Dr. Judd Lowrey's Sports and Wellness Chiropractic Blog

It is time again to get ready for the school year ahead. Of course, preparing for back to school includes buying necessary supplies and clothes, but it should also include creating a plan for wellness to ensure your children stay healthy throughout the year. Along with having a trusted pediatrician who you can call when injuries and illnesses occur, it also makes sense to partner with a chiropractor who can help prevent and treat many soft tissue injuries that commonly occur in childhood.

Beware of Overloaded Backpacks!
Surprisingly, backpacks are a leading cause of soft tissue injuries during the school year.  Yep, backpacks!

Loaded with binders, textbooks, and now even laptops and tablets, children’s backpacks are often tipping the scales at over 30 lbs. Lugging this amount of weight can certainly lead to significant back, shoulder, and neck injuries – particularly when the weight isn’t evenly distributed.

According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, a child’s backpack should never weigh more than 15% of their body weight. And, a clear indicator that a backpack is too heavy is when a child is in a stooped position when carrying a backpack. Other signs of backpack-related problems include tingling in the arms and complaints of back and shoulder pain.

Needless to say, it’s very important to choose your child’s backpack carefully and to watch for signs of problems that can potentially turn into painful injuries. For questions about backpack safety or to receive a backpack check and fitting, it’s a smart idea to consult with a chiropractor who can evaluate the distribution of weight across the back and correct issues that could cause injury to the muscles and other soft tissues.

Treating Strains and Sprains
Like backpacks, after school sports are notorious for causing many childhood injuries. Strains and sprains commonly occur in children playing on the playground or participating in after school sports. These often happen due to trips and falls or children simply playing too hard.

If a fracture or break is suspected, it’s only prudent to seek medical assistance. However, in many cases, chiropractic treatment can be extremely beneficial. Treatments such as Active Release Technique (ART) can significantly help heal injured tissues while increasing range of motion, strength, and flexibility.

As we get closer to the start of school, we encourage you to visit our website and contact us for an evaluation. We’re dedicated to being a partner in your children’s wellness throughout their school years and beyond.

Lowrey Chiropractic, Dr. Judd Lowrey, D.C.

5007 Windplay Drive, Suite 2, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

Phone: (916) 941-7508

www.lowreychiropractic.com

Benefits: Increases flexibility, improves joint range of motion, and improves circulation.

Neck Stretch

Steps:

80% of people suffer from back pain

Eighty percent of people suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office. In fact, it is estimated that low back pain affects more than half of the adult population each year.

As long as it is healthy and functioning correctly, the low back can withstand tremendous forces without injury. However, if the low back is out of adjustment or has weakened supporting muscles, something as simple as lifting a bag of groceries, or picking something up off the floor can cause a low back injury.

Consumer reports rated chiropractic care number one for the treatment of low back pain for a simple reason – “it works”. In fact, major studies have shown that chiropractic care is more effective, cheaper and has better long-term outcomes than any other treatment. Chiropractic care is the only method of treatment that serves to re-establish normal vertebral motion and position in the spine.  All other treatments, such as muscle relaxants, pain killers and bed rest, only serve to decrease the symptoms of the problem and do not correct the problem itself.

Here is the Piriformis Stretch for you to try out.  It helps to remove tension off lower back, correct hip imbalance, restore function, and increases flexibility, improves joint range of motion, and improves circulation.

3. Grasp uncrossed leg under thigh and gently pull toward chest.

Dr. Judd Lowrey, D.C. | Lowrey Chiropractic | El Dorado Hills & Folsom Chiropractor

(916) 941-7508

March is National Nutrition Month! Learn how to Get Your Plate in Shape with these healthy tips from Academy of Nutrition.

Eating a healthy diet doesn’t have to be difficult. Making a few simple changes to your daily eating plans can benefit you for a lifetime. Here are a few ways to “Get Your Plate in Shape”.

• Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables: Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark-green, red and orange varieties. Add fresh, dried, frozen or canned fruits to meals and snacks.

• Make at least half your grains whole: Choose 100 percent whole-grain breads, cereals, crackers, pasta and brown rice. Check the ingredients list on food packages to find whole-grain foods.

• Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk: Fat-free and low-fat milk have the same amount of calcium and other essential nutrients as whole milk, but less fat and calories. For those who are lactose intolerant, try lactose-free milk or a calcium-fortified soy beverage.

• Vary your protein choices: Eat a variety of foods from the protein food group each week, such as seafood, nuts and beans, as well as lean meat, poultry and eggs. Keep meat and poultry portions small and lean. And be sure to choose seafood as the protein at least twice a week.

• Cut back on sodium and empty calories from solid fats and added sugars: Compare sodium in foods and choose those with lower numbers, and season your foods with herbs and spices instead of salt. Switch from solid fats to healthy oils like olive and canola oil. Replace sugary drinks with water and choose fruit for dessert.

• Enjoy your foods but eat less: Avoid oversized portions. Use a smaller plate, bowl and glass. Cook more often at home where you are in control of what’s in your food. When eating out, choose lower calorie menu options.

• Be physically active your way: Adults need at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of physical activity every week. Choose activities that you enjoy, and start by doing as much as you can.

What are you doing to get your plate in shape?