Massage, Physio, Or Chiropractor?

“Chiropractic Care Versus Massage Therapy and Physiotherapy”

One question that some of you have is…. “why should I go to a chiropractor when I can go to a massage therapist or a physiotherapist.

Don’t they do the same thing?” Well, the answer to this question is an emphatic “no”.

They are 3 separate and distinct practises each unto themselves and this is what I would like to clarify for you today.

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Massage therapy deals primarily with your muscles. It is a hands-on technique to physically relax your muscles and improve circulation.

Various types of massage exist.

Some are deep-tissue and more therapeutic, and others are lighter and more of a relaxing type experience.

The deep-tissue massage also helps to soften any scar tissue in your muscles from previous injuries.

Physiotherapy deals mostly with acute injuries such as sprained ankles and knees as well as chronically arthritic joints such as shoulders and knees.

Physiotherapy employs different types of electrical stimulation and range of motion exercises to help reduce pain and improve mobility in the affected joints.

Some also treat people with neck issues and back issues in the same fashion.

Chiropractic focuses on re-aligning your spinal vertebrae which has several benefits.

Pain relief, improved flexibility, improved posture, prevention of spinal degenerative arthritis and most importantly to ensure that all parts of your body receive a proper and healthy nerve supply.

There is no other profession that can do this.

Chiropractors can also re-align your larger skeletal joints such as your shoulders, hips and knees for example if need be.

As you can see, each of these practises has its own unique benefits and one does not replace another.

And it is not uncommon for some patients to require massage or physio concurrently with chiropractic care depending upon their particular circumstance.

If you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you or your family may have, all you need to do is give us a call.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are always available. Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email us by clicking on the link on our home page.

Life Chiropractic… helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The Burlington Clinic

Xrays and Chiropractic Care

“Do You Need To Have Xrays Taken Prior To Receiving Chiropractic Care?”

This week I would like to address the issue of xrays as many of you have asked if xrays are actually necessary before starting chiropractic care.

And this really depends upon the chiropractor that you go to, but the first issue I would like to address is that of radiation as some of you have expressed concerns about this.

The fact is with advancements in xray technology, all xrays are a lot safer than they used to be and you can actually catch more radiation from flying in airplanes than you can from an occasional spinal xray.

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Here are the important things for you to understand. There are 4 reasons why a chiropractor will request an xray before commencing treatment.

1) to see how much degenerative arthritis you have in your spine, 2) to locate the areas of the primary spinal misalignments/subluxations, 3) to determine what is required to correct any postural distortions, 4) for your safety because there are some conditions that do and will require a medical referral.

If you go to a chiropractor that uses a soft-tissue or physiotherapy approach, then these typically do not request xrays.

In my view however, the information that you get from a good set of spinal xrays far outweighs the risk of the slight amount of radiation that you would receive.

And of course, we do not xray anyone under 13 years of age unless there is a serious problem.

If you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or your family may have, please give us a call.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge in our office and family appointments are always available because spinal problems tend to run in families.

Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can send us an email by clicking on the link on our home page.

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The Burlington Clinic

Length Of Chiropractic Care

“How Long Do I Need To Receive Chiropractic Care?”

Sometimes I will hear people remark …”once you start going to a chiropractor, you have to keep going for the rest of your life”.

And when I am asked if this is indeed true, my answer is this … “ No. You would go for only as long as you would want to stay healthy.”

And this is what I would like to clarify for you today.

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Remember that it is ultimately your choice whether you go to a chiropractor and for how long.

But the thing is, when you understand what chiropractic is all about, there is no way you would ever not want to go.

And this all depends upon the chiropractor that you go to.

Some will take the time to sit down with you and educate about what chiropractic is and the benefits that it can provide for you and your family. And others simply don’t.

When we think about this logically however, if you are on an exercise program to maintain good physical fitness and you are very careful with what you eat to maintain a healthy weight, how long would you want to do these things for?

And it is certainly no different with chiropractic care. You would do these things for only as long as you would want to stay healthy.

The choice is always up to you.

If you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns that you may have or your family may have, all you need to do is give us a call or click on the link on our home page and send us an email.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are always available because spinal problems do tend to run in families.

Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433).

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The Burlington Clinic

Spinal Adjustment

“Chiropractors Are Trained To Perform Spinal Adjustments”

Last time I answered your question … “what do chiropractors do?”

And we learned how traumas can cause spinal misalignments (subluxations) which can injure your nerves.

What chiropractors do to help injured nerves is something called a spinal adjustment.

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You need to know that this is something only chiropractors are trained to do and it is also why we get such unique results when no-one else can.

The question that I would like to answer today that some of you have is this … “is there another way to adjust my spine because I do not like to have my bones or my back
cracked ?”

First of all, chiropractors do not crack anything! When you think of cracking an egg for example, what happens? Well, it breaks. And I do not know of any chiropractor who would want to break your bones or your spine.

When you go to a chiropractor who does a manual hands-on type of adjustment you will often hear a noise that resembles a crack or a pop. But this has nothing to do with your bones or your vertebrae.

And this is what I would like to explain today because it is very important that you understand this.

This noise either come from nitrogen gas being released in the joint around the vertebra that is being re-aligned or from a slight stretching of scar tissue (adhesions) in the muscles and ligaments surrounding the vertebra that is being adjusted or both. Neither of these are detrimental to your health and well-being.

There are several methods of chiropractic adjusting techniques available to you if you do not like the manual approach. Some use a hand-held instrument called an activator, others employ posture blocks and others use more of a soft-tissue approach or pressure points.

None of these will create any noises and they will all serve to help you with your pinched nerves.

So, all you need to do is talk to your chiropractor or find someone who uses a technique that your prefer if the manual type of adjustment is not for you.

Please visit us again next time as I will answer more of your questions, but in the meantime if you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns that you may have or your family may have, all you need to do is give us a call.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are always available because spinal problems tend to run in families. Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433).

Life Chiropractic… helping families just like yours build vibrant, heathy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

What Do Chiropractors Do

“What Exactly Do Chiropractors Do”

Over the next few weeks I am going to be answering questions that people just like you have about chiropractic care.

And one question that I get asked on a regular basis is … “what do chiropractors do?” So, this is where I would like to start today.

Chiropractors acknowledge that there are 2 categories of human disease. One is contagious infection and the other would be functional disorder.

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A contagious infection would be something like Ebola. It is something that you would catch from someone else who already has it.

Everything else would be a functional disorder.

How we treat functional disorders is by restoring normal bodily function.

And there are 3 reasons why your body would not function properly.

And these are critical for you to understand; 1) poor nutrition, 2) hormonal imbalances due to stress, 3) trauma. As a health coach I can help you with the first two, but my expertise as a chiropractor is trauma.

Did you know that by the time you are 13 years old, you have suffered over 1000 traumas?! Minor ones mostly but there are always some major ones.

Remember that trauma is what causes spinal misalignments. Spinal misalignments injure your nerves and when your nerves are injured, all kinds of functional disorders can result. And a good place to review all of these is the Chart of Effects of Spinal Misalignments found right on our home page.

We will continue with more on this next time but in the meantime if you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns that you may have or your family may have, all you need to do is give us a call.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are always available.

And may I remind you that spinal problems do run in families and this is why we encourage you to have your children checked. Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433).

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad At The Burlington Clinic

Postural Assessment

“Booking A Postural Assessment Is The First Step To Improving Poor Posture”

Over the past 2 weeks we have discussed posture. The 5 signs of poor posture and the 8 health consequences of poor posture.

So if you have been following us over the past 2 weeks, I hope that you are now concerned.

I hope that you are concerned about getting your posture checked and your children’s posture checked.

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And to be frankly honest with you, the most important part of changing your posture is you.

You are the one who needs to take the initiative to make an appointment for a postural assessment and you are the one who needs to follow the prescribed treatment plan and recommended exercises for both work and home.

I will coach you on all of these and of course provide the necessary chiropractic care but your first step is to make an appointment for an initial consultation.

Remember that in our office these are always free of charge and we encourage family appointments because spinal problems tend to run in families so we can check everyone in your family all at the same time.

Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can click on the link on the home page of our website.

Starting next week we are going to do something a little different.

What I am going to do is answer the top 10 questions that people just like you have about chiropractic care.

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

Consequences of Poor Posture

“8 Health Consequences of Poor Posture”

Last time we learned about the 5 signs of poor posture and today we are going to discuss the 8 consequences poor posture can have on your health.

If you do not already see a chiropractor that specializes in posture, please read carefully because you need to know this!

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1- Loss of fitness. And what I mean by this is decreased height and decreased energy.
2- TMJ problems (problems with your jaw joint) such as pain, difficulty opening your mouth, tooth pain, facial pain and headaches.
3- Stiffness and decreased range of motion in your neck and shoulder joints.
4- Degenerative joint disease (DJD) and osteoarthritis (OA) in your spine.
5- Decreased lung capacity (shortness of breath) from slouching.
6- Poor digestion.
7- Decreased bone density (osteoporosis).
8- Decreased muscular strength throughout your body.

Notice the operative word here…’decreased ‘. How can anything that is ‘decreased ‘be moving you towards health and vitality?

If you or anyone in your family is suffering from even one of these signs and symptoms, you need to have a chiropractic check-up right away.

Why?

Because the sooner we address the issue the better results we will get and moreover, it will help to prevent other health problems from developing in the future.

More on this in our next post.

But in the meantime, if you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or your family may have, please give us a call.

Remember that consultations in our office are always free of charge and we offer family appointments because spinal problems tend to run in families.
Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433). Or you can email us by clicking on the link on our home page.

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

5 Signs Of Unbalanced Posture

“Here Are The 5 Signs Of
Unbalanced Posture or Poor Posture”

Last time we started discussing posture and we learned how for every inch you hold your head in front of the ‘balanced posture line’, this adds 10 lbs of extra weight to the supporting structures in your neck ( muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons).

Your neck muscles especially were not designed to hold more than the weight of your head which is normally 10 – 15 pounds.

Under this increased stress, your neck muscles will become tight and stiff, you will lose range of motion in your neck, you will start to experience muscle spasms, headaches and eventually spinal misalignments (subluxations) which we already know are what cause spinal decay.

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And you can learn all about spinal decay on our website.

Here are the ‘5 signs’ that you or your children have poor posture:

1 your body weight centres over the balls of your feet or uneven wear on the soles of your shoes with or without pain along the bottom of the foot.

2 a deep curve in your lower back (sway back) with episodes of lower back pain and stiffness.

3 increased roundness of the middle and upper back – the ‘humpback posture’.

4 shoulders rounded forward with or without shoulder pain.

5 forward head posture with the poking chin appearance.

If you have even one of these signs, you need to have a chiropractic examination right away because we need to take a closer look.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge in our office and family appointments are always available.

Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433). Or you can email us by clicking on the link below as well.

Now, if you are still not sure as to why you would need a chiropractic examination, please join us again next time as I will discuss the consequences that poor posture has on your health.

You are going to be very surprised and it may explain a lot of your own health issues.

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

Balanced Posture

“The Effects of Balanced Posture
On Your Health’

Over the next few weeks we will be discussing posture as very few people pay attention to this aspect of their health care.

Today we are going to learn about ‘balanced posture’.

Balanced posture is the position where there is the least amount of stress on your muscles and spinal joints.

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One way to check for balanced posture is to see if the opening to your ear canal lines up directly over the middle of your deltoid (shoulder muscle) when you are standing in a normal and relaxed position.

If the line that connects these two points is straight up and down, we will call this the ‘balanced posture line’.

Now this is the important part. For every inch your head is in front of the balanced posture line (forward head posture), the weight of your head as perceived by your neck muscles and the spinal joints in your neck increases by a factor of 10!

So, if your head weighs 10 lbs for example which is about average, holding your head 1 inch in front of the balanced posture line will put twice as much or 20 lbs of weight on your neck muscles and the spinal joints in your neck. Two inches of forward head posture will put 30 lbs of weight and so on.

Please join us again next time as we will continue with this topic and learn about the implications that unbalanced posture has on your spine and especially your health.

If you have any immediate questions on this topic or any other health concerns that you may have or your family may have, please give us a call.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are always available.

Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433).

Life Chiropractic … helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad

Backpack Safety

“Are You and Your Kids Following These Backpack Safety Guidelines?”

Now that the kids are back in school, I would like to take this opportunity to review some tips regarding backpack safety for your children.

The most important thing is to make sure the backpack does not exceed 15% of your child’s body weight.

If your child weighs 100 lbs for example, then the backpack and its contents should not weigh more than 15 lbs.

It is also important to load the heavier items first (eg. laptop, text books) so they rest directly against your child’s back.

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This will make the backpack easier for them to carry.

Please be sure to choose a backpack that has adequate padding on the shoulder straps and down the middle where it rests against your child’s spine.

Wearing it correctly is also very important.

Slinging it over one shoulder or wearing it too low down will only result in bad posture and spinal pain including headaches, shoulder pain, neck pain and even lower back pain.

It should be centered between the top of the shoulders and the waist and secured firmly in the front with the waist strap.

Packing it light and wearing it right is the key to backpack safety for all children.

If you have any questions on this topic or any other health concerns you may have or your children may have, please give us a call.

Remember that consultations are always free of charge and family appointments are always available.

Our phone number is 905 335 LIFE (5433) or you can email us by clicking on the link on our home page.

Life Chiropractic… helping families just like yours build vibrant, healthy, drug-free lives for over 25 years in Burlington.

Click Here To Book A Free Initial Consultation With Dr. Brad