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Some Injuries Are More Common Than Others Among Tech Workers

Some Injuries Are More Common Than Others Among Tech Workers

by | Nov 2, 2020 | Advice, exercise, Informational, Injury, Stretching, Wellness

Some Injuries Are More Common Than Others Among Tech Workers

Tech jobs seem like safe office jobs that place strain on the brain, not the body. In fact, many tech workers spend so much time sitting at their desk that they have to be actively reminded to stand up and stretch every once in a while for their own wellbeing.

But despite the fact that most tech jobs are performed in an office setting, tech injuries are actually more common than you think. 

Tech injuries like ‘tech neck’ and eye strain can affect tech workers like developers, designers, IT specialists, and anyone else who spends their day in front of a computer. 

Tech Injuries – Tech Neck

Tech neck is a condition that occurs due to the constant bending of the neck from looking down at phone, tablet, and computer screens. Due to the large amount of daily screen time they experience, the condition tends to be more prevalent among those working in the tech industry.

But tech neck is certainly not exclusive to those working in tech. Heavy smartphone users can find themselves suffering from the condition too.

Tech neck can negatively affect posture, cause pain in the neck area, and can even lead to problems such as herniated discs. 

Thankfully, there are several exercises you can do in order to relieve the pain of tech neck and potentially even realign your neck. If you suffer from tech neck, try these 3 exercises.

Chin Tuck

  • While standing, tuck your chin in towards the rear of your body (like giving yourself a double chin)
  • Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 5 times twice a day
  • Will reset the curvature of your neck

Neck Extension

  • While sitting up straight – arch your shoulders back and extend your head backward to look up towards the ceiling or sky
  • Hold for 20 seconds and repeat 5 times twice a day
  • Will improve your neck’s range of motion

Neck Tilt Stretch

  • While standing upright, tilt your neck towards your left/right side by bringing your ear towards your shoulder 
  • Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 5 times
  • Will stretch out the muscles on both sides of your neck and improve motion

Remember to take great care when performing these exercises! If you experience any pain or discomfort stop right away!

Tech Injuries – Eye Strain

Large amounts of screen time won’t just affect your neck, but also your eyes. 

Eye strain is also a condition that is common among tech workers. Too much screen time strains the eyes and can result in a variety of symptoms including red eyes, headaches, and sore or tired eyes. 

Optometrists have noted a significant increase in patients with tech-related eye strain. They recommend the 20-20-20 method to give your eyes a break and prevent eye strain. Every 20 minutes you should spend 20 seconds focusing on an object 20 feet away. This will give the eyes a chance to reset and rest. 

There are other things you can do to relieve eye strain as well. The best thing you can do is limiting screen time and giving your eyes a break. Additionally, keeping a greater distance away from the screen and adjusting screen brightness may also help.

Another way to potentially relieve the pain of tech injuries is through chiropractic treatment. While chiropractic treatment won’t fix eye strains, it could help with tech neck. Contact us today to learn more!

Common Injuries In The Janitorial Industry

Common Injuries In The Janitorial Industry

by | Oct 12, 2020 | Injury

Janitors, cleaners, and others working in the janitorial industry often perform physically demanding work. These jobs can take their toll on the body, causing janitorial injuries that result in back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, and more. 

How can you relieve the pain of these injuries?

Janitorial Injuries – Back Pain

Janitorial work can often include heavy lifting and constant bending and twisting. All of this pressure and strain on your back can inevitably lead to injuries and back pain. Strained and pulled back muscles are some of the most common janitorial injuries that people experience. 

Repeated lifting and bending can place strain on the muscles and spinal ligaments in your back. Muscle strains occur when muscle fibers are torn or stretched irregularly. Most muscle strains take between 4 to 6 weeks to heal, with some severe ones taking as long as 10 weeks. 

But taking even 4 weeks off work is simply not possible for most people. As such, managing and relieving pain is crucial to living with janitorial injuries. 

If you are suffering from back pain, a lumbar brace may be able to help you. 

A lumbar brace can work to reduce back pain in several different ways. It can provide additional spinal support that improves stability, reduce pressure on your spinal structures and unload some of the weight usually placed on the lower back, and reduce range of motion, helping to restrict or prevent painful movements.  

Janitorial Injuries – Neck And Shoulder Pain

People in the janitorial industry can often also struggle with neck and shoulder pain.

Similarly to back pain, neck and shoulder pain can occur due to overexertion and awkward movements leading to stretched or torn muscle fibres. 

Neck and shoulder pain can also often occur due to bad posture. If you are a janitor or cleaner, it’s important to maintain good posture when performing your job. Performing physically demanding work with bad posture can quickly result in injury and pain. 

If you are suffering from neck or shoulder pain, an Epsom salt bath may be able to help you. Epsom salt is a magnesium sulfate compound that has been used for healing purposes for hundreds of years.  

Many people believe that Epsom salt baths provide relief by soothing muscles and reducing swelling. 

Making a salt bath at home is very simple. Just add Epsom salt to warm bath water and soak yourself in it for about 15 minutes. The Mayo Clinic recommends that adults use 2 cups of Epsom salt for every gallon of water, but lower concentrations may also be effective if you find this much salt to be drying to your skin. 

Are you a cleaner or janitor suffering from janitorial injuries or just simply dealing with irritating back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain? Contact us today to find out how chiropractic treatment can help to relieve your pain. 

Most Common Work-Related Injuries for Hairdressers

Most Common Work-Related Injuries for Hairdressers

by | Oct 7, 2020 | Injury, Orthotics, Testimonials, Video

Just about any job you can find will have some type of physical risk. The risks are obvious with manual labor jobs like construction and factory work. Even a desk job, though, is likely to lead to back pain, neck pain, and other occupational hazards.

One job that’s harder on the body than it gets credit for is the work of a hairstylist. You’re on your feet for hours at a time, and not necessarily on the most ergonomic floors either. You’re working with your arms and shoulders all day too, sometimes at odd angles.

All this adds up to a variety of work-related injuries that our chiropractic staff sees on a continuous basis. Two injuries are especially common, though: foot pain and headaches from shoulder tension.

Foot Pain

Feet were designed to take us from place to place when necessary. Our bodies weren’t meant to be standing in one place for hours on end, especially not on concrete floors. For many hairstylists, that means they end each day with sore, achy feet.

The good news is that you don’t need to grin and bear it while your foot pain gets worse. There are a few things you can do to protect your feet.

Custom Orthotics

There are specialized providers that will make custom orthotics to fit your feet. Tell them about your job and your work circumstances and they can design orthotics to support and cushion your feet throughout the day.

Foot Exercises

The right exercises can stretch and massage your feet to release the tension from standing too long. One option is the golf ball massage. Rolling a golf ball around under your bare foot will massage the hard-to-reach surfaces.  

A second option is the toe extension stretch. Sit on a chair and place your left foot on top of your right thigh. Then pull your toes upward toward your ankle.

You should feel a stretch along the bottom of your foot. Hold this for ten seconds before repeating it with your other foot. Complete several reps for each foot.

A third stretch to try is the wall calf stretch. Stand next to a wall and prop up one foot so the heel is on the floor and the ball is against the wall. Lean toward the wall to feel a stretch in the bottom of your foot and your calf. Hold it for 15 seconds on each foot.

Repeated Headaches

Not everyone recognizes the connection, but overworking your shoulders can lead to headaches. The tension from your shoulders carries through into your neck and to the nerves in your head. How do you release that tension and reduce your headaches?

Yoga for Shoulder Tension

Yoga is a great way to release tension in your shoulders and neck. In fact, there are specific yoga flows for the shoulders.

Yoga allows you to do a series of controlled stretches, usually with longer holding times than typical stretches. This both releases tension and strengthens your shoulders so they are less affected in the future.

Taking Control of Your Work-Related Injuries

The work-related injuries that come from being a hairstylist can be painful and put a damper on the career you love. Instead of sacrificing your job, try the techniques above to ease your pain.

If you prefer more direct, professional treatment, call our chiropractors for help with your aches and pains.

Baby-Growing Aches and Pains: A Guide to Muscle Pain During Pregnancy

Baby-Growing Aches and Pains: A Guide to Muscle Pain During Pregnancy

by | Sep 30, 2020 | Informational, Injury, Pregnancy

Baby-Growing Aches and Pains: A Guide to Muscle Pain During Pregnancy

Pregnancy brings with it many different ailments that women may not have experienced previously. Extreme headaches, food aversions and nausea, pregnancy rhinitis, bleeding gums, a weakened immune system, and muscle aches and pains are all common during pregnancy. Muscle aches can really put a damper on enjoying your pregnancy and keep you from doing many of the things you are used to doing. The good news is that you don’t have to suffer through them for nine months. Muscle pain during pregnancy can often be treated with rest and stretching and when at-home treatments aren’t cutting it, a chiropractor can help. 

Read on to learn more. 

Lower Back Pain

This is one of the most common types of pregnancy muscle pains. The weight that you gain during pregnancy combined with a shifting center of gravity due to your growing abdomen puts stress on your lumbar spine. Pregnant women, especially during the later months of pregnancy, often alter their gait to compensate for this shift, which also contributes to low back pain. 

Stretching, rest, and chiropractic care are the best ways to treat low back pain during pregnancy.  

Round Ligament Pain

Round ligament pain is often worst during the second trimester. Between weeks 16 and 26, your uterus grows quickly and relocates from your pelvis into your abdomen. This can cause pain in the round ligaments that support the uterus.

You might feel this pain only on one side or both sides and it could be a sharp, stabbing pain or more of a throbbing, achy pain. You’ll feel this pain the most near your pubic bones. 

Like lower back pain, round ligament pain is best treated with rest, stretching, and chiropractic care. .   

Leg Cramps 

Leg cramps are very common during pregnancy, likely due to weight gain, changes in circulation, and pinching of nerves that often happens. These often happen at night and if you’ve ever woken up with a Charley horse, you know how excruciating they can be. The good news is that they usually come and go quickly and it’s not constant pain.

Make sure you are drinking enough water during the day, as that can often contribute to muscle cramping. When you feel a leg cramp coming on, gently stretch your leg, avoid pointing your toes, and instead pull your toes back towards your knee. You can also try to massage the muscle to work out the cramp.  

Sciatica 

Your sciatic nerve runs from the base of your spine down both sides of your hips and glutes, then down to your feet. Any changes in posture, particularly ones that come about during pregnancy, can put pressure on it, causing pain. It could be a shooting pain or could feel like tingling or numbness anywhere along the nerve. 

Regular movement (avoid staying in the same position too long) and walking around regularly to stretch out can help alleviate this pain.  

You Don’t Have to Live With Muscle Pain During Pregnancy 

Muscle pain during pregnancy is inevitable, but you don’t have to suffer day in and day out. Stretching, getting plenty of rest, and using acetaminophen can help you relieve your pain on a daily basis. When these strategies don’t help, though, consider seeking chiropractic care. 

If you are in need of a massage or chiropractor, get in touch with us. Our providers at Amazing Life Chiropractic can help you spend less time in pain and more time enjoying your pregnancy.   

The Most Common Injuries From Landscaping Duties and How to Treat Them

The Most Common Injuries From Landscaping Duties and How to Treat Them

by | Sep 28, 2020 | Advice, Informational, Injury

Landscaping duties and services in the US cover a wide range, including lawn care, residential and commercial irrigation, landscape construction and design, and much more.

The industry is massive, earning over $99 billion in the year 2019 alone. That’s not surprising when you understand that the average American household spends about $503 on these activities per year. The landscaping industry is only growing, too. 

This is all good news for you as a landscaping employee, but the job comes with some cautions. For example, many landscapers experience injuries, strain, and overexertion at some point in their careers. 

Are you noticing signs of injury, such as joint pain? Or, are you looking for preventative tactics that allow you to stay safe while on the job?

Here, we highlight some of the most common issues and how to prevent or treat them. Keep reading!

Problem #1: Overexertion From Heavy Lifting

When you’re a landscaper, you’re dealing with a lot of equipment: lawnmowers, leaf vacuums, edgers, trenchers, and much more. Your landscaping duties also likely require you to lift and maneuver these things often, especially during transportation to and from a job site.

Lifting heavy objects repetitively or incorrectly can strain the back muscles and ligaments, causing mild to severe back pain and discomfort. Continuous strain on an already-weaker spine can even cause muscle spasms. In worst cases, you may experience bulging or ruptured discs, which eliminate the necessary cushioning in the spine.

Solution: Know the Proper Lifting Techniques

One of the best ways to prevent these back injuries is to lift objects correctly.

At all times, lift objects with the strength of your legs, not the back, bending at the knees. Keep your back lengthened and as straight as possible, taking care to not twist as you lift. 

Keep the object close to you, avoid reaching, and always lift with a partner whenever possible.

Problem #2: Joint Pain From Bending and Kneeling

Knee pain is another common complaint of landscapers, as they’re almost constantly bending and kneeling as they work. These actions can also have adverse effects on the back.

There could be several reasons this motion causes you pain—not warming up; wearing bad shoes; squatting continuously throughout the day. The list goes on, and depends on the person.

Solution: Proper Protective Equipment

One way to help manage pain in the joints from bending and kneeling is by investing in protective equipment, such as knee braces and/or back braces, as well as knee cushions for kneeling. 

Garden kneelers are an option, and provide a cushioned bench for gardeners to use when they must get close to the ground.

Another consideration would be custom orthotics, which can help solve a slew of problems, including knee and back pain, sciatica, leg length discrepancies, and more.

Make sure to talk to your doctor or chiropractor first if you have any questions!

Part of Your Landscaping Duties Require Physical Fitness

There’s no going around it: you can’t perform as well on the job if you’re dealing with pain, strain, or injuries.

If you become unable to work due to bad practices while on the job, you’ll soon be caught in a predicament. Your best bet is staying safe by practicing proper lifting techniques and wearing or using protective equipment designed to keep you well. These practices are all part of your landscaping duties.

For more preventative care, or treatment for current pain, we at Amazing Life Chiropractic and Wellness would love to help.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment with our talented staff and see if we can help you work smarter—not harder!

How to Boost Your Immune System When Pregnant: 5 Natural Methods

How to Boost Your Immune System When Pregnant: 5 Natural Methods

by | Sep 4, 2020 | Advice, Informational, Injury, Pregnancy, Wellness

​How to Boost Your Immune System When Pregnant: 5 Natural Methods

Now more than ever, a healthy immune system is a top priority for every individual. This point is especially valid for pregnant women, as their immunity affects not only them but their babies, too.

In a nutshell, the immune system fights against infection, as well as protects from future reinfections. A weak immune system leaves individuals prone to sickness, conditions, and more.

Are you wondering how to boost the immune system when pregnant? Do you have other questions about pregnancy and immunity—such as, does pregnancy actually weaken immune systems?

These are all valid questions, and we want to provide you with as many scientifically-backed answers as possible. Keep reading for more.

Does Pregnancy Weaken Immune Systems?

While pregnancy does alter the immune system, it doesn’t weaken it.

It’s been long-believed that carrying a child can weaken a woman’s immune system—in reality, an aggressive immune system response is essential for fertilization. The immune system is so smart that its strength or weakness is precisely timed for implantation to take place when it’s most beneficial for Mom and baby.

For an embryo to implant at all, immune cells flood the womb’s lining, and the immune system remains in this heightened state for the first 12 weeks. This process allows the fetus to establish fully. 

How to Boost the Immune System When Pregnant: 5 Natural Ways

Naturally boosting your immune system when pregnant is simple.

Consider the following five tips, always consulting with your primary care physician if any questions arise:

  1. Drinking plenty of fluids, primarily water
  2. Enjoying light exercises (with permission from your doctor), such as walking, stretching, prenatal yoga, and other low-impact activities
  3. Making sleep a priority, which can mean several things: eliminating caffeine, participating in regular movement, aiming for 7-8 hours a night, removing distractions, etc.
  4. Eating nutritious foods, such as leafy greens, salmon, natural probiotics (such as Greek yogurt), almonds, etc., while also eliminating unhealthy foods such as processed sugars or excess gluten
  5. Getting the recommended 85mg of vitamin C every day, which can be done with supplements or by eating fruits and veggies high in vitamin C

It’s always important to discuss these things with your doctor to ensure you’re staying safe. For example, a doctor wouldn’t recommend taking vitamin C if you’re already taking a prenatal, which likely has enough vitamin C in it already.

Another Consideration: Chiropractic and Pregnancy Immunity Benefits

We’ve got another bonus tip for you: paying the chiropractor a visit. A thorough chiropractor can not only increase your mobility, but also takes a holistic approach that observes your general nutrition and wellness.

Another benefit of seeing the local chiropractor is Webster’s Technique, which is an approach designed with the safety of pregnant women in mind. It can actually encourage the baby to get into a position that makes the birthing process more comfortable and more straightforward for the mother. 

In addition to all this, a chiropractor can assist with lower back pain (a common ailment of pregnant women), muscle pains, headaches, and so much more.

Healthy You, Healthy Baby

Now that you know how to boost the immune system when pregnant, you’re well on your way to a healthy life for you and your baby-to-be. None of these methods require the use of chemicals or medication—allowing you the peace of mind that is so needed during pregnancy.

Click here to request an appointment with Amazing Life Chiropractic and Wellness. We look forward to hearing from you.