The 5 Best Ways to Reduce Your Risk for Sciatica:

1. Maintain proper posture:  People who have good posture help their body to have proper nerve and blood flow, which may be impaired by prolonged poor posture.  Poor posture can cause aching, pain, and impaired nerve function over time.
2. Exercise regularly:  The risk for sciatica is much lower when the muscles and tissues of your body are strong and healthy.
3. Maintain a healthy diet and weight:  I know, the last thing you want to hear…but it is so true!  The better you eat, the better the body works, and a healthy weight puts less pressure on nerves and blood flow, directly affecting the sciatic nerve.
4. Use good body mechanics when lifting:  Injury is less common as a reason for developing sciatica.  However, when injury is involved, poor lifting techniques are a common reason for injury that leads to sciatica.
5. Get regular chiropractic care:  Chiropractic adjustments offer a drug-free, non-invasive treatment option as well as preventive care for sciatica.  The goal of chiropractic treatment is to restore/maintain spinal movement, which improves function while decreasing pain and inflammation. Depending on the cause of the sciatica, your chiropractor may use ice/heat therapy, ultrasound, and rehab exercises in addition to chiropractic adjustments in your treatment.

While it is not always possible to prevent sciatica, these suggestions improve spinal health and the overall health of the body, and can greatly lower your risk for developing sciatica.

The Institute of Chiropractic and Acupuncture Therapy provides chiropractic and wellness care for sciatica and many other conditions.  We provide chiropractic and other wellness services to patients in West Jordan and the Salt Lake City Metro area.  Come experience the difference at The Institute!

For more information please see our website at SuperDocDC.com.

(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.)

The post 5 Best Ways to Reduce your Risk for Sciatica appeared first on Institute of Chiropractic & Acupuncture Therapy.

If you visit a conventional physician for pain, there’s a very good chance you’ll leave with a prescription for a medication, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs like Ibuprofen), acetaminophen (Tylenol) and even opioids (OxyContin, Vicodin, etc.).  These are the go-to treatment for pain in the modern medical world.

However, there are better options than drugs for neck pain, not only in terms of pain relief, but also in helping to treat the underlying cause of the pain so that healing can truly occur. Wellness doctors such as chiropractors and osteopathic physicians (DOs) have helped millions of patients achieve pain relief without drugs.

Study Shows Exercises and Chiropractic Care Beat Drugs for Neck Pain

According to a study published in 2012 in the Annals of Internal Medicine and funded by the National Institutes of Health, medication is not the best option for treating neck pain.

After following 272 neck-pain patients for 12 weeks, those who used a chiropractor or exercise were more than twice as likely to be pain free compared to those who took medication.

Specifically:

• 32 percent who received chiropractic care became pain free
• 30 percent of those who exercised became pain free
• 13 percent of those treated with medication became pain free

Researchers concluded:

“For participants with acute and subacute neck pain, SMT [spinal manipulation therapy] (in other words, a chiropractic adjustment) was more effective than medication in both the short and long term. However, a few instructional sessions of HEA [home exercise with advice] resulted in similar outcomes at most time points.”

In the case of neck pain, and many other kinds of pain, the underlying cause is often related to body mechanics (posture) or misalignments in your spine.  Addressing your posture, exercising, and chiropractic care is very effective at relieving the pain and addressing the underlying cause. If you have chronic pain of any kind, please understand that there are many safe and effective alternatives to prescription and over-the-counter painkillers.  These may require some patience as exercising, good posture habits, and chiropractic adjustments take time to help the body heal from a chronic problem that took months or even years to develop.

To see the full article containing information on this study and more about chiropractic care and specific exercises, please click HERE.

For more information on how chiropractic and wellness care can help you, please see our home page HERE.

The post Chiropractic and Exercise: Research says it is Better than Drugs appeared first on Institute of Chiropractic & Acupuncture Therapy.

Many people come to The Institute of Chiropractic and Acupuncture Therapy because they have had little or no response to medical treatment or other chiropractic treatments.  Here are some common conditions we see in our clinic that have had successful outcomes with chiropractic treatments:

Headaches                       Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Back and neck pain           Fibromyalgia

Auto injuries/whiplash       Hormone Imbalances

Sports Injuries                  Digestive issues

Depression                       Allergies

Arthritis

There are many different chiropractic techniques that can be used for adjustments.  At The Institute some of the specific chiropractic techniques and methods Dr. Burrup has been trained in include Gonstead, Activator, Diversified, Thompson, Toggle Recoil, Nimmo, sports injury and extremity adjustment.

The goal of our clinic is to help our patients become empowered with their health, achieving their optimal wellness goals.  If you are suffering needlessly from pain, have a condition that has not responded well to medical care or other chiropractic treatments, or are trying to achieve optimal wellness in your life, chiropractic can help you on the road back to better health!

Dr. Trent Burrup is a chiropractor who provides care in Salt Lake City and surrounding areas including Sandy, Draper, South Jordan, West Jordan, Murray, and all other Salt Lake Metro areas. Come experience the difference at The Institute!

The post CHIROPRACTIC: for MORE than just BACK and NECK pain appeared first on Institute of Chiropractic & Acupuncture Therapy.

4 Ways to Prevent and Treat Headaches Without Medications:

1. Drink more Water.  Most people do not consume enough water each day.  Dehydration can lead to headaches! Keep a water bottle with you throughout the day and drink at least 8 cups (64 oz.) each day.
2. Take a break from electronic devices.  When you are continuously looking at a computer, and especially when looking down at a phone or other device, the muscles in your eyes and neck get strained.  Taking short breaks and stretching your neck for a few minutes will make a big difference (and feels great!)
3. Acupuncture/acupressure.  Studies show acupuncture to be an effective treatment for headaches.  We have had a lot of success at our clinic treating people who have headaches with acupuncture or acupressure, especially when combined with chiropractic care.
4. Chiropractic adjustments. Many people find relief from their headaches with chiropractic adjustments.  The Institute of Chiropractic and Acupuncture Therapy has helped many people get drug-free results, drastically reducing and/or totally eliminating their headaches!  Some estimates suggest that 25% of the population has a headache right now…are you one of them?

Headaches are most often a sign that something is not right in your body.  There are many types of headaches and many things can cause them. Medications cover up the pain, but don’t correct the underlying cause. If you can treat the cause of the headache, it will go away!

For more information on how chiropractic, acupuncture, and other wellness therapies can help your headaches, please see our What We Do page at SuperDocDC.com.

Dr. Trent Burrup is a chiropractor and graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic.  He provides chiropractic care in Salt Lake City and surrounding areas including West Jordan, South Jordan, Sandy, Draper, Taylorsville, Murray, Riverton, Herriman, Bluffdale, Cottonwood Heights, and Holiday.  We have patients from Utah County and as far north as Logan, even some from out of state!  Come experience the difference at The Institute!

The post 4 Ways to Prevent and Treat Headaches Without Medication appeared first on Institute of Chiropractic & Acupuncture Therapy.

Life can be a real pain in the neck. Don’t let it happen to you! Here are 10 ways to prevent neck pain from slowing your life down.

1.      Beware of Bifocal and Trifocal Glasses: If you are reading this through the bottom section of your glasses, then you are likely positioning your head and neck in an awkward position to do so. The best way to avoiding pinching your neck in order to utilize all portions of your prescription lenses is to have dedicated mono-focal prescription lenses that you can use for reading.

2.      Adjust your Computer Screen to You: If your computer monitor is too high, you will be looking up for hours. If your computer monitor is too low, you will be looking down for hours. These sustained postures are likely to cause a pain in your neck. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has some great tips to help you adjust your monitor and prevent neck pain.

4.      Keep Your Shoulders Back and Your Chest Forward: The shoulders provide the base of support for your neck. Shoulders that drift to far forward, as the chest caves in, causes the head and neck to careening forward as if you were a turtle. Without a good foundation of support starting with your upper torso and shoulders, the neck tends to crumble.

5.      Maintain Good Shoulder Strength: The shoulders are a foundation of support, and because of this they need to be strong. Good muscle tone especially between the shoulder blades, where the rhomboid muscles reside, is critical for preventing neck pain.

6.      Use Arm Rests Whenever Possible: No matter how strong your shoulder and neck muscles are, you need to give them a rest sometimes. Armrests are an important way to keep the weight of your arms from constantly pulling on the neck muscles. Fatigue in these muscles eventually causes neck pain.

7.      Use a Good Supportive Pillow: While you are sleeping, you need to maintain good sleep posture. A pillow that is too thin can cause your head to reach for the pillow. A pillow that is too thick can force your neck to bend a certain direction all night. If you wake up with neck pain, try a different pillow.

8.      Adjust the Vehicle Headrest to a Proper Height: The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) recommends that the vehicle headrest be positioned at the center of your head. In the event of a sudden stop, the headrest can then help to prevent the neck from whipping back and forth.

9.      DO NOT SMOKE: Smoking is the fastest way to ruin your spine! According to a study reported in Spine 2004, spinal discs can degenerate very rapidly in smokers. A smoker’s spine does not heal quickly after an injury or surgery if at all. In fact, if you quit smoking now, you will probably have less pain later.

10.   Watch Your Weight: You may not realize that your body weight affects your neck, but it sure does. Your arms get heavier and your breasts get heavier as you gain weight. Furthermore, your shoulder blades spread apart as you gain weight also. All of these changes in an obese body increase your likelihood of developing neck pain.

Exercise Tip: One of the most important exercises for preventing neck pain is rowing.

The post 10 Ways to Prevent Neck Pain appeared first on Institute of Chiropractic & Acupuncture Therapy.

The 5 Best Ways to Reduce Your Risk for Sciatica:

1. Maintain proper posture:  People who have good posture help their body to have proper nerve and blood flow, which may be impaired by prolonged poor posture.  Poor posture can cause aching, pain, and impaired nerve function over time.
2. Exercise regularly:  The risk for sciatica is much lower when the muscles and tissues of your body are strong and healthy.
3. Maintain a healthy diet and weight:  I know, the last thing you want to hear…but it is so true!  The better you eat, the better the body works, and a healthy weight puts less pressure on nerves and blood flow, directly affecting the sciatic nerve.
4. Use good body mechanics when lifting:  Injury is less common as a reason for developing sciatica.  However, when injury is involved, poor lifting techniques are a common reason for injury that leads to sciatica.
5. Get regular chiropractic care:  Chiropractic adjustments offer a drug-free, non-invasive treatment option as well as preventive care for sciatica.  The goal of chiropractic treatment is to restore/maintain spinal movement, which improves function while decreasing pain and inflammation.  Depending on the cause of the sciatica, your chiropractor may use ice/heat therapy, ultrasound, and rehab exercises in addition to chiropractic adjustments in your treatment.

While it is not always possible to prevent sciatica, these suggestions improve spinal health and the overall health of the body, and can greatly lower your risk for developing sciatica.

The Institute of Chiropractic and Acupuncture Therapy provides chiropractic and wellness care for sciatica and many other conditions.  We provide chiropractic and other wellness services to patients in West Jordan and the Salt Lake City Metro area.  Come experience the difference at The Institute!

For more information please see our website at SuperDocDC.com.

(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.)

The post 5 Best Ways to Reduce Your Risk for Sciatica appeared first on Institute of Chiropractic & Acupuncture Therapy.

If you visit a conventional physician for pain, there’s a very good chance you’ll leave with a prescription for a medication, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs like Ibuprofen), acetaminophen (Tylenol) and even opioids (OxyContin, Vicodin, etc.).  These are the go-to treatment for pain in the modern medical world.

However, there are better options than drugs for neck pain, not only in terms of pain relief, but also in helping to treat the underlying cause of the pain so that healing can truly occur. Wellness doctors such as chiropractors and osteopathic physicians (DOs) have helped millions of patients achieve pain relief without drugs.

Study Shows Exercises and Chiropractic Care Beat Drugs for Neck Pain

According to a study published in 2012 in the Annals of Internal Medicine and funded by the National Institutes of Health, medication is not the best option for treating neck pain.

After following 272 neck-pain patients for 12 weeks, those who used a chiropractor or exercise were more than twice as likely to be pain free compared to those who took medication.

Specifically:

• 32 percent who received chiropractic care became pain free
• 30 percent of those who exercised became pain free
• 13 percent of those treated with medication became pain free

Researchers concluded:

“For participants with acute and subacute neck pain, SMT [spinal manipulation therapy] (in other words, a chiropractic adjustment) was more effective than medication in both the short and long term. However, a few instructional sessions of HEA [home exercise with advice] resulted in similar outcomes at most time points.”

In the case of neck pain, and many other kinds of pain, the underlying cause is often related to body mechanics (posture) or misalignments in your spine.  Addressing your posture, exercising, and chiropractic care is very effective at relieving the pain and addressing the underlying cause. If you have chronic pain of any kind, please understand that there are many safe and effective alternatives to prescription and over-the-counter painkillers.  These may require some patience as exercising, good posture habits, and chiropractic adjustments take time to help the body heal from a chronic problem that took months or even years to develop.

To see the full article containing information on this study and more about chiropractic care and specific exercises, please click HERE.

For more information on how chiropractic and wellness care can help you, please see our home page HERE.

The post Chiropractic and Exercise: Research says it is Better than Drugs appeared first on Institute of Chiropractic & Acupuncture Therapy.

The post Meet our Chiropractor, Dr. Trent Burrup appeared first on Institute of Chiropractic & Acupuncture Therapy.

The Institute of Chiropractic and Acupuncture Therapy provides chiropractic, acupuncture, and other wellness therapies to patients in West Jordan, and the Salt Lake City Metro Area.  Our chiropractor, Dr. Trent Burrup focuses on wellness through chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture treatments and numerous other holistic therapies. Come experience the difference at The Institute!

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

The post CHIROPRACTIC CARE and RIBS appeared first on Institute of Chiropractic & Acupuncture Therapy.

Life can be a real pain in the neck. Don’t let it happen to you! Here are 10 ways to prevent neck pain from slowing your life down.

1.      Beware of Bifocal and Trifocal Glasses: If you are reading this through the bottom section of your glasses, then you are likely positioning your head and neck in an awkward position to do so. The best way to avoiding pinching your neck in order to utilize all portions of your prescription lenses is to have dedicated mono-focal prescription lenses that you can use for reading.

2.      Adjust your Computer Screen to You: If your computer monitor is too high, you will be looking up for hours. If your computer monitor is too low, you will be looking down for hours. These sustained postures are likely to cause a pain in your neck. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has some great tips to help you adjust your monitor and prevent neck pain.

4.      Keep Your Shoulders Back and Your Chest Forward: The shoulders provide the base of support for your neck. Shoulders that drift to far forward, as the chest caves in, causes the head and neck to careening forward as if you were a turtle. Without a good foundation of support starting with your upper torso and shoulders, the neck tends to crumble.

5.      Maintain Good Shoulder Strength: The shoulders are a foundation of support, and because of this they need to be strong. Good muscle tone especially between the shoulder blades, where the rhomboid muscles reside, is critical for preventing neck pain.

6.      Use Arm Rests Whenever Possible: No matter how strong your shoulder and neck muscles are, you need to give them a rest sometimes. Armrests are an important way to keep the weight of your arms from constantly pulling on the neck muscles. Fatigue in these muscles eventually causes neck pain.

7.      Use a Good Supportive Pillow: While you are sleeping, you need to maintain good sleep posture. A pillow that is too thin can cause your head to reach for the pillow. A pillow that is too thick can force your neck to bend a certain direction all night. If you wake up with neck pain, try a different pillow.

8.      Adjust the Vehicle Headrest to a Proper Height: The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) recommends that the vehicle headrest be positioned at the center of your head. In the event of a sudden stop, the headrest can then help to prevent the neck from whipping back and forth.

9.      DO NOT SMOKE: Smoking is the fastest way to ruin your spine! According to a study reported in Spine 2004, spinal discs can degenerate very rapidly in smokers. A smoker’s spine does not heal quickly after an injury or surgery if at all. In fact, if you quit smoking now, you will probably have less pain later.

10.   Watch Your Weight: You may not realize that your body weight affects your neck, but it sure does. Your arms get heavier and your breasts get heavier as you gain weight. Furthermore, your shoulder blades spread apart as you gain weight also. All of these changes in an obese body increase your likelihood of developing neck pain.

Exercise Tip: One of the most important exercises for preventing neck pain is rowing.

The post 10 Ways to Prevent Neck Pain appeared first on Institute of Chiropractic & Acupuncture Therapy.