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The Maintenance visit

22/10/2015

The question often arises over and over again, should I still continue to come for regular adjustments even if I don’t have pain?

Well, I am glad you asked. I would personally agree with getting regular chiropractic adjustments because I have been receiving maintenance adjustments for nine years now. I have not had any days off work for many years due to illness and only get occasional aches in my mid back if I am lazy with my posture.

Pain should never be the controlling factor of why you return to get adjusted. Your nervous system is made up of over seventy-five miles of nerves and the nerve impulses can be as fast as three hundred and fifty miles per hour. By the time you start to feel pain there is already a great deal of dysfunction. Would you rather just feel good and be out of pain or be healthy.

Again I cannot stress how important it is to have your nervous system functioning at 100%. When a patient has a course of treatment and gets his or her spine in tip top condition they are usually out of pain. Much more than that, they usually report that they feel so much better. One of the reasons is that they are getting nearer to optimum nerve supply to their body.

Another reason is that they tend to sleep so much better, thereby feeling much more energy. If that patient then discontinues care, stops the exercises and keeps the old lifestyle, the probability is that they will revert to their previous condition.

That process usually takes 6-9 months. This happens regularly and the returning patient tends to say the same two things. Firstly, they can’t believe that it’s been that long. Secondly, they usually say, “The pain is worse than ever.”

I don’t really know if the pain is worse but I know that patients in this position are sorry that they didn’t maintain their spines. It usually only involves a treatment once per month.

I have been going to my dentist for approximately thirty five years now. In that period, I still to this day have my teeth checked once a year even though it was only once with tooth ache. Why would you not want your nervous system to run at its optimum peak for the entire life? How long would your car last if you only got it serviced when it started smoking or the oil light came on?

When it comes to your health and nervous system, it should be your number one priority. Health is your responsibility and you do have a choice to keep your family’s nervous system always operating at 100%. I hope to see your family for a regular check-up.

For additional information, please call 01422 836756 to arrange an appointment.

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Golf and your Spine

3/7/2015

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Golf instructors estimate that 80-100% of golfers' swing problems begin from faulty posture. Therefore, having a Chiropractor evaluate your posture should be the first and most important step toward building an optimal golf swing.

Most postural faults are caused by muscle and ligament tissue imbalances that pull a golfers body out of alignment, or a misalignment in spinal bones. The result of an unbalanced or asymmetrical standing posture will always be unbalanced and decreased performance.

Over a long period of time, playing with faulty posture will often result in more frequent injuries and chronic low back pain, not to mention poor scores. In the UK 80% of the population suffer lower back pain.

Cynics may say that golf is not really an active sport compared with cycling or tennis. Not true. Many avid golfers contort their bodies into oddly twisted postures, generating a great deal of torque (rotational twisting force) on the back.

Couple this motion with a bending back, repeat 90 to 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 lower back trouble.

Golfers who are serious about their game and who want to go on playing pain-free for many years, will take a pro-active approach. They get their backs in good condition and keep them that way. The other approach is to wait until the pain starts and then seek a solution.

There is no doubt that having a spine in good condition and having a regular spinal exercise routine are your best options for giving you years of pain-free golf.

Nerves control every muscle in your spine. A pinched nerve will decrease performance. On the average, our golfing patients will decrease their handicap by two when they improve the condition of their spine.

Two might not sound like much to the uninitiated, but it can be the difference between winning and losing. Many professional golfers such as Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Watson rely on chiropractors to increase their performance.

To find out if chiropractic could increase your performance in golf please call on the number below to schedule an appointment.

01422 836756

Click Here to get in touch
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Sciatica

17/3/2015

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What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is a severe pain in the leg caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve.

What is the Sciatic Nerve?

The sciatic nerve is your longest and largest nerve. It is made up of five roots that leave your low back, join in your pelvis and then travel to the muscles and joints of your thigh, knee, calf, ankle, foot and toes. The nerve at its largest point is about the diameter of a thumb. Irritation of these nerves can result in intense pain shooting down either or both legs.

What causes Sciatica?

One of the most common causes of sciatic leg pain is what Doctors of Chiropractic call the Vertebral Subluxation Complex. It can be accompanied by the bulging or herniation of the soft, pulpy discs which separate each spinal bone. This can irritate or put pressure on the sciatic nerve roots as they leave the spinal cord. The result can be the intense pain down one or both legs that doctors refer to as sciatica.

What treatment can help?

In the past treatment has involved pain medications, muscle relaxants, physical therapy and even surgery. The Chiropractic approach is to use carefully directed and controlled pressure to remove the interference from spinal structures. These are called adjustments and can be very effective in reducing nerve irritation and its associated pain. Sciatica, like other health problems that can be traced to the spine, often responds dramatically to the restoration of normal spinal function.

How long does it take?

As with many problems related to the spine the prognosis can vary dramatically from patient to patient. It is important to remember is that the related pain is often the last thing to come and the first thing to go.

Because of that the pain usually goes before proper correction of the condition is complete. It is important that patients receiving care from their doctor do not use pain as the indicator to whether the problem is completely corrected.

If you're suffering from Sciatica or if you've read this and feel you may need some help then please call us on 01422 836756.

Download Blog Article - Sciatica

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Does Arthritis have to be painful?

22/1/2015

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There are many people who tell us 'Iʼve got arthritis thereʼs nothing you can do'. We find this astonishing as we see thousands of patients with arthritis who now live without pain.

What is arthritis?

Literally it means joint inflammation and there can be many different types. The most common is osteoarthritis this is where the joint is degenerating, or showing signs of wear and tear.

Our body is like a piece of machinery. Every one of the joints in the spine should move like a well oiled machine allowing messages to come from the brain down the spinal chord and out of the spinal nerves into the rest of the body. However we sit and stand for long periods of time.

Many people spend hours on computers or sit at work and when they get home, tired after a long day they relax on the sofa.

This more sedentary lifestyle means our joints get stiff and like any piece of machinery we start to rust, or wear. This is when arthritis begins. Treating the joint with a chiropractic adjustment gets it moving providing lubrication or oil and just like a machine the body moves more easily.

All things come in stages

Wear and tear comes in 4 clear stages, each one is treatable but it would be better to be treated when ʻnormalʼ or ʻphase 1ʼ rather than wait until ʻphase 3ʼ.

1.
Side image of 2 spinal vertebra (back bone) with the shock absorber disc between. There are 24 of these in the spine.

2.
This is usually felt as a reduced range of motion. The disc or shock absorber in the spine loses water shrinking in height, leaving less room for the nerve.

3.
The joint is practically fused together, reducing function. This can lead to problems with the spine and within the body, as the organs and tissues these nerves control are affected.

4.
The body grows bone spurs, trying to fuse and stabilise the two joints. The nerve is thinning and becoming damaged.

How can Chiropractic help?

Arthritis can affect any joint, in many people this can cause extreme pain. However arthritis itself does not have to be painful, even if it deforms the joint. So what causes this pain? All of the nerves in the body come out from the spine, if this is not functioning correctly the messages being sent by the nerves as they exit the spine become compromised.

Chiropractic restores the function of the spine which in turn improves the health and function of the nervous system. Once the spine is moving correctly and the muscles are strengthened with core exercises, we find that the pain from the arthritis often goes away.

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Scoliosis...

16/1/2015

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It’s one of those words isn’t it? We hear it from time to time but what does it really mean? And if it was that serious, a real problem, then we would all know about it wouldn’t we?
Well let us bring this problem sharply into your vision - right now.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame was the way he was due to a severe scoliosis. That’s what a severe scoliosis can do to you. Does it sound serious now? Of course it is serious - the effects can be devastating.

Now the Hunchback of Notre Dame is a mythical figure, and of course the narrative is a tragic love story. But be in no doubt, scoliosis is a condition to be taken seriously. It often starts at a young age, more often in girls than boys but both can experience this condition. And here’s the crunch. If it is not corrected by the age of about 16 - that’s it, it is not changing.

But chiropractic care is one of the few approaches that can really make a difference, especially if spotted at a young age - the condition can be corrected. If you leave it and just ‘keep an eye on it’ it can be too late. And this is just a tragedy.

So, what is it exactly?

Well if you were to look at a normal healthy person, face on and you could see their spine then it should be standing straight upwards. From the side view the spine is curved, from the front or back view it should be straight.

A Scoliosis is when the spine, when looked at from the front has a curve in it, in some cases more than one curve. So it bends from side to side as well as front to back. This causes the body to twist and the muscles go out of symmetry. The unfortunate person suffering from scoliosis often appears bent over with a hunch on their back. This effect can be slight or severe depending on the extent of the scoliosis.

Quite apart from the postural appearance, a scoliosis can cause any number of related internal problems, as well as low self esteem and a lack of confidence. So, if you are a parent can you spot it? Simply take a good look at your child’s posture:

• Is one shoulder higher than the other?
• Do they seem slightly twisted in their posture?
• Do they seem slightly bent over rather than straight backed?
• Are they starting to form a hunch on their back, however small?

If you suspect that your child may be suffering from a scoliosis, Act and Act Now! TODAY! Procrastination is another day nearer to a potentially permanent problem.

Call our practice for an appointment and bring your child along for a thorough examination. There is a good chance we can help.

Just one thing – you do not want a doctor to have to say to you, ‘I’m sorry, it’s too late for your child.’ A colleague of ours, a fantastic doctor, had this experience. He said, ‘The mother cried when I had to tell her that, and I cried with her.’ It is such a sad story.

There is usually time just as long as you take action now. Take a good look at your children. Ask them questions, be inquisitive because everything will seem normal to them.

They are our responsibility, let’s do our best to protect them from this awful condition...

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Simon Gough

Hi everyone, welcome to our blog.

This blog section of our website will be updated regularly with a mixture of experiences we have had in the clinic and developments in the world of Chiropractic. There are often developments and advances which we hear about and are able to apply to help you, our clients, alongside more traditional treatments.

If you haven't been along to the clinic then please feel free to contact me on 01422 836756 or, alternatively, you can email me at
info@calderdalechiropractic.co.uk

The Maintenance visit

Golf and your Spine

Sciatica

Does Arthritis have to be painful?

Scoliosis...

Simon Gough

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