Just about everywhere you look people are staring at their smart phones, iPads, laptops, you name it. But a Doylestown chiropractor says the constant strain on your neck could be causing major damage.
According to Pew Research Institute, more than half of Americans own a smart phone. Then there are all of the laptops, e-readers and tablets. Bottom line: we are looking down a lot.
According to Dr. Jeff McQuaite he often sees patients with aches and pains that turn out to be related to their technology. His neck pain patients said that they were playing on their iPads for hours on end, looking down at a computer seven hours a day at work, texting or responding to emails on their phones and, reading on their Kindles.
“I am seeing it a lot, especially in teenagers and even older patients,” he says. “We’re so into our electronic devices, and what we’re doing is holding the device at chest- or waist-level, and looking down at the device. It’s causing neck muscles to be shortened and tightened, and shoulders to be rounded forward.”
When you’re texting, you’re turning your whole spine forward. While the head is angled forward, the ligaments and tendons in the neck and back become overstretched. This overexertion can lead to an inflammation of the muscles and can cause mild to severe neck and back pain. There are increasing reports of “text neck” causing lower back pain, which is often chronic.
Any kind of neck, shoulder, or back pain requires some sort of attention, he says. You can stretch at home, get a massage see a chiropractor or by simply holding your phone higher when you look at it can make a considerable difference.
You deserve to feel good. If you’re in Doylestown, PA, we can see you at McQuaite Chiropractic and help you feel better.
Chronic wrist pain affects thousands of Americans. Generally, it’s chalked up to carpal tunnel syndrome and is caused by repetitive tasks like sewing and cleaning. Wrist pain can even be caused by playing sports like bowling. This is where sites like Skilled Bowlers provide advice on how to prevent this by using bowling wrist braces. It is important though to understand that there are ways to care for the pains. When it comes to using the computer, if you spend the bulk of your time typing, you may also feel wrist pain.
According to the American Chiropractic Association, it’s “most expensive of work-related injuries” with workers losing an estimated $30,000 medical bills and lost work time.
Plus, it’s painful.
It can also affect your non-work activities. Simple household tasks like cooking or opening jars might become more difficult leaving you to wonder if you can ever be pain-free again.
How Does Chronic Wrist Pain Develop?
Thirteen small bones make up your wrist and there’s a median nerve that runs down your forearm and into your wrist. Along with the bones are tendons, nerves and tissue.
There are a variety of reasons wrist pains like carpal tunnel can develop. Smaller wrist size leads to smaller carpal tunnel which can compress the median nerve. In other cases, it’s due to an injury, poor ergonomics and even diseases like diabetes.
Simple Exercises to Help
Some simple exercises can help alleviate your pain such as circling your wrists first one way and then another. Another exercise is to lift your arms and open and close your fists ten times. You can do these whenever you feel you need a break.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help Wrist Pain
However, chiropractic care can also help. A recent study appeared in the Annals of Vertebral Subluxuation Research, December 2014 which says spinal manipulation combined with ice, cold laser and exercises helped at least one participate improve.
A typical chiropractic visit will include spinal and perhaps wrist manipulation. This re-aligns the spine, neck and all the other bones within your body to alleviate pressure so your pain disappears.
Practicing good ergonomics will help prevent wrist pain. You can also wear a splint or a soft brace to keep your wrists straight while working.
Are you achy after sitting at your desk all day? Does your back hurt? How about your wrists? Is your neck stiff?
Sitting takes a toll on your body.
In fact, current research shows it’s as bad for us as smoking. One option is to stand more and there’s a trend in standing desks sweeping forward thinking offices across the country.
Though whether you choose to sit or stand or opt for both at different times throughout the day, things like monitor height and distance still matter.
So, here’s what you need to know.
Ergonomic Monitor – When your monitor is positioned at the right distance, your eyes don’t strain and you don’t sit for hours hunched over it.
According to OSHA, the ideal height for the top of your monitor is at eye level or just below it when you’re sitting or standing in an upright, yet relaxed position. That way, your neck can stay balanced on top of your shoulders evenly, without jutting forward which strains your upper body area.
If you use more than one monitor, keep them as close together as you can to eliminate neck “craning” which can cause neck pain and upper body stiffness.
Keyboard – Ideally, your keyboard is only 1-2 inches above your thighs. This may mean you need to use a pull out keyboard slider. This height helps keep your wrists still and straight which will alleviate wrist pain by relieving pressure on your carpal tunnel nerve in your wrists and forearm.
Chair – Your chair—and how you sit in it—is important. You may want an ergonomic chair such as the steelcase leap or aeron chairs to help your back. Practice sitting in your desk chair with both feet on the floor. If your feet don’t reach the floor comfortably, adjust your chair height or use a foot rest. If your chair doesn’t have one, you can improvise with an old phone book or an actual footstool.
Once your feet are flat on the floor, notice your posture. Can you sit up straight, with relaxed shoulders and keep your feet in place?
If you’re suffering with neck or back pain, you may benefit from chiropractic care.
Stress is huge part of today’s world. With this being said, it can be quite hard for some people to deal with, which is why opting to check out sites like buymyweedonline.ca/product/tuna-kush-aaaaa could be the answer to finally getting round to relieving your stress levels.
People are overscheduled, overcommitted and generally exhausted. Stress creates a chemical cascade in your body that increases inflammation and can lead to every disease you can think of. For this reason, it’s important to research cbd oil distributors as it is the latest advancement in herbal remedies for stress.
It’s important for your mental and physical well-being to reduce your stress levels. Stress is related to the classic “fight or flight response” back when if people didn’t run when they saw the saber-toothed tiger, they risked their lives.
Most of today’s stress revolves around less life-threatening situations. When you put things in perspective, it helps.
Here are Top Stress Relief Techniques to Help You Find Sanity
Breathing exercises – You can use this low tech tool anywhere and you never forget it at home. If you feel your blood pressure rising, focus on breathing deeply.
Inhale as deeply as you can and exhale slowly. Do this at least three times (more if you’re really peeved). When you practice slow and deep breathing, you’re sending a signal to your body that you’re alive and it’s ok. A soothing breath reduces your blood pressure so you feel calmer.
Meditation – Many people think of meditation as sitting on a cushion at the top of a mountain unmoving for days but you can practice meditation simply by being “in the moment”. If you’re standing in line at Macy’s to buy armloads of gifts, practice paying attention to your breath instead of getting annoyed at how long it’s taking. That’s meditation in your daily life.
Yoga – There are many types of yoga. Whether you lean toward a vigorous Vinyasa practice or a Gentle yoga, spending an hour or so stretching and focusing on your breath and your body does wonders for your mind and body.
Lots of Physical Exercise – If yoga isn’t for you, any type of physical exercise will reduce stress. Take a walk, ride a bike, find a kickboxing class on YouTube and follow along. Most of us don’t get enough exercise but it holds loads of stress reducing benefits.
Acupuncture – Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that “chi” or life energy gets blocked at different points in our bodies. This causes aches and pains as well as stress. The acupuncture needles release those blockages so you feel better, more rested and energetic.
Chiropractic Care – Chiropractic adjustments also release blockages in your body. They do it through a series of spinal manipulations rather than needle pricks yet it can work in tandem with acupuncture to reduce your stress wonderfully.
Unplug – Studies show reducing your screen time an hour or two before bed will help you sleep better. Plus, if you’re up late answering emails or other work, you’ll have a hard time turning off your brain so you can sleep well. Make it a point to turn off the work (and electronics) earlier. Lay on the floor and do some gentle stretches instead.
Try to take a day off every week too from electronics. Not being constantly attuned for the “dings” of FB and email notifications will give your brain a respite.
Humor – Laugh. You’ve heard of the healing power of humor? It’s true. When you laugh, you let down your guard — in other words, you aren’t stressed.
Legal Drugs – You could also look into legal drugs to reduce your stress. For example, you could look at companies like HerbMighty who offer CBD oil UK that can be shipped all over the world. I wouldn’t ignore any help you can get. Especially if it can help.
Downtime to recharge is essential to good health. Don’t overstuff your schedule so much that you can barely find time to see a friend or sit down to a meal with your family.
It’s ok to relax. Pick two or three of these stress relief techniques and see if you don’t start feeling less frazzled. You’ll do your health good!
You may not think of taking your baby to the chiropractor but studies show chiropractic care for infants has many benefits.
Think being pulled or pushed from the comfort, safety and darkness of the womb into the bright and noisy world. From there, people pass you around and it’s generally chaotic. Can you imagine the sensory overload?
An increasing number of new mothers take their infants to the chiropractor for adjustments and to ease the transition. A study shared in the Journal of Manual Medicine examined 1000 newborns and found 119 of them had imbalances in the spine and nerves that could be corrected by gentle chiropractic care.
Left untreated, these imbalances could contribute to colic, tonsillitis, allergies, asthma, ADD/ADHD and even seizures.
Wouldn’t you prevent these if you could?
The process is simple. Your chiropractor will examine your baby and look for discrepancies in leg length. Then, he or she will adjust your baby’s head so it’s in alignment with the spine and eliminates any stress caused by pressure on nerves.
As a result your baby will feel better.
Chiropractor care can benefit every child and if your baby is especially fussy, it might mean he or she is uncomfortable and a simple adjustment would eliminate the pain.
If you’re in Doylestown, Pa. Dr. Jeff McQuaite can offer you a free consultation to see if chiropractic care for infants is right for your baby.
Every pregnant mother notices physical and emotional changes during pregnancy. One of those changes is in your posture. It’s not a surprise that you find yourself sitting or standing differently to accommodate your growing belly. However, you may be surprised by the accompanying aches and pains.
Fortunately, chiropractic care during pregnancy can make a world of difference in the way you feel. Because the whole point of chiropractic care is to accommodate your body and realign your spine, it’s especially helpful for pregnant women.
For example, you know how you start standing differently when you’re pregnant? You probably support your lower back with your hands. That new posture affects your whole body and can lead to a slightly raised hip or tension in your shoulder. Pregnancy causes your pelvis to tilt too which causes other alignment issues in your body.
All of these changes can wreak havoc on your spinal column, create pressure on nerve endings (painful!), and block your body’s communication system.
Why Does Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy Make Such a Difference?
You probably know your nervous system is a collection of nerves and cells. The cells carry messages from one part of your body to another. Imagine a highway with smooth flowing traffic vs. a traffic jam. That’s what your body is like. When everything is going well, then your cells carry messages back and forth. But when the communication channels are blocked, then you can feel pain and inflammation.
As your body stretches and adjusts to accommodate your new baby, it likely is thrown out of alignment. This partial dislocation– called subluxation in the chiropractor world—is the reason why you’re having lower back pain. The misalignment can cause inflammation throughout your body.
Plus, this dislocation blocks communication coming and going from your central nervous system. This is a problem because your brain tells every part of your body what to do. If there’s a blockage, your reflexes may be slower, you’re more forgetful and you may not be able to plan as well.
In other words, your brain slows down.
That’s the “pregnancy brain” at work. Now, a pregnancy chiropractor may not be able to restore your normal brain functioning entirely, but it may help.
A prenatal chiropractor adjustment “puts everything back” the way it needs to be. Imagine your spine, neck, and pelvis in their proper alignment. You don’t have any pinched nerves and your brain and body are communicating well. This keeps your “control center” in good working order and reduces inflammation and stress. You may find your pregnancy back pain disappears.
Plus, chiropractic care during pregnancy can reduce symptoms of morning sickness, headaches, and other common elements of pregnancy.
Chiropractic care is all-natural so you don’t have to worry about drugs interfering with the growth of your child. While you always want to check with your doctor before seeing a prenatal chiropractor, for most pregnant women, it’s very safe. Your doctor may also be able to recommend some stretches to relieve pain too.
Prenatal Chiropractor Might Benefit Your Baby
Chances are, you’re taking prenatal vitamins, and reading up on various techniques to help you have a safe pregnancy.
You might be doing a little prenatal yoga or adapting other exercises to your changing body. A pregnancy chiropractor can add to your health regimen by keeping your body properly aligned. Most of all, regular adjustments can help your pelvis remain in the right position for giving birth.
When your pelvis is in the right position, your baby has room to grow and move into the birth canal in the best way possible. It can even help your labor to go smoothly and speedier.
If you’re pregnant, your body is going through many changes, help it adapt by considering chiropractic care during pregnancy. If you’re in Doylestown, PA, contact us for a consultation. Let us help you make your pregnancy more comfortable.
Slipped discs, spinal stenosis and degenerative discs are three examples of back related pain that you might feel in your legs. Each falls under the category of “sciatica” due to the connection with the longest nerve in your body – the sciatic nerve.
A new study shows a combination of chiropractic care and home exercises can help you find relief for your back related leg pain.
Whether your leg pain tingles, burns or flares up when you move, you want to find relief. Here are three common back troubles that chiropractic care may help.
Slipped or Herniated Discs
There are 23 discs that run the length of your spinal column. When one is damaged and no longer in alignment, it puts pressure on the nerve that lies beneath it. That pressure hurts and leads to pain traveling down your sciatic nerve and into your leg.
You can try some simple forward and backward bends like these to help you find relief as well as chiropractic treatments to realign your spine. Here’s how chiropractic treatments help.
Spinal stenosis
Imagine your spine with the knobby bits at the base of the spinal column. Those are called “facet joints” and as you age, they can enlarge. When they get bigger, they squeeze the nearby nerves and that hurts both in your lower back and in your legs.
Sometimes, you’ll feel relief when you sit in a chair and lean forward. That posture takes some of the pressure off those nerves. Swimming and walking can both help relieve the pain. This is also called radiculopathy.
Degenerative discs
Aging does terrible things to our bodies, one of them is drying up our spinal discs (which before moved about with no trouble in their body of water.) They also become less flexible. The combination leads to degeneration and pain when you move.
Stabilizing exercises like yoga’s “bridge” pose can help. To practice it, lie on the floor on your back. Bend your knees so your feet are flat on the floor and your fingertips could touch your heels if you reached down. Then, raise your behind and lower back off the floor as high as you can, you’ll be balancing on your feet and upper back. Hold the posture for 3-8 seconds and slowly lower back down.
In conjunction with chiropractic care, many exercises can help you find relief from back related leg pain. Are you in the Doylestown area? Give us a call or stop by our office, we’d love to help you.
Conservative Care First:
A Sensible, Effective Approach to Back and Neck Pain
Dr. McQuaite of McQuaite Chiropractic to Participate in National Public Health Awareness Campaign
During National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM) this fall, Dr. McQuaite of Doylestown and doctors of chiropractic (DCs) nationwide will educate patients about the value of a “conservative care first” approach to health care, which encourages exhausting non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical treatments for pain management and health enhancement before moving on to other options.
During NCHM in October, Dr. McQuaite will share information about the chiropractic profession’s “conservative care first” approach and why it is especially significant to today’s health care consumers. This in turn with help patients have well-informed conversations with their health care providers, empowering them to become their own advocates by insisting on information about conservative treatment options.
Why is “conservative care first” more important today than ever in facing our nation’s healthcare challenges?
Numerous recent studies have clearly shown the dangerous overreliance in the U.S. on prescription painkillers that simply mask pain, but do not cure. This has tremendously increased Americans risk for overuse, and abuse, of these drugs if taken for long periods, leading to over 17,000 related deaths in 2010 (more than heroin and cocaine combined). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls the abuse of prescription pain medications an “epidemic.”
Recent reports question the overuse–and in some cases effectiveness–of more invasive treatments such as spinal fusion surgery and spinal steroid injections for back pain. It makes sense for patients to exhaust more conservative options before undergoing these costly procedures.
DCs are the highest-rated healthcare practitioner for low-back pain treatments with their patient-centered, whole person approach that provides greater interaction and listening for appropriate diagnosis and developing more cost-effective treatment planning.
“During National Chiropractic Health Month we’re reminding patients to ask about conservative treatment options when weighing their health care choices,” says Dr. McQuaite “Chiropractic treatment is a much more safe and cost-effective option for back and neck pain that may reduce the need for unnecessary drugs and surgery.”
For more tips on healthy, pain-free living, visit www.mcquaitechiropractic.com.
National Chiropractic Health Month is a nationwide observance held each October. The event helps raise public awareness of the benefits of chiropractic care and its natural, whole-person, patient-centered approach to health and wellness.
Dr. Jeff McQuaite, a second generation chiropractor, has been helping the residents of Doylestown, Jamison, Warrington, Chalfont and the entire Central Bucks area rediscover a life without pain for over 15 years. He and his family have lived in Doylestown for over 20 years, with both of his sons attending Central Bucks Schools: Doyle Elementary, Lenape Middle School and CB West High School.
According to Jahangiri JN, Vatankhah N, and Baradaran HR, medical researchers at the Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, found that a combination of spinal manipulation (chiropractic care) and gentle massage cut migraine pain of the study participants from a level of 5 on the 1-10 pain scale to a .5.
And it happened in just one session!
That sounds pretty good don’t you think?
A separate study adds more credibility. This 2000 study found chronic migraine sufferers who participated in two months of chiropractic treatment lessened their migraines by 90%!
As you may know, sleeping problems, tension and even certain foods are some of the leading causes of migraine headaches.
Yet, it’s a simple practice of readjusting the spine and neck that relieves some of that tension—no matter the cause. A massage will help even more because it relaxes your upper back muscles where so much of that tension lays.
Painkillers Can Increase Your Number of Migraines
Did you know that using prescription painkillers for migraines may actually increase the frequency of your headaches?
They’re called “rebound headaches” and are brought on by overusing painkillers.
It works like this: You feel a headache coming on so you take a painkiller. After a while, you feel the pain return so you take another. It turns into a cycle and the drugs lose their effectiveness and can become dangerous. This is true even for simple over the counter remedies like ibuprofen.
Instead, of falling into this trap from which there is no relief, you can schedule an appointment with your chiropractor and massage therapist.
If you’re in the Central Bucks County area, Dr. Jeff McQuaite is conveniently located right in Doylestown. He also has a massage therapist on staff. You can combine both therapies with one visit. Chances are, you’ll feel relief from your migraine pain!
The air is turning cooler and football is on TV again. It can only mean one thing. Football season.
If your high school athlete plays football, you know how common injuries are in this sport. Concussions, dislocated shoulders, broken ankles, it’s common for players to get sidelined with injuries. Help prevent them by ensuring your athlete stays safe and gets extra preventive care.
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high school athletes suffer 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations every year.
Furthermore, the American Chiropractic Association reports three times as many catastrophic high school football injuries as college football. One reason may because high school athletes may be focusing on college scholarships and are more apt to push themselves (or be pushed by coaches and parents) who don’t realize they’re truly injured. Many of these athletes will Use eisenberg, rothweiler, winkler, eisenberg & jeck, p.c. or similar legal firms to make a legal claim if there is potential fault to be found in the coaching or other areas.
The majority of serious accidents compress the neck. High school football players can reduce this risk by not bending their head when they go into a tackle. They can also reduce risk of injury by staying in shape year round and warming up and cooling down properly.
If they’ve suffered previous injuries, bones are usually already weakened so be aware of that danger.
Your Chiropractor Can Help Prevent Injury
Physicals and pre-screening can show where stress points lie so your student athlete can discuss preventive measures with his coach. There may be an opportunity to strengthen weak areas and protect them better if everyone knows about them.
In the medical profession, there’s a “gold standard” for prescreening that can assess the player before the season starts and help develop a treatment plan for injury prevention.
It’s no secret that football is hard on the body. By paying attention in the pre-season and having regular check-ups through the season, you may be able to prevent serious or recurring injuries.
One of those regular check-ups is through chiropractic adjustments to realign the body and catch minor injuries before they turn into major ones that can leave your student athlete sidelined.
If you’re in the Central Bucks region, Dr. Jeff McQuaite is conveniently located across the street from Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown.
