Archive for February 2017

Anterior Hip Stretch to Fix Poor Posture/Chronic Low Back

When you have low back pain, sometimes in a few days your posture will change to compensate.  You can start to lean forward (most common) or favor one side.

Good Posture…

Poor Posture…

When poor posture occurs the front hip ligaments will tighten to help keep your balance.  This ligaments wrap around the hips ball and socket joint and wind like a piece of rope.

These ligaments need to be stretched to improve overall posture.  Then the back pain can reduce, and strength can be returned.

Here are the anterior hip stretch steps:

  1. Lay on your stomach with the weight on your forearms.

  2. To stretch the left hip, bring your left knee up and to the side enough to avoid pain.  Hold for 1-2 minutes.

  3. To stretch the right hip, bring your right knee up and to the side enough to avoid pain.  Hold for 1-2 minutes. 

  4. Feel if on side is tighter than the other.

  5. Recommended: ice if any soreness when standing.

When you can perform this anterior stretch to the full range of motion (see images above), then you are ready to add more stretches and strength exercises.  This will lead to your low back recovery and improve your posture.

Every is at a unique state of health.

Enjoy a Complimentary consultation from these specialists and recover from nerve, spine, and muscle pain.

Enjoy Health from the Inside Out

Book Now:
909-981-5666 or On-Line

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Carina, “Almost Fully Back to Normal.” Back Pain Recovery

Even people that routinely exercise, sometimes fall off the wagon.   Carina’s office job caused some back stress, and she maintained a routine workout schedule until a few months ago.  After falling out of the habit going to the gym, Carina’s back started to hurt…and did not stop hurting.

Carina came into the office with consistent, extreme back pain.  Without signs of trauma and being young, it was unusual to have this type of pain.  After an x-ray analysis, Carina understood that her pain was coming from poor posture and a weak back causing neuropathy from her spine.

After only a few weeks of chiropractic adjustments and returning to routine working out, Carina felt better.  Then we retook the x-rays that showed improvement.  The result is Carina will stay healthy now that her spine is a better normal and she will continue her posture exercises.

Do you know if your spine is healthy? 

Each person is at a unique state of health.

Enjoy a Complimentary consultation from these specialists and recover from nerve, spine, and muscle pain.

Book Now:
909-981-5666 or
On-line booking

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Nancy D.-Back Posture Spine Recovery

Fix Hunchback Posture: 3 Best Exercises

 

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Health Disc vs. Compressed, Ruptured Disc

Short clip from our Gibson Center talk Jan. ’17.

The spinal disc stay healthy when your spine has proper alignment and motion. This circulates fluid to and from the disc to stay healthy.  This is similar to a calf muscle staying strong with ankle and knee motion.

When you loose spinal motion, then the opposite can occur: the spine disc will loose more fluid over time and shrink that can lead to disc conditions such as a bulge, herniation; or worse, rupture or tear.

Each person is at a unique state of health.

Enjoy a Complimentary consultation from these specialists and recover from nerve, spine, and muscle pain.

Enjoy health from the inside out. 

Book Now:
909-981-5666 or
On-line booking

Related Articles:

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Middle Back Pain: 3 Causes/Treatment

Finding the cause of middle back pain can be confusing.  Before seeing your doctor/chiropractor, understanding the most common causes of back pain can help rule conditions in or rule them out.

The first cause can be scoliosis.

1: Scoliosis: Child onset

This is a condition causing the spine to bend to the side from the front to back view.  This causes middle back pain as a child grows .

 

To check if a child has scoliosis we perform a detailed Chiropractic exam checking posture.  Our specific exam looks for EARLY signs of scoliosis.

This is Riley’s x-ray of early scoliosis that is NOT detectable from a medical or school exam.  This slight curve can progress rapidly with the medical approach’s “wait and see” method of monitoring a child’s posture/x-rays until it progresses to ineffective bracing and risky surgery.

 

1: Scoliosis: Adult Onset

From injuries, a person can acquire scoliosis like this man in his 60s who had an injury 20 years ago.  This can cause pain later in life, that does not go away.

2: Neuropathy

Another cause of middle back pain is nerve pain from the neck to the middle back.  This can occur without neck pain.

3: Poor Posture

Poor posture is the #1 cause of middle back pain.  From living your life with bad posture, your head goes forward and your upper back hunches.  This can pinch the nerves in your neck and weaken the back, then middle back pain can occur.  After an exam to evaluate your posture, an x-ray allows you to see if you have an abnormal spine causing the middle back pain.

Treatment Steps for all 3 Causes:

  1. perform an x-ray analysis

  2. follow through with necessary treatment

  3. perform posture strength exercises

  4. form healthy habits to stay healthy

  5. take another x-ray to compare

These steps will alleviate your middle back pain and CORRECT the problem in your spine causing the pain.

Each person is at a unique state of health.

Enjoy a Complimentary consultation from these specialists and recover from nerve, spine, and muscle pain.

Enjoy health from the inside out. 

Book Now:
909-981-5666 or
On-line booking

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Carlos’s Recovery: More Flexible and Less Pain

Carlos works as a union iron worker for years.  He is very strong.  Carlos’s work has overloaded his back causing a pain and stiffness in his spine.

After understanding his x-rays, Carlos started the Chiropractic treatment.  Then stretches were added when he felt a little better.  Then Strength exercises added.  Carlos became aware that he needed more flexibility, and focused on this before working out.

Carlos saw his follow-up x-rays and understood that spinal motion helped increase his body’s motion.   His soreness is gone and has confidence he can stay healthy.

Do you know if your spine is healthy? 

Each person is at a unique state of health.

Enjoy a Complimentary consultation from these specialists and recover from nerve, spine, and muscle pain.

Book Now:
909-981-5666 or
On-line booking

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Posterior Deltoid Exercise for Shoulder Recovery

A painful, arthritic shoulder usually has weak posterior deltoid muscles, and causes bad posture.

Dr. Ratkovic explains this exercise to strengthen this muscle and promote better posture.

Short clip from @ Gibson Nov. ’16.

Serving Upland, Ontario, Claremont, Cucamonga, Ontario and surrounding communities.

 

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T Shoulder Stretch to Start Shoulder/Posture Recovery

 A long-term shoulder injury can cause pain with any motion.  Shoulder rehab needs to start with range of motion to prevent scar tissue formation and permanent arthritis.  The T Shoulder Stretch begins your recovery by passive (non-muscle contraction) motion.

Start with facing the wall.  Hold each stretch enough to avoid pain. Use the opposite arm to get shoulder in position.

Here are the steps of the T Stretch:

  1. Bring your arm across your chest horizontal to the floor.  Lean into the wall.  Hold for 10 seconds, relax for 5, then hold for 10 again.  Repeat 3 times.

  2. Walk the hand straight up the wall.  Lean into the wall.  Hold for 10 seconds, relax 5, then 10 again.  Repeat 3 times.

  3. Bring the arm away from the chest horizontal to the floor.  Lean into the wall.  Hold for 10 seconds, relax for 5, hold another 10.  Repeat 3 times.

Once you feel these stretches can be performed with ease and no pain, move on to more aggressive stretches and strength exercises.  Watch the related articles below.

Each person is at a unique state of health.

Enjoy a Complimentary consultation from these specialists and recover from nerve, spine, and muscle pain.

Book Now:
909-981-5666 or
On-line booking

Related Articles:

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Neck Back Posture Recovery-Kyndall

Kyndall’s slow progression of symptoms is common.  Then a person may think their are no spinal problems.   Kyndall wanted to avoid taking medication if it was NOT going to fix the problem causing her pain.  By coming to the Chiropractor first, we were able to rule out or in any structural problems first causing her pain.

During Kyndall’s her first x-ray analysis, she understood how her abnormal x-ray was causing the neck, middle, low back pain including the rib subluxation causing Kyndall pain while breathing.  Our goal with Kyndall was to correct her x-ray with adjustments, then add exercises to strengthen her posture.

Kyndall started treatment coming into the office frequently at first.  Then less often as she started to form good exercise habits.  The combination of adjustments and exercises minimized her pain, caused Kyndall to have more energy and feel less stressed from school and work.

After enough treatment Kyndall had her x-rays retaken, to compare apples to apples.  Then she was able to see the improvement, and understand how this will keep her well.

Do you know if your spine is healthy? 

Each person is at a unique state of health.

Enjoy a Complimentary consultation from these specialists and recover from nerve, spine, and muscle pain.

Book Now:
909-981-5666 or
On-line booking

Related Articles:

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Vicky, “I feel great!”

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Good Posture/X-ray keeps Nueropathy Away

Dr. Ratkovic explains how the x-ray analysis helps determine the cause of neuropathy, disc problems, and arthritis.

Clip form Gibson Jan ’17.

Learn if you have limited spinal motion.

Have an x-ray analysis by a Chiropractor.

Enjoy Health from the Inside Out.

Serving Upland, Claremont, Cucamonga, Ontario and surrounding communities.

Book Now:
909-981-5666

On-Line

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Best 3 Steps to Neck Pain Recovery by your Upland Claremont Cucamonga Chiropractor

?Book On-Line Appointments?

? Peggy’s Cure for Headaches and Neck/Spine Pain (video)

In this video I give you 3 things to ask for when seeking help for your neck pain.  When the doctor gives you the correct answers, then you have the best chance of recovery and staying healthy.  Follow through with each step to find your health again.

1. Diagnose/Detect

Find out what is the cause of the neck pain.  Is it from the spine, nerve, disc, or somewhere else?

Go through an examination with the doctor.

  1. Test range of motion of the neck, upper back, shoulders and head.

  2. Is there a certain motion that increases the pain, or causes the pain?

  3. Does any pain travel to the head, down the arm(s) or down the back?

  4. Do a posture exam.  Have the doctor analyze your posture from the front and back in a relax, standing position.

Do objective imaging?

  1. Expect an x-ray analysis to rule in or rule out a structural problem causing the pain.

Is your x-ray normal, looking like this?

Having a normal smooth curve, and symmetrical disc spacing with the head sitting over the shoulders.

OR is the neck abnormal like this?

Having a straighter spine, and narrowed disc spacing.

Lastly if the pain is intense, then an MRI to rule out disc tears, bone fractures and soft tissue tears.

2. Treatment

What type of therapy will you need to resolve the pain?

  1. Adjustments: increased motion in the spine to return the spine curve, improve disc height to reduce pain.

  2. Physical therapy: increase soft tissue and joint healing away from the spine.

  3. Start exercising to improve range of motion and strength.

How long with the therapy take?

  1. Because most conditions causing neck pain occurred over weeks and months, full recovery make take a similar time to fix the condition so it does not return.

  2. This returns the body to a better normal and helps you form better health habits. 

3. Follow-up Exam/X-rays

Then you can compare apples to apples with your initial results to check improvement.

Exam

  1. Did your range of motion improve without pain?

  2. Did your posture improve? Is your head coming more over the shoulders and is your body upright?

  3. Do you feel stronger and healthier?

X-rays

  1. Does your spine look improved vs. your initial x-ray compared to normal (see comparison above)?

Increased exercises without pain.

  1. Stretches.  For example, upper trapezius stretch:

  2. Strength exercises.  For example, shoulder press:

Walking, sitting and standing better without pain:

After you have recovered from neck pain by going through these 3 steps with your doctor, continue to perform and add exercises that help you improve your posture, counter your daily stress and stay healthy.

Everyone is at a unique state of health.

Enjoy a Complimentary consultation from these specialists and recover from nerve, spine, and muscle pain.

Enjoy Health from the Inside Out.

Ready to get checked? ??

Book Now:

(909) 981-5666

On-Line Appointments

 

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