Dr. Shannon Bloch
77 Westmount RD, Suite 300 N1H 5J1 Guelph, ON, Canada

Another easy hip opener that can be done at your desk ! This is a great & simple stretch for anterior and lateral hip tightness that can be done just about anywhere! Good for those of us who sit all day, have low back or SI joint pain or just have tight hips in general To do this stretch ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~... start seated and bring the right shin parallel in front of you making sure it touches the ground stack the left shin directly on top creating a square shape similar to a shin box exercise bring the left knee down toward the right ankle, you can add a little over pressure with your hand you can either stay sitting up right (with good posture of coarse) or fold forward to do this stretch hold for 30-60 seconds & swich sides . This one is actually derived from the yoga pose Firelog (I remember you teaching us this one Dan Castan Yoga )

Chiropractic adjustments~ one of the most well known chiropractic techniques. Diversified chiropractic manipulative technique (CMT-D) is typically what most people present to a chiropractor for & involves manipulation of a joint past it’s normal range of motion ~ sometimes resulting in a popping or clicking sound & relieving the feeling of restriction. This sound is the release of gas from the joint as the pressure within the joint is changed with the chiropractic manipulation. This can be done in all synovial joints in the body ~ just as many people crack their knuckles. It’s important to know that chiropractic adjustments can also be done on the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles etc. Growing bodies of research have recommended CMT-D as one of the first means of treatment for musculoskeletal conditions.

Probably one the best chiro related articles I’ve read in a long time. Love the focus on custom prehab in addition to rehab for patients. In summary, Prehab for sports and proper strength training programs can reduce sport related injuries by nearly 2/3rds & overuse injuries by nearly 50%!... In order to customize a prehabilitation exercise program for a patient, three main points that must be addressed: Injury history of the patient: this should include the success and failure of previous treatments. Movement competency: knowing how well your patient can squat, hip hinge, etc., is important so we can determine where along the exercise continuum to start with their programming. Type and level of participation: the type of sport as well as the level of competition will impact the intensity of exercise prescription. Also, nice to see that 98% of chiro’s reported to NBCE to be using corrective and/or therapeutic exercises within their treatment plans.

Using all the techniques ~ Chiropractic treatment can include so much more than just an adjustment! Typically I like to use a combination of: muscle work ... stretching/strengthening exercises cupping taping rehabilitation exercises & of coarse mobilization/manipulation This varies every single time and is based on the patient, the condition & their goals!

Assess don’t guess Treatment effectiveness is all about finding the root cause of problems- muscles that are overworking or inhibited, joints that are restricted, referred pain or compensatory problems. Muscle testing and range of motion assessment is so key to finding where to target treatment. ... What do we commonly see Neck pain = overuse of the posterior neck muscles (upper traps & levator scapulae) & pecs with weakness in the anterior neck muscles & shoulder stabilizers. Back pain = overuse of the hip flexors and lumbar musculature with weakness in the core & posterior chain~ hamstrings and glutes (what I’m assessing above ) But everyone & every condition varies & requires a proper and thorough assessment. Also muscle imbalances & restricted range of motion occurs wayyy before pain begins so an assessment is always beneficial & great proactive health care