Are your Hips Aligned Properly? Part 2

Last week, we discussed how to determine if you have misalignment of your hips.  This week, we will talk about a few exercises to help strengthen the hip stabilizers.  Maintaining a stable core and pelvis takes excess pressure off the low back which can relieve low back pain. 

Exercise 1: Pelvic Tilts

Pelvic tilt exercises can help strengthen not only the pelvic girdle, but the core muscles as well.  Activating the core is essential in helping to align the hips.  Without a stable core and pelvis, the low back can become hypermobile and cause pain and dysfunction.  To perform this exercise, lie on the floor with your knees bent, keeping your head, upper back, lower back, shoulders and feet on the ground.  Brace the abdominal muscles and press your lower back into the floor.  Hold for 10 seconds while breathing normally.  Repeat 10 times.

Exercise 2: Prone Hip Extension

Hip extension exercises help not only to activate and strengthen the glutes, but the low back muscles as well.  The glute muscles are major hip stabilizers and when they are not functioning properly or are weak, they can contribute to the misalignment of the hip and associated pain.  To perform this exercise, lie face down on the floor.  Adding a pillow or other padding beneath the hips may make this exercise more comfortable.  Bend one leg to 90 degrees while keeping the other leg straight.  Activate the glute then push the bent foot upwards toward the ceiling in a controlled manner while maintaining the bend in the knee.  Once you feel resistance in the low back, return to the starting position.  Repeat 10 times on each leg.  Continue until you have completed 3 sets of 10 on each leg.  As you progress, ankle weights can be added to increase stability. 

Exercise 3: Hip Abduction

Hip abduction is moving the hip away from the center of the body.  This exercise helps strengthen and stabilize the gluteus medius muscles which play a very important role in hip stabilization.  Start by lying on your side with your head resting on your arm.  Bend the bottom leg slightly for added support.  To begin, slowly lift your upper leg toward the ceiling 45 degrees.  Return to the starting position.  Repeat 10 times on each leg.  Continue until you have completed 3 sets of 10 on each leg.  As you progress, ankle weights can be added to increase stability. 

Adding these three simple exercises to your current exercise routine can help stabilize the hips and decrease back pain.  Don’t forget to incorporate consistent chiropractic care into your routine as well.  Chiropractic adjustments will help maintain full spine alignment and allow your nervous system to fuel your muscles properly to ensure optimal performance. 

If you or someone you know in the Gallatin Valley area is looking for a chiropractor, please call Dr. Shea Stark with Pro Chiropractic at 406-219-2462 to schedule an appointment in our Belgrade, Manhattan, or Bozeman office.  Dr. Stark is a board certified chiropractor and the author of this blog post.  To learn more about Dr. Stark and the many benefits of chiropractic care, please visit our website: www.prochiromt.com.

 

Are Your Hips Aligned Properly?

A common cause of low back pain, and even knee pain, is misalignment of the hips.  What can cause that misalignment?  Well, there are a few things actually.  First, you could have a leg length difference.  There are two types of leg length issues: anatomical and functional.  An anatomical short leg cannot be changed.  Your body just grew that way.  Maybe you had an injury to a growth plate in your leg as a child, or had a devastating injury as an adult like breaking your femur, or maybe your legs just grew in at different lengths.  A functional short leg results from an unstable pelvis that continues to tip anterior or posterior (front or back).  Most anatomical leg length issues can be corrected with the use of a heel lift or custom orthotic, while a functional short leg can be corrected with consistent chiropractic care.  Here are some ways you can determine exactly what is causing your pain…

Step 1: Confirm that your hips are misaligned

Go see a chiropractor and have x-rays taken of your low back.  These x-rays will show both an anatomical and a functional leg length discrepancy if one or both are present.  This information will help the doctor narrow down what needs to be done to correct the problem. 

Step 2: Assess your pain

Hip misalignment tends to cause pain in one or more of three areas:

- Hip joint: when the hips are misaligned, more stress can be added to the side that has dropped which can decreased the joint space of that hip causing pain.
- Low back: misalignment of the hips or pelvis is often associated with hyperextension of the low back, tightness in the muscles of the low back and weakness of the abdominal muscles.
- Knee: stress is added to the knee when the hips or pelvis are misaligned causing the body weight to shift primarily to one side.   When that happens, the added weight can cause strain on the medial (inside) knee and cause pain.

Step 3: Assess your posture

Here at Pro Chiropractic, we have state of the art technology to help screen your posture and point out any abnormal areas.  This tool helps the doctor determine where you may be out of alignment and give us clues on how to fix it from the ground up.  The posture screen shows misalignments at the ankles, hips, ribcage, shoulders, and head when viewing from the front.  It will also analyze when viewing your profile.  It will tell us how far you may be bearing your weight forward or backward which can cause excess pressure on the different regions of the body.

Step 4: Figure out what can be causing the misalignment and correct it

- Stretch: after a brisk warm-up, make sure you thoroughly stretch the quads, hamstrings and glutes to make sure your muscles are on an even playing field before you start your work out.  If you don’t stretch properly, you can cause overcompensation issues during your workout that may lead to hip misalignment.
- Posture: try to be conscious of your posture.  If you notice you’re slouching, activate your core and sit up straighter.  This will help realign your entire body…as well as your hips.
- Heavy bags: wearing a heavy shoulder bag on one side can lead to body shifts which can throw off your hips and pelvis.  Switch to a double strap backpack or downsize your bag and the contents.
- Footwear: not wearing the right shoes or not having enough support for your feet will definitely lead to hip misalignment, especially if you have a leg length issue.  See your chiropractor about getting a custom fit orthotic to help keep everything aligned.
- Chiropractic care: receiving consistent chiropractic care will set you on a path to correcting your misalignment for the long term…not just hip misalignments, but full spine misalignments.  Chiropractic care is relatively painless and inexpensive (compared to chronic care with a medical doctor).  Call today to find out for yourself!

 

If you or someone you know in the Gallatin Valley area is looking for a chiropractor, please call Dr. Shea Stark with Pro Chiropractic at 406-219-2462 to schedule an appointment in our Belgrade, Manhattan, or Bozeman office.  Dr. Stark is a board certified chiropractor and the author of this blog post.  To learn more about Dr. Stark and the many benefits of chiropractic care, please visit our website: www.prochiromt.com.

 

Are You Nervous About Chiropractic?

It is understandable that while many people love and swear by chiropractic care, others may be nervous or apprehensive about it.  Are you nervous or apprehensive?  Here are the top 5 reasons people are "nervous" about chiropractic...based on my experience with patients new to chiropractic.

1. The "pop"...

The "pop" that is often associated with an adjustment is not the cracking of bone or tearing of soft tissues.  The scientific name for the sound is "cavitation".  The moveable joints in the spine are called synovial joints and they produce a lubricant known as synovial fluid that provides nutrients to the joints and allows them the move better.  The byproducts during the formation of the synovial fluid are gasses such as oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide.  The chiropractic adjustment gaps or opens those synovial joints allowing those gasses to be released, thus causing the "pop" sound.  It is similar to the "pop" that occurs when you open a can of soda, and equally as satisfying!

               

2. The thrust...

The thrust is the pressure applied rapidly to a specific vertebral segment usually resulting in the aforementioned "pop".  In chiropractic, this is known as HVLA or a high velocity, low amplitude thrust, meaning the adjustment is applied with low force, but very quickly.  Speed is the key! 

3. Does it hurt or will it worsen my injury?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), chiropractic is safe and effective when employed skillfully and appropriately.  However, side effects can occur following chiropractic adjustments such as soreness and stiffness, but those subside within 24 to 48 hours.  The benefits of chiropractic care far outweigh these adverse effects.  The adjustment opens the joint spaces, relieves pressure on the nerves, and realigns the spine which allows the soft tissues, such as muscles, ligaments and discs, to heal properly. 

4. Have you had a bad experience with a chiropractor or heard of someone else's bad experience?

Here at Pro Chiropractic, we pride ourselves on providing the best patient care possible.  We continue learning the newest adjusting and soft tissue techniques that will benefit our patients.  Think of it this way...if you hired a plumber that didn't fix your leak or tracked mud through your house, you wouldn't fire all plumbers, just that one.  Chiropractic is much the same.  It is important to find a chiropractor that makes you feel safe and comfortable…like these guys!

5. Lack of knowledge...

Many people fear the unknown, and that is no different when deciding to try chiropractic care.  If you don't know what chiropractic is or what it can do, it can seem scary or intimidating.  Visit the tab labeled "Chiropractic" to learn more about what we do. 

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!!

 

If you or someone you know in the Gallatin Valley area is looking for a chiropractor, please call Dr. Shea Stark with Pro Chiropractic at 406-219-2462 to schedule an appointment in our Belgrade, Manhattan, or Bozeman office.  Dr. Stark is a board certified chiropractor and the author of this blog post.  To learn more about Dr. Stark and the many benefits of chiropractic care, please visit our website: www.prochiromt.com.