Archive for the ‘Health Articles’ Category
Welcome to Chiropractic Life and Wellness Center's Health Articles Archive. Here you can learn more about Chiropractic Life and Wellness Center, Chiropractic, and Dr. Brandon Chorney, today's choice for Chiropractors in New Fairfield, CT. Read Dr. Brandon Chorney's Chiropractic Health Articles for the health of it.
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by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Aug 1, 2013 | Health Articles
Back pain is pervasive among American adults, but a new and disturbing trend is emerging. Young children are suffering from back pain much earlier than previous generations, and the use of overweight backpacks is a major contributing factor. In fact, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that backpack related injuries sent more than 9,000...
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by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Jul 30, 2013 | Health Articles
Our gardens this year are well underway after a late and cold spring. With the weather getting warmer and the rain bringing great growth, many people will spend more time outside mowing the lawn and pulling weeds. Gardening can provide a great workout, but with all the bending, twisting, reaching and pulling, your body may not be ready for exercise of the garden variety.
Gardening can be enjoyable, but it is important to stretch your muscles before reaching for your gardening tools. The back, upper legs, shoulders, and wrists are all major muscle groups affected when using your green thumb.
“A warm-up and cool-down period is as important in gardening as it is for any other physical activity,” said Dr. Scott Bautch of the American Chiropractic Association’s (ACA) Council on Occupational Health. “Performing simple stretches during these periods will help alleviate injuries, pain and stiffness.”
To make gardening as fun and enjoyable as possible, it is important to prepare your body for this type of physical activity. The following stretches will help to alleviate muscle pain after a day spent in your garden.
Gardening Tips for Your Spine
- Before stretching for any activity, breathe in and out, slowly and rhythmically; do not bounce or jerk your body, and stretch as far and as comfortably as you can. Do not follow the no pain, no gain rule. Stretching should not be painful. o While sitting, prop your heel on a stool or step, keeping the knees straight. Lean forward until you feel a stretch in the back of the thigh, or the hamstring muscle. Hold this position for 15 seconds. Do this once more and repeat with the other leg.
- Stand up, balance yourself, and grab the front of your ankle from behind. Pull your heel towards your buttocks and hold the position for 15 seconds. Do this again and repeat with the other leg.
- While standing, weave your fingers together above your head with the palms up. Lean to one side for 10 seconds, then to the other. Repeat this stretch three times.
- Do the “Hug your best friend.” Wrap your arms around yourself and rotate to one side, stretching as far as you can comfortably go. Hold for 10 seconds and reverse. Repeat two or three times.
Finally, be aware of your body technique, body form and correct posture while gardening. Kneel, don’t bend, and alternate your stance and movements as often as possible to keep the muscles and body balanced.
Nurturing For Yourself
If you already feel muscle aches and pains and did not complete the warm-up and cool-down stretches, there are ways to alleviate the discomfort. Apply a cold pack on the area of pain for the first 48 hours or apply a heat pack after 48 hours, and consider chiropractic care.
by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Jul 25, 2013 | Health Articles
Your sciatic nerve is the longest and widest nerve in your body, and runs from the lower back, down through the buttock, and all the way into the lower leg, where it controls the muscles in that area. It also provides sensation to the thighs, legs, and the soles of the feet. When the sciatic...
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by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Jul 23, 2013 | Health Articles
Over the last few decades the number of total hip and knee replacement surgeries have been rising at an alarming rate. In the United States for total hip and replacement surgeries have increased more than 50% and 170%, respectively. Europe is also seeing similar rises for these procedures with some the northern European countries reporting rises of between 170% and 500% over the last decade alone.
Many suggest that these rises are primarily related to the increase age of our population combined with accessibility and advancement of surgical procedures. Of course, for those with unrelenting, daily pain these radical surgeries can appear to be a blessing. However with the level of risk associated to the procedures themselves combined with the fact that the occurrence of nosocomial infections is continuing to rise it is important that we start taking actions today to help prevent these types of surgeries from continuing to rise in popularity. By far the best way forward are the old reliable: regular exercise, as vigorous as is reasonably possible; a healthy diet containing plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables; and sufficient rest on as consistent basis as possible. Regular chiropractic care is also a key component of helping to keep your weight bearing joints in peak condition.
Most replacement surgeries are done when patient reaches the point of severe and unrelenting pain caused by degenerative joint disease, which is also called osteoarthritis. The hips, knees, and ankles are all weight bearing joints. These joints are big and strong and have many surfaces on which to distribute the substantial mechanical loads which are placed on them throughout the day. Unfortunately, these joints may not last forever and similar to many living systems when their age starts show they begin breaking down. If this breaking down process progresses the joint can become necrotic at which point a replacement is almost inevitable. However, there is significant research to suggest that this breaking down process can at the very least be slowed down and in many cases it can actually be reversed through restoring normal movement to the joint and then through using regular exercise.
Chronic poor posture is a significant factor that results in abnormal movement patterns in these large joints and leaves them susceptible to degeneration. Unfortunately, our body doesn’t come with an instruction manual. So as time goes on, the inefficient habits we develop as children and teenagers can become permanent. People slouch, they let their abdominal muscles sag, they stand with all their weight on one leg, and their heads stick out in front rather than being centered over their chests. One result is chronically tight and painful neck, shoulder, and lower back muscles. Another result is chronically uneven distribution of the weight of the body, ultimately causing restricted movement and degeneration of hips and knees.
Poor dietary habits can also be a significant factor. These large joints actually produce their own lubricating fluid, however certain dietary deficiency can result in key nutrients not being available and thus poor production of the lubricating fluids. Lack of proper joint lubrication leads to osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis leads to pain when used for exercise. Lack of regular exercise inhibits normal joint motion and normal joint nutrition and lubrication, leading to the development of degenerative joint disease. When you add up faulty biomechanics, lack of a healthy diet, and lack of proper exercise, the result is a prescription for chronic hip and knee problems.
The best time to start addressing these issues when you’re young and have healthy joints. As they say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That doesn’t mean that you can’t get started at any age because you can. It simply means that starting healthy habits in your lifestyle is easier to achieve when you are young. When you are 9 or 90 the best time to begin making healthful changes is right now. Chiropractic care directly helps improve a person’s biomechanics and posture. Chiropractic care also helps the body to adapt and recover faster when starting a new exercise program. Chiropractic care helps the body make the best possible use of the good food they’re beginning to eat.
For most of us, the best way to prevent the need for a hip or knee replacement is to take consistent, healthy actions on our own behalf. If a hip or knee replacement turns out to be the way to go, all of these healthy actions will help ensure a quick recovery and continued good health from this point onward.
by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Jul 18, 2013 | Health Articles
Our feet carry us everywhere that we want to go. They come in virtually every size and shape and are thrust into narrow spaces or raised up on four-inch heels to give us height. Victimized by bunions, calluses, plantar warts, and blisters. Subjected to hot sand, hard gravel and stones in the summer and occasionally...
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by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Jul 16, 2013 | Health Articles
What is Working Smarter? According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, ergonomics is the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to employee capabilities. An ergonomic assessment of the workplace critically appraises the physical work environment—followed by changes based on the assessment. Ergonomic principles are then used to make the...
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Over the last few decades the number of total hip and knee replacement surgeries have been rising at an alarming rate. In the United States for total hip and replacement surgeries have increased more than 50% and 170%, respectively. Europe is also seeing similar rises for these procedures with some the northern European countries reporting rises of between 170% and 500% over the last decade alone.
