Is your stance predicting your future? Bad posture and favoring “sides” can lead to: Foot and ankle pain and degeneration Knee pain and degeneration Hip pain and degeneration Back pain and degeneration Impaired movement, need for a cane or walker, poor sleep, misery, poor balance, falls, pain while sitting, driving, standing, and working. Contrapposto (Italian pronunciation: [kontrapˈposto]) is an Italian term that means “counterpoise”. It is used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot, so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs in the axial plane. (source: wikipedia) Contrapposto was position used by sculptors to create a more dynamic “image” of the human form and posture. Imagine the standing position where you put more weight on one leg, and the other leg is bent back slightly. This technique to create dynamism within a sculpture was first seen in Greece about 500 BCE. The term “chiropractic” comes from Cheir and Praxis which collectively mean “done by hand”. Chiropractic also focuses on the structure, posture, and function of the human form and how it impacts how your brain and nerves experience life. While the posture and...

“Don’t get old,” they said. Why do people say this? Don’t get old. Getting old sucks. Getting old is hard. My parents both passed away before the age of 70. My dad was 68 and my mother 61. Over a decade later, I’m of the mindset that getting old is a privilege, a blessing, and that the alternative is worse. But why do older people nearly always say this? What differentiates those who say this with those who don’t? I see a lot of patients over the age of 65, and they often say to me, “Don’t get old”.  As if anyone has a choice! I have asked why they say this, and I’ve collected over 20 years of answers as a clinician. The most common answers are as follows: My body just doesn’t work the way it used to. I’m in constant pain. I can’t keep up. My brain isn’t as sharp as it used to be. I feel 20 years older than I am. I move like an old lady. I can’t bend over to tie my shoes. These answers all have one thing in common. These complaints can all be positively affected by preventively taking care of...

Dr. Lou had an app created for you! 2023 is already so awesome! Our office app was designed in 2022 for launch in 2023 to not only help you get better results with your care, but to make your care at our office even more exciting and fun! IF you are not an active patient at our office, no problem! The app is for you too! Everyone can start using it right away! (Detailed Instructions below) The app has a lot of features that we want you to be familiar with so that you don’t miss out on anything. Once you download the app using the QR code to get to the app, you will find the checklist below helpful in navigating the buttons at first glance. The steps below will be in order from left to right and top to bottom on the front page of the app. About us – This tab links to our website “about us” page. Learn more about our current staff at this tab. Musicians – This tab is for musicians, and those of you who want to keep tabs on Dr. Lou’s work with musicians. Whether your musician friends live locally or around...

What is that Popping Sound? By the team at Haavik Research If you have been adjusted before by a chiropractor you may have noticed a popping sound, that may seem a little strange. Many people think all kinds of strange things about this popping sound, so let’s set the record straight. The popping sound is only the formation of gas within a joint, and it’s no more significant than any other gas release from the body. The popping sound does not mean that you’re getting arthritis. A number of studies have looked at people who have routinely cracked their knuckles for years and years and compared them to non-knuckle crackers to see if there’s any difference in x-ray images of their hands.(1) These studies all came back with the same conclusion. Habitual knuckle cracking over the course of several decades is not associated with clinical or radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis. Of course you could argue that the spine is part of your weight bearing system and hands are not, so you could ask can you really compare the two? But all the evidence that is available suggests that cracking joints has nothing to do with causing arthritis. The popping...

Shin Splints and How to Get Rid of Them by Dr. Aaron Vela What is a shin splint? To fully understand how to get rid of shin splints, we need to understand a little bit of anatomy. The tibia is your shin bone. On the outside of bone is an important layer of tissue called the periosteum which is involved in healing bone and acting as an anchor for ligaments and tendons to attach. The periosteum also has a lot of nerve endings that feel pain. Ligaments are connections from bone to bone, while tendons are connections from muscle to bone. There are several muscles that attach to the shin bone. In the case of shin splints, usually the culprits are either the tibialis anterior muscle (if the pain is more on the front-outside of the shin) or the soleus muscle (if the pain is more on the front-inside of the shin).   Shin splints are caused when the tendons from these muscles repetitively pull on the periosteum, creating inflammation and irritation to this very nerve dense tissue, creating signals of pain. The reason why the tendons irritate the periosteum usually has to do with a combination of things,...

What is scoliosis & what are the available options? by Dr. Aaron Vela Have you been told by a healthcare professional that you or your child has scoliosis? What is scoliosis? Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine that is seen in a front to back, or back to front, view of the spine. The spine normally has 3 curves that can be seen when looking at the spine from the side. These normal curves are in your neck, your mid back, and your lower back. These normal curves function as shock absorbers for the body. Scoliosis is a lateral curve in the spine or more easily put, a left or right curve in the spine that may lead to premature degeneration, pain, postural abnormalities, and restricted mobility. There are generally 5 different types of scoliosis. Congenital – meaning the person was born with it. Neuromuscular – which is caused by neuromuscular (nerve and muscle) conditions and their impact on the body, such as cerebral palsy. Degenerative – which occurs when the joints between vertebrae in the back of the spine have deteriorated. Functional – which is more or less a temporary type of scoliosis that can be...

Dentists, Hygienists, and neck pain. Dentists and Hygienists spend their careers stooped over patients, focusing on tiny objects in their mouths while maneuvering and manipulating equipment. Their intensity and focus are necessary to doing a great job, with the least amount of pain, but they are sacrificing their bodies, for your mouths. Neck pain is extremely common in dental professionals. Research has shown that 5% of people who suffer with neck pain are eventually legally disabled by the pain. A study published in the British Dental Journal reported that nearly 30% of premature retirements of dentists surveyed were due to musculoskeletal disorders. And in In a study done at UCSF, questionnaire responses indicated that 46-71% of dental students of all four years experienced neck, shoulder, and/or back pain, with more than 70% reporting pain by their 3rd year. It is not uncommon for dentists to wake up one day and wonder how they ended up “like this.” The wear and tear of repetitive work by the dentist or hygienist, leads to a slow accumulation of dysfunction, degeneration, and pain. One day, the straw breaks the camels’ back, and Dr. Molar wakes up in pain. It’s probably not too late...

How to reduce muscle strain pain in 30 seconds or less. I have a method that I use when I have strained a muscle. Sometimes it happens when you move the wrong way, sleep on a bad pillow, or lift something too heavy. You feel your muscle start to seize, it’s tight and pinchy, may feel like a nerve, but one thing is for sure, It’s going to ruin your day. When you have this feeling, my recommendation is simple. If you don’t feel it is a medical emergency, then follow the steps below or just watch the video below: find the nearest object you can pick up that is solid, won’t break, and has a rounded edge. A golf ball, a cane, a wooden spoon or even a tennis ball will work. If all else fails, use a thumb. Locate the epicenter of the muscle strain and pain. Take your round object and apply firm, static pressure to the epicenter of the pain for 20-30 seconds Release the pressure. Gently test for mobility by moving slightly. Repeat if necessary While it is not unusual to have to repeat this 3-5 times, typically what you will notice will be...

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...

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...