 Hello, everyone! This is Dr. Bob Salamon with Lowcountry Chiropractic. As always, I hope you’re doing well and staying healthy! In my last post, we discussed back pain and some of the best exercises that can provide relief. Today, we’ll be talking about water and how it benefits the joints, as well as some water exercises that you can do to relieve, or even prevent, back pain! Summer is right around the corner, and with this beautiful weather, many of us will be heading out to the pool. We all love to lounge around and splash in the pool, but did you know that it can have benefits for your back and joints as well? Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. adults are affected by joint pain or stiffness, and nearly 65 million Americans report a recent episode of back pain. If you’re interested in learning more about how water can be beneficial for your back, stick around! Let’s get started.
Taking a dip in the pool doesn’t just help you cool down on a brutally hot summer day– It can also help you reach your fitness goals. Many exercises performed in water are classified as water aerobics, and are a form of aerobic exercise done in waist-deep water. It is a type of resistance training. Exercising on land can be hard on the body due to gravity. This puts extra strain on the muscles and joints and tends to wear us out more easily. Water has buoyancy, also known as upthrust. This is defined as an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of a partially or fully immersed object. In simpler terms, it is the tendency of an object, or person, to float in water. Because of the natural buoyancy of water, we tend to feel weightless in water. This helps reduce some of the impact of exercise on our bodies by taking the pressure off of the joints, bones, and muscles. This is why water aerobics and exercise are especially great for those with achy, painful, or stiff joints, such as people suffering from conditions like arthritis. In fact, it has been “prescribed” as a treatment for people with arthritis and other disabilities for over 25 years. Additionally, water is thicker than air, which means it is more resistant. Even though our bodies feel weightless in water, our muscles have to work harder to move. This is a great way to burn calories and tone muscles. Water exercise can benefit anyone, whether or not you have a disability. You don’t even necessarily need to know how to swim– Most water exercises are done vertically, or standing up, in waist-deep water. People who rely on walkers or wheelchairs can also participate in water aerobics by standing in the water with the help of water buoyancy. Many people who suffer from back pain and who participate in water exercise report decreased pain. Generally, it is less painful to complete exercises in water than it is on land. This is partially because of the buoyancy, and partially because the water helps increase blood supply to sore muscles and joints. Water soothes the muscles and also provides a calming feeling, taking your mind off of the pain. Another benefit of aquatic therapy is the temperature. The weather, and temperature, can have a great effect on the joints and bones. People with conditions such as arthritis tend to complain of achy joints during colder weather. However, warmer temperatures can increase the swelling of joints, leading to pain. So exercising on land can not only put extra strain on your joints, but it can also cause the joints to swell due to overheating, especially if it is hot outside. But in water, even if the water is warm, it will keep you cool and prevent you from overheating during exercise. However, it is still important to stay hydrated– You will still sweat when working out in water! You don’t have to sign up for a water aerobics class to reap the benefits. Water exercises can be done at home in your pool or the pool at your community center! Water aerobics does not require equipment, but you can use some if desired. Some equipment that may be beneficial for these exercises includes wrist or ankle weights, foam dumbbells, a kickboard, or resistance gloves. However, you should speak with your doctor about what exercises may be best for you. If you are not a great swimmer, consider using a floatation device, such as a buoyancy belt or floatation vest, for safety. Let’s take a look at some easy exercises that you can do without an instructor! Walking In Water Simply walking in water is a great and simple way to warm up and get a feel for the water. It allows you to feel the resistance. Start by walking in shallow water– Find a depth you are comfortable with, and then move up to waist-deep water. Avoid walking on your tiptoes. Instead, put pressure on your heel first, and then your toes, while keeping your arms at your sides. Begin to move your arms side to side as you walk. Be sure to stand up straight and tall! Continue walking for 5 to 10 minutes. If you want to increase the intensity, you may consider using ankle or wrist weights. Leg Kicks Hold onto the side or edge of the pool and kick your legs in a fluttering motion for 1 to 3 minutes. Then, switch to scissor-kicking, which means kicking your legs open and closed, for 1 to 3 minutes. Some other kicks you can try are dolphin kicks, which involve extending your legs straight back and moving them up and down in unison. This works the muscles in your legs and your core. If you want to make leg kicks more challenging, try using ankle weights! Back Wall Glide To perform this exercise, simply hold onto the side or edge of the pool and tuck your knees to your chest, pressing your feet against the wall. Then, push off from the wall and allow yourself to float back as far as you can. Pull your knees back up to your chest, press your feet down to the bottom of the pool, and run forward to the wall. Repeat this exercise for 5 to 10 minutes. Arm Lifts This exercise is best performed using foam dumbbells. Stand in water that comes up to your shoulders and hold the dumbbells at your sides. Lift your arms to the side until they are level with the water and your shoulders. Slowly lower your arms back down to your sides, and repeat for 3 sets of 8 repetitions. If you do not want to use dumbbells, you can opt for wrist weights. These are just a few of the exercises you can perform in water to help your joints, muscles, and bones. They can also be helpful if you suffer from back pain! Remember, combining any form of exercise with chiropractic care can help further relieve and manage pain and help you achieve optimal results. Chiropractic care promotes the body’s natural ability to heal itself. I hope you found this article informative. If you or a loved one are suffering from any type of joint or back pain, you may benefit from chiropractic care. Consider reaching out to Lowcountry Chiropractic! We specialize in different chiropractic techniques, as well as both therapeutic and Swedish massage. Send us an email or give us a call and we’ll assess the situation and develop a long-term treatment plan to address your needs. We want to help you live a pain-free life– It’s what you deserve. As always, this is Dr. Bob and I have your back covered!
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 Hello, everyone! This is Dr. Bob Salamon with Lowcountry Chiropractic. As always, I hope you’re doing well and staying healthy! In my last post, we discussed arthritis and the ways it can be treated at home. Today, we’ll be talking about back pain and some of the best exercises that can help relieve symptoms. Approximately 16 million adults experience persistent or chronic back pain– That’s 8% of all adults. There are a variety of types and causes of back pain that we’ll be touching on today, as well as exercises that can be done at home to relieve symptoms. If you are interested in learning more, I encourage you to stick around! Let’s get started.
With so many adults suffering from back pain, it is one of the most common reasons that people miss work or go to the doctor. This pain can range from muscle aches to a shooting, burning, or stabbing sensation. There are generally three types of back pain: acute, subacute, and chronic. Acute pain is defined as lasting less than 4 weeks, while subacute pain lasts 4 to 12 weeks, and chronic pain lasts more than 12 weeks. It can happen anywhere in the back and can even radiate down the leg. Sometimes, this pain can worsen when walking, standing, bending, or lifting. It is important to understand the anatomy of the back in order to understand back pain. Let’s take a closer look. There are five regions of the spine, from top to bottom: Cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, ilia/sacrum, and coccyx. These regions work together to support the body and problems within any of these regions can cause pain. Additionally, there are other parts of the back and spine structures that can cause pain. Other parts of the back and spine include:
Issues with any of these structures or parts of the back or spine can cause pain. Let’s take a look at some of the most common causes of back pain.
Anyone can suffer from back pain, but there are several factors that may put you more at risk. These factors include age, genetics, fitness level, and job-related factors such as lifting, pushing, or pulling. Underlying issues such as fibromyalgia can also cause back pain. Luckily, there are simple exercises that can help manage and relieve symptoms at home. Here are just a few of them! Low-Impact Exercises Low-impact exercise is gentler on the joints and muscles. One of the most well-known low-impact exercises is walking. Walking is one of the simplest exercises out there and is not only a great cardiovascular exercise, but it is also a great method for preventing and relieving back pain. However, there are a few things you will want to keep in mind in order to get the most out of your walk: Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes, walk lightly on your feet, and practice good posture while walking. Stand up straight and tall, let your shoulders relax, and keep your chin parallel to the ground to reduce strain on the neck and back. Another low-impact exercise is cycling, or bicycling. This is low-impact because it causes less strain than other types of exercise. Bicycling is considered a form of aerobic exercise, which is a type of cardiovascular conditioning– Better known as “cardio” exercise. Bicycling is a popular form of exercise among people with back pain because of how gentle it is on the spine. This can be done on a bicycle, stationary or upright bike, or recumbent bike. Water aerobics is also great for back pain. In fact, studies have shown that water exercise is great for the joints and muscles, because the buoyancy of the water supports the body’s weight and allows for a greater range of motion. Lying Lateral Leg Raises This exercise can not only help minimize back pain but can also strengthen your hip abductor muscles. These muscles help support the pelvis when you are standing on one leg. This exercise involves lying down on one side and keeping your lower leg slightly bent on the ground. Raise the top of your leg without moving the rest of your body and draw your belly button in towards your spine to strengthen your core. Hold this position for 2 seconds and repeat 10 times, and then repeat on the other side. Perform 3 of these sets on each side. Side Stretches Utilizing light strength training can help keep back muscles strong, which is great since these muscles protect your spine. This can be done by using light weights. Simply stand in place and hold one weight at a time while reaching from your waist down the side of your body. You should stretch as far as you can without pain, and then slowly raise the weight back up. You can repeat this 10 times on each side. This exercise can be done without weights as well. Knee To Chest This exercise is particularly good for the lower back. For this exercise, simply lie down on the floor, facing up. Bend your leg and bring it up to your chest while grasping your lower leg, and hold it for 5 to 10 seconds. Then, release, and repeat with the other leg and complete this sequence at least three times. This range-of-motion exercise is a great way to stretch the lower back muscles and develop flexibility. It is particularly beneficial for those with spinal arthritis. These are just a few of the best exercises for managing and relieving back pain. Oftentimes, exercise works best in conjunction with chiropractic care. Sometimes, back pain can be caused by subluxations. Subluxations are partial dislocations of vertebrae within the spine that can cause interferences in how the brain and body communicates. Since each part of the vertebrae are in close proximity to nerves, subluxations can also lead to neurological conditions due to pressure placed on these nerves. Some of the common symptoms of subluxations involve pain or swelling around a joint, limited mobility, or loss of range of motion. If you are interested in learning more about subluxations, I encourage you to check out my previous blog. Chiropractic care removes subluxations through spinal adjustments. By removing these interferences, the body can self-regulate and self-heal. This can eradicate a multitude of different types of pain, including back pain. Combining chiropractic care with exercises that are good for back pain can help further relieve and manage pain and help you achieve optimal results. I hope you found this article informative. If you or a loved one are suffering from any type of back pain, you may benefit from chiropractic care. Consider reaching out to Lowcountry Chiropractic! We specialize in different chiropractic techniques, as well as both therapeutic and Swedish massage. Send us an email or give us a call and we’ll assess the situation and develop a long-term treatment plan to address your needs. We want to help you live a pain-free life– It’s what you deserve. As always, this is Dr. Bob and I have your back covered!  A brand new year is here! I want to share some of the best tips you can do for your body to keep healthy and happy in 2021!
Hello everyone! It's Dr. Bob Salamon with Lowcountry Chiropractic. Welcome back to the blog and a very Happy New Year to you! I hope you're staying safe and well out there, and I hope you're taking care of yourselves! Welcome to 2021! I think we are all very happy to see it here, and we are all happy to get out of last year and all of its craziness. With a new year comes resolutions to work out, eat better, and be healthier overall, right? Sadly, these resolutions usually only last for a short time. In honor of that and in honor of 2021, I want to help you achieve your goals. So, I wanted to share a list of things with you that you'll be able to stick with and make part of your everyday life, to make sure this year and beyond are the healthiest they can be. If you do everything on this list that you're about to read, you will get healthier without question. It's a simple list, but I won't lie to you; it won't be easy. Each of the listed items takes effort on your part to incorporate them into your lifestyle. I personally have nothing to do with this list, outside of providing it for you, except for the last point we will talk about today. Let's kick off this new year and jump into this list to start on a healthier and happier you! #1 Go Green! I'm not talking about saving the earth, I'm not talking about saving trees from getting cut down, and I'm not talking about global warming. I am talking about eating healthy and eating green things. Some of the best ways to eat green are by eating things like salads, fruits, and vegetables. It's not only about eating green things but also about eating multicolored things. They call this kind of diet "eating the rainbow" because those are the things that have a lot of phytonutrients and antioxidants in them like berries, nuts, peppers, romaine lettuce, and much more. I eat a lot of my green food raw. I eat salads a lot, but at night I'll have a piece of fish with green beans and the green beans will be raw, because when you cook food it tends to remove the nutrients from it. When I say "go green" I really mean that you need to get away from eating food that's white or brown, and you need to eat colorful things that come out of the ground or grow on trees. Eating this way will help you become much healthier! Another reason to eat green is that they are alkaline in nature and not acidic. You'll find acidic elements in starches, bread, pasta, candy, and sweets. Fruits and veggies will make your body more alkaline. This is so important because diseases like cancer thrive in an acidic environment, and you don't want that! #2 Refine Your Life! What do I mean by this? I'm talking about refined sugars. You want to try to eliminate eating foods that have unnaturally occurring sugars in them and replace them with foods that only have natural sugars. Unfortunately, almost all the products you see on the shelves of a grocery store have a ton of refined sugars in them. Why do we want to avoid refined sugars? There are a lot of reasons, but the two most important are as follows:
#3 Get a Supplemental Plan! I'm not talking about a medicare supplement for insurance. I'm talking about health supplements to the foods that you eat. We are not going to get 100% of everything we need from the food that we eat every day. To help with this, you want to try and supplement your intake with various items. I take Juice Plus+, which is whole foods in capsules. If I'm not getting 100% of all my fruits, vegetables, and berries every day this supplement helps to bridge the gap between what I am eating and what I should be eating for a healthy body. In terms of supplementation, I take fish oil and coconut oil which are huge anti-inflammatories. You might want to consider adding one or more into your diet. Another supplement you should look into adding that I always talk about is vitamin D3. It is an extremely great and inexpensive supplement to boost your immune system. Boosting your immune system is so important when we are already dealing with COVID, the flu season, and more. You want your immune system to be working at 100% so it can defend itself against some of these dangerous things that are out there. I recommend most people take between 3000 to 5000 IUs of D3. I'm taking 10,000 right now during the pandemic. I will say that I haven't felt anything in terms of a sniffle or a sore throat since this pandemic has started, so I know it's doing something good for me! #4 Don't Be a Couch Potato! We've had a lot of couch potatoes in 2020 and so far into 2021 because a lot more people are working from home and they're not as active as they should be! You need to incorporate exercise into your routine. You need to add not only cardiovascular exercises like running, walking, swimming, or biking, but you also need to add in cross-training with weights, high-intensity interval training, and more to trick your body (in a good way!) to keep improving. If you do the same workout every time, your body gets lazy. You have to mix it up, which is why I do Crossfit. Every class is different, incorporating different body parts every session. Don't be a couch potato! You have to get up and start a habit. It takes three weeks to make or break a habit, so let's do this! #5 Rest and Relax! This means getting enough sleep every night, and that means at least 7-8 hours, which is recommended by the experts. The primary reason to get enough sleep is that during your REM stage of sleeping, your body is taking the time to repair itself from all the work you've done throughout the day. The neurons, synapses, the coverings and linings of your organs, your blood vessels, and your whole body heals and repairs itself when you're sleeping. #6 Don't Worry - Be Happy! What does this mean? Experts say about 95% of what we worry about is either really not important or is never going to happen, so we really shouldn't be worrying about them. We spend too much time worrying about things that aren't going to occur or even impact us. What I would challenge you to do this year is to take a more positive approach to life if you're not already. Try to look at the glass as being half full instead of half empty, and look at the blessings you have in your life instead of the negative things. Put a list together if you have to, but we all have many things we can be grateful for in life. This can give you a little joy and optimism as you go through this year. #7 Get Connected This is the one thing on the list that you need me for! I'm not talking about getting connected on social media (shoutout to Creative Consulting for doing an amazing job!). No, this is getting your brain and body to talk to one another. This is the only way your body is going to stay optimally healthy. There is a little thing called the spinal cord that connects the brain to all of your body parts, along with the nerves that go out from your spinal cord. If you don't take care of your spinal cord and the spinal nerves, your brain (which makes all of your body's decisions and sends out all the messages out to your body) will be sending those messages out, but they will reach their destinations improperly. So, the body is not going to be effectively doing the work that the brain wants it to. Also, if those nerves aren't working properly, the body can't communicate back to the brain. The brain will then not know what decisions it should really be making. How do you keep this connection working properly between your brain and your body? Go to a chiropractor! I am trained to remove subluxations of the spine, which are conditions where the vertebrae are irritating a spinal nerve and interfering up the conduction of mental, electrical and chemical impulses from the brain to the body. I and my fellow chiropractors are trained to remove those subluxations from your body and allow your brain and body to communicate as they should! It's amazing what benefits you'll see when your body is free from subluxations. By removing subluxations, your body can experience:
I don't want you to stress out and think that you have to do this list perfectly. You just need to follow it fairly well, because if you're not doing any of them and you implement even some of them into your life, you'll see a huge improvement in your health this year. You'll lose the weight that you want to lose, you'll build muscle mass, you'll sleep better, you'll have more energy, you'll have better focus, and you won't get sick as often. The real important thing on this list, outside of the essential chiropractic care, is nutrition. Nutrition is the most important thing you can do for yourself in 2021, but of course, I want you to do this whole list! I hope this helps and gives you a little encouragement for the new year. This is going to be a better year for you but you have to want to make it better! ! If you need any help with the items on this list, we do offer consultation on each of these topics. Come see me, call me, or email me to get started. Remember, I am Dr. Bob and I've got your back covered. See you next time, readers. Stay safe out there and Happy New Year!  As we are all preparing for a happy holiday, I wanted to share with you a few tips and ideas on how to stay healthy and safe through all of your holiday events and plans!
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the blog! It's Dr. Bob Salamon here with Lowcountry Chiropractic! I hope you all are doing well out there, and hope that you're staying healthy and well. I know it doesn't really feel like winter yet here in Charleston, but during these last few weeks of 2020 make sure to prepare yourself for cold and flu season, for the seasons to drastically change at the drop of a hat, and make plans to keep yourself healthy! Remember that your health is in your hands; why not improve your health journey now as we embark on a new year? Make time for chiropractic care, make time for exercising, getting plenty of sleep, eat well, and drink plenty of water. The holidays can make it easy to forget all about these important things, but give yourself the gift of your best health yet. You deserve it after 2020 and all of its challenges, so go ahead and give yourself this gift! I am here to help you along the way, so please don't hesitate to reach out and give us a call. I am always excited to be a part of your health journey and to help you feel your best. I do want to take the time to thank everyone who was a part of this year's holiday promotion! From all of us at Lowcountry Chiropractic, thank you so much for participating and helping us give back to our community. Thank you for donating all of your nonperishable food items to the Lowcountry Food Bank, and ensuring that Christmas and the holidays for so many of our neighbors will be happy. You helped so many families have plenty of food this time of year, and you helped them stay healthy and safe. That is truly an incredible gift. It was also wonderful to see so many returning patients, meet new patients, and to experience the holiday season with our holiday promotion with you! Congratulations to all of the winners of our contest, I hope you enjoy your prizes! Thank you again for joining us in giving back this year. Every little bit always helps! As a little gift from me to all of you, I wanted to give you a little checklist of things to help keep you healthy, safe and feeling your best during the holiday season. You might not even realize it, but the holidays can do more damage to your body than you think possible. It can be the most wonderful time of the year to spend with your loved ones and celebrate, but it can leave your body tired, sore, and with new painful, difficult subluxations. Remember too that this holiday season will be different than the rest. Please make safe decisions when gathering, celebrating, and having holiday parties. Be safe, be happy, and be merry! Also, make sure to take this checklist to heart. You are giving so much to others this holiday season, so make sure to take these few extra steps to give back to your body. Your back will really appreciate not going into 2021 with new subluxations! ● Eat well during the holidays! Don't forget the rainbow this time of year! While all of our favorite salty and sugary treats will be constantly around us, (safe) gatherings with your loved ones will mean all kinds of fun dishes, and the draw of eating out or getting takeout will be plentiful. Try and remember to eat the rainbow and maintain your healthy diet as much as possible. Eat your green leafy veggies, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Remember to keep up with eating all the foods I've talked about in the past that help prevent and eliminate inflammation. ● Make sure to stay active this holiday season, and include the whole family in your activities. Chilly weather can cause muscles and tendons to get cold when you're working out, so please make sure to properly warm-up and cool down, stretch, and drink plenty of water. Make sure to keep up with getting plenty of rest. Take advantage of any time off and get caught up on your rest and relaxation. Remember, even though rest is important, moderation is still key. Make sure you keep up with your chiropractic visits too. If you haven't added chiropractic care into your healthy lifestyle, make sure to do so! Right now is the perfect time to get started with us to kick off a bright and healthy new year. ● Be very cautious when decorating! While we all want to be the Griswold's, heavy lifting and time spent in awkward angles on a ladder can do some serious damage to your back! Make sure to lift your Christmas trees, boxes of decorations, and lights properly. When lifting these items, make sure to lift with your legs and knees and not your back. If you feel a little bentout of shape after you decorate, come see me to make sure everything is properly aligned and that there are no new subluxations that have appeared! ● Even before the 2020 pandemic, I would stress to my patients to continue to wash their hands frequently. Now I encourage it more than ever. I know you've been asked to wash your hands a lot this year, but please keep it up! Don't forget to add vitamin D3 to your healthy regimen too. This important supplement can help strengthen your immune system and help fight off any sickness trying to get into your body! ● Remember to enjoy all of your favorite holiday drinks, dishes, snacks, and goodies in moderation. This includes long movie days, Netflix binges, long afternoons spent reading, and long days shopping out at the malls or on your couch online. Make sure to take a moment to rest, moments to get up and stretch and moments to stay active with each of these activities. ● Give yourself breaks from long drives if you are planning on traveling, and plan ways to avoid eating tons of fast food while out and about. ● Just like you prepare for guests, try and stay ahead with everything in your life during the holidays! Prepare healthy meals to enjoy ahead of time so you aren't tempted to eat out. ● Plan activities with your loved ones that don't center around food. Planning a walk with your guests is a great way to get started with this! ● If you are traveling this year and you have a long drive ahead of you, take a lower lumbar pillow with you to relieve some of the stress and pressure that can build up on your lower back. ● Don't drive straight through to your holiday destination. Make plans to stop and stretch and walk around a little bit every couple of hours. ● While it might be tempting to lounge during these long drives, make sure to maintain the best posture that you can while you're driving. ● If you're a passenger during these long holiday trips, make sure to give yourself a break from scrolling through your phone and reading. Looking down for long periods can put a lot of pressure on your neck, leading to headaches or shoulder aches. Make sure to give yourself some device-free time! I want your holidays to be as wonderful as you are planning them to be. What will help this become a reality is considering this list and taking control of your health. Let this holiday be the reason for the season, a time to give back to others, a time spent with your loved ones, and the time you take control of your health. Thank you, again for being a part of our holiday promotion everyone! I also want to take a moment and thank all of you for helping all of us at Lowcountry Chiropractic have a great year. Thank you for working with us when our schedules changed, as we navigated through the pandemic together, and for supporting what we love to do and love to offer our patients. This couldn't have been possible without you, and we are forever thankful for your support and love. From all of us at Lowcountry Chiropractic, we hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday and a fantastic new year. Until next time and next year, I'm Dr. Bob and I've got your back covered! |
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