Everyday activities that cause Neck Pain, Back Pain and Spinal Stress

Everyday activities that cause postural stress and spinal misalignments:

1. Prolonged sitting
2. Sitting after vigorous activity
3. Lying and resting with poor posture
4. Improper lifting
5. Prolonged standing
6. Working in stooped positions

Postural stress slowly weakens and distorts the structure and function of your spine and nerve system. Postural stress progressively weakens the ligaments and discs that support the spine and can stretch and irritate the spinal cord and spinal nerves that run between the spinal bones. If you make the effort to maintain good posture throughout each day, you can significantly reduce postural stress and improve the health of your entire body!

Prolonged sitting:
Many people sit more than 8-10 hrs per day. We sit at our desks, in the car, on the bus,
at the dinner table, on the couch, etc. And we do this everyday… for years! Let’s do the math:
8 hrs/ day x 365 days year= 2920 hrs of sitting every year! Improper sitting is one of the most common causes of spinal dysfunction. On average, 1/3 of your life is spend sitting, so let’s learn how to do it right.

Rule #1: Do not slouch. Maintain the proper curves (lordosis) in your neck and back.
Keep your chin up and your head back over your shoulders. If the seat
has a backrest, use a rolled towel to support the low back.

Rule #2: Interrupt periods of prolonged sitting with motion. Move the hips forward and
back, right and left 10 times, and/or stand up and walk around.
Do this at least once every hour.

Sitting after vigorous activity:

It is very important to maintain proper spinal curves after activity because the joints of the spine undergo a loosening processes after activity. Spinal joints become misaligned easily if they are put into a slouched position after vigorous activity.
Rule #1: After vigorous activity, you should gradually cool down. Do not stop activity abruptly. Stand up right, walk around, and move your head forward andbackwards (yes), right and left (no) 10 x. Also, bend backward at the hips 10 x.When you sit down to rest, avoid slouching and maintain your spinal curves.

Lying down and resting:
Like sitting, many of us lie down to rest or sleep for 6-8 hours per day. On average, we spend 1/3 of your life in this position. Think about it… 2/3 of your life is spent either sitting or lying down. The impact on the spine is significant because both activities contribute significantly to spinal misalignments and poor posture. If you do it right, you can reduce the accumulated stress from these activities considerably.

Rule #1: Use your pillow to support your neck and head. When lying on your
back make a deep hollow in the center of your pillow to rest the back of your head. When on your side, use the pillow to keep your head and neck straight. Do not rest with head and neck in a kinked position.

Rule #2: Do not sleep on your stomach with your head turned. This places
extreme stress on the upper neck and is the cause of many problems.

Lifting:

Lifting objects with your back greatly increases the stress to your spine and discs. Everytime you lift improperly, you do a little more damage and your one step closer to having a serious spinal problem. When doing heavy lifting for prolonged periods of time, take a rest and bend forwards and backwards 10 times.

Rules for lifting:

1. stand as close to the object to be lifted as possible. Bend your knees
or use a stool if necessary. Do not reach out for objects.
2. maintain proper spinal curves
3. get a secure grip and keep the object as close to you as possible.
4. lift objects slowly off the floor with your legs.
5. once you are upright and holding the object, shift your feet to turn
and avoid twisting the lower body.

Rule summary: Keep the object close to you, do not twist the lower body, and
Maintain proper spinal curves.

Prolonged standing:

Prolonged standing causes fatigue of the postural muscles of the back. When this
happens, the curve in your low back becomes excessive and your stomach hangs out.
This is the opposite position to the slouched position.

Rules #1: Stand as tall as you can by lifting your chest up, pulling in your
stomach and slightly tightening your buttocks

Working in a stooped position:
When you work in a stooped position (ie. vacuuming, gardening, bedmaking, etc) the stress on your lower back is considerably greater then when you stand with the backstraight. This can easily lead to spinal misalignments and back pain.

Rule #1: Interrupt the stooped position at regular intervals. Stand up straight and bend backwards 10x every :30 minutes

2 ways to maintain a youthful spine and nerve system

1. Have your spine and nerve system checked regularly with chiropractic and
applied kinesiology to maintain a strong brain/body connection and

reduce structural misalignments before they become problematic.

2. Follow the rules listed above to enhance the effect of your chiropractic care, help you hold your adjustments longer, and help prevent injuries.

A Healthy Spine & Nerve System

Will Improve Your Life!!

The importance of a chiropractic evaluation following an auto accident

Many of my current clients have told me that when they went to their doctor following their accident, they received a brief examination, given pain medication and released. Few of them were x-rayed, and even fewer were referred to chiropractors to detect subtle spine and muscle injuries. A February 2001 study in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology revealed that accident victims, classified as having “minor” injuries experienced a threefold increase of neck and shoulder pain 7 years after their accidents. Another study published in 1997 in the American Journal of Arthritis and Rheumatology found that 21.6% of adults with neck injuries developed Fibromyalgia with 1 year of their injury! Don’t just walk away from the accident and think that you will be fine. Everyone who is involved in an automobile accident has the right to a complete chiropractic evaluation to detect subtle injuries to the spine and muscles that can result in an increased risk of headache, back pain, fatigue, stomach pain, sleep disturbance and general ill health years later. If you or someone you know has been in an auto accident, call our office today at 206-860-9090 to schedule a chiropractic evaluation

Our Primary Intention at The Vital Energy Center

Our Primary Intention is to help as many people as we can lead happier and healthier lives.

Thats what motivates us and drives us to continually improve the quality of our services.

We know that every person we help creates a positive shift for us, for them, for their family, community, and all humanity.

The goals for The Vital Energy Center are to:

• Substantially improve our patients health and well-being far beyond "back-pain problems".

• Provide our patients with self-care education to promote a lifetime of health & wellness

• Help our patients understand the primary that chiropractic, nutrition, and massage have in the restoration and maintenance of good health.
  

• Give you access to the best natural healers in one convenient location.

• 
  
• To set a new standard for quality care and impeccable service.
  

The Vital Energy Center's Certified Nutritionist Eliza Carlson MS,CN at the KCTS health fair!

On Sept. 10, 2008 Eliza and I were invited to attend an employee health fair at KCTS. Eliza, our nutritionist, was performing anti-oxidant screenings with the Pharmanex BioPhotonic Scanner. People were lining up to get their Body Defense Scores and see if their current diets and supplementation program were working. To the surprise of many, their "good diets and daily supplementation" weren't working! They had low scores (<20,000 : optimum is 50,000+) The scanner doesnt lie! its a very accurate measurement of the anti-oxidant benefit that you're getting from your diet. If the diet is deficient in fruit and veggies, it shows. If your supplements are not being absorbed or if the quality of the nutrients are poor, it show. Eliza is a Certified Nutritionist, and was able to offer solid advise and a guaranteed way to improve anti-oxidant levels and Body Defense Scores. If you're interested in knowing your score, give us a call. On your first visit, Eliza will run the scan, and help you determine how to maximize your anti-oxidant protection. The Vital Energy Center was a huge hit at KCTS and we look forward to the next event!

Research on Applied Kinesiology

Here are several of the many studies across multiple disciplines on manual muscle testing and applied kinesiology.

The first study is a fantastic synopsis of 19 peer reviewed -clinically researched cases and their response to applied kinesiology manual muscle testing and chiropractic treatment.

http://www.chiroandosteo.com/content/pdf/1746-1340-15-4.pdf

10 years worth of Structured Abstracts from the International College of Applied Kinesiology, ICAK Collected Papers: ICAK Applied Kinesiology Collected Papers Structured Abstracts 2006-1996.doc (601 kb)

What is Applied Kinesiology Muscle Testing...

Basic human anatomy has shown that there is an intimate connection between your muscles and your nerve system. The purpose of the central nerve system, your brain and spinal cord, is to control, regulate, and heal the body. In order to do this, your brain must be able to send an electrical signal, or "vital energy", over the spinal cord, thorough the spinal nerves and out to every muscle, organ and gland. Without the transmission of this vital enery, the body will die. If this energy is cut off from any one part of the body, that individual part will die. Every muscle, organ and gland is also able to send electrical signals over the nerves to notifiy the brain of its current condition and specific needs. Optimum body function is only possible when the electrical energy in your body can travel without interference over the nerves. However, when the body is in a state of dis-ease the brain cannot effectively transmit this signal to the body parts. As a result, the ability of the brain to control, regulate and heal the body is diminished. Diminished nerve signals can be identified by performing a manual muscle test. Muscle testing is performed as a means of tuning in to the function of your body's electrical system or nerve system. When performing a muscle test we are looking for the muscle to respond "strong". A "strong" or facilitated muscle responds by contracting fully in response to the pressure being applied to it. If the muscle being tested is shakey, or gives way, this indicates that there is an inadequate neurologic control, or inhibition, of the muscle. There are many reason for this, but is often the result due to neuroarticular dysfunction, or spinal joint subluxation., After your chiropractor locates the source of the problem, and corrects it with a chiropractic adjustment, the brain is better able to deliver the electrical signal to the muscle, the muscle responds "strong" when tested, and the functional integrity of your nerve system has been improved. This is clinically associated with pain relief, joint stabilization, improved muscular activation, strength, flexibility, and coordination. Chiropractic and Applied Kinesiology Manual Muscle Testing maximize your self-healing and self-regulating abilities by improving the ability of your brain to send its life giving vital energy to every muscle, organ and gland in the body!! GET ADJUSTED TODAY!

How do i know whether to use ice or heat after an injury?

People often ask me which is better to use to facilitate healing, ice or heat. To determine this, its helpful to understand what ice and heat do to the tissues.

ICE: decreases the flow of circulation, decreases swelling after an acute injury, decreases pain impulses, and INCREASES muscle and ligament tension. Best applied after an acute injury in which a sprain/strain has occurred and where there is swelling. Also, when unusual or strenuous physical activity is followed by muscle or joint pain, its best to apply ice. Never apply ice directly to the skin, wrap the ice pack in a cloth before placing over the injured area. Ice is typically applied for :10 minutes every hour for the first 1-3 days, but its best to consult your doctor for the exact treatment frequency.

HEAT: increases circulation of blood and decreases muscle and ligament tension. Best used to relieve chronic muscle and ligament tension. Moist heat penetrates deeper into the body than dry heat and be sure to dry the area after use to prevent rapid cooling.

Hope that helps!! If you have questions let me know, I'd be happy to help.