Everyone loves the Holidays, good food, visiting with family and friends and hopefully some much needed time off from work. For some the Holidays can be very stressful though, which can lead to increased muscle tension, headaches, and pain. It is for this reason that the best time of the year to see your Reno Chiropractor is in December. In December you have most likely met your deductible on your insurance and you probably have some unused benefits that are getting ready to expire come January 1.
Holiday Stress Relief Massage
For the month of December we are offering $30 gift certificates in our office for a 50 minute professional massage. We have expanded our office to offer Licensed Massage Therapy sessions and we still offer the same quality Chiropractic care that Reno has come to expect from our office. Give our office a call today at (775) 322-5704 to schedule your holiday stress relief session of either a relaxing massage or some Chiropractic adjustments. The holidays are supposed to be a time of happiness, not pain, so if you are suffering from back pain, neck pain, headaches, tight and sore muscles, or you just want to learn how to eat healthier during the holidays, give our office a call and we will be happy to help any way we can. Happy Holidays from all of us at Quigley Chiropractic in Reno, NV.
Posture and alignment are very important factors to your health. What would happen if you built a house on top of an unlevel foundation? Eventually the structure would fail and break down. The same thing can happen to your spine. One of the most common problems that I see in my Reno Chiropractic Office is foot problems that lead to back pain. It doesn’t seem like the two conditions would be related, but if one of the arches in your feet is lost (also known as being flat footed) then your foundation is no longer level and your posture and spinal alignment can suffer.
So how would you know if a foot problem could be contributing to your back pain or posture problem? Some of the signs would include; abnormal wearing on the bottom of your shoes (tread is more worn on one side than the other), foot pain, leg pain, knee pain, hip pain, and most commonly low back pain. Here is another test you can have a friend or loved one help you with. Walk up to the edge of your bed and lie down on your stomach while trying to keep your spine and legs as straight as possible. Turn your head to one side and allow your feet and lower legs (from the shin down) to hang off of the bed. Now have a friend look at the bottom of your feet. Do your legs appear to be the same length, or does one leg appear to be shorter or longer than the other? If one leg appears to be shorter/longer than the other you may have a leg length inequality, which could lead to postural problems due to an unlevel foundation.
As a Reno Chiropractor I see many people with leg length inequalities (LLI) and most people never even knew they had a problem. There are two causes of LLI one is Structural, meaning that you were either born with one leg longer/shorter than the other or you injured one foot/knee/leg/hip at some point which lead to one bone being stunted in the growth process. The other cause of LLI is referred to as a Functional LLI, meaning that the pelvis has shifted a small amount to compensate for a problem. This usually points back towards the feet as the culprit.
These problems can all be corrected if they are correctly diagnosed and addressed accordingly. In our chiropractic office we offer a no charge consultation and foot evaluation for all new patients so that we can catch these problems and correct them before your posture and your spine have to suffer. We have a computerized foot scanner to evaluate the feet for any arch problems and we work with a company called Foot Levelers, who make custom foot orthotics for our patients at about half the cost of what you would pay at a podiatrists office. 
The custom made orthotics fit into your shoes and help to correct your foot problem by leveling your foundation. They come in many different styles and include a 100% satisfaction guarantee. The inmotion™ Foot Levelers are designed for runners and include special materials to stimulate blood flow and to control odor causing bacteria. The Par Flex™ Foot Levelers are designed for golfers and are scientifically proven to improve your club head velocity, the length of your drive, and to reduce foot fatigue.
Call our office in Reno, NV to learn more about some of the great services and products that we offer to get you back in line (775) 322-5704. Or visit us on the web to learn more about how Foot Levelers may be able to fix your problem.
With the New Year already underway there are a lot of Americans that have resolutions to start a weight loss program. This is a great resolution to strive for especially in Reno, Nevada since our great state was recently rated at #46 for overall health nationally. Obtaining and/or maintaining a health body weight can be very challenging, but if the correct steps are followed this resolution can actually become a reality.
Why start an exercise routine in the first place? Carrying excess weight for your body size puts you at a greater risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, digestive disorders, and many other serious conditions that almost all of us have already heard about. As if that wasn’t a good enough reason to lose weight, did you know that being overweight makes you more likely to experience pain in general? Back pain, knee pain, leg pain, headaches, fibromyalgia, neck pain are all basically the same thing. They are signals from your body telling you that something is wrong. In the case of being overweight those signals are produced because your body frame was not designed to carry the amount of stress that you have put on it.
As a Chiropractor in Reno NV I see many patients that have Back Pain, Neck Pain, Headaches, Disc Problems, etc. that they probably would not have if they could successfully lose weight and keep it off. It is for this reason that I decided to write this article and provide people with some tips to improve their life and decrease or eliminate their pain.
- Measure: Weigh yourself prior to starting an exercise routine and take measurements with a cloth measuring tape around your mid thigh, bicep muscle (upper arm), and waist. This will give you a starting point to compare your progress to. It would also be helpful to see your Chiropractor or Doctor prior to starting a routine to determine what types of exercise are safe for you to perform. Some Chiropractors (including myself) also have a device in the office that can painlessly measure your percentage of body fat so you have another baseline for your starting point.
- Set Realistic Goals: While it sounds great to lose 10 pounds a week like some of the people on a popular TV show you have to consider that those people are exercising all day long with their own team of personal trainers and physicians, which most of us with a job don’t have the luxury of doing. You should expect with a 3+ day per week exercise program to lose 1-2 pounds per week.
- Wear the right footwear: Selecting a shoe with good arch support is important to reduce leg and back pain while exercising. If you already have a foot problem you should consider visiting your local Reno Chiropractor or Podiatrist to see if you are a candidate for custom shoe orthotics like Foot Levelers to correct your foot problems.
- Stretch: Stretching is just as important to your health as exercising. Keeping your muscles flexible helps to avoid an injury while you are exercising. Should you stretch before or after your workout? Neither. You should do a light warm up (ex. 1/4 mile walk or jog), then stop and stretch your legs and back, then continue with the rest of your workout. This helps to get the muscles warm before you stretch which leads to a more effective stretching session.
- Hydrate: Drinking plenty of water helps to keep the discs (little shock absorbers between the bones) hydrated which can help you to prevent a disc bulge or disc herniation in your back. Disc injuries are less likely to occur if the disc is flexible and not dehydrated. Drinking 8-10 8 ounce glasses of H2O per day also helps muscles to contract more efficiently with less risk for a muscle strain.
- Ask a professional: Every body type is different so you should consult a personal trainer, chiropractor or physical therapist to help you design a work out routine that will help you shed and keep off the most pounds. A professional can show you the proper techniques for lifting so that you are less likely to get injured. Improper lifting can lead to disc bulges, disc herniations, sciatica, back pain, muscle pain, and many other painful problems so it is worth your time and money to learn how to lift and exercise correctly.
- Have Fun: It is important to design an exercise routine that you will not get bored with. Mix up your weekly lifts and cardio and if at all possible start your exercise routine with a friend or family member. Making your health a team effort will help to keep each of you accountable and will help you on those days that you are feeling less ambitious.
- Stay Aligned: See your local Reno Chiropractor. Chiropractors use a gentle push into the back and/or neck to help restore normal spinal alignment and movement. This treatment approach is known as a chiropractic adjustment and it is very effective at relieving back pain caused by exercising. Getting your spinal alignment evaluated by Chiropractor before you start an exercise routine is a good way to prevent a back injury before it happens.
Hope this information helps you to stick to your resolution and meet your health goals. Feel free to contact us if you have any weight loss questions.
As a snow skier I am always anxious for the next snow storm to hit the Reno area, however I’m sure there are plenty of people in Reno that think I’m crazy. One thing that I think most of us in Reno have in common is a hatred of having to shovel snow out of our driveways. Shoveling snow can be very stressful on the body, especially the low back due to all of the bending, lifting, and twisting combined with the cold temperatures and slick walking surfaces.
When you consider that the average shovelful of snow weighs 5-10 pounds, the average drive or walkway may hold hundreds of pounds of snow. Back pain is a common complaint that I see in my Chiropractic office in Reno as a result of this shoveling. Unfortunetely people do not always know that they are injuring their backs while they are shoveling snow, because the cold air can numb the sensations of back pain. Once you start to actually feel the back pain the damage has typically already been done. As a Reno Chiropractor I would like to share some tips with you that will help you to prevent an injury that will lead to back pain from shoveling snow.
- Be Prepared. Spray the blade of your shovel with non-stick cooking spray so the snow will not stick to it. The more snow that stays on the shovel, the heavier it gets and the more chance for a back injury.
- Warm-Up. Exercising with tight muscles and stiff joints is asking for an injury. A few minutes of stretching can save you a lot of back pain later. Start by touching your toes, then stand up slowly and arch your back backwards and repeat two to three times. Then turn your upper body to the left and to the right a couple of times.
- Layer your clothing. Layered clothing will keep your muscles warm and flexible, which helps to prevent a low back injury and pain. This way you can shed a layer if you get too hot.
- Wear the right shoes. Choose shoes with good traction to prevent slipping and the possibility of falling on the icy ground, which can also cause a low back injury. Many stores carry “chains” for your shoes, which are simply straps that attach to the bottom of your shoes with spikes in them to improve your traction.
- Use the right shovel. Your shovel should be about chest high on you, which allows you to keep your back straight when lifting. A shovel with a short handle forces you to bend over more to lift the snow, which can lead to a disc injury and back pain. You should also try to keep one hand close to the base of the shovel to balance weight and lessen the strain on your back.
- Shovel in the afternoon. Many disc injuries occur in the morning when there is increased fluid pressure in the disc, because your body has been at rest all night. Shovelling snow incorrectly is an easy way to injure the discs in your back and no-body want to experience the pain from a disc bulge or disc herniation.
- Stay hydrated. Drinking water throughout the day helps to keep your muscles hydrated and flexible. Be careful with drinks like coffee and soda which contain caffeine, because caffeine can dehydrate your muscles and body and lead to an injury.
- Use proper posture. When you do shovel, bend your knees and keep your back straight while lifting with your legs. Push the snow straight ahead and don’t try to throw it. Try to shovel forward and avoid sudden twists of the torso to reduce strain on the back. The American Chiropractic Association recommends using the “scissor stance,” where you work with your right foot forward for a few minutes and then shift to your left foot forward.
- Take your time. Working too hard, too fast is an easy way to strain muscles and injure your back. Shovel for about five minutes and then rest for two minutes.
- See your chiropractor. If you are in need of a Chiropractor in Reno NV give our office a call. Gentile spinal adjustments will help to keep your back flexible and in alignment, which may help to prevent an injury and back pain. If you do injure yourself your chiropractor can help you to get back in line and out of pain in no time.
Follow these simple steps the next time you have to shovel snow and hopefully you will be able to prevent an injury that will lead to low back pain. Then who knows, maybe I’ll see you up on the slopes at Mt. Rose.
Yours In Health,
Dr. Quigley
As the weather gets colder and the snow starts falling in and around Reno more people find themselves strangling their steering wheels in apprehension of an accident. The slick roads and sub-par drivers lead to many automobile accidents this time of year, which can be avoided if people exercise some common sense, such as decreasing their speed and giving themselves plenty of room to stop.
As a Chiropractor in Reno NV I treat many people after the accident due to spinal and soft tissue related injuries. The most common injury following a car accident is referred to as a Whiplash injury. Whiplash occurs when your car is hit from behind, which causes your neck to quickly shift backwards and then “snap” forward. This quick motion can cause ligament and muscular damage to the dellecate tissues in your neck and can lead to years of chronic pain if it is not treated appropriately.
Indications that you may have Whiplash following a Car Accident
- Immediate or Delayed Neck Pain
- Headaches
- Blurry Vision
- Impaired Concentration
- Memory Loss
- Dizziness
- Pain Down One or Both Arms
- Pain Between Shoulder Blades
- Low Back Pain
Chiropractic care is an effective means of treating whiplash pain by restoring normal spinal alignment and posture, reducing muscle spasms and irritation, decreasing inflammation, and by providing the patient with exercises and stretches to do at home that will help to rehabilitate the damaged tissues.
Give our Reno Chiropractic office a call today for a free whiplash consultation if you have been in a car accident (775) 322-5704.
