Is stretching harmful?

Could your preworkout routine lead to injury?

Have you seen runners pulling their heels back preparing for a morning jog? Have you watched a pickup basketball game begin with deep knee bends? Should we stretch before we work out? This is more complex than a yes or no--let's look at the research and the evidence:

Types: The most common type of stretching is (A) Static stretching: holding an elongated muscle for 10-30 seconds until it feels released. (B) Ballistic stretching is a bounce & repeat stretch, while (C) Dynamic stretching involves gentle motion, similar to exaggerated warm up time. Examples of this are knee lifts, long lunges, and gentle arm swings.

Risks: Static stretching has been shown to lengthen tissue, immediately decrease strength by 20-30%, and increase injury rates from 0-15% (depending on the study). Long, 2-joint muscles, are at increased risk (eg hamstrings, quadriceps, triceps). Static stretching requires multi-daily and long-term repitition to increase range of motion. Ballistic stretching has been shown to increase microtearing, & risk of injury elevates. Dynamic involves controlled motions and is less damaging to tissue, though it produces less immediate lengthening.

The most important feature of stretching is what you are telling your brain. Your brain is in control of how tight or relaxed your muscles will be. I consider static & ballistic stretching "arguments" with your brain and dynamic stretching "cooperation". Research supports calm, gradual warmup periods. Allow time for your body to get ready for activity.

Dr. Anthony's Advice: Save static or ballistic stretching for after a workout--and only targeted on areas you're looking for more range of motion, not on every sore muscle. Include dynamic stretching as part of a 5-10 minute warmup for any intense activity. Your body will be less likely to injure, and you'll be able to keep performing your best.

New Year's Resolutions

Did Santa leave extra weight under your tree?

How are your New Year's resolutions going? Did you make any? Nearly half of all Americans made a resolution this year--and two weeks in, about 70% of you are still going strong. The most popular resolution is losing weight, increasing exercise or changing eating habits. Let's look at the evidence to successfully make changes.

We need to soak in good information. We do need fats, carbs, and proteins to thrive, but we need them to accompany nutrients. This is why pop, sweet tea, and other simple carbs are "empty calories". When we take in calories without fiber, vitamins, & minerals, we miss the most important part. As Dr. Robert Lustig said, "Wherever there's fructose [sugar] in nature, there's way more fiber. The only exception is honey, and that's guarded by bees!"

Make a resolution that will last--make a lifestyle change. Most people require a change of food types, portion control, and exercise intensity. Make sure you include all three. Decide on specifically what you will eat, what you won't, and how much you're going to move in a day. Then tackle the biggest challenge of all: personal identity.

Evaluate your attitude. Are you fighting your desires? Are you leaning on your willpower, guilt, or shame to help you make new choices? Long term change requires a positive, curious view of one's self. You are encouraged to be creative about how you might succeed in the future, taking one step forward at a time.

Seek an identity shift. If you view yourself as a cookie lover, it's going to be very difficult to step away from cookies--but if you identify as a former-cookie lover, you will more easily avoid a less-healthful input. Perhaps you've experienced this with boxed mac & cheese, fish sticks, or other child-focused foods you no longer eat. If you identify as someone who loves a certain food, you will eventually breakdown and consume it. If you recognize that you are a new person--someone who is making new choices, you won't have to use willpower alone to overcome temptation.

I hope you are encouraged to make a healthy choice in this new year. If you wish you made a resolution weeks ago, tomorrow is a great day to start. Look for healthy, wise advice--and seek to be curious and positive about your new identity. You may discover that you've been hiding a love for bok choy, kale, or brussel sprouts beneath those carbs. Happy Belated New Year!

Fighting obesity...

         ...of the Backpack

Our children are carrying too much weight, and I'm not just talking about their bodies.  We have a problem we can solve immediately: the weight they carry in backpacks.

Some children are carrying 20, 30, or even 40% of their body weight on their backs. Imagine: a grown man carrying a 3rd grade child around on your back at work--it would look ridiculous, because it is ridiculous!  Students should not be compromising their bodies for books and gear; we need to be smarter.  Let's talk about solutions:

First: weigh your child--then weigh their backpack.  It should be no heavier than 10% of their body weight.  If they are 80 lbs, this means 8 lb pack; 120 lb child = 12 lb pack.  Review every item and determine need.  Their health is more important than any school supply and a duplicate book copy is much cheaper than a doctor's visit.

Second: check the fit of the pack.  Select a small to medium sized pack to prevent over stuffing.  Encourage utilizing both straps, resting on the middle of the collarbone, not the edge.  Ensure the pack rests in the small of the child's back, not on their hips or glutes.

These encouragements apply to children of all ages.  Poor bag ergonomics can create back, neck, shoulder pain.  Yes, this goes for purses too.  [Tiptoe carefully, Dr. Anthony :) ] If your child has symptoms which might relate to their backpack, a chiropractor, physical therapist or other trusted physician may offer great help with a return to good form.  Don't let pain or dysfunction go unaddressed.  It is not "growing pains" to have symptoms from carrying too much for our body.

Decisions, Decisions

Do you remember what it was like to buy a bicycle...or a television--it was probably a little confusing.  You might have started your research online then visited a local store to mosey up and down the aisle trying to figure out how much you had to spend to get what you wanted.  Will it last?  Is this the right size?

It can be difficult to purchase a durable good, and even more difficult to make a health care decision.  You may start your research online by entering symptoms, only to find how many diseases you may have--most of which you've never dreamed of pronouncing.  Osteochondral...who?  Tenosynovitis...what?

Just as with durable goods, there's a lot of misinformation out there about your health.  Wouldn't it be nice to have a helpful guide--an advocate--to sort through the decisions?  "I wish my doctor had time for questions." The best physicians, doctors who have the most success in health improvement, are those that take time to understand their patients experience.  They take time to answer questions and share knowledge so that an informed decision can be made.

Information and wisdom is important in buying the right refrigerator, and it's even more important when making decisions about your health.  I encourage you to seek out doctors who have time for you, and who treat you with patience and empathy.

Scorn or Delight: Life as a Chiropractic Physician

What does "chiropractor" bring to mind for you?

I enjoy when my title is brought up in social context, because folks are rarely shy about sharing their perspective about my field of doctorate.  I imagine more pleasantries are offered for lawyers, real estate agents, pastors, and even customer service workers.  Something about Chiropractic Medicine conjures the desire to share a story.  The anecdote usually goes one of two ways: it's a love or concern kind of statement. 

Often, I hear about how a chiropractor in some distant city was a savior to the family--resolving numerous and surprising ailments.  This is the kind of doctor I would like to be: a physician who touches patients' lives, offering sound counsel and taking the time to empower people to live more fruitfully.

I also hear the "concerned" side--and too often.  Sometimes it starts with: "Do you know [so-and-so]?  He cracked my neck once even though I'd asked him again and again to not do it.  It hurt my neck more.  It was so jarring.  I had to stop after 3 months of visits, and he was still arguing me to stay."

I can't share strongly enough how much this story upsets me.  Both for the disappointing experience the patient had and also the future hesitancy for the patient to seek the best care possible (which may be a chiropractor).  I have committed my practice--our entire office--to delivering chiropractic care that promises 3 things:

1) We will not advise treatments that aren't helping you or you don't want.  We are not definied by our ability to adjust joints.  There is so much more we can do including soft-tissue therapy, rehab exercises, and nerve entrapment release.  Treatment should be comfortable.

2) We do not promote long term care.  You should be seeing significant improvement every week.  Patients understand that we don't use magic, but our average patient is finished in 3 visits.  30 visit averages and promotion of "maintenance packages" is unfortunate, manipulative, and not usually in the patient's best interest.

3) We will take the time required to solve the issue, including refer you to another specialist if that is what we think is best for your pain.  We spend on average 30-45 minutes PER patient and reserve 90 minutes for our new patient visits.  We put our actions where our heart is.

I hope the next time you bring up "a chiropractor I like" that you are able to talk about a different experience you've had a Tri-Synergy Chiropractic.

Tri-Synergy's New Intro Video

We are very excited to share our introduction video.  Tri-Synergy Chiropractic is Greensboro - High Point, NC's leading Chiropractic resource for gentle joint manipulation, Active Release Techniques (ART), and functional exercise rehabilitation.

Is it a pinched nerve? My neck is killing me!

Have you been told your neck or back pain was caused by a pinched nerve?  Have you heard a friend describe this issue or concerned you may be at risk?  Fear not--this description is often not accurate and not likely.

A "pinched nerve" refers to the space just next to the spine, where spinal nerves exit from the spinal cord and travel towards fingers, toes, and all the organs of the body.  If you've had pain anywhere from your neck to your fingertips, or low back down to your toes--you may have worried it could be a pinched nerve.  The space provided in the low back is more than enough for the nerves to fit through.  In fact, the space can often degenerate more than 50% and still have no symptoms!  The space in the neck is sufficient for the nerves to travel through even with inflammation.

In the chiropractic world, a pinched nerve is often described as the "garden hose theory", similar to a hose losing water pressure when it is kinked or someone is stepping on it.  This theory has no proper scientific evidence and should be disregarded as an explanation for treatment.

So if it's not likely a pinched nerve, what causes such pain?

The evidence points to irritation, adhesion, and perception.  Yes, just as the brain is powerful enough to let a grandmother lift a car to save her child or a football star finish a game on a broken ankle--your brain is powerful enough to misinterpret irritating signals as significant pain.  That means something can hurt really badly but not be very dangerous.  Our brains have an imperfect ability to perceive the level of danger.  As I remind my wife, the drive to skydiving is far more dangerous than actually jumping out of the plane.  Yet our brains have decided that the skydiving is more intense than anything else, just as irritation to a nerve--not a pinched nerve--can be more intense than other insults.

Adhesions are like cob webbing around tissue and can create tension instead of smooth, easy gliding.  Improper growth of connective tissue can create these stubborn changes, specific manual therapy can quickly eliminate these problems.  This leads to a more fluid tissue motion, whether it's muscle, nerve, tendon, ligament, or fascia.  Treating a "pinched nerve" should be focused on direct manual therapy and exercises that calm, release, and gently move the area.  This is the best way to avoid surgery, speed healing, and return to feeling normal.  Find a chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, or physician who is focused on helping you move again, without relying on drugs to numb it or surgery to cut it.