Article of the week April 23 to 27, 2018
If you are reading this newsletter, it's likely because you have made a commitment to improving the alignment of your spine, which in turn will take pressure off your nerve system and allow your body to function and heal optimally.
Following your adjustment schedule and making up missed appointments is important if you are going to see positive changes on your next progress exam and x-ray. However, there is another component that I want to address in this newsletter that also plays a large part in your overall success. The component I am referring to is avoidable causes of subluxation (ACS). ACS refers to the day-to-day things that you are doing, intentionally or unknowingly that may be sabotaging your efforts to optimize your spinal and nervous system health.
In this article of the week I want to address two of the more common ACS that interfere with people restoring their spines to proper alignment. Men tend to carry wallets. Women tend to carry purses (or bags as I've heard they are now called). What you carry in your wallet or purse, and how you carry these items can affect the health of your spine.
I tell men every week to remove their wallets from their back pockets and to stop sitting on them. This graphic depicts how sitting on a wallet can unlevel your pelvis. Your bottom spinal bone is called your sacrum. The sacrum is like a book shelf and when it is unlevel, your spine (which are like the books on the shelf) start to shift to the low side. This misalignment can cause pressure on the sciatic nerve that goes down the back of the leg and over the long term cause your spine to degenerate.
The female equivalent is how they carry their purse or bag. Most women carry a purse over one shoulder only, and they also tend to carry a lot of items that they could probably do without in their daily lives. The graphic on the left shows that when the purse and strap are on the same side of the body it can cause that same shoulder to elevate over time. On the right if depicts how it is helpful to position the strap cross-body to prevent shoulder lift. Another tip to prevent shoulder lift is to alternate the shoulder that is supporting the strap multiple times throughout the day. Shoulder unlevelling can lead to neck pain, headaches and numbness and tingling down the arms. You should also strive to do a purge every couple of months to rid your purse of items you no longer use and lighten the load.
These are two simple ways to help reduce stress on your spine and promote better results on your next progress exam.
Dr. Tim
Grace Chiropractic – 1-3230 Monarch Drive – 705-323-9100 – http://gracechiropractic.ca