When Lifting, Remember Your Maxims

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Lifting causes more injuries than most other basic motions in human life

But the vast majority of these injuries are entirely avoidable. They stem from the fact that we ignore our time-honored advice of lifting with our legs and hips and instead lift with the back. This overloads the tendons and ligaments which support the spine, and are not designed to bear heavy loads. The muscles or your legs are much more adept at propelling themselves while bearing weight. Whether you are moving houses, lifting a box of paper, or a child, you need to be mindful about this motion! If the object is on the floor 

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Modifying Your Weightlifting Routine to Account for Back Pain

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Back pain does not mean the end of the weight room for you

Weight lifting is a boon for people with back pain- when done correctly, it increases the ability of your muscles to support your spine, makes you less injury prone and improves function across the board. Strength is a critical piece of wellness that benefits back pain sufferers no end. There is a balance, however; you must always maintain awareness of the state of your spine and its capacity for weight-bearing activities. For this reason, if you are balancing back pain and weight lifting, it is critical that you receive an examination by a primary care provider or spinal health care specialist such as a chiropractor. We are trained, qualified, and vastly experienced in helping weight lifters determine an appropriate amount of activity based on a diagnostic picture of their spine. 

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Morning Stiffness Solved With Three Simple Stretches

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You won’t even have to get out of bed for this one

It’s no wonder that many of us find that our first inclination upon waking is to stretch; as adults, most of us are feeling stiffness in some part of the body in the morning, and all of us have our techniques for dealing with it. It probably won’t surprise you to know that the majority of us choose to do nothing about it. And as we busy ourselves with the activities of the day, the stiffness seems to fade into the background. But rest assured, it is has not disappeared; most likely, it is getting worse, but your body and brain are good at masking the stiffness and distracting you from thinking about it. So before this insidious situation sets in, choose to do something about it by having a 3 minutes stretching session before you get out of bed. 

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With Spinal Health, Posture Leads the Way

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Much is written and said about posture

But there is one maxim that we know to be true: poor posture leads to poor health. It doesn’t just make you look bad (at the very least, lacking in confidence), it also sets a tone for which the rest of your body and mind will follow. 

Poor posture:

  • Puts more pressure on your spine
  • Limits spinal joint mobility
  • Causes organ dysfunction
  • Changes the shape of your spine
  • Compresses nerves and causes dysfunction in the nervous system
  • Reduces lung capacity
  • Interferes with brain functioning

If we have not provided enough reasons thus far, rest assured that the list goes on. Understanding the role of posture in not just our spinal health, but our overall wellbeing, is a critical first step in changing the way you sit, stand, sleep and move around.

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Activity Makes for a Healthier Pregnancy

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Activity is the key to mitigating discomfort during pregnancy

Let’s face it: pregnancy is going to be uncomfortable. With your body undergoing enormous changes at a rapid clip, there is bound to be periods of pronounced pain, nausea and distress. It’s in your best interest to do everything in your power to keep these circumstances at a minimum. One way you can do this is through exercise: staying active contributes to more physical and emotional balance. At Holmes Chiropractic, we have decades of experience using chiropractic modalities to help women achieve a more comfortable, more successful pregnancy with fewer complications during childbirth. But the work doesn’t stop once you leave our office! Read on to discover some simple, yet profound, ways to stay active during pregnancy

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Chiropractic For Tennis Players

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Tennis plays a role in holistic healthcare

By keeping you active and socially engaged, tennis does a lot for our well being. It is a low-impact sport that can be enjoyed at any ability, while also contributing to lower levels of anxiety. But tennis still has its risk factors, as up to 60% of regular players will suffer some form of injury related to their sport. The most common injuries in tennis are:

  • Tennis elbow
  • Sprained ankles 
  • Back sprains
  • Tendinitis in the shoulder

The repetitive actions and motions involved in tennis lend themselves to wear and tear that can cause injury. If you want to prevent an injury from keeping you off the court, it pays to be proactive.

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Why We Take Stress Seriously

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Stress is the glue that holds many problems together

Allowing our lifestyles to run out of control and become dominated by stress is a sure way to leave our bodies and minds vulnerable to the onset of degenerative conditions. Stress is linked with heart disease, headaches, obesity, depression and a whole host of musculoskeletal conditions; this wide-ranging set of conditions shows how stress can be an underlying killer. As we see it, stress is a malevolent glue that remains quiet at the root of much of the pain and many of the conditions we treat here at Holmes Chiropractic. We can’t let the members of our community leave stress unaddressed! Read on to find out about our action plan for dealing with stress.

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Spinal Health: Killer Habits vs. Habits That Kill

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We all know we could take better care of our spines

But on the other hand, we are humans and thus it is easy to procrastinate. We are really good at ignoring the pain and stiffness that has set into our spines over the years. But take it from a chiropractor, the stakes have never been higher. Do you really want to be someone who starts taking spinal health seriously after their spine has succumbed to a serious, degenerative injury or condition? That is the reality for so many Americans, who neglect their spine for decades before it finally says, That’s it, no more. From that point forward that person’s life will be, at least partially, defined by a struggle for spinal health. We urge you to take a look at your lifestyle and determine which habits are holding you back from achieving maximum spinal health.

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