The same is true when you go to see a chiropractor. Most of the time, individuals go to see a chiropractor because they’re in pain (not feeling well). After the chiropractor has treated them and gotten them out of pain (a ‘prescription,’ so to speak, for a temporary condition), the chiropractor will probably suggest maintenance care (a general checkup even when you’re feeling okay). The only difference is that a chiropractor will likely suggest that you come in monthly. Why? Because chiropractors are all about preventative care whenever possible. Maintenance care is like a “tune up” that not only helps your body to maintain the “crisis” treatment you received when you were in pain and keeps you healthier and stronger so that you can avoid future injuries, but during your maintenance visit your chiropractor can make sure that you don’t have a “temporary condition” that needs to be corrected before it becomes “crisis” treatment.

Cumulative effects of awkward sitting posture, bad work habits, incorrect lifting, lack of regular exercise, and other unhealthy lifestyle-related influences can produce pain, often excruciating pain, in your back, neck, shoulders, hips, knees, etc. Getting “checked out” and “readjusted” on a regular basis keeps small conditions from becoming big problems.

So, to the question “If I start doing to a chiropractor, will I need to go “forever”? The answer is “No, but you may want to, for your health’s sake!”

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Even though hip pain and related problems commonly point to age-related degenerative conditions, especially osteoarthritis of the hip joint, osteoarthritis (OA) isn’t always the perpetrator. In fact, rather than being the original source of the problem, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be the end result of injury to your hips at a previous time.

Gait changes caused by biomechanical injury such as an ankle sprain or knee strain, can produce hip pain. Also, if you change jobs, alter the way you sit, take on a new sport or activity, or start driving for long periods of a regular basis, your gait may alter to compensate for these new changes.

In addition, gait asymmetries can occur from leg length dissimilarities, foot pronation problems, even carrying a baby or small child on your hip. The point is, anything that produces an asymmetry or imbalance when you are in motion can cause painful hip problems.

As part of the chiropractic management of your hip problem, along with adjustments, Dr. Bolt may prescribe orthotics and will offer suitable progressive rehabilitative exercises that include muscle stretching and strengthening.

hip pain won’t go away on its own. Hip pain means that something needs remedying. Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, can help you to get out of pain, get back in balance, and get your life back now!

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However, in addition to the neck pain relief you’ll receive by your Oxnard Chiropractor by day, there is something important you can do for your neck at night. Neck pain is commonly exacerbated by sleeping on an inappropriate pillow. That’s why it’s so important to use a good pillow, one that is designed to support your neck.  Some pillows are just too hard, while others far too soft, and others are just plain too flat. If you sleep on a pillow that has inadequate neck support, you will probably wake up with neck pain, and possibly back pain and shoulder pain as well.

Cervical pillows are specially designed to take care of neck and shoulder problems and offer support to the natural lordosis (curve) of the neck.  An orthopedic pillow supports the head, aligns the neck vertebrae in a neutral position,  supports the head, and allows better shoulder rotation.

Even a good pillow, however, needs to be renewed periodically due to the breakdown in materials. Although some brands of pillows cost more, they frequently last longer.  A good quality orthopedic pillow, whether it’s down feathered, a foam-type, or poly-filled, will offer you needed comfort and support.

A good, cervical pillow should form itself to support your neck and head in the healthiest position whether you sleep on your back or side.  Support on both your side and back positions is extremely important,  and you will want to consider your own personal sleeping habits when choosing a pillow.  If you are in the habit of sleeping on your back, then you will need to select a pillow that has been especially designed to provide neck and upper back support. If you are a side sleeper, then you will want a bit higher pillow that will supply enough room for your shoulder position. When you are sleeping on a proper orthopedic, it should provide enough support to inhibit your head from going sideways, or rolling and tilting unnaturally.

The most effective way to find an orthopedic pillow that is appropriate for you  is to consult with a health care professional, Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard.

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Shoulder muscles can become tight, and even weak, if the nerves are inflamed, and movement is painful and limited. This commonly happens in the ligaments and a group of muscles (and their tendon attachments) referred to as the rotator cuff. These muscles and tendons attach your upper arm bone with your shoulder blade and also help to lock the ball of your upper arm stably in its shoulder socket. It is the arrangement of this elegant combination that affords the opportunity for the greatest range of motion of any joint in your body.

The severity of this shoulder impingement syndrome can extend from a slight “catching” pain with activity (particularly raising your arm overhead), to an almost total loss of ability to use the shoulder. Do not, under any circumstance either ignore your shoulder pain or keep doing an activity while in pain. It is essential for you to get help for your shoulder pain as quickly as you can because the problem will only go from bad to worse. Unhappily, if left untreated, some shoulder problems, such as Rotator Cuff Syndrome, often end up requiring surgery and extensive rehabilitation.

Your Chiropractor in Oxnard, Dr. Bolt, is an authority when it comes to muscular-skeletal conditions, and he’s very knowledgeable about what to do to relieve your suffering. And because chiropractic care focuses on the reason for your shoulder pain, it is treated at its source. Dr. Bolt will help to restore natural mobility to your shoulder joints, and he will talk to you about rehabilitation exercises that will not only support you in getting rid of your current shoulder problem, but will help to prevent shoulder problems in the future.

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You may wonder why it is that other individuals seem so unaffected by the environment, while your body reacts, or rather overreacts, to it It’s a great question. The answer is that some people, like you, have a hyperactive immune system that actually “freaks out” when they are confronted with common substances such as pollen, dander, shellfish, or nuts.

Can a chiropractor really help with your allergy symptoms? You bet! And, you may be surprised how chiropractic treatment helps. Even though chiropractors don’t treat allergies, per se, quite a few people notice that they experience relief from their allergy symptoms after getting chiropractic adjustments. This relief occurs because chiropractic manipulation affects the complete nervous system, including the autoimmune system. Still wondering about those allergies? When there’s an impedance in the nervous system, in conjunction with other problems, the autoimmune system, whose task it is to assist you in adapting and responding appropriately to your environment, can become under-active or overactive. The problem is the latter when it comes to your allergies. Since chiropractic manipulations decrease or remove disturbances in the nervous system and bring the body back into balance and harmony, the adjustments bring that same balance and harmony to the autoimmune system as well. A strong immune system responds appropriately to commonly named allergens in the environment.

So, as explained above, Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, doesn’t directly treat allergies. You could say that relief from your allergies comes about as part of your well-adjusted and healthy nervous system. If you’d like to get back into harmony with your surroundings as soon as possible, make an appointment with Dr. Bolt today.

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Santa Barbara Chiropractor: 10 Most Frequent Questions

Your Oxnard Chiropractor offers the following explanation on how chiropractic care can correct your balance problems: Controlling and keeping body position while staying still or in motion is the essential function of good balance. Good balance helps a person to walk without wobbling, arise from a sitting position without tottering, and to climb stairs without slipping.

Nearly 9 percent of adults, age 65 and older, disclose having difficulties with balance. Good balance is vital in assisting an older person to stay independent, and implement daily chores and activities. A large majority older individuals, however, suffer from dizziness, “wooziness,” and problems with balance.

The experience by many that they, themselves, or the things around them are spinning is known as “vertigo.” About 40 percent of people nationwide will experience dizziness that is consequential enough to go seek out a health professional. And, among older adults, falls are the prevailing cause of extreme injury and deaths.

Balance and Inner Ear Conditions

Three types of balance disorders that are most familiar are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, labyrinthitis, and Meniere’s disease, although there are quite a few other kinds of balance disorders. Of these three, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most prevalent. Its symptoms include a brief, intense feeling of vertigo with a change in head position, when rolling over to the left or right in bed or when getting out of bed, or when looking up for an object on a high shelf. This affliction is more likely to occur in people 60 and older, but it can also happen in younger adults.

The causes for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo are multifarious. Inner ear infection, head injury, or simply aging can produce the problem. While it can be associated with other disease processes, often a simple Epleys procedure can eliminate the condition. Your Oxnard Chiropractor has many years of experience in this procedure.

Labyrinthitis is an infection or inflammation of the inner ear that creates dizziness and loss of balance. It affects people|individuals of any age and the cause is currently undiscovered.

Ménière’s disease is a balance disorder that creates vertigo, irregular hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ears), and a “full feeling” in the ear.

Even though those over 65 years are more likely to encounter balance disorders, age is not the only reason these problems occur. Care for balance disorders varies based upon the cause. Sometimes, there’s a simple answer to balance challenges, such as simple exercises for vestibular rehab. A chiropractor is well-trained in analyzing and treating a number of balance disorders. Call a health care professional, such as your Oxnard Chiropractor, if you have experienced, or are currently experiencing, dizziness, vertigo, or other challenges with balance.

Although some balance disorders are caused by challenges in the inner ear, other disorders may be associated with another region of the body, like the brain or the heart. Head injury, stroke, certain medicines, circulation challenges, upper respiratory infections and other viral infections, stress, fatigue, smoking, alcohol use,  high or low blood pressure, and heart disease are all factors that, along with aging and ear infection, may cause balance disorders.

Balance disorders created by high blood pressure can usually be managed by less sodium intake,sustaining a healthy weight, and exercise. To help in making the symptoms of dizziness less acute, frequently eating low-salt or salt-free foods, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol, will help.

Balance disorders are significant. It is the primary cause of falls and fall-related injuries in older people. It is essential to have a suspected balance disorder accessed and treated as soon as possible.

If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, you should discuss the symptom(s) with your chiropractor:

• Do you have the feeling of being “unsteady?”

• Does the room seem to spin around you?

• Is there ever a time when you feel as if you are moving when you know you are standing still?

• Do you lose your balance and/or fall?

• Do you feel as if you are falling?

• Does your vision ever become “blurred?”

• Do you ever feel disoriented, or lose a sense of time, place or identify?

Don’t wait until it’s too late! Call your Chiropractor in Oxnard today.

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Even if kids don’t stay as active later in childhood, being active at age five helps them to avoid excess fat as they get older. “We call this effect ‘banking’ because the kids benefit later on, similar to having a savings account at a bank. The protective effect is independent of what happens in between,” Janz went on to say.

The UI team tested the body fat and activity level of 333 kids at ages five, eight and eleven using a special scanner that accurately measures bone, fat and muscle tissue, and an accelerometer that measures movement every minute. Rather than counting on kids or parents to track minutes of exercise, the kids wore accelerometers to record their activity level for up to five days.

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, indicates that kids who are active at age five end up with less fat at age eight and eleven, even when controlling for their accumulated level of activity. The average five-year-old in the study got thirty minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day. For every ten minutes on top of that, kids had one-third of a pound less fat tissue at ages eight and eleven.

Although further research is necessary to learn what happens to the active kids’ bodies that keeps them in better shape down the road, Janz said that it could be that the active 5-year-olds didn’t develop as many fat cells, improved their insulin response, or that something happened metabolically that offered some protection even as they became less active.

However, as exciting as this study is, weight moderation is not the only benefit of early exercise. As a chiropractor I have discovered in my own practice that active kids don’t have as many ordinary childhood health problems, like catching colds and the flu. Chiropractic care is, without a doubt, exceptionally beneficial in helping kids to stay healthier. But, in addition, the stimulation to the brain that happens during activities, especially those that necessitate “cross pattern” motor movements of the larger muscles, i.e., right hand/left leg and left hand/right leg, such as crawling, running, climbing, and skipping, also boosts the autoimmune system and keeps kids healthier.

Too many children these days are overweight and unhealthy. Though part of the problem is an inappropriate diet, lack of exercise is also a major contributing factor. If you have a five-year-old who chooses to watch television or play video games rather than to participate in more active play, help your child to get up and get moving into healthier activities. Moderate to vigorous activity will not only benefit your child now, but will help to build a healthier future. You can bank on it!

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The carpal tunnel is positioned within the underside of the wrist. It is a tunnel, or passage, through which the Median nerve moves on its way to affect and enliven the hand and fingers. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the most common nerve entrapment disorder. As the name suggests, the problem takes place when a nerve is impinged or trapped between other tissues of the body causing inflammation of the nerve. This can happen if the size of the tendon enlarges as the result of irritation or overuse, or if the tunnel, itself, gets smaller because of a misalignment of the carpal bones.

Initially, the symptoms include pain, numbness, pins and needles, and tingling in the fingers and hand, particularly the thumb and adjacent two fingers. These symptoms are especially noticeable at night and in many cases wake people from their sleep as they have to sit up in bed and shake-out and/or rub the hands in an effort to decrease these unpleasant feelings. Moreover, the hands can feel clumsy or weak, and fatigue easily with activity. In the course of time, grasping small objects with the thumb and fingers can be markedly affected and, if left untreated, can develop into a complete disability of the hand.

In order to diminish the disabling symptoms associated with the advancement of CTS, accurate diagnosis and suitable management are vital.  It would be wise for you to try chiropractic as your first treatment option if you are experiencing the pain and disability associated with carpal tunnel syndrome.  You can find out more about safe and natural chiropractic care, and what it can do for you, by calling Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard.

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Tension headaches: We’d all agree that life can be a pain, now and then, and turn into a tension headache. The majority of people have experienced more than one. If you are someone who’s had a tension headache, then you know that it usually feels like a dull, aching head pain that is commonly accompanied by a sensation of tightness or pressure along your forehead or on the sides and back of your head. Sometimes, you might feel a tenderness of your scalp, neck and shoulder muscles, and periodically you may experience a loss of appetite.

Tension headaches are commonly defined as mild to moderately intense. The severity of the pain varies from one person to another, and from one headache to another in the same person. You may have tension headaches quite frequently or they may take place infrequently. If your headaches take place fifteen or more days a month for a minimum of three months, they’re viewed as chronic. If tension headaches are interferring with your life, chiropractic management may be the remedy.

Migraine Headaches: Migraine headaches differ from the average tension-related headache. According to the National Headache Foundation, migraines frequently develop on only one side of the head. The throbbing or pulsating pain is accompanied by nausea or vomiting. One-fifth of migraine sufferers have auras, visual symptoms an hour before a migraine attack, and distrubances such as pulsating light, lines or dots.

Are you a person who experiences the painful symptoms of migraines? If you are, you know the upsetting, disabling effects that this kind of condition can have on your life. The pain of a migraine headache can sideline you for hours, for days, for a lifetime, and conventional over-the-counter medications are not only ineffective but, like prescription drugs, they all too often have alarming side effects. Chiropractic management may be the answer for you.

If you’re suffering from tensions headaches or migraines, it’s time to eliminate the pain and get your life back! chiropractic care has been shown to be highly effective. Get in touch with Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard today!

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The clinical diagnosis of sciatica is referred to as a “radiculopathy”, which means simply that a disc has protruded from its normal position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve.

Increased pressure on the intervertebral discs, as well as imbalances in the muscles encompassing the spine can happen during and after prolonged sitting, specifically in a awkward position. Often a particular event or injury does not cause sciatica, but rather it tends to develop as a result of general wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. Eventually the lower spine loses its ability to function normally during everyday stresses.

Ultimately, the intervertebral disc develops small fissures, or cracks, letting the soft nucleus to protrude the disc outward. If the disc pushes on sensitive tissues, it produces the pain that is often referred to as a slipped disc. If the disc presses on the spinal nerve, an individual can develop sciatica.

With chiropractic adjustments and care, which often includes postural exercises, most disc challenges, including sciatica, can often be eliminated. If you are experiencing sciatic pain, it is essential for you to seek chiropractic attention. Call Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard. He can help!

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