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Chronic nonspecific back pain is a horrific reality

And its presence in society is growing. Nonspecific low back pain, either acute or chronic, is defined as pain that has no detectable cause. As more people shift into the seats of white-collar office work, back pain is on the rise, peaking now as the second leading cause of workplace disability in the United States. 

It’s time to stop seeking the magic bullet.

While it would be harsh to say that traditional methods have failed outright, it is worth challenging the commonly held knowledge that these treatments will work when there is clear evidence against them. What is clear is that the medical community is ill-equipped to deal with nonspecific back pain because traditional treatments, including opioid painkillers, spinal surgery, and injections, are often ineffective, and can even make your condition worse. The “magic bullet,” the idea that a single treatment like surgery can fix all your problems is no longer a viable or ethical option and it should not be sold as such by the health industry. 

Alternative therapies on the rise

In response to this falling of the curtain, alternative schools of thought and therapies have stepped into the void. Active and passive therapies now offer pain relief and improvement of symptoms that is comparable and in excess of what can be gained through traditional methods. What this means for you is that a holistic approach to healing your back is worth exploring. The upside is that most things you can do are cheaper, if not completely free, and can start improving your symptoms today. 

Chiropractic as part of a holistic approach to healing your back 

Chiropractic, when combined with exercise, diet, massage, and other natural modalities. More and more studies are showing that back pain can be as much a mental condition as an ailment of the body. Choosing a multidisciplinary, and therefore dynamic, approach to treating your back pain can affect vast improvements in your back pain, without the laundry list of side effects. If you are interested in changing your angle of approach to treating back pain, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Sarcopenia is universal

Risk factors for sarcopenia include age, gender, and level of physical activity.

Everyone on earth is affected by the loss of muscle mass that comes with aging. But it is not the same for everyone, and only you get to decide how severe sarcopenia can really be. Sarcopenia sets in at some point during our thirties, and this beginning stage is perhaps the most crucial. Moderately active people may notice insignificant changes in muscle mass while inactive people may lose as much as 3-5 percent per year! This is a particularly bad precedent to set when you consider that sarcopenia only accelerates as we reach toward our sixties and seventies. 

Sarcopenia from a chiropractor’s perspective

Sarcopenia is doubly scary from a chiropractor’s perspective; you have to remember that your spine is also weakening with age. Most people can’t afford to lose muscle mass in the core stabilizing muscles that support the lower back. With a weakened support system, embattled intervertebral discs will often give in to herniation; vertebral bodies will impinge on spinal nerves; the end result can leave you hunched over with back pain in your old age. Let’s all take a moment to agree that this is not how we want to end up.

Chiropractic helps you keep the upper hand on sarcopenia

While the condition may be inevitable, you don’t have to accept the symptoms lying down. Our natural modalities ensure that your spine remains in alignment despite the weakening that is occurring all around it. Chiropractic adjustment has the double-positive effect of improving both circulation and range of motion, allowing you to pursue exercise without fear of injury. This is the single most important way to fight back against sarcopenia: keep yourself moving. We can also show you how to strengthen and stretch the muscles that matter for maintaining core stability, allowing you to remain upright as you approach old age. If you are interested in using our services to fight back against sarcopenia, give our office in Houston a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Today, watch out for when the Comfy Couch Turns Ugly

Your sofa should be a place for relaxation

The world will be watching the Kansas City Chiefs play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers today, and most will be watching from a reclined couch while stuffing their face with carbs. This ritual has become a tradition that hinges on becoming a national holiday in America as the Super Bowl grows in popularity every year. It makes sense too, because from the comfort of your home you can watch others mercilessly pound each other and be glad it is not your spine getting crunched play after play. But believe it or not,  your spine is not entirely same either.

Sitting for long periods of time is hard on your spine

Studies show that sitting loads your spine with up to 3 times as much pressure as standing. What’s more, few sofas offer the support necessary to encourage you to maintain good posture. Most of us end up melting into the couch, which can have serious consequences for your spine if you spend a lot of time watching television or reading. Chances are, you are not going to stop sitting on the couch; instead, you can take proactive steps to relieve the stiffness that besets your back after sitting on the sofa for long periods of time.

Stretches to relieve back tension after a sofa session

• Spinal Twist: Sit up straight in a chair and slowly rotate your torso to one side, grabbing the back of the chair if you can. Only go until you feel a gentle stretch in the shoulder and oblique muscles of the core 
• Spinal Elongation: stand straight up then bend at the waist and hang with your fingers reaching down toward your toes. Don’t go any further than the feeling of a gentle stretch. From here slowly raise back up to a standing-tall position then reach your hands up toward the sky and clasp them together. Hold for 3-5 seconds. 
• Stretch the Neck: clasp your hands on the back of your head and lower your chin toward your chest until you feel a gentle stretch in the neck muscles. 
• Stretch the hamstrings: the hamstrings are paired muscles which get tight and create a pull on the lower back, often resulting in uneven alignment of the spine. Sit on your butt with one leg tucked in criss-cross apple sauce and the other extended. Reach for the foot of the extended leg until you feel a slight stretch in the hamstring. 

These stretches target the hamstrings, lower back, shoulders and neck, all the areas which are prone to tightness after a sofa session. Taking 3 minutes to stretch after an hour of sitting on the sofa can work wonders toward undoing the cycle of tension that eventually leads to back pain.

Please do yourself one more favor today when you get up during the halftime show, walk past the chips and soda and 7 layer dip. See if you can find a carrot to crunch on. And as you hear that crisp cool carrot shatter in your mouth, be glad that is not the spine of your favorite quarterback making the crunching noise on this great American holiday known as Super Bowl Sunday.

Chiropractic is pain relief

Pain is one of the least understood, yet widely speculated upon, subjects in the medical world. The proliferation of information sources means that there are now more blogs, columns, shows, books, Instagram cures, and even tweets than you can shake a stick at when it comes to pain relief. No one who is in the grips of chronic back pain wants to exert energy or spend money chasing treatments that promise pain relief but don’t deliver. What’s more, the traditional methods of treating back pain often fall short because they lack the necessary insight into the musculoskeletal functioning of a human being that chiropractic bases itself on. 

Chiropractic is proud of being an alternative medicine. 

There is no panacea for back pain- that means that two people with the exact same diagnosis may not benefit from the same exact treatment. When more traditional methods aren’t fitting the bill, people naturally seek alternatives to address their back pain. Chiropractic is an alternative that treats back pain successfully because it seeks to understand the root of the pain before addressing the symptoms. Whereas pain medication may repress symptoms, chiropractic attempts to correct the underlying problem so that the body can heal itself. 

When it comes to lower back pain, many people present with misalignment in the base of the spine. Gentle targeted adjustments to the sacrum and sacroiliac joint help to ensure that the base of your spine is properly aligned. Combined with other modalities such as spinal traction and Active Release Technique, we reduce scar tissue in the muscles and allow for the replenishment of nutrients to an injurious region. If you are interested in changing your relationship with lower back pain, give our office a call to schedule an appointment and start the conversation today. 

Protein can be found in plenty of other foods besides meat

One of the biggest challenges people face when trying to eat less meat is how to get enough protein. But ask any diehard vegetarian and they will probably scorn such a suggestion. Meat is so ingrained in the Western diet that we have scarcely taken the time to learn recipes that don’t have meat as the central source of protein. But opening our eyes just a sliver can open up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to lean protein sources and delicious new meals. 

Where’s the protein? 

Here, we have brainstormed a list of non-meat items that are high in protein:

• Whole grain pasta
• Rice and rice noodles
• Lentils
• Beans
• Nuts 
• Oatmeal
• Potatoes
• Chia and pumpkin seeds

That’s just for starters; there are a whole host of fruits and vegetables that include small amounts of protein, including: broccoli, avocado, corn, spinach and brussel sprouts. Remember when dreaming up new recipes that you always want a complete protein, that contains at least 9 of the essential amino acids. For example, rice and beans separately are not a complete protein but together they are.

Why we believe in the power of protein

From a chiropractic perspective, which is in line with the conventional wisdom of modern medicine, protein is an essential part of the diet. We particularly champion protein because of its importance for healthy bones, muscles, cartilage and blood. In this sense, it can be thought of as an ingredient that supports musculoskeletal health. If you are looking to change the way you feel and function this new year, give one of our offices a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Massage is a powerful tool in your wellness arsenal

Even with untrained hands, the hands-on nature of massage has a powerful calming effect. Simply feeling comfortable while being rubbed by another releases endorphins, the brain’s powerful painkilling chemicals which further provide a euphoric effect. Simply rubbing will increase systemic circulation, stimulating the flow of nutrients and oxygen throughout the body. The benefit is clear to see; now imagine the rubbing was by trained hands and specifically targeted to your particular points of pain: massage becomes therapy. At Family Chiropractic & Spinal Health Care Center, we have a trained and certified massage therapist on staff who uses massage to influence powerful changes in your wellbeing. 

Massage as therapy 

At our office, we believe that combining natural modalities gives people the best chance of overcoming back pain. This multi-dimensional approach includes spinal adjustment, decompression, trigger point release and massage. Massage’s role in our treatment program includes:

• Releasing tension from the musculature, especially the soft tissues that surround and support the spine
• Alleviating spinal pressure by providing a gentle decompressive effect between the vertebrae
• Increasing circulation and lymph flow to help your cells repair quicker
• Boosting flexibility in support of a fuller range of motion and less chance for injury
• Helping you find more natural energy

Massage therapy for our Ridgewood, NJ community

We believe that everyone in Ridgewood, NJ deserves a massage, especially by our trained hands! If you are interested in finding out more about the role of massage in natural wellness, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today. Our massage staff is standing by to help you target particular points of pain, release tension and feel your best today! 

The best way to mobilize your spine is to relax!

If the tension in your spine has become palpable as of late, it’s time to pay attention. What is most likely happening is not a pretty picture: short, weak muscles; compressed intervertebral discs and stiff spinal joints; consistently poor posture and, to top it all off, back pain. The answer to all this dysfunction is to mobilize your spine, and this week we are highlighting the simplest, yet most profound, exercise you can do to promote spinal mobility. 

It starts by relaxing

Lay down on a yoga mat or carpeted floor and relax by taking deep breaths to encourage enhanced oxygenation. Now imagine that someone or something is pulling your head and feet in opposite directions and let your body stretch and elongate; this encourages spinal elongation and decompression. Do this off and on for 90 seconds. Next tuck your knees up toward your chest and wrap your arms around your legs. In this balled up position, rock gently up and down, increasing the momentum until every part of your back touches the ground during the course of the motion except for your neck. Do this for about 2 minutes. 

Spinal elongation and relaxation support spinal mobility

This stretch is invaluable for people looking to increase their spinal health on a daily basis. The elongation provides a decompression effect which is therapeutic to body and mind. This stretch is part of a holistic approach to back care that defines everything we do at Family Chiropractor NJ. If you are interested in finding out more, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

DOMS, as it is affectionately known, is important to keep an eye on. While it can be a normal indicator of a good workout, it can also be an alarm bell for muscle damage. Depending on the severity of the muscle soreness you feel after your exercise, you may need to take more action than just rest and ice. The truth is that muscle building relies on creating micro-tears in the muscles that are then repaired during the resting phase by a natural bodily process. But when pain proceeds past the point of soreness and aching and into the realm of inflammation, weakness and tingling, you need to take note. This blog is designed to help you figure out when you need to worry. 

What to do about DOMS

The more extreme end of DOMS, when muscles become inflamed, painful, weak and swollen is something most athletes want to avoid. That is because it takes the longest time to heal which translates to more time out of the gym or off the playing field. In the most extreme cases, you can even cause permanent muscle damage. So the first step to preventing DOMS is to start gradually and scale up with your exercises; in other words, don’t damage them so acutely in the first place. Warm-ups, which get your muscles in a conducive state to exercise, should never be skipped. 

However, if you are suffering from abnormal muscle pain after an exercise, be sure to take action. Here are signs that your muscle pain is abnormal:

• Pain that scales up 
• Pain that persists 
• Pain on one side
• Weakness, numbness, tingling

If your muscle pain feels abnormal or does not go away, be sure to give our office a call to schedule an appointment. We are experts in diagnosing and treating muscle dysfunction and injury. We can help you determine how it occurred and the extent to which it is damaged and set a course for treatment that includes soft tissue therapy, restorative exercise and stretching. 

When your pregnancy presses on your sciatic nerve

The results can be disastrous. You already have enough anxiety to deal with as the due date approaches; to add severe back pain into the mix can push you to a breaking point. But this is exactly what happens to so many women, because pregnancy creates the perfect mix of circumstances for sciatica. Take the growing weight of the fetus, add a shifting center of gravity, then increase pregnancy hormones that loosen ligaments in the pelvis, then add an accentuated arch in the back and pressure on the facet joints, and voila, you have sciatica. Fortunately, chiropractic specializes in treating these exact pre-conditions to help alleviate nerve impingement and help you feel better. 

Chiropractic for sciatica during pregnancy

Our goal is to stabilize the pelvis and restore alignment throughout the spine. This requires specific spinal adjustments that restore the alignment of the spine and increase function in the facet joints; this in itself is often enough to alleviate nerve impingement. From here, we focus on balancing the pelvis to prevent misalignment from recurring, and to increase stability at the base of the spine. Finally, we introduce gentle stretching and strengthening movements to increase the natural support system for your lower spine. We also employ modalities such as massage and soft tissue therapy to help increase circulation where it matters most. If you are interested in finding out about how chiropractic can benefit your pregnancy, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today. 

We all know that Thanksgiving tends to be associated with mass amounts of comfort food, however, there are still options you can prepare that are more health-forward than the traditional mashed potatoes and gravy, apple pie, not to mention ham and turkey. Of course, we’d never knock these foods, but there are options that will provide you with more vitamins and minerals than the junk food options will.

Below, Family Chiropractic & Spinal Health Care Center goes over a few healthy dishes you can prepare for Thanksgiving, even if you’re going to be having a socially distant holiday this year.

First, prepare plenty of veggie dishes to go with the clean whole protein you plan on preparing. Have a salad option or two and make sure to include healthy greens like spinach, kale, and other vitamin and mineral-dense leafy greens.

Next, yams and sweet potatoes are a great option, but, in lieu of the brown sugar and marshmallows, top your sweet potatoes with almonds and granola to give it a healthy kick.

Having more than one entree is a good idea, too, and it’s always considerate to provide a plant-based option for those who do not eat meat.

At Family Chiropractic & Spinal Health Care Center our treatments are design to optimize our patient’s lives on a daily basis. Combine our treatments with a healthy diet and exercise and you won’t go wrong. Contact us today to learn more about who we are, what we do, and how we play a vital role in keeping our community happy and healthy.