Shin Splints
What is it?
Medial shin splints are a condition wherein the periosteum of the tibia is damaged when it is pulled away by an overstressed tibialis posterior muscle. Anterior shin splints are a condition in which the blood flow is obstructed from the anterior compartment due to the hypertrophy of the overstressed tibialis anterior cmpartment.
What are the common symptoms/complaints?
Medial shin splints: Patients complain of a dull, aching pain felt along the medial side of the tibia. Once it starts, any activity will aggrevate it.
Anterior shin splints: Patients complain of dull, aching pain felt along the anterior side of the tibia.
How is it caused?
Medial shin splints: The tibialis poeterior muscle plamtarflexes and inverts the foot (anti-pronator) due to its distal attachment (insertion) on the medial aspect of the foot. During over-pronation the tendon of the tibialis posterior is stretched and pulled upon excessively, thereby attacking the weakest area, namely its origin (proximal attachment) on the periosteum of the tibia. The small pain fibers of the periosteum are torn away causing pain and chronic inflammation.
Anterior shin splints: The tibialis anterior muscle dorsiflexes and inverts the foot, acting as an anti-pronator due to its distal attachment (insertion) on the medial aspect and base of the first metatarsal. During over-pronation the tibialis anterior muscle fibers must fire constantly to oppose (re-supinate) the over-pronation, thus causing hypertrophy (swelling) of the tibialis anterior compartment.
How is it treated?
Medial and anterior shin splints: Depending on the severity of the injury, treatment may include standard acute care, restricted activity and an orthotic device that corrects the over-pronation and stops the foot from falling too far medially (reducing the strain on the tibialis posterior) and facilitates proper foot function and timing, reducing the stress on the tibialis anterior.
Tips on Avoiding Winter Weight Gain
The New Year is upon us and for some, new resolutions are made to lose those holiday pounds and to get in shape. During the winter months, however, many people have a pretty hard time keeping their weight under control. As the days get short and dark, many of us crave carbohydrate-rich foods. Breads, potatoes and pasta become irresistible, not to mention cookies, cake and donuts. And carbohydrates beget more carbohydrates. One potato chip invites another. And who has ever been able to keep a resolution to eat just one oreo? All that delicious food combined with a low level of activity tends to make a person go into hibernation. Hibernation leads to lots of excess weight, which of course needs to be dropped once again in time for warmer weather and bathing suit season.
This winter, you can take charge of your waist line and your health by applying some of these common sense tips on how to never gain those extra pounds in the first place!
First of all, don’t deny yourself all of the things you love. People who diet by refusing themselves treats (a candy bar here and there, a latte) tend to gain more weight than people who occasionally indulge themselves. It’s human nature not to be happy about removing something from your life that you want-so when you fail, you fail big. It’s OK to have a candy bar once in a while, or a latte. But do it in moderation. Don’t eat the second candy bar, or have the latte every day. If you give yourself a reward or two when you deserve it, weight loss won’t have to control your life, and you won’t annoy your friends and family by counting calories all the time!
Take a walk and enjoy the winter wonders. Or take up that yoga class you’ve always wanted to take! Small choices like these are key to keeping the weight off. The more active you are every day, the less likely you are to pick up extra winter weight. Don’t give in to the temptation to just sit around and be a “couch potato” all weekend, you can find chores to do…even in the winter months! Clean out your closet, or your basement. Shovel the snow, do whatever is necessary to stay active. You’ll end up burning the winter calories, and end up feeling energized and happy that you’ve gotten so much accomplished! If you’re experiencing aches and pains that are preventing you from getting up and getting moving, visit your Doctor of Chiropractic. Gentle spinal manipulation can help you feel better and minimize the chance for injury when you’re working out.
If you slipped up and gained some weight over the holidays, don’t go on crash diets. Lose weight fast diets don’t give you the nutrients you need or the discipline needed to keep the weight off when the diet is through. Stick to eating three healthy meals a day and avoid fast food. If you have a sweet tooth, don’t sit down and eat the entire chocolate cake, have an apple, or a banana instead. Get in some moderate exercise 3 to 4 times a week for at least a half hour. Do this and you’ll be much happier, and lose more winter weight faster than with the quick fix diets. You can also remove some of the “extras” from your routine. Drink your coffee black, cream and sugar add a ton of calories. Cut back on chocolate and other sweets unless it’s an occasional thing, skip the cheese and mayo on your sandwich at lunch, skip the soda in favor of some tea (but no sugar!), and look at your daily food choices and try to cut out the extra calories. In no time at all, you’ll shed those extra pounds and you’ll have more energy to do the things you love to do!
High Blood Pressure and Chiropractic in the News
Research indicates Blood Pressure can be lowered Naturally
According to Mayo Clinic, High Blood Pressure is a common condition in which the force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease. Uncontrolled high blood pressure increases your risk of serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke. Common treatment options include various medications and lifestyle changes including exercise and diet, however, a recent study documents significant decrease in blood pressure following one specialized Chiropractic ‘Atlas Adjustment’, indicating that Chiropractic may be a natural treatment option for lowering high blood pressure.
Study validates decrease in blood pressure
Results published online in the March 2007 Issue of Journal of Human Hypertension validate decrease in blood pressure after an ‘Atlas Adjustment’ is equivalent to taking two blood pressure drugs simultaneously.
A Chicago-area study of 50 individuals with misaligned Atlas vertebrae (located high in the neck) documents reduced blood pressure following one specialized chiropractic “adjustment” and continued results after eight weeks. The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing public awareness of the benefits of chiropractic, points out that these results, as published in the March 2, 2007 online issue of the Journal of Human Hypertension, are equal to taking two blood-pressure drugs simultaneously.
According to lead author George Bakris, M.D., director of the hypertension center at the University of Chicago Medical Center, unlike other vertebrae, which interlock one to the next, the Atlas (also known as C-1) relies solely upon soft tissue (muscles and ligaments) to maintain alignment. It is uniquely vulnerable to displacement which can occur without pain and often goes undetected and untreated.
Individuals enrolled in the study displayed high blood pressure and misaligned C-1. Half of the patients received a customized, tailor-made adjustment while the other half received a “sham intervention,” designed to be indistinguishable to the patients from an authentic adjustment. Eight weeks after undergoing procedures, 25 patients with early-stage high blood pressure had significantly lower blood pressure than 25 similar patients who underwent the sham adjustment.
Compared to the sham-treated patients, those who received the customized procedure saw an average 14 mm Hg greater drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure count), and an average 8 mm Hg greater drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom blood pressure number). None of the patients took blood pressure medicine during the eight-week study.
“This study confirms the value of chiropractic adjustment to significantly lower blood pressure in patients with a misaligned C-1,” states Gerard W. Clum, D.C. president of Life Chiropractic College West, Hayward, California, and spokesperson for the Foundation. “These findings are significant because they demonstrate to patients the benefits of incorporating chiropractic into their lives.”
Source: Foundation for Chiropractic Progress
Spinal Manipulation and Home Exercises Better than Medication for Relieving Neck Pain
Annals of Internal Medicine Jan. 3, 2012
Most people experience neck pain within their lifetime. While not serious, neck pain can interfere greatly with daily activities. Usual care for neck pain may include medication or chiropractic, yet there has been little published evidence about the efficacy of spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) for neck pain. Researchers conducted a randomized trial to test the hypothesis that SMT is more effective than medication or home exercise with advice for acute and subacute neck pain. Two-hundred-seventy-two patients aged 18 to 65 with nonspecific neck pain for two to 12 weeks were randomly assigned to receive SMT, medication, or home exercise with advice for 12 weeks. Up to one year after treatment, patients having 12 weeks of SMT reported greater pain relief than patients in the medication group. Patients in the home exercise with advice group reported just as much pain relief as those in the SMT group over the same period. However, patients having SMT reported that they were more satisfied with care than those in either of the other groups. The researchers conclude that SMT and home exercise are similarly effective to each other and both are more effective than medication for neck pain.
Stand like Prince Charles to banish back pain: Surprising and simple ways to transform your health
For perfect posture — and to reduce back pain, among a host of other things — interlink your fingers from each hand behind your back, just like Prince Charles.
This will open up your chest and get your shoulders back and down, reversing the slumping posture many people have while sitting. Poor posture will throw the body out of its correct alignment, so certain muscles become overworked, while others, such as the stomach muscles, start to weaken through lack of use. This can cause undue stress and strain, especially on the lower back.