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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!

STRUGGLING WITH INFERTILITY

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Our office in Fort Collins provides chiropractic care to the entire family.  We love seeing each and every member of your family, and are most excited when couples are trying conceive and grow their family.  However, many women struggle to get pregnant each and every day.  Many women try different methods of fertility treatment (drugs, donors, IVF, etc) and still can not maintain a pregnancy.  Below is information found in a research article originally published in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal, & Family Health in 2013.

It was noted that a 31 year old female who had neck tension and migraine headaches had also been struggling to conceive for 3 years.  She also noted heavy and painful menstruation with prolonged cycles.  After a full chiropractic examination and evaluation (including X-rays, thermography, surface EMG and heart rate variability) the chiropractor noted areas in the spine which were subluxated, or misaligned.  After just one adjustment she noted that her menstruation normalized.  After eight adjustments she reported back to the chiropractor that she was in fact pregnant!

chiropractic care and fertility When chiropractors relieve any interference to the nervous system, all cycles and functions in the body can begin to normalize and balance.  If you or someone you know is struggling with fertility, please pass this information along with them.  If you are looking for a chiropractor in the Fort Collins, Colorado area, stop in and visit us. Something you say could help turn a family of two into a family of three!

As always, continue to check out our Impact Chiropractic – Fort Collins Chiropractor Facebook page for current posts and pictures!

SHIN SPLINTS

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WHAT EXACTLY ARE SHIN SPLINTS, AND HOW DOES CHIROPRACTIC CARE HELP?

Shin splints are pain in the front of the lower leg. They occur on the tibia bone. This condition is common in runners, athletes, and generally anyone who exercises. Shin splints usually happen during or after a change in the intensity of physical activity, such as running more miles or more frequently. Shin splints are not a standard medical diagnosis. The condition may also be called medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), anterior tibial pain or exercise-induced leg pain.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF SHIN SPLINTS?

Not taking time to rest and heal and using the leg muscles too intensely can lead to swelling, inflammation of the tendons or muscles and tissue covering the shin. Symptoms can range from a dull, tight feeling to a sharp pain along the shin. Ouch!

Factors that increase your chances of shin splints:

  • Running long distances or on hills or uneven surfaces
  • Training incorrectly or too much
  • Switching your routine
  • Wearing the wrong shoes
  • Not warming up properly
  • Foot problems
  • In addition to excessive training, other conditions can also lead to pain in the shins, such as:

Flat feet

  • A very rigid arch of the foot
  • Chronic anterior compartment syndrome (when the large muscle on the front of the lower leg becomes too large for the tissue that surrounds it)
  • Stress fractures

CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR SHIN SPLINTS

Shin splints will often go away with basic therapy, which involves:

  • Rest
  • Ice
  • Massage
  • Rehabilitation exercises
  • Stretching
  • Kinesio taping

However, if the shin splits don not clear up quickly, your chiropractor will look for other problems that may be contributing to the pain. This includes examining your spine, hips, knees and feet for misalignments.

One problem with the foot that can lead to shin splints is over pronation — or “rolling in” of the foot. This condition causes over-stretching in the shin muscles. If this is the case, your chiropractor may prescribe a foot orthotic for you. This will adjust how your foot strikes the ground.

If you have shin splints, reach out to us!

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

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS AND CHIROPRACTIC CARE

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athlete chiropractic care

“According to Kyle Prusso, DC, team chiropractor for the Oakland Raiders since 2005 and president of Pro Football Chiropractic Society, an organization of chiropractors who provide the highest quality chiropractic health care to the elite athletes of professional Football: “It’s great to see chiropractic care integrated in all facets of health care, especially in professional and amateur sports. One of the reasons is that athletes are asking for us, with increased player requests driving utilization of chiropractic across all sports. Athletes are very in tune with their bodies and recognize that chiropractic care can boost optimal performance levels.”

Every professional football team knows the importance of having their spines checked.  It optimizes performance and balances out their entire body.  Professional athletes maintain health by using chiropractic, and so should you!  Since we are chiropractors in Fort Collins, Colorado, we are proud of the Denver Broncos for taking care of their players’ spines.  Go Broncos!

Quote by Kyle Prusso can be found at https://circleofdocs.com/super-bowl-50-and-the-chiropractors-serving-each-team/

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!