East Bay Chiropractic Wellness P.C.

Tips

Back-to-School Neck Pain: How Phone Use, Laptops, and Poor Posture Create Chronic Tension

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The first week of school brings a familiar shift. Backpacks come back out, homework returns to the evening routine, and screens fill in the rest – texting between classes, a laptop propped open for hours of assignments, a phone scrolled through on the bus ride home. By October, plenty of parents at our Bellmore office are describing the same thing in their teenagers: a stiff, achy neck that seems to show up out of nowhere and never quite goes away.

It has not come from nowhere. It has come from months of the head tilted forward over a screen, and it is one of the most common patterns we see once the school year gets underway.

Chiropractors sometimes call this tech neck or text neck, and understanding what is actually happening in the neck and upper back is the first step toward doing something about it before it becomes a pattern that follows your teens into adulthood. If your family is already dealing with a related issue, our back and neck pain care page covers how we approach the full range of spinal complaints we see at the practice.

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Graston Technique For Slip & Falls

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It’s winter on Long Island, and we’ve already experienced some heavy snowfall and icy conditions on the roads and sidewalk. The combination of wintery conditions with less hours of daylight than in the spring and summer months make winter here the most accident-prone time of year when it comes to slip-and-fall injuries. And you don’t even have to fall to the ground to suffer an injury… as catching yourself from falling often involves sudden jerking motions that can pull muscles and damage our soft tissue.

When searching for pain relief because of a slip-and-fall injury, many of us will only think of seeing a chiropractor if we feel that the pain is primarily a result of a back injury. But chiropractic care can be more encompassing than you might think.

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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.

How to Make Travel Easier on Your Body

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Travel often brings to mind vacations or business trips. Yet, everyday activities like commuting to work, running errands, and keeping appointments can mean spending hours traveling each day. This frequent travel without proper back support can lead to wear and tear on your back, resulting in ailments like chronic pain.

Enhancing Your Travel Routine for Better Health

To better support your body during travel, it’s crucial to maintain a healthy diet, engage in regular exercise, and follow a proper sleep schedule. However, these steps alone may not prevent back pain as we age. So, how exactly do driving and flying contribute to back pain and other chronic conditions?

Can Driving Cause Back Pain?

Yes, there is a significant link between driving and back pain. The more time you spend driving each day and the more consecutive days you spend in the car, the higher your risk of developing lower back pain. This is often due to poor posture and inadequate back support, which can lead to spinal misalignment.

Though long drives can aggravate lower back pain, taking breaks approximately every hour to get up and take a moment to stretch can reduce the risk. A professional chiropractor could provide you with additional lifestyle advice and suggestions on how to best care for your back while driving.

Does Flying Affect Joint Pain or Make Inflammation Worse?

While flying alone may not cause joint pain or inflammation, being confined on a plane when already experiencing these issues can be extremely painful. There are certainly several travel tips to reduce the risk of joint pain and inflammation while traveling on a plane.

Strategies to Minimize Joint Pain and Inflammation While Flying

  • Choose the Right Luggage: Opt for easy-to-transport luggage, like four-wheeled suitcases.
  • Check Your Bags: Prefer checking bags over having to carry and lift heavy items into overhead bins.
  • Request Assistance: Always ask for assistance when necessary to prevent exacerbating inflammation.
  • Stretch and Move: Utilize opportunities to stretch or walk when it’s safe to do so during the flight.

East Bay Chiropractic Can Help to Alleviate Your Back Pain and Increase Your Quality of Life

Frequent travel without proper back support can cause spinal misalignment and aggravate a number of chronic conditions, such as joint pain. East Bay Chiropractic specializes in the use of the Graston Technique® in pain management and relief caused by soft tissue fibrosis and chronic inflammation that could lead to constant discomfort or pain. And with decades of experience, you know you’ll be in good hands. Contact East Bay Chiropractic and request an appointment today.

Winter Driving Tips

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It’s winter again on Long Island, which means many cold days ahead with sporadic snow storms and ice that can linger on the roads for days at a time. This can lead to some hazardous driving conditions that are sometimes hard to notice at first.

One of the biggest dangers is black ice, which can be difficult to see and quickly put you and those around you in jeopardy. Even if you avoid an accident, the sudden jerking motions, as a result, could cause back problems for the foreseeable future. In fact, more than 135,000 Americans suffer injuries related to icy roads every year.

Avoiding icy hazards on the road is a must every winter on Long Island. So, what are some winter driving tips to help keep you and those around you safe?

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