Monday, November 30, 2009

Chiropractic Can Improve Athletic Performance

Chiropractic Can Improve Athletic Performance
By Dr. Melanie Beingessner
What do Donovon Bailey, Joe Montana, Dan O’Brien, Mark McGwire, Michael Jordan, Steve Smith and Mel Gibson have in common? They all have regular chiropractic adjustments to improve their health. Mel Gibson aside, today’s athletes are looking for an edge over their competitors and Chiropractic is just the profession to help. >>Read More
People who have never seen a chiropractor before might wonder why an athlete would want an adjustment to help them win. Most people know that chiropractors are great at helping people recover from injuries, but there is an aspect to chiropractic care that is much more than mechanical neck and low back pain. Chiropractic adjustments help to improve the overall function of the nervous system, which, in turn, improves the efficiency of the communication between the brain and the body. With a fraction of a second meaning the difference between gold and silver, many of today’s top athletes are adjusted regularly during training and before each event.
After the “controversy” of the 1996 Olympics over who was really the fastest man in the world, a race was held at the Sky Dome in Toronto between Donovon Bailey and Michael Smith to settle the score. Just before lining up at the starting blocks, Donovan Bailey was adjusted on television by his chiropractor. While Donovan Bailey won as Michael Smith “experienced a hamstring problem”, the point is that chiropractic was an important part of Donovan Bailey’s preparation for competition.
During the NBA playoffs last year [1998], John Stockton from the Utah Jazz was filmed in the dressing room having chiropractic adjustments to help him improve his performance and to contribute to his team’s success.
Calgary Flame’s Steve Smith is adjusted regularly before home games and on the road if a chiropractor is available. Steve has been under regular chiropractic care for over 20 years and he says that he notices that his performance on the ice is not as sharp if he cannot be adjusted before a game.
How do chiropractic adjustments help to improve athletic performance? The answer lies in the nervous system. In our bodies, the brain is the master control and everything that we do is regulated by nerve impulses that are sent from the brain out to the body through our nerves. The vertebrae protect the spine and allow our bodies to move, but they can become fixed (the chiropractic term is subluxated) and these subluxated vertebrae can put pressure on the nerves as they exit the spine. This added pressure on the nerves can restrict the impulses that are sent from the brain to the body, which in turn can reduce the body’s ability to function as it should. Chiropractic adjustments improve the movement of the vertebrae and help to take the pressure off the nerves as they exit from the spine. With the release in pressure on the nervous system, the brain is able to communicate with the body more efficiently and the body functions with more precision.
For the athlete who is looking for an edge to his or her physical performance, the improved communication between the brain and every part of the body, especially the heart, lungs and muscles can make the difference between winning and losing.



Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at

(619) 280 0554

San Diego Chiropractic


Ergonomic Office Equipment Website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav, the Ergonomic Mouse Pad
or Visit Ergonomic Blog, "Ergonomically Yours" And read the latest News in the Ergonomic World.

Better Health Steve Jones

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Fast, Natural, Drug Free Low Back Pain Relief

Fast, Natural, Drug Free Low Back Pain Relief

What if I told you that over the last 15 years I have helped countless low back pain sufferers overcome their pain with a fast, natural, drug free therapy? In addition, that therapy is reasonably priced and covered by most insurance companies.

Of course I am writing about safe and effective chiropractic care.

At this point, some of you will be thinking “Chiropractic doesn’t work!” or “I wouldn’t go to one of those guys!”

I have heard all of these arguments in the past. I was even one of those people. I was raised in a semi anti chiropractic household.

My opinions changed after a car accident I was involved in back in 1984. After a mild fender bender, I slowly developed neck pain and stiffness. Before long that pain was “creeping” into my left shoulder and arm. I began to go to my primary physician at Kaiser for treatment. I followed his advice but nothing worked.

Early on in my treatment, I told my Kaiser doctor that my chiropractor uncle told me that I should see a local chiropractor. My Kaiser doctor dismissed that thought with some derogatory remark and told me to stick with his care – which I did.

Kaisers’ treatment was not helpful!

Eventually I saw a chiropractor who had my condition completely turned around in about 3 weeks. Mind you that the chiropractic care followed 5 months of pills and occasional physical therapy from Kaiser – that didn’t work.

My chiropractic treatment was so successful and actually enjoyable that I switched my college studies to pre-med and later attended Chiropractic College.

What does this have to do with low back pain you ask?

Everything.

Chiropractors are known for treating low back pain, it is what my profession is associated with. The reason that we are associated with low back pain treatment is because of my professions’ tremendous success rate with delivering fast, safe, natural, drug free back pain relief.

I recently read a study that indicated that the use of chiropractic care for low back pain relief is nearly 4000 times safer than using medications or other traditional western medicine inspired treatments.

Most cases of low back pain occur as a direct result of injury or dysfunction involving the joints and muscles of the low back. These are biomechanical problems that are not efficiently treated with medication (drugs). Biomechanical joint problems account for 80% of low back pain cases and usually worsen with age.

Chiropractic care and its use of specific joint adjustments is the logical and efficient treatment for biomechanical joint problems that are responsible for most cases of low back pain.


Writers Bio

Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.

Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.

Call Steve Jones at

(619) 280 0554

San Diego Chiropractic


Ergonomic Office Equipment Website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav, the Ergonomic Mouse Pad
or Visit Ergonomic Blog, "Ergonomically Yours" And read the latest News in the Ergonomic World.

Better Health Steve Jones

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Why do I have back pain?

Chiropractic Treatment for Low Back Pain

Why do I have back pain?

Being a chiropractor in San Diego, I hear this question all the time. Back pain and neck pain are the two most common complaints that my patients have. The fact that my practice is in San Diego probably decreases the frequency of these complaints. People in San Diego tend to be more active which actually lowers the incidence of low back and neck pain.

Over fifteen years ago when I first started practicing chiropractic care in San Diego, most of my low back pain patients and neck pain patients for that matter were not related to office work. Most of the cases that I had when I first started practicing were do to injuries like car accidents and falls or heavy work.

In the mid to late nineteen nineties, I started to see a trend in injury mechanisms among my patients. They were starting to attribute their pain to long hours of sitting at the computer.

Sitting all day at the computer not only causes back pain but it also causes neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and various arm problems.

Lower back pain is primarily due to poor sitting posture. When we are standing up with good posture, our lower backs have a sweeping forward bowing curve that resembles a stretched out letter “c”. This shape distributes our bodies weight evenly throughout the spine. When we sit, this curve reverses, greatly increasing the stress on the joints and discs in the spine.

With time, this postural stress results in irritation and inflammation resulting in pain and muscle spasms.

Once the low back has reached a point of pain and spasms, chiropractic care is necessary to relieve the pain, improve the biomechanics of the spine and relax the muscles.

In addition to chiropractic care for back pain, the patient must seek out an ergonomic chair and have it adjusted properly for their body. In many cases, I suggest a complete workstation analysis to help prevent future problems with other computer related stresses.

Writers Bio


Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.


Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.


Call Steve Jones at

(619) 280 0554

San Diego Chiropractic



Ergonomic Office Equipment Website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav, the Ergonomic Mouse Pad

or Visit Ergonomic Blog, "Ergonomically Yours" And read the latest News in the Ergonomic World.


Better Health Steve Jones

Sunday, November 1, 2009

spines are essentially a stack of bones

Spines are essentially a stack of bones

Being a practicing chiropractor in San Diego for the last 15 plus years has given me the opportunity to manage hundreds of cases of lower back pain. I would say that of these cases of low back pain, at least 75% of them are the result of a sedentary lifestyle and lack of core strength.

Our spines are essentially a stack of bones that give use the ability to flex, bend and twist while at the same time provide protection for our spinal cord. Ligaments, which are tough fibrous bands of tissue help provide stability of the joints. Another major contributor of stability for our spines comes from the muscles. The muscles in our bodies, regardless of where they are located should be strong and flexible. Strong flexible muscles in our core help prevent injuries.

The trend in America is that we are becoming heavier and exercising less. In addition to this trend, or perhaps a contributor to this trend is the fact that so many people have work that revolves around the computer. I know that some of my patients sit at a computer station all day long – every day of the week.

Sitting at a computer has multiple ill effects on the health of our spines. The postural stress of sitting puts stress on the discs that separate our vertebrae. When we sit, the normal forward sweeping curve of our low backs round backward which displaces the weight of our bodies forward putting increased pressure on the discs. This posture also stretches the muscles that run down the back of the spine eventually causing what is known as a “stretch weakness”.

It is the loss of core strength combined with the postural stress of sitting at work for hours and days on end that leads to most of the back problems that I see at work. I always find it ironic that office workers who are in for treatment make comments about how I must see so many heavy laborers for back pain while my office is filled with computer jockeys.

The solutions to the problems described above are simple but require diligence. First of all, you have to take breaks if you sit all day. I had a seminar years ago where one of the speakers gave a simple solution to get you up and moving during the day. He suggested that you have a small, 8 oz glass of water on your desk that you drink from all day. With this plan, every twenty minutes or so you will have to get up to get more water or get up to go to the bathroom. These mini breaks in your day help relieve postural stress.

The second part of taking care of your back involves building strength in your core.
This involves exercise. Walking, jogging, bicycle riding, crunches and various exercises on a Swiss Ball will all go a long way towards building core strength and reducing your chances of lower back injury.


Writers Bio


Dr. Steven R. Jones is a licensed Chiropractor in the state of California. He received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in Sunnyvale, California. Dr. Jones has treated his patients for over 15 years at his own San Diego Chiropractic practice.


Dr. Jones is accepting new patients and would be happy to consult with you regarding your chiropractic needs.


Call Steve Jones at

(619) 280 0554

San Diego Chiropractic



Ergonomic Office Equipment Website to learn more about or Buy Ergo Nav, the Ergonomic Mouse Pad

or Visit Ergonomic Blog, "Ergonomically Yours" And read the latest News in the Ergonomic World.


Better Health Steve Jones