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Hamstring Pain? Eliminate It (Seattle Chiropractor Report)

The Seattle Chiropractor Report- Eliminate Hamstring Pain.

Runner's World magazine is a great resource for anyone interested in physical activity and looking for tips on living a healthy life.  Each month there are several articles related to training tips, making health nutrition decisions, and injury/rehabilitaiton strategies.  In the March 2011 issue, there is a great article titled "The Big 7 Body Breakdowns".  This article covers the 7 most common injuries that athletes experience and gives recommendations on how to prevent, manage, and rehabilitate those injuries.  

One the of the injuryies that they highlight is "Hamstring Issues" in the March issue.  The author talks about something that I see in a majority of the running injuries that I treat... weak gluteal muscles.  The gluteal muscles play a critical role in the stability of the pelvis.  Weak gluteal leads to changes in all phases of the running gait and can lead to problems from the hip to the foot.  Over time, this can lead to overuse injuries, tightness in muscles, and pelvic imbalance.  Chiropractic adjustments to the Sacroiliac (SI) Joint and/or lumbar spine can help restore normal joint motion and improve the gluteal muscles's ability to fire properlty.  (The gluteus medius is controlled by the L4, L5 and SI Nerve Roots).  Furthermore, ART and Graston are effective in treating muscles that have developed scar tissue (i.e- myofascial adhesions) and in preventing normal biomechanics.  In the Runner's World article, the author suggests that "In Chronic cases, ART and deep tissue massage may be necessary."

Further, the US Champion at the 1-mile, David Torrence, describes his treatment strategy when he experienced a hamstring injury- he took the next day off and went to see his chiropractor.  "My pelvis was misalighed, casuing my hamstring to do extra work... I took it easy for a few days, iced the hamstring four times throughout the day, and it was improved within a week". 

For exercises that you can do on your own, I find that the there are two extremely simple and effective gluteal strenghtening exercises.  The first is a single leg balance on an unstable surface, such as a Bosu Ball for 2 minues total/leg/day or 6X20 seconds per leg.  The second exercise is side hinge leg lifts (with the toe pointed down).  

If you have been experiencing lower back pain or leg pain, we can help you get things back on track.  Send me an email if you have any questions- DrRindal@InHealthSeattle.com or call our office to make an appointment 206-315-7998. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Kevin Rindal, Seattle Chiropractor at DrRindal@InHealthSeattle.com.

A Closer Look at Seattle Acupuncture

Note:  "A Closer Look at Seattle Acupuncture" post taken from AcuTake.

Everyone’s pain is different. In Western medicine, this is offered as an explanation for why some people remain highly functional when in pain and others find it debilitating. In acupuncture theory, it’s meant literally.

Acupuncturists are just as concerned with how an area hurts as they are with where it hurts. This is different than how bad it hurts, which is something that biomedical doctors inquire about in order to rank pain on a severity scale. Acupuncturists, while also interested in severity, are primarily focused on pain quality.
Pain can stem from a number of different underlying imbalances. Cases where the pain is limited to a specific area—wrist pain, low back pain, shoulder pain, etc.—are referred to in acupuncture as Bi syndromes.

Bi syndromes are conditions characterized by localized discomfort in the muscles, joints and tendons. They are caused by an invasion of exterior pathogenic factors—Wind, Cold, Heat or Dampness. (Further reading: acupuncture and the environment.) These factors obstruct flow and function throughout the body, commonly manifesting as pain in a specific area.
The goal of acupuncture treatment, however, is to look beyond where the pain manifests. The idea is that there’s a reason pain is showing up in the first place. This approach differs from medication, which offers temporary symptom relief but does not address the root cause of pain—hence, the pain keeps coming back.

Acupuncturists combine pulse and tongue diagnosis with the patient’s description of the pain quality—as well as other seemingly unrelated factors, such as digestive health and sleep patterns—to formulate a treatment plan that provides symptom relief and prevents recurrence.
Names vary, but the following categories of Bi syndrome illustrate how acupuncturists differentiate between various kinds of pain:

Wind Bi
-Soreness and pain that moves from joint to joint
-Limited range of motion of the joint
-Aversion to wind
-May also present with fever

Cold Bi
-Severe pain of the joints and limbs
-Fixed pain
-Relieved by warmth and aggravated by cold
-Pain worse at night
-Stiffness in joints, difficulty moving
-No redness or swelling of joints

Damp Bi
-Heaviness, numbness, and soreness in limbs and joints
-Swollen joints
-Pain is fixed in location
-Stiffness, difficulty moving
-May also present with heavy head and body, distension of chest or abdomen, reduced appetite, difficulty urinating, and loose stools

Heat Bi
-Sudden onset
-Painful joints with redness and swelling
-Pain relieved by cold and aggravated by pressure
-May also present with aversion to wind, fever, thirst, sweating, irritability, scanty dark urine, and sore throat

Deficiency Bi
-Intermittent joint pain with difficulty moving
-Soreness and numbness of the limbs
-Soreness and weakness of the low back and knees
-May also present with fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, pale complexion, and insomnia

Stagnation Bi
-Sharp, stabbing pain
-Pain is fixed in location
-Stiffness, difficulty moving
-May also present with bloating or feeling of fullness

To address these specific Bi types, acupuncture points are selected distal to (far from) the location of pain. For example, a point on the head might be used to treat lower-limb pain that moves between the foot and ankle. There are also empirical distal points that are indicated for pain in certain areas—ST38, for instance, a point on the shin, is known specifically to relieve shoulder pain.

While some styles of acupuncture address pain entirely though distal points, most also include local needling at the site of pain. Acupuncturists palpate the area where the patient feels pain to identify ashi or trigger points, tight tender spots in the muscles. Needles are placed directly in or around these areas of tenderness. (Further reading: trigger points for low back pain.)
Pain usually brings people to acupuncture after mainstream options such as medication and physical therapy have been exhausted to no avail. A wider embrace of acupuncture in the earlier stages of pain management could help decrease the devastating financial and emotional effects of chronic pain. A little more “how?” in our questions about pain will lead to better answers than those we’ve found so far by only asking “where?”

Kelly Neu, Seattle Acupuncturist, can explain further if you have any questions!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Kevin Rindal, Seattle Chiropractor at DrRindal@InHealthSeattle.com.

Seattle Acupuncture Report: Injured Troops Turn To Acupuncture Clinic

For the Seattle Acupuncture Report, we took an article taken from NPR.  You can listen to the segment here:  

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106835768

U.S. military doctors have traditionally relied on painkillers and other Western medicine to treat injured soldiers. But one branch of the armed forces is leading the way in using acupuncture to help soldiers manage chronic pain.  This makes a great deal of sense to rely on natural forms of pain management rather than pain medication which can have side effects and can be addictive. 

 

Time to start managing your chronic pain with Seattle acupuncturist, Kelly Neu.  

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Kevin Rindal, Seattle Chiropractor at DrRindal@InHealthSeattle.com.

Seattle Acupuncture Report: Sleep Better Using Acupressure

The Seattle Acupuncture Report:  CNN.com recently did an article on using acupressure to help with sleep insomnia. Seattle Acupuncturist, Kelly Neu, is familiar with the issue and mentioned that Acupressure can bring people relief. 15% of Americans suffer from sleep insomnia which can range from the inability to get to sleep, stay asleep, or the inability to feel refreshed when you wake up. Sleep medications are infamously known for having bad side effects or not being effective in the long term. So what are all of those Americans supposed to do when they cannot sleep?

Research is starting to show that Acupressure can be a potoential solution. Acupressure uses the same pressure points as acupuncture but instead of needles, it employs gentle pressure from the fingers, or sometimes the feet. You can even learn to do some of the pressure points on yourself. If you are sleep deprived, contact Seattle acupuncturist, Kelly Nue, for an acupressure session.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Kevin Rindal, Seattle Chiropractor at DrRindal@InHealthSeattle.com.

Seattle Acupuncture for Women Distant Runners?

Please note:  This article is a reprint from AcuTake!

Slowly but surely, the weather is getting warmer. This means the start of training for many long-distance runners, a growing number of which are women.

The popularity of long-distance running among women brings with it many benefits, including stress reduction, weight maintenance and cardiovascular health. But with more and more women lining up to compete, menstrual irregularities have joined musculoskeletal injuries as common runners’ ailments.
Acupuncture is an ideal therapy for female distance runners, who are prone to menstrual irregularities. It regulates the cycle without the risks of oral contraceptives—mainstream medicine’s answer for just about any menstrual issue—and prevents future problems by addressing root imbalances.

Although it has a one-size-fits-all treatment approach, biomedicine differentiates at least in defining menstrual irregularities. There’s amenorrhea, which refers to the absence or cessation of menstrual periods. There’s metrorrhagia, bleeding between menstrual periods. There’s also oligomenorrhea, referring to periods that are infrequent or light, and its opposite, polymenorrhea, too-frequent menstruation.

Among long-distance runners, amenorrhea is the most common.
From an acupuncture perspective, the menstrual period is incredibly important. Acupuncturists ask detailed questions about the length and regularity of the cycle, PMS, blood color, clotting, spotting, mood changes, and other associated symptoms such as bloating and cramping. These questions are asked of all female patients, regardless of whether they are seeking acupuncture for a menstrual problem. In acupuncture theory, a woman’s period is a reflection of her overall state of health.

Amenorrhea can be caused by a number of different imbalances, but there are four that emerge commonly: Liver and Kidney Deficiency, Qi and Blood Deficiency, Qi and Blood Stagnation, or Stagnation of Damp Phlegm.

Diagnosis and treatment are determined according to the woman’s other symptoms. For example, a patient presenting with amenorrhea and dizziness, shortness of breath, fatigue and poor appetite would probably fall into the Qi and Blood Deficiency category. A woman with amenorrhea who also complains of low back pain and tinnitus would be treated for Liver and Kidney Deficiency.  Another style of acupuncture, Acupuncture Physical Medicine (APM), views amenorrhea as a disorder of the lower heater and Yang Ming (ventral) zone. The condition is categorized as a symptom of “Pelvic Collapse,” a pattern that has a tendency to develop in patients of opposing lifestyles—either too sedentary or too active.  For the too sedentary, Pelvic Collapse occurs due to poor muscle tone and fatigue in the lower abdominal area. With little activity breathing life into these muscles, they become overly flaccid and eventually collapse, structurally and energetically.

On the flip side, and more common among distance runners, are women who exercise too much. When muscles in the lower heater become too rigid, they are unable to perform their natural functions in a smooth way. As a result, visceral function in the urinary and reproductive tracts can start to decline, causing a variety of lower heater symptoms, including amenorrhea.
Pelvic Collapse is addressed by needling opening points on the Chong Mai and Dai Mai extraordinary vessels (SP4+PC6 and GB41+TH5), followed by the three yin of the foot (SP6, KD3, LV3) plus lower heater regulatory points for the three leg yin (CV2, CV3, CV6). In addition, ashi or trigger points in the rectus abdominis, linea alba, lower external oblique, iliopsoas, and quadratus lumborum muscles are released as needed.
Long-distance running is an empowering activity that helps women manage stress, stay fit and feel vibrant. But menstrual irregularities, over time, can counteract these benefits. Acupuncture, which regulates the menstrual cycle from a perspective of long-term health rather than band-aid fixes, makes an ideal running partner.

If you think you might benefit from Seattle Acupuncture, please call InHealth and ask for Kelly Neu, Seattle Acupuncturist!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Kevin Rindal, Seattle Chiropractor at DrRindal@InHealthSeattle.com.

Seattle Acupuncture Works- Just ask Time Magazine

Time magazine has come out with several articles on the effectiveness of Seattle acupuncture for treatment of painful disorders of the muscle and skeletal systems.  Plus the article cited that acupuncture was a "reasonable option for the relief of postoperative pain and low-back pain.  And it won qualified endorsement as a supplement to standard remedies for drug addition, carpal-tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis and asthma."

The greatest benefit of acupuncture to "modern medicine", is that it has very few side effects.  Scientist know that acupuncture affects the human brain, especially in regions of the brain that focus on the central nervous system and coordinate the perception of pain.

If you are looking for a natural, non-invasive treatment option, acupuncture is something that you should seriously consider.  Learn more about Kelly Neu, Seattle acupuncturist and feel free to contact her if you have any questions. 

 Attached to this blog entry is one of the articles on acupuncture in Time Magazine. An extremely interesting article that is great to read if you are wondering if Acupuncture is right for you!

Time Magazine- Acupuncture Works

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Kevin Rindal, Seattle Chiropractor at DrRindal@InHealthSeattle.com.

Cycling Injuries- InHealth at the Seattle Bike Expo

Cycling injuries. You dread them when you first start to feel that twinge in your knee or hip, the ache in the back of your neck from your muscles straining, or even the soreness that hits the bottom of your foot.

InHealth was at the Seattle Bike Expo this past weekend handing out information on common cycling injuries. We discussed hip pain, neck pain, knee pain, and even shoulder injuries. Dr. Kevin and Kelly discussed with participants their aches and pains. If you have questions about your current injury, start by looking up the injury on our website.

 

Here is Kelly Neu, Seattle Acupuncturist, at the Bike Expo!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Kevin Rindal, Seattle Chiropractor at DrRindal@InHealthSeattle.com.

Announcing Seattle Acupuncture- Kelly Neu!!

InHealth is excited to welcome Seattle Acupuncturist Kelly Neu, L.Ac.!!  Kelly became the first to provide Seattle Acupuncture at Seattle Children’s Hospital, where she worked to introduce Acupuncture to the Hematology/Oncology and Anesthesiology departments.  We wanted to learn more about her, and decided to ask a few personal questions.   You can also read more about her on our website: Seattle Acupuncture, Kelly Neu.

Why did you decide to go into acupuncture?

 I wanted to go into a field of medicine that recognized the importance of the mind/body complex. As an athlete I knew that state of mind was a big player in training and performance outcomes.  It only made sense that mind should play a key role in health as well.  Acupuncture was a profession that not only acknowledges the role of mind but has intricate understanding of the pathways and effects of the mind/body complex. For me, finding the field of Acupuncture was what Oprah calls an "Aha moment".

 

What is your favorite part about being a Seattle acupuncturist?

 I've got quite a list of favorite things... Its tough to pick just one, but surely on the top of that list, is that feeling of joy when someone you've helped is able to get where they want to be in life.

 

Why do you love the Northwest?

 Water. Water Water.  I was born here in Seattle and grew up near the Woodland Park Zoo.  It was so cool to look west and watch the sun set into the Olympics while the zoo baboons hollered away.  You could just bike down the hill and go for a row out on the canal or sail out of Shilshoe into the San Juans.  There is just so much beauty here.  The seasons are pronounced, skiing in the winter, boating year round, waterfalls, gardens, music, food, ahh the food!  Our northwest cuisine is really special. There are views of the water from nearly every part of the city... and thats not just because its always raining, which it is. But all that rain is worth it.  Getting to play in the rivers, lakes and ski slopes of the Cascades is the pay off.

 

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?

 I think most of my patients don't know that I am also a river guide. It’s a special thing to get out on the rivers and float along those currents through deep dessert canyons.  It’s where I go to feed my soul and to help others connect to a very precious thing that is happening out there.  I've run rivers in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Arizona.  My Dad and I built a boat together during the winter of 2010 to run the big whitewater of Grand Canyon.  This past fall I got to take her out on those muddy waters and it was a dream come true for me.  I think my batteries are charged for a few years on that one!

If you are looking for a talented Seattle Acupuncturist, Kelly Neu is your perfect fit.  Schedule your appointment today at 206-315-7998. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Kevin Rindal, Seattle Chiropractor at DrRindal@InHealthSeattle.com.