ANDDDD we're back with Kafui from Kafui Fitness! In this short, but informative, video Dr. Brenda Yee and Kafui explore common shoulder injuries for desk athletes! What's a desk athlete you may ask? It's an individual who is physically active and participates in sports they love but also spends much of their time in a seated position with their arms forward, much like the posture of sitting at a desk. Whether its a desk job, surfing the web, or driving for long periods of time, this posture can be problematic for many people, particularly athletes who require good shoulder range of motion in their preferred sport. Check out the video below to see what kind of common shoulder injury this can cause and what you can do about it!

Right now, about 10-15% of the population is experiencing neck (cervical) pain as you read this. Maybe you're experiencing neck pain right now! Neck pain is very common and may be in part due to the anatomy of the cervical spine. Compared to the mid-back and low back, the joints in the neck (cervical spine) are oriented in a way that allow maximal mobility so that you have the ability to turn your head side to side without moving your torso; but this also contributes to a decrease in the stability of the cervical spine which increases it's risk of getting injured. Things like prolonged poor posture, chronic strain, stress, sports injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and even poor sleeping habits can all contribute to neck pain.

The best way to combat neck pain is to tackle a variety of contributing factors together. Things like:

• Stretching tight muscles 
• Strengthening weak muscles
• Maintaining good range of motion in your neck joints
• Visit your local health care professional (chiropractor, physiotherapist, massage therapist, etc) for manual therapy to help speed progress along and decrease pain levels at the same time
• Making a conscious effort to remove the cause of injury to your neck that are within your control
  • Examples: Changing your posture frequently when sitting or standing for long times, finding a pillow that is comfortable for a good night's rest, taking frequent micro-breaks to stretch your neck muscles, wearing protective gear while participating in high-impact sports, warming up before participating in physical activity, etc

​If you are experiencing persistent neck pain, it may be a good time to visit your local health care practitioner. At Nurture Family Chiropractic in Guelph, we have to services and tools to be able to help you get your neck back to moving well and feeling pain free! Book online or call today to see how chiropractors can help with your neck pain.

'Ever notice yourself clenching your jaw when you're stressed, tired, or for no reason at all? If you have, you’re not alone. Approximately 1/3 individuals experience some sort of discomfort in their jaw, whether its pain, clicking or locking.

Before we take a bite onto what we can do about TMJ pain, let’s try to digest the functional anatomy of the jaw. The TMJ, aka temperomandibular joint, is made up of two bones; 1) your mandible (typically the part that people refer to as the “jaw”) and 2) your skull. These two bones contain a small disc between them and are connected to one another through ligaments and muscles. These muscles allow our jaw to open, close, move side to side and forward and backward.

TMJ pain can have a number of contributing factors including stress, clenching your jaw, prolonged slouched postures and even chewing gum too long. These can all lead to pain, stiffness, clicking, locking and limited mobility of your jaw.

So what can we do about this and how does a chiropractor have anything to do with the jaw? As you may be surprised to know, we can do quite a lot for the jaw!

A chiropractor will take a thorough history to figure out the root of the problem followed by a physical exam of the TMJ and surrounding structures to diagnose the problem – tight muscles, stiff joints, or contributing lifestyle factors.

Your jaw can be treated through a variety of options like joint mobilizations/manipulations, corrective posture exercises and soft tissue therapy.

• Soft tissue therapy: Performed on the inside or outside of the mouth in order to effectively target tight muscles that may be causing pain.
• Stress management: We tend tighten our muscles when stressed so taking control over our stress can be enormously beneficial
• Interprofessional co-management: We commonly work with dentists for TMJ pain

 
If you’re experiencing TMJ pain and would like to get to the root of the problem, contact us to see how chiropractic care may be able to help you.

Low back pain is the world's leading cause of disability. It's estimated that 85% of people experience severe low back pain at some point in their life and approximately 30% of the population are experiencing low back pain at any given moment. Those are astounding numbers! The good news is that many people are able to recover from their low back pain after seeking care from their health team, including family doctors, chiropractors, physiotherapists, massage therapists and the list goes on.

Chiropractic care is one of the most commonly sought out and effective treatments for low back pain. Chiropractors are highly trained health professionals with expertise in the musculoskeletal system, especially the spine, and are able to provide an assessment, diagnosis, treatment and preventative care for biomechanical disorders originating from the muscle, joints and bones in the body. There is a body of evidence to support its effectiveness, especially in the management of low back pain, neck pain and headaches,  and that evidence continues to grow year by year as new research studies are published. Harvard Health also reports that seeing a chiropractor for low back pain treatment is a good way to start as the chiropractor will assess you and let you know if chiropractic care is the most suitable therapy for your condition. If it's not, your chiropractor can refer you to where you need to go. Check out Harvard Health's post about where to turn for low back pain management.

No doubt there is come confusion about who chiropractors are and what they do. Dr. Yee and Kafui are here to sort out some of that mix up and shed light on the chiropractic profession! Do you have a question for Dr. Yee about chiropractors? Feel free to ask away!