Chirofashion

As a chiropractor I often treat hip joints.  It's not my favourite joint in the body, to be perfectly frank.  Sure, it is a well designed joint - nice deep ball and socket, admirable ligamentous and muscular support, symmetrical joint space.  Pretty, yes, but still not my favourite joint to work on.  I find it to be stubborn, difficult to access and sometimes - I'll just say it - the hip can be a pain in the ass.

That said, as a chiropractor with internet access, I'm hip to the latest trends in chiro-fashion.  

Pelvis pants.  

I don't know who this lady is, but I'm assuming she's either a chiropractor or a celebrity - or both!  Probably both.  But imagine the work I could get done with a pair of these pants?  I could wear them to help patients understand anatomy, my patients could wear them to make palpation so much easier, and we'd all be so fashionable to boot.  Oooooh... these would look great with boots!  

Lets hear it for pelvis pants!  Hip, hip.... hooray!

Back at work to work on backs!

*back* at work... get it?  Back?  At work?  

cause i work on a lot of backs?

Ok... not only is it a lame joke, but when I posted this on Facebook, it inspired a series of lame rebuttals.  "Hope it's an easy adjustment!" and "is it all it's cracked up to be?"  Everyone is a comedian.  

But!  I'm back at work!  And I'm better than ever, if not funnier than ever.  And also - we now have a Laser at the clinic!  But more on that soon.  

I'm treating patients on Tuesdays and Thursdays for now, though since I'm here for the Friday morning Pilates class anyway, I can probably be convinced to take a patient or two before or after the class.  (Especially if you join the Pilates class!)

Baby Simon will also be accompanying me at work most days, so be prepared to be charmed.  

Finally, thanks to my patients for their patience (see what I did there!?) during my maternity leave.  It was great to be able to bond with Simon and work on some new jokes.  

I've been busy. What's your excuse?

I haven't been around much lately. In fact, it has been many months since my last confession... er post. But I have good reasons! I spent some of those months building a baby, then some hours birthing said baby, and lately I've been feeding the baby, changing the baby, feeding the baby, changing the baby... and so on.

But! It occurred to me as I fed the baby and changed the baby last night, that I used to do other things. Like exercise, and blog, and talk with adults. I just got busy and then fell out of the habit.

Life events do this - they throw routine out the window. I see this all the time with patients. Monthly maintenance visits go by the wayside after a baby is born (yours, not mine), a treatment plan is interrupted by a holiday (again, yours... not mine!), healing progress is abandoned upon starting a new job. We are creatures of habit, sure, but just as often we are creatures of un-habit, losing our routines in the upheavals of life.

Since becoming pregnant and then not-pregnant, I've definitely dropped some good habits (and picked up a few bad ones... ).  But I've decided that it is time to get back on track. In addition to waking up every few hours(!), I'm setting up a few more routines in my life. Morning gym workouts, pilates classes at the clinic (any other moms interested?), planning and cooking my meals at home so I can control what I'm eating. Getting back to work soon and getting adjusted regularly. No excuses anymore. I'm scheduling myself in, otherwise I find myself off the to-do list all together.

What have you let fall by the wayside? How do you get back on track??

Just ribbing

I like anatomy.  It always seemed fascinating to me that we are made of these bits - muscles and nerves and guts and bones and blood and gloop and fingernails and such... and that one could learn all of them!  Unlike other scientific fields, anatomy is relatively finite.  How does a physicist ever feel she's done?  You can read and write and postulate and read some more and maybe one day you think i get it! only to have someone discover a new qubit of information and suddenly you are re-contemplating the universe and reconsidering gravity and you want to throw yourself into a black hole if you could just figure out what the hell one was anyway.

No thanks, I'll stick with phalanges: 10.  I like finite.

The point is, I like anatomy.  And no offense, but I can tell that many of you haven't really considered all your parts, and I don't understand this.  I mean, you can ignore physics and pretend tau neutrinos don't exist, and life will go on.  But you can't ignore your knees, people.  They are RIGHT THERE!  And while most of you don't know your gluteals from your olecranon, none of you understand ribs.

Unlike the elusive Mc.Rib, your ribs have bones.  12 pairs of ribs create a cage that protects some of the more vital organs - heart and lungs.  Though I do consider my hands quite vital, I'll chalk that up to yet another instance of design oversight.  The ribs are an example of stability and mobility in perfect harmony; stability protects the inside parts, mobility aids in and allows for breathing and motion through the trunk. Mess with the ribs and compromise these functions.  What I see clinically is a rib that has gone 'out', or stops moving properly.  If you've ever had a rib 'out', you know how painful this is.  Breathing is tender, coughing is agonizing, laughing is absurd.

All of a sudden ribs are important, eh?

Patients find it fascinating to learn that their pain is being caused by a rib. They had never considered their ribs, let alone as a source of pain. But I have. I'm a chiropractor!

I enjoy treating ribs. The results can be so dramatic! A simple adjustment can restore movement and ease pain, often instantly. The patient is happy because they feel better, and I'm happy because my patient is happy. It doesn't hurt the chiro-ego to feel like a hero either.  Of course it's not always "alleluia thy be healed!" - sometimes a few treatments are necessary, and occasionally I am challenged by a very stubborn rib. And like the Mc.Rib, some wayward ribs return again and again...

So let's talk about how to deal with ribs.

Breathing exercises can be very helpful, as can gently rolling against a wall or on the floor.  The point is to mobilize the 'stuck' rib.  Ice is often helpful too.  Massage can help sometimes, but I find the rib rub to be a temporary fix, especially if that rib is still 'out' of alignment.  See your chiropractor.  A rib adjustment is most often the easiest, fastest and most effective treatment for acute rib pain.

And if you've been directed to this blog by searching Mc.Rib, my advice for you is an antacid and a salad.

Happy Chiroversary!

I'm not one for dates.  Sure, I'll say yes if the right person asks, but I'm talking more about the calendar variety - I just don't remember dates very well.  So I'll forgive myself for forgetting a recent milestone - my 10 year chiroversary.

I've been practicing chiropractic for 10 years!  You'd think by now I'd have had enough practice and could do the real thing but there you have it.  Still practicing... after a decade!  And it's weird, because the math doesn't really add up - how can I be at once a youthful twenty-something, and also a seasoned decenial doctor of chiropractic?  One of life's mysteries, really.  But there you have it.

I want my spine mug

And what do I have to show for my 10 years of service?  Files, lots of files, and memories, and experience.  I've gained so much from my patients over the past decade.  I've learned a lot about back pain and joints, about healing, and about not-healing.  I've treated lots of regular cases, and a few fascinating ones.  I've seen so many people get healthier through chiropractic, and I've witnessed time and time again the remarkable ability of the human body to heal.  And I've been honoured to be a part of it all.
What I DON'T have to show for my service, is a spine mug.  For shame, chiro-authorities... what better way to commemorate 10 years of dedicated spinal service?  What have my annual dues been funding?  Research!?


A professor once told us that when we graduate as chiropractors, we will be competent, at best.  He went on to describe how technically proficient we can expect to be after x and x+1 years, but I was too insulted to keep listening.  Competent?  COMPETENT?  I mean, I know rule number one is to 'first do no harm', but talk about setting the bar low.  But after 10 years, I sort of get it.  I remember those first few adjustments - sure they got the job done, but with no finesse, little style.  Experience has given me a great set of hands with which to pat myself on my back and crack yours, and pardon me for bragging, but after 10 years I'm not only competent, but dare I say it... I'm an excellent chiropractor.

And I couldn't have done it without you, my patients past present and future, and your trust and your vertebrae.  I'll be sure to mention you in my speech when I accept my 20 years of service spine watch.

Time for an adjustment!

Won't somebody please think of the children?

Pregnant women need massages.

Despite what the above photo depicts, we don't need belly massages; we need everything-else- massages.

Pregnant women need massages!

Not a back tickle, not a shoulder rub, but a full body massage.  The fuller the body becomes, the fuller it needs to be massaged - true!  And partners... please, defer to professionals.  You've done enough, and your lady deserves a bona fide massage.  Stick with foot rubs and emotional support, m'kay?

Prenatal massage is a necessity.  Physically, the pregnant woman's body is changing so rapidly; things growing, loosening, stretching.  The normal spinal curves are exaggerated as the center of gravity shifts forward.  Pain is so common that it is taken as 'normal'.  But there is nothing normal about pain, and no pain so severe that we can't, at the very least, lessen it.  Particularly at a time when pain-killers aren't an option, body work becomes that much more important.  There is simply no need to suffer.

Expecting women are often nervous about any intervention - but rest assured that prenatal massage is safe.  Registered massage therapists are trained to meet the special needs of pregnant women, and there are a variety of ways to position you for maximum comfort and safety.  The therapist may change the pressure and stroke over your low back or other sensitive areas, and will avoid applying heat near the baby.

Physical benefits aside, massage is a wonderful relaxation tool.  And it's a hell of a lot easier to get a massage while the baby is tucked away quiet inside (and not screaming on the outside... ) - enjoy this time!  Besides, happy mom = happy baby...its no longer just about you!

Yup - book a prenatal massage... you owe it to your baby!

It takes a village to treat a chiropractor: Dr Bain edition.

Loyalty is not in my blood.  My mother had a different chiropractor for every ache - she would go to Dr. Larry for her neck but only Dr. Michael could 'really get her low back'.  Myself, I get my haircut every 6 months by a different stylist, and I don't qualify for loyalty points at any major retailer.  On the chiropractic front I've got a full roster of docs to keep me in line.

Dr. Bain at work!

One of those is Dr. Zachary Bain.  He's funny and smart and kind - all wonderful characteristics in a chiropractor or a friend.  We over lap at the clinic on Mondays and Friday mornings, so should something slip or seize then, I know I'm in good hands.  Our practice styles are very similar, making Dr. Bain the chiro-equivalent of a best friend; we speak the same language.  We 'get' each other.  And like any best friend, he compliments me too - we are dissimilar in just the right ways.  When we treat each other we are also bouncing ideas off on another, comparing ways of adjusting, discussing new ways to treat injuries.  His touch is gentle, his adjustments just subtle enough, and he spends time stretching and releasing tight muscles and sore spots.  He is patient and methodical, and this is one of the things I like best about Dr. Bain's treatments - he really takes his time.  And I always feel better after seeing him!

At RHCC we don't expect your loyalty!  We encourage you to play the field, give all of us a whirl, experiment a bit.  Patients often switch back and forth between Dr. Bain and myself, sometimes preferring his thorough and gentle touch - and this is fine with me!  I like him, why wouldn't you?!

As for myself, please allow me to take this small space (it is my blog, after all...) to publicly thank Dr. Bain for all his work (specifically his work on my spine!) - thanks Zach... I consider myself fortunate to get to work alongside you, to share an office with you, and to be cared for by you!