Wednesday, August 19, 2009

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!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

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!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Gait and Posture

Today we are going to visit some area gyms and fitness clubs to introduce them to our Gait and Posture Analysis program. The program is a great one, and something that has been very successful at the local YMCAs. We visit the gym one afternoon per month and any interested members can sign up for a 15 minute time-slot with us. In that time, we can either evaluate their posture with the Spinal Analysis Machine and help to identify any problem areas or causes for concern in terms of their exercise program OR we can do a video gait analysis where the member runs on a treadmill and then we watch the tape back with them in slow motion; we offer advice on better strength training, footwear and information on why their gait might be causing knee, hip and low back problems.

The program always goes really well, because we can help to educate the public and we help keep the members healthier and injury-free. That way, they spend more time at the gym which means they get more out of their membership, and it doesn't cost the gym itself anything! Of course, it helps us as well because if there IS a problem, the member can always come see us at the office to have it worked on.

We're hoping to introduce the program to some other local gyms and to add them to our calendar of monthly visits.

Wish us luck!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

It's Been A While

Wow! It's been months since my last post. But it's time to get back on board

A lot has happened since my last post. Here's a re-cap:

We have started offering a free posture evaluation to participants in the free yoga classes on Sunday mornings at the Lululemon Athletica store on Grant Ave. We go once per month, on the first Sunday, and offer evaluations to anyone who is interested. Lululemon has been very gracious, and excited to have chiropractors in their store. A special thanks to Meghan for helping us out so much!

I went to a seminar on Women's Hormones and Aging that was really great. The speaker was Dr. Lani Simpson. She was very informative. I had attended hoping for a magic answer to the symptoms women experience during menopause. While she was unable to provide that (not really that much of a surprise) she did talk a lot about Vitamin D and bone health as it relates to osteoporosis and aging. It was really interesting and helped me to help more of my patients, especially those at risk for osteoporosis. I am hopeful that my new knowledge will help to prevent some future hip and wrist fractures in my patients as they age.

Our office has taken on a Massage Therapist names Sawanee. She has a lot of experience with sports massage, which is a great fit for our office. As of now, she is with us two days per week, but we are hoping to increase that as her practice grows. The patients have given us good feedback for her, and that is always nice to hear.

Our AIDS Lifecycle Riders did awesome this year. No one came back with a new injury, which is always a plus, but even more than that, they all did really WELL. All of the riders we treat were able to ride either more or better than they have in the past years, and we are very proud of them. Go going, guys!

This month in our office it's Foot Health Month. We are focusing on making sure our patients know the important of proper footwear and biomechanics, as well as re-evaluating their orthotics, if needed. Just this morning as I was walking to work I saw a woman whose feet were so over-pronated, I was cringing. Her knees must be killing her. I really wanted to approach her and ask if she saw anyone for her feet, but San Franciscans don't respond well to strangers talking to them, so I let her go. Rest assured, though, that no patient will ever walk out of my office with feet and shoes like that!

Proper foot biomechanics are so important to the health of the entire body, it's a wonder people don't talk about their feet more often. When your feet are improperly aligned or poorly supported, their ability to absorb the impact of your body weight when you walk or run is significantly diminished. Be evaluating the mechanics of the foot and correcting them, we can help resolve pain in the feet, knees, hips and spine, in addition to helping to prevent future injury. Can you imagine how much more likely you are to get a stress fracture when your feet are not absorbing force properly? Proper foot support is a simple thing, but it has big benefits.

There are a few shoe stores our office works with that we trust to treat our patients well. Their staff is knowledgeable, and one even has an orthotic lab right in the store. For runners, I usually recommend they see the people over at Metrosport on Fillmore. For walkers, office workers and anyone else with a unique foot problem, I send them to Shoes N Feet on Lombard. Both stores offer discounts to our patients, which is always nice.

In honor of Foot Health Month, we're offering complimentary foot evaluations to anyone who wants one. Please give us a call at 415-546-1461 to set up an appointment.