Dr. Judd Lowrey's Sports and Wellness Chiropractic Blog

Have you made your resolution yet? Will you resolve to exercise more, eat less, quit smoking, stop drinking, or just take better care of yourself?. While most of us start the year off with ambitious intentions, the reality is that 65% of new gym memberships are cancelled in the first two months! Making health a priority takes discipline and focus, but the rewards of your efforts make it well worth it!

Why wait until something happens to your health to make a change?

You may know someone who had a recent health scare or may have seen firsthand the toll that not being fit takes on your life. Or, perhaps you saw former President Clinton change from a cheeseburger junkie to a health crusader after his recent quadruple bypass surgery. Simply put, being sick takes over your life. Being healthy is a lifestyle choice.

The payoffs from placing a priority on your health do not end immediately after a workout out or a healthy meal. Everything works better when you are healthy. Your body feels fewer affects from added weight and stress. Looking good and feeling good boosts your self-esteem and overall sense of well-being. You can wake up every morning to a better you!

Keys to Lifelong Success
Making health a priority is vital to long-term success. It can’t be treated as a short term solution to a long term problem, or you are destined to fail. Starting to focus on a few key areas in your life will help you along in your journey to better health.

• Eat Healthy – this does not mean diet. Depriving yourself of a specific food or food group is not sustainable over time. Learn about healthy food and eat it.

• Exercise – 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Do whatever you enjoy, just get out and get active.

• Stop Smoking – Isn’t it enough of an incentive to quit when you know that one out of every two smokers will die of their habit?

• Get regular checkups – Pick a day, the same day every year and go. As your mother probably told you, better to be safe than sorry. Knowing your “total health picture” will help you make better decisions about what you eat, what types of exercise you choose, and what exactly your body needs.

• Reduce stress – yes, this is a difficult one. Take time for yourself, make time to do the things you enjoy with the people you enjoy doing them with, take a vacation, visit a spa, get a massage, or even take an occasional “mental health” day away from work. Sometimes, small things work wonders.

• Regular Chiropractic Care – Your spinal cord is made up of bundles of nerve fibers that integrate virtually every aspect of your body, called the nervous system. By balancing your nervous system, your body is able to perform and work at its optimal level. Chiropractic adjustments not only correct fixations that develop in your joints from every day use but it also helps increase range of motion and allows your discs to function better by receiving more nutrients. When the nerve becomes irritated, it can cause many problems including sciatica, headaches, muscles spasms, and pain. Since pain is often the last thing to tell your body that something is wrong, it is important not to wait for it. Be proactive and get your spine and nervous system checked to increase your overall wellness.

Exercise, a sensible diet and regular chiropractic care will help you enjoy the best of health well into the future. Make health a priority this year!

Did your last 5K run leaving you reaching for an ice pack and an ibuprofen?  Have you been telling yourself that post-treadmill knee pain is going to go away by itself?  Perhaps it’s time to consider those Active Release Techniques your chiropractor was telling you about!

What are Active Release Techniques?
ART® was created by an aeronautical engineer, chiropractor, and avid tri-athlete, Dr Micheal Leahy, and is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves. 

ART® is different from other forms of soft tissue therapy because it incorporates the best of other forms of treatment, movement, stretching, and pressure points.  The ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness, and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, and nerves.   Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements. The treatments are aimed at manually breaking up adhesions, the scar tissue that entraps muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves, making it an alternative for some to traditional medical treatments that can range from anti-inflammatory drugs to splinting and surgery.

All fully certified ART® providers learn over 500 protocols.  All providers must continue to maintain their certification each year by attending seminars. This ensures the public that quality of the application of the technique can be maintained.

Why ART® for Running Injuries?

ART® is most successful for “overuse” injuries, and not surprisingly repetitive strain injuries are the most common injury seen in runners.  Sure, you can blame it on poor running mechanics, over training, muscle imbalance, or the wrong shoes, but blame isn’t going to fix it.  Even the hardiest runner with good technique, a good training plan, and proper footwear can still suffer from repetitive strain injuries.

Repetitive stress injuries are usually a result of continued repetition of a movement and/or an overload of stress on muscles, tendons or joints over a period of time without adequate rest.  Just think about what your body does when you are running, your hips, knees, and ankles all repeat the same motion over and over again.  They flex and extend thousands of times during a long run.  The muscles have to absorb two to three times your body weight each time you land.  And most people who consider themselves “runners” do this day in and day out until the pain starts creeping in.

Scar tissue develops as a result of the repetitive stress injury, resulting in a restricted range of motion, a reduction in circulation, increase in muscle tension, and friction.  All of which, if not treated, can result in an ongoing cycle of injury.  The best treatment plan for this type of injury should include Active Release Technology.

If you are a runner, an athlete, or just interested in how you can benefit from ART®, contact us for an appointment today!