Pregnancy

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BODY 

DURING PREGNANCY?

Pregnancy is a time of rapid biological change. All bodily organs and systems are affected by the growth of the fetus and this brings with it alterations in body mass, a subsequent change in the centre of gravity and stretching and weakening of abdominal muscles. Within the early period of pregnancy, the woman will feel tired much more quickly and will often experience nausea. The abdomen shifts forward, forcing the body to compensate by increasing the curve in the lower back. This is known as “sway back”.

By the second and third trimester there is an increase in the hormones estrogen and relaxin which begin to affect the musculoskeletal system, causing softening of ligaments and increased joint laxity. During this phase the pelvic joints are relaxed and capable of greater movement. This allows greater rotation in the sacro-iliac joint and allows alteration in the diameter of the pelvis during childbirth.  

CHIROPRACTIC CARE DURING PREGNANCY

A common complaint that pregnant women have during pregnancy is back pain.

Chiropractors are trained to locate and correct problems that are causing back pain during pregnancy. It is a safe and effective method of care for both the mother and baby. You will be positioned in a comfortable manner during your adjustments and no manipulations that place unneeded stress on the baby will be performed.

Additionally some women report their labour time is shorter and more comfortable after receiving adjustments during their pregnancy.

Other conditions chiropractors can treat are: Sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck, shoulder, hip, knee, and foot issues.

For more information on chiropractic care and pregnancy, please feel free to speak to Dr. Barbara Rodwin.

PREGNANCY AND YOUR FEET

Foot pain is an often overlooked complaint during pregnancy. Due to the natural weight gain during pregnancy, a woman's center of gravity is completely altered. This causes a new weight-bearing stance and added pressure to the knees and feet. Two of the most common foot problems experienced by pregnant woman are over- pronation and edema. These problems can lead to pain at the heel, arch, or the ball-of-foot. Many women may also experience leg cramping and varicose veins due to weight gain. Because of this, it is important for all pregnant women to learn more about foot health during their pregnancy to help make this nine month period more comfortable for them. 

There are effective ways to treat both over-pronation and edema during pregnancy.

Over-Pronation can be treated conservatively with orthotics. Proper fitting footwear is also very important in treating over-pronation. Choose comfortable footwear that provides extra support and shock absorption.

It is recommended that a new foot scan/gait analysis be done during and after pregnancy to assess possible changes in the feet.

Edema in the feet can be minimized by the following methods: Elevate your feet as often as possible. If you have to sit for long periods of time, place a small stool by your feet to elevate them. Wear proper fitting footwear. Footwear that is too narrow or short will constrict circulation. Compression socks are also very helpful. 

Questions? Ask your Doctor of Chiropractic what to do. 

Combining Active Release Techniques with Functional Anatomy Palpation

A posting from Andrew Bouchier, RMT:

Like all health professionals, massage therapists are obliged to pursue professional development. Within certain constraints we are free to choose the courses we will take as we continually enhance our knowledge and skills. Of course, the variety is wide and so when when a peer or a mentor makes a strong recommendation, I listen. That’s how I came to be an Active Release Techniques provider. It’s also why I took the Functional Anatomy Palpation (FAP) courses.

Dr. Andreo Spina, a Canadian chiropractor developed the Functional Anatomy Palpation series in response to a need that he perceived in the training of manual practitioners: 

    “(O)rthopedic tests” were designed… 
           for “orthopedic conditions”, 
            by “orthopedic surgeons”.

Chiropractors, physiotherapists and massage therapists were typically trained to identify traumatic injuries, i.e. less common musculoskeletal (MSK) problems. For these injuries the most appropriate intervention would be surgery. On the other hand, for micro trauma and repetitive stress injuries to soft tissues like muscles and tendons (i.e. the most common MSK problems) there was no comprehensive system that could be used to determine what was happening.

Before the integrity of any soft tissue can even be assessed however, it must first be correctly identified. The human body has several hundred muscles and a successful treatment will depend on accurately locating and identifying the problem muscle. It must be differentiated from all of the muscles that lie around it. This is where FAP particularly shines. As Dr. Spina puts it:

   “Specificity of diagnosis = Specificity of treatment
                       = Specificity of results”

You might well ask “How is an ART treatment different if the practitioner also uses FAP?” In fact, the experience of it would be no different yet the treatment could be substantially more effective, because the problem would be more quickly identified. As a therapist, I found that FAP training filled in gaps in my skill set. I began to treat some particular problems with much greater success, for instance, the groin tension that soccer players commonly experience.

Clinically, I have found that applying Active Release Techniques using Functional Anatomy Palpation principles has proven to be a winning combination. I believe that my clients agree.

Finding a quiet moment:

 http://antalvali.com/files/images/ongyogyitas_0.jpg

In our lives, no matter our age, there comes a time when it just seems like there are too many things going on. Crunch time on upcoming exams, appointments and chores, and bills to pay, and it goes on and on. It seems like lately, we can never get even one moment to rest and breathe. This can lead to increased stress levels, a decrease of rest and the ability to heal, and it can even lead to more mental and emotional rooted traumas down the line.

This leads us to question...Have we taken the time today to slow down? To appreciate the small things in life that might pass us by when we are stressing about the daily task? When is enough truly enough? When and where do we draw the line and take the time to nurture ourselves? Do all of those tasks need to be done right away, and are they worth the accumulated stress?

These are all questions that are individual and that we ourselves have to ask and to answer. Where is the line between life’s tasks and actually living in the moment? Tomorrow never comes, they say, but it seems no matter how often we are reminded of that fact, we find ourselves consumed by the very routines that are in place to center our lives.

The first step of changing any routine or choice is by changing our perspective on it. When we can look at something from another point of view or in a different light,  sometimes it can make all the difference on how we choose to approach it and take on the task of changing it.

 http://artreachchicago.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/self-care-brainstorm4.jpg

One can look at taking time for self care as a way of loving and being kind to oneself. In other words, it’s one thing to say I love myself, it’s another thing entirely to say I deserve time to nurture and rest myself because I love myself. One way of accomplishing this could be setting time to spend with a loved one. It can be as easy as going for a walk with them, or planning time to get your garden ready for the spring. Time in today’s nonstop world is more important than ever before.

So if you’re struggling with something, if you’re feeling worn down, if you notice your ability to cope with the usual task seems harder than usual.... you’re not alone.  Take some time to break free of what has been causing or contributing to your distress and take some nurturing time for you. There is only one you, and you are worth the time.

By Ashley Rocheleau(RMT)

Asthma, Allergies and Sinuses

Sinusitis 
Under normal circumstances, the sinuses produce a scanty amount of mucoid fluid. When inflammation sets in, as a result of allergy or a common cold, the mucosal lining produces a profuse mucoid drainage. Inflammation makes it easier for bacteria to infect the sinuses. As a result, pus accumulates inside the sinus cavities. Symptoms consist of severe pain and tenderness over the involved sinus. 

In maxillary sinusitis, pain is over the cheek and the upper teeth. Frequently, the pain is mistaken for that of an infected tooth. 

In ethmoid sinusitis, the pain is between the eye and the nose, or deep behind the eye. 

In frontal sinusitis, the pain is in the forehead. 

Finally, in sphenoid sinusitis, the pain is deep behind the eye, in the temple or even the crown of the head. 

Discharge from the sinuses, a blocked nose and an inflamed throat can occur because of the post-nasal drainage. If the sinus cavities are blocked by a swollen mucosal lining, pus cannot escape into the nose and pressure builds up inside the sinus cavities. Pain becomes unbearable, and the infection may extend outside the walls of the sinuses, causing facial or orbital swelling.

At Back to Health we can help with sinusitis! Dr. Barbara Rodwin can treat your sinuses with the use of a laser, and/or acupuncture, show you how to drain your own sinuses and how to alleviate sinus headaches.

Also Neti Pots or a product known as Neilmed sinus are very effective for flushing irritants our of the sinuses. A Neti Pot is filled with warm, slightly salted water and the spout of the pot is inserted into one nostril. The position of the head and pot are adjusted to allow the water to flow out of the other nostril. The Neilmed works on the same premise but it is a plastic bottle and you use a packet of salt that is supplied with the product.

Asthma 

Asthma is a common condition that's anything but simple. Symptoms vary widely from person to person and from situation to situation. Every year, about 500 Canadians die from asthma. Most of these deaths, however, could have been prevented with proper education and management. 

Asthma is defined as a "chronic inflammatory disease of the airway” that causes the following symptoms: shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, coughing, and wheezing. 

People with asthma often have trouble breathing when they're in the presence of what are called "triggers." When someone with asthma has asthma symptoms, it means that the flow of air is obstructed as it passes in and out of the lungs. 

The triggers could be either: 

1. Inflammatory Triggers are the allergic triggers which cause inflammation of the lungs' airways or tightening of the airways' muscles. Inflammatory triggers include: dust mites, animals, cockroaches, moulds, pollens, viral infections, and certain air pollutants.  

2. Symptom Triggers are the non-allergic triggers which generally do not cause inflammation, but they can provoke "twitchy" airways, especially if they're already inflamed. Symptom triggers include: smoke,  exercise, cold air, chemical fumes and other strong-smelling substances like perfumes, certain food additives like sulfites, certain air pollutants, and intense emotions.

Most people with asthma can live full, active lives. The trick is learning how to keep the asthma symptom-free. If you have asthma, you can control it: by avoiding your asthma triggers, by taking your medication, through education from your healthcare team and by following an asthma action plan. 

Your medical doctor will possibly refer you to a specialist or an asthma educator and suggest you use a peak flow meter to monitor your lung function. This allows you to note any changes that might mean your asthma is not being controlled properly.


Also with asthma you end up using your accessory muscles, ribs and thoracic area more – see article on: What we use to breath. If you have these areas treated with chiropractic adjustments, massage and active release technique you can lessen the breathing issues associated with asthma.

Allergies

There are numerous types of allergies an individual could have. You could be allergic to: pollen, moulds, dust, perfumes, colognes, cleaning products, chemicals, other environmental allergens, and many types of foods. They can affect you in different ways such as: aggravating your sinuses, causing breathing issues, sneezing, frequent colds, ear problems, mucous build-up in the throat, and digestive issues.

Allergies can be helped by eliminating the allergen, and by building up your immune system. There are certain vitamins, minerals and homeopathic remedies that can be taken to help with this. Please ask Dr. Barbara Rodwin regarding use of the supplements. 

Also you can take a sensitivity test that will look at all the allergens and this test allows you to know how sensitive you are to the different allergens. There are two centers in Ottawa that test for all the food and environmental allergens. If you are interested in having these tested just ask us for the cards!

Spring Cleaning

Domestic Work:

cascoprojects.org

• Like with other types of physical work, remember to warm up before starting the activity.
• Make sure mops, brooms and vacuum cleaners have sufficiently long handles so you are not hunched over while cleaning.
• Stand straight and use your legs to support your weight while cleaning.
• When moving to the side, step in that direction rather than twisting your body to help prevent back injury.
• If hanging laundry on a clothes line, place the basket on a chair so that you don’t need to bend constantly to pick up the clothing.
• Grocery shopping? Don’t carry all your bags on one side. Evenly distribute the weight and carry bags in both hands.

Painting:
The house needs a few touch-ups? Don’t forget proper posture when working with your paint brush!

homedit.com

• To help prevent muscle strain, don’t spend hours reaching over your head with your brush. Instead, get a secure ladder and position yourself at eye-level to the area where you are working.
• When working on low areas, squat or kneel instead of bending at the waist. Use a foam pad under your knees and stand up to take a stretch break periodically.
• Painting is a repetitive motion and can put a great deal of strain on your arms,
• forearms and wrists. Take frequent stretch breaks and apply ice if any pain occurs. 
• Like with any major household project, don’t try to do it all in a single day.

Your body will thank you for it!

Gardening Tips
It's spring, and the lure of getting back in the garden is irresistible. Invigorated by all that balmy fresh air, you spend the first sunny day digging, planting, lifting, and hauling. The next morning, you pay the price.

dirtmamas.ca

• Before doing anything--even any pre-garden stretches--take a walk around your yard a few times to loosen up. Or take a brief bike ride around the block to help you limber up.
• Be cautious about the amount of strain placed on your lower back. Let your arms and legs do the work when pulling a rake or pushing a hoe or shovel. When weeding or planting, sit on the ground or kneel on a foam pad.
• Do easier tasks first. As you progress, periodically switch to other jobs to avoid overusing one muscle group.
• Instead of bending at the waist to pick up a bag of mulch, bend at the knees, pull it up on your thigh close to your body and then stand up. Your thighs can take more strain than your back. When turning do not rotate through the torso, rather turn your whole body with the load.
• Assume a scissors stance while raking by placing your right foot forward and left foot back, says the American Chiropractic Association. After a few minutes, reverse this position, puffing your left foot forward and your right foot back. Periodically reverse the position of your hands on the rake.
• Pace yourself. Work for 15 to 30 minutes and take a stretching break. Take stretching breaks and do some shoulder rolls to take a break from the repetitive motions.
• Keep hydrated. Water should be consumed every 30 minutes, and for warm days, every 15 minutes.
• Think of gardening as a workout, and schedule 30 minutes to an hour of it at least three times a week. Break longer gardening sessions into two to three hour time periods instead of all-day undertakings.

Ladder Safety: 

nachi.org

The Government of Ontario offers these ladder safety tips:

• Use a ladder of proper length to reach the working height you need.
• Before you use a single, extension or stepladder outside, make sure it will not hit electrical wires or tree limbs when extended.
• Place the feet of the ladder on firm, even ground.
• The bottom of the ladder should be about one foot away from the wall for every four feet that the ladder rises.
• The upper and lower sections of an extension ladder should overlap to provide stability.
• Face the ladder while climbing and stay in the center of the rails. Do not lean over the side of the ladder. Your belt buckle should not be further than the side rail.
• On single or extension ladders, never stand above the third rung from the top and never climb above the point where the ladder touches the wall or vertical support.

http://www.healthyontario.com

The Knee

Patello-Femoral Syndrome   

Patello-Femoral Syndrome is a condition caused by the patella (knee cap) not tracking properly over the femur (thigh bone). The patella normally rides in a groove on the femur. The patella is really a fulcrum - it gives leverage to the big muscles on the front of the thigh. These thigh muscles are called the quadriceps. The quadricep muscles consist of four muscles. With Patella Femoral Syndrome, you get an imbalance in these muscles - usually the lateral or outside muscle over-powers the inner medial muscle - and this pulls the patella out of its normal groove. When the patella doesn't track properly in its groove, it causes pain under the patella.

Signs and Symptoms: Pain under or around the knee cap which can feel like a pressure, Pain is often worse after activity that involves knee bending - running, stairs, squats, kneeling on the knee, Knee 'cracks' or needs to be cracked to decrease pain,  Patient cannot sit for long periods of time without straightening out the knee to make it crack. This is called 'Theatre Sign' - patients must sit in an aisle seat at the Theatre so that they can straighten out their knee frequently.
Often it is due to flat feet and rolling of the feet in causing the shine bone to roll out and the patella to change its alignment!

Treatment for patella-femoral syndrome can include: A full biomechanical exam to determine the cause. Then possibly: chiropractic to align the patella, feet, hips; Active release to break up adhesions in the tissues, massage therapy, orthotics, at home stretching and strengthening. A patient may be advised to ice or use a brace dependant on the problem.

OSGOOD-SCHLATTER’S SYNDROME

A knee condition often first diagnosed in adolescents.

X-ray of the knee demonstrating fragmentation of the Tibial tubercle with overlying soft tissue swelling.

Osgood-Schlatter syndrome also called Osgood-Schlatter’s disease is one of the most common causes of knee pain in adolescent athletes. The condition is most common in active boys aged 10 -14 and is caused by stress on the patella tendon that attaches the muscle at the front of the thigh to the lower leg (Tibia). The tibial tuberosity, or bony bump on the shinbone just below the knee, swells and feels tender and painful when the knee is used. It occurs when, following an adolescent growth spurt, stress from repeated contraction of the quadriceps muscle is transmitted through the tendon to the tibial tuberosity, which is a growth center on the bone. 

Symptoms include: pain in one or both knees, pain when straightening the leg through the knee joint or full squatting, pain on running, or going up and down stairs, the pain eases with rest, the tibial tuberosity is swollen, and the skin over the tibial tuberosity is red and inflamed. Sometimes the quadriceps muscles can lose strength and bulk.

A thorough case history will reveal around half of all children with the condition report a prior knee injury. It is therefore important for the chiropractor to do a biomechanical assessment of the whole kinematic chain including all the joints and the muscles of the lower limb, the spine and pelvic joints. 

Treatment includes rest and ice and manual therapies such as Chiropractic adjustments to the foot, knee, and hip and back; Active Release Technique, massage therapy and stretching are very beneficial.  Acupuncture, ultrasound and laser therapy are also helpful in speeding up the recovery. Later at home stretching and strengthening exercises and possibly the use of an infra-patellar strap or brace.

Osteo-arthritis of the knee

If poor mechanics or traumatic injuries are not corrected at an early age, the tissues of the knee joint and especially the cartilage, will eventually begin to wear out. As a result the bones rub upon one another and changes such as bone spurs can occur. This painful condition is known as degenerative joint disease or Osteo-arthritis and is often progressive with age. Common treatment often involves medications such as NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).

Conservative treatment such as chiropractic can be helpful in alleviating the pain. 

Massage therapy is very helpful in helping to maintain the flexibility in the knee.  Active release can break-up the knots, adhesions, scar tissue that develops with Osteo-arthritis.  

Other treatments that are very helpful are acupuncture, the interferential current therapy, icing and fitting for the correct brace.

It is very helpful to determine the correct stretches, strengthening and physical sports to do to aid in maintaining the knee flexibility and strength.

There is some evidence that nutritional substances such as Glucosamine and Chondroitin can be helpful in the long term management. People can often help themselves by keeping their weight down, doing exercises especially in the pool, and wearing cushioned shoes, insoles or orthotics.  

Sometimes people with Osteo-arthritis will have to have a knee replacement. After the surgery it is very helpful to have treatment to restore the remainder of the motion of the knee. The surgery does cause scar tissue to develop and often people feel they have to live with the inflexibility after the knee replacement, they think this is as good as it will get! That is not true.

Are you living your life to the truest potential – do you have stiffness, pain, discomfort that limits your daily activities?

Getting ready for St. Patrick’s day:

By Ashley Rocheleau (RMT)

Good times can’t be too far behind with St. Patrick’s day soon around the corner. Spending time with close friends and family, singing song of merriment, and enjoying the wonderful food and drink the day has to offer. Let’s not forget about the colour green... and orange and white for Irish spirit.

Regardless of our intention however, we can sometimes party a little too hard... feeling it pretty bad the next day. You guessed it, the infamous hangover symptoms. Headaches, sensitivity to light and sound, and maybe even tired feelings of nausea or weakness. It’s especially important in times like these to maintain our health and take care of ourselves. Drinking lots of fluids like water or coconut water to help replenish our electrolytes, getting plenty of rest, and even having a massage. Yes, a massage! Did you know that massage is a recommended treatment when recovering from a hangover?

Massage is designed to release muscle tension, ease pain and nausea, and it can even help stimulate our body to remove wastes. It also can aid our body to heal and repair damaged cells, allowing us to get back on our feet again feeling better than before. Enjoying life and spending fun times with loved ones is important, but so are you. Health is not just for now, but also for times to come.

So no matter your plans may be this St. Patrick’s day, it’s always good to think and plan ahead. Be safe, plan a drive home, stay at a friends place, or even planning an extra day to recover your health. You deserve it!

 Image borrowed from: https://osgoodepresbyterianchurch.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/stpats1.jpg