Last week in practice, the ‘special of the week’ was groin pain. It can be related to hip pain, but is different nonetheless.
Apart from hip pain which is usually caused by a specific injury or an arthritic hip joint, most pains in the hip, groin or top of the leg are caused by a mechanical overload from a problem elsewhere. This usually stems from the lower back or pelvis, but can be from the knee or even the foot.
Recurring groin strains are very common in sports people, especially footballers. A twisted or misaligned pelvis is often the root cause of the problem, which causes a weakness and an overload of the muscles and tendons in the groin.
Pain in the groin area often makes walking quite difficult and patients have a tendency to seize up if they have been sitting for too long.
If a chronic groin or hip problem is not treated, it usually causes problems in the lower back as the patients start to adapt the way they walk. Different muscles end up compensating for the weakened area.
‘Wear and Tear’ is occasionally found on X-rays. This form of wear and tear is called osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative process in the joints which cause them to wear, and occurs in most people as we get older. It is rarely the wear and tear that causes the pain, rather it is the stiffness and muscle tightness. The good news is that this usually responds very well to chiropractic treatment! Adjustments to the areas that are involved can be very effective.
Whichever term you use:
Groin pain
Groin strain
Groin pull injury
Adductor strain
The reality is that it is a very common muscle strain injury that currently plagues sports like soccer, basketball, football, hockey, track & field and racquet sports.
The groin, described as the junction between the lower limbs and torso, is vulnerable to a lot of different injuries. Hernias, stress fractures, and avulsion fractures are all common injuries that affect the groin. One of the most common groin injuries is groin pull or groin strain.
What is a Groin Pull?
Depending on the severity, a groin pull can range from a slight stretching, to a complete rupture of the muscles that attach the pubic (pelvis) bone to the thigh (femur) bone.
A groin pull or strain specifically affects the Adductor muscles. These muscles are located on the inside of the thigh, and help to bring the legs together.
What Causes a Groin Pull?
Competitors that participate in sports that require a lot of running or rapid change in direction are most susceptible to groin injuries. Other activities like kicking, jumping and rapid acceleration or deceleration also place a lot of strain on the groin muscles. Another activity that puts a lot of strain on the groin is any movement that results in a sudden pressure being applied – such as a fall, landing awkwardly, twisting, or bending while stress is applied to the groin muscles.
How to Prevent a Groin Pull?
The basis of prevention comes down to two simple factors: a thorough warm-up and physical conditioning; flexibility & strength. Firstly, a thorough and correct warm up will help to prepare the muscles and tendons for any activity to come. Secondly, flexible muscles and tendons are extremely important in the prevention of most strain or sprain injuries. When muscles and tendons are tight and stiff, it is quite easy for those muscles and tendons to be pushed beyond their natural range of movement, which can cause strains, sprains, and pulled muscles. To keep your muscles and tendons flexible and supple, it is important to undertake a structured stretching routine. Stretching is one of the most under-utilised techniques for improving athletic performance, preventing sports injury and properly rehabilitating sprain and strain injury. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won’t be effective.
A wellness approach to health incorporates a variety of healthy habits for optimum function on physical, mental, social and spiritual levels.
Why It Is Wise To Have Chiropractic When You’re Not In Pain
Many people think that if they don’t have pain or symptoms that they are healthy. Chiropractic care focuses primarily on the nervous system. The nervous system controls virtually every aspect of our body’s functions. In order to be your very best, it is essential to have a properly functioning nervous system. Chiropractic care can be a very important choice for a wellness lifestyle, as well as exercise and good nutritional habits. Those who want to be at their optimum health add regular chiropractic care to their health choices. The health benefits include more vitality, endurance and the ability to enjoy life to the full.
Chiropractic Helps More Than Just “Bad Backs”
Wellness and maintenance care are often thought to be the same thing. However, the objective or goal in these types of health care are actually very different as are their results and benefits. What is most important to understand is that if we want areas in our life to continue to function properly – they require regular maintenance.
Our car, our house, our teeth, our health, our relationships, and yes…our spines! So in any aspect of our life that we are not applying regular maintenance (adding energy and organisation) over time it will breakdown and lead to a crisis. If you don’t maintain your kitchen…crisis! If you don’t maintain your bathroom…crisis! If you don’t maintain your relationships…crisis! And of course, if you don’t maintain your spine…crisis!
The vast majority of people today were not aware of the necessity of spine and nervous system maintenance from birth, therefore it is very likely that even with regular maintenance that a person will still experience the occasional relapse. Why? Imagine trying to maintain your teeth if you hadn’t brushed them for the first thirty years of your life. Of course you would need to go through an extensive process of correcting the problem first just to get your teeth to a place where they can be maintained. Even then with regular maintenance it is likely that you would still experience some problems over time.
Let’s introduce wellness! The main difference between maintenance and wellness is that maintenance simply looks to “maintain” the current state by adding just enough energy or organisation to try to maintain the current state. Whereas wellness looks to find even better states of organisation through a process of “constant and never ending improvement”.
Let’s use our kitchen as an example. We can look to maintain our kitchen in its current state of organisation and over time we will realise that it requires more and more energy to simply maintain the kitchen in its current state. Now if we use a wellness approach toward our kitchen, we would not only be maintaining its current state but we would continue to look for ways to improve the level of organisation, which in turn saves on the energy needed for maintaining it.
The exact same rule applies to every aspect of our lives. If we simply look to maintain our car, our home, our health, our teeth, our relationships, as well as our spines – we will find that over time it will naturally require more and more energy to simply maintain its current state. With wellness care we can continue to look for and implement new strategies to actively organise our lives.
When we look at this in terms of our spine and nervous system we realise that using a wellness approach toward our care is not only a wise investment, it is a better way of life. When we look at what today’s research says in relationship to wellness care we realise that maintaining the spine in a wellness model offers our body the opportunity to learn new strategies for dealing with all the natural stresses in life. In fact, people who have been actively maintaining their spine in a wellness model show increased healing and repair processes at levels which are not seen in otherwise healthy people.
Where do you see your health in 5 years? In 10 years? Do you simply want to maintain you current level of health or would you prefer to see your health continuing to improve every year for the next 10 years?
Posted by chiropam on Jun 30, 2009 in Chiropractic
Everyone experiences stress on a daily basis. What causes one person severe stress, may be a minor source of stress for another.
Causes of Stress
Stress is defined as “a reaction to any internal or external stimuli that upsets normal functioning and disturbs mental or physical health”. Internal conditions such as illness, pain, or emotional conflict; as well as external circumstances, such as a death in the family or financial problems can cause stress. Even positive experiences like a new marriage or job promotion can provoke stress. Long lasting or chronic stress suppress the immune system, which in turn increase the susceptibility to illness, especially to immune-related disorders or cancer. Emotional stress also leads to hormonal imbalances that interfere with immune system function.
Knowing the causes of your stress is an important step to relieving stress. Everyday annoyances can lead to stress-related health problems. While your own daily hassles will vary, the important thing here is the frequency and duration and how you react to them. To gain a better understanding of your daily stressors and how you react to them, try using a stress diary. If you reduce stress, you will help to maintain balance and health. The fact is that something needs to be done to reduce stress levels.
A basic principle in mind and body balance is that chronic stress can contribute to illness, and that relaxation restores the physical and mental functioning that improves one’s health. More important than the stressors themselves is our ability to cope with them.
Meditation has been shown to have a positive effect on immune functions. Meditation is extremely effective in that it slows the breathing rate, increases oxygen consumption, creates a relaxed brain wave rhythm, and increases blood flow. These are effective reactions to reduce stress and tension. Just close your eyes, take a few deep, easy breaths, and recall a time and place when you felt relaxed and peaceful. Maintaining this relaxed state is said to help the body to heal itself. Yoga has been effective to reduce stress and anxiety, lowering blood pressure and heart rate, alleviating pain, providing relief from addictions, and improving memory, intelligence, and motor skills. It can also help your metabolic and respiratory functioning. The concept behind all relaxation therapies is the relationship between mind and body, that when the mind is restless and agitated, the health of the body will be affected. Conversely when the body is ill, mental functioning will decline.
Many symptoms of stress can be explained by examining your diet and nutrient levels. You can reduce stress by avoiding caffeine and food additives; and by eating fresher, whole foods. Limiting simple sugars and alcohol should also be incorporated. Eating the right foods, like superfoods can make a huge difference.
A complete balance of exercise will work in making the body healthier, thus reducing overall stress. Make a plan to exercise everyday and stick to your program! It’s important to understand that the way we think or feel can play a very significant role in our overall health. Reducing stress is necessary to restoring and maintaining good health. Our immune system can be enhanced or suppressed by what we think and how we respond emotionally to everything around us.
Stress and Chiropractic
Some of the most common symptoms of stress that many chiropractors see involve headaches, fatigue, and pain in the neck and back. If left untreated, unhealthy stress could cause more serious problems in the body like high blood pressure, ulcers, and disrupted sleeping patterns. Millions of people are unaware of how stress can be directly tied to these symptoms but can become educated about the correlation through chiropractic care.
Chiropractors who deal with stress management aim to revitalise the body to a healthier state of being. Chiropractic care can assist people who suffer from various problems due to chronic stress. If the body isn’t processing stress in an efficient manner, it suffers consequences later. Chiropractic care is one way to help the body process stress more effectively.
During pregnancy, there are incredible changes occurring in a woman’s body and the creation of delicate new life within. The significance of pregnancy cannot be over stated. Chiropractic care during pregnancy is focused on caring for both mother and unborn baby.
Studies have shown women who have consistent chiropractic care throughout their pregnancies have shorter and less painful labours, with fewer complications and fewer interventions.
I can speak from experience not only as a chiropractor, but 12 years ago as a pregnant patient myself. I am fortunate to have experienced the health benefits from chiropractic care personally, and passed on to my child as well.
Why is Chiropractic care important during pregnancy?
The nervous system is like the “electricity” for the body. It supplies this “electricity” to every body system including the reproductive system. Therefore, keeping the spine aligned helps the entire body work more effectively. This is true throughout all stages of life, and very important throughout pregnancy for a woman. Chiropractic care is also a drugless way to manage symptoms of pregnancy, such as back pain. A common misconception is that back pain during pregnancy is “normal”. Back pain is not normal, it is only common.
A few aspects of pregnancy that may lead to spinal misalignments:
Rapid increase/decrease in weight
Postural changes
Stress
Changes in sleep patterns & positions
Altered appetite and eating habits
Loosening of body ligaments to allow for growth and labour
Flat feet/pronation due to weight gain/loose ligaments
Emotional changes (hormonal shifts/new family stress)
Not only does what you eat and drink during pregnancy affect the unborn baby, but the way you sleep, sit, stand, walk, drive and handle stress will affect the baby too. Your baby needs your nervous system to be functioning optimally in order to develop correctly.
Is chiropractic care safe during pregnancy?
The answer is Yes! There are no known contraindications to chiropractic care throughout pregnancy. General wellness of women who are pregnant or trying to conceive is a routine treatment.
Chiropractors that have been trained to work with pregnant women may use tables that adapt to suit a pregnant woman’s body, and will use special techniques that avoid unneeded pressure on the abdomen. Exercises and stretches that are safe to use during pregnancy are recommended by chiropractors to compliment any adjustments made to your spine.
Why should I have chiropractic care during pregnancy?
During pregnancy, there are several anatomical and physiological changes that occur to the woman’s body. The following changes could result in a misaligned spine or joint:
Protruding abdomen and increased back curve (lumbar lordosis)
Pelvic changes
Postural adaptations
Establishing pelvic balance and alignment is another reason to obtain chiropractic care during pregnancy. When the pelvis is misaligned it may reduce the amount of room available for the developing baby. A misaligned pelvis may also make it difficult for the baby to get into the best possible position for delivery. When the pelvis or lumbar spine is misaligned, there are also increased chances of developing back pain, groin pain or sciatica.
What are the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy?
Chiropractic care during pregnancy can include a variety of health benefits for women who are pregnant. Potential benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy include:
Maintaining a healthier pregnancy
Controlling symptoms of nausea
Reducing the time of labour and delivery
Relieving back pain, neck pain or joint pain
Preventing a potential caesarean section
What about chiropractic care and breech deliveries?
The late Larry Webster, D.C., Founder of the International Chiropractic Paediatric Association, developed a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment which enables chiropractors to establish balance in the pregnant woman’s pelvis and reduce undue stress to her uterus and supporting ligaments. This balanced state in the pelvis makes it easier for a breech baby to turn naturally. The technique is known as the Webster Technique.
Post-natal:
After your pregnancy, chiropractic can help to ensure that the loosened ligaments and joints to get back into their proper places. A spinal check-up is recommended for mother and baby to assist in enabling optimal nervous system function.
Which one, you may ask….in fact, many of my chiropractic patients ask me all the time which is best. Well, questions like this always depends on the individual and their personal needs. Both Yoga and Pilates work in supporting your body, mainly the muscular system. Core muscle strength is one of the Health Benefits of Yoga and Pilates.
A little background from a chiropractic perspective:
The muscles of the abdomen, the back and the buttocks all support the spine. These are the core muscles. If these core muscles are weak, they often contribute to the root of back pain, especially lower back pain.
Muscles are the spine’s main support system. Strengthening the muscles that support the spine with exercises can assist in preventing, reducing and even eliminating back pain.
Strong abdominal muscles (primarily the deep abs) are as important as strong back muscles for supporting the lower back and preventing lower back pain. Strong quadriceps (front of thigh muscles) are important to prevent back injuries when lifting. Proper lifting techniques involve using your legs. If your legs are weak, you may end up using your back, which can lead to injury.
Shortened muscles can throw the spine out of alignment and cause back pain. Stretching exercises lengthen shortened muscles and help to relieve back pain. Tight back muscles, tight buttocks muscles, and even tight hamstrings (back of thigh muscles) or quadriceps (front of thigh muscles), can affect the alignment of the spine. Stretching the back with stretching exercises also increases mobility of the joints of the spine.
Flexible and strong muscles help maintain proper posture and prevent back strains and sprains.
Here are the basic differences to help give a better understanding between Yoga and Pilates.
Yoga
Yoga is aimed to unite the mind, the body, and the spirit. Yoga’s view is that the mind and the body are one, and that if it is given the right tools and taken to the right environment, it can find harmony and heal itself. Yoga therefore is considered therapeutic. It helps you become more aware of your body’s posture, alignment and patterns of movement. It makes the body more flexible and helps you relax even in the midst of a stress stricken environment. Benefits include feeling more fit, more energetic, balanced and peaceful. Your own body’s weight is used for resistance from one posture into another. There are several different Yoga styles. It boils down to personal preference and individual needs.
One example and a common one is Vinyasa Yoga. Vinyasa Yoga makes use of modified yoga poses that are designed to enhance healing, flexibility and strength of joints. The poses also intend to promote the feeling of well-being and strength. The emphasis of this branch of Yoga practice is on coordinating breath and movement. Practices may also include meditation, reflection, study and other classic elements.
Pilates
Pilates is aimed at reaching similar goals with a series of controlled movements. The major difference is that the Pilates technique has a full complement of mat work, as well as incorporates work on the Pilates machines. The emphasis of the exercises is to strengthen the abdominals, improve posture, stabilise and lengthen the spine, improve balance and overall strength.
Pilates works the whole body, emphasizing control, precision and concentration in both the mind and the body. The focus is on quality not quantity, so movements are not performed rapidly or repeated excessively. The abdominal muscles, lower back and buttocks (“powerhouse”) serve as the centre of all movement, allowing the rest of the body to move freely. This focus on core stabilization makes one stronger from the inside out and is critical for advancement. The low impact nature of Pilates makes it ideal for injury prevention and rehabilitation. The balance between strength and flexibility creates a healthy, vigorous and symmetrical workout for all muscle groups resulting in a leaner, more balanced, and stronger body.
Are you still left with a question of which of these two fitness techniques is right for you? Here’s an answer for you: do them both! You don’t necessarily have to choose. The nature of the techniques makes it easy for them to complement each other. Get the stretch from Yoga and keep it from Pilates. Strengthen your abdominals and watch your poses improve. Join the breathing techniques of Pilates and meditative aspect of Yoga into your daily routine and see the stress of your everyday life begin to dissipate. Both techniques are time-proven and established, and with the help of an experienced instructor, you will surely reach the goals you set up for yourself!
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or “IBS” for short – This seems to have been a “buzzword” for quite some time now. I remember first hearing it and thinking to myself, “sounds like an unknown that needs a label!” Well, I think most people have heard this term now, but the following are the symptoms associated with IBS:
Bloating
Gas
Diarrhoea
Constipation
Abdominal Pain or Discomfort
This is really an umbrella term, with many different conditions and diagnoses associated with it. The most common are:
Lactose Intolerance
Fructose Malabsorption
Coeliac (Celiac) Disease
Having one or more of the above conditions can be a roadblock to your health and wellness, if not addressed properly.
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance is not only a well known condition but very common. It is where a person doesn’t have appropriate levels of lactase, the enzyme required for the breakdown of lactose (milk sugar). For people with lactose intolerance, eating lactose can cause symptoms of bloating, stomach cramps, loose stools, diarrhoea, nausea and flatulence. Avoiding dairy products such as milk, cheese, yoghurt and ice cream will decrease the amount of lactose in the diet and therefore decrease the symptoms.
Fructose Malabsorption
Lesser known, but making more headlines lately is Fructose Malabsorption. It is similar to lactose intolerance but with Fructose Malabsorption, a person has impaired ability to absorb fructose, (fruit sugar). This results in fructose passing through the intestines and being fermented by bacteria, causing both gastrointestinal symptoms (abdominal bloating/cramps, constipation, loose stools, diarrhoea or flatulence) and increased proliferation of certain intestinal bacteria and yeast which metabolise fructose.
The most common fruits with high fructose that should be avoided are: apples, pears, guavas, mangoes, watermelon, lychees, pawpaw.
Note, Fructose Malabsorption is not to be confused with Fructose Intolerance. Fructose Intolerance is a hereditary condition in which there are deficient liver enzymes to break fructose up. In patients with Fructose Malabsorption, the small intestine fails to absorb fructose properly. This results in excess hydrogen caused by an overgrowth of otherwise normal intestinal bacteria.
Coeliac Disease
Coeliac Disease is from an intolerance to gluten. It is a disease of malabsorption (nutrients not absorbed properly) as well as having an abnormal immune reaction to gluten. Coeliac Disease can be hereditary. The small intestine is unable to absorb nutrients from food. Diagnosis can be difficult because of the similarity of other symptoms, but blood tests are used to help in the diagnosis.
With all of these, Lactose Intolerance, Fructose Malabsorption and Coeliac Disease, you may start by being your own detective and making a food diary; noting which foods trigger which symptoms can be very helpful. This can help strengthen the practitioner-patient relationship.
Let me encourage you if you have any of these symptoms to start listening to your body and taking note. Then seek a health practitioner to assist in the proper diagnosis and management to get you on the path of health and wellness.
Chiropractic treatment has helped in many cases to reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms, allowing patients to lead more active lives; however chiropractic cannot cure these diseases.
Posted by chiropam on May 19, 2009 in Chiropractic
You may ask, what is this? Or you may know someone who has suffered from this. It is a rare condition that has been described as, “the worst pain in the world”. Trigeminal Neuralgia is also known as, “tic douloureux“. It is very difficult to understand because people look normal, and like a lot of painful conditions, no one can appreciate how painful something is unless they go through it themselves. Now this is not something you would wish on your worst enemy. Until I had an actual patient with the condition, did I take some extra time to learn more about it.
When I studied chiropractic in university, it was one of the conditions that we learned. We were also told that it wasn’t something we would see every day in practice. While that proved to be the case, it was most important to the patient experiencing the pain of the condition. So I did some extra research myself to best understand and help to manage as best as I could professionally.
The trigeminal nerve is a cranial nerve that is responsible for sensation in the face (sensory) and supplying the jaw muscles used in chewing (motor).
Classic Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) Symptoms:
Abrupt very sharp pain that comes and goes; not a constant ache.
95 to 98% of pain is limited to one side of the face: left nerve affects left side; right nerve affects right side.
Confined pain to the area distributed by one or more branches of the trigeminal nerve.
Usually provoked by a light breeze or touch of the face, or a movement such as yawning, talking, eating.
Runs in cycles usually, and can disappear for weeks, months, even years before returning.
More Than Just The Face…
The pain is excruciating enough, but there are other factors that result from TN:
Very tiring living with sharp and chronic pain
Strain on emotions
Stressful to the point of anxiety
Strain on families and relationships
Increased levels of frustration
Anger
Depression
Other Causes Of Face Pains:
Trigeminal Neuritis
Temporal Arteritis
Cluster Headache
Facial Migraine
Myofascial Pain
Atypical Odontalgia (toothache)
Sinusitis
Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorder
Occipital Neuralgia
There is no lab test to diagnose TN, so when seeking treatment the most accurate description of the pain is crucial to come up with the proper diagnosis. It is a team effort – between the patient and the practitioner.
I recommend you educate yourself a bit first – there are books and/or internet articles. Remember there is a lot of information out there, so try not to get too overwhelmed. Pick a few that seem to grab your attention and make sense to you. Doctors aren’t always right, so communication is the key; along with patience and understanding from both the patient and practitioner. This ensures better outcomes.
There are many different treatments including: prescription drugs which are usually very heavy duty narcotics or local anesthetic injections. There is the potential to experience serious side effects due to the strength of the narcotics.
Alternative treatments
These alternatives can be used alone or in combination with more invasive treatment. This is not a comprehensive list:
My professional opinion is that surgery should always be the last resort. As you have read, there are quite a few alternative therapies to try and different medicines to treat TN. A lot of patients have reported combinations work well too, not necessarily just one therapy.
Physical relief is just one way to deal with TN. On the other side of the coin, there are coping strategies to help better tolerate the pain:
Keep busy – constructive and distracted from the pain
Positive attitude
Live in the present
Treat yourself – don’t forget how to have fun
Relax
Visualise
To conclude, here are some day to day tips from TN sufferers to fellow TN sufferers to consider:
If you or someone you know has an unsettled baby, and you don’t know what to do, you may want to investigate taking your baby to a chiropractor.
As your child is being born, natural or Caesarean, the neck and back vertebrae can go out of alignment, causing vertebral subluxation complexes due to the stretching and compressing of the body as it emerges into the world. If your delivery included a prolonged pushing stage, forceps or vacuum extraction, or other form of assisted delivery, the chances of a misalignment are great.
If the misalignments, called vertebral subluxations, are big enough, the functioning of major systems in the body can be compromised. The digestive system may be affected and effective digestion of breastmilk and formula can cause major discomfort in your baby, leading to colic episodes.
What Is Colic?
Infantile colic is the term commonly used to describe an otherwise healthy infant who exhibits persistent, forceful crying for no apparent reason. The crying usually persists for several hours each day and is usually evident at least five days in each week. Parents’ attempts to comfort the infant by holding and rocking the child, and making sure they are clean and fed have little or no effect on the condition. The affected infant will have a tense, rumbling abdomen, usually with knees flexed, tight muscles along the spine and be very gassy. Occasionally the head and neck will be arched backwards.
Many parents are hesitant of taking their small, helpless babies to see a chiropractor. The main reason being the “crunching and cracking” stereotype that chiropractic can have.
In actuality, the adjustments that a chiropractor will do on your baby is basically applying gently pressure with the fingers or with an adjustment instrument called an Activator to areas on the neck and back. You may see your baby totally relax before your eyes as the misalignments are corrected.
As with selecting any health care provider, you need to ask questions first, in order to make an informed decision. Being clear on the objective and the techniques that will be carried out is very important. Ask for referrals from family or friends that you can contact if you are unsure.
Chiropractic care can be very valuable in helping to calm the colic tendencies in a safe, natural environment.
Hip pain can afflict a wide range of ages. It is not just a natural part of the ‘aging process’. Pain in the hip can actually be caused by a variety of things. It may originate from degeneration within the joint itself, referred pain from the lower back, or from chronic tendinitis of the gluteal muscles. Hip pain may also result from inflammatory conditions or from improper biomechanics in the knee and ankle or foot.
Making sure your pelvis, low back, hips, knees, ankles and feet are in the proper alignment and moving well may help alleviate hip pain and may prevent recurrent episodes. It is important to first identify the cause of the hip pain, not just treat the symptomatic area. When this is addressed, it is then essential to increase strength and regain mobility in the hip area and help return to previous level of activity.
Degenerative and pathological conditions of the hip can present with a broad range of diagnostic mysteries. For every patient who comes in complaining of pain and discomfort that he or she correctly traces to the hip, there is likely to be another patient with symptoms from the lower back, to the buttocks, to the legs, that eventually can be traced to a hip condition. On the other hand, conditions like hernia, aneurysm, and iliopsoas bursitis, with no direct hip connection, can cause what a patient may perceive as hip or groin pain.
Hip disease itself manifests as pain in the groin that may radiate all around the thigh and even to the knee. Although a significant number of people present with hip pain, the real challenge is making sure that hip and thigh pain really is a pathology of the hip and not a referred intra-abdominal or retroperitoneal pain.”
Some patients may complain of pain that initially seemed to have nothing to do with the hip, but upon closer questioning and examination, had at least some of its origins there.
Common Causes
Contrary to some belief, age-related degenerative conditions are not the only cause of hip pain, particularly osteoarthritis of the hip joint. Osteoarthritis isn’t always the reason -it may actually be the ultimate result of damage done to the hip earlier.
Some of the leading causes of hip problems that actually originate within and around the hip include:
Overuse injuries and repetitive motion or gait problems
Acute injuries, such as fractures, sprains, strains to the lower limb.
Avascular necrosis
Infections in the joint or bone near the hip -these are usually accompanied by fever, redness, and/or swelling.
After comprehensive examination and diagnosis, the treatment goal should not only be to decrease the patient’s pain levels, but assist in increasing the range of motion in the hip and lower back and restoring proper function. In addition, providing lifestyle options, such as postural changes, core stabilization, how to assume a neutral spine, and home exercises including stretching and strengthening will all assist in limiting stress on the low back and hips.
Feeling the winter blues? Tired of catching colds that go around? Rather than taking something to simply cover up the symptoms, how about some advice on avoiding them in the first place? The best treatment is often prevention. Here we show you how to boost your immune system through natural means like exercise, nutrition and more, so you can get through winter unscathed.
Look To Nature
The great thing about herbs is that they improve your immune system, rather than attack a bug. Naturopathy focuses on the natural herbs nature has to offer.
A Positive Outlook
A positive outlook on life can help ward off colds, flu and infections. People with an optimistic outlook on life tend to have higher levels of immune-system weaponry (T-cells and natural killer cells) than pessimistic people. You may not be able to change your situation at a certain moment, but you can change your attitude.
Foods and Fluids
If your body is lacking in certain nutrients, your immune system will certainly suffer. So eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, which contain antioxidants.
Immune-boosting properties from carotenoids are found in yellow and orange fruit and vegetables like carrots, pumpkin, oranges and apricots as well as green leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli.
Increase the garlic and onion in your meals. Eat raw, freshly-crushed garlic – it has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. It is a natural immune booster.
Vitamin C found in citrus fruits and berries may help improve resistance to infection.
Include plenty of zinc and iron, found in lean red meat, poultry, seafood, wholegrains and nuts, in your diet. They’re not antioxidants, but they are also thought to keep the immune system healthy.
Drink plenty of water and/or herbal teas; eliminate caffeine-containing fluids like coffee and soft drinks.
Avoid sugar – as it can decrease the immune system’s activity.
Curb your stress levels – Some Stress is Good
People tend to talk about stress as if it’s all bad. It’s not.
Some stress is good for you. Public speakers, for example have to get their stress response to a certain optimal level so that they can perform in front of an audience. Otherwise, it may come across as lethargic and listless.
However, while some stress is good, too much is not. If you’re too stressed, your performance can diminish. The objective should be not to get rid of stress completely because you can’t get rid of stress — stress is life, life is stress. Rather, you need to be able to use your stress response optimally.”
The key is to learn to move yourself to that optimal peak point so that you’re not underperforming but you’re also not so stressed that you’re unable to perform. The challenge is knowing our limits – how much we’re actually able to handle.
The goal should be to try to learn to control your stress to make it work for you. Don’t just think of getting rid of your stress; think of turning it to your advantage.
Let Your Emotions Out
Expressing your emotions can be good for your health. Repressing emotions after a traumatic event can lower the function of the immune system compared to those who share their feelings.
Therapeutic Massage
Receiving a therapeutic massage can boost the immune system and promote lymph flow. It can aid in removing toxins, lead to less anxiety and improve the function of the immune system.
Exercise
Regular exercise supports general health and immune function. It promotes healthy blood circulation and drives the lymphatic system.
While professional athletes and those who train intensely have weakened immune systems, studies show that moderate exercise strengthens the immune system.
People who exercise regularly have about 25 percent fewer colds than those who seldom or never exercised.
We need adequate rest to allow the body to repair itself.
Rest and Relaxation
A good night’s sleep can also significantly boost the immune system. There are potent immune enhancing compounds released during sleep and immune functions are increased significantly by an adequate night’s rest.
Doing things you enjoy helps to decrease stress levels, especially if we are inspired to do something, rather than doing things because we have to.
A well-rested person’s immune system may respond more strongly that of a sleep-deprived person’s.
Your body requires more sleep during the winter months – so get to bed a bit earlier!
Chiropractic Maintenance Care
A regular visit to the chiropractor may greatly enhance your body’s immune system in combination with the abovementioned topics. By aligning your spine, the nervous system (which also affects the immune system) can function optimally.
Chiropractic is an art, science and philosophy focusing on a nervous system free from interference to allow the body to reach it’s optimum potential, naturally.
Chiropractic is a main passion and interest in my life. Not only is it my profession, but a way to connect the mind and body; a lifestyle - a natural way to allow your body to heal itself, and so much more. It is about looking at the entire body. Our bodies act as a whole unit - from Above, Down, Inside, Out! I love serving the community and being pro-active in making a difference…both individually and collectively as a whole.
