Sports Injuries

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Key Ways Runners Can Benefit from Chiropractic Care

Running is one of Americans’ favorite forms of exercise. The reasons for its popularity are simple — it can be done almost anywhere, takes no special equipment, and burns lots of calories. Running also offers a great many health benefits such as weight control, decreased blood pressure and cholesterol, and relief from stress.

Everything with running is fabulous, right up until the time you hear a snap, crack, or pop. The downside of all the wonderful benefits is that running causes its share of injuries to the body.

The Ohio State Chiropractic Association presents an alarming statistic that two-thirds of runners will be injured in some way. Tendonitis, shin splints, ankle sprains, hip pain, and knee strains are a few of the many injuries brought on or exacerbated by a regular running routine.

What is a runner to do?

It’s important to take common sense precautions to not get injured in the first place. Purchasing high quality shoes and respecting the body’s limits are two excellent choices.

Another great choice is committing to chiropractic care. Regular runners can reap many positive results from visiting a chiropractor. Three big benefits chiropractic care offers for runners are the following:

Increased Range of Motion

Loose and relaxed joints allow for greater flexibility and movement, all of which benefit a runner’s gait and time. A study published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine found evidence that a chiropractic treatment regimen increased mobility in the hips over time.

While chiropractic care does not guarantee an individual will experience an increase in speed, unrestricted joints and better range of motion will definitely help a person move more freely and stand a better chance of avoiding running injuries.

Decreased Healing Time for Injuries

Unfortunately, runners frequently deal with injuries, some of which take weeks or months to heal. For dedicated runners, a serious injury is terrible news.

The first action for runners after they have been injured is to stop running so it can heal. Most runners do not want to risk losing the stamina that interrupting their routine brings on.

Chiropractors can work with runners who have injured themselves from the repetitive motion of running regularly. By using chiropractic adjustments, chiropractors can promote healing in the body as a whole. Runners love this because they want to get back to hoofing it as quickly as possible.

Minimized Instances of Becoming Injured

A spine out of alignment can cause other parts of the body to be weaker and more susceptible to injury. One part of the body compensating for another that is off kilter is one common way runners end up hurt.

Chiropractic treatment helps to keep the spine in alignment, which can have a ripple effect through the body. Regular adjustments can reduce the negative impact the jarring motion of running has on a person’s body, and help avoid running-relating injuries on the front end.

Running is a popular exercise routine for many, and yields a multitude of positive results to a person’s health and well-being. By taking proper steps to minimize the chance of injury, runners can enjoy the good points running brings to the table and steer clear of the bad.

Chiropractic care can be an effective part of making certain your body is in prime running condition and resistant to injury. If a person ends up dealing with an injury, chiropractic treatment may be able to boost healing time.

Ready! Set! Go!

If you are a runner and would like to talk further about the benefits chiropractic care offers you, contact us today for a consultation.

 

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How Chiropractic Care Eases the Three Most Common Types of Back Pain

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Do you suffer with back pain? Well, you’re not alone. According to the American Chiropractic Association, back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work, and the second most common reason for visiting a doctor (only behind upper respiratory infections).

Why is back pain so common? There is more than one answer to that question. A large number of back pain patients suffer because of the following three reasons:

They have suffered a back injury

Individuals can hurt their backs by lifting heavy objects, overexerting themselves, or moving the wrong way. The muscles and ligaments in the back can be twisted and damaged.

Back pain that is the result of a recent injury is called acute pain, meaning it comes on suddenly. Acute pain is usually temporary, so when the injury heals, the pain lessens or disappears completely. Over the counter medications such as analgesics, topical creams, and anti-inflammatory drugs help manage back pain caused from an injury but don’t necessary fix the problem.

Chiropractic care is another way to lessen acute pain and feel more comfortable. By adjusting the spine, chiropractors can relax the muscles, and relieve acute pain faster than simply “suffering through” the injury.

They battle a medical condition or illness

Unfortunately, there are several illnesses that can cause back pain. Fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, inflammatory diseases of the joints, and scoliosis are some of the common conditions that cause back pain. Because the conditions create pain that lasts longer periods of time, this type of pain is considered to be chronic pain.

Chronic pain is an entirely different animal than acute pain, and patients who suffer with it often look for options outside of traditional medication. Chiropractic care is an excellent choice in dealing with chronic back pain.

Adjustments to the spine can promote healing in all areas of a person’s body, as well as provide relief from the pain. Chiropractic care for medical conditions sometimes takes a bit longer to show results, so the patient must be committed to the treatment plan the chiropractor suggests in order to enjoy the maximum benefits of chiropractic.

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Event coverage for 2016

We are pleased to announce that our office will be providing ART Performance Care race coverage for the following events in 2016

4/16/16 – Breakneck Ridge, Beacon, NY http://rednewtracing.com
5/7/16 – Spring Dual for CF, New Paltz, NY, http://springdualagainstcf.com
5/15/16 – American Zofingen, New Paltz, NY, http://www.active.com/new-paltz-ny/american-zofingen-2016
6/22/16 Summer Solstice Run, Minnewaska State Park, NY, http://shawangunkrunners.com/2016-races/
7/11, 7/18, 7/25, 8/1 Shawangunk Running Club Summer Series, New Paltz, NY, http://shawangunkrunners.com/2016-races
9/11/16 Survival of the Shawangunks, New Paltz, NY, http://sostriathlon.com
10/1/16 The Cat’s Tail, Phonecia, NY, http://rednewtracing.com

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Bill Weinstein lecture on Dry Needling this Monday December 9th

Bill Weinstein, L.Ac. will be speaking at the Saugerties Public Library this coming Monday, December 9, from 6:00-8:00 PM.

Acupuncture, including a recent development commonly referred to “dry needling,” grows from an ancient lineage with branches in many cultures. Several thousand years of recorded practice demonstrate its efficacy and its safety. How does it work? A modern understanding of the nervous system has begun to elucidate the actual mechanisms underlying acupuncture’s action. “A Modern View of Acupuncture” will provide an overview of the history, practice, and physiology of acupuncture and its latter-day descendent, dry needling.

For directions to the Saugerties Library click this link http://goo.gl/maps/DtqyE

William Weinstein, L.Ac. has been an acupuncturist for more than eleven years. He has written about acupuncture for publications as diverse as Hudson Valley Business Journal and European Journal of Oriental Medicine.

William Weinstein, M.S., L.Ac., Dipl. NCCAOM
William Weinstein, Licensed Acupuncturist
845.255.2070
3 Cherry Hill Road, Suite A (at Performance Sports & Wellness), New Paltz NY 12561.
www.weinsteinacu.com

Modern Acupuncture
Integrated Systemic Dry Needling for Sports Injuries and Trauma Rehabilitation

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Dry Needling now available at Performance Sports & Wellness

William Weinstein, L.Ac., Licensed Acupuncturist (located at Performance Sports and Wellness with Dr. David Ness), is now certified in Integrative Systemic Dry Needling for Sports Injuries and Trauma Rehabilitation by the American Dry Needling Institute. Dr. Yun-tao Ma, institute director, is an internationally respected expert in the field, teaching in Europe and China as well as the U.S. Dry needling is currently a sought-after treatment modality in use by professional and Olympic athletes around the world. See www.weinsteinacu.com for more information or call 845-255-2070. Find information about dry needling at http://dryneedlingcourse.com/.

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Muscle of the Month – The Hamstrings

Hello and welcome to May’s Muscle of the Month! It’s warm and wonderful outside. Running, hiking, and walking in the beautiful weather is a welcome change from those dark winter months that never seemed to end. So while you’re out there, don’t forget to stretch – especially your hamstrings.

Hamstring

What’s a hamstring?

“Hamstrings” is a term most people use to refer to the muscles on the backs of their legs, but there are three separate muscles in that area: semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris. All three muscles bend the knee and extend the hip because all three muscles cross the hip and knee joints (apart from the short head of the biceps femoris which only bends the knee because it only crosses the knee joint).

How to locate the hamstrings:

The hamstring muscles (semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and long head of the biceps femoris) start on your sits bones (ischial tuberosities) and go down the leg to the back of the knee. The semitendinosus and semimembranosus on the inside of your thigh, and the biceps femoris on the outside of your thigh. If you bend your knee, you can feel strong tendons right above your knee where your hamstrings end.

What do the hamstrings do?:

Bending the knee and extending the hip are key motions in running, walking, climbing and virtually all other forms of locomotion. Winding up for a kick or jump will also engage the hamstrings.

Common pains and problems with hamstrings:

Hamstring TP

When your hamstring is cramped, torn, painful or “acting up,” you feel it. It’s a very big group of muscles. We’ve all had those moments when we spend the better part of a day with a leg up on a table stretching our poor, neglected hamstrings. But even when you’re not in pain, hamstring tightness is huge in limiting flexibility of the spine and legs. Not being able to touch your toes may not seem like a big deal, but that lack of motion directly effects your low back. Chronically tight hamstrings can flatten the lower back, causing your spine to lose some very important curves. Lack of movement can lead to pain, chronic tightness, bad posture, arthritis, and subluxation. Trigger points can refer pain over a large part of the back of the thigh.

How to stretch the hamstrings:

Hamstring Stretch

Because it’s used nearly all the time that we are moving, the hamstrings need their own dose of TLC and stretching. Stretching the hamstring is easy because it’s such a big muscle. Start by standing. Walk your left foot out about two feet. Straighten your left knee and push your hips back. You should feel a deep stretch in the back of your left leg. Be careful not to put your hands over your left knee. You can put your hands on your thigh or your calf, but never apply pressure on an extended joint as it can cause damage to that joint. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and switch legs. Repeat three times for a thorough stretch.

Injuries to the hamstrings can be relieved with active release technique, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, and other bodywork techniques.   For increased flexibility of the hamstrings try Yoga, Tai Chi, Karate or other martial arts.

Be sure to visit Performance Sports and Wellness for a full evaluation of your hamstring pain or tightness and to ask any questions you may have.

Don’t have any hamstring pain to complain of? Great! Send this article to someone you know who does.

About Dr. Swann: Dr. Casey Swann graduated from Southern California University of Health Sciences with her Doctorate of Chiropractic in spring 2012. She is full body certified in Active Release Technique and holds certifications in Graston Technique, Cox Technique and Kinesiotaping.  She practices at Performance Sports and Wellness with Dr. David Ness in New Paltz & Poughkeepsie.

References:

picture 1: www.athleticquickness.com

picture 2: www.triggerpoints.net

picture 3: www.teachpe.com

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Track & Field Injuries in adolescents

As the Track and Field season kicks into high gear we are seeing more and more lower extremity injuries in our office in high school and college athletes.  Some of the most common injuries we are seeing are shin splints, plantar fasciitis, knee pain, ITB Syndrome, runners knee, and hip pain.  The most common cause of adolescent running injuries are; over training, poor bio-mechanics  lower crossed syndrome, incorrect footwear, lack of core strength and stability.  All of the above conditions if left untreated can lead to stress fractures anywhere from the spine down to the foot.

The body is a machine and it is designed to work synchronously when running is involved.  Normally the knees line up under the hips and above the ankle or foot.  There can be slight variations between boys and girls with girls being more prone to a little more angle at the knee due to the shape of the female pelvic bones.  When things don’t line up right and your running track & field, stress gets placed on different parts of the body that over time with the volume and intensity of track will lead to any of the above conditions.  Another cause of improper stability is a lack of core stabilization.  Today’s children’s posture is so poor that they have no core stabilization or flexibility, which when you are a track and field athlete is a recipe for injury.

How do you know the difference between muscle strain and injury?  Most injuries begin with some muscle pain or joint pain.  Normal aches and pains can be expected in the beginning of the season and after intense track workouts.  Pain that doesn’t go away after 2-3 days should be considered abnormal.  If a child continues to run with pain compensations happen throughout the body that can worsen the current injury or create a new one.

Below is a brief description of some of the conditions we see in our office, and in the Vassar College Athletic department where I have just finished my third season as the chiropractor and Active Release Techniques provider.

Plantar Fasciitis: pain  and swelling in the arch of the foot.  Cause: improper arch support, foot weakness.

Shin Splints: pain anywhere along the shin bone. Cause; stress reaction in the bone from overuse,  improper bio-mechanics

Achilles Pain:: pain in the tendon above the ankle.  Cause:  Tight calves and foot muscles, overuse, bio-mechanics

ITB Syndrome/ Runners Knee/ Patella Femoral Tracking Disorder: pain in the knee.  Cause: Bio-mechanics, lack of stability and overuse.

Piriformis Syndrome / Hip pain: Cause: Bio-mechanics, lack of stability,  and overuse.

Stress Fractures: stress fractures can occur anywhere in bones from the foot to the hip.  The most common are stress fractures of the foot,  followed by the lower leg, hip, pelvis, and spine.  Most stress fractures will prevent an athlete from running normally and will present with acute pain with running.  In the past few years we have seen more stress fractures in the femur and sacrum which mimic lower back pain.

The bottom line is that track & field is a highly intense and repetitive motion sport.  If your child is not bio-mechanically sound or is beginning to experience pain in their bodies they should be checked out by a sports medicine professional. In our office we use slow motion video gait analysis, and functional movement assessment to determine the underlying causes of most running injuries.   Most of the injuries when caught early can be corrected allowing the athlete to continue to participate in their sport.  If you wait too long to have something looked at, and your child is unable to run without pain, the injury  may lead to the athlete being shut down for a period of time for the injured area to heal,  and for the underlying problem to be identified and corrected.  Injuries that keep reoccurring are a sign that the real problem has not been identified or the proper treatment hasn’t been received.  A proper diagnosis needs to be found so the proper treatment and rehab program can be administered.  In our office we use ART to treat most soft tissue injuries, and corrective exercise prescription to address bio-mechanical deficiencies.  Most of our patients recover within weeks instead of months because of the speed in which ART treatment works, sometimes within 4-6 treatments over a few weeks.

Dr. Ness has been in private practice since 1988 with offices in New Paltz and Poughkeepsie.  He is the official chiropractor and Active Release Techniques provider for the Vassar College Athletic Dept, and the Hudson Valley  Triathlon club.  He has cared for hundreds of injured runners and triathletes from pro’s and elite age groupers to weekend warriors and beginners.  If your child has pain or an injury that hasn’t responded to treatment call us today at 845-255-1200,  or you can email Dr. Ness by filling out our contact form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Muscle of the month, The Scalenes

Scalenes- Muscle of the Month By: Dr. Casey Swann

 

Scalenes: A very important muscle in your neck and chest. The scalene muscles are a pair of muscles located in the front of your neck on either side down to your first two ribs. Each side is divided into three separate sections that each do slightly different actions.

Scalene

The anterior and middle scalenes bend the head to the side, flexes the neck forward, and lifts the first rib. The posterior scalene does the same actions except it attaches to the second rib. All three divisions will help you breathe when you need them.

It is good to know how to stretch and loosen your scalenes for a few reasons. Those reasons are called the brachial plexus, the subclavian artery, and breathing.

The brachial plexus is a network of nerves that control your entire arm. The nerves originate from the spine and pass between the anterior and middle scalenes on their way down your arm. Tight scalenes can restrict the movement or impulses down these nerves leading to numbness, tingling, and loss of motor control.

The subclavian artery is the blood vessel that brings blood to the entire arm. The subclavian artery also passes between the middle and anterior scalenes and can be restricted as well. Cold or loss of feeling in the fingers when the arm is raised overhead may mean your scalenes are cutting off the circulation to your arms.

scalene2

The scalenes can also become tight from stress. When we become stressed, we stop breathing from our bellies like we did as babies or when we sleep. Our chest tightens and our ribs stop moving down and out. The scalenes come to the rescue by helping lift our ribs to get more air in our lungs. By doing this chronically, our scalenes become tight and keep our chest lifted permanently leading to a tight, uncomfortable neck and chest.

Take a moment to notice your breathing now. Put one hand on your chest just below your collarbone and the other hand on your belly. Now take a deep breath. How much of that movement in your ribcage came from your chest? How much from your belly? 80% of your movement should have come from your belly and 20% from your upper chest. Did you notice how far up your shoulders went? If you don’t have lungs in your shoulders, why are you using them to breathe?

Another way the scalenes can become tight is from bad posture. Of course, we all assume our posture can be better, and this is probably true. Slumping at our desks or computers will cause upper cross syndrome (shoulders rolled forward, forward head carriage, tight and weak upper back, tight and weak chest). When the scalenes are tight, they flex the head forward, and this is hard on the neck. Just like when you hold a heavy object in your hands, holding that object closer to the body is easier that holding it far away from the body. You head becomes much heavier – about 30 lbs heavier (see image below). Imagine what that does to your spine? This can lead to degeneration in your vertebrae and arthritis in your neck. When the head slips forward, it also changes the orientation of your jaw and can cause headaches, TMJ issues, and neck pain.

Anterior Head Posture

Stretching the scalenes is relatively easy. Start by sitting in a chair. Put your right hand under your bottom and sit on it. This pins the shoulder down so that your neck can stretch without raising the shoulder. Tilt your head directly to the left bringing your left ear towards your left shoulder. If you don’t feel much of a stretch, bring your left hand up to LIGHTLY pull your head down towards the left more. Hold for 10 breaths. Repeat this stretch tilting the head slightly in front of and behind the shoulder as well. This stretch can also be done lying down. See picture below.

Scalene Stretch

Other ways to relax your scalenes include Active Release Technique, massage, acupuncture, postural changes, physical therapy, and heat.

Be sure to visit Performance Sports and Wellness for a full evaluation on your neck and to ask any questions you may have.

Don’t have any neck pain to complain of? Great! Send this article to someone you know who does.

Dr. Casey Swann graduated from Southern California University of Health Sciences with her Doctorate of Chiropractic in spring 2012. She is full body certified in Active Release Technique and holds certifications in Graston Technique, Cox Technique and Kinesiotaping.  She practices at Performance Sports and Wellness with Dr. David Ness in New Paltz & Poughkeepsie.

References:

Picture 1 – Gray’s Anatomy

Picture 2 – Adam, Inc.

Picture 3 (figure 1) – erikdalton.com

Picture 4 – Travel and Simons’ Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual