How To Avoid Back Pain While Traveling This Holiday Season
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: During the holiday season, there is a good chance that you will be traveling either by land or air. By taking the correct steps, you can help to prevent or minimize your back pain. The goal is to arrive ready to have a good time and enjoy the people that mean the most to you.
If you need to drive a long way to reach your holiday destination, you know that spending hours behind the wheel will take a toll on your back muscles. To help avoid feeling achy and sore, practice good driving posture. Do this by applying the same principles that are used in workplace ergonomics. Adjust your seat and steering wheel so that your spine is in a neutral position, your hips are supported in the seat, your elbows have a slight natural bend, and your upper back is supported. In addition, stop every 2-3 hours so that you can stretch and move about. This will also help alleviate stress from driving in heavy traffic.
If your travels include flying, here are a few tips. Use luggage with wheels if possible. If checking luggage, place your heaviest items in your checked bags. If your carryon luggage has 1 strap, wear it across your body. If it has 2 straps, place them over both shoulders. If your flight is over an hour in length, get up and walk to the front or back of the plane to move your legs. Drink water and stay hydrated.
Finally, make an appointment at our Houston, TX office prior to your travels. We can make sure that any little spinal misalignment is corrected so that it does not get worse on your holiday. If all of your holiday cheer causes a problem while you are away, we can also fix it when you return.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Thanksgiving
Houston Chiropractor comments: This is the time of the year that we reflect on people and events and we give thanks. Sometimes it is easy to think of all the wonderful blessings that we have been given and other times we need to think hard to find positive events.
After being in practice since 1990 here in Clear Lake City, TX, I realize just how blessed I am.
First, I am thankful for my family. Without their support and encouragement, I would not have been able to follow my dream of being able to help patients get well without the need of drugs or surgery.
Second, I am thankful for my amazing employees. Having a small group of assistants that have each worked for several years has greatly eased my stress. One employee has worked here for 16 years! Their input and feedback have been invaluable.
Finally, I am thankful for all my wonderful patients. Knowing that thousands of patients have trusted their health to me and referred their friends and families is heart-warming. I have also enjoyed having several of you becoming friends as well. I have been able to learn about other countries and cultures as well as differing views of society.
Thanks again for a wonderful 2023 and looking forward to an equally enjoyable 2024.
Ward Beecher DC
Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: One of the great pleasures of being a chiropractor is being able to help our pregnant patients enjoy their pregnancy with a minimum amount of discomfort, medication, and bed rest.
Patients are surprised when their OB/GYN refer them to our office to help minimize their discomfort and hoping to prevent the need of bed rest. Some future moms are referred by their midwife or even a friend or family member that enjoyed the benefit of our care.
As long as there is not a history of vaginal bleeding for unknown reasons, preeclampsia, or at risk of premature labor, then the pregnant mom is eligible for chiropractic care at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic.
People always ask me if chiropractic care safe during pregnancy. Not only is it safe to go to a chiropractor during pregnancy, but seeing a chiropractor after pregnancy is also safe. Because of the changes your body goes through during birth – your pelvis’ biomechanics change – it can cause discomfort after birth when you are walking, nursing, or sleeping
The most common reason for being seen at our office while pregnant is low back pain. As the infant continues to grow, the mom begins to gain weight in her lower abdomen. This weight gain, along with a stretching of the abdominal muscles, tends to cause the pelvis to tilt forward producing lumbosacral discomfort. This is magnified in the third trimester when the pelvic ligaments begin to loosen. This makes the mom feel like the pelvis is unstable or loose. Sometimes the future mother will even feel the bones moving back and forth in the symphysis pubis or sacroiliac joints.
The second most common reason for treatment is sciatica. This complaint is magnified by the inability of the moms to take medication other than Tylenol. Chiropractic medicine has been shown to produce excellent results with the treatment of sciatica. In our Houston, TX office we have several types of non-invasive treatments to help treat the sciatic pain and show the pregnant mother how to minimize or prevent it from occurring again in the future.
The third most common reason is when the baby is in a breech position. At our Clear Lake City office, we do not attempt to turn the baby. We work on the pelvic ligaments and adjust the spine to create space that will allow the baby to turn freely into the optimal position on their own.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
The Chiropractor’s Effect On Emotional Health
Houston Chiropractor Comments: An aspect of chiropractic care that most people do not expect is the effect that we can have on a patient’s emotional health. The effect is similar to what some people feel when they get a massage, the emotions just come out. It can be very cathartic for the patient.
When I was an intern during my chiropractic training, several of us noted that a patient would start laughing or crying after we worked on a muscle or performed a chiropractic adjustment on them. This because some patients tend to store their stress and tension in specific muscles or areas of the spine.
Over time I have noticed that if a specific injury keeps someone from doing the things they like, that area has a greater probability of storing emotional trauma. Patients that have had a chronic joint problem that caused them to stop playing their favorite sport will sometimes have an emotional release when they are finally able to move their joint and return to the sport that they love. One of the more common areas is when people have repeatedly twisted their ankle. When we can restore their joint range of motion or breakup the scar tissue in their ankle or calf muscles the tears of joy are very rewarding.
The most extreme emotions I have noticed are from patients that have been taking care of a loved one for months or years. They have so much stress and tension built up in their body that when it is finally released the emotions just flow out. This is another part of the healing process, but most people do not like to talk about.
Not only does the chiropractic adjustment help increase the joints range of motion, it can help reduce the tension in the muscle, and allow endorphins to be released to aid in the complete healing of the patient.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Do Chiropractors Really Crack Your Neck?
Clear Lake Chiropractor Comments: This question, or something similar, is one of the most common questions that I get as a doctor of chiropractic (DC). Unfortunately, most people have no idea what a chiropractic adjustment is like, what is happening to the body, or what is causing the noise (or not causing the noise).
Especially recently, people are watching online videos with the emphasis on the “popping” noise. People tend to think that every adjustment will sound like a board breaking.
Some people are even convinced that I could actually break their neck like they see in the movies.
Some of the techniques that chiropractors use, such as activator or spinal decompression, do not even cause a noise to be made.
An overview of what a chiropractic adjustment is can be found here. What is a Chiropractic Adjustment? (beecherchiropractic.com)
The use of the terms “popping or cracking” is only used to describe the sound that may or may not occur after an adjustment. If you do not want to hear the noise, just ask your chiropractor to use a technique that does not cause the cavitation.
Also, make sure that any spinal adjustment that you receive is from a trained doctor of chiropractic and not another healthcare provider that has not received the proper training. Some providers, such as MD’s and PT’s, think that since it looks easy to perform a spinal adjustment, they can also adjust their own patients. Unfortunately for the patient, they soon find out that the provider cannot in fact perform a chiropractic adjustment correctly.
The risks from receiving a neck adjustment from a chiropractor are minimal, as reflected by chiropractic malpractice rates. And no…we do not crack your neck.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
What is Sciatica?
Houston Chiropractor Comments: One of the most painful conditions that we treat in our Houston, TX office is sciatica. Sciatica is a condition resulting from the irritation of the sciatic nerve. This is the largest nerve in the human body. It travels from the lower back, through the hips and buttocks, and eventually down each leg.
When people do an internet search on sciatica, they think that any pain from the back radiating into the leg is sciatica. Luckily, this is not true. Most of the time, after a proper exam, we find that their leg pain is actually a referred pain from a lumbar or sacroiliac joint, or it is an irritated TFL caused by an improper gait.
Sciatica is typically caused by either a herniated disc in the lumbar spine, a bone spur, or irritation of the piriformis muscle. The pain can be a deep achy pain, but typically is a sharp burning pain. The pain is usually on one side only. If the pain crosses two separate joints, such as the hip and the knee, it is almost always a nerve pain, such as sciatica. I typically see patients with the pain primarily being on the outside of their calf muscle.
There are certain risk factors for sciatica. The first is age. As we get older, we have an increase in disc degeneration and spur formation. It becomes easier for the sciatic nerve to become irritated. Being overweight also increases the stress on the spine. Diabetes can increase the risk of nerve damage. Finally, an occupation that results in prolonged sitting or driving as well as twisting or carrying heavy loads can cause an increased incidence of sciatica.
Most people make a full recovery from sciatica without the need for treatment. If the sciatica causes a loss of bowel or bladder control, please seek immediate medical attention. If the sciatica causes any leg weakness or numbness, please give us, or your local chiropractor, a call. Chiropractic care gets excellent results with sciatica and we can show you the correct stretches and exercises to help prevent a reoccurrence.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
If You Go To A Chiropractor, Do You Need To Go There Forever?
Clear Lake City Chiropractor Comments: One of the biggest myths about chiropractic is that if you go once, you must go the rest of your life. This is not true.
Like other doctors, it sometimes takes a couple visits to figure out what treatment will work best for each individual patient. Like seeing a physical therapist, some conditions require multiple visits over a couple weeks or months. After the problem is fixed, most chiropractic doctors give the patient exercises and stretches to maintain the correction. This is comparable to a dentist telling you to brush and floss after they repair a cavity.
Now just like dentist and other doctors, some people like, or need, to come in for periodic maintenance. This is the same if you go to your dentist twice a year for a cleaning and check-up or if you go to your family doctor for an annual physical.
Some patients, because of their physical jobs or previous injuries, need regular maintenance care. This keeps them performing at their maximum potential without pain or discomfort.
While some patients choose to come in for periodic care to tune-up their bodies and live a life with less pain, nobody must go to their chiropractic doctor forever.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Being An Adult Is Hard Work
Houston Chiropractor Comments: I was recently talking to a young patient of mine about how he was doing. He told me “Being an adult is hard work.”
I asked him what he meant by saying that. He told me that he had started a new job with good benefits, he had moved into his own apartment, and was paying his own bills. The hard part was realizing how much everything cost in money and in time. He had never realized how much groceries cost, the expense of electricity and the internet. The hours that he worked at the plant did not allow much time for hanging out with his buddies or just relaxing.
He told me that he realized that it was cheaper to cook at home and prepare his food in advance for the week. Watching baseball at home instead of going to the game saved even more.
The best thing that he told me was that he realized that he needed to take care of his body better if he was going to eventually be able to support a family. He said that the stretches that he used to only do when he was hurting, he was now doing daily. He was eating healthier at home than when he was eating fast food all the time. He was exercising regularly so that he could do his job without being sore. He was even having a somewhat regular sleep schedule. He even committed to a regular maintenance schedule for his spinal adjustments.
Being an adult can be hard work, but do not make it harder by making bad decisions about your health. You only have one body, so take care of it so that it can last.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
Best Type Of Doctor For Neck Pain
Houston Chiropractor Comments: When I am out of the office, people will ask me what the best type of doctor is for neck pain. They think that I will say that it is always a doctor of chiropractic (DC), but they are surprised with my answer.
The best type of doctor for neck pain depends on the type of neck pain.
For a simple achy pain, such as after driving several hours or spending too much time on the computer, the best type of doctor is … none. This sort of pain will typically resolve on its own. If need, you can put ice or heat (Ice Vs Heat for Injuries – Beecher Chiropractic – YouTube) on it for 20 minutes or do your neck stretches (Neck Stretches – Beecher Chiropractic – Ward Beecher DC – YouTube).
If you are having severe neck pain caused by muscle spasms that do not allow you to move your neck at all, then you should see a medical doctor. This sort of problem needs to be co-managed with medication so that the muscles can be relaxed enough so that the neck can be adjusted by a doctor of chiropractic. Luckily, most medical doctors are now willing to work with us for the benefit of their patients. Several have become patients after seeing the benefit of our care. With the appropriate muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory medication, the muscle will relax enough for the chiropractor to fix the cause of the problem.
For most neck pain, a chiropractor is the best doctor to get quick relief. Neck, along with low back pain, are the two most common conditions that doctors of chiropractic treat. As a result, most chiropractors treat several hundred patients a year with neck pain with excellent results. You can get relief without the harmful side-effects of drugs and you can actually fix the cause of the problem with spinal adjustments and therapy.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at www.BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
How To Choose The Best School Backpack
Bay Area Chiropractor Comments: Every year millions of children walk around with heavy school back packs filled with books and supplies. While this is a good way to carry their school materials, by using their back and shoulder muscles, the tendency is to place too much strain on their neck and back due to overloading the back pack. The back will compensate for any load applied to it for an extended period of time. A heavy weight carried in backpacks can:
- Distort the natural curves in the middle and lower backs, causing muscle strain and irritation to the spine joints and the rib cage
- Lead to rounding of the shoulders
- Cause a person to lean forward, reducing balance and making it easier to fall
This problem can be made worse by carrying the pack on just one shoulder. Doing this causes the body to adapt by causing the body to lean to the other side placing additional stress on the mid and lower back as well as their associated muscles. This can lead to the children having headaches, shoulder, neck, and back pain as well as pain down the arms and legs.
There is not a consensus among doctors on the correct amount of weight that a child can carry or the perfect back pack design, but parents should use common sense in choosing the best back pack for your child.
Look for backpack design features that help reduce the chance of back pain:
- Lightweight material (canvas as opposed to leather)
- Two padded, wide (2-inches), adjustable shoulder straps on the backpack
- Padded back
- Individualized compartments
- Hip strap, waist belt, or frame to redistribute the weight of the backpack from the shoulders and back to the pelvis
- Wheels so that the backpack can be pulled rather than carried
- Consider using a separate bag for the child’s laptop or other heavier electronic items
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
