Pogany Chiropractic

EQUIPMENT

Perhaps the most important element to beginning a tennis regimen is selecting the right equipment. Basic equipment includes proper tennis shoes, socks, appropriate attire and a good tennis racket. Dr. Bautch offers the following recommendations:

Shoes & Socks
Because of the constant pounding your feet will endure, it is critical to select a true tennis shoe. Don’t purchase a shoe that is designed for basketball, running or cross-training. The shoe should be built low to the ground yet designed to be shock-absorbent to minimize stress on your feet.

“Socks are extremely important too,” says Dr. Bautch. “Perspiration is a concern for tennis players, so look for socks that will help keep your feet dry.” Some new synthetic fibers used in making socks are scientifically engineered to move sweat away from the body. The more traditional acrylic socks also work well in preventing perspiration buildup on the feet. Avoid cotton socks, as they tend to trap perspiration and hold it close to the skin. According to Dr. Bautch, “you should also consider a foot powder to help keep your feet dry. If your feet are wet, you have a greater chance of developing painful blisters.”

Attire
While some professional tennis players may be able to get away with wearing tight-fitted clothing on the court, most of us need to exercise a bit more caution. Avoid wearing sports attire that pinches any part of your body. These “pinch points” can inhibit circulation, causing you to tire more quickly than normal. They can also cause uncomfortable blister marks and rashes. And just as with socks, skip the cotton apparel in favor of synthetic fibers that will absorb sweat and move it away from your body.

Racket
“Two important considerations when selecting a tennis racket are the size of the racket and your hand comfort when gripping the racket,” explains Dr. Bautch. “Beginning tennis players often try to pick out an oversized racket to give them a better chance at hitting the ball. But with an oversized racket, you tend to catch the ball on the extreme edges of the racket, which can twist your hands and wrists beyond their normal range of motion. Look for a normal-sized racket instead.”

The grip of your racket should be comfortably cushioned to absorb the shock that comes from hitting a tennis ball. The grip should also be thick enough so that your hand fits around it without having your thumb and fingers overlap one another.

TENNIS, ANYONE?

by The American Chiropractic Association

The sport of tennis is often saddled with a reputation for being a rather “dainty” game, thanks to the well-mannered fans who frequently grace the stands at professional tennis matches-not to mention the elite country clubs that typically provide tennis facilities. According to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), however, the game of tennis can be not only an extremely physical challenge, but also a tremendously healthy endeavor.

“Tennis is a game that-if you start playing early and continue to play it-can actually reduce your risk of heart attacks because of the cardiovascular workout it provides,” says Dr. Scott Bautch of the ACA’s Occupational Health Council.

BENEFITS
One of the great things about playing tennis is that you only need to find one other person to play with in order to play a match. In fact, if you can find a tennis facility that has a tennis wall-or a wall with a horizontal line that simulates a tennis net-you can get a great tennis workout all by yourself.

“The combination of both high and low exertion levels that tennis offers can provide a unique exercise experience, as well as tremendous health benefits,” says Dr. Bautch. In addition to helping to reduce your risk of heart attacks, playing tennis can also tone the muscles of your upper and lower body, burn calories, and improve your balance, hand-eye coordination and agility.

What Can a Doctor of Chiropractic Do?

Dr. McClelland says your doctor of chiropractic may do one or more of the following if you suffer from a primary headache:
• Perform spinal manipulation or chiropractic adjustments to improve spinal function and alleviate the stress on your system.

• Provide nutritional advice, recommending a change in diet and perhaps the addition of B complex vitamins.

• Offer advice on posture, ergonomics (work postures), exercises and relaxation techniques. This advice should help to relieve the recurring joint irritation and tension in the muscles of the neck and upper back.

“Doctors of chiropractic undergo extensive training to help their patients in many ways – not just back pain,” says Dr. McClelland. “They know how tension in the spine relates to problems in other parts of the body, and they can take steps to relieve those problems.”

If your headache is symptomatic of a health problem that needs the care of another discipline, your doctor of chiropractic will refer you to an appropriate specialist.

Chiropractic Care Can Help…
Talk to your doctor of chiropractic about other ways to improve your lifestyle. Doctors of chiropractic are trained and licensed to examine and treat the entire body with specific emphasis on the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. They can also help people lead healthier lives by focusing on wellness and prevention.

What Can You Do?

The ACA suggests the following:
• If you spend a large amount of time in one fixed position, such as in front of a computer, on a sewing machine, typing or reading, take a break and stretch every 30 minutes to one hour. The stretches should take your head and neck through a comfortable range of motion.

• Low-impact exercise may help relieve the pain associated with primary headaches. However, if you are prone to dull, throbbing headaches, avoid heavy exercise. Engage in such activities as walking and low-impact aerobics.

• Avoid teeth clenching. The upper teeth should never touch the lowers, except when swallowing. This results in stress at the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) – the two joints that connect your jaw to your skull – leading to TMJ irritation and a form of tension headaches.

• Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day to help avoid dehydration, which can lead to headaches.

In addition, the ACA and its Council on Nutrition suggest you avoid the following food “triggers”:
• Avoid caffeine. Foods such as chocolate, coffee, sodas and cocoa contain high levels of the stimulant.

• Avoid foods with a high salt or sugar content. These foods may cause migraines, resulting in sensitivity to light, noise, or abrupt movements.

• Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages. These drinks can dehydrate you and cause headache pain.

• Other headache sufferers may want to avoid not only caffeine, but also high-protein foods, dairy products, red meat and salty foods.

Headache Triggers

But to get to the bottom of the problem, you first need to find out what is causing your pain. Headaches have many causes, or “triggers.” These may include foods, environmental stimuli (noises, lights, stress, etc.) and/or behaviors (insomnia, excessive exercise, blood sugar changes, etc.). About 5 percent of all headaches are warning signals caused by physical problems.

Ninety-five percent of headaches are primary headaches, such as tension, migraine, or cluster headaches. These types of headaches are not caused by disease. The headache itself is the primary concern.

“The greatest majority of primary headaches are associated with muscle tension in the neck,” says Dr. George B. McClelland, a doctor of chiropractic from Christiansburg, VA, and member of the American Chiropractic Association’s (ACA) Board of Governors. “Today, Americans engage in more sedentary activities than they used to, and more hours are spent in one fixed position or posture. This can increase joint irritation and muscle tension in the neck, upper back and scalp, causing your head to ache.”

Have a Splitting Headache? Chiropractic Care Can Help

by The American Chiropractic Association

If you have a headache, you’re not alone. Nine out of ten Americans suffer from headaches. Some are occasional, some frequent, some are dull and throbbing, and some cause debilitating pain and nausea.

What do you do when you suffer from a pounding headache? Do you grit your teeth and carry on? Lie down? Pop a pill and hope the pain goes away? There is a better alternative.

New research shows that spinal manipulation – the primary form of care provided by doctors of chiropractic – may be an effective treatment option for tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck.

A report released in 2001 by researchers at the Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center in Durham, NC, found that spinal manipulation resulted in almost immediate improvement for those headaches that originate in the neck, and had significantly fewer side effects and longer-lasting relief of tension-type headache than a commonly prescribed medication.

Also, a 1995 study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that spinal manipulative therapy is an effective treatment for tension headaches and that those who ceased chiropractic treatment after four weeks experienced a sustained therapeutic benefit in contrast with those patients who received a commonly prescribed medication.

HYDRATION
Drink 10 eight-ounce glasses of water a day to help keep the kidneys active, dilute and remove toxins from the body, and replace lost fluids. (Coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcohol are diuretics/dehydrators. Don’t substitute them for water.) If you perspire during walking, you may need to drink even more.

SURFACES
Some walking surfaces are better than others on your musculoskeletal system.

Walking on a cushioned or rubberized track is ideal, because the cushioning of this type of track absorbs most of the impact of your walking. Many recreation centers offer this type of track free of charge.

Grass is another good surface, but watch out for hidden dips or holes in the ground. Walking on a surface with no give, such as concrete or a mall floor, is not your best choice, because this type of surface will not absorb much of the impact your body will experience. If you do choose to walk on such a surface, be extra careful to select highly cushioned shoes

SHOES

The first item of business when beginning your walking program is to select the right pair of shoes. Dr. McAndrews recommends the following tips:

Make sure the shoes you purchase fit properly. The balls of your feet should rest exactly at the point where the toe end of the shoe bends during walking. Avoid high-top shoes, that, often cover the entire ankle, limiting your foot’s ability to move freely and naturally. Opt instead for shoes that offer your ankle a fuller range of motion.

Select shoes with plenty of cushioning in the soles to absorb the impact of your walking.

GETTING STARTED

Walking just 12 minutes every other day can offer important health benefits. Walking 20 minutes every other day is even better. But in order to increase your longevity, try to eventually work up to 30 minutes, five days per week. The following tips should help you get started safely and smoothly:
• Move your arms freely, in coordination with the opposite leg.
• Don’t stoop your head or look down as you walk. This will challenge the normal forward curve of your neck, which, in turn, will cause you to carry your weight improperly.
• Don’t carry weights or dumbbells while walking.
They’re better used as a separate part of your exercise regimen. If you do carry weights while walking, be sure that they are light enough that they do not interfere with the “rhythm” of your arms and legs; in order to counterbalance the body, when your right arm moves forward, the left leg should be moving forward, etc.
• Expect a little soreness in the thighs and calves for the first week or two. If you experience more than soreness, check with your doctor of chiropractic.
• Walk briskly, with “purpose.” Simply “sauntering,” while relaxing and enjoyable, is not an effective form of cardiovascular exercise.

Keep in mind that, if you have not previously been physically active, you should consult your doctor before. Begin slowly with a walk of perhaps half of a mile at a pace that does not cause discomfort. Continue this for about two weeks, then start to increase the pace and length of time walking. Eventually – depending on your age – you can build your “target” heart rate/pulse to either 120 beats per minute or, if younger, as many as 140 beats per minute. For the average adult, a heart rate of 120 beats per minute would require walking at about 2 miles per hour, while a heart rate of 140 beats per minute would require a pace of 4 1/2 miles per hour.

Just Try Walking

by The American Chiropractic Association

While some fitness enthusiasts relentlessly seek out the latest, trendiest exercise crazes, many others are returning to good, old-fashioned walking to help them feel great and get into shape. Whether enjoying the wonder of nature, or simply the company of a friend, walking can be a healthy, invigorating experience. And thanks to its convenience and simplicity, walking just might be right for you too, according to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).

BENEFITS
You don’t need to become a member of an expensive gym to go walking. And except for a good pair of walking shoes, it requires virtually no equipment.

“A sedentary lifestyle has debilitating influence on people’s health as they age” says Dr. Jerome McAndrews, national spokesperson for the ACA. “Exercise is imperative.” Walking accomplishes all of the following and more:
• Improves cardiovascular endurance
• Tones muscles of the lower body
• Burns calories: about 80 if walking 2 miles per hour, and about 107 if walking 4 1/2 miles per hour
• Reduces risk of heart disease

When the Bulbs Are Planted…

If you already feel muscle aches and pains and did not complete the warm-up and cool-down stretches, there are ways to alleviate the discomfort. Apply a cold pack on the area of pain for the first 48 hours or apply a heat pack after 48 hours, and consider chiropractic care.

Prevention is Key!

The best way to fight the pain, emotional stress, and missed work that may accompany a spinal problem is to prevent it from happening in the first place. The following tips will help you identify and eliminate “spinal stressors” and incorporate spinal health into your daily routine.