February is behind us and hopefully that means the piles of snow and record cold will soon be too. We’ve seen the stresses snow and ice has put on our bodies and our homes. Our office phone has been ringing from our hurting patients who either didn’t read our multiple Shoveling Alert Emails or couldn’t follow them because of the overwhelming depth of the snow, or having to fling snow over the snowbanks that were already over their heads. Next week new patients who waited a few weeks to see if they would feel better will also start calling.
I’ve heard too many awful stories from patients, friend and neighbors who are dealing with leaks in their homes, condos and apartments. Who knew we were going to have a winter like this? Who knew our homes could not handle the abominable snow and ice that assaulted them? From the outside our dwellings looked in good shape. Until the structures of our homes were tested, we didn’t know the vulnerabilities and as a result many are with damage that will need to be repaired, often at large expense.
How about your body? How did it handle the extra stress of February? Our bodies had to deal with both physical and emotional stress. Shoveling, roof raking, cranking your neck looking around large snow banks as you entered intersections, cabin-fever and juggling work schedules due to school closings all contributed to that stress. If your body did not hold up as well as expected, maybe you are like a leaking house. You though your were healthy and functional, your body was strong and resilient, but after the snow removal chores your body was achy, stiff, fatigued, or in pain.
Here is what one of our patient’s had to say about February:
Dear Dr. Weiss,
The monthly adjustments I have been receiving for the past number of years has kept my previous back and shoulder problems at bay.
This February has been a huge test. Thank you so much for putting me in condition to battle this record snow.
I am pain free and have not had to schedule any additional visits other than my regular monthly visit. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
I am so grateful for all you do.
Thank you and your staff.
Best,
Harold, Belmont, MA
How you physically survived February may be a wakeup call to finally get your body healthy and in good shape. Now is the time to commit to getting strong and healthy. Cardiovascular and strength training is important to be able to manage what life can throw at you physically. But when you are exercising, are you exercising a balanced body that is functioning correctly? Are your muscles balanced and are the joints are moving correctly? You can repair a leaky roof and replace sheetrock. You can repair your body too. A great place to start is with a functional examination at Performance Health Center. We’ll let you know where you stand (pun intended) and your physical potential. With your commitment we can optimize your function so that when an unexpected demand happens you’ll be resilient and stay healthy.
Getting you out of pain usually is easy and usually doesn’t take long. The challenge is getting you healthy! Years of sitting in front of a computer, bad lifting techniques, and exercising functional imbalances can take time to reverse. The good news is that like leaky roofs your body can be repaired. If we put a consistent, specific demand on your muscles and joints, they can change. Like braces on teeth, but it doesn’t happen overnight. In the long span of your life, the time it takes to make these body corrections is short. We all want to live a long time. The quality of life we experience is as important as the quantity.
So if it’s been a while since your last appointment call the office and ask to schedule a functional evaluation with your chiropractor. If you’ve never been a patient at our office what are you waiting for? Call today! The examination will accurately measure your spinal and extremity range of motions. We’ll test muscle strength and balance. We’ll look at nerve function and look for entrapments using the latest diagnostic testing from Active Release Techniques® (ART). Once your evaluation is complete we’ll review our findings and present a plan to get you has functional as possible. You choose what the pace of your customized program. Spring is coming! Act now!