Tag Archive for: chiropractor

Our Denver Chiropractors discuss: Shoulder Pain & Where to Start

Dr. Samantha Leger and Dr. Glenn Hyman walk you through what you can do when you injure your shoulder. Dr. Samantha evaluates Dr. Glenn’s shoulder injury from a mountain bike crash and shows you how you can tell if you need immediate medical attention. The doctors also show you which rehab exercises you can start right after the injury. As always this is not a substitute for medical advice. Make sure this is right for you and use common sense.

Denver Chiropractic Center article / video of the week: Is There a Perfect Posture?

Is There a Perfect Posture?

Bottom Line:

“Sit up straight and stop slouching!”You’ve likely heard this since childhood, but is there such a thing as perfect posture? The answer is a bit complicated. The latest research shows that it may be more important to think about a “balanced” or “dynamic” posture than perfect posture, and we’re also discovering that our ability to change positions and move may be more critical than our static position while standing or sitting.

Why it Matters:

Your posture is made up of a dynamic pattern of responses, reflexes, and habits,not a single position. Gravity, your work environment, and your anatomy all play a role. For instance, sitting for hours on end staring at a computer screen is a perfect example of an imbalanced and challenged posture as a result of ergonomics. Over time,this imbalance can lead to forward head posture, which can cause pain andeven degenerative changes inyour joints. Forward head posture affects millions of people who spend their days using computers. It places stress on the neck and shouldersand weakensthe supporting muscles.

  • Forward head posture affects millions and results in neck pain for up to 75% of people.
  • Neck pain, tension, stiffness, and tenderness are all signs of chronic forward head posture.
  • Trapezius strengthening has been shown to provide clinically significant relief for those struggling with neck pain as a result of forward head posture.

Next Steps:

Strength and flexibility play a significant role in your posture. Having good core strength and balancing that strength with flexibility can help you dynamically adapt to your environment. While “perfect” posture may not exist, each one of us has an opportunity to improve our strength, flexibility, and ergonomics to reduce our likelihood of experiencing pain.

 

If you spend your days looking at a computer, let us know. We’ll be happy to recommend a care plan to help you balance the effects of all that screen time.

Science Source(s):Effects of Lower Trapezius Strengthening Exercises on Pain, Dysfunction, Posture Alignment, Muscle Thickness, and Contraction Rate in Patients with Neck Pain; Randomized Controlled Trial. Medical Science Monitor 2020

Our Denver Chiropractic office is open and here to help you.

Today Meredith and I cover the plank walk out. It’s a great way to work the core, shoulders, back and arms. Make sure it’s right for you & check with a doctor first.

Our Denver Chiropractic office is open as of April 27, 2020.

While there may not currently be a cure for “the virus,” certain simple steps can help.

Our Denver Chiropractor specializes in getting people out of pain.

The Opioid Crisis: How Did We End Up Here?

Bottom Line: About 30 years ago, medicine changed how it looked at chronic pain. The number of people with chronic pain rose, and options to address the pain weren’t adequate.

Why it Matters

As doctors paid more attention to assessing pain, they also paid more attention to treating pain. They prescribed opioid pain meds more often- frequently for chronic low back or neck pain. Up until then, doctors used opioids only for severe pain after surgery or in advanced-stage cancer. But, in the early 1990s, that all changed.

Opioid manufacturers promoted new formulas that they described as less addictive. Physicians prescribed these drugs far more liberally than before. Prescribing these drugs very quickly led to a variety of problems. First, patients rapidly adapted to the drugs, requiring larger and larger doses to achieve the same effect over time. Second, these drugs weren’t very effective at addressing chronic pain.

They provided short term relief, but as time went on, they seemed to become less useful for a lot of people. Finally, these drugs provided a euphoric feeling that quickly led to addiction. -Starting in the 1990’s, doctors were encouraged to prescribed opioids for chronic pain.-It’s estimated that 59% of opioids users report having experienced back pain.-In the US alone, there is an average of 130 deaths per day due to opioids.

Next Steps

Now 30 years later, we are consumed with the opioid crisis. Over 130 people die each day from opioids, and over 40% of those deaths are from prescribed opioids. If there is a silver lining to this crisis, it’s that we now realize that the answers and treatment of chronic pain is rarely found in a bottle. Many leading healthcare organizations now recommend non-pharmacological approaches to treatment of chronic pain, including chiropractic.

Our practice is always focused on helping you overcome pain without the use of drugs. It’s time to get your life back naturally!

Science Source(s): Understanding the Epidemic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2018

DISREGARD-This Denver Chiropractor still open March 26 2020 update

We are still open under the statewide shutdown order issued by Governor Polis effective today March 26 through April 14. We are still considered an essential business under this order. This means you are allowed to leave your home to come to our office.

Having said this, we are dramatically condensing our schedule over the next 2 weeks. We are in today (3/26) and tomorrow (3/27). Then starting next week we will open just Monday and Thursday.

We will require that each patient attest to all of the following at each visit. This is to protect our patients and our staff.

____I have not had any fever, cough, shortness of breath or other symptoms of the Covid-19 virus the last 2 weeks.

____I have not been in close proximity to anyone who has tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 2 weeks.

____In the last 2 weeks. I have not traveled to New York, China, Europe or the Colorado mountains – Summit, Eagle, Pitkin, San Miguel counties, etc.

____I understand that my doctor, Glenn D. Hyman, will follow all CDC prevention guidelines before and during my visit but he cannot guarantee that I will not contract the virus known as Covid-19. I understand and accept this risk.

____I assert that my visit today is for a specific problem (ie, back pain, neck pain, headaches, etc) and is not a routine or “maintenance” visit.

We are constantly monitoring this situation to see if we should close. We continue to take all CDC mandated precautions, and to ensure that patients who come in do not encounter any other patients.

Like the rest of you, we are hopeful that this situation will improve in April.

Thanks and please take care,

Our Denver Chiropractors will be OPEN this week (week of March 23)

We are open this week (week of Monday, March 23)and will operate a normal schedule. We are here to help you and pledge to continue to be here for you during this Covid-19 / novel coronavirus crisis. Call us at 303.300.0424 to get in touch with us.

The 50 US State Chiropractic Boards, including the Colorado Chiropractic Board of Examiners (which falls under the control of the State of Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies) are in agreement that chiropractors are essential healthcare workers and therefore should remain open.

Barring a specific order from Governor Polis stating that chiropractic offices should close, we will stay open. We will continue to follow all safety and social distancing procedures that we’ve had in place for weeks now.

(Note: The recent order by Governor Polis that suspended elective procedures applies to surgical procedures or other such procedures that require ventilators, anesthesia machines, and personal protective equipment. This is to preserve such equipment for critical care. Since none of our procedures requires any of this equipment, this ruling does not relate to what we do in our office.)

Denver Chiropractic Center Covid-19 update

We have great concern and empathy for everyone who is dealing with this difficult and unprecedented viral pandemic, both locally and globally. We do intend to keep our office open during this Covid-19 crisis. (Of course if any federal or state government entities order that we close, we will.)

As we stay open we are implementing a few procedural changes to practice social distancing within our office. In order to do that we will:

  • Limit the number of daily appointment spots available
  • Bring patients into treatment rooms and out of the waiting room as quickly was we can
  • Continue thoroughly disinfecting each treatment room after each patient

We ask of you:

  • If you are sick, have a cough or have a fever please don’t come in (please stay home entirely).
  • If you have been exposed to anyone who has tested positive for Covid-19, please don’t come in (again you should self-quarantine)
  • Please try to come as close to your appointment time as you can (we want to avoid having several people in our waiting rooms).

We still fully intend to operate our normal schedule. As I said last week, we have always taken steps to prevent spread of viruses: flu virus, norovirus, various other stomach viruses, and cold virus (which is also a coronoa virus).

These things are almost always circulating in some form or fashion. We will continue to take steps to prevent the spread of this new virus. These steps include hand sanitizing after each patient visit, table disenfecting, and so forth. We do have gloves in the office and if you would prefer that Dr. Samantha or myself wear them during your treatment, just ask.

We will continue to follow all advisories and directives from the state and Federal governments.

Please make sure to stay home if you are sick, wash your hands, and avoid large crowds. Move away from heavy sneezers and coughers. Use hand sanitzer and good hygeine practices.

With some common sense and persistence we will all get through this together.

Denver Chiropractor’s 1-Page Health News

Here is today’s 1-Page Health News:

Health Alert: Low Levels of Air Pollution Can Increase Risk of Cardiac Arrest. New research suggests that for every ten microgram per cubic meter increase in fine-particulate matter (air pollution from sources such as motor vehicle exhaust or bushfires), an individual’s risk for cardiac arrest increases by 1-4%. The Lancet Planetary Health, January 2020

Diet: Is Weekend Eating Making You Fatter? Maintaining a regular eating schedule could be a key for preventing obesity. Among a group of 1,106 university students, researchers observed that those whose eating schedule on weekends was different than on weekdays tended to have a higher body mass index than students with a more consistent eating schedule. Lead author Dr. Maria Izquierdo Pulido explains, “As a result, when intake takes place regularly, the circadian clock ensures that the body’s metabolic pathways act to assimilate nutrients. However, when food is taken at an unusual hour, nutrients can act on the molecular machinery of peripheral clocks (outside the brain), altering the schedule and thus, modifying the body’s metabolic functions.” Nutrients, January 2020

Exercise: High and Low Exercise Intensity Influences Brain Differently. Among a group of 25 male athletes, researchers observed that low-intensity exercise stimulated the parts of the brain associated with cognitive control/attention, while high-intensity exercise increased activity in the areas of the brain associated with emotional processing. Brain Plasticity, January 2020

Chiropractic: Sleep Issues and Lumbar Stenosis. Spinal stenosis is a debilitating condition associated with the degeneration of the spine, which can have a wide range of symptoms including back pain, leg pain, numbness, and tingling in the legs as well as reduced physical function. A new study involving 148 lumbar spinal stenosis patients found that 63.5% were poor sleepers and that poor sleep was associated with both worse quality of life scores and functional disability. Clinical Spine Surgery, January 2020

Mental Attitude: You and Your Baby Really Are on the Same Wavelength. Using dual-brain neuroimaging, researchers observed that baby and parent brain activity rises and falls in sync while sharing toys and maintaining eye contact. Psychological Science, December 2019

Wellness/Prevention: Caring for Your Newborn. Completing a “new parents” class and asking nurses to help with basic baby care while in the hospital can help you prepare for taking care of your newborn at home. Before discharge from the hospital with your newborn, you should know how to do the following: handle a newborn and support your baby’s neck; change your baby’s diaper; bathe, dress, and swaddle your baby; feed and burp your baby; clean the umbilical cord; use a bulb syringe to clear nasal passages; take your newborn’s temperature; and soothe your baby. Department of Health and Human Services, January 2020

Back to work after the snow day- Our Denver Chiropractors are ready to help you.

Feb 10- We are back in the office after the snow day on Friday. We are ready to help you if you need to come see us. Just call 303.300.0424 or us the contact form on our website.

Here is today’s 1-Page Health News:

Diet: Foods That Raise/Lower Diabetes Risk. The current research notes that a diet rich in whole grains, lean dairy, fish, nuts, and fresh vegetables and fruit is associated with a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, a diet featuring high amounts of red and processed meat, refined grains, and sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to an elevated diabetes risk. National Institute of Public Health (Pakistan), December 2019

Exercise: Exercising in Very Cold Weather May Harm Lungs. Researchers from the University of Alberta warn that lung function can worsen over time when they are exposed to cold weather, especially during exercise. Experts advise that if you work out in the cold, it’s a good idea to do the following: perform an indoor warm-up to help dilate the lungs, reduce your exercise intensity to allow the lungs more time to warm and humidify the air, and shield your mouth from the cold air during exercise. University of Alberta, January 2020

Chiropractic: Spinal Pain and TMD. Using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Review and Assessment database, researchers report that nearly half (48%) of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) patients also have spinal pain. Additionally, the more severe a patient’s TMD symptoms, the more likely they were to also have neck pain or back pain. Past research has demonstrated that dysfunction in the cervical spine can cause or contribute to TMD, and treatment to improve function in the upper spine, such as chiropractic care, can reduce jaw pain and associated disability. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, December 2019

Mental Attitude: Peppermint and Dementia Risk. Among a group of 948 seniors, researchers observed that those unable to smell peppermint and other strong odors were more likely to develop dementia in the following five years. Neuroepidemiology, January 2020

Wellness/Prevention: Losing Tongue Fat May Ease Sleep Apnea. In a study involving 67 obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who participated in a weight loss program, researchers found that a reduction of weight in the tongue contributed to about 30% of the benefit in OSA improvement associated with weight loss. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, January 2020