Posts Tagged ‘care’
Neck Pain: Conservative Care or Painkilling Injections?
The standard medical response to neck pain is to treat it symptomatically
That is why many medical providers will offer painkilling injections to effect significant improvements in pain, allowing people to get on with their lives. This is often prescribed as an intermediate step on the road to surgery, and while we acknowledge its place as effective pain management, we think it fails many people in a key way. Painkillers only treat neck pain symptomatically, rather than detecting and correcting the true cause of the pain.
Self-Care for Low Back Pain
Your body is a self-healing machine
Most instances of non-specific lower back pain will heal themselves without the necessity for medical intervention if given enough attention to recovery. Back pain should be closely monitored and any actions that could exacerbate your pain should be avoided; other than that, it is recommended that you carry on a light schedule of motion to prevent the stiffness, loss of muscle and flexibility that actually slows recovery. Movement helps maintain range of motion despite the injury and also contributes to better circulation to keep the nutrients and oxygen flowing to the injurious region that is most in need. Four weeks is a good threshold for self-care; if back pain persists beyond this point, it may be worth investigating your condition further with the help of a medical professional.
The Single Greatest Thing you can Do for your Back
Why does my back hurt? And what can I do about it?
Factors that contribute to back pain include:
- Obesity
- Poor diet
- Posture and excessive sitting
- Mental Stress
- Acute Injury
- Repetitive trauma
Obviously, limiting your spine to the exposure of any of these malefactors is an important way to keep your spine in a state of health. But there is one thing you can focus on more than any other if you are interested in keeping your back pain-free late into life.
Making a Less Painful Pregnancy in Sacramento
Sacramento, is there such a thing as a pain-free pregnancy?
The answer is no, but there are steps you can take to mitigate the so-called, “standard pains of pregnancy;” the ones that every mother-to-be complains about- pains in the lower back. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we specialize in chiropractic care for women at all stages of their pregnancy.
Why is chiropractic care important for pregnant women?
As an adjunct to the pregnancy services offered by your doctor, chiropractic is important for managing the body changes that come with pregnancy. We seek to:
- Support efficient nervous system and immune system functioning
- Prevent the aches and pains of pregnancy
- Create a nurturing environment with plenty of room for the baby to grow
- Minimize the possibility of surgical intervention during childbirth
- Prevent dystocia
The changes in a woman’s body during pregnancy in Sacramento
During pregnancy, the reproductive hormone relaxin is released in elevated quantities, loosening ligaments in the pelvis to help make way for the passage of the child. The unfortunate side effect is that this leaves the base of the spine weakened. Then you add on the weight of the growing child and the shifting center of gravity and you have a recipe for lower back pain.
Chiropractic supports pregnancy in Sacramento
A common result of the aforementioned situation is misalignment in the spine, especially in the lower back. Chiropractic adjustment helps to rectify this situation, utilizing a specialized table just for pregnant women. By maintaining spinal alignment and treating myofascial pain, the following objectives are achieved:
- Maintain alignment and proper curvature of the spine
- Decrease physical tension and mental stress
- Decrease tension on the womb, known as intrauterine restraint, which reduces the amount of room available to the baby to grow.
- Increase immune function
If you are interested in finding out more about how our chiropractic care can support your pregnancy, give our office in Sacramento a call to schedule an appointment today.
The Best Exercise Your Back Isn’t Getting
Are you a person who sits in a chair for most of the working day?
Here’s what sitting all day, every day is doing to your back, from a chiropractor’s perspective:
- Intervertebral discs: sitting, especially with poor posture, puts more pressure on your spine than any other position. Sitting prevents oxygen and nutrients from replenishing your intervertebral discs and causes them to lose flexibility.
- Muscles in the back: abdominals are less-used when sitting, causing them to weaken depending on how much you sit.
- Hips: your hips tighten up in a sitting position, limiting their range of motion. Your glutes also weaken and hamstrings become tight, creating a pull on the base of the spine.
“But, I have no alternative to sitting!” you say. Read on to find the perfect antidote to the damages of sitting