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The term desk-bound describes how a significant portion of people spend their 8 hour working days in the 21st century. Many people come into our office complaining of daily headaches and it has become clear that these two situations are not mutually exclusive: a day at the office can cause a headache in more ways than one. Consider one of the simplest explanations of all: your posture in front of the screen.

How many people can truly hold their head up high and say that they have perfect posture at work or that they regularly take breaks to stretch, move and hydrate? If you are one of these people, we applaud you and your back thanks you. But for many people, posture is not an easy proposition: spending long windows of time in front of the screen tends to lull people into a hunched forward position, where their head is leaned toward the screen and their back is rounded. As they work away, muscles in the neck and shoulders are being asked to compensate and support the weight of the head which is no longer balanced above the spine. Tensing and muscle strain ensue which can quickly lead to muscle spasms which will refer the pain to nerves in the head. 

This may not be the sole contributing factor to your headache, but fixing your posture can go a long way to influencing a myriad of conditions that are backs and heads suffer from on a daily basis. Call our office in Sacramento to find out the small things you can change to make a positive impact on your headaches: we can be reached at (916) 457-8825.

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C. 

When you think of how you use your back throughout the day, do the thoracic vertebrae even factor into your thoughts? Put it this way, do you ever catch yourself with your shoulders slumped forward or your upper back rounded? This is a good indicator that you may have poor thoracic mobility. The spine is not one long bone, but many people treat it as such: this is why we end up with pervasive slumping, slouching, and general poor posture. These can cause serious conditions such as back pain and premature degradation of the vertebrae. Fortunately, by gaining an awareness of proper spine mechanics, you can limit the damage that your spine absorbed on a daily basis. 

The thoracic spine refers to the region of your spine corresponding to the chest and ribcage. It is made up of twelve vertebrae and forms the thoracic cage which protects the hart and lungs. The range of motion in this part of the spine is limited, but letting the health of these vertebrae fall by the wayside can have serious consequences. 

Here are a few of the benefits to be had by ensuring the alignment and overall health of the thoracic spine:

• Improved spinal mechanics
• Increased range of motion
• Greater lung capacity
• Greater diaphragm functioning
• Better shoulder mechanics

The thoracic spine’s range of motion is limited but it is not meant to be immobile. Call our office in Sacramento at (916) 457-8825 to schedule an appointment and find out how you can maximize your spine’s mechanical advantage. 

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C.

What if there was no pivot point in the neck: if it was just an immobile trunk that attached the head to the rest of the body? Every time you wanted to look up or down or to the side, it would require the coordinated effort of your entire upper body. Fortunately for most, this situation is nothing more than a nightmare. But the less care you take of your cervical spine, the more limited your motion becomes. Necks can end up so stiff and sore that even the slightest movement can cause excruciating pain. 

Seven vertebrae support the weight and movement of your head. Because of this movement, and their location at the base of the skull, the cervical vertebrae are among the most vulnerable to injury in the entire back. There are many factors that can limit range of motion in the neck: poor posture and traumatic injury are among the most common. But anyone who has woke up with a crick in the neck knows that more intangible factors are also at play: simply sleeping at an odd angle for a few hours in a night can leave your neck stiff. 

At Espinosa Family Chiropactic, we are experts in the realm of necks. We know that they are sensitive instruments and we provide the kind of sensitive treatment that ensures their range of motion. Chiropractic adjustments are beneficial to maintaining the alignment of the spine right through the neck. If muscles in the shoulders and neck are sore, we focus on reducing inflammation and improving blood flow to the tender region. 

If your neck is feeling out of sorts, call our office at (916) 457-8825 to schedule an assessment so we can start getting you back on the road to health. 

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C. 

Preventing back pain: one of the most cost-effective things you can do for your life. Spines do not lend themselves to exact science: they are such complex structures, that absorb so much during their lifetime that every case is unique. If you develop through to adulthood without back pain, do not take it for granted: you have been blessed. It therefore behooves you to take the onus upon yourself to keep your spine and back muscles in good shape to prevent a future of pain. 

Some of these ideas may seem overstated, but I believe everyone can benefit from seeing them again:

• Limit excess weight 
• Stop smoking
• Sleep 
• Exercise
• Posture
• Lift weighty objects properly
• Choose luggage accessories carefully
• Make sure your wallet is not overstuffed
• Avoid high heels 

You may have seen all of these things before, but they are always worth repeating.  Something that all of these suggestions have in common is that they all begin with YOU: you have the power to make all these changes in your life. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we want to help you start because we believe in the power of prevention as the most effective front line treatment in the fight against back pain which, by some estimates, affects up to 85% of Americans at some point in their lives. 

Call our office in Sacramento at (916) 457-8825 to schedule an appointment today. Converting your lifestyle into one that focuses on back care is not the easiest of tasks, but the upside is enormous. We have the knowledge and support that will keep your spine healthy into old age. 

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C. 

When it comes to preserving the health of your body, every little movement counts. Starting small is the best way to instill the habit. Once you have taught yourself an appreciation for leaving laziness behind, it is easy to spend more time moving. For example, going for a walk after dinner is a great way to help your body process the nutrients and digest your food. Even a 10 minute walk is better than nothing.

Tips:

• Combine exercise with entertainment. Treadmill with tunes or a podcast; practice yoga poses in front of the television; do crunches on the deck.
• For every little trip to the corner store, consider walking or biking. It will save you the gas and get you outside and walking.
• If you do drive, don’t look for the closest possible parking spot. Park on the top floor of the parking garage and get those extra steps.
• Do housework and work in the lawn by yourself or with family and friends. Make sure you protect your back.
• Walk as you talk on telephone calls.

Sitting really is becoming a disease. If your lifestyle requires a mix of commuting, sitting at work and your leisure demands a lot of sitting at home call our office so we can start finding some ways to fit in exercise and movement and break the cycle.

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C. 

The child’s pose is a yoga stretch that provides a plethora of benefits to people suffering from chronic low back pain.

• Promotes circulation
• Calms the mind and body
• Stretches hips and thighs
• Lengthens and stretches the spine
• Relieves neck and back pain
• Releases tension that is contained within shoulders, back and chest.

Yoga is synonymous with purposeful movement. This is a resting pose that focuses heavily on breathing control. Child’s pose can be done from the comfort of your own living room and is performed thus:

• Kneel with knees together and buttocks touching feet.
• Exhale and lower your torso over the thighs, with your forehead touching the ground.
• Lift the buttocks slightly and stretch your arms over your head, with palms touching the floor, until you feel the shoulder blades stretching across the back.

You can rest in this position for 1-3 minutes, or however long it takes for you to feel the spine stretching, relieving tension from tight areas. Child’s pose is an easy way to take a quick break from the couch and give your spine an invigorating stretch, without too much physical exertion. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we want to get people moving. Finding ways to break the monotony of a sedentary lifestyle is truly important for those who want to elongate the lifespan of their spines. Call our office in Sacramento at (916) 457-8825 to create a plan for a healthy back care lifestyle that will get you feeling fit.

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C.

With all the attention paid to vertebrae, people often neglect the spinal muscles, who play a crucial role in spinal health. Spinal problems are often caused by decreased mobility in the surrounding muscles and often times, poor posture and biomechanics leave the muscles imbalanced. With more and more people living sedentary lifestyles, it is no wonder that they come in complaining of non-specific back pain. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we focus on strengthening all of the muscles in the back, particularly as they apply to your specific condition. Often times, it only takes a conversation and a spinal assessment to determine muscle groups that have been strained to the brink. A stronger set of back muscles can only make your overall spinal health better.

Muscle groups in the back include:

• Paraspinals
• Iliopsoas
• Gluteus muscles
• Rectus abdominus
• Quadratus Lumborum
• Piriformis
• Trapezius group

At our office in Sacramento, we counsel you on how to use your body’s mechanics better and make your posture work for you. There is a common misconception that a stronger core means a more mobile back; this is a fallacy that comes from lack of knowledge: the abdominal muscles are used for stability, in effect, limiting movement rather than encouraging it. Having an awareness and knowledge of which muscle groups perform which function helps you become a more efficient mover. In any case, the worst thing you can do for your back is sit or stand stagnant for long periods of time. Intervertebral discs absorb fluid when they are not moving, making them stiffer and you less mobile.

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C.  

Slumping shoulders are a common site across the forlorn landscape of 21^st Century American posture habits. More jobs than ever are putting people in front of screens in poor ergonomic situations, leaving their posture and, consequently, the health of their spines at the mercy of long days spent stagnant, typing away with shoulders rounded and head forward. The amount of stress this puts on the spine is quantifiable only to the individual, but the general antagonistic qualities of poor workplace posture is that the weight of the head is magnified over an unstable spine, leaving joints immobile, muscles strained and vertebrae misaligned.

At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we are no stranger to poor posture, but we seek to impart you with the awareness of just how powerful posture is in changing your back health for the better. Understanding the mechanics of the spine is a good place to start, as it has been said that some people treat their spine as though it was one long bone. This is not true: each region has a different set of characteristics and functions. For example, the cervical vertebrae support the weight of your head and allow it to move, while the lumbar vertebrae support the greater mass of the body and provide stability.

But what about the thoracic vertebrae? The least injured, seemingly incognito part of the spine that still has a great purpose: to ease the burden on your lumbar. Learning how to use your thoracic vertebrae helps improve your overall range of motion, impacts lung capacity, and improves shoulder mechanics. The thoracic spine should not be a passerby in the daily posture battle. Call our office in Sacramento at (916) 457-0107 to start learning how all of the parts of your back contribute to your health.

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C. 

The bipedal human is a wonder to behold. But as time goes on we are walking less, choosing to commute instead of walk to work and choosing television over an evening stroll. The number one thing walking does for you: it promotes spinal balance, a cornerstone of good chiropractic health. Persistent (meaning daily) walking has innumerable benefits with the added quality of not being as traumatic to the body as a full bore run. The bones and muscles of the entire body are moving and strengthening as you walk, turning you into a more flexible human at an easy pace.  Walking has many benefits:

• Reduces back pain, due to movement of previously static joints and the slight release of endorphins.
• Improves range of motion and makes you more resistant to injury from movement and promotes circulation of the blood and nutrients throughout all the members of the body.
• Helps with managing weight, which is a primary burden on the spine.

Standing upright and proud or slumped over and decrepit can make a huge difference in the way people perceive you. Body language is a large part of walking, and so a healthy dose of posture should smarten you up and send out the right signals. When reaping the benefits of a good walk, make sure you:

• Stand up straight without arching your back. Do not lean forward or back or let the pelvis tilt forward.
• Eyes forward, face forward: looking down encourages the rest of the head and neck to follow.
• Shoulders are the place people get tight during walks, and it shows. Be wary of static shoulders and give them a shake back to their natural position every once and a while.

Walking is a fun activity in and of itself, let alone adding the healthful benefits that are to be derived from a walk. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we can help you create a healthy back care lifestyle to manage pain or achieve whatever health goal you have set for yourself. Call our office in Sacramento at (916) 457-8825 to schedule an appointment today.

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C. 

Running imparts a euphoric feeling on some people that is hard to ascertain unless you have felt it yourself. It is what keeps these troopers moving through wind and rain, hail and searing heat. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we want hardcore runners to remember: posture is integral to your success and ultimate enjoyment of the sport. With the following technique in mind, you can minimize damage to spinal cartilage and reap the most benefit out of your exercise.

• Stay upright: you know you’re tired when the shoulders are slumped and you can barely breathe. But some people are not aware that they are slumping from the start.
• Keep your head centered above the spine so that its weight is properly balanced as you run.
• Keep the face faced forward and the body will follow. Do not look at the ground as it will set a precedent for the neck to follow, angling downwards and soon your shoulders will start to move toward each other, leaving you hunched over.
• Utilize your hips as your center of gravity. Letting the pelvis tilt forward will only lead to back pain. So keep your core upright.

These habits may feel like an adjustment at first but given enough repetition they will become second nature. And for the love of the runner: running everyday on concrete is bad for the cartilage in your back. If your back is aching after a run, it may be in need of some tender loving care, of the kind we offer at our practice in Sacramento. We treat sore tissues and misaligned vertebrae to ensure that you are running at your full mechanical advantage.Stop by our office on your next run or call us at (916) 457-8825 to schedule an appointment today. 

Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C.