How can chiropractic care affect your rehabilitation and change your life

The biggest way chiropractic can help you is not focusing on symptoms, but on the body’s ability to regain health. When you chase symptoms, you never regain your body’s optimal health potential. It will be a matter of time until your next symptom. Your key focus will be on relieving those symptoms immediately. Being under chiropractic care allows you to change your perception of going to your doctor only when there is a problem. You will go to your chiropractor because you do not want to have any problems in the future. Where would we be if our health care system is where the doctors were only paid based on how healthy they keep their patients? Sound a bit bizarre? That’s exactly what they do in Japan. The doctor’s only get paid based on how healthy their patients are. It does not impress me whatsoever, when the medical physician says that it’s a good thing that you came in because we just found some major problems in you.....we need to go into immediate surgery for a bypass, or something highly dangerous and invasive. Medical health problems just don’t appear out of the clear blue. It takes several years for medical issues to develop and get to that medical urgency. The medical community has the technology that that emphasizes early detection, but very little, if any, on prevention. You cannot just blame the doctors. Everyone has the responsibility for their own health and to take healthy lifestyle modifications to prevent disease. It is also the responsibility of each parent to be role models of health so their children have a good chance of having a long good quality life and health through preventative care. HOW CHIROPRACTIC CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE? Here is a summary of the key factors needed to sustain health. The first aspect of the system involves beliefs. You must first create the mental construct that will allow you to filter a reality with which you want to be congruent. In other words, you must believe in things that you want to have happen. You can attract good or abundance in your life with healthy thoughts. Next, is to understand the importance of movement and exercise. You must exercise. It is not an option, and you can’t justify not exercising because you already work hard at work, you already chase the kids around the house, and you already work in the garden. All of these activities are a good start to movement, but do not constitute a real workout. You must have a cardiovascular workout for health one that challenges and works your heart. Remember your heart is a muscle and it needs to pump a lot of blood through your entire body every day for a very long time. You must challenge it so it can be as strong as possible. The third aspect of this equation is the importance of breathing correctly. You must provide oxygen to the tissues of the body. If you don’t, you will have problems because they will suffocate. Oxygen supplies and nourishes not only the lungs, but every cell within the body. The lungs are just the clearinghouse. The fourth important factor is drinking water. This is necessary in order to flush out toxins from the body. After all your body is 75% water; not 75% coffee, or tea, or soda. These drinks just give you an illusion of energy. There is no sustaining power behind any of them, even though the caffeine addict may object to this statement. The next fundamental truth relates to greens. Most people do not understand the magnitude of the importance of greens. Eating enough green, leafy vegetables each week is one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself. Think about this, to understand why plants are so necessary to good health. When plants are outside, they convert light into energy, in the process known as photosynthesis. Through this amazing process, we are able to literally consume energy through the plants. Most importantly, you must consume some raw vegetables, or you are totally defeating the purpose. Raw plants contain the necessary enzymes that are often destroyed by over cooking. Enzymes are vital to good health. The next nutrient that you need to have is antioxidants. Antioxidants allow you to minimize the ravaging effects of free radicals that are within us and increase in number as we age. Free radicals are produced in times of stress, during injury, or during chemical processes that are taking place due to the consumption of processed foods. Free radicals left to roam can cause damage right at the cellular level. Damaged cells lead to a lowered immune system and increase the likelihood of infection and disease. The next dietary items you need to have are fats and oils. Fats are needed to assure that your body has sufficient levels of oil to make the cell membrane of the cell. This outer layer of the cell is made of a double layer called a biphospholipid layer. The problem with fats and oils in the diet is that many of us consume too much or the wrong type of fats. According to researchers, the average person is deficient in correct oil consumption by up to 90%! That is staggering considering the connection between low levels of essential oils in our diets and cardiovascular disease and the resulting list of degenerative disorders. So, believe it or not, oils are by far the best preventative measure that you can take. The last pro-active step you that you need to take is to maintain a healthy nervous system. Think about this for a moment. If you were consuming everything that we recommended, and yet your nervous system was not functioning properly, how would the brain tell the cells what to do with the nutrients it just received? How would the brain contact the cell to let it know when to remove waste? Consider this research from a professor by the name of Professor Tzu. He claims that pressure put on a nerve with the weight of only a dime can interfere with normal transmission of impulse by up to 60%! It is staggering how little pressure it takes to reduce your body’s own ability to send corrective, healing messages by so much. MAKING CHIROPRACTIC PART OF YOUR WELLNESS PROGRAM Ideally, chiropractic should be a part of everyone’s health care efforts. It is by far the least invasive form of healthcare and is based on the principles that the body has innate intelligence and can take good care of its self if nothing else gets in the way. The problem with the average healthy person’s care is that there is not enough empha- sis placed on preventative care. Many Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) pay for annual physicals and all of the wellbaby care, often with no deductible or co-pay. That is because they have figured out that if they can catch illness or disease early and prevent further damage to the body, it ends up costing them a lot less money than paying for frequent checkups. Think about it: If you were to have fewer colds, less of a problem with allergies, less aches and pains, more energy because you feel 100%, wouldn’t the quality of your life be better? A routine of periodic chiropractic care can provide this for you. www.chiropracticlakeoswego.com 34 Chiropractic News Research; Academy of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Organizations, Inc., http://www.aucco.org/history.html . World Chiropractic Alliance, Chiropractic Basics, http:// www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/consumer/basics.htm . Meeker, Haldeman, “Chiropractic: A Profession at the Crossroads of Mainstream and Alternative Medicine,” Annals of Internal Medicine, 136:216 - 227, 2002. Goertz C. Summary of 1995 ACA annual statistical survey of Chiropractic practice. J. Amer Chiropr Assoc 1996; 33 (6): 35 - 41. Jenson G, et al, citing the 1993 KPMG Peat Marwick/Wayne State University Survey of 1,953 Employers. Hurwitz EL, Coulter ID, Adams AH, Genovese BJ, Shekelle PG. Utilization of chiroprac- tic services in the United States and Canada: 1985 - 1991. Am J Publ Hlth 1998;88:771 - 776. Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Ettner SL, Appel S, Wilkey S, Van Rompay M, et al, Trends in Alternative Medicine used in the United States, 1990 - 1997: results of a follow - up nation- al survey. JAMA. 1998; 280:1569 - 75 Sharpless, SK: Susceptibility of Spinal Roots to Compression Block, NINCDS, Monograph 15, DHEW publication (NIH) 76- 998, 1975, p 155-161

The hip has a profound effect on the Foot

It is great to read that more research is taking into account that the body is a kinetic chain that functions together. The American College of Sports Medicine released this article recently. Although it is not mentioned in this abstract the reverse is true also. The foot has a profound effect on the hip as well. http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/publishahead/Neuromotor_Control_of_Gluteal_Muscles_in_Runners.98220.aspx Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the neuromotor control of the Gluteus Medius (GMED) and Gluteus Maximus (GMAX) muscles in runners with Achilles tendinopathy to that of healthy controls. Methods: Fourteen male runners with Achilles tendinopathy and nineteen healthy male runners (Control) ran over-ground whilst electromyography of GMED and GMAX was recorded. Three temporal variables were identified via visual inspection of EMG data: (i) onset of muscle activity (onset), (ii) offset of muscle activity (offset), and (iii) duration of muscle activity (duration). A multivariate analysis of covariance with between subject factor of group (Achilles tendinopathy, Control) and variables of onset, offset, and duration was performed for each muscle. Age, weight and height were included as covariates and alpha level set at 0.05. Results: The Achilles tendinopathy group demonstrated a delay in the activation of the GMED relative to heel strike (p < 0.001) and a shorter duration of activation (p < 0.001) compared to that of the Control group. GMED offset time relative to heel strike was not different between the groups (p = 0.063). For GMAX the Achilles tendinopathy group demonstrated a delay in its onset (p = 0.008), a shorter duration of activation (p = 0.002), and earlier offset (p < 0.001) compared to the Control group. Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence of altered neuromotor control of the GMED and GMAX muscles in male runners with Achilles tendinopathy. Whilst further prospective studies are required to discern the causal nature of this relationship, this study highlights the importance of considering neuromotor control of the gluteal muscles in the assessment and management of patients with Achilles tendinopathy. (C) 2013 American College of Sports Medicine Kevin Colling, DC, FAFS Colling Chiropractic, PC 470 6th St. Ste C. Lake Oswego, OR 97034

Cancer article

Many chiropractors and naturopathic doctors have been discussing this information for years, but it's always nice to repeat it every once in awhile

I believe having a lifestyle that includes exercise and a healthy diet like the Paleo Diet (lean meats, fish, poultry vegetables and fruit only) can have positive benefits not just chemically/nutritionally, but also physically and mentally.




*CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made
with Aspartame and it is harmful (a key ingredient in diet sodas) . A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt .

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the
gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus . By cutting
off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer
cells are being starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based
diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little other meat,
like chicken. Meat also contains livestock
antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all
harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole
grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into
an alkaline environment . About 20% can be from cooked
food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live
enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to
cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance
growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building
healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most
vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw
vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at
temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C)..

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate , which have high
caffeine Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer
fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or
filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap
water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of
digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the
intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic
buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By
refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes
to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the
body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system
(IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals,
EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy
cancer cells.. Other supplements like vitamin E are known
to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's
normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or
unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit .
A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior
be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put
the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to
have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy
life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated
environment. Exercising daily , and deep breathing help to
get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen
therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer
cells.

1. No plastic containers in micro .

2. No water bottles in freezer .

3. No plastic wrap in microwave ..

Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.
Please share this with your whole email list........ ......... .........
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran , is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life.

For Neck Pain, Chiropractic and Exercise Are Better Than Drugs

Below is an article from the New York Times. This provides good reassurance to what we have known for a long time; that chiropractic is extremely helpful for neck pain. The interesting thing is that the study only compared chiropractic alone and it separated exercise. Now if you combined both chiropractic and exercise you would really have a winning combination.

Here's the article:

Seeing a chiropractor or engaging in light exercise relieves neck pain more effectively than relying on pain medication, new research shows.

The new study is one of the few head-to-head comparisons of various treatments for neck pain, a problem that affects three quarters of Americans at some point in their lives but has no proven, first-line treatment. While many people seek out spinal manipulation by chiropractors, the evidence supporting its usefulness has been limited at best.

But the new research, published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, found that chiropractic care or simple exercises done at home were better at reducing pain than taking medications like aspirin, ibuprofen or narcotics.

“These changes were diminished over time, but they were still present,” said Dr. Gert Bronfort, an author of the study and research professor at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Minnesota. “Even a year later, there were differences between the spinal manipulation and medication groups.”

Moderate and acute neck pain is one of the most frequent reasons for trips to primary care doctors, prompting millions of visits every year. For patients, it can be a difficult problem to navigate. In some cases the pain and stiffness crop up without explanation, and treatment options are varied. Physical therapy, pain medication and spinal manipulation are popular options, but Dr. Bronfort was inspired to carry out an analysis because so little research exists.

“There was a void in the scientific literature in terms of what the most helpful treatments are,” he said.

To find out, Dr. Bronfort and his colleagues recruited a large group of adults with neck pain that had no known specific cause. The subjects, 272 in all, were mostly recruited from a large HMO and through advertisements. The researchers then split them into three groups and followed them for about three months.

One group was assigned to visit a chiropractor for roughly 20-minute sessions throughout the course of the study, making an average of 15 visits. A second group was assigned to take common pain relievers like acetaminophen and — in some cases, at the discretion of a doctor — stronger drugs like narcotics and muscle relaxants. The third group met on two occasions with physical therapists who gave them instructions on simple, gentle exercises for the neck that they could do at home. They were encouraged to do 5 to 10 repetitions of each exercise up to eight times a day. (A demonstration of the exercises can be found at www.annals.org).

After 12 weeks, the people in the non-medication groups did significantly better than those taking the drugs. About 57 percent of those who met with chiropractors and 48 percent who did the exercises reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain, compared to 33 percent of the people in the medication group.

A year later, when the researchers checked back in, 53 percent of the subjects who had received spinal manipulation still reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain, similar to the exercise group. That compared to just a 38 percent pain reduction among those who had been taking medication.

Dr. Bronfort said it was a “big surprise” to see that the home exercises were about as effective as the chiropractic sessions. “We hadn’t expected that they would be that close,” he said. “But I guess that’s good news for patients.”

In addition to their limited pain relief, the medications had at least one other downside: people kept taking them. “The people in the medication group kept on using a higher amount of medication more frequently throughout the follow-up period, up to a year later,” Dr. Bronfort said. “If you’re taking medication over a long time, then we’re running into more systemic side effects like gastrointestinal problems.”

He also expressed concern that those on medications were not as empowered or active in their own care as those in the other groups. “We think it’s important that patients are enabled to deal with as much control over their own condition as possible,” he said. “This study shows that they can play a large role in their own care.”
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Alternative Med

AAP: Toddlers in rear-facing seat until 2

Well, I haven't written in quite awhile, but I have quite a bit of experience treating injuries related to motor vehicle accidents and want to emphasize the importance of safety restraints for both children and adults. This article (http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/21/car.seat.guidelines.parenting/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn) came out today saying that children should remain in a rear facing seat until they are at least 2 years old or until they exceed the height or weight limit for the car seat, which can be found on the back of the seat.

As a parent, I recognize the convenience of being able to see your child when he/she is facing forward, but the recommendation to keep them facing to the back really makes sense. Toddler's relative large head size related to the relatively little strength of their neck muscles puts them at a greater risk for injury when they face forward. This means that even very minor accidents can cause injuries. Unfortunately, kids this age aren't really capable of communicating their injuries to parents or doctors so they often get left untreated. Typically signs of injury other than pain and lack of range of motion are a sudden change in behavior, like being more irritable, sleeping more or less than usual or clinging to mom or dad more than usual. If you see any of these symptoms in your child after an accident please get them checked out by a qualified practitioner. Fortunately, children respond really well to conservative care.

Please take the advice of the experts in this article and keep your child in a rear facing seat as long as possible.

The Upper Back

THE THORACIC SPINE:
Overlooked and Undertreated
By
Dr. Nicholas Studholme, DC, CCSP, CCEP, FAFS

To say one area of the spine is more important than another would be unfair to the rest of the spine; however, it is clear that when we closely inspect the thoracic spine, it is profoundly different than the cervical or lumbar spine. It typically has twelve segments, many more than the other spinal regions, and it has a ribcage attached to it, providing significant stability and support. It also is located between the cervical and lumbar regions so any bottom‐up or top‐down movements will be forced to go through the thoracic spine.

One of the most important principles of Applied Functional Science (AFS) is gravity, and in our daily lives, the thoracic spine is constantly fighting this tremendous force. Generally, all daily movements require that we have our hands pronated, thereby constantly shortening our pecs and lats, and also create a stretch and inhibition of our scapular stabilizers (traps, rhomboids, serrratus anterior, etc.). As a result, we tend to hunch forward and yet because we have to see the horizon, we look up, thus creating anterior head carriage. This can result in significant sub‐occipital and cerico‐thoracic pain as these areas are now taking on excessive load to compensate for the rounded thoracic spine.

If we understand the mechanics of the thoracic spine, then we can use the principles of AFS to assist our patients in creating meaningful, sustainable changes. First, we must understand coupled motion, which requires nothing more than the knowledge that any movement of the spine in one plane is normally accompanied by a compatible spinal movement in another plane. A common example used is that spinal lateral flexion is always accompanied by spinal rotation. In other words, two types of motions are "coupled" together. Type 2 Motion is defined by the joints rotating and laterally flexing the same direction; Type 1 Motion is defined by the joints rotating and laterally flexing in opposite directions). The thoracic spine tends to exhibit Type 2 Motion from T1‐T5 and Type 1 from T6‐T‐12. It is theorized that when a spinal section (or an individual vertebral segment) moves in two directions that are not the expected coupled movements, then this is considered to be uncoupled mechanics. Uncoupled mechanics in spinal sections or in a vertebral segment can lead to abnormal ranges of motion, recurrent joint dysfunction, joint degeneration, inflammation, and pain.

However, when we look at many athletic endeavors, we realize that both coupled and uncoupled motions occur all the time. Therefore, we need to assess, mobilize, and train our patients and clients to be successful in all motions to avoid injury and enhance performance. When treating the thoracic spine, I always use the AFS principle of starting with success and building on success. For a majority of thoracic spine conditions, success is typically that our patients have great movement into flexion and dysfunctional extension. If we understand that all movements are three‐dimensional and understand the concept of relative joint motion, then we can create a strategy that drives motion that encourages flexion with side bending and rotation, and as we return from flexion to our starting position, we remarkably are creating thoracic joint extension. Again, keeping the patient in a successful movement pattern allows for chasing the endgame of better extension.

A great case example is the nursing mother patient who presents significant neck and upper thoracic and rib pain, who has to constantly hold her newborn, and who additionally has an increase in breast tissue due to nursing. This patient is permanently in an anterior head carriage neck position, has rounded shoulders, and has a more anterior center of mass. What this patient does not know is that her pain is rarely due to the neck and more often due to the thoracic spine. A typical progression in my office is to manually work tissue, then mobilize through adjustment(s) and Functional Manual Reaction (FMR), and to stabilize with matrices (three‐dimensional, logical movement patterns). For this example, I would use manual adjustments, combined with FMR in Type 1 Motion and Type 2 Motion of the thoracic spine with the pelvis in and out of synch with relationship to the shoulders (in the TrueStretch™). This would then be followed by the patient performing anterior lunges (beginning with both arms extended in front of his/her body at shoulder height) and reaching both hands in front of the lunging knee (or even in front of the lunging foot at ground height). This drives flexion of the thoracic spine as the patient lunges and creates extension of the thoracic spine as the patient returns from the lunge. If this is successful, we then go to three‐dimensional waist to shoulder dumbbell press, and then to a three‐dimensional shoulder to overhead press. Finally, if we are having success, we will ultimately finish with a Thoracic Spine Matrix.

Please review FMR of the Thoracic Spine (Functional Video Digest Series v3.10) and Thoracic Spine (Functional Video Digest Series v1.8) for more specifics pertaining to Dr. Studholme’s explanation of treatment.

Functional Flexibility

FUNCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY: Complex Made Simple
by
Lenny Parracino PT, FAFS

Whether training for golf, football, baseball, or any sport, most athletes realize the benefits from a strength training program, yet rarely recognize the importance of a flexibility program. Flexibility is the foundation of what we do! In fact, without flexibility the body will not exhibit optimal levels of power, strength, cardiovascular fitness, or muscle endurance. Flexibility is the cornerstone of rehab, performance, and preventing injuries. However, flexibility programs seem to be less popular, most likely for a variety of reasons – one being research shows mixed reviews which often leads to confusion.1 When reviewing the principles (or lack thereof) behind most research it is easy to understand why the mixed reviews exist. As professionals, it is important that our decisions on what technique to choose be determined by a principle-based approach that is specific to each person’s intended need, not an arbitrarily designed guideline. To assist in determining what technique to choose, we will first explore three primary principles that should be considered, followed by a strategy to assess and address your patient’s / client’s functional flexibility.

Three Primary Principles of Functional Flexibility:

1. Individual and Task Dependent
2. Three-Dimensional
3. Mobility / Stability System

Functional flexibility is flexibility that allows us to function better. It allows one to perform tasks optimally and efficiently.2 The exact function is individual and taskdependent. 3 Therefore, general stretching techniques designed for muscle origininsertion will not provide us with an optimal functional outcome. Instead, the practitioner must appreciate the function of the muscles during the task. In other words, what a muscle does is task driven not textbook driven. This doesn’t make the textbook authors wrong, their right relative to the position, motion in which they concluded function at that time. When the body changes angles, positions, etc., its function changes; this is why for flexibility to be functional the techniques must look like the intended function. Therefore, we need to understand how the muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, nerves, joint capsules, and joints are moving three-dimensionally during the exact task; not only how much motion but also how well. This is the principle of mobility-stability, the right amount of motion with the right amount of stability in all three planes specific to the individual (not textbook) and intended task (all tasks require different levels of motion-stability).

To help simplify this complexity, we would like to share a practical strategy applying our three principles. This strategy can be used practically during your next assessment / evaluation…

First and foremost, understand each unique individual and task. Once you understand the individual’s current condition, limitations, concerns, and what they want to do, assess the intended task with as much authentic function as possible. The key is in understanding what they want / need to do and what they currently can do successfully. From here build a strategy to lead them in the right direction as quickly and safely as possible. For example, start with level one and only move to level two and three as needed per individual, per task.

Level One: Task specific. Assess the ability to perform the exact task. For example, walking, lunging, squatting, pivoting, stepping, reaching, running, balancing, picking up a specific object, sitting while reaching with right hand, etc. If this produces pain, discomfort, and/or lack of confidence, create authentic support to assist in the task. For example, one may reach forward at knee height from a split standing stance and feel low back stress. What if you changed the height of the reach to waist height? Same discomfort or less? If less, is it the back or the hips inability to allow the back to be successful from the range first assessed? Become a detective by changing body angles, positions, heights, drivers, ranges, etc. before leaving the intended task. Figure out a way to gain success in what they want/need to do. If this fails, progress to level two (although level two will look like level one).

Level Two: Task with outside support. Subtly add outside support or points of stability to the intended function. Using our example, simply add outside support such as in a True Stretch or a doorway. The outside support will allow you to position your patient / client in a specific range or zone to then apply authentic drivers. As their driving motion, use your palpation skills to assess the entire chain reaction searching for the “weak-link.” This is the application of the motion-stability principle. Then the body perceives stability it will exhibit mobility, providing it’s there. If one suspects the mobility is not there and desires to assess structural tissue texture, tension level three can provide information regarding the suspected structure (not exact function).

Level Three: Structure specific. Provides an environment for a structural assessment such as a plinth or table. This deviation from the exact functional task must be understood as a deviation and the results then correlated and integrated back into function, if function is the desired outcome.

Traditionally many techniques have been taught to start from the symptom or structural tightness to level three eventually getting to level one. In this paradigm shift, we allow the exact function to dictate how far away from function and into isolated structure we go. This strategy saves time but most importantly gives hope to your patient / client – function feeds function. Although function is complex due to its always changing nature, we can simplify function by simply following function. Use what your patient / client is saying, what they have experienced, and how they are moving as your guide to improving their wellbeing. When we apply the principles of Applied Functional Science (convergence of physical, biological, and behavioral science), flexibility takes on a new meaning. Functional flexibility recognizes the individual as a whole. Once you understand the dynamics of the whole, you derive, at least in principle, the properties and patterns of interactions of the parts.

1 Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies (2003) 7(1),1

2 Gray G: Functional Video Digest. Functional Flexibility Enhancing Life. V2.11

3 Gray G: Fast Function. Flexibility, Mobility. 2006

Vit D and pregnancy

Five million dollar randomized controlled trial sponsored by Thrasher Research Fund and NIH

Scientists around the world presented their work at the recent Vitamin D conference in Brugge, Belgium. Many, but not all, of the scientists opined that we have to wait for randomized controlled trials (RCT) before recommending Vitamin D. In a future newsletter, I will review many of these presentations.

However, one was extraordinary. Professor Bruce Hollis presented findings from his and Carol Wagner’s five million dollar Thrasher Research Fund and NIH sponsored randomized controlled trials of about 500 pregnant women. Bruce and Carol’s discoveries are vital for every pregnant woman. Their studies had three arms: 400, 2,000, and 4,000 IU/day.

1. 4,000 IU/day during pregnancy was safe (not a single adverse event) but only resulted in a mean Vitamin D blood level of 27 ng/ml in the newborn infants, indicating to me that 4,000 IU per day during pregnancy is not enough.
2. During pregnancy, 25(OH)D (Vitamin D) levels had a direct influence on activated Vitamin D levels in the mother’s blood, with a minimum Vitamin D level of 40 ng/ml needed for mothers to obtain maximum activated vitamin D levels. (As most pregnant women have Vitamin D levels less than 40 ng/ml, this implies most pregnant women suffer from chronic substrate starvation and cannot make as much activated Vitamin D as their placenta wants to make.)
3. Complications of pregnancy, such as preterm labor, preterm birth, and infection were lowest in women taking 4,000 IU/day, Women taking 2,000 IU per day had more infections than women taking 4,000 IU/day. Women taking 400 IU/day, as exists in prenatal vitamins, had double the pregnancy complications of the women taking 4,000 IU/day.

What does this huge randomized controlled trial mean?

We have long known that blood levels of activated Vitamin D usually rise during very early pregnancy, and some of it crosses the placenta to bathe the fetus, especially the developing fetal brain, in activated vitamin D, before the fetus can make its own. However, we have never known why some pregnant women have much higher activated Vitamin D levels than other women. Now we know; many, in fact most, pregnant women just don’t have enough substrate, the 25(OH)D building block, to make all the activated Vitamin D that their placenta wants to make.

Of course fetal tissues, at some time in their development, acquire the ability to make and regulate their own activated Vitamin D. However, mom’s activated Vitamin D goes up very quickly after conception and supplies it to baby, during that critical window when fetal development is occurring but the baby has yet to acquire the metabolic machinery needed to make its own activated Vitamin D.

The other possibility, that this is too much activated Vitamin D for pregnancy, cannot stand careful scrutiny. First, the amount of activated vitamin D made during pregnancy does not rise after the mother’s 25(OH)D reaches a mean of 40 ng/ml, so the metabolism is controlled. Second, levels above 40 ng/ml are natural, routinely obtained by mothers only a few short decades ago, such as President Barack Obama’s mom probably did, before the sun scare. (President Obama was born in Hawaii in late August before the sun-scare to a mother with little melanin in her skin) Third, higher blood levels of Vitamin D during pregnancy reduce risk of infection and other pregnancy complications, the opposite may be expected if 25(OH)D levels above 40 ng/ml constituted harm.

It is heartening to see the Thrasher Research Fund and NIH support such a large randomized controlled trial. In fact the Thrasher Research Fund has already funded a three year follow up and the NIH request for a follow up grant is pending. Nevertheless, a large number of medical scientists keep saying, “We need even more science before recommending Vitamin D.” What are they really saying?

First they said we need randomized controlled trials (RCT) before we do anything. Well here is a big one. Then they say, as they did in Brugge, “We don’t believe this RCT, we need more money for more RCTs.” If you think about it, they are saying pregnant women should remain Vitamin D deficient until scientists get all the money for all the RCTs they want, which may take another ten years. How many children will be forever damaged in that ten years?

Amazing study just presented at American Heart Association meeting

Dr. Tami Bair and Dr. Heidi May, of the Intermountain Medical Center in Utah, report yet another study showing that your risk of heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure and death are dramatically increased by Vitamin D deficiency. In a presentation at the American heart Association meeting, they found that people with low levels (< 15 ng/ml) had a 45% increased risk for cardiovascular disease, 78% greater risk of stroke and double the risk for congestive heart failure, not to mention a 77% increased risk of death, compared to people with Vitamin D levels > 30 ng/ml. All that disease and death occurred in only 13 months of follow up for the 27,000 people in the study.

New York Times: Vitamin D Shows Heart Benefits in Study

So how many Americans died this last year from Vitamin D deficiency? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? More? How many will die next year? Someone is responsible. Medical scientists who want more money before recommending that Vitamin D deficiency be treated have to assume responsibility. I am all for more studies but we have to act now, like we did with cigarettes. Remember, no human randomized controlled trials exist showing cigarettes are dangerous, so we have much more and better science than we did when we warned about smoking. If we fail to act on the dangers of Vitamin D deficiency, someone will end up with blood on their hands.

The Great Disappearing Act

We are currently witnessing one of the great mysteries of the natural world. The H1N1 outbreak is rapidly disappearing, despite a wealth of potential victims without antibodies to the virus, and yes, in spite of plummeting Vitamin D levels. In several weeks, the CDC will announce that perhaps one-third of Americans were infected in the last nine months and now have Swine flu antibodies, leaving the majority of the population still susceptible.

But this H1N1 virus is rapidly refusing the invitation to infect the two-third of Americans who are mostly immunological virgins and will soon recede until the next widespread outbreak, which may come this spring or next fall and winter. When H1N1 returns again, I predict it will cause more illness and death than it did this fall despite the fact it will attack a population with more H1N1 specific antibodies. Measles, another virus thought to transmit via respiratory secretions, would never forego the opportunity to infect so many virgins.

Influenzologists have no idea why this Disappearing Act happens. Dr. Edgar Hope-Simpson believed the reason lay in the mode of transmission; the current outbreak is ending despite a wealth of potential victims because the people transmitting the flu are suddenly no longer contagious. I recommend Hope-Simpson’s book:

The Transmission of Epidemic Influenza (The Language of Science).

I also believe that only a small population was transmitting, not all those infected. If these good transmitters – and not all the sick – usually spread the virus, and their transmission period is limited, the epidemic would end shortly after the good transmitters lose their infectivity. Why they lose their infectivity is yet another mystery, but a mystery that fits the epidemiology of influenza.

Cannell JJ, Zasloff M, Garland CF, Scragg R, Giovannucci E. On the epidemiology of influenza. Virol J. 2008 Feb 25;5:29. Review.

Another incredible Disappearing Act, one that usually follows the introduction of a pandemic virus, is the rapid and usually complete replacement of seasonal flu with the pandemic one. It is as if the pandemic virus murders the seasonal flu. We will have to wait to see if that happens worldwide with this pandemic, but in the USA it has already happened. Last week the CDC reported that more than 99% of all influenza viruses identified in the USA were Swine flu. Only 1 of 1,874 influenza A viruses identified last week was seasonal flu. Where did the seasonal flu virus go?


John Cannell, MD

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More good news about Vit D supplementation

Older adults with insufficient levels of vitamin D die from heart disease and all-cause death at greater rates than those with adequate levels of the vitamin, according to a recent study.

Also according to a new study, many pregnant women who are supplementing with vitamin D are still presenting as vitamin D deficient. This suggests that current recommendations for D supplementation may be still too low. Vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy is associated with childhood rickets and longer-term problems including schizophrenia and type 1 diabetes.

And finally, patients on atorvastatin, a drug used to lower cholesterol, who were simultaneously supplemented with vitamin D, demonstrated lower blood serum levels of the drug and its metabolites and yet LDL and total cholesterol levels were also decreased.

Sources:

1. Prospective Study of Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality, and All-Cause Mortality in Older U.S. Adults
2. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in pregnant women: a longitudinal study
3. Statins and Vitamin D–Conflict or Concord? Prospective Study of Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality, and All-Cause Mortality in Older U.S. Adults

Chronic Pain and the often overlooked glut muscles

Chronic Pain and the Often Overlooked Glut Muscles


Most people look at the abdominal wall when they have chronic low back or pelvic problems. They do endless amounts of crunches and Pilates type movements to strengthen their core. While this does build strength, it doesn’t address an often overlooked group of muscles which includes the external rotators of the hip and the gluteus muscles. For ease, I’ll call them the butt muscles.
When the butt muscles are weak (inhibited) they can cause multiple problems for the musculoskeletal system. Let’s look at the gluteus maximus as an example. This muscle attaches to the outside of your upper leg to a thick band called the iliotibial band. Its other attachment is at the top of your pelvis and to the small pie shaped bone at the base of your spine that forms the foundation of your spine, called the sacrum. It crosses the sacroiliac joint and the hip joint. It’s nearly always involved in sacroiliac pain, lumbar spine pain and hip pain.
You can notice the gluteus maximus muscle working when you walk with a long stride. If you place your hands over the lower portion of your buttocks and walk with a short stride, you will feel very little muscle contraction. Now lengthen your stride and you will feel the muscle contract when you toe off and when your heel strikes the ground. This is actually a good way to keep the muscle strong. Walking in heels prevents long strides and contributes to inhibited butt muscles.
Getting out of a chair or car and climbing stairs are other common uses of the butt muscles. When they are weak, you have to lean forward to shift your weight more over your knees in order to get up.

Why is the strength in these muscles important?

When these muscles are weak there will be a slow lengthening of the sacroiliac ligaments which causes pain and pelvic imbalances that become chronic. If this occurs, there will usually be muscle tightness running up your back even up to the neck muscles.

What are the symptoms of weakness of the butt muscles?

1. Chronic pelvic problems
2. Chronic knee pain
3. Stiffness to the lower back
4. Restriction in neck rotation
5. Difficulty sitting for long periods of time
6. Difficulty getting out of a car or up from a low chair

What can you do about this?

First you have to have your pelvis, hip, foot and thoracic spine tested for any structural imbalance. Then the muscle needs to be tested for its proper function and corrected if it cannot contract properly. Once the muscle is able to function properly, simply walking with long strides may be enough to keep the muscle contracting properly. If this is not enough, then specific exercises can be prescribed to help allow for proper biomechanics of the butt muscles. Unfortunately, all of the machines at the gym don’t take into account the way the butt muscles actually function when walking and they often work the hamstring and low back muscles more than the buttock muscles which leads to further imbalance.

If you have chronic problems or know someone with this type of problem, please talk to me about it. Often treating this group of muscles helps with many problems at once, from the foot to the neck.

As always, your referral is my greatest compliment.

Kevin Colling, D.C. 503-808-9145
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Hips- The Powerhouse to the Entire Body

HIPS
The Powerhouse to the Entire Body

The hips provide power to the entire body. When they are working correctly they are your best friend, but when they are inhibited they quickly become your worst enemy. The hips affect joints as far away as the elbow and the ankle. An improperly functioning hip can easily contribute to low back pain (disc bulges/herniations), knee injuries (ACL, tendonitis), shoulder injuries (impingement, rotator cuff) and elbow injuries (tennis and golfer’s elbow).
The hip joint is a tremendously mobile yet stable joint. It connects the femur (thigh bone) to the pelvis via a deep cup called the acetabulum. It has 17 of the thickest, strongest muscles attached to it and these muscles are held together by fascia which functionally links the hips to pretty much the entire rest of the body. The secret behind the power of the hip is its ability to load and unload in all three planes of motion. This allows the hip to control motion of the kinetic chain. Let’s use the knee as an example of how the hip has an effect down the kinetic chain. Most traditional rehabilitation stresses the quadriceps and the hamstrings, but these muscles really only control knee motion when the knee is flexed close to 90degrees. This excludes them from being the primary stabilizer during everyday activities like walking. The hip muscles, on the other hand, are well designed to control the three dimensional motion of the knee because they are oriented to slow down the motion of internal rotation, adduction and flexion of the knee. This takes tension off the ligaments of the knee (especially the ACL).
Now let’s look at an example of how the hip has effects up the kinetic chain. The hip helps protect the rotator cuff of the shoulder and the ligaments of the elbow. In this case it’s the muscles in the front of the hip that do the work. Namely, the iliopsoas, abdominals and adductors… When I see tennis players with elbow pain in my office, I always examine their hips. This is because they play a significant roll in stabilizing the body for movement. To see how the hips influence the shoulder stand up and take a long step forward with your left leg and then raise your right arm out to the side to shoulder height. Did you feel tension at your hip? This means that the muscles of the front of the hip are loaded and ready to contract. Now sit down and lift your right arm up. Did you feel the same tension? Probably not, because the flexed position of the hip inhibits its ability to contract and properly stabilize the body.
As you can see proper hip function is essential to injury prevention and optimal performance. It is important to keep the hips strong in order to stabilize the rest of the body. But be careful! Not all training exercises are the same. Most of the traditional exercises used to build abdominal and gluteal strength actually inhibit the ability of the hip muscles to contract at the right time. And activities like prolonged sitting actually promote faulty capsular patterns of the hip. Your training program should be unique to your needs and functional goals and should promote both mobility and stability. Whether you are an active or inactive person your hips are a key piece of a pain-free life.
Dr. Colling has extensive training an experience dealing with hip biomechanics. If you would like an evaluation, have an injury or would like advice on how to properly train your hips for optimal performance, please call 503-808-9145.

Chiropractic costeffective and safe

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Media Contacts:
Caitlin Lukacs: (703) 812-0218 | clukacs@acatoday.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 12, 2009

New Pilot on Quality Shows Cost-Effectiveness of Chiropractic Care for Musculoskeletal Disorders

A new pilot program shows that conservative heath care, including chiropractic, may reduce overall health care costs in patients with musculoskeletal disorders, such as back and neck pain. The pilot, conducted by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield to measure quality of patient care for its members in Iowa and South Dakota, also shows promising outcomes for the patients choosing chiropractic and other conservative care.

“The cost-effectiveness and safety of chiropractic has been documented in several studies. ACA is pleased that insurance companies are starting to recognize the value that doctors of chiropractic and other conservative providers can offer to their members,” said ACA President Glenn Manceaux, DC. “Especially during the health care reform debate, it’s important that chiropractic and other conservative care methods are taken into serious consideration as a cost-effective alternative to the utilization of expensive surgery and hospital-based care,” he added.

Wellmark conducted the Physical Medicine Pilot on Quality in 2008 for Iowa and South Dakota physical medicine providers. A total of 238 chiropractors, physical therapists and occupational therapists provided care to 5,500 members with musculoskeletal disorders. According to Wellmark, data from participating clinicians show that 89 percent of the patients treated in the pilot reported a greater than 30-percent improvement in 30 days.

The pilot compared data for Wellmark members who received care from doctors of chiropractic or physical therapists with a member population with similar demographics who did not receive such services. The comparison showed that those who received chiropractic care or physical therapy were less likely to have surgery and experienced lower total health care costs, according to Wellmark.

Chiropractic is widely recognized as one of the safest non-invasive therapies available for the treatment of back pain, neck pain, headaches and other neuromusculoskeletal complaints. A significant amount of evidence shows that chiropractic care for certain conditions can be more effective and less costly than traditional medical care. Recent research includes:

* A study published in the October 2005 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) found that chiropractic and medical care have comparable costs for treating chronic low-back pain, with chiropractic care producing significantly better outcomes.
* A March 2004 study in JMPT found that chiropractic care is more effective than medical care at treating chronic low-back pain in patients’ first year of symptoms.
* A study published in a 2003 edition of the medical journal Spine found that manual manipulation provides better short-term relief of chronic spinal pain than do a variety of medications.

The American Chiropractic Association is the nation’s leading chiropractic organization representing more than 15,000 doctors of chiropractic and their patients. To find a chiropractor near you, visit www.acatoday.org.


Chiropractic Symposium and Expo '09



1701 Clarendon Blvd. Arlington, VA 22209 | 703 276 8800 | Copyright © 2009 ACA

Auto accident safety

I normally talk about functional biomechanics in my posts, but since the summer months entice us into road trips, I wanted to take this opportunity to briefly speak about motor vehicle accidents, how to keep you and your child as safe as you can and how to prevent chronic injury.
Motor vehicle collisions are a major cause of injuries in the United States. They are the leading cause of preventable death in children and they are a leading cause of chronic pain, decreased range of motion and degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis). What can we do to be safe? Well, there are a number of things we can do to prevent accidents and to minimize an accident’s effect on our body. I’ll mention some of the important ones here:
1. Wear a seatbelt. It’s best worn over your pelvic bones and across your shoulder/chest away from your neck. Seatbelts decrease the risk of injury by 42% without an airbag. (Airbags by themselves are only 12% effective)
2. Child restraints- Use a child seat that has a high rating for safety. Follow instructions for rear facing, forward facing and weight limits and where the straps should lie on the child. Infants and toddlers can easily fly out of the seat if the straps are not on correctly.
3. Booster seats- the only booster seat that improves safety is the high back booster seat. It decreases injury by 70%. Just a booster without the high back is no more effective than a seatbelt alone.
4. Airbags are effective, especially side impact airbags. It’s unfortunate that side airbags are optional, but you should get them if at all possible. Never place your hands or feet on the airbag. Place hands low on the steering wheel. Airbags can cause multiple fractures.
5. Head restraint- Adjust the head restraint to ensure it actually prevents your neck from bending backwards. Many head restraints are positioned too low.
6. ABS- automatic braking systems allow you to steer while you are braking. Look to where you want the car to go not for what you want to miss.
7. Electronic stability control- is an excellent safety option, so buy it if you can. It helps stabilize the car in case of skidding or hydroplaning.
8. SUV’s- because they are a larger vehicle they can provide an advantage over smaller cars, but they are much more likely to be involved in a roll over crash that results in death. SUV’s are less maneuverable so they are in crashes more often. SUV’s are designed to be driven slowly.
9. If you know you are going to be in rear ended by another car, it is best to shrug your shoulders, brake hard, and look at the top of the windshield.
10. Do not drive while text messaging or utilizing a cell phone. Avoid all other distractions.

Hopefully some of these tidbits have been helpful to improve your safety on the road. However, if you are in an accident, it is extremely important to seek care as soon as possible. When a problem is caught early it is much easier to resolve than a problem that has been left untreated for a long period of time. Even low impact, seemingly minor accidents can cause injuries. Research shows that 9% of Americans have chronic neck pain because of an automobile accident. Chronically tight muscles and restricted joints lead to decreased range of motion, painful movement and osteoarthritis. Our joints are designed to move. They have limited vascularity so they depend on motion to bring in nutrients and take away waste products. If a joint doesn’t move properly, it will begin to break down. This leads to arthritis and bone spurs. Seeking high quality care that addresses these issues is critical to full recovery.
I have much more valuable information about auto accident recovery, so if you would like a consultation please feel free to contact me. 503-808-9145.

Milk Myth

This is an article from Dr. Mercola that hits a few key points about milk and calcium:

A recent study claims that young adults are not drinking enough milk -- at least according to press reports on the matter. But according to the study’s lead author Nicole Larson, the focus on the study was on calcium.

The words "milk" and "calcium" are often used interchangeably in the popular press. But while milk is a calcium source, no standard other than that of the National Dairy Council considers it the best calcium source.

The suggestion that you need to drink three glasses of the secretion of a cow's mammary glands in order to be healthy is a bit outrageous and doesn't fit the human evolutionary profile. In fact, most humans around the world cannot easily digest cow milk.

Yogurt has more calcium than milk and is easier to digest. Collards and other greens also have about as much or more calcium than milk by the cup. Greens, unlike milk, have the added benefit of vitamin K, also necessary for strong bones. Sesame is also very high in calcium.

When you measure calcium by cup of food product, milk is high on the list. When you view it by calorie, though, milk is at the bottom. A hundred calories of turnip greens have over three times as much calcium as 100 calories of whole milk.

Low Back Pain - Treatment considerations

The Low Back

The low back (lumbar spine) is perhaps the most dysfunctional and weakest musculoskeletal link in the body. It is one of the leading reasons for visits to the emergency room. And anyone who has had a bout of back pain will tell you it affects everything they do throughout the day. It is active in nearly every functional activity of the body and its proper function is integral to most of our movements in every day life.
Interestingly, the low back is rarely the first to move. If you take a swing in golf, first your arms move, then your upper back, and then your low back moves then hips. If you step forward and bend down to pick something up, first your foot moves then your leg and hip then your sacroiliac joint and then your low back moves. This is a very important point, because the low back relies on proper communication from the rest of the body in order to function properly. Thus, any therapy for low back pain should integrate the rest of the body and promote proper communication between the low back and the upper and lower body.
What does communication to the low back mean? It means the ability to transfer triplane (sagittal, frontal and transverse) motion into triplane stability. The low back is designed to move really well in the front to back motions (sagittal plane); it has some movement in the side to side (frontal plane motion) and very little motion in rotation (transverse plane). The limitation in rotation allows the lumbar spine to be stable enough to transfer rotational motion between the upper and lower body. As a practitioner I consider how the body functions in its transformational zones between two stages of motion. The load and the unload. Loading is the preparation for a movement. The unload is performance of a specific movement. Let’s look at an example.
I recently treated a person who was training for her first marathon that was to take place in 3 weeks. She had been having right low back pain for the last 2 months of her training and had just recently started to get right knee pain and swelling. She was unable to run or even go from sitting to standing without pain.
I started her evaluation by observing her walk. I immediately noticed that she walked on the outside of her right foot, her right foot turned out more than the left and her heel came off the ground early. My next step was to get more specific and see how her right foot moved in all three planes of motion and when she was doing a balance reach exercise she lacked balance in the frontal and transverse planes. In response to this unbalance she said, “I do remember spraining my ankle about a year ago”. Next I assessed her hip function on the TrueStretch which allowed for a stable environment to look at triplane motion. It quickly became evident that she lacked sagittal, and more importantly, transverse plane motion of her right hip. “Yeah, but what does this have to do with my back”, she asked me. Next I set out to re-gain motion in her right ankle and hip by facilitating these motions in a pain-free range of motion and then I followed up with triplane functional lunges to activate some sleeping muscles. Within one and a half weeks, this patient was back to pain-free running.
Although the patient’s original complaint was right low back pain and knee pain, I believe the true cause of pain and dysfunction was rooted in the foot/ankle and hip. Since the low back only has a nominal amount of rotation to begin with, there is not much it can do to compensate for lack of motion in other parts of the body. Therefore those restricted parts of the body must be evaluated and treated in order to have a truly successful and lasting resolution of back pain.

Knee pain

When I think about injuries that happen to the knee it reminds me of a quote that most of us used in our childhood. “It’s not my fault, they made me do it” Although injuries to the ACL, MCL, collateral ligaments and patellar tendon are well known, it is not as well known why they occur. Yes, it’s easy to deduce that when a 280lbs linebacker lands on the back of your knee and you hear a pop that that is what tore your ACL, but most ACL injuries and other knee injuries are not the result of one specific trauma. The knee is stuck between the foot and the hip and it can only react to what happens above it and below it. The motion of the foot dictates the motion of the tibia and fibula (the lower bones of the knee) and the hip joint motion dictates the motion at the femur (the upper bone of the knee).
Most knee injuries are the result of repetitive micro-trauma’s usually involving foot and hip joint dysfunction. As I described in the last newsletter, the heel must properly dorsiflex, and move down and in (pronate) to allow the tibia to rotate medially. If this motion does not happen properly then the muscles up the kinetic chain are not stimulated to contract and without muscular support, the ligaments of the knee must take on more of the load. Over time this can lead to a tear. Similarly, the hip joint motion must be within normal limits to have proper knee function. When the foot strikes the ground the hip should flex, internally rotate and adduct. This motion lengthens the powerful muscles of the buttock stimulating them to contract in order to stabilize the knee and then bring the tibia out of internal rotation and into external rotation. Like problems with the foot, problems with hip can cause the ligaments and tendons of the knee to take on extra loads which can cause tears.
The good thing about knee injuries is that if you can identify the area of greatest restriction or greatest mobility you can address the true cause of the pain. Dr. Colling has a series of functional diagnostic tests and treatments which are specifically designed to identify the body’s true area of weakness. He can provide effective treatment and exercise protocol’s to help prevent knee pain and to help recover from major knee injuries. It is interesting to note that, often knee pain issues can be treated successfully without treating the knee itself. So in many cases of knee pain, “it is not the knee’s fault, something else did make it hurt.”

Preventing injuries by improving foot function

As spring is becoming more evident, many of us are starting to venture outside more often. If you plan to start a new workout program or simply move your current workout from the treadmill to the trails you should be aware of proper foot mechanics.Outdoor surfaces can be uneven, too hard, too soft, too bumpy and unpredictable.Your foot needs to be able to adapt to all of these changes.

As your heel strikes the ground it needs to move down and in (pronate) to unlock the foot joints and make the foot a flexible adaptor so it can react to uneven surfaces.When the heel is about to come off the ground the joints of the foot should lock so your foot has something rigid to propel off of. If these things don’t happen you could be setting yourself up for an injury.When the foot pronates too much or for too long it puts more stress on the fascia of the bottom of the foot which can lead to plantar fascitis, tendonitis, bunions, and other foot pain and tingling symptoms.If the foot does not pronate enough it won’t absorb shock like it should which could lead to metatarsalgia and stress fractures of the foot and leg.

In addition, the motion of the heel bone allows the lower leg to internally rotate which allows the upper leg to internally rotate and allows for several other reactions up the chain. This internal rotation of the leg "turns on" or stimulates the powerful butt muscles to contract which in turn slows down the internal rotation and eventually moves the leg into external rotation for proper lift "off".

This is a very important concept that must be addressed with all foot/leg/ and spine injuries. If it is not addressed many injuries will heal improperly or you will be set up for the same injuries over and over again.

So as you are outside enjoying a spring workout and enjoying the spring foliage pay special attention to your feet and thank them for working properly.If you feel that your feet need some help, remember that I am here for you.

Kevin Colling, DC

Body Mind Spirit Expo

Dr. Colling will be hosting a booth with the Vital Health and Wellness crew at the Body Mind Spirit Expo this weekend. Please stop by to say hi and chat about functional biomechanics.

Where: Oregon convention center 777 NE MLK Blvd Hall A
When: Sat 10-7, Sun 11-6

Thanks,

Kevin Colling, D.C.

How to prevent Bunions

There are many factors that can lead to the formation of a bunion. I believe the most significant is Wolf's law which says that bone will grow where ever the most force is applied. In this case an abnormal amount of force is applied to the big toe joint causing the body to react by laying down more bone.

The abnormal force is typically created when the gastroc/soleus (calf muscles) are so tight that the person can't properly bend their ankle (dorsiflex). To make up for the lack of dorsiflexion the body turns the toe out as the foot is planted, which moves the forces of walking over the inside of the big toe rather than spreading the forces out over the rest of the foot.

Proper stretching of the calves and hip in all three planes of motion can help prevent toeing out during walking and thus can help prevent the formation of bunions.

Another simple way to help prevent bunions is to avoid wearing heeled shoes. The higher the heel the worse it is for your feet. High heel shoes place your foot in an unnatural plantar flexed position and places abnormally high stresses on the inside of the big toe.

Dr. Colling can assess the factors described above in addition to many more factors that lead to bunions. Many times bunion pain and progression of bunions can be averted with proper evaluation and treatment.

Cheers!

Kevin Colling, DC

Evolution of Darwin's theory

The evolution of Darwin's theory

AFP / Getty Images

Charles Darwin

200 years after his birth, scientists are analyzing DNA in an effort to keep pace with increasingly rapid changes among humans and solve the mysteries behind blue eyes and our other differences.

By Karen Kaplan
February 8, 2009

Blue eyes are typically associated with beauty, or perhaps Frank Sinatra. But to University of Wisconsin anthropologist John Hawks, they represent an evolutionary mystery.

For nearly all of human history, everyone in the world had brown eyes. Then, between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago, the first blue-eyed baby was born somewhere near the Black Sea.

• 

  "Darwin's Sacred Cause," "Evolution: The...

For some reason, that baby's descendants gained a 5% evolutionary advantage over their brown-eyed competitors, and today the number of people with blue eyes tops half a billion.

"What does it mean?" asked Hawks, who studies the forces that have shaped the human species for the last 6 million years.

Nobody knows. It is one of the questions about evolution that persist 200 years after the birth of Charles Darwin, whose birthday will be celebrated worldwide Thursday.

Darwin amassed a lifetime of observations on plants and animals to famously conclude that all life on Earth evolved from simple organisms through a painstakingly slow process of tiny random changes and a continuous contest for survival of the fittest.

Though Darwin published his masterwork, "On the Origin of Species," 150 years ago and died in 1882, studies on evolution continue apace. Much of that effort focuses on the species Darwin considered the pinnacle of the evolutionary process: Homo sapiens.

Until recently, conventional wisdom held that human beings had mastered their environment so thoroughly that the imperative to evolve in many ways diminished about 10,000 years ago, when agriculture gave rise to more-stable societies.

"People thought that with technology and culture, there'd be no reason for physical things to make any difference," said Milford Wolpoff, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Michigan. "If you can ride a horse, it doesn't matter if you can run fast."

That turned out to be wrong. As it happens, the pace of evolution has been speeding up -- not slowing down -- in the 40,000 years since our ancestors fanned out from Ethiopia to populate the globe.

And in the 5,000 to 10,000 years since agriculture triggered the growth of large societies, the pace has accelerated to 100 times historical levels.

"When there's more people, there are more mutations," Wolpoff said. "And when there are more mutations, there's more selection."

Hawks and other scientists quantified this in late 2007 by comparing more than 3 million genetic variants in the DNA of 269 people of African, European, Asian and Native American descent. They created sophisticated computer models to scour the genome for telltale patterns signaling recent adoption of favorable genes.

Their methods rely on the fact that new mutations are not inherited alone, but are passed along in large DNA chunks. Over time, random changes make those chunks smaller. By comparing the length of those chunks in different people, scientists can estimate how long the beneficial mutation has been spreading through the gene pool.

The analysis turned up about 1,800 genes -- 7% of the genome -- that have been widely adopted in the last 40,000 years. Researchers using more conservative methods estimate the number at 300 to 500.

The function of most genes is unknown. The scientists identified 17 genes for the hair cells involved in hearing, which may have been favored by natural selection because they help people identify voices or speak tonal languages such as Mandarin.

And they found a number of genes involved in brain development, including a version of a dopamine receptor gene called DRD4 that is sweeping through the European population. Some think it is a novelty-seeking variant, others that it affects libido. What they do know is that having two copies increases the odds of having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Among the genes whose purpose is understood, the biggest category is devoted to fighting infectious diseases. For instance, the researchers found more than a dozen new genetic variants involved in fighting malaria to be spreading rapidly among Africans.

Scientists had previously identified several mutations that offered protection against the disease. Most were shared by people of African descent, because the scourge is most widespread on that continent. But malaria afflicts people throughout the tropics and subtropics, and additional mutations to combat the disease arose in Thailand and New Guinea, Hawks said.

One of the newly discovered mutations helps defend against a form of the disease in which malaria parasites congregate in blood cells in the placenta, causing a high rate of miscarriage.Diet is another big force behind recent human evolution. As humans made the transition from being hunter-gatherers to farmers, their bodies had to adapt to new kinds of foods.

The best-known example involves the gene that regulates a person's ability to make an enzyme required to digest lactose, the sugar in milk. Historically, the LCT gene shut down in early childhood as babies were weaned off breast milk. But after cows, sheep and goats were domesticated, people with a mutation that allowed them to drink milk as adults had a nutritional advantage that made it easier for them to propagate their genes.