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Spring your Spine Health into Spring!

Spring your Spine Health into Spring!

Spring your Spine Health into Spring!The beautiful South Florida Spring season brings many opportunities to stay outdoors and increase your physical activity. While everyone can benefit from taking advantage of the pleasant weather, the trick is not to overdo it. Getting your body used to an active lifestyle takes conditioning and common sense.

Before you head outdoors this spring keep the following tips in mind:

Stretch to Release Stiff Joints and Stay Injury Free-

Whether it’s golf, tennis, gardening or just walking- stretching is one way to assure you remain in action longer. A five minute stretching session both before and after physical activity can pay big dividends by keeping you healthy and preserving your motivation to stay active.

First focus on the larger muscle groups. Because the quadriceps and hamstrings in your thighs are generally the largest muscles of the body and play a key supporting role for your back, they deserve special attention. That means stretching the back, front, plus the inner and outer thigh.

Lastly stretch the whole body. Work up through the back, arms and neck, and then down through the calf and ankles.

Hydrate before you exercise-

Nearly every cell of the human body contains water. Without water, cells don’t function properly and they certainly don’t function to their full potential during exercise. This is why it is important to hydrate before exercise.

Studies show that dehydrated exercisers complete three to five fewer reps per set, during strength-training sessions. Dehydration also lowers hormone levels necessary for strong muscles.

One to two hours prior to your heading outdoors, we recommend drinking one ounce of water for every 10 pounds of your body weight. If you weigh 120 pounds, drink 12 ounces of water before and don’t forget to sip water during your workout to replenish the fluids your body loses through sweat.

Heat Therapy Soothes Muscles Before and After Exercise-

Most of us are aware that a heating pad or warm bath after a workout can make a big difference in terms of pain reduction and comfort. What is not so well known is that heat can also play a preventative role, as well.

Applying heat before a workout session can significantly minimize muscle strain. Studies have shown that individuals who applied a heat to their lower back before a workout session rated their post-exercise pain as 50% less intense as those who only stretched prior to working out. Using commercial heat wrap products available in drugstores may help keep you comfortable and get you back to action sooner.

Applying heat therapy after exercise calms the muscles and prevents cramping. After a workout, muscles and joints are potentially dehydrated and, not as stable as when resting. Applying a heating pad or wrap for approximately 10 minutes while seated or lying down after a workout session or strenuous activity can help muscles calm down and return to their normal state without seizing up.

 

Adult Scoliosis – Is there help for me?

Adult Scoliosis – Is there help for me?

Adult Scoliosis – Is there help for me?Last week, after our “That Was Then… This is NOW! – New Hope for Scoliosis Patients” article went out I received an email from a patient inquiring the following:

“I have been receiving your emails.  However, the solutions seem to be geared towards children.  I wanted to know if there is anything that can be done at my age. I am 53 years old.  I have a lateral curve of the lumbar.  It is severe scoliosis. Please advise.”

A lot of our articles are geared towards children because it is the moment in development where it is the easiest to stop the progression of a scoliotic curve, with at times, minimal effort. However, thanks to new methodologies, we do have solutions for our older patients as well.

At South Florida Scoliosis Center our oldest scoliosis patient currently receiving treatment is 83 years young! He is getting great results and is very happy because he can play golf once again.  As is no surprise, scoliosis treatment is different when regarding older patients. The amount of muscle rigidity already present must be determined and taken into account. How much arthritic process is in the joints also needs to be measured, any possibly limiting movements, and a patients’ overall tolerance for performing the necessary exercises.

At South Florida Scoliosis Center we recognize that each patient is an individual with his or her unique set of variables and responses and thus require a treatment plan customized to their individual needs in order to treat Adult Scoliosis successfully.

When an older patient comes in to the office for scoliosis treatment, our primary objective is to determine where there scoliosis curve has progressed to. An initial visit will consist of the following:

  • Discuss with the doctor past medical history immediate goals and or wishes
  • A physical examination
  • X-rays to establish a baseline measurement

The physical exam is a very detailed in and of itself and probably unlike any you may have experienced, as we check a multitude of components. Later we move on to take the series of spinal X-rays which will establish your current position. This fulfills your first visit.

The doctor now studies the physical exam findings plus the spinal x-rays to evaluate the severity of the curve and determine which solutions will be the most favorable and will garner the greatest results for this patient.

On the follow up visit, together patient and doctor discuss the x-rays and exam findings and propose the steps devised that will work best. We then commence a series of protocols maximized to achieve the most benefit and produce the maximum results in order to effectively test how a patients’ spine will react and respond to the scoliosis treatment. At the end of the series, we again run tests to determine how much our protocols can actually change the patients’ scoliotic spine.

At the conclusion of this visit we are able to show the patient what can actually be achieved and review realistic expectations. Any reduction to the scoliotic curve that can be achieved will now be visible on the post X-ray. Given these results a customized treatment plan options are then discussed.

Are you suffering from the pains brought on by Adult Scoliosis? Make an appointment today and take control of your spine health! 305-705-0777

Has Your Child Been Diagnosed with Scoliosis? Here’s What You Need to Know…

Has Your Child Been Diagnosed with Scoliosis? Here’s What You Need to Know…

Has Your Child Been Diagnosed with Scoliosis? Here’s What You Need to Know…Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that affects as many as 12 million people worldwide. Left untreated the progression of scoliosis can cause deformity of the spine, respiratory, cardiac and digestive problems, as well as debilitating pain.

Scoliosis may often be detected during a child’s routine pediatric appointment or during a scoliosis screening exam at school. Oftentimes the signs of scoliosis aren’t obvious until the child’s growth spurt occurs therefore, experts recommend that girls get screened, at ages 10 and again at 12, because they are at higher risk for scoliosis than boys. Boys should generally get screened once between the ages of 13 and 15.

Once your child has been diagnosed with scoliosis, time is now of the essence. The sooner you can treat scoliosis the more successful you will be in stopping the progression of the curve.

At South Florida Scoliosis Center we have been successful in reversing the symptoms of scoliosis by using a non-surgical, non-bracing treatment. Using a methodology designed by Clear™ Institute we use the following 3 steps:

Step 1- MIX
The patient warms up their spine by using several different techniques including the Active Rehabilitation Chair, Cervical Traction, and Vibrating Traction, the goal of which is re-structuring & re-modeling the ligaments after they have been relaxed.

Step 2- FIX
The patient is now primed to receive their chiropractic adjustment. Adjusting instruments and specialized drop pieces enhance the precision & effectiveness of chiropractic care, and reduce the amount of force required to correct the scoliotic spine.

Step 3- SET
Immediately after the adjustment is completed, the spine will be “set” in its corrected position to ensure the permanency of the changes. This involves spinal weighting (typically on the head & hips), whole-body vibration therapy, the Scoliosis Traction Chair, and gait therapy to re-train patterns of moving & walking.

In addition to our Mix, Fix, Set system we may continue to treat the spine with a series of follow up visits and customized home exercises specifically designed for your child’s scoliosis curve.

Using these protocols we have been successful time and time again in reducing and reversing the progression of the scoliotic spine. No embarrassing brace for your child to wear, no casting and no surgery!

At South Florida Scoliosis Center we are continuously improving and developing our methods of treatment to provide our patients better alternatives for curves of all degrees.