Get that neck moving!

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Helping to prevent neck pain!

Just like anything we take pan free movement for granted.  Unfortunately as we age pain free becomes the abnormal as opposed to the normal.  So now it becomes something we need to maintain!  Visiting Doroski Chiropractic Neurology in Woodbridge VA is one way to achieve it.  If that isn’t possible the next thing would be to start doing some home maintenance.

Maintenance of the neck range of motion is easier than you would think and pretty basic but doing it daily makes a world of difference.  One of the main reasons for neck pain is poor posture.  So I tell all my patients to try and break up long periods of sitting at the computer.  If you get up every 45 minutes or so and do some of these stretches you can help your neck a bunch.

That being said you need to start in a good neutral postion so when you do the exercises you aren’t creating another problem.  Start with you neck squarely over shoulders with your shoulder relaxed at your side. 

Rotations. Sitting or standing, turn your head slowly to the left and then to the right as far as you can, comfortably. Hold each stretch for 10 seconds to 30 seconds.

Shoulder circles. While standing, raise your shoulders straight up, then move them in a circle around, down and back up again. Circle in both directions.

Side stretches. While standing, stretch your neck slowly to the left trying to touch your ear to your shoulder. Repeat on the right side.

Resistance exercises. Place your right hand against your head above your ear and gently press, resisting the movement with your neck. Do the same with your left hand on the other side.

Head lifts. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift and lower your head, keeping your shoulders flat on the floor. Next, lie on 1 side and lift your head toward the ceiling. Repeat this movement on your other side and while lying on your stomach.

These should help you maintain a pain-free range of motion but seeing your chiropractor on a regular basis will help you maintain alignment and also decrease muscle spasms.

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Doroski Chiropractic Neurology

3122 Golansky Blvd, Ste 102

Woodbridge VA 22192

703 730 9588

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Strengthen your core... but how?

Tips given by Doroski Chiropractic Neurology in Woodbridge VA.  Dr Doroski is the only Chiropractor in Woodbridge Virginia with a diplomate in Chiropractic Neurology.

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They say a strong core can help prevent low back pain…  well what is a core and how do you strengthen it?  Pretty easy to do and you don’t need a gym membership!

1.  Situps/Crunch. Lie on your back on the floor or a yoga mat.  Keep your knees bent and do a slow controlled crunch holding for 3 seconds then release.  Do three sets of 15 reps if possible.  The idea is to safely do these and work up to the 15 reps.  Rome and your core weren't built in a day.  

2.  Plank. Lie on the floor, or yoga mat, face down. Place forearms and toes on the floor, push up so only the forearms and toes remain on the floor. Tighten your hip, leg, arm, back, chest, and abdominal muscles making this a total body exercise. Keep your whole body straight from the base of the skull all the way to the heels, and keep even breathing.   Hold this position for about 30 seconds then relax on to your knees or stomach.  Rest in between sets for 60 seconds and repeat the hold for thirty seconds.  Again repeating 15 times if possible.  

3.  Arm sweep. Sit on the floor and slightly outstretch your legs "gluing" them to the floor, or bending the knees with feet flat. Sit tall, engaging your mid back to help you sit up straight. Stretch out your arms out the sides. Next, twist your body to the left so that you rotate and your right hand reaches for the left foot, and the left hand touches the ground behind you or is raised in the air behind you. Repeat on your right side. This results in a sweeping motion of your arms and twisting your body to engage the abdominal muscles and back muscles. Not as easy as it sounds but the goal is to strengthen your core not kill yourself.  Doing this in a controlled fashion and try to do 8-10 reps in the beginning.  Working up to 3 sets of 25.  

4.  Superman. Lie on the floor, or your yoga mat, face down. Reach your arms directly in front of you, reaching to the opposite wall. Straighten your legs, your heels and inner thighs together by tightening the inner thighs and glutes. Lift your arms, chest, head, legs and feet off of the ground. At this point, only your belly and hips are touching the ground (no knees or feet). Keep holding your arms, chest, head, and legs up, engaging your low-mid back muscles and your glutes, for at least 30 seconds. Then relax. Do it again for another 30 seconds. When 30 seconds in simple, increase your time by 5 seconds or more. This is an advanced position and your goal should be 15 reps.  Work up to this one.

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Doroski Chiropractic Neurology

3122 Golansky Blvd, Ste 102

Woodbridge VA 22192

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Oh great it is that time of the year!!

Doroski Chiropractic Neurology in Woodbridge, VA. Few Chiropractors in Woodbridge Virginia have continuing education diplomates and Dr Doroski is the only Chiropractor of Neurology.  

Giving tip to help you with yard work

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Ahhhhh spring time!  Birds are chirping, grass is growing and the days are longer.  The bird is chirping at 6 AM by your window, the grass is making your eyes water and due to the long days you can see the mess your lawn is in and your neighbors looks great!!!  Now it is time to start planting those flower beds and gardens.  Just do it… smart!

So here are some tips to reduce your risk of overdoing:

1  Bending over and reaching forward.  There isn’t a worse position for your low back.  It has to be done to get the job done just mix it up.  Long periods like this is bad for your low back!  Take a few breaks the flowers will wait.

2  When you can… squat.  It helps keep the natural curve of your back and takes the pressure off the very bottom of your back.  Use your hips to pivot rather than bend at the back.    

    

3  If you follow proper lifting and break up the time you are beinding and your back still isn’t ok… ICE.  No heat.  So many people come in and tell me about how they hurt there back gardening or bending and they put heat on.  Now it is worse…  Thing to remember is your injured the joint or the muscle and now it is inflamed.  Well you just put heat on something inflamed so it swells more…  Common mistake but imagine you twisted your ankle and put it in a bucket of hot water. 

4  If you are still sore after icing give your local chiropractor a call.  Odds are if it hurts you have disrupted the joint alignment and icing all the time won’t change that.         

Some pains in the buttock can be fixed!

Doroski Chiropractic Neurology

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Piriformis syndrome is a muscular disorder that can compress the sciatic nerve causing radicular symptoms into the buttock and along the course of the sciatic nerve.  

When the piriformis muscle shortens or spasms due to trauma or overuse, it can compress or strangle the sciatic nerve beneath the muscle. Generally, conditions of this type are referred to as nerve entrapment or as entrapment . 

Some people are more susceptible then others.  Runners and bikers are at a high risk.  People who sit for long periods tend to have a greater risk.  I always advice my patients to get up and move around every 45 minutes or so.

1  First thing to do to fix it is stop the offending activity.  If it is running take some time off.  Long periods of sitting make a conscious effort to get up more.

2  After a few days of resting start a hip rotator stretching routine.  Do it several times a day for the best response.

3.  Hydrate!  The more hydrated your muscles are the less likely they are to sapsm.

4  Visit your local chiropractor.  Some other issues can be involved.

Plantar Fascia

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Home Treatments

Initially rest.  Sounds easy but for runners it isn’t that easy.  Next is ice for 15-20 minutes 4 -5 times a day.  Put your foot up and ice it...   Using arch supports in your shoes and doing stretching exercises may also help to relieve pain. 

If your medical Doctor hasn’t given you a reason not to use NSAIDS talk with him about getting some.  Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as ibuprofen (i.e. Motrin or Advil) and naproxen (i.e. Aleve), are often used to reduce inflammation in the ligament.

Medical Treatments

If home treatments and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs don’t ease the pain, an injection of a corticosteroid directly into the damaged section of the ligament can be given. Your doctor can do this in his or her office. Your doctor may use an ultrasound device to help determine the best place for the injection. Corticosteroids can also be administered on the skin of your heel or the arch of your foot, and then a painless electrical current is applied to let the steroid pass through your skin and into the muscle.

Physical therapy is an important part of treatment for planter fasciitis. It can help stretch your plantar fascia and Achilles tendons. A physical therapist can also show you exercises to strengthen your lower leg muscles, helping to stabilize your walk and lessen the workload on your plantar fascia.

If pain continues and other methods aren’t working, your doctor may recommend extracorporeal shock wave therapy. Sound waves are bombarded against your heel to stimulate healing within the ligament. This treatment can result in bruises, swelling, pain, and numbness, and has not been proven to be consistently effective in relieving symptoms.

The most dramatic therapy, used only in cases where pain is very severe, is surgery. The plantar fascia can be partially detached from the heel bone, but the arch of the foot is weakened and full function may be lost. Another surgery involves lengthening the calf muscle, a process called gastrocnemius recession.

Braces and Supports

Night splints are another treatment that can help stretch your calf and the arch of your foot. Night splints are a type of brace that holds your foot in a flexed position and lengthens the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon overnight. This can prevent morning pain and stiffness.

Special orthotics, or arch supports, for your shoes may help alleviate some of the pain by distributing pressure, and can prevent further damage to the plantar fascia. A boot cast may be used to immobilize your foot and reduce strain while the plantar fascia heals. A boot cast looks like a ski boot and can be removed for bathing.

You hear do pool exercises for your low back... but what are they.

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1  Begin your workout by warming up the muscles with a cardiovascular workout. Start in the area of the pool that has waist-deep water. Begin walking back and forth through the area, while swinging your arms as you would if you were walking on land.

You will get some resistance when you swing your arms. Although it may not feel as comfortable as walking on land, it is important to focus on creating a swinging motion for proper body mechanics and balance.

2  Walk in the water for 5 to 10 minutes. If you feel comfortable with the motion and want an extra challenge, move to chest-deep water after 5 minutes. You will feel an increase in resistance.

A cardiovascular workout treats back pain in a similar way as walking. It stretches and strengthens muscles throughout your back and legs. It can also lead to weight-loss, which can reduce the painful pressure on nerves, discs and muscles.

3  Extend your cardiovascular workout by putting on an aqua belt, a large foam belt that snaps around your waist. Move to chest-deep water and begin water jogging. In this motion, you feet will not touch the ground, but you will swing your elbows and run in place.

Focus on each footfall being heel to toe, rather than toe to heel. This will mimic a natural walking or jogging motion, helping you strengthen muscles that you use in daily walking. You will move along very slowly in the water.

Water jog for 5 to 15 minutes, and stop when you start to feel muscle fatigue.

Use your other equipment to help you increase resistance while deep water walking or jogging. Use water webs, gloves that fit over your hands, to increase resistance and muscle tone as you swing your arms. Use water weights as you swing your arms while water jogging.

4  Do leg kicks. Keep 1 leg on the ground with the knee slightly bent. Contract your stomach muscles and slowly raise the opposite leg as high as it will go. Slowly lower it back down.

This exercise will stretch and strengthen your thighs. Repeat it 12 to 15 times, and then turn around and repeat it with the opposite leg. It is important to be slow and deliberate with your movements so that you do not add to your back pain.

To increase resistance, tie a water noodle around your water shoe and repeat the exercise. Your foot will become more buoyant and more difficult to move deliberately in the water.

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What to ask before starting a work out program

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Before you start an exercise program, there are a few things your need to figure out:

What are your goals? 

Lose weight… Increase cardio performance…   But if you’re of a certain age or have certain cardiovascular risk factors, you may need to see your physician before beginning a program that involves vigorous (as opposed to moderate) aerobic activity.

Here’s how exercise intensities are typically defined:

Low-to-Moderate

Something you can do for about 60 minutes.  Usually included in the 60 minutes is a slow gradual warm up leading to brisk pace.

Vigorous

Name says it all.  Usually after 20 minutes of this type of exercises fatigue starts to set in.  Heart rate and breathing significantly increased. 

Are you planning to participate in vigorous activities and are a man over 45 or a woman over 55? You should receive a medical exam first. The same is true for individuals of any age with two or more coronary artery disease risk factors. If you’re unsure if this applies to you, check with your physician.

Now the standard questions you need to ask yourself:

A “yes” to any one of the following questions means you should talk with your doctor, by phone or in person, before you start an exercise program. Explain which questions you answered ‘’yes’’ to and the activities you are planning to pursue.

1  Have you been told that you have a heart condition and should only participate in physical activity recommended by a doctor?

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2  Do you feel pain (or discomfort) in your chest when you do physical activity? When you are not participating in physical activity? While at rest, do you frequently experience fast, irregular heartbeats or very slow beats?

3  Do you ever become dizzy and lose your balance, or lose consciousness? Have you fallen more than twice in the past year (no matter what the reason

4  Do you have a bone or joint problem that could worsen as a result of physical activity? Do you have pain in your legs or buttocks when you walk?

5  Do you take blood pressure or heart medications?

6  Do you have any cuts or wounds on your feet that don’t seem to heal?

7  Have you experienced unexplained weight loss in the past six months?

8  Are you aware of any reason why you should not participate in physical activity?

If you answered “no” to all of these questions, and you passed the first round of questions, you can be reasonably sure that you can safely take part in at least a moderate-intensity physical-activity program.

But again, if you are a man over 45 or a woman over 55 and want to exercise more vigorously, you should check with your physician before getting started.

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