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April 2021 Medical Newsletter

 


BACK PAIN & STRETCHING

Stretching and an active lifestyle are often recommended to help reduce back pain and speed up the recovery process following an injury. Depending on one’s individual injury and level of pain, the exercise and rehabilitation program may vary. The key is to start slowly and increase the repetitions as you feel stronger.
Consult with Cascade Spine & Injury Center prior to starting a new exercise program, especially when associated with low back pain. Our chiropractors can help develop an individualized program and provide instruction on proper stretching techniques, which can be modified for your specific needs. Following are some general suggestions.

Stretching Tips 
To get the maximum benefit from stretching, proper technique is essential:

  • Warm up your muscles before stretching by walking or doing other gentle movements for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Slowly increase your stretch as you feel your muscles relax. Don’t bounce.
  • Stretch slowly and gently, only to the point of mild tension, not to the point of pain.
  • Don’t hold your breath. Inhale deeply before each stretch and exhale during the stretch.
  • As your flexibility increases, consider increasing the number of repetitions.
  • Stop immediately if you feel any severe pain.


Doctors of chiropractic are uniquely trained to treat common injuries, including low back pain. In addition, they can help you choose proper rehabilitation exercises and prevention techniques to get you back on your feet and reduce the likelihood of future injuries.


 


 

 

What We Do

Chiropractic Spine and Joint Adjustments, Therapeutic Exercises/Activities, Modalities, Massage Therapy, Acupuncture, and more

About Us

We are a multidisciplinary injury clinic that utilizes the synergistic power of chiropractic massage, acupuncture and exercise therapy so patients can recover from injury naturally.

Our Clinical Director, Dr. Jonathan McClaren is a licensed Chiropractic Physician with advanced certification in whiplash biomechanics and injury traumatology. He is also certified in spinal biomechanical engineering and MRI interpretation and is an accredited traffic accident reconstructionist. The clinic prides itself on striving for above-average recovery rates and including both in-office and at-home active care in our evidence-based treatment plans.
 
With our combined expertise of providers in chiropractic, massage and acupuncture we offer a variety of treatment modalities all under one roof. 
 



Preparing Fore(!) Golf
After shutting down due to COVID-19, many golf courses have seen a boom in activity. It is easy to understand why: golf is an outdoor sport where social distancing comes fairly easy. However, the usual “traps” remain: many avid golfers contort their bodies into oddly twisted postures, generating a great deal of torque. Couple this motion with a bent-over stance, repeat 120 times over three or four hours, add the fatigue that comes with several miles of walking, and you’ve got a good workout—and a recipe for potential low back pain.
As America’s fondness for the game of golf increases, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) suggests the simple measures below to help you avoid back pain or injury:

Purchase the right equipment
  • Purchase equipment that fits. Don’t try to adapt your swing to the wrong clubs: Someone who is six feet tall playing with irons designed for someone five inches shorter is begging for back trouble. You may have been given an old set of “starter” clubs by someone, but unless their frame is similar to yours it might not be worth the risk of injury.
  • For senior golfers: If you show some signs of arthritis in the hands, consider a larger, more specialized grip for added safety and performance.
  • For some, scores may not be as important as enjoying the social benefits of the game. Having clubs that are comfortable will increase the chances of playing for a long time without significant physical limitations.
Prepare your body
  • Take lessons. Learning proper swing technique is critical for avoiding golf injuries. At the end of the swing, you want to be standing up straight. The back should not be twisted.
  • Choose soft shoes or soft spikes, which allow for greater motion. Old golf shoes with metal spikes were not only harder to walk in and tore up the greens, but also increased stress on the back.
  • Warm up before each round. Take a brisk walk to get blood flowing to the muscles, then do a set of stretches. To set up a stretching and/or exercise routine, schedule a visit with Cascade Spine & Injury Center, Our Chiropractors can evaluate what will work best for you.
Make good choices
  • Pull, do not carry, your golf bag. Carrying a heavy bag for 18 holes can cause the spine to shrink, leading to disk problems and nerve irritation. If you prefer to ride in a cart, alternate riding and walking every other hole, as bouncing around in a cart can also be hard on the spine.
  • Keep your entire body involved. Every third hole take a few practice swings with the opposite hand to keep your muscles balanced and even out stress on the back.
  • Drink lots of water. Dehydration causes early fatigue, leading you to compensate by adjusting your swing, thus increasing the risk of injury. Do not smoke or drink alcoholic beverages while golfing, as both cause loss of fluid.
  • Take the “drop.” One bad swing—striking a root or a rock with your club—can damage a wrist. If you’re unsure whether you can get a clean swing, take the drop.
Make an appointment with Cascade Spine and Injury Center for back pain. Our chiropractors will make an assessment and discuss treatment options with you. The techniques we employ are ideal for those who suffer from short or long-term pain. Call us today and get on the road to recovery.

 

How do I Keep Joints in Good Shape?
The movements that you perform on a daily basis are critical to long-term joint health, as are proper nutrition, a healthy exercise regimen and a healthy lifestyle. Proper lifting is also important.
Moving a joint through its full range of motion serves several important purposes. Joints are not supplied directly with blood as are other organs within the body, so the saying “Use it or lose it” applies to joint function.
Most joints in the body are lined with cartilage—a firm but pliable tissue that covers the surfaces of the bones that make up the joint. Cartilage within a joint is nourished by synovial fluid, which is “forced” into the joint cartilage through a process called imbibition.
The pressure within the joint providing nourishment to the cartilage occurs only when joint movement happens. This is why movement is critical to joint health. Grinding of bone on bone without a cartilage covering leads to degenerative joint disease, tearing up the bones and creating cysts, bone spurs and excess bone production.

Proper diet and nutrition also contribute to joint health by providing the joints with enough healthy nutrients for long-term stability and resistance to wear and tear. A healthy lifestyle – one that is free from tobacco products and other toxins – helps to ensure proper blood supply to tissues surrounding joints and speeds up the healing of joint injuries when they occur.

How are joints injured? 
Most of the injuries to joints occur because abnormal stresses are placed on a normal joint. A joint can be injured acutely from a single traumatic event, like an ankle sprain. The ankle joint is protected by ligaments on the inside and outside. When the ankle moves excessively inward, the ligaments on the outside of the joint are torn. The ankle swells, leading to bruising and pain. In some cases, small pieces of bone and cartilage may be torn away. Fracture of the tibia and/or fibula (ankle bones) can also occur.
Other joint injuries are called repetitive-stress injuries or cumulative-trauma disorders. These injuries occur when relatively small abnormal stresses are repeatedly placed on normal joints. The stresses placed on joints by poor posture, poor joint position during the performance of a task, and/or poor workstation ergonomics make these joints more likely to be injured.

If you experience joint pain, consult with the doctors of chiropractics at Cascade Spine & Injury Center.  Chiropractors are uniquely trained to treat common musculoskeletal conditions, including low back pain, neck pain and joint pain. They can also help you choose proper rehabilitation exercises and prevention techniques to get you back on your feet and reduce the likelihood of future injuries.

“By the Numbers: Musculoskeletal Injuries.” The Burden of Musculoskeletal Diseases in the United States. U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative, www.boneandjointburden.org/.  
 
 

Thanks for Subscribing

The team at Cascade Spine & Injury Center wants to extend a hearty ‘thank you’ to all of our subscribers. We endeavor to bring you useful and timely information. If you’re not a regular just yet please visit our website www.cascadespineandinjury.com for more information.

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Cascade Spine & Injury Center
5253 NE Sandy Blvd. Portland, OR 97213
Phone: (503) 893-5131 Fax: (503) 914-0923
Email: staff@cascadespineandinjury.com
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