If there is one body part that most people seem to have problems with at some point in life, it must be the back. Back pain is such a common part of modern life that many people just accept it as normal and try to get by as best they can. Of course, anyone in the chiropractic profession or those with knowledge of human anatomy knows that most of the time, back pain isn’t necessary at all. Treatment from a chiropractor can help immensely, but you can also help yourself. Here are some effective back pain tips from a Sterling Heights chiropractor.

Watch How You Lift

Poor lifting technique is a common cause of lower back strains and sprains, so it is important to observe proper form when lifting heavy objects. No matter what you are lifting, try to keep your back straight and use your legs to do the bulk of the work. Often when we get tired, the legs are used less and less, but you’re asking for a back injury if you stop using your legs. It’s also important not to twist your body when holding a heavy object. If you must turn, move your feet until your body is facing the right direction.

Proper Nutrition

Most people don’t consider nutrition as an essential component to good spinal health, but it can be. Drinking a lot of water and eating healthy foods will help keep weight off your midsection. Carrying excess weight in your stomach causes an imbalance, pulling on those muscles in your lower back all day long. If you suffer from back pain and carry extra weight in your stomach, modify your diet to reduce the burden on your back.

Sensible Exercise

Exercise is a vital part of good health for a variety of reasons, but it’s also a good way to injure your back if you don’t exercise properly. Whatever type of exercise you choose, take the time to warm up properly beforehand and cool down properly when you’re done. Many people just want to jump right in and start lifting weights or playing a sport, but your back muscles are still cold and tight. Find an exercise that’s within your fitness range and protect your back before, during, and after.

Avoid Prolonged Sitting

Generally speaking, people sit far more than they used to. Many professions require long hours at a computer and it can take a toll on your health. The human body is designed to move, so when you sit all day long you’re compressing the discs in your spine. Obviously, everyone can’t switch professions, but you can get up and walk around a little each hour during the day to take some pressure off. If you’d like more back pain tips contact our Sterling Heights chiropractic team.

Dr. Ryan Boechler is here to help answer your questions.  Please feel free to contact us today.

One of the most common injuries that people suffer from after an auto accident in Sterling Heights is whiplash. When a chiropractor books an appointment to see a patient after a car accident, it is often to help the pain that results from a whiplash injury.

What Is Whiplash?

Whiplash is a term that is used by the medical profession to describe a neck injury that occurs as the result of a car accident. Being hit from behind or “rear-ended” is one of the most common type of auto accidents and the one most likely to produce whiplash. When you are hit from behind, the head whips back and then forward, causing the injury.

How Is It Diagnosed?

When a Sterling Heights chiropractic office diagnoses a whiplash injury, your entire spine will be evaluated to ensure the only injury is in the neck. They will look for any areas that display a poor range of motion, muscle spasm, general weakness, and pain. In the acute phase, you probably won’t be able to turn your head comfortably and your head may hurt. Your chiropractor will also feel around your neck and back looking for tender spots and tightness.

Chiropractic Treatment for Whiplash

When whiplash is still in the acute stage, a chiropractor may use gentle stretching, ultrasound, and other techniques in an effort to reduce inflammation. You might also be advised to apply ice in order to reduce the swelling. After the initial swelling has subsided and the pain lessens, the treatment will turn to spinal manipulation to restore the normal blood flow and motion to your neck.
No one likes the thought of getting into a car accident, but you have little control over being hit from behind when you’re driving. If you think you may have whiplash, the key is to seek attention as soon as possible. If you’re not in a medical emergency, book an appointment with Dr. Ryan Boechler so we can assess the situation and get started on the appropriate chiropractic treatment.

Dr. Ryan Boechler is here to help answer your questions.  Please feel free to contact us today.

A body in motion is a beautiful thing, but through poor lifestyle choices, injuries, and general aging our range of motion can diminish to the point that we can barely bend over to pick something up off the floor. Everyone seems to take their flexibility and ease of movement for granted when they are younger. However, as time goes by those simple movements become more challenging and you are more prone to tightness and injury. Sterling Heights chiropractors help patients with range of motion issues on a daily basis, and they can help you too.

Range of Motion for Daily Activities

Activities like brushing your teeth or hair, tying your shoes, or backing the car into the driveway all require joints in your body to move. Whether it is your shoulders, elbows, wrists, cervical and lumbar spine, knees, or neck; joints have to move freely in order to complete basic daily activities. Most of the time, you’ll never even notice these joints working. But if you have an injury or degenerative condition in even one of these joints, you’ll often feel the pain every day and simple tasks will become a challenge.

The Spine and Range of Motion

Your spine is one of the primary areas of treatment for Sterling Heights chiropractic doctors and when your spinal range of motion is reduced, it affects many areas of your life. Issues with your spine are responsible for conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, debilitating back pain, and even infant colic.  As your spinal range of motion continues to decrease, it’s likely you’ll be able to do less and less and experience greater discomfort. Having your spine in alignment is crucial for a free and easy range of motion. There are so many ways that your vertebrae can become misaligned that visiting a chiropractor is a good idea even if you still feel good.

Chiropractic Help

Our Sterling Heights chiropractic team at the office of Dr. Ryan Boechler can work wonders when it comes to the increasing range of motion in your spine and other areas of the body. Even if you’ve been out of commission for years, a few sessions with a reputable chiropractor can help restore blood flow, improve nerve impingement, and get your discs back in alignment.  Chiropractic treatment for range of motion issues may include spinal adjustments and possibly manipulation to other parts of the body. You might also be given specific stretches or exercises to strengthen supporting muscles and lengthen tendons and ligaments in the affected areas. Once your range of motion is restored and you’re feeling good, you should be able to get back to normal activities without any pain or restriction.

Dr. Ryan Boechler is here to help answer your questions.  Please feel free to contact us today.

When a severe migraine headache takes hold, it’s almost as if the rest of the world ceases to exist. The intensity of the pain makes many people lie in a darkened room and do little else. When someone gets into this state, they will do just about anything to escape. Even the strongest pain medication with the most undesirable side effects is welcomed if it eases the pain. People who routinely refuse prescription medication often change their tune when in the grips of a bad migraine headache. Luckily, Sterling Heights chiropractors are able to provide relief for migraines without drugs or any invasive procedures.

Migraine Headaches in Sterling Heights

Many people tend to call any intense headache migraines, but a true migraine sticks to some exact criteria. Typically, a migraine is less common than a tension headache, registering from moderate to severe on the pain intensity scale. It is a recurrent headache that lasts from between four hours to three days, and affects more females than males.

In order for someone to be considered a “migraine sufferer,” they must have at least five separate episodes that last for the prescribed time frames mentioned above. The headaches must also have at least two of the following characteristics: pulsating pain, unilateral location, nausea or vomiting, visual or auditory sensitivity, and aggravation of the headache by physical activity. Many migraine sufferers, roughly 20 percent, will see visual auras before a migraine headache comes on. This early warning system helps let them know what’s coming but doesn’t lessen the intensity.

Chiropractic Treatment for Migraines

If you seek migraine Dr. Ryan Boechler, you’ll be given a full assessment and evaluation to determine exactly what is going on with your head and your spinal column. You may require x-rays or other tests to paint a complete the most complete picture possible before any treatment begins.

Your Sterling Heights chiropractor will likely perform spinal adjustments to relieve any pressure or stress that could be contributing to your migraine pain. Spinal adjustments can also improve blood flow and help reduce pain. If it’s been determined that you have nutritional triggers that are adding to the intensity of your migraines, your chiropractor may offer nutritional advice to remove those triggers. Advice on your posture and various relaxation techniques will also be part of the treatment plan.

Dr. Ryan Boechler in Sterling Heights is here to help answer any questions about migraines.  Please feel free to contact us today.

How many times daily do you stop and think about your spine? If you are like a lot of us in Sterling Heights that number sits a solid “zero”. As long as we can carry on daily we simply assume everything is just fine, that is unless you suffer from back pain. Those suffering from chronic back pain or back injury have a difficult time getting it off their mind, whether it is the pain itself or coupled with the chain reaction of events that are caused due to it. Back pain is not without cost, monetarily and emotionally.

While most of us do not think of our spinal health on a daily basis, statistics have shown that nearly 80-90% of the population will be affected by spinal issues and back pain at any point during a lifetime. Accident victims aside, those who run the highest risk are smokers, the overweight and heavy lifters. With such a high likelihood there is a solid argument in favor of leading a healthy lifestyle, and in turn, striving for a healthy spine.

Below are some proven strategies for a healthy spine/back:

Healthy Diet and Exercise

• Know your ideal body weight and stay within 10 pounds of that weight. Common sense supports the biomechanical logic that carrying around unnecessary body weight will put stress on all areas of the human frame, including the spine.
• Strengthen your core muscles. Lack of muscle in this area can pull your entire body out of alignment, starting with your lower back.
• Work diligently on eating a reasonably portioned and healthy diet. Couple this diet with a consistent exercise program that fits into your schedule, and you will see results not only in your weight, but in your overall health and confidence.
• Always stretch before and after your workout.
• Consult with your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program. There may be issues specific to your health conditions that warrant professional guidance.

Smoking Cessation

In terms of physical healing, smokers are far worse off than non-smokers. Blood flow is severely restricted throughout the body by the more-than 4000 chemicals in cigarettes. This restriction slows the healing process to all parts of the body, and the spine is no exception.

Sleeping Habits

• Try to support your body as you sleep. Pain at any time is not normal, and if you are feeling pain while you are trying to sleep, find a position that alleviates the pain.
• Back sleepers on average place nearly 50 pounds of additional pressure on the spine that can be reduced by nearly half if a supportive pillow is placed under the knees.
• Side sleepers can reduce pressure on the spine by placing a pillow between the knees.

Standing

• Standing with the knees locked places pressure on the lower back. Relax your stance by placing one foot in front of the other, slightly bending the knees.
• Avoid standing bent at the waist for any period of time, this places undue stress on the spine as well.

Lifting

• Always engage your legs when lifting. Do not lift solely with your back muscles.
• Avoid twisting when lifting anything.
• If pushing or pulling an item is an option, choose it. Always choose pushing before pulling, and engage your leg muscles to lessen the strain on the back.
• Ask for help.
• If carrying the object after lifting, keep it close to the body and spread the weight evenly between both hands.

Sitting

• Avoid slumping in your chair. Keep the shoulders back and the spine straight. Do not let your shoulders become rounded or allow your lower back lose its natural curve.
• Knees should be slightly higher than the hips.
• Keep the head up and looking straight forward.

Bending/Reaching

• Bend the legs to pick up items below waist level. Do not bend at the waist.
• If reaching for an item higher than shoulder height, use a stool. Straining to reach something above the head can cause injury to the neck, shoulders, and mid-back.
• Place your body as close to the object as you reasonably can to further reduce any potential strain.
• Like anything in life, there are no guarantees you will avoid back pain, but employing these simple, commonsense strategies certainly increase your chances of leading a pain free, healthy life!

If you have any further questions don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Ryan Boechler in Sterling Heights today.