Me and Mr. President

When I was in elementary school we had a huge Great Dane.  Really big, especially compared to me.  His name was Mr. President.  We just called him Mr.  When I was in 5^th grade Mr. ran over me and I broke my arm down near my wrist.  I was put in a cast that covered my entire arm.  I thought it was pretty cool.

Weeks later when I finally got my cast off I was surprised to find that I couldn’t move my elbow.  It was a week or so before I could move it freely.  I guess what surprised me about it the most is that I hadn’t injured my elbow at all.  I figured my wrist would be stiff (it was), but why my elbow?  

What I know now, but didn’t understand back in 1977, is that joints need to move.   In fact, when a joint is not moving freely it will begin to degenerate pretty quickly.  This is called immobilization degeneration.   Which is pretty much what it sounds like:  once a joint is not moving the degeneration begins.  Research shows cellular changes begin within days and the changes continue until there are irreversible changes to the bone and soft tissue.  

What does this have to do with you? …or with chiropractic?  Everything.  Just like loss of motion in my 5^th grade elbow caused the degeneration process to start, lack of proper motion in your spinal joints will cause degeneration of your spine.

Does it hurt?  Sometimes.  But, most of the time in the beginning it doesn’t hurt.  My elbow never hurt.  Now, if my elbow had been immobilized long enough it definitely would have started hurting and may have developed some irreversible degeneration.  But, it was only in a cast for a few weeks and after that I slowly got it moving again.  So, there was no permanent problems.  

Same thing with your spine, the best way to keep it healthy is to get it adjusted at least once a month to keep the joints moving BEFORE it starts hurting and BEFORE it has time to have permanent degeneration.

Even if you feel fine, chiropractic check-ups once or twice a month is the way to go!

Ken Hicks, D.C

www.lookoutvalleychiro.com

Do I really need to do spine exercises?

"Injury occurs when load exceeds tissue tolerance.  The spinal column, devoid of it's musculature has been found to buckle at a load of only approximately 20 pounds at L5.  However during routine activities, loads 20-times this are encountered on a routine basis."

-Craig Liebenson, D.C.

Rehabilitation of the Spine: A Practitioner's Manual

So, to answer the question of "Do I really need to do spine exercises?", the answer is a big ole YES.  I've been practicing since 1999 and I would say the majority of my patients have either done no spine exercises or not stuck with it after doing them for a few weeks.  

Why is this?  The great majority of us believe if we feel good then we must be OK.  I certainly used to believe this and even now I have to remind myself to do my spine exercises when I'm already feeling good.

Unfortunately, feeling good is not the same thing as having a healthy strong spine at all.  Keeping our spines in good shape actually takes a little work.  Specifically, it takes routine spinal adjustments (yes, even if you already feel good - more about that in a later post) and it takes getting in the habit of doing some simple yet very effective spine exercises.

Remember, if you take the muscle away, it only takes 20 pounds of pressure on your low back for it to buckle and damage.  Keeping the spinal joints moving through regular adjustments is what keeps the joints healthy, keeps wear and tear arthritis at bay, and keeps irritation off the nerves helping your whole body to function better.

But, it's the MUSCLES that support and protect your spine.  Weak spine muscles equals a weak spine.  Next time you're in, ask us about getting started on your spine exercises.  It only takes about 5 minutes a day a few times a week, but it can make all the difference in the world!

Ken Hicks, D.C.

www.lookoutvalleychiro.com

Our new blog!

Welcome to our new blog!  We'll be posting updates and sharing great information to keep you up to date with what's going on in our office as well as giving you some ideas about how to live a healthier life.  

-Ken Hicks, D.C.