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New York, NY
New York
10/16/2019
What to Know about Chiropractic Treatments for Runners – Guide
Chiropractic For Running Injuries
Most professional runners and running enthusiasts see a chiropractor for a number of reasons. Chiropractors are meant to provide rehabilitation care to running athletes. Not only do they treat the runners’ injuries and reduce pain, but they also ensure their bodies’ and overall health are in optimal condition. For this reason, chiropractic healthcare should be incorporated into sports training and performance.
Here’s what you need to know about different chiropractic treatments for runners and how they help.
Sports Injury, Physical Assessment, and Recovery
Most athletes are prone to having injuries due to their extensive training and level of performance. Even runners aren’t exempted from getting injuries at one point or another in their careers. They get typical injuries such as runner’s knee, stress fracture, shin splint, Achilles tendinopathy, and muscle pull, among others. When an injury occurs, the recovery period can often be quite challenging. Even hours of physical therapy won’t do enough. While physical therapy helps in recovering strength in soft tissue and muscle, sports-medicine trained chiropractors can improve the mobility of your joints after an injury. Here’s what sports chiropractors examine and assess:
- How you move
- How you stand
- How the arch of your foot looks like
- How your knees are aligned
- How your hips are aligned
The sports chiropractor will then assess the runner to recommend treatment after the examination.
Chiropractic Treatments for Runners
When it comes to sports chiropractic treatments, there are four main treatments for running injuries, as follows:
- Active Release Technique (ART): This is a combination of massage and stretching, which treats the body’s soft tissue by using manipulation and movement. ART is performed by applying deep tension while moving a joint through its range of motion. It entails identifying, isolating, and targeting the affected area to break up scar tissue, which promotes blood flow and faster healing periods.
- Graston Technique: This is a form of manual therapy known as soft-tissue instrument-assisted mobilization. It is used to break down surface-level scar tissue with hand-held stainless steel tools. It is one of several manual therapy approaches that uses instruments with a specialized form of massage or scraping the skin gently.
- Functional Dry Needling: This is a skilled intervention using a thin filiform needle to penetrate the skin. It stimulates the underlying myofascial trigger points, muscular, and connective tissues for the management of neuromusculoskeletal pain and movement impairments. As it releases tension in trigger points, this treatment helps the psoas muscle, a hip flexor muscle.
- Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS): This is also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation or electromyostimulation. It involves the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses, resulting in released tension through the stimulation of surface muscles.
Sports Chiropractor in NYC
Chiropractic care is meant to examine the whole body and align it for optimum balance. The adjustments are often part of a runner’s training program to strengthen and improve overall performance. The four chiropractic treatments mentioned above have different approaches in treating the athletes’ injuries. However, they all bring significant changes to the body’s condition. That said, runners can prevent injury and promote optimal performance through the regular care of a sports-trained chiropractor.
If you are looking for a sports chiropractor in NYC to help you stay in optimal shape, get in touch with Launchfit today!
10/07/2016
Cervical disc disease: Treatment options in NYC
Most people experience a painful neck from time to time and usually the symptoms and stiffness will start to dissipate, especially if the symptoms have been caused through sleeping awkwardly, poor posture or as a result of a minor injury. However, neck pain is often caused through a degenerative disorder, like cervical disc disease, typically associated with age, or through wear and tear of the spine. Degenerative disorders which affect the cervical spine affect a great many people and the loss of flexibility when it comes to moving the neck can make day to day living quite difficult.
Cervical Disc Disease
Typically, the neck is extremely flexible extending forward, back, from side to side, and moving in a circular motion when required. These movements are enabled by the joints within the cervical spine. Called vertebrae, there are seven cervical bones which, on an individual basis, are unable to bend, but the joints ensure movement. Although flexible, there is stability as it is connected by three joints which are comprised of two opposing surfaces made up of bone. The joints are also covered with cartilage and this affords the movement of the surfaces.
The spinal cord houses the nerves within the spine and these transmit signals to the brain. Where damage or degeneration has occurred, pain and stiffness is transmitted through the nerves and the individual feels the sensation of pain.
Cervical Disc Disease Diagnosis
It is important that anyone suffering from a stiff and painful neck seeks medical help and to ascertain the cause. When diagnosing any degenerative disorders, the doctor will require detailed responses to questions about how and when it started as well as any symptoms. There will also be an in-depth examination of the neck area. It can be difficult for diagnosis when neck pain is such a common complaint and is often caused through muscular pains too as well as more serious spinal disorders. Any pain that has continued for over 3 weeks is unlikely to be muscular pain and further diagnosis will be considered.
Cervical Disc Disease Treatment in NYC
Seeking advice and treatment from a Chiropractor is beneficial as they will look at 3 main causes:
- Whether degeneration disturbs the spine mechanics
- Whether any degenerative discs’ bulge and subsequently add pressure to the nerves
- Stenosis causes back and leg pain.
A thorough examination will take place and the Chiropractor is likely to inquire about any previous injuries or back and neck problems. They will need to look at how the individual walks while considering posture. They will check to see if there is any restricted joint motion, muscle spasms or even injury to any disc. A treatment plan will then be devised and discussed and the aim will be to improve joint mechanics by way of the reduction of inflammation and spinal motion. They may also try to improve the inter-vertebral discs, but if advanced disc degeneration is present, this may not be possible. Spinal adjustment may prove beneficial, as this serves to restore movement to the joints.
Seek Professional Help
When neck pain is present, it pays to seek professional medical help and to use chiropractic care as many conditions can be improved even those caused by age or wear and tear. Triggers such as poor posture need to be identified to avoid making any symptoms worse, but generally, with regular treatment and lifestyle changes, there is usually great improvement.
03/30/2016
What Makes Medical Massage Different from Other Types of Massage?
Whether you have sore muscles, are recovering from an injury, or suffer from a medical condition, massage may be a treatment for you. Massage therapy falls into two basic categories which include medical massage and wellness massage. Medical and wellness massages differ in their goals, techniques, certifications, and conditions they treat.
Wellness Massages Relax the Body and Reduce Stress
Wellness massage involves a client/practitioner relationship. Therefore the techniques used and areas addressed are determined by the client. Massage therapists are only required to complete a 500 hour massage certification course to begin practicing. The primary goal of wellness massage is to alleviate stress in the patient and relax their body. This type of massage often requires consistent maintenance appointments to maintain results.
Massage techniques used in wellness massage
- Swedish
- Deep Tissue
- Circulatory
- Craniosacral
Wellness massages are primarily used to:
- Reduce Stress
- Release Tension in the Muscles
Medical Massage Treats Conditions and Heals the Body
Medical massage is a therapy provided to a patient by a certified massage practitioner in the health field. Therapists are required to not only complete the 500 hour massage certification course, but also to gain clinical experience through an internship before they are able to begin treating patients. They also are required to be well versed in the areas of pharmacology, orthopedic assessment, and treatment. The goal of this type of massage is to solve specific medical problems or injuries. Once the therapy is completed, the patient can expect to see improvement.
Massage techniques used include:
- Myofascial
- Cross Fiber Friction
- Trigger Point Technique
- Muscle Energy Techniques
- Deep Tissue Massage
These types of techniques are used to treat many medical conditions, including but not limited to:
- Carpal Tunnel
- Fibromyalgia
- TMJ
- Restless Leg Syndrome
- Sciatica
- Rotator Cuff Injuries
- Back, Joint, or Muscle Pain
If you suffer from any of the painful conditions above and are interested in a medical massage assessment, contact Launchfit™ by Clinicube®for Chiropractic and Physical Therapy today for an appointment.
03/16/2016
Holistic & Chiropractic Therapy for Sports Injuries
When you suffer a sports injury, traditional medicine focuses on treating just the injured tissues. While treating injured tissues is important, taking a more holistic approach to healing can help ensure the body recovers as quickly and effectively as possible. Chiropractic care, in particular, is very useful for treating sports injuries.
Chiropractic Care Focuses on Whole-Body Balance
In an athlete’s body, a wide range of muscles, tendons and ligaments work together to create every movement. If the joints involved in a movement are out of alignment, more stress than necessary may be placed on certain tissues. This can slow down the healing process after a sports injury. For example, imagine you develop tennis elbow, which is an inflammation of the muscles and tendons on the outside of the elbow. A misalignment of your spine that causes you to take more of the shock of hitting a tennis ball through the elbow rather than through your shoulders will put additional strain on the injury, slowing down your healing process.
Chiropractors focus on ensuring that all of the joints in the spine and throughout the rest of the body are properly aligned so that each joint is exposed to the proper degree of strain—?and no more. By keeping the body properly balanced, they help promote faster, more complete healing.
Chiropractic Techniques For Injury Treatment
In addition to ensuring the spine and joints are in proper alignment, chiropractors rely on a number of other holistic treatment remedies to heal sports injuries. These include:
The Graston Technique: This is a soft tissue mobilization technique that breaks down scar tissue, restoring the proper range of motion and alleviating pain.
Nutritional Support: Many chiropractors are experts in nutrition and will ensure their patients are consuming the proper foods to allow their bodies to fully heal.
At-Home Exercises: Your Chiropractor may show you at-home exercises that can ease pain from injuries like tennis elbow, as well as keep them from developing again.
Treating the whole body helps ensure complete and permanent recovery from any sports injury. To learn more, contact Launchfit™ by Clinicube®for Chiropractic & Physical Therapy.
02/10/2016
Pushups with Redcord Suspension for Back Pain
If you suffer from low back pain and are looking for safe, effective ways to manage your symptoms, suspension training is a therapy you may want to explore. Specifically, recent studies have shown that performing pushups while supported by a sling can reduce chronic low back pain in adults.
How does redcord suspension therapy work?
You’re probably familiar with the basic pushup motion, but as someone with low back pain, you likely find pushups difficult to perform. Yet, these exercises strengthen the abdominal and lumbar muscles, helping to stabilize your lumbar spine (the lower portion of your spine), which in turn reduces back pain. Using the sling to support your body makes it possible for you to perform the pushup moves correctly and without jarring your injured back. Over time, the muscles in your lower back will grow stronger and your pain should lessen.
How often do you need to perform redcord exercises?
In a study that examined the effectiveness of pushups in a sling for treating lower back pain, students performed the exercises 3 times per week for 6 weeks. They trained for 30 minutes per session, performing not only pushups, but also a variety of other sling-based exercises. Your physical therapist may recommend more or less training, depending on the severity of your back pain and your overall physical abilities.
How can you guarantee success?
For best results with suspension training, it is important to work with your physical therapist. He or she can ensure you are performing the exercises correctly so that you do not risk additional injury. Studies have shown that performing pushups in conjunction with other sling exercises is more effective in managing lower back pain than general physical therapy or other sling exercises alone. Your physical therapist will be able to design a customized exercise routine based on your needs, as well as integrate other treatment, like cold therapy and chiropractic care, into your routine.
If you’ve struggled to find relief from back pain, adding pushups with redcord sling support to your routine might provide the breakthrough you’re awaiting.