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Maintenance or Wellness Adjusting is when you come in periodically for a “tune up” to make sure that your vertebrae are staying in the correct alignment. Coming in for these periodic adjustments helps prevent the vertebrae from getting too far out of place and causing your original pain to return.
¨ Many people ask how often should I come in for a maintenance or wellness adjustment—and part of my answer is that it depends on the your age, your physical activities, and your underlying condition. Let me give some general guidelines. For someone who has had their initial problem corrected and wants to come in on a maintenance or wellness schedule—it ranges between every 2 weeks to once every 8 weeks.
- ¨ The older you are—the more frequently you should get adjusted—simply because your body has gone through a lot more and has more wear and tear on it.
- ¨ Someone who is sedentary all the time should come in a little more often than someone who is moderately active (who walks, swims, exercises).
- ¨ Someone who plays physical or contact sports or has high activity levels will come in more often—every 2—4 weeks, especially if you play football, soccer, cycling, lacrosse, horse back riding, rodeo, roping, etc.
- ¨ The same for people who have physically demanding jobs in construction, ranching, farming, and mechanics.
- ¨ People who don’t have any disc injuries, osteoarthritis, reversed neck and/or low back curves, or neck or back surgeries can usually go between 6—8 weeks for adjusting,
- ¨ People who do have any of those structural conditions have had their pain syndromes for awhile and should come in a little more frequently between 3—6 weeks.
The bottom line is, if you are not on a regular maintenance schedule and you start to feel stiff and sore for more than a couple of days, you should call and come in for an appointment, before things get too far out of adjustment. It is easier to correct something before it gets too acute.
 Scoliosis is described as a lateral deviation of the spine—a curved spine. Viewed from the back, your spine should look straight, there shouldn’t be any curves off to one side or another. Common symptoms from scoliosis include: back pain, muscle spasms, leg pain, neck pain, and headaches.
Scoliosis is rated by the degree of the curvature. The higher the degree, the more pronounced the scoliosis. Most scoliosis progress at a slow degree; however, there are some that progress fast – especially during growth spurts. Scoliosis tends to affect more girls/women than men, and many are genetically based. I have seen granddaughters, mothers, and grandmothers all with the same scoliosis – just at different degrees.
Without treatment, the scoliosis will become more pronounced with age. By the same token, the earlier you treat a scoliosis the less impact the scoliosis will have on your life.
When should you start looking for signs of scoliosis? Scoliosis really starts to show up in the pre-teens with growth spurts. If your child is beginning to complain of back pain, they should be evaluated by a chiropractor for scoliosis. If there is a family history of scoliosis, all your children should be checked by a chiropractor when they are pre-teens or even earlier.
A simple visual test of having your child bend over at the waist and inspecting their back to make sure it is straight is a good beginning. Look for shoulders being unlevel, hips at different heights, one shoulder blade winging, and/or their head in front of their shoulders.
How do you treat scoliosis? Chiropractors will evaluate the scoliosis and the progression of the scoliosis. This may be done visually and with some simple orthopedic tests, and it may include x-rays. For young children, x-rays may not be recommended if the scoliosis appears to be mild and responds to treatment. Chiropractic treatment consists of gentle adjustments (moving the vertebrae) back into their correct position. Dr. Zager also always gives her patients specific individual exercises to help strengthen the person’s muscles which help keep the vertebrae in place.
What if a scoliosis is left untreated? Most mild to moderate scoliosis are simply “watched” by physicians. However, if it is left untreated it will progress further over time. There are many people who if they had had their scoliosis treated early would not have had as much back or neck pain later on in life. It is much harder to treat and to completely resolve after the back has had years of being in the “wrong” position with uneven wear on the bones.
July and August are Scoliosis Screening months at Zager Chiropractic. Dr. Zager will perform courtesy scoliosis screenings for all school age children. Just contact our office to set up the screening—it takes about 15 minutes and is free of charge.
How to do Garden Chores Correctly
The first thing is to make sure that you take breaks, walk around and stretch throughout the time you are gardening! The old adage of “Stop and smell the roses (or daylilies and iris)” is important to take heed of so that you don’t over stress your muscles or joints.
When you start lifting things, you should remember these rules:
- Face the thing you are picking up.
- Bend at the knees to pick things up.
- Keep things close to your body, near your center of gravity.
When weeding you should:
- Either weed on your knees or bend over with a hand or arm on one thigh.
- Don’t over reach and twist.
When digging, shoveling, or raking you should:
- Use the correct size shovel/tool for your size (women should typically use smaller tools—I personally use a ditching shovel for all my planting and transplanting chores).
- Alternate sides you are shoveling or raking from—yes, this takes some getting used to.
- Try not to twist too much.
- Use more legs than back.
Most people at one time or another get a headache. For some, simply taking a couple of pain relievers, such as aspirin, will knock the headache down and let you continue on with your day. That is fine for an occasional headache; however, if you have repeated headaches you should get checked by a physician or a chiropractor to determine the cause and a treatment plan to correct the underlying problem.
There are several different types of common headaches (that I will cover here) : tension headaches, sinus headaches and migraines.
A tension headache is a headache caused from the sustained contraction of muscles of the head and/or neck. Typically it is a stress induced headache; however, sleeping wrong and/or working in one position for a longtime (i.e. at the computer) can also cause this type of headache since the muscles become imbalanced. Another name can be a “cervicogenic” headache meaning it originates from the muscles in the neck. See the Muscles of the Upper Cervical article on the inside.
Getting up and moving around every half hour when you are on the computer, as well as stretches, doing pure ranges of motion, and some simple shoulder exercises will help relieve this type of headache. Additionally, a massage or a hot shower will help relax the muscles of the head and neck. Chiropractic treatments can also help re-align your neck vertebrae so that your muscles are in better balance with each side; and therefore, are not constantly contracting, thus relieving the headache.
Sinus headaches are from your sinuses being blocked and causing pressure or pain. You can typically feel these types of headaches, just above your eyebrows, behind your eyes, and around you nose and cheekbones. The key here is to be able to open up your sinuses and let them start draining. There are some massage techniques that you can do on your face that will help open your sinuses. A hot shower will also help open your sinuses. When taking the shower, you should blow your nose several times in the shower after about 5 minutes. If your sinuses stay plugged, you run the risk of ending up with a sinus infection. Chiropractic treatment to the neck (especially at atlas and axis) can also help relieve some sinus pressure and help the sinuses drain.
Migraines can be very debilitating for patients. Migraines can last from 4 hours to several days. They can be classic migraines where there is an aura (some painless signs before the actual headache starts), light and sound sensitivity, nausea and/or vomiting all with one-sided intense head pain. There are also common migraines with or without some of above mentioned symptoms and signs. Migraines can be triggered by certain foods such as red wine, chocolate, caffeine and hard cheeses. Many migraine sufferers seek chiropractic care and get relief and prevention of their migraines through regular chiropractic adjustments to the cervical (neck) spine, especially atlas and axis.
 The purpose of the neck and occipital (back of the head) muscles is to support the head on top of your spine, as well as, to move the head and neck.
- The longer muscles start in the midback and shoulder regions and insert into the cervical (neck) vertebrae and the back of the skull (the occiput).
- The shorter and deeper muscles go between the individual cervical vertebrae, and also the occiput.
- When you have a cervical or occipital subluxation, your muscles become out of balance, with one side pulling more.
A simple test is to stand in front of a mirror. Close your eyes and stand where you think you are standing straight. Then open your eyes and check to see if your eyes or ears are level with each other, whether your shoulders are level with each other, whether your chin is in the midline, or whether you head is tilted or rotated. Any of those items can mean that your muscles are out of balance and that you probably have a cervical or occipital subluxation.
- Muscles that are constantly contracting, trying to pull the vertebrae back into place, or trying to stabilize the neck can be felt as tightness, may have “knots” in them, or even be felt as deep ache.
- Hot showers, ice, and massage may relieve some tightness.
- Chiropractic treatment will also help relieve and re-balance those muscles.
Headaches
Most people at one time or another get a headache. For some, simply taking a couple of pain relievers, such as aspirin, will knock the headache down and let you continue on with your day. That is fine for an occasional headache; however, if you have repeated headaches you should get checked by a physician or a chiropractor to determine the cause and a treatment plan to correct the underlying problem.
Kinds of Headaches
There are several different types of common headaches (that I will cover here) : tension headaches, sinus headaches and migraines. Read more in the newsletter to see various strategies to relieve these types of headaches, including chiropractic adjustments, foods to avoid, and exercises to do.
What is the Treatment
By gently adjusting the cervical (neck) and upper thoracic (midback) vertebrae, a chiropractor can take the pressure off of pinched nerves, restoring the normal nerve impulses, and helping to balance the surrounding musculature; thus, decreasing or alleviating the headache.
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One of the primary reasons people hurt their backs is because of poor lifting techniques – not necessarily the weight of the item. I cannot stress enough the number of patients who have come in to be treated by me, because of a lifting injury to their back. When questioned about the mechanism of the injury, they told me it was a light item (like a pencil or clipboard) that they just bent over to pick up. On further questioning, they told me that they bent over at the waist and that they were invariably twisted slightly or even a lot. For reference, the only worse position to be in when lifting something is, to lean back and twist while reaching for an item!
There are three simple rules to remember when lifting anything:
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1. Face the thing you are picking up
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2. Bend at the knees to pick things up.
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3. Keep things close to your body, near your center of gravity.
If you have a lot of things to carry (groceries, plants, books, etc.) don’t try to carry all of them at once. It is better to make more trips with less weight and less items to manage than it is to try and save yourself a few extra steps.
If you do a lot of lifting on a daily basis, you can wear a back brace, but understand that the brace is not there to help you lift heavier items. Rather when worn correctly with the double pulls used, it helps keep you from twisting and making stupid moves.
Get a Chiropractic Adjustment: By placing the vertebrae in the correct position your muscles will start to relax, you will get better nerve flow, and it will help de-stress you.
Warm/hot Shower: Take a warm or a hot shower and let the water beat on the back of your head and shoulders. The heat will help your muscles to loosen up and relax a little bit. For sinus headaches it will help open up your sinuses, and you shoulder blow your nose thoroughly while in the shower.
Ice pack: Many times using an ice pack (bag of frozen peas works great) for 5 – 10 minutes either over the forehead or in back of the head and neck also takes some of the pain away.
Massage: You can give yourself a head and/or neck massage. Use your fingertips to give yourself a “dry shampoo” all throughout your skull. If you find some tender spots, you can use a little ice pack on them, or take a hot shower and follow it up with some ice.
Ranges of motion – always do pure movements in the neck and back. Also do not whip your head in doing these. Never go past a point of pain.
Neck – look up, then down; look to the right, then left; bend your right ear to your right shoulder, then your left ear to your left shoulder. Great exercise to do in the shower.
A brisk walk outside for 5 – 10 minutes may also help you work some muscles, and get the blood moving throughout your body. The fresh air also helps re-energize your body. Along with walking, make sure you take some deep breaths to increase your oxygen intake.
Neck Pain
Many people with neck and arm pain go to chiropractors to help relieve their pain. This also includes people with numbness in their hands and arms or headaches that stem from the neck.
What is the Cause?
When the cervical or neck vertebrae are misaligned or “subluxated” they can cause several different types of pain. The first is an ache from tight and stressed muscles that are trying to pull the vertebrae back into place. The second is a sharp pain from either the joints, the discs (padding between the vertebrae), the nerve roots that get “pinched” or the ligaments that are injured. This sharp pain can go up or down the spine or out across the shoulders. Thirdly, you can get numbness or tingling down either or both arms all the way to the fingers. Depending on where there are misalignments or subluxations in the neck will determine where the pain or tingling occurs.
What is the Treatment
By gently adjusting the cervical (neck) and upper thoracic (midback) vertebrae, a chiropractor can take the pressure off of pinched nerves, restoring the normal nerve impulses, taking pressure off of the discs, decreasing the pain or numbness, and helping to balance the surrounding musculature.
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The First Annual Healthy Living Day be held on April 10th from 10 am until 2 pm at Zager Chiropractic Services at 2840 Business Loop 181 N, Floresville, TX. This mini-seminar day will provide information on a wide variety of common conditions such as low back pain and headache, as well as self help topics like how to do core exercises, nutritional tips, exercises for kids, correct lifting techniques, and relaxation techniques. It is free of charge and refreshments will be provided.
Click here to sign up for the class or Call (830) 393-6554
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