Commuting can be harmful to body and brain. 

Car seats are hardly made for comfort and they often fall short in supporting good posture; combine this with the fact that humans instinctively move their head forward toward the windshield, creating an imbalance atop the spine and you have a recipe for pain that compounds over the days of commuting back and forth. Furthermore, commuting hardly lends itself to peace of mind- sitting in traffic often contributes quite a bit to the make up of stress that we carry with us throughout the day. But for many of us, commuting to the office by car is an inescapable reality, so let’s rethink it rather than fight it! 

Making the commute more comfortable

• Posture: Sit up straight with hands at 9 and 3. If you can, use a rolled up jacket to maintain the lumbar curve and remember to keep your head centered atop the spine as much as possible. 
• What to listen to? News can add to stress. While it is important to keep up on daily events, try mixing it up with a bit of relaxing music or a podcast that engages your brain on a favorite subject. 
• Take a deep breath: driving is a great time to practice deep breathing patterns and the extra oxygen will nourish brain cells and keep them more resilient to stressful stimuli.

We can help you reverse the damaging effects of commuting

Muscles tense as a natural response to stressful stimuli, whether it be physical or psychological. If we don’t address this tension on a case-by-case basis, it often builds on top of itself creating layers of tight muscle that will eventually cause pain. We start by looking for problem areas known as trigger points of tension and releasing them to allow the healing process to begin. This has an immense effect not only on your physical well-being but also your mental outlook. We also seek out and correct subluxation and the resulting nerve impingement that could be interfering with fluid functioning of the body. If you want to change your experience with the daily commute, give our office in Fremont a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Dr. Francis Scorca, D.C.

A hectic schedule is a recipe for stress…

…and stress is hardly ever a recipe for success. Are you a person who finds yourself perpetually, “keeping up,” or at the mercy of a lifestyle and a workplace that makes on-time feel like it is always one step ahead? Well, relax for a second and consider that you are most likely normal! Our culture perpetuates this kind of on-the-go mentality and the advent of social media and cell phone culture keeps us constantly connected to the flow. If you are feeling the stress crunching down, take a chunk out of a free day and do some “life admin.”

Here are some ways you can save time to save stress: 

• Make a list: keep it simple. In order of descending priority, you now have a written plan of attack. Crossing things off feels great.
• Prep meals on Sunday night: cook food in batches. It will save you a lot of time meal-to-meal and it is delicious. 
• Shower at the end of the day: especially if your mornings feel too jam-packed. A shower at night is refreshing and while you’re at it, lay out your outfit for the next day. 
• Don’t take on too much: sometimes saying no can save you a lot of stress down the road. Pick your battles and know when to say no! 

Constant stress takes a toll…

…on the body and brain. At our office in Fremont, we treat the physical manifestations of stress. Muscles tense as a natural response to mental stress and this can pull our bodies out of balance leading to subluxation and nerve dysfunction which, in turns, contributes to stress further. For help removing yourself from this cycle, give us a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Dr. Francis Scorca, D.C. 

Do you often find yourself complaining about a stiff neck? 

It is one of the most common office-related complaints in the modern age. What will separate you from the millions of others is whether you choose to do something about it! As the incursions of posture, sitting, and technology grow by the day, you need to be proactive about keeping your neck free of tension and this means stretching on a daily basis.

Unwinding the layers of tight muscle that have built over years can be a daunting task, but there is nothing to lose except your pain! Start simply by doing stretches from the very chair you are sitting in: 

• Clasping neck: clasp your hands behind your head with fingers interlocked. Lower your chin toward your chest until you feel a stretch; hold 5 seconds and release. 
• Behind-the-back: reach both arms behind your back, clasp your left wrist with your right hand and pull gently away from your body. Hold 5 seconds and switch sides. 
• Ear-to-shoulder: grasp the side of the chair with your right hand to stabilize your body. . Place your left hand on top of your head and lower your left ear toward left shoulder until you feel a stretch on the right side.

An action plan with Scorca Chiropractic Center

I’m guessing that you don’t want to look like a hunchback when you are older; but too many of us put off dealing with our stiff necks, letting the problem compound until we are stuck permanently forward. We stretch to unwind tight muscles and focus on strengthening the ones that matter for holding your head at the top of your spine. Along the way we will defeat the hunched, rounded shoulders look and open up the chest cavity to make breathing more efficient and pain less prevalent! Give our office in Fremont a call to schedule an appointment today.

Dr. Francis Scorca, D.C.

Forward Head Posture (FHP) is on the rise.

With its apt name, the so-called “reader’s neck,” is a position where the head is forward of it’s center of gravity, the spine. Traditionally reserved for avid readers, the posture is now more widespread and available to everyone through computers, tablets and cell phones. As an office of chiropractic, we are seeing more people come in with forward head posture and this is alarming because of the actual physiological effect. Studies suggest that for every inch the head is held forward, pressure to the spine is increased by 10 pounds; many people are holding 2-3 inches forward and are unaware until they experience the premature onset of degenerative vertebral conditions. 

Let’s perform a simple test.

It’s called the wall test, and it goes like this: 

• Heels shoulder width apart, stand up straight against a wall.
• Let your buttocks and shoulder blades touch the wall.
• Is the back of your head touching the wall?

If not, chances are you have forward head posture. This is a great exercise to illustrate how pervasive FHP is: many of us are unaware that we are magnifying the pressure to our own spines. And if we had the choice, we would certainly not be doing it!

How we help at Scorca Chiropractic Center

Do not fear: FHP is highly common and reversible. At our office in Fremont, we help by conducting postural analysis to determine how good your posture is throughout the day- sitting, standing, sleeping. With FHP, a common problem is weakness in the neck muscles- those directly responsible for the weight of the head. The muscles that hold your head straight above the spine are often weak from non-use while accessory muscles are strained from trying to support the head’s new position. With attention to these muscles, stretching and strengthening we can help rebuild the strength of the region that supports the head. From here, awareness is key- when you feel your head creeping forward it’s time to correct. Give our office a call to start fixing forward head posture today!

Dr. Francis Scorca, D.C.