The Keystone to Better Joints and Spine
April 5, 2024
Neuroscientist Daniel Wolpert once said: “We have a brain for one reason and one reason only – that’s to produce adaptable and complex movements. Movement is the only way we have affecting the world around us…I believe that to understand movement is to understand the whole brain. And therefore, it’s important to remember when you are studying memory, cognition, sensory processing, they’re there for a reason, and that reason is action.”
Muscles: There are 600 muscles in the human body that contribute to bout 40% of your total body weight. By moving, you are strengthening your muscles which improve stability, balance, and coordination. Don’t forget, stretching helps maintain your muscle health as well.
Bones: Movement helps build more durable and denser bones. Bone-building activities like resistance training, weight bearing exercises (jogging, walking, hiking), and balance training (yoga) can support better bone density.
Joints: Yoga is all about body awareness, so you’re compelled to pay attention to each movement. By being aware of how you move, you can increase coordination and balance, be mindful of the positioning of your joints, and relax. Plus, yoga encourages flexibility and range-of-motion, which boosts joint flexibility and joint function.
The Keystone is MOVEMENT! The older we get, the more sedentary we might be. When you don’t use your muscles and joints on a regular basis, you lose the integrity in them. Therefore, you will notice a decrease in your spatial awareness, falling and tripping more often, losing mind body connection, and getting injured often from doing simple movements.
If you train your body to move and increase movement in duration, frequency, and intensity over time you will maintain the health of your spine, muscles, and joints.
If you notice that you are getting frequent episodes of lower back pain, neck pain, or joint pain reach out to us to see what we can do for you!
At Thrive Sports & Spine, patient education is a vital part of the care we provide. We want to share some important information about a topic that affects many individuals: nerve compression and the pathway to recovery.
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Why You Should Avoid Refined Sugars: A Wellness-Based Perspective
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people worldwide. It occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones wears down over time. Studies now show that this may be prevented or even reversed with weight loss! It is estimated that a force of three to six times one’s body weight is exerted across the knee while walking. This means that a person who is only 10lbs overweight can increase the force across their knee joint by 30-60lbs with each step! 1 In fact, in one study it was found that obese women had 4 times the risk of knee osteoarthritis compared with non-obese women. For obese men the risk was nearly 5 times greater! 2 It makes sense that the more pressure you put on a joint the more likely that joint is going to develop arthritis, but the story goes deeper. Being overweight has also been associated with higher rates of hand osteoarthritis suggesting a second factor in overweight individuals as well. 3 Studies show that engorged fat cells increase the release of pro-inflammatory chemicals which may cause increased inflammation arthritis in joints all over the body, not just those that are weight bearing. People who are overweight experience more joint pain than those with a normal weight. But there is hope. If obesity increases the development and progression of systemic joint osteoarthritis can losing does weight reverse the effects? One study noted that in “overweight” women (BMI greater than or equal to 25) there was a significantly lower risk of osteoarthritis when these women lost weight. 4 They concluded that for every 11lbs of weight loss, the risk of knee osteoarthritis decreased by over 50%! Weight loss substantially reduced reports of overall pain as well. You may not have to live the rest of your life with knee and joint pain. A safe and effective weight loss program will help you to stop the progression or even eliminate your joint pain all together. 1 Felson DT: Weight and osteoarthritis. J.Rheumatol. 1995;43:7-9. 2 Anderson J, Felson DT: Factors associated with osteoarthritis of the knee in the First National Health and Nutrition Examination (HANES I). 3 Carman WJ, Sowers M, Hawthorne VM, Weissfeld LA: Obesity as a risk factor for osteoarthritis of the hand and wrist: a prospective study. 4 Felson DT, Zhang Y, Hannan MT, et al: Risk factors for incident radiographic
How Chronic Neck Pain Affects Balance, Reaction Time & Strength
Are you an athlete, fitness enthusiast, or someone struggling with chronic pain or mobility issues? In Atlantic County, NJ, sports chiropractic care is revolutionizing how individuals recover from injuries and enhance their performance.
Written by Charlie Annunziata, DC Low back pain (LBP) is the second most common symptom-related reason for clinician visits in the United States (skin disorders was number one) and is THE most common indication for Chiropractic care. In fact, up to 84% of the US population has been found to report LBP symptoms at some point during their lifetime. However, the etiology of LBP is not well understood considering the evidence that people without LBP have structural changes and many LBP patients have no structural changes on imaging studies of the lumbar spine. Long and colleagues performed a standardized mechanical assessment on 312 patients with LBP, with and without sciatica. They were able to successfully subgroup 230 (74%) of these patients, however 26% of the patients did not fit into a subgroup (Long A, 2004). So, the question remains: how do health care providers best assess people with LBP in order to develop a specific and successful treatment recommendation? Might we look beyond the spinal column for the source of, or contributor to, pain and loss of function? Research now shows that limited hip internal rotation can significantly contribute to low back pain. This may be caused by hip joint variants but more commonly by trauma causing adhesion of the hip joint capsule or even prolonged sitting which over activates the hip flexors and abductors and under activates the hip extensors and adductors. This article explores the relationship between hip mobility and lower back health, highlighting how restricted hip internal rotation can lead to various issues in the lumbar spine. Biomechanics Hip internal rotation plays a crucial role in normal gait, balance, and functional movement. When this range of motion becomes restricted, it forces compensation in other parts of the body, particularly the lumbar spine (Sadhegisani, 2015). This compensation can lead to several problems: Lumbar Over-rotation: Reduced hip mobility causes the lumbar spine to over-rotate during everyday movements, increasing pressure on intervertebral discs, muscles, and ligaments. Pelvic Dysfunction: Limited internal rotation, especially when asymmetrical, can cause pelvic imbalances that pull the lower spine into abnormal positions. Altered Biomechanics: The lack of hip internal rotation changes overall movement patterns, altering the natural biomechanics of the spine and pelvis. What Does the Research Say? The correlation between limited hip internal rotation and low back pain is elucidated in many recent studies. Sadhegisani reported that asymmetrical and limited hip internal rotation ROM were common findings in patients with LBP. Reduced and asymmetrical total hip rotation was also observed in patients with LBP. However, none of the studies explicitly reported limited hip external rotation ROM. Proving that not all hip rotation ROM affects low back pain, just internal rotation. Ellison et al. reported that deficits in hip internal rotation are related to both LBP and sacroiliac joint pain (JB, 1990). Another study found that patients with low back pain and positive hip findings such as a positive anterior hip impingement test, FABER test, and/or log-roll test, have more pain and worse function compared to those without positive hip findings. Research has also demonstrated that a loss of hip internal rotation can prevent the pelvis from rotating properly over the stance limb during gait, affecting the coupling mechanics of the sacrum and lumbar spine (Yoon, 2024). What Causes Hip-related Low Back Pain? The development of low back pain due to limited hip internal rotation can occur through several mechanisms such as compensatory spinal motion, pelvic and lumbar muscle imbalances, and repetitive stress syndrome (Sadhegisani, 2015). When hip rotation is limited, the spine may compensate by rotating, extending, or flexing more than it should. Restricted hip mobility can lead to muscle imbalances through overactivity and tightness related muscles such as the piriformis, potentially compressing the sciatic nerve. Repetitive stress injuries also come into play. Even small amounts of repeated rotation in the spine, compensating for lack of hip mobility, can produce microscopic injuries to spinal structures over time. How to Make the Diagnosis Limitations in hip internal rotation can be diagnosed through several assessments such as: Seated Test: The patient sits on the edge of a treatment table with feet dangling, knees and hips flexed to 90 degrees. They are asked to keep their knees together while moving their ankles apart. The Chiropractor may apply overpressure to add a passive component. Prone Test: With knees together and flexed to 90 degrees, the ankles are allowed to fall apart. Overpressure can be applied for a passive component. Gait Observation: While assessing gait you may notice movement compensations such as overpronation of feet, knee valgus, reduced step length, external rotation of the foot during stance phase, increased lumbar and knee extension.
Don’t wait for discomfort to set in—call us today at (609) 365-8881 or (856) 691-6055 or reply to this email to schedule an appointment.
If you're unsure which therapy is best for your specific condition, don’t hesitate to reach out to our office. We’re here to help guide you toward the most effective treatment for your pain.
