July and August are Scoliosis Screening months at Zager Chiropractic Services in Floresville Texas.

If you have a family history of scoliois, or if you are concerned that your child may have scoliois or is developing scoliosis, you can schedule a free scoliosis evaluation with Dr. Zager for your child. The appointment should take about 10 – 15 minutes. Dr. Zager will evaluate your child and see if there are any signs that your child is beginning to or has developed scoliosis.

She may also give you some simple exercises that will help strengthen your child’s musculature and reduce the scoliosis. If there are signs of scoliosis developing, Dr. Zager will also recomend a treatment strategy which may include: chiropractic adjusting, stretching and strengthening exercises, x-rays for further evaluation, and/or referrals.

If you live in the Floresville or south San Antonio area, you can call 830 393-6554 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Zager.

Top 10 Wellness Tips from Dr. Zager

1. Start walking 20 minutes three times a week

2. Drink at least 2 glasses of water a day (in addition to your other liquids)

3. Make sure you get 7+ hours of sleep a night

4. Get a chiropractic adjustment to make sure your body is balanced and there are no Subluxations

5. Stop and smell the roses (slow down and relax for 10 minutes every day)

6. Use a smaller plate and bowl for your meals.

7. Strengthen up some of your Core Muscles daily

8. Improve your posture

9. Increase your portions of vegetables and fruit while you decrease your portions of carbohydrates.

10. Add 2 snacks a day (morning and afternoon). Great snacks include: yogurt (live active cultures), nuts, cranberries, small amounts of cheese and fruits, trail mix bars.

Ask about our individual wellness programs or our small group wellness programs, if you want or need help taking control of and improving your health and wellness.

• ¨ The older we become, the more we should take a good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement (our bodies just need the extra help as we get older), but remember that just because you are taking supplements doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat healthy.
• ¨ If you have lots of joint pain (arthritis, stiffness, disc problems, and/or back pain) you would most likely benefit from taking supplements such as glucosamine with chondroitin, Vitamins A, D, and E, and Omega 3, 6, and 9. 
• ¨ If you have nerve problems such as sciatica, radiculopathies (numbness, tingling), headaches,  and/or high stress you would probably benefit from taking supplements with Vitamins B Complex and Vitamin C, and Omega 3, 6, 9.
• ¨ To improve your immunity you should take Vitamins A , C,  and B Complex. 

 Don’t hesitate to ask Dr. Zager about nutrition the next time you are in the office and her recommendations for good quality vitamins and supplements.

Scoliosis

Scoliosis is described as a lateral deviation of the spine -  a curved spine. Viewed from the back, your spine should look straight, there shouldn’t be any curves off to one side or another.

Common symptoms from scoliosis include: back pain, neck pain, muscle spasms, leg pain, and headaches. 

When should you look for scoliosis?

 When should you start looking for scoliosis signs? Scoliosis really starts to show up in the pre-teens, because as a growth spurt starts the inequities in the spine begin to show up. A simple visual test of having the child bend over at the waist and inspecting their back to make sure it is straight is a good beginning. Look for shoulders being unleveled, hips at different heights, one shoulder blade winging, and their head not over their pelvis. If your child is beginning to complain of back pain, they should be evaluated by a chiropractor for scoliosis. If there is a family history of scoliosis, your children should all be checked by a chiropractor when they are pre-teens or even earlier.

 How do you treat scoliosis?

Chiropractors will evaluate the scoliosis and the progression of the scoliosis. This may be done visually and with some simple orthopedic tests, and it may include x-rays. For young children, x-rays may not be recommended if the scoliosis appears to be mild and responds to treatment. Chiropractic treatment consists of gentle adjustments (moving the vertebrae) and then specific individual exercises to help strengthen the person’s muscles to help keep the vertebrae in place.

 For more information and for the full text of the Scoliosis article, click the link below. 

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Vitamin A: is good for your skin, hair, teeth, eyes, bone growth, and reproduction. You can get it from carrots, green leafy (spinach), milk products, fortified cereals, fruit.

Vitamin Bs (more than one type needed B2, 6, 9, 12 etc.): are important for general body growth, red blood cell production, releasing energy from carbohydrates,  many enzymes need the Bs to work correctly in protein metabolism, and for the nervous and immune systems. You can get it from lean meats (chicken, fish, pork), eggs, legumes, leafy green vegetables, dairy products,  and fortified cereals.

Vitamin C: is important for the biosynthesis of collagen, certain neurotransmitters, the immune system, and is also involved in protein metabolism. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of vitamin C  specifically citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato juice, potatoes, red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe.

Vitamin D: is essential for promoting calcium absorption, maintaining adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralization of bone and prevent hypocalcemic tetany. It is also needed for bone growth and bone remodeling. It is found in sunlight, cod liver oil, fish (salmon and tuna), beef liver, and some egg yolks.

Vitamin E: is important as an antioxidant to protect cells from the damaging effects of free radicals, and it is involved in immune function. It is found in nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils are among the best sources of alpha-tocopherol, and significant amounts are available in green leafy vegetables and fortified cereals.

Vitamin K:  is important for blood clotting. Deficiencies can occur after long treatments of anti-biotics. The normal bacteria in the large intestine can also produce Vitamin K. People on blood thinners should talk to their physicians before taking Vitamin K. It can be found in cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, and other green leafy vegetables.

Maintenance or Wellness Adjusting is when you come in periodically for a “tune up” to make sure that your vertebrae are staying in the correct alignment. Coming in for these periodic adjustments helps prevent the vertebrae from getting too far out of place and causing your original pain to return.

 ¨ Many people ask how often should I come in for a maintenance or wellness adjustment—and part of my answer is that it depends on the your age, your physical activities, and your underlying condition. Let me give some general guidelines. For someone who has had their initial problem corrected and wants to come in on a maintenance or wellness schedule—it ranges between every 2 weeks to once every 8 weeks.

• ¨ The older you are—the more frequently you should get adjusted—simply because your body has gone through a lot more and has more wear and tear on it.
• ¨ Someone who is sedentary all the time should come in a little more often than someone who is moderately active (who walks, swims, exercises).
• ¨ Someone who plays physical or contact sports or has high activity levels will come in more often—every 2—4 weeks, especially if you play football, soccer, cycling, lacrosse, horse back riding, rodeo, roping, etc.
• ¨ The same for people who have physically demanding jobs in construction, ranching, farming, and mechanics.
• ¨ People who don’t have any disc injuries, osteoarthritis,  reversed neck and/or low back curves, or neck or back surgeries can usually go between 6—8 weeks for adjusting,
• ¨ People who do have any of those  structural conditions have had their pain syndromes for awhile and should come in a little more frequently between 3—6 weeks.

The bottom line is, if you are not on a regular maintenance schedule and you start to feel stiff and sore for more than a couple of days, you should call and come in for an appointment, before things get too far out of adjustment. It is easier to correct something before it gets too acute.

Scoliosis is described as a lateral deviation of the spine—a curved spine. Viewed from the back, your spine should look straight, there shouldn’t be any curves off to one side or another. Common symptoms from scoliosis include: back pain, muscle spasms, leg pain, neck pain, and headaches.

              Scoliosis is rated by the degree of the curvature. The higher the degree, the more pronounced the scoliosis. Most scoliosis progress at a slow degree; however, there are some that progress fast – especially during growth spurts. Scoliosis tends to affect more girls/women than men, and many are genetically based. I have seen granddaughters, mothers, and grandmothers all with the same scoliosis – just at different degrees.

Without treatment, the scoliosis will become more pronounced with age. By the same token, the earlier you treat a scoliosis the less impact the scoliosis will have on your life.

When should you start looking for signs of scoliosis? Scoliosis really starts to show up in the pre-teens with growth spurts. If your child is beginning to complain of back pain, they should be evaluated by a chiropractor for scoliosis. If there is a family history of scoliosis, all your children should be checked by a chiropractor when they are pre-teens or even earlier.

A simple visual test of having your child bend over at the waist and inspecting their back to make sure it is straight is a good beginning. Look for shoulders being unlevel, hips at different heights, one shoulder blade winging, and/or their head in front of their shoulders.

How do you treat scoliosis? Chiropractors will evaluate the scoliosis and the progression of the scoliosis. This may be done visually and with some simple orthopedic tests, and it may include x-rays. For young children, x-rays may not be recommended if the scoliosis appears to be mild and responds to treatment. Chiropractic treatment consists of gentle adjustments (moving the vertebrae) back into their correct position. Dr. Zager also always gives her patients specific individual exercises to help strengthen the person’s muscles which help keep the vertebrae in place.

What if a scoliosis is left untreated? Most mild to moderate scoliosis are simply “watched” by physicians. However,  if it is left untreated  it will progress further over time. There are many people who if they had had their scoliosis treated early would not have had as much back or neck pain later on in life. It is much harder to treat and to completely resolve after the back has had years of being in the “wrong” position with uneven wear on the bones.

July and August are Scoliosis Screening months at Zager Chiropractic. Dr. Zager will perform courtesy scoliosis screenings for all school age children. Just contact our office to set up the screening—it takes about 15 minutes and is free of charge.

How to do Garden Chores Correctly

The first thing is to make sure that you take breaks, walk around and stretch throughout the time you are gardening! The old adage of “Stop and smell the roses (or daylilies and iris)” is important to take heed of so that you don’t over stress your muscles or joints.

When you start lifting things, you should remember these rules:

• Face the thing you are picking up.
• Bend at the knees to pick things up.
• Keep things close to your body, near your center of gravity.

When weeding you should:

• Either weed on your knees or bend over with a hand or arm on one thigh.
• Don’t over reach and twist.

When digging, shoveling, or raking you should:

• Use the correct size shovel/tool for your size (women should typically use smaller tools—I personally use a ditching shovel for all my planting and transplanting chores).
• Alternate sides you are shoveling or raking from—yes, this takes some getting used to.
• Try not to twist too much.
• Use more legs than back.

Most people at one time or another get a headache. For some, simply taking a couple of pain relievers, such as aspirin, will knock the headache down and let you continue on with your day. That is fine for an occasional headache; however, if you have repeated headaches you should get checked by a physician or a chiropractor to determine the cause and a treatment plan to correct the underlying problem.

There are several different types of common headaches (that I will cover here) : tension headaches, sinus headaches and migraines.

A tension headache is a headache caused from the sustained contraction of muscles of the head and/or neck. Typically it is a stress induced headache; however, sleeping wrong and/or working in one position for a longtime (i.e. at the computer) can also cause this type of headache since the muscles become imbalanced. Another name can be a “cervicogenic” headache meaning it originates from the muscles in the neck. See the Muscles of the Upper Cervical article on the inside.

Getting up and moving around every half hour when you are on the computer, as well as stretches, doing pure ranges of motion, and some simple shoulder exercises will help relieve this type of headache. Additionally, a massage or a hot shower will help relax the muscles of the head and neck. Chiropractic treatments can also help re-align your neck vertebrae so that your muscles are in better balance with each side; and therefore, are not constantly contracting, thus relieving the headache.

Sinus headaches are from your sinuses being blocked and causing pressure or pain. You can typically feel these types of headaches, just above your eyebrows, behind your eyes, and around you nose and cheekbones. The key here is to be able to open up your sinuses and let them start draining. There are some massage techniques that you can do on your face that will help open your sinuses. A hot  shower will also help open your sinuses. When taking the shower, you should blow your nose several times in the shower after about 5 minutes. If your sinuses stay plugged, you run the risk of ending up with a sinus infection. Chiropractic treatment  to the neck (especially at atlas and axis) can also help relieve some sinus pressure and help the sinuses drain.

Migraines can be very debilitating for patients. Migraines can last from 4 hours to several days. They can be classic migraines where there is an aura (some painless signs before the actual headache starts), light and sound sensitivity, nausea and/or vomiting all with one-sided intense head pain. There are also common migraines with or without some of above mentioned symptoms and signs. Migraines can be triggered by certain foods such as red wine, chocolate, caffeine and hard cheeses. Many migraine sufferers seek chiropractic care and get relief and prevention of their migraines through regular chiropractic adjustments to the cervical (neck) spine, especially atlas and axis.

The purpose of the neck and occipital (back of the head) muscles is to support the head on top of your spine, as well as, to move the head and neck.

• The longer muscles start in the midback and shoulder regions and insert into the cervical (neck) vertebrae and the back of the skull (the occiput).
• The shorter and deeper muscles go between the  individual cervical vertebrae, and also the occiput.
• When you have a cervical or occipital subluxation, your muscles become out of balance, with one side pulling more.

A simple test is to stand in front of a mirror. Close your eyes and stand where you think you are standing straight. Then open your eyes and check to see if your eyes or ears are level with each other, whether your shoulders are level with each other, whether your chin is in the midline, or whether you head is tilted or rotated. Any of those items can mean that your muscles are out of balance and that you probably have a cervical or occipital subluxation.

• Muscles that are constantly contracting, trying to pull the vertebrae back into place, or trying to stabilize the neck can be felt as tightness, may have “knots” in them, or even be felt as deep ache.
• Hot showers, ice, and massage may relieve some tightness.
• Chiropractic treatment will also help relieve and re-balance those muscles.