Preventing Injuries on the Golf Course with Dr. Holly Clemens, Originally aired June 20, 2017 on WBTV Charlotte, NC.
Should you use heat or ice to relieve pain from a neck or back injury?
It’s a common question and one that should be answered if you want to avoid further injury and pain. Making the wrong choice could result in more aggravation to the injury site, so make sure you heed this advice from our team of South Charlotte chiropractors!
The answer of whether to treat an injury with heat or ice depends on the cause of the injury and the symptoms present.
When to use heat on a back injury:
It’s best to think about this like a chemistry student. Heat is used to speed up a reaction. If you want to increase blood flow and circulation to an area of your body, such as a muscle or joint that feels tight or inflexible, then heat should be applied. So if you have feelings of tightness due to stress or tension, then heat is your go-to. Be careful about how much heat is applied and how often. We recommend no more than 20 minutes at a time, and be sure to use a heat pack that’s not too hot in order to avoid burns, or a heating pad on a low setting. Just don’t fall asleep with it touching your skin!
When to use ice on a back injury:
Ice is best if you want to slow down a reaction. (Again, think back to your high school chemistry classes.) Let’s say you have chronic pain due to inflammation. The answer to your problem is simple: cool it down. To slow down blood flow and reduce inflammation, it’s best to apply an ice pack. Make sure the ice doesn’t touch your skin, so you don’t get frostbite. To accomplish this, you can wrap it in a cold wet towel or cloth, and again, apply it for no more than 20 minutes.
In some cases you may want to use both heat and ice, and alternate for periods of 20 minutes each. If you’re not sure, give us a call at (980) 422-2000 to speak with one of our expert South Charlotte chiropractic team! We’ll steer you in the right direction.
If you’ve been suffering from chronic back pain for a while and nothing you’ve tried has worked, you may be due for a visit to our Charlotte NC pain clinic. Give us a call to reserve your appointment, or click here to request a FREE 15-minute phone consultation with Dr. Holly or one of her team members.
The squat is considered by most people to be an exercise that primarily targets the legs. But here’s a lil’ secret from our chiropractic fitness experts:
When you do it right, it can actually be a full body workout. A movement that targets just about every muscle group in your body.
This makes it one of the most efficient and effective exercises a person can perform. Whether you have 5 minutes or 45 minutes a day, doing squats over a period of several weeks or months is bound to pay off.
So, the question then becomes: what is the right way to do a squat? Unlike eating Reese’s peanut butter cups (which we strongly advise against), there is a wrong way and a right way. And we’re going to teach you the latter.
But first, we should clarify a few things, like why is it important to do squats in the first place?
The short answer is, as stated above, it’s extremely effective. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle, or both, the squat can help you accomplish your chiropractic fitness goals fast.
The long answer is:
It’s one of the most basic foundational moves in any fitness routine. We’ve been doing squats since we came out of the womb. Over time, as we began sitting in the same position all day long, our squat form became basically nonexistent. Many of us don’t know how to properly do a squat at all.
Prior to modern-day technology and furniture, the squat was the way to sit, whether you were reading a book, using the bathroom, or both. Here’s proof: ever heard of the Squatty Potty? It naturally puts your body in the most optimal position for using the toilet. It’s inspiration lies in the bathrooms of third-world countries that don’t have modern plumbing. The company’s tagline is “the best poop of your life.” They must be on to something, because they’ve made millions…
It doesn’t leave anything out. You don’t just use your legs to squat. You use your hips, core, back, and even your shoulders and arms for balance. This compound movement is a challenge for multiple muscle groups, giving you a total body workout with fast results.
Squatting will make you a better athlete. Whether you’re running a marathon or giving birth, this movement builds strength in areas that many people would call “weak,” including your knees and hips. This makes you stronger which leads to better athleticism overall. This is a critical training move if you play any type of competitive sport.
In short, with squats, you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck. It’s no surprise why this exercise is in just about every chiropractic fitness routine, and most experts would recommend you perform at least 2-3 times per week.
So let’s get to the goods … how do you make the most out of this incredible movement?
How to Squat Down Like a Chiropractic Fitness Pro:
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hips-width and your toes pointing slightly outward (~5 to 20 degrees).
Keep your head up and look straight out in front of you at a spot on the wall. Keep your head and gaze in this position throughout the exercise.
Put your hands around chest-height with your elbows bent as though you’re holding an imaginary medicine ball.
Ensure your weight is equally distributed on the heels and balls of your feet as if they were glued to the ground. Your toes should be able to move the entire time (though you won’t actually move them as part of the exercise.)
Tighten your abs and keep your core engaged throughout the movement.
While breathing in and bending your knees, send your hips backward as though sitting in a chair. Keeping your back straight, your chest and shoulders up, and your spine in a neutral position, be sure your knees stay in line with your feet and don’t move past your toes. Continue to squat until your hip joint is lower than your knees.
How to Come Back Up:
Keep your core engaged and everything tight, and drive through your heels to return to a standing position. Make sure the balls of your feet stay firmly planted and squeeze your glutes at the top.
Once you master your bodyweight squat technique, you may want to try adding a little extra weight to the movement by trading that imaginary medicine ball for a real one! But concentrate on mastering this exercise with just your bodyweight for now. Any chiropractic fitness expert will tell you that proper technique is crucial to getting the results you want in a least amount of time.
If you’d like to know for sure that you’re doing the squat properly, give us a call to schedule an office consultation! We’ll include a mini-lesson on squatting along with an X-ray, any necessary diagnostic testing, and your first adjustment for just $50!
Still not sure if chiropractic fitness is right for you? Click here to request a free phone consultation, and one of our doctors will call you to discuss your goals and needs.
The necessity of seeing a chiropractor as an adult athlete is undeniable. Queen City Health Center has helped many young adults who play sports, both on the hobbyist and professional levels. Not only have we helped to relieve the pain and symptoms of various sports injuries in athletes young and old; we’ve also provided coaching for the prevention of athletic injuries so that our patients can enjoy a better quality of life as they get better at whatever sport they choose.
However, we can also attest to the small number of high school athletes undergoing chiropractic care. That number is simply too small for us, so we’ve decided to write this post on the importance of seeing a chiropractor, especially if you’re a teen who plays sports!
Seeing a Charlotte chiropractor can help prevent sports injuries in teens:
While most people seek out a chiropractor in the event of an injury that has already happened, this type of alternative health care is essential to the prevention of injuries as well, especially if you’re an athlete who engages in repetitive motion.
As many athletes know, repetitive motions and repetitive injuries are more likely to result in more injuries down the road than if you’ve never been injured in the first place. So the prevention of injuries from happening is crucial to ensuring you get to continue enjoying your sport. No one wants to spend a season on the bench—or worse—on a stretcher or in a hospital room!
A chiropractor can help by performing simple adjustments designed to optimize athletic performance, while also recommending specific stretches and exercises to aid in building strength. They can also pinpoint motions that may be contributing to inflammation and/or injury to the joints.
A Charlotte NC chiropractor can help treat athletic injuries in teens:
If an injury has already taken place, there’s no need to panic. Chiropractors are experienced when it comes to the treatment of injuries and the alleviation of pain and other symptoms that come about as a result.
However, not all chiropractors are created equal. While some may focus solely on adjustments to treat a condition, the south Charlotte chiropractic doctors at Queen City Health Center will prescribe a holistic regimen that also incorporates diet, rest, exercise, and mental attitude in a way that’s designed to heal your whole body from the inside out. That means you won’t just experience temporary pain relief. You’ll experience full-body healing which aids in the further prevention of injuries in the future!
Moreover, our staff doesn’t just focus on the injury site itself, as we know that doesn’t always lead to complete healing (though it may temporarily relieve your symptoms.) We will treat surrounding areas that may also be contributing to inflammation and pain at the site itself. Again, we’re all about taking a holistic approach to health, rather than masking symptoms and allowing them the opportunity to return.
Why is chiropractic important for high school athletes in particular?
This is a great question! Teens are undergoing an enormous amount of change over a very short period of time (in the grand scheme of their entire lives, anyway). Playing sports only magnifies this, and when injury happens, it not only has an impact physically but may also carry emotional weight as well. If a teen suffers a crippling injury that takes him out of the game altogether, it could lead to sadness or even depression. That’s why a holistic approach to teen health that incorporates not only chiropractic, but also the other essentials (diet, rest, exercise and mental attitude) is extremely beneficial.
If you’re a parent of a teen athlete who plays sports, get in touch with one of our Charlotte chiropractors today! We are eager to help, whether you’re looking to prevent injuries or you’ve suffered a recent injury and are ready to get back in the game. Give us a call at (980) 422-2000 to schedule an office visit, complete with X-rays, a consultation, and an adjustment for only $50!
Not sure if chiropractic is right for your teen? Click here to request a FREE 15-minute phone consultation. We’ll help you determine if an in-person appointment at our office is a good fit for you.
We’ve had patients call our office for a variety of health conditions, but the most common reason people choose to see a Charlotte chiropractor is pain. That pain could be in the form of headaches, neck aches, leg pain, or, what most people typically call a “bad back” resulting from some sort of injury in the past.
Maybe you were lifting weights at the gym and pulled a muscle while trying to impress that girl a few feet over…
Or perhaps you were in a Charlotte auto accident and never went to see a doctor or pain clinic to sort out the damage…
Or, you’re a local athlete who, no matter how great your technique, can’t seem to shake the body aches and pain that come with the necessary training and conditioning required to hone your craft.
Whatever the case, perhaps you’ve been told that you just “have a bad back” and it’s something you’ll have to live with. Your doctor prescribed some medication and sent you on your way to the nearest pharmacy. You’ve been taking those pills for a few months and they’ve alleviated your symptoms, but when you’re not on medication, you still feel pain. That pain worsens with each movement or workout.
Sound familiar?
Maybe you stumbled on this website, because you’re wondering “can my ‘bad back’ really not be cured? Do I really need to keep taking these meds? Will surgery fix the problem?”
If you’ve been asking yourself these questions, we have great news for you!
Your bad back can be cured.
No, you won’t have to take prescription drugs for the rest of your life…
And surgery is likely not necessary at all, as long as you’re willing to adopt a few new lifestyle habits and allow your body to do what it was designed to do: heal itself.
Have you ever noticed that the first four letters in the word “health” spell “heal?” We don’t believe that’s a coincidence. Health is defined by how well your body is able to heal itself, and when you put it in the right environment, it will do just that. And it will do it more efficiently than those meds you’ve been taking.
How do we know this? Because we’ve helped numerous patients like yourself who were searching far and wide to find alternative treatments for pain.
How to cure back pain:
At Queen City Health Center, we take a natural, holistic approach to pain management and wellness in general. Our clinic is not just a typical South Charlotte chiropractic pain clinic. Nor are we solely focused on healing patients with pain problems. Our holistic approach is geared to anyone with any type of health issue from allergies to autoimmune diseases.
If you’re looking for natural back pain remedies, our Maximized Living Charlotte doctors can help you through a prescribed regimen and one-on-one wellness coaching that includes spinal manipulation, along with nutrition and dietary changes, regular core-strengthening exercise, meditation, and detoxification.
How does it work?
Chiropractic adjustments help to get your spine into proper alignment, freeing up pressure on your nerves which send signals out to the rest of your body’s organs, telling them how to function. In order for your body to operate at full capacity, those signals must be full-strength. The problem is that they become weakened over time due to pressure which results from poor postural habits.
In order for chiropractic care to have its full effect, you must also be exercising the other 4 lifestyle essentials in order to strengthen your body’s immune system. When your immune system is strong, it helps to fight off disease and alleviates inflammation which causes back pain and a host of other health problems.
Interested in learning more about how chiropractic can help you cure your “bad back”? Click here to request a free 15-minute phone consultation with one of our expert Charlotte chiropractors! Or give us a call today at (980) 422-2000 to schedule an in-person consult. We work with all insurance companies and our new patient visits are designed to be affordable for all, regardless of your insurance situation. Your initial office visit includes X-rays, a physical exam, and an adjustment for only $50!
It may sound hard to believe that the position you sleep in can have an impact on your overall health. But if you think about how much your posture affects your body’s overall systems, it makes perfect sense.
As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, your spine is the central hub of your nervous system, which is responsible for sending signals to your body’s organs and telling them how to function. When your spine is not properly aligned, those signals are weakened as a result of nerve compression. This results in weakened function of your body’s organs and systems overall.
How you sleep affects your immune system, not only by relieving stress as you achieve a more restful night’s sleep, but also by improving your posture, if you sleep in the correct position.
So, what is the correct position for sleeping?
The short answer is: on your back!
However, let’s face it: most people are not back-sleepers. Almost everyone we talk to has a bad habit of stomach sleeping. It’s too comfortable to curl up in child’s pose and hug your pillow, so we completely understand why. But sleeping on your back is much better for you, and it becomes more comfortable the more you do it. That’s why we advise our patients to assume a back-sleeping position for the sake of their health!
Also (if we haven’t scared you off yet), it’s best to sleep without a pillow.
(Yes, even if you have one of those crazy-expensive memory foam pillows!)
Pillows force your head into a more forward position, which causes a slight unnatural curvature. Instead of sleeping with your head on a pillow, we recommend putting a foam neck roller underneath your neck and another smaller roller under your lower back. This will, overtime, help to re-shape and realign your spine for proper posture. Imagine what would happen if your body assumed the right posture for 8+ hours every night! This, combined with regular chiropractic adjustments and other healthy lifestyle habits, is sure to put your immune system into overdrive! You’ll start to feel better almost immediately.
What about side sleeping?
Though better than stomach sleeping, it still comes with its own set of problems. Side sleepers tend to cross one leg over another, which can force your hips out of alignment. However, if you absolutely can’t sleep on your back all night, laying on your neck rollers for 20 minutes a day will result in a dramatic difference. And sleeping on your side is certainly better than sleeping on your stomach. Again, using a neck roller instead of a pillow is preferred, and a leg pillow also helps to keep your hips properly aligned.
Have you experienced pain from sleeping?
It could be a result of your sleeping position and posture. Charlotte chiropractor, Dr. Holly Clemens, has helped many patients to sleep better and feel better overall through a tailored care regimen designed to improve the shape of your spine over time with a series of chiropractic adjustments combined with other holistic wellness strategies.
Give us a call at (980) 422-2000, or fill out the form on this page to request a free chiropractic phone consultation, or schedule an in-person visit complete with X-rays for just $50 today!
We all experience pain from time to time, but chronic pain could be an indicator of a greater underlying issue. If you’ve been dealing with neck pain that won’t seem to go away no matter what you do, then a visit to a Charlotte chiropractor might be in order.
Perhaps you’re wondering why you should see a chiropractor rather than seeing a “regular” doctor or MD. The main difference between chiropractic care and care from an MD is that a chiropractor will work to address the problem at its root using holistic methods, whereas a medical doctor will be more likely to prescribe medication or even suggest invasive surgery, without trying to figure out the underlying root cause of the issue and attack it there.
If you don’t like the sound of invasive surgery or drugs, then read on to learn more about some of the top surprising causes of neck pain and how a chiropractor in Charlotte NC might be able to help you correct the problem naturally!
Causes of Chronic Neck Pain
#1. Stress. If you are holding tension in your shoulders, it can lead to muscle aches that get worse over time. This is the most obvious cause of neck pain, but another cause may be related to your body’s immune system response to other triggers. It’s no secret that stress negatively affects your immune system. If your neck pain is related to some sort of illness, that means increased stress will result in increased inflammation, and consequently, increased pain.
#2. Posture. Do you spend a lot of time looking at your phone or computer, while hunched over? Poor posture is a huge contributor to neck and back pain. If you’ve never heard of “text-neck syndrome” before, read this post.
#3. Diet. You’re probably wondering what your diet has to do with pain you feel in your muscles and joints. The key word here is: “inflammation.” Did you know that excess sugar causes inflammation? And it’s in virtually everything we consume, including grains, pastas, rice, alcohol, root vegetables, and other foods that metabolize as sugar. It could be that you have inflammation around your neck due to poor dietary choices.
#4. Poor Exercise Technique. When it comes to fitness, technique is everything! Lift something the wrong way when your’e hitting it hard at the gym, and you could pull a muscle or cause a shift in your vertebrae that could lead to chronic pain down the road. And if you do nothing about it, it could get worse and become harder to treat over time. A lot of the reason for poor technique is pure ignorance. It’s best to work with a fitness expert or personal trainer who can coach you on the proper ways to work out so that you don’t end up hurting something.
#5. Chewing Gum. This may sound especially surprising, but it makes sense. Chewing gum puts pressure on your jaw at the place where it meets your skull, which is ultimately connected to your head and neck, thus causing headaches and neck pain. Plus, many gums contain artificial sugars that are not good for you, anyway. This is definitely something to consider if your’e experiencing chronic head or neck pain.
How a Charlotte Chiropractor Can Help Cure Neck Pain Naturally
If you’re on the fence about seeing a chiropractor for neck pain, we hope this post will nudge you off (gently, of course!)
Here are the basics on how chiropractic care affects your body in general:
Your spine is the “control center” for the body and tells your organs how to function by sending nerve signals out from your spinal cord. When your vertebrae are misaligned, it puts pressure on the nerve endings, ultimately weakening the signals that go out. This results in your body’s systems functioning at a weakened capacity. Over time, if left alone, your organs will deteriorate and will eventually stop functioning altogether.
It’s kind of like what happens when you fail to clean out your dryer’s lint filter on a regular basis. The whole machine eventually shuts down…
Chiropractic adjustments, combined with the other 4 Essentials of Maximized Living, will help to keep your spine properly aligned and your organs functioning optimally.
If you’re dealing with chronic neck pain and would like to learn more about how our South Charlotte chiropractic team can help, give us a call at (980) 422-2000, or fill out the form on this page to request a FREE 15-minute phone consultation.
Queen City Health Center is a Charlotte Chiropractic and total wellness center for individuals and families. With locations across Charlotte, NC and Matthews, NC, we specialize in helping individuals and families find true health and ways to maximize their lives through nutrition, lifestyle classes, detoxification and spinal correction.
