Elkhorn Chiropractic for Elkhorn Area Kids Surprisingly, the first stress placed on a child’s spinal column is during the birthing process. Equally surprising is the fact that 26% of children surveyed at school reported a history of back pain. A child’s spine is frequently subjected to repeated forces in the process of learning to walk as well as a multitude of childhood mishaps, sports related injuries, and postural strains. Many adults that come to a chiropractor’s office show evidence of childhood in-juries to their spine that are a contributing factor for their pain today. This is why it is important to have your child’s spine checked regularly for any signs of spinal imbalances or misalignments. Fortunately, chiropractic has had many positive results in treating some very common childhood maladies. Problems like colic, headaches, ear infections, scoliosis, asthma, and even some cases of behavioral problems and bed-wetting have been successfully treated with chiropractic care. In fact, a recent study showed that children under chiropractic care suffered from fewer ear infections than those whose parents sought medical care alone. Are chiropractic adjustments safe for children? Absolutely! Because a child’s skeletal system is still developing, there is a great deal of elasticity within the joints. Light pressure is usually all that is needed to adjust a child’s spine. So the next time you come to our office, bring your children. The few minutes you invest in your child’s spinal checkup may save them needless suffering now and in the future. 10 Most Common Reasons Children Visit The Chiropractor: 1. Ear aches 2. Neck Pain 3. Checkup 4. Headaches 5. Upper Respiratory Infection 6. Low Back Pain 7. Allergies 8. Asthma 9. Enuresis (bed wetting) 10. Thoracic Pain
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Position Your Body for Success One important aspect to living a life of wellness is exactly that – living! We live and enjoy this life by being active, allowing our spine, nervous system, and joints to move for optimal functioning. We can be active by playing a sport, working in the garden, working on a project, or even going on a hike.
Before you dive into your favorite activity, position your body for success and good health. Here’s how: Remember to warm up.Whatever the sport or activity you love, sometimes it’s easier to just dive in without a proper warm-up. By not warming up the joints, the chances of straining a muscle or injuring a ligament increase, keeping you on the sidelines. Warming up is simply starting out slowly. Get your body moving in whatever activity you enjoy, gradually building momentum. If your activity is walking, start slowly and gradually build up speed to your comfort level. Starting out slowly allows your muscles and joints to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to perform the activity. By warming up, not only will your body be better prepared for physical activity, but you will also notice improved physical performance. Utilize proper posture and movement. For example, if you’re planting flowers in the garden or working on a project in the garage, remember to lift objects with support from your legs rather than with your back alone. Keeping your back in an upright position while lifting with your legs will help the discs in your spine to stay active and healthy. Rather than bending down and twisting your back while shoveling, keep your back straight, bend at the knees, lift the loaded shovel with your legs, and turn with your whole body. If you find yourself on your knees for an extended period of time, remember to take a break, get up and move to increase circulation to your leg muscles and knee joints. Studies have shown that active engagement in improving your posture and movement reduce lower back pain. Together with chiropractic care, warming up with healthy joint movement and body posture will allow you to better enjoy your favorite activities while avoiding injury. You will be able to enjoy a healthier lifestyle, enabling you to further enrich the lives of those you love. Chiropractic and Bedwetting
As a grade-schooler, try explaining sleeping on the couch with a garbage bag to all your buddies... Many children can also have problems during daytime hours. This is frustrating for both parents and children, but often it’s something the child can’t control: a spinal problem.
Why Does It Happen? Bedwetting, or Enuresis, is controlled by your brain, which regulates the bladder (detrusor muscle) and every other part of the human body by sending messages down your spinal cord. A problem in the spine, then, can mean that these messages aren’t being received. This can easily affect your child’s ability to empty their bladder at the right times. How Chiropractic We Help? Your child can be evaluated for any spinal problems that may be causing bedwetting. Although your child may not complain of back problems or pain, this misalignment in their back can be so subtle that they’re not able to feel it. Parents are usually just prepared to wait for their child to grow out of this problem, but it can last for years, in many cases well beyond 4-5 years of age. We can evaluate a child of any age for this common problem and get both you and your children back to a good night’s sleep, every night! Call or Email your Elkhorn Chiropractor today! Chad Schleiger, D.C. 262.215.2292 or TWPChiro@gmail.com Can Chiropractic Improve Your Game?
The demands athletes place on their bodies require them to work like finely tuned, well-oiled machines. Especially for professional athletes, there’s little time for injuries in their intense training and competition schedules, which is why virtually every American professional sports team has a sports chiropractor on staff to care for its athletes. Sports, whether at the amateur or professional level, require a combination of strength, balance, coordination and flexibility to succeed. To reach the height of achievement in any sport requires split-second reflexes, peak structural strength and stability and a will and determination to keep going when the going gets tough. It requires a body that is functioning at its highest capacity. As a sports chiropractor in Elkhorn, Dr. Chad focuses his attention on the function of the spine and the vital nerve tissue (the spinal cord) that is encased in it. When it is in proper alignment, the spine protects the spinal cord from damage, while its 24 separate moving parts (the vertebrae) provide a perfect combination of stability and flexibility to allow for a full range of functional movements. The Effect Of Spinal Dysfunction On Athletic Performance When even a single vertebra is misaligned, the effects are not only painful, but can also result in diminished function of the nervous system, which is required to coordinate the rest of the musculoskeletal system. When the messages being transmitted by the nervous system are even slightly affected, the results can be quite dramatic. For example, if the dysfunction is in an area that affects the function of the shoulder, the milliseconds difference in muscle-firing patterns can mean the difference, for a baseball pitcher, between a well-placed, high-speed strike and an off-target ball in the dirt. If a golfer develops dysfunction within the joints of the lower back, the difference in core stability can mean a loss of several yards off the tee, leaving a much more difficult approach shot to the green. And if the misalignment affects the pelvis or legs of a world-class sprinter, this slight difference can be all it takes to turn a gold medal into a 5th-place finish. What The Evidence Says One recent study, appearing in The Journal of Chiropractic Research and Clinical Investigation, reported that athletes who received chiropractic care exhibited up to a 30% increase in athletic ability after 12 weeks of treatments. Areas tested included skills such as kinesthetic perception, power, reaction time, agility and balance. Improvements were significantly greater than those who did not receive chiropractic treatments during the same period. Looking For A Sports Chiropractor In Elkhorn? Ready to take your athletic ability to the next level? At The Wellness Pointe Chiropractic, we utilize a low-force, non-invasive, conservative approach to sports chiropractic for our patients in , Elkhorn, Delavan, Lake Geneva, Williams Bay, East Troy, Burlington, Walworth & surrounding areas. To make an appointment at The Wellness Pointe Chiropractic, call 262-215-2292 or schedule an appointment via email at TWPChiro@gmail.com. Sources: Lauro A, Mouch B. Chiropractic effects on athletic ability – The Journal of Chiropractic Research and Clinical Investigation (1991); 6:84-87. Jarosz B. The Effect on a Racewalker’s Sports Performance with Chiropractic Treatment : A Case Report – Chiro J Aust (2010); 40:117-19. Hoskins W, Pollard H. The effect of a sports chiropractic manual therapy intervention on the prevention of back pain, hamstring and lower limb injuries in semi-elite Australian Rules footballers: a randomized controlled trial – BMC Musculoskelet Disord (2010); 11:64. Miners A. Chiropractic treatment and the enhancement of sport performance: a narrative literature review. J Can Chiropr Assoc. Dec 2010; 54(4):210–221. The Link Between Your Spine & Digestive Disorders Everyone at one time or another has experienced the discomfort of bloating, gas, irritable bowel, constipation, diarrhea and other digestive disorders, and over $80 billion is spent every year on controlling these symptoms. In some disorders, such as Crohn’s disease, patients often require recurring hospitalization and even surgery. Traditionally, triggers have been thought to be stress, diet or infection, but new research has shown that digestive problems have a strong neurological component.
It’s easy to see why patients with all kinds of digestive and intestinal disorders respond well to adjustments performed by a chiropractor. Every process performed in your body is monitored and controlled by the central nervous system and the network of nerves exiting the spine, and removing the pressure on these nerves caused by spinal misalignments allows for normal transmission of messages to your digestive system.
If you are having digestive issues, you may not think to call an Elkhorn chiropractor first, but a growing body of research suggests that perhaps you should. What The Research Says A 2012 study evaluated the clinical effect of spinal manipulation (adjustments) in treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) compared with medication. Researchers randomly divided 210 IBS patients into spinal manipulation and medication groups. All patients in the spinal manipulation group received a total of five treatments. Symptoms were evaluated based on bowel symptom scale scores before and after treatment to evaluate the effects of treatment, and to statistically compare both groups. Post-treatment results showed that of the spinal manipulation treatment group, 92 cases had excellent results, 10 cases had good results, 3 cases had fair results, and 0 cases had poor results. There were no adverse side effects from treatment. In comparison, in the group receiving medication, 30 cases had excellent results, 41 cases had good results, 12 cases had fair results, and 22 cases had poor results. The researchers concluded that displacement of vertebra in the thoracolumbar spine appears to negatively effect the function of the digestive system. Correcting this misalignment and resolving the abnormal stimuli caused by pressure exerted on the nervous system is, according to the authors of the study, “an effective treatment for IBS”. Earlier case studies have also shown that treatment by a chiropractor is an effective method for relieving constipation in pediatric patients. Chiropractic Help For Crohn’s Disease In another study evaluating the effectiveness of chiropractic treatment for patients with Crohn’s disease, 70% of the patients who had battled with chronic digestive problems showed long-term and stable remission of their symptoms without medication after 12 weeks of regular chiropractic care. The researchers concluded that “chronic nerve compression secondary to vertebral subluxation in the thoracic and lumbar regions had a significant effect on the immune function of these allergy and Crohn’s disease patients.” Furthermore, “this nerve compression leads to a chronic functional disorder having a significant effect on digestion, absorption of nutrients and liquids, conveyance of food as well as various other functions of the digestive tract extending to excretion.” The Wellness Pointe : Chiropractic Advantage The bottom line is this: chiropractic care should be strongly considered as a complementary treatment to conventional medical methods of improving bowel function. The health of the spine and nervous system needs be examined along with diet and nutritional habits. Need a chiropractor in Elkhorn? At The Wellness Pointe we utilize a low-force, non-invasive, conservative approach to treat the structural problems that cause digestive disorders like IBS and Crohn’s Disease. To make an appointment at The Wellness Pointe, call 262-215-2292 or schedule an appointment via email TWPChiro@gmail.com. Chad Schleiger, D.C. pediatric and wellness chiropractor elkhorn, wi Sources: Qu L., et al. Irritable bowel syndrome treated by traditional Chinese spinal orthopedic manipulation. J Tradit Chin Med. Dec 2012; 32(4):565-70. Takeda Y., Arai S., Touichi H., Mieda T. Long Term Remission and Alleviation of Symptoms in Allergy and Crohn’s Disease Patients Following Spinal Adjustment for Reduction of Vertebral Subluxations. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. March 2003; 4(4). Alcantara J., Mayer D. The successful chiropractic care of pediatric patients with chronic constipation: A case study and selective review of the literature. Clinical Chiropractic (2008); 11:138-147. All of us who’ve experienced a back injury of one sort or another have been told at some point to “avoid heavy lifting.” That type of advice appears to be a no-brainer or at least redundant, as no one whose back is hurting is going to try to pick up an air conditioner or even a 100-foot reel of garden hose. In this context, it’s important to remember the words of Shakespeare’s Cassius: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves”. The problem isn’t the heavy lifting, as such. The real problem is in us, that is, in our overall level of conditioning or physical fitness.
Most back injuries don’t occur as a result of heavy lifting, but rather are caused by a seemingly innocuous event such as bending over in the shower to retrieve a bar of soap that has fallen to the floor. Other likely pain-producing scenarios are bending over to place a bag of groceries in the trunk of a car bending over to tie a loose shoelace. None of these circumstances involved lifting extraordinary weight. Rather, the common elements are lack of flexibility and lack of appropriate muscle tone and strength to support the weight of your body in a forward flexed position. The problem isn’t lack of big muscles. Picking up a bar of soap or positioning a 15-pound grocery bag doesn’t require bulging biceps or massive lats. The problem is lack of conditioning. Most of us no longer do actual physical work on a regular basis. We spend the large majority of our day sitting, either working, reading, or watching entertainment on television or other devices. The result of such lack of activity is twofold. Muscles lose strength and muscle fibers are replaced by fat. Additionally, tendons and ligaments contract and become tight, losing their necessary composition of elastic fibers. The functional loss associated with these physiological changes is profound. We experience these change every time we feel a twinge, or worse, in our backs. The fix is easy and primarily focuses on building up core muscle strength.1,2 Core training is directed toward your deep abdominal muscles. The main such muscle is the transverses abdominis, which surrounds your entire waist, protecting and supporting your lower back. You can think of this critically important structure as your internal weight belt. Activation of the core muscles is required for all effective physical activity.3 Without this essential foundation, any minor attempt at work, even bending over to pick up a pencil, can lead to disaster in the form of excruciating back pain. Core training includes exercises such as the scorpion, lying windmill with bent legs, pushups, squats, and the plank. Many good books and numerous online videos are available to provide instruction in the performance of core exercises. Your chiropractor is experienced in rehabilitative exercise and will help guide you to the training methods that are best for you. Call your Elkhorn Family Chiropra 1 Inani SB, Selkar SP: Effect of core stabilization exercises versus conventional exercises on pain and functional status in patients with non-specific low back pain: a randomized clinical trial. J Back Musculoskel Rehabil 26(1):37-43, 2014 2 Brumitt J, et al: Core stabilization exercise prescription, part 2: a systematic review of motor control and general (global) exercise rehabilitation approaches for patients with low back pain. Sports Health 5(6):510-3, 2013 3 Wang XQ, et al: A meta-analysis of core stability exercise versus general exercise for chronic low back pain. PLoS One 2012;7(12):e52082. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052082. Epub 2012 Dec 17 Initial signs of TOXICITY are usually NONE. Healthy lifestyles are the biggest threat to the growth and expansion of the drug industry. A recent Forbes magazine cover article, “Pharma’s New Enemy: Clean Living,” thoroughly addressed this subject from the position of the consumer as well as the investor. Consider the following perspective from the article: “Do you really need all those prescription and over the counter pills you are popping? Maybe not. There’s a backlash building against the cost, risk and side effects of medication, and it’s bad news for the pharmaceutical industry.” The message was driven home even more powerfully when the article noted: “The results of pill dependence are insidious and devastating: billions of dollars in ever-higher drug costs; millions of people enduring sometimes highly toxic side-effects; and close to 2 million cases each year of drug complications that result in 180,000 deaths or life-threatening illnesses in the elderly.” As the article notes, “Every few years the ultimate medical catastrophe: a miracle cure that turns out to be toxic.” (Think Vioxx, Avandia, hormone replacement therapy, Paxil and the link.) Every drug is a toxin! It used to be that an apple a day would keep the doctor away. The recommendation now is an aspirin a day. It turns out, however, that an aspirin a day for at least five years increases a woman’s chance of developing breast cancer by 80%. Seems like a good idea to take your chances with the apple. If you get breast cancer, chances are that the drugs prescribed will cause more harm than good. Many women have been prescribed Tamoxifen. Research now shows that taking Tamoxifen increases the chance of incidence and death from uterine cancer. Even something as seemingly harmless as over-the-counter children’s cough medicine can be deadly. A cough rarely kills a child, but cough medicine and cough syrup just might. The CDC recently released a warning to parents after more than 1,500 infants and toddlers wound up in emergency rooms and three children died because of reactions to overdoses of pediatric cold medicines. Behind the scenes, one doctor admitted, “Fluids and patience are the best treatments.” The most common prescription drugs sold in the U.S. today, and possibly the most toxic to your system, are antidepressant medications. Possible side effects include: suicide, aggressive behavior, nausea, insomnia, anxiety, restlessness, decreased sex drive, dizziness, weight gain or loss, tremors, sweating, sleepiness, fatigue, dry mouth, diarrhea, constipation, headaches, and on and on. Clearly, the issues of toxicity are severe with this type of drug. If you look at the top 20 best-selling drugs in the U.S., you will be amazed to by two things: the sheer dollars spent and what they are prescribed for. The top drugs sold are for pain, heart disease, heartburn and many other conditions that could easily be prevented by nutrition, exercise, chiropractic treatments and the removal of toxicity. As you’ve heard in the past, there is no free lunch. That is the case with medication. Even if the drug makes the symptoms go away, you will pay the price on the back-end with the side effects of toxicity; side effects that sooner or later tend to turn out worse than the condition the drug was prescribed for in the first place. You want to know what really puts a whole lot of people in the nursing home instead of in a suite on a cruise ship? It’s often the pills they’re taking or have been taking for years. Start chiropractic in Elkhorn and let us help you avoid the nursing home and spend retirement on a cruise ship, on the lake or enjoy it however you desire. TWPChiro@gmail.com or 262.215.2292 Chad Schleiger, D.C. pediatric and wellness chiropractor Elkhorn Chiropractor Helping families and children with Concussions
According to a new study in JAMA Pediatrics, concussions are common in middle and high school girls playing soccer. While CDC numbers indicate 173,286 sports-related brain injuries among children, about 50,000 of these injuries occur in middle and high school soccer players. That's almost a third of childhood traumatic brain injuries, and yet the CDC openly acknowledges that these figures are hard to track so the numbers may be even higher!
However, for anyone familiar with the short-term and long-term repercussions of this injury, the scariest stat is that 58.6% of teenagers who get a concussion continue playing soccer through the symptoms! Many doctors feel that "brain rest" is one of the most important things to do with any athlete suspected of having a concussion. Continuing to play and risk additional injury is dangerous. It's clear that recreational and school athletic teams must do a better job of assessing, monitoring, and protecting these young athletes, but it's also the parent's responsibility to protect their children. If you have kids, we recommend contacting their school and coaches to make sure both are informed about brain injuries and know how to appropriately assess and treat them. Additionally, there is more to be concerned about than just the really scary injuries. Physical trauma in sports is very common, and long-term structural changes to the spine can result in chronic pain and dysfunction. That's why I recommend all children, especially athletes, get checked regularly by a chiropractor to ensure they not only prevent chronic injuries, but also perform at their best! Contact your Elkhorn Chiropractor today! TWPChiro@gmail.com or 262-215-2292 Chad Schleiger, D.C. Finding relief from Fibromyalgia with Elkhorn Chiropractic
Fibromyalgia is a common condition characterized by widespread pain in joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. Some other problems commonly linked with fibromyalgia include fatigue, morning stiffness, sleep problems, headaches, numbness in hands and feet, depression, and anxiety. Fibromyalgia can develop on its own, or secondary to other musculoskeletal conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, or systemic lupus. Diagnosis of fibromyalgia requires a history of at least three months of widespread pain, and pain and tenderness in a least 11 of 18 tender-point sites. These tender-point sites include fibrous tissue or muscles of the Neck, Shoulders, Chest, Rib Cage, Lower Back, Thighs, Knees, Arms (elbows) and Buttocks. The overwhelming characteristic of fibromyalgia is long-standing, body-wide pain with defined tender points. Tender points are distinct from trigger points seen in other pain syndromes. (Unlike tender points, trigger points can occur in isolation and represent a source of radiating pain, even in the absence of direct pressure.) Fibromyalgia pain can mimic the pain experienced by people with various types of arthritis. The soft-tissue pain of fibromyalgia is described as deep-aching, radiating, gnawing, shooting or burning, and ranges from mild to severe. Fibromyalgia sufferes tend to waken with body aches and stiffness. Chiropractic care works on relieving pain and symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. Isn’t it time you tried chiropractic care for you and your family? If you are experiencing any of the common symptoms below, please call our office now to schedule an appointment. Common symptoms include multiple tender areas, sleep disturbances, reduced axercise, fatigue, body aches, and chronic muscle pain. For more info, contact your Elkhorn Chiropractor today! As evidence supporting the effectiveness of chiropractic continues to emerge, consumers are turning in record numbers to chiropractic care - a preventive, non-surgical, drug-free treatment option.
Just a few interesting facts on this increasingly popular form of health care:
Call, Email, or visit your Local Elkhorn Chiropractor today! We are located just north of Sunset Park in Elkhorn, WI |
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