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Back Talk
A Monthly Newsletter by the Chiropractic Health Centre
586 Oxford St. East. London, Ontario
www.chiropracticlondon.ca
July 2014
519-435-1263
Clinic News
Office hours for August Civic Holiday
Weekend:
Friday August 1st
9:00 – 6:00
Saturday August 2nd Closed
Monday August 4th
Closed
Tuesday August 5th
8:30 – 6:00
Should I Apply
A common question we hear in the office come
from patients who are confused about when to apply
heat or ice to an injury.
Basic rule of thumb? Ice is for injuries,
heat is for muscles.
Ice is used to reduce pain, redness and
inflammation following an injury, such as a sprain,
strain or other soft tissue injury.
It’s generally advised that you apply ice for 10 – 15
minute periods, every couple of hours in the first 48
hours following the injury. Do not apply the ice
directly to the skin; place a cloth between the ice
and your skin. Applying ice directly to the skin or
using it more often than recommended can produce
Heat or Ice?
further damage. Elevating the injured body part can
also speed healing.
Heat is used to help relieve chronic muscle aches
and pains. Heat tends to calm tight muscles,
allowing muscles to relax. Remember that the
temperature should be warn – not hot – as too much
heat can actually increase inflammation and pain.
Moist heat or dry heat? Some people swear
by steamed towels or hot tubs for pain relief, while
others apply a heating pad and are just as satisfied.
It really is your preference, although we can
certainly provide a recommendation, depending on
your circumstances.
Knocking Out Knee Arthritis
Easy Ways to Stop Knee Arthritis from Progressing:
There is a lot you can do, but Harvard
Soft Drinks, soft knees:
researchers now say skipping your daily
soda may also help. There is a lot of good
science to suggest we can do something
positive when we become weak in the knees.
Steps to prevent knee osteoarthritis include
reducing the weight load on your knee by
maintaining an ideal weight; avoiding
activities that will overstress your knees,
such as running; and beefing up the
muscles that support your knee. Working
on the quadriceps in the front of the thigh
and the hamstrings in the back of the thigh
can help absorb some of the stress on your
knee.
Knee osteoarthritis is the deterioration of
Now a new Harvard study finds that
drinking soft drinks may be associated
with knee problems in men. Based on the
analyses, consumption of more than five
non-diet drinks per week is related to
significant osteoarthritis progression in men.
knee cartilage, a smooth tissue that acts as
cushioning behind your kneecap and
between your thighbone and shin bone.
When osteoarthritis occurs, the cartilage
wears away and the bones begin to grind
against each other, which makes walking,
stair climbing, and simply flexing the knees
painful.
One
common contributor to knee
osteoarthritis is the weight burden of
obesity, but scientists found the association
between soda and knee damage held true
only in non-obese men. While researchers
couldn’t explain why sugary soda was
associated with making osteoarthritis worse,
they do have some theories. One is that soft
drinks contain phosphoric acid, which
has been shown to interfere with calcium
absorption and to contribute to imbalances
that lead to additional loss of calcium. The
other theory is that soda may take the place
of healthier food and drink choices. Soft
drink consumption may be associated with
decreased intakes of protein, milk and dairy
products, fruit, and a variety of vitamins and
nutrients.
What you can do:
If you already have knee osteoarthritis,
reduce you soda intake to less than five
drinks per week. Dr. Paul recommends
cutting out soda altogether to help
prevent diabetes and obesity.