photo courtesy of shareski

A patient in my office asked, “after I’m finished treating my injuries, how often should I return for care?”  When this patient’s injuries resolve, she will be released from care related to a motor vehicle collision.  She was essentially asking, how often she should make appointments when she wants to continue feeling well.

This patient was still recovering from injuries to muscles, ligaments, and nerves in her neck and low back, but she explained that she was already beginning to feel range and ease of motion that rival her pre-accident status.  Her care concluded when she felt better and we ensured that her condition had stabilized.

The Benefits of Chiropractic Care

If she felt better treating with injuries, she saw that she could continue feeling better receiving chiropractic adjustments after her injuries healed as well.  She understood that her body was benefiting from chiropractic therapy and wants to continue to feel that way in the future.  This is a message that I try to impart to every patient.

For most patients that have no current complaint and desire to present for maintenance care, I recommend visits once a month.  This is often a very good starting point and in the course of care, we will learn if this is a good frequency.  If the patient feels that they are not maintaining optimal functionality, then their frequency can be adjusted accordingly.

Of course patients that are having pain wonder how often they will be treated as well.  Often, patients with injuries will initially be recommended to treat multiple times a week to control symptoms and start to correct misalignments in the spine.  When we start to see maintained improvements then, visit frequency can be reduced.

Staying Aligned Helps Reduce Daily Stresses

The body constantly responds to stressors that affect our well-being and chiropractic treatment can help reduce the effects of these daily stresses on our bodies.  Every patient is different and particular conditions require varying levels of care.

At Matthews Chiropractic Center we can devise an appropriate care plan whether you seek pain relief or desire to stay out of pain.  This is patient centered care, care to suit you.

The morning is often a hurried time. We’re trying to get everything done at breakneck speed to prepare for our commute and work.  Just grabbing a cup of coffee may seem like a good way to get your motor running, but your first meal of the day is really something to fit into your schedule or prepare the night before to take along.

Don’t Starve Yourself

If you don’t have a meal until lunch, than you’re planning to fast (read: starve yourself) for 15 to 20 hours.  The body responds by attempting to store as many calories as possible, not knowing when the next refueling will come.  People who skip breakfast usually get hungry earlier and tend to binge when they finally eat.  Even those not prone to overeating are more likely to grab a doughnut or another unhealthy snack. Those who bypass breakfast often end up ultimately consuming more calories than those who fuel-up with breakfast in the morning.

Breakfast Benefits

Research well supports the benefits of breakfast.  Studying participants of the National Weight Control Registry has found that eating breakfast is a characteristic shared by 78% of those who are able to successfully maintain weight loss^[1].  Another analysis discovered that subjects who ate breakfast had reduced caloric intake overall and lowered LDL cholesterol levels.  Results found that skipping breakfast can lead to weight gain and increased risk of heart disease^[2].  If you needed any more reason to eat breakfast and encourage your children to do so, researchers have found that as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, breakfast can have a positive impact on children’s health and well-being.  “Evidence suggests that breakfast consumption may improve cognitive function related to memory, test grades, and school attendance^[3].”

Breakfast Recipe Suggestions

Oatmeal with fruit and crunch: to 1 cup of oatmeal, made with 1/2 cup of lowfat milk, add 1 cup sliced strawberries, banana, or blueberries and top with 1 Tbs walnuts, pecans, wheatgerm, or lowfat granola.

Multi-grain waffles with fruit topping: toast 2 waffles and top with 1 cup blueberries or other fruit and 3 Tbs light syrup or natural dark maple syrup.

Dairy Protein Breakfast: 1 cup lowfat plain yogurt or cottage cheese with sliced melon.  Sweeten with 1 Tbs honey if desired.

Cooked Eggs on English Muffin with Cheese: cook 2 eggs (break yolks) until firm, top with lowfat cheese (or spread Laughing Cow wedge on muffin half).  *This is great for preparation the night before; wrap in wax paper to reheat.

Most Important Meal of the Day

The benefits of eating a sensible breakfast are considerable.  Eating a low-fat, high-fiber breakfast will not only help you avoid the distraction of mid-morning hunger pangs and subsequent overeating, but will also boost your metabolism, helping your body burn fat.

In addition to keeping hunger at bay, eating breakfast helps to boost metabolism, burn fat, support weight loss, lower bad cholesterol, and improve academic performance in children.  Like chiropractic care, adding breakfast to a healthy lifestyle is another way to keep the body performing at its peak.  Visit the National Weight Control Registry if you seek additional support.  If you are interested in learning more about any of the material in this blog or chiropractic care, please contact us at Matthews Chiropractic Center.

1. Wyatt et al. Long-term weight loss and breakfast in subjects in the National Weight Control Registry. Obes Res. 2002 Feb;10(2):78-82. [↩]
2. Farshchi et al. Deleterious effects of omitting breakfast on insulin sensitivity and fasting lipid profiles in healthy lean women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Feb;81(2);388-96. [↩]
3. Rampersaud et al. Breakfast habits , nutritional status, body weight, and academic performance in children and adolescents. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005 May;105(5):743-60. [↩]

Proactive vs Reactionary Care

There seems to be two main groups of patients in my office. The first group always has an appointment scheduled and comes into the office for spinal adjustments on a regular basis, while the other population presents for care when they are in crisis.  These two groups illustrate two different models for healthcare.  The regularly scheduled patients are proactive and present for care to maintain their well-being.  Patients who present only when they are in pain represent care which is reactionary – this is how most Americans utilize healthcare.  Reactionary or crisis care means needing a root canal when flossing, brushing and regular cleanings would have preserved healthy teeth and gums; requiring ER services for any number of life-threatening conditions preventable with good diet and exercise; letting our automobile engines seize instead of regularly changing the oil; or visiting the doctor when back pain is too great to bear.

The Eventuality of Back Pain & Arthritis

Estimates indicate that about 80% of people will deal with significant low back pain at some point in their lives.  And a great many of us will eventually experience arthritis pain and stiffness.  Just witness the huge proliferation in products to treat joint discomfort, low back and arthritis pain as a testament to this expanding problem.  From the New England Journal of Medicine, a review found that a clear diagnosis could not be made in near 85% of low back injury cases^[1].  After careful examination, abnormalities could not be found.  Another study, with emphasis on imaging, determined that 97% of low back pain was mechanical in nature^[2].  Maybe degeneration is not pathological, but normal…

Pain, injuries and accelerated degeneration are the result of biomechanical stress.  Indeed, Wolff’s Law tells us that any bone, subjected to prolonged biomechanical stress will adapt to that stress^[3].  This is the same process that causes premature degenerative changes, osteoarthritis, and loss of joint motion.

How Do We Combat These Changes?

With treatments to resolve structural imbalances and support proper biomechanics.  Chiropractic maintenance care is effective because it allows patients to preserve good spinal biomechanics and smooth, pain-free joint mobility.

We know how to abide by a more sensible, preventative model.  We follow a similar paradigm in the maintenance of our teeth and automobiles.  Unfortunately, our spines are not something that can be replaced.  Start the new year off right and resolve to keep your spine happy and healthy for years to come.

Call Matthews Chiropractic Center today to schedule a spinal biomechanical evaluation and get on the road to wellness.

1. Deyo RA, Weinstein JN.  Low Back Pain. N Engl J Med. 2001 Feb 1;344(5):363-70. [↩]
2. Jarvik JG, Deyo RA.  Diagnostic evaluation of low back pain with emphasis on imaging. Ann Intern Med. 2002 Oct 1;137(7):586-97. [↩]
3. “Wolff’s Law.”  Stedman’s Medical Dictionary.  26th ed.  1995.  Print. [↩]

There was great interest at this past Monday’s Siskey YMCA Health Fair in Matthews, NC.  It was terrific to meet neighbors working hard to stay fit and healthy.  Most folks were headed to or had just finished their workouts when we fielded questions related to chiropractic, spinal stability, and Foot Levelers orthotics.  A full line of Foot Levelers Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers are available at Matthews Chiropractic Center.  Kim Johnson, LMBT, joined me to offer complimentary chair massages… her magical hands stayed busy start to finish.  The Siskey YMCA is a wonderful, buzzing, and well equipped facility.  Thank you to Sarah Duncan, RN, CCM (Siskey YMCA Health Nurse) for her coordinating efforts.

Image by Adria Richards

Very often after reviewing x-rays where I have identified and measured postural imbalances, patients will ask how these changes could have come about.  They are curious why a hip is higher on one side, curvature in the low back is exaggerated, or the head is held forward.  Time and again I tell patients that have no history of an accident or injury that the position of their spine is largely related to their posture.  Sometimes the possible cause of a patient’s postural distortion is elusive and other times the cause is right before our eyes.

4 Common Causes of Postural Problems:

1. Side carrying

One cause of postural distortion is due to weight being carried more on one side of the body.  Common occurrences are carrying children on the hip, schlepping heavy pocket books and frequent use of heavy duffle bags and briefcases.  My best advice in these instances is to lighten the load when possible (I understand that children only grow), haul items in a neutral posture with chest/back carriers, backpacks or rolling luggage.  And when you have no choice but to sling over a shoulder, alternate shoulders while toting and lay the strap over the opposite shoulder (across the chest).

2. FWIRP – Fat Wallet in Rear Pocket

Ever notice on a pair of men’s jeans that one of the back pockets is stretched out or the material bears a faded, rectangular pattern.  If sitting with FWIRP can change denim this way, what is doing to our spines?

Imagine sitting all day long with a brick under one side of your backside.  The unleveling causes torsion (twisting) of the pelvis and the spine to bend sideways so we can keep sitting upright, instead of leaning.  These changes all happen automatically, so we are not even conscious of the changes taking place.  Now, a brick is an exaggeration for most, but illustrates how a thick wallet in your back pocket can affect the body.  Especially for desk workers and long distance drivers, slimming your wallet and storing it in your front pocket is a good way to avoid FWIRP syndrome.

3. Sleep Posture

If you are a side-sleeper and not using a pillow or cushion between your knees at night, then you are likely contributing to pelvic torsion.  While side-sleeping, if your top knee and leg are not resting on their counterparts below, then the knee is rotating forward, pulling the hip and pelvis into a twisted position.  Eight hours every night (hopefully) and it is easy to see how one hip might find itself higher than the other.  If you sleep side-lying, consider keeping your hips aligned with a pillow between your knees.

4. High Heels

I would be remiss if I failed to address this phenomenon.  Wearing high heeled shoes, especially over 2 inches and worn throughout the day, has a clear effect on low back posture.  Heels cause the pelvis to tilt forward and a corresponding increase in the low back curvature.  Reduce the effects of these changes by wearing shorter heels (2 inches or less) for less time.

So, hopefully you aspire to better posture and can find a way to incorporate some of the recommendations above.  If you have tried some of my suggestions and are still uncomfortable, please call Matthews Chiropractic Center at 704.841.3833 to schedule a consultation and exam.  Better spinal health could be just a call away.