Physical Rehabilitation

Chiropractic care in conjunction with physical rehabilitation has proven to be a great addition to traditional care.

Headaches, Neck/Shoulder Pain, Pain between the Shoulder Blades

According to researchers every inch the head moves forward of the shoulders, weight is elevated by 10 pounds. As a result, a 12 pound head held 3 inches forward, forces the cervical extensors (semispinalis, splenii, longissimus, upper traps, etc.) to isometrically hold up 42 pounds against the unrelenting force of gravity. And we are amazed that so many clients present with degenerative disc disease, head pain and TMJ.

Forward Head Postures such as the Upper Crossed Syndrome (Fig. 1) are the result of poor sleeping positions, driving stress, computer neck, whiplash, and faulty breathing habits. Pain becomes apparent due to muscle strain, disc herniations, arthritis, pinched nerves and overstretching of the spinal cord. A significant part of head, neck, jaw and shoulder pain is due to poor posture, tension, trauma, and central nervous system malregulation. These symptoms may reveal as fibromyalgia, myofascial tender points, TMJ, and chronic fatigue syndromes.

Low Back Pain, Hip Pain, Pain in the Buttock, Sciatica

Developed by the legendary neurologist and rehab specialist Vladimir Janda MD, the lower crossed syndrome is simply a grouping of weak muscles and overactive or tight muscles that produce a predictable low back movement pattern that can lead to injury.

Janda’s EMG research found that a significant number of people developed a distinct pattern of muscle imbalance due to prolonged static posture. He noted that when a muscle is left in a shortened or contracted state for an extended period of time, it produces reciprocal inhibition, i.e., reflex weakening of muscles on the opposite side of the body.

Many of our ‘weekend warriors’ sit at their job for hours on end in a flexed position.

Day-by-day the hip flexors tighten and shorten causing reciprocal inhibition which neurologically inhibits glute-max…a critical stabilizer of the hip during the golf swing, hiking, weekend sports, etc...

Unable to help stabilize the pelvis, the weakened gluteals causes the brain to recruit synergistic muscles like the hamstrings and lumbar erectors to assist the glutes in hip extension.