MEN'S HEALTH

TOP 5 REASONS TO SEE A CHIROPRACTOR

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1. PAIN RELIEF

This may be the most popular reason why people go to their chiropractor.  Misalignments to the spine cause stress to muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves throughout the entire body. These misalignments can cause pain and soreness.  Instead of taking pain medications, that just cover up the cause of the problem and can cause negative side effects, chiropractic care is a safe and effective form pain management.

2. POSTURAL CORRECTIONS

Poor posture is extremely common for people of all ages.  We spend too much time at our computers, sitting down, being sedentary, and looking down at our phones.  “Text neck” is becoming a regular occurrence in the younger generations as they grow and develop with poor posture.  Regular spinal correction chiropractic care can improve uneven shoulders, unbalanced hip height, hunched backs, and curves throughout the spine.  Proper alignment will let the body perform at its best.

3. LESS STRESS/IMPROVED MOOD

Short term stress is not necessarily a bad thing, but long term stress becomes problematic to your health.  Stress starts to wear down all systems throughout the body.  When the body is misaligned, those systems can’t replenish themselves.  By balancing these systems, your body can take on these stressors, and it won’t be debilitating.  Less stress will also improve your mood.  Hormones will balance out so you won’t have as many mood swings, irritability, anxiety, etc.

4. INCREASED SLEEP/MORE ENERGY:

Chiropractic care, again, balances out the systems of the body.  Sleep centers found in the brain, determine when a person is awake and when a person is asleep.  These nerve communications need to be undisrupted in order to work properly.  Chiropractic adjustments help to restore the proper function of the nerves, so you get a better nights rest and wake up feeling more rested.  A better night’s sleep will give you more energy throughout the day.

5. PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

Chiropractic is good for every person, of every age, at any stage of their life.  We see infants, toddlers, adolescents, adults and the elderly… anyone with a spine can benefit from chiropractic care.  The body is meant to perform at its absolute best at all times, so when it isn’t, you need to find the cause of what is going on.  Instead of chasing around symptoms that are already occurring, prevent them by keeping the body healthy.  The best way to stay healthy is to take care of yourself before problems start showing up!

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!

REDUCING STRESS

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During the winter months, stress accumulates in nearly all households.  It’s inevitable that life produces stress, and we need to be able manage it. Impact Chiropractic can help you and your family get back to healthy and happy lives.

“We all need to do more to overcome the effects of stress. We have to learn to find balance in our work and personal lives. Certainly there are some things that you simply cannot do anything about such as the unexpected death of a loved one, natural disasters, and accidents. However, everyone can and should carefully examine their lives and make an honest attempt to reduce the stress producing circumstances that make unnecessary demands upon them. Determine which things you can do something about and concentrate your time and energy on them rather than on things you cannot control. We need to emphasize wellness, relaxation, and positive thinking, whatever the circumstance.

Chiropractic should also play an important role in your stress management. When a stress-inducing event occurs, muscles contract, breathing becomes faster and deeper, heart rate increases, and digestion is halted. Continually contracted muscles cause subluxation, which lowers your ability to deal with stress. Of course, just as different situations produce varying amounts of stress for different people, different stress management techniques will have varying degrees of effectiveness. Some people may benefit from exercise while others respond to meditation, deep breathing, or spending time on an enjoyable hobby. Chiropractic, however, can work for everyone because it reduces nerve system stress. Reducing nerve system stress allows the body to adapt to our daily stress overloads more efficiently.

Chiropractic care, positive thinking, and other stress management techniques can create a sense of well-being and lead to a longer, more productive, happier, and healthier life.” – Jeff Ptak, DC. Pathways to Family Wellness magazine, Issue #08

HEADACHE SOLUTIONS

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Many people think that migraines and headaches are normal occurrences, and that everyone gets them. While they are common, they are definitely not normal.  People in Fort Collins experience common headaches all of the time, and they just begin to live with them.  These headaches and migraines can actually affect a person’s entire day, and sometimes they may need to even skip work.  When a person has to skip work frequently, the economic burden begins to build.  There are both direct health care costs and indirect costs of absenteeism.

“The direct cost of migraines ranges from $127 to $7,089 per victim, and the indirect cost due to absenteeism $709 to $4,453 per victim, making migraines an economic burden to the individual, the insurer, the employer, as well as local, state and federal entities who experience a lowered tax base from lost wages. It was also reported that between 2005 and 2006, there were 1,729,555 physician office visits, 186,603 advanced imaging procedures, 59,589 other diagnostic procedures, and 22,168 hospital days with a primary diagnosis of migraine or headache; all of which are paid by private or public insurers, or out of the pockets of individuals. In short, the costs are staggering and a burden to the economy.”

One study shows that “chiropractic was 57% more effective in the reduction of headaches than drug therapy. In addition, it was reported that, with the drug group, “58% experienced medication side effects important enough to report them … Using the 57 % increased effectiveness that chiropractic has over drug therapy (leaving out the overlap that chiropractic could help without drugs) and the $24 billion U.S. employers pay for headaches and migraines annually, the savings from chiropractic care would approach $13.7 billion annually” (original source here).

Chiropractic care is not only beneficial to your body, but also your wallet.  When you begin to realize that chiropractic care will save you money in the long run, it only makes sense to get you and your entire family checked.  More money saved means you can enjoy more of the fun activities Fort Collins has to offer!