Sitting at a desk all day, poor posture, repeated motions, and heavy lifting can all lead to back pain. Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missing work, and experts estimate that nearly 80 percent of the population will experience a back problem at some point in their lifetime.

Not good odds for those of us who stare at a computer, perform manual labor, or work on an assembly line for a living. Luckily, there are ways to relieve your back pain or even help prevent it in the first place.

Chiropractic adjustments are a proven way to get rid of pain naturally, without the side effects of medication. If you’re already one of the 80 percent suffering from back pain, we can help identify what’s causing your pain and create a plan to try and correct your problem.

There are also things you can do in the comfort of your home to help improve your back health, like pilates. Basic pilates spine stretches are a great solution because they work to relieve pressure of the spine and elongate the back—and they’re all easy to do. If you’re not familiar with the art of pilates, don’t worry. You don’t have to be in shape, flexible, or a woman to do these simple moves.

Remember, your spine is your lifeline. Keep it healthy.

http://www.lowechiro.com Bryce and Ashley Raley discuss chiropractic care for the family. You’ll love this video!

My Louisville Chiropractor, Dr. Patrick Lowe has been providing chiropractic care to Louisville since 1998.  Lowe Chiropractic & Wellness serves Middletown KY, Anchorage KY,Lyndon KY, Crestwood KY, Pee Wee Valley KY, and Louisville’s east end.

Louisville, Kentucky
Grand Master Jung Oh Hwang and the students of Hwang’s Martial Arts brought the internationally-acclaimed Yong In University Tae Kwon Do Demonstration Team to Louisville as part of a fund raiser for Wayside Christian Mission, with a goal to raise $10,000 and collect 200 six-pound cans of food.  Over 2000 people attended the program on Sunday, July 26 at Bellarmine University’s Knights Hall.  Demonstrations by graduating students from Hwang’s Martial Arts three summer camps opened the program, followed by Demonstration Teams from each of the four Louisville campuses.  Each demonstration featured choreographed martial arts skills, as well as free-form movements.   The Yong In team capped the afternoon with a high-flying display of board-breaking, kicking techniques, and tightly-synchronized forms.
When asked what they thought about the Yong In Demonstration, students replied:
“It was like they were flying!” exclaimed Charlie Klapp, a four-year-old student from the Summer Camp Program.
“Cool!” — Grace Hedges, age 6.
“It was just like in the movies, only this was real!” — Victoria Harris, age 8.
“It was just amazing how he jumped off another student and flipped upside down and kicked the confetti ball 15 feet off the floor!”  — Alex Lowe, age 11.
“Instructor Han kicked an apple off of the sharp sword … Blind-folded!”  Griffin Kirsch, age  9.  (Instructor Han leads the St. Matthews campus and was Captain of the Yong In Demonstration Team.)
The afternoon was about much more than just kicking, punching, and breaking boards.  Wayside Christian Mission is a Louisville organization that provides  shelter to over 550 of the area’s homeless and providing 2500 meals each day.  “We learned about kids, right here in Louisville, who have no place to live and no food to eat.  Kids just like us.  It made me want to cry, I had to help out,” said one young student.  “Learning to help others is part of the training at Hwang’s Martial Arts.   Martial Arts is about self confidence, discipline and community,” explained Grand Master Hwang.
Students from Hwang’s Martial Arts spent weeks working on demonstrations, selling tickets and collecting large cans of food for Wayside.   At the conclusion of the day, the results of their efforts were announced.  The students had collected $12,292.99 and 274 cans of food.   Students of all ages formed a bucket brigade and passed the cans hand to hand out of the Hall into a truck bound for Wayside.
On Saturday, August 1st, Reverend Bart Smith visited Hwang’s Martial Arts’ North Hurstbourne campus to formally accept the donation.  “In addition to fund raising and collecting food, Hwang’s provides training to the people at Wayside.  Lack of self confidence is a common factor among the homeless.  Here, the kids learn self-confidence, and they teach it to their parents. ”
Patrick Lowe D.C. / Wes Harris / Maria Pois / JC Williams

Have you ever wondered what our bodies are designed for?   Every part of a machine has a purpose.  Every gear, every wheel, every bolt is there in its exact place for a purpose.  If one part isn’t working right, the entire machine is less effective.  You can deduce what an unknown machine might be designed for based on its parts and how they work.

Now I am no engineer, but I do understand a few things about the human body.

We can tell a lot about a machine based on what happens or doesn’t happen if a certain part is broken.  What happens to the rest of the machine?

Humans have joints, moveable segments in the otherwise rigid structure that gives us our shape.  These joints are lubricated and padded.  If a joint is put into a brace for an extended time and not allowed to move, it degenerates and often becomes painful.

Around these joints we have ligaments and muscles.  Ligaments hold the joint together, but if they aren’t stretched and moved for a long time, they calcify, actually turning into bone causing bone spurs and arthritis.

Muscles require movement and stress to stay healthy.   You can see this if someone breaks a bone and is in a cast for a long time.  The leg that was kept immobile is smaller than the one that did the walking (loss of muscle mass). Early astronauts experienced this when, after only a few days in space they found themselves so weak that it was hard to walk off the ship.  It would take months for these healthy athletic men to get their strength back after only a few days of not using it.

The entire system of joints, ligaments and muscles are fed by nerves and blood supply.  The heart requires stress from activity to stay healthy and strong.

Finally, our metabolism drops if we aren’t moving, causing weight gain.

As I look at all of these aspects of the body, they all have one requirement in common to stay healthy.  They all require MOVEMENT!    Our bodies were MADE TO MOVE.  And to move in a regular, consistent, heart rate raising, blood pumping, muscle stressing way.

I just finished my first ever full 26.2 mile marathon.  I am very proud of finishing.  A friend asked me, “Did you feel like quitting?”  My answer is “Yes, a lot”  Then he asked “When was it, at mile 20?  Mile 15?”   “No” I answered, ” It was on weeks one through 15 of my training.”

Finishing a full marathon at the level of fitness I had at week one of my training, would have been impossible.   After a 16 week training program, I found it easier to finish this full marathon, than I did to finish the half marathon 8 weeks before.

A year ago, I was talking to another Chiropractor friend, encouraging him to start running with me.  He said, “I don’t run, I don’t want to put my knees through that.”  We talked about how our knees pump fluid in and out based on motion and movement.  Movement keeps them healthy. He agreed and started training.  He finished the marathon a full hour faster than I did.

One of the great effects of the chiropractic adjustment is unlocking joints in the spine that are stuck and not moving.  Joints that are not moving are degenerating. Joints that are not functioning properly are often painful.   Getting your spine adjusted restores more normal motion to the spine.  The same holds true for elbows, knees, shoulders, ankles and wrists.   Yes, we can adjust all of these joints.

Now is a great time to get outside and get moving.  After all, that’s what our bodies are made for.

How Much, How Often?

That depends on what you are already doing.  The baseline is 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day.  The American Heart Association considers walking, gardening, running, biking, dancing, house cleaning, and golf to be exercise.

The Challenge

Increase your fitness level by 20 % in the next 2 months.  Example: If you currently walk 30 minutes three times a week, increase it to 36 minutes three times a week or add a 20 minute walk on another day.

You can do it!

Dr. Patrick Lowe is a Chiropractor in Louisville, KY.   Lowe Chiropractic & Wellness is located a 10306 Shelbyville Rd.  Louisville, KY 40223.

www.lowechiro.com (502)  245-7334

Dr. Lowe practices in Louisville, KY.   He is known as The Louisville Chiropractor by his family and friends.  Lowe chiropractic is located in the Louisville East End.  10306 Shelbyville Rd, In Dorsey Plaza    The Chiropractors in his office serve Middletown KY, Anchorage KY, Lyndon KY, Crestwood KY, Pee Wee Valley KY and Louisville’s East End Chiropractic needs.

This is where we will post articles and tips related to exercise, fitness, relaxation, rest and a multitude of wellness topics.