Our Glen Carbon Chiropractor Talks Neck Pain

Many of us can avoid neck stiffness and pain simply by examining some of our everyday activities and making small adjustments. The following 5 simple tips are recommended by Dr. Morningstar to help you keep your neck in good working order and avoid neck pain.

Saying No to Neck Pain

1. Adjust your office. Poor ergonomics may cause you to bend your neck forward or at odd angles just to read your computer monitor. Make sure your desk, chair and monitor place you at a stress-free viewing angle.

2. Get your vision checked. Your eyes may fail you even when your office ergonomics do not. Constant squinting at hard-to-read text leads to chronic muscle strain that can work its way down into your neck, causing headache symptoms and neck stiffness. Adjust your lens prescription as needed to prevent this issue.

3. Drive carefully. Defensive, distraction-free driving habits can help you stay out of auto accidents, a leading cause of the painful neck condition known as whiplash. A sudden collision with another car can wrench your neck muscles, tendons and ligaments while possibly herniating a cervical disc as well. Whiplash does not always present its symptoms right away, though, so you should always let us check your cervical spine after such an accident -- even if you feel fine.

4. Sleep smart. If you lie on your stomach to sleep, the resulting stress of this unnatural position on your neck will cause pain and strain. Lying on your back or side provides better cervical support. A pillow that fails to support your neck and head properly can also lead to an aching neck. You may want to try a contour-molded pillow that offers extra support for neck and head.

5. Schedule regular chiropractic checkups. Ongoing “maintenance adjustments” here at Morningstar Spinal Correction Center enable us to identify and correct little imbalances before they develop into big pain. Trust our Glen Carbon chiropractor to help you keep your neck strong, healthy and pain free.

Has your neck ever completely lost its range of motion? Tell us your story!

Five Tips to Improve Your Posture on a Daily Basis

At Morningstar Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Center, we regularly treat and correct postural issues, but we want to help you stop those issues before they even begin. Our Glen Carbon chiropractor Dr. Morningstar has seen a number of issues that may have been avoided by following these five tips to improve overall posture. The tips can be used every day for improvement that lasts a lifetime.

Spot Check the Alignment of Your Spine

1. Pay Attention: Paying attention to the alignment of your spine is crucial. A properly aligned back should have the vertebrae stacked one atop the other. This means your hips are directly beneath your back, which is directly beneath your neck, which is directly beneath your skull. Spot check yourself throughout the day to see if you are standing and sitting with such an alignment. If yes, pat yourself on the back. If not, reposition yourself to correct.

2. Driving Position: Set up your seating so it maintains alignment while driving. Adjust your car seat so your back is as straight as possible without feeling uncomfortable and unnatural. Keep your shoulders back, your chest out, and your stomach in. Your legs and back should be supported while your head should be positioned straight atop your back and not hunched forward.

3. Work Smart: Maintain the same type of alignment at your computer work station. The hunched-forward head is a common bad habit when working at the computer. Correct it as soon as you note it to best avoid future issues that may require treatments from our Glen Carbon chiropractor. Put a sticky note on your computer monitor to remind yourself to watch your posture.

4. The Right Equipment: Supporting yourself properly is another tip that can help maintain your postural integrity. This means wearing supportive shoes if you stand a lot and sitting in supportive chairs that provide arm rests and back rests when possible.

5. Proper Lifting: Balancing your loads can also help maintain a straight and healthy back. Carrying a heavy briefcase or purse can pull your muscles and alignment off center, eventually leading to back pain. Carrying a backpack on both shoulder can help distribute the weight of your loads more evenly.

What steps do you take to maintain proper posture?

The Top Three Causes Of Headaches

Our Glen Carbon chiropractor, Dr. Andrew L. Morningstar frequently treats patients who are dealing with a migraine or tension headache. We understand how painful and disruptive these symptoms can be, so we work to relieve the symptoms and stop headaches from recurring. One thing that helps our clients to better understand how to avoid headaches is knowing why they happen, so today's blog is dedicated to the top three causes for headaches.

What Causes That Migraine Or Tension Headache?

1.Migraines may be the result of changes in the brainstem. When the trigeminal nerve is impacted due to spine impact or any other reason, pain in the head may often result since the trigeminal nerve is a major pain indicator in the body. Some patients may also get migraines due to brain chemical imbalance. For example, when serotonin levels are off migraines may result since serotonin is partially responsible for regulating pain in the nervous system.

2.The main cause of the tension headache, the most common type of headache, is not known for certain. However, it is theorized by many medical experts that these headaches happen due to a contraction of the muscles surrounding the skull. This stress can result in muscle spasms and pain. A tension headache may often originate at the skull base, at the temple, or in the forehead. The muscle contractions causing tension headaches may happen due to stress, so avoiding excessive stress or worry may do a great deal to help avoid tension headaches.

3.Sensory stimuli may often be responsible for headaches. Our chiropractic clinic often hears from patients that headaches began after they were exposed to sudden light (for example, after leaving a dark movie theater) or after they were exposed to a certain scent (paint thinner, for example, or even a very strong perfume), or even after they ate a particular food (like sugar or gluten).

Every Glen Carbon patient has a different reason for their headaches, but we always make sure to get to the root cause of the problem. We don’t want you to have to deal with that aching head for one moment longer than you have to!

Have you recently discovered what triggers your constant headaches?

Posture Care from Morningstar Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Center, Ltd.

Welcome to the blog of Morningstar Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Center, Ltd. Our Glen Carbon chiropractic care clinic is dedicated to helping you improve your posture and the health of your spine. Chiropractor Dr. Morningstar performs adjustments to reduce subluxations, or misalignments of the spine. He also provdes physical therapy for better posture and teaches patients exercises to help them learn to maintain proper posture at home.

Excellent Posture for Excellent Health

Excellent posture reduces the risk of injury, as you are holding your body in the proper position and the nervous system is unhindered. Slouching or leaning forward at awkward angles increases the wear on your muscles and joints, leading to back pain, neck pain and headaches. Injuries and conditions such as sciatica, fibromyalgia and general fatigue are linked to or exacerbated by slouching or bad posture. If you continually hold your body in a position that is unnatural, you'll experience pain and discomfort, in addition to negatively affecting your nervous system. A straight stance and excellent posture are the keys to overall wellness and health.

Our chiropractor can adjust your back to improve the way you stand or sit and to improve your overall skeletal structure and physical well-being. Subluxations occur when the vertebrae in the spine become misaligned. A spinal adjustment corrects a subluxation in the spinal column, improves your posture and allows the nervous system to function normally.

Dr. Morningstar will also perform therapy as needed to improve your posture and alignment as well. Traction realigns your back and spine, for example. Additionally, our Glen Carbon chiropractor improves your posture by teaching you corrective exercises to perform at home or at work.

Part of learning to stand up straight or sit up straight is un-learning the bad habits that led to the problem in the first place and adjusting the factors that contribute to your problem. If you slouch or carry too much weight around, that can impact the way you stand. Our Center is dedicated to helping you un-learn those bad habits and improve your posture

Do you stand up straight? What have you done to fix your posture?