East Bay Chiropractic Wellness P.C.

Health & Wellness

Tips for Staying Healthy This Winter

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Winter is a season for cozying up in front of a fireplace, for taking it a little slower, and, for many of us, letting our healthy routines get a little lax. It’s easy when the weather outside is frightful, to stay indoors and eat delicious treats. It’s also a time of slipping on ice and catching colds, so here are some essential tips for making it through this winter season.

1. Dress in Layers

It’s important to dress for the elements to protect your extremities. Being outside in the cold weather can take a toll on the body. If you must brave the outdoors, then it’s important to help trap heat by dressing in layers. Layers are helpful because they allow you to adjust to your body’s temperature fluctuations. Wear gloves, insulated socks, and a hat to protect your body from frostbite.

2. Stretch before Shoveling Snow or Any Other Physical Activities

Winter brings with it several seasonal chores like shoveling snow and picking up fallen tree limbs. Failure to properly stretch properly can lead to stiff muscles and muscle strain. Cold temperatures cause muscles and tendons to stiffen. When a person shivers from cold, the muscles rapidly flex and relax to generate heat. It’s one of the body’s ways of staying warm, but over long periods may result in tension or muscle aches. You can help with these pains by properly stretching and by keeping the body warm with appropriate clothes and heat packs.

Winter sports and walking along icy surfaces also risk injuring and straining muscles and other soft tissues. Always stretch properly and warm up before engaging in any wintery activities. Proper stretching helps increase blood flow and reduces the risk of injury. Stretching and massage can also help relieve muscle tension and promote relaxation during the colder months.

A form of manual therapy, the Graston Technique® uses specialized instruments to help treat soft tissue injuries. These instruments are gently scraped over the skin of the affected areas in specific, therapeutic ways. The technique has the goal of breaking up adhesions by increasing the blood flow to the affected area to promote healing and pain relief. It can also address fascial adhesions that could otherwise limit one’s range of mobility.

3. Hydrate

While it might not seem as important as in the heat of the summer months, staying hydrated is still a simple thing to do to take care of yourself. When you’re bundled up and active, it can be hard to tell how much you’re sweating. Getting plenty of water can help keep your body functioning, support your immune system, and it’s good for your skin.

4. Eat Well

Avoid holiday weight gain by practicing mindful eating: budget your calories, pause before going for seconds, and have a healthy snack before parties. Stay active with walking or dancing, and focus on fruits, veggies, and heart-healthy cooking. Remember, the holidays are about family and friends, not just food. Moderation is key.

East Bay Chiropractic Wellness Can Help You Stay Healthy This Winter

Whether it’s chiropractic treatment after a slip and fall or just maintaining your overall health, at East Bay Chiropractic Wellness we are here for you. We have more than 30 years of experience and helped countless Long Islanders. Contact East Bay Chiropractic Wellness today, and learn more about how we can help you.

7 Tips to Return Back to Work After an Injury 

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After suffering an injury, it’s only natural to want life to return to normal as soon as possible. We want to get back to our daily routines, including going back to work.

The healing process has its own timetable though and recovering from an injury can take longer than we’d like. It’s tempting to resume regular activities like exercise, hobbies, and working before our bodies are ready to do so.

While recovery can take time, injuries heal faster when given the care they require. When the necessary steps are taken, you’ll heal fully, avoid further complications, and get back to work sooner.

Can You Return to Work Too Soon After an Injury?

Most of us want or need to go back to work quickly after an injury, but returning to work too soon can worsen the injury, cause complications, or result in re-injury. This can slow the healing process, extend your recovery time, or even result in permanent injury. It’s important to work with your care team to create a viable return-to-work program.

How to Recover Quickly from an Injury

Injuries have their own timeline for healing, but there are actions you can take to recover faster and return to work safely.

  1. Follow injury care instructions: Throughout the healing journey, follow proper injury care protocols. This may include elevation, compression, or application of heat and cold, as recommended by your doctor, chiropractor, or other healthcare professional.
  2. Protect your sleep and mental health: Stress and inadequate sleep are enemies of recovery. Reduce stress and find ways to relax. Ensure that you are getting enough sleep, preferably on a regular sleep schedule.
  3. Keep up your strength and energy: Keep moving as much as possible, with light stretching (unless advised otherwise by your care team). Avoid movements that aggravate the injury.
  4. Watch your diet and fluid intake: Follow a healing diet high in protein, calcium, omega-3s, and vitamins C and D. Drink plenty of fluids; it’s easy to become dehydrated while healing from an injury.
  5. Stay connected to your workplace: Maintain contact with your workplace by communicating with your employer about your condition. If possible, stay connected to your work and your coworkers while you’re recovering.
  6. Consider a phased return to work: If possible, returning to work on a part-time basis or with modified duties may help transition you back into your daily duties.
  7. Make chiropractic care part of your recovery: Chiropractic care can help minimize pain, increase range of motion, reduce inflammation, and speed healing.

Can the Graston Technique® Help Me Recover from an Injury?

Injuries often leave behind fascial adhesions that limit range of motion and cause discomfort. At East Bay Chiropractic, our specialty is the Graston Technique®, a process that uses specialized stainless steel tools to locate and break up these barriers to movement and comfort. The Graston® Technique also releases knotted muscles, allowing for healthy blood flow, reduced inflammation, and faster healing.

Other chiropractic treatments like adjustments, massage therapy, physical therapy, and acupuncture also help to accelerate healing and reduce pain.

Speed Your Healing at East Bay Chiropractic Wellness

East Bay Chiropractic Wellness has helped individuals recover from injuries for more than 35 years. We offer a broad range of holistic chiropractic services, including adjustments, massage therapy, trigger point therapy, kinesiology techniques, and more. We specialize in the Graston Technique® which can speed healing and increase your range of motion after an injury. Contact us today to learn more or to schedule an appointment.

Treating Back Pain Caused by Sitting Too Much

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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 Much

Should You See a Chiropractor Before a Marathon?

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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?

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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

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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.