How Chiropractic Care Can Help Runners

Olympians Molly Huddle, Will Claye, and Colleen Quigley rely on chiropractic care to stay in top shape for running competitions. Visiting a chiropractor could be just as beneficial for you. Whether you're a casual runner, a marathoner, or an Olympic hopeful, chiropractic care eases pain, soothes aching muscles, and helps you avoid injuries.

6 Ways Chiropractic Care Helps You Stay Fit and Healthy

Although running is an excellent form of aerobic exercise, there's no denying it can be hard on your body. Running exerts considerable pressure on your muscles, joints, and tissues, increasing your risk of strains, sprains, fractures, tendonitis, and other injuries.

Unsurprisingly, running injuries often affect the lower part of the body, from the hip to the feet. The location of these injuries varies depending on the sex of runners, according to a systematic review published in Physical Activity and Health. The review notes that women are more likely to develop injuries in the calf or lower leg, while injuries in men most often occur in the hip/pelvis/upper leg region.

Even minor injuries can disrupt your training schedule and affect conditioning, stamina, and endurance. Luckily, chiropractic care can help you recover from injuries and reduce your risk for future injuries.

Visiting the chiropractor offers these benefits for runners:

• More Fluid Stride. Stiff joints affect your gait and may make running more difficult. Stiffness and mobility issues can be related to subluxations, misalignments of the vertebrae in your spine. These misalignments are painful in themselves but cause other problems too. Subluxations also affect the muscles and tissues attached to the spine, causing some muscles to become too tight, while others slacken. When muscles are imbalanced, you're more likely to experience injuries while running. Spinal manipulation, a simple treatment that realigns the vertebrae with quick thrusts, restores normal spinal alignment, and eases pressure on muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
• Less Pain and Inflammation. Chiropractic treatments flood your body with endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. Endorphins soothe achy muscles and improve your mood. In fact, they're responsible for the runner's high. Spinal manipulation, massage, ultrasound therapy, and other chiropractic treatments ease pain and reduce inflammation. You'll probably notice an improvement in pain after your first chiropractic visit, although it may take a few treatments to see a significant improvement, particularly if you've been in pain for a while.
• Fewer Shin Splints. Shin splints may be considered a minor injury, but they make running difficult or impossible. Subluxations can be a contributing factor in shin splints, as misalignments in your spine affect the balance of your entire body. A spinal misalignment can strain the muscles, tendons, and tissues in your shins, increasing your risk for shin splints. Spinal manipulation therapy eases pain and inflammation and realigns your spine, reducing stress and strain on your shins. Massage, soft tissue, mobilization, ultrasound therapy, dry needling, and shoe inserts can also be helpful if shin splints are a problem for you.
• Relief from Muscle Spasms. Do you have muscle spasms while you're running or resting? Your chiropractor can determine why you're getting spasms and offer helpful treatments, like hot and cold therapy, massage, spinal manipulation, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to deal with these issues. TENS treatment involves using a gentle electrical current to decrease tightness and ease pain.
• Quicker Recovery from Injuries. Chiropractic treatment improves blood flow to injured areas, which speeds healing time when you have a running injury. Manipulation and soft tissue treatments break up scar tissue, preventing joint restrictions and boosting flexibility, range of motion, and mobility.
• Prevention of Injuries. You're less likely to stumble and fall or strain a muscle, tendon, or ligament if your body is properly balanced. Spinal manipulation, massage, and other therapies keep your joints properly aligned and your tissues loose and flexible. Chiropractic treatments not only help you avoid injury but may also enhance your performance. Decreased speed or endurance due to gait problems is less likely to happen when you have full range of motion in your joints.

Don't let running injuries sideline you! Add regular visits to the chiropractor to your training schedule. Contact our office to schedule a pre- or post-run visit.

Sources:

New York Times: When All Else Fails, It's Time to See the Olympic Body Mechanic, 8/3/2021

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/sports/olympics/olympics-track-chiropractor.html

Physical Activity and Health: The Prevalence of Lower Extremity Injuries in Running and Associated Risk Factors: A Systematic Review, 7/9/2021

https://paahjournal.com/articles/10.5334/paah.109

WebMD: Chiropractic Care for Joint Problems: What to Know, 10/1/20

https://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/chiropractic-care-for-joint-problems

National University of Health Sciences: 6 Reasons Why Athletes Love Chiropractic Medicine, 9/10/2019

https://www.nuhs.edu/6-reasons-why-athletes-love-chiropractic-medicine/

Runner’s World: Should You See a Chiropractor?, 9/2/2016

https://www.runnersworld.com/health-injuries/a20820924/should-you-see-a-chiropractor/

Can Chiropractic Care Help with Digestive Disorders?

Can you remember the last time you left home without a roll of antacids or a bottle of pills? Planning ahead is important if you never know when nausea, heartburn, diarrhea, gas, or other symptoms could ruin your day. If you're struggling to control your digestive disorder symptoms, a visit to the chiropractor may be just what you need to quiet your gastrointestinal system.

The Link Between Your Digestive and Nervous Systems

Your body relies on signals from the brain for many crucial body functions. The brain sends messages to your organs, cells, and tissues via nerves that branch out from the spinal cord. Nerve signals control blood flow, heart rate, and breathing. They also help you move your muscles, feel pain, smell a flower, and digest food.

Any interruption in the signals may affect your senses, your ability to move, or the way your body breaks down and uses the food you eat. Interruptions can happen if a nerve becomes damaged or compressed due to injuries, infections, tumors, or diseases, like diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's disease.

Nerve signals could also be affected if a subluxation presses on a nerve. Subluxations happen when one or more vertebrae become misaligned. A subluxation may also compress nerves by tightening nearby muscles and tissues.

If the subluxation affects a nerve that serves your digestive system, you may develop one or more of these uncomfortable symptoms:

• Upset Stomach
• Frequent Diarrhea or Constipation
• Nausea
• Heartburn
• Indigestion
• Gas
• Bloating
• Abdominal Cramps

Subluxations could worsen your symptoms if you have gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, or another digestive disorder.

Many things can cause subluxations, including:

• Falls
• Car Accidents
• Sports Injuries
• Poor Posture
• Poor Form When Exercising
• Improper Lifting Techniques
• Stress

Subluxations aren't the only problems that prevent signals from reaching your digestive system. Herniated or bulging discs in your spine can also interfere with nerve signals if the bulging part of the disc presses on a nerve.

Chiropractic Care Solutions for Digestive Disorders

Restoring the normal position of your vertebrae eases pressure on nerves, which may improve the way your digestive system works. Chiropractors often use spinal manipulation to realign your vertebrae. During spinal manipulation treatment, your chiropractor uses an activator or swift, hands-on thrusts to adjust the position of the vertebrae.

In addition to realigning the vertebrae, spinal manipulation relieves pressure on bulging discs. If you have a bulging disc, your chiropractor may also recommend flexion-distraction, a type of therapy performed on a table that moves as your chiropractor applies gentle pressure to your spine. Flexion distraction helps move the disc back between the vertebrae and may decrease spinal disc bulging.

Your chiropractic treatment plan might also include massage and other soft tissue treatments. These treatments relax tight tissues that compress nerves in addition to relieving pain. Does stress seem to make your digestive symptoms worse? Soft tissue treatments increase your body's production of endorphins and serotonin, hormones that relieve pain and act as natural stress relievers.

A narrative review of research studies published in the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association examined the effects of chiropractic treatment on patients who suffered from dyspepsia (indigestion) due to GERD for at least two years. Spinal manipulation treatment and soft tissue therapy reduced the severity and frequency of their GERD symptoms.

You're not alone if you experience digestive problems. In fact, a survey of 71,000 Americans published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology revealed that 61% experience symptoms every week. Luckily, chiropractic care offers an excellent way to control and reduce your symptoms. Visiting your chiropractor may even help you reduce your reliance on antacids or medications. In addition to providing treatments, your chiropractor can offer nutritional advice, help you correct posture issues that may be worsening your symptoms, and recommend exercises that will prevent subluxations by strengthening the muscles that support your spine.

Ready to find out if chiropractic treatment could help you control your digestive symptoms? Give our office a call to schedule an appointment.

Sources:

The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association: What Effect Does Chiropractic Treatment Have on Gastrointestinal GI Disorders: A Narrative Review of the Literature, 6/15

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4486990/

American Journal of Gastroenterology: Burden of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in the United States: Results of a Nationally Representative Survey of Over 71,000 Americans, 11/2018

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6453579/

StatPearls: Physiology, Gastrointestinal Nervous Control, 9/26/2022

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545268

American Chiropractic Association: What Is Chiropractic?

https://handsdownbetter.org/about-chiropractic/

How Chiropractic Care Improves Workplace Ergonomics

Aches and pains don't have to be an unwelcome consequence of a day at work. Chiropractic care helps you protect your muscles, joints, and tissues and avoid pain and stiffness due to poor ergonomics.

What Is Ergonomics?

The term "ergonomics" refers to designs, products, and strategies that reduce strain and injuries in the workplace. If you've ever come home from a long day at work with a headache or achy back, chances are the furniture or devices you use aren't ergonomically designed.

Chairs that don't offer lumbar support can lead to back pain, while a desk that's too low can cause you to hunch your shoulders while you work, triggering neck, shoulder, and back pain. Hand or wrist pain could become a problem if you don't have enough support for your wrists when you bang out a report on your laptop or desktop computer.

With more employees than ever working at home, it's not surprising that so many people suffer from ergonomic issues. Do you work from your couch or the kitchen table? Your furniture wasn't intended to support your body while you work and could be the reason that you feel achy and exhausted at the end of the day.

What Can Be Done to Improve Ergonomics?

During your visit to the chiropractic office, your chiropractor may ask a few questions about your work habits and furniture and make a few suggestions that will improve your workplace ergonomics. Depending on your symptoms, recommendations may include:

• Changing Your Desk. Are your forearms parallel to your desk when you write or type? If not, you may be at risk for developing back or neck pain or carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when a nerve that passes through the hand and arm becomes compressed. If you can't swap out your desk, raising your chair and using a footrest will help keep your arms level.
• Choosing the Right Chair. Chairs are a common a source of back, hip, and leg pain, according to Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Adjust the height of your chair if your feet aren't flat against the floor. Your chair should also support your back and offer ample cushioning and armrests.
• Taking a Look at Tech. Neck pain can be a problem if your monitor is higher than eye level. Glare from screens can cause headaches and migraines, in addition to neck and shoulder pain. Place your monitor away from light sources and using a monitor hood or shade to decrease glare.
• Using Helpful Devices. Anti-fatigue foot mats reduce pain and fatigue in your legs and spine. Wrist supports keep your wrists properly aligned, while keyboard trays position your keyboard at the optimum height.

Making adjustments to your furniture and devices, while extremely helpful, may not completely eliminate your aches and pains. Luckily, your chiropractor can help you by:

• Realigning Your Spine. Poor posture and strain may move the bony vertebrae in your back out of alignment. Misalignments, or subluxations, cause back and neck pain and fatigue. Your chiropractor realigns the vertebrae with spinal manipulation therapy. Quick, hands-on movements improve the position of the vertebrae, easing your symptoms. When your spine is correctly aligned, you're less likely to experience strains, sprains, and other injuries.
• Loosening Tight Tissues. Your muscles and tissues become painfully tight when you maintain awkward positions for too long. Unfortunately, tight tissues may pull your vertebrae out of alignment and cause subluxations. Soft tissue manipulation and mobilization therapies loosen tight muscles, tendons, and ligaments, easing pain, improving flexibility, and reducing your risk for subluxations.
• Improving Posture. It's difficult to maintain good posture when your vertebrae are misaligned and your tissues are tight. Unfortunately, poor posture only makes joint and tissue pain worse. Chiropractic care helps you improve your posture and keep your body properly balanced. Your chiropractor can also offer posture suggestions and recommend exercises that strengthen the core muscles essential for good posture.
• Treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome doesn't just affect office workers. They can also be a problem if you drive a truck, use vibrating tools, or do work that requires repetitive hand motions. Your chiropractor treats carpal tunnel syndrome by using manipulation and mobilization therapies to improve the alignment of ligaments, tendons, and bones in your wrist. Other helpful therapies include massage and ultrasound.

Is your job literally a pain in the neck? Give us a call to schedule an appointment with the chiropractor.

Sources:

Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine: Workplace Ergonomics and Safety: Tips, Equipment, and Examples, 6/9/2023

https://publichealth.tulane.edu/blog/workplace-ergonomics-safety/

American Chiropractic Association: Maintaining Good Posture

https://www.acatoday.org/patients/posture/

MedlinePlus: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

https://medlineplus.gov/carpaltunnelsyndrome.html

Could Chiropractic Care Help Your Tendinitis Symptoms?

Pain becomes a constant part of your life when you're suffering from tennis elbow, Achilles tendinitis, swimmer's shoulder, or any other form of tendinitis. Chiropractic care offers an effective way to ease pain, tenderness, and swelling during your recovery.

What Is Tendinitis?

Tendons are strong cords of tissue that connect muscles to bones. Your tendons help your muscles move your bones and absorb shock when you move. Tendinitis occurs when the tendons become inflamed. Although tendons are flexible when you're young, they stiffen and weaken as you grow older. Unfortunately, this may mean they become inflamed more easily.

Tendinitis can affect tendons anywhere in your body, causing pain that may last several weeks. Although the injury often affects athletes, anyone can develop tendinitis. Participating in activities that involve repetitive motions, like hitting a ball or running, raises your risk for tendinitis. Other risk factors include poor posture, jobs or sports that require overhead movements, or working with vibrating tools. You might also develop the condition after spending the weekend weeding your overgrown flower beds or swiping your finger across your smartphone.

Tendinitis can also be caused by overuse, which could occur if you exercise too long or too intensely. According to an article in American Family Physician, overuse injuries most often affect the:

• Rotator Cuff in the Shoulder
• Elbow
• Patellar Tendon in the Knee
• Achilles at the Back of the Heel

Symptoms of tendinitis include:

• Pain, Which May Worsen at Night or When You Move the Muscle or Joint
• Warmth, Swelling, and Stiffness
• Crackling Sound When Moving the Affected Part of Your Body

How Chiropractic Care Eases Tendinitis Symptoms

Your visit to the chiropractor starts with a thorough examination to determine why you have tendinitis. Although you may know that playing golf is the reason your elbow hurts, your chiropractor can determine if a muscle imbalance or other underlying issue is a contributing factor.

Visiting your chiropractor could help you:

• Relieve Pain. Your chiropractor offers a variety of treatments aimed at easing your pain, including hot and cold therapies, massage, soft tissue mobilization, ultrasound therapy, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy. Chiropractic treatment prompts your body to release natural painkillers and promotes healing by increasing blood flow.
• Improve Flexibility. Swelling and inflammation causes stiffness, reducing your range of motion and worsening pain. In addition to massage, soft tissue mobilization, and other treatments, your chiropractor may use spinal manipulation to realign the vertebrae in your spine and reduce stiffness. Misaligned vertebrae can press on nerves and cause muscles and tendons to tighten. Once your vertebrae are correctly aligned, you may notice that flexibility improves.
• Get Rid of Scar Tissue. Your body reacts to an injury by creating new tissue around the injured area. Although this reaction is certainly helpful initially, scar tissue buildup restricts your movement and triggers pain. Chiropractic treatments break up scar tissue that can limit your flexibility and range of motion.
• Decrease Inflammation. Inflammation, a major factor in pain and stiffness, can be worsened by misaligned vertebrae. Realigning the vertebrae not only reduces pressure on nerves and tissues but also relieves inflammation. In a research study published in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, researchers noted that spinal manipulative therapy reduced the production of inflammatory agents in people with low back pain. Although this study focused on low back pain, spinal manipulation could have the same effect on inflammation throughout the body.

During your visit, your chiropractor may also show you a few exercises that will strengthen your muscles, eliminate muscle imbalances, and decrease your risk for developing tendinitis in the future.

Need help managing your tendinitis symptoms? Contact our office to make your appointment for chiropractic treatment.

Sources:

American Family Physician: Common Overuse Tendon Problems: A Review and Recommendations for Treatment, 2005

https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2005/0901/p811.html

Chiropractic & Manual Therapies: Effects of Spinal Manipulative Therapy on Inflammatory Mediators in Patients with Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Non-Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial, 1/8/2021

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7792327/

Mayo Clinic: Tendinitis, 11/11/2022

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tendinitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20378243

Arthritis Foundation: Tendinitis

https://www.arthritis.org/diseases/tendinitis

How Your Chiropractor Can Help with Chronic Pain

When chronic pain becomes part of your life, it may seem as if your options are limited. Over-the-counter and prescription pain medication only offers short-term relief, while surgery may involve a long recovery period. Fortunately, all-natural chiropractic treatment could help you reduce your reliance on medication or even avoid or delay surgery.

What Is Chronic Pain?

Any type of pain that lasts longer than three months is considered chronic, according to StatPearls. Chances are you know at least a few other people who experience pain every day. In fact, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research study revealed that more than 20% of Americans suffer from chronic pain.

Chronic pain is typically caused by an injury or illness, although sometimes it occurs for no apparent reason. Once you're in chronic pain, your symptoms may be difficult to treat. The NIH notes that 61% of Americans still had chronic pain symptoms one year after their symptoms first appeared.

Irritated nerves and inflamed tissues are often triggers for chronic pain. Inflammation helps your body repair itself after an injury or illness. Although inflammation normally subsides as you recover, it may linger in some cases.

Unfortunately, long-term inflammation may mean that your neck still hurts even after you've healed from a car accident. Or, inflammation might be the reasons that the symptoms of a chronic condition, like lupus, worsen.

Your nerves also play a part in chronic pain. Even minor pressure on your nerves can irritate them, causing pain in the part of the body they serve. Nerve irritation may be caused by inflamed tissues, pressure from bulging spinal discs, or tight muscles and tissues. Misaligned vertebrae in your spine can also be the source of your pain.

The vertebrae are a series of small bones that protect your spinal nerves. Misalignments of the vertebrae can press on the nerves as they exit the spinal cord. As long as this misalignment, also known as a subluxation, remains, you'll feel pain.

Should You See a Chiropractor?

Chiropractic care offers hope for many people who've been living with chronic pain. It may be helpful in easing symptoms related to:

• Low Back Pain
• Neck Pain
• Knee, Hip, Elbow, and Shoulder Pain
• Headaches and Migraines
• Sciatica
• Herniated Discs
• Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Shingles
• Lupus
• Fibromyalgia
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Psoriasis
• Scoliosis
• Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ)
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder (GERD)
• Plantar Fasciitis

What Do Chiropractors Do to Treat Pain?

Spinal adjustments, a chiropractic treatment used to realign the vertebrae, may be part of your treatment plan. The therapy reduces inflammation and eases pressure on spinal nerves caused by tight tissues or subluxations.

Spinal adjustments also improve blood flow, which is often restricted in painful areas due to inflammation or injury. Blood supplies your body with oxygen and nutrients and removes waste products from your cells. Improving blood flow to injured areas offers a simple way to restore your body's natural balance and reverse pain.

Your treatment may also include one or more treatments that relieve pain and inflammation, soothe sore tissues, improve flexibility and range of motion, and promote healing, including:

• Massage
• Soft Tissue Mobilization
• Cold and Heat Therapy
• Ultrasound Therapy
• Electrical Muscle Stimulation
• Trigger Point Therapy
• Traction
• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation

Chiropractic care can be helpful even if you've experienced chronic pain for years. A case report published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine described the benefits of chiropractic treatment for a patient suffering from chronic pain due to a motor vehicle accident. Although the accident occurred three years earlier, the woman still suffered from limited mobility and neck, back, and leg pain. Chiropractic treatment, in addition to weight loss and dietary changes, improved the quality of her life. After one month of treatment, the woman's pain began to ease, allowing her to decrease the dosage of her opioid pain medication. At six months, she stopped taking the medication and reported better mobility and improved quality of life.

In addition to relieving your chronic pain symptoms, chiropractic care could save you a little money. A comparison published in Healthcare noted that the average total cost of chiropractic treatment was $48.56 less than physical therapy.

Wondering if chiropractic treatment could help you manage your chronic pain? Contact our office to schedule a visit with the chiropractor.

Sources:

NCBI: StatPearls: Chronic Pain, 7/21/2023

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553030/

National Institutes of Health: NIH Study Finds High Rates of Persistent Chronic Pain Among US Adults, 5/16/2023

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-study-finds-high-rates-persistent-chronic-pain-among-us-adults

NCBI: Healthcare: Treatment of Patients with Low Back Pain: A Comparison of Physical Therapy and Chiropractic Manipulation, 3/2020

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7151187/

Journal of Chiropractic Medicine: Chiropractic Management of a Patient with Chronic Pain in a Federally Qualified Health Center: A Case Report, 6/14/2018

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6112063/

Text Neck Syndrome: How Your Chiropractor Can Help

Your neck pain and headaches could be symptoms of text neck, a condition that's become increasingly common in today's tech-obsessed world. Easing your pain can be as simple as visiting the chiropractor and changing the way you hold your devices.

Do You Have Text Neck?

Accidents due to distracted walking or driving aren't the only dangers of texting. Bending your head while you look at your phone stresses the vertebrae and tissues in your neck and may cause chronic pain. Although the condition is called "text" neck, it can occur if you use any type of digital device or participate in activities that require keeping your head bent for long periods.

Your neck is designed to support the weight of your head in an upright position. Bending your head at a 45- to 60-degree angle puts 50 to 60 pounds of stress on the neck, rather than the usual 10 pounds, according to SPINE-Health.

Text next can affect anyone and may cause symptoms after just a few hours. If you keep your head bent while you text or work, you may experience these symptoms:

• Neck Pain
• Frequent Headaches
• Muscle Stiffness and Spasms in Your Neck, Shoulder and Back Muscles
• Pain Between the Shoulder Blades or in the Back, Jaw, Arm or Hand
• Numbness and Tingling in Your Arm and Hand
• Posture Changes and Balance Problems

Pain isn't the only problem you may notice if you have text neck. Stress and strain could damage the discs that cushion the bony vertebrae in your neck and back. These rubbery discs absorb shock and help you move and change position easily. If one or more spinal discs bulge or rupture, your pain may increase.

Bulging or ruptured discs may pinch the nerves that travel from your neck to your arm and hand. Symptoms of a pinched include pain that travels from your neck to your arm and hand, tingling in your hand and fingers, and weak shoulder, hand, and arm muscles.

A pinched nerve may also occur due to a subluxation. Subluxations happen when one or more vertebrae move out of their normal position due to increased strain on your neck. In addition to causing spinal misalignments, subluxations tighten tissues around the nerves, which can also cause pain.

If you ignore your text neck symptoms and don't change your habits, you may develop arthritis or bone spurs in your neck. Unfortunately, these conditions will only worsen your pain. Eventually, your upper back may become hunched due to permanent changes to your spine.

How Can My Chiropractor Relieve My Symptoms?

Turning to your chiropractor is a smart decision if you think you may have text neck. These healthcare practitioners specialize in treating conditions that affect the spine, joints, and soft tissues. Your chiropractor offers several treatments that relieve text neck symptoms, including:

• Massage. Massage loosens tight muscles and tissues in the neck, shoulders and upper back, easing pain. Natural pain relievers released during a massage enhance the effect and help you feel relaxed.
• Spinal Manipulation. Your chiropractor may perform spinal manipulation therapy if you have subluxations. Although people often refer to this treatment as "cracking" the neck, there's no cracking involved. Using quick movements, your chiropractor repositions misaligned vertebrae. Once everything's positioned correctly, tight muscles and tissues loosen and flexibility and range of motion improve. Inflammation, a key component in pain, also decreases after spinal manipulation.
• Exercises. The muscles in your neck, shoulders, and upper back help you keep your head upright. Text neck weakens those muscles, making it difficult to maintain proper posture. During your visit, your chiropractor will show you a few exercises that will strengthen your muscles and prevent text neck symptoms from recurring.

What Can I Do to Prevent New Symptoms?

Keep these tips in mind when you use your digital devices:

• Raise Your Phone. Hold your phone at eye level rather than in your lap or on a table or desk. A cellphone holder makes it easier to keep your phone at eye level.
• Take Frequent Breaks. Get up and stretch for a minute or two after you've been using your phone or device for a half-hour.
• Buy a New Chair. New York-Presbyterian recommends using an office chair that reclines 25 to 30 degrees. This position reduces stress on the neck and stops slouching.

Don't let text neck cause permanent changes to your spine. Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the chiropractor.

Sources:

SPINE-Health: How Does Text Neck Cause Pain?, 10/26/2018

https://www.spine-health.com/conditions/neck-pain/how-does-text-neck-cause-pain

New York-Presbyterian: How to Prevent ‘Tech Neck”

https://healthmatters.nyp.org/how-to-prevent-tech-neck/

The Alabama State Chiropractic Association: Tech Neck/Text Neck

https://www.ascachiro.org/articles/dear_doctor_chiro/593003-tech-neck-text-neck

WebMD: What to Know About “Text Neck,”10/12/2022

https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/what-to-know-text-neck

Are you struggling to control your autoimmune disease? Chiropractic care could improve your quality of life and ease a variety of disease symptoms.

Autoimmune Diseases Chiropractors Help Manage

Although chiropractic treatment can't cure autoimmune diseases, visits to your chiropractor can reduce symptoms and improve your comfort.

A visit to the chiropractor may be a good idea if you have these or other autoimmune diseases:

• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Lupus
• Fibromyalgia
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Type I Diabetes
• Guillain-Barre Syndrome
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Psoriasis

Chiropractic Treatment Relieves Inflammation and Nerve Pressure

Chronic inflammation can be a contributing factor in pain and other symptoms of autoimmune diseases. For example, researchers discovered that people with Type 1 diabetes have inflammation in the gut and digestive tract, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology

Inflammation can also be a factor in multiple sclerosis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and other diseases. Chronic inflammation may cause symptom flare-ups and eventually damage your cells and tissues. Depending on where the inflammation is located, you may experience swollen, painful joints and muscles, fatigue, high blood pressure, canker sores, stiff muscles and joints, fever, rashes, or weight gain.

You may be more likely to develop inflammation if misaligned vertebrae in your spine press on your nerves. These misalignments, called subluxations, could interfere with the transmission of nerve signals. Interruption of nerve signals could cause or worsen inflammation, trigger pain, and affect the normal function of the immune system.

Spinal manipulation corrects subluxations and reduces inflammation without the side effects medications can cause. As you lie on a comfortable table, your chiropractor uses quick, targeted movements to realign your spine during this treatment.

Other treatments that relieve inflammation include massage, soft tissue inflammation, and ultrasound therapy. Ultrasound isn't just a diagnostic tool. When used therapeutically, ultrasound waves penetrate your deep tissues, relieving pain and reducing inflammation, while speeding healing. In a study published in the Brazilian Journal of Anesthesiology, therapeutic ultrasound treatment reduced swelling and sensitivity to pain in mice. Luckily, you don't have to be a mouse to experience the pain-relieving benefits of ultrasound therapy.

Flexibility and Range of Motion May Improve with Chiropractic Treatment

Your muscles tend to tighten when you're in pain, limiting your ability to move your limbs and body freely. If your muscles remain tight, you may eventually develop trigger points, painful knots in muscle fibers. Tight muscles can also affect your posture or change your gait, increasing your risk for balance problems and injuries.

Subluxations increase stress on muscles and tissues, causing them to tighten. Spinal manipulation not only improves spinal alignment, but also loosens tight tissues, relieves stiffness, and improves flexibility and range of motion.

Feeling Stressed? Chiropractic Care Can Help

It's only natural to feel stressed if you live with an autoimmune disease. Chiropractic treatments like spinal manipulation and massage can ease anxiety and help you feel calmer. During treatments, your body releases serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine. These natural hormones relieve pain and offer mood-enhancing benefits.

Your Chiropractor Can Help You Manage Your Condition with Nutritional Advice

Your body's organs, nerves, cells, and tissues work best when you eat a healthy diet. Your chiropractor can recommend dietary changes that could help you keep your blood sugar under control if you have diabetes or prevent flare-ups if you have inflammatory bowel disease. In addition to offering diet suggestions, your chiropractor can also recommend an exercise program that will ease pain and relief stiffness and swelling.

Ready to schedule a visit with the chiropractor? Contact our office to arrange your visit.

Sources:

Endocrine Society: Type I Diabetes Linked to Gut Inflammation, Bacteria, 1/19/2017

https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2017/type-1-diabetes-linked-to-gut-inflammation-bacteria-changes

Science Direct: Brazilian Journal of Anesthesiology: Therapeutic Ultrasound Ameliorates Hyperalgesia and Edema on CFA-Induced Persistent Inflammatory Response in Mice, 9/6/2022

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0104001422001051

WebMD: Body Work: Acupuncture, Massage Therapy, Chiropractic and Other Treatments for Lupus, 6/15/2022

https://www.webmd.com/lupus/ss/acupuncture-massage-therapy-chiropractic-and-other-treatments-lupus

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Autoimmune Diseases

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/autoimmune/index.cfm

Chiropractic Economics: Adding the Management of Diabetes and Prediabetes to Your Practice, 2/26/2018

https://www.chiroeco.com/management-of-diabetes/

How Your Chiropractor Can Relieve Your Migraine Pain

Even one migraine is one too many. Unfortunately, over-the-counter painkillers often aren't strong enough to dull the pain. Prescription pain medication may be more helpful, but these drugs can cause unpleasant side effects. If you're struggling to manage your migraines, chiropractic treatment could ease your pain and reduce the number of days you experience migraine pain.

Treating Migraines with Chiropractic

Migraines cause 113 million lost work days every year, according to the American Headache Association. If you have migraines, that statistic probably doesn't seem surprising. After all, it's hard to do your job when your head throbs and you feel dizzy and nauseated.

Do you regularly spend hours hidden away in a dark room, hoping your headache will finally end? Chiropractic care could ease your pain and allow you to enjoy life once again. Although you may associate chiropractic care with joint and back pain relief, chiropractors actually treat a variety of conditions, including migraines.

Your chiropractor may include a few of these therapies in your migraine treatment plan:

• Massage. Massage loosens tight muscles in your head and neck that could worsen your symptoms. The therapy also reduces pain by prompting your body to produce hormones that ease pain naturally. Is stress one of your migraine triggers? The same hormones that reduce migraine pain during massage also help you feel calm and relaxed.
• Soft Tissue Mobilization. During soft tissue mobilization, your chiropractor uses his or her hands or a small instrument to stretch and lengthen tissues, reduce inflammation and swelling, and ease tension in your head, neck, and upper back muscles.
• Trigger Point Therapy. Painful trigger points are common in people who have migraines. Pressing on these hard knots in the muscles can even trigger a migraine, according to a review article in the Journal of Headache and Pain. Applying pressure to trigger points relaxes muscle fibers and helps knots dissolve, in addition to improving blood flow. Increasing blood flow helps your body get rid of waste products that build up when muscles become tight. According to a systematic review in Frontiers in Neurology, trigger point therapy may decrease the duration, intensity, and frequency of migraines and tension headaches, although additional research is needed.
• Spinal Manipulation. Spinal manipulation corrects subluxations. These are misalignments of the vertebrae in your back or neck. Quick thrusts with the hands or an activator realign the vertebrae, decreasing pain and inflammation. Spinal manipulation also decreases pressure on nerves and relieves irritation that can cause pain. Neck pain and stiffness are common in people who have migraines. According to a study published in The Journal of Headache and Pain, 69% of migraine patients have neck pain during a migraine. The researchers noted that preventing and treating neck pain might help prevent future chronic migraines.
• Exercise Program. Improving your posture and strengthening the muscles in your neck and back might also help improve your migraine symptoms. Your chiropractor will teach you a few exercises that will keep the muscles loose and limber.
• Nutrition Advice. In some cases, certain foods can trigger migraines. If you suspect that your diet is a migraine trigger, your chiropractor can provide nutritional advice that will help you improve your diet.

Would you like to find out if chiropractic care could help your migraines? Contact our office to schedule an appointment.

Sources:

American Headache Society: The Impact of Migraine in the Workplace

https://americanheadachesociety.org/news/impact-migraine-workplace/

Frontiers in Neurology: Effectiveness of Trigger Point Manual Treatment on the Frequency, Intensity and Duration of Attacks in Primary Headaches: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials, 4/28/2018

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2018.00254/full

The Journal of Headache and Pain: Myofascial Trigger Points in Migraine and Tension-Type Headache, 9/10/2018

Canadian Chiropractic Association: 6 Ways Chiropractic Care Can Help Manage Headaches, 6/1/2022

https://chiropractic.ca/6-ways-chiropractic-care-can-help-manage-headaches/

The Journal of Headache and Pain: Neck Pain in Episodic Migraine: Premonitory Symptom or Part of the Attack, 9/2/2015

https://thejournalofheadacheandpain.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s10194-015-0566-9

MedlinePlus: Migraines

https://medlineplus.gov/migraine.html

https://thejournalofheadacheandpain.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s10194-018-0913-8

How Chiropractic Care Can Treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Splints, medication, and surgery aren't the only ways to treat carpal tunnel syndrome. Chiropractic treatment offers an effective solution if you're struggling with pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness in your hand, wrist, and fingers.

Why Treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Is So Important

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve. This nerve travels the length of your arm and sends signals from your brain to the muscles in your arm, hand, and fingers. These signals tell the muscles how to move when you need to grip a pen, lift a bag, or turn a doorknob.

The median nerve passes through the carpal tunnel, a pathway formed by the bones and tissues in your wrist. The already narrow tunnel can become even tighter due to injuries, fluid retention, chronic health conditions that affect the nerves, or inflammation of the tissues in or around the pathway. Although anyone can develop carpal tunnel syndrome, women are more likely to experience symptoms due to the smaller size of their bones. Your hobbies or occupation may also increase your risk. People who bend their wrists repeatedly when typing, driving, hammering, sewing, painting, or texting have a higher incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome.

If the condition isn't treated promptly, numbness, tingling, weakness, and pain may worsen and nerve damage could occur. Carpal tunnel syndrome can eventually cause permanent weakness and loss of feeling in your fingers, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

What Your Chiropractor Can Do to Relieve Your Carpal Tunnel Symptoms

Chiropractors offer several treatments and strategies that may ease your symptoms, including:

• Wrist Manipulation (Adjustment) and Mobilization. Your chiropractor uses these hands-on techniques to realign the bones, tendons, and ligaments in your wrist and improve movement. The treatments improve blood flow to soft tissues and reduce pressure, swelling, and inflammation. In an anatomical study published in Clinical Biomechanics, mobilization treatment increased the size of the carpal tunnel and decreased pressure on the median nerve.
• Spinal Manipulation. Do you have a stiff or sore neck in addition to your carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms? The source of your symptoms may be a misaligned cervical (neck) vertebra. The out-of-place vertebra might be pressing on a nerve in the neck that connects with the median nerve. A misaligned vertebra could cause pain and make it difficult to move your neck. In fact, restricted neck movement was a factor in mild to severe carpal tunnel syndrome in a research study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. Chiropractors use spinal manipulation to correct alignment problems in your neck and relieve pressure on your nerves. The treatment involves quick, hands-on thrusts that improve the position of the vertebrae, relieve painful pressure on tissues and nerves, and improve blood flow.
• Ultrasound Therapy. Ultrasound waves heat the tissues deep inside your wrists during this helpful therapy. The treatment loosens tissues and relieves pain, inflammation and swelling.
• Massage Therapy. Tight tissues in your wrist, hand, arm, shoulder, or neck could be worsening your carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. Massage eases muscle tension, decreases inflammation, and may relieve pain, numbness, and tingling.
• Taping or Bracing. Bracing or taping supports the wrist and prevents you from accidentally bending or stressing them.
• Exercise. During your visit, your chiropractor may teach you a few wrist exercises that stretch your muscles, decrease pressure on the median nerve, and help the tendons that connect muscles to the bones in your wrist glide through carpal tunnel easily. You may also learn a few exercises to improve the range of motion of your neck, strengthen your neck muscles, and improve your posture and head position. Holding your head too far forward can strain your neck and cause spinal misalignments that could press on nerves.

Are you ready to find out if chiropractic care can help your carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms? Contact our office to schedule your appointment.

Sources:

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, 3/2022

https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/carpal-tunnel-syndrome

Clinical Biomechanics: Dimensional Changes of the Tunnel and Median Nerve During Manual Mobilization of the Carpal Bones - Anatomical Study, 9/3/2018

https://www.clinbiomech.com/article/S0268-0033(18)30337-1/fulltext

Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy: Women With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Show Restricted Cervical Range of Motion, 5/2011

https://www.jospt.org/doi/pdf/10.2519/jospt.2011.3536

MedlinePlus: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

https://medlineplus.gov/carpaltunnelsyndrome.html