Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash Going into the third year of the pandemic, there isn’t a single one of us that can say that we are not dealing with some sort of stress. Even in the best of times, life will always manage to throw us a curve-ball and at times it will feel like your stress levels are through the roof! Stress, however, doesn’t just affect mental and emotional health, but also physical health. Did you know stress is perceived by your body as something to fight or run from? In fact, it specifically fires up that part of the nervous system that allows us to run from a predator or ..read more

I know I know; nobody wants to think about snow (except in the mountains!). But after what felt like a direct transition from summer to winter, it's only a matter of time before we get our annual dump of the white stuff here in the valley. Check out these tips for safely clearing your driveway when that day comes!   Photo by Damian McCoig on Unsplash This first point might be more relevant to my home province of Manitoba, where colder temperatures often result in lighter snow, but whenever possible try to get the snow shovelled sooner rather than later. The longer the snow sits, the more ..read more

“Hey doc, I’ve got this pain right here and it’s going down into the butt and sometimes down my leg,” says John, while pointing to the his right side where his low back ends and his pelvis begins. “It hurts when I bend over, when I’m lifting and when I’m getting up from a seated position. I think it might be sciatica.” Sound familiar? A good majority of our Straight Spine Family suffer from sacroiliac joint dysfunction (SID) also known as sacroilitis. It can commonly be mistaken for sciatica because of the radiating pain many experience going down the leg. Sciatica, however, is typically due ..read more

Photo by Allef Vinicius on Unsplash It's that beautiful time of year again! The sun is shining, the weather is beginning to warm up, and plants need to be looked after so the garden can look nice all summer. We've already had some patients in to see us because of an increase in garden work, so I thought it would be a good time to remind everyone how to look after themselves while looking after the flowers. Warm up! Photo by Arek Adeoye on Unsplash Don't get out first thing in the morning and start moving heavy bags of dirt and mulch around. A simple warm up of marching in place or a brief wa ..read more

Here are some simple tips to keep your spine healthy: Alignment The key to having a healthy spine is being straight and balanced. The spine has normal curvatures in a forward/backward direction, but when the spine begins to deviate side to side, the gravitational load on the body increases. This causes areas of increased joint stress and restricted motion which eventually break down and become painful. Remember that the spine is the foundation for all of the movement of your body. Our goal at Straight Spine Chiropractic is to straighten and rebalance your spine, normalizing the forces th ..read more

Every year around New Year’s, we begin seeing messages all around us about starting New Year’s resolutions, taking charge of your health, creating new healthy habits and many more of these messages.  This year will be no different regardless of how difficult 2020 has been for all of us.  In fact, some of these messages are even more important than ever as we combat the “Covid 15” some of us have gained and increased mental and emotional stressors. Balance.  We hear this word a lot when it comes to health and wellness.  It is about creating a balance between social health, m ..read more

Photo by Meta Zahren on Unsplash What is spinal arthritis? When most people think about arthritis, what they’re actually thinking about joint degeneration. The word arthritis more accurately means joint inflammation, which can then lead to joint degeneration. Spinal arthritis refers to inflammation of the joints of the spine and pelvis. There are over 100 different types of arthritis, some with underlying inflammatory or metabolic conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis or gouty arthritis. What most people refer to regarding spinal arthritis is osteoarthritis, which is visible on an x-ray as ..read more

Photo by Payam Tahery on Unsplash Inflammation.  Most people think of inflammation as bad for the body; however, there are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation occurs when the body experiences an injury or an infection.  In order to kick-start the healing process, the body utilizes acute inflammation.  In other words, acute inflammation is a necessary process in the body.  Acute inflammation heals and repairs the body.  This is a short-term response and can result in swelling and tenderness around the area of injury or infection.  Some ..read more

A common question we are asked is whether ice or heat should be used to manage pain. As with most things, the answer is that it depends. The length of time since the injury, type of tissue involved, and underlying conditions can all affect whether ice, heat, or neither are appropriate to managing pain and speeding recovery. Here is a brief explanation that should help guide your recovery. Photo by Bryan Rodriguez on Unsplash Ice is a form of cryotherapy (cold therapy) which is cheap and easy to use. In the initial stages of healing after an injury, ice can be used to manage inflammation and d ..read more

Photo by Deleece Cook on Unsplash Whether or not your kids are heading back to school or staying at home this year for alternative learning options, there are things we can do to help protect kids’ spines are they are growing. Here are a few back pack tips for those kids heading back to classes: Backpacks should never weigh more than 10% of your child’s weight. Backpacks should always be worn on both straps to promote balance thru the spine. Straps on the backpack should be shortened so that the bottom of the pack rests on the top of the pelvis. If the backpack has a waist strap, do u ..read more