Month: November 2019

3 Simple Tips to Prevent Back Injuries

When it comes to avoiding back injuries, your fate is largely in your own hands. It’s true that an unexpected fall or auto accident may cause an injury that’s beyond your control, but a large percentage of back injuries are caused by your own actions, which means you can take measures to prevent them or stop them from getting worse. While its important to maintain spinal alignment with regular adjustments, what you do outside of the office is equally important! Here are a few tips for avoiding back injuries on your own.

LIFTING TECHNIQUE

Whether you are lifting weighs or boxes, books, babies, or just about anything else, they all have an impact on the health of your spine. When you lift correctly your spine is in proper alignment and there is no added stress placed on your back. The proper way to lift means you should bend your knees and keep your back as straight as possible when you pick anything up off the floor. This going for bending down to put on socks or shoes as well.

If you have a lot of lifting to do try to place items on a table or chair so there isn’t as much bending needed. Your back is not designed to work like a crane so anytime you use it that way you are putting tons of stress on your back that doesn’t need to be there. Try using a balanced stance, with your legs a little wider apart, lift with your legs and move your feet if you need to change direction while holding the object.

POSTURE MANAGEMENT

Performing activities with your spinal alignment in mind is a great way to help you avoid back injuries in the first place. That means stretching before any type of physical activity, taking it slow if you have a lot of repetitive lifting to do, and even taking breaks to rest and stretch during the activity or prolonged periods of time in one position such as a desk job. Posture breaks are a great way to stay mindful of your posture throughout the day. Try setting an alarm on your watch or phone to go off once an hour during your workday to remind you to unwind your shoulders, get up and do a few stretches for 1 minute an hour. At the end of an 8 hour workday, you’ve taken 8 minutes out of your busy day to prevent a back injury.

Sleeping on a supportive firm mattress is another way to keep your spine in line between adjustments. Side sleeping with a supportive pillow is what our doctors recommend here at YFC. Getting yourself in good physical shape also protects your back and helps to avoid injuries. This includes strengthening core muscles as well as back muscles which will make lifting and general movement less stressful on your back.

DON’T LET INJURIES LINGER

If you end up with a back injury despite your efforts to avoid it, you should seek treatment with a chiropractor as soon as you can. Spinal misalignment, bulging discs, herniated discs, and other injuries often only get worse if you let them linger without treatment. Prompt treatment will restore blood flow to the area, relieve any compressed nerves and get you back to normal in the shortest time possible. At Yost Family Chiropractic our team is here to help answer your questions.  Please feel free to contact us today at 515-278-9678.

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Decrease stress by using your breath

Feeling Stressed? It’s normal to feel overwhelmed sometimes, but too much stress can throw a wrench in your overall health and wellness. Being in fight or flight mode more than 20% of the time can lead to mental health problems, increased risk of cardiovascular disease and even poor gut health…. which in turn, heightens levels of stress! Staying hydrated, eating healthy meals and routine chiropractic care all help in the long term, but what can you do right now to manage your stress and anxiety?

Most people are breathing the wrong way and don’t even realize it. As a chiropractor, while observing the general population, what we notice is that most people are using their chest and shoulders to breath instead of the diaphragm. Go ahead…TRY IT! Take a BIG deep breath in and blow it all the way out; did your shoulders move? If you’ve ever watched a baby breathe you will notice they don’t move their shoulders at all, but instead breath with their BELLIES. The proper way to breathe without stressing your neck and shoulder muscles is called diaphragmatic breathing.

How-To: Diaphragmatic Breathe

This relaxation style deep breathing technique helps slow the heartbeat, stabilize blood pressure and get more oxygen circulating throughout the body. Here’s how you do it:

  1. Sit or lay comfortably making sure your spine is straight and most importantly that your head and neck are relaxed.
  2. Put one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach just above your belly button.
  3. Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4 seconds, so that your stomach pushes against your hand. Now the hard part-try to keep the hand on your chest as still as possible.
  4. Breathe out slowly through your mouth for 5 seconds by tightening your stomach muscles. Again, trying to keep the hand on your stomach still.
  5. Repeat for several minutes.
Relaxation Breathing Technique

This type of breathing should be practiced daily starting with just 2 minute per day and working up to 30 minute sessions- eventually your brain convert your “normal” breathing pattern to diaphragmatic breathing resulting in less stress and a feeling of overall relaxation. This technique is great for both adults and kids that struggle with stress or anxiety. If you have any questions or concerns about this, feel free to talk to the doctors next time you’re in the office or schedule a free consultation today at 515-278-9678