CHIROCARELA.COM: Blog

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...

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. ...

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 ...

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...

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 ...