How’s your posture? It matters. It looks better when you are healthy, but not having good body alignment can also have surprising implications for your health and well-being. Let’s look at five ways bad posture is bad for your mental and physical health. Neck and Back Pain An achy neck or back is one downside to having poor posture. Improper alignment places added strain on muscles that support your spine, whether it’s the cervical spine in your neck or your lumbar spine in your lower back. Neck pain often comes from sitting at a desk, in front of a computer screen, in an ergonomically unfrien ..read more

Do you suffer from chronic back pain? If so, you are not alone, with an estimated 90% of people suffering at some point in their lives. There are so many different causes that it’s easy to consider back pain as a consequence of modern life. Constant discomfort can make life incredibly restrictive, but, fortunately, there are ways to ease the pain to give you the chance to keep doing the things you enjoy. Yoga One of the best ways to ease back pain is to improve posture, and there is nothing quite like yoga for reaching this goal. Practicing yoga regularly for around 20 minutes a day is enoug ..read more

Humanity wouldn’t be much without our joints. That piece of our anatomy that lets us take our ideas and make them into something tangible. Thanks to our anatomy, movement is actually quite fluid and seamless for us. Even as this is typed, I barely have time to think it before my fingers are moving and typing out my ideas and thoughts. Seamless. So wouldn’t it make sense that we take care of the very thing that allows us to be the masters of our environment? Here are a few quick and easy ways that you can protect your joints and make sure you’re moving seamlessly and gracefully into the future ..read more

Arthritis pain can vary in terms of intensity. For example, one might experience slight joint pain, intense pain, or a combination of both, depending on the day and/or activities being performed. Regardless of pain level, those with arthritis often wonder if physical therapy could help ease their symptoms, and the answer here is YES. Physical Therapy Demonstrates How to Move Without Triggering a Flare Often, people with arthritis will avoid making any movements that aren’t necessary, fearing that any excess movement will worsen the problem. However, it’s the opposite that is true; lack of move ..read more

The form of arthritis known as ankylosing spondylitis (AS) principally affects the spine, sometimes the pelvis, and other joints. It is a progressive and painful condition where inflammation can eventually cause joints in the spine to fuse; total fusion is rare and most sufferers experience only partial fusion, which may be limited to the pelvic region. Men and women both can suffer from AS, for reasons unknown, men are three times more likely to be affected. Children, especially those under the age of 12 years, very rarely display signs of the disease. AS may cause severe symptoms in some and ..read more

Share Share Pin Facet joints are located on each side of the vertebrae. These joints connect the vertebrae to one another. When we move, the facet joints allow the spine to move and guide it. When an injury occurs, involving the back, there may be damage to the cartilage inside the joint or the damage could be to the ligaments and muscles that hold them in place. Although the facet joint is small, about the size of a dime, damage to these joints can cause pain. The pain will range from mild to excruciating and can occur anywhere along the spine based on which joint or joints ma ..read more

Share Share Pin Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic. It was developed in the 60’s, and after being approved by the FDA, was used to treat soldiers in Vietnam. It causes a patient to feel disconnected with the body and the pain it’s experiencing and can make it hard to move.   Anesthetic Its use in medicine began as an anesthetic. Unlike other anesthetics, it doesn’t automatically make the patient stop breathing, and instead of lowering blood pressure, it raises it. This makes it particularly useful in emergency trauma situations like ERs and battlefields, where the usual supp ..read more

Share Share Pin General anesthesia is the most common type of anesthesia used for surgery. In some cases, an anesthesiologist has the option to use peripheral nerve blocks. What is a peripheral nerve block? It involves the injection of a local anesthetic in the area of one particular nerve or bundle of nerves. These nerves control sensation and movement in a specific part of the body, which means that the nerve block will numb that area.   Benefits of Peripheral Nerve Blocks Last longer when compared to local anesthesia. More effective for controlling pain compared to intraven ..read more

Share Share Pin It’s one of the most-often repeated fitness tips: make sure you stretch after each workout.  But why is it so important to stretch your muscles?  Here are five reasons that you should stretch out after your workout, and indeed, why you should try and stretch daily. It helps prevent injuries. Tight muscles are more prone to injuries, and a lack of stretching on a regular basis can lead to those injuries that can sideline you for days or weeks.  Taking a few minutes before a tough workout to warm-up through light activity and active stretching is import ..read more

Share Share Pin Joints can ache for any number of reasons. Anything from arthritis, tendonitis, or even overuse can cause the joints to swell and ache. But did you know there are forms of exercise that can help reduce and prevent joint pain? Here are a few of the best exercises you can do before the pain becomes unbearable.     Swimming Swimming is probably one of the friendliest exercises when it comes to joint pain. The consistency of the water acts as a shock absorber, which will limit the risk of injury and additional pain. Swimming allows you to exercise alm ..read more