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How Chiropractic Care Can Help Runners with Pain!

Running has become an increasingly popular way to stay fit and enjoy the outdoors. However, with the rise in this activity, many runners have encountered unexpected aches and pains. While common running injuries are often associated with the ankles, knees, and hips, back pain is another frequent complaint, often felt on one side of the lower back near the sacroiliac (SI) joint.

What Is the Sacroiliac Joint and Why Does It Matter?

The SI joints are located where your sacrum (the base of your spine) meets your pelvis. These joints play a crucial role in absorbing shock and facilitating smooth movement between your upper and lower body. Although they don’t move much, their gliding motion is vital for activities like running.

When an SI joint becomes restricted or misaligned, your body compensates, potentially leading to pain in the back, hips, knees, or even ankles. On the other hand, prolonged sitting or tight muscles like the hamstrings and hip rotators can add stress to the SI joint, further contributing to discomfort.

How Chiropractic Can Help Runners

Chiropractors specialize in identifying and addressing joint restrictions, including those in the SI joint. Here’s how chiropractic care can make a difference:

Assessment and Adjustment

A chiropractor can evaluate your body’s biomechanics to pinpoint areas that aren’t functioning properly. If the SI joint is the culprit, adjustments can restore its motion and alleviate pain.

Muscle Stretching and Release

Tight hamstrings and hip rotators often accompany SI joint issues. Chiropractors may recommend stretches or foam rolling to loosen these muscles, improving flexibility and reducing strain on the joint.

Injury Prevention

Regular chiropractic adjustments can help maintain optimal joint function, reducing the risk of future injuries. Preventive care is especially beneficial for runners, as the repetitive nature of the activity puts ongoing stress on the SI joint.

Tips for Runners Experiencing Pain

  • Incorporate foam rolling into your routine before and after running to enhance muscle recovery.
  • Stretch your hip rotators and hamstrings regularly to relieve tension.

Running should be a pain-free and enjoyable activity. By addressing issues like SI joint dysfunction early, you can stay active and avoid interruptions to your training. If you’re experiencing discomfort, consider visiting a chiropractor to get back on track—literally and figuratively!

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Knee & Ankle Pain Coming From Your Hips!?

You may experience knee or foot pain without remembering that you have injured it. Well, it might be coming from the joint above or below!

Our body is connected in a way that one joint may have an effect on the other if dysfunction arises and joints are not moving properly as it should.

Here is a scenario, you have a muscle spasm in your low back and you are leaning towards one side when you walk. What that ultimately does is putting more weight on one knee when you limp.

Now, muscles adapt to new movements fairly quickly. A week of limping may be enough to allow the knee muscles to work differently and puts different pressure onto the knee joint itself. As time goes by long after your back spasm recovers, you may notice that you get the occasional knee soreness and that might be because your joints and muscles are just used to move in the improper way.   

Conversely, if you have a history of multiple ankle injuries and the ligaments are weaker, this may affect the way you walk and in turn, affect your pelvic alignment!

Whatever it is, having a check-up from a qualified chiropractor can help you understand your biomechanics better and improve your overall function sooner.

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Spring Has Sprung!

Finally, the warmer weather is here, and it’s time to shake off the winter stiffness! As we transition from the colder months into the bright, refreshing days of spring, our bodies need a little extra care to adjust. After spending months in hibernation mode, wrapped in blankets, spending more time indoors, and moving less, many of us feel tense, achy, and a bit sluggish.

Now is the perfect time to take action. Spring represents renewal and fresh starts, and your health should be no exception. Here’s why you should include chiropractic care in your spring wellness routine and how it can help you feel recharged for the season ahead.

Revitalise Your Body After Winter’s Rest

During the winter months, we often adopt sedentary habits—sitting more, exercising less, and spending less time outdoors. This inactivity can lead to stiffness, poor posture, and even misalignment in your spine. Chiropractic adjustments help correct these misalignments, restoring your body’s natural balance and promoting better mobility.

Prepare For Springtime Activities

Spring brings more opportunities for outdoor activities, whether it’s gardening, hiking, running, or spring cleaning. But if your body isn’t prepared for this sudden increase in physical activity, you might find yourself dealing with discomfort or injury. Chiropractic care ensures your body is in optimal condition before you hit the trails or start moving furniture.

Renew Your Energy and Well-being

Winter can drain not just your physical energy, but your mental and emotional well-being as well. Chiropractic care is about more than just pain relief—it can also enhance your overall sense of wellness. Regular chiropractic adjustments help reduce stress, improve sleep, and promote better mental clarity by improving blood flow and nervous system function.

Chiropractic adjustments increase flexibility, reduce muscle tension, and improve joint health, helping you avoid injuries as you jump into your favourite spring activities. By taking care of your spine and nervous system, you’re making sure your body is primed to handle the extra movement and excitement of the season

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All About Chiropractic Care & Car Accidents!

Neck pain or back pain after a minor car accident?
Here are some facts:
 Aside from fractures and serious injuries, it is common for people to injure ligaments, muscles or discs after a minor car collision. This is known as a whiplash injury.
 Dizziness associated with neck pain and headaches, neck sprain and TMJ (jaw) pain are some of the examples victims noticed creeping up after a MVA collision impact.*
 Often after a MVA collision associated neck injury, the neck joints can become either lax (“loose”) or compressed.* This causes the surrounding muscles to compensate by tightening up even more leading to additional neck tension and headaches.

 Research has shown that chiropractic treatment including manipulation or mobilization, self-management advice and exercises is an effective treatment for neck pain associated with whiplash injuries.*

What to expect on your visit to a Chiropractor after a motor vehicle accident?
On your first visit Chiropractors will listen to your full history, go through a range of mobility, muscle and nerve testing to identify the root of the problem and recommend further imaging if necessary. Appropriate treatment is
then provided and education on exercises or movements to avoid aggravation.

These are all to facilitate faster healing and prevent long-term effects. It is then important for us to continue to monitor your condition in order to be able to provide appropriate treatment and advise at different stages of your injury!

Do you know of someone suffering from the effects of a car accident? Send them our way and rest assured our qualified Chiropractors will provide them with the most appropriate treatment.

  • Walz, F. & Muser, M. (1995) Biomechanical Aspects of Cervical Spine Injuries. JSTOR 104(6), 1257-1263.
  • Bussieres, A., Steward, G., Al-Zoubi, F., et. al. (2016) The Treatment of Neck Pain–Associated Disorders and Whiplash-Associated
    Disorders: A Clinical Practice Guideline. JMPT 39(8), 523-564.e27
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We Are Here To Support Your Spine!

Did you know that at any given moment, an estimated 540 million people suffer from lower back pain globally? Or that four million Australians suffer from back problems every year? It is a concerning statistic and one of epidemic proportions.

Every year, we celebrate World Spine Day to raise awareness of spinal disorders globally and improve access to quality spinal healthcare. This is a call to action for Australians to prioritise their spinal health across all aspects of their daily lives. Whether in the workplace, at home or at school, fostering daily positive spinal habits is critical to supporting the spine at every phase of life.

Our overarching goal is to raise awareness about the pivotal role chiropractic care plays in preventing and treating spinal disorders and, most importantly, empower YOU to take charge of your spinal health
and wellbeing.

It is crucial that people of all backgrounds and communities understand the importance of staying mobile, keeping active, regularly stretching and refraining from overloading their spines with excessive weight or strain.

Incorporating regular stretching exercises into your daily routines is an easy and time-efficient way to improve your spinal health immediately! The Straighten Up app offers a fantastic 3-minute exercise program featuring stretches that can help you stay aligned and reduce the risk of spinal issues.

Lastly, Chiropractors can assist you in resetting and refocusing on your spinal health, leading to improved overall wellbeing and long-term spinal health benefits.

Give us a call today at (03) 9302 1023 to embark on your wellness journey.

**Link to straighten up app: https://www.chiro.org.au/resources/health-initiatives-resources/straighten-up/

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Mill Park Chiropractic Clinic Opening January 3rd! 2025

The Melbourne Chiropractor Mill Park provides specialised techniques to help with all types of musculoskeletal problems. With a team of 10+ and expanding to 5 clinics across Melbourne’s North in the last 3 years our chiropractors have seen first hand what it takes to deal with all types of complaints/bodily issues. Our team pride themselves to be able to not only help with symptomatic pain but also long term longevity and postural correction by pointing out areas of postural neglect that can easily lead to a healthier spine!

Our assortment of chiropractors are thankfully not governed by a one size fits all approach meaning that our chiropractors in Mill Park have the ability to treat people from all ages. Specifically Paediatric care and Pregnancy chiropractic care. This is a great specialisation to have especially in the growing area of Mill Park and surrounding suburbs with new families who want to not only achieve better health but also ensure their children are not suffering from common things such as bedwetting, colic and reflux!

All our clinics in the north including Fawkner, Broadmeadows and Westmeadows have experienced chiropractors willing to help also for the time being! The clinics currently offer chiropractic services which also include modalities such as dry needling, cupping, sports taping, trigger point therapy, Stretching and exercise prescription.

Our clinics also accept referrals from GP’s for chiropractic services. If you are given a CDM or EPC plan you are eligible for up to 5 chiropractic visits per year!

What Can Chiropractic Help With?

Both our Westmeadows Chiropractors and Broadmeadows Chiropractors can help you with various conditions including:

What Can You Expect On Your First Visit To Our Clinic?

First Visit or First Treatment at either of our Mill Park or other health clinics includes a case history, posture scan, movement analysis, pain assessment, orthopaedic testing and a full body treatment.
Referral for X-ray imaging (if required) is bulk-billed through Medicare.

Our Mill Park Clinic

Our Mill Park Clinic is spacious and easily accessible by car, bus and train. 5 Onsite Parking spots available with wheelchair accessibility! Being in a growth corridor our clinic also caters for surrounding suburbs such as Epping, Wollert, Plenty, Reservoir and Thomastown!

What Can Our Team Do To Help?

Depending on the severity of the injury or area of concern our practitioners in our BroadmeadowsWestmeadows, Fawkner and Mill Park Clinics will treat accordingly to your complaint. Treatments that may be provided but are not limited to include:

  • Spinal manipulation, Activator Methods, Drop Piece, SOT and other adjustive techniques can help alleviate joints that have restriction such as spinal segments and joints.
  • PNF/PIR/prescribed stretching – Stretching has shown to reduce pain, improve functionality of the wrist and hand also maintains strength and improves patients in both long and short-term outcomes.
  • Remedial Massage, Trigger point therapy or use of handheld massager – Have shown to decrease pain/tenderness, enhance both range of motion and quality of life and influence flexibility.
  • 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.
  • Prescribed exercises – produce more beneficial outcomes in terms of increased strength, improved function and reduced pain scores.
  • Dry Needling or Cupping to the surrounding musculature to help decrease tension and inflammation around the area of the hand and forearm.

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Chiropractic Care & The Elderly!


We are noticing more and more older adults seeking chiropractic care. Recent data shows that at 30 June 2020, there were an estimated 4.2 million Australians aged 65 and over! Some of the common
symptoms
older people suffer from are decreased flexibility, poor balance, numbness and tingling and conditions like degeneration, brittle bones (osteoporosis) and arthritis. This brings us to the discussion on how Chiropractic care can enhance the lives of elderly patients:

  1. Pain relief
    Back pain is one of the most common conditions elderly people seek treatment for. This is often a result of degeneration or a possible spinal compression fracture. As we age, bone density decreases, which can
    make one more prone to fractures in the course of everyday tasks. If your spine or joints are not aligned, it places increased pressure on the vertebrae and joints that can potentially increases your risk of a fracture. Gentle spinal manipulation and mobilization can help ease the pain from degeneration by relieving pressure from these joints.
  2. Flexibility and range of motion
    Inflexibility due to stiff joints or tight muscles can be common with arthritis and degeneration. Helping them maintain flexibility and range of motion in the joints through Chiropractic care will allow them to
    stay active and independent for longer. This translates into better quality of life!
  3. Quality of Life
    With confidence and joy to perform daily tasks and hobbies without aches and pains, one will more likely engage better with family and in the community. Thus, improving one’s mental and social wellbeing.
  4. Balance and coordination
    There are small receptors in the neck that help your brain understand where your arms and legs are functioning in space. As we age, these receptors might not function as efficiently as before. This could
    lead to more falls, poor balance and coordination or even difficulty walking. Chiropractic care can help improve this communication in the spine and stimulate these receptors better.
  5. Overall health
    When your spine is properly aligned, it allows the brain to communicate more effectively with all parts of your body decreasing unwanted stress. This allows the nervous system to continue monitoring and repairing the body when needed.

In short, there is no age limit on chiropractic! Our chiropractors are trained in various techniques and familiar with the evidence to confidently help spines of all ages.

Give us a call at 03 9302 1023 if you know someone who would benefit from chiropractic care. We want to see you live life without limits!

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Dealing With Burnout! Signs and Solutions


Dealing with burnout is important for mental and physical health. Burnout is a term used for a state of exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress!
Some signs to look out for can include:

Physical

  • Chronic fatigue and exhaustion
  • Headaches or muscle pain
  • Change in sleep habits
  • Frequent illness
    Emotional
  • Feelings of hopelessness and being overwhelmed
  • Mood swings and increased irritability
  • Feeling detached or isolated
    Behavioural
  • Reduced productivity or increased procrastination
  • Withdrawal from responsibilities and social situations
    Cognitive
  • Difficulty making decisions
  • Forgetfulness and decreased attention span
  • Negative attitude
  • Loss of motivation

If this is something you feel like you may be struggling with it is important to have conversations with people you trust or speak to your health practitioner.

Some ways to manage burnout

  1. Prioritize self-care by taking regular breaks throughout the day to recharge. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night and engage in physical activity to boost mood and energy levels.
  2. Set boundaries between work and your personal time to ensure you have downtime.
  3. Develop healthy coping mechanisms such as practicing mindfulness and engaging in hobbies or activities you enjoy and find fulfilling.
  4. Connect with friends and family to share your thoughts and feelings.
  5. Take time to rest. Whether that is a well needed holiday or a short break to disconnect and recharge.
  6. Consider professional help from a therapist or a counsellor to work through your feelings and help develop coping mechanisms.
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Stay Healthy This Winter 2024!


We all know the cold winter days can be tough on our bodies, so here are a few things we can all do to stay feeling good throughout these months!

  1. Regular exercise can help our bodies a lot! We should aim for 30 minutes of exercise (such as walking, swimming, cycling or anything else you enjoy) 5 days a week!
  2. Adequate sleep aiming for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night can help us feel rested and ready to take on the day ahead. It can also help to repair and strengthen our immune system.
  3. Stress management practicing mindfulness can help to reduce stress levels.
    Practicing yoga, breathing exercises or meditation are all great ways things to try.
  4. A balanced diet can help to keep our bodies functioning at their best. It is important to include a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as proteins, grains and healthy fats.
  5. Hydration is important for a strong immune system. Adults should aim from around 2.4 to 3 litres of water per day.
  6. Vitamins can be very beneficial in a multitude of ways. Certain vitamins can be extra beneficial in the colder months of the year such as vitamin D (comes directly from the sun but can also be found in fatty fish, fortified dairy, and eggs) and zinc (found in meat, shellfish, legumes, seeds, and nuts).

Consult your health practitioner for further advice or if you have any questions.

You can also check out our 100’s of previous blogs to understand and better educate yourself in ways that can help you achieve not only a healthier lifestyle but better productivity day to day!

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Have You Missed The Boat For Better Posture?


Have you ever thought that as an adult, you have left it to late to improve your posture? That your rounded shoulders and a hunched stance are set in stone and you just have to live with it? There is a good chance you can still stand up taller again. Keeping a good posture is not as hard as you may think. It is often a matter of changing your habits and activities, along with maintaining good mobility and the strengthening of certain groups of muscles.

Why should you change your posture?
We are looking at the big picture here.

Our spine has its neutral lordotic and kyphotic curve so that our centre of gravity remains midline and the weight of our head is evenly distributed down the spine. Muscles surrounding the neutral spine then function synergistically to maintain the upright stance and prevent muscles or joints from being overstretched.

However, when our spine begins to change its neutral curve due to poor posture or habits, muscles will also function differently as a result of compensation. This is when one may experience chronic tightness and discomfort in those groups of muscles.
Due to the tightness of the muscles at the front of the chest, some people may have trouble taking a deep breath due to the lack of mobility of the rib cage. These postural muscle imbalances may also put people at higher risks of joint sprains and muscles strains due to the excessive stress on the spine.


What can you do now to help with poor posture?
Better awareness of your body position is the first step.
Being careful of how you are looking down at your mobile phones or computer screens is a good way to start. Look into your sleeping posture too, as lack of support in your mattress or pillow might cause strains overnight. Pay attention to one sided activity in your daily life (eg. Leaning on the arm rest while driving, carrying toddlers on one hip or holding up a phone between your shoulder and ears). Little things like that may gradually become a habit and tension will keep building into the muscles and joints.

Other than that, Chiropractors are excellent in helping posture dysfunction. By restoring movements to the restricted joints in the spine, you are giving your spine the chance to be more upright. With better
position of the spine and joints, you are engaging the proper group of muscles during sports or your usual workouts and exercises which can then reduce the risks of injuries. Postural rehab exercises can also help you maintain better posture in a long run.

Reach out today if you notice your posture needs attention, and your future self will thank you for it!

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