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What does a chiropractic adjustment do?
Chiropractic adjustments give your spine a little "nudge" at the right place, right time and the right direction so your body can use that energy to "right" itself. With a schedule of consistent chiropractic visits, a new, healthier spinal pattern emerges.
What controls every cell, tissue and organ of your body?
DNA? Wrong. Immune system? Wrong? Hormones? Wrong. It's your nervous system, consisting of your brain, spinal cord and all the nerves of your body. When a chiropractor sees a North Austin patient with say, stomach problems, we want to know why the brain is unable to properly control and regulate the stomach. Which prompts us to examine the nervous system—the focus of chiropractic care.
Injury Myths: Don't be Fooled
There are a few myths out there that keep circulating. Unless you know the truth, you can hold yourself back by having unnecessary injuries or plateau at a level below your competition.
Myth #1: Knee injuries happen because of the knee.
Problems in the knee commonly originate in the foot/ankle or hip. If one or both feet have a structural problem ("flat feet", high arch, weak ankles, for example), this condition can cause the leg to rotate improperly, which in turn puts stress on the knee. As knee muscles and ligaments weaken,the joint may begin to move out of its proper position. These imbalances have a potential global effect which can then put stress on the hips, low back, and even the neck.
Problems in the knee commonly originate in the foot/ankle or hip. If one or both feet have a structural problem ("flat feet", high arch, weak ankles, for example), this condition can cause the leg to rotate improperly, which in turn puts stress on the knee. As knee muscles and ligaments weaken,the joint may begin to move out of its proper position. These imbalances have a potential global effect which can then put stress on the hips, low back, and even the neck.
Although muscular strength and balance is part of the equation, it’s not the primary factor in preventing injury. For example no matter how strong the muscles around the knee are, if the structures of the foot, leg,and hip are not stabilized and bio-mechanically sound – your risk for ligament, meniscus, and even tendon tears can still be very high.
Myth #3: Prevention drills and training will greatly reduce injury.
Although prevention drills like PEP and other coordination and balance drills help increase the body’s proprioception (which can help increase reaction time), these drills don’t address the structural risks that lead to injury. As long as the structure has weakness and imbalance,the function will also be affected. There's no substitute for structural integrity.
Myth #4: Nutrition is not important in injury prevention and rehabilitation.
If you don’t fuel your body correctly (water, electrolytes, protein, vitamins), the effects can be fatigue, muscle, and bone weakness. Fatigue decreases your reaction time and ability to avoid trauma. Stress and inflammation are important to the athlete to grow and strengthen, but it has to be in balance with recovery and rebuilding. If you're not getting the right nutrition, you're body can't counteract the breakdown of tissues. If you’ve already had an injury, and you’re not getting the nutritional building blocks necessary to rebuild and heal – the time it takes to get back to peak performance may take even longer, and put you behind others that didn't have an injury.
Although prevention drills like PEP and other coordination and balance drills help increase the body’s proprioception (which can help increase reaction time), these drills don’t address the structural risks that lead to injury. As long as the structure has weakness and imbalance,the function will also be affected. There's no substitute for structural integrity.
Myth #4: Nutrition is not important in injury prevention and rehabilitation.
If you don’t fuel your body correctly (water, electrolytes, protein, vitamins), the effects can be fatigue, muscle, and bone weakness. Fatigue decreases your reaction time and ability to avoid trauma. Stress and inflammation are important to the athlete to grow and strengthen, but it has to be in balance with recovery and rebuilding. If you're not getting the right nutrition, you're body can't counteract the breakdown of tissues. If you’ve already had an injury, and you’re not getting the nutritional building blocks necessary to rebuild and heal – the time it takes to get back to peak performance may take even longer, and put you behind others that didn't have an injury.
Myth #5: You only need to worry about an injury after you’ve had one.
Many people think that because they are not in pain or they haven’t had an injury, that they don’t need to think about making sure their body is structurally sound - working in correct bio-mechanics. Many times athletes have “small” pains that they write-off or don’t think are significant until they sprain/strain or tear a ligament, muscle or tendon. Small nagging pains can turn into stress fractures and other chronic conditions. If you don’t pay attention early, something that seems insignificant can turn into an injury that can stop your training and set you back for weeks, months, or even years. Get checked out before you lose valuable time that could take you to the next level.
Many people think that because they are not in pain or they haven’t had an injury, that they don’t need to think about making sure their body is structurally sound - working in correct bio-mechanics. Many times athletes have “small” pains that they write-off or don’t think are significant until they sprain/strain or tear a ligament, muscle or tendon. Small nagging pains can turn into stress fractures and other chronic conditions. If you don’t pay attention early, something that seems insignificant can turn into an injury that can stop your training and set you back for weeks, months, or even years. Get checked out before you lose valuable time that could take you to the next level.
Everything in the body is connected, acting as a bio-mechanical kinetic chain where every movement normal or abnormal at one line or joint can affect the movement of other joints. For example, when there is an imbalance in the feet, such as pronation, the ankle rolls inward putting stress on the medial aspect of the knee. From there, the increased angle of the knee changes the leveling of the hips (and the base of the spine) causing compensation throughout the spine traveling to the shoulders and then into the neck. As the body compensates to the imbalance in structure, your muscles, tendons, and tissues will also have to compensate which can lead to further imbalances and stress throughout the body. These imbalances create weaknesses that can result in chronic conditions or even major injury, most commonly ACL tears and other knee injuries.
So, what can you do about it?
Get checked!
Call us: Jollyville: 512-343-0700 | FarWest: 512-474-0700