To maximize weight loss and exercise goals, you need to avoid crash diets and overly aggressive exercise programs. Small, simple changes have a more lasting effect. For instance, instead of going on a food fast or severe calorie deprivation diet, make a pledge to have smarter food choices by eating healthier foods. Start reading food packaging labels. Labels are the key to weight loss and proper nutrition. From labels, you gain the knowledge of which foods are high calorie and which ones have too much fat or carbohydrates (sugar). More importantly, you can study the ingredients of food products so that you can avoid certain health and weight loss sabotaging components. You can exclude potentially harmful ingredients like high sodium levels, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and colors and hydrogenated oils from your diet when you read labels. As far as an exercise program is concerned, instead of stressing yourself out over finding the time for a two-hour gym workout each day of the week, try starting out with three to four 30-minute walks per week. Walking on a treadmill at the gym or outdoors is one of the best all-round exercises. Studies have shown that walkers are 50% healthier than non-exercisers. Once you make a walking routine an integral part of your week, it is then much easier to branch out into other forms of exercise, like circuit training or aerobics classes. The bottom line is that if you start making changes slowly and ease into a healthy lifestyle, the more likely your goals will take root and become a part of your life.
Introduction to Chiropractic
What is Chiropractic?
Being a type of manual therapy, the practitioner utilizes techniques, forces and manipulations that are administered chiefly by hands. The spinal cord is the center of all therapies for a chiropractic doctor. Their belief is that the spine is the central structure as it allows messages from different parts of the body to reach the brain and vice versa. Under the state of paralysis in any part of the body, it is the spinal cord that can make any limb completely nonfunctional.
Spine Manipulation
Keeping the vitality of the spine in mind, D. D. Palmer brought to life the concept of spine manipulation to deal with vertebral subluxation. It is the practice of applying varying amounts of force to the area of concern in the spine to restore normal functioning. Palmer is popular for applying this technique to a deaf individual (deafness not present at birth) and being successful at restoring his hearing capabilities.
Subluxation
Primarily a chiropractic practitioner deals with a vertebral subluxation. A subluxation is when the spine loses its normal positioning and the neural pathway dysfunction causes a compromise in the functioning of several different parts of the body including the visceral system. A subluxation occurs as a result of a trauma, injury or even a chemical imbalance in the body.
Chiropractic’s Forte
A thorough examination is undertaken before your doctor performs any chiropractic techniques to relieve your pain. Several conditions are beyond the realm of this care. If you have a neurological condition, then you will be recommended to a neurologist and will not be administered any care procedures under a chiropractic practitioner. Other such conditions that cannot be dealt with manual therapies include tumors, broken bones, osteoporosis and arthritis. Areas that can be called its forte are pain in the upper and lower back, neck pain, and headaches, minor injuries related to sports, asthma, tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, menstrual pains and the like.
Neck pain
This is said to be the second most valid reason for paying a visit to a chiropractic practitioner. However, neck pain can be caused by a variety of reasons. Several of which can be dealt with utilizing chiropractics. With cervical disc degenerative diseases, pinched cervical nerve, minor injuries to ligaments, herniated disc disease and the like, chiropractic can be very effective.
When the neck becomes an area of concern, several other parts of the body can suffer the impact. Weakness in the arms, shoulders and hands, the tingling sensation in parts of the body supplied by the neck suffer along with the pain in neck. Therefore, dealing with neck pain with the help of a chiropractic practitioner is a wise decision.
Causes of Back Pain
Back pain may occur due to various reasons; be it a sports injury, pulling a heavy object or a fall/ injury to the spine. If you are suffering from back pain, it would be wise to have a look at some of the common risk factors and causes of back pain by consulting a Chiropractor.
Risk Factors
The risk of back pain varies in different individuals, depending on their lifestyle. People who work in a mentally stressful job, smoke or go through strenuous physical work are more susceptible to back pain than those who don’t. Other factors such as pregnancy, anxiety, depression and obesity can also lead to this condition. Age is also a factor, as older individuals are at a higher risk than younger ones.
Causes Of Back Pain
Strain
The most common cause of back pain is strained muscles and ligaments, which may be a result of lifting something heavy or a sudden awkward movement. It can also be caused by improper posture due to a bad mattress or sitting position.
Structural Problems
The human body is a complex structure composed of bones, muscle, ligaments and joints. A fault in any of these can cause numerous problems, including back pain. Some particular structural problems that may affect the back are as follows:
Arthritis
Arthritis can cause various joint problems in the hips and lower back.
Bulging And Ruptured Disks
The vertebra in our spine is cushioned by a disk, so a ruptured disk would result in more pressure on the nerves, resulting in back aches. A bulging disk would put even more pressure on the nerves.
Sciatica
A bulging disk can also press on a nerve in the spine, causing a shooting pain through the buttocks and down the legs.
Curvature Of The Spine
An unnatural curvature of the spine can cause the space around the spinal cord to narrow, causing back pains.
Osteoporosis
A vertebra fracture can be caused by the bones becoming more brittle.
Conditions, There are also some conditions which may cause back pains.
Spinal Cancer
A growth or tumor on the spine may press against a nerve.
Infections
Infection on the nerves (shingles) and spine may also cause pains.
Cauda Equine Syndrome
The growth of nerve roots at the bottom of the spinal cord can cause a dull pain, as well as lack of feeling in the upper buttocks.
Lumbar Back Pain and Chiropractic Treatment
Many individuals experience lower back pain, also referred to as lumbar back pain, below the rib cage in their body, which causes extreme pain and discomfort. It is usually contracted by individuals because of different work related activities which involve the lifting of heavy objects or long and strenuous hours for operating various machines at the workplace. Chiropractic treatment is reputed to be highly beneficial for relieving the pain of the individuals suffering from lower back pain.
What Is Lumbar Back Pain?
The lumbar or lower back area, provides support to the physical structure of a human being. It also facilitates the movement of an individual and protects different body tissues. Lumbar back pain is the pain experienced by an individual in the lower area of the spine, which may be caused due to a slipped or ruptured disc, problems in the ligaments, spinal cord or nerves.
The pain usually starts below the rib cage and eventually affects the movement of an individual. The pain may be caused because of involvement in any strenuous activity, trauma or accident. The symptoms of lumbar back pain include weakness in the leg and loss of bowel and bladder control. In some cases, the patient might also suffer from a fever along with heightened episodes of pain, while coughing or sneezing. These symptoms are glaring indications of a severe lumbar back pain experienced by an individual.
If an individual experiences lumbar pain, because of a ruptured disc, then it might exert pressure on the nerves. If the sciatic nerve is pressurized, then the individual might face excruciating pain and even problems in mobility.
It is very important to adopt certain changes in the work styles and everyday activities, in order to prevent a constant back pain from developing. Different postures at the work place prompt lower back pain in individuals which can grow to dangerously severe proportions if not treated in time. Patients of lumbar back pain require a few weeks of rest for the pain to subside successfully, whereas in extreme cases surgical treatment may also be required.
Chiropractic Care and Lumbar Back Pain
Chiropractors provide non surgical treatment procedures for different musculoskeletal disorders like carpal tunnel, sciatica, neck and back pain. They offer joint manipulation and muscle adjustment services for the quick recovery and relief of patients. The treatment is focused on therapy sessions which aim to relieve the extreme pain suffered by the patients and provide them a healthy solution to their muscle strains and back pain problems.
Image used under Creative Commons Licensing: Blausen 0484 HerniatedLumbarDisc.png
How to Find the Right Chiropractor for your Sports Injuries
Chiropractors are part of America’s third largest primary healthcare profession. With hundreds in each state, it is evident that finding the right one is a rather difficult task. Fortunately, it is not impossible either. Here are 5 factors you should look for on your search for the right chiropractor.
1 – Reputation
The most important factor to analyze when searching through a list of recommended chiropractors is their reputation. Even with years of experience, some chiropractors do not prove as beneficial as others. When it comes to sports injuries, ensure that you choose only a highly reputable chiropractor, evident by a number of positive online reviews.
2 – Experience
A chiropractor may come highly recommended and they may have a reputation as being a great chiropractor. However, if you have visited multiple chiropractors before, with little positive result, it may be a good idea to choose a more experienced chiropractor. With more experience, your chiropractor will know about a deal of problems and hence can help you better than others.
3 – Locality
Of course, locality is an important factor when choosing from your list of chiropractors. With the busy schedule most people have, the last thing anyone needs is to travel for an hour to reach the chiropractor. As such, unless they are one of the best chiropractors in the state, area or country, always select a chiropractor that is close by.
4 – Availability
Considering the nature of their work, chiropractors can be unavailable at many times. If you need to have your sports injuries examined on a weekly basis, it would be unwise to select a chiropractor that is available only once a week. Why? Because with the load they have, setting up an appointment will be difficult.
5 – Services
Last but not least, when selecting from a large list of recommended chiropractors, ensure that you select one that offers a number of services. While you may require a chiropractor for sports injuries, it is wise to have one for other problems too such as back and neck pain.
By analyzing the 5 factors above, selecting the right chiropractor will no longer be a difficult task. However, ensure that you spend ample time on each factor, ensuring that the chiropractor you choose has the right blend of the above 5 factors. Never pick a chiropractor who excels in just one factor.
Image used under Creative Commons Licensing: Crunches.jpg
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