Scoliosis and Chiropractic

Scoliosis is a medical condition that affects the spine, causing it to curve to the side. This condition can be mild or severe, and it can cause discomfort, pain, and even disability in some cases. While scoliosis can be caused by a variety of factors, including genetics, it can also be exacerbated by poor posture and alignment.

One of the primary goals of chiropractic care for scoliosis is to improve spinal alignment and reduce the degree of curvature. At Letterkenny chiropractic we can use a variety of techniques to accomplish this, including spinal adjustments, soft tissue therapy, and corrective exercises.

Spinal adjustments involve applying gentle pressure to the spine to help realign the vertebrae and reduce tension in the surrounding muscles. Soft tissue therapy, such as massage or trigger point therapy, can help alleviate pain and tension in the muscles surrounding the spine.

In addition to these techniques, chiropractors may also recommend corrective exercises that can help strengthen the muscles in the back and improve posture. These exercises may include stretches, core strengthening exercises, and other movements designed to promote better spinal alignment.

While chiropractic care cannot cure scoliosis, it can be a useful tool for managing symptoms and improving quality of life. Many patients report reduced pain and discomfort, improved posture and mobility, and an overall sense of well-being after undergoing chiropractic treatment for scoliosis.

It is important to note that not all chiropractors are trained to treat scoliosis specifically. Patients should seek out a chiropractor who has experience working with scoliosis patients and who is familiar with the specific techniques and exercises that can be helpful in managing this condition.

In conclusion, chiropractic care can be an effective alternative treatment option for managing scoliosis. By improving spinal alignment, reducing pain and tension, and promoting better posture, chiropractors can help scoliosis patients lead more comfortable, active lives. If you are suffering from scoliosis, consider a consultation with us at Letterkenny chiropractic to see if this type of treatment may be right for you.

Optimise Child Behavior: 7 steps you can take today

There are many natural choices parents can make to help regulate their children’s nervous systems. By removing lifestyle and environmental stressors, as well as addressing the physical and neurological imbalances with chiropractic care, studies have shown that parents report significant improvements in their children’s concentration and mood, and even less ADD/ADHD symptoms.

If you have any concerns over your child or just want to optimize their wellness, here are a few steps you can take today:

1. Have your child evaluated by a chiropractor

2. Rule out possible food allergies under the guidance of a practitioner well versed in functional medicine and nutrition.

3. Focus on organic and whole food choices, with fewer preservatives, chemical pesticides, and artificial sweeteners.

4. Reduce processed sugars from your child’s daily diet as much as possible.

5. Avoid harsh chemical detergents and cleaning products or herbicide use around the home.

6. With your chiropractor or trusted healthcare provider, consider appropriate vitamin supplementation, including omega-3s, vitamin D, probiotics, and a high quality multivitamin.

7. encourage plenty of outside play and fresh air

Remember, lifestyle changes are powerful tools, but take time to take effect. Little by little, day by day, try to stay consistent, and you and your littles will feel so much better for it! With the steps outlined above, adults report feeling brain fog lift and more energized as well.

Improve your mobilty

Every time an athlete trains, they put a lot of pressure on their body, and certain intense activities can disrupt spinal alignment or put undue pressure on specific joints causing stiffness or pain. This can further inhibit full range of motion, putting them at risk of injury, or at the very least preventing achieving optimal performance.

Regular chiropractic treatments help spinal realignment and help cue in the appropriate muscle groups for each movement.

1. Less pain. A growing body of research supports that athletes who receive spinal adjustments in addition to therapeutic movement and exercises report less pain and quicker recovery that those who do not receive adjustments. (https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/spinal-manipulation-what-you-need-to-know)
   

2. Improved recovery time. Repetitive movements required of competitive athletes leads to regular soreness and fatigue. In addition to rest between practice or games, chiropractic treatment may help reduce time needed to recover through utilising various techniques including soft tissue work that helps blood and lymphatic flow and releases lactic acidic build up, spinal adjustments, and in certain cases cold-laser therapy. We also provide recommendations on rehydration and mineral and nutritional replenishment.

3. Less use of prescription medication, including opioids or cortisol shots, which can lead to long term dependency and do not treat the root cause of the problems. The American College of Physicians recommends patients with lower back pain seek non-drug multidisciplinary therapy, which includes spinal manipulation. (American College of Physicians issues guideline for treating nonradicular low back pain | ACP Newsroom | ACP)

It is always an absolute pleasure to assist local athletes before and after events they’ve dedicated hours and years training for, and watching them perform at their best each and every time! It is our mutual goal to first and foremost, help athletes avoid injury through proper alignment, increased range of motion, and helping them identify and utilise the appropriate muscle groups for each specific activity. If injury or overuse does occur, we work together in our treatment plan to help reduce recovery time through re-alignment and helping to release of the body’s natural neurological and lymphatic healing flow.

In addition to our athletes’ hard work and diligence, chiropractic treatments help them achieve their goals by getting them back into training sooner after an injury, lowering normal recovery time, helping them increase their range of motion and flexibility, and helping them hone into strengthening the body’s natural movements, so they can perform at their optimum level.

Top 8 Reasons to Improve your posture

1. Less headaches and migraines. Headaches are most commonly associated with forward head posture, putting undue weight on the muscles that help carry the weight of your head. This chronic strain results in headaches. Improved posture can help pull the head back to its natural position where it’s weight is supported by the whole body.
2. Less back, neck, and shoulder pain. All too often, either working on the computer, bent over our craft, driving, or even relaxing on the couch, forces our body into hunched over, head forward, shoulders rounded forward, or pelvis tilted positions. This tightens certain muscle groups while it fails to activate others, resulting in some areas of weakness and other areas of excess tightness. This phenomenon is experienced as pain. If left uncorrected for too long, it can lead to permanent changes in the vertebrae and joints, experiences as stiffness, arthritis, and chronic pain.
3. Reduced risk of injury. Further to the point above, when certain muscle groups are not appropriately activated to perform certain activities due to chronic misuse or underuse, there is a much high risk of injury to the joints and articulations of the body and spinal vertebrae.
4. Improved performance: correct posture helps natural activation the appropriate muscle groups designed specifically for each movement. When we work with our body’s innate design, our body performs at it’s best.
5. Improved breath capacity and oxygenation: improved posture opens up the lungs and allows more flow of air into the body, allowing for better gas exchange— that is more energizing and healing oxygen in and more toxic and sluggish carbon dioxide out.
6. Less mental and physiological stress: This improved flow of air into the lungs naturally calms the breath, which is one of the best ways to tap into your autonomic nervous system, which controls your fight or flight stress response. The relaxed muscles and released breathing send feedback back into your brain signaling that, although there may be a challenging situation, your body is calm and ready and able to cope.
7. Improved self confidence: shoulders down and back, back straight and upright, arms and neck relaxed— and you have an immediate strong and calm power pose.
8. Release of body’s natural healing flow: your nervous and lymphatic systems harness you body’s healing energies. Hunched over posture, tightened muscles, and spinal vertebral misalignment hinder that flow and cause stagnation, sluggishness, and suboptimal natural healing capacity. Working on improving posture can relax the muscles and realign the spine to let the body’s innate capacities to heal and energies flow freely and fully.

How will your Chiropractor help?

Poor posture starts as a small bad habit, but over time can lead to chronic muscle and ligament tension, pulling on joints and causing joint changes, and tugging on the vertebrae that hold and support the spine, leading to malalignment, and even potentially chronic bone changes and arthritis. Your chiropractor will do a full assessment of your posture, identify any areas of tension or abnormal laxity, and perform therapeutic adjustments to bring the spine back into alignment. Your chiropractor will also help instruct you on improving ergonomics to make your habitual postures in line with how your body was intended to function, provide you with exercises and posture remediation tools to practice at home between treatment appointments. Your chiropractor is your posture and wellness expert.