Injuries are a common occurrence in life, and they can happen to anyone at any time. Whether it’s a sprained ankle, a strained muscle, or a bruise, injuries can be painful and disruptive. Two of the most common treatments for injuries are ice and heat therapy. Knowing when to use each one can make a big difference in how quickly you recover.

If you prefer more of a hands-on approach to health care for the promotion of healing without surgery or medications, chiropractic care may be the ideal solution for you.

Chiropractic care can help with diseases, injuries, and certain medical conditions that affect your spine, joints, and muscles. If you are new to chiropractic care, it’s natural to feel nervous, but a good chiropractor will be glad to address your concerns with you and put you at ease before moving forward with any treatment plan.

So, your next question is probably “How do I find a local chiropractor near me?” Here are the simple steps to finding a chiropractor that is right for your needs.

Whether you are trying to improve your reaction time against your tennis opponent or shave time off your 10K running pace, you want to stay at the top of your game and keep fit.

A common factor among athletes is their desire to achieve and maintain maximum performance. Regular chiropractic care can be a valuable tool to help remain healthy and achieve top performance goals. As a matter of fact, according to Dr.Sean Atkins (PhD.Exercise Science) approximately “90% of all world class athletes use chiropractic to prevent injuries and to increase their performance potential.” So how can chiropractic care help your athletic abilities?

After years of working at your desk and leaning forward at your computer, you notice a bump at the base of your neck, making you look years older than you actually are. You may have developed a dowager’s hump; a condition which gets its name from the slightly rounded hunch you might see on an elderly woman.

Kyphosis, the medical term for dowager’s hump, is caused by chronic hunching over; a posture that is very common with so many of us using computers nowadays. Over time, prolonged poor posture can cause an abnormal curve in the upper back and vertebrae, leading to the development of extra tissue in the lower neck area.

What Causes a Dowager’s Hump?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, the most common type of dowager’s hump is postural kyphosis. Think about this; the human head is around 11 lbs on average. Over time, poor posture, including rounding your shoulders and sticking your chin out, will lead to the muscles and ligaments responsible for holding the neck and spine in place to be stretched. This stretching eventually can pull the vertebrae out of its normal position, causing a round shape in the spine.

Other possible causes include:

• Scheuermann’s kyphosis – This type is named after the radiologist who first identified the condition. It happens when the vertebrae have a different shape.

• Congenital kyphosis – Congenital means a condition you are born with. People who suffer from congenital kyphosis were born with a spine that did not develop correctly prior to birth.

• Osteoporosis kyphosis – This is a compression fracture that causes the increased forward curve. It makes you drop your head forward more than usual, forcing you to pull your head back and up to see forward. This then causes the bump on the upper back.

Poor posture can result in a dowager’s hump

Movement specialists such as physiotherapists and physical therapists work with patients in a wide variety of ways to help relieve pain, restore and or improve functioning. Surgical rehabilitation, injury and illness are just a few examples of issues that can disrupt normal functioning and be helped by therapy.

The path to recovery is unique to the individual. However, one of the most commonly recommended methods when developing a treatment plan is therapeutic exercise. This well-researched and evidence-based method of treatment incorporates strengthening, stretching and mobility-enhancing exercise routines designed around each patient’s individual needs.

Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek out a healthcare professional. Low back pain is one of the leading causes of disability we face. One of the possible causes of back pain is sciatica and sciatica nerve pain.

If you have suffered from sciatica, you understand how painful this condition can be. It’s important to understand what sciatica is, how it may present itself, and how a chiropractor can help through properly administered chiropractic care.