According to Harvard Medical School, roughly 40% of people experience sciatic pain in their lives. Like many aches and pains, it can worsen as you get older. You might feel pain when part of the nerve is pinched, you have a herniated disc, other irritation.
Sciatica affects different people in different ways.
Some people feel it in one or both of their legs. Others feel it in their lower back. You might feel a tingling sensation, feel numb, or have a throbbing pain that makes it painful to stand and live your life. If you know you have sciatica, then you want to find pain relief and you might wonder if a chiropractor for sciatica can help.
How a Chiropractor Helps Sciatica in Bucks County, Pa.
Chiropractic care can help relieve painful sciatica safely and gently without surgery. As you may know, chiropractic treatments offer natural pain relief so you can feel better and get on with your life.
First, of course, we want to make sure you do have sciatica. When you visit our office, we’ll discuss your medical history and take an x-ray to assess your spinal health.
Then, we’ll make a recommendation that fits your condition. In addition to chiropractic treatments, we may also recommend massage therapy, hot and cold therapy, ultrasound, or even spinal decompression.
Massage therapy works well in conjunction with chiropractic adjustments because it loosens up the muscles and releases endorphins. Endorphins are your body’s natural painkillers. The combination is terrific for helping your body heal.
Additionally, since chiropractic adjustments basically “put things back” where they’re supposed to be massage therapy is helpful because those looser muscles are more accepting of the adjustment.
You may know, the chiropractic adjustment releases trapped nerves and align your spinal cord, vertebrae discs, and ligaments. Designed to improve your mobility, chiropractic care uses gentle pressure and spinal manipulation so you can feel better and your body can heal.
In some cases, we’ll recommend other therapies too. In our Doylestown, Pa., office we have many tools to help you relieve sciatic pain. For example, many of our patients like the TENS machine (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation). It stimulates the nerves and reduces muscle spasms and pain. We also regularly use ultrasound therapy to relax tight muscles.
Spinal Decompression May Help As you age, your spinal discs can become thinner and drier. Sometimes, that means your spine compresses. Chiropractors have specific techniques designed to lengthen your spine which relieves nerve compression.
Lifestyle Changes Will Also Help Chiropractors can help with sciatica pain relief in both the short and long term. We can also help you make modifications in your life that will also help. That may mean changing the way you sit or sleep and getting more exercise.
Living a sedentary lifestyle makes sciatica worse. You can embark on a walking program to improve your health and also yoga stretches will help your sciatica. You’ll also want to strengthen your core because a strong core helps support your back which can help with pain relief. Ultimately, yes, a chiropractor for sciatica may be able to help you. If you’re tired of suffering with sciatic pain, please contact McQuaite Chiropractic at 267-247-7000 for a consultation.
The reasons why are many. Some people go for chronic pain relief while others appreciate it as a part of their overall wellness plan.
Widely known as a natural pain relief option, chiropractic care is probably best known for back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain.
In fact, The Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center said, “Chiropractors are the highest-rated healthcare practitioner for low-back pain treatments above physical therapists (PTs), specialist physician/MD (i.e., neurosurgeons, neurologists, orthopedic surgeons), and primary care physician/MD (i.e., family or internal medicine).”
Yet, chiropractic care goes beyond back pain.
What is Chiropractic Care?
Harvard Medical School says, “Chiropractic is a system of therapy focused on the structure of the body, particularly the spine. Chiropractors manipulate the body’s alignment to relieve pain and improve function and to help the body heal itself.”
Chiropractors talk about correcting“subluxations.” What’s a subluxation? It’s when one (or more) of your vertebrae is out of alignment. All kinds of things can knock your spine out of alignment including physical accidents, bad posture, and years of sitting hunched over a computer.
As you might guess, it’s a problem because it blocks your body’s communication system and when your brain/body can’t communicate well, then you can feel pain. It’s like a traffic snarl on I-95. You can probably picture the cars jammed up on the highway. That’s similar to your bodies’ lines of communication.
Fortunately, a chiropractic adjustment can help you feel your best. It improves your range of motion, flexibility, and improves relaxation.
Did You Know? Chiropractic Can Help With These 4 Health Conditions
The world of science is always discovering new things. For example, in recent decades, researchers have found that chiro care is useful for the whole family.
1- Allergies – Did you know that seasonal allergies are symptoms of an overactive immune system? They can be. It turns out, those itchy eyes and scratchy throat are symptoms of your body reacting to things like pollen and dust as if they’re “dangerous.” In some cases, chiropractic care can help you find relief from allergy symptoms.
2- Athletes – From high school football stars to weekend golfers, sports can take a toll on your body. Fortunately, chiropractic care is a great part of your wellness plan to both prevent injury and help you heal if you are injured. Find out more about ways chiro care can help athletes be at their best here.
3- Prenatal care – As your pregnant body morphs and expands to encourage the new life growing within you, you may experience all kinds of aches and pains in your body. Gentle stretching, prenatal massage, and chiropractic treatments can help you find relief.
4-Pediatric care – Children of all ages can benefit from a pediatric chiropractor. We’ve helped colicky babies feel better and overly-active kids focus. If you want to know more about how we can help your kids, give us a call at 267-247-7000. We offer a free consultation.
In conclusion, chiropractic care has a place in your family’s wellness plan. We’re located in Doylestown, Pa, across from CB West and have appointments to fit most schedules. We’ll also be happy to answer any questions you may have about chiropractic care and get you back to feeling your best!
When the leaves turn gold and copper, you know winter is right around the corner. For some, seasonal allergies act up and the first colds of the season start.
Yet, if you’re like most wellness-minded folks, you want to boost your immunity. Chiropractic care is a great tool to add to your arsenal of Vitamin C, healthy eating, and exercise.
While most people think of chiropractic treatments as something for back or neck pain, it turns out it’s highly beneficial for the immune system too.
What IS the Immune System?
We talk about the immune system a lot. At least the media does and chances are, you’ve seen friends or family ask about favorite flu or cold remedies on Facebook.
But you might not have stopped to wonder about the immune system itself. That is, as long as it’s doing its job in keeping you healthy, you don’t wonder. But with cold and flu season coming and with COVID-19 still here, you might be wondering more than usual how you can boost your immunity. As you may know, your immune system is a collection of cells, proteins, and tissues that work together to keep you healthy. When it’s compromised, your body is at risk of kinds of diseases. From annoying allergies to serious issues like cancer.
It could be possible to boost your immunity with chiropractic care.
How Can You Boost Your Immunity with Chiropractic Care?
Good question.
Now, let me be clear, chiropractic care is only one component of a healthy wellness regimen. You still want to eat your fruits and veggies, get regular exercise, plenty of sleep, and reduce your stress.
But aside from those healthy habits, regular chiropractic care can also help because it’s maintenance for your spine. As you might know, a chiropractic adjustment realigns your spine which can help open up the highway so to speak between your brain and body. Essentially, when your spine is straight, your body is better able to send messages from the brain and back again.
When your brain and body have open communication, it benefits the nervous system.
The nervous system is like a central highway in your body. Your spinal cord serves as that highway and it delivers messages back and forth to your brain. You can probably see why it could be helpful to prevent roadblocks like pinched nerves and other pains that put obstacles in the way of your brain and body connection.
You want to keep the traffic flowing on that highway and chiropractic care can help.
“The World Health Organization defines health as being “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (Source)
We agree. The goal of health is a state of complete well-being.
What about you? Do you boost your immunity with chiropractic care?
If you’re in Doylestown, PA, stop in for a chiropractic consultation, and let’s help you feel your best!
With remote learning underway, many schools are attempting to establish guidelines for behavior. Cameras on, dressed, and sitting in front of the computer at the time school starts is par for the course at many schools.
Thanks to Annie Spratt
Yet, where are your children sitting? Are they slumped on the couch or do they have a desk set up that supports remote learning ergonomics? Do they move around the house depending on their moods?
Child psychologists recommend having a dedicated space for school and homework because it helps the children focus. That space can be a kitchen table, a corner of the living room, or even a full desk set up in their room (for older children.) If your child naturally gravitates to a particular area, see how you can help them make the most of it for their workspace.
You probably know that having a comfortable chair and computer setup designed for your height and needs is far better for you than crouching over your laptop on the couch. It’s not different for your kids.
Remote Learning Ergonomics for Kids
Plus, now that they’re pulling 6+ hours a day on an iPad or computer, the kids need the kind of support that comes with a comfortable chair (that helps them maintain good posture.) Next, depending on their ages and work styles they may also benefit from a stand-up desk or a separate ergonomic keyboard and mouse.
1- Screen Height – An ideal screen height is eye-level. Hours bent over an iPad can cause “text neck” and long-term problems. Same with crouching over a computer screen that’s too low.
You can raise your child’s screen with any number of devices created for that purpose. There are adjustable stands for iPads and laptops so you can raise and lower the screens as needed.
2- Proper Viewing Distance – You don’t want your child to have to squint to see the screen. Nor should they have lean far forward. The ideal position for the screen is where your child can see it easily (and read/interact) while sitting upright in a chair.
3- Foot Rests – Ergonomic specialists recommend having your feet flat on the floor. So if your child’s feet don’t reach, then you can use a footstool. Some children’s adjustable furniture sets offer them.
4- Chairs and Tables – Kids are active. They’ll rock their legs back and forth and most will find it hard to sit still for very long. It’s even worse if the chair is too big for them. Have you ever seen a small child sink in a dining chair? There’s adjustable children’s furniture on the market that can grow with your child. Otherwise, a pillow or book can boost them up.
You can have your child sit in the area where they tend to work and eyeball their posture to gauge their needs. Can they sit straight and see the screen with craning their neck? Can they place their feet on the floor comfortably? If they’re using a computer, are their elbows able to bend naturally and reach the keyboard?
If you have older children who are using a computer all day, then they’ll need an ergonomic keyboard and mouse set up. These reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries. Regular stretching breaks and chiropractic care can also help your child feel his or her best.
When was the last time you woke up with back or neck pain? If you said, “today,” and that’s typical for you, then it’s worth thinking about how you sleep.
As you can imagine, your sleeping position impacts your spinal health. Have you ever fallen asleep in a chair and woken up with a crick in your neck? If so, then your neck needed more support.
The entire purpose of pillows is to cradle your head and neck. Yet, you don’t want it to be too high or low. Ideally, your spine is in a neutral position when you sleep. And by neutral, we mean straight. When your spine is straight, then you’re not twisting it to one side or another for hours on end.
Do you tend to sleep with your pelvis twisted to one side or another? Or, do you sleep on your stomach? Neither of these is good sleeping positions to prevent back or neck pain because they put unnecessary pressure on your spine.
The Best Sleeping Positions to Prevent Back and Neck Pain
These probably won’t surprise you, but the best sleeping positions are on your back or side. You do want to keep your neck well cradled with a good pillow for you, which we’ll cover in a moment, but first, consider the back and side sleeping.
When you’re on your back, with your legs straight out and your arms by your side, your spine is in the straightest position. It’s very happy like this because your body weight is distributed evenly and completely supported. But if you’ve never been a back sleeper, it can be hard to try and train yourself. The easiest way is probably to lay on your back when you’re super tired and allow yourself to relax into the mattress. However, some people find sleeping on their back causes them to snore.
Side sleepers are also in a good place as long as you have a supportive pillow and keep your legs straight. If you’re using an arm for support under your head or pulling your legs up into your chest, then your spine isn’t supported evenly, and you could wake up with back or neck pain.
What’s your preferred sleeping position?
About Those Pillows
There’s a reason there so many types of pillows on the market. From down pillows to memory foam, there’s a pillow for everyone. The right one for you is supporting your neck and head and helping them stay in a straight line with your spine.
If you’re like a lot of people in the Doylestown area, you probably have at least 3 or 4 pillows in your house that you can try. Here’s an exercise you can do to assess them. Take the pillow, put it on your bed, and lie down in your preferred sleeping position. Notice if your neck feels like it’s tilting up or down. Which one feels like it keeps your spine the straightest? If the answer is none, then it may be time for a new pillow.
Of course, if you’re experiencing back and neck pain on a regular basis, it’s a good idea to have it checked out with Dr. Jeff McQuaite in Doylestown, PA. Find out more our neck pain treatment here.
Congratulations on your new arrival! Pregnancy is an exciting time. Of course, it also comes with a lot of changes in your body (and emotional) state. You’re probably eating healthy, maybe taking prenatal vitamins, and looking for all the ways to support your body and the little one inside.
One of those benefits is with a maternity massage. Massage relieves stress and helps reduce any discomfort you may be experiencing in your changing body. A therapeutic massage also boosts blood circulation and stimulates endorphins in your body. Both help circulate nutrients, reduce stress, and improves your sleep.
A maternity massage is different from a regular massage in that your massage therapist will position you differently. Usually, you’ll be in a comfortable semi-reclined position with supportive pillows. Your massage therapist will use a few different techniques that are applicable to pregnant women.
5 Benefits of a Maternity Massage
If you’re like a lot of pregnant women, you may find you have new or deepened aches and pains during pregnancy. Some of the common ones include upper or lower back pain, heartburn, and headaches. A therapeutic massage can help with these and other pains.
1- Massage improves circulation – That means increased oxygen flow, which carries nutrients throughout your body. This also boosts immunity and helps your body release toxins. (That’s why massage therapists always encourage you to drink a lot of water afterward.)
2- Releases Endorphins – One of the reasons you feel so relaxed after a therapeutic massage is because it releases endorphins. These are the “feel good” hormones in your body and they also reduce stress and help you sleep better.
3- Reduces Aches and Pains – Hip pain, sciatica, back pain, and even acid reflux can all be associated with pregnancy but a maternity massage can help. For further pain reduction, you can combine massage with chiropractic care for a complete, all-natural approach.
4- Good for the heart – Therapeutic massage can reduce your blood pressure and it increases blood flow to your uterus so your baby gets the nutrients it needs.
5- Stress Reduction – Sometimes you know you’re under a lot of stress. If that’s the case, you probably know stress isn’t good for you or your baby. A caring massage can help you feel nurtured.
Now that you know a maternity massage has so many benefits for pregnant women, are you ready to schedule yours?
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about maternity massage, talk with your healthcare practitioner. If you’re in Doylestown, Pa., McQuaite Chiropractic can recommend a massage therapist for you.
Most people associate chiropractic care with back pain. Yet, your chiropractor can help in other ways too. Take chiropractic for joint pain.
It might make sense that a chiropractic adjustment to your spine can relieve shoulder pain, but you might not think about it helping your knees or ankles, or even wrists. But it’s possible.
The reason why is your entire body is connected. You know this, of course, and if you think back to that old song about the hip bone connected to the thigh bone, that’s a good reminder.
With each bone connected to the next and the nerves acting as the messengers for your brain’s communication system, your body operates as a whole (even if we don’t always treat it as such.)
An Ankle Joint Injury Can Affect Your Body
Take an ankle injury on the left side of your body. It’s likely that the right side will find ways to compensate by adjusting your stride or stance for example. Yet, even micro-adjustments make a difference and you may find yourself with an eventual knee injury on your right side because you “favored” one side. However, a chiropractor may be able to help prevent the second joint injury by helping your body maintain it’s balance and symmetry.
The chiropractic approach is to assess your overall health and where your joint pain is located. Here at McQuaite Chiropractic, we run an x-ray of all new patients so we can see what’s going on. For example, your treatment could incorporate gentle manipulation or short sharp bursts of spinal manipulation.
We have a range of specific tools to relieve pain and improve your mobility including the special chiropractic table, TENS treatment, and a small rubber hammer. You can find out more about our treatments here.
Of course, whether chiropractic can help your joint pain depends on your body.
For example, arthritis can cause joint pain but not all arthritis can be safely treated by chiropractic care. So, we want to know if you have arthritis and if so, what type. Assuming you’re a good candidate for chiropractic care for your joint pain, you’ll probably be pleased with the benefits.
The Benefits of Chiropractic for Joint Pain Include:
Each of these can lead to more motivation to exercise or participate in other activities that you might have declined before due to pain. After all, if your joint pain is keeping you from participating in your favorite activities, wouldn’t you want to change that situation?
If you’re in the Doylestown, Pa, area, we’d love to offer you a consultation. That way we can see if chiropractic may be able to relieve your joint pain.
There’s nothing quite like being hunched over your computer on your sofa for hours on end to quickly dispel the work from home dream.
Sure, it’s nice to skip the commute but without an ergonomically friendly work area, you’ll likely find yourself in pain after a while. You may find yourself wondering how to create an ergonomic home office.
Fortunately, there are several ways you can do it. Even if you’re making small improvements by using towels from your linen closet. But first, here’s why working from the couch isn’t a good long-term plan.
Why Working from Your Couch Is Hard on Your Body
In a word, lack of structure. When you sit on your couch bent over your computer, you slump. Your rounded head and shoulders put a strain on your neck and upper body. If you’re already prone to neck or shoulder pain, this tends to make it worse. Same with sciatica.
It’s not much better if you’re at your dining table either by the way. The table height can be a little too high (or too low) for your height and few dining chairs are meant for hours of sitting. You can make it a little better by putting a rolled-up towel or cushion behind your back for lumbar support and raising your computer monitor to eye level.
The Ergonomic Home Office Set-Up That Supports Your Back and Neck
You don’t even need to have a true office with a door. You can carve out a corner of an extra bedroom or your dining room if needed. An ergonomic office starts with a computer monitor at eye level.
The ideal height because it helps your neck stay in one long line from your spine. That’s why you see so many desks with a separate level to raise the monitor. If you work on a laptop without a separate monitor, then you can still raise it and get a separate keyboard and mouse.
You can raise it on a stack of books or get an official “laptop raising” tool like a roost or nextstand. These fold up when you’re not using them and you can adjust up and down as needed.
As for mice and keyboards, there are ones designed to be ergonomically friendly. Before you buy something, notice your typing habits. Do you tend to bend your wrists or keep them stable? To minimize wrist pain, it’s best to keep them in a straight position.
You’ll also need a good chair. A supportive chair will allow your feet to rest on the floor and will support your back. If a new chair isn’t in the cards for you right now, use a cushion or rolled-up towel to give you lumbar support and keep your feet flat on the floor.
This article from PC Magazine, shares more insight into how (and why) you’ll want to customize your home office set up.
Practice Relieving Tension
Take stretch breaks. Even just 2-3 minutes at a time can help. Stretch from side to side with your arms in the air or on your hips. Rotate your hips and tilt your pelvis. You can also bend forward and hang for a few seconds. It all helps to loosen your back.
An ergonomic home office set up can help prevent chronic back, shoulder, and neck pain because it keeps your spine aligned.
Regular chiropractic treatment can also help keep your spine aligned. If you’re Bucks County, PA, and want to see how we can help with back pain, contact us at 267-247-7000. We’d love to help you feel better.
Have you ever turned your head and heard your neck crack? Sometimes it feels great and other times, maybe not so good. Either way, you might wonder about that sound. What’s with it? It turns out there’s a special word for it.
That word is “crepitus” which applies to any snap, crackle, pop of the joints.
On its own, it’s nothing to worry about. Sometimes, you might even gently turn your head side to side to try to find that relief of “ah.” Essentially, it’s trapped gas bubbles so when you release them by turning your neck, you feel relief.
But if your neck cracking is also painful, that requires professional assistance to discover the reason why.
Let’s talk about the neck cracking.
Imagine those joints in the back of the neck. They’re called facet joints and if you feel the back of your neck, you can feel the knobby texture. Inside these joints is the synovial fluid which keeps your joints lubricated. Then, between each joint is smooth cartilage and an intervertebral disc.
In other words, your neck is designed to be flexible. That way you can turn your head from side to side. But why does it make that weird noise?
Here’s Why You Hear Your Neck Crack
Essentially, there are three main reasons why you hear neck cracking sounds.
1- Pressure Changes – Gas bubbles within the synovial fluid in your joints make a popping noise when they explode. You might also feel a sense of relief and a greater range of motion when this happens. This is normal.
2- Ligament or tendons moving – These are attached to bones and they move around the bone in your body. Sometimes they make a sound as they move.
3- Grinding– Osteoarthritis is caused by the loss of cartilage in the neck and other parts of the body. As you age, losing this cartilage is common and can lead to the bone grinding on bone. Ouch! That is usually painful. If you’re wondering why your neck cracks and hurts, this could be related. You’ll usually be able to see this on an x-ray.
These all apply to your knees, ankles, and other joints too by the way.
Other reasons why your neck could crack and hurt? An accident or post-surgical surgery could affect your neck. If you’re having swelling, please get yourself to a medical professional right away. Also, if your neck always cracks in the same way, that could be a sign that’s something’s amiss.
Is it Safe to Crack Your Neck?
When everyday activities like stretching cause your neck to crack, that’s fine. But you don’t want to seek out opportunities to crack your neck on your own. The reason is that your neck houses plenty of blood vessels and nerves. Improper or forceful neck cracking can lead topinched nerves or even punctured blood vessels both of which are problems and can lead to more pain.
So if you’re one of those people who likes to enlist help from family or friends in cracking your neck, please don’t. You could do some damage. Instead, find a reputable chiropractor if you haven’t already.
When Does it Make Sense to Visit a Chiropractor for Your Neck?
Regular chiropractic care boosts your immune system and can even reduce your stress. What’s “regular?” We interpret it as at least once a month. That way, your body stays in alignment.
A chiropractor is trained in joint manipulation to help your spine (including your neck) stay flexible which is important for your overall health and the way you feel. For most people, the occasional neck crack is perfectly normal. Neck “crepitus” is nothing to worry about.
However, if you’re in pain, then you definitely want to seek medical treatment and if you feel like you’re constantly trying to crack your neck to find relief or if you have any kind of unusual swelling, then you’ll want tomake an appointment right away.
If you’re someone who doesn’t like the idea of a chiropractic adjustment, Dr. Mcquaite also offers a non-cracking adjustment. It offers pain relief without the cracking sound.
stop People are creatures of routines. We crave stability and knowing what to expect.
Photo by Ravi Pinisetti on Unsplash
Knowing what to expect gives us a sense of control. Feeling out of control is part of the reason the current COVID crisis is so difficult. All of our routines are disrupted.
We don’t know what’s going to happen next.
We don’t know how to plan for the next few weeks (or months.)
We don’t know how to protect ourselves and our families.
And not the knowing messes with our brains and emotions. It stresses us out.
You may not even want to think about stress management, yet, if you’re willing to be proactive, you can reduce your stress. Even in times of unknowing.
For example, you can choose to get up early every day and watch the sunrise. Listen to the birds sing and appreciate the quiet. Maybe you’ll even make a list of things you’re grateful for. And if you’re struggling to feel gratitude, that’s ok too. Here’s an article from Psychology Today that explains how it’s important to drop the “shoulds” and feel your feelings.
Besides gratitude here are five other ways you can include stress management in your day.
5 Stress Management Techniques for Finding Strength
1- Be Kind to Yourself – If you’re feeling anxious because you want to be more productive than you’re being, give yourself permission to be kind and accepting of yourself. Everyone is going through a traumatic experience and it’s ok to admit that you’re not ok about it. Take a bath, read a book, go to bed early. Try to incorporate more nurturing activities into your day.
2- Exercise – When you move your body, you boost circulation and release “feel good” chemicals in your brain. Dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins will flood your body and help you recalibrate. These chemicals give your brain something tangible to focus on so you break any pattern of worry. Giving yourself that mental space is essential for your health.
Many gyms have moved their classes online and YouTube is full of exercise routines suitable for anyone. Even 10 minutes can help.
3- Get Fresh Air – Spring is here in Bucks County, Pa. If you can get outside in the sunshine and fresh air, it’s bound to lift your spirits. If you can take a walk (in an uncrowded area), then you can combine fresh air with exercise.
4- Eat Healthy – Healthy meals nourish your mind, body, and spirit. For instance, baked salmon with a side of fresh asparagus or a spring veggie medley are good choices to help you feel better mentally and physically.
5- Stop the Scroll – If you’re feeling stressed and anxious, the endless scroll of news and social media will only make it worse. So, step away from your phone. Take a walk, exercise, or find something else positive to do. Limit your news and social media consumption to 10-15 minutes/day.
While we’ve experienced a crisis before, this one feels different, mainly because there’s no defined endpoint. That means we can only take this one day at a time. Or even a moment at a time. If you can breathe deeply and focus on your breath throughout the day, you’ll experience some of the benefits of yogi breathing and that will help with stress management.
If you need a qualified therapist to help you, there are many offering online sessions now so please, get that help if you need it.
