How Much Do Your Activities Cause Your Pain?

Uh oh, it’s happened again. You can feel the initial “twinge.” That is, you can feel the early warning sign that you low back pain problem is about to come back again. You knew you should have been keeping up with your chiropractic visits and the exercises your doctor gave you, but you just haven’t done it.

You feel great most of the time, but you’ve learned that when you get this feeling, things are about to go downhill…fast. Sometimes you get off easy, just a few over-the-counter remedies and you can get back to work. Sometimes you’re going to be spending the weekend putting ice on your back and waiting for the doctor to open up first thing Monday morning.

Worse case is that you’ll spend the next couple of weeks trying to get yourself back to feeling not just pain-free, but to the point where you don’t feel like things are about to go bad at any point. That’s the worse feeling.

So it’s somewhere in one of these episodes that you begin to ask yourself, “Why does this keep happening? Is it something I’m doing or not doing?” Most of the time, the answer is “yes!” Now, our bodies are not made out of concrete, and no one can make sure that your back pain will never, ever return again. However, there’s plenty that you can do to keep the episodes at bay and keep from feeling bad more often than not.

Let’s not even get into some of the preventative measures like regular chiropractic care. Let’s just realize that your daily activities are usually what is contributing to your problem. If you sit all day on the computer, then get in your car and sit, and then go home and sit, and then go to sleep and do the whole thing all over again… you’re going to have problems.

Some people will do some exercises, but that seems to be primarily made up of sit-ups, walking, and riding their bike. None of these activities will strengthen the spine to any noticeable degree. Certainly nothing that is going to keep that “feeling” from coming back again. Your normal daily activities have a focus on actions that occur in front of you with almost no engaging of the back muscles for anything other than keeping you upright.

If you’re going to keep a back problem away, you’re going to need to strengthen your back. Taking some time out to follow your doctor’s recommendations and perform some regular activity for the sake of your spine will go a long way in keeping things together. Keep the weight down, the stress away, some regular general exercise, and some regular exercise focused on strengthening your spine and you should do okay.

Does Chiropractic Help With Shoulder Pain?

Chiropractors are known for their abilities in helping people with neck and back pain. The most common reason why someone even considers seeing a chiropractor is for back pain, specifically low back pain. Research and studies and the general consensus is that we can help in this area. What about shoulder pain? Is there anything a chiropractor can do to help shoulder pain?

You can certainly have a chiropractor take a look at and evaluate your shoulder problem. While the spine is most commonly adjusted, the chiropractic adjustment can be performed at any joint. A joint is anywhere two bones meet. In the case of the shoulder, we’ll be looking at three different areas; the clavicle (collarbone), the humerus (upper arm), and the scapula (the shoulder blade).

Any of these joints can move out of their normal position with extended use in the wrong way. Stress and poor posture in the upper back can lead the shoulder blade to become stuck and fixated in the wrong position. The chiropractor can adjust this area and work with the muscles to get things moving again.

The same principles apply to the humerus and the clavicle. There are certain movements in which each bone will take on a more primary role. The chiropractor can feel with his hand if the right areas are moving or not. If the joint is not moving, this means it is likely not functioning correctly. This is where the chiropractor’s expertise can be of most use.

The first evaluation of the shoulder is really to see if any of the muscles, ligaments, or tendons have torn. Depending on the severity of the tear, you may need an immediate referral for an MRI and a visit to an orthopedic specialist. You don’t want someone moving your bones around if you have a tear, and the chiropractor doesn’t want to do that either.

If you haven’t had any trauma to the shoulder joint and the pain has just come on gradually over the years. The chiropractor can take a look and provide adjustments and work to the muscles that can make a world of difference.

June 6-12 National Headache Awareness Week

Hello headache sufferer's. The following article is full of research based information that can help you end your pain. It demonstrates how massage aids in headache relief.

Massage Reduces Headache Frequency
Massage significantly reduced the number of headaches experienced by people with chronic tension headaches, and decreased the duration of the headaches, according to a recent study.

"Massage Therapy and Frequency of Chronic Tension Headaches" was conducted by Christopher Quinn, Clint Chandler and Albert Moraska, Ph.D., of the Boulder College of Massage Therapy in Boulder, Colorado.

Four people who had experienced two to three headaches per week for the past six years or more participated in the study, which lasted eight weeks. During the first four weeks, baseline headache measures were recorded. Throughout the last four weeks, participants received two 30-minute massages per week.

A standardized massage protocol was used, consisting of six phases that fit in the 30-minute time period: preparatory tissue warm-up (three minutes), myofascial release (five minutes), axial cervical traction (two minutes), trigger-point therapy (15 minutes), facilitated stretching (five minutes) and session closure (three to five minutes).

The trigger-point therapy, which made up the bulk of the routine, consisted of scanning palpation of the upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, suboccipital, splenius capitis, levator scapulae and temporalis muscles.

"When located, active trigger points were treated by pincer or flat palpation with just enough pressure to elicit referred pain or autonomic referral phenomena," state the study's authors.
The pressure was maintained until the referral pain ceased, or for a maximum of two minutes, then slowly eased to produce a vascular flushing. In a typical session, six active trigger points were treated, and the procedure was repeated three to five times on each point.

Every night before bed participants completed a headache diary form, recording number of headaches, intensity of most severe headache, and duration of longest headache.

Each subject experienced a reduction in headaches within the first week of massage treatment, and the mean number of headaches per week was significantly reduced from 6.8 to 2 during the four weeks of massage.

"Because our therapeutic massage protocol specifically addressed trigger-point activity, we believe that the reduction in activity of these regions by massage was a major contributor to the observed beneficial effects on tension headache," state the study's authors.

Although duration of headache decreased for all four subjects, the decrease was not statistically significant, and there was no significant change in headache intensity.

"The findings suggest that a larger, more complete study that includes a proper control group is warranted," state the study's authors.

- Source: Boulder College of Massage Therapy. Authors: Christopher Quinn, Clint Chandler and Albert Moraska, Ph.D. Originally published in American Journal of Public Health, October 2002, Vol. 92, No. 10, pp. 1,657-1,661

While this study was statistically inclusive, as many small population studies are, the reality of reduced headache frequency in participants is clear.

So if you're experiencing regular headaches, even one per week, give massage a try. The worst that can happen is that you will leave relaxed, refreshed, and potentially headache free.

**Thanks to Lyn Yancha, LMP for finding this article**

Massage - Your First Experience

This week I had quite a few new patients, and as I went over the treatment information, I realized how much of this is brand new to so many people. While massage is much better understood than it was 10 or 20 years ago, there are still a lot of questions around massage. There are many different treatment styles and environments. A massage you receive on vacation at a resort is likely to be very different from the medical massage you'll receive here in the chiropractic office. I'd like to share some information about what to expect during your first massage treatment here at Sound Chiropractic.

While Dr. Early will do a thorough exam and explain the treatment plan to you, many of the same questions will be asked by your massage practitioner. This is done for several reasons. First, we keep seperate charts and like to ensure that all information is complete. Secondly, some of our patients receive massage therapy only and are not seeing Dr. Early. Finally, by asking you for a complete health history and description of your current symptoms, your massage therapist is sure to have the best, most up to date information. This will ensure that your treatment plan is catered specifically to your needs.

Once the intake has been completed, your massage practitioner will advise you of the massage treatment they plan to give. This will be an overview of the areas of the body that will be targeted. They will then instruct you to "dress down" and tell you how to lie on the massage table. "Dressing down" is your choice. I like to tell clients to "dress down" to their level of comfort. For some that means completely disrobing, for others it means keeping a top on, socks on, or whatever makes them feel most comfortable to ensure the deepest relaxation. Remember, no matter what level you "dress down" to, you will always be covered with a sheet and blanket. Only the part of the body being worked on will be exposed.

While you change, your massage practitioner will step out of the room, make chart notes, wash their hands and return to provide your treatment. Most treatments last one hour, though 30 minute and 90 minute treatments are also avaiable. While on the table, your only job is to relax thoroughly and stay in communication with your therapist. By breathing deeply and slowly you will aid your muscles to relax to their fullest potential. Your massage therapist will ask you about your comfort and the pressure level during the massage, but always feel free to speak up if they don't ask first.

Your massage, especially your first massage, is all about you. You are in control of the treatment. If the temperature is too high or too low, ask your therapist to adjust it. If you need more or less pressure, tell them. You won't hurt our feelings by asking for adjustments. In fact, we appreciate requests because it is how we learn to best treat you.

These are some basic questions that come up day to day. If you have further questions, please email me at dianaskidmore@soundchiropractic.com Better yet, give us a call and come in for your massage treatment today! 206 440 7700

Take Charge Of Your Health!

Most health problems can be avoided. Many of the problems we deal with every day didn’t have to be there at all, if we were willing to take a good hard look at ourselves and decide to be healthy.

The first question is, do you think your body wants to be healthy or do you think you have to medicate it into being “healthy?” An easy example is if you get a cut on your skin. You know that the bandage doesn’t heal the cut, your body does. It just knows that it needs to heal that area and it gets to work. If you are a healthy person, the cut will likely heal much faster than if you are unhealthy.

I see this in my practice every day. I’m a chiropractor and we work with aligning the spine to improve the patient’s health. In order for the spine to stay in its proper position, the muscles will need to work with us. The health of the muscles will determine how fast the patient gets results.

Too many people are in pain, come in and get treatment, just to find that the results take much longer than they thought they would. Then I see patients in moderately good health that bounce back much faster than expected. The patient that consistently makes more healthy choices will get better faster than the patient that doesn’t. Period.

So how do you avoid most health problems and stay healthy? There’s not a lot of mystery to it, believe me. I’ve tried, probably just like you, to find any other new possible way to get healthy other than what has been tried and true.

1. Eat right – What does this mean? Fruits and vegetables, you know, all the stuff you don’t want to eat. If you look at your health as just the results of what you’ve been doing so far, this will help in your motivation. Eliminating one bad food at a time and replacing it with something healthy will go a long way. Maybe no more sodas, instead you’ll be drinking water. Replacing green tea for coffee, or reducing your sugar intake.

Continue to make these better choices and eventually you’ll see a big difference in how you feel. Many conditions are the result of long term diet issues. If you eat poorly, you don’t give your body any materials to maintain your health.

2. Exercise – Don’t start your new exercise program by opening up your front door and running 10 miles. Find some ways to build momentum in your exercise program. Take a walk, go play catch with your child (or even your dog), or get a bike and start doing laps around your block. Find a way to get started and go from there.

Exercise will improve the tone of your muscles, make you stronger, and most importantly, will help you deal with stress. Stress is a huge factor in your health.

It all sounds to easy, right? It’s not easy. Staying consistent with these elements of your goal to get healthy will yield plenty of benefits, just figure out your best way of sticking with it. I’ve found that adding in (or taking out) one thing at a time will make all the difference. You won’t lose fifty pounds in six weeks, but whatever you do lose will stay gone. Over the long-term, that’s what will make all the difference in your health. Take charge of your health!

Can You Be Your Own Chiropractor?

At least once a month I get a question from a patient asking some version of “Why can’t I just adjust myself?” And more often, I have patients that regularly do adjust themselves, particular grabbing their own head or neck and performing a maneuver that gives them a bunch of “cracks” and makes them feel like they’ve done something good.

There are probably more reasons than what I’ll list here, but the answer is “no” you can’t be your own chiropractor. You can be your own mechanic (to a point), you can be your own handyman (to a point), you might even be your own doctor at times, but you leave the more specific and more complicated tasks to the experts.

Getting a spinal adjustment is one of those complicated things that doesn’t seem so complicated on the surface. What is it that the chiropractor is really doing? Why do I need to have a chiropractic adjustment, what’s wrong with just twisting my own neck?

I think you’ll agree that if you are trying to move your spine, you have determined that it is either not moving or it has moved out of place, right? If it can go the wrong direction and cause pain and discomfort, then it makes sense that if you move it further out of place you can make it worse. So… how do you know which way to move your vertebrae? The move that I see being performed is a “move everything and hope I get the right one at some point.”

Each vertebrae can move up to sixteen different directions. Do you know which way your vertebra has gone? That’s where the chiropractor comes in. They are trained to determined which way the bone has moved and how to move it back into the correct place. Some of the directions are extremely difficult to accomplish on your own. Chiropractors don’t adjust themselves either!

The same principle that applies to adjusting yourself also goes for having someone “bear hug” you at a family gathering and having your kids walk on your back. It’s just not specific and the person performing the “therapy” has no way of knowing which part of your spine needs to be adjusted.

The next question is “If I can’t adjust myself, why does it feel better when I do it?”

You’ll notice that when you do it, the good feeling doesn’t last long. That’s why you keep doing it over and over again during the day. You still get the endorphin release, so you’ll temporarily get a influx of pain relief that makes you think you’ve done something good for yourself. However, you’ve more likely either moved something the wrong way or moved a different bone than the one that needs it. The pain and discomfort returns once the endorphins are gone and you’re back to where you started.

In summary, you cannot be your own chiropractor. I know it can seem like a simple thing, but chiropractors are the experts at finding the right area of your spine to be adjusted and then moving it back the right way. See the experts!

Therapeutic Massage for less than a cut & color

Many of us don't think twice when we book our monthly or bi-monthly hair appointment. It's an expense that we budget for because our appearance is important.

Therapeutic massage at Sound Chiropractic Center is priced at $70/hr. That's less than your average cut & color. Not to mention the styling products that we faithfully buy. We spend this money because we like to feel good about ourselves. We like to feel confident in our presentation to coworkers, bosses, friends and loved ones.

Feeling good about our appearance is one way to stay positive - especially in the grey winter months in Seattle. Think about how you feel after leaving the salon. Now consider the positive benefits of therapeutic massage. In addition to feeling relaxed and having calmer muscles, massage releases endorphins, improves immunity and is an integral part to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

I'm not suggesting you cancel your appointment with your stylist - some of my best clients are stylists. One reason they make such great clients is because they know how important maintaining healthy muscles is to continuing the work that they love to do.

Take care of the body you were given. Eat well, exercise and begin to incorporate therapeutic massage into your health routine.