Gait and Posture Analysis

Last week went went to the Embarcadero YMCA for our monthly visit. Every other month we offer and Ask the Doctor day and every other other month we offer video taped gait analysis and posture evaluations. This month was gait and posture, so we packed up our video camera and our spinal analysis machine and headed over there. We had a great time! Some months we don't see many people but this month was great. We had a lot of people interested in learning more about their health and in talking to us about their posture or their running or walking. It was a great chance to get out into the community and educate people about chiropractic and what we do. A lot of people think chiropractors only work on the spine and only perform adjustments. But we do so much more! As musculoskeletal specialists, there is a lot we can offer, especially to the average athlete.

Gait analysis, especially, is helpful for runners or those who want to become runners. We have the person walk and run on a treadmill while videotaping their ankles. Then we talk with the person about what healthy gait looks like (straight ankles, good heel strike, no toe-out, etc) and we show them their video. We often stop the tape at intervals to help them see any inconsistencies in their own gait. When we are done explain to them any problems we see in their gait, we talk with them about footwear choices that will be best for them. If it looks like they need further evaluation, they are of course welcome to come see us at the office. It's a great service for the people who participate because this kind of gait analysis usually costs about $100. We provide it free of charge, and only ask that they make a donation of $20 to the YMCA.

A lot of people are running with poor biomechanics or with the wrong shoes and they end up injured as a result. It's an easy thing for us to point out where they are going wrong and help prevent injury. If it's too late and they are already having pain with running, we can help them with chiropractic and physical therapy to get them back in shape and into the right shoes.

Massage Special

Happy October Everyone!

We've got a lot of exciting things going on in our office this month.

First, let's talk about massage! Who doesn't like a good massage? Our massage therapist, Sawanee, does an excellent job. She specializes in sports and deep tissue therapeutic massage techniques that will leave you feeling loose and limber and ready to take on the world. An this month, we're having a special: purchase two one-hour massages in October and receive a FREE bottle of Life Extension Multivitamins! Life Extension is a great company that has been providing high-quality supplements to chiropractors for many years. Their multivitamin will fill in the gaps when your diet isn't as complete as it should be.

Also, be sure to read the post about flu vaccines. I know a lot of you out there are on the fence about whether you should get one or not, and I hope the post is helpful.

We're also going to be visiting the Embarcadero YMCA near the end of the month for a gait and posture analysis event. Be sure to check our events schedule for details.

Also this month is Halloween, which we are very excited about. Send us some pictures of your costumes for our bulletin board!

Flu Shots

Let's talk about flu season. It's here and our patients are asking us the annual question: "Should I get a flu shot?" Here's what we have to say:

1) As chiropractors, we are not legally allowed to give any advice on medications, including vaccinations like the flu shot. With that in mind, there is some information we feel you should have.

2) Vaccinations are supposed to work by showing your immune system a small piece of a virus, thereby allowing your immune system to recognize and fight off the virus if you are ever exposed to it. This is a great idea, and it usually works very well. Unfortunately, there is no way to isolate a little bit of the flu virus without using a lot of chemicals that are NOT necessary to the immune response.

3) Medication should be prescribed when the risk of not taking it outweighs to possible side effects of taking the medication. In the case of the flu vaccine, many people report feeling flu-like symptoms after receiving the shot. One wonders, then, how the vaccination was helpful to those people.

4) In the case of people with depressed immune systems, such as people with HIV, AIDs, small children and the elderly, the risk of getting the flu is serious. In these people, a vaccination is potentially life-saving. In the general population, the flu is mainly an inconvenience and not a life-threatening infection. One wonders why someone in the general population would choose to inject themselves with unnecessary chemicals to prevent something that may or may not even happen and, if it does happen, will most likely not be that bad.

5) There are a lot of ways to help boost your immune system naturally so that you can fight off infection on your own: getting plenty of rest, exercise and healthy foods is a good start. Limit your exposure to infected people, wash your hands often and make sure you maintain your over-all health to the best of your ability. This includes having regular chiropractic treatments to ensure that your body is not using up energy on muscle spasms and joint dysfunction.

Finally, we'd like to say that our main goal is to educate our patients. We cannot recommend for or against flu shots and it is something you should discuss with your primary medical doctor before you make a decision. When you have that discussion, however, be sure to ask them about your personal risk for contracting the flu and the chances of you having life-altering side effects from both the infection and the vaccine. Once you have all the facts, make your own informed decision.

Continued Education

Last Tuesday evening, Dr. Mazgaloff and myself we invited to a dinner being hosted by the local CCA (California Chiropractic Association) chapter and by Insight Imaging (a local MRI facility). Let me tell you, this is how all informative meetings should go! It was held at a really nice hotel in downtown SF, there was a three course dinner included free of charge AND the speaker was very informative. The topic of his talk was on reading MRIs, specifically lumbar films. While most of his talk was review, there were a few little nuggets of information that were new/interesting. Also, Amelia and I felt very good because of the four questions he asked the room, we each got one right! In a room full of chiropractors who were sitting silently, unwilling to guess and get the answer wrong, we felt pretty good about that. What's more, we now have a relationship with the readiologists at that imaging facility. That is such a great thing for our patients because it means that we can call and speak with the doc when we have questions about which type of scan will be best. This saves our patients a lot of hastle and, in the long run, will make us more informed decision makers.

Back to School

It's that time of year again. Kids all over are packing up and heading off to another year of school. In our office, this means something special: backpacks!

Have you ever considered the cumulative load put on a child's spine over weeks, months and years of carrying heavy book bags? Suffice it to say, the load is considerable! And with children's bodies still growing, their bones are not a strong as an adult's. This combination of too much weight and no enough support can lead to many kinds of skeletal problems, such as scoliosis, and can pre-dispose a child to injury during regular activities like sports.

For this reason, we are always trying to educate our patients on the proper way to fit their child for a backpack and then teaching the child the right way to wear the backpack. Thankfully for the sanity of chiropractors everywhere, the trend of wearing a backpack on only one shoulder seems to have passed. Still, it is important to remind children to use both straps when wearing their bags. Also, make sure the weight in the bag is well-distributed, with the heavier items at the bottom and nearest the child's back, and without having too much weight on either the left or right side of the bag. Finally, each time the child puts the bag on, they should loosen the straps to get them around their shoulders and then tighten the straps until the bulk of the backpack rest between the base of their neck and the base of their spine.

Incidentally, these same guidelines would benefit adults as well. Too many adults walk around with unbalanced loads on their spines, be it from a messenger bag slung over one shoulder, a briefcase always carried on one side or the dreaded over-sized purse filled to the brim with the weighty paraphernalia of life. These loads take their toll over time and cause neck and back pain and injuries. Next time you pick up your bag, think twice. Ask yourself if there is anything in it you don't really need today. Once you have it at the lightest possible weight, try to make sure you balance the weight's pull on your body.

For those who have adopted the rolling bag trend in an effort to save their neck and shoulders, I salute you. Please bear in mind, however, that the same rules I've listed above apply to you. Keep your bag's weight at a minimum and make sure to switch hands regularly to avoid over-using one arm or another. You can also alternate between pushing and pulling the bag.

I know some of this may seem cumbersome, but a small amount of effort really goes a long way. If you cannot switch your bag's side every block you walk, try switching it every two. Or try having it on one side in the morning and the other at night. Or make the change everyday, with Monday being the right and Tuesday being the left. Find a way to make it work for you!

As always, we're here to help. Please call us at 415-546-1461 for an appointment and we'll be happy to help you fit your child's backpack properly.

Busy Week

Wow! We've been very busy lately. Our trip to the Chronicle was a success. Sawanee came with us and between the three of us we were able to see about 20 people. The workers were very appreciative of having us there, and we were able to give advice to a lot of people about problems they are having. Several have since made appointments at the office for either chiropractic or massage for their conditions, so we are very happy. It's always good when an event is a win-win.

Over the weekend we went to a DSE run that was less of a success. There were a lot of people, but few of them were interested in having their feet or shoes evaluated by us. We were able to answer some questions about chiropractic and exchanged information with a few people, but on the whole we were hoping for more. Usually at a road race like that we are very popular. People are happy to have us there and anxious to ask questions about their running, footwear, etc. We'll try again some other time. We have had a good relationship with the DSE in the past, so I think it was just a fluke.

Tonight we are off to the Embarcadero YMCA to offer gait and posture analysis for their members. We currently have two appointments for the Gait analysis and will hopefully have more by the end of the day. The gait analysis is always a great program. We use a video camera to film the member both walking and running and then watch it back with them in slow motion. We can help the member see irregularities in their gait and make suggestions to help them get into the right shoes (if they are not already) and to help them avoid injury. Runners and triathletes especially really appreciate the feedback.

Our patients are doing really well right now, which is always nice. We have several serious cases, currently, that are all responding really well to care. It seems we've had a run on disc hernations lately, but we are able to help and so far everyone is having a reduction in symptoms and in increase in function. Hopefully things will continue to progress positively!

Chronicle Visit

Today we are off to the SF Chronicle offices to treat their employees who are interested in chiropractic care. We are bringing Sawanee to do chair massage, so I think things should go pretty well. We'll let you know!