Morganville Archives - Page 21 of 23 - Hometown Family Wellness Center

May 11 2020

Chiropractor in Freehold NJ Recommends Exercise if Suffering with Fibromyalgia

Exercise is not only important for healthy people but especially those with fibromyalgia. Exercise improves fitness and improves sleep patterns.

Whatever exercise you decide to do, follow this one important guideline: Do not overdo it! Overdoing exercise can create an exacerbation of your condition.

My name is Dr. Russell Brokstein, and I’ve been helping patients who suffer with Fibromyalgia for the past 13 years with chiropractic and other natural health and preventive measures. My office, Hometown Family Wellness Center, located in Freehold NJ has been helping fibromyalgia sufferers from Freehold, Marlboro, Manalapan, Howell, Colts neck, Morganville, Jackson and many other neighboring Monmouth and Ocean County NJ communities.

Too many people that have fibromyalgia lay around and think inactivity is important, but the total opposite is reality. It is so important to be active and start exercising!

If you are currently not exercising, the best way to start is by walking and stretching. Walk a few blocks the first day. Monitor your body and see how it handles the walk. If you aren’t feeling fatigued from that amount of exercise, increase the number of blocks you walk the next day. Then monitor your body again. How did you do? Tired after the increase? Then you’ll want to reduce the number of blocks you walk the next day. The important thing is to start off lightly and increase gradually.

It’s important to get some type of exercise every day. Some people use the pedometers to count the number of steps they take during the day. Others measure their exercise by how many minutes they walk or cycle. Others measure distance. Whatever method you use, stay true to that method to monitor your progress.

When it comes to stretching, simple stretches, such as the ones that are emphasized in yoga classes are wonderful. They increase flexibility, allow you to learn more about how your body is changing, and increase muscle tone. Your body ends up tighter and leaner.

You can easily find a hatha yoga book if you don’t want to go to yoga classes. Select five stretches, called yoga poses. When you do yoga, you don’t have to meditate or believe in Eastern philosophy.

Cardio exercise is ok, but I don’t want you to overdo it by going into kickboxing classes and other more advanced classes. I certainly don’t want to squash your motivation! Here’s what I find works best: Start changing your diet, add your supplements and get more sleep. When you do this, your body will tell you when it’s ready to exercise. Other than a 10-20 minute walk every day, let your body guide you as to what it wants to do and can do. Not following your intuition on this matter will set you back physically. So play it safe.

If you have been noticing a lot of positive improvements in how you feel, do a bigger workout than what you usually do. Go for it, but only increase by 5 minutes, not 20! It’s better to be safe than sorry!

Massage is fine, but avoid deep tissue work until you’re feeling much better. A massage is a workout but you aren’t the one doing the work! Still, there is a buildup in lactic acid, just as there is when you work out.

What will you do to dissipate this lactic acid quickly? The answer is take a little more vitamin C! Remember that the vitamin C eliminates the muscle fatigue. Also make sure you are properly hydrated by drinking plenty of water. I guide my patients to drink half your body weight in ounces. (So if you weigh 150 pounds, you would drink 75 ounces of water a day) Just remember if you drink any caffeine products, like coffee, you have to increase your water intake. Some research shows just one cup of coffee pulls out up to 4 to 8 glasses of water from the body. You can read further about supplement recommendations on our blog by clicking: Chiropractor in Freehold NJ Shares more Dietary Recommendations for Fibromyalgia Sufferers.

Massage improves blood circulation in the muscles, helps improve range of motion in your joints and increases the production of endorphins, which are the body’s painkillers.

Massage can help you fight the widespread pain and tenderness to light touch you feel with fibromyalgia. Like anything else, too much too soon can cause a setback. One massage a week is plenty.

When you have fibromyalgia, weight training should focus on light weights, only one or two sets of 10 repetitions, and only about 10 exercise equipment machines should be used. You will risk an exacerbation if you do more than that.

Running is similar to walking. Start out with a low distance, monitor your body for extra fatigue, and if you get fatigued, back off the distance. Do not overstress your system. As you become healthier, you will feel like exercising more.

Housework is like exercise too. Some household chores can be too much for a fibromyalgia patient, such as mopping and vacuuming extra large rooms. Delegate these chores until you are healthier.

Ask me any specific questions on exercise at your next appointment.

Many of my patients ask me: Dr. Russell, what do I do if I exercise and feel pain coming on quickly afterwards? You mentioned that vitamin C might help. Is there anything else that I can do?

It’s always good to have a plan! The Vitamin C as mentioned before can be helpful because it will decrease lactic acid accumulation in the muscles. Lactic acid is a waste product that is produced whenever we move our muscles.

The second thing you can do is put heat on the area. This will increase the circulation and help flush out the waste products.

The Fibromyalgia Clinic at Mayo recommends whirlpool therapy with the water temperature at a minimum of 95 degrees.

I hope you find these exercise recommendations helpful in getting you back to feeling normal and active, relieving your fibromyalgia symptoms and living a lifestyle of health and wellness.

If you would like a full Fibromyalgia special consultation, check out our special on our website: www.ChiropractorFreehold.com or give our office a call at 732-780-0044.

May 11 2020

Freehold Chiropractor Explains Shoulder Pain can be Associated to Neck Pain or Whiplash

Auto injuries are shown to cause more than just neck pain. In a new study researchers find that patients with whiplash or other causes of neck pain were more likely to have problems with shoulder function than healthy patients. Misalignments of the shoulder can create or irritate neck pain. The shoulder imbalances can also cause other problems including headaches or migraines.

Patients in the research had neck pain of different causes. It was found they had more difficulty performing routine shoulder movements, and their head and neck postures were altered. The research also showed that depending on the cause of the neck problem influenced the type of shoulder problems the patient had: those patient that couldn’t elevate their shoulders as much as normal patients had insidious onset neck disorders while those patients that had shoulders that were rotated forward slightly had neck problems resulting from whiplash.

Like many other studies, it is found that whiplash patients have a higher risk of developing shoulder pain and experiencing a number of other conditions including pain, headaches, numbness and tingling just to name a few. This shows that neck injuries alter the function of other areas of the body and that it’s so important that a patient finds a practitioner that addresses the entire spine and other surrounding regions, not just the location of the pain itself.

Our chiropractic office, Hometown Family Wellness Center located in Freehold, NJ, addresses the cause of the problems that you are experiencing. We have been helping patients for over 14 years in the Freehold area and surrounding towns of Marlboro, Manalapan, Howell, Colts Neck, Jackson, Morganville, and other communities of Monmouth and Ocean Counties in New Jersey. Relying on medications might just cover up your pain at best, but increases the chances of disability because you are not addressing the cause of the pain and you become overconfident that just because the pain is decreased that you can perform normal activities without causing further harm. Many studies show that chiropractic not only reduces your pain naturally without drugs or surgery, but improves your quality of life so you can enjoy your normal daily activities once again. Seeking early treatment may help you avoid developing shoulder and back pain, arthritis, degeneration and other problems later on. If you are ready to correct the cause of your neck pain and whiplash, contact our office at 732-780-0044 and also check out our website at www.chiropractorfreehold.com
Helgadottir, Harpa, and Eythor Kristjansson, Sarah Mottram, Andrew Karduna, and Halldor Jonsson, Jr. Altered Alignment of the Shoulder Girdle and Cervical Spine in Patients With Insidious Onset Neck Pain and Whiplash-Associated Disorder. Journal of Applied Biomechanics. 2011; 27:181-191.

Berglund A, Nygren A, Jensen I, et al. The association between exposure to a rear-end collision and future neck or shoulder pain: a cohort study. World Congress on Whiplash-Associated Disorders. 1999;p. 99.

Kosek E, Januszewska A. Mechanisms of pain referral in patients with whiplash associated disorder. European Journal of Pain 2008;12:650-660.

Miller J, Gross A, D’Sylva J, Burnie SJ, Goldsmith CH, Graham N, Haines T, Bronfort G, Hoving JL. Manual therapy and exercise for neck pain: A systematic review. Manual Therapy 15(2010) 334-354.

May 11 2020

Cervicogenic Headache and Chiropractic Freehold NJ

Many people suffer with pain symptoms in the form of headaches. Recent studies show that chiropractic is highly successful in alleviating many types of headaches. Most headaches originate in the neck and therefore are called Cervicogenic headaches. They often start with some kind of neck injury due to trauma or an auto collision.

80 patients with chronic cervicogenic headaches took part in this study. They received either chiropractic adjustments or light massage.

The patients that received the chiropractic care improved substantially more than those that receive massage. The chiropractic patients not only have better scores on pain and disability tests, they also experienced a 50% reduction in overall symptoms. They also had a 33% reduction in medication usage by the end of the study.

The reason why chiropractic has such high success in helping patients suffering with headaches is in the goal of correcting the cause. Chiropractic restores the normal flexibility and function of the spine to relieve cervicogenic head pain. By aligning the spine, chiropractors remove the pressure from the nerves causing the pain. If you suffer from headaches, chiropractic can be a safe and effective way to treat pain and improve your health.

We have been helping patients suffering with headaches for 14 years. Patients in Freehold and the surrounding towns of Marlboro, Manalapan, Howell, Colts Neck, Jackson, Morganville and other communities in Monmouth and Ocean county are coming to our office on 9 Broadway in Freehold, NJ to obtain pain relief and optimal health and wellness without drugs or surgery. If you would like to find out more information go to our website at www.chiropractorfreehold.com.

Haas M, Spegman A, Peterson D, Aickin M, Vavrek D. Dose response and efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic cervicogenic headache: a pilot randomized controlled trial. The Spine Journal 2010; 10: 117-128.

May 11 2020

Whiplash…The Perfect Treatment is Chiropractic

Many people experience whiplash injuries whether it be during an auto accident, sports injuries, or other quick trauma to the head and neck that damages the soft tissues of the neck. If not treated properly, the condition can become chronic and is more difficult to treat. Dr. Russell Brokstein is a chiropractor who treats patients in Freehold, Marlboro, Manalapan, Howell and other surrounding areas in NJ who have suffered with whiplash and are looking for successful resolution of their condition. Here, Dr. Russell discusses why chiropractic is the best treatment if you are suffering with whiplash:

May 11 2020

Freehold Chiropractor Educates Your Posture is Important to Maintain Your Health!

My name is Dr. Russell Brokstein, chiropractor and owner of Hometown Family Wellness Center in Freehold, NJ and today I am continuing the blog on Be Health Naturally without Drugs or Surgery.

The previous posts talked about sleep, stress reduction and dietary recommendations. You can read the other blogs by clicking: Chiropractor Freehold Blog

Today we are going to discuss your posture. Your spine is the central support structure of your body. Your spine carries the neurological lifeline from your brain to all the other parts of your body. Your health really depends on the flow of energy through an unrestricted nervous system. When your spine suffers, your overall health can suffer too. When you respect your spine by taking good care of it, your spine will serve you well by offering its strength and flexibility for a long time to come.

When your posture and spinal alignment are off, it can also lead to pain, back pain, neck pain, headaches and migraines, numbness and tingling, stress, fibromyalgia, sciatica, arthritis, herniations and disc degeneration.

Here are my two top recommendations for taking care of your spine:

Be ergonomically correct when you sit at a desk, stand, bend or reach. “Ergonomically correct” is a fancy term for body posture that doesn’t cause stress to your body.

For example, which three of these postures do you think would be ergonomically correct:

Sitting with your legs crossed at the knees.
Sitting with your legs crossed at the ankles.
Bending straight over to pick up a box with knees locked for support.
Bending over to pick up a box with knees bent.
Standing in a crowd with your weight centered on one leg for a long time.
Standing in a crowd with your weight centered over both feet with your shoulder, back and head centered over your spine.

The answer is 2. 4 and 6.

Ask me to check out your posture. I’ll be looking at you from the side to see if the center of your ear, the center of your neck, shoulder, hips, knees and ankle all form a straight line. If they don’t, then we need to work more on your posture.

Here’s how I remember how to stand correctly while lifting something heavy or just standing for long periods of time: I think to myself, “Brace yourself!” What I mean by this is that if I’m reaching down into the crib to pick up a baby, I must get ready for the act of lifting by bracing myself. I brace myself by bending at the knees and keeping the weight as close to my body as I can. The farther the baby is from my body, the more I’m at risk of injury.

Reaching for things far away from you is not a good habit if you want a strong spine. Instead of reaching out to push or pull something, get as close to the item as you can, then lift it after bracing yourself.

If you have to stand on your feet for a long period of time, don’t get in the habit of putting most of your weight over one foot or on one leg. Brace yourself by spreading your feet about shoulder distance apart, then stand solidly. You’ll feel better and look more confident as well.

Which of these are ergonomically correct?

a. Loading up grocery bags in your arms, then trying to open your door with a key while holding all those grocery bags

b. Sitting at a desk with the computer keyboard more than a foot away from the edge of the desk

c. Looking at your computer screen that is 2-1/2 feet away by moving your head forward

d. Sitting hunched in a chair or recliner

e. Looking down at your computer screen or TV

f. Doing dishes at the sink on top of a small rug or carpet strip

The answer here is f. Standing on a carpet decreases stress on the spine more than standing on a hard floor. That’s why a lot of the multimillion-dollar companies that set up booths at trade shows have carpeting in their booth on the floor. They want to make you feel more comfortable and reduce the stress on your body that you’ve been feeling by walking for long periods of time. It also helps their staff at the booth.

2. While I’m treating you, it’s important to NOT do any excessive lifting (over 15-20 lbs.) during the first 4-6 weeks of treatment. In some cases, vacuuming and other household chores like laundry may be limited as well. Ask me for specific instructions for your individual case.

So, now that we covered posture, next time we will be discussing your joints and nutritional support, so stay tuned.

Until then, have a chiropractor check your spine, as we are the ONLY health professionals properly trained to analyze, detect and correct subluxations which are misalignments of the vertebra that put pressure on the nerves and spinal cord and will decrease your over health and function. Give your body the chance to be healthy naturally without drugs and surgery!

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