Chiropractor in Burke, VA - NOVA Chiropractic & Wellness Center

Dr. Todd P. Sullivan

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8 Wonderful Ways A Healthy Diet Benefits Your Life

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It’s hard to turn on the television or cruise the internet without being bombarded with headlines about “Americans don’t sleep enough” or “one third of adults are obese.”

While stress, heredity, and smoking are all factors that play into a person’s well being, one of the biggest is a healthy diet. Choosing to eat healthy benefits the body in a number of key areas. Still gobbling up the pizza and slurping down the diet soda, unconvinced? See if these eight points about a healthy diet change your mind.

1. Strengthens and improves muscle function

Healthy muscles carry us where we want to go. The right foods, along with proper exercise, build and maintain muscle mass, maintaining strength and mobility.

2. Promotes a longer life

Feeding your body what it needs can add years to your life. Reducing stress is one way to promote health, and a healthy diet is another. Foods rich in minerals and vitamins build up every cell in your body, preparing it to fight illness and stay alive longer.

3. Enables richer years

An individual who is healthy maintains a higher level of physical activity and brain function than their less healthy peers. A stronger body provides a richer life with more unique experiences.

4. Makes you prettier

If you won’t eat healthy for your insides, maybe a better outside will motivate some dietary changes. We all want to be physically attractive. Healthy foods contribute to clear skin and shiny hair that no amount of high priced beauty products provides. Fueling the body with rich omega fatty and other healthy foods nourishes skin, hair, and nails.

5. Makes you smarter

Research shows certain dietary choices power up your brain to function at a higher level, and help everyday brain function. Introducing “brain foods” into your diet aid with memory retention and problem solving skills.

This is one of the best reasons to commit to a healthy diet of vitamin-rich foods, as a healthy brain allows a much more active and independent lifestyle, from working longer to being able to drive.

6. Decreases your injury risk

A high-functioning body with strong bones and muscles maintains balance, handles heavy loads, and holds up under stress better than its weaker counterparts. Muscles and bones lacking calcium and protein over time grow weaker.

This, unfortunately, causes the body to be less stable and more prone to injury. Falls, slips, and twists end up with more serious injuries if a person’s body isn’t strong and healthy.

7. Fights bad genes

If you are already worried about the cancer that runs on mom’s side or the heart attack risk that runs on dad’s side, take heart. While you can’t change your DNA, you can use a healthy diet to combat some of your genetic disposition to disease.

Ingraining a healthy diet into your life, as well as exercise and regular doctor checkups, helps minimize the risk of falling victim to your family’s predisposed illnesses.

If you end up with an illness, whether or not from heredity, a healthy diet….

8. Prepares you to fight illness

A nutrient-rich diet boosts a person’s immune system to be able to fight off infection and illness. When a person falls victim to a disease or other medical condition, their diet helps them fight it off so it hopefully doesn’t get worse and is cured quickly.

A healthy diet is integral to a long, happy life. Deciding to eat healthy and maintain that commitment consistently may seem like a big change in lifestyle at first, but it will benefit you and your loved ones in ways that are practically immeasurable.  To learn more please visit Chiropractor in Burke, VA.

How Chiropractic Care Works Wonders on Baseball Injuries

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The crack of a ball against your bat, good! The crack of a back or shoulder, bad!

Baseball, the nationwide pass time, heats up in summer. From little league on up, individuals enjoy swinging the bat and running the bases. Unfortunately, the movements baseball requires can wreak havoc on a person’s body, leaving them with strained backs, hurt shoulders, and pulled muscles. According to Livestrong, there are over 600,000 injuries from playing baseball per year, and 5-14 year olds suffer from 117,000 of them.

The aspects of the game — running, sliding, twisting, and jumping — cause the body to maneuver into awkward positions. If you or a loved one has slid into first and felt a pop, or twisted to catch a fly ball and felt a snap, chiropractic care offers several ways to help put you on the road to a complete recovery.

Manage pain

Baseball injuries frequently involve large muscles, resulting in a high degree of pain. Chiropractic treatment offers relief from severe pain of many injuries involving the spine, muscles, and joints.

Using spinal adjustments, a chiropractor is able to help the body align itself properly, and sooth the injured area. Once the body functions normally, pain is diminished. Sometimes this can be accomplished in one visit, while other injuries require a few sessions before pain diminishes.

Increase mobility

A strained neck, pulled back, or overextended knee may cause the individual serious issues in being able to move. Limping around slowly is nobody’s idea of fun!

Chiropractic adjustments are proven to help reduce inflammation and improve mobility in many injury cases. If that last baseball game has you unable to put weight on your knee, your neck won’t twist without pain, or your shoulder won’t lift your arm, it may be time to visit a chiropractor for evaluation.

Promote healing

The premise of chiropractic care is to treat the entire body as a whole, not just the injured part. As the body becomes better aligned, it functions at a higher capacity, and begins to heal itself.

Most injuries resulting from playing baseball, such as tendonitis, strained muscles, torn rotator cuffs, and the like, heal faster with chiropractic care. Increased blood flow to the injured area, and less pressure on the body part (usually due to misalignment of the spine) allow the injured area to regenerate, and a greater chance to begin healing faster than without chiropractic care.

Avoid medication

Even over-the-counter pain and anti-inflammatory drugs cause side effects in certain individuals. Allergies, stomach issues, and other reasons result in many injured people steering clear of medication to relieve pain and inflammation.

Chiropractic care provides these individuals a drug-free, less invasive way to help manage the pain and promote healing. More people every year are choosing to visit a chiropractor for pain relief instead of popping pain medicine.

Before jumping into a baseball game, or even if you or your children play regularly, remember that prevention is worth its weight in gold. Take care of your body by stretching beforehand, being aware of your physical limits, maintaining proper posture, and staying hydrated during the game. With a little extra effort, the chance of a baseball injury can be dramatically decreased.

Summer fun often includes activities such as baseball, whether in a league or in your back yard with your family. Avoid suffering from an injury as best you can, and, if you or your child end up with an achy knee, twisted elbow, or smarting shoulder, call our office at 703-912-7822 or schedule us online by visiting us at Chiropractor in Burke, VA.

Exercise to Prevent and Treat Back Pain: The Latest Research

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When someone decides to visit the doctor about musculoskeletal pain, back pain is the most common complaint. Sometimes back pain is the result of very specific trauma—a car accident or a slip-and-fall. Other times, however, its causes are much less obvious—cumulative years of poor posture, inactivity or bad nutrition, for example. The rest of this article looks at the role exercise can play in preventing and treating back pain.

It should come as no surprise that weak muscles are more easily injured than strong ones. That’s why exercise (along with a good diet of healthy food) is the most important thing you can do to help ensure a healthy and pain-free back. Following are some of the best exercises to help prevent and treat back pain. Of course, check with your chiropractor before beginning any kind of exercise program.

Stretch: Knee-to-Chest

Start by lying on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Use both hands to pull one knee to your chest. After holding for about 20 seconds, return to the start position. Repeat this with the other leg. Next, repeat with both legs. These 3 pulls give us one complete set. Do one or two more sets to complete the session. Perform a session in the morning and at night.

Stretch: Rotate Lower Back

Start by lying on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor and arms stretched out to each side. While ensuring both shoulders remain flat on the floor, tilt your knees to one side, hold 5-10 seconds and return. Repeat on the other side. Do two or three more sets to complete the session. Perform a session in the morning and at night.

Stretch: Like a Cat

Start on your hands and knees, with your back straight. Slowly breathe in, arching your back like a cat, then as you breathe out, slowly allow your back to fall into a sway. After returning to start, repeat. Perform 3-5 repetitions two times a day.

Flex: Lower Back

Lie on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Arch your back upward and hold for 5 seconds. Relax. Push your back toward the floor as if your bellybutton were being sucked into the earth and hold for 5 seconds. Relax. Perform 5 repetitions once a day to start with. Gradually build up to 30 repetitions.

Lift: Hip Launch

Lie on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Throughout the exercise be sure to keep your head and shoulders on the floor and relaxed. As you tighten the gluteal muscles and abdominals, raise your hips so that your body, from shoulders to knees, forms a straight line. Take 3 slow, deep breaths. After returning to start, repeat. Perform 5 repetitions once a day, to begin with. Gradually build up to 30 repetitions.

If you or someone you care about is experiencing back pain, please call or visit our office! We’re experts at diagnosing musculoskeletal problems and developing treatment plans (including chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy and structured exercise programs) that help patients get out of pain and return to their active lifestyles.  To learn more visit us at Chiropractor in Burke, VA.

Why You Should Stay Hydrated and Six Easy Ways to Do It

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Summer fun means outside activities in the warm sun, from strenuous pursuits like biking, hiking, and volleyball-playing, to more leisurely enjoyments like sunbathing on a float. No matter how you plan to enjoy the steamy summer months, maintaining hydration should be right up there with sunscreen on your list of important hot weather priorities.

Dehydration is a condition that ranges from mild to serious, and can happen quicker than you think. Right Diagnosis defines dehydration as “an abnormal condition in which the body’s cells are deprived of an adequate amount of water.” One of the main situations factoring into a person becoming dehydrated is heat.

Think you drink enough water and don’t need to worry about dehydration? Consider these points:

  • The ability to recognize thirst diminishes in individuals in their late 30’s or older.
  • A person’s body is made up of roughly 70% water.
  • When you lose 2% of the body’s water content, you are considered dehydrated.

Dehydration symptoms range from unpleasant confusion, muscle weakness, and fatigue to extremely dangerous ones like seizures, kidney failure, and death. The good news is that staying hydrated in the first place is relatively easy if you take a few precautions up front.

#1: Drink plenty of water

Make it a habit of carrying water with you during the summer months, and sipping on it throughout the day, especially if you are planning on outside activities. Invest in a couple of BPA-free water bottles for yourself and your family to tote with them on their summer adventures.

Not a big fan of plain water? Try adding lemon, cucumber, and mint sprigs to liven it up! Mix up in a big pitcher the night before so the flavor has time to penetrate. Another option is flavor packets, which are individual packets of flavors like green tea, watermelon, and peach.

#2: Eat the right foods

Liquids aren’t the only way your body gets water. Avoid dehydration by eating foods with a high water content.

Choices like celery, watermelon, cucumbers, carrots, and citrus fruits all offer exceptional hydrating ability. Pack these as snacks for the pool or beach, or to enjoy before and after an outdoor workout.

#3: Steer clear of certain drinks

As yummy and refreshing as an icy beer or frosty margarita tastes, alcohol can contribute to dehydration. If you decide to indulge, limit yourself to one or two, and drink a large glass of water along with your beverage to counteract the alcohol’s effects.

#4: Avoid overexertion

Exercise is a wonderfully healthy pursuit; however, keep an eye on the temperature. If it is going to be exceptionally hot and humid, choose to exercise either early in the morning, or after sunset, when temperatures are lower and the sun isn’t beaming.

#5: Wear proper attire

Dress in light, airy clothing in fabrics that breathe. Protect your head with a cap or hat that shades your face. Avoid black clothing, which tends to absorb the sun and make you hotter.

#6: Be prepared

Extreme heat makes everyday issues like a flat tire or dead battery life-threatening. Visit a mechanic to confirm your vehicle is in good shape to lessen the chances of getting stranded. Carry extra water or sports drinks in your vehicle, and keep your cell phone charged. If your car breaks down, either stay in your car to wait for help, or stand in the grass instead of on the sizzling pavement.

Staying hydrated is essential for good health all the time, and during the summer in particular. Implement these easy tips into your daily routine so you and your family maintain hydration.  To learn more please visit us at Chiropractor in Burke, VA.

4 Weight Loss Tips

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We all know and understand the importance of maintaining a healthy weight. Some individuals do quite nicely at managing their pounds with seemingly little effort, while other struggle constantly.

A recent study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 78 million American adults suffer from obesity. A person who has sustained an injury or suffers from an illness that affects their back, hips, knees or ankles are especially susceptible to weight gain, because they must deal with limited mobility and the stress of daily pain.

Striving to stay in the ideal weight range for your body type and height provides a variety of health benefits such as adding less pressure on your back and joints, and increasing your range of motion.

Try these four handy weight loss tips

First, start small

Replace a couple of negative behaviors with positive ones, and commit to making them stick. Great examples of these are substituting water for soft drinks, eating a high-protein breakfast, or changing out your nightly bowl of ice cream with yogurt.

Simply removing 100 calories a day adds up to a 10 pound weight loss over a year’s time. Small modifications offer the dual benefits of being easier to implement while still showing results.

Next, keep a journal

Write down every bite you eat along with the portion size. Listing your food intake provides accountability, which may keep you from noshing on that third slice of pizza or super-sizing those fries.

It also arms you with important intel that will be helpful throughout your weight loss journey. If you hit a plateau, read back through the journal to see what you may have changed over time that caused the scales to stall.

And speaking of scales….

Don’t live and cry by the scales

Often, dieters weigh every day and are elated or depressed based on the number on the scales. That’s a roller coaster way to live, and those emotions can cause calorie laden binges!

Plus, daily weighing is not accurate, as fluctuations in water weight are common. Weigh once a week at the most, at roughly the same time each day. A weekly routine gives you a good idea of your success without the stressful up and down of daily weighing.

Decrease your sedentary ways

Even if you are dealing with an injury or medical condition that limits the ability to exercise, you can still probably be less sedentary than you are now. Again, simplicity is the key.

Walk into the bank instead of using the drive through window, stand up to fold clothes instead of sitting down, and take periodic breaks at your desk to stand for a bit.

Ask your chiropractor about any limitations you need to follow, and request stretching exercises as your personal situation permits. Moving more on a daily basis will aid in shedding those extra pounds and keeping them off long-term.

It’s important for individuals to maintain a normal weight range in order to enjoy a healthy life. Chiropractic patients benefit even more from shedding those extra pounds.

By committing to a healthier lifestyle with fewer pounds to carry around, individuals with back and joint injuries will see greater positive impact from their chiropractic visits. Over time, the combination of a leaner body and chiropractic care will bring greater mobility, less pain, and a decreased chance for re-injury to the patient.

To learn more visit us at Chiropractor in Burke, VA.

4 Nutritional Tips Every Chiropractic Patient Should Follow

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Nutrition is one of the biggest factors and plays a large role in a patient’s recovery. The old adage “you are what you eat” is true. Feeding the body with vital vitamins and minerals promotes growth and healing. Filling up on fried, fatty foods does the opposite.

Let’s look at four nutritional tips every chiropractic patient should follow:

Watch your calories

Individuals recovering from spinal or other injuries heal quicker when they avoid carrying excess weight. This is especially true if the injury has sidelined them from normal physical exercise.

Choose lean cuts of meat and fresh fruits and vegetables, and practice portion control. A diet with few excess calories offers the dual benefit of helping you avoid packing on the pounds, and helping you heal faster.

Pay attention to calcium intake

Bones need calcium for strength, so it should be a priority to consume foods that are rich with it. According to healthconsciousness.com, the four most calcium-rich foods are dark leafy greens, low-fat cheese, milk, and yogurt.

If you are visiting a chiropractor for issues or conditions concerning your bones or nerves, he or she may recommend that you introduce these foods into your diet as soon as possible.

Make protein a priority

Muscle injuries are one of the most popular reasons for chiropractic visits. Protein helps build and heal muscle tissue, helping it to renew itself back to a pre-injury state.

If your daily intake of protein is low, it can hinder the healing process and stand in the way of chiropractic visits giving you the maximum results. Fish and lean meats are the foods that offer the highest protein.

Other vegetarian options are tofu, soy beans, eggs, milk, and nuts. Help your muscles rebuild and heal by adding high protein foods into every meal menu.

Stay hydrated

Why do most of us view water drinking with dread? Its not that bad! If you wish to promote healing, it’s imperative to drink enough water every day.

Water provides an entire slew of benefits, from transporting those important nutrients to where they need to be, to flushing harmful toxins out of the body. Aim for eight glasses of water a day, and try to drink it throughout the day.

Getting into this habit will boost overall health, and promote healing of injuries and other medical conditions.

While it’s a smart goal to try to ingest all the nutrients you need through food and drink, supplements are available to bridge the gap. Before beginning a supplement regimen, talk to you chiropractor for recommendations on the type and dosage that will aid and improve your unique situation.

You may also want to download a smartphone app to track your daily intake of calories, calcium, protein and liquid. There are many available, one being My Fitness Pal.

Easy and free to use, this is a powerful tool to keep you on the right nutritional track.

Making the commitment to chiropractic treatment is a big step in the right direction for your overall health and well-being. Incorporate these nutritional tips to your daily routine in order to get the most out of your chiropractic care.

To learn more please visit us at Chiropractor in Burke, VA.

Know What to Look Out For Common Injuries, Treatments, and Prevention

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This time of year, you can expect your kids are getting excited for their favorite sports starting up. While many parents are just as excited for their kids, they’re also worried. Participating in sports can lead to injuries. To ensure that your kids have the best year possible, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Common Injuries

Some of the more common injuries we see at NOVA Chiropractic & Acupuncture are muscle strains and ligament sprains. Another common type of injury athletes face is repetitive stress injuries (RSIs), when a part of your body becomes overworked from unvarying movements, resulting in inflammation or tissue damage. Many kids tend to play one sport year-round, and they don’t get as much of a break as they should, leading to repetitive motion injuries.

Treatments

What makes our office so unique is that we can treat these injuries. Most chiropractors focus on treating the joints of the body and the spine, but we have many muscle treatment techniques. We use methods such as Active Release Techniques, Dry Needling, Graston Technique, and laser therapy, which helps speed up the healing process. We know that athletes are keen to get back onto the field, and the sooner they’re at full health, the sooner they can return.

Injury Prevention

Our clinic works on healing the injury and strengthening the area around it. By doing this, it will help prevent the injury from occurring in the same spot. You can also prevent injuries before the season or game even starts by stretching or purchasing the right equipment. Having a loose-fitting helmet or too-small shin guards can lead to injuries. Make sure that equipment fits snugly and securely.

The best way to get treatment is to seek out help as soon as the injury occurs. If you’re injured and don’t get it looked at for days, weeks, or even longer, it will take that much longer to heal. The sooner you can get your injury treated, the sooner you can get back on the field.  If your son or daughter is suffering from a sports injury give our office a call at 703-912-7822 or schedule online at Chiropractor in Burke, VA.

How To Fix Plantar Fasciitis

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Plantar fasciitis is a condition where the plantar fascia on the bottom of your feet becomes inflamed and swollen and causes pain in the heel or in the bottom of the foot. The symptoms of plantar fasciitis are pain in the bottom of the foot near the heel when weight bearing, pain during the first steps after sleeping or sitting for long periods of time.

Home Treatment Options:

First, rest and avoid any aggravating activities that cause heel pain. Avoid running or walking on hard surfaces, especially without shoes on. Wear shoes with good arch support that have good shock absorption. Finally, massage or self myofascial release of the plantar fascia using a lacrosse ball or a golf ball or even a Body Works ball.

Treatments We Perform At Our Office:

My number one treatment that we do is called laser therapy, and that reduces the pain and the swelling, helps speed up the healing process.

With the laser therapy we will be treating the source of the pain, which generally is in the heel along with treating the rest of the foot to reduce inflammation and decrease pain. Sometimes the pain is more in and around the heel and sometimes it more directly in the arch of the foot.

With laser therapy the patient just feels a mild warm sensation. It feels really good, especially for people that are dealing with acute plantar fasciitis. Laser therapy takes away the pain and discomfort.

The treatment protocol takes about anywhere from six to eight minutes. Most of the time we will also treat the calf and soleus region in the lower leg here to also help further loosen up tightness up in that area, which can contribute to the plantar fasciitis.

Next, we do a technique called active release techniques and Graston techniques to the plantar fascia. This helps to loosen up the tight plantar fascia and help to restore some of the mobility in the tissue.  We use a Graston tool to clear out any tightness, and muscular adhesions that may have formed, decrease the muscle or connective tissue tone in the area. What the patient can feel with this treatment are ridges or bumps in the area where the problem is and that could be an area where it’s painful. It could also be an area where it’s adding some tension onto the plantar fascia. We treat the entire plantar fascia in all directions.

Finally, we’ll do a technique called dry needling to the calf muscles and the soleus muscles. Dry needling decreases the muscle tightness in the calves, helping to take the pressure off the plantar fascia. Dry needling can be applied to the calf area, the gastrocnemius muscle, the soleus muscle and any of the other deep muscles in the feet and legs here.  Dry needling helps reduce the strain and stress on the plantar fascia, because it is all one connective tissue all the way down into the bottom of the foot, so any tightness up here could be impacting the plantar fasciitis. In this case, we are performing dry needling to the patients calf.  The patient will feel like a dull, achy sensation if we get over one of those knots or trigger points in the calf muscle. They may also feel a little bit of a local twitch response as we release that soft tissue.

Dry needling is a very effective treatment technique for leg tightness.  Most of the time we do a combination of the treatments to help relieve plantar fasciitis.

Now, if someone has very flat or pronated feet, sometimes we’ll also make custom orthotics for that patient. The custom orthotics basically help to optimize the foot biomechanics and help reduce the pressure on the injured area.

Another important step in the treatment process is having the patient stretch and strengthen the plantar fascia to help it prevent from returning. It’s a very common condition where it can recur if you don’t stretch and strengthen the tissue after you receive treatment.

Now, one of the products I’m a huge fan of is a product called the Roll Recovery R8. This roller massages and releases the tightness in the calves and in the lower legs. It’s very effective at maintaining the soft tissue mobility in the legs. You’ll want to roll each area in the legs for two minutes daily and before and after a workout. Next, roll the bottom of the plantar fascia using a lacrosse ball or a golf ball to loosen up any tightness in the plantar fascia.

To roll the plantar fascia, what you want to do is you want to take like a lacrosse ball here or even a tennis ball. A golf ball’s going to be a little bit harder, so you may want to start off with something a little softer like a tennis ball or lacrosse ball, and basically we’re just going to, again, find any of those tight areas in there and just roll back and forth. You can also add in some toe movement as you’re rolling it and see if that makes a difference, just some active motion back and forth like that. Just really find any of those tender spots. Often the problem area it’s going to be more back towards the heel or more in the arch of the foot and just roll back and forth.

I like to do this have patients do this while they’re watching TV or after they’ve rolled the calf. That’s a great time to also roll the plantar fascia and help loosen it up. So that’s a lacrosse ball or golf ball. You can also use something such as this, which is a product called the Body Works ball. Basically, the advantage of this is you can actually get some leverage using the handle here and you’re just going to roll back and forth. This is a great product because you can also use it in the back. You can use it in other areas and use the handle and strap to get more tension. Also, it will hold it in the right position so you can kind of tension it, roll on that foot and then position it a little bit different and then, depending on how much you’re pulling up on the handle, you can get some good treatment onto the tissue there.

One other stretch we can do is you can also, in a seated position, with the ankle flexed and your toes flexed, you can hold this stretch position like that and you’re getting a good stretch all the way from the calf and into the bottom of the plantar fascia and really get a good stretch into the plantar fascia like this. I’ll have patients hold this for 30 to 45 seconds again, just getting a good, nice stretch onto the plantar fascia. Again, none of this should be painful. So those are a couple different stretches that we can do for the plantar fascia.

If you’re suffering from plantar fasciitis, give our office a call at 703-912-7822 or schedule an appointment online by visit us at Chiropractor in Burke, VA.

 

5 Key Ways Expectant Mothers Benefit from Chiropractic Care

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Pregnancy is an exciting, precious time in a woman’s life, full of new experiences. Unfortunately, the baby’s development brings about bodily changes that often wreak havoc on the back and joints, and end up causing pain. These issues also frequently cause issues during delivery, and increase the time it takes for the body to recover post-pregnancy.

Expectant moms benefit from chiropractic care in a number of ways. Here are five key ways chiropractic care helps alleviate the toll pregnancy takes on a woman’s body.

#1: Chiropractic keeps the spine in alignment.

Pregnancy adds significant additional weight to a woman’s body in a short amount of time. This change bears on the spine, frequently pulling it out of alignment.

When this happens, the pain can be quite severe. Chiropractic care during pregnancy works to keep the spine in alignment and all supporting tendons working optimally, to be better prepared and able to adequately support the extra weight.

#2: Chiropractic reduces need for pain relievers.

Most times, individuals experiencing moderate pain pop a couple of over the counter pain relievers and think nothing of it. However, pregnant women strive to avoid medications when possible.

Chiropractic adjustments decrease the underlying issues that cause pain, so the patient relies less on medications. Experiencing less pain as well as eliminating the need for pain killers is a win-win situation for expectant mothers.

#3: Chiropractic strengthens and repairs joints.

Pregnancy really beats up an expectant mothers joints. Chiropractic care for expectant mothers is a productive way to minimize the effect the large, protruding abdomen has on her hips, legs, and ankles.

Treating the body as a whole, chiropractic treatment works to strengthen the body and promotes healing of injured or strained areas.

#4: Chiropractic helps achieve pelvic alignment.

An aligned pelvis is critical to the birthing process, and increases the chances of being able to give birth naturally. According to the American Pregnancy Association,

“When the pelvis is misaligned it may reduce the amount of room available for the developing baby. This restriction is called intrauterine constraint. A misaligned pelvis may also make it difficult for the baby to get into the best possible position for delivery. This can affect the mother’s ability to have a natural, non-invasive birth.”

An experienced chiropractor can effectively align the pelvis before delivery, so the mother is able to deliver with little incident.

#5: Chiropractic increases the body’s ability to bounce back.

Let’s face it, every pregnant woman thinks “will I ever fit in the clingy red dress again?” The healthier and stronger a woman’s body is before and during pregnancy, the easier it is to get back into shape once the baby is born. Eating right and safely exercising are effective ways to accomplish this.

Chiropractic care is also a valuable component to fitness. Expectant mothers who choose chiropractic enjoy better posture, less pain, and increased mobility, especially late in the third trimester.

This allows them to maintain exercise routines and be active longer than those suffering from back pain and achy joints. After the delivery, it’s easier to get back into a fitness routine, and into that red dress, if the new mother’s joints, back, and hips are aligned and functioning properly.

Chiropractic care can serve to reduce pain and increase the overall heath of expectant mothers, letting her relax and focus on the more pleasant aspects of pregnancy. Expecting women who commit to chiropractic care can look forward to a stronger body, the chances of a smoother delivery, and an easier recovery after the baby comes.  Dr. Todd P. Sullivan is certified in the Webster Technique and specializes in the treatment of pregnant patients that are suffering from back pain and sciatica.  To schedule an appointment give our office a call at 703-912-7822 or schedule a new patient appointment by clicking here.

Small Muscle Causes BIG Pain: Relieve Piriformis Syndrome with Chiropractic Care

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A small muscle located deep in the buttocks, the piriformis muscle performs the essential function of rotating the leg outwards. Piriformis Syndrome is a painful condition that occurs when the piriformis muscle is tight and intrudes upon the sciatic nerve in the buttocks. Causing pain and tenderness and sometimes numbness in the buttocks, piriformis syndrome pain may also radiate down the sufferer’s leg, and in some cases, even into the calf.

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