Cycling and Chiropractic. With summer now upon us. Criterium racing in Melbourne is at its peak. Whether you’re pinning a number on at Sandown, The Teardrop, St Kilda or Glenvale there’s almost a race on every day of the week.

These races favour the sprinters and with every second, stroke and effort counting towards positioning yourself towards that final straight. We must consider what is required to not only win, but also allow your body to recover adequately. Cyclist all look at obtaining an edge by having the most aerodynamic or lightweight frame, wheels and attire and forking out thousands on power meters but what is the primary power source driving the bike… YOUR body!

With the repetitive nature of cycling and the amount of time a cyclist can spend in the saddle the smallest spinal misalignment can cause devastating effects. Spinal misalignments lead to postural instability, pelvic instability, muscle fatigue and increased tension in joints ligaments and tendons throughout.  To put in perspective postural and pelvic instability commonly lead to leg length inequality which effects the pedal stroke as you are effectively riding with unequal crank arms. Think about the pressure that is placing on your knees, hips, gluteals and hamstrings.

Make sure your body is moving as efficiently as possible. 

Give us a call on 9995 8164 to discuss how Chiropractic can help your cycling experience.

Pregnancy is a beautiful thing. Whether or not it is your first pregnancy or you are in your final trimester your body can start to unlike it normally would. A lot of people question “Is it safe to see a Chiropractor whilst pregnant?” The simple answer is YES! With 50-70% of pregnant women experiencing lower hip or back pain at some stage of the pregnancy Chiropractic care can help to reduce this stress and strain.

Understandably with the growing child in vitro, the change in hormones, the additional weight and change in centre of gravity your hips and joints in through the lower back can experience pain or bring about a pain response as this is not a normal degree of stress experienced.

During pregnancy, a woman’s centre of gravity shifts to the front of her pelvis. This typically results in an increase in stress and load on the lower back and pelvis. As the due date approaches and full term is reached the changes in the curvature of a womens lower back can overload vertebral joints, the sacrum and hips. With soft and gentle Chiropractic techniques complemented with some muscle relaxation therapies we here at LiveWell Family Chiropractic strive to help you manage and cope with what aches and pains you experience whilst pregnant. Sciatica is also a condition commonly associated with pregnancy. This pain radiates from the lower back all the way down the legs.

Maintaining pelvic balance is important and it’s going to help you feel and move better. Not only is it important to maintain pelvic balance whilst pregnant but sustaining core stimulation and training will also help after the birth has taken place. When your pelvis is misaligned it can reduce the amount of room available for the developing baby (known as intrauterine constraint) and that can reduce your likelihood of being able to have a natural, non-invasive birth.

Pregnancy can cause the spine to misalign to the degree in which is does not move back into place once the child is born. With this in mind movements and tasks such as carrying a baby, breast-feeding, and even simply bending over to pick things up can be painful and hard to do as your spine is no longer positioned or moving correctly. This isn’t pain that you have to just deal with.

A thorough Chiropractic examination will determine the best treatment to address the reasons why you are experiencing your pain and discomfort, tailored with our rehabilitation programs we will have you not only moving pain free but look to improve on your pre-pregnancy conditioning.

At LiveWell Family Chiropractic we understand each pregnancy is different like each individual is different. We carefully tailor our adjusting and management protocols to cater to your needs.

For more information or to make a time please call (03) 9995 8164 or email us on info@livewellfc.com.au.

Chiropractic Care revolves around the principle that the relationship and level of communication between brain and body is sustained and maintained by your nervous system and thus protected by your spine. The way in which your spine moves impacts not only your structure but also impacts on your overall function and thus your health. By reducing the level of interference or maintaining your best spinal health and movements you give your body the best opportunity to sustain and maintain healthy movement and spinal health.

Headaches and migraines are one of the main reasons if not the main reason why people typically present to the practice, seeking Chiropractic Care. Patients can often describe their headaches as a constant dull ache or throb which seems to start at the back of the head. To begin with we can often assume that it’s a one-off occurrence and that over the course of the day it will subside.

Does this sound like something you experience from time to time? We all love a quick and efficient solution so typically we rely on some Panadol or Nurofen to help ease the pain and let us get back to our day but there typically comes a time when this is no longer an effective way of coping.

Almost everyone will experience a headache at some point in their life but they are not all the same nor do they have the same effects or triggers. So what types of headaches are there and which do you suffer from/experience?

The 3 most common are

• Migraines: sensitivity to light and sound is common during migraine headaches.
• Tension Headaches: related to stress, anxiety, dehydration, posture and more lifestyle factors
• Cluster headaches: typically classified by pain behind or around the eye.

Diagnosing what kind of headache, you are experiencing or experienced is the first step in identifying the best care plan for you. Often a few simple changes in your daily routine have the potential to reduce or eliminate chronic headaches. Tension type headaches are the most common seen in the practice, with the shift and increase in time in which we all spend on computers, tablets and mobile phones the time we spend in these repetitive and static postures can be some of the main contributing factors to your headaches.

Taking a pro-active step of improving your posture and ergonomics at work, moderating screen time and reducing some foods such as cured meats, aged cheeses and alcohol which have been linked to headaches can have a positive impact on not only your headache severity but prevalence.

So how can Chiropractic care help with your headaches? Simple. A lot of tension type headaches and migraines can often originate from the neck referring up to the back of the skull or to the side of neck radiating to the temple. On examination, patients whom present with chronic headaches often have:

• Reduced range of movement in their neck (cervical spine)
• Reduced movement in thoracic spine.
• Compressed or pinched nerves
• History of neck pain
• Muscle tension in the shoulders

For more information or if you would like us to help you with your Headaches simply give the practice a call on (03) 9995 8164 or book online on the below link.