walking benefits

5 Benefits of Walking That Every Chiropractic Patient Should Know

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The case for walking in order to achieve better health is not new. Doctors and fitness experts have been touting its benefits for decades. When you walk, you engage more than 200 muscles – this includes your pelvis and spine. This makes it an exceptional complement to chiropractic treatment. However, if you aren’t convinced, these five compelling reasons that chiropractic patients should walk are sure to win you over.

Help with Weight Management and Weight Loss

When you are carrying around excess weight it can lead to back pain and impaired mobility. Fat around your middle, especially in the stomach area, throws your body off balance. There is extra weight in front and it pulls that portion of your body forward, causing a swayback effect.

The pain in the lower back that is caused by this pressure can be excruciating. Over the long term this can cause damage to your spine and cause misalignment. While girdles or slings may help, the permanent remedy is to lose the weight. Walking is an excellent, low impact exercise that helps you lose weight, stay active, and stay healthy.

Better Mobility and Flexibility

As we age we become less flexible and we don’t have the mobility of youth. As you walk, your circulation increases and that helps improve flexibility and mobility.

Add a little light stretching to the mix, along with regular chiropractic treatments and you will have a much better range of motion. Your posture will improve and you will reduce your chance of injury during physical activity. All this greatly enhances your spinal health making walking a great complement to chiropractic care.

Relief of Back Pain

Back pain is one of the top reasons that Canadians miss work and worldwide it is the number one cause of disability. Walking is recommended to help ease back pain. It is a very good, low impact exercise that helps you manage your weight and stay active – excess weight can cause your back to hurt. Walking helps relieve back pain, but it can help to prevent it as well. Even walking for just 30 minutes a day 3 to 5 times a week is beneficial.

Spinal Disk Rehydration

There are small, fluid filled disks that lie between each vertebrae, acting as a cushion. As you move about during the day, gravity and certain movements cause your spinal disks to compress, squeezing the water out of them. This can lead to back pain and mobility issues.

The increased circulation from walking helps to force water into this area and the disks absorb that water and are rehydrated. This allows them to continue doing what they are supposed to – act as shock absorbers for your spine. It also helps if you drink plenty of water and stay hydrated throughout the day.

Improved Circulation

Good circulation is integral to spinal health as well as a properly functioning central nervous system. When you walk it increases your circulation allowing your blood to carry vital nutrients to your spine, organs, and your entire body. The soft tissues are enriched and nourished as toxins are flushed out.

Another benefit of this increased circulation is a decrease in blood pressure. It brings your body into balance so your muscles, ligaments, and joints are nourished. This, in turn, helps to make your chiropractic treatments more productive and beneficial.

Walking is beneficial for whole body wellness. It can help you reduce your risk of many serious health conditions including diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure. It is also great for giving you a mental health boost and make you less prone to osteoporosis. So commit to walking just 30 minutes a day, 3 to 5 days a week. You will be astounded at the difference it will make.

Acupuncture Therapy DOs and DONTs

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Acupuncture therapy has started getting acknowledged for its endless benefits to the human body.

Although, many people are still hesitant when it comes to this therapy due to the thought of having fine needles getting inserted into their body, there are many that are opting for it.

Since acupuncture therapy is a big deal, it is important that everyone getting it is aware of certain DOs and DONTs related to it.

DOs

  • Make sure you are not on an empty stomach; eat something light before your treatment.
  • You must tell the acupuncturist if you have consumed alcohol, smoked tobacco or had caffeine.
  • Wear loose fitting clothes before and after the treatment.
  • Arrive at least 15 minutes before your appointment and try not to run.
  • Make sure to urinate before you step in for your appointment.
  • There will be a lot of paperwork, so be prepared.
  • Mentally prepare to be in the hospital for at least 1-hour. The needles while be inserted in you for at least 30 minutes.
  • Stay calm and relaxed during the treatment.
  • Try to stay away from your phone during the treatment.
  • If you need to cancel or postpone your appointment, it is important you call 24 hours in advance.
  • You need to pay very close attention to if and how your pains have lessened or the symptoms, if the pain that you were feeling has changed, or has there been any pain relives or mood changes.

DONTs

  • Avoid multitasking during your treatment.
  • You must not –at any cost- move your body when the needles are in.
  • Do not go to your treatment on an empty stomach or after indulging in a heavy meal.
  • Do not take too much physical, emotional, or mental stress upon yourself after the treatment.
  • Avoid all toxic substances during the day of your appointment.
  • Do not smoke after the session because it will slow down the healing power of your body.
  • You must not soak your body or go for a swim for at least 1 hour after your treatment.

The majority of these tips are made so you can stay protected before, during, and after your treatment. For example, swimming or bathing after a treatment is not advised because the microscopic holes that have been pierced into your body can cause infections.

Some of the suggestions that we have listed allow practitioners to get to accurate diagnoses. Drinking a cup of coffee before the treatment will stain your tongue and add a coat on top of it.

This could lead to inaccurate diagnoses and make your heart beat faster. Practitioners rely on the tongue and pulse when doing the diagnosis, which is why avoiding it before a treatment is recommended. Moreover, caffeine increases “firing of cortisol” that leads to feeling greater levels of pain.

Simply by doing and avoiding the tips mentioned above will allow you to gain maximum benefits out of your acupuncture session!

To book your next acupuncture therapy session, give our clinic a call @ 780-455-2112 and our helpful staff will find a time that works for you.

chiropractic helps ankle pain

How Chiropractic Helps Resolve Ankle Pain

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Ankle pain and injury are not issues reserved solely for athletes. Studies show that somewhere around 40 percent of ankle sprains are not treated correctly or are misdiagnosed, which leads to disability or chronic ankle pain.

When the ankle does not function properly, it can affect the entire body. The muscles on either side of the leg or even under the foot can become sore or painful. This can lead to loss of mobility, an uneven gait, and hip and back pain.

Anatomy of the Ankle

Three bones connect to the joint that is the ankle. The lower ends of the tibia (shinbone) and the fibula (lower leg small bone) meet to form a socket that the talus (ankle bone) sits in.

The bottom of the talus rests on the calcaneus (heel bone). There is about an inch-thick lining of somewhat soft cartilage in the joint, which provides shock absorption for carrying body weight, but it is tough and durable so that, provided there is no injury, it will last for a lifetime.

The bones are held together by ligaments and the muscles are attached to the bones by tendons. When there is an injury, it can impact the bone, muscles, tendon and ligaments.

Treatment for Ankle Injury and Pain

The typical treatment for ankle pain, such as with a sprain, is R.I.C.E., which is rest, ice, compression and elevation. A somewhat newer treatment approach replaces the R with an M, meaning that instead of rest, movement is required instead.

However, it is important that the movement is done safely and carefully. Certain types of ankle injuries can be exacerbated by movement so it should be approached with care.

Other types of traditional treatment include varying methods of pain control from ibuprofen to opioids. Severe injuries, such as a torn ligament, may require surgery. When a patient experiences ankle pain, an x-ray is often used to see if there is an injury and to determine the extent of that injury. Sometimes, though an x-ray is not able to see the injury. In such cases, an MRI may be used.

Chiropractic for Ankle Pain

Chiropractic is very effective for treating foot and ankle pain. The chiropractor will begin by assessing the patient’s source of pain and determine what is causing it. They may use x-rays, MRI, CT scan, and other types of diagnostic tools to help them select the best course or treatment.

When an ankle injury is new and the area is inflamed and tender, the course of treatment may include ultrasound, iontophoresis and whirlpool baths. This is in addition to rest, ice, compression and elevation. As the ankle heals, the inflammation subsides and it becomes more stable, chiropractic adjustments to the ankle and foot may be introduced.

Chiropractic for ankles can help reduce pain without prescription medication and the associated side effects. This alone is often a great draw for many patients. However, there are other benefits that chiropractic can provide for ankle pain.

Regular chiropractic treatment can help strengthen the ankle and increase its stability while increasing mobility and flexibility. Often nerves and soft tissue can become damaged. Chiropractic treatments done on a consistent basis facilitates blood flow, which speeds healing and reduces the chance of injury. It also uses a whole body approach so that the patient can get recommendation on diet and lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or exercising.

Chiropractic care is a very effective therapy for treating ankle pain and injury. It is non-invasive and a natural approach to healing that allows the body to heal itself. At Oliver Chiropractic Wellness Clinic we have many services to keep you moving in life. Give our office a call @ 780-455-2112 and our staff will be happy to get you started.