Washington Park Chiropractic

By: Amanda Miller, LMT

Stress is a natural part of life, but what is stress? Cortisol is a steroid hormone, produced by the adrenal gland and it is released in response to stress. It is important that the body’s relaxation response be activated so the body’s functions can return to normal following a stressful event. Unfortunately, the body’s stress response is activated so often that the body doesn’t always have a chance to return to normal, resulting in a state of chronic stress.  Prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream have been shown to have negative effects, such as impaired cognitive performance, suppressed thyroid function, blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia, decreased bone density, decrease in muscle tissue,  higher blood pressure, lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body.

Lowering stress is important to your overall health and well-being.  Try these simple tips during your hectic day to give yourself a mini break, lower stress, and quiet your mind.

Turn your shower into a relaxing ritual.

Keep your speedy suds-up-and-rinse routine, but add a small pampering element to upgrade an everyday shower into a spa experience.  Trade your plain old soap for a rich body wash (pick a fragrance that reminds you of a favorite place).  Or try a scented shower infuser.  Toss a tablet on the tub floor; as it dissolves in the water, it will fill your bathroom with its aroma.  Take a couple deep breaths to calm your nervous system and ease stress.

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By: Dr. Jake Simpson, DC

Anatomy of Sports Injuries:

Sports injuries encompass a wide range of conditions with varying degree of severity.  Realistically, sports injuries are no different than other injuries; like car accidents they just happen to occur at higher speeds, forces, vectors, etc. often making their degree of severity higher.  The most common type of sports injuries are sprains (ligament) and strains (muscular).  Both ligaments and muscles have varying degrees of tensile and elastic properties specific to their relative function.  Muscles tend to be the powerhouse behind movement, with ligaments and tendons being the support and stabilization for the movement.  Further, all tissues are connected in a complex web of fascia, a big web of tissue that runs throughout the entire body.  This web when injured can affect tissue both near and far from the initial injury site.  In fact with fascia in mind, an injury of the lower extremity can result in an injury to the upper extremity through altered biomechanics.  If you feel like one injury was the start of ongoing problems and injuries, fascia is likely the culprit.  With respect to any aspect of health, prevention is always the key but sports injuries are often unavoidable.  For sports injuries, proper acute care and management is the key. I’ll go over a several things you can do for yourself to help heal quickly and properly. 

In treating sports injuries remember the acronym: PRICE

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By: Dr. Lisa Goodman, DC

Washington Park Chiropractic offers Infant Massage classes for parents & babies to promote bonding and development of the baby.  I was nervous and excited to bring 10 week old Nate to one of Amanda’s classes earlier this week.  Nervous because I wasn’t sure how he would like being worked on and excited to finally see what this was all about.

The class started with Amanda discussing what we would do and how long we would spend.  She had cozy areas on the floor with pillows for mom and dad to sit on and a body pillow ‘nest’ covered in warm towels for the baby to snuggle in.  She also provided us with vitamin E oil (to take home) and use for the massage.  The class can last from 20 min to an hour depending on the baby.  Our class lasted about 30 minutes.   I started by showing Nate my hands and asking him if I could massage him!  He agreed. 

Most parents will agree there is nothing more precious than a naked baby!  It was so much fun learning the massage techniques and watching Nate coo and relax as we introduced them to him.  He really liked having his legs worked on!  Amanda demonstrated a variety (20+) strokes to use on the baby.  In fact, since his massage, Nate has been sleeping great, digesting great and has been overall incredibly happy.  To be fair, he didn’t really have any problems in those areas prior to the massage. 

According to Amanda, the best part about introducing your little one to massage is that they will get so used to being massaged they will start massaging mom and dad!  Foot rub anyone?

I plan to send Nate back to Amanda with his dad so that they can have some bonding time with massage before or after bath!

Click here to learn more about the infant massage lessons and other massage services our therapists offer.

By: Dr. Jake Simpson, DC

Purpose:

            The purpose of your adjustment(s) is to add mobility and energy back into your spine where it otherwise has been absent due to vertebral restriction and/or muscle tension and imbalances.  As spinal integrity improves, nerve tension is reduced, your body will begin to function better and performance is enhanced.     

Day One:

Day one, we take a comprehensive health history in effort to determine the cause of your pain and dysfunction. This often includes a case history, as well as orthopedic and neurological exams.  Based on the severity of your symptoms and/or mechanism is which you were injured X-Rays or possibly an MRI will be recommended and you will be referred out to get these tests.

After your examination and we have determined the cause of your problem, the treatment is performed.  The treatment often includes the chiropractic adjustment, soft-tissue treatments and possibly low-level laser therapy.  The key to your treatments will always be the chiropractic adjustment(s).  With malposition and loss of motion in one or more of your vertebrae a specific manual thrust is administered.  The direction, speed, depth and angle that we use are the result of experience, practice and thorough understanding of spinal mechanics.  Sometimes, the energy delivered during the thrust produces a “popping” sound.  This “pop” is simply shifting gas and fluids in and around the joint.  The sound is in no way an indicator of the quality of adjustment. 

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By: Dr. Jake Simpson

Just about everyone on the road knows about or has heard about “whiplash.”  But what is it exactly?  What happens to our bodies during whiplash?  What are the short and long term effects of whiplash?  And what can a chiropractor do to help with whiplash? 

What Is Whiplash and What is Happening to Our Bodies?

Upon impact, your body pushes deeply into your seat.  Your head, momentarily isolated by your neck, delays its reaction while your body quickly reaches the limits of your seat.  The, your body instantly and violently changes direction, moving forward as your seat belt works to keep you stationary.  As your seatbelt engages your head then starts to move backward in the opposite direction of your body.  Unlike your body being restrained by the seat belt, your head is free to move being jerked back and forth…most of the time beyond its normal limitations anatomically. 

Outside of our normal anatomical limitation is when injury occurs.  In the case of whiplash, we are tearing muscles, tendons, ligaments, other connective tissues and in some cases breaking bones or causing brain damage. 

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By: Dr. Jake Simpson, DC

So often in my practice I have patients come in with a comment more or less like this, “I went to this one chiropractor and he did this ______, you’re not like him/her are you?”  Now, whatever you or someone else puts in that blank is totally subjective, but the fact is, the chiropractic profession is very broad in its specialties, practices and/or philosophies.  In general, there is not going to be one chiropractor that practices the exact same as another.  There are countless techniques, many specialties, and even more philosophical beliefs from one chiropractor to the next.  This can be, and understandably so, confusing to some, but this is the case with all professions.  It is our responsibility as patients or consumers to find what is most comfortable with us as individuals and that will ultimately lead to a better end outcome.  In an attempt to be politically correct and in an attempt to not offend other chiropractors, I will give you my opinion on the topic.

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By: Jocelyn Leidenfrost

I have been lucky enough to have seen six Red Rocks shows of my favorite bands this summer and plan on saving up to see a couple more!  Red Rocks season has always put a hop in my step. 

What could be better than listening to your favorite music AND being outdoors at the same time (other than winning a free trip to Alaska or paradise)?  Red Rocks is amazing and beautiful but there are many outdoor venues to check out this summer such as City Park Jazz on Sundays, and the Denver Botanic Gardens concert series.  It may be nearing the end of the summer but it is never too late to enjoy some outdoor music with your friends and family. 

Need more convincing? Listening to music is actually healthy for you!  Music can change your mood, relieve stress, calm you down, or help get over a recent break up/fight. 

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By: Dr. Jake Simpson

We have all heard the phrase “you are what you eat”, although valid in many situations, a more appropriate phrase maybe “you are what you drink”.  As planet Earth is made up of 70% water, our bodies too are made up of about 60-75% water.  Our muscles that allow us to be mobile consist of 75% water, our lungs that provide our bodies with oxygen are 90% water, our blood which transports nutrients to our cells is 82% water, our brain that controls everything in our bodies is 76% water, and even our bones are 25% water.  Water is the basis for all life and function in our bodies, and next to oxygen in the most important substance for survival.

Dehydration is an often overlooked yet potentially deadly condition.  Dehydration is caused when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the water being taken in, this is especially prevalent in drier climates (including ours in Colorado).  We lose water in several ways including:  When you breathe humidified air leaves the body; we sweat to cool the body on a hot day; and we bowel movements and urinate to rid the body of waste products among other ways.  If we do not replenish the water that we routinely lose, the body will compensate by drawing water from within our cells.  Although this helps, it’s a very short-term solution that can end in devastating consequences.

Symptoms and Signs of Dehydration:

-       Thirst and dry mouth (if you are thirsty you are already dehydrated)

-       Muscle cramps and weakness

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