Cleary Family Chiropractic: Blog

We at Cleary Family Chiropractic understand that accidents happen. A slip, bump, fall, or another sudden trauma can all cause a subluxation, a misalignment in your spine. Your Woodstock, GA, chiropractor are readily available to get you on a personalized treatment plan when or if an accident occurs. While the main goal is to correct the misalignment of your vertebrae and alleviate discomfort, we also work to prevent future subluxations by building up your spinal health. If you have a subluxation, symptoms include: - Swelling - Numbness and tingling - Limited mobility - Pain or discomfort - Degeneration of surrounding muscles, nerves, and bones Did you know that a subluxation is a partial dislocation of the spinal cord? You can probably guess that the pain is no walk in the park. Subluxations are identified through a chiropractic exam, which consists of manual palpation and x-rays. During the manual exam, Dr. Cleary will check the alignment of your pelvis, joints, and spine. Depending ...

When it comes to your spine’s long-term health, chiropractic care goes hand in hand with certain lifestyle decisions. Simple things like lifting properly or standing occasionally while working at a desk can make all the difference. Dr. Matthew Cleary at Cleary Family Chiropractic in Woodstock, GA, is dedicated to educating his patients about the importance of mindfulness when it comes to your spinal wellness.  Resting and Sleeping Neck and back strain are common during rest and sleep. Sometimes we fall asleep in strange positions or angles and wake up asking ourselves, “did I sleep the wrong way?” It’s important that your pillow supports your neck and head so that everything is neutral with your spine. Lifting Lifting objects improperly is the most common way to injure your spine. Always use your legs to lift, never your back! Keep your back straight and hold the object close to your body. Never twist while picking something up and always set the object down the same way you lifted it...

Some car accidents leave a driver in debilitating pain if the crash is forceful enough. But that doesn’t mean you have to live out the rest of your life in pain! Cleary Family Chiropractic in Woodstock, GA, is there for you when accidents happen. Dr. Matthew Cleary is experienced in finding the right treatment plan unique to a patient’s problem.  Whiplash is the most common injury from an auto accident. According to Mayo Clinic, “whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip.” When a part of the body is whipped back and then forward beyond its normal range of motion, micro-tears form in the surrounding ligaments. Usually, it’s when the micro-tears start to swell that the symptoms begin. Symptoms of whiplash include: - Neck pain and stiffness - Low back pain - Blurred vision - Headache - Dizziness - Shoulder pain - Limited range of motion of the neck - Arm pain Chiropractic care not only treats these symptoms but corre...

We talk a lot about preventing overuse injuries, but exercise is essential for a healthy body. You need a strong core to support your back and flexible hips to avoid pulling on your lumbar spine. So how do you minimize the risk of strain? Every exercise has its proper form, and we at Cleary Family Chiropractic in Woodstock want everyone experiencing back pain to get the approval of one of our biomechanical experts before engaging in a work-out. But one feature every routine has in common is properly warming up and cooling down. When your muscles have blood pumping through them, they are less likely to be strained or frayed. But stretching a muscle while it’s still cold puts it at much greater risk. Warm up stretches should be dynamic, meaning they should increase blood flow to a muscle while loosening it. Part of the reason for yoga’s popularity is that there are a lot of poses that do this. Other dynamic stretches include arm and hip circles, butt kicks, lunges, and leg swings. It wi...

Back pain can get worse when it’s left untreated. Many of the problems in people’s spinal columns are due to degenerative conditions causing chronic inflammation. Although inflammation is triggered by the immune system, it causes problems of its own when it persists, including the development of bone spurs in the spine. Fortunately, we at Cleary Family Chiropractic in Woodstock provide holistic, low-risk treatment, preventing bone spurs from growing and minimizing the problems caused by ones already present. Bone spurs are protrusions from bone that build up in places with prolonged inflammation. They are common in people with osteoarthritis, whose joint-cushioning cartilage is wearing away. The facet joints of the spine connect the vertebrae to each other, and as their cartilage erodes, they rub against each other, causing irritation and new bone growth. Spinal spurs also commonly develop around herniated discs, which put pressure on the nearby soft tissues and are unable to function...

Ankylosing Spondylitis is the name of a kind of arthritis that can affect the spine. One of its defining symptoms is inflammation of the ligaments and tendons that attach to the vertebrae. Although it is a chronic condition, it is manageable through regular maintenance, and we at Clearly Family Chiropractic in Woodstock are committed to providing our patients with treatments that are safe and as non-intrusive as possible. The exact cause of ankylosing spondylitis is unknown, but it has a major genetic component. It most often occurs in young men and causes early morning stiffness in the lower back and pelvic region. It is often intermittent and can sometimes be felt in the hips and shoulders. In severe cases, the vertebrae may fuse together as the bone regrows during periods when the inflammation subsides. Treatment for ankylosing spondylitis revolves around keeping the spinal joints mobile and reducing inflammation. Spinal adjustments can prevent stiffness, and Active Release Techniq...

It’s no secret that if you suffer from back pain, you won’t sleep as well. But what may be less clear to patients is how certain lifestyle changes can help them get better sleep if they suffer from osteoarthritis. We’re dedicated to helping our patients at Cleary Family Chiropractic in Woodstock to free themselves of pain through holistic, minimally invasive means, so we want to explore the ways patients can escape the vicious circle of pain and insomnia. Osteoarthritis differs from other forms of arthritis in that it is characterized by mechanical wear to cartilage. As the bones rub together, their cushioning erodes and they form bony spurs at their tips, triggering inflammation in the surrounding tissues. The dread of pain often causes people more sleep deprivation than the pain itself, and when a person is short on sleep, their soft tissues become less elastic and supportive. If they suffer pain long enough, it may become centralized, meaning that their body is continually sending ...

Cleary Family Chiropractic is located in Woodstock, GA. It’s run by Drs. Matthew Cleary and Dr. Dave Sikanowicz, two top-tier chiropractors. That’s why they’ve taken the time to create this little description of Personal Injury. Specifically, what is a Personal Injury? This is any kind of injury that happens outside the workplace. It’s best to get treatment right away before it gets worse. Contact us today to set up your first appointment!   The appointment starts with a physical evaluation. This is the best way for Drs. Cleary or Sikanowicz to get an understanding of your condition. They look for resulting injuries from the accident while informing you of the best treatment methods going forward.   Here are a few common types of personal injury: -car or automobile accidents -bicycle accidents -fall, slip, or trip   There is a monumental difference in the way other medical practitioners and chiropractors provide treatment. Chiropractors focus on your body as a whole, a connected system...

If you suffer from any sort of pain, chronic or acute, contact Cleary Family Chiropractic today. This includes any sort of shoulder pain! Drs. Matthew Cleary and Dave Sikanowicz commonly treat shoulder injuries and discomfort. It’s best to get treatment before it worsens. If you find yourself struggling to sleep or even carry a bag, let us know! We are conveniently located in Woodstock, GA.   The biggest and most common symptom is a pain when moving or lifting your arm. Other experiences are decreased range-of-motion, a burning sensation, and a pinching feeling. We offer treatment for all of these. Your shoulder joint is very vulnerable which is what puts it at risk. It’s why we offer strength techniques alongside treatment. By making the joint stronger, you minimize the risk of re-injury.   There are a few ways to injure a shoulder: -overuse -improper usage when exercising -trauma from an accident -over-loading   There are a few more severe issues that your Woodstock, GA, chiropractor...

Did you know that the stooped gait commonly seen in older people is largely preventable? Hyperkyphosis, an extreme forward curvature of the upper spine, is often the result of disease. One disease in particular, osteoporosis, accounts for most instances of it, so we at Cleary Family Chiropractic in Woodstock wanted to inform our patients of what causes it and how to mitigate it. As living tissue, the bones of our backs are constantly breaking down and regrowing. But among some people, the bones break down faster than they regrow. The resulting weakness is called osteopenia, and if it is severe enough for gaps to appear in the bones, the patient is said to have osteoporosis. This disease is most common in older women, although it is not rare in men. As bones become more brittle, they are likelier to develop small fractures. A person may not feel each fracture, but their accumulative effect is that the vertebrae slowly collapse, resulting in hyperkyphosis. To counteract osteoporosis, a ...

Exercise is crucial to a healthy lifestyle and is often a core component in our patients’ recovery from back aches. Cycling is especially popular, since it won’t jostle the spine or other joints with impacts. However, lower back pain is a common complaint among cyclists, and we at Cleary Family Chiropractic in Woodstock want our patients to know to take steps that will prevent it. As with any sport, it’s important for cyclists to have properly-fitted equipment. Often, when people get used bicycles, they never get them properly refitted, but this will become a problem if they have to reach too far forward to reach the handlebars. Ideally, a person should be free to shift posture on the bicycle during the course of their ride so they won’t hold one position or stretch their lumbar spine for too long. However, professional cyclists also commonly experience lower back pain, and this probably isn’t due to old equipment. As a person cycles, the muscles supporting the lumbar region of their ...

Pain in your back may be due to a problem further down your body. When people have knee pain, they’re likelier to adopt poor posture, keeping pressure off their aching joint by thrusting out a hip and bending their back to the other side to keep their balance. This is terrible for the lower back and pelvic muscles, and while we at Cleary Family Chiropractic in Woodstock can provide safe and minimally invasive treatment, we want people to better understand how knee pain develops. When a person is suffering from stiffness and soreness in the knee, we call that “patellofemoral syndrome.” The kneecap is a sesamoid bone, which means it does not connect to the rest of the skeleton in the way most bones do. Instead, it rests on cartilage in a trench at the bottom of the femur and is held in place by muscles and ligaments. When those tissues become inflamed and the kneecap is displaced, it may erode its supporting cartilage. Patellofemoral Syndrome tends to be worse when a person is walking u...

A fall can permanently damage a senior’s joint health. Lower back pain is one of the most common ailments in the United States, and the fact that one fourth of Americans over the age of sixty-five suffer a fall each year is one of the major reasons why. As chiropractors who maintain long-term interest in our patients’ well-being, we at Cleary Family Chiropractic want the households we serve to understand how they can reduce environmental hazards and minimize risk. Good balance requires good posture and weight distribution on the feet. When a person has foot pain, they tend to compensate by leaning too far and putting strain on their back muscles. Seniors should wear supportive shoes as much as possible, including when they are inside the house. Their shoes should have soles with good grip and should stabilize their ankles. Walking areas should be kept clear of carpets that create uneven floor height and have upturned corners, and hallways should be well-lit.  A person will be at much ...

Imagine this: when you lean backward, a muscle spasm starts in your back. It travels down the back of your leg or into your shoulder and up to your skull. The pain is dull and throbbing, but it’s hard to predict how long it will last. If this sounds familiar, you may be suffering from Facet Joint Syndrome. We frequently treat this problem at Cleary Family Chiropractic in Woodstock, but it remains little known and many people don’t ask for help with it. In the back of our vertebrae is a hollow, bony protrusion that the spinal cord runs through. The protrusions attach to each other at something on either side called a facet joint. Unlike the spinal disc, the facet joints are made up of bones cushioned by cartilage and lubricated by synovium produced by a capsule. They are mobile enough to allow the spine some degree of torsion and to move back and forth, but they also prevent the vertebrae from sliding out of place. A person could feel symptoms of Facet Joint Syndrome if the tissues of ...

Raking is a great way to get exercise and sunlight this fall season. But if you do it improperly or have a history of back injuries, you will be at greater risk of developing back pain. We highly value preventive care at Cleary Family Chiropractic in Woodstock, so we thought it would be a good idea to provide our patients with a few basic safety tips. The first things to think about when raking are your clothing and equipment. Your clothes should be lightweight, breathable, and allow you to stretch. They should be form-fitting, and you’ll need to remove dangling jewelry. You should also wear shoes with slip-resistant soles and that provide arch support. The rake should be light and have a long enough handle for you to use without bending down. Try to plan your raking so you can do it when the leaves are dry and won’t weigh as much. Warm up by doing dynamic stretches for at least five minutes. The American Chiropractic Association recommends raking with one foot forward and one back, s...

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...

Cleary Family Chiropractic, located in Woodstock, GA., is dedicated to helping any and all patients find relief and assistance by providing natural, noninvasive alternatives. One of these alternatives, administered by Dr. Matthew Cleary and Dr. Dave Sikanowicz, is called Active Release Technique (ART). ART is a patented soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves.   ART is primarily used to treat conditions stemming from overused muscles, like back pain, carpal tunnel, sciatica, tennis elbow, and shin splints. These overused muscles can be caused by pulls, tears, and collisions. Not getting enough oxygen is another common cause. The results are a build-up of scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue locks up muscles that need to move freely. If left untreated muscles weaken and nerves become trapped. Patients will experience a reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain.   At your ART app...