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Author: Matthew Samartzis

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A Day At The Races!

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Melbourne Cup Horse Racing 2023

Melbourne Cup 2023 is here but wait have you bought your winning ticket? The point of this blog isn’t really about the races…. What it is really about is the awkward positions you will be in, the amount of screaming and drinking you will be doing and the after affects of all this and obviously how to better prepare yourself for the Melbourne Cup of 2023!

What To Bring To The Races!

There are many things but obviously slip slop slap! This Tuesday on the 7th of November we will be hitting a scorching 29 degrees in Melbourne. This is great weather for the cup but we have to make sure we are wearing sunglasses, hats and of course a nice outfit to fit into the crowd of horse racing! Sunscreen is the number one thing to remember this Tuesday and lets be honest finding a great spot to sit and protect yourself from not only the harsh weather but save yourself from a bad back the next morning is a must!

What Will Be The Aftermath Of The Races?

This is all dependant on whether or not you took care of yourself on the day! It is not uncommon for allied health professionals to get an urgent call the next day for sore back and especially falls from poor drinking decisions. Safeguard yourself and monitor not only your alcohol consumption but also look after your mates on the day of the races!

How Can Chiropractors Help?

For once this is just an accident waiting to happen kind of scenario. Our chiropractors work on musculoskeletal injuries hence why the Melbourne Cup is a great day for our team of specialists. No matter how bad the problem is our chiropractors or remedial massage therapists will be able to walk you through various treatment options and assess your physical wellbeing. If X-rays are required… which hopefully would not be needed they can be taken externally through a referral from us!

If you are someone that finds themselves in a bit of strife either on Melbourne Cup Day or the day after our team of chiropractors will be available across our locations in Melbourne. Give our team a call on 9302 1023 or book online to find a time that suits you best!

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Shooting Pain Down the Leg? Sciatica!

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Sciatic Pain

Suffering from that usual shooting pain down the leg? Find out in this blog the reasons of why it can occur and why it is a common back problem in today’s society!

What Is Sciatic Pain?

Sciatic pain also known as sciatica is an issue that causes compression of the sciatic nerve. This can be caused by many different joints, muscles and tendons in the body. Because of its origin and dense musculature surrounding, makes it susceptible to pinching.

Why Is Sciatica A Common Issue?

Sciatica is a common issue in this generation due to the amount of sitting and slouching at desks. Not only do people work from home but the issue with this is people seating arrangements. Ergonomic seating is a big issue and is a necessity to improve worker satisfaction and longevity in any business.

How Does Sciatica Occur?

Sciatic pain can be caused by many different things. This can involve muscles such as the piriformis which is located in the buttock region. It can also be caused by compression of the spinal nerves in the lower lumbar spine or pelvic joint. Each of these problems can be exacerbated with previous injuries which have caused spinal trauma such as disc bulges or fractures.

How Can Chiropractors Help?

Chiropractors examine the area that is pressuring the nerve. Being experts in both joints and muscles allows chiropractors to pin point the underlying issue and improve the symptoms from the get go. Chiropractors may use spinal adjustments or soft tissue therapy depending on the severity of the sciatic pain. Low force techniques such as activator methods and pelvic blocking may be used on patients with moderate-severe inflammation.

If you are someone currently suffering with Sciatic pain or just a general back pain our team of chiropractors can help get you back on track! We also offer Remedial Massage which may be of benefit if tight muscles are a cause of the issue.

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Does Working Out Improve Posture?

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Row Machine For Posture

Improving posture is not an easy task hence why a majority of patients see chiropractors to help decrease unwanted curvature throughout the spine. Usually when a spinal joint has been restricted in a position for a prolonged period of time it can cause the body to automate it’s function and create change to the region affected. This change can cause pain, limited movement and postural distortions. Unfortunately it is not as easy to fix as joining a gym and pumping some weights and in this blog we will explain why and how we can make these changes for the better!

Why Doesn’t Exercise Change Posture?

Have you ever seen a hunchback at the gym? Look around, guaranteed there will be a beefed up individual with a slump like posture and this can be due to the fact of spinal joint restrictions throughout the spine. Yes, working the muscles strengthens the surrounding area although muscles are only one part of the problem! Majority of the patients that come in have very little drive to start gym routines and lift weights and hence why chiropractic care can be beneficial with prescribed therapies and recommendations to make change!

How Can We Make Changes To Posture?

The biggest way of making change is to locate the restricted joints in the spine and either seeking professional help to mobilise the area or you can part take in stretching and mobility training such as yoga and Pilates.

How Can Chiropractors Help With Posture?

A chiropractor can help with posture by using adjustments in specific joints to help remobilise them almost instantly. With the help of spinal adjustments and mobility exercises, posture is able to improve as a whole. To figure out how bad posture is both a posture scan and X-Ray will be taken if necessary to see how bad the degeneration is aswell as any other anomalies unseen from the naked eye.

If you are someone that is suffering from a hunch back or other postural deficit, reach out to one of our chiropractic specialists at The Melbourne Chiropractor and lets help correct and stabilize your spine again!

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Stuck With Jaw Pain?

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Jaw Pain / TMJ Dysfunction

Are you one of those people that find you have a clicking jaw and at times feel the soreness going from your mouth all the way into your head?

Well you may be one of the lucky ones suffering from TMJ dysfunction also known as jaw pain!

What Are The Symptoms Of Jaw Pain?

– Headaches

– Neck Pain

– Jaw Clicking Sounds

– Jaw Pain

– Soreness In Temples

– Pain On Chewing

How Can I Improve My Jaw Pain?

Jaw pain is dependant on allot of factors. Obviously structure is the main issue at hand although we also have to acknowledge that there will be a functional element. 9 times out of 10 we will find that with the jaw clicking there will be changes to how the jaw opens and closes and which way it moves to achieve a “normal” opening or closing state. The quickest way to improve your jaw pain will be to get assessed and diagnosed from a TMJ specialist.

How Can Chiropractors Help With Jaw Pain?

Our chiropractors are TMJ specialists and understand how to improve the areas of the jaw. It is not uncommon for us to see people suffering from associated symptoms such as headaches and in turn making changes to decrease those symptoms for the better. Our chiropractors use many different techniques focusing on the surrounding musculature of the jaw and using low force techniques to make changes to the functional aspect of the jaw.

If you are someone who is currently suffering from jaw pain and headaches give our clinic a call on 9302 1023 or book online today!

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Back Supports? The Big Problem

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Back Support

Back supports are a big part of the problem when it comes to back pain and decreasing the amount of time it takes to recover. You may ask why? This is what we will be explaining in this blog about back supports!

What Do Back Supports Achieve?

Back supports aim to increase the pressure around your abdominal muscle bellies to help prevent and secure you from over stretching or exerting yourself. Depending on the brace they may allow for the body to maintain a certain posture.

Why Are Back Supports Bad?

Back supports are great for maintaining certain positions when muscles are being engaged and you work a physical job although whilst sitting at a desk or driving a car this is when back support braces can cause more harm than good.

How Do Back Supports Negatively Impact Back Pain?

Long hours of back support during sedentary types of activity can cause muscles to weaken to the point where you are unable to function without the brace! Muscles get lazy if they are no being worked and being that the brace is doing their job for them the body begins to weaken in those regions.

What Is The Best Way To Target Back Pain?

Back pain sucks and it shouldn’t be something that stops you from living your life. The easiest way to start your journey is to visit a healthcare professional. Usually it is best to make an initial appointment and find out what is actually going on. No back pain is the same and should not be treated the same either.

How Do Chiropractors Help?

Our Chiropractors help by first assessing and diagnosing the problem at hand. Then after soft tissue therapies and chiropractic adjustments are used, with a combination of other various techniques to help decrease not only the pain but improve the overall function of the body.

If you are someone that is currently suffering from back pain our chiropractors can help get you back on track today!

Book online today or call on 9302 1023 to book your first appointment today.

Our Locations

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Reflux & Colic In Babies

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Reflux and Colic In Babies

Reflux and colic is a common symptom found in babies which causes them to take in excessive amount of air causing them to feel uncomfortable and u settled throughout the day/night.

At times this can limit your child’s ability to sleep and hinder their development. As we know sleep is the foundation of a babies growth and must be taken seriously to ensure optimal function and wellbeing.

How Do I Know My Child Has Colic/Reflux?

– Sleeping Problems

– Struggling To Eat

– Unable To Put On Weight

– Pain or Discomfort In Chest

– Consistent Hiccups/Coughing

What Should I Do As A Parent?

Best plan when babies are suffering with reflux or colic is to visit a paediatric professional. Our chiropractors not only assess and diagnose your babies symptoms but we can treat the underlying cause without the use of pharmaceutical products.

How Does A Paediatric Chiropractor Help?

A paediatric chiropractor helps by using gentle techniques and motions to help correct issues in the babies musculoskeletal system. This can include specific areas such as the TMJ or low back (hip) areas.

If you are a parent that currently has an unsettled baby and are wondering what could be the causes. Our Paediatric chiropractors may be able to help decrease these symptoms and allow the baby to fully recover.

To book online use the link provided or call on 9302 1023 to schedule your first appointment.

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Child Day Care Preparations in 2023!

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Child Care

Are you a parent that has a newborn and are worried about the germs, bacteria and crazy children that day cares can have? Well this is the child care blog for you!

How Do I Know What Child Care To Enrol In?

Every child care is different and you may be doing your research for months on end although the best thing to do is create a list of your top 3 care centres that are not to far away but also look like they cater for your child’s needs. Thankfully these days child care centres allow you to check out their facilities and see for yourself how your child could fit in and also ways in which they monitor the kids to ensure they are kept safe.

What Are The Benefits Of Child Care?

Child care enables children to socialise and engage with other kids their age allowing them to learn new skills and prepare them for their later years of interaction at school. Child care also gives children opportunities to make new friends and experience different things through activities.

What Age Should My Child Go To Child Care?

Child care is not a necessary thing! It is just another way to stimulate your child’s brain to get them use to being in different scenarios. This is all obviously dependant on whether or not parents are working. Day cares offer day to day based care where you can choose to only send your child 2 or 3 days a week allowing you to create some form of structure not only for you as a parent but also for your child to prepare them for Kinder/Montessori. Usually a great time for day care would be btw the ages of 2-3 years old. This is always a great time as not only will the kids grasp things and learn but they are able to move around themselves and be self sufficient.

Is Child Care Necessary?

In Short, No. This is just another way of structure your child’s week and also give parents the ability to work on those days.

What Else Can Be Done Instead Of Child Care?

Many Things! Taking your kids to extracurricular activities such as the library or different classes such as Gimberoo (activity based learning) or baby language/reading classes can all help stimulate your child’s brain.

How Can Chiropractors Assist?

Our Chiropractors work with pain but we also help correct structural imbalances and also have an effect on making changes to babies with colic and reflux. We have trained paediatric chiropractors who target regions with low force/ gentle techniques to enhance bodily function and wellbeing of your child.

If you are someone that has noticed any changes to your child’s posture, gait (walking) or are noticing that your child is suffering from colic/reflux our chiropractors may be able to help improve your child’s symptoms!

To book online use the link provided or call 9302 1023 to book your first appointment today!

Our Locations

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Meralgia Parasthetica

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Meralgia Paresthetica (Lateral Thigh)

What is Meralgia Paresthetica?

Meralgia paresthetica is a sensations of numbness and tingling after pressure from either a belt around the waist or long periods of sitting. At times this can cause nerve irritation and in turn cause these sensations to be long lasting needing treatment to help alleviate the symptoms. Meralgia paresthetica can also be easily misdiagnosed as it is something that can be closely related to more severe cases of sciatic nerve pain / disc bulges.

Reasons for diagnosis:

Complaint of numbness and tingling in the lateral thigh

Restricted hip and thigh range of motion after wearing a tight belt / trousers or having heavy pockets

Aggravated “like” pain when lateral thigh is compressed

Affected ADL’s and/or decrease concentration due to pain

Factors that could be contributing to the problem:

  • Trauma
  • Overuse of gluteal muscles or erector spinae
  • Obesity
  • Tight or heavy belt pockets
  • Long periods of sitting

Therapies For Meralgia Parasthetica

  • Advice on daily living activities/diet – This enables advice on how to change to make healthy actions into habits and may offer a valuable alternative with potential for long-term impact.
  • Spinal manipulation/activator/drop piece techniques – adjustive techniques have been shown to decrease pain and increase range of motion.
  • Trigger point therapy/handheld massager – have shown to decrease pain/tenderness, enhance both range of motion and quality of life and influence flexibility.
  • Prescribed stretching – Stretching has shown to reduce pain, improve functionality and   overall wellbeing in patients in both long- and short-term outcomes.
  • Prescribed exercises – produce more beneficial outcomes in terms of increased strength, improved function and reduced pain scores.

Our Locations

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All About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

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Carpal Tunnel Pain

What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a pain in the wrist and hand that aggravates both grappling and holding positions involving the affected hand.
  • Aggravated by movements involving the wrist in flexion
  • Due to trauma or overuse on the affected side causing possible weakness and clumsiness when gripping objects
  • Affected ADL’s and/or decrease concentration due to pain

What will be done during these visits –

  • Physical examination upon consult including an assessment of finger and thumb range of motion
  • Pain scales/questionnaires to be done on the 1st visit and reviewed after the end of the 4 treatments
  • Advice on daily living activities/diet/general exercise/Ice protocol (if inflammation present)
  • Trigger point therapy and/or Handheld Massage Device to hypertonic muscles
  • PIR stretching to hand and forearm musculature (depending on pain tolerance)
  • Activator and/or spinal manipulation techniques to other areas that may be problematic (depending on many varying factors)

Reasoning behind therapies/assessments –

  • Physical examinations/assessments – These are all done as a precaution so that misdiagnosis does        not occur. This also allows for better treatment outcomes which can be lifesaving.
  • Pain scales/questionnaires – these screening tools are used to support the diagnosis of   neuropathic/mechanical pain and are crucial for both effective management and to reduce the risks of chronicity.
  • Advice on daily living activities/diet – This enables advice on how to change to make healthy        actions into habits and may offer a valuable alternative with potential for long-term   impact.
  • Joint manipulation/activator/drop piece techniques – adjustive techniques have been shown to decrease pain and increase range of motion.
  • Trigger point therapy/handheld massager – have shown to decrease pain/tenderness, enhance both range of motion and quality of life and influence flexibility.
  • PNF/PIR/prescribed stretching – Stretching has been shown to reduce pain and improving functionality and overall wellbeing in patients in both long- and short-term outcomes.
  • Prescribed exercises – produce more beneficial outcomes in terms of increased strength, improved function and reduced pain scores.

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Y-Strap Adjustment Chiropractor

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Y strap chiropractor

Have you been looking for a chiropractor that uses spinal decompression techniques? In particular the Y-strap adjustment?

Our Fawkner Chiropractor Dr Andrew Koranic has been trained in the uses of the Y-strap and other spinal decompression techniques that may be of benefit for people suffering from certain skeletal issues.

Can Anyone Get Spinal Decompression?

Most people are eligible to have decompressive procedures, although for people with spinal fusions, severe disc disease/degeneration, osteoarthritis just to name a few are unable to have decompressive like techniques used on them as brittle joints and already loose bone within segmental joints can be an issue.

Thankfully on your first visit you will be examined and assessed prior to having any decompressive treatments done (if needed) including x-rays if it may be of benefit to understand and see entirely the severity of your degeneration, if any.

What Are The Benefits?

The Y-strap is a technique that helps reduce spinal tension through the body and enables the reduction of inflammation to take place within areas of concern. Unlike many other decompression techniques the Y-strap is able to instantly decompress multiple areas of the spine at the same time without the need for traction tables.

If you are someone that is currently looking for someone that uses the Y-strap technique and don’t know if this is a treatment that can work for you, visit our Fawkner chiropractor today to get an assessment and the essential treatment needed to help improve your health and wellbeing!

Our Locations

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