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The top bone in your neck (the atlas) is the portal that allows your brain to communicate with your body and vice versa.
We carry a lot of stress and tension in our upper back and neck. The atlas sits on top of the axis (2nd bone in your neck) and is responsible for 50% of the rotation in your neck. If you have tension and stress in your upper neck and back, it can cause the muscles that attach to these 2 bones to pull on them causing them to rotate and restrict blood flow (throbbing headaches) or nerve conduction (stabbing headaches).
By definition, sciatica is pain affecting the low back, or radiating down the hip and outer side of the leg, caused by compression of a spinal nerve root (L2-L4) in the lower back.
There are many stretches for relieving sciatica or sciatica-like symptoms. They are usually targeted at stretching the piriformis muscle in your hip area.
In this video, I demonstrate two at-home seated stretches for sciatica:
1. Figure-4 Stretch
2. Nerve Flossing
“How old do you have to be before you can get adjusted?!”
My youngest patients that I have ever adjusted were my adorable twin niece and nephew when they were both only ONE DAY OLD.
Contrary to popular belief, children are not born perfect. They go through the trauma of childbirth. For example, my niece was a vacuum-assisted birth because she was breech and my sister stopped having contractions after my nephew was born. Children also have numerous spills and falls as they are growing up.
Chiropractic care for children is very gentle. Checking a child’s atlas (the top bone in their neck) is important to make sure that their brain and body are communicating properly. It’s as gentle as the pressure that you would use to check an avocado at the grocery store.
“Do chiropractors only crack backs?!”
There are an unbelievable amount of techniques and philosophies in the chiropractic profession. It’s one of the most varied healthcare professions in terms of practice and beliefs. It’s also a big reason why there are so many stereotypes and misconceptions with my professions.
Chiropractors DON’T just crack (adjust) backs. We can adjust ANY joint in the body. Low back and neck pain are the most common reasons that someone comes in to the office, but we can adjust shoulders, hips, wrists, ankles, and even ears! We are trained extensively in proper joint actions and planes of movement.
“Isn’t it true that once I go to the chiropractor, I have to KEEP going back?!”
Before I begin, I want to start with a saying that I say to patients on a daily basis. That saying is, “the hardest thing is doing the easiest things consistently.”
Have you ever had one workout or a yoga session and felt like your body was in the best shape of its life and you never needed to go again?
Have you ever had a really healthy meal and thought, “well, I guess I’m healthy so I can eat whatever I want now!”
Chiropractic care is just like any other habit, tool, or modality that’s good for you.
Frequency. Repetition. Consistency.