Archive for May 2016
Sitting is a Disease
Sitting is a disease and as time progresses, it is causing the premature degradation of spines that are subject to extensive daily sitting. At Scorca Chiropractic Center, we believe it is our responsibility to not sit idly by on the sidelines and let this happen. Computerized jobs, computerized lifestyles and television leisure is leaving more people on the couch rather than out in the garden. At our office in Fremont, we don’t ask people to uproot what they are comfortable with. Rather, we focus on getting you moving sneakily: how can you capture 5 minutes out of an hour, or multi-task while on the telephone, to instill some healthy habits for your body.
Come in and talk to us, we promise we won’t ask you to upend anything you are comfortable with. We simply help you find out your realistic health goal. We seek to make sure you have your full range of motion into old age. The little things make all the difference:
- Get a step counter: it is a fun way to track your movement and stokes the pleasure centers of your brain when you see how many steps you have taken- it becomes a kind of personal competition.
- Make a playlist or find a favorite podcast that you can take walking or jogging. Getting lost in music or historical chatter makes the time pass by before you even know it.
- Stop letting other people do your work for you. Gardening and housework are rewarding in of themselves. A big way we stop moving is by hiring other people to do this work for us.
- Try a new sport: running is not for everyone, and it creates a lot of repetitive stress on the body. Swimming is an alternative that works out the whole body gently.
- Stop smoking and take the stairs.
- Don’t look for the nearest possible parking spot. Every step counts.
- Finally, reward yourself (healthily)
At Scorca Chiropractic Center, we can help you rediscover an appreciation for the simple things in life. Don’t let computer screens be the reason that your spine goes downhill. Call our office and let us help you bring movement and health back into your life.
Dr. Francis Scorca, D.C.
Muscles of the Back
In the chiropractic world, much importance is placed upon the vertebrae, those structures that build the spinal cord and provide you with your body’s structural integrity. Sometimes this is to the detriment of the spinal muscles, whose role in spinal health is critical in their own right. Problems with any of these muscles often lead to back pain, and it is therefore a responsibility of the chiropractor to listen to your particular problem to determine if any of the muscles may be in jeopardy.
| Muscle group |
| Paraspinals, running from neck to pelvis, they control bending and rotation. |
| Rectus Abdominus, responsible for spinal stability, NOT movement. |
| Gluteal Muscles, of the butt. |
| Piriformis, connecting thigh to pelvis, used for rotating the thigh. |
| Quadratus Lumborum, responsible for movement of the torso. |
| Hamstrings, useful for bending and straightening the knee. |
| Iliopsoas, connecting lumbar vertebrae to the top of the femur. Responsible for bending knees. |
These muscles have different functions but one thing that unites them all is that lack of activity creates problems, including atrophy. Too much sitting, too little exercise or not enough attention to a specific muscle group can leave you in pain, which then limits your movement further. Our lifestyles often perpetuate this kind of vicious cycle that leaves our backs stiff and our heads aching.
Let purposeful movement back into your life and feel your back come alive. If muscular pain or spinal degeneration is holding you back from pursuing activities, let us treat your pain and get you back on your feet. Call our office in Fremont at (510) 656-9077 to schedule an appointment today.
Dr. Francis Scorca, D.C.
Running
Running is an activity that borders on a spiritual experience for its devoted followers: people swear by the runner’s high in a way that no other sport seems to have captured. At Scorca Chiropractic Center, we value running as an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. As with all physical exertion, there is a toll on the runner’s body: it involves repetitive trauma and impact that will wear down joints in the legs and back over time without the person’s awareness. That’s why we encourage people to temper their enthusiasm for the sport with an enthusiasm for preventative measures against injury.
We are born with spines that expect a lifestyle full of running and heavy physical exertion. But the lifespan of a spine is often shorter than that of the human, making prevention and adequate support for the spine more important as you age. Chiropractic care will help you in the areas of prevention and injury recovery:
| Prevention | Recovery |
| Strengthens muscles | Helps tense muscles relax |
| Improves coordination | Corrects misalignments |
| Better lung capacity | Eases the pain of herniated discs |
| Improves range of motion | Decreases stress |
| Increases your energy level | Boosts your immune system |
Concrete is hard on the knees and lower back: if possible, varying your running surfaces is highly advisable. Keeping up with changing shoes every few hundred miles is also important. If your back is feeling sore after a run, give our office in Fremont a call at (510) 656-9077 to schedule an appointment. We specialize in treating the kind of trauma that is imparted upon spines during running.
Dr. Francis Scorca, D.C.
Walking
Stand up on your own two feet and beat back pain by performing the most natural human endeavor: going for a walk. As the 21st century progresses, perhaps we are losing sight of the simplicity and healthful power of the typical walk. For people who have back pain, walks are an essential piece of returning to a pain free life. Without even realizing it, you are strengthening the bones and muscles of the entire body and improving your flexibility to boot. Spinal joints are called into action for gentle articulation and a previously stagnant spine is now moving as it should
So how does it help the back pain sufferer?
- Improves circulation of the blood throughout all the vital systems of the body, bringing the values of oxygen and nutrients to all of your cells.
- Promotes movement of previously immobile joints allowing them to hydrate and find their state of balance.
- Reduces back pain by mildly releasing endorphins.
- Reduces weight, one of the primary contributing factors to back pain in America.
- Improves range of motion and makes you more resistant to injury.
It is not inconceivable that you could walk your way back to health by making minute lifestyle adjustments. Going for an hour long walk in place of one show in the evening or walking to work are examples of considerations that you could make to institute more walking into your life. At Scorca Chiropractic Center, we offer the spinal adjustments that keep your spine in alignment, but we also offer knowledge of a total body of health that begins with a walk.
Call our office in Fremont at (510) 656-9077 to schedule an appointment today
Dr. Francis Scorca, D.C.
Workplace Posture
At Scorca Chiropractic Center, we want people to lead a healthy back care lifestyle: this includes a focus on properly supported resting positions. There are a few basic positions that most humans will pass through in a given day: prone for sleeping, sitting and standing. Your back’s health is at the mercy of these positions every single day. At our practice in Fremont, we can teach you how to make sure your back is in a healthful state no matter what your life calls upon you to do.
Workplace ergonomics is a complicated sounding term that should essentially mean: a healthy seated position. Wouldn’t it be nice to leave work every day without an aching back, tingly arms and a stiff neck? This is easier than you think and you can start by using this posture throughout the work day. Every time you catch yourself sliding lower in your seat or leaning toward the computer, just sit up straight and remember:
- Butt back in the chair, sitting up tall
- Knees equal/slightly lower than hips with feet flat on the ground
- Shoulders relaxed, with arms supported and wrists straight
- Keyboard and monitor centered in front of you to keep the neck neutral
- Top of the monitor should be 2-3 inches above your seated eye level to prevent cricking the neck for extended periods of time.
It may seem like a lot at first, but it will quickly become second nature. Take small breaks as often as possible: do not get sucked into a time vortex where you wake up and realize you have been sitting at the computer for 4 hours without moving anything but your fingers on the keyboard.
For help on fine-tuning your workplace setting for optimal health, call our office at (510) 656-9077. We hope to help people find that good health starts with good posture.
Dr. Francis Scorca, D.C.
Stuck on the Couch
Couchlocked: most of us have been there before. Whether enjoying a well-earned day off or a long movie, at a certain point you realize you have been sitting in a tightly coiled position on the couch for two straight hours. During this time, your muscles have tightened in a state of imbalance: poor posture has turned you stiff as a stick bug, and as you attempt to exit the couch, everything hurts.
Avoid the couchlock by doing simple stretches while you sit, keeping the body limber and active while you enjoy your favorite show.
Try shaking it out: give your shoulders a wriggle, lift your arms above your head and reach for the sky; turn your neck from side to side, up and down and do some simple, slow twists. Already your body is limbering up. Have fun with it: invent a couch dance.
Use commercial breaks to get up or stretch: they are perfectly timed for a dose of activity. Why not grab a glass of water while you are up.
For the more ambitious, there are even ways to exercise and tone your muscles from the couch. Perhaps we will cover these in a future post. In the meantime, remember: good posture sets the foundation for good health. Repetitive couchlock syndrome could one day pave the way to being bedridden.
At Scorca Chiropractic Center, we believe that minor adjustments in your life can allow you to enjoy all of your favorite activities more fully. For ideas and help on how to get started, give our office in Sacramento a call at (510) 656-9077 and schedule an appointment today.
Dr. Francis Scorca, D.C.
Brachial Plexus Injury: Stingers and Burners
Athletes involved in high impact sports such as football, hockey and wrestling may be familiar with burner or stinger injuries, in which the neck is jarred to the side and a nerve is pinched. As a further extension of the injury, the sufferer will usually feel a shooting pain or stinging pain that goes down the arm, leaving their limb numb and weakened.
An arm that feels weak or numb is usually suffering from a cessation of its nerve supply from the brain. Nerves that run from the neck to the hand are known collectively as the brachial plexus, and they diverge from the spine between the C5 and T1 vertebrae. In a burner/stinger injury, this nerve bundle is momentarily traumatized leading to loss of sensation in the entire arm. Usually, feeling will return to the arm in a matter of minutes, but in more serious cases, brachial plexus stingers can damage the nerve so severely that neurological deficiencies will exist past the date of the injury.
If your pain or neurological dysfunction is lingering in the wake of a brachial plexus stinger, call our office in Fremont where we have experience treating this condition. With the force involved in a stinger, there is often misalignment of the spine between the C5 and T1 vertebrae, causing impingement to the nerve that could be contributing to your lack of feeling or pain. We correct these misalignments with chiropractic adjustment and focus on releasing trigger points in the cervical spine. With our help, you can restore your arm to a state of full function.
Our office can be reached at (510) 656-9077.
Dr. Francis Scorca, D.C.