Tampa Chiropractor

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Technorati Tags: back pain, chiropractic treatment, chiropractor, improved quality of life

When you consider using an excavator, a jackhammer, or a hydraulic skid, does back pain come to mind? They can all create mild to severe back pain, if your spine is misaligned while you’re attempting to move dirt, concrete, blacktop, or anything else the resembles the “earth under you feet,” using any of these heavy Flint equipment rentals. But, the same can be said for using Flint tool rentals such as pressure washers, hand grinders, and even vacuums. If your intention is to complete either home remodeling or on-the-job construction, it is very important that your musculoskeletal system be in good shape.

Before you start, be smart: Before you begin any job, big or small, and even before you head out to an equipment or tool rentals Flint company, you should have your back examined by a health care professional who’s a back expert, like a chiropractor. Your chiropractor can check to see if your spine is in good alignment. If you have any unhealthy changes, such as degeneration due to the aging process, your chiropractor may suggest that you wear a back support belt as an extra precaution.

Along with making sure that you are in proper alignment and general musculoskeletal good health prior to starting a new project, seeing your chiropractor regularly during your project work can save you from pain and injury. Vibration created by heavy machinery and tools can affect even healthy joints. In addition, unfamiliar positioning and abnormal twisting when using hand tools can stress back, shoulder, and arm muscles.

Project Tips: Because misalignment can result from the use of heavy equipment and tools, be sure to visit your dhiropractor on a regular basis during the duration of your project. Icing inflammed areas may be one of the suggestions made by your chiropractor. In addition, stressed or strained muscles may require kineseo taping while your working on your project. Unfortunately, a stressed or strained muscle may require rest before returning to work.

When your project is done: When your project is done, be sure to get a thorough chiropractic check up once again.

You don’t have to give up the work you love. Just remember, from start to finish, you will enjoy the fruits of your labor so much more if you take precautions from beginning to end!

Technorati Tags: back pain, chiropractor, tool rental

Exactly what does the word, “vertigo, ” mean? Vertigo is a term for the dizzy disturbance a person suffers within a stationary location. The perception is that the outer world is tilting or perhaps spinning. Vertigo can be sudden and short- lived or unceasing. However, either way, the precise root cause of vertigo must be defined and the correct treatment undertaken.

There are many reasons for the symptoms of Vertigo. An inner ear problem, known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, may at times happen as the outcome of a sustained head injury or very bad cold. Many times this particular vertigo may be caused by the aging process. The root, though, oftentimes is unknown. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is a wordy diagnosis, but it characterizes perfectly this non- progressive condition that is brought on by, as its name indicates, a abrupt change in head posture. The difficulties are usually unexpected and varied.

It is facilitative to look at the operation of the inner ear in an endeavor comprehend what causes the commonly crippling difficulties of this kind of vertigo. The brain senses motion and keeps equilibrium employing the fluid found in the inner ear. Also in the inner ear are miniature calcium carbonate crystals, also known as otoconia. These crystals are able to float in the inner ear fluid if dislodged. As the crystals strike against the delicate nerve endings in the inner ear, they generate the disorder of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV.

The good news is that chiropractic treatment can relieve the problems of BPPV very quickly and effectively employing a technique referred to as the Epley maneuver. Through the use of this approach, a chiropractor rotates the head of a BPPV victim into a number of different positions, letting gravity carry the calcium carbonate crystals into a local of the inner ear that is away from the nerve endings where they will bring about no further dizziness.

Your chiropractor has aided hundreds of individuals for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo using the Epley Maneuver technique. Quite often, with just one treatment most patients no longer suffer from dizziness.  Call your Tampa Chiropractor. Make an appointment today!

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Knee X-ray

People that are at least 65 years of age or older with knee osteoarthritis (OA), that practice Tai Chi, improve their physical performance and encounter a decrease pain, according to a new Tufts University School of Medicine study. Osteoarthritis is a general form of arthritis that brings about a breakdown of joint cartilage. Chiropractors provide therapy for many men and women suffering from OA in a number of areas of the body, including the joints of the knee. Second only to spinal problems, knee pain and disability is one of the most commonplace conditions of the musculoskeletal system. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are a surprising 4.3 million people in this country over 60 years of ag diagnosed with knee OA, and the CDC predicts that by age 85, half of the people in America may incur symptoms of OA. The consequences of knee osteoarthritis are pain, mobility limitations, functional disabilities, and a diminished quality of life.

You may be asking why so many people develop OA. Inordinate stress over the years is a major factor in the majority of musculoskeletal problems that develop as we age. It follows that as people age they are more at risk for developing OA in their joints, including the knees. Incorrect function of the knee, poor gait, compensatory foot mechanics as the result of foot pain, and overload of the knee joint all create inordinate stress on the knees. Eventually arthritic changes in the knee joint occur. The majority of chiropractors suggest such natural, drug-free practices as Tai Chi, as an adjunct to their chiropractic treatment. A traditional style of Chinese martial arts,Tai Chi features slow, rhythmic movements that generate mental relaxation, as well as improved balance, an augmentation of strength, and improved flexibility.

Though in good health otherwise, the 40 adults with confirmed OA that were selected for the Tufts study were, on average, 65 years of age and overweight. Individuals were randomly picked to participate in 60-minute “Yang style” Tai Chi sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks. Each session included a 10-minute self-massage and a review of Tai Chi principles, 30 minutes of Tai Chi movement, 10 minutes of breathing technique, and 10 minutes of relaxation.

Tai Chi incorporates many of the current exercise recommendations for OA, such as range of motion, flexibility, muscle conditioning, and aerobic workout. As an added benefit, researchers noted that the “mental aspect” of Tai Chi stimulated a sense of well-being, life satisfaction, and perceptions of health that helped the participants to deal differently with chronic pain. Compared with the control group, the group practicing Tai Chi experienced a substantial decrease in knee pain.

Full findings of the study are published in the November 2009 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, knee OA, knee pain, osteoarthritis, Tai Chi, Tufts University School of Medicine

Do you feel pain in one or both hips whenever you rotate them or when you cross your legs?  Does the pain keep you awake at night and make it hard to get a good night’s rest? When you get up in the morning, or when you get out of your car, are you stiff and do you find it initially difficult to move your legs? If any of these symptoms sound familiar, then it is likely that you have imbalances and alignment problems in your lower extremities that, in addition to causing hip pain, can eventually lead to degenerative joint disease in your hips if not addressed.

Even though hip pain and related problems are ordinarily signs of age-related degenerative conditions, especially osteoarthritis of the hip joint, osteoarthritis isn’t always the perpetrator. In fact, rather than being the original cause of the problem, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be the eventual result of damage to your hips at a previous time.

Gait changes caused by biomechanical injury such as an ankle sprain or knee strain, can produce hip pain. Moreover, your gait may reposition to compensate for new body demands such as a job change, an alteration in the way you sit, a new sport or activity, or if you start driving for long periods of time on a regular basis..

In addition, gait asymmetries can occur from leg length variances, foot pronation conditions, even carrying a baby or small child on your hip. Strictly speaking, anything that generates an asymmetry or imbalance when you are moving can cause painful hip problems.

As part of the chiropractic management of your hip problem, along with adjustments, your chiropractor may suggest that you wear orthotics. Your chiropractor will also offer applicable progressive rehabilitative exercises that include muscle stretching and strengthening.

Hip pain won’t vanish on its own. Hip pain is a signal that something needs correcting. Get out of pain, get back in balance, and get your life back now!

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, hip pain, osteoarthritis

At times, it can seem exhausting making an effort to keep up with a five-year-old. If you have an active child of this age, or if you’ve ever been around one for any length of time, you may have found yourself wishing that the kid would just stop moving for a little while. But, new research is affirming the long-term health benefits of this whirlwind of activity. In fact, according to a new University of Iowa study, instead of making an effort to slow these little ones down, five-year-olds ought be aided in being as active as possible. Why? “Because it pays off as they grow older,” said Kathleen Janz, lead author of the study and professor of health and sport studies in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Being active at age five assists kids in staying lean as they age even if they don’t stay as active later in childhood. “We call this effect ‘banking’ because the kids benefit later on, similar to having a savings account at a bank. The protective effect is independent of what happens in between,” Janz went on to say.

The UI team tested the body fat and activity level of 333 kids at ages five, eight and eleven using a special scanner that accurately measures bone, fat and muscle tissue, and an accelerometer that measures movement every minute. Rather than depending on kids or parents to track minutes of exercise, the kids wore accelerometers to record their activity level for up to five days.

Even when controlling for their accumulated level of activity, the study (published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine) indicated that kids who are active at age five end up with less fat at age eight and eleven.  The average five-year-old in the study got thirty minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day. For every ten minutes on top of that, kids had one-third of a pound less fat tissue at ages eight and eleven.

Although further investigation is necessary to determine what happens to the bodies of the active kids that keeps them in better shape down the road, Janz said that it could be that the active 5-year-olds didn’t develop as many fat cells, improved their insulin response, or that something occurred metabolically that provided some protection even as they became less active.

Weight moderation, however, isn’t the only benefit of early exercise. As a chiropractor I have observed in my own practice that active kids have far less ordinary childhood health challenges, such as catching colds and the flu. Chiropractic treatment is, without a doubt, extraordinarily beneficial in helping kids to stay healthier. But, in addition, the stimulation to the brain that happens during activities, especially those that require “cross pattern” motor movements of the larger muscles, i.e., right hand/left leg and left hand/right leg, such as crawling, running, climbing, and skipping, also boosts the autoimmune system and keeps kids healthier.

Many children nowadays are overweight and unhealthy. Though part of the problem is an inappropriate diet, inactivity is also a major contributing factor. If you have a five-year-old who prefers to watch television or play video games rather than participating in more active play, help your child to get up and get moving into healthier activities. Moderate to vigorous exercise will not only benefit your child now, but will aid in building a healthier future. You can bank on it!

Technorati Tags: childrens health, chiropractic, chiropractor

Recently I saw an article on sciencedaily.com how caffeine decreased memory loss in aged mice bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The article began with the angle that “Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup.”  It went on to report on coterminous studies published online July 6 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease that proved that caffeine considerably decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, both in the brains and in the blood of mice exhibiting symptoms of the disease.

But, before you opt to add another cup of coffee to your morning routine, let me warn you that under “Related Stories” on the website were at least two articles about studies that professed to prove the not-so-healthy effects of caffeine, “Morning Jolt of Caffeine May Mask Serious Sleep Problems,” and “Coffee Consumption Linked To Increased Risk Of Heart Attack For Persons With Certain Gene Variation.”

In my experience, I’ve noticed that there are more than likely studies that will corroborate, or at least bolster, nearly any view point, especially when it is about age-related health issues. The “good/bad” studies related to caffeine certainly aren’t, of course, the only ones. Even so, it did get me to thinking about the reasonableness that there will never be any “one thing” that will incontrovertibly help we, humans, to live longer, healthier lives. Humans are dynamic, biological beings. We are actively engaged in life. We’re not confined to a cage! And, let’s face it, though Alzheimer’s disease may be on the rise, obviously we, cage-free humans, have not been “bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” therefore caffeine isn’t going to be the “one thing” that is going to reverse or prevent it.

Our body is a splendid, involved system that is designed to function homeostasis, that is to say, balance. It makes sense, then, that good health is about a healthy, balanced attitude towards living, instead of our being momentarily convinced by the latest health study and “doing” or “overdoing” one specific thing in the hope that it will reverse all of the other immoderate and harmful things we do to our bodies.

I believe, as a doctor of chiropractic, that every single day we have an opportunity to make decisions that will assist us to live longer, healthier lives, healthy choices for our body and mind. We know what genuinely “feels” beneficial and what doesn’t when it comes to what is good for our body. So, the if you reach for that extra cup of coffee or that second glass of red wine, I hope that you’ll keep this in mind. Neither one of those things is the “one thing” that will do “everything” for your age-related health issues.

Technorati Tags: age-related health issues, caffeine, chiropractor, health, longevity, red wine

We all know that movement is good for the whole body, right? From our head to our toes, our good health is determined by how much physical activity we get on a regular basis. So, why do so many people suffer from aches and pains in their feet? After all, aren’t our feet made for walking? Yes, but they weren’t designed for abuse. The average, healthy person takes 3,000-5,000 steps each day, not including activities such as running and aerobic exercise. But, often those steps are made by people walking incorrectly, with poor gait patterns and bad posture. In addition, a large number of people wear badly-designed, poorly-fitting shoes. Moving the body through space incorrectly on feet that are inhibited from functioning correctly cannot help but to cause aches and pains not only in a number of places in our feet, but in other parts of our body.  For example, if an individual over-pronates (walks like a duck) in a pair of poorly made or unevenly-worn shoes, or in a pair of high heels, that person is not only likely to develop foot and ankle problems, but will probably experience problems of the back, knees and legs.

One of the most well known foot problems is Plantar Fascitis (heel pain), which is usually caused by inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a wonderful, multi-tasking band of connective tissue that encircles the muscles on the bottom of the foot, adheres the heel bone to the ball of the foot, supports the arch, protects the foot, and absorbs shock.

There are many factors that contribute to the development of Plantar Fascitis. One such factor is short and tight calf muscles. When calf muscles get short and tight they exert a strong pull on the back of the heel bone, producing undue stress on the smaller and weaker plantar muscles and fascia. How do calf muscles get short and tight? In addition to running and jumping activities such as aerobics, volleyball, running, basketball, and tennis, the wearing of high heels can cause the problem.

Other factors that contribute to Plantar Fascitis include sudden strenuous activity after a period of prolonged inactivity, abnormal walking patterns (such as over-pronation), improper footwear, walking on hard or uneven surfaces (especially barefooted), and obesity.

Once an individual develops Plantar Fascitis, the condition is frequently not easy to manage and can become intensely painful and persistent. If you are suffering from heel pain, your chiropractor will be able to determine the cause of your problem and what chiropractic management is best suited. Such care might include ultrasound therapy, laser, joint manipulation, muscle stretching and strengthening exercises, special taping and, in some cases, orthotics.

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, foot pain, heel pain, plantar fascitis

Today, as never before, a greater number of Americans are suffering from asthma. It is one of this country’s most widespread and costly diseases. In fact, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, each day 40,000 people miss school or work because of asthma; 30,000 people have an asthma attack; 5,000 people visit the emergency room due to asthma;1,000 people are admitted to the hospital due to asthma;and, 11 people die from asthma.

Allergens or irritants that are inhaled into the lungs, and create inflammation that clogs and constricts airways, are generally the cause of asthma symptoms. Symptoms include laborious breathing, wheezing, coughing, and constriction in the chest. In severe cases, asthma can be fatal. Medication may transiently ease the symptoms of asthma,however there is no medical cure.

Even though chiropractic is not a therapy for asthma, per se, recent research published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research recorded the results experienced by 81 children with asthma who received chiropractic care. The two-month study revealed that those under care experienced a 45% decrease in the number of “attacks” and that 31% of the subjects voluntarily decided to take less of their medication.

What is the method by which chiropractic care reduces the persistence and intensity of asthma attacks? How can an adjust of the spine affect respiration? Nervous system impedance is eliminated by chiropractic adjustments. Most of nerves that are in charge of bodily functions exit between the spinal vertebrae and travel to their destination. The nerves that affect the respiratory system are included in this network. If impeded, nerves that are in charge of the diaphragm can have a detrimental effect on how beneficially the respiratory system functions. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, why so many men, women and children receiving chiropractic adjustments report improved breathing and an abatement in their asthmatic symptoms.

Chiropractic may be beneficial for you, or someone you love, who has asthma, if it is produced by, or exacerbated because of spinal subluxations. Call your chiropractor today to see if chiropractic adjustments can help you to breathe a little easier.

Technorati Tags: asthma, chiropractor, chiropratic