Category: Neck Pain

Is Your Lifestyle Hurting You?

Posted on by Ortho Cure

Parents are always telling their children to sit up straight, and not to slouch.  Good posture evokes a sense of confidence, youth, and beauty.  But did you know that studies show poor posture to be related to an increased incidence of disease and death?  It’s true!

 

Dr. Henry Winsor was the first to publish this kind of study.  He autopsied 50 cadavers and found 139 diseased organs.  Each of these organs was traced back via its nerve supply to a spinal curve distortion, most of these being minor spinal misalignments (also known as subluxations). 

 

More recently, Dr. Kado published a study in the Journal of Geriatrics that correlated accentuated mid-back curves with an increased death rate and increased incidence of heart disease.  

 

Posture is now the number one predictor of early onset of Alzheimer’s disease.  90% of the information to the brain every day comes from our posture.  In other words, the sense of where our body is in space called proprioception.  If this information is poor, caused by bad posture, our brain cells start dying at a rate of two square centimeters per year. 

 

These studies support long-standing chiropractic principles.  Our health is directly related to proper alignment and motion of the spine.  There are three parts of our spine, the neck (cervical), mid-back (thoracic), and low back (lumbar). The neck and low back have a reverse c-shape called a lordosis, while the mid-back has a c-shaped curve called a kyphosis.  These normal spinal curves must be maintained within normal ranges.  Poor posture is one of the things that alter the proper shape of our spine, leading to more strain and pressure on our spinal joints.  The result is irritation and pressure on spinal nerves as they exit the vertebral column, which creates a reduction in nerve flow and blood supply to the various organs where that nerve goes.  This leads to eventual dysfunction and disease.  Not only at the spinal level in the form of spinal decay leading to arthritis, but also at the vital organ level.  Any diseases may be linked to spinal subluxations.  For example, the most common postural faults occur at the upper back and base of the neck.  These areas connect neurologically with the heart and lungs.  Subluxations in these areas can lead to premature cardiopulmonary disease and death.

 

Poor posture has become an epidemic.  We are constantly sitting in front of our laptops and computers.  Sitting is thought to be the new “smoking”.  And “text neck”, caused by constantly looking down at our cell phones is leading to degenerative changes in our neck in young teens and adults today. 

 

Chiropractors are specially trained to correct postural distortions and remove nervous system interference before it leads to disease.  They perform computerized and other posture analysis along with x-rays and a thorough spinal examination to evaluate one’s posture.  They then perform specialized treatment, known as spinal adjustments, along with recommending exercises and orthopedic devices that begin to restore one’s natural posture.  As this happens, the amount of stress hormone in the body decreases, muscle tone improves and neurological improvements are noted.  As this happens, our overall health and vitality improve.

 

Preventative medicine is the best medicine.  Everyone should visit a chiropractor regularly for spinal “tune-ups”.  Maintenance prolongs life.    We do it for a car so why not for ourselves?  And remember, sit up straight, it could save your life!

 

Dr. Vikas Puri 

B.Sc., D.C, Toronto, Canada

President and Co-Founder of Intelligent Health Group.

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Orthocure Clinic Welcomes Finest Chiropractor in Gurgaon & India

At Orthocure Clinics, we are proud to offer Chiropractic Care.Chiropractors are exclusive to Orthocure Clinics in Gurgaon. We are only one of less than a dozen chiropractic clinics across India, and the only one with multidisciplinary health team consisting of orthopaedic specialists, advanced physiotherapists and Chiropractors working in synergy as a team to ensure you get the best results possible.  Our Chiropractors are foreign doctors from Europe and North America.  They bring a vast array of unique and innovative methods with them that ensure successful outcomes.   To ensure excellence in execution and clinical outcomes, Orthocure is partnered with Intelligent Health Group, a Canadian based Chiropractic and multi-disciplinary group to ensure our protocols are cutting edge and yield success

What is a chiropractor?

A Doctor of Chiropractic is neuromusculoskeletal specialist with specialization in spinal disorders who treats the patient using advanced chiropractic adjustments either manually or with a chiropractic adjuster.

Chiropractic Health Care is a practice that dates to 125 years.  It was discovered after a deaf man began to hear after treatment to his neck!

Chiropractors go through a great deal of education and training to get their Doctor of Chiropractor degree.  This education involves a 4-years program including residency after a 3-4-years university program.

How can a chiropractor help you?

Physical, chemical and emotional stresses build up in the human body and manifest in the spine as an area of extreme tension and stress, this is called vertebral subluxation complex (VSC).  This is where joints in our spine lose their normal movement and alignment, creating abnormal pressure on the nerve that exits that level and initiates stress hormone, cortisol, to be released into our body. The weight equivalent to that of a small coin on a nerve can reduce the nerves flow by 60%!  If the joint has locked out of proper alignment, nerve flow from the brain, down the spine, out to the organs and body will be reduced, and our health decreases.  High cortisol levels, shut down our immune system, gastrointestinal system, and reproductive systems first, followed by other body systems causing sickness, pain and other symptoms.   If the brain communicates better with the rest of the body and gives it proper instruction as it is designed to, your body works better!  It is the secret to improving every aspect of your health and well-being.

There is a tremendous amount of research proving chiropractic improves every aspect of your health, by increasing the nervous system function.

How does a chiropractor treat a patient?

Chiropractors are specially trained to diagnose and treat all nerve, muscle, tissue, and joint problems arising from the spine.  This is done through a highly specific, safe and effective treatment called the “chiropractic adjustment”.   The adjustment is a gentle yet specific movement into a spinal joint that has lost its normal motion. Treatments can be done through mechanical instruments or by hand.  The chiropractic treatment is unlike any other and can only be done with extensive training.  Unfortunately, patients will not know that they have subluxations as they are often painless.  Only when the body can no longer cope, symptoms begin to get noticed.

Chiropractic is useful for pain relief and wellness care.  It is both curative and preventive.  As dental checkups and cleaning are necessary for the prevention of tooth decay, regular, periodic adjustments prevent spinal decay.  Everyone with a spine needs chiropractic.

What are the conditions treated by a chiropractor?

Chiropractors are known best for treating

  • Neck pain
  • Low back pain
  • Ankle Injury
  • Sciatica
  • Spinal disorders
  • Orthopaedic problems
  • Radiating pain…etc.

However, the benefits of care have a global effect, improving your overall health by enhancing your nervous system function.

Why choose Orthocure Clinic for getting treated by a Chiropractor in Gurgaon & India?

As of this moment we are the only facility to provide genuine chiropractor in Gurgaon.

Orthocure is the only multidisciplinary clinic of its kind in India, where Orthopedic specialists and advanced physiotherapists work alongside Doctor of Chiropractic.

For an appointment with the chiropractor please fill this form

FIND THE BEST TREATMENT NOW

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WINTER ACHES & PAINS

 

Winters are around the corner, bringing relief from the scorching hot summers and leading towards this year’s festive season. The festive season starts with Dusshera & Diwali and continues till Christmas & New Year’s Eve. Most people have various events and activities to plan during this time which requires a lot of recreational work like cleaning the house, office, new decoration, etc. All these activities require a lot of physical work like lifting heavy bags, moving furniture, continuously moving upstairs and downstairs, etc. All these strenuous activities most of the times result in physical stress and end up in chronic aches and pains. These activities also make people prone to muscle injuries, joint pains, and physical wear and tear. Most people ignore the initial symptoms which result in chronic pain and injuries sometimes resulting in minor or major surgeries.

Orthocure Clinics provides a range of services in physiotherapy which not only answers to most of these problems but also advice on how to avoid such physical stress in day to day basis.  Our Physical Therapist Dr. Meenal Sharma talks about how cold weather impacts your joints and muscle pain and how to address it on a day to day basis. A snapshot of the interview with Dr. Meenal Sharma is provided below:

 

Is it common to feel aches and pains?

Dr. Meenal Sharma- First of all, to address aches and pain we need to focus more on the causes of such pains. One of the major causes of such pains is the wrong posture for carrying out day to day activity. Most of the people in winters are packed with a lot of woolen clothes and they tend to clench themselves to preserve heat. However it is important to preserve the heat but

on the other hand, most people don’t understand that with a lot of clothes, people also need to correct their posture for day to day activity. In general, we observe people in winter hunched, shoulder raised, forward head, chin jotting, which results in the tightening of muscles, leading to cramps and pain. With the cold weather kicking in people also get a bit lazy and forget to undertake their regular exercises, leading to increased inactiveness. Aches and Pains only hit people who are more sedentary and don’t carry a good posture.

 

 

 

How does this occur?

Dr. Meenal Sharma- In winters, our joints have less elasticity and the blood supply to our muscles is also less than regular because of the cold environment overall. Besides, inactiveness adds on to muscular weakness and poor posture. To address this we have to keep our body warm and bring a regular movement of joints so that blood supply can be improved. Also, we need to regularly stretch our body and do exercises- both flexibility and strength training.

 Can winters results in weakness of muscles?

Dr. Meenal Sharma – Definitely YES!! But not because of its cold weather, although it is due to increased inactiveness resulting in muscle weakening. The more the movement of the muscle/joints the less will be the problems!! So the idea is to KEEP MOVING!

 

What type of exercises are helpful?

Dr. Meenal Sharma – Staying active in general is helpful. The problem is when it aches we tend to avoid exercises and move as little as possible. But you can avoid it by exercising. You can do any form of exercise which can be as simple as

 

  • Going for a regular WALK,
  • Taking staircases most of the times,
  • Doing some YOGA especially at night which can ease aches and pains and help you sleep better and in general, It is gentle and relaxing.
  • Be sure to STRETCH. Stretches are good to keep you warmed up. Now its time to recall the winter posture which I talked about previously! We have to just do the opposite of that in our stretch regime. A SIMPLE TECHNIQUE- Pulling your body up, lengthening your back, pulling belly muscles in, squeezing your shoulder blades a little bit together to try and maintain better posture. Be in each position for some time and it results in stretching as well!
  • STRENGTH training has to be done 3 times a week to keep your muscles strong. In the winters when the world is hibernating our bodies still have to be ACTIVE. The stronger your body is the healthier it will be and more likely you will overcome winter aches and pains.
  • General mobility Exercises like pumping of ankle and foot, squeezing of hands and making a fist and opening It for better circulation.
  • DRINK more of lukewarm water.
  • Do HOT FOMENTATION twice a day or even can have a bath with Epsom salt hot water to rush that blood flow and soothe your muscles and joints.
  • In case of any swelling still, COLD PACKS are applicable.
  • EAT LIGHT but some days can be cheat days too! You can have chocolates, cakes, watch Netflix, sit back and enjoy winters too!!
  • If you want to stick to an exercise program that boosts strength, increases flexibility and gives you a cardio workout, you can’t beat SWIMMING. It’s easy on your joints and limbs and gives you a full-body workout and stretches out your body relieving aches and pains.

 

Do I need to see a Doctor?

Dr. Meenal Sharma – Do try exercising for at least 15-20 days and be active. If these home remedies aren’t helping and the pain persists, then don’t confuse it with normal winter aches and pain and SPEAK TO YOUR DOCTOR.

 

 

Dr. Meenal Sharma

Physiotherapy Head and Senior Spine Therapist

BPT, MPT, CDNT, CKTT, FOMT, COMT

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Why Good Posture Is Important In Pregnancy?

A good posture can be one of the very important contributions to a healthy pregnancy. Good posture is essential for good health. Proper posture and position can decrease low back and neck pain and fatigue. The wrong posture may not only lead to aches and pain but can lead to injury and harm to the baby.

Poor posture is very common during pregnancy as the baby grows abdominal muscles get stretched and leads to anterior pelvic tilt. Poor posture during pregnancy may cause pain even after the delivery. It is essential to maintain good posture throughout the pregnancy to ease body tension. A good posture will also aid the baby to establish into the proper birthing position.

 

Standing posture

  • Maintain the pelvic tilt, so that your lower back does not sway forward.
  • Chin tucked in. Ears should be in a straight line with your shoulders.
  • Avoid standing in one position for long durations.
  • Wear comfortable shoes, avoid high heels.
  • When doing any task where you are standing for a long time, such as ironing or doing dishes, put one foot up on a step stool or sit on a high stool. This will decrease the sagging of the spine.

Sitting posture

  • Always sit straight and your shoulders, back, and buttocks should touch the back of your chair.
  • Maintain the pelvic tilt and avoid slouching.
  • Sit into a chair so that the length of your thighs is supported by the chair.
  • The knee is in level with your hips.
  • Do not cross your legs that lead to a decrease in circulation.

Lying Posture

  • Best sleeping posture during pregnancy is sleeping on the side.
  • Place the pillow under your abdomen to get relief from back pain.
  • Pillow under abdomen will help to support the weight of the uterus.
  • Place a cushion or a pillow behind your back for support.
  • In case of heartburn during night propping your upper body with a pillow.

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