Spine-sparing strategies help prevent low back injury and pain. They are a series of small daily life modifications that decrease the amount of unnecessary stress and force through your low back. Keeping your low back healthy and safe is extremely important, not only for physical comfort, but also for being independent in your every day life. Unfortunately, low back pain is common. Studies show that within a 6 month period here in Canada, 5 out of 10 people will suffer from low back pain. And a high of 85% of people will suffer from low back pain in their lifetime. Those are high numbers! So let's do our best to lower them by practicing spine-sparing strategies. Here we go!

1. Bend with your hips and knees, not your spine! (Bet you've heard this one before! But how often do you actually do this?)

The reason it's so important to bend with your hips and knees is because this movement allows you to keep your back flat while still getting low to the ground to do whatever you need to do. When your back is flat, it is in its naturally strongest and safest position and that's a great thing for injury prevention. If you aren't able to get low to the ground to do whatever you need to do, another way to modify this is to bring the thing you need to do up to you instead! Try working on a table or using a stool to bring your foot higher if you're putting on socks or tying your shoes.

2. Turn your whole body rather than twisting your spine! 
This goes back to keeping our back flat. If your back is twisted, it's not flat meaning you're now out of your back's naturally strongest and safest position. Twisting can be particularly risky if you're carrying a heavy object while twisting (like groceries or a child/grandchild) or if you need to repeatedly twist (like working on a conveyor belt). So instead, try taking a step in the direction you want to turn to and move your whole body instead of twisting your spine. A bonus is you'll likely get a little bit more exercise this way too since this is a whole body movement! 

3. Pull the object as close to your body BEFORE lifting!
The further away the object is to you, the heavier it becomes. Physics 101. Try a simple experiment at home to see this in action for yourself. Pick up a small household object with both arms straight out in front of you (like a bag of milk, a bag or purse) then move the object closer to your body and pick it up again with both arms. Which way felt heavier? The one with your arms straight out in front of you! Now this experiment becomes much more exaggerated when the object is actually heavy (don't try this at home). The heavier the object, the harder it is to lift when it's far away from your body. And if you do manage to lift it, it places a lot of stress and force through your low back which can put you at risk for injuring your low back. 

One thing an article can never do as well as an in-person appointment is PERSONALIZED lifestyle modifications that are specific to YOU and only YOU. Here at Nurture Family Chiropractic in Guelph, Ontario we can help you. Book an appointment with Dr. Brenda Yee or Katrina, RMT to discover how personalized treatment and daily life modifications can decrease your pain and improve your quality of life.

One of the hottest questions chiropractors get asked. And it's a very good question too! Unfortunately the answer is not as simple and straightforward as we'd all like but we can make it as simple as possible so that you can make a good, informed choice. Let's break it down.

HEAT
When to use:

• Heat can be better used when applied to chronic pain or stress-related pain.

How it works: 

• Relaxes stiffness
  
• Increases the blood flow (which contains much needed oxygen and nutrients) to the muscles and joints which can help with healing damaged tissues
• Stimulates sensory receptors in you skin which helps decrease pain signals to the brain (gate theory)

ICE
When to use:
Ice can be better used when applied to acute injuries and pain.
How it works:

• Decreases swelling in the area by constricting blood vessels which leads to decreased blood flow and slower cell metabolism
• Numbs the pain by numbing the nerve receptors in the injured area due to the decreased blood flow

More importantly than choosing heat or ice is COMPLIANCE. If you prefer one method more than the other and will then be willing to stick to ACTUALLY using it, pick that one even if it's "contrary" to traditional methods. The reason for this is that studies show that both ice and heat can be beneficial in either an acute or chronic injury and pain. The most important predicting factor in how useful heat or ice would be was how compliant the patient was to using the heat or ice. For any injuries or pains that you may be experiencing, we're here and ready to help you at Nurture Family Chiropractic in Guelph, Ontario. 

You may be wondering if you should pick up running, as a hobby or an activity that you can enjoy and also get the benefits of exercise from, but are worried that running might give you arthritis or be bad for your joints. All of that repetitive pounding on the side walk cement (or grass if you're lucky to live near green spaces) can definitely make running seem like a bad idea for your knee joints, hip joints and even low back joints. Though this may be an over-simplified answer, I'll provide you an answer and then give you the reasoning and science behind it.

So the answer then is a big, honking NO. Running is NOT bad for your joints and running will NOT give you knee arthritis, hip arthritis, or low back arthritis. Now you may be thinking, "Wait a minute, I know someone who used to do a lot of running but they developed joint pain and arthritis from it!". It's true that improper warm-up and cool down, improper running technique and running shoes and improper tolerance building can cause injury. However, if running is done gradually with plenty of time to recover and not over-exert yourself (with, of course, good technique and running shoes) running actually becomes a great way to increase your joint health! What?! Yeh that's right, instead of hurting your joints running can be HEALTHY for your joints (not to mention your heart and cardiovascular health as well!). 

Let's get into the basic science of how running can actually improve your joint health. Your joints are made up of a few components: cartilage, synnovial fluid and sometimes a shock absorbing disc (like in your low back joints and your knee joints). These components work together in synchrony to provide smooth, painfree motion of your body. Any time you move a joint, synnovial fluid is secreted into the joint space and coats the cartilage in a frictionless lubrication. Synnovial fluid also acts as a nutrient carrier for your cartilage (and shock absorbing discs where applicable) and nourishes and feeds it to keep it healthy. So basically, the more healthy movement you participate in, the more nutrients your joints receive. 

There is the risk of over doing it though. When you over exert yourself, your muscles become fatigued and can no longer provide the support to your joints that is needed to maintain healthy movement. That can lead to improper joint mechanics and, thus, injury. So rest and recovery is absolutely crucial if you want to take up running, especially if you're new to it or haven't run in a long time. The best advice you can stick to when you get back into running is "do less than you think you can do" and then slowly (I emphasize slooooowly) increase the length, time and pace you run for. 

As always, if you have questions about running or if you should start running, visit Dr. Brenda Yee at Nurture Family Chiropractic in Guelph Ontario to get a personalized assessment to see if it's right for you. Happy running!!! See you around town!

Your friend or family has nagged you to book in with their chiropractor so you finally do it. Now what? You've never been to a chiropractor before. The unknown can be scary and make you feel anxious. "Will treatment hurt?", "What do you need to wear to the appointment?", "Will things be awkward?". These are just some of the many questions I'm sure that have crossed your mind when you've booked yourself in for the first time to see a chiropractor (or any other health professional). And these are all very reasonable questions! So what CAN you expect when you visit the chiropractor for the first time? Let's break down what you'll get at our clinic:

1. A warm greeting. Yes, this may seem very simple but we prioritize your comfort here at Nurture Family Chiropractic. You will be greeted by Dr. Brenda Yee and guided to the private assessment room where your initial exam will begin.    
2. An explanation of the overview of your exam (history, physical, report of findings, treatment). This way, there is no guessing what will be coming up next. 
3. History exam. This is the part where you can explain to Dr. Brenda how your pain has been affecting your daily life. She will ask you questions like, "How long have you had this pain?", "What does the pain feel like?", "Does the pain travel anywhere else in your body?", "How often are you experiencing this pain?". These are some of the critical questions that will help narrow down the possible diagnoses.
4. Physical exam. This is when you will actually be physically moving around, either actively on your own with specific instructions (ex. Instruction: "turn your head to the left") or with the guidance of Dr. Brenda (ex. Dr. Brenda lifts your arm up for you). This part of the exam is very useful for figuring out exactly which structures in your body are causing your pain and/or are affected by your pain. 
5. Report of Findings. This is when you get a diagnosis. The results of the exam are explained to you so that you can understand how and why you have pain. This part usually ends up being a great discussion about your diagnosis and what options of treatment are available to you.
6. Treatment. The part you've likely been waiting for. You can expect a combination of muscle work, gentle joint movements, and practical rehabilitation exercises to practice in the clinic and also take home. Some other treatments that are available include acupuncture, cupping, scraping, yoga therapy and kinesiotaping to name a few. 
7. Follow up instructions on what to do after treatment. Most injuries require more than one treatment to recover. Dr. Brenda will build a personalized treatment protocol for your specific injury using the least number of treatments necessary. That's right, no ridiculously long treatment plans. We understand how valuable your time is and results are what we aim for.

If you've been recommended to see a chiropractor or have been curious about how a chiropractor can help you out with your pain, visit Dr. Brenda Yee at Nurture Family Chiropractic in Guelph. Book today to see the difference it can make for you.
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By the way, you can wear anything you are comfortable moving around in to your first appointment at Nurture Family Chiropractic in Guelph.