Washington Park Chiropractic

By: Dr. Jace Buzek, DC, CCSP

Graston and TRX. TRX and Graston. However you want to group them, the two were made for each other. It’s like a match made in Heaven. How so you may ask? Well, using concepts of the TRX (Total Body Resistance Exercise system) combined with Graston and Functional and Kinetic Training with Rehab (FAKTR) concepts, we are able get quick results for the most nagging injuries.

Graston Technique, is a form of instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization that allows us to detect and treat areas of scar tissue formation or adhesions in muscles, tendons, and ligaments. These areas are usually painful, and limit a person’s range of motion in that region. Graston Technique uses a stainless steel instrument that is helps to break up these restrictions or soft tissue adhesions and restore proper function to the area. Graston also returns blood supply to the area of concern, and promotes the healing cycle to occur. This is a great way to achieve a great amount of improvement in a short amount of time. Read the rest of this entry →

By: Amanda Miller, LMT

I’ve had the opportunity to work with many expectant mothers during my years as a massage therapist.  Everyone knows that massage feels great (whether you’re pregnant or not!) and has many health benefits, but I’ve been asked the same question several times this month, and figured I’d address it in a blog: What are the benefits of prenatal massage?

Studies indicate that massage therapy performed during pregnancy can reduce anxiety, decrease symptoms of depression, relieve muscle aches and joint pains, and improve labor outcomes and newborn health.

Massage addresses different needs through varying techniques, which aim to relax muscle tension and improve lymphatic and blood circulation through mild pressure applied to the muscle groups of the body.   Prenatal massage addresses many common discomforts associated with the skeletal and circulatory changes brought on by hormone shifts during pregnancy. Read the rest of this entry →

By: Ashley Bennett, LMT

Massage Therapy during injuries can help speed up the healing process.  A great example of an injury that is at a higher potential during the winter season is a lift and twist strain.  This is when you have been lifting or shoveling and your back goes out or is limiting your range of motion.  The muscles in your back are in a spasm and the surrounding tissue is compensating for the injure area.  This is a great opportunity to come in and get it checked out by your chiropractor and add in a massage to help calm down the area so that range of motion can be restored.  Massage can help decrease swelling, pain and loss of range of motion in any area that is related to soft tissue.  If there is a more severe injury where there is scar tissue involved, massage can help break up the adhesions and create a more functional and potentially less visible scar.  I am not saying massage should replace your physical therapy or doctor, I am saying that it can help the process move faster so you can get back to your healthy lifestyle!!

For years, I have struggled with the application of health care in the United States.  I think of it more as a “sick care” system, only going to see my doctor when I’m really ill (or more recently when I broke my shoulder).  I usually spend more time in the waiting room reading magazines than I do with my physician – and when I am talking with my doctor, I often feel like he’s only half-listening because he knows he has a full day of sick patients ahead of him.  I try to limit the amount of pills I consume and I avoid surgery whenever possible, but I understand and truly appreciate the benefits of Western medicine.  I recently read an article about Integrative Medicine that really struck a chord with me.  I liked the concept of using Western medicine when necessary, but combining it with Eastern medicine and complimentary therapies when applicable.

What is Integrative Medicine (IM)?

Integrative medicine combines conventional Western medicine with nontraditional practices – including chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, herbal treatments, mind-body approaches, nutrition, and stress management – to keep patients in good health.  An integrative doctor – whether a primary-care physician, an ob-gyn, or an oncologist – enlists Western approaches when appropriate and then complements them with other treatments. Read the rest of this entry →

Great Way to Bond with Your New Addition

By Amanda Miller

I first became interested in Infant Massage while I was still in school.  I really enjoyed working with my expectant clients, and wanted to find a way to stay connected and continue care after they delivered.  My prenatal instructor told me about Infant Massage. This was the missing puzzle piece to well-rounded care.  I studied Infant Massage in the U.S., but really became passionate about teaching others after I traveled to Asia.  During my study of different Eastern healing arts, one thing really stood out to me: massage was done in the home between family members.  It was done from parent to infant.  Once the children were older, they naturally started massaging their parents, and the rolls reversed as the parents began to age.  After seeing that kind of compassion and bonding, I wondered why we don’t tend to see that in the West as well.  It seemed like the most natural thing to do, yet was something I felt was missing or foreign to our culture. 

Massage is a natural way to relieve stress for both caregiver and child.  It enhances your intimacy, understanding, and ability to nurture your child.  It improves communication by increasing your confidence and sensitivity to your baby’s cues, and stimulates healthy development of your baby’s mind, body, and spirit. Read the rest of this entry →

By: Amanda Miller

I started working in the wellness industry when I was still a teenager.  I began working as a receptionist in a massage therapy center in Pennsylvania, and that experience sparked my interest in health, healing and the body.  As I got older, I remained passionate about holistic health, and now I’ve been in the industry for well over a decade.  But the one question I keep coming back to year after year is, “Why is it so easy for me to give out great advice or information to my clients, but so hard for me to follow myself?”.  I do massage almost every day, and I spend all day telling my clients how important it is to take time for themselves and treat their bodies well, but have a hard time taking my own advice – it makes me wonder, why is it so easy to take care of everyone and everything else, but so hard to make oneself a priority?

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I hear this nearly daily from patients.  Yes, for some reason stomach sleeping is oh-so-tempting.  But if you really examine full night of sleep you would likely find that falling asleep on your stomach does not equal a restful night’s sleep.  For Dr. Jake and myself, one of the most challenging aspects of patient communication is the ‘sleep talk’.  Sleep Posture is very important so here are a few quick tips on how and why to change or modify the way you sleep.

Perfecting your sleep posture will accomplish three things: 1. Create more restful sleep  2. Reduce or eliminate back pain  3. Prevent deterioration of spinal joints and muscles.  Oh, and one added benefit can be seen in your wallet – fewer trips to the chiropractor!  So what is the perfect sleep posture? 

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