CHIROPRACTIC AND ATHLETES

Chiropractic Benefits For Athletes

     Chiropractic is steadily becoming a prominent figure in the sports medicine arena.  Chiropractic can be of enormous benefit in not only treating and preventing sports related injuries, but also improving and enhancing athletic performance.  At Cornerstone Chiropractic of Hortonville LLC, we strongly believe that the function of an athlete closely follows their structure.  If the structure of an athlete is impaired, then their function will be decreased as well.  All athletes can benefit from a balanced spine and a healthier nervous system.  Understanding the biomechanical principles involved with athletics allows us to help in the possible prevention of injuries as well as restore functional integrity and stability.  
    The nervous system controls every activity in the body by sending and receiving nerve messages and is protected by the bones of the spine called vertebrae.  When the spine is in its optimal structural position, the nerves are protected and optimal communication exists between the Central Nervous System and the rest of the body.  The vertebrae of the spine are susceptible to certain stresses and forces, which can cause them to lose their proper position.  These minor misalignments of the spine, which are known as vertebral subluxations, can cause nerve interference and weaken the entire structure of the spine.  Athletic training and competition can often jar and misalign the spinal column due to the fact that the spine is at the center of the body.  Impact to the legs, feet, hands, shoulders, and torso often radiates to the spine.  
    Doctors of Chiropractic detect and correct these vertebral subluxations by adjusting the spine.  This restores the spine and nervous system to a more optimal level of function, which maximizes the body’s performance and healing potential.
   Anyone who engages in athletics can benefit from regular Chiropractic care to ensure that their spine is balanced and free from structural stress and vertebral subluxations.  When the spinal column is brought into balance and alignment, the body’s nervous system and body biomechanics (posture) are maximized.
   Chiropractic’s focus on the nervous system and postural biomechanics allow the body to function properly and heal itself.  The healing process always occurs from within the body, but research has shown that Chiropractic has an amazing potential to assist the body in the recovery process.
   Most sports related injuries involve, to some degree, stress to the spine which can lead to vertebral subluxation as well as stress to the joints of the body.  If left untreated, these stresses can lead to less thorough and slower recovery time.  Schedule an appointment today at Cornerstone Chiropractic of Hortonville so that we may help your student athletes maintain optimum function and performance.  Allow us to keep your student athlete one step ahead of the competition!

“The quality of healing is directly proportional to the functional capability of the nervous system to send and receive nerve messages.”
Edwards, J. PhD.  Journal of Neurological Science.  August 1994, Page

“I have to have my adjustment before I go into the ring.  I do believe in Chiropractic.  I found that going to a chiropractor three times a week helps my performance.  The majority of boxers go to chiropractors to get that extra edge.”
Evander Holyfield, Former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion

 “You obviously cannot compete at your fullest if you are not in alignment and your body cannot heal itself properly if your spine is not in alignment.  Chiropractic is essential for running.  If I could put a percentage value on it, I would say that I compete 8-10% better from regular Chiropractic care.”
Dan O’Brien, Olympic Decathlete

“I definitely try to get on a basis where I use Chiropractic at least twice a week.  I would definitely say that it helps me to perform at a higher level.”
Emmitt Smith, Former Pro-Bowl Running Back For The Dallas Cowboys
18,355 Career Rushing Yards In The NFL

31 percent of NFL teams use Chiropractors in an official capacity as part of their staffs and a full 77 percent of the trainers have referred to a Chiropractor for evaluation and treatment.  A survey of certified NFL trainers revealed that 100 percent of them agree that players will use Chiropractic care without referral from the team medical staff.
Stump, J, DC. Redwood, D, DC.  JMPT. March/April 2002, Volume 25 – Number 3

Dr. Eric Clausen was a three-sport athlete throughout his four years at Shiocton High School where he participated in Football, Wrestling, and Baseball.  He went on to play college football at UW-River Falls before transferring to UW-Oshkosh where he wrestled for three years.  In addition to being a chiropractor, Dr. Clausen has also been the head wrestling coach at Shiocton High School for the past 15 years.  Dr. Clausen was also an assistant football coach at Shiocton High School for two years earlier in his coaching career before taking on the head coaching position for wrestling.  His extensive background in athletics allows Dr. Clausen to provide the best Chiropractic care for athletes of all ages. 

Going Through Phases

Chiropractic care is often overlooked when people are in severe, sudden or long-term pain. One of the main reasons is that they want instant relief. Pain medications often give people this quick relief.  However, chiropractic care is a better and cheaper long-term solution. Yes, medications can help ease the pain of the problem, but often do not treat the underlying cause of pain. There is however situations where people need to supplement the chiropractic with medication so the healing process can begin. There are three main phases that each person goes through when they are in pain.

The first stage is relief. Here the pain is minimized after a couple of chiropractic visits, in a couple of weeks and with medication if needed, some people feel relief instantly. This stage is usually the quickest and has the most benefit for instant relief of pain. However, it is just the tip of the iceberg in dealing with the pain.  

I say this because if you just put a bandage over a broken arm you may help stop the bleeding or pain, but the arm is still broken. The same is seen in many chiropractic situations. When people come in and feel the instant relief, many people quit coming back. This is just like the bandage. The pain is gone but the main culprit is still at large. Whether it is from your daily routine or just some random act that caused the pain. 

This is when the second phase of healing comes into play, correction and restoration. In this phase many chiropractors should be focusing more on stretches and exercises to help teach you how prevent the problem from occurring again or how to live with the long-term pain. This phase is often the most frustrating for people because it can range from weeks, to months, to years depending on the severity and length of time you have had the condition. 

The last phase of chiropractic care is the maintenance phase. Here people come in routinely to help make sure that their bodies are aligned correctly and functioning properly. Whether it be correcting subluxations or helping muscles relax so they do not pull on bony surfaces causing pain. This stage like the previous one is different for everybody depending on the amount of maintenance that is needed. Some people come in every two weeks while others can come in once or twice a year; it all depends on how you take care and are in touch you are with the body. 

If you have any questions about chiropractic care and how we could help you either become pain free or stay pain free give us a call at Cornerstone Chiropractic of Hortonville, LLC at 920-779-3300. Have a great day!

May the 4th be with you!

Since today is National Star Wars Day there is no better time to talk about the force within you! The body is a remarkable piece of machinery. Now I know it can’t fly through space at light speed or survive on many different planets without a suit. However, the body can adapt and overcome many difficult obstacles that we are all forced with in our life times. Nevertheless, the most impressive power that the body has is its’ innate ability to heal. 

Merrian Webster describes the word innate as: existing in, belonging to, or determined by factors present in an individual from birth. Meaning that the innate power that you have is given to you from birth. Just like the powers that all Jedi’s are born with and develop overtime. The good news for you is that your innate force works at full strength as soon as you are born, and the force allows you the ability to fix many problems that plague the human body.

For the purpose of this blog we are going to refer to the innate healing within the body for the entire nervous system. As many of you know pain is the Darth Vader of the universe or the Sith Lord, while the innate power located within you is like the Jedi. The job of the innate force is to overcome the pain. 

This is done through the use of adjustments, which are done by chiropractors like me. You can consider us the Yoda’s of the innate force. It is our job to help correct subluxations or blockages of the nervous system to allow the body to heal itself. Just like Yoda taught Luke Skywalker how to embrace the power of the Jedi.  

When you’re ready to embrace the power of the force, give us a call at Cornerstone Chiropractic of Hortonville at 920-779-3300. 

"I'm Pregnant" Part 2

The last blog was explaining the beginning of pregnancy and was solely about the mother’s health. This blog is focused on the baby and delivery, and as you all know there is not much room for a baby to move inside the mother.  For that reason the use of chiropractic adjustments can help maximize the room the baby has to move by aligning the pelvis and low back (lumbar spine) properly. This creates a bigger area for the baby to turn and move in which aids in the delivery of the child as well.  A properly aligned pelvis has shown to help shorten delivery times due to the mother’s body functioning correctly.

However, babies don’t always follow the plan, sometimes they decide to spin the wrong way and come out feet first. This is known as the “breech position,” and can make for a difficult birth. There is however a technique that can help position a “breech” baby to the correctly. It is called the Webster Technique, and it is usually performed during the 32nd -37th week. It is a simple maneuver that is performed at each visit until the child turns to the correct position. Mothers may and have been known to feel the child turning as the maneuver is being performed.

Mothers have also stated that they sleep better after receiving chiropractic care. This statement holds true in several studies as well, the studies correlate hours of sleep to delivery times. The magic number of hours to sleep in a night was at least 7. When a mother gets less than 7 hours of sleep the risk of having a C-section increases immensely.

Chiropractic care also helps reduce the amount of medications taken during pregnancy to deal with pain. This is important because whatever the mother takes or consumes after week 7 or 8 the baby takes.

Then after the delivery, it is important to get the spine and extremities correctly aligned to heal better. It is believed that about 75-95% of mothers and newborns have subluxations, possibly leading to pain in the body and irritation of the nervous system.

If you have other questions about what we at Cornerstone Chiropractic of Hortonville can do to help you during pregnancy give us a call at 920-779-3300.  

"I'm Pregnant" Part 1

“I’m pregnant”… two words that cause shock and awe. Some feel joy and happiness while others feel fear and nervousness. No matter what feelings you have, pregnancy often means a new chapter in your lives. Pregnancy can wreak havoc on a woman’s body: morning sickness, changing hormone levels, new aches and pains… the list goes on. However, we at Cornerstone Chiropractic of Hortonville can help alleviate some of these symptoms.

It was stated in a narrative review by Borggren that about 50% of women have low back pain during pregnancy with 50-75% experiencing back pain during labor. However, only 21% of women receive help for the pain of pregnancy. Which means that 79% do not seek help in reducing the pain of pregnancy.

These expectant mothers are suffering for no reason. Simple adjustments (and modalities) can help alleviate these pains. Adjusting the spine will not only help musculoskeletal symptoms it may also help calm down the nervous system and reduce nausea and other morning sickness symptoms, while also down regulating the hormonal ups and downs.

The new aches and pains associated with pregnancy can be due to either the new biomechanical postural stresses or a hormone called relaxin. Biomechanical stresses refer to the protruding stomach that begins to develop midway through the second trimester. This baby bump creates pressure on the lower back by tilting the pelvis forward (anterior weight carriage) and shortening low back muscles. These back muscles then begin affecting muscles located around the hip.  Another culprit of pregnancy pain is the piriformis muscle, this muscle is most commonly known for causing a shooting pain down the leg (aka sciatica).

Relaxin is the hormone that helps prepare the ligaments associated with childbirth, to get ready for delivery. Relaxin makes the ligaments of the hips and pelvis more lax or flexible, which can create instability for the mother, and leads to pain.  When these two variables are combined they can create a pain and discomfort that may often times be corrected by chiropractic care.

If you are currently pregnant and experiencing anything listed above, please feel free to give us a call at 920-779-3300. Or email us via our website cornerstonechiropractors.com contact page. Pregnancy should be a joy, not a burden, let us help you enjoy it.

Reference:

Borggren CL. Pregnancy and chiropractic: a narrative review of the literature. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. 2007;6(2):70-74. doi:10.1016/j.jcme.2007.04.004.

Trust me I'm a Doctor... of Chiropractic

Chiropractors are often asked by people, “Do I need to come in if I don’t hurt or have never had any back problems?” Or we have been told, “the pain went away after a couple of days so I must be fine.”

The answer to the first question is a two-part answer. The first being solved by asking, “Do you seem to always be sick, tired, or fatigued?“ If the answer is yes then chiropractic can help you. Being sick, tired, fatigued, along with other symptoms can all be related to posture as well asthe way the nervous system is functioning. Even the smallest subluxation, or blockage, of the nervous system can lead to these symptoms over time.

Then the second part of the answer goes with the second statement above. Just because you can’t see or feel the pain doesn’t mean that a problem does not exist.  The human body is very good at adapting to new positions and conditions. Many times the adaptation is just a slight difference and the body usually selects a different muscle to do extra work.

If this new form is corrected early enough, problems can be avoided later. However, which is the case with most people, nothing is usually done until it cannot be dealt with anymore. This leads to muscles doing jobs that they are not intended to do. This creates new stress on muscles that eventually will cause them to break down or tighten up. Leading to pain that won’t get better.  At this point the recovery phase is longer than what it should be due to the chronic nature of the damage.

The point being… regular chiropractic maintenance care will help the entire body function properly, longer, and with fewer breakdowns. 

Text Neck nothing to LOL about!!!

Does you neck ever hurt after looking at your phone? Well if it doesn’t your either younger or are not on the phone that much. However, for most of the population this is not the case. In fact, a lot of people are suffering from “text neck.” But this recent phenomenon is not only for people who constantly look down at their phones. It also includes anybody who looks or tilts his or her head down for long periods of time, whether it be reading or working at a desk.

This head tilting posture creates a lot of extra pressure on the neck as well as causing other problems. An easy way to think about this is that for every inch you lean forward with your head and neck you are adding an extra pound of pressure to your neck. Not to mention that the average head weighs 12 pounds that is always resting on your neck.

A lot of body pains (neck, shoulder, back) can come from this extra pressure on the neck. As the body tries to adapt to its new position and stress, the muscles that usually do most of the postural support work become weak, while the little stabilizing muscles become tight and irritated.  All of which leads to new aches and pains, with headaches being the most common outcome. This is due to the head and neck being held up by a lot of small muscles that easily fatigue. Many people also squint or strain when looking at their phones, computers, or books which also tires the muscles faster leading to headaches.

The irritation of these muscles may make things worse by impinging or pinching the nerves that often run by or through the muscles leading to numbness, tingling, or burning down the arms or up into the neck and upper back.

This extra stress on the nerves also makes both the central and peripheral nervous systems work overtime and react as if you are in a constant state of excitement. This is okay for a short period of time but if not corrected or managed may cause fatigue, poor sleep, or illness due to the weakened nervous system. And as most people know the nervous system controls all systems. 

Then there are the long-term consequences from loading and unloading the neck and upper back, which may include earlier onset of arthritis from constantly looking up and down at the phone, book, or computer.

Phones… they are a blessing and a curse. But don’t be afraid to get help! Clearly you know how to use a phone otherwise you probably wouldn’t be in this situation, so give us a call and get rid of the pain. 

Teachers

Teachers are the key to every child’s future endeavors whether you want to believe it or not.  Teachers at every level of school have to do many different things. First and foremost, they educate students. However, they also counsel students, speak to the public (mostly parents-some of whom can be annoying), some coach, and just as important - babysit your child so they make it back home safely. All of this may seem easy to the non-teacher, but all of these situations put a lot of mental and emotional stress on a teacher.

Then there are the physical stresses of teaching that many people forget about. When students do homework...who grades it? The teachers. This leads to hours of hunching over a desk to correct homework every year, not to mention, the amount of time they spend sitting at a desk creating lesson plans. Other teachers stand for long periods of time creating extra stress on the body.  

We at Cornerstone Chiropractic of Hortonville can help teachers function at their best through the use of adjustments. Stress has been proven to be a precipitating factor in disease and illness. When the spine is aligned, the nervous system functions at its best allowing teachers to deal with these daily stresses without it taking a toll on their bodies and psyche.  This means that teachers could have less headaches, shoulder tightness, low back or hip pain, and sick days - just to name a few.  So teachers...don’t forget to treat and take care of yourselves because the community you work in needs you at your best. Have a great school year from everybody at Cornerstone Chiropractic of Hortonville.

Autism

Autism is a developmental disorder, which currently affects 1 out of 68 children. Boys are four to five times more likely to have autism than girls. While the exact cause for autism is not known, it is believed that genetic and environmental causes are the main culprits.  

Autism symptoms include hyperactivity, attention problems, sleeping challenges, behavior problems, cognitive processing issues, and more.  A lot of these symptoms fall under a category called sensory integration dysfunction (SID). SID’s involvement in nervous system is that the body does not receive the appropriate messages thus creating distorted responses. SID’s involves the tactile (feeling), vestibular (balancing), and proprioceptive (sense of where you are body position wise) systems. A lot of these symptoms and senses are controlled by the peripheral (PNS) and central nervous systems (CNS).  

We here at Cornerstone Chiropractic of Hortonville can help alleviate the symptoms associated with autism. We can help decrease the excessive stress on the CNS and PNS.  We treat subluxations or blockages of the body that lead to the above symptoms.

Subluxations create extra pressure on the CNS and often leave children in constant state of excitation sometimes referred to as the “fight or flight” response. This constant state of excitement has also been linked to infantile colic, ear infections, and digestive and immune system problems.  Mostly because the body is wore out from always being over stimulated.

Other systems that may be affected by autism include the digestive and immune systems. With the extra stress of the constant fight or flight mentality caused from pressure on the CNS the body has the completely opposite effect on the digestive system. It basically slows the system to a crawl. Making bowel movements difficult along with increased cramping and inflammation. The immune system is also weakened leading to an increased chance of illness.

Therefore if your child has autism or any of these symptoms listed above bring them into Cornerstone Chiropractic of Hortonville so we can help their little bodies relax and function better. 

Lessons From Music →

Shakira once said, “The hips don’t lie,” and she could not be more correct. The pelvis is the key to stability for the spine, head, and the rest of the body. Or in Megan Trainor’s words, “it’s all about the base,” meaning that a solid foundation for the pelvis leads to balance for both the upper and lower body. A quick description of the pelvis is that it includes the sacrum and coccyx, which sit in between the two “hip” bones. 

When the pelvis is twisted, elevated, flexed, or extended it will cause the rest of the body to adapt to the new “normal.” This new normal causes extra pressure and strain on the body, leading to pain, lack of mobility, and other poor body mechanics. In other words you may be like the Beatles and “Twist and Shout” from the sudden pain.

Most people however are able to adapt to these new positions and may not have pain for a while. However, it is not sustainable and pain will eventually follow, whether it be a week, month, or year(s) later. Muscles can get tighter or stronger, while their opposites get weaker and stretched out, both of which lead to improper function. The body is meant to be balanced, with the pelvis being the base. The spine and the exiting nerves function much better when there is no interference or subluxations.

If the pelvis is not aligned correctly you may not be functioning at your full potential. Pain will also follow, whether it is right away or over time. Three Days Grace and Johnny Cash could have avoided the “Pain” and “Hurt” if they knew this simple message.