In this weeks video blog, Dr. Barnard Shows up how easy it is to stretch your pec muscles at the comfort of your own home or work. May people have whats called upper cross syndrome. When the pec muscles are too tight it pulls your shoulders forward and gives you that rounded shoulder look. This can cause problems for your entire spine. This is not a normal posture and this posture leads to hunch back look. Take a moment to watch this video and see how easy it is to work on your posture.

Dr. Barnard demonstrates different neck stretches that you can do while in the office or at home when your neck starts to feel tight. To many people sit at a desk all day and complain of neck pain or headaches. These simple stretches can help alleviate those aches and pains and improve function throughout your day. Take a moment to watch and make these stretches a part of your day.

Dr. Barnard discusses the cervical spine and what happens over time if your spinal alignment is off. Cervical degeneration and arthritis build up in the spine and this causes pain and disfunction. Arthritis and degeneration are not synonyms with age and if you take care of your body you may be able to avoid this.

We are all told when we are young to stand up tall and sit up straight but why? Why is posture so important to our overall health? Im glad you asked! First lets talk about what picture perfect posture looks like. If we are to look at anyone from a side standing position we want to see one straight line that starts at the ear. We connect dots from the ear to the shoulder, hip, knee and finally ankle. If you look at the picture on the side you can see the dots that are connected.We want all those dots to be in one straight line because this is the gravity line.

Any deviation forward or backwards as a result of this alignment can start to put a large amount of pressure on your spine. Looking from the front of your body we start up at the nose. Draw a line down to connect the dots at the sternum, belly button and pubic symphsis. This again is proper spinal alignment and posture.

What happens if you deviate from this alignment? Altogether your head weighs about 12 lbs. (on average) and for every inch that your head moves forward off this line, the weight of your head goes up by 10 lbs. So for 2 inches forward the weight of your head is 32 lbs. Your spine is not designed for all this extra weight and it begins to change and become painful. Proper spinal alignment is important because it offsets all the forces and stress we put on our bodies. An increase in weight around your mid section throws off your center of gravity because it pulls your spine forward and down placing an abnormal amount of stress on your lumbar spine.

Your spine acts like a shock absorber. When looking from the side your spine is not straight but curved. These curves help offset the stress that we put on our bodies just like a spring or a shock for your car by dispersing the forces. We begin to get degeneration and arthritis building up when your body can no longer deal with the stresses placed on it. The misconception is that degeneration and arthritis are synonymous with old age. This could not be further from the truth. How well you take care of yourself directly represents the damage to our spine.

How does posture affect your overall function? An easy way for you to see how important posture is to your overall function is the “Breathing Test”. Before that we need to ask the question “how important is breathing?” Silly question right?! We rely on oxygen for every aspect of our life so its kind of important. With that in mind lets do this test.

First off  all slouch forward and round your shoulders forward. You are basically putting yourself into a horrible postural position. From this position and without changing anything, I want you to try and take a deep breath in. Not easy to do right? In contrast, sit up straight with your shoulders down and back. From this position try and take a deep breath. What a difference that makes. How much more oxygen can you be taking in on a daily basis with proper posture? Comparatively this gives you an easy way to see the importance of posture and the affect it can have on your function. Your oxygen intake is directly affected because of your posture.

In conclusion, its important to get your spine checked to make sure you don’t have some of the underlying problems that occur from bad posture. Through chiropractic care we can help correct some postural changes you have undergone. So much more can be said but if you have questions regarding this topic please email me. I also offer free consultations to anyone that has questions about chiropractic and if it can help you.

Michael Barnard D.C.

What Our Patients Are Saying!

Many people ask this question or seem to think they don’t “need” chiropractic care. The truth is that EVERYONE can benefit from chiropractic care, including athletes looking for Sports Chiropractors in Palm Beach Gardens. The joke I use often with people when they ask me who needs chiropractic care is “anyone with a spine”. The truth is if you have a spine then you should be undergoing some form of care whether that be corrective care for an issue you are having or wellness/maintenance care for prevention. Our country is backwards in the way we do health care in that we wait till a problem occurs before we get treatment.

In truth, preventative measures should be taken so that a problem never arises. I preach this topic often to patients and friends on the difference between being proactive with your health verses reactive with it. Why wait till a problem occurs to get the help you might need. Many people walk into my office not knowing the underlying problems that are going on in there spine as a result of years of abuse.

My job is to educate them on this and help prevent problems down the line. Your spine houses part of your central nervous system. This system supplies your entire body with information on how and when to function. Without it you would die. If this system is that important to your overall function then would it not stand to reason that you should get a “checkup”? Many people go to the dentist every six months or sooner because of their teeth and that’s something you can live without.

You can replace teeth while your nervous system and spine you cannot replace. Furthermore who wants spinal surgery? My father is a dentist and I know that most don’t like getting a small cavity filled so major back surgery should be out of the question. And yet too many people undergo major back surgery before even giving chiropractic care a try. Unfortunately many end no better or worse as a result.

So is chiropractic care for you? Absolutely it is! If you have pain or not, chiropractic care is for you. Pain is the last thing to present when you have an issue. At Barnard Chiropractic, Health, Sports & Wellness I know the importance of getting seen before things get bad. I see it on a daily basis the problems that occur as a result of not going and taking care of your health. We make it safe, affordable and fun here at the office.

Education is paramount to your success because we take the time to show you what and why things are happening so that you understand your condition. Consultations are free in the office so if you are reading this and have some doubts don’t wait. Ask questions and find out the benefits that chiropractic care can offer you. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to meeting you in the office.

Dr. Michael Barnard Jr. D.C.

What Our Patients Say About Us!

Dr. Barnard discusses proper spinal alignment from different views. Many people get confused about the alignment of the spine in different orientations. This short clip is designed to help with that confusion. Also Dr. Barnard discusses what happens if you lose those curves in the spine and the detriment it has on you.

The Vibration Platform is another tool used at Barnard Chiropractic. These platforms are used to retrain posture, improve circulation, retrain muscle patterns, improve balance, improve coordination and more. We have two in the office we use daily. This is a integral part to what we do in the office.

Cervical Traction is a integral part of what we do in the office. Many people come into the office with neck pain. This pain can be caused by many different reason. Often we see a loss of cervical curve. This curve is vital in proper spinal alignment. Cervical traction starts to help restore this curve and relieve your symptoms.