San Diego Chiropractor

As a Chiropractor in San Diego, I counsel many individuals who come to my clinic who want to lose weight. I know how hard it can be, and I also know how important it is to lose those extra pounds. Before you decide to add a little more “stretch” to the fabric in your wardrobe, there are some things that you should know regarding those few extra pounds you may have gained. Over the years, they can add up to a large number of health issues from heart and pulmonary diseases and diabetes to back problems and joint degeneration. Extra pounds put undue stress on organs, like the heart, and on joints in the low back, hips, and knees. A shocking 62% of American adults are overweight or obese, according to recent studies. That is a very significant percentage and a truly gigantic problem (no pun intended).

Though we try to pretend otherwise, most of us know that the human body has not evolved to transport overplus poundage in the form of body fat. Just an additional 20 or 30 pounds can, in point of fact, overload and even overwhelm the musculoskeletal system. Extra weight in the tummy, for example, makes it necessary for the body to compensate (counterbalance the weight) by tilting the pelvis forward. This angle produces compression in the joints of the low back. Joint compression impedes nerve activity and causes painful inflammation. Most men and women who have a “spare tire”suffer from low back pain generated by  a pinched sciatic nerve or spinal misalignments that restrict nerves due to weight-bearing stresses. If left untreated, misaligned vertebra not only persist in irritating the degenerative changes that have already taken place, but can create new arthritic changes in the spine in the future.

You’ll be happy to hear that chiropractic treatment can help. Perhaps, it should go without saying that a moderate body weight is essential in order for the musculoskeletal system to perform in the way it is built to. That said, in addition, chiropractic adjustments relieve nerve restrictions in the vertebral column and help to get movement back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, particularly in the low back, hips, and knees. And, certainly exercise and physical activity are a lot easier, and healthier for the body, when the spine is in alignment and the joints have good motion. The added benefit of exercise the, in addition to helping with weight reduction, it can actually inhibit degenerative changes as the body ages.

It is always a good idea to talk over your diet and exercise alternatives with a healthcare professional, like your chiropractor. In addition to helping men and women suffering from back pain and joint inflammation, chiropractors offer qualified guidance regarding the particular lifestyle corrections that can help an individual to stay healthier, more vigorous, and more active through the years. It isn’t a foregone conclusion that arthritis and immobility are an unpreventable part of the aging process. The human body was designed for a lifetime of pain-free movement.

So, if those extra pounds have been sneaking up on you, and they’ve turned into a surprising load of pain, as your San Diego chiropractor and someone who understands, I can help. Make an appointment today!

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San Diego Chiropractor: Chiropractic and Arthritis

Do you have back pain due to arthritis? Do you also have a problem with your weight?  If so, it’s conceivable that you’re having back pain not only due to arthritis, but also as the eventuality of the strain your weight is putting on your spine.  The body was not intended to carry around extra weight in the form of body fat.  Your spine, which supports your body, is being put under a lot of strain even if you are only carrying an extra 20 or 30 pounds all the time. This type of stress can created abnormalities of the vertebral column. These misaligned vertebra can generate arthritic changes in the spine and persist in causing inflammation to the degenerative changes that have already taken place. In addition, your body may compensate in other ways, for instance your hips moving forward or tilting to accommodate the extra weight.  This can compress the sciatic nerve, which is intensely painful.

A current survey by the NPD Group, a leading market research company based in Rosemont, Ill., shows that about 62% of men and women and 34% of adolescents are overweight or obese. The pervasiveness of arthritis escalates with accumulating weight. Research implies that cultivating a healthy weight decreases the risk of developing arthritis in the first place and may decelerate disease progression. A loss of just 11 pounds can decrease the occurrence (incidence) of new knee osteoarthritis and would do a great deal to decrease back pain as well.

A good diet and regular exercise is definitely necessary for an individual who is sincere about overcoming their back pain, knee pain, and joint pain in other places in the body.  Even though you have probably been advised about this for the majority of your life, it truly is the only way for you to stop suffering and regain your life.

First of all, let’s talk about the subject of dieting.  Most diets (and there are plenty from which to choose) can be temporarily useful.  Obviously, if you were to lose weight for keeps, the diet industry would lose a good customer!  Eating a balanced diet (as a lifestyle choice as opposed a temporary fix) and cutting your calories so that you are at a slight calorie “deficit,” is the only method of losing weight in a healthy, permanent way.  Don’t try to lose 20 pounds every week because that is an unhealthy and perilous fix. A healthy weight loss rate is about 2 pounds every week in order for it to be truly effective.

Research has proved that exercise and physical activity not only reduces pain and augments function, but truly delays disability. Make sure you get a minimum of one-half hour of moderate physical activity at least 3 days a week. You can get activity in 10-minute intervals.

Chiropractic treatment is a proved way to get mobility back in the joints of your spine and other areas of, and can be a good first step prior to starting an exercise program. A spine in alignment makes exercise and physical activity much easier and actually slows down arthritic degenerative changes. The Annals of Internal Medicine released the results of a survey of 232 people who were under a rheumatologist’s care for their arthritis.  Of those people, 63% replied to the survey by stating that they were using some type of “complementary care” as named by the study.  Of those individuals, 31% were utilizing chiropractic. Undoubtedly the most impressive statistic was that 73% of those trying chiropractic found it beneficial.  Explaining why they’d tried the non-medical chiropractic care, those surveyed offered a number of reasons: 1) to reduce pain, 2) they’d been told that it helps, 3) they felt certain that it is safe, 4) it had helped someone they knew, and 5) because their prescription medication wasn’t working.

Chiropractors, also called doctors of chiropractic, have been helping individuals suffering from back pain due to arthritis in addition to other arthritic problems for over a hundred years. Your San Diego chiropractor treats misaligned vertebra that, in addition to creating arthritic pain and degenerative changes in the spine, can weaken resistance and immunity, thus causing new health challenges.

It is always smart to visit a health care professional to talk about diet and exercise. If you want to find qualified advice on the type of lifestyle changes that you will need to assist you in managing your arthritis, your chiropractor will be very happy to assist you. Moreover, in addition to correcting any misalignments in your spine, your chiropractor will diagnose any faulty gait patterns or posture irregularities that may be compounding your arthritic pain.

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