CHIROCARELA.COM: Blog

Do you feel an ache on one side of your lower back? Does your hip feel stiff, or like it can’t support your weight? Lower back pain is unfortunately common and has a variety of causes. But at ChiroCareLA in Glendale, Dr. Jack Alajajian and his staff are equipped to not only diagnose patients’ problems and treat them noninvasively, but also to help them prevent relapses. Today we’re going to take a closer look at one of the most common causes of lower back pain: sacroiliac joint dysfunction.   Although the name sacroiliac joint dysfunction might sound complicated, it’s really just a description of the joint that is being affected. The sacrum is a structure made up of fused vertebrae that dangles beneath our lumbar spines and connects to the pelvis. The connecting part of the pelvis is called the ilium, of which there is one on each side, and it includes the bony crests at the top of the pelvis. The sacroiliac joint is a shock absorber, but it doesn’t normally have very much mobility. Th...

As the days get longer, we have more opportunities to get out in the sun. And in addition to boosting our moods and encouraging us to exercise, more sunlight is especially good for our bones. At ChiroCareLA in Glendale, we don’t just treat symptoms. We help our patients maintain holistic wellness, and that means educating the public about the connection between sunlight, Vitamin D, and preventing hair fractures in the vertebrae.   Our bones require calcium as their basic building material, and our muscles need calcium to function properly. However, an excessive amount of calcium can be harmful, so our bodies are only able to absorb it when they receive a chemical signal from Vitamin D. This vitamin is produced in our skin when it is exposed to sunlight, so we need sunlight in order to build our bones and muscles. Bones are constantly breaking down and rebuilding, but without enough calcium, they can’t rebuild fast enough to keep up with their rate of resorption, and become brittle. Whe...

Of all the things we can do to maintain total body wellness, one of the most important is keeping our cores strong. This isn’t just a matter of liking the way we look or being in competitive athletic shape; our core muscles provide critical support to our spines and hip bones. At ChiroCareLA in Glendale, Dr. Jack Alajajian and his team are committed to helping our patients sustain wellness over the course of their lives, and for that, it’s necessary to understand some basic aspects of the core and how to care for it.   The muscles of our abdomen are made up of several layers that are all shaped differently. The deepest core muscle is the transverse abdominis, which wraps around our visceral organs in horizontal bands. The internal and external oblique muscles are on the sides of the trunk and are involved with rotating it and bending the spine. The rectus abdominis muscle is the one on the front that forms the “abs” and connects to the sternum. It helps to stabilize the trunk, but keep...

When you hear the phrase “rotator cuff tear,” you might feel frightened. And it’s true that fraying the connective tissues in the shoulder is never a good thing, and can result in permanent debilitation without intervention. But rotator cuff tears are not always sudden, and a person may spend a long time pushing through their discomfort, unaware that their situation is becoming more urgent. At ChiroCareLA in Glendale, we provide non-invasive, non-addictive treatments for shoulder pain and other musculoskeletal problems, but since gentle interventions are most effective when done early, we want our patients to understand why they should seek help for shoulder pain as soon as possible.   The shoulder is where the ball of the upper arm bone (the humerus), fits into a socket formed by the collarbone (clavicle) and shoulder blade (scapula). A group of tendons formed by four muscles strap the humerus in place, along with a seal of cartilage surrounding the socket joint. This joint is loose e...

As teenagers test their new strength, they have an opportunity to develop a life-long habit of healthy exercise. But they also need to learn where their limits are and how to build up their strength sustainably. Dr. Alajajian and his staff in Glendale, CA, run a wellness-oriented clinic and are happy to help all patients avoid overuse injuries, as well as recover as quickly and completely as possible. For teenage athletes, there are a few specific concerns that need to be addressed.   Most back injuries in teen athletes are soft tissue strains. They tend to happen when the athlete didn’t warm up properly, which could happen if they weren’t planning on activity or only exercise intermittently. They’ll usually heal well if the athlete refrains from activity for a few days while icing them, and then gradually builds up the intensity of their work-outs. But if they want safe pain relief and to guard against scarring, we can provide electric muscle stimulation such as Acoustic Wave Therapy...

Are you careful to keep good posture while you drive or sit at your desk? If you aren’t, you risk developing a type of deformity chiropractors refer to as Upper Crossed Syndrome. The good news is that Upper Crossed Syndrome is almost always reversible, but the bad news is that it’s often a source of pain in the jaw, neck, shoulders, and upper back. Dr Alajajian and his staff in Glendale, CA, utilize a variety of complementary treatments to help patients recover from the effects of bad posture. Let’s take a close look at Upper Crossed Syndrome and how non-invasive treatments can help.   In a person with Upper Crossed Syndrome, some of the muscles in their upper body have become overactive and tight, while others that are underused have become weak. If you were to imagine a person with Upper Crossed Syndrome as seen from their side, their overactive shoulder and chest muscles would form one diagonal line, and their underactive neck and upper back muscles would form an intersecting diago...

Do you suffer from pain, weakness, or stiffness in one of your hips? If so, don’t think that’s just a natural consequence of aging or healthy activity. Dr. Alajajian and his staff in Glendale, CA, believe everyone is entitled to a life free from pain. We practice holistic, non-invasive therapies to help our patients maintain wellness. As experts in the musculoskeletal system, we’re particularly concerned with hip pain and the possibility that a patient may be suffering from a hip labral tear.   A labrum is a ring of cartilage around a ball-and-socket joint. The ones on the hips keep the femurs and pelvis aligned and allow the legs to rotate completely and smoothly. But when a labrum tears, the leg may catch or make clicking sounds when it moves, and a patient may feel a deep, constant ache that is especially bad when they attempt to stand up or walk on stairs. Hip labral tears can develop because of an acute injury, or they may be caused by repeated stress over a long period of time. ...

Herniated discs are extremely common and they don’t just cause soreness in the back; they can also compress nerves headed elsewhere in the body. Dr. Alajajian and his staff in Glendale, CA, provide patients with expert holistic treatment for symptoms and work to put the body in the best position to heal itself. But preventive care is also one of our priorities, so we want our patients to know more about disc degeneration.   The spinal discs are the shock absorbers in between the main bodies of articulated vertebrae. They are made up of a gel center, the nucleus pulposus, and a fibrous outer ring, the annulus fibrosus. Degenerative disc disease is different from a disc being injured by an acute injury, although it puts discs at greater risk of being damaged by a sudden blow. It is unclear why the discs lose water as people age, but as their shape changes, they tend to bulge outward and become less springy. When the annulus fibrosus ruptures, it releases inflammatory proteins, and the sw...

Have you been eager to get back to golf as society re-opens? At ChiroCareLA.com in Glendale, we’re certainly glad to see our patients exercising and getting bone-strengthening Vitamin D from sunlight while maintaining a safe physical distance. But we also advise everyone to increase their activity at a slow, steady pace. Golf is a sport that takes a heavier toll on the lower back than most, so we wanted to say a bit about the risks and how we can treat overuse injuries.   A golf swing forces the spine to rotate quickly at a tilted angle, which puts it under a great deal of strain. The vertebrae of the lumbar region don’t have as much anchoring as other parts of the spine to prevent rotation, so the connective tissues they do have are more vulnerable. Besides being at risk for pulling a muscle, older athletes may have dehydrated spinal discs, which could become herniated if subjected to enough force. Younger golfers are at greater risk for spondylolisthesis, in which a vertebra slides ...

If you’ve ever had pain in your leg, you may have tried adjusting your posture in a way that also put strain on your lower back. But the connections between our legs and the lumbar region go deeper than that. ChiroCareLA.com in Glendale offers a variety of complementary therapies for reducing pain in a holistic, safe manner, so to help our patients understand why we use them, we wanted to take some time to discuss some of the ways in which the back and legs are connected.   The nerves that lead to our legs emerge from the spinal cord in the lower back. They exit the lumbar vertebrae through small holes called foramina and weave through the muscles and bones of the pelvis. Compression in these nerves could cause a shooting pain, tingling, or numbness down the leg, which are the symptoms of sciatica, but the pressure causing the pinch could have several origins. Swelling from a dislocated facet joint or herniated disc, or a back muscle stretching over a spinal spur, could compress nerves...

Good posture depends on a solid base. If there’s a problem in the foot, a person may throw off their whole musculoskeletal alignment trying to compensate for it. At ChiroCareLA.com, our chiropractic practitioners offer a variety of soft tissue treatments for plantar fasciitis, which is swelling in the connective tissue at the bottom of the foot. But sometimes, foot pain has a simpler explanation, which is why we want to talk about avoiding foot cramps.   Foot cramps occur when the muscles in the feet tighten suddenly, usually while a person is lying down. They often occur when the muscle is fatigued from overuse or getting inadequate nutrition. While staying hydrated and getting plenty of potassium are important for preventing muscle cramps, if the foot has inadequate blood supply, necessary nutrients may not be reaching it. A patient may be able to correct this by wearing shoes that aren’t as tight and that don’t force their foot forward.   In the moment a cramp occurs, a person may b...

As experts in musculoskeletal care, we at ChiroCareLA.com offer complementary, non-addictive, fast-acting treatments for stingers and other shoulder pain. You may be wondering what chiropractic has to do with the shoulder. The field of chiropractic is concerned with every part of the body, and with shoulder pain, it is worth examining whether the problem is related to nerves in the neck.   Several nerves emerge from the spinal cord in the neck and branch out to the upper body. The ones going to the arm bundle together in the shoulder in a structure called the brachial plexus. When a person’s head is pushed away from their shoulder and their shoulder is pushed down, as often happens in contact sports, the brachial plexus is briefly pinched. This would cause a shooting pain along the shoulder and arm, which is what is called a stinger. Usually, stingers go away as quickly as they came. But if a person is subjected to repeated blows, or their brachial plexus is compressed by swelling, the...

Have you recently been in a motor vehicle accident or otherwise had your head snapped back and forth? Don’t delay seeking a clinical examination. The symptoms of whiplash don’t always appear immediately, but they can be painful and debilitating when not treated early. At ChiroCareLA.com, we offer a variety of safe therapies that account for the individual needs of each patient, designed to not only alleviate symptoms, but aid the healing process.   Whiplash is sometimes referred to as Cervical Acceleration-Deceleration Syndrome or CAD, in reference to how it develops in the neck bones or “cervical spine.” When a person’s head is snapped back and forth, they may develop microtears in their neck tissues and the connecting tissue in their head and shoulders. This can cause a wide variety of symptoms, including soreness, shooting pain, instability, and swelling. The ligaments of the neck may be stretched, and swelling may compress the nerves exiting the cervical spine and traveling to the ...

You are probably familiar with icing a freshly sprained ankle or busted shin to reduce swelling and pain. Cryotherapy, or “cold therapy,” works in the same way to reduce inflammation and pain, but on injuries suffered long ago. Start your road to recovery with Dr. Alajajian and his staff today! There are many benefits associated with ice pack cryotherapy that it’s become a popular treatment option in the Glendale, CA, area.    Ice pack cryotherapy is also an effective way to help with muscle spasms. Benefits can be obtained from just one session of cryotherapy, but it is most effective when used regularly. Commonly used in treatment for sports injuries, some athletes use cryotherapy twice a day, while others may go once a day for ten days and switch to once a month after that time. Listen to what your body says as it reacts to the treatment, as well as any advice given to you by your trusted chiropractor.    Other benefits of cryotherapy include:   - Reduces pain attributed to arthrit...

We at ChiroCareLA in Glendale, CA, understand that accidents happen. A slip, bump, fall, or another sudden trauma has the ability to cause subluxation, a misalignment in your spine. When or if an accident occurs, Dr. Alajajian and his staff are readily available to get you on a personalized treatment plan. While the main goal is to correct the misalignment of your vertebrae and alleviate discomfort, we also work to prevent future subluxations by building up your spinal health.   If you are experiencing subluxation, symptoms include:   - Swelling - Numbness and tingling - Limited mobility - Pain or discomfort - Degeneration of surrounding muscles, nerves, and bones   Did you know that subluxation is a partial dislocation of the spinal cord? You can probably guess that the pain is no walk in the park. Subluxations are identified through a chiropractic exam, which consists of manual palpation and x-rays. During the manual exam, Dr. Alajajian will check the alignment of your pelvis, join...

Do you feel a shooting pain in your limbs or thorax? What about soreness in your back? Either kind of problem could be caused by a spinal spur. These bony growths form in response to inflammation and can compress nearby tissues, causing soreness and dysfunction. We offer a variety of complementary treatments for spinal spurs at ChiroCareLA.com in Glendale, but many of them require patient cooperation and lifestyle changes, so we want them to understand what they’re up against.   Inflammation is an immune system response that restricts the flow of toxin-filled blood and makes tissues more porous to antibodies. Unfortunately, prolonged inflammation can cause problems of its own, including the growth of bone spurs. When a person suffers from osteoarthritis, the cartilage that cushions and lubricates the joints between their vertebrae wears away. As the vertebrae rub against each other, their joint lining becomes inflamed, and spurs form. Likewise, when the spinal discs are herniated, the...

In order to keep your spine supported, you need to get regular exercise. But overuse can also lead to back pain when you aren’t warming up or varying your workout routine enough. If you’re one of the many runners with an aching back, Dr. Jack Alajajian and his staff at ChiroCareLA.com can offer you minimally invasive, non-addictive treatment options. We’ll also work with you to get you running again as soon as possible in a safe manner.   Muscles from our lower backs connect to the pelvis and upper leg. As they get worn out, a person may suffer spasms in their lower back. The spinal discs, which cushion the vertebrae, are also at risk for overuse, particularly in people over the age of fifty or who have suffered previous disc injuries. When a spinal disc is herniated, it may compress a sciatic nerve, which would cause shooting pain or numbness along a patient’s leg. Since the back gets jostled a lot during running, a runner is likelier to wear down their soft tissues. There is also a ...

You may have known that plantar fasciitis causes a lot of people to suffer heel pain. But you may not have known that your Glendale chiropractor can treat it. At ChiroCareLA.com, Dr. Jack Alajajian and his staff utilize an array of high-tech instruments and techniques to correct musculoskeletal problems. If you’ve been suffering from foot pain, we’d be happy to give you an examination and provide treatment for it and any postural condition you may have developed as a result.   The plantar fascia is the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot that runs from under the heel to the start of the toes. When it’s frayed or overly tight, you may experience a stabbing pain, especially if you’ve been lying down or active for a long time. The plantar fascia is likelier to fray in people who are older or overweight, or who have high or fallen arches or heel spurs. Runners and people who have to stand for long periods are also likelier to develop it.   Plantar fasciitis usually responds well t...

Although lower back pain and neck pain receive a lot of attention, upper back pain is also quite common.If your job requires you to sit in a chair all day, you may be at particular risk for developing a degenerative condition. Dr. Jack Alajajian and his staff at ChiroCareLA.com in Glendale can help you recover quickly and safely, but first, we’ll have to determine the nature of the injury.   The twelve thoracic vertebrae are somewhat better protected than the rest of the spine from acute injuries. They are less mobile due to their connections to the ribs, and the upper thoracic vertebrae are supported by the shoulder muscles. However, the discs between them may degenerate, particularly if a person is older or often dehydrated, and the facet joints between them may develop arthritis. The muscles running between the vertebrae can also be worn down by overuse, or they may shorten from underuse. Nerves branching out of the thoracic vertebrae lead to the chest and abdomen, so a nerve root ...

If your job requires you to regularly carry heavy objects, you’ve hopefully been trained in doing so safely and follow those instructions. But if you only carry heavy things sporadically, you can easily make a mistake that will result in a back injury. People who have already suffered slipped discs are especially vulnerable, and we at ChiroCareLA.com in Glendale frequently see people with preventable injuries. Therefore, we wanted to provide some guidance on heavy lifting. Before you pick the heavy thing up, prop open all the doors between it and your destination. If possible, get a dolly, and wear shoes that have good traction. Make sure you’re not wearing anything that could snag, and that there are no upturned carpets or other walking hazards on your path. You may also want to do a short warm-up. When you pick up the object, get a feel for its center of weight before lifting it, and then use your legs to propel yourself upward from a squat. Keep the object at chest-level and center...