The Paraspinal Muscles: The Eyes of the Spine
Your body is constantly gathering information about its position, movement, and balance, even when you’re not actively thinking about it. A key player in this process? The paraspinal muscles—the deep muscles running along your spine. Often called the “eyes of the spine,” these muscles are packed with specialized receptors that provide essential feedback to your brain about where your body is in space. The Role of Proprioception Proprioception is your body’s ability to sense its position and movement without visual input. The paraspinal muscles contain muscle spindles—sensory receptors that detect stretch and tension, relaying critical information to the brain. This feedback helps coordinate posture, stability, and even fine motor control. Why Does This Matter? When the paraspinal muscles are weak, tight, or dysfunctional, proprioceptive signals become distorted, leading to poor posture, movement inefficiencies, and increased risk of injury. Chiropractic care, including targeted rehabilitative exercises, spinal adjustments, and soft tissue therapy, can help restore optimal function, improving spinal awareness and movement control. Enhancing Spinal Awareness To keep your spine “seeing” clearly, consider incorporating: ✔ Chiropractic adjustments – to optimize spinal function and nervous system communication. ✔ Core and stability exercises – like bird-dogs and dead bugs to strengthen proprioceptive feedback. ✔ Postural awareness – regular movement breaks and ergonomic support to prevent dysfunction. By maintaining strong and healthy paraspinal muscles, you enhance your body’s ability to move efficiently and confidently. References: Brumagne, S., Cordo, P., Lysens, R., Verschueren, S., & Swinnen, S. (2008). The role of paraspinal muscle spindles in lumbosacral position sense in individuals with and without low back pain. Spine, 33(2), 171-177. Proske, U., & Gandevia, S. C. (2012). The proprioceptive senses: Their roles in signaling body shape, body position, and movement, and muscle force. Physiological Reviews, 92(4), 1651-1697.
Acupuncture from a Chiropractic Perspective: Enhancing Health Naturally
Acupuncture is an ancient healing practice with deep roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), but its benefits are increasingly recognized in modern healthcare, including chiropractic care. As chiropractors, we focus on optimizing musculoskeletal function, nervous system health, and overall well-being—goals that align well with the principles of acupuncture. By incorporating acupuncture into chiropractic treatment, we can help patients achieve pain relief, improved mobility, and enhanced overall health. Acupuncture and the Nervous System One of the primary ways acupuncture benefits the body is by positively influencing the nervous system. Research suggests that acupuncture stimulates the release of neurotransmitters, such as endorphins and serotonin, which help modulate pain and mood. Additionally, acupuncture has been found to affect the autonomic nervous system, helping to balance sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) responses, promoting relaxation and recovery. This is particularly relevant for patients experiencing chronic stress, pain, or nervous system dysregulation. Decreasing Inflammation Inflammation is a key contributor to many musculoskeletal conditions. Acupuncture has been shown to modulate inflammatory responses by influencing cytokine production and promoting the release of anti-inflammatory chemicals. This makes acupuncture an excellent complementary therapy for conditions such as osteoarthritis, tendinitis, and chronic lower back pain, where reducing inflammation can lead to significant pain relief and improved mobility. Reducing Muscle Tension Muscle tension and trigger points can cause significant discomfort and limit movement. Acupuncture works by stimulating the nervous system and increasing blood flow to affected areas, which can help relax tight muscles and relieve pain. Studies indicate that acupuncture can decrease muscle tension and improve function by affecting neuromuscular pathways and reducing excessive nerve firing. This makes it a valuable tool in chiropractic care for addressing conditions such as myofascial pain syndrome, tension headaches, and postural imbalances. Supporting Holistic Healing and Recovery Acupuncture does more than just address pain—it supports the body’s natural healing processes. It can enhance circulation, improve sleep quality, and boost immune function, all of which contribute to overall health and well-being. Many patients report feeling an overall sense of balance and relaxation after treatment, which can further aid in recovery from injuries and chronic conditions. Integrating Acupuncture into Chiropractic Care By incorporating acupuncture into chiropractic treatments, we can take a more comprehensive approach to patient care. Whether used to complement spinal adjustments, soft tissue therapy, or rehabilitation exercises, acupuncture enhances treatment outcomes by addressing pain, inflammation, and nervous system imbalances. This integrative approach helps patients achieve long-term relief and better functional health. acupuncture can enhance your chiropractic care, schedule a consultation to explore its benefits firsthand! Acupuncture is a powerful, evidence-based therapy that aligns well with chiropractic principles. If you’re interested in learning how acupuncture can enhance your chiropractic care, schedule a consultation to explore its benefits firsthand!
The Aging Spine…. Add more LIFE to your years!
AGING SPINE As we age the spine undergoes dramatic changes… spinal discs and joints degenerate, ligaments, muscles and other spinal tissues get weaker, dehydrate and become stiffer, our spines are less able to withstand normal stresses. This cascade of events can eventually lead to … spinal pain, limited range of motion, increased risk of injury, increased length of time to recover and a decreased quality of living. What can Chiropractic do? the use of gentle adjustive and mobilization techniques can help decrease pain and muscle stiffness and increase range of motion increase balance and coordination minimize spinal stress and subsequent degeneration enhance tissue healing offer healthy lifestyle advice in nutrition, fitness increase sense of well-being and overall energy and Acupuncture? In conjuncture with your chiropractic care, acupuncture can help stimulate the nervous system and increase the healing response of your tissues. It works to help balance your body’s energy to promote optimal functioning! More and more seniors are enjoying the remarkable benefits of chiropractic care as part of their healthy lifestyle!! You should too!
How to Overcome Psychological Problems
Psychological Problems https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ7k_tlrKRQ #anxious #stressed a little #depressed Things happen, but we can help control how we feel through it. I LOVE this video. Little pointers to get you out of that negative cycle of feeling and into that positive cycle of feeling and healing. #socialize #exercise #eatwell #hobbies #ridethewavewecalllife and YOU WILL #FEELWELL
Stretches for Runners
Stretches for Runners Fall marathon season is just around the corner! Many runners love to get out and run but often forget to take the time afterward to stretch it all out. Stretching is most recommended for after a workout. Stretching before a workout can lead to decreased strength ability of a muscle – which can lead to injury. Save a warm up for before the exercise to get all muscles ready and save the stretching for after the activity.
Back pain, poor posture, headaches, low energy, fatigue …..
#Backpain #Poorposture #Headaches #LowEnergy #Fatigue
Socrates said it right!
Socrates said it right Looking for #healthy . When was your #spine last checked?
Family Wellness First
Read this awesome article on Family Health and Wellness Remember Health is not the Absence of Disease
World Spine Day!
World Spine Day This special announcement is to let you know that this Friday is World Spine Day!! Check out : http://www.worldspineday.org/ The theme this year is “Your Back at Work”. Tweet your spine selfie!!
Fall Newsletter!!
DrKarinSept2015Col Fall is here and the leaves haven’t turned yet! We know you will be raking and possibly planting soon however, when Mother Nature is ready. If you need a reminder about spinal health while gardening, please drop by the clinic for your information pamphlets. fall newsletter