Have you…

1) Ever sat at your desk job for long periods of time and feel your shoulders get tight?

2) Ever have headaches staring at your computer monitor?

3) Felt strain in your neck and upper back after a long day in the office?

If you can relate to any of these things, there is one thing they have in common: poor posture! A lot of us may be sitting for a living, which can lead to poor posture due to repetitive stress in the neck, upper back and shoulders. These stresses can lead to early degeneration to your joints and spinal discs, which could even result in arthritis.

As a chiropractor, I see many patients that deal with these issues. It is actually very common, and with that said, also very treatable! Here are some tips to help you combat poor posture!

1) Try putting a sticky note on the upper corner of your monitor, jot down POSTURE, STRETCH and MOVE. This small reminder to take a break every now will help you in the long run!

2) For every 30 mins you are sitting down, take a small break and move neck around! You can roll your head and where you feel it get “tight”, just hold that position for about 5 seconds.

3) Stand up and walk around! Even if it is down the hallway and back.

4) Make some changes to your work station! Simple changes like bringing your monitor just above eye level can make your work station more ergonomic and more posture friendly!

Wow that’s a mouthful! We also call it the SCM. It has 3 attachment sites: the sternum, the clavicle, and the mastoid, hence the name Sterno-Cleido-Mastoid! So, what does this muscle do? It facilitates cervical rotation (allows you to turn your head to the left or right). We have one on our left and right side of our necks. When we contract them together, it facilitates cervical flexion (allows you to flex your head down to your chest). It is also an accessory muscle involved in respiration (the process of breathing!).

Here are some common reasons why this muscle may be tight or painful:

A. Turning your head away from center while using a computer.

B. Bending forward to type at the computer.

C. Looking down at your phone when texting or surfing the web.

D. Can also be as simple as being constantly on the phone!

In this video, I go through 3 ways to help release your SCM! Here are the stretches and techniques used in this video:

1. Static Stretch of the SCM

2. Post-Isometric Relaxation (PIR) of the SCM

3. Trigger Point Release (TPR) of the SCM

This is a pretty cool muscle! It's found on the back and side of your neck, and attaches at your scapula (shoulder blade) and the outer aspects of your neck bones! What it does is ELEVATE the scapula, hence the name Levator Scapulae! It also is involved in rotating your scapula. Here is the catch: sometimes this muscle can be a pain in the neck…literally!

Common reasons why your levator scapulae may be tight or in pain:

A) Leaning our heads forward when we are at the office (poor posture).

B) For our athletes, repetitive arm motions that involves throwing and swimming for example.

C) Maybe we felt ambitious and decided to carry all of the groceries from the car inside in one trip (I have been there and done that a few times!)

D) Big day at the gym after doing some shoulder shrugs.

Follow me as I show you 3 ways to help release your levator scapulae! I have listed time stamps for each topic in the video!

1. Static Levator Scapulae Stretch (00:03)

2. Advanced Static Levator Scapulae Stretch (00:41)

3. Levator Scapulae Trigger Point Release (TPR) (01:28)

A lot of us have adapted towards a job where we sit for a good portion of our day. We have discussed in the past about improving posture, improving the work station to be more ergonomic, and most importantly, making the time to MOVE!

In this video I demonstrate 4 different exercises to improve thoracic mobility, and the best part is, you don't even have to get up from your chair!

So, take a seat with me and let's get MOVING!

Let's face it, we have all had low back pain at some point in our lives. It can range from being bothersome to debilitating. What have we done to get it better though? To be pain free? Ibuprofen, passive therapy like heat or ice, maybe you have been told to rest and not move? Sure this can provide short term relief, but are we REALLY getting to the source of the problem? More importantly, what is the best way to approach back pain?

Simple! Move! Sure, when you are in pain, the last thing that probably comes to mind is working out, however, exercise IS the number one most prescribed treatment protocol for low back pain. In my opinion it is also the most effective, not to mention, the most affordable!

Exercise has been shown to reduce overall weakness and stiffness, minimize the degree and duration of future episodes of back pain, and also minimizes the frequency of experiencing low back pain.

Here are 4 simple, low impact therapeutic exercises to start with that can help ease your low back pain!

1. Glute Bridge

2. Bird Dog

3. Seated Lumbar Rolls

4. Plank

Your core is such an integral part of your body! Your core is made up several muscle groups, such as your abs, hips, back and chest!

The core plays several physiologic roles such as providing stability to your body, especially the low back, as well lets your body move in any direction. Now why is this important?

Think of your abs as the front anchor of your spine, if they are weak, then the other structures supporting your spine, like the muscles along your back, will have to work harder. Your core also allows your body to transfer forces and stress through your muscles rather than your spine, which significantly reduces your risk for back pain.

Working on having strong core muscles will help you maintain your balance, help you avoid rigid or hesitant movement, and prevent risk of strains or sprains.

So let's do more with your core as I show you 4 low impact core exercises!

1) Knee Slide Crunch

2) Bicycle Crunch

3) Scissor Kicks

4) Side Bridge

Hello everyone! In this video I go over some commonly asked questions that we get in the clinic. Here are the questions discussed:

1) Do we put bones back in place?

2) Why do I hear pops or cracks sound when I get adjusted?

3) Do I always have to come into the clinic now that I am seeing a chiropractor?

If you have any questions that you would like to have answered, feel free to reach out to our Facebook page and let us know!

Thank you so much for watching!

So we all know the famous saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” …but why is that? Apples have been linked to:

1) help with weight loss

2) lower risk of cardiovascular disease

3) lower risk of type 2 diabetes

4) help support your gut health

5) keep you more alert (a great alternative to caffeinated products!)

Wow that is one incredible fruit huh! Here is some evidence to back up some of these big claims:

- A 2017 meta-analysis of apple and pear consumption in relation to its effects to type 2 diabetes found that even just 1 serving per week may reduce risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus by 3%! (1).

- Pectin, a plant fiber found in apples has been shown to promote the growth of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes (bacteria that digests carbs) in your gut! It also promotes overall healthy gut microbiota in general! (2).

- A 2020 study found that eating whole apples not only increased the feeling of being “full” for up to 4 hours longer when compared to apple purees and juice, but it helped reduced BMI ratings, a common weight-related risk factor for cardiovascular disease! (3), (4).

- A 2020 randomized controlled crossover trial found that 2 apples a day lowered serum cholesterol in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults! (5).

Here is the jist of it all. We can all agree that apples are very nutritious for us and are a great addition to our dietary routine. It isn’t hard to come by, it is actually very accessible to us and not to mention, they do taste pretty good! It certainly wouldn’t hurt to try them every now and then, so next time you are at the grocery store, you may want to add apples to your grocery list!

Articles referenced:

(1) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28186516/

(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4488768/

(3) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32805050/

(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6813372/

(5) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31840162/

Hello everyone! In this video I go over some more commonly asked questions that we get in the clinic. Here are the questions discussed:

1) Besides the spine, what else can be adjusted?

2) Can chiropractic help with wrist pain?

3) What is the best position to sleep?

If you have any questions that you would like to have answered, feel free to comment on the video on our Facebook page!

The ankle is made up from a large joint which consists of the talus, which is the bone in your foot that sits above your heel bone, the shin bone and the bone next to the shin bone. We call that the tibia and fibula respectively.

Did you know the most common ankle injuries are sprains and fractures? Majority of the time, its because of instability within the ankle, which can be caused by weak calf muscles, decreased movement in the foot and lower leg, and sometimes, it can be as simple as missing a step walking down a set of stairs!

The ankle has many different ranges of motion, so follow me with these 3 exercises, targeted to not only strengthen the calf muscles and foot muscles, but also improve your overall movement in your ankle!

1) Non-Weight Bearing Ankle Rolls

2) Calf Raises

- Neutral

- Internal Rotation

- External Rotation

3) Ankle Eversion on your side

Hopefully these exercises can help with your ankle pain! If you don’t notice much improvement, there may be some joint restrictions in your foot. We can help! 

We don’t just focus on adjusting the spine, we can also adjust extremities! That includes wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees and of course, ankles!

Cool articles to check out!

1) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30428863/

2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24989067/

Thought of making a fun little video talking about some pretty cool facts about the human body! Here are the facts I talk about:

1) The human body has 650 skeletal muscles

2) The liver can regenerate itself

3) The lifespan of a red blood cell is 120 days

Want to know more? Give the video a watch, you may learn something you didn't know before!

In this video we talk about bedwetting, a common problem faced by young children, and sometimes, even adults!

Wondering about what may be the cause of bedwetting? More importantly, how can chiropractic care tie into conservative care to nocturnal enuresis? Give a watch and find out!

In this video we talk about the general applications of using heat or cold therapy to facilitate optimal healing when having a musculoskeletal injury. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to watch!

Here are the links to the articles mentioned at the end of the video!

Effect of cold and heat therapies on pain relief in patients with delayed onset muscle soreness: A network meta-analysis

-> https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34636405/

Is it time to put traditional cold therapy in rehabilitation of soft-tissue injuries out to pasture?

-> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8173427/

Here we discuss 5 simple lifestyle changes that can translate to long term and optimal health and wellness! 

Thank you so much for taking the time to watch!

We discuss diaphragmatic breathing, tips and tricks to help engage the diaphragm optimally when we breathe, the therapeutic benefits as well as a demonstration on how to perform the exercise!

Here are the links to the articles mentioned at the end of the video!

A systematic review going over the therapeutic benefits for diaphragmatic breathing in adults:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31436595/

How diaphragmatic breathing can help with those who experience stress, anxiety and depression. Also shows the effect of glycemic control when utilizing diaphragmatic breathing with conventional treatment!

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34491340/