Ventura Chiropractor Reviews: “Boomeritis”

You know the old saying, “You’re only as old as you feel,” right? And though in general this adage may be true, specifically the young/old feeling seems to vary from day-to-day as we age, especially among baby boomers where sports and athletic activities are involved. In fact, orthopedic surgeons are seeing a “tidal wave” of 45- to 64-year-olds suffering from exercise-related injuries they’ve dubbed “boomeritis,” reports Dr. Ray Monto, an orthopedic surgeon practicing in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS). “You can’t beat yourself up the way you did when you were 20 because it takes longer to recover,” he said.

According to the US Consumer Products Safety Commission exercise-related injuries and injuries sustained through the use of exercise equipment sent more than 166,000 people in the 45-64 age group to the emergency room, clinic or doctor’s office in 2008. Though middle-aged people today are a lot more active than their parents were, and are basically more fit and athletic longer into their lives, older athletes need to take a few precautions to protect themselves from injuries like rotator cuff tears, tendonitis and stress fractures.

Though most of the injuries in the Consumer report appear to be due to people not giving themselves enough time to rest up after tough workouts, Monto and AAOS offer a number of helpful tips to avoid exercise injuries: Check with your physician before starting any type of exercise program (your doctor can make sure you’re healthy and offer advice on sports and activities that fit your fitness level). Don’t do the same workout day after day (this will help to avoid repetitive stress injuries and eliminate chronic injury patterns). Work on your flexibility (it’s crucial to stretch and warm up before a workout, and cool down and stretch again, the AAOS advises). And, be sure to schedule days off into your exercise regimen, especially after a particularly intense workout.

So, Baby Boomers, even though you may feel young, it’s still wise to take extra precautions to protect your body when you’re active. After all, wisdom comes with aging.

Full article by Anne Harding (Reuters Health)

ORIGINAL SOURCE: American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, June 22, 2009.

Technorati Tags: Exercise, rotator cuff tears, sports injuries, stress fractures, tendonitis

Ventura Chiropractor Asks: Can Chiropractic Treatment Help Your Asthma Symptoms?

Today, as never before, more and more Americans are suffering from asthma. It is one of this country’s most widespread and costly diseases. In fact, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, each day 40,000 people are absent from school or work due to asthma; 30,000 people experience an asthma attack; 5,000 people visit the emergency room due to asthma;1,000 people are admitted to the hospital due to asthma;and, 11 people die from asthma.

Allergens or irritants that are breathe into the lungs, and result in inflammation that clogs and constricts airways, are routinely the cause of asthma symptoms. Symptoms include distressed breathing, wheezing, coughing, and tightness in the chest. In extreme cases, asthma can be deadly. Pharmaceuticals may transiently ease the symptoms of asthma,however there is no medical cure.

Despite the fact that chiropractic is not a therapy for asthma, per se, recent research published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research recorded the results experienced by 81 children with asthma who were given chiropractic management. The two-month study reported that those under care experienced a 45% decrease in the number of “attacks” and that 31% of the subjects voluntarily chose to decrease their medication.

What is the technique by which chiropractic care lessens the persistence and severity of asthma attacks? What does an adjustment of the spine have to do with respiration? Nervous system interference is removed through chiropractic adjustments. Almost all of nerves that control bodily functions exit between the spinal vertebrae and travel to their destination. The nerves that affect the respiratory system are contained in this network. If restricted, nerves that regulate the diaphragm can have a profound effect on how vigorously the respiratory system functions. It isn’t a mystery, then, why so many men, women and children receiving chiropractic adjustments report better breathing and a reduction in their asthmatic symptoms.

If you or someone you love has asthma, and it is generated by, or aggravated as the result of spinal subluxations, chiropractic may be beneficial. Chiropractic could help you to breathe a little easier. Call your chiropractor today!

Technorati Tags: asthma, Chiropractor, chiropratic