Doylestown Pa Chiropractor Celebrates National Correct Posture Month

Ok, so it's not flashy like National BBQ  Month or Grapefruit & Kiwi Month.  Or life-threatening like ALS Awareness Month, but your posture is important and can definitely keep you from having back or spinal problems later in life.

With May being National Correct Posture Month, it seems only right to think about ways to improve the posture.  “We all heard it when we were growing up – ‘stand up straight’, ‘you're slouching’. Your mom probably wanted you to look confident and proud but the bottom line is, good posture is good for your health.

The average American sits for 56 hours a week, often leading to poor posture. Spending all day tapping away on a keyboard, straining over paperwork, and then spending hours at home watching TV can have dramatic affects on posture. The muscles tire and the body shifts position, causing some muscle groups to become tight, stretched, and weak.

Furthermore, sitting for extended periods of time year after year can have a negative effect on our overall health. It can add to decreased circulation, slower metabolism, challenge blood sugar balance, and create increased stress on postural muscle balance.  When the back is not properly aligned, the body's center of gravity shifts, putting more stress and load on your muscles, joints, and ligaments. Poor posture is a major cause of lower back pain. Also when you slouch, your internal organs may be slightly compressed.  

The effects of poor posture are not just reflected in your mirror.  Major medical journals have published studies showing posture to be strong indicator of overall health: 

•         “All measures of health status showed significantly poorer scores as C7 plumb line deviation increased.”  SPINE, 2005

•         “Older men and women with hyperkyphotic postures have higher mortality rates.” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2004

•         “Spinal pain, headache, mood, blood pressure, pulse and lung capacity are among the functions most easily influenced by posture.” American Journal of Pain Management, 1994

•         “Bad posture could raise your blood pressure.  Study finds neurolink between position of neck muscles and high blood pressure.” The Journal of Neuroscience, 2007 

For Correct Posture Month Doylestown Chiropractor; Dr. Jeff McQuaite offers the following tips for sitting healthy. 

•         Lumbar Support: Sit in a chair with back/lumbar support or put small pillow behind lower back; resting buttock, mid back on chair

•         Sitting Posture: Have both feet flat on the floor with knees slightly higher than your hips or place step stool under your feet.  

Elbows should be comfortable at your side or resting on an arm-rest. This allows your shoulders to be relaxed. Your shoulders should also be relaxed, down, and shoulder blades gently engaged (not rounded forward). Your head should be looking straight ahead and chin should be gently tilted down and in. 

•         Evaluate your workstation: A workstation is anywhere that an individual spends a notable amount of time daily and for many of us, our primary workstation is standing or sitting at a desk. “If you’re sitting, don’t drop a ton of money on an ergonomic chair. Instead, position the chair to provide lumbar, shoulder, and if needed, head support.” 

•         Breathing: Focus on abdominal/belly breathing through the day to increase oxygen to body and stay relaxed. 

•         Sleep better: Make sure to have a mattress that offers support and one that can be “rotated” every few months to prevent body indentations. 

•         Hydrate: Drink water regularly. 

•         Move regularly: Get up every 15 minutes to 30 minutes to stretch, move, and breathe! 

The relentless pull of gravity, combined with work and play habits, means poor posture is NOT self correcting.  However, in many cases the effects of poor posture can be stopped and even reversed.  Additional stress on muscles and joints can be reduced.  Your body can spend less energy on balance and more energy on the things you like to do. 

Along with important lifestyle changes to improve and support healthy posture, visit your doctor of chiropractic periodically for spinal checkups and care. “Good posture is a day-by-day activity with a lifetime of rewards” states Dr. Jeff McQuaite of Azzatori Chiropractic. 

National Correct Posture Month offers important opportunities to educate individuals and their families on the importance of healthy posture and chiropractic’s role in maintaining a healthy spine and nervous system.

Dr. Jeff McQuaite

Azzatori Chiropractic-Doylestown

295 Logan Street

Doylestown, Pa. 18901

267-247-7000

www.azzatorichiropractic.com

www.mcquaitechiropractic.com

Chiropractor Serving Doylestown and Central Bucks Helps Patients To Recover from Auto Accident Injuries

Long time Doylestown Chiropractor, Dr. Jeff McQuaite of Azzatori Chiropractic-Doylestown is focusing his services on car accident injuries due to the sharp increase in automobile accidents in Pennsylvania and Central Bucks over the past year. The doctor offers innovative and advanced procedures for injury victims at his Doylestown chiropractic office.
Did you know that statistically, every American can expect to be in a motor vehicle collision once every ten years!  Last year, there were 121,242 reported accidents in Pennsylvania, an increase of almost 5.5 percent from the previous year. Every day in Pennsylvania there was 332 reportable traffic crashes, or about 14 every hour. This increase has led to many new car accident injuries that have caused a lot of pain and dysfunction in the victims affected. Dr. Jeff McQuaite of Azzatori Chiropractic-Doylestown has seen many patients come in with auto accident injuries that threatened their lives and their health; however, he has watched them all leave as healthier and more carefree individuals. All of this was possible thanks to the advanced technology, attentive application and innovative techniques utilized by his staff at Azzatori Chiropractic.

Azzatori Chiropractic-Doylestown is run by a doctor who applies his knowledge and skill to treat each car accident injury with precision and care. A car accident injury can affect essentially any part of the body; however, the most commonly reported injuries occur in the back and neck area. These injuries can often be very painful and reduce the patient's ability to function normally. According to medical studies:
• It is estimated that 15-40% of those who are injured in a motor vehicle collision will suffer from ongoing chronic pain.(Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 2007)
 •Whiplash injuries not only increase the incidence of chronic neck and shoulder pain; it also significantly increases the incidence of other systemic ill health effects. In other words, whiplash injuries cause more than neck pain and headache; it hurts the health of the entire body.(Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 2001)
 •That essentially 100% of those who are suffering from chronic pain caused by a whiplash injury will have an abnormal psychological profile with standard assessments, and the only way to resolve the abnormal psychological profile was to successfully treat the chronic spinal pain. Psychotherapy was not able to improve the abnormal psychological profile, nor was it able to improve the patient’s chronic pain complaint.(Pain, 1997)
 • In the longest study ever performed on whiplash-injured patients (a study looking at the health status 17 years after injury), 55% of the patients still suffered from pain caused by the original trauma.(Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2002)
 • 90% of those who are initially given a cervical collar for their whiplash injuries will be suffering from chronic neck pain 6 months later.(Spine, 2000)
 •2% of whiplash-injured patients will have severe pain and problems that require ongoing medical investigations and drugs 7.5 years after being injured.(Injury, 2005)
 •1 in every 100 (1%) people on our planet suffer from chronic neck pain caused by whiplash injury.(Pain, 1994)

Dr. McQuaite has extensive experience providing care and assistance to patients with auto accident injuries. “An auto accident is a traumatic time for anyone and we want to help ease that pain here at Azzatori Chiropractic Center with fast and effective chiropractic care,” says Dr. Jeff McQuaite. Auto accident injuries can include a variety of patient issues, such as whiplash, back pain, neck pain, knee and shoulder trauma, as well as spinal cord damage. Azzatori Chiropractic Center of Doylestown treats these patient conditions and injuries with chiropractic care and spinal manipulations, physiotherapy, massage therapy, and rehabilitative exercises. 
Dr. McQuaite stated, “By offering both massage and chiropractic care in our office, we provide comprehensive care for patients to help them recover quicker and prevent future injuries.”  “Chiropractic care is helpful in preventing long term injury for patients that have been involved in auto accidents. We rehabilitate the injury and target any associated pain or stiffness relating to the injury for long term relief. In addition, there are no out of pocket charges for any patient whom receives Chiropractic care as a result of injuries from their car accident, in 99% of cases”
Along with providing rehabilitation for auto accident patients, the Doylestown chiropractor maintains a professional relationship with several personal injury attorneys. Dr. McQuaite and the attorneys work together to assist auto accident and work-related injury patients with navigating the legal and medical claims process.

For more information on car accident injuries, call:
Azzatori Chiropractic-Doylestown
295 Logan Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
267-247-7000
www.azzatorichiropractic.com
www.mcquaitechiropractic.com