Bed Rest is Bad for your Back Pain!
Drama queens love milking their back pain for everything it’s worth. “Stuck” in bed, they’ll ask their significant other to wait on them hand-and-foot. But is bed the best place for those with a bad back?
Conventional wisdom has had us all thinking, “Well, if I have lower back pain, then I should just stay in bed and rest.” Conventional wisdom, however, was/is wrong about this. It turns out that bed rest is not good for back pain.
Research has been done on this topic, and groups like the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American Pain Society (APS) agree that people with lower back pain should stay active rather than resting in bed.
Our bodies were designed for movement and activity. Imagine if you stayed in bed the rest of your life– it wouldn’t be a pretty picture, right? Indeed, our bodies need to move and stay active in order to be healthy and in good condition.
If and when we rest “too long,” our muscles get stiff. They weaken. Ligaments and tendons lose flexibility. Meanwhile, our intervertebral discs can become dry and therefore less flexible, too.
All this is to say that those with lower back pain should not become idle. Instead, they should stay as active as possible despite their “bad back.”
Three things to consider doing when you have back pain include any activities that help strengthen your core, any stretches that help your flexibility, and any low-impact aerobic exercise.
If your back pain is so bad that you feel you can’t move, of course you can rest a little while. That said, don’t rest too long or you could become psychologically depressed and prolong your back pain. It’s important to get up, get moving, and determine in your mind that despite some hurting, you’re going to survive your lower back pain.
People with back pain often utilize hot or cold packs to relieve their suffering. They may also take non-prescription analgesics or anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen (such as Advil) or naproxen (such as Aleve). Better yet, instead of relying on drugs to relieve the pain, consider making an appointment with Lakewoods Chiropractic to deal with your lower back pain. Relief through chiropractic care helps many a bad back. Schedule your appointment today by calling 651-464-0800.
Your Spine after a Car Accident
If you ever wondered how people injured their spine, it’s likely that they were in a car accident. Indeed, according to the Mayo Clinic, car accidents are one of the leading causes of spinal injuries.
So what typically happens to your spine after a car accident? Basically, your muscles and joints have received a quick and intense shock. This trauma moved them into odd positions. Thus, the person has pain. Most likely, a car crash ends up giving people pain in their necks and backs. Meanwhile, the discs in their spine might have moved. There could be compression fractures in the spine. Vertebrae may have been pulled apart. The musculoskeletal system is out of proper alignment. Who can get it back into shape?
A chiropractor can “work” on your spine after a car accident to align it. He or she may need to take X-rays to see what’s going on. Then the chiropractor will make manual adjustments to help relieve things like whiplash, headaches and herniated discs. Basically, the idea is to relieve pressure from any points where you’re hurting. Furthermore, the chiropractor will adjust your spine so that it’s no longer out of place and agitated. By doing so, your various systems can get back to normal– including the immune and digestive systems.
While you could take pills to deal with your body’s pain after an accident, keep in mind that pills cover up the pain symptoms. They may help you cope in the short-term, but don’t forget about long-term pain management solutions, like chiropractic care, which is non-invasive. Also, a chiropractor helps a person regain and improve their mobility. He or she may offer corrective exercises to help a person get back their full range of motion.
The body has a powerful way of healing itself, but sometimes it needs the help of a skilled chiropractor to set parts of it in the right positions so everything can work as God intended. If you think of the insides of your body as a series of highways, pain occurs when there are accidents along those highways. A chiropractor’s job is like that of a tow truck operator, removing the problem so that traffic can flow again.
Car accident victims should have chiropractic care. Call Dr. Gerard to make an appointment at 651-464-0800.
Osteoporosis Chiropractor Forest Lake
We’ve got bones that help our bodies function properly. What happens when the body, though, loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both? When then happens, it’s called osteoporosis. It’s a bone disease. Obviously, it’s not something you’d want to have, yet it’s all-too-common. Some 54 million Americans have osteoporosis!
Did you know that osteoporosis means “porous bone?” Normal, healthy bones are dense. People with osteoporosis have lost density in their bones. Having an abnormal tissue structure means their bones are weaker than they ideally should be. Weak bones break easier than dense ones. Therefore, you tend to hear about a lot of people over a certain age breaking various bones. Osteoporotic bone breaks are most likely to occur in the hip, spine or wrist. When osteoporosis affects the bones of the spine, a person will typically have stooped or hunched posture.
Interestingly, most people don’t know they have osteoporosis until they literally break a bone. Some signs to watch for include a loss of height or noticing that your spine seems to be curving. You can also ask a health professional to give you a bone density test.
Better yet, regular chiropractic care is a good idea for people who think they may have osteoporosis or are headed that way. The chiropractor’s role in preventing osteoporosis from getting worse includes spinal manipulation (adjustments). In addition, he or she may give you nutritional counseling, certain exercises to do, and offer you relaxation techniques. One of the main goals of all this is to increase your mobility and range of motion. The easier you’re able to move around, the less likely you are to suffer from falls and fractures. In essence, a chiropractor helps keep your body healthy.
Besides helping improve a person’s joint motion and their overall central nervous system, chiropractic care also has a positive effect on the process of bone breakdown and replacement. Bones, after all, are living tissue. The chiropractor stimulates cells that replace bones– that’s a good thing.
Dr. Gerard at Lakewoods Chiropractic in Forest Lake, MN, can help people dealing with osteoporosis through consistent chiropractic care. Please call 651-464-0800 to schedule an appointment.
Upper Back Pain Chiropractor Forest Lake
If you were able to see what’s under your skin, you’d notice your spine. It’s made up of 33 individual bones. They’re stacked one on top of the other in what’s called the spinal column. The spine (and these bones) provide the support your body needs to do everyday activities, like standing up, bending and twisting your body as needed. When you strain or injure a part of this structure, you’ll feel pain.
Most people visit a chiropractor for pain in their lower back, but some experience upper back pain. Did you know that the upper back, also known as the thoracic spine, contains a dozen spinal bones? There are also many muscles in this area as well as fascia. If you’re wondering what fascia is, it’s a layer of connective tissue surrounding your muscles so they can operate properly.
All sorts of things can cause a person to have upper back pain. Chronic bad posture is often a culprit, as is injury.
Remember the term fascia? There’s such a thing as myofascial pain syndrome. It involves pressure being put on “trigger points” in your muscles, and it typically happens when a person does repetitive motions and/or keeps their muscles tense and stressed out. A chiropractor can treat this problem by putting direct pressure on your trigger point(s) to help the body heal itself.
The majority of joints in the entire spine are found in your upper back. When these joints function normally, they’re in their correct position and can carry out the motions your brain intends them to do. However, when these joints aren’t functioning normally, a chiropractor can employ manual adjusting techniques to adjust them back into their proper place and positioning.
Most patients will lie face down on a bench at the chiropractor’s office. The chiropractor will apply pressure at certain points around the thoracic spine. On some occasions, the patient may lie on their side. It’s normal for a chiropractor to ask the patient to take a deep breath– and when they exhale the chiropractor goes to work on them.
Dr. Jason Gerard of Lakewoods Chiropractic in Forest Lake, MN, can help you manage your upper back pain. Please schedule an appointment by calling 651-464-0800.
Delivering A Healthy Baby
When a woman gets pregnant, her body changes. She can no longer fit into her “normal” pants. Her belly gets bigger. There’s strain on various parts of her body because, well, there’s a child growing inside of her. Men might never understand what it’s like, but many women know that having another human being growing inside of them is like no other experience in the world!
Chiropractic care has helped countless women feel better through their pregnancies. Thanks to good, consistent chiropractic care, many mothers have had healthy pregnancies, healthy babies, and, best yet, easier labor experiences.
Why should an expectant mom put her chiropractor on speed dial? It’s all about the spine, baby!
When a person’s spine is aligned, things are normal and fine. When the spine is misaligned, all sorts of health problems can and do occur. Add the pressure of a baby growing in the stomach area, and you can be sure the spine is going to be like, “What is going on here?” It’s easy for the spine to become misaligned if no chiropractor is tending to it.
A misaligned spine means the nervous system can’t function as well as it should. Pressure is put on a person’s nerves to the point where the brain can’t get its messages down the spine in an easy way to control the organs.
Pregnancy makes women gain weight. This puts more pressure on the lower spine. It shifts forward and down and thus women experience pain. As a woman’s breasts get bigger during pregnancy, more pressure is put on the upper spine. Again, more pain, right?
A chiropractor’s job is to relieve pressure, helping the body align itself so the person doesn’t have such awful pain anymore. Many women gladly visit their chiropractors before, during and after pregnancies because they need the help a chiropractor gives through chiropractic care.
Some of the best benefits of chiropractic care throughout a pregnancy include:
–the ability to sleep better
–less aches and pains
–positioning your body and joints into the best position for labor
–keeping your back and neck feeling good
–improved immune system
–less stress
A healthy mother can deliver a healthy baby. Therefore, chiropractic care from Dr. Gerard at Lakewoods Chiropractic makes sense. Call 651-464-0800 to schedule an appointment.
Forest Lake Ear Infections Doctor
Did you ever wonder why it seems little kids are more prone to getting ear infections than adults? Ear infections occur when a bacterial or viral infection messes with a person’s middle ear, just behind the eardrum. Essentially, pain is caused by inflammation and fluid build up in this particular spot.
Inside your ear are what’s known as “Eustachian tubes.” If and when these become blocked, fluid builds up in your middle ear. Allergies, colds, sinus infections and other things can cause blockages. The reason kids are more likely to experience ear infections (compared to adults) is because their Eustachian tubes are short and narrow.
Ear infections can also be caused by people changing the climate they’re in, changing their altitude (such as taking a trip high up a mountain), and even exposure to cigarette smoke!
While most people treat ear infections with antibiotics, chiropractic care is a natural alternative. Basically, chiropractic care focuses on restoring the normal body function such that the nervous system’s interference can “go away” naturally. By enhancing the operation of the nervous system, the chiropractor is able to improve all of the body’s systems.
Specifically, there are muscles surrounding the Eustachian tubes. They can get spastic, preventing the tubes from draining properly. Chiropractic adjustments in the upper cervical region can relax these muscles, thus allowing the ears to drain like they should.
If your child is experiencing an ear infection and you’d rather not give them pills/antibiotics, then chiropractic care is an option. You can also explore working with a naturopath, homeopath, and/or acupuncturist.
Overall, chiropractic care for kids (or adults) with ear infections puts an emphasis on spinal alignment, improving the nervous system function, and taking away stress and inflammation.
Parents who’ve had sick children have often had to wait weeks before they got better. Having given their kids decongestants, antihistamines, cough suppressants and antibiotics, they might have never considered chiropractic care to help their child heal quickly and naturally. The body has an incredible power to heal itself. A chiropractor’s role is to use hand manipulation in order to offer “adjustments” so the body can restore itself to normal.
Many kids have been able to recover from their ear infections very quickly thanks to chiropractic care. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Gerard and his staff at Lakewoods Chiropractic in Forest Lake, MN, call 651-464-0800.
Your Immune System & Chiropractic
Inside your body there’s a network of cells, tissues and organs working together to defend your body against attacks by foreign invaders. This is your immune system, and it’s purpose is to deal with and get rid of bacteria, parasites, fungi and more so you’ll be healthy rather than sick. Obviously, you want your immune system to function at its best in order to feel your best.
Chiropractic care can help your immune system function well. Studies have shown that people who have chiropractic adjustments experience increased biological activity afterward regarding their immune system cells. Did you know, for example, that patients who went through the Influenza Epidemic of 1918 and received chiropractic care had higher survival rates than those who did not? Indeed, chiropractic care (as a profession) thrived thanks to this.
Chiropractors do manual adjustments on your body in order to deal with subluxations. This is a term referring to misalignments of the spine which irritate nerve pathways and interfere with the normal functioning of various organs. When the spine is misaligned, more stress is put on the body and the immune system has a harder time doing its job.
The immune system is linked to your body’s nervous and endocrine systems, too. Anytime these systems experience inflammation, for whatever reason, a person has problems, from depression to arthritis, for example. Chronic infections and cancer can also be worsened when a person’s neuro-endo-immune system response isn’t “up to par.”
Thankfully, chiropractors like Dr. Gerard of Lakewoods Chiropractic can analyze the spine to find subluxations. Then, corrective adjustments are given by hand, which reduce stress on the body’s important systems. In practical studies, chiropractic patients have been found to have what’s called “greater immune competence” than people not receiving chiropractic care. Chiropractic care is a natural way to help your body heal itself and stay strong.
Your body is like a boxer. If it’s in top shape, it can knock-out opponents. If not, it gets beaten up and feels bad. Therefore, a great way to keep your body’s immune system in tip-top shape– fighting against any unwanted body invaders– is to receive regular chiropractic care. Call 651-464-0800 to schedule your appointment at Lakewoods Chiropractic.
Staying Healthy During the Holidays
It’s the holiday season, and Dr. Gerard from Lakewoods Chiropractic has some good advice for feeling good into the new year.
Since it’s the most stressful time of the year, there are two things you can do to help alleviate the aches and pains that come from too much stress on your body.
First, Dr. Gerard recommends getting a chiropractic adjustment. Just like a car needs an oil change to continue to work well, people benefit from visiting their chiropractor. By having an adjustment done, your spine and nervous system work better. Blockages are removed naturally. Things that had fallen out of alignment are moved back into alignment. When you take good care of your spine and nervous system through chiropractic care, you’re also taking care of your immune system. This, in turn, means you’re less likely to get sick. No one wants to be sick with a bad cold or other problems, especially at Christmastime.
Next, the holiday season brings with it all sorts of foods people put into their bodies, often in “mass quantities.” Just think of all the Christmas cookies available. There are holiday parties filled with rich foods. Offices have doughnuts for people for breakfast. Think of all the sugar and carbs– it’s intense! Dr. Gerard recommends starting the day off with a nutritious protein shake. He incorporates things like coconut or almond milk, chia seeds, and fruits/vegetables into his shakes. In his opinion, this breakfast shake helps start his metabolism each day in a good way. Furthermore, it gives him a clear head and more energy, compared to eating pastries and doughnuts.
Lakewoods Chiropractic is located in Forest Lake, MN. Call 651-464-0800 to make an appointment to see Dr. Gerard if you’d like chiropractic adjustments as well as healthy lifestyle guidance.
Neck Pain Forest Lake
One of the famous lines from the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire was, “Did you know the human head weighs 8 pounds?” In reality, the average human head weighs about 10 or 11 pounds, making up about 8 percent of the weight of the overall body. Either way, one thing’s for sure: your neck has a lot of work to do all day, every day, supporting your head!
Have you recently turned your neck side to side and it hurt? If so, you’re not alone. Neck pain is prevalent these days, especially with many people sitting and working at a computer for hours a day in one position.
For relief, most people resort to holding a cold pack on their neck for several minutes to reduce any swelling they’ve got around their neck area. Others will try adjusting things around them, such as their pillow, to see if a new one will help bring relief from the pain. Of course light neck stretches can help loosen tight muscles, so it’s not unusual to see people with neck pain trying to move their head around, in different positions, to see if that can help, too.
Did you know many people consider chiropractic care for neck pain? After all, chiropractors are known for helping ease bad backs, but they’re also known for helping people deal with neck and shoulder pain, too, using chiropractic adjustments.
How do you know if you’re at the point where you should see a chiropractor for your neck pain? If it has been lingering for days and isn’t going away, then you should make an appointment. If you’re unable to turn your neck/head to the left or right to see something, there’s a problem. Are you using several pills a day to deal with your pain? You can’t keep doing that forever. Are you worried that something’s wrong? Does your neck really hurt when you wake up in the morning? If so, you should get to a chiropractor.
Chiropractic care for neck pain involves the chiropractor asking about your symptoms/pain as well as when it feels bad versus when it feels better. Since the neck is connected to other parts of the body, a chiropractor checks for tenderness, numbness and/or tingling in other body parts, such as your arms or hands. He or she will ask if you made any abnormal movements that could have triggered the pain. In general, pain in the neck may be due to vertebra out of alignment. Hand manipulation by the chiropractor can put vertebra back into alignment and/or eliminate a pinched nerve, therefore naturally healing the problem and eliminating the need for drugs/medications.
Trick or Treat – Healthy Halloween Ideas
Halloween comes around every year, and with it countless kids eat tons of sugary candies after asking people, “Trick or Treat?” While chocolate candy bars taste great, what are some healthy Halloween ideas to help kids (and adults) make some more positive choices this holiday season?
Here’s an interesting idea: use natural foods to make Halloween snacks. For instance, you can cut oranges to look like pumpkins (with a thin pretzel stick for a stalk), add raisins as “eyes” to cut-in-half bananas as ghosts, and, best of all, use grapes as “eyeballs,” since they’re squishy. Involve kids in the creation of these concoctions– see pics here: http://communitytable.parade.com/440739/jillmills/22-of-the-best-healthy-halloween-snack-ideas-for-kids/#gallery_440739-1
Next, take the focus off of food and instead use games that require some physical movement for Halloween parties. For example, what about pumpkin bowling? Have a person throw/roll a pumpkin to knock down plastic bowling pins… or try to throw gourds through a hole in a box to see who can get the most in! Another fun idea is to take a witch’s hat and try to toss it onto a hook or peg– that can keep kids (and adults) entertained for quite a while. If your local community has a giant corn maze set up, that can be a fun excursion: who will get out of the maze first and who will have to be rescued since they’re lost?
Food and games are fun, but also consider toys this Halloween season. Kids love toys and most adults, given the chance, will smile if and when they get to play with a toy since Halloween allows them to “be a kid again.” Use toys as substitutes for sugary snacks and/or rewards for game winners. Examples of toys that can put smiles on people’s faces include fake fangs, bouncy balls, glow sticks, dolls, toy trucks, and teddy bears.
Finally, to have a healthy Halloween, stick with people and places you know well. In the old days, people were more trusting and neighbors didn’t even lock their doors. Today, though, that’s not the case. Oftentimes malls offer kids a safe place to collect goodies store-by-store or churches offer a “harvest fest” that takes away the scary parts of Halloween.
Halloween can be as mild or as scary as a person wants it to be. It can also be a time of overindulging in sugar which makes people fat and lethargic. Just like a chiropractor makes adjustments so a person feels better, you, too, can make adjustments this year to have a healthier Halloween.
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