Physical Therapy and Back pain

Core stabilization, or core strengthening has been around for many years and has been ‘borrowed’ by sports performance training programs, exercise programs such as Yoga, Pilates and Boot Camps. In Physical Therapy and rehabilitation, core stabilization means that activation of the trunk muscles must occur first in order for us to create a stable base of support that allows us to move our arms and legs. Making the trunk muscles stronger keeps the spine stable and helps the body stay balanced with movement; preventing falls and injury. In other words: core=balance and stability and therefore less back pain.

While those banging six packs (see also, me J) look great down at the ocean, that in and of itself is not the core. The “core” muscles run the entire length of the torso from the hips to the shoulders. When these muscles contract, they stabilize the spine, pelvis and shoulder girdle and create a solid base of support. This allows us to stand upright and move on two feet, shift our weight and move in any direction. This distribution of weight protects the back from injury. An effective core conditioning program needs to target all muscles of the core to be effective.

Exercises that Build Core Strength:

The most effective core strengthening exercises work the torso as a solid unit with both front and back muscles contracting at the same time. The most basic core strengthening exercise is Abdominal Bracing where you try to pull your navel in toward your spine without holding your breath. Most core strengthening exercises don’t require equipment and include:

• Planks: Position yourself face down on hands and balls of feet. Straighten arms. Tighten stomach muscles and lift hips to form a straight line from head to toe. Hold 15-30 seconds. Do not let hips sag to the floor.

• Basic Push Up: Position yourself face down with hands under shoulders and on balls of feet. Tighten stomach muscles and bend elbows to lower chest towards the ground. Keep neck in neutral by gazing towards floor. Straighten elbows to complete one repetition. Do not let hips sag to the floor.

• Bridging: Lay face up on flat surface, knees bent and arms by sides. Slowly raise buttocks and hips, keeping stomach tight. Slowly lower hips again. This completes one repetition.

• Supermans: Lay face down on flat surface with arms stretched overhead and straight legs. Tighten stomach muscles and simultaneously lift arms and legs into the air a few inches then slowly lower them.

Other exercises include the use of stability balls, medicine balls, kettlebells, wobble boards, yoga and pilates. These particular exercises should only be performed under the supervision of a trained professional and when beginning any type of exercise program, always see us first. If done wrong or in pain, rehab exercises can actually worsen your condition.

Hey honey, does this skirt make my hip joints look rotated?

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) recently released an article on the effect clothing and bags can have on the body. Generally, women (say it isn't so) more than men have clothing items that can lead to pain or discomfort- bags being one of the most common. Heavy bags, tight clothes, and many shoes that men and women wear can have negative effects on the body:

* Heavy bags (such as briefcases or handbags) can put strain on the side of your body that they are carried on. When traveling, swap the side that you use to hold your bag often. Try not to over-pack bags, and keep bulky and extra items out of your pocketbook or backpack.

* Shoes with proper support are ideal. High heels change how the body balances and can cause instability when walking, leading to problems with the feet and back. Try to bring a pair of flats with you to change into after wearing heels for a while.

* If you carry a bag with over 10% of your body weight, it can cause a significant shift in balance, as the body compensates for the additional weight and gets used to the sudden change. Take items out of your bag to reduce weight, and use a bag that has a long, wide strap.

* Even keeping your wallet or ATM cards in your back pants pocket can create misalignment while sitting. Sitting all day with your wallet on one side can lead to problems with your back, spine, and hips.

Remember to pick clothing, shoes, and luggage that are lightweight, symmetrical, and provide freedom of movement. Take breaks to stretch when standing or sitting for long periods of time, and try to wear clothes that are non-restrictive for the majority of your time. Changes in balance and your center of gravity can affect your entire body. And over time those imbalances ferment into big problems. Chiropractic can help alleviate these imbalances, and the problem. If you or anyone you know is suffering from pain brought on by an imbalance-or any other reason-give us a call.

-Dr Shawn R Lee, Chiropractor.
Susquehanna Spine & Rehab; Chiropractic, Physical Therapy and Massage in Bel Air & Abingdon Maryland. 

Hey honey, does this skirt make my hip joints look rotated?

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) recently released an article on the effect clothing and bags can have on the body. Generally, women (say it isn't so) more than men have clothing items that can lead to pain or discomfort- bags being one of the most common. Heavy bags, tight clothes, and many shoes that men and women wear can have negative effects on the body:

* Heavy bags (such as briefcases or handbags) can put strain on the side of your body that they are carried on. When traveling, swap the side that you use to hold your bag often. Try not to over-pack bags, and keep bulky and extra items out of your pocketbook or backpack.

* Shoes with proper support are ideal. High heels change how the body balances and can cause instability when walking, leading to problems with the feet and back. Try to bring a pair of flats with you to change into after wearing heels for a while.

* If you carry a bag with over 10% of your body weight, it can cause a significant shift in balance, as the body compensates for the additional weight and gets used to the sudden change. Take items out of your bag to reduce weight, and use a bag that has a long, wide strap.

* Even keeping your wallet or ATM cards in your back pants pocket can create misalignment while sitting. Sitting all day with your wallet on one side can lead to problems with your back, spine, and hips.

Remember to pick clothing, shoes, and luggage that are lightweight, symmetrical, and provide freedom of movement. Take breaks to stretch when standing or sitting for long periods of time, and try to wear clothes that are non-restrictive for the majority of your time. Changes in balance and your center of gravity can affect your entire body. And over time those imbalances ferment into big problems. Chiropractic can help alleviate these imbalances, and the problem. If you or anyone you know is suffering from pain brought on by an imbalance-or any other reason-give us a call.

-Dr Shawn R Lee, Chiropractor.
Susquehanna Spine & Rehab; Chiropractic, Physical Therapy and Massage in Bel Air & Abingdon Maryland. 

Killing yourself with kindness

 Nice guys finish last? You have heard that one, but what about nice people die first? It's true. According to Dr. Gabor Mate', a palliative care physician turned addiction specialist, noted that in his many years of practice, those people who died young of chronic diseases were people who could not say no; those who went out of their way to be helpful, accommodating etc.

I'm not saying be a jerk. It was not those who helped their fellow man, it was those who had a pathological need to be validated. They usually had a psychological or emotional trauma in their life that left a hole in their soul that needed to be filled. Sometimes they turned to addiction, other times to self-loathing.

Physiologically, what happened to them, and what happens to all of us is the same-just more grand. What we have come to think is normal, is actually stress. Getting 3 girls out of bed, dressed (and keeping them dressed and somewhat happy in their outfit and hairstyle), finding something for breakfast, getting them to eat it; getting them to school on time; driving down the colossal mess that is Wheel Rd; getting to work, finding a parking spot, hoping staff makes it on time, dealing with insurance companies; repeat. This facilitates my sympathetic nervous tone (think fight or flight), increases cortisol production, creates tissue anoxia (no oxygen in organs and tissues) and creates central nervous system sensory disturbances (jacks up the nerves). Well, all that lowers immunity; degenerates the joints, eats muscles and shuts down the liver; raises blood pressure, cholesterol formation, abnormal hormone function, and promotes inflammation. In other words-disease; name a disease, any disease and at its core is inflammation.

Other than regular chiropractic care to reset the nervous system, reverse catabolic hormone production, undue stress on the joints and make you better looking; what can you do? Massage. The physical, chemical and emotional effects of massage are proven to fight stress and prevent disease. 

Best Gift Ever

It’s that time of the year when the Grinch in me thinks about having to spend money I don’t have on people I don’t like for crappy gifts they don’t want. Then there’s the “mandatory fun”; office holiday parties, those dried out things called cookies and heaven help us, fruitcake. But it’s not ALL bad, right? I’m sure some of us have a few people we can stand and want to give gifts to, right? I mean, it is better to give than receive after all.  This year, you can both get and give. If you buy 3, 1 hour massages, you get 1 free ½ hour for yourself (I’ve been asked, and yes it’s okay to keep the 3 for you and give away the ½), or buy 5 and get a whole hour just for you. Why massage?

Here’s why, massage therapy will:

·         Alleviate pain

·         Make pregnancy and labor more comfortable

·         Enhance immunity by stimulating lymphatic flow

·         Reduce edema (Swelling)

·         Relieve muscle tension

·         Improve performance

·         Fight depression and anxiety

·         Reduce scar tissue

·         Hasten recovery from surgery

·         Fight migraines

·         Promote healing

·         End stress

And above all else, make you the best gift giver of all time!

I’ve just been told by the editorial review board (wife) that I have to say a few nice things about the holidays too. It doesn’t really matter which holiday you celebrate or if none or even all, it’s a wonderful opportunity to spend time with the ones you love, eat too much, play too much and laugh too much. It’s also a great time to serve and help others; make your, (our) community a better place to be.  As been sung-‘peace on Earth, good will towards men.’

(I wish I could take credit for the following, but one quote is from the Pope, the other Wyld Stallyns.  I forget which is which though): However, no peace will have solid foundations unless hearts nourish the sentiment of brotherhood which ought to exist among all who have common origin and destiny.  So be excellent to each other. 

Awareness

For all of ya'll who have really listened to me over the years (rules out wife & kids) know I emphasize prevention. An ounce of it is worth a pound of cure. When I encourage you to come in for your bi-weekly to monthly adjustment even though you're feeling great; or when your dentist wants you in every 6 months it's not just because we like you. Well, I guess it is because we like you because we want to keep from having to see you 3 times a week again (or maybe it's because we don't want to see you???).

So unless you live in a cave, you know that October is breast cancer awareness month. So I'm going to aware you. Cancer aka neoplasia, is the result of meta & anaplasia; which is Latin for stress causes cancer. With breast as in most other cancers, the main culprit is chemical stress-genetics being #1. However, just because you are genetically pre-disposed, doesn't mean it has to happen. Take the watermelon seed. If you plant it in the ground, you get a watermelon plant; if you swallow it (or as in the case of my brother c.1979 stick it up your nose) you don't get a watermelon plant. That's because of environment.

When it comes to genetics, there's nothing you can do. But you do have control over your co-factors. The key to fighting breast cancer and other diseases is modifying your internal environment. We do that by controlling stress-physical, chemical and emotional.

1.Physical-Be sure to wear proper fitting, supportive bras. And avoid other direct trauma to that area.

2. Chemical-chemical stress other than genetics causes inflammation in your body. This inflammation then in turns fuels the fires of disease. Cut back on chemical stress by not smoking; drinking less; avoiding simple carbs, phytoestrogens, processed and modified foods. 3, Emotional-chill ;).

You won't be able to, nor is it even possible to completely eliminate your risk for breast cancer (doesn't mean don't try); so early detection is key.

Smoking Eggs

I just recently read where some 'Government Expert' has likened eating eggs to smoking. I wish I was smoking what those guys were smoking to say eggs are as bad as smoking.

Point 1: Smoking is possibly the absolute worst thing you could do to your body, next to stepping in front of a moving bus. It cuts off air flow, hardens your arteries and burns out your airways. This, in turn, causes numerous fatal and disabling diseases, and complicates others - not just the ones you think about like heart disease and cancer, but ones you really think about like erectile dysfunction. It even causes problems wouldn't think about like complicating the recovery from herniated discs and medications.

Point 2. Yes, eggs are high in cholesterol, but they are also high in protein, relatively low calorie and are full of numerous essential vitamins and minerals. (These are good for you!) So even though they are high in cholesterol, eating eggs does not necessarily cause high cholesterol. In fact, less than 25% of the cholesterol in your body is absorbed as cholesterol, the rest is made within you. This brings me to a few sub points:

     2a. The cholesterol in eggs is easily removed from the digestive tract and sent out the back door, especially due to the high levels of lecithin in eggs-a solvent that dissolves out fats.

     2b. Cholesterol isn't inherently evil in and of itself. It actually has many beneficial uses like forming the backbone of hormones. However, in the presence of inflammation and high blood pressure, cholesterol can then attach to damaged areas of vessel walls forming plaques-that's why they want to keep it low. 2b subpart I. Let's say your cholesterol levels run about 250 (and let's assume your BP is running north of 140/90, which is high). You are now a candidate for imminent heart disease. If you became a vegan today (cholesterol is found exclusively in animal products), that would bring your cholesterol down to 187.5ish; drastically reducing your risk of heart disease. But let's say your cholesterol is like 400. To stop eating animal products would only lower you to 300-still no bueno. In fact, most of your cholesterol is made from unused carbohydrates. You want less cholesterol, quit eating carbohydrates. Plus a few other dietary tricks like eating spices such as garlic, fiber (fiber acts like a giant sponge sweeping down your gut) and un-saturated fats (olive, coconut, other real nut oil etc).

          So, in conclusion, if you have high cholesterol and other heart disease indicators, yes cutting back on eggs will reduce your cholesterol. But, cutting back on carbs and empty calories like sugar and alcohol will do so even more. Smoking is still bad, but eggs are not evil.