Studies show that 80% of our population experience low back pain at some point in their adult lives. Whether this pain is caused by an injury, sitting hunched over a computer for hours on end, or from stress, if you fall into this category you know how unbearable this condition can be. There has always been a plethora of anecdotal evidence for techniques to palliate your pain, but recently a focus on evidence based care has pushed for scientific studies to support our choices. Very recently a study supporting yoga as an effective means to cope with chronic low back pain was released; below Dennis discusses a study supporting massage. Whatever treatment type is right for you, the evidence is saying movement is the key. So get your body moving and feel your aches and pains melt away.
Yours In Health,
Dr. Karen Baker
Thursday, November 3, 2011
MOMS & CRAWLERS YOGA
6-week workshop: Nov. 15th – Dec. 22nd, 2011
This unique all-level class series is for shoulder relief, abdominal strengthening and an all-over body stretch especially for moms. Moms get to de-stress and children get exposed to yoga and have fun. This class series is taught to the adults and the kids participate how they want to. Our yoga practice does not wait for the situation to be perfect but invites the skill of accepting things just the way they are now. Bring a favorite toy to share.
1 class per week: $90 ~ 2 classes per week: $162
6-week workshop: Nov. 15th – Dec. 22nd, 2011
This unique all-level class series is for shoulder relief, abdominal strengthening and an all-over body stretch especially for moms. Moms get to de-stress and children get exposed to yoga and have fun. This class series is taught to the adults and the kids participate how they want to. Our yoga practice does not wait for the situation to be perfect but invites the skill of accepting things just the way they are now. Bring a favorite toy to share.
1 class per week: $90 ~ 2 classes per week: $162
30 Class Yoga & Pilates Challenge!
Our mission at Lifewise is to educate, inspire and motivate the people in our community to live healthier lives.
On that note… we would like to challenge all our existing patients and students to get your body moving this fall!
For $30 attend 30 of our drop-in classes between now and the end of the year.
Our mission at Lifewise is to educate, inspire and motivate the people in our community to live healthier lives.
On that note… we would like to challenge all our existing patients and students to get your body moving this fall!
For $30 attend 30 of our drop-in classes between now and the end of the year.
So, what’s the deal with the cracking anyway?
Karen Baker, BSc, DC
There are a lot of preconceived ideas about chiropractic adjustments. And, many people are afraid of the “cracking” sound that often accompanies a classic manual manipulation. Rest assured, the crack you hear is NOT bones breaking, but is a result of gas bubble being released quickly from solution - this sound even has a name: cavitation.
An analogy I often use is that of a soda bottle. You may have noticed that when you open a bottle of pop bubbles seem to form out of nowhere. The carbonation process has infused CO2 into the liquid, and if kept under pressure it will stay there. When the volume of the container holding the liquid increases (or the cap is opened), those CO2 molecules, which would rather be in gas form now have somewhere to go, and come out of solution forming gas bubbles. If you open the bottle slowly, the bubbles form slowly, fizzing to the surface, if opened quickly, they “pop” out of solution all at once.
This is basically the same process as what happens in our joints. Our joints are filled with nutrient rich liquid called synovial fluid. There is nitrogen gas dissolved within this fluid. Unlike a pop bottle, our joints are flexible structures enclosed by a soft capsule that can stretch. As our joints move the volume of the space changes and these molecules escape from, and are reabsorbed into, solution on a regular basis. If the joint moves slowly, these bubbles will form slowly and no noticeable noise will follow, but if stretched quickly enough the gas will pop out of solution making a popping or “cracking” sound.
This being said, you should never agree to a procedure that you are not comfortable with. If you are afraid, there are other ways to get the joints moving that don’t require a crack. So talk to your chiropractor about different treatment methods that might meet your comfort level.
Karen Baker, BSc, DC
There are a lot of preconceived ideas about chiropractic adjustments. And, many people are afraid of the “cracking” sound that often accompanies a classic manual manipulation. Rest assured, the crack you hear is NOT bones breaking, but is a result of gas bubble being released quickly from solution - this sound even has a name: cavitation.
An analogy I often use is that of a soda bottle. You may have noticed that when you open a bottle of pop bubbles seem to form out of nowhere. The carbonation process has infused CO2 into the liquid, and if kept under pressure it will stay there. When the volume of the container holding the liquid increases (or the cap is opened), those CO2 molecules, which would rather be in gas form now have somewhere to go, and come out of solution forming gas bubbles. If you open the bottle slowly, the bubbles form slowly, fizzing to the surface, if opened quickly, they “pop” out of solution all at once.
This is basically the same process as what happens in our joints. Our joints are filled with nutrient rich liquid called synovial fluid. There is nitrogen gas dissolved within this fluid. Unlike a pop bottle, our joints are flexible structures enclosed by a soft capsule that can stretch. As our joints move the volume of the space changes and these molecules escape from, and are reabsorbed into, solution on a regular basis. If the joint moves slowly, these bubbles will form slowly and no noticeable noise will follow, but if stretched quickly enough the gas will pop out of solution making a popping or “cracking” sound.
This being said, you should never agree to a procedure that you are not comfortable with. If you are afraid, there are other ways to get the joints moving that don’t require a crack. So talk to your chiropractor about different treatment methods that might meet your comfort level.
GOT LOW BACK PAIN? TRY A MASSAGE!
Dennis Newhook, RMT
New study on Chronic Low Back Pain Supports the use of Massage Therapy! Researchers in Seattle, Washington were curious if massage therapy could improve disability and decrease the symptoms associated with chronic low back pain. Their single-blinded, randomized controlled trial was published in a recent edition of a prominent medical journal. The bottom line: Massage improves function in patients with chronic low back pain. The subjects received weekly massage treatments for 10 weeks, either a general relaxation massage or one aimed specifically at addressing musculoskeletal contributions to low back pain. The study "produces a clinically meaningful reduction in dysfunction and symptoms as compared with usual care". While the effects seemed to gradually fade once treatments had ended, the functional improvement persisted for up to 1 year! The massage treatments consisted of myofascial, neuro-muscular, and other soft-tissue techniques, all of which are part of the Ontario registered massage therapists’ scope of practice.
(Cherkin DC, Sherman KJ, Kahn J, et al. A comparison of the effects of 2 types of massage and usual care on chronic low back pain. Ann Intern Med 2011;155(1):1-9.)
Dennis Newhook, RMT
New study on Chronic Low Back Pain Supports the use of Massage Therapy! Researchers in Seattle, Washington were curious if massage therapy could improve disability and decrease the symptoms associated with chronic low back pain. Their single-blinded, randomized controlled trial was published in a recent edition of a prominent medical journal. The bottom line: Massage improves function in patients with chronic low back pain. The subjects received weekly massage treatments for 10 weeks, either a general relaxation massage or one aimed specifically at addressing musculoskeletal contributions to low back pain. The study "produces a clinically meaningful reduction in dysfunction and symptoms as compared with usual care". While the effects seemed to gradually fade once treatments had ended, the functional improvement persisted for up to 1 year! The massage treatments consisted of myofascial, neuro-muscular, and other soft-tissue techniques, all of which are part of the Ontario registered massage therapists’ scope of practice.
(Cherkin DC, Sherman KJ, Kahn J, et al. A comparison of the effects of 2 types of massage and usual care on chronic low back pain. Ann Intern Med 2011;155(1):1-9.)
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