program. Here are some additional benefits of marjoram oil: Promotion of Healthy Digestion. Marjoram can help relieve other issues, such as nausea, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation, and other digestive problems. It can also stimulate movement within the intestines and soothe the digestive tract. Good Heart Health. Did you know that marjoram essential oil is a vasodilator, which means it can help your heart stay healthy? By relaxing and widening blood vessels, marjoram eases the flow of blood and can help your heart work more easily. Pain Reduction. Marjoram is a powerful warming herb, which allows it to relieve sore muscles and cut the pain. This is the primary feature that makes it so ideal for treating back pain! 2. Sweet Ginger Essential Oil Ginger oil has a warming and healing quality to it that is ideal for penetrating and soothing sore and aching muscles. Ideal for use in massage, or as a topical application just before bed, ginger oil can help reduce inflammation and tightness and promote deep muscle relaxation. Here are some of the unique benefits of ginger oil: Soothes the Stomach and Digestive System. If you’ve got GI issues, or your tummy is feeling a bit off, sweet ginger oil can help. One of the best natural remedies for GI upset, sweet ginger oil can act as an analgesic and a relaxer for the stomach. Heals Infections. Ginger oil has powerful antiseptic properties, which make it the go-to when you’re battling infections caused by bacteria and microorganisms. Promotes Respiratory Health. If you’re looking for an essential oil that will promote good respiratory health, ginger is it. By removing mucus from the lungs and
5 Back-Saving Tips for Long Trips
If you’ve ever driven across the country (or even across the state) to visit friends or family, you know exactly how hard the process can be on your back. When you sit in the car for extended periods of time, your spine compresses and stiffens, which leads to back pain. Fortunately, there are things you can do to cut down on low back pain and make your drive more comfortable. Here are our top tips: Who said long road trips had to be uncomfortable? Enjoy the most comfortable trip of the year with these helpful tips!