Aching In Your Back: What Does It Mean?

Aching In Your Back:

Our bodies are controlled by the nervous system, which has an autonomic division, that is further divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve systems.  Our bodies are happiest when these two divisions are working in complete balance, but even when we are young, stress can disrupt the balance and create a more sympathetic response brought on by anxiety, sweating, and being on the go.  Even your baby can live in a sympathetic world, which can create neural tension and disrupt their little body’s ability to get good sleep or have healthy bowel movements, meaning pooping and sleeping become a huge struggle. This is shown when your infant arches their back and is sometimes accompanied by long bouts of crying. Through gentle and effective pediatric chiropractic adjustments, your baby’s parasympathetic nerve system which is responsible for allowing rest and digestion to happen, can balance out, releasing the neural tension and allowing their little body to work as it was intended.

Keeping a Resolution

Keeping a Resolution:  

Don't pick a resolution.  Pick words that you want to represent your next year.  Resolutions are often something that we start off with good intention, but 1-2 weeks in, many people fall off and resort back to old habits.  By picking a word, you aren't setting yourself up for failure, but for success.  We are all human, and we all make mistakes.  When we "mess up" on our resolutions, it can end up making us feel guilty, stressed, or frustrated.  By picking a word, it allows our "mess ups" to become a learning opportunity, helping us to improve ourselves, creating positivity in a world full of negativity.  After all, life can be hard, and being hard on ourselves isn't conducive to creating happiness.  

My word for 2018 is grow.  When I was reflecting on 2017 and all of the learning that took place, it seemed natural that 2018 would be my year of growth, The year I could grow my practice to serve more families in my community, grow my relationships both personally and professionally, and grow in my own mind, body and soul.  

So what's your word going to be?

 

Pregnancy and Sitting

Pregnancy and Sitting

Proper sitting posture during pregnancy: 

1.  sit up with a straight back, pulling shoulders down and back.  Articulate both buttocks with the back of your chair.  
2. Use a rolled up towel or lumbar roll to support the natural curve of your lower back.  
3. If you have a larger baby bump, separate your knees, to allow space for your growing baby.  
4. Straddling a chair, keeping your arms supported on the top of the chair, lean forwards, supporting yourself with pillows if needed.  Remember to keep your back arched to stay comfortable in this position.                                                                                              

Researches have found a link between prolonged sitting during the 2nd trimester and developing bouts of depression during pregnancy.  

• Sitting too much also increased the risk of weight gain and gestational diabetes.  
• Increased sitting increases the risk of developing varicose veins and blood clots when pregnant.  
• Gentle exercise during pregnancy can help release endorphins, which helps reduce feelings of depression. 

Kids and Sitting

Kids and Sitting

Only 42% of kids are categorized as being as fit as they should be, meaning 68% of our kids are overweight, obese and not in good physical health due to large amounts of inactivity.  

According to the CDC, the USA spends 75 cents on the dollar on chronic conditions related to sedentary lifestyle including obesity, diabetes and heart disease.  

The average U.S. students sits an average of 4.5 hours per day at school and for kids between 8-18, an additional 7 hours per day in front of a screen.  

Combined with sitting at school, in front of a screen, driving to school, homework and eating meals, kids sit 85% of their waking hours.  This increases their risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease or becoming obese later in life.  

Sitting is the new smoking: 

Sitting as little as 2 consecutive hours increases your child’s risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cancer, back and neck pain, orthopedic conditions, just like smoking.  (Dr. James Levine’s book: Get up!  Why your chair is killing you and what you can do about it) 

Kids and standing desks: 

• normal weight kids burn 15-25% more calories
• overweight kids burn 25-35% more calories
• Kids are more engaged in standing classrooms. 
• Standing can help in the prevention of back and neck pain, repetitive stress injuries and knee/hip problems.  
• Standing desks create movement-rich environments, which help with brain health and development. (Dr. Mark Benden) 

Excess sitting causes orthopedic dysfunction which impedes children’s ability to learn

• If kids are given the opportunity to move in the day, they will.  
• Students move more, education improves.  
• Kids feel happier when they move more 
• Active learning results in better behaviors.  
• Standing classrooms improves test scores 
• Standing prevents postural distortions and helps prevent body degeneration.  
• Reducing sentry time, reduces cell aging, creating a generation that is healthier and lives longer. 

Adults and Sitting

Adults and Sitting

Average American sits more than 8 hours per day, which increases the risk of dying from a heart attack by 54 percent.  

Sitting makes us fat.  Between 1980 and 2000:  Exercise rates stayed the same, sitting time increased by 8 percent and obesity rate in the US doubled.  

Negative side effects of sitting are instant:  The moment you sit down the electrical ativity in your legs stops, calorie burning drops to 1 calorie per minute and the enzymes that break down fats drops by 90%.  2 hours after sitting your good cholesterol drops by 20% and 24 hours after insulin effectiveness drops by 24%, increasing the risk of diabetes type 2.  

People with sitting jobs have double the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in their lifetime.  

People who watch 3+ hours of tv per day increase their risk of heart disease by 64%

GOALS:  
Interrupt sitting as much as possible.  

1. stretch it out
2. march or walk in place 
3. jumping jacks 
4. Opt for a standing desk 

WALK: 
Walking burns 3-5x the amount of calories that sitting does. 

GET OFF THE COUCH:
When watching tv, do 1 of the following: 

1. stretch
2. plank/core work 
3. walk in place or do jumping jacks during commercial breaks 

The human body is not meant for prolonged sitting.  

Stand up for your right to stand!

Why Kids and Chiropractic

Why kids and chiropractic?  

Chiropractic is based on a relationship between the spine and nervous system.  If there is dysfunction in the spine and joints, it can lead to dysfunction of the nervous system, which is in control of the body systems.  If the nervous system is not working completely, it can have negative effects on the body’s health.  Chiropractors evaluate the spine and adjust the dysfunctional areas, allowing the body to work as intended.  

Why kids and chiropractic:   

Children encounters numerous physical stresses during birth though their growing years, which can result in problems throughout their growth and development to adulthood.  One of the most traumatic event that most of us will encounter in our lives is childbirth itself.  Spinal segments can be pushed out of alinement or jammed by certain positions that are less than optimal in the womb.  The cause of many newborn health complaints such as colic, reflux, breastfeeding issues, sleep problems, allergic reactions and chronic infections can be linked to nervous system irritation from spinal and cranial misalignments.  

Getting a newborn’s spine check right after birth can result in growth and development, free of interference caused by the birthing process.  

Other events as kids get older like holding up their head, sitting upright, crawling, walking in addition to falls, sports injuries, playground bumps, carrying around heavy backpacks as well as spending time sitting watching tv, playing video games, or on their tablets and phones are all reasons to get your children’s spine’s checked.  They are all physical stresses that can affect your growing child’s spine and nervous system.  

What does chiropractic care involve?

The chiropractor will take a detailed history of your child’s health and any complaints you or they might have.  This is followed by a complete physical examination of the spine using specific skills.  Chiropractic care is tailored to the individual and their spine, and children are no exception.  Chiropractic care for kids uses a different technique and we offer specific, gentler adjustments appropriate for your child’s spine and cranium.  

Chiropractic care for children is usually painless, with the exception of if the child had an actual injury.  In this case once the adjustment has been made, the area heals more effectively and the sensitivity decreases.  Most kids in our practice love getting adjusted and look forward to their next visit.  

Is it safe?  

Chiropractic care is extremely safe and the risks of children suffering from injury is rare.  Chiropractors have been adjusting children’s spines for over 100 years and have an excellent safety record.  In a recent study done by the ICPA in the US, Canada and Europe, it was noted that only a few children out of over 10,000 experienced only minor discomfort.  The other children had no adverse reactions.  This tells us that chiropractic care for kids may be one of the safest forms of healthcare around!  

How to tell if your child has spinal problems:

It can be very difficult for a parent to notice a spinal problem unless they have a specific problem or injury.  Some things to look for that may indicate a spinal problem are:

• sleeping problems

• breastfeeding difficulty in babies

• restricted head and neck movement to one side

• one shoulder higher than the other

• pant leg that twists or is longer on one side

• toes that point inward or outward

Common childhood disorders that have been linked to spinal dysfunction include:

• chronic ear infection

• persistent sore throat and colds

• colic

• reflux

• asthma

• scoliosis

• headaches

• bedwetting

• constipation

• growing pains

• Behavioral conditions- including ADHD

It is also important to note that emotional and chemical stress can affect the child’s nervous stem and may benefit from a spinal checkup.   

Regular chiropractic checkups can help identify spinal dysfunction and adjustments may enhance the future function of their body as well as their well being.

Chiropractic for Infants

Chiropractic for Infants

Being born is hard work.  As your baby makes their way into the world there is a lot of pressure and for exerted on them.  In a recent study by Viola Frymann, it was fount that 90 percent of newborns suffered from effects of birth trauma.  This included strain to thence and cranial areas.  In this study she encountered more than 1500 babies and noted:  10% of them had perfect, freely mobile skulls or cranial mechanisms.  10% had severe trauma to the head, evident to untrained observers.  The remaining 80% had strain patterns in the cranial mechanism.  

If these traumas were to go uncorrected, it can negatively affect the child’s spinal growth and development, resulting in health challenges later in life that could have been prevented.  

Birth trauma:

Each birth is unique, but there is always a chance that the baby will suffer some sort of strain. Even natural births can result in undetected traumas.  Here is a list of things that may cause a birth trauma:

• Very short labor

• Very long labor

• Failure of cervical dilation

• Use of Pitocin to induce or strengthen uterine contractions

• Use of forceps or vacuum extraction

• Cord wrapped around the baby’s neck

• C-Section delivery

• Pulling or twisting on the baby’s head to deliver their body.  

Birth trauma often causes some sort of neurological dysfunction.  In another study by Gutmann, over 1000 infants were examined and it was concluded that 80% had some nerve dysfunction. When we think about the fact that 65% of neurological development, including the brain, occurs within the first year, it makes more sense.  

Some things to look for in infant birth trauma:

• trouble sleeping

• reflux and frequent spitting up

• irritability and colic

• difficulty nursing (sucking or positioning)

• balance issues

• trouble breathing

• delayed developmental milestones.

Chiropractic focuses on improving the brain and body communication so that baby can develop and function at their highest potential.  We are born with the innate ability to heal and chiropractic aims to minimize obstructions to that ability.  

Spinal Elongation:

Your baby’s spine lengthening by 50% in the first year, the most rapid growth they will ever experience.  It is important for them to be in proper alinement to ensure symmetrical growth. The first year is also when spinal curvatures develop that are necessary for movement, balance, upright posture, protection and shock absorption.  If a baby doesn’t have proper alignment during this crucial spine, they may not develop properly, setting them up for a poor adult foundation leading to more pain and discomfort later in life.  

Optimize nerve system:

In infants the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) not only controls everything their bodies do, but it also controls their growth and development.  If a baby’s spine stays out of alignment, it can put tension on the nerve system, interfering with their body’s ability to grow and develop.  

Better immunity:

Dr. Candice Per, a leader in psychoneuroimmunology, credits chiropractic as having a profound effect on maximizing our body’s immunity.  

In a pilot study, the relationship between chiropractic care and childhood disease was examined. It was found that kids who got adjusted more than 7 times per year, had increased immunity to common childhood diseases.  

Getting your child checked regularly by your chiropractor is a safe, gentle and effective way to promote overall wellness in your infant and growing children.