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Better Stretching with PNF! Hamstring Miracles Happen!

December 20, 2021

PNF stretching - Hamstrings. With Aaron Vela. (207)774-6251

PNF Stretching: A Better Way to Stretch What is PNF? PNF stands for Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation and it’s an advanced form of stretching that is very effective for increasing your range of motion. How does it work? The stretching essentially involves 3 basic steps that can be applied to any muscle that needs stretching, especially before and after a physically demanding activity. The stretching utilizes reflexes in the muscles, as well as excitatory and inhibitory signals in the muscle being stretched, and the muscle opposing the stretch. You can think of it as stretching the involved muscle, then contracting the muscle without moving it, then stretching the target muscle again,  increasing your range of motion. The technique has long been used by athletes across the world for improving flexibility quickly, safely, and very effectively. How do I do it? It’s easy. This stretching technique can be applied to any muscle! Just apply these steps. Step 1: Stretch the muscle as you normally would for about 6-10 seconds. Step 2: Relax the stretch, but now concentrically contract the muscle for about 6 seconds (flex the muscle without bending the joint). Step 3: Relax the contraction, but now re-stretch the muscle...

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Chronic Pain: 5 Ways back pain Gets Worse.

October 27, 2021

Chronic pain

5 consequences of untreated chronic pain in your back. Chronic Low back pain affects tens of millions of Americans every year. Chronic pain ruins work, vacations, family time, sleep, even marriages. Medications are expensive, often have bad side effects, and sometimes need to be taken forever. Drug addiction, depression, anxiety, as well as reduced quality of life, are all associated with chronic back pain. “Chronic” back pain is often considered to have been present for more than 12 weeks. Acute back pain is new pain. Acute pain, left to resolve itself, often becomes chronic pain. #nobueno Further Injury. Chronic Pain in our back leads to changes elsewhere in the body. Most people call this “compensation.” Our bodies are intelligent and they adapt and change to try to make you more comfortable, to keep things stable, and adapt for the best function and movement possible. As you can imagine, those changes lead to more changes. Think of it as a pebble rolling down a mountain that picks up other stones as it descends and can lead to an avalanche. Structural compensation due to back pain always involves changes in joint function and position. Long term changes joints and movement lead to...

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Restaurant Worker Stress. Causes and simple solutions.

October 23, 2021

The stress of the restaurant and Kitchen. Easy action steps for healing. Mental stress changes the chemistry of your body, and tightens your body’s tone. The kitchen is one of more mentally stressful work environments. You don’t need examples if you work in one. What is needed, is an understanding of why you feel the way you do and what you can do about it. Mental stress causes body chemistry changes like adding vinegar to baking soda. Inflammation and adrenaline are let loose throughout the body. KABOOM. If you are working under stressful conditions all week, your stress level doesn’t go down. Sustained mental stress puts fatigue on the adrenal glands, leading to a condition you’ve probably heard of….adrenal fatigue. You burn out, feel tired, sluggish, have difficulty sleeping, which cycles back around and creates a vicious cycle of more stress, more fatigue that causes more stress, and so on. Physically, your body tightens up from mental stress. Neck, shoulders and low back slowly seize. And that’s just from mental stress. The physical stress of standing, cooking, leaning, shuffling and the like, all make matters worse. Getting a bad night’s sleep also makes matters worse. The stress of the...

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Car Accident Chiropractor in Portland, Maine – WHIPLASH! HEADACHES!

September 24, 2021

After the car accident, things can get ugly. Most people will be in a car accident at some point in their lives. They happen fast, and if you are unlucky, in the wake of the impact, your body can feel like you were hit by a train. It is very common for symptoms to get worse before they get better, and sometimes symptoms are delayed. Chances are, you will have your damaged car looked at by a professional. You should do the same for your body. Even fender benders can cause whiplash, concussions (with or without head impact) and a host of other symptoms. What should you have checked on your body after a car accident? Your provider should check your neck for muscle, joint and nerve damage. They should check your head for signs of concussion, abnormal neurological changes, and for headache potential.  Your arms, shoulders and upper back and spine should be checked for injury to the nerves, joints, and muscles from the impact. Gripping the steering wheel in a car accident often leads to hand, wrist, arm, shoulder and upper back injury. Your low back and pelvis, as well as your legs, should all be checked.  Broken bones and...

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Kinesiotape for performance, pain relief, and prevention. Athletes, Moms, Musicians.

DID YOU KNOW THAT JCA OFFERS KINESIOLOGY TAPING? What Is Kinesiology Taping & How Can It Help Me? You may have seen this before. Athletes running around town or competing in sports on television while wearing some sort of seemingly strategically placed black, or fluorescent tape on their skin. What is it? Kinesiology Taping, AKA elastic therapeutic tape, Kinesiotape, K-tape, KT, neuro-proprioceptive tape, or a number of other brand named tapes currently on the market are all similar. At this time, there are many brand names that all represent products that do the same thing. What does kinesiotape do? Kinesiotape has a variety of uses, but is largely used to lessen pain in sore and repetitively used areas of the body. It can also be used to increase the movement of fluids in the tissues (such as with swelling and bruises), improve static posture (how your body is positioned while still), lessen the effects of nerve entrapment, and improve dynamic posture (how your body moves around in your environment). Examples of problems that respond well to kinesiotape are: Shin Splints Shoulder strain and pain Knee pain and instability low back pain neck pain elbow pain and strain (tennis elbow/golfers...

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Feet pain, back pain, and at home solutions. Videos!

August 31, 2021

Foot pain and back pain - A match made in hell.

Feet Pain and Back Pain.  A match made in hell. As I’ve aged, my feet have proved to be much less forgiving than they were when I was 16. As a bumbling teenage skater, I could handle the force of gravity as I plunged my body and my board down a set of 12 stairs, bailing half way and landing on my feet and rolling onto my shoulder, only to get back up and try it again and again. Now I’m lucky if I don’t twist my ankle or bruise my heel if I step off the curb the wrong way. I’ve discovered the importance of maintaining the health of your feet. In doing so, I have also discovered a way to keep chronic low back pain at bay. After all, our feet are only 4 joints away from our lower back. Shock from walking, running, jumping, and voluntarily throwing yourself down a 10 foot high embankment starts at the feet and reverberates to the ankles, knees, hips, and to then to the sacroiliac joints and spine. This reverberation transmits at a much higher amplitude when your feet are flat, injured, or subluxated. And, this also leaves you vulnerable...

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Chiropractic And Acupuncture – One Location – Portland, Maine

March 4, 2021

Chiropractic and Acupuncture Under One Roof! So Much easier. What are the benefits of having chiropractic and acupuncture under one roof? The most time consuming part of doctor visits for most Mainers is driving to and from appointments and waiting once they get to the office. Rather than driving to a chiropractor, then across town for acupuncture, waiting in two places, and then paying in two locations, it is much more efficient to go to one location. You may  have a family, a job, a life. Time, quality time, is irreplaceable. Respecting your time should be a top priority of any office you go to. After all, you are seeking help to enjoy your life, not to hang out in your car or the doctors office. Time is your most valuable commodity, don’t waste it.   Don’t let others waste it either. Is there a benefit to having one doctor perform both services? What do you think? Having one person, licensed in both chiropractic and acupuncture, means that they can seamlessly integrate care holistically. They can also maximize the benefits of both for your specific needs. Do practitioners communicate about your case if they are in different offices? Sometimes,...

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Steve Vai Had Trigger Finger Surgery!

March 3, 2021

Trigger finger pain and immobility could end a musician's career. Call Dr. Lou at (207) 774-6251

Guitar player magazine reported that the great Steve Vai is recovering from surgery following a “trigger finger” diagnosis, which was the result of the sustained holding of a chord. What is trigger finger, how does it affect musicians, and what can you do to prevent and resolve it? What Is Trigger Finger? Simply put, trigger finger is when a finger gets stuck in the bent position. Much like a tendonitis, the soft tissue becomes inflamed and extremely contracted. Sometimes the finger releases and snaps, like a trigger. The medical term for this condition is “stenosing tenosynovitis,” which basically means that there is a shrinking of the sheath of tissue around a tendon of the finger that causes it to become restricted and contracted with inflammation. Slow fingers? Poor Muscle Memory? Musician Finger Speed Solved. The cause of trigger finger is often repetitive stress. In musicians, “Playing Related Musculoskeletal Disorders” are called PRMD’s. Prevention of PRMD’s includes proper warming up, stretching, strengthening, post play cool down, taking breaks and evaluating daily activities that could make one more vulnerable to PRMD’s. Things like computer work, cooking, driving, sleep position, history of injuries and activities may all contribute to vulnerability and perpetuation...

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Saxophone Injuries – Musician Injury Specialist

February 18, 2021

Saxaphone injuries are more common than you might think. Call Dr. Lou. Over 18 years specializing in the drug free care of musician injuries. (207) 774-6251

Sax Breaks Backs.  And other parts… Saxaphone players are prone to injuries that may impair their performance, but may also disrupt their life outside of music. Finger, wrist, neck and back injuries are common. Back pain, neck pain and headaches are leading causes of missed work worldwide. Your concerns are legitimate and demand proper attention in order to reduce your risk of future disability or inability to play. An 2019 article published The journal “Medical Problems of Performing Artists” discussed the most common injuries among saxophone players.  PRMD’s (playing related musculoskeletal disorders) are remarkably common in saxaphone players. Small injuries may lead to bigger injuries, even disabling pain that derails careers. Professional and college level saxophonists were polled and 76.15% had had some form of PRMD in the past. 50% had a PRMD in the past year. 21.1% had a PRMD in the past week! The most common areas of pain and injury were the wrists, neck, mouth and jaw. “The most common self-reported postural habits were forward head position and rounded upper back. Postures that correlated with higher pain ratings were rounded upper back and backward pelvic tilt. The rounded upper back, backward pelvic tilt, and excessive curve...

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Drug Free Pain Relief During Recovery

The road to recovery is helped with drug free chiropractic and acupuncture care. For pain relief when drugs are not an option, call Dr. Lou. (207) 774-6251

Drugs, Alcohol, Addiction, Chiropractic and Recovery. Pain Relief without addictive medications. For those in recovery, pain relief is limited. Any medication with potential for addiction is skipped over for what are usually simple over the counter anti inflammatory pain killers like Aleve. Surgery and subsequent medications would be risky for a recovering addict, and it’s simply not an option. Why is chiropractic such an amazing tool for those in recovery? Chiropractors make up the third largest healthcare profession after medicine and dentistry. It is a drug free form of healthcare. The entire focus is on the health and function of the nervous system and it’s relationship with your spine and body. Your body has the potential to heal itself. For patients with headaches, neck pain, back pain, joint pain, neuralgia, disc herniations and a host of other issues that cause pain, chiropractic is an effective form of treatment without the use of drugs or surgery. Additionally, by contributing to better brain and nerve control of your body, chiropractic actually makes you healthier, more adaptable, mentally more clear. While little research has been done on the topic, theoretically, chiropractic care could aid in overcoming addiction. Your health depends on staying...

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