Archive for February 2016
Pelvic Imbalance During Pregnancy
At Family Chiropractic & Spinal Health Care Center, we are dedicated to the success of your pregnancy. This includes the health of your little one as it develops into a healthy baby. We offer a range of chiropractic and massage services that are gentle and safe, with the goal of keeping the mother’s body healthy so that the baby can develop unhindered. By supporting the mother’s immune system, we will help you have an easier pregnancy and promote the chances of a safer birth.
Misalignment of the pelvis is responsible for many pregnancy related complications. When the pelvis is aligned incorrectly, the amount of room available for the baby to develop is reduced. This condition is known as intrauterine restraint. Furthermore, a misaligned pelvis can make it difficult for the baby to get into a proper birthing position. Through careful, considered chiropractic adjustment, we keep the spine aligned through the pelvic region, achieving a balance that positions the baby correctly and reduces the likelihood of complications during labor.
Establishing pelvic balance is a great reason to consider chiropractic care during your pregnancy. Our treatment is effective at reducing stress to the uterus and treating the supportive tissues that can be strained during pregnancy. If you are looking to develop and maintain the perfect nurturing environment for your baby-to-be, consider how we can help you. Call our office in Ramsey at (201) 995-9900 and in Passaic at (973) 471-9585.
Dr. Moe Abtahi, D.C.
Massage for Pregnancy
Massage is an excellent choice for complimenting your prenatal wellness. At Family Chiropractic & Spinal Health Care Center, we believe that regular massage therapy effectively treats the stress that comes with the hormonal upheaval of pregnancy and supports the woman’s body in its creation of a nurturing environment for the development of a child.
The extra weight that comes with pregnancy moves your center of gravity forward, forcing your back muscles to work harder if they want to maintain balance. Your pelvis tilts forward and the lumbar curve is accentuated. Furthermore, stomach muscles that were once able to support your spine are stretched and cannot do their job. These changes combine to create muscle tension and excess stress especially on the tissues that support the lower back.
Massage counters these structural changes by improving blood flow: bringing oxygen and nutrients to areas that need the extra support. Massage also increases lymph circulation, which is used to clean out toxins and remove interstitial fluid from the tissues, an excess of which can cause edema or swelling. Massage therapy will stretch and relax tense muscles while correcting the muscle imbalance brought on by pregnancy, allowing you to feel optimally healthy.
Getting a good night’s sleep is paramount to a healthy pregnancy. Unfortunately, the aches and anxiety of pregnancy can work against your body’s attempt to achieve deep, restorative sleep. Massage can also help in this endeavor because the brain releases chemicals like serotonin, endorphins and dopamine as a natural response to massage. After massage, you will enter bed with relaxed muscles and a relaxed mind, both of which are conducive to a restful night of sleep. Come see how our expert hands can lead you to relaxation and peace of mind during pregnancy. Call our office in Ramsey at (201) 995-9900 and in Passaic at (973) 471-9585.
Dr. Moe Abtahi, D.C.
Prenatal Chiropractic
Congratulations! You are on your way to having a baby. This will be a life-defining moment and we want to make it as comfortable as possible. At Family Chiropractic Spinal Health Care Center, we specialize in chiropractic technique for pregnancy. Our primary concern is providing you with safe, non-invasive support for your body during this time of great physical change. We keep the mother-to-be feeling healthy and help maintain the nurturing environment of the womb.
Chiropractic treatment during pregnancy has a wealth of benefits:
- Maintain pelvic balance
- Maintain proper curvature of the spine
- Reduce aches and pains
- Decrease stress
- Decrease tension on the womb
- Increase immune function
During pregnancy, a woman’s body releases reproductive hormones that weaken the pelvic region by relaxing ligaments to make way for the passage of the baby. The added weight of the baby lowers her center of gravity and puts pressure on the pelvic region. These factors can put excess pressure on the spine, damage tissues and contribute to back pain and sciatica. Furthermore, if the pelvic region is allowed to fall out of alignment, it can reduce the room available for your baby to grow and make the birthing process more difficult.
Chiropractic adjustment keeps the spine, particularly the pelvic region, in alignment. We also offer massage services that help reduce physical and mental stress and ease discomfort associated with pregnancy. If you are interested in finding out how chiropractic can benefit you and your baby, we would love to help. Call our New Jersey offices at (201) 995-9900.
Dr. Moe Abtahi, D.C.
Diagnosing Sciatica
Make no mistake: The most important thing you can do to end your sciatic nerve pain is to get a proper diagnosis. This is made difficult by the sheer number of conditions that can cause sciatica, ranging from structural to non-structural, the obscure to the obfuscated. At Family Chiropractic & Spinal Health Care Center, we seek to make the picture clear. We are concerned with providing you the most accurate diagnosis possible, based on a personal examination, medical history and all factors pertaining to your pain. We can determine if the root cause of your sciatic nerve pain is related to one or multiple of the following conditions:
- Herniated discs
- Vertebral subluxation
- Degenerative disc disease
- Spinal stenosis
- Fibromyalgia
- Piriformis Syndrome
- Spondylolisthesis
These are primarily structural conditions that often occur through no fault of the afflicted person. We can also determine if the pain is non-spinal, created by unhealthy habits or ignorance of the condition. Poor posture, lack of exercise and obesity can all create pain in the sciatic nerve. Sciatic pain in pregnancy is common, due to the added weight of the baby creating undue strain on the spine.
The most basic service we offer is knowledge of the condition and extensive experience in treating its causes. Once we successfully verify the root cause of your sciatic pain, we can move forward with a program that involves manual therapy, massage and exercise. We want to make you comfortable with the treatment we offer and encourage your participation in the rehabilitation of your spine. If you are suffering from sciatica in in the Ramsey or Passaic areas, give our offices a call. Our Passaic office can be reached at (973) 471-9585 and our Ramsey office at (201) 995-9900.
Dr. Moe Abtahi, D.C.
What makes a herniated disc worse?
Here are some every day things that can be avoided, but will aggravate your injury. If you are in the midst of a herniated disc injury or are on the road to recovery, it is important to be aware of your posture.
Avoid soft furniture that you will sink into, or furniture that sits low to the ground. It may look ultimately comfortable and inviting, but it is not offering any support for you spine and is actually encouraging an unnatural positioning of the body that will harm you in the long run.
Sleeping on your stomach is very hard on the spine and its associated muscles. If you must do it, use an extremely soft pillow or no pillow at all to avoid raising the neck at an angle.
Addressing inactivity
If possible, when standing in the same position for long periods of time, alternate putting each foot up on a stool or box every few minutes.
If sitting for a long period of time, use a footrest or stool to keep the knees above a little above the hips.
Exercise
For avid gym-goers, avoid the following exercises while in the healing process for a herniated disc:
- Weightlifting
- Leg presses
- Twisting exercises
All of these can aggravate the problem. Instead, focus on these exercises:
- Core-strengthening
- Aerobic exercise
- Stretching and flexibility exercises that help to relieve pressure on nerves.
These are exercises that offer benefit to everyone suffering from back-related conditions, and those who are looking to strengthen the back muscles. At Family Chiropractic & Spinal Health Care Center in New Jersey, we can show you exactly how these exercises treat the herniated disc injury. Let’s talk today: Call our Passaic office at (973) 471-9585 or our Ramsey office at (201) 995-9900.
Dr. Moe Abtahi, D.C.