Stomach Sleeping

  Oh, the deliciousness of being able to sleep on one’s stomach! We may fondly remember doing it, with no negative repercussions, as a kid.

Some adults habitually sleep on their stomach, but often have unpleasant cervical and upper extremity symptoms as a result.

Torquing of the head when stomach sleeping causes aberrant strain on the cervical joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. One may wake up with neck pain or tension, pain or numbness & tingling in the arms or hands, and sometimes headaches.

If this is happening to you, it will benefit you to make an effort to change your sleeping position.  A body pillow can discourage rolling over onto one’s stomach during sleep. 

As you change your sleeping habit, it is a good idea to have your spine and upper body balanced and aligned. I am happy to provide this with my Activator Chiropractic Method of full-body balancing.

Sinus Adjustments

  One of the most valuable new adjustments I learned at my most recent annual Activator Chiropractic update training is one for sinus congestion.

It is done with the Activator on the lowest force setting, contacting the face over the right and left frontal and maxillary sinuses, and applying a gentle impact at each contact.

Patients are reporting significant results---draining of their clogged sinuses, increased ease of breathing, feelings of opening of blocked nasal passages, etc.

I am impressed with the positive results of this new adjustment.

Tale of A Wayward Kneecap

  A common cause of knee pain is when the kneecap “tracks” too far toward the lateral side of the leg. This causes abnormal friction, and if not corrected, can lead to a form of arthritis called chondromalacia patella. 

Why does this aberrant tracking of the kneecap happen?

Every time you activate your quads (quadriceps)--the muscles in the front of your thigh--the kneecap moves up & down, because the kneecap lies embedded in the tendon of the quadriceps muscles. With contraction / relaxation of the quads, the kneecap “tracks” in a groove on the tibia, underneath it.

The outer (lateral) parts of the quadriceps often become dominant, pulling the kneecap laterally, causing it to rub abnormally against the tibial groove. Pain and eventual arthritis are the results.

I correct this with specific adjustments with the Activator instrument, and give the patient exercises to balance the quadriceps & eliminate the abnormal dominance.

Three Anatomical / Geometric Planes

  As an Advanced Proficiency Rated ACTIVATOR Chiropractor, I am trained to evaluate and adjust joints of the body in three anatomical / geometric planes.

For example, the “ball and socket” hip joint may become misaligned laterally (in the sagittal plane, which divides the body left / right), superiorly or inferiorly (in the axial, or horizontal, plane, which divides the body up / down), or backwards or forwards (in the coronal or frontal plane, which divides the body into back / front). 

The precision of this geometric assessment, with accompanying corrections, contributes significantly to the effectiveness of Activator Chiropractic Method, and helps patients heal and return to normal functioning in a quicker, more lasting way.

Compression in the Carpal Tunnel

  I frequently find that patients have compression in the carpal tunnel at their wrist(s), especially if their activities involve a lot of use of their hands.

This compression can develop slowly over time, prior to full-blown Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).

The carpal tunnel is a passageway through bones in the wrist. The median nerve goes through this passageway. With repetitive motion / overuse of the hand & wrist, this nerve can become impinged or irritated due to pressure on, or abrasion of, the nerve inside the tunnel. The irritated, inflamed nerve may swell, further complicating the situation.

Unrelieved, the end result can be the painful, and often difficult to resolve, condition of CTS.

When I find the aforementioned compression, I gently relieve it with the Activator instrument. In patients whom I know may be prone to this condition, I make it a habit to monitor their wrists.