Vancouver Chiropractic & Massage Therapy, Chiropractor Vancouver

BAREFOOT RUNNING: OPINION

Ali — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:13:18 +0000

Many patients are asking about the latest trend in running: barefoot running and minimalist shoes.
You have likely heard of Nike Free shoes or seen people wearing Vibram Five Fingers aka ‘Toe shoes’.
Without getting into too much biomechanical jargon, there is a small percentage of the population that can wear these shoes without a problem. The exact number is not clear but likely less than 10-15% of the population.

The greatest benefit of running barefoot or wearing minimalist shoes is that it changes the way you run: you heel strike less and instead land on your midfoot with foot strike occurring underneath the body rather than with the heel in front of the body. This reduces the shock transfer to the joints and studies have shown that this is beneficial. So far so good.

But, here is where we run into problems: what about the rest of the population that don’t have perfect feet? Just like for various reasons many people nowadays have vision problems, we also tend to have problems with our feet. 1/4 of all of the bones in our body are in our feet. In our clinic we see overpronation problems in 30% of our patients. Overpronation is when your ankle or arch roll inward excessively and may result in injuries to the feet, achilles, shins, knees, hips and low back.
These people cannot wear minimalist shoes or run barefoot. They will not make it very far before having an injury or causing permanent damage to their joints.

A small percentage of the population are oversupinators, where the foot rolls outwards. These people naturally have feet that do not absorb shock properly and so need cushiony shoes.
Finally, some people have seen Kenyans running barefoot and think that they can imitate that here. The only difference is that most of the time the Kenyans are not running on hard concrete and have also adapted over the years to running barefoot. Don’t believe me? Put on some socks and go for a jog down the block. Very few people will be able to do this without a problem.

So unless you have perfect feet (very few of us) and unless you are mostly going to run on grass or dirt (even fewer of us) then please make sure you are fitted with proper running shoes and in some cases have custom made orthotics. Your joints will thank you when you are older.

One final thought. For the majority of us who don’t have perfect foot mechanics, it may be beneficial to adapt to a barefoot running style. That means you are wearing proper shoes but you are pretending to be barefoot. Does that make any sense? When you run barefoot you will automatically shorten your stride length and land with your feet under you and lean forward more. These are good habits to get into so you can benefit from a barefoot running style while still getting adequate support, cushion, and protection from the elements with your shoes.

Spring Cleaning Do’s and Don’ts

Ali — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:08:56 +0000

Do use spring as your opportunity to renew more than just your home. Spring is a time for new beginnings. For many, there are things you need to leave behind. Spring is a perfect time to get rid of things that are weighing you down or pulling you in a wrong direction. Spring cleaning isn’t just for houses. Your mind, body and spirit will also benefit from a clean fresh start.

Don’t use conventional cleaners. Many ingredients found in conventional cleaners are linked to cancers, endocrine disorders and neurological problems. Commit to safe, environmentally-friendly cleaning this year.

Do use natural cleaning products like white vinegar, baking soda, corn starch, lemon juice, olive oil and club soda. White vinegar mixed with equal parts of water is a must-have for killing mold, bacteria, and germs. Baking soda can be used to remove odors and whiten sinks or bathtubs. Salt can be used for scrubbing and removing mildew, and club soda is an effective stain remover for carpets.

Do clean the air. Indoor air has been shown to carry 25-100 times more pollutants than outdoor air. One of the best and simplest ways to improve the air quality in your home is by using houseplants. NASA has studied the effect of houseplants on indoor air quality and reports plants reduce up to 87% of air toxins. Some of the top air-improving houseplants are African violets, Christmas cactus, the Feston Rose plant, English ivy and aloe. Worth doing especially since we are indoors most of the time.

Don’t use air fresheners. The cleanest and safest odor is no odor at all. The perfumes and scents you associate with clean laundry, a clean body and a germ-free home are oftentimes toxic. If you insist on a scent, use a couple drops of your favorite essential oil in your homemade cleaner, or wipe your counters with fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

Do grind fresh-cut orange or lemon peels in the garbage disposal to combat odors lurking there.

Do reduce allergens. Switch to allergen-proof pillow and mattress covers. Switch to hard surface floors like tile and hardwood. Remove curtains and use easy-to-dust blinds for window coverings.

Do make a new habit of removing your shoes at the door. Think about all the places your shoes go every day . . . stores, public restrooms, gas stations and more. Even a simple walk through the grass can track in lawn chemicals. Don’t let those toxins enter your home.

Do plant a garden. Eating fresh whole foods is an excellent way to “spring clean” your body. If you are a new gardener, start with a small patch. Lettuces, herbs and tomatoes are easiest to grow for beginners.

Chiropractic care and the Nervous System

Ali — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:59:54 +0000

Our health depends most on the stability and performance of our central nervous system. Thinking of this significant and intricate system intertwined within our body as a power supply of life, we are able to visibly see the significance of keeping our spinal cord and nerves in optimal shape.

Our brain is the main command center for the rest of our body, and uses our spinal cord and nerves to control all function and healing within the body. Therefore, attaining overall health and wellness is directly associated to maintaining proper nerve supply

The intricacy of the nervous system is so powerful and subtle that it is able to control millions of cells inside dozens of operating systems all at once. Right now you are currently breathing, your heart is beating and your eyes are blinking, all while sustaining feeling and keeping pace within your limbs. All of these individual operations are done without effort and sometimes unknowingly due to your nervous systems ability to manage and regulate your body’s function. While your body may be able to go days without water, weeks without food, and even minutes without oxygen, it cannot keep going one second without the power created by your nervous system!

The nervous system is so crucial to your body that it is covered within a complicated bony structure to keep damaging elements away from the sensitive nerves. This bony structure consists of the skull, which guards the upper brain, and the spinal column, which shelters the spinal cord and nerve roots. When this spinal column is not well taken care of, it may shift out of place or develop degeneration, interfering with your body’s ability to maintain maximum nerve supply to all of the body’s cells.

The benefits of spinal correction are not just pain relief, but also greater neurological health, proper organ function, prevention of spinal degeneration, optimum range of motion, high performance, and a far greater resistance to injury.

Acing Tennis Elbow

Ali — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:04:43 +0000

If you are a tennis player your chances of becoming a pro are not as good as your chances of developing tennis elbow. Tennis elbow, or Lateral Epicondylitis, is a condition that is caused by damage to the muscles and tendons in the forearm. It can be caused by repetitive strain such as swinging a tennis racket or by any other activity that places an unusually high load on the tendons near the elbow such as raking leaves, golfing, bowling or using a screwdriver. An incorrect backhand stroke in tennis where the elbow bends excessively or if the wrist bends too much can create greater force on the muscles surrounding the elbow. At first Tennis elbow may start as an ache or soreness near the outside of your elbow on the side opposite the palm. Eventually the pain may become so bad that everyday activities like shaking hands or picking up a cup may become difficult.

Treatment includes Rest for at least 2 weeks and possibly as much as 4-6 weeks if the pain persists. Ice the area at least twice per day for about 20 minutes for the first 5 days. Begin stretching and strengthening exercises after the fifth day. A Tennis elbow strap may help to minimize the force on your elbow when you return to play. At Peak Performance we use a combination of therapy to treat Tennis Elbow. Active release therapy helps to break down the scar tissue along with Graston technique which is an instrument-based manual therapy. This is done for the first few weeks in conjunction with Kinesiotaping. Exercises to strengthen the forearm and upper arm muscles are incorporated after the first week. Most cases resolve within 4-6 weeks. If you have been suffering from Tennis elbow for many years then it may take longer to resolve. Seek treatment as soon as possible to reduce the risk of suffering from chronic pain.

Why your neck hurts years after an accident

Ali — Wed, 11 May 2011 20:20:27 +0000

If you have been in a motor vehicle accident then you know the incredible amount of pain and disability that it can cause, even in a low velocity collision. Most whiplash cases are labeled ‘soft tissue injuries’ or injury to the muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. A recent study showed that a significant number of persons suffering acute neck pain following a motor vehicle collision develop chronic pain that lasts for years. Further, that a significant number of these patients succumb to partial or total disability. Even with treatment many patients suffer for years with post-whiplash pain. Soft tissue injuries are supposed to heal within weeks or months so why the delay? The most common source of the chronic pain: damage to the spinal facet joints. The facet joints are small joints on each side of a vertebrae that, along with the disc, stabilize the spine and allow bending, twisting and side to side movement. In a rear-end automobile collision, the “facet joints undergo a nonphysiologic pinching motion, with compression posteriorly and distraction anteriorly, usually coupled with shear.” This abnormal stress on the joint can cause damage to the capsular structure around the joint, damage to the articulating structures of the joint itself, and even intra-articular hemorrhage. When such damage occurs pain is transmitted to the brain through a medial branch nerve that innervates the facet joint. The problem with facet injuries is that they do not show up on x-rays, CT Scans or MRIs. That is because the injuries involve microscopic damage to tiny features within the joint that are not usually observable in these studies. Often, this leads physicians to the conclusion that there is no structural damage to the spine, and that the pain must be deriving from the surrounding “soft tissues.” This then leads to the conclusion that “soft tissue” injuries ordinarily resolve in weeks or months, not years. So what’s the solution? Well, it’s complicated. In the first month after an accident there is swelling, loss of range of motion and spasm. In this stage the best remedies are usually ice (cryotherapy), gentle massage and joint mobilization, and pain medication if needed. After the first month Chiropractic care is usually the most important modality along with massage therapy and physiotherapy to restore function to the spinal structures and related musculature. Spinal manipulation helps to restore proper mechanics and alignment to the facet joints to maximize the healing process. Most patients return to their pre-accident status within about 6 months after an accident with proper treatment. We do know that certain factors may delay recovery such as not anticipating the impact, having your head turned at the time of impact, and if there was a pre-existing injury at the time of the accident because these factors complicate the injury. Other factors that delay recovery are a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and age. A study in Spine (Vol 35, No 9) demonstrated that people with chronic whiplash have changes in their muscles, especially in the anterior neck muscles, whereby the muscle tissue has fatty infiltration and therefore cannot function normally. Chronic whiplash can also lead to neurological changes and depression. It is important to treat whiplash properly to minimize the risk of developing chronic problems. It is crucial to implement an active rehabilitation program to regain full function, usually with the help of a Kinesiologist or Physiotherapist. If you have been injured even mildly in a car accident, whether you are at fault or not, your chiropractic care is covered by ICBC and you do not need to pay out of pocket for care. Talk to your Chiropractor if you have been injured so that a proper treatment plan can be implemented. After a thorough assessment your Chiropractor may recommend a combination of therapies utilizing a team approach to maximize results.

Chiropractic might help your brain

Ali — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:16:13 +0000

Several very recent studies provide evidence that spinal manipulation and motor-skill training not only help reduce pain and improve function, but also may contribute to normalizing cortical neuroplasticity and reorganization. Sensory and cortical maps, as well as levels of corticomotor neuron excitability, can change with injury and pain. Injury, inflammation and pain arising from spinal joints not only affect the individual joints involved or a region of the spine, but also has a significant impact on the function and structure of both the sensory and motor brain. We already know that chronic pain is associated with changes in the brain that may explain why chronic pain sufferers are more sensitive to noxious input and are also more likely to suffer from depression and other conditions. This is the first time that studies have shown that cervical spinal manipulation as well as a program to develop coordination may reduce or even reverse some of the changes that take place in the brain. This is another reason to avoid ‘masking’ pain with pain killers as the structure and function of the spinal joints needs to be improved to avoid long term damage in not only the joints but also the entire nervous system.

References:

Haavik-Taylor H, Murphy B. Altered central integration of dual somato-sensory input after cervical spine manipulation. JMPT, 2010; 33: 178-188.

Haavik-Taylor H, Murphy B. Cervical spine manipulation alters sensorimotor integration: a somatosensory evoked potential study. Clin Neurophysiol, 2007; 118: 391-402.

Imagine your roof is leaking and you develop wet spots in your ceiling. The water starts to affect your pot lights and causes mould to grow in the insulation. The integrity of the structure of the ceiling can be compromised. The ‘masking’ solution would be to paint over the wet spot in the ceiling or patch it. The pot light would still not work because the wiring is damaged and the structure of the ceiling and roof will still be weakened. The insulation would be hazardous to your health as well. Is this such a good idea? You would never treat your home this way so why would you treat your body this way and cause wiring problems (nervous system) and structural damage (premature arthritis and motor dysfunction). Pain and inflammation need to be dealt with properly so see your chiropractor to discuss the best treatment plan to fix the problem (fix the roof damage that caused the leak in the first place) instead of ‘masking’ the problem with pain killers.

What is Fascia?

Ali — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:52:52 +0000

The next time you peel an orange and you see the white fuzzy stuff that attaches the fruit to the skin and also envelopes each part of the citrus fruit right down to the middle, you are observing fascia.
Fascia is the biological fabric that surrounds every structure in the body and invests most of them. Without this fabric 70% of our body that is water would end up as a puddle on the floor. Without the fascia to organize them, our 70 trillion little fat/water/gel droplets we call “cells” would be a mound of slime mold unable to organize much at all.
Fascia wraps around several muscles creating a kinetic chain. For example, you all know where your hamstring muscles are, as well as your calves, and your arches in your feet. Although they are separate in the sense that they have specific attachments to certain bones (namely your ischial tuberosity on your pelvis, the back of the femur and tibia, the heel bone), there is a single band of fascia that covers all of these structures almost like the wrapping or casing around sausage links. That means that when you pull on one of them they all feel the tension. When you are stretching your hamstrings by reaching to touch your foot, you will feel the stretch more if you point your toes towards you, right? That is how fascia functions. It also creates the smooth, elastic recoil of movements such as throwing a baseball or kicking a ball. Without fascia these movements would be very choppy and robotic.
Injuries occur when there is tension, imbalance or even chemical problems within the fascia.
If you have any questions our Chiropractors and Massage therapists would be happy to explain how this wonderful stuff works!

WAIST MANAGEMENT

Ali — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 21:20:08 +0000

WAIST MANAGEMENT

Here are a few tips to manage your waist size this holiday season:

1. Don’t skip meals.
Snack every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism burning otherwise when the body senses starvation it stops burning calories.

2. Cut 100 calories per day.
This amounts to just one glass of wine or one cookie but can help you lose 12 pounds in one year.

3. Snack on nuts before dinner.
Eating a handful of almonds or walnuts before dinner not only gives you healthy essential fatty acids, it also makes you feel full so you will eat less at dinner.

4. Drink water 30 minutes before dinner.
Research shows that if you drink just two glasses of water 30 minutes before a meal you will lose weight.

5. Eat breakfast.
A healthy breakfast that includes protein will help avoid cravings later in the day. Eat a healthy whole grain cereal like Kashi or Natures Path and throw in some blueberries or have some yogurt and add some nuts and fruit.

6. Sugar is evil.
When food shopping make sure sugar is not listed in the first 5 ingredients. This includes anything that ends in -ose like glucose, fructose, etc. Hidden sugar is not only unhealthy but it’s quietly adding to your waist size.

7. Get adequate sleep.
Sleep deprivation increases hormones that increase your appetite.

8. Use a smaller plate.
Studies show that you will feel full earlier when your eyes see an empty plate. Put your large dinner plates away for dinner parties only.

9. Move
Walk, do yoga, have sex, lift weights, do pilates, join a dance class, adopt a dog. There are many ways to incorporate enjoyable activities into your daily routine that help keep your waist happy.

CHECK YOUR SYMMETRY

Ali — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 05:18:31 +0000

CHECK YOUR SYMMETRY

There are many reasons why your body may not be perfectly symmetrical:
-leg length inequalities
-structural abnormalities
-muscular imbalances, etc
If you notice imbalances we can help. Using a combination of techniques we can assist in restoring your body back to balance.

SELF CHECK

Stand in front of the mirror and assess your symmetry. First, close your eyes and march on the spot for 2 or 3 seconds. Now stop marching, put your feet shoulder width apart and check the following:

1. Is your head shifted to one side?

2. Are your ears level? Can you see both ears equally?

3. Are your shoulders the same height?

4. Can you draw a straight line down from between your eyes, through the nose, center of your chin, sternum, belly button and down to between your feet?

5. Do your arms hang evenly at your sides? Is there equal space between your arms and body?

6. Do your knee caps face straight ahead?

7. Do your feet point ahead equally? Does one foot flare out more?

Of course there are natural asymmetries that are not significant but if you notice any imbalances from the above observations please check with us to see if it can be corrected. The more you are misaligned the more damage you are doing to your body. Just like a car with misaligned wheels, left unchecked for a long time it can lead to significant wear and tear. And God forbid that you neglect your car. Be good to your body and it will return the favour.

Glucosamine Review

Ali — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:50:53 +0000

Many of you have heard of this supplement which is used for joint health. Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) occur naturally in the body. The glucosamine used in supplements is typically derived from the shells of shrimp or crabs.
Glucosamine is used to slow the progression of osteoarthritis – the deterioration of cartilage between joint bones – and to reduce the associated pain.
As with all supplements there are some issues to address such as quality control, safety and efficacy. Glucosamine from shellfish such as shrimp and crabs may potentially be contaminated with lead. Also, some brands may not actually contain the stated amount of nutrient and therefore you are wasting your money.

This review of Glucosamine supplements (taken from ConsumerLab) yielded the following results:

Quality control and Safety:
***Most brands contained the stated amount of glucosamine and very few were contaminated with lead. The brands to stay away from are the following:

1. BioGenesis Nutraceuticals ArthroGenX contained 2.81 mcg of lead per daily serving.

2. Joint Strength Essentials by MegaFood had several problems. First, it was contaminated with 3.09 mcg of lead per daily serving of 3 capsules. Although this amount of lead in itself is unlikely to pose a risk to an adult, it represents unnecessary lead exposure relative to many other products on the market. Second, the product also claimed to be “Vegetarian” yet listed “green lipped mussel” as an ingredient (as part of its FDA-required allergen statement for shellfish).

3. Source Naturals Sodium Free Glucosamine Sulfate Powder was contaminated with 2.1 mcg of lead per daily serving of 1/4 tsp.

4. Estroven Joint and Bone was contaminated with 2.1 mcg of lead per daily serving of four caplets, exceeding the lead limit. The caplets also failed to fully break apart in the 30 minute time period established by the USP for disintegration testing, suggesting that it may not fully release its ingredients.

-FeelAnew Glucosamine and Chondroitin was labeled as containing only 5 mg of sodium, but this is contradicted by the listed amount of Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate (334 mg), which inherently provides 34 mg of sodium.

Many studies have shown benefits to joint cartilage by taking glucosamine. After the age of 40 our natural production of glucosamine declines and joints start to erode. Taking a supplement with glucosamine sulfate and MSM is recommended for most of people over the age of 40 especially if there is a history of joint problems, arthritis, or injuries. Chondroitin is not as important to take as it is a large molecule with lower absorption rate and with enough glucosamine intake, chondroitin content in joints should not be an issue. Glucosamine is safe to take for most people with few known side effects. Some people may find they have stomach upset and those with diabetes should check with their family doctor before taking glucosamine.
At Peak Performance we distribute professional brands which are free of contaminants and contain a high quality yield of both glucosamine sulfate and MSM. Adults over 40 should take 500mg per day and those with early osteoarthritis should take 1000-1500mg per day.