When evaluating the foot, one of the first things we evaluate is the quality of the arches in your feet.  Most people are surprised to learn that there are three arches in the foot: an inner arch (medial longitudinal arch), an outer arch (lateral longitudinal arch) and an arch that runs across our foot (transverse arch).  These arches create the plantar vault which provides the support system for our foot to move normally through its gait cycle.

Frequently we see losses in not one, but two or all three arches.  An explanation for the frequent break down of multiple arches is the quality of shoes worn along with the impact our feet take against hard concrete.  A loss of the plantar vault impacts the way the body is able to strike while moving through the walking cycle, called the Gait Cycle.  If one or more of the arches have lost their integrity, excessive weight, impact, and damage is seen on the feet, ankles, knees, hips and lower back.

There are two common ways to support your feet.  The more basic way is to buy an over the counter support or orthotic.  A different, more-problem focused way is to get scanned with our 3D Body View Custom Orthotic Scanner.  This scan produces a more detailed and accurate picture of your feet and the resulting effect on the whole body.

What’s the Difference?

Foot Levelers Supports

• Three-arch support that balances the body by restoring the plantar arch
• Custom fit and evaluation based on a digital image of your feet
• Promotes optimum posture and removing the problem associated with your pain
• Patented Gait Cycle System offering support through each phase of gait
• Guarenteed or your money back

Standard Over the Counter Supports

• Only supports one arch, often over correcting and hurting other arches
• Non-custom evaluation
• More cushioning; designed to treat symptoms
• Offers generic solutions for a number of conditions

For more information speak with the staff or doctors in our center and we will be happy to discuss your condition with you and if orthotics might be right for you.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Kristopher Royal

Aston Patterning is one of the best alternative options for natural care of many types of pain, whether chronic or injury/strain-related.

What is Aston Patterning?

Aston patterning is a therapy that integrates fitness training, movement observation, behavior modification, and massage. This approach to pain therapy is named after its creator, Judith Aston, who was both a dancer and an educator. She developed Aston Patterning following injuries suffered in two different car accidents in the mid-sixties.

Her attempts to obtain relief through the then-popular Rolfing massage treatment had been useful but insufficient. Initially, Aston incorporated the traditional Rolfing method with dance-based exercise routines. However, her system evolved into a popular therapy of its own.

Individual treatment programs that use Aston Patterning are regarded as unique and complex. People interested in learning more about the therapy tend to get an introductory understanding of how it works by having it broken down into three different key components, or principles. Patients considering therapies based on Aston Patterning should study these principles first as a way of determining whether such a course of treatment is the right one for their needs.

1. Treating the body as an integrated unit

In the Aston Patterning method, the natural care treatment for pain or muscle issues must focus on the entire body, as opposed to just a localized area. Because the body functions as a cohesive unit, its response to injuries will also involve the entire unit as it compensates to minimize damage.

Treatment for an injury must incorporate the entire body. If it attempts to address only a specific body part, the therapy can risk damaging other parts of the body.

2. Asymmetry

The predecessor to Aston Patterning, Rolfing, focused on a symmetry-based approach to thinking about chiropractic care. In contrast, Aston Patterning is based on the belief that each body naturally develops its style of movement in its own unique, asymmetrical pattern.

Therefore, if a treatment is to relieve a body of an ailment successfully, it must determine what that body’s unique patterns of movement are and then develop a treatment that works best for that particular body’s natural asymmetrical patterns.

Aston Patterning produces unique asymmetrical exercises—massage and behavior modification treatments customized for each individual patient. Treatment is intended to work within the parameters of that individual body’s natural movement patterns. It seeks to correct any emerging patterns expressed by the body’s natural inclination to avoid or minimize physical problems and pain.

Bodies respond to pain and injury by contorting or favoring certain parts in order to reduce immediate pain, which can result in long-term strain.

3. Movement observation

The goal of Aston Patterning is to appropriately treat a patient’s body as an integrated unit and determine a mode of treatment that adheres to that body’s natural asymmetry. To do this, practitioners must take the time to observe a patient’s movement patterns and compile a comprehensive history of the patient’s personal history. Only through analysis of the patient’s history and current methods of movement can an appropriate course of treatment and improvement of those movements be devised.

Ways to improve movement are not restricted to individual treatment sessions and should instead be integrated into the patients’ lifestyles in order to achieve optimal results. Every follow-up session should include some time devoted to movement observation in order to gauge changes and determine appropriate follow-up treatments.

If you have a lot on your plate, a relaxing massage can work wonders to reduce feelings of stress, relax the muscles, and improve your general energy level and attitude. The best massage techniques focus on removing tension from common stress points, and working with the muscles to achieve the best results.

BetterMassageTherapy.com gives a simple step-by-step procedure for the most effective shoulder and neck work, by focusing on the muscle groups that hold the most tension. Tensions can be caused by labor, a sedentary work life, or general stress and anxiety.

Preparing for the massage

Most people do not own a massage table, so the best substitute is to lie on the floor. It is a firm surface that releases tension throughout the spine. Use a yoga mat or other small pad or blanket to ensure comfort for the person to be massaged. Have the person lie on his or her back with arms at sides. Place a rolled towel under the base of the neck to ensure support for the cervical spine.

Tend to the head and chest

Begin by cradling the head in your hands. Lift gently and swivel the head slowly from side to side, allowing a slight stretch before returning the head to center. (This tutorial offers further tips for massaging the head, and examples of the circular motions mentioned in this article.) Then knead the chest muscles just below the clavicle on either side. These muscles hold much of the tension experienced in the shoulders and neck.

Then focus on the neck

Spend time stretching the neck muscles by swiveling the head in either direction. First, turn the head to the right, gently, so the person does not experience any discomfort. Proceed to massage the neck muscles from just below the ear to the trapezius at the top of the back.

Use a combination of kneading and gentle palpations: circular motions work well to release the tension in these muscles. Repeat this on the left side, following the neck muscles down to the trapezius.

And move to the shoulders

While massaging the neck, proceed to the shoulder blades. Using circular motions, press your fingers into the shoulder blades along the clavicle, following the lines of the neck. Feel for any points of tension, or knots, and take your time massaging those areas until the area softens.

Ask the person to flip onto the stomach, and remove the rolled towel from under the neck. Keep the hands at the sides. Proceed to massage the shoulder blades with the palms of your hand, lifting the shoulder girdle slightly to release tension in the muscles underneath and along the tops of the shoulders.

At this point, feel free to run the hands down the spine, releasing tension down the back. Use a raking motion, and focus on the two divets on either side of the spine. These muscles often hold much of the tension in the back. Repeat up the spine using the same circular motions with the palms of the hands and the fingers. Press the fingers into the areas just to either side of the spine, moving up the back toward the shoulders.

Repeat this massage as necessary to remove tension from the neck and shoulders. To ease tension on a daily basis, take five minutes every hour or half hour, stretching the muscles in the back and neck, and using neck rolls and toe touches.

Be sure to stretch the lumbar spine, or lower back, by placing the hands at the small of the back and pushing the chest outward. These stretch breaks will help to reduce built-up tension in the areas of the upper back.

While the biological effects of exercise are undeniable, there is a strong and unmistakable connection between the state of our body and the health of our mind. Here’s how exercise can affect your mental health.

1. Endorphins and exercise

A workout is a lot of effort, but when it’s over, however sweaty and sore we are, we feel good. That feeling may come from endorphins, the naturally produced opiates that the body releases as a kind of painkiller to counteract the physical stress and wear of the activity. Exercising releases endorphins, which are intended to make the body feel better physically after a workout, but also serve the purpose of making the mind feel better. They’re the biological equivalent of morphine.

2. Dealing with depression

The American Psychological Association asserts that working out may help combat clinical depression. Exercise gives a patient something to do, plus a sense of accomplishment when the activity is completed. Even for people who are not suffering from depression, an exercise program gives them a feeling of routine, self-discipline, and reward, which has positive results in the realms of both physical and mental health.

Adhering to a regular period of exercise, every day or at least every few days, and measuring your success—losing weight, bench pressing higher weights—will offset feelings of helplessness and uselessness that come with clinical depression. The sufferer will come to feel that he or she is taking control of life again.

Even for those who may not be diagnosed as clinically depressed by a doctor, psychologist, or mental health counselor or worker (“low to medium levels of depression and anxiety”), a workout routine has the same biochemical effect as prescription medication, without the negative side effects . . . and is probably much more affordable, too.

After a session of exercise, people feel refreshed and content. And apart from the positives that directly address people’s feelings of depression, the effects also carry over into other aspects of their lives.

3. Smashing stress

Exercise also helps with stress. Whether it’s running, yoga, or weight training, a physical workout provides a safe, beneficial, and constructive way to release tension or blow off some steam at the end of a long day (or week).

It provides a healthy alternative to simply ruminating on the causes of stress, and gives people something to do physically to divert their mind from it. After the workout, the brain is flushed with endorphins and serotonin, and the person is in a much better state of mind to deal with the issues that caused the stress in the first place.

4. A surge in self-esteem

Perhaps most importantly, exercise bolsters self-esteem. Individuals derive a lot of their self-worth from how they perceive the regard of others. A person in poor physical condition who assumes that he or she is looked down upon due to lack of fitness will likely feel depressed, stressed, or possibly even suicidal.

Exercising provides a healthy strategy for turning that impression around. Feeling physically better after a workout leads to feeling mentally and emotionally better, especially if the person struggles with issues of self-esteem. It can help him or her to believe that peers, rivals, strangers, and a potential love interest may look upon the person in a new and positive light.

Consider the cleanse for weight loss, detoxification, increased energy, and digestive health. Oprah blogs about her 21-Day Cleanse on her website, where she discusses her diet, her reasons for choosing the cleanse, and her difficulties and successes. She says she was inspired by Kathy Freston’s book Quantum Wellness, about becoming a “conscious” eater. But no matter why you opt for the 21-day cleanse, specific criteria can guide your selection of a menu and dietary supplements.

Creating a diet

The 21-Day Cleanse requires a strict diet of only fruits and vegetables, in both solid and liquid forms. The eHow article on the cleanse recommends you avoid all cooked and processed foods, alcohol, caffeine, dairy, and meats. In terms of liquids, herbal teas, water, and pure fruit and vegetable juices with no added preservatives or sugars are acceptable, but any other beverage will hinder your cleanse.

FormerChef.com, a food blog site, has a sample vegan diet that includes essential proteins most people neglect when they go meat-free. The menu for week one of the cleanse can be found here, as well as an overview of the first week, which is usually the most difficult for those who are new to such a strict regime. Other menu samples can be found at the FormerChef website, as well as links to a basic overview of the specific cleanse this blogger chose.

Dietary supplements

Because the 21-Day Cleanse often culminates in a week of a purely liquid diet, supplemental protein shakes are necessary to keep your stomach from rumbling all day. For the healthiest and most effective cleanse, Dr. Alejandro Junger created the Clean Program, which includes probiotic pills, supplement packets, and cleanse shakes, as well as a recipe guide.

Junger also recommends you swallow two tablespoons of olive oil before bed each night of the cleanse, to assist lubrication of the digestive system, and garlic supplements for digestive health, which augment the garlic in the provided recipes.

Additional practices

Though not practiced by all cleansers, many 21-Day Cleanse programs recommend lifestyle changes to assist with mindfulness and increase energy. For example, Oprah took up daily guided meditation practice. Junger recommends guided meditation for half an hour a day, periods of short rest, particularly in the sun, and gentle exercise like walking or yoga.

When doing a 21-Day Cleanse and exercising, be aware that your diet is significantly less supportive of calorie loss than usual. To avoid low blood sugar, muscle weakness, or lightheadedness, consider yoga and other gentle exercises as substitutes for higher-energy exercise routines. You can return to your regular exercise regime after completing the cleanse.

Other cleanses

If you’re not inclined to invest in such a long-term project, shorter cleanse diets are an option. You can do one that lasts anywhere from a single day on up. Common cleanses last seven to ten days, and are usually all-liquid diets with specific shakes or liquid concoctions to improve digestive and intestinal function.

For those with pre-existing health issues, make sure you consult a doctor. The 21-Day Cleanse might be too intense for anemic subjects, or those who are pregnant and require more nutritional support than a cleanse can support.

Whiplash can involve injury to the muscles and spine, however, so it is essential to rehabilitate the damaged area and avoid further complications. Instead of opting for a neck brace and medication until the muscles are no longer inflamed, you can stretch the muscles to ease soreness and strengthen the traumatized area.

Livestrong recommends a series of five stretching exercises that will ease pain and quicken recovery from whiplash.

1. Basic neck rotation

This stretch is gentle and ideal for those who are experiencing intense pain, as well as those who have just experienced the trauma and thus have sensitive muscles.

To begin this exercise, sit or stand facing forward, with your arms at your sides, and your spine relaxed. Keeping your shoulders and upper body still and facing forward, turn your head to the left. Stop turning when you experience discomfort or pain. Hold this stretch for two to three seconds, then return to the starting position.

Repeat this exercise on the right side. Repeat both rotations five times, and stretch further if possible. Do not strain your neck with this stretch.

2. Anterior shoulder stretch

Whiplash affects the neck, shoulders, and upper back. This stretch will help to relieve tension in the shoulders and cervical spine.

To begin, stand facing forward and place your arms at your sides, relaxing the neck and back. Clasp your hands behind your back. Lift up with hands clasped, stretching the shoulder blades. Stretch until you feel discomfort, and then hold for up to five seconds. Rest and repeat two to three times.

To counter the stretch, cross the right arm over the body, and use the left to press the right arm gently into the chest. Pulse two to three times, and then repeat with the left arm.

3. Sternocleomastoid stretch

This exercise is named for the muscles that reach across your shoulder and attach to the clavicle. You can see an image of this muscular group here.

Begin by facing forward, with your hand on one shoulder. Tilt the head back and away from the hand/shoulder. This creates a stretch in the neck and top of the shoulder blade, releasing tension along the clavicle, upper back, and shoulders.

Hold this stretch for ten seconds. Repeat with your hand on the opposite shoulder, and your neck stretched in the opposite direction.

4. Supraspinatus stretch

This stretch works for the upper back and shoulders, particularly those in the center of the back at the top of the thoracic spine.

Stand facing forward, and place your arms on your sides, near the middle of your back. Your elbows should be pointed out. Push out your chest and roll your shoulder blades, keeping your hands pressed at the small of your back. Roll the shoulders four or five times to stretch these muscles best.

5. The neck roll

A form of the neck rotation, the neck roll can be combined with the supraspinatus stretch to extend the top of the back and the sternocleomastoid muscles further.

For the neck roll, merely stretch the neck as far to each side as is comfortable, holding in each position (front, left, back, and right) for two to three seconds. Repeat two to three times, or between each shoulder roll when combined with the supraspinatus stretch.

For more information, consult a physical therapist on stretches that can improve the strength in your neck and shoulders and soothe your whiplash. For more information on how and when to consult a physical therapist, read this article from WikiHow or contact your physician’s office.

Herniated discs are very painful and debilitating, and can affect not just the back or neck, but the thighs and the knees as well. You can experience mobility issues and other problems, such as bowel and bladder control and sexual dysfunction. Damage from a herniated disc can be permanent.

But how do they happen? And what can be done about them? Here are five common causes of herniated discs and how to treat them.

1. Heavy lifting

Bad posture while lifting or carrying heavy objects is one of the most common causes of herniated discs. This could come from poorly-executed weight training, picking up a heavy box, or any combination of bad posture, bad movement, and a heavy object putting pressure on the discs in the back or the neck. The chances of this increase with age, because the discs degenerate over time and are susceptible to rupturing when too much pressure gets applied.

2. Exposure to vibration

Moderate vibrations applied to the back and neck can be quite pleasant, but continued exposure to vibration can aggravate a disc into herniating. Vibration can even be used to treat the symptoms of a herniated disc, but if a person is not careful with the levels and duration, the remedy might cause even more pain and suffering. Massaging chairs and long and/or bumpy plane, train, or bus rides can put further stress on the back or neck, and cause a disc to herniate.

3. Sports

Sports is great for a physical workout, but insufficient warming up, bending, stretching, twisting, and violent collisions (in football, hockey, wrestling, and extreme sports) can damage discs in the back or neck. The big danger here is that athletes are sometimes reluctant to seek treatment: they may fear that rehabilitation will take time away from their games (and big paydays); that their reputation among peers and opponents might be damaged if they admit to an injury; or that by denying the injury (and subsequent treatment), their future prospects are preserved.

4. Sex

Like sports, sex serves many functions. But also like sports, sex can take a physical toll. Sudden, forceful, energetic moves, contortions of the body, and the physical condition (or lack thereof) of the people involved, can lead to a disc in a person’s back or neck being herniated. Out of embarrassment, people may be reluctant to seek treatment for back or neck injuries suffered during sexual activity. They may also not wish to disappoint their partner or jeopardize future sexual contact. Letting the injury go untreated risks any other movement, no matter how innocuous, exacerbating the pain.

5. Lack of Movement/Exercise

While improper and unadvised exercise and movement can contribute to a herniated disc, the opposite is also true: not moving around (sitting at a computer chair for hours on end, for example) and not getting enough physical exercise can also erode the spinal fluid between discs. The back can become effectively atrophied to the point where even a simple movement — bending over, turning around, or something as natural as sneezing — can herniate a disc.

Treatment

Whatever the cause of a herniated disc, there are a number of standard treatment options. Surgery is reserved for only the most serious and painful of cases, or after other forms of treatment have been exhausted.

For most people, a few days of complete bed rest will alleviate the discomfort and numbness of a slipped disc. Chiropractors and masseuses have made careers out of helping people with the condition. Medication can also be prescribed to treat the pain.

People with herniated discs should consult a physical therapist, who can coach them through small exercises to get the back, neck, and legs mobile and pain-free again.

But when the time is right, the magnificence of the Pacific Northwest, and its proximity to the center of Seattle and the city’s and ebb and flow, is unparalleled. Seattle and its surrounding area offer a variety of options for the health-conscious.

Here are six great places to exercise outdoors in (and around) Seattle.

1. Burke-Gilman Trail

Whether you want to run, cycle, or walk, the 27-mile Burke-Gilman Trail is the place to go. Starting at Golden Gardens Park in Ballard, with amazing views of Puget Sound, the trail is broken before resuming in the Fremont neighborhood. You’ll see plenty of culture and art before the Burke-Gilman drops down to the unique Gasworks Park, with Lake Union and downtown Seattle in the distance. Then it wends its way through the University of Washington campus, before leaving Seattle city limits, winding alongside Pontiac Bay, and finishing up in Kenmore.

2. Green Lake

Seattle’s mix of nature and opportunities for exercise make Green Lake a popular spot to get some fresh air, soak in the tranquil scenery, and give your body a workout. A 2.8-mile path around the freshwater lake is one of the most popular spots in the metro area for enjoying nature and reveling in your good health. There are designated sides of the path for bicyclists and runners and/or walkers, and the park has pet facilities as well.

3. Discovery Park

The largest park in Seattle, Discovery Park features almost 12 miles of history, views, nature, wildlife, and hiking. You can stroll through a forest, jog across a beach, and hike through a Native American preserve, all within the confines of one park. There are also basketball and tennis courts if you want to get your game on, and plenty to see and experience if all you’re looking for is a simple nature walk.

4. Bataan Park Outdoor Fitness Zone

One of the many unique things about Seattle is that a workout and the great outdoors don’t have to occupy separate worlds anymore. The Bataan Park Outdoor Fitness Zone, located in the High Point neighborhood of West Seattle, offers free gym equipment for 24/7 use. The eight-piece set gives users opportunities for aerobic and strength exercise, and it’s situated near a children’s playground, so parents can bring their kids and keep an eye on them while burning a few calories at the same time.

5. Myrtle Edwards Park

Seattle is not the largest city in the world, so making the transition from the hustle and bustle of downtown to the trails and vistas of Myrtle Edwards Park doesn’t take very long. The six-mile strip will let runners, joggers, walkers, and cyclists take in all-encompassing views of Puget Sound, downtown Seattle, the Space Needle, and the Port of Seattle while enjoying open spaces, greenery, gardens, and the fresh scent of the sea.

6. Cheshiahud Lake Union Loop

Longtime residents love their heritage here in Seattle, and the Cheshiahud Loop provides users with a survey of the maritime, industrial, Native American, and natural history of the city. The path connects Fremont, the University of Washington, and Lake Union. It takes bicyclists, runners, and walkers through some of the major neighborhoods and landmarks of the city’s surrounding areas. There are also audio tours available at certain landmarks, and displays of public art, which enable users to exercise their minds as well as their bodies.

A newly published research study confirms what many in the health community have known for decades!  Physical therapy is AS EFFECTIVE as surgery for knee pain!  If you or anyone you know is suffering from knee pain consider trying 6-12 weeks for rehabilitative therapy before going under the knife to achieve the same results!

To read the article click the link below!

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1301408

This study endeavored to ask a very interesting question: what most determines whether a low back pain patient will undergo spinal surgery?   The answer is directly dependent on the type of health care provider – namely a surgeon or a doctor of chiropractic – the back pain patient sees first. The study found that Washington State workers with an occupational back injury who visited a surgeon (orthopedic, neuro or general) first were 28 times more likely to receive spine surgery than those who saw a chiropractor first.  Within three years of their injury, 42.7 percent of workers under medical care had surgery compared to 1.5 percent of those under chiropractic care.  GaZing!  This association held true even when controlling for injury severity and other measures.  Same injury and same diagnosis!!  The study goes on to say, “there is little evidence spine surgery is associated with improved population outcomes, yet surgery rates have increased dramatically since the 1990s.” 

Wow!!  This is vital information for those injured with a lower back condition to consider prior to visiting a doctor.  Think of the cost not to mention the carnage with second back surgeries and a high rate of post surgical addiction to pain medications.

Some stuff to consider:

Research suggests that of the 500,000-plus disk surgeries performed annually in the United States, as many as 90 percent are unnecessary and ineffective².  This is unsustainable, and yet growing at incredible rates.

The costs of back surgeries are among the most expensive, and these costs do not include hospitalization, imaging, drugs or medications:

• Anterior cervical fusion: $44,000
• Cervical fusion: $19,850
• Decompression back surgery: $24,000
• Lumbar laminectomy: $18,000
• Lumbar spinal fusion: $34,500

When discussing the increased number of spinal fusion surgeries Deyo³ notes, “It seems implausible that the number of patients with the most complex spinal pathology increased 15-fold in just six years,” and he mentioned one strong motivation included “financial incentives involving both surgeons and hospitals.”

In reality, doctors and hospitals are making huge profits off the backs of unsuspecting patients who are not told there may be better and cheaper ways to solve their back pain with chiropractic care or other non-invasive methods.   Hippocratic Oath?

In our center we have remarkable results with nerve root compression secondary to a disc herniation in both the lumbar and cervical spine.  A combination of chiropractic care, physical therapy and nutritional protocols to reduce inflammation prevents surgical intervention in most cases.  Axiom Worldwide developed a non-surgical alternative for lumbar disc herniations over 15 years ago.  Using their DRX 9000 decompression system we have more tools than ever to safely and effectively treat lower back and leg pain from disc herniation. 

Unitl Next Time:

Dr. Graham

1. 1.       Early predictors of lumbar spine surgery after occupational back injury: results from a prospective study of workers in Washington State., Keeney BJ, Fulton-Kehoe D, Turner JA, et al. Spine, Dec. 12, 2012
2. 2.       Finneson BF. A lumbar disk surgery predictive score card: a retrospective evaluation.” Spine, 1979:141-144.
3. 3.       Deyo RA, et al. Overtreating chronic back pain: time to back off? J Am Board Fam Med, 2009;22(1):62-68.