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How Chiropractic Benefits Cyclists

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Now that summer is upon us and the chilly winds of winter are gone for at least a few months, more people are taking their fitness and recreational activities outside. Cycling is popular activity that fits both bills. It is a great way to unwind and enjoy the great outdoors, but it is also an excellent form of exercise.

Chiropractic provides excellent benefits to cyclists, whether you hit the trails on the weekend, incorporate cycling as part of your fitness regimen, or commute to work on your bike every day.

  • Relief from Pain
  • Faster Healing from Injuries
  • Better Muscle Tone and Balance
  • Improved Range of Motion
  • Enriched Cycling Biomechanics

In short, chiropractic and help make you a better cyclist and help you get the most out of your cycling. It will help keep your body aligned and balanced physically, but it also treats the whole body.

That means that your chiropractor will also make nutritional recommendations and even recommend various supplements if necessary. This will give your energy a boost and improve your performance, while helping you stay healthy and fit. This is how chiropractic helps you have more stamina and endurance.

Chiropractic for Cycling Injuries

As with any type of physical activity, there is always a chance that injuries will occur. Chiropractic helps keep your body balanced and improves your flexibility. This, in turn, decreases your chance for injury.

However, if you are injured, chiropractic can help you recover and heal much faster. You start with a healthy, balanced body through regular chiropractic care, and that helps you bounce back faster if you sustain an injury.

Chiropractic care can also be used to treat injuries. Cycling can cause pain and injury in the ligaments, muscles, knees, ankles, hips, hands, wrists, feet, neck, back, and shoulders.

Regular adjustments can help decrease the likelihood of pain in these areas, but sometimes the soreness can creep in anyway. When that happens, chiropractic treatments have been shown to be very effective in treating pain without pain medication and associated harmful side effects.

Spinal alignment is one of the most common chiropractic techniques, but it goes much farther than that. Adjustments to the legs and feet can help with ankle, knee, hip, and foot pain. Adjustments to the arms and shoulders can help relieve pain in those areas. Special attention to the joints help keep them flexible and functioning as they should.

Chiropractic allows the Body’s Natural Ability to Heal

Chiropractic is completely natural and does not rely on invasive treatments or surgeries. It does not use medications of any kind. It uses nutrition and supplements that rely on the body’s natural ability to heal. It simply realigns the body so that the neural pathways are unobstructed. This allows blood flow to be more efficient and reach the organs much easier.

Chiropractic involves gentle spinal manipulations that realign the body and restore movement in the joints as well as muscle trigger points and soft tissue. It may include electrical muscular current therapies, massage, cold laser therapy, ultrasonic waves, and other therapies in addition to the spinal manipulations.

A chiropractic patient may be advised to rest, ice an area, elevate it, or be given specific exercises to work that area. Chiropractic is not a rote therapy as many traditional medical practices tend to be. It adjusts to each patient, taking into account their unique lifestyle, activity level, nutritional needs, and other elements that influence that particular patient’s healing process.

Chiropractic sees each patient as individual and treat them as such. This is what makes it such an effective treatment for cyclists. The benefits it offers them can not only keep them pain free and participating in their activity; it can also make them better at it.

Visit www.ocwc.ca to learn more about our chiropractors or call (780)455-2112 to book your assessment!

acidity alkalinity ph balance

What Chiropractic Patients Need To Know About Acidity vs. Alkalinity In The Body

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There has been a lot in the media lately about alkalinity and acidity in the body, but finding solid, straightforward information isn’t always easy. In short, acidity can cause a number of health issues. There are many benefits of bringing your body into balance.

What is high acidity?

The term acidity describes a condition where the body is affected by the excess production of gastric acids. Under normal conditions, hydrochloric acid is secreted by the stomach, aiding in the digestion and breakdown of food.

However, when this normal process is triggered in such a way that it causes overproduction of the acid, it can result in health problems. Acidity can be caused by irregular eating patterns, fad diets, alcohol consumption, stress, smoking, an unhealthy diet, and a sedentary lifestyle. Symptoms can include:

  • Indigestion
  • Burning in the stomach
  • Belching
  • Sour taste
  • Burning in the throat
  • Constipation
  • Nausea
  • Restlessness

What are the dangers of high acidity in the body?

When the body is acidic, it can affect everything from immunity to neurological function to bone health. The Japanese have linked acidity to degenerative diseases like arthritis, cancer, and osteoporosis.

An acidic body is also a very hospitable environment for bacteria and viruses to thrive meaning the person will often get sick more often. When the body is out of balance it becomes susceptible to conditions as simple as dandruff and as complex as diabetes. Interestingly, many people have reversed or gone into remission by simply bringing their body into balance.

What is alkalinity?

In order to understand alkalinity, you need to understand pH levels. This is the measure used to determine how alkaline or acid something is. A pH of 0 is at the acidic end of the scale and means the thing being measured is completely acidic. At the other end of the scale, a pH of 14 is totally alkaline. The neutral point is a pH of 7.

Different parts of the body have different pH levels, meaning that some parts are more acidic while others are more alkaline. For instance, blood typically has a pH that is between 7.35 and 7.45, making it slightly alkaline. The stomach, on the other hand, is highly acidic, registering a pH of 3.5 or lower. Making the body more alkaline is not about making it completely alkaline – you need some acidity, it is necessary for digestion and other processes – it is more about bringing the body into balance.

What are the benefits of alkalinity?

When the body has increased alkalinity, bringing it into better pH balance, it is healthier and has a decreased risk of chronic illness. There is also less likelihood of illness. When the body is in a better pH balance it can result in many benefits including:

  • More energy
  • Improved cognitive function
  • Slowed aging process
  • Weight loss
  • Lower cancer risk
  • Decreased risk of chronic illness
  • Increased immunity

How can you bring your body into balance?

The best way to bring your body into better pH balance is by modifying your diet. As a rule of thumb, animal based foods like meat, eggs, and dairy tend to be more acidic. A vegetarian diet rich in plant-based foods like vegetables and fruits tend to be more alkaline. While the body does need a diet that includes both acidic and alkaline foods, a diet of processed foods and foods high in fat and sugar can cause too much acidity. By adjusting the diet, eliminating processed foods, and maintaining a healthier, more vegetarian based diet, you can bring your body into balance and enjoy better health as a result.

Visit www.ocwc.ca for more tips on how to get your body feeling and looking better!

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What Chiropractic Patients Want To Know About Fitness Trackers

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Exercise is usually a great compliment to chiropractic treatment. In fact, many chiropractors recommend regular exercise to their patients. It helps with pain management and speeds healing as well as give your mood a healthy, natural boost. Where does fitness trackers come in?

Fitness trackers are a popular workout tool that helps people set fitness goals, track their progress, and get healthier. How can they help chiropractic patients though? What can they offer that patients will get more out of their treatments? Find out what you need to know about chiropractic and fitness trackers.

It takes more than the tech to get you fit.

All the flashy, high tech bells and whistles in the world won’t roll you out of bed in the morning and place you on the treadmill. No fancy wristband will get you up and moving, getting exercise and getting fit. The tech is cool. It is fun and exciting, but it won’t get you fit. Only you can do that.

So if you are getting a fitness tracker with the belief that it is going to be some kind of fitness magic bullet, that just won’t happen. It is great as a fitness buddy, a tool, a nifty gadget that may help motivate you and help you achieve your fitness goals. In the end, though, you are the one driving that car. You are in control.

Is a fitness tracker for you?

There are so many fitness trackers on the market with an almost endless list of features. Finding the one that is right for you, or if you could even benefit from a fitness tracker takes a bit of research. Look for features that work for you and the activities you will be pursing.

For instance, if you enjoy water-based fitness activities you might want a waterproof model. There are also data limits, screen sizes (or no screen at all), heart rate tracking options, and whether you want a clip on tracker or one that straps on your wrist.

Before making your purchase, take some time to research all of the features that are available to you then decide what you like and what features would best help you meet your fitness goals.

How to get the most out of your fitness tracker.

Once you have your fitness tracker you will want to make a plan to ensure that you get the most out of it. Try these tips to make your fitness tracker work its best for you.

Identify clear cut goals. When you begin your fitness quest, the first thing you need to do is know where you want to go with it. It is a good idea to record your stats at the beginning and then update them every month or so. This will let you see how many more steps you are taking, how much weight you’ve lost, or whatever else you wish to accomplish.

Set attainable benchmarks. Benchmarks help you along as you work toward your goal. The key is setting them so that they are attainable but still present a bit of a challenge. If weight loss is your key, you might set benchmarks for every two months. For fitness goals, you may set benchmarks for a certain number of steps in a given time or a certain number of workouts each week. When you reach a benchmark, celebrate a little.

Wear it on your non-dominant wrist. The Journal, Medical and Science in Sports and Exercise published a study that revealed participants who wore fitness trackers on their wrists throughout the day found that they were more accurate when worn on the non-dominant wrist. The theory is that the non-dominant wrist moves less, giving a more accurate reading.

Calibrate your tracker to match your stride. Not everyone has the same stride. You may be very tall or very short; you might take longer strides or time steps. Whatever the case, you’ll get the most out of your fitness tracker by calibrating your stride. Most trackers will provide instructions for doing the calibration. It is well worth taking the time to complete it.

Incorporate other apps to boost your fitness efforts. Many fitness trackers will recommend other apps that can help you meet your goals and you can sync them to your tracker. However, you can also look for apps on your own that can help. There are so many different fitness apps out there from food tracking to apps that use your phone’s GPS to provide more accurate measurements on your runs, walks, or bike rides.

The more fit you are the better your chiropractic treatments will typically work. Fitness trackers can help you reach your goals and get the most out of your chiropractic care.

Visit www.ocwc.ca for more health information and fitness tips in our various blogs!

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How Chiropractic Helps Relieve Pain From Facet Syndrome

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Facet syndrome, also called facet joint sprain or facet joint syndrome is a common cause of back pain. There are many treatments that are used, but most mainstream medical treatments involve pain medication which can have undesirable side effects and may even lead to addiction.

Chiropractic is a proven, reliable treatment for relieving the pain and discomfort of facet syndrome. It helps restore mobility and flexibility while providing pain relief. Some patient notice significant relief from the pain and inflammation of this condition with chiropractic treatment and it is often recommended to facet syndrome patients.

What is facet syndrome?

Facet syndrome is the result of an injury to the facet joints. Zygapophyseal joints, or facet joints reside at the posterior of the spine. At each level there are two joints, one on each side of the spine.

The facet joints are enclosed in a joint capsule. They are synovial joints so the capsule contains synovial fluid. The surface of the joints is covered with hyaline cartilage.

Other joints, such as the ankle, contain this type of cartilage covering. These joints are constructed in this way due to their role in the body – to control excessive or extensive movement. This would include hyper extension and rotation. By doing so they help to stabilize the spine.

Facet syndrome occurs when there is an injury to the facet joints. There are numerous causes, but basically, it is a sprain that is brought about by excessive movement.

This damages the joint capsule and the result is inflammation, swelling, and pain. The pain triggers a protective mechanism in the spine called a reactive muscle spasm which causes great difficulty in moving comfortable and severe, sudden pain.

It is difficult to rest the back because of its integral function in supporting the entire body. A severe sprain can take weeks to heal, typically 2 to 6 weeks. This means that the pain and lack of mobility is impacting you on a daily basis. It can be very difficult to pursue day to day activities and enjoy your typical lifestyle.

Chiropractic for facet syndrome

Chiropractic care is a proven, effective treatment for facet syndrome. When you visit your chiropractor, he or she will conduct a physical exam, discuss your medical history, and may send you for diagnostic tests like x-rays and MRIs. Once they have a clear picture of your condition and a facet syndrome diagnosis has been confirmed, they will discuss with you a recommended course of treatment that may include:

  • Exercise – they will recommend specific exercises to help relieve the pain and strengthen the muscles in the back so that they can better support the spine.
  • Posture – posture is extremely important in spinal health and overall wellness. Your chiropractor will help you achieve good, healthy posture and give you exercises to do at home to help you maintain good posture and retrain your body to have better posture.
  • Heat or cold therapy – heat wraps and hot showers or ice packs and cold pad applications may be recommended to help control pain.
  • Changes in activities – you may be advised to take frequent breaks if you sit at a desk all day or to shorten your commute. There may be some activities that you won’t be able to do for a while – or won’t be able to do for long periods of time until your back heals.
  • Chiropractic treatment – spinal manipulation is the most common chiropractic treatment for facet syndrome. Your chiropractor may include other types of treatments though, depending on your specific condition and lifestyle.

Chiropractic is a safe, effective, non-invasive, and drug free way to treat facet syndrome, relieve back pain, and help you regain your mobility. Talk to your chiropractor about your treatment options for facet syndrome.

If you or someone you know might be suffering from severe back pain, give our clinic a call at (780)455-2112 and our staff will be happy to help. Visit www.ocwc.ca for more information about us!

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How Chiropractic Benefits Those That Suffer From Migraine Headaches

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If you have ever had a migraine before then you know that it is much more than a simple headache. The symptoms of a migraine can be debilitating, lasting hours and even days. According to the Migraine Research Foundation, it is the eighth most disabling disease in the world.

According to the Migraine Research Foundation, migraine headaches are extremely difficult to treat and even more difficult to control. This is mainly due to the fact that doctors still don’t know exactly what causes it. This leaves it undiagnosed in many patients and often terribly under-treated in those with a diagnosis.

The best many doctors seem to be able to do is prescribe pain medication that has undesirable side effects in an effort to manage the symptoms. However, chiropractic has been shown in several studies to not only effectively manage the pain of migraines, it also helps stop and prevent them.

Anatomy of a Migraine Headache

There are two types of migraines, those with an aura and those without an aura. An aura can appear up to an hour before the onset of a migraine. It is a warning sign that usually presents as a disturbance that is either visual or olfactory. The person may see flashes of light or smell particular odors before the headache begins. About one in six migraines are preceded by an aura.

Once the migraine itself begins, the pain is typically on one side of the head, although this is not always the case. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to noise, sensitivity to light, and sensitivity to smell. Some patients experience an inability to concentrate, hot or cold flashes, stiffness in neck or shoulders, slurred speech, loss of coordination, and in rare cases, loss of consciousness.

The migraine can last several minutes, hours, or even days. Afterwards the patient may feel fatigued or washed out. They may be unable to concentrate and either lethargic or extremely energetic.

Studies Show: Chiropractic as a Migraine Treatment

There have been several clinical studies on chiropractic as a treatment for migraine headaches. The results of one study reported that 22 percent of patients who received chiropractic treatment for their migraines reported that their attacks were reduced by more than 90 percent. Additionally, 49 percent reported that the intensity of their migraines was significantly reduced.

Another study randomly assigned people with migraine headaches several different treatments. One group was given Elavil, a daily medication, another group was given chiropractic treatment and a third group received a combination of the two treatments. The results showed that chiropractic was as effective in reducing migraines as the medication and it had fewer side effects. Other studies have also found that chiropractic is as effective as medication for the treatment and prevention of migraine or tension headaches.

Chiropractic for Migraines Headaches

Spinal adjustments are very effective as a treatment for migraines. The whole body approach of chiropractic also utilizes dietary recommendations, including foods to avoid, as well as lifestyle changes.

The patient may be counselled on managing stress, advised to engage in exercise, and given supplements. The treatments may be used to reduce the pain and severity of a migraine once it begins or it can be used to prevent migraines and reduce their frequency.

Chiropractic is a safer treatment with fewer side effects than prescription medications. Chiropractic is quickly becoming the treatment of choice for many migraine sufferers. As the studies show, it works!

So if you or a loved one suffer from migraines, give us a call. Our Doctors of Chiropractic are here to help! (780)455-2112 or visit www.ocwc.ca to learn more about our clinic.

Chiropractic Pregnancy Benefits

How Chiropractic Helps Low Back Pain During Pregnancy

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If you are pregnant and have back pain, you are not alone. An estimated 50 to 70 percent of women who are pregnant experience back pain. While pregnancy and childbirth is one of the most incredible experiences a woman can have, it is also very hard on her body. There are many dramatic changes that take place during that 9 to 10 month of gestation so it is understandable that she is going to feel some aches and pains along the way.

There are a number of reasons why a pregnant woman may experience back pain including:

  • Natural changes to her body such as softening of ligaments and loosening of joints as her body prepares to give birth
  • A shift in her center of gravity as her girth increases.
  • Weight gain.
  • Position of the baby.
  • Her posture.
  • Stress, exhaustion, and worry.

Is Chiropractic Care Safe during Pregnancy?

Chiropractic care has long been held as a viable method for relieving back pain in pregnant women. Historically, midwives and other natural or alternative practitioners were the ones advocating its many benefits. This resulted in minimal data from clinical studies existing on the topic.

However, in the last decade or so, researchers have been looking closer at chiropractic and its many benefits. In one study of pregnant women and chiropractic, 94 percent of the participants experienced dramatic improvement in their pain in just 5 days.

Today many doctors and obstetricians are sending their pregnant patients to chiropractors to help them manage their back and joint pain. It is perfectly safe for both mother and baby – and both can benefit from it.

Benefits of Chiropractic Care during Pregnancy

While chiropractic care during pregnancy can be used as a safe, non-invasive, and drug free method of pain relief, women may also enjoy other benefits which include:

  • More mobility.
  • Better flexibility.
  • Improved sleep.
  • Relief of pain in the back, joints, and neck.

By keeping the body in proper alignment, chiropractic care can help a woman have a happier pregnancy. She can enjoy the many benefits and experience less pain so that she can better focus on the joy of pregnancy and the wonder of bringing a new life into the world.

Why you should have Chiropractic Care during Pregnancy

Pregnancy brings about many changes in a woman’s body. Hormonal changes as well as physiological ones occur at rapid speeds as her body creates and maintains a perfect environment where her baby will develop and grow. These changes can cause the spine or joints to become misaligned. When this occurs, painful conditions can be created, including:

  • Increased curvature of the back.
  • Pelvic changes.
  • Protruding abdomen that puts pressure on the back.
  • Changes in posture.

Keeping the pelvis and lower back well balanced and aligned is integral to preventing lower back pain during pregnancy. What’s more, when the pelvis and spine are not in alignment, it can limit the amount of room the baby has in the womb. This condition is called intrauterine constraint. This can also inhibit the baby’s ability to get in an optimal position for delivery.

Keeping the body, including the spine, in proper alignment is vital to mobility, flexibility, and overall wellness of the body even when it is not pregnant. However, pregnancy puts specific stress on the body, creating certain needs that chiropractic care can meet. It is safe, it is effective, it is fast, and it works.

If you are interested in pre-natal chiropractic care, give our clinic a call @(780)455-2112 or visit www.ocwc.ca for more information.

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How Chiropractic Helps People Who Suffer from Plantar Fasciitis

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Feet are important. When you consider what your feet go through, taking 8,000 steps over the course of a day, it’s easy to see how the majority of Canadians will have some type of foot pain at some point in their lives. Plantar fasciitis is a common and very painful foot condition that can become chronic if not treated. It is also a condition that responds very well to chiropractic care.

Plantar Fasciitis Explained

Plantar fasciitis is caused when the ligament that connects your toes to your heel (the plantar fascia) becomes inflamed, swollen, and weak. This causes the bottom of your foot or heel to hurt when you walk or stand, especially when you first wake or after sitting for a long time.

The pain tends to be sharp and stabbing. It is the most common cause of heel pain and is more prevalent among middle aged people. However, anyone can get it at any age, especially people who spend a lot of time on their feet.

How Chiropractic helps Plantar Fasciitis

Chiropractic care is a very effective treatment for plantar fasciitis as well as the pain that is caused by the condition. Chiropractic for plantar fasciitis involves a very precise technique that involves adjustments to the feet and ankles as well as spinal alignment. This provides several benefits.

Reduces Stress in the Plantar Fascia – When a ligament is inflamed or stressed the tissue can develop very small tears that cause the pain of plantar fasciitis. Chiropractic adjustments made to the heel and foot take the pressure off of the plantar fascia, allowing it to relax.

Promotes Healing – When the stress on the plantar fascia is reduced through these chiropractic adjustments, the foot can begin to heal. The chiropractor may also recommend specific exercises that stretch the ligament and help it heal. They may also advise the patient of lifestyle changes as well as nutritional adjustments that can help with the pain and condition.

Provides Effective Pain Management – Chiropractic is a very effective way to manage pain throughout the body. Spinal adjustments allow better communication between the brain and nerves, allowing the central nervous system to function more effectively. Condition specific adjustments speak to the root of the problem, not just the symptoms. This means a more effective form of pain management that is longer lasting.

Reduces the Risk of Further Injury – When a person has a condition like plantar fasciitis, they will often adjust their gait in an effort to avoid the pain. This puts stress on other parts of the body and can lead to back pain, sore joints, strained muscles, and other problems. Chiropractic’s whole body approach helps the person realign their body properly so that they stand and walk properly. This helps them avoid further injury and discomfort.

Chiropractic is a Good Complement to Other Treatments

While chiropractic can be an effective treatment for plantar fasciitis on its own, it is also a very good complement to other treatments for the condition. Patients may use chiropractic in conjunction with physical therapy, massage, and even injections to manage the pain and treat the condition. It can also help with speeding healing and helping to provide better mobility.

Plantar fasciitis can take several months to heal, but by adding chiropractic treatments to your recovery plan, you can feel better faster while more effectively managing your pain. Regular chiropractic treatments can also keep the condition from becoming chronic. By working with your chiropractor and following their recommendations you can reduce your pain and shorten your healing time.

If you’re having foot pain and are interested in the chiropractic option, check out our website @ www.ocwc.ca. You can also give us a call at 780-455-2112 to book an assessment today.

How Chiropractic Helps Those That Suffer From Migraine Headaches

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If you’ve ever had a migraine you know that it’s more than just a headache. The debilitating pain can be accompanied by nausea and other symptoms – and it’s more common than you may think.

It is estimated that 18 percent of women suffer from migraines while 6 percent of men are migraine sufferers. It most commonly affects people who are between the ages of 25 and 55, but even young children have been diagnosed. Migraines can stop you in your tracks, but there are treatments that can help. Chiropractic care has been shown to help ease the pain, intensity, and frequency of migraines.

What is a Migraine?

Migraines are vicious headaches that can last several minutes to several hours or even days. It is characterized by intense pulsing or a throbbing sensation that is typically confined to one area of the head. It is often accompanied by vomiting, nausea, and extreme sensitivity to sound and light. The pain can be so severe that you can barely function. Many people find themselves confined to bed in a darkened room, waiting for it to pass.

Many times migraine sufferers report experiencing an aura, or sensory warning symptoms, such as strange smells, blind spots, flashes of light, or tingling in your leg or arm. They also tend to run in families. If one parent is a migraine sufferer the child has a 40 percent chance of having migraines as well. If both parents get migraines that chance jumps to 90 percent. It is the 8th most debilitating illness on a global scale.

For the most part, doctors do not know much about what causes migraines. However, there are some things that have been identified as migraine triggers:

  • Hormonal changes – at certain times during the month, women experience fluctuations in estrogen which can trigger migraines
  • Oral contraceptives – medications that change or replace hormones can make headaches worse
  • Certain foods – processed foods, MSG, salty foods, aged cheeses
  • Fasting or skipping meals
  • Aspartame
  • Alcohol
  • Stress
  • Sensory overstimulation
  • Dehydration
  • Intense physical exertion
  • Too much or too little sleep
  • Medications

How Chiropractic Care Can Help Migraine Sufferers

Many doctors believe that headaches and migraines may be caused by a spine that is out of alignment. When your spine is misaligned your entire body suffers. It can irritate the nerves that run from the brain to the spine causing a headache. Chiropractic adjustments can help relieve the pain of migraines. In fact, many people report a distinct difference after just one session.

A Doctor of Chiropractic will align your spine and work with you to create a wellness plan that includes lifestyle changes and diet. Making changes to your sleep patterns and eliminating certain foods from your diet can help prevent migraines. By creating a whole body wellness program, you and your chiropractor can not only help prevent your migraines, but other health conditions as well.

Your chiropractor may also recommend that you keep a journal to help you pinpoint your own unique migraine triggers. You will record the foods you eat, environmental factors that may affect you, stressors, and sleep patterns, as well as when you have migraines, how long they last, and their severity. By tracking these things, you can determine what may be causing your migraines and make adjustments to your lifestyle, thus preventing them. Incorporating chiropractic care as part of your whole body maintenance, as well as migraine prevention, can help you stave off these headaches so you can get on with your life.

If you or a loved one suffers from migraine headaches, make sure you give our office a call at 780-455-2112. Our Doctor of Chiropractic is here to help!

5 Reasons Whiplash Sufferers Should Choose Chiropractic Care

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“whiplashOur neck is a busy body part. It holds up and turns our head, allowing us to see, hear, and speak in the direction we choose.

Although the neck is a real “team player” it’s a bit of a diva, meaning it’s fairly delicate. There are many ways everyday motion injures the neck, ending up causing pain, decreased mobility, and varying degrees of short and long-term misery.

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Shin Splints

Why Shin Splint Sufferers Should Consider Chiropractic

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Whether you are an avid exerciser, an exuberant shopper, or a small child chaser, you have probably felt tightening and burning in your shin at one point in your life. Sometimes, the pain stops when the activity ceases, but other times the pain remains. If shin pain continues bothering you, it may be time to face the fact you have shin splints.

The shin is a bone located in the front part of your lower leg. Shin splints commonly occur in athletes who have intensified or changed their training routines. They also show up in regular people who have changed or added activity to their routine.

The shin has a lot of responsibility during exercise, as it absorbs the shock of the steps, raises the toes, and support the arch of the foot.

A few main culprits play a part in shin splints:

  • failing to stretch properly before exercising
  • walking or running on hard surfaces, like pavement
  • wearing the wrong type of shoes during activity
  • over-exerting the body with strenuous activity
  • skipping periods of rest between exercise

Individuals who perform any type of exercise should take appropriate measures to alleviate the above risk factors of shin splints. If you notice pain and soreness in the front part of your lower leg, know how to treat this injury properly.

If rest and ice aren’t doing the job and you’re still suffering pain, it’s time to see a doctor. A thorough exam and possibly an x-ray will diagnose the problem.

Chiropractic care is a powerful choice for treating shin splints and reducing their recurrence. Five significant ways chiropractic treatment benefits those suffering from shin splints are:

Reduction in pain

Chiropractic is proven to relieve the pain associated with bodily injuries and medical conditions, including shin splints. Sometimes one visit is enough to relieve the pain, other times the pain decreases over a series of appointments. Being able to diminish a high degree of pain down to a manageable level is possible for shin splint patients through chiropractic.

Full body alignment

The premise behind chiropractic is that it treats the body as a whole, and, in doing so, promotes healing and health to the injured or diseased areas. A chiropractor may work on your neck to help your calf. With shin splints, he or she may align your spine and joints to lessen the impact of activity on your shins. Again, the entire body is treated in order to create the best environment for health restoration.

Healing through adjustments

Treating shin splints is a common procedure for chiropractors. Common practice is to adjust the calf, ankle, and foot to stretch and increase blood flow to the area.

Drug free treatment option

A primary benefit of chiropractic care is it requires no over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Individuals who suffer from stomach issues, or simply prefer to avoid drugs, find chiropractic visits a productive alternative to manage pain and promote healing.

Strengthening exercises

Chiropractors don’t just treat the spine. Your Doctor of Chiropractic will set an overall plan of attack for optimal recovery when dealing with shin splints.

It’s routine for chiropractic treatment of shin splints to include a series of stretching and strengthening exercises the individual performs at home between visits. These exercises further expand on the positive effects of the chiropractic therapy.

If you are one of the many people dealing with shin splints, don’t despair! Consider chiropractic care as your main treatment option or in conjunction with other modes of treatment. Within a few visits, you will experience pain reduction, and enjoy a decreased risk of ever dealing with painful shin splints again.

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