Monthly Archives: October 2017
Tips on Sleep and Low Back Pain
Posted on October 30, 2017 by admin
Do you wake up often feeling low back pain? The solution could be the way you sleep at night. What could you do to help prevent that? Continue reading for some tips to help reduce your chances of having low back pain when you wake up in the morning.
The way you sleep can affect how stiff your muscles can be. If you are a side sleeper, you can try slipping a pillow between your legs to help align the spine a bit better. If you are a back sleeper, if possible, try to slip a pillow under your knee to maintain the neutral spine curvature. If you sleep on your stomach, you can put a pillow between the bed and your abdominal to help level out the stress places on your neck.
Picking a mattress could be a solution to your problem. Your mattress should provide some support for your back or else it might be time to switch for another one. Choosing the correct pillow can help reduce your likelihood of experiencing back pain. An ideal pillow should be able to support your head, neck, and shoulders to prevent so much pressure building up on them.
If you are still unsure, you can drop in and see a chiropractor to get treatment for your low back pain and get more tips on a better sleep lifestyle!
Yoga and Inflammation?
Posted on October 23, 2017 by admin
Yoga has been known to help with your stress, however did you know it is beneficial for slowing down inflammation?
By practicing yoga, it has been shown that it increases levels of leptin and adiponectin. These two can help alleviate inflammation occurring in your body. A study has been done and researches discovered that 12 weeks of yoga could slow down cellular aging. They also found that the individuals had lower levels of inflammation and cortisol and higher levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor, which is a protein that helps with brain development.
Many of us should try out yoga once in a while as there are benefits in doing so. It does not require a lot of time so it can be input into your day in the morning or before you head to bed. One example you can try at home is alternate nose breathing.
Overall, there is no harm in experiencing yoga and slowly incorporating this into your daily life as many of us tend to get stressed easily and this can become a go-to stress reliever!
Knee Osteoarthritis
Posted on October 2, 2017 by admin
Do you sometimes experience pain or stiffness in your knees? Have you heard of knee osteoarthritis before? If so, how will you know the pain in your knee is due to this condition or is related to something else?
As mentioned in a previous blog, osteoarthritis is a tear and wear occurring in the cartilage. Knee osteoarthritis is defined as a tear or wear that is located in the cartilage and/or joints in the knee. Some symptoms you may experience if you have knee osteoarthritis are pain, stiffness, swelling, and possibly a grinding sensation during knee movement. Presently, there is no cure for osteoarthritis but there are methods you can do to reduce pain or stiffness.
There are 5 stages for knee osteoarthritis:
- Stage 0: This stage is the “normal” condition where the knee is not inflamed and neither pain or impairment is occurring
- Stage 1: There is minor bone spur growth occurring but usually discomfort or pain is not felt during this stage
- Stage 2: Bone spur is still happening and is considered as a mild stage of this condition but cartilage is still considered “healthy” as this stage
- Stage 3: This stage is classified as the “moderate” stage/condition. The space between the two bones have been decreased and individuals will likely experience stiffness, pain, and/or discomfort. Swelling can also occur at this stage
- Stage 4: During this stage, a lot of pain and discomfort can be felt since the cartilage between the two bones is greatly reduced and is practically almost gone
If you believe you may be experiencing knee osteoarthritis, come see a practitioner here or to your general physician to see what can be done to reduce your pain!