Dr Amber James, Evansville, IN

Backpacks can be a Pain...

2011-07-13T16:08:00.000-05:00

As back-to-school is around the corner, it's about "that" time again to be buying school supplies.

A backpack is something every kid needs, and can be a daily hazard.

More than 7,000 emergency room visits in 2001 were related to backpacks and book bags. Approximately half of those injuries occurred in children 5 -14 year of age.

Children today are using their backpacks as portable lockers. Not only are children carrying

traditional school items such as lunches, books, pencils and paper; now they may carry

clothing, gym shoes, art work, musical instruments, cell phones, and CD players.

Backpacks should weigh between five and 10 pounds for elementary students.

For older children, backpacks should weigh no more than 15 to 20 pounds. Many parents don't

realize how heavy their child's backpack is until their child starts complaining of pain or

experiencing discomfort.

Heavy backpacks that are worn the wrong way can cause compressed nerves, and back and

neck pain.

Over time, the muscles adapt to permanent poor posture, often leading to back problems and

other injuries. For many, lifetime back pain can begin in middle school.

Choose a pack: Select a backpack with well-padded straps. The shoulders and neck are rich

in blood vessels and nerves that when constricted can cause pain and tingling in the neck,

arms and hands.

The bottom of the pack should rest in the curve of the lower back.

It should never rest more than four inches below the child’s waistline.

Loading a pack: Never allow a child to carry more than 15% of his or her body weight.

That means a child who weighs 100 pounds should not carry a school backpack that weighs more

than 15 pounds.

Load heaviest items closest to the child’s back

Pack items neatly and organized to keep books and materials from sliding around in the pack,

shifting the weight.

Wearing a Pack: Always wear both shoulder straps to distribute weight evenly. Wearing a pack

slung over one shoulder can cause a person to lean to one side and curve the spine. Adjust the shoulder straps so that the pack fits snugly to the child’s back. A pack that hangs loosely from

the back can pull the child backwards and strain muscles between the shoulders.

Your child should:

bend his/her legs and readjust the straps when putting on the backpack.
use proper posture once the backpack is in place.
use a high-quality backpack that has well-padded shoulder straps and adjustable straps at the chest and waist to better distribute the weight.
re-adjust the straps on the backpack every time it’s he/she uses it to make sure the weight is properly supported.
clean out his/her backpack at the end of each day and take out any unnecessary items.
use a backpack that has several compartments. This will help to distribute the weight better.
leave items such as running shoes, gym clothes, and water bottles at school in a gym bag or locker instead of carrying them home every day.
keep a second set of books at home when possible.

Your child should not:

carry his/her backpack over one shoulder. This will cause them to walk differently and can cause muscles to tire and strain. This can cause/ aggravate scoliosis.
pack too much in the backpack.
lean forward while carrying the backpack. This is an indication that the straps have not been properly adjusted or that the load is too heavy
carry unnecessary items in the backpack.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”

Laugh, for the Health of it!

2011-03-07T17:40:00.000-06:00

Laughter really is good for your mental and physical health

says researchers who have studied its benefits.

Laughter strengthens the body’s ability to fight disease. Laughter increases the body’s ability to produce and release bacteria and virus fighters.
Laughter fights stress. Stressed people have higher levels of cortisol. Studies show that laughter lowers cortisol levels in the body, which makes laughter a natural stress buster. Cortisol also depresses immune function, so laughing is also an immune booster.
Laughter can lower blood pressure. An ability to laugh at your own mistakes is a good way to lower blood pressure. People who tend to laugh at their own mistakes had the smaller increases in blood pressure following experiences that normally raise blood pressure.
Laughter increases energy levels. Feeling tired or run down? Have a good laugh. Laughter is a natural pick-me-up.
Laughter helps us bond with others. Research shows that when we laugh we tend to talk more, make more eye contact and do more of the things that help us connect with others.
Laughter reduces tension. It’s hard to feel angry, tense or anxious when you’re laughing.
Laughter is good exercise. Laughing 100 times has the same effect on the body as being on a rowing maching for 10 minutes or a stationary bike for 15 minutes.

Laugh Facts…

Children laugh about 400 times a day. Adults laugh an average of 15 times a day. No wonder kids have so much energy!

Laughter sounds the same across cultures, leading some researchers to believe that laughter helped bond our ancestors together. In fact, laughter is so familiar, it can be recognized if played backwards on tape.

Adding Laughter to your life….

Spend time with people who like to laugh.
Remember a funny story about yourself or someone that you know.
Watch children and animals. They naturally do things that make us laugh.

Happiness comes only when we push our brains and hearts to the

farthest reach of which we are capable… Leo Rosten

A LITTLE HUMOR

A man and his wife are awakened at 3 o'clock in the morning by a loud pounding on the door.

The man gets up and goes to the door where a drunken stranger, standing in the pouring rain,

is asking for a push."Not a chance," says the husband, "it is three o'clock in the morning!" He slams the door and returns to bed. "Who was that?" asked his wife.

"Just some drunk guy asking for a push," he answers. "Did you help him?" she asks. "No, I did not, it is three in the morning and it is pouring out!"

"Well, you have a short memory," says his wife. "Can't you remember about three months ago when we broke down and those two guys helped us?

I think you should help him, and should be ashamed of yourself!"

The man does as he is told, gets dressed, and goes out into the pounding rain. He calls out into the dark, "Hello, are you still there?" "

Yes," comes back the answer.

"Do you still need a push?" calls out the husband.

"Yes, please!" the reply comes from the dark.

Where are you?" asks the husband.

"Over here on the swing!" replies the drunk.

We are our own worst enemy...

2011-02-21T15:45:00.000-06:00

We ourselves are essentially responsible for our back troubles. Most of us don't get the proper physical conditioning to benefit our spines. We exercise haphazardly and without warming up properly. We gain too much weight, ride rather than walk, sprawl on soft sofas and chairs, develop pot bellies and sway backs and subject our backs to unnecessary twists and turns by lifting and carrying things improperly. If we learned to treat our backs smartly, we could help beat the odds on backaches.

Posture is the way in which you stand, sit or lie. It should be possible to relax in whatever posture you have adopted and still maintain good muscle tone. If you relax and your posture collapses, then this is an indication that body stability needs to be trained.

It is important to be aware of the potential reasons for deviations in posture. Some of these might include genetics, trauma, disease, previous surgery, congenital, ergonomics, poor training techniques and stress.

It must also be decided if the postural defect is structural or functional. A structural defect could include a leg that is shorter than the other, which could only be corrected by the use of an orthotic, or a structural scoliosis, which might require surgical correction. A functional defect could include defective posture, which can be actively corrected

Good Posture consists of the following:

Level earlobes
Level shoulders
Equal distance between ear and shoulder
Chin balanced over the shoulders
Equal spaces between arms and body
Shoulder over hip over knee over ankle
Appropriate thoracic and lumbar curves
Vertical spine from posterior view
Level hips
Level kneecaps
Equal contour of calf muscles
Equal and appropriate arch of the feet

Posture has also been described as another name for position. It is a natural body alignment which allows one to move in a pain free efficient way.

"Sit up straight!" "Don't slouch!"

Basically posture refers to the body's alignment and positioning with respect to the ever-present force of gravity. Whether we are standing, sitting or lying down gravity exerts a force on our joints, ligaments and muscles. Good posture entails distributing the force of gravity through our body so no one structure is overstressed.

An architect has to take these same laws of gravity and weight distribution into account when he or she designs a building. And like a building with a poor foundation a body with poor posture is less resistant to the strains and stresses we experience over the months, years and decades of life.

Sitting and standing with proper postural alignment will allow one to work more efficiently with less fatigue and strain on your body's ligaments and muscles. Being aware of good posture is the first step to breaking old poor postural habits and reducing stress and strain on your spine. By putting this knowledge into practice one can prevent the structural anatomical changes that can develop if poor posture is left uncorrected for many years. So to repeat an old adage you may also have heard from your mother: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Thanks Mom!

Sitting Safely

2011-02-09T16:00:00.000-06:00

I see more and more patients in my office that sit at a computer or work at a desk. They typically have more back and neck pain than those that do more active jobs that involve lifting. There are some rules about how to sit "safely" (dumb as it sounds) and doing so can make all the difference.

Here is a list of tips that can help you sit safer....

1. Take breaks often, standing up and walking around the room for a few minutes.. One every half an hour is ideal. If you are sitting and writing, be sure to look up and look around every few minutes.

2. Your chair should have a back as straight as possible, and you should be able to comfortably bend your legs so that your lower back can gently arch forward.

3. You should have low back support for that gentle forward arch from either a low back support or, if none is available, you can achieve the same effect by rolling up a towel to about 3” in diameter, and placing it in the "small of " your back. A properly designed low back support is preferable but the towel will do just fine if that is all you have.

4. While working at a desk, be sure that your seat is high enough to allow your shoulders to be relaxed. If you are using a computer, be sure the keyboard is in a position that also allows your shoulders to relax. Make sure that the monitor is at a position wherein the middle of the screen is at or slightly above eye level to allow your proper neck curve to be maintained as well.

5. Don't slouch! Enlist your spouse or other family members and/or co-workers to remind you when they see you slouching. Give them a copy of this article and offer to do the same for them. Make a game out of it if that helps. You might buy a few lunches, but if you are vigilant, you will get a few free lunches yourself as well. It will likely all come out in the wash and in the meantime, you will all be healthier for it.

6. If you haven't already, start walking! You can be sure that your body has not evolved to accommodate our more sedentary lifestyles so you must evolve your behaviors by exercising your body every single day to prevent the inevitable damage that modern habits have created! 30-45 minutes of daily walking will add years of health to your spine. If you have gym facilities available, good for you! If not, at least walk every day. You hear this all the time, but it is true. Before you start any serious exercise program, you really must have a complete physical and spinal exam to prevent any avoidable injuries.

7. If you read in bed, stop. Sleep experts say that it is counterproductive in terms of dealing with insomnia. Posture experts (like me), say that it is nearly impossible to sit properly in bed without slouching and without propping up your head, unless yours is one of those adjustable type beds that fold up. If you simply must read in bed, then make sure you elevate the book to eye level with pillows and give yourself good upright back support so that you don't slouch. A tall order for a bed...

8. While watching TV, sit at a level with the screen so your head isn't being held in a forward position. If you have to prop up the back of your head to see the screen, change it!

9. Get your spine checked frequently to be sure that your patterns are not setting you up for serious problems in the future.

None of these seem that hard. The hard part is doing them consistently and indefinitely - incorporating them into your everyday life. It is a challenge, but it gets easy once these "good habits" become second nature.

Most of our back problems and pain, we cause ourselves. We can be our own worst enemy, but with a little education and a little work, we can also be our own best friend!

Arthritis: the old person's disease....or is it?

2011-02-07T18:03:00.000-06:00

It is estimated that 70 million Americans are diagnosed with arthritis. The good news is that many who have suffered from arthritis have found relief and/or seen improvement through chiropractic.

The Condition: Arthritis is found in over 150 different forms. Osteoarthritis, a degenerative condition of the joints, is often caused by repetitive activities over time, traumas, or sports-related injuries. Rheumatoid arthritis is inflammation caused by irritated tissues.

Predisposition: While some people have a genetic predisposition to arthritis, studies have shown that chiropractic helps prevent and reduce the chances of having arthritis. The Arthritis Foundation reports over 8.4 million young adults between 18-44 have some form of arthritis.

Prevention: Chiropractic adjustments keep joints flexible and less stiff. Patients who regularly visit a chiropractor have less pain and stiffness than those who do not visit a chiropractor. Along with chiropractic; exercise and a nutritional diet can reduce pain and improve function of joints. Range of motion exercises reduce stiffness and increase flexibility. Strengthening exercises make muscles stronger without injury to the joints.

Causes: Arthritis is a word that describes a host of specific conditions with various origins. Physical, chemical, and even emotional factors can initiate arthritic changes. Some of these triggers include:

• Trauma experienced in an accident

• Sports-related injuries or repetitive activities

• Misalignments caused by a predisposition, such as scoliosis, or poor posture over an extended period of time

• Anxiety generating muscle strain and stress on the bones Inflammation

• Weaknesses in the immune system

• Poor nutrition

Early Detection: A person does not have to wait to be checked for arthritis until symptoms are present. Chiropractors’ use of x-rays can often detect early arthritic changes, and chiropractic helps reduce the risk of continual progression. Medication may provide temporary relief from symptoms, but it rarely corrects the cause of arthritis. Chiropractic adjustments allow the patient to regain range of motion in the affected area and can restore nerve flow. This will help to alleviate pain.

Chiropractors help relieve pain and increase your range of motion through manual manipulation of joints. Chiropractors focus on natural health-care treatments, and do not perform surgery or prescribe medicine.

The Arthritis Foundation says that arthritis sufferers should visit a chiropractor regularly to keep their joints moving to preventing them from having more problems later on. Chiropractors use manipulation to ease back pain, Chiropractic involves manipulating the ligaments and vertebrae of the spine.

Chiropractic manipulation can be very effective for pain, particularly if pain is caused by problems such as sprains (damage to the ligaments) or strains (damage to the muscles).

If osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis weakens your spine, Chiropractic manipulation can sometimes prevent it from becoming worse or possible even make it stronger,

How to sleep....the right way!

2011-02-03T17:55:00.000-06:00

I ask every patient that comes in my office about sleep habits. What you do in bed (and NO, I am not talking about that!) will effect how you feel for the rest of the day. :) Here is some information about how to sleep the "right" way so you can wake up feeling great and pain-free!

Sleeping is one of the most influential activities that can perpetuate back and neck pain or interfere with the ability to get better. Trying to control what you do while you are not conscious can be challenging. Here are a few tips on how to minimize stress on your body while you sleep.

1. Never sleep on your stomach

Sleeping on your stomach increases the normal curves in the neck and low back resulting in nerve compression and stress to the joints and muscles. This can keep the upper neck tight resulting in headaches, dizziness, and even perpetuate sinus troubles.

2. Side sleeping

Pull your pillow down into the shoulder to support the neck, bend your knees slightly and put a pillow between your knees to keep your hips aligned.

On your side HALF your body gets to relax while the other half keeps you on your side. You might find you flip from side to side all night long. This allows the opposite side of your body to rest.

3. Back sleeping is Best!

Put 1-2 pillows under the knees to flatten the curve in the low back and decrease stress and strain on the muscles. In order to support the neck, the pillow must accept the weight of the back of the head.

Alignment is the key.

No matter how you sleep, keep your nose in-line with your breast bone and keep your hips squared up with your shoulders. Twisting your upper body one way and your lower body the other is the best way the keep stress and tension in the middle back.

A little practice and awareness about the best and worst ways to sleep will save tension and help eliminate that pain in the neck...

Preventing Low Back Pain

2009-11-02T10:25:00.002-06:00

While 80% of us will suffer a severe back pain episode at some point in our lives, most of us at any given time should be more concerned about preventing or aggravating back pain, rather than resolving a set-back. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. There are two aspects to prevention of back pain: keeping strong and flexible, and avoiding mistakes during movements.
As far as exercise is concerned, nothing is more beneficial to the spine than walking. Remember that your spine is your “core,” and the core is activated with fast-paced walking. Most of us don’t think of how the spine is affected with walking, instead focusing on the legs. Make walking part of your daily routine. Walk a few blocks or across town to run an errand, rather than getting into a car for these short trips. Park a few blocks away when you have to use the car, so that you can get in a few minutes of walking. Some of us spend five minutes circling in a parking lot just to get a space close to the front door or we get frustrated when we can’t find a space close to the gym! In contrast to sitting, which increases pressure on our disks, walking strengthens muscles and dissipates the pressure on our lower disks.

Keep the back flexible through slow stretching in all of the different ranges. Tight muscles at the back of the thighs-the hamstrings are an often neglected area that affects the lower spine tremendously. To stretch these muscles, stand upright and put on foot on the back of a chair or sofa. Slowly bend forward and hold this position for 30-40 seconds. It should cause a tight burning pain at the back of the leg. It should not cause a shooting pain down your leg, or increase pain in the lower spine. If it does, then see a health care provider immediately. When the hamstrings are flexible, this allows the pelvis to rotate forward when you bend over. If the hamstrings are not flexible, then the lower spine will bend too much to accomplish any lifting task.

The second aspect to preventing back pain is avoiding mistakes, such as lifting with your back, instead of your legs. This is especially true if an object is very heavy. Sometimes the object is light, but we lift in an awkward position, standing with most of our weight on one leg, then bending and twisting, such as getting grocery bags from a back seat, or moving and positioning a child safety seat. Especially avoid twisting motions of the lower spine while bending over. Also, use one of your hands to help brace your spine, which will decrease the pressure on your disks.

For a full spinal evaluation, or questions give me a call. 812-477-4444

Why I Practice

2009-11-01T17:44:00.000-06:00

I practice chiropractic to help give my patients a new perspective on their health. I look at the body as a whole instead of taking it apart piece by piece. I am really glad there are specialist out there. If I need a cardiologist, I want the guy that knows the most about the heart. If I need a dentist, I want the guy who knows the most about my teeth. What I find is that in today's "specialized" health care model, sometimes we are taken apart too much. It' is forgotten that the body works together with each piece effecting the others. In my office I look at each patient at a whole. Teaching and relating the functions of the body together. If you need a specialist, I can send you there, but if you need treatment for YOU. I can help.

example:
Do you know how your flat feet can cause your low back pain? Do you know how the way you sleep can effect your neck and give you headaches? Do you know how your desk chair can make it hard to take a deep breath?

If you want to know, I can help. Simple changes can make a big difference. Want to know what they are? Come ask me!

I practice to improve the quality of life for my patients.
I teach simple steps to make huge impacts in your overall health.
If you want to get out of pain, I can help!
If you want to feel better and sleep better, I can teach you how!
If you want to know about vitamins, diet or other natural treatments or remedies, I have many resources available.

If you "didn't think a chiropractor could help that" just ask. You might be suprised! The whole body is connected. The hip bone really is connected to the knee bone.....(as I sing...)

I practice so I can educate YOU. Knowledge is power! The more you know, the more educated, informed decisions you can make.

Have questions? send me a message, or make an appointment at the office. We just might be able to help you in ways you never expected!!

Check out my office website for more info. www.vschiro.com