Impact Chiropractic

KINESIOTAPE & CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR PREGNANT MAMAS

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Many women seek out chiropractic care during their pregnancies.  As female bodies change and adapt to being pregnant, musculoskeletal problems can arise.  Our Fort Collins chiropractors, Dr. Elise and Dr. Lara are specialized in caring for pregnant mothers; they help by relieving pain, decreasing back labor, speeding up labor, and balancing out the mother’s hips for optimal growth of the baby.

Chiropractic care and pregnancy go hand in hand.  Below is a diagram of different ways to use kinesiotape to assist in what chiropractic care helps with.  Many times patients and their spouses can use K-Tape completely on their own, after learning how to do it only once.  If you have any questions about how kinesiotape works, please don’t hesitate to ask.

prenatal chiropractic care fort collins

DELAYED CORD CLAMPING

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Since we are prenatal and pediatric chiropractors, we love sharing information with our expecting moms and dads.  The following information can be found in Pathways Magazine, the official magazine of the International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association.  At our office in Fort Collins, we have many extra (and free) Pathways magazines for parents to have.

prenatal chiropractic care fort collins

“The umbilical cord is usually clamped immediately after birth,” write José M. Ceriani Cernadas, MD, from the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires in Argentina, and colleagues. “There is no sound evidence to support this approach, which might deprive the newborn of some benefits such as an increase in iron storage…Iron deficiency early in life may have pronounced central nervous system effects such as cognitive impairment; iron deficiency is also the main cause of anemia, one of the most serious conditions in childhood, especially in developing countries… ”

Since we are prenatal and pediatric chiropractors, we love sharing information with our expecting moms and dads.  The following information can be found in Pathways Magazine, the official magazine of the International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association.  At our office in Fort Collins, we have many extra (and free) Pathways magazines for parents to have.

“The umbilical cord is usually clamped immediately after birth,” write José M. Ceriani Cernadas, MD, from the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires in Argentina, and colleagues. “There is no sound evidence to support this approach, which might deprive the newborn of some benefits such as an increase in iron storage…Iron deficiency early in life may have pronounced central nervous system effects such as cognitive impairment; iron deficiency is also the main cause of anemia, one of the most serious conditions in childhood, especially in developing countries… ”

“Delayed cord clamping at birth increases neonatal mean venous hematocrit within a physiologic range,” the authors write. “Furthermore, this intervention seems to reduce the rate of neonatal anemia. This practice has been shown to be safe and should be implemented to increase neonatal iron storage at birth.”

To read the entire article, please visit – https://icpa4kids.org/Wellness-Articles/delayed-cord-clamping-at-birth-reduces-neonatal-anemia.html

RUNNING FOR HEALTH

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Many athletes use chiropractic care to their benefit.  By making sure the spine is in proper alignment, athletes have less sports injuries and better running health.  Chiropractic care is a great preventative tool in making sure your body doesn’t cause more harm than good.  The spine and nervous system are vital with sports performance and making sure everything is working properly, biomechanically and neurologically.

Many runner’s seek out the care of chiropractors.  If the pelvis is misaligned it disrupts the entire chain below it and affects the hips, knees, and ankles.  Proper pelvis placement will relieve aches and pains, while at the same time opening up the nerves that travel to the lower half of the body as well.  The pelvis can tilt forward or backward, and may end up causing tight muscles.

chiropractic care for athletes

If you’re a runner and are struggling with shin splints, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, IT band syndrome, bursitis, jumper’s knee or any other ailment make an appointment so we can set you straight and on the path to better running health!

FLU SEASON: CHANCE OR CHOICE?

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As we approach the “flu season” it is important for us to recognize some of the lifestyle dynamics that contribute to our increased susceptibility to the flu.

boosting your immune system naturally Our bodies have an incredible ability to adapt to their environments and maintain a state of “ease” or balance. It is this balance or proper function that creates true health and well-being. However, physical, emotional and chemical stresses adversely affect our bodies’ ability to adapt and maintain this balance.

All summer long we enjoy the outside sunshine, the warm, fresh air, and an increase in physical activities. Schedules are less hectic and there is more opportunity to relax. Fresh fruits and vegetables are in abundance, and we tend to eat lighter, more nutritious foods.

Back to school means back to busy schedules. Time constraint and convenience has many children eating the not-so-nutritious school lunches and resorting to vending machines for quick snacks. School activities and community meetings are in full swing and every “spare” moment after school and on weekends is spent rushing from one activity to another.

Additionally, back to school means at least six hours per day when our children are slouching in uncomfortable chairs at desks and carrying heavy book bags. When summer is over, activity levels are decreased and time outside is often limited to a 20-minute recess period.

With fall comes the stress of the holiday season as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa are upon us. The exhausting tasks of shopping, preparations, and hectic deadlines combined with our already busy schedules often force us to replace regular good eating habits with fast food substitutes. “Take out foods” become easier to fit into our “on the go” lifestyles than preparing home cooked meals. Additionally, foods associated with the customs of the holidays (excess carbs, fats, and sweets) add to the mix of increased chemical stress and decrease our family’s immune system function. All that preparation, all those parties, all that rushing, all of those increased stressors begin to take their toll on our family’s health. Physical stress, emotional stress, and chemical stress: a cycle of stress overload leads to decreased function and dis-ease.

It is no secret that an overload of stress affects our health. Numerous studies are being published that substantiate the direct relationship between stress overload and the body’s ability to cope and adapt. In chiropractic we recognize that an increase in these stresses adversely affect the nervous system, which in turn affects the body’s ability to function in its maximum state of health. Continuous stress overload will lead to a state of dis-ease in our bodies, and our bodies respond with decreased immune function. Considering the amount of stress our families go through returning to school and participating in the holidays, is it any wonder that the holiday season is also synonymous with flu season?

Our lifestyles play an important role in our bodies’ ability to function in a state of health. We are told that more exercise, better diets, and “relaxation time” are all important to keep our immune systems strong and healthy. Choices we make daily and seasonally affect our immune system function.

Although it may seem impossible to resist the stresses imposed on us by the demands of our hectic society, we can reduce the effects these stresses have on our families’ health. Our key to health for our families depends on two ingredients: the lifestyle choices we make that reduce ongoing stressors and what we do to help our bodies adapt to the incoming stressors we cannot change.

Our nerve system and immune system function are intimately connected. Therefore, spinal nerve stress adversely affects both our nerve and immune systems. Reducing interference to the nerve system on a regular basis with chiropractic adjustments allows the immune system to function better. Regular chiropractic care is one way of helping our bodies maintain a state of balance and cope with the never ending stresses we are exposed to.

Regular chiropractic care makes sense when we are seeking ways for our families to improve immune system function. Chiropractic care works with the body’s inherent ability to restore function and health. Regular spinal adjustments have become a vital ingredient in the family wellness lifestyle. Share your chiropractic experiences and knowledge with other families you know. Tell them about the advantage you have discovered for improved family health with chiropractic!

This article appeared in Pathways to Family Wellness magazine, Issue #08 and was written by Jeanne Ohm, D.C. on December 1st, 2005.

CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR CHILDREN

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The following post discusses common questions that may arise when considering chiropractic care for your children.  At Impact Chiropractic, we know it is vital to check the spine and nervous system of every child.

Chiropractors have been caring for children for more than a 100 years. Many common childhood ailments will respond to this safe, natural form of health care. More and more parents— especially those who are already chiropractic patients themselves—are seeking chiropractic care for their children.

WHAT IS CHIROPRACTIC CARE?

Chiropractic is based on the important relationship between the spine and the nervous system. One of the most basic ideas in chiropractic is that dysfunction in the spine and its joints can lead to dysfunction within the nervous system—and since the nervous system controls and coordinates all of the systems of the body, spinal dysfunction can have wide ranging effects on the body’s health. Chiropractors are trained to evaluate and adjust this spinal dysfunction.

WHY DO MY CHILDREN NEED CHIROPRACTIC?

A child encounters many physical stresses during their growing years. The resulting problems in children’s spines can occur at almost any point in their development and growth.

The earliest challenge a growing spine faces is the position it is forced to adopt in-utero. Many women will have heard of fetal positions that can cause problems with labor (brow, breech, transverse, posterior, ascynclitic, etc). What is less well known is that these fetal positions can also cause problems in the baby’s spine as well. Spinal segments can be pushed out of place or jammed by the position of the baby in the womb. If this position is less than optimal, it can result in a longer and more difficult trip through the birth canal, which can compound the spinal problems. In this way, even natural birthing methods can stress an infant’s spine and nervous system—not to mention interventions such as induction, forceps, vonteuse suction, or cesarean section. The latter (which account for an alarmingly large percentage of births in Australia), while appear to offer a less traumatic birth for the child, can actually create additional traumas and compromises to the infant’s future health and well-being.

The cause of many newborn health complaints such as colic, reflux, breastfeeding difficulties, sleep disturbances, allergic reactions, and chronic infections can often be traced to nervous system irritation caused by spinal and cranial misalignments.

Since significant spinal trauma can occur at, or prior to birth, many parents elect to have their newborn’s spine checked right after birth. Many developmental milestones such as learning to hold up the head, sitting upright, crawling, and walking are all activities that are affected by spinal alignment and are important times to have a child checked by a chiropractor. Additionally, falls, sports injuries, playground bumps, heavy school bags and sitting all day in the classroom are all physical stresses to the growing child’s spine and nervous system.

WHAT DOES CHIROPRACTIC CARE INVOLVE?

The first thing a chiropractor will do is to conduct a thorough history of your child’s health and any complaints. This is followed by a complete physical examination of the child’s spine. Most chiropractors are trained to evaluate pediatric spinal problems, and will use gentle, specific skills to find and adjust any involved spinal areas.

When I tell people that I care for many children and babies in my practice, their initial reaction is often one of surprise, as they assume that I use the same techniques on children as I do on adults. Chiropractic care is ‘tailored’ to the individual and their particular spine, and children are no exception. We offer specific, gentle adjustments appropriate to the infant and child’s spine and cranium.

Spinal adjustments for infants and young children involve very light fingertip pressure to correct spinal misalignments. This amount of “force” is often not more than a finger touch. This is usually sufficient to restore mobility to spinal joints which have become locked and are causing interference to the normal nervous system function. Occasionally, the adjustments will make a ‘popping’ sound when the spinal joints are moved; however, this is not always heard when children’s spines are adjusted. Other techniques involve the use of hand-held instruments which offer specific and gentle correction.

DOES IT HURT?

In general, chiropractic care for children is painless, except in cases where the child has an actual injury. In these areas, the child may be sensitive to touch; however, once the adjustment has been made and the area can heal more effectively, the sensitivity is alleviated. Overall, most parents report that their children enjoy their spinal adjustments, and that they look forward to their next visit.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

A child’s spine will generally respond much faster than an adult’s spine to chiropractic adjustment, and will often require only a few adjustments to restore normal function. The actual number of adjustments will vary depending on many factors such as the length of time the problem has been present.

IS IT SAFE?

The risks of a child suffering notable injury from a spinal adjustment are extremely minimal. Chiropractors have been adjusting children’s spines for more than 100 years and have an excellent safety record.

A recent study done by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) in the United States, Canada, and Europe showed that only a few children (out of more than 10,000 visits) experienced minor discomfort and fussiness. The remaining children in the study had no adverse reactions to the adjustment. These preliminary data tells us that chiropractic care for children may be one of the safest forms of health care available. Australian ICPA chiropractors will be participating in a similar study as well.

HOW CAN I TELL IF MY CHILD HAS SPINAL PROBLEMS?

Unless a child has an obvious problem it can be difficult for a parent to recognize when a child’s spine is not working correctly. There are some signs which can indicate spinal problems. These include:

  • disturbed sleeping patterns
  • breastfeeding difficulties in the very young
  • restricted head or neck movement to one side
  • one shoulder higher than the other

Common childhood disorders can also be linked with spinal dysfunction, these include:

  • recurrent ear infections
  • persistent sore throats and colds
  • colic/reflux
  • asthma
  • scoliosis
  • headaches
  • bedwetting and/or constipation
  • growing pains
  • ADHD

One of the most common reasons for parents to seek chiropractic care for their child is physical trauma from an injury of some sort. The spinal misalignments that may occur at the time of the injury will not necessarily result in immediate pain or symptoms. In addition to physical stress, parents should be aware that emotional and chemical stress affect the child’s nervous system and may also warrant a spinal check up.

Regular chiropractic checkups can identify potential spinal dysfunction resulting from these stresses, and chiropractic adjustments may help to enhance future function and well-being.

This article originally appeared in Pathways to Family Wellness magazine, Issue #18 and was written by Belinda Siddle, D.C on Sunday, 01 June 2008.  The article can also be found at https://icpa4kids.org/Wellness-Articles/chiropractic-care-for-children/All-Pages.html

PROPER POSTURE

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Proper posture is important for people of all ages.  When you have proper posture, your entire body can function the way it is intended to.  Here in Fort Collins, Impact Chiropractic knows posture is the window to the spine.  If you have poor posture, you will have a poorly functioning mind and body.

fort collins chiropractor

The ACA’s website explains all you need to know about your posture.

“WHY IS GOOD POSTURE IMPORTANT?”

“Good posture helps us stand, walk, sit, and lie in positions that place the least strain on supporting muscles and ligaments during movement and weight-bearing activities. Correct posture:

  • Helps us keep bones and joints in correct alignment so that our muscles are used correctly, decreasing the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that could result in degenerative arthritis and joint pain.
  • Reduces the stress on the ligaments holding the spinal joints together, minimizing the likelihood of injury.
  • Allows muscles to work more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy and, therefore, preventing muscle fatigue.
  • Helps prevent muscle strain, overuse disorders, and even back and muscular pain.

To maintain proper posture, you need to have adequate muscle flexibility and strength, normal joint motion in the spine and other body regions, as well as efficient postural muscles that are balanced on both sides of the spine. In addition, you must recognize your postural habits at home and in the workplace and work to correct them, if necessary.”

“CONSEQUENCES OF POOR POSTURE”

“Poor posture can lead to excessive strain on our postural muscles and may even cause them to relax, when held in certain positions for long periods of time. For example, you can typically see this in people who bend forward at the waist for a prolonged time in the workplace. Their postural muscles are more prone to injury and back pain.

Several factors contribute to poor posture-most commonly, stress, obesity, pregnancy, weak postural muscles, abnormally tight muscles, and high-heeled shoes.  In addition, decreased flexibility, a poor work environment, incorrect working posture, and unhealthy sitting and standing habits can also contribute to poor body positioning.”

“HOW DO I SIT PROPERLY?”

  • Keep your feet on the floor or on a footrest, if they don’t reach the floor.
  • Don’t cross your legs. Your ankles should be in front of your knees.
  • Keep a small gap between the back of your knees and the front of your seat.
  • Your knees should be at or below the level of your hips.
  • Adjust the backrest of your chair to support your low- and mid-back or use a back support.
  • Relax your shoulders and keep your forearms parallel to the ground.
  • Avoid sitting in the same position for long periods of time.

“HOW DO I STAND PROPERLY?”

  • Bear your weight primarily on the balls of your feet.
  • Keep your knees slightly bent.
  • Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart.
  • Let your arms hang naturally down the sides of the body.
  • Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled backward.
  • Tuck your stomach in.
  • Keep your head level-your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders. Do not push your head forward, backward, or to the side.
  • Shift your weight from your toes to your heels, or one foot to the other, if you have to stand for a long time.

“WHAT IS THE PROPER LYING POSITION?”

  • Find the mattress that is right for you. While a firm mattress is generally recommended, some people find that softer mattresses reduce their back pain. Your comfort is important.
  • Sleep with a pillow. Special pillows are available to help with postural problems resulting from a poor sleeping position.
  • Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
  • Sleeping on your side or back is more often helpful for back pain.
  • If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your legs.
  • If you sleep on your back, keep a pillow under your knees.

“CAN I CORRECT MY POOR POSTURE?”

“In a word, yes. Remember, however, that long-standing postural problems will typically take longer to address than short-lived ones, as often the joints have adapted to your long-standing poor posture. Conscious awareness of your own posture and knowing what posture is correct will help you consciously correct yourself. With much practice, the correct posture for standing, sitting, and lying down will gradually replace your old posture. This, in turn, will help you move toward a better and healthier body position.”

At Impact, our doctors can assist you with proper posture.  We can give you exercises which will improve your posture and help you stay in proper alignment. We can also assist you with choosing proper positions while doing activities at home and work, in order to help reduce risk of injury to your body.  Our goal is to have everyone in Fort Collins to have a healthy, balanced spine and nervous system.  You can’t look good on the outside if your spine doesn’t look good on the inside!