As a chiropractor, I tell patients all the time that coming into my Monroeville/Penn Hills office is the foundation and the start of getting better, but the fact remains that a patient is away from the office for much longer than they are in the office. Therefore, doing things “the right way” is of utmost importance to maximizing one’s improvement and well-being. One of the biggest issues for injury prevention is to be aware of, and practice, proper lifting techniques. Untold musculoskeletal injuries occur every day when people lift heavy, slightly heavy, or even light objects without following proper lifting techniques.

    Remember this simple rule when lifting: Never bend from your waist when standing upright to pick up something. Keep your back straight and crouch first by bending at the knees. Do this even if you’re picking up a something light, like an ink pen or a child’s toy, off the floor. This allows your arm, shoulder, and leg muscles, not your back, to do the brunt of the work. For all of us, our leg muscles are some of the strongest and largest in the body. Use them!

    Here are some simple lifting techniques to help you avoid injuries:

• Make sure you have a place to put the object you have lifted. Do not try to figure this out while holding the object. Position your body close to and in front of the object. Your feet should be flat on the floor and about a shoulder-width apart.
• If you need to turn during the lift, use your feet to pivot. Don’t twist with an object. Take 2 simple steps with your entire body and turn to the side to place something.
• Your leg muscles—not those in your back—should be the ones providing the power during your motion to stand erect.
• Keep the load as close to your body as possible to maximize the use of your arms and shoulder muscles. The further an object is from your center of gravity, the more force that is required to hold that object up.
• Keep your chest forward and bend at your hips (not the lower back) or your knees, depending on how far down the items is that you want to lift. Keep your shoulders in line with your hips to avoid twisting motions.
• When lifting, push your chest out, pointing forward. Avoid twisting or turning during the lift.
• Don't lift an object that is obviously too heavy. Test the weight of the object by pushing it with your foot. If it is very difficult or impossible to push with your foot, it is likely that the object is more than your muscles can handle.

    Following some of these simple techniques is a key step to making sure you don’t injure yourself by lifting objects. Like any good habit or routine, it takes thought to do it over and over. So make a conscious effort to think of these every time you lift. After a while, they become habit and you won’t have to think about it as much.

    If you think you have low back pain or hurt yourself lifting something, please contact me at my Monroeville/Penn Hills chiropractor office.

    - Dr. Brent Shealer

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Getting gas in your car when the light comes on.

Changing the oil after you’re alerted to by your dashboard light.

Both of those are things that we do most of, if not all of, the time. We’re alerted to a problem that needs fixed by a warning system. We know to address these problems and fix them otherwise a lot more long term damage can be done to the car if we don’t.

Fortunately for us all, our body comes with its own similar warning system. At the core, that’s what pain is. You see, pain is a signal that your body is telling you that there’s an underlying problem. Whether it’s a chest pain telling you that you have a heart problem, an arm pain telling you that you have a broken arm, or a back pain telling you that you have a spinal problem, that pain is a signal. It’s no different than the dashboard light in your car flashing at you.

The thing about pain is that it should be addressed when it’s at its mildest form. Don’t let it go, as the underlying issue can grow and become a bigger problem that requires a longer and tougher fix.

One of the worst things you can do as a "fix" is take pain pills, even over the counter ones, to be pain free. At that point, all you’ve done is cover up the symptom, or the warning light, and ignore why that signal or warning is there in the first place. On your car, when the “get gas” light comes on, you don’t put a piece of tape over the light and keep driving like the problem isn’t there do you? By covering up the symptom/pain, and feeling "better", you're significantly running the risk of doing even more and prolonged damage to yourself underneath it all.

So pay attention to what your body tells you. As soon as you feel that something is not quite right, that’s when it’s best to get checked out. If your pain signal is a neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, or headache, please don’t hesitate to contact me at my Monroeville/Penn Hills Chiropractor office.

-  Dr. Brent

    Looking outside, I think we all can officially say it's that time of year. The weather has warmed up, you see neighbors outside more, and you're woken up to the sounds of birds chirping.

     With spring also comes all of us typically doing a lot more outside activities. Being outside and doing more is great, but more often than not we all have some "winter rust" that needs knocked off. Failure to do that can lead to, or at least greatly increase the risk of, injuries and sprain/strains. As a Chiropractor, every year in my Monroeville/Penn Hills office, I see an increase in neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain, and/or low back pain from patients doing too much this time of year.

    The simplest solution is to treat all of your outdoor activities, everything you do, as a workout or exercise. At the core, that's what they are anyway. We all should know that before a workout, it's important to stretch a bit to loosen up our muscles and get the blood flowing.

     In light of that, before you go outside and walk, put that weed and feed down, play with the dogs, or wash the car; take 5 minutes and stretch a bit. It's a great way to knock that rust off and will lessen the chances of you hurting yourself.

    That's the very fundamental basics. Of course, depending on what you plan on doing outside, there are specifics to expand upon. If you have any questions, feel that you've hurt yourself, or simply want to learn more, please don't hesitate to contact me at my Monroeville/Penn Hills Chiropractic office.

- Dr. Brent

    With the huge explosion and prevalence of mobile phones, smart phones, and tablets over the last few years, I've seen a new condition  all too often lead to neck pain, muscle tension, and headaches in my office. "Text neck" is the term that's been coined to describe it and it's only going to get worse in the future as these devices expand even more into our lives. This condition is named so due to having incorrect head posture while texting

    Texting is a very popular method of communication for everyone. These days you see people everywhere with their heads down and their eyes glued to their phones, texting away. It's not just the texting however; it's also using our phones for games, the internet, and other various activities. Far too often though, the phone is held so low, in our laps, when we do the texting that the head is much too forward and flexed down. This puts a great amount of strain on the joints and ligaments of the cervical spine and the muscles that support the structure.

    With recent studies showing that children and teens between the ages of 8 and 18 send an average of 118 text messages per day, and there now being a total of over 4 billion mobile phones worldwide, not only is this only going to become much more prevalent, but it's also going to effect a younger segment of our population and possibly have neck and headache problems begin for them at much earlier ages than it has in the past. Text neck is a major concern for those of all ages because of the long term effects on children. Improper text messaging posture could result in long-term effects. Your head could be more forward, and your shoulders could be rounded.

    The simplest solution for this is to bring the mobile phone more to eye level. You want to hold the phone so it is perpendicular to the floor. Sure, it's a tough habit to get into, like any habit, but it's a necessary one. Make a conscious effort to do this and then it becomes more habit and you don't have to think about it.

    If you're feeling that creeping soreness and tension in your upper back or neck, and if you're getting headaches when you've been using your phone too much to text, give us a call. Remember, it's always much easier to fix a problem when it's in the early stages than it is when it's let go for too long and lingered to a worsening level. I look forward to helping you.

-Dr. Brent Shealer

Welcome to the Blog of Shealer Chiropractic, P.C.

Whether you are an existing patient or searching for a chiropractor in the Pittsburgh, PA area, we’re excited you are here. With the chiropractic industry advancing, we recognize the importance of keeping our patients and visitors up to date with all of the new and exciting things taking place in our practice.

As we move forward with our blog, we hope to promote chiropractic health awareness as a vital part of your healthy lifestyle. Here you will find a variety of articles and topics including chiropractic news, advancements in chiropractic technology and treatments, and updates from our practice. 

We hope you find our blog to be helpful, engaging and informational to ensure your best health. 

As always, feel free to contact Shealer Chiropractic, P.C. with any chiropractic questions or concerns.

-- The Chiropractic Team at Shealer Chiropractic, P.C.