The hip cuff consists of more than 40 muscles in and around your lower pelvis that are responsible for much of your lower body movement. Hips are the most overlooked area when it comes to decreasing the potential for injury. Most back and hip problems occur because of improper mobility and stability and faulty utilization of the hips. If for instance, your hips are immobile and lack motion, it’s as if one of your thigh bones is welded to your pelvis- imagine wearing a permanent cast on your hip.  To get anything to move, you would have to use excessive motion in your knees and back to make up for your hip’s immobility. The lower lumbar spine and the knee joint would be forced to compensate by increasing mobility, likely resulting in injury. Both your low back and knees were meant to be secondary, not primary movers.

We want to focus on becoming gluteal (butt) dominant instead of quad dominant. This is a key concept. Most women move from their knee joints as opposed to their hip joints and to continue doing so is to invite ACL and other leg injuries.  A simple thing you can do is be aware of your posture during your workouts and daily movement.  Women’s knees often fall more toward the midline of the body, creating a greater angle from the knee to the hip.  Therefore, watch your workout routine and movement and make sure your knees are not coming together and not rubbing together.

It’s time to focus on movements that challenge the hip rotators.  Amy, my exercise therapist, always says “it’s all about the butt!” Well, it’s truth! And although our exercises might focus a lot on the butt, they are actually knee and back protectors.  The butt gives your body the ability to control the collapsing of your knees and better disperse force into your muscular system.  So get on board with mobilizing, stabilizing, and strengthening your glutes!  It will keep you full steam ahead in life.

Exercise of the month
Side Lying Toe-Heel Arc

Chiropractor Exercise

Start by lying on your left side on the floor with your body in a straight line from head to toe.  Your top hip bone should be directly lined up over your bottom hip bone with right foot resting on top of the left foot.  Flex your right foot as you lift your leg about 8 incehes off of the ground.  As if you were drawing a rainbow or an arc with your foot, rotate your hip and touch the floor with your toe.  Reverse the arc and touch behind you with your heel.  Continue the movement front and back for 15-20 repetitions.  Turn on your right side and repeat the exercise with your left leg.

1. Starving yourself leading up to the party.

While it may seem sensible to cut calories during the day to help counteract overeating later, the truth is that starving yourself slows your metabolism. By party time, your cravings will be much harder to control. Leading up to the party, snack on peanut butter with apples, low-fat string cheese, or a handful of nuts throughout the day..

2. Mismanaging your meal plan.

Don’t let your party schedule dictate your meal planning. Mark holiday events in your calendar in advance and make that day’s meals the healthiest of the week to counterbalance party treats and drinks. Start off the day with a filling breakfast (try the recipe below) loaded with protein, carbs, and healthy fat, and an equally balanced lunch.

3. Hanging out near the food.

Research suggests that having a strong visual image of food can heighten food cravings, and a table piled high with tasty treats, holiday pies, and other fattening foods can be a diet danger zone. Make yourself a small plate and position yourself away from the food table to avoid picking up extra food even when you’re not hungry.

4. Stressing out.

Whether you’re wrapping up a big project at work, navigating the stores for last-minute gifts, or playing referee with the family, the end of the year can be a stressful time. One of the most common responses to stress is eating. Manage stress with extra planning and plenty of sleep. Try listening to music while you’re wrapping up your day to relax. This combination will help you de-stress and lower your chance of eating too much.

5. Throwing back too many cocktails.

At seven calories per gram, alcohol provides almost as many calories as fat. Add to that soda, juices, sugar, or milk and your favorite seasonal cocktail may notch up as many calories as a meal. Plus, alcohol lowers blood sugar levels, which can result in you piling your plate high with holiday cookies. So eat a snack before the party and fill up on plenty of water throughout the day. Once you’re at the party, alternate alcoholic beverages with water.

Here in the office we are constantly talking about the benefits of the foam roller. So we decided to find an article (thanks coreperformance) that could explain in detail why we are all about it and hopefully convince you of its benefits. Cheers to wellness and working out! Enjoy!

How It Works

Foam rolling uses deep compression to help roll out muscle adhesions, or knots, that develop over time. Think of your muscle as a shoelace. It has a certain length to it. If it gets in a knot and you pull both ends of the shoestring, the knot gets tighter. You need to work the knot out with your fingers to restore the original length of the shoelace. The same goes for muscles. Sometimes stretching is not what you need. By working out those knots in the muscle, which often arise from inactivity or repetitive activity, you’ll be able to restore the muscle to its original length, thus making it more pliable and functional.
Technique

You can use the foam roll for all your major muscle groups. Glide your body over the foam roll to work each area individually, such as the backs of your legs or your lower back. Pause at any tender points for 10 to 30 seconds before moving on to the next region. Only apply as much pressure as you can tolerate and build up the amount of time you spend foam rolling. Your muscle tissue will begin to get used to this new sensation and be more and more willing to accept the new form of self massage that you’ve implemented into your routine.
Benefits

Foam rolling is like a massage. The compression causes your nerves to relax, loosens muscle, increases blood flow, and helps your body recover. In other words, foam rolling can alleviate soreness and make your muscles feel better.
When to Use It

You can use a foam roll anywhere or anytime. Many people enjoy rolling while watching television or before bedtime. Others do it at the start or end of a training session or after sitting in the same position for hours. Don’t limit yourself to the areas targeted in your training program. Use the foam roll anywhere you feel tight and in need of a massage.
What It Feels Like

You’ll probably enjoy the foam roll routine-everyone likes massages. Still, there’ll be some uncomfortable moments, as there would be during a professional massage. The first time you use a foam roll, it might be a little painful, but that’s just a sign that you stand to benefit greatly from using it. Once you’re past the first few weeks, though, it’ll get considerably easier and more comfortable. The foam roll is a great barometer of the quality of your muscle and connective tissue. The better it feels, and the less it hurts, the higher the quality of your tissue.
Alternatives

In a pinch, you could use a basketball instead of a foam roller. Tennis balls and lacrosse balls are also effective, but foam rolls are better suited for beginners since they’re less dense. “The Stick” is a great tool to use in conjunction with a foam roll. For example, you may want to use a massage stick when traveling, or to more closely target tight areas, while using the foam roll at home or in the gym for a general massage all over. Stay active and stay well!
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Sincerely,

Dr. Todd Elwert
Todd Elwert Chiropractic
Cincinnati, OH Chiropractor

A majority of our patients suffer from lumbar or cervical disc pain. Lumbar or cervical herniations/disc pain can be a result of over utilization, poor posture, being overweight, or just wear and tear. Most patients seek treatment at our office via referrals from orthopedics or from their friends who had successful results here. Lumbar disc pain can be very debilitating and painful, resulting in either back pain or a sciatic type of pain in the lower extremity. Lumbar disc pain usually worsens with sitting and/or bending over to touch your toes.

A common cause of neck, shoulder, and arm pain is a ruptured or herniated cervical disc. Symptoms may include dull or sharp pain in the neck or between the shoulder blades, pain that radiates down the arm to the hand or fingers, or numbness or tingling in the shoulder or arm. Certain positions or movements of the neck can intensify the pain.

Whether cervical or lumbar, not all cases are surgical in nature. Actually less than 5-10% of disc herniations/pain requires surgery. Manipulation of the spine is a very effective from of treatment. Other techniques such as soft tissue manipulation with Graston/facial manipulation are also very effective. Once pain relief is achieved, exercise programs are utilized to stabilize the problem and also prevent recurrence. Only in cases which do not respond sufficiently do we utilize medications/epidurals. In these instances, inflammation reduction is the goal, but it certainly does not replace exercises, manipulation, and soft tissue techniques.

Sincerely,

Dr. Todd Elwert
Todd Elwert Chiropractic
Cincinnati, OH Chiropractor
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Sitting can be very detrimental to your cervical spine and also lumbar spine: Prolonged sitting or standing is a very detrimental position. For instance, let’s examine the sitting position. If you are in a slouched sitting posture your pelvis is in a posterior tilt, more weight on the posterior aspect of the ischial tuberosities, your lumbar spine is in a very flat position, your chest is in a compressed state, your cervical spine is in an anterior translation. From this position take a deep breath, very difficult.

Secondly, lets have you reach forward, you are now bending from the low back thus increasing more pressure under your lower lumbar spine and your scapula’s are protracted, adding stress to your upper thoracic and shoulder region. Now let’s reposition for the correct posture. Sit up straight, put a lumbar roll in the small of your back, now your pelvis is more in an anterior pelvic tilt, your weight is on the ischial tuberosities more on your thigh region. The scapulas are in a more neutral position with less strain on your shoulders. The cervical spine is more in a neutral position. It’s much easier to take in deep inspiration. The less strain you put on fascia, muscles, ligaments the better you will perform.

Dr. Todd Elwert
Todd Elwert Chiropractic
Cincinnati, OH Chiropractor

This month is special for me and I offer a sincere thanks to you for the following reason. This month I celebrate 25 years of offering chiropractic services! I still enjoy my profession and serving you all as much as I did 25 years ago. Thank you for being great patients and friends over all these years!

We found these 10 Tips for Sticking With Your Workout from Nick Anthony with Perform Better to be helpful and thought you might enjoy them as well.

1. Find a compelling reason to train. The single most effective way to stick to your workout is to find your true reason- your passion- for training, and make it specific and vivid.

2. Set precise and vivid goals. Your incremental success will propel you forward and keep you focused on manageable tasks, so you can reach your larger-scale goals that much sooner.

3. Mark time off for your workout on your calendar. If you schedule it, you are more likely to go.

4. Make your goals public. This establishes a level of expectation from people who are pulling for you to succeed.

5. Train with a buddy. This develops a level of accountability. Challenge each other to stay consistent and motivated.

6. Share with your spouse. Getting him or her involved significantly improves your chance of success. In one study researchers found that married people who are active with their spouse stand a 94 percent chance of sticking with their exercise program. By contrast, 43 percent of married people who go it alone end up failing.

7. Build momentum. An hour in the gym and 10 at the desk does not make an active lifestyle. You need to start feeding your workout by choosing the stairs, walking more, and just generally being a more active person.

8. Rest, recover, repeat. One of the main reasons people skip their workout is because it hurts. If you’re terribly sore from doing anything, you probably won’t go back, right? That’s why it’s so important to reduce soreness from the start by including recovery in your training plan. If you like recording your habits, like sets and reps or meals, try writing down your foam roll and stretch rope routines. Think of it as an investment in your next workout. By not skipping out on flexibility and regeneration work, you’ll feel fresh for your next session.

9. Mix it up. Your body needs variety, and so does your mind. Use TRX bands, train outside, try boxing. It’s not about the latest training tool or fitness trend. It’s about keeping your mind and nervous system stimulated.

10. Keep expectations reasonable. Manage expectations-your own, that is. Understand that your body has developed a system called homeostasis, so it will fight hard to keep you within a healthy range and if you’re drawn quickly outside that range, many times it is because something is attacking the body, like a virus. So just as we are trying to lose weight or gain muscle, and those pounds are hard to change, it’s because or body is fighting our initial efforts to move our homeostasis.

Stay active and stay well!

Sincerely,

Dr. Todd Elwert
Todd Elwert Chiropractic
Cincinnati, OH Chiropractor
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Twenty-five years ago I first opened my chiropractic practice here in Cincinnati. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation for those who have supported me over the years- my family, my friends and most of all, you, my loyal patients.

Reflecting back, time sure has gone by quickly, but it usually does when you enjoy your work. My success is due in part to many of my past and present employees; without their support and hard work this would not have been possible. I have truly enjoyed working with each one of you and I hope the feeling is mutual. Thank you for all of your support as we tread towards the next 25 years of chiropractic health care.

And, to all of our wonderful patients- we look forward to continue serving your needs in the days and months ahead. Thank you for letting us take care of you.

With Sincere Thanks,

Dr. Todd Elwert
Elwert Chiropractic
Cincinnati, OH Chiropractor
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As many of you know, I am always hesitant about braces and immobilizing joints. If you take away movement from one area, the surrounding joints naturally have to endure more stress. So let’s take a look at back belts (typically used when weight lifting) as an example of the potential downsides of immobilizing a joint.

1. Those who have never had a previous back injury appeared to have no additional protective benefit from wearing a belt.

2. Those who are injured while wearing a belt seemed to risk a more severe injury.

3. Back belts tend to give people the perception they can lift more and people often think that the back belts in fact will enable them to lift more.

4. Back belts appear to increase intra-abdominal pressure and blood pressure.

5. Back belts change the lifting styles of some people to either decrease the load on the spine or increase the load on the spine.

In summary, given the assets and liabilities of wearing a back belt, I do not recommend them for healthy individuals and routine work or exercise participation. However, the temporary prescription of belts may help some individual workers to return to work. The exception to this recommendation is for extreme athletic lifting. Here, belts are not used to enhance health but instead, to lift more weight, and although I would preference the athlete to lift what their own natural core can handle, a belt here might be their preference.

Nature’s back belt, the abdominal hoop and lumbodorsal fascia, is my recommendation. The existence of the abdominal hoop in the body is proven by the activation of the latissimus dorsi and deep abdominal oblique muscles. The bottom line is we all have a back belt, we simply must develop it.

Sincerely,

Dr. Todd Elwert
Todd Elwert Chiropractic
Cincinnati, OH Chiropractor

Headaches are the leading cause of absenteeism from the workplace and accounts for the loss of 150 million workdays per year with the cost of lost labor of 17 billion each year in the United States. Headache sufferers are the main purchasers of asprin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory medication.

There are five most common types of headaches: migranes, clusters, tension type, post-traumatic, and cervicogenic. I have seen and treated via chiropractic manipultaion each of these types of headaches at my office. Most of my headache sufferers have been through a round of medical intervention and assorted medications. My number one treatment of course is spinal manipulation followed by some form of soft tissue manual therapy directed to the cervical and upper thoracic spine.

Assorted supplementation as well as dietary restrictions are as important as anything we do. That being said, did you know tilapia is the worst fish you can eat along with sodas if you suffer from headaches? Foods to eat- raw fruits and vegetables. Headaches may also be a result of jaw problems such as TMJ which all will be investigated during your evaluation. So if you or someone you know suffers from headaches, feel free to call our office today.

Sincerely,

Dr. Todd Elwert
Todd Elwert Chiropractic
Cincinnati Chiropractor
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