chiropractor

Prevent Back Pain While Snow Shoveling

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avoid back pain with snow shoveling

Prevent Back Pain While Snow Shoveling

Would you like to prevent back pain from snow shoveling?  Any time that we are using our bodies in a repetitive way, we are stressing the muscles and tearing muscle fibres.  That is why after a snow shoveling session we may feel stiff and achy all over.  So it is important to know that before we do something as mundane as shoveling the sidewalk, like any workout, we need to warm up and loosen our muscles.  For example, try going for a walk around the block first.  Dynamic stretching is also great for loosening up the muscles.  A dynamic stretch is one in which you move through the stretch but do not hold it for any longer than a few seconds; dynamic stretches are moving stretches.

Snow shoveling stretches

snow shoveling stretcheschiropractor recommended snow shoveling stretches

11 Tips from Your Chiropractor to Prevent Back Pain when Shoveling Snow

  1. Choose a shovel that is suitable to your height.  You do not want to be working with a shovel that is going to cause you to stand in
    a stooped posture.
  2. The lighter the shovel the better too.
  3. Use a shovel with a bent shaft.
  4. Stand with your feet hip distance apart and with one foot slightly behind the other.
  5. Keep your knees slightly bent, do not hyper-extend them or lock them out, this puts added stress through the knee joint.
  6. Always try pushing the snow to the side, don’t throw it.
  7. When it comes time to picking up the snow, keep the load as close to your body as possible and avoid bending at the waist and twisting motions.
  8. Before you try lifting a load, you should try testing the weight of that load. Remember wet snow is much heavier.
  9. After you have finished shoveling you should participate in some static stretches.  Repeat the dynamic ones, but hold the stretch for a minimum of
    20-30 seconds.
  10. Rehydrate yourself! Drink plenty of water after a good bout of shoveling.
  11. If you didn’t prevent back pain from snow shoveling, ice the sore areas down afterwards.  Icing reduces any inflammation that may have occurred.  Ice should never be applied directly to the skin, make sure that it is always wrapped in something like a clean towel.  Use the 10-10 rule for icing: place the ice on the sore area for 10 minutes, and then remove the ice for 10 minutes, repeat 3 times.  Let the area be for about an hour, and if it is still sore ice again.

Snow Shoveling References:

McGorry RW, Dempsey PG, Leamon TB. The effect of technique and shaft configuration in snow shoveling on physiologic, kinematic, kinetic and productivity variables. Appl Ergon. 2003 May;34(3):225-31.

Lewinson RT, Rouhi G, Robertson DG. Influence of snow shovel shaft configuration on lumbosacral biomechanics during a load-lifting task. Appl Ergon. 2014 Mar;45(2):234-8. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2013.04.004.

By Chiropractor Dr. Kim Macanuel, Chiropractor at Forces of Nature Wellness Clinic.

Chiropractic for Children

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Boy laughing with quote about chiropractic for children

Is Chiropractic Safe for Children?

Chiropractic care addresses children’s health conditions associated with the nervous and musculoskeletal systems.  Spinal adjustments for infants and children are not the same as those used on adults. They are tailored to the size of the child and the stage of development of the child’s musculoskeletal system.

Why Do Children Need Chiropractic Treatment?

During the first few years of life we grow and change at an astonishing rate. Traumas, sprains and strains incurred, and/or poor postural habits formed during these years have the potential to affect us later on in life. Within the first 12 months of life approximately 50% of babies will have had at least one fall onto their heads from a high place. As babies learn to walk they will suffer from hundreds of falls onto their bottoms. As children get older they may start participating in sports. It is estimated that 3.5 million children under the age of 14 receive medical treatment for sports injuries every year. The Centre for Disease Control and prevention did a study which showed chiropractic and osteopath manipulation were the most common form of doctor directed complementary or alternative medicine used by children. The percentage of chiropractic patients under the age of 17 has increased at least 8.5% since 1991.

Does Research Support the Safety of Chiropractic Treatment for Kids?

Recent research by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) found spinal manipulative therapy to be safe and effective in treating children of all ages.

What are the Benefits of Seeing a Chiropractor for Children?

Dr Hewitt , past president of the American Chiropractic Associationʼs (ACA) Pediatrics Council states that the majority of patients report that their children enjoy their chiropractic adjustments and look forward to subsequent visits. They also report that their children experience a greater level of health while under regular chiropractic care. Parents surveyed by the ICPA reported behavioural improvements for kids who saw a chiropractor, as well as improved sleep and stronger immune systems. Scientific evidence in these areas is still inconclusive, however, the large increase in the number of children under chiropractic care appears to be a positive endorsement of its benefits.

What is a Chiropractic Adjustment?

A chiropractic adjustment is the application of a specific force through a restricted joint. The adjustment restores normal joint movement, reduces muscle tension and allows your nervous system to function properly again. The results are a decrease in your pain, increased mobility and flexibility, restored function and a renewed sense of vitality.

Improved health and a better quality of life for your children is just around the corner.

By Dr Kimberley Macanuel, BSc(Hons), DC

Painkillers

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painkillers

Are your painkillers causing more harm than good?

Back or neck pain? Headache?  Before you reach for the painkillers read this:

The painkiller acetaminophen is making headlines.  This substance can be found in prescription painkillers such as Vicodin and Percocet and over the counter medications such as Tylenol.

Why is this commonly used painkiller making headlines?

The aforementioned prescription drugs are referred to as combination drugs because they contain a mix of opioids and acetaminophen.  The problem arises when people feel that their prescription drugs are not helping enough with the pain and therefore take an extra over the counter medication like Tylenol to help cope. This combination of prescription medication plus over the counter acetaminophen pushes them past the safe recommended daily dose (325mg) of acetaminophen.

The Food and Drug Administration has announced that doctors should limit writing prescriptions for combination medications which contain acetaminophen, as this substance may cause liver damage, which could lead to liver failure and even death.  The FDA says that there is no data to show that taking more than the new recommended amount provides enough benefit to outweigh the risk of liver damage.

What does this mean for you?

If you would like to protect your liver and overall health now and into the future then you should start to look for alternative methods of pain relief outside of the drugs containing acetaminophen.

Chiropractic is a safe and effective non invasive alternative to painkillers.  Not only does your chiropractor help reduce the existing pain without drugs, but she also looks for the root cause of the pain such as muscle tension, muscle imbalances, misalignment of the spine, poor bio-mechanics, poor posture, etc and works to correct these.

Read more about safe pain treatment in pregnancy: The Safe Way to Manage Pain in Pregnancy