Posts by Espinosa
Running: The Double-Edged Sword for Your Spine
Running is a double-edged sword when it comes to back pain
Running supports the pliability and range of motion of muscles throughout the body; it gets our heart rate up and our circulation flowing; as a weight-bearing exercise, it builds strong bones and strengthens muscles; it is so effective at burning calories and helping people maintain a healthy weight. All of these factors are of primary importance for people concerned with their spinal health. But on the other side of the sword, each stride represents a threat to your spinal health- the shock of a step ripples through the joints in your lower body and is eventually absorbed by the joints in the lower spine. This shock causes strain in the muscles and structures of the lower back, and it is why there is a high coincidence of lower back pain in the running community. So here you are, hopelessly addicted to running, but also concerned about your spine; what are you to do? Read on.
How a Woman’s Body Shape Affects Back Pain
Your body shape determines how you carry your weight
Most women fit into four primary body shapes:
- Apple: triangle downwards, with weight accumulation primarily in the lower abdomen
- Pear: triangle upwards, weight accumulation primarily in the hips and thighs
- Banana: straight/rectangular, weight accumulation in the butt and abdomen
- Hourglass: triangles opposing and facing inwards, fat stored in the backs of the arms and inner thighs
These generalized shapes refer to your skeletal structure, and they are important because they determine where weight, from both muscle and fat, will be distributed throughout your body. Understanding your body shape is essential to understanding the way you carry your weight which has important implications in back pain.
Your Commute Represents a Choice For Your Back Pain
How much of your life do you spend in transit?
The average resident of Sacramento spends 26 minutes commuting each direction and that number is growing each year. When you break it down, the statistics can be dire for your spine. This “average commute,” represents 52 minutes of additional seated time per day. It is unlikely that your car seat was designed with your specific spine in mind, which means that your commuting ergonomics are less than perfect. If you notice additional back pain or discomfort during your daily drive, take a look at our tips for making the commute a bit easier on your spine.
When it Comes to Losing Weight, Chiropractic is Your Best Teammate
A healthy weight makes for a healthy spine
Determining, and setting a course to maintain, your target weight should be a health priority for all adults. If you look at it from a spinal perspective, keeping off the extra pounds is essential. Every pound over your target weight represents an unsupportable burden for your spine; these pounds increases the compressive factor on your spine, and contribute to spinal degeneration that results in conditions like herniated discs and sciatica. Of course, the easiest way to maintain your target weight is through a strategic combination of nutrition and exercise, but chiropractic adds an augment to this system. How can chiropractic make maintaining a healthy weight easier? Read on to find out.
Avoiding Overuse Injuries in the Workplace
Overuse injuries are, by their very nature, nasty
The causes of overuse injuries are insidious- you spend so much subconscious time performing the same activity and you simply can’t feel the micro-traumas that occuring until they one day reach a breaking point. Today, some of the most common overuse injuries occur in the workplace which has led to the alternative term: work-related musculoskeletal disorders.
The Best Exercise for Chronic Sitters
The most important risk factors for chronic sitters
Modern life is a seated affair: we sit to commute, to work, to relax and, increasingly, to recreate. We pass time seated flicking through our phones, eating meals with our friends and binge-watching Netflix series. The primary seated activities of reading, or simply watching television, have taken a back seat to the proliferation of devices that now occupy our hands and minds. What is the problem, you ask? Sitting is the worst position for the human spine- it places exponentially more downward pressure on your vertebrae than standing or lying down. And very few of us are conscious about our posture while we sit, meaning that the ill-effect is amplified that much more. There should be no equivocation: as a society, we are feeling the effects of all this sitting earlier and harder than ever before. So what should we do about all this sitting?
Curves are What Give Your Spine Strength
Healthy spinal curvature is essential
In a normal, healthy spine, there are three primary curves- one kyphotic curve in the thoracic segment; two lordotic curves in the cervical and lumbar segments. There is a further kyphotic curve in the sacral segment, but overall, the curves fit together to form a large S-shape. This curvature is absolutely vital for maintaining strength, structure and mobility in the upper body. The curves combine to:
- Maintain balance and flexibility
- Cushion and absorb stress
- Distribute forces across the upper body in a healthy manner
What’s more, healthy curves ensure that your central nervous system is able to communicate unhindered. Spinal curvature disorders develop in response to a number of factors, and can start as soon as early childhood. So what are the main types of spinal curvature disorders and how do they come about?
Do You Practice Habits That Reinforce Back Pain?
Our daily habits, rather than acute actions, are what set us up for pain
Many people are able to point to a time when they, “threw their back out,” or “cricked their neck,“ blaming a specific action like lifting or an excessive motion in sport on their injury. But the injury might not have happened in the first place if we had not already been practicing bad spinal health habits. These habits, highlighted below, are often subconscious, and form part of a chronic problem that contributes to back pain and leaves us vulnerable to injury. Read on to find out what habits we need to be aware of if we want to avoid back pain.
Don’t Let Your Office Harm Your Spinal Health
Movement in an office setting
Your office presents your body with more challenges than you know. A stiff neck or tension headache is just the tip of the iceberg for many office workers at the end of the day. The nature of office work is such that your body never has time to catch up with how little movement it does- we sink into a pattern of sedentation that becomes the new norm. This presents a particular challenge to our spine- as supportive tissues tighten and muscles atrophy from lack of use, your spine loses it’s main network of support. Tight tendons create a pull on the spine that results in vertebral misalignment and contributes to spinal degeneration. How do we break ourselves out of this cycle?
You Just Got Served: Chiropractic for Tennis Players
Is tennis as low-key as it seems?
Short answer: no. Though tennis is used by people of all ages to maintain a high level of fitness, it is generally considered a more gentle sport. But no matter the intensity that you play at, you are still performing a series of movements that cause unique stresses to your body. Lets take a look at the ways that tennis challenges your body, as well as a framework for treating your body that minimizes the risk for injury while maximizing performance on the court.