Our lives involve a whole lot of sitting, whether it’s at a desk for eight or more hours each day, commuting into the city, or driving kids to appointments and activities. We all know that too much sitting isn’t good for our backs and our overall health, but it’s often unavoidable in today’s world. Fortunately, there are tips and treatments for dealing with sitting’s impact on our musculoskeletal system.
[Read more…] about Treating Back Pain Caused by Sitting Too MuchHealth & Wellness
Should You See a Chiropractor Before a Marathon?
Every fall, runners train in earnest for the New York City Marathon, taking place this year on November 3. Serious runners may look forward to the marathon, but not necessarily to its impact on their bodies. Running is great exercise and a rewarding sport, but it causes strain on muscles and joints, as well as spinal misalignment and irritated nerves. It may even result in repetitive motion injuries. Luckily, chiropractic care can help runners prevent these injuries, improve their performance, and recover more quickly from injury or aches and pains.
Can a Chiropractor Help You Prepare for a Marathon?
Chiropractic care can be an important part of both marathon training and marathon recovery. Because runners are prone to a wide variety of overuse injuries, it’s crucial to optimize your biomechanics, increase your flexibility and range of motion, and strengthen any areas of weakness in your body before a race. This can help prevent common runner injuries like stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, and more.
Regular chiropractic visits not only help prevent injury but also offer other benefits, such as:
- Pain relief.
- Improved joint function and range of motion.
- Quicker recovery times.
- A more robust immune system.
Not only can chiropractic care help marathon runners, but it can offer many benefits to anyone involved in athletics.
Should You See a Chiropractor Before a Marathon?
Many runners only think of visiting their chiropractor in the days following a marathon. Much of the stiff and sore aftermath of a grueling race can be prevented or reduced by seeking consistent care during the leadup to a race, during marathon training, and year-round.
Can Graston Technique Help Marathon Runners?
At East Bay Chiropractic, we specialize in the Graston Technique®. This process uses specialized stainless steel tools to locate and break up the scar tissue and fascial adhesions that can plague runners. Graston® also releases knotted muscles, allowing for healthy blood flow, reduced inflammation, and faster healing. Adapting Graston® for athletes can be incredibly beneficial.
Other chiropractic treatments we offer include adjustments to remove subluxations, massage therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture, and nutritional counseling and supplements.
How Often Should Runners See a Chiropractor?
How often you should see a chiropractor depends on your running goals, how often and how intensely you train, and your current physical condition. We recommend visiting your chiropractor more often during marathon training or any time you increase the frequency or intensity of workouts.
We also suggest monthly or bi-monthly year-round maintenance treatments to prevent pain and injury and to address any ongoing issues. Remember, you don’t have to be injured or in pain to benefit from chiropractic treatment.
East Bay Helps Athletes Prepare, Optimize, and Recover
East Bay Chiropractic Wellness has provided a broad range of chiropractic services to runners and other athletes for more than 35 years. Whether you’re a marathoner, a casual runner, or somewhere in between, we can help you feel your best with the Graston Technique®, adjustments, massage, and more. Contact us online to schedule an appointment.
Can The Graston Technique® Treat Fibromyalgia?
We all experience back pain at some point in our lives. As we age, back pain becomes more frequent and prolonged. This is especially true if we have poor posture and neglect a healthy lifestyle, including diet, exercise, and sleeping on a supportive mattress. Despite our best efforts, however, there are situations outside of our control, such as injury or illness, that can cause chronic pain regardless.
One such disorder is fibromyalgia. This chronic illness is believed to affect how our nervous system processes painful versus nonpainful signals, resulting in the amplification of painful sensations. Could the Graston Technique® provide effective treatment?
Is Graston Effective for Fibromyalgia?
In addition to chronic pain, fibromyalgia causes fatigue and cognitive difficulties, or brain fog. The Graston Technique® cannot directly address fatigue and brain fog, but it can alleviate chronic pain, which can result in reduced fatigue and improved focus. This makes the Graston Technique® a viable form of pain management for fibromyalgia and other forms of lingering and chronic pain in our soft tissue.
By using stainless steel tools that require specialized training and certification, a practitioner can “comb” detected fibrotic (hardened) soft tissue and then break it up to release tension, improve mobility, and reduce the pain that it causes.
Can Graston Help with Nerve Pain?
The Graston Technique® can be utilized as part of a multi-pronged chiropractic care plan to help with nerve pain. Graston® is important in improving mobility and breaking up one of the root causes of your chronic pain. In addition to Graston®, spinal manipulation could be administered to help reduce pressure on your nervous system as it helps to realign your spine. When your spine is misaligned, it causes strain on your muscles, which increases the risk of causing more fibrotic tissue and contributing to chronic pain.
Does Myofascial Release Help with Fibromyalgia?
Additionally, deep-tissue massage can further relax muscles, resulting in alleviated pressure on your nervous system. Myofascial release specifically targets the soft connective tissue around the muscles. Combined with the Graston Technique, fibrotic tissue around the connective tissue can be broken up and relaxed to reduce pain and improve your quality of sleep, which can help fight against fatigue.
East Bay Chiropractic Wellness Can Help to Alleviate Your Back Pain and Increase Your Quality of Life
While there is in fact no cure currently for fibromyalgia, that doesn’t mean you have to live in constant pain and discomfort. East Bay Chiropractic specializes in using the Graston Technique for managing pain and relieving conditions caused by soft tissue fibrosis and chronic inflammation, which could lead to constant discomfort. Our services also include other chiropractic treatments, massage therapy, and acupuncture to provide a multi-pronged approach to your pain management. And with nearly 30 years of experience, you know you’ll be in good hands. Contact East Bay Chiropractic today to learn more about how we can help you manage your chronic pain.
Tips for Better Posture
We’ve always been told about the importance of good posture. Despite this, many of us struggle with poor posture, which negatively affects both our appearance and overall health.
Poor posture results from bad habits in how we sit, stand, and lie down. These habits cause our spines to bend and misalign, leading to back pain and discomfort throughout the body. It can take a long time to develop these kinds of problems from poor posture. This often means it will take significant time and effort to correct. So, what steps can we take to improve our posture?
How Can I Improve My Posture?
There are many ways to help improve your posture that may sound small but make a huge impact. Being mindful of your posture while walking and sitting is key. Additionally, wearing supportive footwear is crucial, especially during summer months when prolonged walks in flip-flops can negatively impact your posture.
Another important step to improving posture is to make sure you are seated properly when working at a desk or when using a phone or tablet device. At a desk, adjust your chair to maintain a good posture at the correct height. If your current chair doesn’t support this, consider finding a replacement. Also, be mindful of your posture when using a phone or tablet, whether sitting on a chair or a couch. Slouching, a common habit, can cause long-term damage.
Can You Correct Years of Bad Posture?
Correcting years of bad posture is a gradual process, and it will not happen overnight. It’s important to follow the guidelines above in order to maintain a good posture, but a poor posture over the years will have a significant impact on your overall health. In these cases, it is advised to seek professional help and guidance.
Can A Chiropractor Help Improve My Posture?
A chiropractor is uniquely qualified to realign the spinal column and offer expertise in a wide range of other treatments that can improve posture and overall health. This includes lifestyle advice, exercise, massage therapy, and the Graston Technique®, which is designed to break up fascial/muscular adhesion (knots) buildup in your soft tissue that could be causing your back muscles to keep you in an improper posture.
East Bay Chiropractic Wellness Can Help Correct Years of Bad Posture
Unfortunately, bad posture is common and affects millions of Americans daily. At East Bay Chiropractic, we specialize in the Graston Technique®, a pain management approach that targets scar tissue caused by poor posture. This technique helps combat inflammation and reduce or eliminate pain, allowing you to enjoy your daily life comfortably. With nearly three decades of experience, you can trust that you’re in good hands. Contact East Bay Chiropractic today to learn how we can help you manage your chronic pain.
How Chiropractors Can Help Treat Allergies
We are now fully immersed in springtime here on Long Island. Weather-wise, it’s one of the best times of year to get out and enjoy all Long Island has to offer. Unfortunately, this can also be one of the hardest times of the year for allergy sufferers.
More people are affected by allergies than you might think. In fact, more than 100 million Americans are affected by allergies each year. Furthermore, allergies are linked to many chronic illnesses, making them the sixth leading cause of chronic illnesses in the country.
Chiropractic care has often been implemented to not only manage chronic pain, but to address some chronic illnesses as well. Could chiropractic care be effective against allergies?
Can Spinal Misalignment Cause Allergies?
When many people think of chiropractic care, the first image that comes into their head is spinal manipulation. Misaligned spines can cause a wide range of issues, such as chronic pain. However, the nervous system is very complicated and affects just about every function in our bodies.
A misalignment of the spine in certain areas has been shown to affect the immune system. Allergic reactions are the result of our immune system reacting disproportionately to certain substances and stimuli. As a result, a misalignment could potentially cause or exacerbate allergic reactions in some instances.
With that said, if you have a long history of being allergic to certain substances from a very young age, a misaligned spine later in life is likely not going to have a connection to that allergy. However, chiropractors do have other tools and techniques at their disposal.
Can Chiropractors Help with Sinus and Allergies?
Spinal manipulation has the potential to help in some instances with certain allergies. Another type of treatment that is a complement to chiropractic care is acupuncture. Those unfamiliar with chiropractic care may not be aware that this is another form of care a chiropractor can provide. By administering these needles of miniscule diameter in a painless way, acupuncture is able to send signals to the brain to release healing chemicals through the body and promote your body’s natural ability to heal itself. This can result in not only treating some allergies, but also treating anxiety, depression, hypertension, and more.
Relieve Your Allergies and Chronic Pain
Chiropractic care isn’t just for chronic pain. Treatments are capable of far more than that. Though not for every instance, the causes of some allergies have been treated through various kinds of chiropractic care, including acupuncture. At East Bay Chiropractic, we specialize in the Graston Technique®; a pain management technique that targets the scars buried deep in your soft tissue that can cause a wide variety of conditions and helps to alleviate your pain and get you back on the right course. And with nearly 30 years of experience, you know you’ll be in good hands. Contact East Bay Chiropractic today and learn more about how we can help you manage your allergies and chronic pain.
7 Reasons for Massage Therapy During the Holiday Season
The holiday season is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, filled with family, fun, and memorable moments. However, it also can be an incredibly stressful time for our bodies. Holiday celebrations often involve travel and increased physical activity – shopping, decorating, marathon cooking, and more, all while enduring cold, damp weather. This can overtax our bodies, causing discomfort that detracts from enjoying these special days.
If the holidays are giving you physical aches or stress overload, a chiropractic massage therapy session might be the perfect solution. There’s no better gift you can give yourself than the gift of wellness.
What Are the Benefits of Chiropractic Massage?
Chiropractic massage offers numerous physical and mental benefits that allow you to fully enjoy the holidays and be more present in the moment. Here are seven reasons you should treat yourself to massage therapy during the holiday season:
- Pain Relief: Massage relaxes your muscles, reducing nerve pressure and inflammation. This helps decrease pain levels naturally and without drugs.
- Stress Reduction: Reducing pain and stiffness in your body lowers your physical stress levels. Massage also boosts your serotonin and dopamine levels, helping you relax and release mental stress.
- Increased Mobility: A chiropractic massage enhances the elasticity of your muscles, increasing your range of motion.
- Stronger Muscles: Chiropractic massage allows your muscles to function more effectively, making them more resilient and resistant to injury.
- Better Sleep: Massage lowers cortisol and stimulates serotonin, which aids in melatonin production. Melatonin regulates your sleep patterns. Melatonin allows you to rest, recover, and wake up feeling refreshed.
- Overall Wellness: Massage provides numerous wellness benefits. It lowers blood pressure, reduces anxiety and depression, flushes toxins, improves circulation, and strengthens the immune system.
- Self-Care: During the holidays, you spend so much time doing for others that it’s wise to invest in yourself and your well-being.
What Happens During Chiropractic Massage?
A chiropractic massage session proceeds similarly to a basic spa massage but with some crucial differences. At your initial chiropractic massage appointment, you will be asked questions about your overall health and wellness goals, including information about your pain levels, medical history, medications, exposure to stress, and lifestyle. Your chiropractor may do a more thorough examination, possibly ordering X-rays or other scans if necessary.
After taking this history, your licensed therapist will leave the room while you undress to your level of comfort and lie on the padded massage table beneath a sheet or towel. The table features various attachments and cushions that can be adjusted for your comfort.
When your massage therapist returns to the room, they will begin the massage, asking about pressure and comfort levels as they proceed. They may remind you to breathe normally during the session, which may last between 30 to 90 minutes. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, please let your therapist know so they can adjust pressure or environmental factors to ensure your comfort.
Once the session ends, the therapist will leave the room, granting you privacy to dress. Post-massage, they might share recommendations for future treatments and put together a comprehensive wellness program tailored for you.
Treat Yourself to a Massage This Holiday Season
Our team at East Bay Chiropractic Wellness can develop a holistic treatment plan to ensure optimal wellness during the holiday season. With more than 35 years of experience in various chiropractic treatments, including massage, we guarantee you’re in capable hands. Contact us online or call us at (516) 679-2225 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
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