In the video below, this Chicago Chiropractor Talks Health. Ask anyone, “how do you get healthy?” The most common responses are eat better and exercise. Yes, these are important factors in health, but there is so much more to being healthy. Continue reading
Back pain Chicago 2017 is what we will be discussing today. What does that even mean, you may be thinking?
Back pain is the 2 reason people visit a doctor, second only to the common cold. Research shows that 80% of Americans will suffer from back pain in their lives to a degree where they will miss work. The trend I am noticing in my Chicago office is that the numbers are on the rise. In today’s day and age people are busier, more stressed and less physically active than ever before. All of these factors, along with many others contribute to back pain and degradation of overall health.
Back pain is not always associated with an acute injury like most people think. Back pain usually builds over the years. It begins with dysfunction in the muscles and spine that the person is not usually aware of. Or, sometimes they are aware of some twinges, but chose to ignore those signs. What ends up happening is eventually a small stress or activity will then be the ‘straw that breaks the camels back’ so to speak. I hear stories like this all the time. “I slept funny and now I can’t move”, “I bent over to pick up a pencil and couldn’t stand back up”, or my favorite, “I sneezed and my back went out”. These are just a few examples of the stories I hear and it’s easy to see how someone may thing this offending activity caused their back pain, but in reality the issues most likely started a long time ago.
The best course of action to take is to be Proactive as opposed to reactive! Don’t wait for a crisis and don’t ignore the small signs and symptoms your body may be giving you. The small things lead to the big things.
If you are in pain or if you are looking for prevention, come see us! I have been helping people stay healthy, strong and active since 2006!
Yours in Health,
Dr. Steven Bourdage DC
One of the easiest ways to improve your overall health is to stand for better posture. The human body is designed to move, and keep moving. We as a society have come a long way from this. We are now spending an average of 13 hours a day sitting on our butts! As a result of all of this sitting we are becoming weaker, more overweight, and suffering from back pain at all time high levels. 86% of all Americans will suffer from low back pain to the extent that they will have to miss work. Back pain is now the second most common reason people visit their Medical Doctor after the common cold.
Many people, corporations, companies and myself are switching to standing desks. Studies show standing helps employees to be more productive, have more energy and have less missed days of work. From a physiological standpoint, standing lowers blood pressure, improves posture, and keeps your spinal muscles strong. Standing while you work is a win-win for everyone involved.
Since switching to my standing desk, I have actually not lowered once to sit down. It has the option to be lowered, but I find no desire to sit down anymore. It does take some getting used to, and you may feel soreness in your feet, knees, hips and lower back when you first start because all of those muscles are not used to having to work so much. Stay the course though, because after a week or so everything starts to feel much better.
Do you stand for better posture? Have you switched to a standing desk? I’d love to here about what you notice is the difference?
Yours in Health,
Dr. Steven Bourdage DC
Happy Holidays from our family to yours! Wishing you happiness, health and ridiculous success in 2017!
Let’s work together to make sure you have the best 2017 possible. Whatever your health goals may be, feel free to discuss them with Dr. Bourdage and let’s formulate a plan to make sure you reach them!
A good goal should be specific, have a timeline, and a reward at the end of it. For example, just saying I want to lose weight in 2017 is not very motivating. But, if you were to say I want to lose 20lbs by April 1st and if I do I will reward myself with a trip to Mexico… now THAT is a goal!
I know the holidays can be a time when many people put their health on the back burner; don;t let that happen. Go into the New Year with momentum and watch 2017 be your best year yet.
Dr. Steven Bourdage DC
April 21, 2016
Astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth recently after being in space for a year! One of the headline grabbing topics when he returned was that he gained 2 inches in height during his time away! How incredible is that? You may wondering what that has to do with chiropractic? Let’s talk about it: Continue reading
March 31, 2016
This was the title of a recent article that came out on NBC news. You can view the article here: Back Surgery
Most people who have a back surgery end up needing a second one later on, and in many cases even after 2 surgeries these people are in just as much pain, if not more than before. Continue reading
March 30, 2016
Recently I had a new patient come into the office with occular migraines. An occular migraine can effect your vision in a serious way before they may turn into a full blown migraine. This particular patient would see flashing lights and lines in his vision that were very disruptive to his everyday life. He had seen every specialist imaginable looking for relief. After 2 years of searching for relief, Continue reading
Everyone knows that chiropractors are great at helping relieve neck pain. In my office, people refer to me as the Neck Pain Chiropractor and I love that! There are great chiropractors all over Chicago, but if you are looking to correct your neck pain once and for all, this is your place.
We take motion study X-rays to accurately diagnose why you are having neck pain. Not only is it important to see the alignment and structure of your neck, we also need to see how/if your spine is moving the way that it should. Any areas of restriction or subluxation will interfere with how your neck is working and feeling. Not only does this lead to pain and stiffness, it can affect the function of organs and tissues. For example, neck subluxations can lead to headaches, allergies, TMJ issues, sinus problems and even thyroid troubles.
If you are experiencing neck pain, and have not yet been to a neck pain chiropractor, then that should be your first step. Studies show that when you see a chiropractor first, the chances of you needing costly medications or surgeries are much lower compared to if you see a medical doctor first. Time is critical when dealing with neck pain. The sooner you are able to get it checked out, the sooner you will be able to start feeling better and get the problem corrected. Personally, I find that those who wait years and years and years to get their pain checked out end up spending more time, energy and money to get it fixed.
In conclusion, neck pain can be very debilitating. It can affect all of your daily activities , from exercise, work, playing with your kids and even simple things like getting dressed or sleeping. It doesn’t have to be this way, let us help you!
Your in Health,
Dr. Bourdage
Have you ever wondered “Why do chiropractors take X-rays?” Or, have you considered going to see a chiropractor, but are worried because your chiropractor may recommend X-rays? Some people feel X-rays may not be needed for their case. Let’s discuss these concerns. Continue reading
Neck Pain Relief
Neck pain relief is becoming more and more important here in Chicago. The reason being is we are under more stress than ever. We are spending more time than ever in front of computers, mobile devices and other electronics and this plays a major role in why people are having neck pain and seeking neck pain relief. Continue reading