Heat or Ice?

When should you apply heat? When should you apply ice? Confusion abounds about these simple, yet helpful procedures. Use heat in the wrong circumstance and you can make the problem worse. Think back to high school chemistry. How do you slow down a reaction? You make it cool. So if you are trying to reduce inflammation use ice. Ice constricts blood vessels, helping to avoid muscle spasms and reduce swelling. It can also reduce nerve transmission of pain. Ice when used properly becomes a natural local anesthetic. Apply ice 15 to 20 minutes on and then off, allowing the area to warm up.

On the other hand, if you want to speed up a reaction, add heat. Topical heat can help increase blood circulation and improve flexibility. If you have a history of tight joints and muscle stiffness apply moist heat. Most people will take a hot shower or bath and feel some relief and think they should apply heat. But in the shower or tub your whole body is warm so it is just relaxing. If you apply localized heat to an area, that area is now warmer than the rest of the body and it will draw fluid to an already swollen area. Ice will push fluid out of the area and reduce inflammation. When pain and soreness are present always think ice. We use ice probably 95% of the time and you can never get in trouble with ice. Think of an athlete after a game or practice, they all ice.

Fairport Chiropractic1157 Fairport Road
Fairport, NY 14450
585-381-7724

Did You Know …

· Every square inch of human skin consists of twenty-five feet of blood vessels.

· On average, women say 7,000 words per day. Men speak just over 2,000.

· A cough releases an explosive charge of air that moves at speeds up to 60mph. A sneeze can exceed speeds of

100mph.

· Your body uses 300 muscles to balance itself while standing still.

· The eye of a human can distinguish between 500 shades of gray.

· The width of your arm span stretched out is equal to the length of your whole body.

Fairport Chiropractic1157 Fairport Road
Fairport, NY 14450
585-381-7724

Chiropractic care is a safe, highly effective and drug-free option to manage pain, according to a vast and growing body of published research.

Click here to read the new eBook

Fairport Chiropractic1157 Fairport Road
Fairport, NY 14450
585-381-7724

Through drug-free chiropractic care, individuals can improve mobility and stability and achieve a more comfortable night’s rest.

Optimal health starts with chiropractic care. #ThinkChiropractic

Fairport Chiropractic1157 Fairport Road
Fairport, NY 14450
585-381-7724

Make Your Home Workstation Work

Pick a spot.

If you do not have a regular desk at home, working at a kitchen table is generally much better than sitting on a couch with your laptop on your lap.

Adjust your seat.

Use a seat wedge to help you maintain better posture and sit up straighter. You can make your own by folding a bed pillow in half to form a wedge.

Adjust your monitor.

Place large books or reams of copy paper underneath to raise the laptop so that you do not have to raise your hands uncomfortably up, or bend your head uncomfortably down. Consider using a wireless keyboard and boosting the height of your laptop screen to eye level. You should be able to comfortably reach your keyboard with elbows bent at about a 90-degree angle.

Every seated workstation can be a sit/stand station.

Simply stand up every 20 minutes and take a break to stretch and move.

1. Stand up and move your legs up and down like you are walking in place.
2. Look at an object that is more than 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
3. Gently shake your hands, wrists and elbows while gently rolling your shoulders up, back and down.
4. Take a slow, deep breath in to improve your posture and smile, then slowly exhale.
5. Sit down, refreshed, in a good posture. You are ready to get back to work!

Move.

The human body was not meant to be sedentary; movement is essential to health. Get up and walk around the house, get outside and take a walk. Prolonged sitting is linked with many health issues that can be avoided by periodic movement.

Fairport Chiropractic1157 Fairport Road
Fairport, NY 14450
585-381-7724

Text Neck

Text neck is the term used to describe the injuries and pain sustained from looking down at wireless devices for too long. The symptoms associated with text neck are, chronic headaches, upper back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain and increased curvature of the spine. We all would look down to read but now with the widespread use of smart phones and tablets people are spending an average of two to four hours a day with their heads tilted forward. An adult’s head weighs about 10 to 12 pounds, tilting the head forward just 15 degrees can increase the force on the cervical spine to 27 pounds. At 60 degrees, the common texting posture seen on sidewalks, metros, and office hallways everywhere, the stress on the spine can hit 60 pounds, thanks to the forces of gravity. While it is nearly impossible to avoid technology, people should make an effort to look at their phones with a “neutral spine”, sending their eyes downward and not their heads. Take frequent breaks throughout the day.

Fairport Chiropractic1157 Fairport Road
Fairport, NY 14450
585-381-7724

Doctors of Chiropractic Provide Alternative to Opioids for Pain Management

"Chiropractic services are an important first line of defense against pain and, in some cases, can lessen a patient’s reliance on addictive painkillers or prevent their use altogether," said ACA President David Herd, DC. "It makes sense to exhaust conservative forms of treatment such as chiropractic before moving on to riskier, potentially addictive pain medications."

Statistics show that as many as one in four patients who receive prescription opioids long-term for non-cancer pain in primary care settings struggles with addiction. In addition, every day more than 1,000 people are treated in the emergency room for misusing prescription opioids.

Using treatments such as spinal manipulation, chiropractic physicians take a drug-free approach to treating back pain, neck pain and other musculoskeletal disorders. High-quality research has found spinal manipulation to be effective for acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain.

In the wake of the opioid epidemic, many respected health care organizations now recommend non-drug treatments. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its 2016 guidelines for prescribing opioids, notes that nonpharmacologic therapies are preferred for treating chronic pain. In addition, the National Pain Strategy, an initiative by several federal agencies, recognizes chiropractic’s value as a method for pain management.

Fairport Chiropractic1157 Fairport Road
Fairport, NY 14450
585-381-7724

The Right Way To Sit

If you have to sit often, try to do it correctly. As Mom always said, "Sit up straight."

• Not leaning forward

• Shoulders relaxed

• Arms close to sides

• Elbows bent 90°

• Lower back may
 be supported

• Feet flat on floor

Fairport Chiropractic1157 Fairport Road
Fairport, NY 14450
585-381-7724

Doctors of chiropractic routinely help to diagnose, examine and manage personal injury cases, including injuries incurred from motor vehicle accidents (MVAs).

Fairport Chiropractic1157 Fairport Road
Fairport, NY 14450
585-381-7724

Make Your Home Workstation Work

Pick a spot.

If you do not have a regular desk at home, working at a kitchen table is generally much better than sitting on a couch with your laptop on your lap.

Adjust your seat.

Use a seat wedge to help you maintain better posture and sit up straighter. You can make your own by folding a bed pillow in half to form a wedge.

Adjust your monitor.

Place large books or reams of copy paper underneath to raise the laptop so that you do not have to raise your hands uncomfortably up, or bend your head uncomfortably down. Consider using a wireless keyboard and boosting the height of your laptop screen to eye level. You should be able to comfortably reach your keyboard with elbows bent at about a 90-degree angle.

Every seated workstation can be a sit/stand station.

Simply stand up every 20 minutes and take a break to stretch and move.

1. Stand up and move your legs up and down like you are walking in place.
2. Look at an object that is more than 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
3. Gently shake your hands, wrists and elbows while gently rolling your shoulders up, back and down.
4. Take a slow, deep breath in to improve your posture and smile, then slowly exhale.
5. Sit down, refreshed, in a good posture. You are ready to get back to work!

Move.

The human body was not meant to be sedentary; movement is essential to health. Get up and walk around the house, get outside and take a walk. Prolonged sitting is linked with many health issues that can be avoided by periodic movement.

Fairport Chiropractic1157 Fairport Road
Fairport, NY 14450
585-381-7724