One of my friends sent over an interesting article yesterday about Kettlebells (link). Those that have done this type of training will be nodding their heads as they are reading the article – hard work, very effective, fun, great core stabilization. It is good to see a research study that specifically studies Kettlebell training for relieving low back pain. We recommend Kettlebell for our patients, once they have regained full, pain-free range of motion.
Here is a video of one of the basic 6 KB exercises, as performed by yours truly:
Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is a painful condition of the elbow typically caused by overuse and repetitive motions. Over time these repetitive motions can damage the muscles and tendons resulting in muscle strain, microscopic tendon tears, and inflammation of the elbow. Common signs and symptoms of tennis elbow include pain or a burning sensation on the outer part of the elbow, pain into the forearm or wrist, and weak grip strength. It is classically caused by the tennis backhand stroke, but any repetitive motions of the forearm and wrist can cause this injury, particularly excessive computer use.
Conservative care is the treatment of choice for tennis elbow. Rest and avoiding the aggravating factors is first step to healing, while applying ice to the elbow for 15 minutes 3 times a day can help to control the inflammation. Myofascial release is also recommended to help stretch the tight muscles and their tendon attachments at the elbow. Myofascial release works by lengthening the tight shortened muscles, breaking up adhesions and scar tissue, and helping to restore normal muscle and tendon function.
A recent study published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation found that computer professionals with lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) experienced relief of symptoms with myofascial release. The study, which followed 68 computer users over 3 months, shows that a large majority of patients who received myofascial release saw reduction in pain levels and an increase in function. These improvements were still seen 2 months following treatment, suggesting that myofascial release can provide lasting relief for patients. A link to the article abstract can be found here.
There are many different myofascial release approaches in healthcare. Active Release Technique is a method of both diagnosis and treatment of soft tissues through specific myofascial release protocols. These protocols have been developed to provide rapid recovery from injury and return to function. Many employers have found that having weekly Active Release Technique providers at their work site has dropped their Workers Comp and OSHA-Reportables by up to 58%, demonstrating the effectiveness of this technique. It is also the myofascial treatment technique of choice at the Ironman Triathlon series. Both Dr. Hosmer and Dr. DeVasto are certified Active Release Technique practitioners. They have seen many patients improve with their myofascial release treatments, especially those with tennis elbow.
Healthcare is shifting to a model of preventative medicine, optimizing lifestyle choices to decrease chances of developing disease, rather than waiting for health to deteriorate. This proactive approach has the potential to solve both health and budgetary strains. Chiropractic is uniquely positioned to help with preventative medicine, routinely offering assistance on nutrition, exercise, and maintaining the body.
Nutrition has a large contribution to overall health, and one of the super-villians of nutrition is trans fats. Trans fats have the dubious honor of both raising "bad cholesterol" (LDL) and lowering "good cholesterol (HDL) making them uniquely positioned to greatly increase your likelihood of developing heart disease. For this reason, there have been efforts made by both food manufacturers, consumer protection groups, some state and local governments to decrease or ban these fats.
The government has mandated labeling on food items to break Total Fat into Saturated and Trans Fat. Current recommendation is to get 2 grams per day or less of Trans Fat. The photo above from Wasa Multi-grain Crispbreads sports a re-assuring 0g of Trans Fats.
We suggest that you seek to consume only products that have minimal or zero trans fats, and the new labeling requirements make it relatively easy to achieve this nutritional goal. This article, from the Mayo Clinic, provides some helpful background information on dietary fat, as well as identifying sources of Trans Fats
JOIN US FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3RD, 5:30 – 8:30PM
Live Music, Free Appetizers & Wine, Networking, Giveaways, & More
Hosmer Chiropractic Health would like to announce the addition of Portland chiropractor Dr. Philip DeVasto. His expertise in sports medicine and rehabilitation is a perfect fit at Dr. Seth Hosmer’s Pearl District clinic. Hosmer Chiroractic Health provides chiropractic services, massage therapy, bicycle fitting, rehabilitation, and both Dr. Devasto and Dr. Hosmer are certified Active Release Technique practitioners. At Hosmer Chiropractic Health, we believe that each person has the ability to heal themselves. Let our caring professionals guide you to achieve better health.
Hosmer Chiropractic Health will be holding an Open House on Friday February 3rd, 2012 from 5:30pm-8:30pm. The Open House will feature live music by Sinker & Crow, an art showing by local artist Jerry Inscoe, complimentary chair massages, and a free raffle for massage gift cards, health products, and more. Vibrant Table Catering will wow us with appetizers, New Belgium Beer and Grochau Cellars Wine will be provided and Google Places will be there giving out prizes and showing you how you can help get the word out about Portland's great local businesses. We hope to see you on February 3rd.
Feel free to invite your family, friends, and colleagues to this unique networking event. An after party at MetroVino, just one block away, will allow the good times and conversation to continue.
This video shows some techniques you can use to perform self-myofascial release on your ITB, Quad, Hamstrings and hips.
Introduction
Your iliotibial band is a broad and thick fibrous structure on the outer aspect of your thigh, and it runs all the way from your hip to your knee. Iliotibial band, or ITB, syndrome, is a common musculoskeletal problem, especially among active individuals such as runners. ITB syndrome generally is considered an overuse injury, which means that the discomfort associated with this problem—diffuse pain on the outside aspect of your knee—is caused by repetitive bending of your knee, though other factors may be involved, too. Thigh trauma is a significantly less common cause of ITB problems than overuse.
Causes and Symptoms
Excessive friction on your distal ITB—the part of your ITB farthest from your hip—as it glides over your knee’s lateral femoral epicondyle—a bony bump on your knee—during repetitive knee flexion and extension is the principle cause ITB syndrome. This constant stress on your affected tissues often leads to irritation, inflammation, and lateral knee pain. Underlying factors that can provoke this health problem among athletes include excessive training volume and intensity, especially where it involves hill workouts.
Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, studies indicate that, if you have ITB syndrome, the distal portion of your ITB becomes thickened, and the space beneath this most affected part of your ITB becomes inflamed and fluid-filled. Other possible ITB syndrome signs and symptoms, along with widespread lateral knee pain, include:
Biomechanical Issues
Certain biomechanical issues may cause ITB irritation and inflammation. Leg length inequalities, or asymmetries, are one of the most common biomechanical problems seen in people with ITB syndrome. An improper bicycle fit—poor seat height or pedal position, especially—is another common biomechanical factor affecting your ITB’s health and function. Laxity or instability of your anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, excessive foot pronation, hip joint restrictions, and tightness in your gluteal, hamstrings, tensor fasciae latae, and quadriceps muscles are other possible biomechanical issues associated with ITB syndrome.
Training Considerations
Training habits are an important consideration in treating or preventing ITB syndrome. Cutting back on training, at least temporarily, can help resolve your symptoms. However, if your affected tissues have sustained damage, focused treatment by a qualified healthcare professional usually is required to clear out secondary problems.
The following training considerations may be helpful in managing or preventing ITB syndrome:
Exercise cessation—the involuntary curtailing of your exercise program—is the most significant negative ITB syndrome health outcome. With the proper training habits, and with the use of the care methods listed below, you can minimize the amount of time your ITB problem keeps you away from the activities that support your health and quality of life.
Treatment, Home Care, and Recovery
The first step in ITB syndrome treatment is a thorough examination to determine the true cause (or causes) of your pain or discomfort. Treatment should then be geared toward resolving both your acute symptoms and the biomechanical dysfunction that produced them. All treatment methods rendered by a qualified healthcare provider should be used in combination with relevant training program changes.
Typical ITB syndrome treatments used at Hosmer Chiropractic Health include:
Home care practices are an important adjunct to help speed your recovery. Exercise modification (as described by your doctor), appropriate stretches, and use of a foam roller are among the most beneficial home care strategies for this health problem.
Cyclocross Magazine is the go-to resource for National and International cyclocross news, results, tech reviews and photography. They have also started adding some health and body-car articles, and Dr. Seth Hosmer has written an article for Issue 14 on using the foam roller for body care. Here is a screen shot from the first page of the article:
Dr. Seth Hosmer outlines a plan for seeking and destroying tight muscles
Introduction
Active release technique, or ART, is a manual therapy used by chiropractic physicians and other musculoskeletal healthcare professionals to manipulate and mobilize your body’s soft tissues, including your muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and fascia—a layer of fibrous connective tissue that surrounds, or envelops, your muscles.
A practitioner of ART first assesses problem areas in your soft tissues before applying pressure with his or her hand and guiding your involved body segment—neck, arm, leg, trunk—through an appropriate range of motion. ART is an active rehabilitative therapy, as both patient and practitioner participate in this healing activity.
Purpose
ART is a system of manual medicine that incorporates over 500 specific moves and body movements to help address your musculoskeletal ailments and provide individualized care. ART has historically been used in treating problems associated with overused muscles, such as micro-trauma and tissue tears, reduced circulation, scar tissue, and adhesions that form between your muscles and fascia.
The accumulation of scar tissue, in particular, may cause decreased range of motion in your joints and body segments, muscle shortening and weakness, inflammation in your tendons, nerve entrapment, and pain. ART helps resolve your scar tissue, boosts blood flow to your affected areas, reduces your soft tissue-related pain, and restores your proper range of motion and tissue tone.
How it Works
ART sessions involve both examination and treatment. Your chiropractic physician will evaluate the tone, texture, and tightness of your muscles and other soft tissues using his or her hands. Painful areas, areas of restriction, and palpable soft tissue abnormalities, such as scar tissue, are identified and corrected using a combination of precise forces and focused tension on your skin and underlying tissues along with specific movements that you, the patient, perform.
Your chiropractic physician will guide you through the appropriate movements before contacting your problem area with his or her hand or thumb and asking you to stretch your involved body segment. In some cases, your chiropractic physician may recruit the help of a chiropractic assistant to guide your limbs, neck, or trunk through the proper range of motion. This assistance is particularly helpful if you are suffering from an acute condition in which moving your injured body segments through an active range of motion causes you severe pain.
ART and Chiropractic
ART has long been used by chiropractic physicians as an adjunct therapy in treating acute and chronic musculoskeletal health complaints, or a therapy that is administered to help bolster or augment the effects of chiropractic joint manipulation. Most musculoskeletal problems involve dysfunction in both your joints and their surrounding soft tissues.
A well-rounded treatment approach in resolving these problems combines the beneficial soft tissue mobilization techniques of ART with the restoration of proper joint movement that commonly accompanies chiropractic adjustments. Though numerous soft tissue mobilization techniques are available to chiropractic physicians, many chiropractors choose ART because of its immediate and long-term health benefits and the positive response reported by patients.
Expectations
It is important to have realistic expectations before undergoing ART therapy. Though most patients do experience some degree of immediate health benefit from this hands-on healing approach, chronic, or longstanding, musculoskeletal health complaints may require several ART sessions to resolve. ART, especially during the initial treatment, may cause discomfort in your involved area.
This discomfort is a normal response to treatment and should dissipate as your problem is worked out. Some people may experience mild bruising with ART, too, as well as soreness in your treatment area that lasts for several days following your ART session. Staying hydrated between your ART sessions is important for your healing process, as is performing the specific home-care exercises suggested by your chiropractic physician and sticking to your treatment plan.
Introduction
Nutritional supplements are commonly used by Americans, and they may help you ward off various health problems and achieve optimal health. Supplements, though often beneficial, are intended to be taken alongside a healthy, balanced diet. You should avoid using supplements in place of whole, nutrient-dense foods, unless you are instructed by your doctor. A nutritional supplement can refer to several unique natural substances, including vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, fiber, herbs, and amino acids. Listed below are several nutritional supplements that most people, including athletes, should consider using to help build and maintain long-term health.
Beneficial Supplements
Omnivite MVM and Hammer Premium Insurance Caps
Multiple Vitamin-Mineral (MVM): MVM supplements are known for their numerous beneficial health effects and usually contain a significant amount of essential and nonessential nutrients. Medical doctor Alan R. Gaby, author of “The Natural Pharmacy,” states that the principle purpose of MVM supplements is to streamline your intake of a variety of nutrients and reduce your likelihood of developing vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Gaby notes that helpful inclusions in MVM supplements include biotin, calcium, chromium, iron, and vitamins A through K. Hosmer Chiropractic Health recommends either the Hammer Nutrition Premium Insurance Caps for those not desiring iron in their MVM, or the Omnivite MVM supplement, which contains iron and is available in the clinic.
Fish Oil: Fish oil, which contains an abundance of omega-3 fatty acids, is known for it multiple health benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid, or PUFA, may be helpful in preventing cancer and treating the following health problems, reports the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Asthma, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, colitis, cystic fibrosis, depression, elevated cholesterol levels, and schizophrenia. Fish oil, available in both capsule and liquid form, may also be useful in treating high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, and eczema. The highest quality fish oils provide a significant amount of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants to fight free radical damage, and large amounts of EPA and DHA—two important essential fatty acids.
Omni-D
Vitamin D: Vitamin D is an important inclusion in nearly every supplement plan, as it helps maintain bone health, reduces inflammation, modulates cell growth within your body, and promotes neuromuscular and immune system health. According to the Mayo Clinic, the principle function of vitamin D is to help your body maintain a proper calcium/phosphorus balance in your blood. Most people may benefit from consuming the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D, or 600 International Units. If you are over 70 years of age, a daily intake of 800 International Units may be appropriate. Recent research has indicated that even higher levels of supplementation, as much as 5000 IU/day or more, may be beneficial for some. Omnivite D, available at Hosmer Chiropractic Health, is an excellent choice to help supplement the vitamin D you obtain from nature.
Calcium and Vitamin D: Calcium and vitamin D are intimately connected in your body. Encouraging calcium absorption in your gastrointestinal tract is one of vitamin D’s most significant functions, and these nutrients are required for bone growth and remodeling. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, most Americans are not getting adequate amounts of calcium to maintain proper bone health. Insufficient calcium intake may affect your heart, nerve, and muscle function, and it may also lead to osteoporosis, or the thinning of your bone tissue. Research has revealed that reduced calcium intake throughout a person’s life is associated with decreased bone mass and an increased risk of fracture.
Probiotics: Probiotics are live bacteria found in certain foods, such as yogurt, and supplements. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine notes that probiotics are similar to certain helpful, or “friendly,” gut microorganisms and, when used in proper amounts, provide you with health benefits. Probiotics can be taken in capsule, tablet, or powder form to help support your general health and well-being and resolve gut bacteria imbalances caused by certain pathogens and prescription drugs, such as antibiotics. Probiotics may help treat your diarrhea, prevent and treat vaginal yeast infections, and decrease your chances of bladder cancer recurrence, notes the Mayo Clinic.
Disclaimer
You should always consult your doctor before using any nutritional supplement for any health purpose. Some supplements may not be appropriate for your specific health problem, or they may cause unwanted health effects in your body. Your doctor can counsel you on the most effective supplements and the proper dosage to help resolve your health complaints. Some supplements may require further scientific testing to determine their true effectiveness or support their purported health benefits.
References
• “The Natural Pharmacy;” Alan R. Gaby, M.D.; 2006
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Introduction
Cold laser therapy, also known as low level laser therapy, or LLLT, is a treatment modality commonly used by chiropractors and other healthcare practitioners to accelerate healing. It has also been used to help reduce the pain and inflammation associated with many health problems, including neck pain, low back pain, tendon and ligament injuries, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and other chronic joint problems. It is also helpful for recovery after surgery, fractures, and other acute inflammatory conditions.
How it Works
Cold laser therapy involves the use of low-intensity laser light directed at your injured tissues, and it is a noninvasive procedure that causes no discomfort or other sensations. Low-intensity lasers deliver energy to your body through your skin’s layers at wavelengths in the visible range. The most deeply penetrating light waves within the visible spectrum help boost the immune responses of your blood, which in turn causes reduced inflammation and increased oxygen and energy uptake by your body’s cells. These light waves therefore help the healing and repair process after an injury.
General Benefits
General benefits of cold laser therapy include its:
• Nontoxic, non-invasive nature
• Ability to accelerate your wound healing and reduce your inflammation
• Ability to resolve your pain
• Relative lack of side effects
• Ease of application and overall cost-effectiveness
Case History
Hosmer Chiropractic Health uses cold laser therapy for many health problems, including clavicle, or collarbone, fractures—one of the most common injuries among cyclists. Here we have a patient who has suffered a comminuted distal clavicle fracture, or the breaking of the end of his collarbone into several pieces (note: this injury later required surgical stabilization).
Photo taken 2 hours after collarbone fracture.
Image captured 18 hours after injury, after several rounds of cold laser therapy and kinesiotaping.
The first photo was taken 2 hours after the fracture occurred. The second photo was taken 18 hours post-fracture. This patient received multiple cold laser treatments during the 16-hour period between the capturing of these images. He also received therapeutic taping using kinesiotape. At 18 hours post-injury, this patient’s right shoulder possessed 90 percent normal range of motion, and his pain was minimal.