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Snow Shoveling Injuries: How to Properly Clean Up After the Storm

November 25, 2023

With the massive snow covering this past weekend comes the inevitable dig-out. Most people, like myself, had to shovel out. Shoveling can cause a host of injuries from strains and is occasionally lethal; three people died from a heart attack during the last storm. The following details how to properly shovel the snow and what not to do when picking up the white stuff. Proper shoveling technique Always face toward the object you intend to lift; have your shoulders and hips facing the snow. Bend at the hips, not the lower back, and push the chest out, pointing forward. Then, bend...

Wallets + Purses = Back Pain?

October 15, 2023

How many of you were taught that your wallet has to go in your back pocket? Despite being taught this, we were not told that stashing our stuff can strain our backs or joints excessively. Who knew that sitting on a bunch of folded bills or stashing coins and lip balm in a shoulder bag can wind up causing aching shoulders, back, and neck pain? Rather than teach us how to live better, we had consumerism marketing masquerading as advice. The result: new purses were bought to help alleviate shoulder pain, and new jeans were purchased whenever the back pocket wore...

The 10 Healthiest Spices

September 15, 2023

Spices not only taste good, but contain many vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that can improve your health and prevent disease! Many times, these spices are viewed as a flavor enhancer, but they also pack a nutritional punch! You will be surprised how good they actually are! Here are my top ten healthiest spices! Cinnamon Cinnamon may help fight inflammation, is an antioxidant and may fight off bacteria. Cinnamon also reduces blood sugar and may help those that have diabetes. Cinnamon is also sweet and is recommended over other artificial sweeteners. t can be added to almost anything! Turmeric Turmeric may be my favorite spice....

MN Spine and Sport Nominated in 5 “Best of Minnesota” Categories!

March 12, 2023

We've been nominated in 5 categories for "Best of Minnesota"! Use this link to vote daily from March 12 - April 5, 2023. Winners will be announced August 13th! Vote MN Spine and Sport We've been nominated for: 1). Best Chiropractor 2). Best Acupuncture 3). Best Sports Medicine 4). Best Physical Therapy 5). Best Wellness and Recovery Services...

Pronator Teres Syndrome

November 16, 2021

Do you have a painful forearm or weird sensations in your thumb and pointer finger? Maybe your forearm, wrist, and elbow have been aching. A quick online search for symptoms yields dozens of results for painful hand, wrist, and elbow conditions, making fact-finding very confusing. Your pain and discomfort may partially match common wrist complaints like carpal tunnel syndrome, hand tendonitis, elbow pain, and other related conditions, or your symptoms don’t seem to fit any single situation -- making it hard to tell what exactly is going on! One lesser-known condition that causes finger tendon and forearm discomfort is called pronator teres syndrome, and this culprit for...

Tennis Elbow

October 26, 2021

Have you recently picked up a racket sport such as tennis, badminton, squash, or even golf? Maybe now your dominant elbow and forearm are hurting. If this describes you, there is a good chance you overworked your forearm muscles with repeated gripping (1) and swinging arm movements, causing an overuse injury of the common extensor tendon. This condition is commonly known as Tennis Elbow or lateral epicondylitis (1,2). (Picture from Mayo Clinic) What is tennis elbow? The elbow is a structure involving connecting bones, ligaments, connective tissues, the elbow joint, several muscle attachments, and fluid-filled sacs designed to absorb forces. Repetitive or excessive...

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

October 15, 2021

Are you experiencing pain as well as numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hand and fingers? Do your fingers or hands feel like they’re “falling asleep” while you type at a keyboard, grip a steering wheel, work out at the gym, or pick up groceries or even your child? There are several conditions of the head, neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist that cause sensations of tingling, numbness, pain, and weakness with grip strength. More common conditions include carpal tunnel syndrome1, tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)2, compression of the nerves exiting the neck spine (cervical radiculopathy)3, and pinched nerve (impingement syndromes) of the shoulder. Less common injuries involve brachial...

Dead butt! (syndrome)

October 13, 2021

Yes, it’s a real thing! The phrase “dead butt” refers to a painful condition caused by inflammation in the tendons of the gluteus medius muscle, one of several major muscles composing the buttocks. This condition, known medically as gluteus medius tendinopathy1, is also called “dead butt syndrome.” What is dead butt syndrome? Do the muscles in your backside die? While the name may have a level of seriousness to it, our bodies are naturally very resilient; unless the muscle is cut off from its blood supply, it doesn’t die easily. However, gluteus medius syndrome can be painful, and pain experienced during this tendinopathy...

Understanding Pain: Why do we “pick the scab?”

October 13, 2021

Our chiropractors in Woodbury, MN, will help you get back to the activities you love through proper movement and strengthening exercises your spine needs! An excerpt from Back Mechanic by Stuart McGill PhD “Many back pain sufferers would experience a huge breakthrough in their recovery if they only realized that it was their flawed movement patterns that kept them pain-sensitive. Much like a scab forming on our skin, our backs are constantly trying to patch and heal themselves. We, however, by continuing to repeat harmful movement patterns in our daily lives cause re-injury. We are essentially “picking the scab.” It is...

It’s not all humerus: Shoulder pain

October 1, 2021

Although most shoulder problems are relatively short-lived, pain in the shoulder can indicate a more complex issue. To understand shoulder pain, we begin with a review of how the shoulder works and functions in the human body. What is the shoulder? The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint1,2 made by the connection of the humerus, or the arm bone, in a shallow socket known as the glenoid fossa. The glenoid fossa is part of another bone called the scapula, more commonly known as the shoulder blade. In the front of the shoulder lies the clavicle, also known as the collar bone. On one...