Yard work, Back pain! What' the solution? | Bellevue Chiropractor

Low back pain after yard work. Is there help for that?

I was doing yard work for 4 hours yesterday since the sun was out. I shoveled 2 yards of mulch. That was way more than I expected. And my back was not too happy this morning. What should I do?

Besides paying attention to my posture while pushing wheel barrel, shoveling dirt, bending and lifting, I also took several mini breaks in between. I stretched out my back, legs and thighs. I drank extra water. I also paid extra attention to my posture when sitting and driving. I put a pillow on my low back while sitting down and did not sit on a soft chair. I sat all the way back and rest my back again the backseat while driving last night. All these were intended to maintain the low back lordosis, curvature. With bending and twisting my back while shoveling, I need to restore the natural curvature in my low back with self care methods mentioned above.

After doing all those stretching exercise and maintaining a proper posture, I still feel extra tense over my low back. Therefore, I went to see my chiropractic colleague and got a chiropractic adjustment. My back felt much better after the treatment. The stress is less, my back does not feel locked up, and the muscles feel less tense. I am going to take things easy the next few days. I will be doing some gentle low back stretching exercises and get chiropractic adjustments again to make sure my spine is in balance. Chiropractic care is safe and effective for back pain on top of doing stretching exercises and watching your posture.



Active Spines Chiropractic in Bellevue WA Keeps Your Spine Active and Pain Free! You can contact Dr. Shao-Hao Cheng at 425-818-0086 or info@activespines.com

Sitting time and all-cause mortality risk | Bellevue Chiropractor

Too much sitting linked to shortened lives: study(2)

         People who spent a lot of time sitting at a desk or in front of a television were more likely to die than those who were only sedentary a few hours a day, according to an Australian study that looked at death rates during a three-year period. (1) Researchers, whose results appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that the link between too much time sitting and shortened lives stuck even when they accounted for how much moderate or vigorous exercise people got, as well as their weight and other measures of health. The study concludes that prolonged sitting is a risk factor for all-cause mortality, independent of physical activity. Public health programs should focus on reducing sitting time in addition to increasing physical activity levels. There is also another study found out that time spent in sedentary behaviors was positively associated with mortality, and participation in high levels of moderate vigorous physical activities did not fully mitigate health risks associated with prolonged time watching television.(3)

      In short sitting too long will shorten your lifespan even if you do exercises regularly. In order to live longer and healthier it is very important for us to take mini breaks at work or when watching TV. A simple solution is to get up and move around for a few minutes every hour. You can use a timer to remind yourself. Stretching your neck, upper back and low back will keep you body flexible and prevent you from foot pain, forward head posture, neck pain, back pain, or work injuries. As a chiropractor I always recommend my patients to do regular stretching and posture exercises at work and home. It takes about 10 minutes but you will feel much better over you back and neck right away. Don't wait until it is too late. Besides stretching, or walking around, it is also imperative to have your spine checked by a chiropractor. In this fast pace society and with sedentary life style, we are putting lots of stress on our body without knowing it. Seeing a chiropractor can keep your spine active and healthy and in balance. If your spine goes out of balance, it will put pressure on your body. You will have aches and pain. Chiropractic adjustment is a natural and safe way to keep you in balance! We help you stay active and you will live longer!
      


References:

1. van der Ploeg HP, Chey T, Korda RJ, Banks E, Bauman A.Sitting Time and All-Cause Mortality Risk Arch Intern Med. 2012 Mar 26;172(6):494-500.

2. Reuters: Too much sitting linked to shortened lives.
3. Amount of time spent in sedentary behaviors and cause-specific mortality in US adults


Active Spines Chiropractic in Bellevue WA Keeps Your Spine Active and Pain Free! You can contact Dr. Shao-Hao Cheng at 425-818-0086 or info@activespines.com

OMNI to broadcast Friday’s Knicks-Raptors game in Mandarin | Bellevue Chiropractor

     OMNI says it will broadcast Friday’s Knicks-Raptors game in Mandarin for the very first time on March 23rd 2012. This is an exciting news. I heard this last night while watching the Knicks and 76er's game. It was also mentioned this morning on NPR. How cool is that! The is the very first live Mandarin broadcast in NBA history! “The level of enthusiasm for Jeremy Lin from the Chinese and Taiwanese communities has been extraordinary over the past month, and it’s clear that his Cinderella story and stellar performances are inspiring youth in these communities across Canada,” said Madeline Zinak, the station’s National Vice-President.
    
      Interesting enough, later this morning I got a phone call and a potential patient ask me if I can speak Chinese. Yes, I can speak Mandarin since I was born and raised in Taiwan. She called because her sister has debilitating low back pain and need some help. She had found Active Spines Chiropractic in Bellevue WA on Google. They will be in later today for chiropractic examination and see if chiropractic care can help her back pain. Last I cannot wait to watch the game on Friday! This is very exciting again!

You can read the news at Jeremy Lin Linsanity grips OMNI as it prepares its first all-Mandarin NBA broadcast for Knicks vs Raptors Friday


Active Spines Chiropractic in Bellevue WA Keeps Your Spine Active and Pain Free! You can contact Dr. Shao-Hao Cheng at 425-818-0086 or info@activespines.com

Bellevue Massage Therapist | Alice Loh

Bellevue Massage Therapist

Bellevue Massage Therapist
Alice Loh

Please welcome Alice, our new massage therapist on board at Active Spines Chiropractic in Bellevue WA. Alice has been a massage therapist since 2010. She specialize in injury treatments, Swedish massage and deep tissue massage. She can keep you fit, active and healthy beyond traditional massage treatments. Her goal for her patients not only relieves the symptoms but also improves their life styles in order for them to live a healthier life. She is also a provider with many health insurances which includes Premera, Aetna, FirstChoice, United Health Care, Work Injury Claim, Auto Insurance and more! Do you have neck pain or back pain? She can definitely help you! Please call us and we can verify your insurance benefit for you. Most likely with one hour of massage you will only responsible for your co-pay which is a great deal! Please call 425-818-0086 to schedule your next massage appointment with her! By the way she also speaks Mandarin Chinese and Japanese!


Active Spines Chiropractic Keeps Your Spine Active and Pain Free! You can contact Dr. Shao-Hao Cheng at 425-818-0086 or info@activespines.com

Sidney Crosby cleared for contact | Bellevue Chiropractor

Auto Collision Related Spine Injuries 2012 Part II

I went to a seminar about Auto Collision Related Spine Injuries 2012 II by Dr. Dan Dock, DC on Thursday, March 8th, 2012. Here I will share some of the information that I learned from the seminar. Cranial nerve I to XII function and auto collision injuries were the topic. There were lots of information about cranial nerve evaluation and it's clinical relations. It really reminds me the good old days in the neuroanatomy and neurology class in school. The seminar was very in depth and felt like attending a neuro diplomat class. 

Dr. Dock also talked about Sidney Crosby's concussion like symptoms. Concussion like symptoms such as his dizziness and blur vision is a result of neck muscle strain/tightness.1, 2 Post trauma vertigo may be due to vasomotor instability.2 But, may be due to vestibulospinal system or chronic neck spinal muscle tightness. Cervical vertigo can be a result of dizziness from proprioception, vertebral artery irritation or sympathetic irritation. Chiropractic adjustment can help condition like this. Dr. Dock says that we are already helping people with similar condition in our daily practice even though you are not treating Sidney Crosby. You might have heard patients say that they can see better after cervical adjustment. The neurological pathway after cervical adjustment is that it stimulate the proprioceptor in the spinal cord. The information goes to the cerebellum via medial longitudinal fasciculus tract. It then goes to to CN III, IV, and VI that helps with vision.  

There are other diseases causing blur vision and dizziness such as ALS, MS, stroke and aneurysm. These are contra-indication for chiropractic treatment. In the seminar he went over signs and symptoms of many disease related to cranial nerves. It was quite a morning re-learning neurology. I had fun!

You can read the news at Sidney Crosby cleared for contact on USA today news

1. Common Whiplash Injuries of the Neck, Gay J, Abbott K. Journal of American Medical Association, 1953; 152(18): 1698-1704
2. Vertigo due to Whiplash Injury, Hinoki M. Acta Otolaryngologica, 1985; 419: 9-29

Active Spines Chiropractic Keeps Your Spine Active and Pain Free! You can contact Dr. Shao-Hao Cheng at 425-818-0086 or info@activespines.com