1. The Situp – The situp is essentially nonstop repetitive flexion of the spine, which can damage discs and joints over time. We are flexion-driven society thanks to over-sitting, texting and driving, so why do we want to perform an exercises that encourages that positioning? Alternative- Deadbug

2.  Side Bends – This exercise is all too common at gyms. Basically you are loading weight on one side and cranking the spine repetitively. If you are looking to sculpt the core you need to training the obliques, and anti-rotation, anti-bending exercises are a much safer solution that actually while provide more benefit. Alternative- Farmer’s Carry, Suitcase Carry

3. Upright Rows -This is elevation of the shoulder with internal rotation while holding weight that is in front of the body. That is actually the precise test for diagnosing a shoulder impingement. With hands gripping a bar, you are locking your biomechanics into a position that loads too much stress on the areas where the shoulder joints connect with the body. Alternative –  Single Arm Dumbbell High Pull

4. Military (behind the neck) Press – just don’t do it, this is bad on so many levels. Alternative- Dumbbell Shoulder Press with core engaged

5. Exercises that can be good when done correctly but are often performed incorrectly:

•  Burpees – due to factors like hip tightness, core and/or upper body weakness and poor conditioning, this exercise is often performed repetitively with no regard for form.
•  Kipping pull-ups – Again, if the core is not engaged and the shoulders are not locked in, there is risk for injury when form is not paramount.
• Planks – this one is all about form and focus. Poor form adds stress to the low back and shoulders. Flexing every single muscle at once can have its benefits, but a better solution would be to focus on core stability while relaxing muscles that are overactive to begin with, like the upper traps and hamstrings.  Maintaining proper breathing is often overlooked during this exercise but can be very beneficial.

With any exercise, proper core engagement and clean functional movements will always be of the utmost importance. At Integrated Health Solutions, our team of doctors are trained to assess these movements and treat the pain associated with dysfunctions. Not only do we help eliminate your pain, we work to avoid future problems by making sure you move in the healthiest way possible!

Content provided by Dr. Drew Hunt

The post Safe Alternatives to the Most Common Dangerous Exercises appeared first on Integrated Health Solutions.

We understand that these are concerning and difficult times. We would like to ensure our clients and patients that we will continue operating during these uncertain times. Based on Governor Holcomb’s executive orders put into place this afternoon, we are exempt from the Stay-at-Home Order.

We want to reassure you that we are here for you. We have had several patients express concerns that we would not be open, prohibiting them from continuing their treatment to manage their pain and stress. Please rest assured, we will remain open so that we can continue to help you stay healthy and be your best.

As a healthcare facility, we are an essential business and therefore it is important for us to remain open.

While we will continue to provide care, please note we are taking all the precautionary steps possible as suggested by the CDC to disinfect our facilities to keep you and our staff safe.

• We’ve asked all clients, patients and staff to remain at home should they have a fever or feel unwell.
• We disinfect all surfaces every hour.
• Because our clinic operates by appointment only, we are able control the number of individuals in our facility at one time.
• We disinfect our treatment tables and equipment after every single client.

Thank you all for your continued support, and please stay well!

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Here are 5 proven steps to keep yourself as healthy as possible:

1. Manage stress. Stress impacts us at multiple levels. It has been proven to weaken the immune system and increase the stress hormone, cortisol.  A simple way to effectively manage stress is mindful meditation. Most recent research shows that mindfully spending time breathing for 12 minutes or focusing on a mantra helps mind tranquility. In addition, journal what’s troubling your mind — writing it down, will help you stop thinking about it, and get it off your mind so you can relax.  As we manage and improve our stress level, it will naturally improve our quality of sleep. 
2. Sleep. Sleep is an essential step in our health to allow us total body recovery.  A variety of functions along with neurotransmitters and proteins that are essential for recovery are handled during our sleep.  For a better night’s sleep, I recommend turning the temperature of your home to about 64 degrees, refrain from any screen time an hour prior to your bedtime, take a warm bath, and consider reading book preferably an easy fiction. I would also highly encourage if possible to take a twenty-minute nap during the day. 
3. Diet. Assisting the immune system by eating whole fresh foods along with eliminating sugar preservatives will help optimize your health. Consider starting your day with  lemon juice, squeezing a fresh lemon in a cup of warm water and drink it with a straw.  Augment your diet with natural antibiotic and anti-inflammatory foods such as ginger, turmeric, garlic, and kiwi to name a few.  Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kombucha and kimchi are fantastic sources for healthy bacteria to assist with your immune system.
4. Practice good hygiene. It goes without saying that practicing good hygiene will expose you to less potential harmful elements and organisms.  Washing hands for an extended period of time. Washing your fruits & vegetables especially when you are eating them raw. Wiping surfaces with disinfectant will definitely reduce your exposure to harmful organisms.
5. IV Nutritional Therapy.  IV therapy is a fantastic source of hydration and will boost your system with nutrients. The advantage of IV therapy is the direct delivery of helpful and effective nutrients, minerals and vitamins directly to the system which allows immediate availability and an immediate boost to your immune system.

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What’s the first thing that comes to mind when somebody brings up chiropractic? Commonly when people think of going to the chiropractor, they most often associate that with getting “cracked” or “popped.” In todays blog we will dive into what a chiropractic adjustment actually is and how it can be helpful for treating pain.

The musculoskeletal system is made up of muscles, bones, joints, cartilage and tendons, all of which together gives us the ability to move and also plays a vital role in protecting our organs. Since the musculoskeletal system makes up the overwhelming majority of our bodies, it is no wonder that it is to blame for so many pain driven conditions. This being said, lets talk about how chiropractic adjustments can be helpful in treating pain.

A chiropractic adjustment is a therapeutic treatment that uses controlled force directed at a specific joint in the body. Within the musculoskeletal system, there are well over 300 joints, all of which play a vital role in proper function of the body. When a joint is not moving properly, it often times results in pain. When this is the case, a chiropractic adjustment can be applied to that specific joint, which helps to restore function, range of motion and decrease pain.

During a chiropractic adjustment it is not unusual to hear an audible “popping” sound. This is caused by the release of small pockets of gas trapped from within the joint, while it is being taken through a full range of motion during the adjustment. Although this does not always happen, nor does it need to happen for an adjustment to be effective, it is a phenomenon that is often times associated with the adjustment. After a adjustment is performed, the joints within the body are able to move through a greater range of motion which helps to restore natural body function.

As complex as our musculoskeletal system can be, we can greatly reduce the risk for pain when all joints are moving as they were designed to do. Benefits of getting adjusted are quite vast and include everything from improved mobility and balance to decreased pain and muscular tension. The chiropractic adjustment is a researched and proven technique that is safe and effective for restoring proper motion within a joint, helping to improve overall body function. The chiropractic adjustment plays a vital role in our success with decreasing pain and increasing function with almost all of our patients. When paired with other modalities such as acupuncture/dry needling, soft tissue therapy and dynamic rehabilitation we are able to provide a comprehensive and integrated plan to help them achieve their goals in a timely fashion. Do you feel like your body is holding you back from doing the things you love to do? If so, chiropractic care may be a great option for you. Give us a call at 317-449-2020 with any questions you may have or to set up an appointment so we can help get you back to doing the things you love.

Content provided by Dr. Milton Brinza

The post What is a Chiropractic Adjustment? appeared first on Integrated Health Solutions.

Call it dry needling, call it acupuncture, whatever you want to call it – it works. Dry needling acupuncture therapy has shown to provide some of the best results in our clinic. But, what is actually happening when all those filaments are put into your body? Why is it that those teeny tiny filaments are so powerful?

Let’s begin with differentiating dry needling and traditional Chinese medicine (acupuncture). At IHS, we use the same size filaments as those used in TCM. TCM focuses on placing the filaments along the meridians or channels discovered over 3,000 years ago to be the most effective in all types of healing, not just musculoskeletal. Dr. Ma, founder of Integrative Dry Needling, states that dry needling is the evidence-informed practice of ancient Chinese medicine. Dry needling focuses on finding the trigger points aka those knots and ropes you feel in your muscles in order to restore tissue extensibility. TCM also tends to place the filaments more superficially whereas the depth of dry needling varies based on the muscle, tendon, or ligament being addressed.  Interestingly, Dr. Ronald Melzack found that more than 70% of classic meridian acupoints correspond to common trigger points. 

Now for the fun stuff. How can one little 0.25mm gauge needle be so effective? According to Dr. Ma, inserting a single filament with a depth of only 1 cm can break at least 1,000 muscle fibers. When pushed deeper, tens of thousands of muscle fibers as well as come capillaries and nerve endings are damaged by the filament. Now, multiply that by however many filaments have been inserted, and you can see how powerful this form of musculoskeletal treatment truly is.

You may be thinking at this point, why would these nice doctors be wanting to injure my tissue? This is because the brain is able to identify the trauma caused by the filament and direct your body’s natural healing processes to that area. Your cardiovascular, immune, and endocrine systems are able to target the damaged region and replace it with fresh tissue within just a few days.  Not only is short-term pathology addressed, but chronic pathology is also prevented by promoting self-healing and reducing both the mechanical and biological stress on the body. Another bonus – the filament is so thin that you barely feel it inserted – if at all!

Keep in mind that according to Janet Travell, after an injury, tissues heal, but muscles learn, they readily develop habits of guarding that outlast the injury. You do not always have to be in pain to benefit from acupuncture/dry needling. Myofascial pain involves tissue inflammation, tissue contracture, swelling, degeneration, tissue adhesion, scarring, and biomechanical muscle imbalance. All of these changes outlast the pain itself, which you may not notice until one day your shoulder starts to hurt, or your back is a little tense.  

In short, even without pain, there still may be trigger points and imbalances causing repetitive dysfunction throughout the body.  One of the purposes of dry needling acupuncture therapy is to lower the stress in muscles so that they can absorb more force during sporting activity and thereby prevent or reduce stress-related injuries to the musculoskeletal system. If the muscles are tight, they will pull on the tendons, causing the tendons to be tight, and so on and so forth. 

Here at Integrated Health Solutions, we have seem amazing results with dry needling acupuncture therapy. What were thought to be cases of frozen shoulder were actually just some dysfunctional tissues that were able to be relieved by dry needling and rehab after just 8 visits.  Presumed hip labral issues were overactive hip flexors that were able to be released via dry needling and some exercises to get the patient back to all activities of daily living. The cases could go on and on. Give it a try for yourself!

Content provided by Jennifer Brenneisen

Reference: Ma, Y.-tao. (2011). Biomedical acupuncture for sports and trauma rehabilitation: dry needling techniques. St. Louis, MO: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier.

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Right now, as you are reading this, how’s your posture? Are you leaning forward, hunched over or are you leaning back with your spine rounded? How about when you stare at your computer or phone screen for hours on end, are you slouched over looking down with your chin almost touching your chest? 

Most people know it’s wise to have good posture but few understand the true implications. Aside from the mental ramifications of exuding poor posture (embodied cognition, look it up!) your sitting and standing habits could play a role in poor circulation, fatigue, muscle pain and strain, breathing issues, neck tension and headaches. On the other hand, good posture can help you maintain the correct alignment of bones and joints, prevent muscle strain, reduce stress and inflammation, conserve energy and decrease wear and tear on the joints. To improve your posture, try some of these quick fixes:

• Make sure the top edge of your computer monitor screen is level with your eyes
• Keep your monitor at least 24 inches from your face, directly in front of you
• If you have two or more monitors, switch the location of the most frequently used to center
• Adjust your chair to support your elbows, hips and knees at 90 degree angles with your shoulders relaxed and lumbar spine supported
• Keep both feet on the floor
• Consider a footstool to take pressure off your lower back and a wrist pad for your forearms 

Other helpful tips for reducing the stress on the musculoskeletal system throughout the day:

• Take a 2-3 minute break every half hour to stand or take a walk
• Get a sit-stand desk
• Use the stairs
• Print items at the furthest printer from your desk
• Stretch every hour, even if you can’t leave your chair

When these strategies aren’t enough to keep the pain away, regular chiropractic adjustments, combined with soft tissue release techniques and physical therapy can help. At Integrated Health Solutions our doctors have advanced training in testing and identifying dysfunctions caused by posture and poor mechanics.  If you are looking to make improvements in your posture or are worried about unexplained painful symptoms, making the call may make all the difference. 

Content provided by Dr. Drew Hunt

The post Instantly Improve Your Health With Better Posture appeared first on Integrated Health Solutions.

Do you suffer from a chronic shoulder pain? Were you told it was a rotator cuff injury? What is a rotator cuff?

Let me begin by answering the latter question: the rotator cuff is comprised of four muscles that surround the shoulder joint: Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor and Subscapularis (SITS). The origins of these muscles are found primarily along the scapula (your shoulder blade), along with 9 other muscles! The scapula is what keeps your arm attached to your body and allows fluid motion of your arms away from your body during movements like swinging a golf club, lifting weights and throwing a ball.   Together these structures provide support from your arms to your core.  Without proper stabilization and joint centration, the shoulder becomes more susceptible to pain and injury.

Simply put, imbalances in the muscles actually change the axis of motion in the shoulder, decreasing range of motion and function and increasing the likelihood of injury.  Terms like “frozen shoulder”, “scapula winging” and “impingement syndrome” are the results of instability around the shoulder joint.  Overuse syndromes or a “tendinosis” can occur when imbalances cause certain muscles to be overworked while others are left over-utilized.  This causes an inability to incorporate proper sensory input to the muscles, which in turn further reduces the range of motion.

Now lets address the issue of chronic shoulder pain. It is important to understand that shoulder issues don’t necessarily have to occur from one particular instance.  In fact, most people with shoulder complaints report no history of trauma or even diagnosis from a doctor.  In my experience, patients have convinced themselves that the shoulder “has given out” or “is all screwed up” from age and or activity.  Some patients just give up; others seek help but aren’t being supervised properly. Even those under professional care may be missing the underlying cause of symptoms.

If you have been doing months of rotator cuff strengthening exercises with rubber tubing and you still have shoulder pain, you may need to readdress your treatment protocols.  Without a strong base of support to work from, the rotator cuff will never be able to fully recover. The shoulder and arm can only get as strong as the muscles that hold the shoulder blade onto your body.

At Integrated Health Solutions, we work with athletes at all levels to assess, diagnosis and treat the kinetic dysfunction in the body, not just the symptoms.  In regards to shoulder complaints, techniques such as stretching the posterior shoulder capsule, strengthening the muscles that hold your scapula in place (SITS muscles) and stretching/relaxing the tight/overused muscles that pull the scapula into a different position have had excellent results.  Chiropractic manipulations and soft tissue techniques such as myofascial release, Graston, and kinesiology taping are designed to address these issues on functional, anatomical, and neurological levels. Medical dry needling has proven to be an extremely valuable tool for pain – “Adding trigger point dry needling to an exercise program for patients with chronic shoulder pain may be more cost-effective than exercise alone, according to a recent clinical trial. The combined intervention led to improved quality of life and lower…costs than exercise alone,” write authors in Pain Medicine.

Content provided by Dr. Drew Hunt

The post Don’t Shrug Off Your Shoulder Pain appeared first on Integrated Health Solutions.

Lets face it – injuries, especially sports-related injuries, are inevitable. Whether it’s a torn rotator cuff muscle suffered while pitching or a sprained knee from ballet dancing, injuries are a part of being active. Rehabilitation, therefore, should also be active.  I missed my entire junior year of football due to a sprained ankle that occurred during pre-season training.  I was told to R.I.C.E and…well, that’s about it. Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate, repeat. Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate, repeat. I was following the athletic trainer’s orders and sat passively on the sideline with a bum ankle that never seemed to strengthen. I then spent the next season taping my ankles before every practice and game and wearing ankle braces over the tape. 

It wasn’t until I read about Indianapolis Colts star Dwight Freeney rehabbing his sprained ankle 2 weeks before the 2010 Super Bowl with a chiropractor that I realized there was another way. As a chiropractor, I have been educated on the latest therapies and most effective protocols for treating all kinds of injuries. So when a patient came into our clinic on crutches with a sprained ankle, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate our approach to injury rehabilitation. 

Patient is a 40-year-old male with an inversion sprain that occurred while landing from a flying round house kick at taekwondo.

Treatment consisted of medical dry needling of the surrounding tissue with a TENs unit to decrease tension, soft tissue mobilization to remove muscular adhesions, joint centration for proper alignment and kinesiotaping to reduce swelling. This protocol was implemented twice a week for the first 2 weeks.  After just one week, swelling was down, bruising had dissipated and mobility was returning.

After 4 visits the therapy shifted to exercises and treatments that promote joint motion and weight-bearing.  A study by Linde et al. supports this approach – the study consisted of 150 patients with inversion sprains being treated with early motion and weight bearing exercises. After one month, 90% of patients demonstrated pain-free gait and 97% had increased work ability.

Within 8 visits, the patient’s issues had resolved and so the emphasis turned to preventative care and improving resilience through balance training. 

At Integrated Health Solutions, we take an active approach to our patient’s injuries and pain with a primary focus on functionality.  Our goal isn’t just to get you back on the field, its to make you the best version of you possible so that you can enjoy physical activity without fear of re-injury. 

Content provided by Dr. Drew Hunt

Sources: 

1. https://www.lanjochiro.com/2010/02/dwight-freeney-superbowl-hopeful-using-chiropractic-to-heal-ankle/
2.  Linde F, Hvass I, Juergensen U, Madsen F. Early mobilizing treatment of ankle sprains: A clinical trial comparing three types of treatment. Scan J Sports Sci.1971;8:71-7

The post Don’t Let Your Pain Keep You Sidelined appeared first on Integrated Health Solutions.

Do you find yourself with new aches and pains on a regular basis? Maybe it’s from an intense work out, a long drive, or perhaps you’ve chalked it up to just simply part of this glorious thing we call aging. Whatever the reason, before you pop a pill to dull the pain, take into consideration the damage medications can cause. Ibuprofen, which is the go to for many, can trigger ulcers and increase blood pressure; and even low doses of aspirin can cause intestinal bleeding. It’s very well known that prescription painkillers are highly addictive, and can even be lethal. So, before you grab a bottle of meds from the medicine cabinet, (or drawer…I don’t know where you keep these things) consider an alternative approach. Here you will find 7 simple remedies to ease your pain:

1. Use meditation or deep breathing to relax. These techniques send messages to your muscles to release tension and tightness. Like hey, deltoid, chill the hell out. If you notice an ache or pain during the day, take a moment and find a quiet location, relax your body, ignore distracting thoughts, and focus on deep breathing. Meditation will help calm the mind and the body while delivering powerful pain-relieving chemicals to the brain.

2. Exercise to release natural endorphins. While a strenuous workout may not be doable if you’re in pain, movement and exercise will help diffuse your symptoms. A low-impact workout will help gently stretch and strengthen the muscles. Endorphins released during exercise help improve your mood while also blocking pain signals.

3. Release natural painkillers with acupuncture. Regular acupuncture treatments help prevent pain and are an excellent treatment alternative during flare-ups. Thin, essentially painless, needles are strategically placed to encourage better circulation of blood and nutrients throughout the body, helping to relieve pain and inflammation.

4. Reduce stress. Stress can be the cause of so many of our ailments. Negative feelings can increase the body’s sensitivity to pain. We are not suggesting you quit your job, or tell your mother in-law how you really feel, but learning to take control of your stress may help you find relief from your pain. There are several techniques to reduce stress and promote relaxation; we highly recommend flotation therapy as the ultimate stress reliever.

5. Watch what you eat. Avoid eating inflammatory foods, such as sugar, processed foods, sugary drinks, etc. Fresh, whole foods from organic sources have pain-taming nutrients. Pain and inflammation go hand in hand, so adjusting what you put on your plate, may help ease your pain. For more information on anti-inflammatory foods, check out our Guide to a Healthier Lifestyle.

6. Heal with heat. A few weekly sessions in an infrared sauna can help relieve pain, and provide many other amazing benefits. Infrared heat is more than just hot air. It penetrates tissue, joints, and muscles—relieving pain from injury and chronic conditions.

7. Freeze yo self. Whole Body Cryotherapy stimulates circulation, and as blood flows through your body it brings with it healing agents like oxygen and other nutrients. By purifying your blood, soft tissue healing is accelerated, and most patients report reduced pain after just one session.

Taking a more holistic approach to pain management, will not only help you find relief from your pain, but will also help you avoid the adverse side effects of medication.

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