River of Life Chiropractic and Wellness blog
1 FOLLOWERS
Your Health And Wellness Experts Serving Grand Traverse County
River of Life Chiropractic and Wellness blog
8M ago
It’s all too often that we hear about patients having tingling or asleep hands when they wake up. Often this is purely due to sleep position. Let’s talk about nerve traction and what is happening here physiologically.
There are 3 main nerves that supply sensation down the arm and into the hand: ulnar, median, and radial. Each of these nerves begin with roots in the neck before traveling down through the underarm and into the arm. Each of these nerves can be stretched or subjected to traction via different positions. The ulnar nerve, for example, gets stretched to its max in this position:
Ther ..read more
River of Life Chiropractic and Wellness blog
8M ago
Osteoporosis is a condition that comes on very gradually – it can begin as early as in your mid-20s. Thus, it is crucial to maximize your bone density early on so that you have a solid foundation moving forward. Resistance training is without a doubt the best way to build bone density. By challenging the bones with some sort of resistance, the body will respond by laying down new bone.
Unfortunately, most people don’t realize they’re in danger of having osteoporosis until it’s already upon them. In this case, follow the same road map. Resistance training will achieve the same outcome, but the ..read more
River of Life Chiropractic and Wellness blog
8M ago
When a patient tells me they have osteoporosis or osteopenia, I want them to physiologically understand what’s happening in their bones. Let’s quickly break down the underlying mechanism behind these conditions. The first concept to understand is that Osteoporosis is a severe form of Osteopenia. I’ve had patients try to separate them into two categories when they are in fact the same mechanism.
So, what exactly happens in these bones at the cellular level? Essentially the bones lose mass and become more porous. They almost look like Swiss cheese as demonstrated by the below image.
Here’s what ..read more
River of Life Chiropractic and Wellness blog
8M ago
Ankle sprains are all too common – most athletes have had one at one point or another. If you Google ‘’treatment for my ankle sprain’’, you’ll be inundated with articles on RICE (rest, ice, elevation, and rest). While parts of RICE may help you feel better in the short term, it does little to help long term. At our office we often discuss this with patients and help them to look at their injury in a different way.
At River of Life we take a different, more active approach to acute soft tissue injury. We utilize deep tissue laser therapy to quickly mitigate inflammation and fuel the inter ..read more
River of Life Chiropractic and Wellness blog
8M ago
Plantar fasciitis (PF) can be one of the trickiest soft tissue conditions to get rid of – especially since any time we’re standing this tissue is under tension. If you need a refresher on this condition and its causes, click here before reading on.
Most clinicians will suggest rest, ice, and taking some sort of anti-inflammatory to treat PF. While these may help and cause some relief, they don’t at all get to the root of the issue. Here’s a few suggestions to consider if you’re experiencing plantar fascia pain.
First, think about your footwear. If a certain pair of shoes exacerbates things, ex ..read more
River of Life Chiropractic and Wellness blog
8M ago
You might think that a regular stretching routine is only important for athletes, but nothing could be further from the truth. A regular stretching routine is important for each of us. When we go even just a few days without stretching, our muscles shorten and become tight. The results? Poor flexibility, limited range of motion, and weakened muscles. Longer-term consequences include, but are not limited to, poor posture, joint pain (think shoulders and hips), low back pain, strains, and muscle damage.
The good news? Stretching is simple, requires little to no equipment, and can be done daily b ..read more
River of Life Chiropractic and Wellness blog
8M ago
Most everyone has heard of plantar fasciitis (PF), especially if you’ve been unfortunate enough to have had it at some point. Let’s take a closer look at its etiology. The plantar fascia is a thick fibrous band that attaches at the bottom of the heel bone and runs along the length of the foot, eventually splaying out and attaching at the metatarsal heads. Its function is to support and stabilize the arch of the foot by absorbing the force we produce while loading the foot.
Although PF pain typically manifests the same (heel pain, typically worse in the morning), the causes of plantar fasciiti ..read more
River of Life Chiropractic and Wellness blog
8M ago
Even if you’ve not yet heard the phrase, ‘Text Neck,’ you can probably guess what it is. Because, yes – Text Neck Syndrome is, in fact, a thing: it refers to a neck injury caused by keeping one’s head bent in a forward position for extended periods of time.
An adult’s head weighs on average 10 lbs. The further your head is tilted forward the more pressure is placed on your spine, as you can see in the image below:
To put this in perspective, the force on your neck and upper back by tilting your head forward at a 60-degree angle is the equivalent of placing 6 gallons of milk on the back ..read more
River of Life Chiropractic and Wellness blog
8M ago
Have foot pain and feel like you’re walking on an invisible pebble in the ball of your foot? Perhaps you have a Morton’s Neuroma. A neuroma may sound like a dire diagnosis but it’s fairly common and treatable. A neuroma forms when the tissue around the toes’ nerve endings increase and put pressure on these nerves. The result is that burning, tingling, numb feeling in the tips of the toes that can sometimes mimic that “walking on a pebble” feeling.
If you feel this is your issue, consider adjusting your footwear to create more space in the toe box. Tight ski boots and running shoes are jus ..read more
River of Life Chiropractic and Wellness blog
8M ago
River of Life Chiropractic and Wellness in Traverse City is excited to offer cutting edge new shockwave therapy in our office. This quick and effective therapy drastically reduces pain! It targets inflammation, controlling it naturally, while also increasing blood circulation. Additionally, shockwave is great at activating connective tissue for rapidly improved healing. In only 4-6 treatments patients typically experience significant improvement or even resolution of their condition.
Shockwave is safe and effective for shoulder conditions, including rotato ..read more