Cleary Family Chiropractic: Blog

When you combine poor posture, stress, and consistent running around (which also can be stress-inducing), a tension headache can happen out of the blue. This is a signal that your body is taking on a lot at once! There are numerous other ways that can bring on a tension headache, such as constantly looking down at your phone, staring at a screen all day, or driving for several hours without rest. We at Cleary Family Chiropractic feel that it’s important to recognize what your body is telling you. There are two types of tension headaches: chronic and episodic. Chronic tension headaches happen frequently, with pain developing on both sides of the head, the forehead, and at the base of the skull. Chiropractic care can help decrease the severity and frequency since these headaches are more associated with tightness and misalignment in the neck vertebrae. Episodic tension headaches occur from stressful events and can often be treated with over-the-counter medication. Prevent tension headach

Neck pain happens, but that doesn’t mean it has to. With some lifestyle adjustments, you can prevent neck pain altogether. We at Cleary Family Chiropractic take pride in educating our patients about good spinal health. Since many of our patients experience neck pain, it's important to take a step back and see what is causing it. Only then can you take the necessary steps to prevent it!   Tips to prevent neck pain:   - Sleep on your back - Drink plenty of water - Make sure you are using a comfortable and supported pillow - Make sure your computer monitor is at eye level - When using your mobile phone for texting, keep it at eye level, take breaks, or use talk-text - When using your mobile phone for making calls, use a headset or earpiece - Stretch, exercise, and strengthen your neck muscles - Carry weight on your person so that it is evenly distributed - Practice a supportive posture (no slumping or hunching!) - Hold your phone at a distance rather than right in front of you   It’s

Have you ever accidentally contorted your body in a strange way that resulted in a sharp pain stopping mobility in a part of your body? You might have experienced a pinched nerve. Pinched nerves can occur anywhere along the spine, including in your neck and upper, mid, and lower back. They can even happen in any joint of your body. We at Cleary Family Chiropractic know all about the dreaded pinched nerve and how painful it makes doing the simplest tasks. Sometimes the nerve can move back into place naturally. However, if the pinched nerve is severe enough, you will need spinal adjustments to correct it.   Symptoms that you might have a pinched nerve include:   - Lower back pain - Numbness, tingling, or burning sensation in your arms, legs, fingers, or toes - Pain radiating along your spine - Severe headaches or migraines - Pain that shoots down your arm or leg - Neck pain   A pinched nerve can be caused by subluxation, disc degeneration, osteoarthritis, or disc herniation. These are s

Back pain. Maybe you’re lucky enough to not have experienced it. It’s no secret that as we age, we become more susceptible to certain ailments. But did you know that back pain can affect even the fittest person? Sometimes all it takes to injure your back is an honest mistake, other times it’s out of our control and comes down to genetics. We at Cleary Family Chiropractic recognize that back pain is common, but it doesn’t mean you have to suffer through it. Dr. Matthew Cleary specializes in chiropractic care and pain management and can help get you back on the road to a pain-free life.    Some common causes of back pain include:   - Lack of exercise - Arthritis - Improper lifting - Excess weight - Skeletal irregularities - Muscle or ligament strain - Osteoporosis - Bulging or ruptured discs - Age   There are other risk factors associated with back pain, such as certain diseases, psychological conditions, and smoking. In some cases, back pain can be severe enough that only a chiropract

At Cleary Family Chiropractic, we find that the majority of our patients with back pain lack core stability. A weak core can increase the risk of disc bulges and nerve damage. There are numerous exercises that can be done, even in the comfort of your own home with little to no equipment needed, to steadily build your core, relieve back pain and ultimately prevent future back pain. Some of our favorite core-building exercises include: Plank Clamshell Bird Dog Glute Bridge Single-Leg Progression Pelvic Tilt/Glute Bridge Side Plank Tabletop Leg Press Superman Dead Bug Cat Stretches Reverse/Forward Lunge These exercises can also help with balance, function, stability and limit the chances of getting seriously injured. The chiropractors at Cleary Family Chiropractic want their patients leaving the practice with new knowledge about their back pain and how they can treat it with an at-home regimen on days when they do not see a chiropractor. However, it is important to remember that if any o